Jai ho Bharat - Welcome to India!!!

I think India really gets a poor rap as a place to travel to. I don't think it is really as intimidating as people may assume or expect. People will stare, but that isn't much of a problem, as long as you don't give people the opportunity to steal from you by being careless with your things or too trusting on the given prices. I also think I lucked out by having friends here who could take me around and show me the city. I am staying in Dadar-East which is on the edge of the city proper, but only a 15-20 motorbike ride from South Mumbai. I am loving the bird's eye view from my my friend's apartment, and I am able to see almost the entire living and breathing city in the distance.

I wouldn't even think to drive a motorbike or a car around in India, because the rumors are quite true about the chaotic nature of the traffic. But my friend informs me that Mumbai has the best roads and the most orderly and behaved traffic in all of India. I suppose I will learn more about this firsthand when I start traveling around in a couple days. I really have enjoyed the rides on the motorbike to South Mumbai and around Dadar, because I have really been able to see a lot more than I think I would have been able to without such convenient transportation.

I have visited Chor Bazaar (thieves bazaar), Crawford Market, the Gateway of India, Taj Hotel, Colaba Causeway, the CS Museum of Indian History, Marine Drive, a few more beaches, and plenty of little stores and restaurants. I think it may actually take years to savor and really see all of the nooks and crannies that Mumbai keeps hidden. It's absolutely never boring in India.

I am venturing out on the train today. I thought that I would be heading to Goa, but due to the torrential rains and flooding, I am heading to Ellora and Ajantha first. These cities are best known for their carvings in the caves of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock cut temples. I will be staying in Aurangabad and making my way in the wee hours of the morning to view the caves in emerging daylight.

I was so excited and happy that I was able to meet up with an old friend from my exchange in Milano, Italia in Mumbai. She is traveling around and visiting family for quite a few months. We had a lot of catching up to do only in a few hours, but I really enjoyed seeing her and the fact that we have maintained contact over such a long span of time and distance.