After 15 hours and 10.5 time zones, Maren and I finally touched down in Mumbai at about 10:00pm local time, collected our backpacks, and took a prepaid taxi to the apartment of our couchsurfing host.  Getting through customs, immigration, baggage claim, exchanging money, and locating our taxi all took about 2 hours, but was fairly straightforward and easy.

We got to Sushim and Nupur’s apartment by 12:30am.  Sushim was waiting downstairs to greet us and led the way to our new “home” for the next 5 days.  Their apartment is small, but very clean and comfortable with valuable amenities like ceiling fans, a water filter, hot water in the shower, and a western toilet.  Our “bedroom” is the living room and our “beds” are foldable pads on the floor, but it’s quite comfortable actually.  After more than 24 hours of travel, we were both pretty beat we so called it a night soon after arriving.

Yesterday was our first day in the city and instead of playing “tourist” for the day (walking around with our guidebooks, maps, and cameras), we were fortunate enough to spend it with our amazing hosts and have more of a “day in the life of a local” experience.

First, Sushim and Nupur drove us to a local restaurant where we all ordered thali, which is like a 1-plate meal of the day, offered during the lunch hour, and comes with 2 hot vegetable dishes, chapati or puri (a flat bread, thinner than naan), 2 lentil dishes, 2 scoops of rice, some sauces, and chutney… and it’s always all-you-can-eat (THAT’S my kind of eatin’)!  Being a small local restaurant, there was no silverware so we ate with our hands like the locals do, using only the right hand, as the left is your potty hand.  The food was delicious and it was a cool experience.  Although, I did find it odd that the restaurant did not have a bathroom.  They did, however, have a sink and soap for washing your hands before and after you eat.

After lunch, we walked around downtown a bit, bought local SIM cards, and went shopping for local clothes at FabIndia.  FabIndia is like a Gap or Urban Outfitters, but with Indian styles and everything is made in India.  It’s extremely popular and was quite crowded with locals and foreigners alike.  I bought one kurti (like a long blouse that falls below the waist or below the knees), Maren bought two, and our host Nupur bought 3 kurtis and a tunic.  Poor Sushim just stood around and waited on us for about an hour… I’d say it was a successful shopping trip, though!

After getting our new threads, we walked to Colaba, which is Mumbai’s downtown and touristic center.  Along the way, we stopped at a street vender for some freshly made chai (our first Indian chai!).  I’d like to say it was great, but I thought it a bit too sweet and I’m never a big fan of hot milk, which made up at least half the drink.

From there, we walked down to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.  Do not confuse this with the Taj Mahal, which is nowhere near Mumbai.  It IS, however, the most famous and iconic hotel in India which:

1. was built in 1903
2. was converted into a hospital during World War I
3. was the target of a 3-day terrorist attack in 2008 that killed 167 people
4. is where President Obama and Hillary Clinton have stayed during trips to India
5. is one of Mumbai’s top luxury hotels

These photos don’t do it justice. It’s a really beautiful building, inside and out.

After roaming the hotel, we went for a rooftop drink at a bar close along the coastline.  Mumbai is basically surrounded by water, and has one sand “beach”, but you cannot go in the water because it is toxic.  It’s a shame.  At the bar, we had a great conversation with Sushim and Nupur, drank Kingfisher (an Indian beer that you can typically find in the US, especially at Indian restaurants) and ate potato chips and chicken tandoor (I skipped out on the meat, but Maren said it was super good).

Finally, we headed home to get ready to go out with some of Nupur and Sushim’s friends.  We took a cab and met the friends at a bar called Social and then went to a club called Hoppipola. Both places were super fun, with very modern and trendy decor, top 40 music hits being spun by DJs, and lots of young Indian friends dancing and hanging out.  All of our hosts’ friends were very kind and friendly, drinks were flowing, and watching Bollywood dance moves live and in person really made my night.

I really wish I had taken video.  This photo is the worst.  Sorry.

The club shut down around 1:30am, at which point it was time for some post-party street food.  We took a taxi to the only place open at that hour and ate the BEST Indian dish I’ve ever had: pav bhaji. Pav bhaji is a dish that originated here in the state of Maharashtra, and I believe right here in Mumbai.  It is considered “fast food” and is basically a red vegetable curry served with soft, buttery bread rolls.  I seriously hope I can find it outside of Mumbai because I’d be so sad if I never get to taste it again.  The friend crew we were with also ordered vegetable fried rice, chicken fried rice, and and egg bhurji, which was basically scrambled eggs cooked with veggies and magic.  Everything was so good and everyone shared everything, passing around plates and indulging on the sidewalk.  I don’t know the name of the place we went, but it had a street front window where your ordered and then you could choose to sit at one of the few tables inside (which was totally full) or outside on the sidewalk.

At about 3am, we taxied home.  I stayed up chatting with Nupur and Sushim about a trip they took to Ladakh (one of the northern most states with breathtaking landscapes) until about 4:00am, then finally called it a night.

While we didn’t see many of the sights in Mumbai, or go into any museums, temples, or mosques, we had the BEST first day in India that anyone could ever wish for.  We learned so much and experienced so much local culture and flavor (literally!).  Sushim and Nupur are not just incredible hosts, but really wonderful people.  We are lucky to have found them on couchsurfing.  It is only because of them that we were able to spend a day in the life of a Mumbaikar (a person from Mumbai), and what a day it was.

I’ll wrap this up with a few more random pics of our day.