From Sydney to Mumbai... and back

I've just finished up packing my bags before I head to the airport in the morning and begin the long journey across the Pacific to visit family for Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to seeing everyone, though I can't say I'm looking forward to the extended time on a plane. After all, I spent nearly two days on planes in the last two weeks already... I won't go into too much detail about the trip, as I promise to actually post pictures from it very soon; I've already culled and labeled nearly half of them.

But here's the overview:

Back on the evening of 1 November, I got to depart on a week-long adventure to experience some new (to me) cultures and places. I first flew to Abu Dhabi (a 15-hour flight from Sydney), where I arrived very early in the morning and had the chance to explore for six hours or so before before returning to the airport for my second flight of the trip.

Abu Dhabi was, as one would expect, a massive desert, but I am very glad I got to get out of the airport and explore for a bit. I took a bus into the city, making it out to the coast of the Persian Gulf. Along the journey I met another Sydneysider who was on my flight, and we spent the morning adventuring together. Once we had our fill of the waterfront and skyline views, we headed up the coast to the Louvre. Yes, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

Having opened last year, the outpost of the Parisian institution was designed by noted French architect Jean Nouvel. As you might imagine, all of my architecture friends insisted that I go there. It was very, very worth it. The building was stunning and the collections diverse, offering a chance to see a lot of art in a short amount of time.

The view of the galleries, sitting in the clear waters of the Persian Gulf, from the museum entry.

The light-filtering dome, which spans the museum and expansive courtyard, keeps the temperatures bearable in the desert.

After the museum, we caught the bus back to the airport for our next flight, a comparatively short jaunt (and admittedly a retracing of our steps), back across the Arbian Sea to Mumbai!

The trip to India was more or less on a whim. With a work project just wrapped (and my ability to carry my PhD work wherever I wander—as I like to say, "I can read on a plane just as well as at my desk"), reasonably inexpensive flights, and my brother finding himself with a few extra days during Diwali in India after a work trip, it would have been silly not to go. And, as it turns out, I am very, very glad I took the chance, even if it involved getting four inoculations to make the journey!

I won't regale you with our full itinerary, honestly we covered too much ground, but I will share a few highlights. The rest you will be able to see when I post pictures on Facebook in the next few days.

During our stay in Mumbai, we explored extensively by foot and public transport. We went on four tours led by Reality Tours, who I cannot recommend enough. Overall, the people in Mumbai were very friendly and welcoming. The colours, smells, flavours, and constant noise from the sea of humanity in the streets (comprised of honking taxis, mopeds, trucks, bikes, cows, carts, and an unending throng of people) were an onslaught on the senses—mostly in a fantastic way.

The first day we got our bearing with a tour exploring a large portion of the older parts of the city and learning about history and culture.

Getting chai tea on the street from a chaiwalla (walla roughly means "person who does").

A view of the Gateway of India in Colaba.

A cow on the street. Not an uncommon sight.

After exploring on our own for a few hours (and freshening up at the hotel—temperatures pushed into the upper 90s F [mid-30s C] with 100% humidity, and culture/desire to avoid the risk of malaria-spreading mosquitoes meant long pants and long sleeves) we met up with another tour in the evening to explore the food markets around the city. We got to try a range of different styles of food and see some very interesting neighbourhoods.

Trying pani puri on the tour.

A typical street scene.

The second day we struck out on our own, venturing to neighbourhoods in the northern part of the city, including a small cluster of surviving 18th Century Portuguese architecture in Khotachiwadi. We then pushed on toward the western coast of the peninsula that Mumbai sits on (interestingly, Mumbai was actually seven separate islands until the British did massive land filling in the 19th Century) to a neighbourhood called Bandra.

Wandering around Khotachiwadi.

In Bandra, we walked along the coast, offering great views back south to the Worli Sea Bridge and Mumbai skyline, before taking the train back to the city. We quickly became pros at the train system (which costs just 5 rupee, about 7-8 US cents), mastering the skills necessary to push our way on and off (sometimes still moving) trains.

The Worli Sea Bridge from Bandra. 

A train pulling out of the station.

In the city, we visited the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, home to Mumbai's history collection. We then raced across the city to the western coast at Mahalaxmi (mah-ha-lach-shmi) to see sunset at the Haji Ali, a mausoleum and mosque.

