forty eight hours in mumbai

I landed on Friday morning after a sleepless night on a half-empty plane so ready meet the challenges that will come with living in Mumbai 'till the end of the year. Andrew and our lovely driver Sasanka (who looks about 17 years old; he's been married for four years and has an 18 month old daughter!) met me at the airport (I had to wait 5 mins for them…Andrew didn't think I'd be through that quickly) It's an incredibly clean and tidy airport and everything seems to run efficiently; I was outside the terminal with luggage within 30mins of landing!

aerial views from the plane

the estuary 

slums 

slums that border the airport

The very second you step outside the terminal, you are assaulted (in a good way I think) by the heat and the smell of India! And I love it! I was last in India (and the only time apart from a brief stop at the airport on my way to Thailand) in Aug/Sep 2006 - I spent a couple of weeks with 15 others working at a children's home in Chennai and I longed to return the day I left; quite simply, I fell in love with the tiny bit of India I saw….you either love it or you hate it! Nearly nine years on, I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to live in Mumbai, "The Gateway to India" because Andrew's work needs him over here 'till December, perhaps into January next year.

Andrew has been to India a number of times. He was first out here 25 yrs ago in 1990; he traveled widely across the country for three years. His work has bought him back here a number of times and last year when Charlotte, my step-daughter changed schools and became a permanent/full-time boarder, Andrew 'put his hand up' for an overseas posting and here we are……

This blog is a first for me! Please bear with me as I plan on recording things that are different, things that excites me, the food I love (perhaps a recipe or twenty-two), the challenges I face (which I'm sure there will be a number of them!) the places we visit, people we meet, people who we hope will visit and the photos I take….photos I hope will tell a story or two….….I will be taking loads of photos…..and I am very sure that many won't make it into this blog so you can breath a sigh of relief!

I digressed slightly from (I'm sure there will be plenty of that in the months ahead…it's how I talk!) this post is about "forty eight hours in Mumbai" so best I get on with it…..Sasanka drove Andrew and I to the Hyatt Regency (which is a few minutes down the road from the airport) Andrew showed me to our room which is to be our home for the next three weeks. Not a bad way to live for the next three weeks I'm thinking! Andrew headed back to work and I started to unpack…that didn't last long before I was desperate for some food and a nap….the food was yum and the nap turned into a three hour sleep…..I just made it downstairs in time to meet Sasanka as we were due to fetch Andrew from the office at five before heading out to view four apartments. 

the Hyatt Regency

our 'home' for the next three weeks

a room with a view

The traffic is crazy….and I love the buzz and the noise and the madness that's created by the crazy traffic….horns (hooters) are tooting away all the time saying 'hello I'm here' rather than 'you're in my way'! And pedestrians….how they don't get knocked over/run down I guess I'll never know…they seem think that the road is for them too and pavements are to serve purposes other than for walking on! We eventually got to Powai (a suburb of Mumbai) a little later than intended thanks to the rush-hour traffic on a Friday afternoon where we viewed a four apartments. We really like two of them and the office (as in the company Andrew works for) will start the negotiations on Monday for us…..we prefer the more expensive one as the views are fantastic but will happily settle for our second choice if need be! Should neither of the owners accept what is negotiated on our behalf…..I guess it's back to the drawing board! 

An apartment with a view

the suburb of Powai

Yesterday morning (Saturday 9th) we viewed a few more apartments and they were not so nice to live in (sadly by Western Standards that is) they are in need of major make-overs! Besides, they are quite a bit further away from the 'safe' shopping areas (where it would be quite safe for me to walk about on my own) and Andrew's office. We also had a look at an equivalent of a 'Curry's/Dixsons/Stax (in SA) to get an idea of the cost of appliances as we'll need to purchase a few items when we move into an apartment. We were hugely surprised at their prices….really good value for your money!

From the car seen on the streets

Yesterday afternoon was spent trying to start a blog….I'm hoping that 'things' run smoothly after the start-up (too many choices!)  I also don't intend to post everyday and I don't intend my posts to be long and boring!. 

Today (Sunday 10th) we headed out to 'downtown' Mumbai after breakfast. Sasanka fetched the three of us (Nick joined us, a work colleague of Andrew's) at 11am (employees of Jacobs are advised not to use public transport which is a pity….hence Sasanka the driver) and we made our way to the 'Gateway of India'. We wondered around in the crazy heat of the midday sun, the temperature peaked at 37◦C (we could feel the heat through the soles our shoes) taking photos of the 'Gateway of India', the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus ( मुंबई छत्रपती शिवाजी टर्मिनस or Victoria Terminus) which is the main train station in Mumbai. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (opened in 1888 after 10yrs of construction) After a couple of hours of wondering around doing the 'touristy' thing, we headed back to the hotel. 

Downtown Mumbai

Gateway to India

Ferries & other boats

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

More scenes on the streets

Saris

Some of you maybe wondering what Charlotte is doing whilst we are in India. She'll continue to board at Welbeck (where she's happy & very much settled) she'll be staying with family during the next half term and up-coming exeat weekends later on in the year. She'll be visiting us during the summer school holidays and during the October half-term. Charlotte is happy with the arrangement and she's excited about exploring parts of India with us later on in the year. 

I hope that you'll get a 'flavour' of what life is like for expats living in Mumbai as you journey with me (us) through the pages of the blog over the next number of months as we explore life in Mumbai and beyond…..