My final stop in India is Mumbai. Mumbai (or formerly known as Bombay) is a city of huge contrasts. In one corner, you see all those skyscrapers and trendy shops, but in the other, you see huge slums, with horribly low standards of living. To give you an idea, only in one slum area, 1 million people live without having access to basic sanitary needs. But on the other hand, the posh quarters rub shoulders with any European city. Especially that there are many buildings remained from the colonial period, and they are very much like the buildings you find in UK. However, just a quick look around and you see begging kids and homeless people in the same streets.

Anyways, I came to Mumbai from Aurangabad with a night train to stay the last three days of my trip here. In the morning, I went to Olympia restaurant to have breakfast. Guess who I met there? Charisse, the Canadian girl from Bhuj! It’s a small world, isn’t it? After breakfast, which was quite yummy, I called the mom of a friend of mine in Lausanne, Shruti, who is from Mumbai. Shruti’s mom welcomed me and said her husband will come to pick me up where I was. We went around in the city, and he showed me the important landmarks. Meanwhile, we talked about the history and languages of India. He was a very knowledgeable and educated man, and spoke impeccable English.

He told me about the Parsi people in India, and their status in contemporary India. Parsis are an ethno-religious group in India who fled Iran after persecution by Arabs, and landed in Gujarat. As the story goes, the king of Gujarat at that time told them that you are most welcomed, but how are you going to blend in with the people, as you are not from here, and you will always stick out. They brought a pot of milk and poured some sugar in and stirred it well until the sugar was dissolved. They said we, like this sugar, will dissolve in you and make your life sweet! And apparently they did that. They learned the language and started successful businesses. Although they are a very small minority in India, they are the most prosperous one. They own big empires like TATA, which has numerous companies including famous car manufacturing company with the same name. They also own hotels like Taj Mahal Hotel. But as Shruti’s father mentioned, they are very giving towards the society, and this had made them popular in India. Though they are not exactly “blending in” with others, as they do not accept anyone into their religion, and they do not allow marriage outside their circle, i.e. they excommunicate any Parsi who marries a non-Parsi! That’s why their population is going down.

After an hour or so, we picked up Shruti’s mother and brother. We went to a vegetarian restaurant to have some Gujarati Thalis. I have to confess that in Gujarat, I didn’t have any Gujarati dish, and instead I had all those yummy chicken/mutton masalas! Gujarati food is mainly vegetarian. Some of them even do not have any potatoes and garlic, nor any other vegetable that is grown underground (mainly related to Jains). I had a big empty plate, with some small containers to be filled later. The server brought a big assortment of cooked vegetables with various spices and put them in the containers. I was obviously “guided” through the procedure by the family. The food was very delicious and for the first time, I didn’t feel the lack of meat!

After lunch, we headed out to see the Mumbaidevi Temple, but as it was Diwali, there was a long queue and thus we didn’t enter. This temple is dedicated to the goddess that Mumbai is named after. We then went to watch a movie! I don’t think any visit to Mumbai is complete without going to a cinema here. Mumbai is the birthplace of Bollywood, and it has numerous theaters for the movie-loving Indians. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of Bollywood movies, and anywhere else, I refrain from watching them. But as I love cinema, I wanted to experience it in India too, and where else is better than Mumbai? So I had asked Shruti’s mom to buy me a ticket for the first screening of the newest movie of Shahrukh Khan, the super-star of Bollywood, named Ra-One.

As expected, the movie was a big “Masala”! Masala is a culinary term, meaning a mix of many spices. The Masala movies follow the same idea: Mixing all genres of cinema in one movie! So the movie was a mix of Sci-Fi, Romance, Action, Thriller, Musical, Comedy, Melodrama, with the special emphasis on Musical and Romance parts, and a lot of CHEESE! The biggest mix of all these genres I’ve ever seen! Obviously, the movie was in Hindi, but I don’t think I missed a point! But what was even more interesting was the reactions of the audience! First of all, 10 minutes past movie, people were still looking for their places. Then, when the hero or the heroine was shown for the first time, they started clapping, whistling, and shouting on top of their heads in happiness! Hilarious! Shruti’s father said in south India, people also throw coins to the screen when their favorite actor or actress appears! The Bollywood super-stars enjoy an almost god-like status in India. People literally worship them. I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear that Amitabh Bachchan, the mega super-star of Bollywood, is upgraded to a god after his death, and temples are erected for him! Anyways, the whistling and clapping happened throughout the movie when there was a romantic scene or when the hero knocked out the adversary, etc. It was an experience not to be missed! I spent the rest of the evening with the family, having another delicious vegetarian dish, and a lot of discussion on Hinduism and architecture of Hindu temples. A perfect day with an Indian family!

