Today is the day to say “Goodbye” to Mumbai and “Hello” to Varanasi, already close to the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. I’m going from western India to eastern India, about 1500 km done in a 2 h 20 min flight.
The city of Mumbai is a fishing village that turned into a global metropolis, a visual testimony to centuries of trade, colonisation and cultural identity. It’s a city of lots of people, lots of traffic, in an organised disorganisation their own way. They understand each other, the fact is I still haven’t seen any accidents, or arguments in the street.
Indian people are generally calm and I’ve felt very safe and relaxed here. There are always curious folks who come and ask where I’m from and Cristiano Ronaldo always comes up, others want to take photos and with some who speak better English I exchange a few words. Not everyone speaks English and many of those who do have an accent that’s very hard to understand.
There are also always people who come at you in a friendly way, but with the intention of trying to take you for a ride or sell you something at triple the price, but I’m starting to get a sense of the prices and the way they deal with tourists.
Yesterday a woman crossed my path at the pedestrian crossing and asked: “What are you doing here?” She was amazed to see a Portuguese guy here on his own looking so relaxed. A vendor also told me I was a good negotiator, just as we were doing a deal on souvenirs.
You see a lot of Indian tourists here in general, the country is big and there’s a lot of domestic tourism, the country from north to south and east to west is very different and the Indian salary doesn’t allow the great majority to travel abroad. I also haven’t come across many European tourists, maybe because I’m also travelling in low season, but it’s been good, there are already enough people around here.
Indians live a lot on the street and from trade and spend the day snacking at the makeshift kitchens set up in any corner of the street. People eat at any time of day, and they’re places where people gather to chat and eat the local delicacies.
You should avoid eating anything raw, like peeled fruit and salads, because you’re most likely to end up catching some bacteria and ruining a few days of your trip.
I’ve been snacking a lot on the street, where you can have a meal for less than €1. I didn’t think I’d eat so much on the street before coming because of all the dirt and lack of hygiene there is here, but in places that look at least presentable (by Indian standards) and with lots of people around the “kitchen”, which is a sign the food is good, I’ve taken the risk, but always food cooked on the spot or mixtures of grains and spices, and it’s gone well so far and I’ve already tried several of the local street delicacies, such as:
- Pani Puri (crunchy snack with a hollow shell, filled with mashed potato, chickpeas and a flavoured water)
- Samosa (little triangular savoury of potato/peas)
- Kachori (little pastry filled with lentils and spices)
- Pakora (vegetables or peppers fried in batter)
- Aloo Tikki (fried potato cakes)
- Pua (sweet/savoury dough with sauces)