The past couple of days have been extremely busy. Manny and I stayed with a couple of friends (in Thane and Vile Parle), which has allowed us to travel on the suburban trains a lot. It's a harrowing experience to squeeze your way out of one of those carriages - I'll never look at packed Sydney trains the same way.
Pav Bhaji, Frankies, Pani puri, Bhel puri, Sev puri, Gulab Jamun, Jalebi are just some of the dishes we've had in the past few days, courtesy of our local friends. I've fallen in love with the brownies from Theobroma's at Colaba, the ability to drink cutting chai on the street for 3 rupees, the intensity of the food and spices, and the sheer variety (even in vegetarian food).
We were also lucky enough to see some more interesting parts of the city. We went to the nearby Nehru Nagar slum to see first-hand how much of the population in Mumbai lives. I had expected to see wooden shanties, but instead found small concrete buildings. The alleys were dark, dirty, overflowing with liquid (unsure if it was water) and extremely cramped. There were often 10 or more people living in a space the size of my bathroom. Despite this, there were shops and people everywhere, children running and playing and people socialising. There was a community and society within the slum itself, which really shocked me.
(A slum we visited near Banganga Tank at Malabar Hill, Mumbai.)
We also visited Dhobi Ghat, which is a laundry area in Mumbai, next to Mahalaxmi train station. I found this tougher than the slum, because of the hard labour and extremely difficult conditions.
One of the local men educated us on Dhobi Ghat and how it works. The dhobis (washermen) work 16-hour days, standing in the chemical cocktail used to clean the clothes. These chemicals are so acidic that often the dhobis are unable to eat with their hands, and eventually develop elephantitis. The same water is flushed into the sea 4 or 5 times a day, which undoubtedly creates major ecological problems. There are also women and teenage boys forced to work there. Each dhobi earns 120 rupees a day, which is often stored away and sent back to their family.
It was difficult to see the type of work these people do, and the conditions they live in. Strangely enough, the visit highlighted to me how selfless people will be to feed their family.
Poverty is everywhere in Mumbai. We spotted a man eating (probably) days-old food at St. Xavier's College (where a friend attends):
We also befriended a few street kids last night, buying some colouring books off them and some food. As soon as we crossed the street, we ran into another bunch of kids. We couldn't possibly buy dinner for all of them, which left me with a feeling of helplessness.
On the brighter side, we came across a group of volunteers (Hamara Foothpath) who meet and teach street kids three nights a week.
My time in Mumbai has been amazing, and a perfect end to my two-month travels. Tonight, I fly to Bangkok, and then on to Sydney on the 9th. It feels like a let-down to go back home. I miss my friends back there (even though most are spread over the world at the moment) and my family. Travelling has been such an exciting and eye-opening experience that I don't want it to end. I've seen so much out here in the world (in South-east Asia, India and at IDC), but I'm afraid I'll fall back into a routine and normalcy at home.
