This morning I found a little beach on google maps called Dana Pani and decided I was going to go there. My cab driver didn't sound excited about this and tried to convince me to go elsewhere but I was insistent that I wanted to see something new. He stopped first at Marve Beach, where I was able to witness one of the most dangerous ferry landings I've ever seen.
After this I was taken along to Aksa Beach, which had a lively feal to it. I found kids playing cricket, soccer and even swimming around in the water, which I haven't seen in Mumbai since I got here. There was a decent little hotel/restaurant here called The Resort, I had some pepper grilled chicken and a beer here and then made my way back to the cab.
The driver told me he would attempt to take me to Dana Pani now but that this was dangerous because the area was blacklisted. He explained that somewhere near this beach they have a colony of thieves, drug dealers and prostitutes; and that basically I shouldn't be there. We drove into a suspicious looking slum area and the driver pulled over to ask for directions, apon hearing the response he got really silent and then turned the cab around nervously and left. Apparently he had driven directly into the blacklisted area. Apon getting to the correct beach, the driver explained that it would only be safe for me to take a couple pictures here and that I was to immediately get back into the cab and go. It only took 45 seconds outside of the cab before a local kind of motioned for me to put the camera away.
