The Real Mumbai

Today we had some time to really see the true Mumbai; this is the part I imagined when I thought of India and the reality of most of this country’s inhabitants. The crowds, poverty and trash were underlying themes of the day although the vibrancy of the people and culture is striking.

We rented a car and driver and started off in a section of town called Buleshwaar. A bustling local (not touristy) merchant area, there were people, cows, goats, bikes, motor bikes, and some cars pushing shoulder to shoulder through the narrow streets. Even our driver mentioned that this area could be somewhat dangerous due to the amount of people crowded around our vehicle. If we had hit something the locals can easily latch on to the fact that we are foreign and try to get money out of us to pay for injuries. We escaped with no problems of course! Taking pictures made me a bit nervous as I didn’t want to identify myself as a complete tourist- although I did snap a few. In this particular one you’ll notice it’s quite bright, and well I didn’t exactly think it was appropriate to pull out my Oakleys.

We found our destination which was the shop of a brother of a friend of ours from the states who was helping us ship some stuff to Kolkata. Apparently I shopped too much and my bags were too heavy to get on the domestic flights. Don’t laugh! I must admit I am a bit weary that our stuff will actually reach us; but I am placing my blind faith into the Indian (insert accent) “don’t worry we will take care of it for you” system.


We then headed off to “Chor Bazarre” which got it’s UNOFFICIAL name because many of the merchant’s actually steal the products they sell on the streets. You name it- they had it. From car parts, to toilets, to fan repair shops to antique clocks this place was selling it. A merchant’s shop was often so small it rivaled the size of my powder room. We also visited Zaweri Bazarre where most of the jewelers have their shops. I am currently on shopping hiatus until we get closer to our final destination of Kolkata.

We also hit the central laundry service in town called Dhobi Ghat. It’s where most of the people send their clothes to be washed. Yes, when you see this picture it will surprise you to see there is where people send stuff to get clean. The washers stand knees deep in the water and spend their days physically grinding through the cleaning process. Luckily I know our hotel has an in house cleaning service.

The highlight of my day was our Thali lunch. Not to be confused with the meat based Thal meal at Yasmin’s (I got confused on this), this meal was vegetarian and consisted of many servers walking around serving little bowls of dishes. From curries, to sweets, to bread based products to milk based drinks, the servers kept coming and coming until my tummy was stuffed! The buffet lover in me thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Don’t worry- we are getting recommendations on all restaurants before we eat in order to ensure our tummy safety. So far so good!