Next day in the morning, I went out to a fishing village in downtown Mumbai. The village is exactly located in the most expensive part of downtown, at a stone’s throw of important landmarks like Taj Mahal Hotel and Gate of India. I don’t know why they call it a village, because it is more like a slum. The alleys are so narrow that two people cannot pass them at the same time. It’s full of small houses, sometimes less than 10 m² in area, but crammed with 7-10 people, most of whom are kids. So many people in such a small place! I walked in all the small alleys, with my camera out in my hands. When you go in such places alone, you need to have an effective weapon with you: A big smile! It worked every time! I asked several people for photos, and all said yes! I came back in the afternoon too, and I had a great time shooting people. But I don’t recommend going to such places to everyone, as it can potentially be dangerous.

Next day early in the morning, I went to see the famous Dhobi Ghats. That’s where all the laundry of Mumbai comes, and the clothes are washed, dried and ironed all manually. I saw many slums around that region, but didn’t dare to go in. The condition was much worse than the fishing village and I was warned before by many people not to walk there alone. I was also feeling so weak and tired that I had to go back to hotel. During the last 5 weeks of trip, I never had a problem like that. I bought some biscuits, as I couldn’t eat anything else, and went back to the hotel. I took some rest, till I felt better in the afternoon. I think the fatigue got the better of me, but fortunately, it was the last day and I was going back home at night.

In the evening, I took a taxi to airport from the hotel (400 rupees). I arrived like 4 hours in advance, but due to all security checks and bureaucratic work, I was just on time. I strongly recommend going to the airport 3-4 hours before the flight in India. The airline was Swiss, and it was the best airplane I’ve had so far. Arrival in Zurich was as convenient as it can ever get, and I took the train back to Lausanne. The change in temperature was drastic: From 30-35 °C humid Mumbai to 7-10 °C Lausanne!

I arrived back at home before 10 AM. It feels so good to be back after such a long trip, though I had a great time back in Iran, and in Nepal and India. I had an awesome experience in Nepal, though it was a very short one. I met very nice and hospitable people over there, and I saw beautiful landscapes and architecture. Then India: The best architecture I’ve ever seen, the chaos in the streets, the mouth-watering food, the colors of clothes and shops, and above all, the people who are so warm, friendly, and photogenic!

During my trip, I saw the highest mountains on earth, the giants of Himalayas, and the arid dunes in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. I visited the modern and metropolitan cities like Mumbai, and the ancient and medieval cities like Varanasi. I stayed in chaotic cities like Varanasi, and in serene and tranquil villages like Khuri, in Rajasthan. I visited the most beautiful building in the world, Taj Mahal, and the most impressive man-made construction, Kailasha Temple in Ellora. I went to the most touristic places like Agra and Varanasi, to the most hidden villages deep down in Gujarat. I took “all” possible means of transportation, from camels and cycle-rickshaws, to shared auto-rickshaws and local buses, and from the lowest class possible in Indian trains, to the best flight I’ve ever had with Swiss. I met the friendliest and the most hospitable people I’ve ever met in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Jodhpur, Khuri, Pushkar, Bhuj, Khavda, Aurangabad, Mumbai and many other places, and I encountered few scammers, touts and hawkers who I invariably recognized and ignored. All in 5 weeks! Possibly the best 5 weeks I’ve ever had in my life!

All in all, I did around 6000 km in Nepal and India, all by road and train (Google couldn’t find the road between Kathmandu and Pokhara, and I understand why!). Also consider that the “max speed” for buses and trains in India is merely 60 km/hour!