Welcome to India

From the minute we landed in Mumbai we knew India was going to be crazy, but we knew it was also going to be amazing. We walked out of the airport and were hit with a wave of heat, smiling faces and crazy clothes of all shapes and colours.

We jumped in a taxi and the 20 minute ride to our hotel was one I will never forget. The air was thick with smog, the driver was blasting crazy Indian beats and the traffic was just INSANE. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles and rickshaws all just ploughed down the road with no concern for anyone else on the road, all beeping their horns constantly while we feared for our lives at every turn.

We passed huge skyscrapers next to huge slums, people bathing outside little shacks on the side of the road, stray dogs everywhere and huge cows just walking in the middle of the street. Kids in passing cars waved at us like crazy and in traffic, guys on motorbikes would stop just so they could shake our hands. Welcome to India.

We got to our hotel and it turned out to be a 40 minute train ride from the main tourist area. By the time we got checked in it had got dark, and so we set out to explore the neighbourhood and find some food.

After walking for 5 minutes we realized that we were pretty much the only white people for miles around. It was dark, smelt terrible and the tiny streets were just crammed full of people. Some pushing little carts around, some outside tiny shops that sold shoes/tools/fruit, but most were just hanging out on the street, next to the cows that were doing the same. They all stared at us.

There was food everywhere, but we were terrified. We had no idea what anything was and there were so many little stalls with all kinds of tasty treats that could destroy our stomachs in a single bite. Eventually we found this Western looking place called Jugheads and got a feed that almost burned our mouths off.

On the way back to the hotel we walked past a family of 5 asleep on the footpath. Mum, Dad and three kids sleeping all in a row. My mind was blown.