From Bangalore we flew to Bombay (British name) aka Mumbai. Up to this point, everyone had warned us about Mumbai with how busy and different it was. It was much like the rest of the USA would describe the density and chaos of New York City. We first went to Mahim, which is where Renu's Dad's parents owned a flat for a long while. Luckily, there was an old couple renting the place and (in probably a bit of confusion) let us in so Renu's mom could describe what she remembered.
We then went to Renu's Aunt's sisters flat in Mumbai to see their newborn baby. They lived in an incredible apartment building with marble everywhere and doors that hid the hallway to the bedrooms. The beautiful contrast was the true definition of life in Mumbai (and much of India): a huge high-end complex surrounded by factories, slums, a view of the bay and other large top notch buildings. While there are neighborhoods within the cities, it isn't uncommon to have a beautiful new multi-national corporate building next to one with garbage and concrete dust flowing out of it. While stark and even shocking at first, the unity and flow of India is moving.
We then got back into tourist mode to visit the waterfront in a part of the city known as Colaba. Within one shot you can see the Gateway to India, built by the British, the Taj hotel, where one of the country's worst terrorist attacks occured, and the bay. It was filled with people and street vendors and brought back Renu's mom's memories of playing around the monument as a child.
On the way to dinner that evening, we stopped at the Queen's Necklace part of Mumbai. There is a road that hugs the large 'U' of the Bay and gives you a full view of Mumbai's incredible skyline. Bombay certainly lived up to the hype as one of the most exciting cities that we've visited.
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