Having trouble finding Internet cafes, everyone has a cellphone with data.
Today I started out with the reality tour. This was of the slums tour was so interesting, 60% of population in Mumbai lives in the slums , we went to Dharavi which is one of the biggest slums in the world and was featured in Slumdog millionaire. Everyone on the tour heard about it from lonely planet, LOVE THAT BOOK! Every white person in the station (meeting point) was going on the tour.
Was a good group, a couple of french people, an America who was a professor in Abudabi.
Our guides English was solid, he was born and raised in the slums. From a distance and even up close it looked like a big garbage dumpster. But our guide Kumar walked us through most of the slum. It really seemed like a big recycling plant. There would be a huge pile of old used toys that they were breaking apart, shredding the plastic from a machine they made, melting it, and then repacking it in the form of pellets to be sold. This was done with metal, car parts, everything! Lots of this stuff was coming from North America we were told... so that's what happens.
We also saw them making fake leather products, labeling it with Prada, Gucci... etc.
There was about 1 toilet for one thousand and something people? Dogs, cats, and goats seemed to just hang around, pick up scraps, we saw a goat munching on garbage. The good thing about the organization is that 80% of the profits go back into the slum, to help set up educational programs for children.
Lifestyle seemed quite poor but everyone was busy working away. And even though they are on a "slum" everyone has a solid cell phone, many iPhones/samsungs etc.We saw two weddings while we were out and about, they were all dressed up nice, the groom carried a sword, music with drums and trumpet like instruments were playing, was nice.
Slums pic from a glance, we weren't allowed any pics when actually in there.
Indian wedding, whaddup
The rest of the day I focused on eating some solid food. This restaurant Britannia was raved about on zomato and burrp (rating websites used in India) - its Parsi food and the berry pulav was SO good! it was a rice dish with some source of sweet sauce, with berries, chicken and nuts. It comes with a rasberry soda type drink which was like pink crush, great combo. I had to wait about 30 minutes but well worth it.
I went out at night after my 6 pm nap, still have a bit of messed up sleeping schedule but at least I'm waking up super early. I went to a hip going out area called Bandra (sadly things were closing around 12:30 ish so I just ate at 5 spice instead, indo-asian fuisine, which i've been wanting to eat at since I arrived.
Finally, on my way home I had the famous Aji ali drink called Falooda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falooda, outside a temple where you park your car and they come to you, its like bubble tea with vermicelli, tapioca - highly refreshing, i had rose flavoured as they were out of custard apple.
Food I ate today was great, britania, 5 spice, aji Ali.
I'm going to Goa tomorrow. HOPEFULLY my hotel will have a solid computer to put up some pics.
An update, my bowels have been regular and great, I'm just focusing on only bottled water... ever. And no shady places on the street. I've traveled a fair bit maybe I've built up some immunity, who knows.
Today I started out with the reality tour. This was of the slums tour was so interesting, 60% of population in Mumbai lives in the slums , we went to Dharavi which is one of the biggest slums in the world and was featured in Slumdog millionaire. Everyone on the tour heard about it from lonely planet, LOVE THAT BOOK! Every white person in the station (meeting point) was going on the tour.
Was a good group, a couple of french people, an America who was a professor in Abudabi.
Our guides English was solid, he was born and raised in the slums. From a distance and even up close it looked like a big garbage dumpster. But our guide Kumar walked us through most of the slum. It really seemed like a big recycling plant. There would be a huge pile of old used toys that they were breaking apart, shredding the plastic from a machine they made, melting it, and then repacking it in the form of pellets to be sold. This was done with metal, car parts, everything! Lots of this stuff was coming from North America we were told... so that's what happens.
We also saw them making fake leather products, labeling it with Prada, Gucci... etc.
There was about 1 toilet for one thousand and something people? Dogs, cats, and goats seemed to just hang around, pick up scraps, we saw a goat munching on garbage. The good thing about the organization is that 80% of the profits go back into the slum, to help set up educational programs for children.
Lifestyle seemed quite poor but everyone was busy working away. And even though they are on a "slum" everyone has a solid cell phone, many iPhones/samsungs etc.We saw two weddings while we were out and about, they were all dressed up nice, the groom carried a sword, music with drums and trumpet like instruments were playing, was nice.
Indian wedding, whaddup
The rest of the day I focused on eating some solid food. This restaurant Britannia was raved about on zomato and burrp (rating websites used in India) - its Parsi food and the berry pulav was SO good! it was a rice dish with some source of sweet sauce, with berries, chicken and nuts. It comes with a rasberry soda type drink which was like pink crush, great combo. I had to wait about 30 minutes but well worth it.
I went out at night after my 6 pm nap, still have a bit of messed up sleeping schedule but at least I'm waking up super early. I went to a hip going out area called Bandra (sadly things were closing around 12:30 ish so I just ate at 5 spice instead, indo-asian fuisine, which i've been wanting to eat at since I arrived.
Finally, on my way home I had the famous Aji ali drink called Falooda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falooda, outside a temple where you park your car and they come to you, its like bubble tea with vermicelli, tapioca - highly refreshing, i had rose flavoured as they were out of custard apple.
Food I ate today was great, britania, 5 spice, aji Ali.
I'm going to Goa tomorrow. HOPEFULLY my hotel will have a solid computer to put up some pics.
An update, my bowels have been regular and great, I'm just focusing on only bottled water... ever. And no shady places on the street. I've traveled a fair bit maybe I've built up some immunity, who knows.
Phil slumdog D
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