Mumbai, India

The past two weeks in Mumbai gave me the opportunity to join up with a team from Chicago and it could not have come at a better time.  After almost a month on my own in Chennai, I was ready to be around other Americans.  I enjoy working with people from around the world, but India can be overwhelming and traveling there is not easy when you're alone.  

For my first few days in the city, I worked at our hotel near the airport to get one of my colleagues started on his own project.  He is part of my core group of friends at the corporate office and it was so nice to catch up on everything that had been happening since I left Chicago.  

We went out on Sunday (in a taxi, not a chauffeured car) and walked around downtown on our own.  I love driving through Mumbai because the city just bombards you with things to look at. The streets are filled with tuk-tuks, makeshift tent houses that people actually live in, bony cows just standing in front of temples, and anything else you can imagine.  One of my favorites was when we passed this woman hanging her laundry to dry in the middle of the road: 

Perfect place to hang your laundry

Once we finally arrived in the heart of the city, we did some shopping at a local market, where someone tried selling us shirts in French (apparently we looked French to him), and lots of people tried selling marijuana to my friend (but, oddly, no one approached me to make a sale).  It was fun to just look at the ugly things that people were trying to sell and navigate through the busy streets.  Do you think I'm exaggerating when I say 'busy'?  See below for a typical sidewalk:

All the streets in Mumbai are filled with people.  

Before anyone starts to get too proud of me for being so adventurous, I should admit that we were in probably the most expensive (and safe) area of South Mumbai.  Still, we saw plenty of rats running through the park, beggars asking for money, and vendors selling food that I wouldn't touch with a 10-meter pole.  

For example, I give this guy below a lot of credit for his commitment to healthy street food, but is there really a market for pre-diced vegetables from the sidewalk??

Healthier than most street food, but is he serious? 

As the sun was setting, we walked along Marina Drive (also known as "The Queen's Necklace" because of the curved road, dotted with sparkling street lights).  Both of us were surprised by all the men holding hands as they walked down the street.  Obviously there's no tolerance for being "gay" in India, so I'm still curious about the whole thing.  I certainly don't know any straight men in the US or Europe who would hold hands with their male friends as they walk down the streets.  (If anyone reading this can provide more information, please let me know).  

Here's a shot of the Marina Drive coastline, just before sunset

On the way back to the hotel, we got stuck in a torrential downpour that nearly put our taxi out of service.  The car had only one windshield wiper which moved at the speed of a tortoise and I literally could not see anything except for water pouring down all around us.  Whenever I closed my window, the car would feel like a steam room, so I opted to get wet instead.  

Two days later, we ventured out again - this time with our local consultant to see the trendy suburb of Bandra West.  We all crammed into an auto-rickshaw and tooted around town, passing all the bars and restaurants, and getting out whenever a place looked interesting.  I was really glad to see this area because it was a lot less hectic than the city and most of the bars/restaurants made me feel like we weren't even in India.  We ended our night at this place called Bora Bora, which reminded me of Outback Steakhouse with extremely loud club music.  It was a strange combination.  

The first week of work felt like a whirlwind since I was splitting my time between two hotels.  But, it was nice to have the variety and to work with everyone from Chicago.  On Friday night, those of us that stayed in town went to dinner at the fine-dining Indian restaurant in our hotel, where the chef made a custom menu just for our group.  To say this meal was huge would be an understatement.  I was so relieved when they finally cleared the plates.  Then they put down even BIGGER plates and proceeded to serve a main course.  This was followed by dessert, which was basically soap-flavored ice-cream.  I don't know what it really was, but I will definitely never try ice-cream again in India!

I will never understand why certain chefs feel the need to serve way more food than any normal person can to eat.  It actually makes me angry because I leave the meal feeling overstuffed and uncomfortable, rather than happily satisfied.  I need to throw up half the food I ate just so I can sleep.  (TMI, I know...)

Saturday night was probably the highlight of the trip to Mumbai because I was able to hang out with a friend from grad school that I haven't seen since our semester in Shanghai.  He picked an awesome place called Big Nasty.  Let's be honest - with a name like that, how could it not be a success?

I brought along one of my colleagues and the local consultant, while Rishi invited some of his friends and his new wife (who I hadn't met before).  It was good to chat a bit over dinner before the club got super crowded and everyone started dancing to the awesome music selection.  We finally decided to call it quits at around 1am and head back to the hotel.  It was such a fun way to spend a Saturday night in Mumbai. 

CEIBS reunion in Mumbai

On the way back to the hotel after a fun night out.  

On the last night of the project, we decided to go out yet again - this time for a nice dinner at the Taj Mahal Hotel, which is arguably the most iconic hotel in India.  Despite the long taxi ride to the hotel, the food is good (even though it's Indian) and the photos of celebrities who have been there is like a global "who's who" list.  

We had a great time listening to our hilarious consultant tell stories and enjoying our last night together.  Thinking back on this visit to Mumbai, I was happy that I had the chance to leave the hotel more than any past trips.  I credit my colleagues and the local consultant for proving that there are gems to see in every city - even one like Mumbai.  Even though I don't have any desire to visit Mumbai for personal travel, I am grateful to my team and my grad school friend for ending this trip to India on such a high note.