Travel log:
Settling into Mumbai would be sporting enough of a challenge without any prior research or help from those who know. I intended to first hit the ground spending as little as possible with the intent of gritting through the first few days, then improving my situation in short-order.
The amount of $36 or Rs. 1600 per day buys a bargain in Andheri if the traveler is in no hurry to reach downtown Mumbai from the far northern suburb.
The Arma Galaxy Hotel is better described as a hostel, but comes furnished with a queen-sized bed, air conditioning, a ceiling fan, table, chairs, television (with BBC, CNN, censored HBO, a cricket channel as well as a number of Hindi channels), a reasonably clean private bathroom (with Western toilet) and an uncurtained shower. The view featured a partial suburban skyline as well as smoggy and dusty local streets.
The nighttime quiet there was cut by howling stray dogs and cawing crows, however, Muslim clerics provide the 6 a.m. wake-up call with the wailing call to prayer.
A complimentary breakfast can be ordered to the room including English and Indian standards: coffee, tea, milk, toast, jam, a vegetable sandwich or omelet.
Outside the hotel, the clouded streets and severely damaged pockmarked sidewalks blend together with left-hand traffic that tightly encroaches on any area where vehicles are not parked and shops do not sprawl. Walking along what could be considered a sidewalk feels more like walking through the entranceways of the various one-story storefronts. Harshly crude construction sites interrupt the shops which are reminiscent of a New York Garment Center "variety" store containing colognes, toys, trinkets, small electronics and mobile phone accessories. Still, many building seem unfinished, yet over-used. Walls are frequently made of sheet metal or plastic tarpaulins; gaps in the sidewalks are filled with trash and partially covered or at least bridged with wooden planks. Everywhere, stray dogs and the the occasional goat roams and picks at garbage.
Many items sold along the streets dealing with communications (ie mobile phones or internet cards) require an application in the wake of the attacks perpetrated on Nov. 26, 2008 by "the Pakistani gunmen," as the news often reports. The application requires photocopies of a passport and visa as well as two passport photos. Shops offering photocopy services are frequent, but may not be readily available when necessary.
With the shopping complete it is time to head into city center. A taxi or auto-rickshaw can be hailed at any time of day on the seemingly lawless streets. Language and rates may be difficult for the English-only rider, but negotiating the fare before entering may prevent some heartburn. The real excitement comes during the ride. Nose position is key on the streets dominated by the open air rickshaws. Still, the hand-operated vehicles are at the mercy of a variety of pedestrians, panhandlers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks. Rickshaw passengers are particularly at the mercy of truck exhaust from the tailpipes which fall at eye level while sitting in traffic.
Finally arriving at the Indian Railway station in Andheri, the commuters queue at the ticket window for destinations north and south. The panhandlers which troop the lines there are usually women carrying sickly-looking infants. The scene is horrible, but also surreal and difficult to believe. Locals say the beggars belong to rackets which hand over the money to bosses in aggregate amounts of up to $1 billion per year.
With an Rs. 8 ticket to Churchgate Station in downtown Mumbai, head to the platforms where trains leave every few minutes. It is easy to find reports of riders dying during over-crowded commutes, but people are often happy to hang from open doors for the breeze during an otherwise roomy ride. Commuters also tend to jump early from a slowing train which clears room for the shoving match to enter the train. The shoving continues until the train's speed becomes too fast for hopeful riders to jump on. Rides can be well-packed, but well-mannered and usually carry two ladies-only coaches per train.
From Churchgate the landmark Nariman Point was a 15 minute walk along the seafront which came complete with heavily smoggy views of Mumbai's Back Bay and the Arabian Sea. I met with my first bit of help and a new friend, Kashtubh. Lunch was a whole curried fish, called bombil and rice. Afterwards, my new friend connected me with an apartment broker, his brother-in-law, Amod.
Brokers charge their fee of one-half month's rent to the lessee, however a "paid guest" room should run between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 25,000 per month or $266 to $555 per month, with an additional security deposit. The money affords the renter a furnished room in the apartment of the landlord, typically complete with a television, air conditioner, private bath (with Western toilet) and some access to the kitchen. (Some landladies even ask that their tenant call ahead if I [or he] will be in after 11 p.m.)
Landlords, who also post the rooms online, often seek out foreign nationals, but the rooms are frequently occupied by university students and traveling business people. For security, a similar application is required, again including the photocopies of passport and visa and two passport photos.
Searching for a room farther south from Andheri, but still in a northern suburb, Bandra is reportedly home to many of the world's favorite Bollywood starts. The celeb population is likely to be seen at the more fashionable restaurants and cafes, which tend to be Western-styled. Unlike the dusty streets of Andheri, the flowers can grow in Bandra. Nearer to the sea, breezes mix with the sweet flowers that grow in the front gardens of the larger and sturdier modern to pre-war apartment buildings. The streets are well-paved (often with brick) and genuine sidewalks offer some space for pedestrians to avoid the more sedate traffic. Bright, clean and air conditioned stores line the main thoroughfares, although more traditional restaurants, food and flea markets are interspersed throughout.
Construction is an ongoing phenomenon in Mumbai, but the sites in Bandra are better contained than the rough works-in-progress in Andheri.
The howling stray dogs are much less frequent, as are the goats; although a few behemoth cows may be seen beneath the mangrove trees on the roadside calmly chewing... and not goring anyone.