Haji Ali, sitting on an island connected by a bridge that floods during high tides.

Sunset over the Arabian Sea.

The next day we took a transport tour, getting to try our hand at the bus system in the city; bolstered by our new found understanding of the buses, we even gave them a try on our own later, learning a bit of Marathi (the language of the state Mumbai is in) numbering in the process. We also got to explore CSMT, the grand old train terminus in the city.

At CSMT.

And with Diwali, one of the biggest festivals of the year, getting into full swing, we really enjoyed checking out the flower markets which were bustling with shoppers purchasing decorations. From the market at Dadar, we went back toward the heart of the city, stopping to admire Dobi Ghat—the largest outdoor laundry in the world—which handles clothes and linens for many of the major hotels and hospitals in the city.

Inside the Dadar Flower Market.

Dobi Ghat.

After exploring a few markets, we made it Churchgate Station, the southernmost station on the Western Railway line, in time to see the dabbawalla at work. The dabbawalla deliver more than 200,000 meals a day in Mumbai, brining fresh-cooked food from workers' homes to their offices across the city thanks to a complex network utilising the train and bikes. It was fascinating to see, and at the end of it we got our very own tifin (traditional stacked metal lunch box) lunch in a park nearby.

Dabbawalla at work outside Churchgate.

Our lunch spread.

In the afternoon, we explored on our own, hitting a few markets, before heading back toward our hotel and catching a Hindi movie at the movie theatre nextdoor. That night we ventured to a neighbourhood farther north than we had previously been for dinner and to check out the lights of Diwali.

On Tuesday, we woke up early and headed down to the heart of the old part of the city, catching a ferry at the Gateway of India to head to Elephanta Island. The hour-long journey through the harbour took us to explore 2000-year-old Hindu temples carved into the sides of mountains on the island. The caves were truly spectacular, and we explored for a few hours before heading back to the mainland.

Departing the Gateway of India to head to Elephanta Island.

Inside one of the cave temples.

The entry to the largest temple.

That evening, we got the special privilege of attending a Diwali party, with plenty of colourful lights and even some fireworks, on the terrace of our hotel. It was cool to see join the hotel staff in celebrating. We then struck out again to explore the lights closer to our hotel.

Our last day in the city, Wednesday, was quite possibly the most exciting. After taking our bags to the airport, we headed via the city's new Metro line to meet up with our last tour with Reality Tours: the Dhavari tour, but with a special Diwali twist. Dhavari is the largest slum in Mumbai, with around 1.2 million residents. Reality Tours was actually founded in the area, and still operates from Dhavari, with guides coming from the slum itself to lead the tour and teach about the industry and activity of the neighbourhood. What was amazing is that while the term "slum" might conjure up images of poverty with lack of industry, water, and electricity, Dhavari is actually far from that.

Rather, the neighbourhood is a vibrant, bustling place, with more than $1 billion of economic output annually. While there are a lot of nuances that I am happy to explain, I won't get into them here. If you're curious, just ask!

What made the tour so unique was that the entire neighbourhood was preparing for the biggest night of Diwali. Outside every house, women decorated the front stoop with intricate rangoli, made of coloured ground marble dust. With the tour, we got to join a family and enjoy some delicious homemade treats for the holiday, and even try our hand at making a rangoli. I think we should leave it to the pros.

One of the countless intricate rangoli in Dhavari.

Once our tour was done, we headed back to the train and then the Metro to grab dinner at one of the highest rated restaurants in India, Peshawari. As we had early morning flights (1:00am and 4:00am), we opted for the expansive tasting menu to make sure we were full and content through the next several hours. Needless to say, we couldn't finish everything, but we enjoyed every bit of it!

The starter course of the meal. Kebabs, a leg of lamb, and other goodies.

The trip back to Sydney took a long time, from the time we left dinner to arriving back at my house was around 29 hours. Despite the exhausting journey, I cannot express how lucky I feel to have been able to make the trip! It will be something I won't soon forget.

And for those of you who expect a bit more detail out of this, sorry. I promise there will be plenty more to see when I post photos soon! With the reality of time constraints, and how much ground we covered, there was no way to do my usual exhaustive debrief!