Hello, Mumbai

We took the 8am bus from Arambol to Pernem and we arrived an hour before the train. We had breakfast at the train station and there was just one couple with a snack shop selling food in the area. The man sold us the best bhaji we had in Goa, and it was only 20 rupees with bread included!

We arrived in Mumbai at 9:30 in the evening. Looking for a place to stay was a nightmare, especially since some dodgy characters prowl the streets telling us all the places are full. There was, in particular, a pesky old guy sporting a walrus moustache in a butler uniform who would not leave us alone.

Another reason it was so hard to find a place in Mumbai was the ridiculous prices. One hotel in front of Victoria Terminus gave us a discount which we noticed they didn't give anyone else... was our mojo working again? Well, once you see the room you might not think so, but in our defense, this is the best 1,100 Rs can buy in Mumbai...

It's a mouse hole! But it had TV, airconditioning, butler service, and towels. We just had to share the bathroom with Punjabi businessmen staying overnight and endure someone with a sinus problem. Otherwise, it was paradise. If i stretch my arms and legs, I could reach both ends of the room. There was no room for our bags so we stepped over them and had to move them over every time we had to open the door... Otherwise, it's paradise. For the same price we had a "football stadium" in Kolkata.


But it's expensive for a reason, it's just in front of Mumbai's most gorgeous sight: CST Station or Victoria Terminus.

Our butler took us to the room with a view in the morning. He's so funny! Here he is pretending he wants to kill me...

It had a great view of the city... if we had 4,000 Rs to spare every day. Mais, on avez pas. 

The post office, which looks like a mosque.

The other heritage hotel across the street.

We reserved bus tickets for two future trips, including the one on the way to Nepal in February.

These things I haven't seen in a long time -

We got toast and coffee at the hotel because it's included in the service, but it was not enough. Our first order of business in Mumbai was to get something to eat. And we missed burgers so much that even a certain clown was beggining to look good.

But you know the big tragedy of it all? A Big Mac's a Big Mac in Paris but they call it le Big Mac; in India the big mac is a Chicken Maharajah Mac - it's a sacrilege to burgers everywhere! Man, do we miss Pondicherry...

But it's food, so one must not complain. With meat in our bellies, we walked around to see the story-book buildings of Mumbai.

Cricket at the Maidan.

We had snacks at the art gallery, but it felt like a robbery.

We had to rush to see the sunset at the bay, and then walk home because we needed a shower before meeting up with some friends.

Zoroastrian temple, only Parsis allowed.

We had dinner with Jazel's sister, Jaimee, who moved here with her husband LP after giving birth to their son in Manila.

LP drove us to a lot of interesting points in the north of Mumbai that we could never have gotten to because 1) we don't have the time 2) we wouldn't have known how to get there anyway. Included in our itinerary was a stop in front of various Bollywood stars' homes.

The "floating" mosque.

But the biggest star of the night was their son, Siddhiv. The waiters adored him and took him away a couple of times to play with him. He's such a charmer!

So here I am, in Bombay, with a future Bollywood star!