Settling into Mumbai would be sporting enough of a challenge without any prior research or help from those who know. I intended to first hit the ground spending as little as possible with the intent of gritting through the first few days, then improving my situation in short-order.
The amount of $36 or Rs. 1600 per day buys a bargain in Andheri if the traveler is in no hurry to reach downtown Mumbai from the far northern suburb.
The Arma Galaxy Hotel is better described as a hostel, but comes furnished with a queen-sized bed, air conditioning, a ceiling fan, table, chairs, television (with BBC, CNN, censored HBO, a cricket channel as well as a number of Hindi channels), a reasonably clean private bathroom (with Western toilet) and an uncurtained shower. The view featured a partial suburban skyline as well as smoggy and dusty local streets.
The nighttime quiet there was cut by howling stray dogs and cawing crows, however, Muslim clerics provide the 6 a.m. wake-up call with the wailing call to prayer.
A complimentary breakfast can be ordered to the room including English and Indian standards: coffee, tea, milk, toast, jam, a vegetable sandwich or omelet.
Outside the hotel, the clouded streets and severely damaged pockmarked sidewalks blend together with left-hand traffic that tightly encroaches on any area where vehicles are not parked and shops do not sprawl. Walking along what could be considered a sidewalk feels more like walking through the entranceways of the various one-story storefronts. Harshly crude construction sites interrupt the shops which are reminiscent of a New York Garment Center "variety" store containing colognes, toys, trinkets, small electronics and mobile phone accessories. Still, many building seem unfinished, yet over-used. Walls are frequently made of sheet metal or plastic tarpaulins; gaps in the sidewalks are filled with trash and partially covered or at least bridged with wooden planks. Everywhere, stray dogs and the the occasional goat roams and picks at garbage.
Many items sold along the streets dealing with communications (ie mobile phones or internet cards) require an application in the wake of the attacks perpetrated on Nov. 26, 2008 by "the Pakistani gunmen," as the news often reports. The application requires photocopies of a passport and visa as well as two passport photos. Shops offering photocopy services are frequent, but may not be readily available when necessary.
With the shopping complete it is time to head into city center. A taxi or auto-rickshaw can be hailed at any time of day on the seemingly lawless streets. Language and rates may be difficult for the English-only rider, but negotiating the fare before entering may prevent some heartburn. The real excitement comes during the ride. Nose position is key on the streets dominated by the open air rickshaws. Still, the hand-operated vehicles are at the mercy of a variety of pedestrians, panhandlers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks. Rickshaw passengers are particularly at the mercy of truck exhaust from the tailpipes which fall at eye level while sitting in traffic.
Finally arriving at the Indian Railway station in Andheri, the commuters queue at the ticket window for destinations north and south. The panhandlers which troop the lines there are usually women carrying sickly-looking infants. The scene is horrible, but also surreal and difficult to believe. Locals say the beggars belong to rackets which hand over the money to bosses in aggregate amounts of up to $1 billion per year.
With an Rs. 8 ticket to Churchgate Station in downtown Mumbai, head to the platforms where trains leave every few minutes. It is easy to find reports of riders dying during over-crowded commutes, but people are often happy to hang from open doors for the breeze during an otherwise roomy ride. Commuters also tend to jump early from a slowing train which clears room for the shoving match to enter the train. The shoving continues until the train's speed becomes too fast for hopeful riders to jump on. Rides can be well-packed, but well-mannered and usually carry two ladies-only coaches per train.
From Churchgate the landmark Nariman Point was a 15 minute walk along the seafront which came complete with heavily smoggy views of Mumbai's Back Bay and the Arabian Sea. I met with my first bit of help and a new friend, Kashtubh. Lunch was a whole curried fish, called bombil and rice. Afterwards, my new friend connected me with an apartment broker, his brother-in-law, Amod.
Brokers charge their fee of one-half month's rent to the lessee, however a "paid guest" room should run between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 25,000 per month or $266 to $555 per month, with an additional security deposit. The money affords the renter a furnished room in the apartment of the landlord, typically complete with a television, air conditioner, private bath (with Western toilet) and some access to the kitchen. (Some landladies even ask that their tenant call ahead if I [or he] will be in after 11 p.m.)
Landlords, who also post the rooms online, often seek out foreign nationals, but the rooms are frequently occupied by university students and traveling business people. For security, a similar application is required, again including the photocopies of passport and visa and two passport photos.
Searching for a room farther south from Andheri, but still in a northern suburb, Bandra is reportedly home to many of the world's favorite Bollywood starts. The celeb population is likely to be seen at the more fashionable restaurants and cafes, which tend to be Western-styled. Unlike the dusty streets of Andheri, the flowers can grow in Bandra. Nearer to the sea, breezes mix with the sweet flowers that grow in the front gardens of the larger and sturdier modern to pre-war apartment buildings. The streets are well-paved (often with brick) and genuine sidewalks offer some space for pedestrians to avoid the more sedate traffic. Bright, clean and air conditioned stores line the main thoroughfares, although more traditional restaurants, food and flea markets are interspersed throughout.
Construction is an ongoing phenomenon in Mumbai, but the sites in Bandra are better contained than the rough works-in-progress in Andheri.
The howling stray dogs are much less frequent, as are the goats; although a few behemoth cows may be seen beneath the mangrove trees on the roadside calmly chewing... and not goring anyone.
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