The next morning...

After the initial culture shock we experienced when first landing in Mumbai, everything seemed much better the next morning! We decided to set off on a walk to take in the local area and get ourselves used to the heat and the high humidity (we had travelled to Mumbai at the tail end of the Monsoon season when really the recommended time to visit is between October and March when temperatures are much cooler with less humidity).

After walking around for only ten minutes we immediately began to see all the beautiful buildings and architecture that form the basis of the attractions that bring tourists to Mumbai.  Below are some photos I took of the most famous of these attractions; The Gateway of India, The Taj Mahal Palace and the Victoria Terminus Train Station:

The Gateway to India

The Victoria Terminus

Taj Mahal Palace

When thinking back to the tourism video of Mumbai I published, it is clear that the attractions are as incredibly striking as it shows, if not more. However, what it does not demonstrate to you is the experience you have as you locate from one attraction to the other. This is when you see the many faces of Mumbai all entangled into one. For instance, many of the other buildings in Mumbai are extremely dilapidated and falling into ruin, although they are inhabited by poorer members of the city who give the building some life, many of them still come across as lost in time. Secondly, the sheer number of people and traffic in and around the city’s suburbs make it difficult to take everything in around you. When you stop at a tourist attraction there is often a mad rush of people coming over to see you and request photos, or attempt conversation of where you are from. Similarly the noise of the traffic and the city can impose when trying to stand and reflect upon the amazing sights. As I tried to get over in my last blog, Mumbai is a sensory overload amongst some of the most spectacular sights you could imagine. For me personally this is part of travelling to new cultures that I love - being thrown into something completely new and having to take it in your stride – but comparing reality to a tourism video quickly shows you what parts the tourism board chose to include and why!

When walking around Mumbai you quickly become accustomed by people's curiosity to you. 

A more "behind the scenes" look of Mumbai perhaps...

On the other hand, when I think back to the news articles I read before leaving for Mumbai, unlike the tourism video, I find it very difficult to relate to them at all now that I am here. When walking around in Mumbai the people are very inspiring; they are incredibly friendly, willing to help and assist in accommodating almost any needs, and open about their own lifestyles and curiosity into ours. Just like most other places in the world, when walking around the streets of somewhere you don’t immediately see all the negative media articles that are in the news and as a result I most definitely don’t feel unsafe here, well no more than I would walking around London! Of course you have your wits about you at all time as to not put yourself in danger, but the negative face the news media can sometimes inadvertently give a culture is not one to always be trusted. 

After spending the last few blogs reflecting on what expectations I had of Mumbai based on various medias and now thinking about what it is like in reality, my next few blog posts will look deeper into what cultural experiences have hit me whilst out here.