Mumbai

by admin | Posted on

If nothing else from this trip, we would like our kids to develop much more of a sense of gratitude for the life they have and one of compassion for those less fortunate. I’d describe our usual lives as like a bubble within a bubble within a bubble, living in a nice house in a wealthy suburb of a wealthy city and country. We are a rather homogenous bunch in those parts that don’t see a lot of the struggles that exist elsewhere in New Zealand, let alone the world.

So, if that was our goal, I think we’ve got off to a pretty good start within the first couple of days of our trip. Mumbai doesn’t seem to be the type of place you come to for a soft introduction to life in India. The constant noise, smells, traffic mayhem, poverty and hardship, and hordes and hordes of people all mixed to make an eye opening first day for us all.

While it has been fascinating, I don’t think any of us can really say we enjoyed our first day here and there were a few tears as the kids took it all in. When you see homeless mothers with babies on the side of the road, and men pushing themselves along on trolleys because their bodies are missing from the waist down, it does hit pretty hard for a 10 and 11 year old, and for Iris and I too.

Compounding things were adjusting to some pretty basic 1 star accommodation on our first night when we were all tired and jet lagged from the flights. In hindsight, a place with a shower consisting of more than a bucket of cold water with a scoop, with western toilets and more of a family vibe may possibly have been a good idea on the first night. That said, it was good to set expectations early about how we will be staying at times in the future.

Thankfully, today has been a completely different experience. The city has a much less manic feel on a Sunday morning and after a night to get over the travel, the kids were in great form to visit the fascinating Dharavi slums.

Mumbai from above. Lonely planet says that 60% of the people here live in slum areas, which seems about right.
The ‘hotel’ was a difficult one to find, up an alleyway between stalls
While functional, we may possibly shoot for a star or two higher in the future.
There was so much to take in wondering around… A complete blast to the senses!
And some pretty tough things for the kids to absorb
The traffic was chaotic, but for the most part seemed to somehow work. This accident happened alongside us after the driver made a misjudgement of a couple of centimetres, catching his handlebar on some goods a pedestrian was carrying, veering him into some others. Nobody seemed hurt.
The colonial architecture was impressive. The railway station was a good example.
The gateway to India was a place for people to hangout and take selfies
And in the other direction, the Taj Mahal Palace – apparently the second most photographed building in India behind the actual Taj Mahal. We had our first Indian meal there. Going into the place felt much like entering through airport security due to the bombing there a decade or so ago.
After twenty something hours of travel and a lot to take in on our first day, I think poor Liam had just about had enough at this stage
After a good night’s sleep and a great breakfast at a local cafe, everyone was back on form
The manic streets packed with people the afternoon before were replaced by animals of various types, giving the place a much more relaxed feel
We headed off the next morning towards the Dharavi slums with our guide Pritha
Reality Tours has a no photos policy within the slums, respecting the privacy of those living there so below are some of their own photos which capture our experience well
The slums consist of around a million people living within just over two square kilometres. What was striking was the level of industry within there, with different areas of the slum focusing on plastics and metal recycling, leather tanning, and pottery. Something else that Liam and Sofia noticed was the sense of community there and how happy people seemed even though they had little. There were many kids just playing, laughing, and simply being kids. There wasn’t much in the way of toys, but it didn’t seem to matter. A few stones and a lot of imagination seemed to suffice. There’s a lesson in there for next year’s Christmas presents I reckon.
In all, it was a really uplifting experience for us all and perhaps a few lessons about what’s really important for happiness.
We finished the tour at the house of a local family, having what we all agreed was our best ever Indian meal.
Here’s Sofia’s take on the slum experience through her ‘school work’

About the author

Related Posts

Comments

  1. Amazing blog, and a reminder that “travelling” is not the same as going on “holiday”. We shared this as a family hoping that some of the lessons learned rub off on our children second hand.

  2. Wow what a cool experience for you all! I am going to enjoy reading about all your adventures. Safe travels Iris & family😊

  3. Amazing start for your trip and I think I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed. It certainly takes a little while to get used to your environment in stark contrast to what we have. It brings back memories for me seeing the excellent snapshots

Comments are closed.