They welcome you at the ships port with a sign Incredible India. I will agree that in Mumbai there is an incredible amount of traffic, an incredible amount of people, an incredible amount of humidity, an incredible amount of dirt and rubbish, an incredible amount of run down buildings and an incredible amount of crows.
The traffic is crazy, there are traffic lights now and then, but many roads have no marked lines, people just walk out in front of cars and weave around to cross the roads. We saw families of 4 on motorcycles for 2. The trains have no doors, people just hang out of them. People stand in the back of trays in the little trucks. Tiny black and yellow cabs everywhere. People pull their little carts along the roads with all the traffic also. I have never heard so many horns used I'm my life. It is like they don't use their mirrors but honk their presence instead. It is constant honking. Cows have right of way here, but I only saw 2 of them on the road.
There are a number of buildings that have British architecture, and they may have once been beautiful, but most of the buildings we saw were dirty or falling apart. They use bamboo for scaffolding here. I know it is strong, but it doesn't look it. What was odd, was occasionally amongst the run down buildings there would be an Aston Martin, Porsche or other high price vehicle dealership.
We were followed around by the same well dressed young mothers holding their babies and begging for money for food. Little kids begging for money also.
When it rains here, people like to walk out in the rain and get saturated.
The people here are very well dressed and look clean, but everything surrounding them is dirty. We had many people waving at us as our bus passed them.
The hanging gardens were very average gardens with a red dirt path that weaves around them. What is interesting about the gardens is that a particular religious sect (can't remember the name) takes their dead there to be eaten by the crows and other big birds I saw flying about the place. That way the people go back to nature.
There are murders of crows everywhere. It is a little freaky. I also saw some little squirrel like mammal. I only spotted 2 of them. They probably have rabies.
I am sitting on the bus whilst typing this. I just really want to go back to the ship. Nana is nodding off next to me despite the noise of the traffic.
We are back on the ship and most people agree that Mumbai was a real eye opener.
Clocks back half an hour.
Arriving in Mumbai
Sign for tourists at Jain Temple. I wonder how they manage the first rule.
Jain Temple
Train station
Many building have all their wires hanging all over the place like this.
The Gateway of India from the side
Kathleen, on our tour of Mumbai our guide told us that they take pride in their homes and personal hygiene and they are very clean... in the streets they don't care
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling it would look better if it was sunny. Overcast weather makes everything look worse
ReplyDeleteIt was sunny when we were there in 2010 - streets were still dirty - couldn't believe living conditions. Four of us jumped in one of those little yellow & black taxis. What an experience - hubby sat in front passenger seat and was diving for cover continuously. Can still see us exiting a roundabout from the inside of four lanes of traffic (and all that continuous beeping). Seeing children begging in the streets was horrendous especially knowing that there was probably someone there to take anything they earned. When we returned to the ship, there were women with children asking us for chocolate - that was strange, especially considering the heat. I pondered the cultural differences and wonder how it all works when they come to live in Australia - just can't imagine how difficult it must be for them. Our Captain was infuriated when the Indian officials refused to exit the ship until they were plyed with goodies (and I am sure that happens with every ship that docks there). Feel like we have been there and done that and not sure I would need to do it again.
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