Mumbai

Before coming to Mumbai I had already formed an idea of what it would be like from reading two massive books set here. One is 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry set during the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi, and the second is 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts. An Australian who escaped prison and lived in Mumbai, lived in the slums, embroiled in mafias and lots of other adventures. For me Mumbai sounded like a modern, cosmopolitan city, but I honestly didn't expect much. I'm not a huge fan of cities and Delhi, one of the other few Indian cities, was quite frankly a shit hole.

So five days, after an all night train ride where I didn't sleep, we arrived in Mumbai. After scouting around for viable accomodation Clauds and I settled for something really slick, The Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel. Luckily it wasn't just us and homeless people like I originally thought, but thrumming with backpackers. I've had a great time hanging out and seeing the sites with people from all over the world. After trying to pay for accomodation for the first night with a 500Rs note the guy said he didn't have change and in an irritated way suggested for us to stay somewhere else. I wanted to jam the note in his ear for the cheek but as this was the only feasable place for us to stay we suppressed our murderous instincts. As we walked into our average dorm room we commiserated by confirming to each other that we would be getting the hell out of Mumbai in two days, then promptly fell asleep for 8 hours.

We woke late at night and decided to go have a bite to eat.....via a pub for a pitcher......and the pitcher was 1m tall. Anyway thats not the point. Something about walking around Mumbai at night was magical, and it wasn't just the booze that made it sparkle. Mumbai is modern and cosmopolitan, but it also has an energy unlike any other Indian city I've been in. Walking down the streets you see silver Disney like horse drawn carraiges, the water is in the distance and there is massive and beautiful buildings from the English rule. So it is that it is five days later and only now am I heading off to the next location.

It's a bit of a Mumbai rite of passage that if your a tourist you will star as an extra in a Bollywood film. Clauds and I were approached and we readily agreed. We were picked up with a big group from our hostel and we headed off to star in....well, it wasn't a Bollywood film so much as a photo shoot for an advertisement. Who gives a shit I'm a star!!! Unfortunately for Clauds she wasn't able to join in the fun, but was there for the emotional support I needed, "You look sexy!!!" So I was dressed up as a sexy journalist/ecstatic fan (I know it doesn't make sense, just go with it) and I, along with a bunch of other girls, posed leaning into a car scrambling for an autograph from the sexy star. It was all very fun and a bit of a giggle, and I got fed and 700Rs for my trouble.

Today we ducked across to Elephanta island which was A-MAZ-ING! Ancient caves, almost 2000 years old, were scattered over the island. They look like something straight out of Indiana Jones. Massive, beautiful, flawless carvings carved straight into rock. Twas brilliant I tell ya! The highlight for me has to be the crack monkeys. The island has heaps of these monkeys which look very cute.....until they run at you and grab your freaking food out of your hands. They had balls man, when our friends kicked out at one to shoo it away it growled and charged. I nearly peed my pants when one caught site of my icecream.

He looked at my icrcream, I looked at him looking at my icecream, he started walking towards me never taking his eyes off my icecream, I swallowed the entire thing damned if I would let some monkey eat my icecream, he walked away, I suffered brain freeze for 5 minutes.

These things are clever and are on a sugar high that needs another fix quite regularly apparently, (thus me calling them crack monkeys). I saw one gallop and grab a bottle of Fanta, unscrew the lid and gulp it down like it was on a bloody commercial. After watching all this I saw one starting to stalk me with its eyes on my wallet in my hand, I shoved it under my top and ran for the caves baby!

Cheeky bloody monkeys.

Anyway Clauds and I are off to cooler climates tomorrow, YAY!! Except I think we have over compensated a little bit. We are going to the very north of India to Jammu and Kashmir, where temperatures range now from -3 to 30. I don't care, I am looking forward to being cold for the first time in two months!

xoxo
Sim