Arrived in Mumbai after a drawn-out trip from Sydney to Brisbane to Singapore: 25 hours door to door, and 27 hours bed to bed. Left the cold, wet drizzly Sydney winter & arrived in the hot, wet, damp Mumbai monsoon season (890+ mm rain per day).
Last time I was in Mumbai was 9 years ago – but difficult to say if things have changed; at least this time, perhaps since it was so late, I didn't have two little girls follow me to the car begging for a dollar; heartbreaking, but at the time my driver said that anything I gave them would just be taken away. This time, scenes from Slumdog Millionaire were still strong in my mind since I'd just watched it on the flight, but the only thing I had to deal with was the mud & shit on the way to the carpark.
The drive from the airport took a while – I'd foolishly booked myself into an hotel right at the tip of southern Mumbai, near the heritage district of Fort. This used to be the hub of activity, but these days high rents and the difficulty in upgrading the buildings has pushed most businesses further out (ironically, close to the airport is usually a better place to stay). The area has a very faded grandeur - art deco buildings aplenty, but all peeling and dilapidated. A shame, and strange considering the land value is so high. Maybe there's only just so much you can do against the monsoon...
Last time I was in Mumbai was 9 years ago – but difficult to say if things have changed; at least this time, perhaps since it was so late, I didn't have two little girls follow me to the car begging for a dollar; heartbreaking, but at the time my driver said that anything I gave them would just be taken away. This time, scenes from Slumdog Millionaire were still strong in my mind since I'd just watched it on the flight, but the only thing I had to deal with was the mud & shit on the way to the carpark.
The drive from the airport took a while – I'd foolishly booked myself into an hotel right at the tip of southern Mumbai, near the heritage district of Fort. This used to be the hub of activity, but these days high rents and the difficulty in upgrading the buildings has pushed most businesses further out (ironically, close to the airport is usually a better place to stay). The area has a very faded grandeur - art deco buildings aplenty, but all peeling and dilapidated. A shame, and strange considering the land value is so high. Maybe there's only just so much you can do against the monsoon...
