We arrived at Mumbai International Airport on Wednesday night, straight into the sea of taxis and other vehicles - an instant immersion into the traffic. The intersections work just like you have heard: traffic lights flash orange all the time and everyone just squeezes around each other. Usually there are 3 lanes marked on the road but 4 or 5 lanes of traffic.
Phil's hat has proved to be a big attraction (it is an Aussie Akubra-style hat). We have had quite a few offers to swap hats and requests for photos with the hat on (i.e. they wear the hat and get us to take a photo with their camera).
Caught the ferry to Elephanta island today. What a process just to get on the ferry. There are plenty of people at the Gateway to India wanting to sell us something or give us something in return for a "donation" (monks), plus lots just wanting to say hello and find out where we were from.
Elaphanta Island has caves hewn out of the rock containing carvings of Hindu "gods" (Shiva...) dated back to around 700AD. There are plenty of people wanting to help guide you, sell you trinkets or offer to let you take a photo with them - all for suitable payment of course.
Our noses are constantly assualted by new and strange smells. The smog is bad, visibility is a couple of km so you cannot see the city from Elephanta Island (10km away) but you can see the oil refineries, smoke stacks from the power station and ships everywhere. It is moderately hot, about mid 30s but humid like Darwin. Quite different to Alice Springs on a dry 40C day.
We have some photos but there is no USB port at this Internet Cafe, so you have to wait for them.
A happy Easter to you all.
