I would like to describe Mumbai as a gracefully aging great aunt. A city that would have been gorgeous in its youth.......but is now showing the signs of age. A city where the wrinkles show, where the skin has started to sag, where the life is starting to fade from its eyes............
However, that is probably not very accurate. It may well have been beautiful once, but if so I doubt that was in living memory. The city is well past the "worn" stage. Everything seems in need of a coat of paint, and a wash, and some green. It is a city of contrasts. Teeming with people, and colour, and dust and the scent of "the great unwashed" (finally that phrase has come to life for me :)), it is also filthy and falling apart and seems to be held together by goodwill alone.
Some thoughts;
(1) Pigeon restaurants.........places where you feed the pigeons rather than eat them. Apparantly feeding pigeons is a respectable religious activity and these "Pigeon restaurants" are scattered all over the city.
(2) Being white......and longhaired............ I haven't felt like this since I worked in the townships in south Africa and it is very stranged to be treated as a curiosity. Everyone seems to do a double take when they see me. It's like WTF......look at that strange white dude. Surprising really as I am sure they see plenty of tourists (although not at the moment as this is the rainy season).
(3) the beach.......I was excited to be encountering a new ocean (in this case the arabian sea) and one that even had waves :). However......it is filthy. I took a long walk along the beach yesterday at low tide and it was just covered in rubbish. Plastic bags by the millions and it is obviously treated a one big garbage dump. Such a tragedy really, and one that reminds me how lucky we are in nz. I took another walk along the beach this morning at high tide as I wanted to walk in the warm waves.....which was all good until i went to put my shoes on and discovered that my feet were black with some kind of dodgy oil like substance........lonely planet does not recommend swimming here and now I know why. A shame really as the water is beautifully warm. I hope it gets better when I head south.
Anyway, enough for now.
Have fun and be kind
However, that is probably not very accurate. It may well have been beautiful once, but if so I doubt that was in living memory. The city is well past the "worn" stage. Everything seems in need of a coat of paint, and a wash, and some green. It is a city of contrasts. Teeming with people, and colour, and dust and the scent of "the great unwashed" (finally that phrase has come to life for me :)), it is also filthy and falling apart and seems to be held together by goodwill alone.
Some thoughts;
(1) Pigeon restaurants.........places where you feed the pigeons rather than eat them. Apparantly feeding pigeons is a respectable religious activity and these "Pigeon restaurants" are scattered all over the city.
(2) Being white......and longhaired............ I haven't felt like this since I worked in the townships in south Africa and it is very stranged to be treated as a curiosity. Everyone seems to do a double take when they see me. It's like WTF......look at that strange white dude. Surprising really as I am sure they see plenty of tourists (although not at the moment as this is the rainy season).
(3) the beach.......I was excited to be encountering a new ocean (in this case the arabian sea) and one that even had waves :). However......it is filthy. I took a long walk along the beach yesterday at low tide and it was just covered in rubbish. Plastic bags by the millions and it is obviously treated a one big garbage dump. Such a tragedy really, and one that reminds me how lucky we are in nz. I took another walk along the beach this morning at high tide as I wanted to walk in the warm waves.....which was all good until i went to put my shoes on and discovered that my feet were black with some kind of dodgy oil like substance........lonely planet does not recommend swimming here and now I know why. A shame really as the water is beautifully warm. I hope it gets better when I head south.
Anyway, enough for now.
Have fun and be kind
See, if you went for a swim in that ocean you wouldn't be a strange 'white' dude anymore.
ReplyDeleteLonely Planet just wants to keep you pasty white and foreign so you keep relying on their books.
Is this an excercise in gratitude methinks? Photos please. XX
ReplyDeleteNice. Well I am certainly still white and pasty....and still relying on their book :)
ReplyDeleteAs to photos. I still can't get them to download from the iPad. I can email photos but not download them to the blog.
Laughed at your comment about the SA townships mate.
ReplyDeleteWell at least you shouldnt come home with stray bullet holes in the fairing this time round. Im sure Imbali township would have prepared you well.
Dave B