In to the heat of it - Day 1 - 16th of June - Mumbai

After finally peeling the boys off their beds at 3pm we met up with Peter and Ian and headed out to our first daylight tour of Mumbai. Clad in flip-flops and shorts brandishing fine Irish colour we walked onto the promenade of The Gate of India. The heat and smells are the first things that you notice. The aroma was a mixture of burning wood, spices and an underlying dirty smell melded together. It was funny for first time to feel like the outsiders. Eyes turning and gazing from the local Indians, as five irish lads walked down the path. Eoghan with his harmonica in hand was gaining the most glares. The Indian people love to look and I was pleased to smile back at any that gave eye contact. There is no unwanted feeling from them just a look of curiosity and wonderment. I imagine the blue and green eyed bunch of us was quite some site from their point of view. The promenade was lined with mainly young 20 to 30 year olds relaxing against the wall. Mobile phone in hand and dressed in a mixture of western to local clothing. Older men sat on the ground with basins of piled nuts, cooking them on top with a pan filled with some form of charcoal. Black and yellow cabs lined the roadside. The sea directly below the Indian gate is strewn with litter crashing up against the sea walls.

As we got closer to the square in front of the Gate of India the crowd was filled with Indian tourists taking pictures, hanging around chatting. Vendors will try to catch your eye and offer their wares and a polite although firm 'no thank you' seems to suffice, most of the time. As we made our way in front of the rather impressive colonial structure we were greeted by a pleasant young Indian man. He offered a handshake and a smile and suddenly we had gained ourselves a new buddy. He wanted to be our friend. He didn't beg, just followed us. Smiling and nodding and constantly moving between us to become our friend. We presumed if we kept walking he'd eventually stop. Not so easy. We all kept smiling. He kept smiling and talking to us, and following. We walked for around 20 mins before he finally gave up the ghost. There was no sense of danger in any way, we just had no idea what to do.

The city is bustling to say the least and everywhere there is a constant sound of beeping. Cars racing in around each other, taxis stopping to pick up fares, bus racing towards people as they stroll across these highway wide roads. Its a whirl wind of activity. The scattered piles of bricks now had a purpose, as the poor people lay on the unfinished path ways chipping away to create walkways for some of the many 15 million feet that fill this hectic city. The casting system becomes very evident as you make your through the streets. The most disturbing thing, although not unexpected after being told, nevertheless quite disturbing, is the sight of little children lying naked on the side of the streets. I imagine this is only the tip of the iceberg in India.

Our aim was now to find the tourist office. Leaving late in the afternoon is a wise move as the high mid-day heat has dissipated to a paltry Irish heat-wave. Weaving through the barage of stalls and shops is an amazing experience. The experience of new smells and sights is like nothing I've come across before. Sugar cane drink stands threshing the fresh cane as locals stand around, skilled men hand carving marble masterpieces, groups of men huddled over dismantled mobile phones soldering minute electronic components are just some of the many sights that great you. It is sensory overload even for the most avid traveler. We ended getting a little bit lost before we stopped and asked for directions. The Veer Naiman Rd is one the main roads cutting across the southern end of Mumbai. It opens out into a wide avenue, lined on either side by the tall trees of the Oval Maiden parks. I imagine popular cricket fields in days gone by, now in what seems to be a state of repair. There is definite improvements going on around the city, although it is so overwhelmed by the general disrepair you can see. We finally arrived at Church Gate Station and knew the Tourist Information was close by. We got a quick look inside as hoards of people were racing for their red and white trains. We thought perhaps another day might be better to explore further. As we finally entered the Indian tourist office across the road, we were welcomed with a blast of ice cold air. This is a super luxury after walking through the stifling heat. We were greeted by a lovely smiling indian lady reading her magazine. Myself and Ian collapsed, dripping in sweat, into the waiting seats. The boys found some nice couches to rest their weary and wilting bodies on.

The office was lavishly laid out in old 19^th century mahogany paneling with a quite spectacular silver hammered wall covering on one end of the room. It felt like stepping back in time to the 1950s. The place was empty apart from us and a few staff pottering around. We were assisted in every possible way and made feel most welcome. Finally after collecting our photocopies of hotels, maps and Mumbai guide we left the delicious cold office behind and headed back into the heat. One task completed, three hours later, 1.2 miles.

We raced across some more crazy roads dodging the onslaught of honking drivers. We decided to pick up an Indian SIM card in the Asiatic Centre. Not to unsimilar to a Wigoders in Ireland. Learning the lesson of Indian bureaucracy is one to take note of. It took nearly 1 hour to go through this process with forms filled, photos taken, and copies of my passport and visa to be got. After paying we were politely told that the card would be activated in 30 mins. After getting some water we decided to starting heading back towards our hotel and to pick something up along the way.

As we crossed back across town we noticed one of the most dilapidated buildings I had ever seen. It was hard to believe this imposing building was still standing. An Indian stopped to look at what possibly we could be taking a photo of. He smiled in a bemused look and kept stopping to watch as we snapped away. Within 10 mins we were back within minutes of our hotel walking down Mahatma Ghandi Rd. This leads onto an impressive roundabout surrounded by three and some of Mumbais most interesting looking buildings. We decided we need to break for food and beer. Eoghan noticed a Sports bar with a pool table and the decision was made.

SBKs is like a Captain Americas/Morrison Hotel Bar. Very chiq and only filled with the most well dressed young Indians we had seen. To get an idea of the cost, a game of pool was nearly €2 a game. This same amount can get you an air-con bed in the local very clean YMCA . I'm sure we were sitting amongst some of Bollywoods best although this was news to us. I felt like we were cheating a little, because we might as well have being back in Dublin, nevertheless I wasn't complaining when I sat down in the chilled stylish bar with cosy leather couches. We drank the local beer and ate the delectable food. A few games of pool was had and a couple of basketball hoops shot. We headed back to the hotel. Drank some beers out the front. I got a headache and went to bed. The boys followed followed shortly and another couple hours of chatting brought sleep upon us quickly.