First Impressions of Bombay

We landed in Bombay at 4:15 AM. Luckily, we breezed through immigration, passport control, and got our luggage almost immediately. Now we were in desperate need of a bed :) At the airport, we took a pre-paid taxi to an area called Colaba. The ride took about an hour and cost 390 rs. Our taxi wouldn’t start on its own, so we had to give it a little push to get it going :) Bombay is really quiet at night. The streets were deserted, with hardly any cars around. We pretty much picked the first hotel we found to crash at—a slightly pricier place called Causeway. Two nights cost 2500 rs, but at least we have our own bathroom, toilet, and air conditioning. After catching a few hours of sleep, we headed out to explore the city. Our first impression? Lots of people, a huge city, and many charming features that must be uniquely Indian. For example, there’s significant poverty, but we still feel safe, which is a big difference from places like Brazil. As soon as we stepped out of our hotel, we were greeted by stall after stall selling all sorts of interesting things—shoes, bags, jewelry, clothes, home decor, you name it. I was in for a busy day :) We hadn’t walked far before making our first purchases—a necklace, a shirt, a cap, and the most beautiful brass-like box decorated with mother-of-pearl. We ended up down by the harbor at the Gateway of India, a triumphal arch built by the British so they could see the harbor from the sea. While we were wandering around taking pictures, we were stopped several times by locals wanting to take photos of us—pale, unusual foreigners :) Before we knew it, we had become the main tourist attraction. Indian families with uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings kept coming over to ask if they could take pictures of us. They wanted us to hold their babies while the rest of the family posed in the background… it was super strange. I think about 10-15 photos of us were taken that afternoon. Our stroll around the harbor also led us past a large Harakrishna parade. Apparently, they were having some kind of festival. Even though we hadn’t slept much that day, we were feeling energetic, so we decided to take a boat trip to Elephanta Island—where there are no elephants :) It cost 100 rs per person for a round trip. Once on the island, it was 5 USD per person to enter the caves. For locals, it only costs 10 rs to see the caves. We settled on the top deck of the boat, where we were the only ones enjoying the view. But we didn’t stay alone for long; a large Indian family suddenly surrounded us to chat and take a look. Again, we had to pose for pictures with the whole family. We started to wonder why we were so interesting, and here’s the reason: The middle class in India is growing all the time, which means more and more people can afford to explore their own country. Indians living in touristy areas are used to seeing pale Scandinavians, but those living outside the tourist spots aren’t accustomed to this sight. Apparently, we were just as interesting as the attractions themselves. Many Indians also speak English, so there were no language barriers preventing them from just staring at us. They asked us what we thought of their country, if we felt comfortable, what Denmark is like, and what sports are popular back home, etc. It doesn’t get dark until around 7 PM, so the days are wonderfully long here :) We enjoyed the sunset as we sailed back from Elephanta Island. Back at the hotel, we took a quick shower before heading out to find some dinner. Lonely Planet recommended Leopolds, so that’s where we went. The place was very popular among travelers, so we had to be careful not to speak too loudly, as several people looked like they were Danish :) We opted for Indian food, but they also had Chinese. We spent about 600 rs, including water, a Bacardi Breezer, and a 650 ml beer. Bombay is pricier than the rest of the country, but it’s still much cheaper than Denmark. Afterward, we set out to find some bars. We ended up at Sports Cafe, where we struck up a conversation with the bartenders—very entertaining people. Sports Cafe had a happy hour for only 399 rs, but we didn’t take advantage of that offer.