It was time to move on to Mumbai. Stupid me, I waited till day-of to hire a taxi to take me to Mumbai. Not smart, but thank goodness I was able to find one. That was pretty irresponsible of me and I was lucky, I just didn’t even think it would be a problem! Silly me. My driver was telling me that they had been booked up for today but just happened to have a cancellation and I called just in time.
The drive to Mumbai was about 4 hours, but it was pretty. All through the hills. Unfortunately, it was still terribly hazy outside so my pictures wouldn’t come out as well as I had hoped.
Mumbai is a trip, it’s the NYC of India. So, picture NYC in all its richness and glory, and then picture impoverished, overcrowded India and BOOM! That’s Mumbai. My hotel was nothing compared to some of the sleek hotel rooms I had stayed in, in other parts of India, but the view was gorgeous. It was right over the boardwalk and just beyond was the ocean, with a beautiful skyline running along the shore. I was staying in one of the hotels that had been attacked during the 2009 Mumbai terrorist attacks. It was eerie being there. It was even more creepy when I went to the Taj which had been under attack even longer, it was right across from the gate of India and there was lots of footage there. The restaurants they had were unreal, and very expensive as well. There had to be at least 6 of them, featuring all different types of food. Security in Mumbai was just as tight as it had been at every other hotel in India, scanning the bags and each person that came in the hotel.
A few interesting events happened in Mumbai. I went out to dinner with a realtor about an hour north of where I was staying, in Bandra. I liked him, he was very kind. We ate at the Taj and kept saying over and over to just take in the moment, the beautiful view, the wonderful food, the great company. It really made me feel very relaxed, and it was one of those moments where I can sit back and say wow, how did I get here? Eating at an expensive restaurant in a luxurious hotel, halfway across the world in India. Thank you, Mr. Elsi Relo realtor. He had me write a message to myself to send him some of the grids from other parts of India, but he also had me mention the best tofu I had ever had in the message, so I can always remember it. Because it was, the freshest, most delicious tofu I had ever eaten. I could have eaten pounds of it, and usually the thought of tofu really just grosses me out. A…mazing. Surveying job, sometimes I love you.
Mumbai is ridiculously spread out. One day, I spent an hour and a half getting to a grocery store which was on the other side of the city, and that was without major traffic. It was by far the longest ride home ever. This was the longest commute I had ever taken before.
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