Ep2- First Full day in Mumbai

  Mumbai, India
Thursday, January 4, 2007

Vlogabond Home | Connections | Map | Forum | FAQ | About



Check out the episode here.

(This is an entry from our travel mate Jennifer Thaxton's journal. More will be posted about her soon in the connections section of our site).

January 4th, 2007.

We woke up early today, around 5:30 am local Mumbai time, which is 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern Time. My body really has no idea what time it is. Justin was recruited to be a Bollywood (India's Hollywood) extra and decided spent nearly the whole day on the set. Dan and I headed out to the Mumbai fish market at Sassoon Docks at about 7:30 am, just when the sky began to get light. The sunrise over the Arabian Sea and the fishing boats was stunning; a big pink globe against a grey sky. We walked south down the eastern side of the peninsula of Mumbai. The pee-smell of the walk beside the coast took away a bit from the beauty, but perhaps added to the experience.

It is incredible how many Indians sleep in the road and sidewalk areas at night. They simply plop down a mat or a sheet and cover themselves with a blanket, resting their heads on their sandals. Walking along the sidewalk at dawn while dozens lay sleeping at my feet was a fascinating scene.

Passing through Colaba district, Dan and I wandered through a small market area. It was a sort of bazaar right near the coast and fishing docks. The people were for the most part really friendly. A few requested that we did not take pictures, or demanded money in exchanged for their images, so we were a bit cautious. My favorite Indians so far are the little girls, approximately ages 6-12. The ones that have made the most impression on me are the school girls, dressed in traditional blue saris. I think that they are the most comfortable with speaking English and approach westerners more often with their big bright smiles.

Finally, we ended up at Sassoon Docks, about a 30 minute walk from Sea Shore hotel. In addition to the ever-present urine smell, the worst dead fish stench soaks every inch of the docks. Woman and children align the dock, up to their elbows in fish guts and minnows. My sandals stuck in the sludge of grease, fish, pee, poop and mud. I was struggling to make way without breathing in too deeply and side-stepping passing motor bikes and fish trucks that I nearly stepped on a dead rat the size of a small cat.

The boats at the end of the docks were especially vibrant. Greens, blues, pinks and yellows decorated the decks and hulls of the sturdy boats and flags hung from every mast. Unfortunately, and apparently due to the close proximity to a naval area, it is forbidden to take photos at Sassoon Docks. But the colors with the Indian Ocean backdrop was one of my favorite scenes of India that first day.

Later in the afternoon Dan and I went to the Crawford Market, which is the biggest bazaar in Mumbai. The Crawford market is where both wholesale purchases and individual market purchases can be made. Some of the products include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including pineapple, pomegranate, green peas and cauliflower. Animals could also be purchased, including chickens, turkeys, cats, dogs, tropical fish, guinea pigs and a wide variety of birds. After the animal section, Salu, our guide, took us into the meat market section where slabs of beef had been for sale during the morning. Racks of meat hooks and wooden boxes littered the space, and the smell of beef decaying in the heat was unbearable. Rotting bones, loose chunks of carcass and dried blood scattered the floor. Dozens of rats scurried out in front of us as we walked through. At this point, Dan and I became strict vegetarians for the duration of our stay in India.

Outside of our hostel, Indians from our neighborhood worked diligently below our window to clean and decorate a shrine to Shiva, a Hindi deity. They decorated the shrine in marigolds, purple tissue paper and sparkly yellow lights. Climbing the 5 stories of stairs up to our tiny hostel shared between the three of us, we laid down to take a much-needed nap in the afternoon heat. We were lulled to sleep by Arabic music from somewhere outside and the sounds of the ocean in the background.

Dan and I were deep asleep when an incredible sound of drumming right outside our window startled us awake. We groggily roused ourselves, screaming to communicate to each above the noise. Directly outside our window, a band of 6-7 drummers began playing loudly and intensely in-front of the shrine. Across the street from the shrine, a long table held men, women and children who were enjoying a rice vegetable mix and the entertainment of the drum band. Bystanders stood and watched while the drummers danced and performed. I ran down-stairs from the fourth floor window to see what was happening and snap some photos while Dan filmed from above. Indians we talked to explained to us that once every year, the neighborhood donated money and got together to decorate the Shiva shrine, pay tribute, and to feed the poor of the area. The ceremony would bring them good luck. It was definitely a great wake-up call.