Mumbai October 26th to 28th

Kolkata to Mumbai = 2053 km. It was clear that I would not be taking a bus or train to get there so I decided to take my first flight. I was really looking forward to getting there is I was going to be meeting my girl friend who had come to visit me all the way from Belgium and share the crazy adventure for a few weeks! Given the limited time we defined an itinerary around the center of India, that would loop back to Mumbai but would be diverse.

Our first stay in Mumbai was therefore brief but we got a good taster of it. Mumbai is seriously big and populous! 20 million persons officially and if you count the additional people who are not registered, many of whom live in the slums, it probably adds up to more. It is also a city of extreme opposites, from billionaires to peasants, from calm to chaos, from traditional India to colonial architecture…

A highlight for me was the Tuk tuks. Physically they look exactly the same as other towns in the north but… what’s different is that they actually use their meter! Wow, so unexpected. My previous experience is that it is there for decorative purposes. So, no more haggling with Tuk tuks! Hurray!

Note, some of these photos have been stolen from Annamaria Kovacs. She deserves credit for them 😉

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