India!! Mumbai

Both of us had always dreamed of going to India and when we arrived it was as intense and colorful as we expected. We were lucky enough to have our friend Anushka's family put us up and they were truly wonderful hosts. Rita's food was absolutely delicious and she, Ashok and Rahul were endlessly patient while orienting us with Indian customs and culture.

Mumbai certainly feels like a city of 14 million; the streets are over crowded with buses, cars, auto-rickshaws (aka the cockroaches of Mumbai) and motorbikes all honking, swerving and following none of the western traffic laws. And weaving in between this constant flow of traffic are crowds of people jay walking to cross the street. But amazingly, accidents seem to be rare. Hilariously and occasionally we would run into a cow cruising the streets and we were the only ones who took any notice. Can you imagine seeing a cow in the middle of Times Square??

We rode the buses and subway line for an authentic transportation experience and were stared at curiously by everyone around as foreigners are apparently rare sights on public transit. Getting on a bus means fighting your way and often jumping on while its still moving. People cross tracks to board subway trains and hang from the open doors while riding (we found out 10 people a day die riding the rails).

We did a lot of sightseeing including the Taj Hotel (still boarded up), Gateway to India, Haji Ali mosque, Colaba and Crawford markets, University of Mumbai, Oval Maidan and more. We also woke up early one day to see the sunrise and participate in a laughing yoga class on the beach. We were surprised to see hundreds of people also walking the beach that early.

Amongst all this, we were constantly confronted by poverty (it's estimated that 50% of the population lives in slums). Everything from an infant left abandoned on a sidewalk to a father openly abusing his young daughter with a stick in broad daylight. There was also a barrage of homeless children and mothers carrying infants begging for money, which you can't give because it only furthers the cycle of kids being deprived of an education in order to make money. It was all sobering and heart-wrenching. After seeing all this, Nick decided to start Project Lift, an attempt at shedding some light on this issue and directing anybody who wants to help to reputable NGOs and NPOs. If interested, you can visit http://www.nicholaspandolfo.com/nap/Project_Lift.html.

Also, check out our Mumbai pics at:
Rebecca: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Mumbai-Rebecca/
Nick: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Mumbai%20-%20Nick/