Salaam Bombay

Hello everyone. I've just arrived in Mumbai ! Well that is after spending half of the flight speaking to my neighbours, a very nice couple from New Jersey, Lakeesha and Badu. After fighting with our messed up  TV screens we ended up talking about our families or Bombay's best junk food, exchanging email addresses and going through a "me and my plane neighbour" photo session... My best plane travel so far!

My sister managed to grab me from the crowd at the airport exit and before I realized I had landed and that it was boiling hot even in the middle of the night I was sitting in a pink Ambassador heading towards my sister's place in Breach Candy. 

(I will post photos of the pink Ambassador as evidence later...or else nobody's gonna  believe me right?)

Now if driving in Mumbai on a sunday night at 1am is paradise for its inhabitants, it is a mix of surprise, utter disbelief and sheer fear for the newcomer. Surprised by the energy that emanates from the city at such an hour. People going about their business as if it was daytime, an army of racing rickshaws and taxis happily honking. Utter disbelief at the traffic organisation, for there is none. Red lights don't exist(you just slow down a bit, make sure no one's coming and go ahead), honking is the only way to remind others that you exist. Vital when you need to change lanes or make a u turn...

Hence my last point: sheer fear of the newcomer who ceases to breathe every 30 seconds because it's a sure thing this taxi is gonna hit our car! Then you forget about the traffic, taking in the city's madness and put your entire trust in your driver...

An other striking feature of Mumbai is its profusion of green. Bougainvillers, trees I have never seen before, exotic flowers hovering above your head. I didn't expect  a 15 million people metroplolis to be so green.