Wet Mumbai

I made it down to South Mumbai today in time to witness the beginning of the monsoon rains. Due to the recent humidity my Nikon stopped working so I took my shitty Kodak with me. After enjoying a couple beers at the Taj and Leopold, I made my way back over to the Gate to admire the dreary scenery looking toward the east. Here I chatted with some guy named Mayur who's known as the slum-dog tour guide who directed me to a nice rooftop bar near the gate.

Aer Bar / Sunset

I made an effort to go to the races today, only to realize there were no more races. I think they are wrapping up the season for monsoons, Instead I was able to get some pictures from atop the Aer bar looking down on the race tracks, and the other things below.

Back Road

Driving to and from camp we normally we fit 5 in a van plus a driver but yesterday we fit 6, this was a mistake. There was a crazy traffic jam on the road through the jungle which we normally take to camp and after about 25 minutes sitting in the same spot the AC started straining and the passengers became unruly. The drivers solution was to turn around and take the back road to the camp.

different advertising strategies are used in India

Odd Car Rides

I've been recording videos of my more interesting car rides in Mumbai, I figure I'll go ahead and post them. On the second one down you can see my favorite site in Mumbai, pigs eating near a dumpster of burning trash. Sometimes the trash piles on the ground light on fire and the pigs eat right off of them, which may be why the pork is so tasty here.

Bouncing Around South Mumbai

My taxi driver got clipped by a dump truck today and a 20 minute argument ensued on the side of marine drive in South Mumbai. After this, I was practically pushed into a hand craft shop so the driver could get some sort of a kickback for bringing me there. When I politely tried to explain that I would maybe come back at a later time to purchase something, the owner got upset and went on a rant. He explained in detail how his father left and said he would come back and then was run over by a bus in front of him. As I made an effort to flee the shop I was cursed at.

Holikotsava

Today is an annual celebration known as Holi. On the eve of this day people gather all types of trash and wood and make big piles in there villages as a tribute to their evil god. They then light these piles on fire in what appears to be a very dangerous celebration, I'm pretty sure this is symbolic of a sacrifice. On the morning of Holi, you're expected to drink a THC based milk shake called Bhang that's only legal on this one day of there year. And then as the day commences people wander around the street high and throw water balloons at each-other and smear paint on each-others bodies.

Exploring the Immediate Vicinity

I went out today and took some pictures of the area immediately around where I'm staying in Mumbai. While I snapped photos here and there, I encountered dozens of wild dogs roaming the street and packs of persistent rickshaws in a frenzy to grab my attention. The sight of the extreme poverty, smell of raw sewage, and sound of construction brought on a bit of culture shock in my already jet lagged brain.

Here's a more run down area at the end of the road.