South-siiiiide July 1, 2008
Posted by KG in Monsoon, Mumbai, Travels, Wife.add a comment
This Sunday we finally managed to explore part of south Bombay. We had a lot of fun, walking from Churchgate to Nariman Point, and then up to the by-then-closed Crawford Market. Of course I don’t have that many photos, as this was also the Sunday I forget to charge my camera battery. So someone remind me to steal some pictures from my wife when I have a chance. But for the curious, here’s a picture of the wife next to the Mahatma:
The verdict: south Bombay is pretty. And ugly. And utterly fascinating, kind of creepy, opulent, dirty, welcoming, and alienating. Sometimes all at once, but usually separated by a few yards.
Needless to say, we had a great time. We got home late, with filthy feet and sore legs. I’m anxious to do some more exploring, but we’re taking small bites at this point. Trying to do more would probably leave us, well…
Exhausted.
You Can Stand Under My Umbrella Ella Ella June 8, 2008
Posted by KG in India, Monsoon, Mumbai.2 comments
It’s official: the monsoons have begun. The wife and I were lucky — we arrived in Mumbai a full week before the rains came, just enough time to sweat buckets while familiarizing ourselves with the neighborhood. Now being sweat-drenched has been replaced by being rain-drenched, a mostly fair trade. However: these monsoon rains, in the last few days, have been a bit treacherous. A cab ride home Friday night took us through standing water that appeared to be about knee high, and a walk today involved more than a handful of flooded roads and sidewalks. The rains are pretty, and cool everything down nicely. But they are also not to be trifled with.
Of course, we’re both a bit timid, having read accounts in various media outlets of children being sucked down storm drains never to be seen again. The locals are a bit more brave: 
That’s the Arabian Sea, in case you’re wondering.
We wandered in the rain for part of the afternoon, partly to do some shopping and partly to explore another part of our ‘hood. There were the usual number of auto-rickshaws, taxis, oxcarts, pedestrians, street vendors, and begging children out, despite the intermittent downpours. Bully for them — it didn’t make being soaked, having your feet covered in silt, and having to find the least flooded path forward any more pleasant. In my book, these rains are still a bit daunting. I think one local we saw had the right idea:
