Greetings from Mumbai.
India's largest and richest city is our last stop in the wild ride that is India. We were very excited to be getting to Mumbai not only for it's reputation as the 'Paris of the Sub-Continent' but also as it would be the last stop for us in India. We had both read Shantaram on this trip and as such knew a little about the city and felt we had an insiders point of view. Sure it was about a some guys experiences working for the Mumbai (or Bombay) mafia and where that led him but it certainly gave some real insights to the psyche of your average Mumbai-ite. Anyway, there's certainly no time to get bored in Mumbai, because after the rest of India, Mumbai seems to have it all. There's tons of interesting historical buildings in the area around the Flora Fountain statue. There's also several interesting museums which we couldn't be bothered seeing and for those who like temples and caves, it goes without saying (or so we heard) that you should to pay a visit to the Elephanta Island which again we weren't able to make it to due to my being sick on our last full day in Mumbai. Oh well.
However we did get to see magic sites such as the 'Gateway of India', Chowpatty beach, Victoria Terminus, The Maiden as well as just walking around the city proper and taking in the new and old which was a nice contrast and in a way sums up India today as a whole. We had nice meals at some obscure locations, went to the movies, drank coffee and tea, and generally just enjoyed the life that only big modern cities can provide. All in all Mumbai is a great place to while away a few days and even perhaps a week. There's plenty to see and do and we didn't find it as in your face as some of the other places in India. Seems everyone has a job to do in Mumbai and just gets on and does it without hassling the tourists 24/7.
And thus brings an end to the Indian leg of our trip. It's been good if not great. India can be a real pain in the arse at times but on the whole it's a country that you simply must visit once in your life. We met a lot of great people of both Western and Indian persuasions, we also unfortunately met a lot of financial opportunists who exist purely to suck the blood of each and every tourist that passes their way (read auto rickshaw and hotel touts etc) but you can't let the bastards get you down. And with that we move onto the final leg of the trip. South East Asia. Next Pod - Hong Kong, China. Love, Nath and Kat.
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