From Goa, we headed to Mumbai for our final two days in India. All of the people we have met in India, except for one, said that we may as well skip Mumbai because it is really crap.
The first thing that hit us about Mumbai was the view from the plane. I have never seen such a big area of slums. It makes any township in South Africa look miniscule. It was a bit of a culture shock to be back in "India" after our stay in Goa. We were back to the dirty streets, the hooting cars, and the smells. Our drive from the airport to our hotel just intensified our feelings of regret at leaving Goa, as we passed a boy having a huge poo in the street. He was happily squatting in full view of everyone, while his friends chatted away to him. Oh India...
Our hotel is in a VERY Muslim area of Mumbai, which makes it even worse. I get stared at because my eyes are not the only bit exposed. Men also refuse to acknowledge me. I had almost forgotten this side of India, but it is probably one of the most frustrating things I have encountered. I am in no way a feminist, but India made me understand why some women are. Men speak to Robin, as if I am not in the room. Today we went for lunch, and I asked the waiter something, he didn't respond, and looked at Robin. Robin then asked him EXACTLY what I had said, and he got a response. It is infuriating!
I know that it is awful, but we decided to just spend our last day relaxing and catching up with the blog. We have seen enough forts to last a lifetime, and are tired of being hassled on the streets. We are chilling out in our hotel and recharging our batteries before our flight to SA tomorrow. When we arrive we will have to hit the ground running and get things sorted out for my visa and getting onto the English health council.
India has been great. It far exceeded my expectations. It has been the most testing country in our journey, because of how difficult it is to get around, and because of the sheer number of people constantly trying to scam you. It has, however, in some ways been the most rewarding country. I feel like it has pushed me, and shown me how strong I am. I would definitely recommend that others visit India!
