India – Mumbai

We arrived in Mumbai, India in the evening and were immediately introduced to the intensity of the city.  Our first hint at this heightened state was seeing the airport filled with military, security personnel wielding high powered weapons.  There were security check-points everywhere.  Upon arriving at our hotel the car was also searched for bombs by both the staff and a dog.

On our first morning in Mumbai, the hotel recommended we hire a private driver and guide for exploring the city but we opted instead for taking local transportation.  This decision turned out to be an eye opening experience.   The Mumbai city trains are one of the most crowded modes of transportation in the world.  As we weaved our way to the platform, the train rolled up to the station packed with people hanging out of every door and window eager to get some fresh air.  The doors of the train were all permanently stuck open and we had to quickly cram our way on board.  Kim and Campbell were delegated to the ladies car where the crowds were no less.   The 102 F degree heat and lack of any AC on the train only added to the extreme experience.  After the initial shock to the rush of humanity getting in and out of the train car, we were met with smiles from several of the locals allowing us to relax into the experience.

While in Mumbai we decided to visit the famous slums of  Dhobi Ghat, Dharavi, and Annawadi the latter which was the slum that Katherine Boo documented in her award winning book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers.”  Dhobi Ghat is a large open air laundry service where we got a tour from a resident named Ajay.  He showed us how 4,000 workers wash the laundry of hundreds of hotels, government services, and other local businesses of Mumbai.

The tour through the Dharavi slums was a view into a very different world.   Our guide, Sumeet, was a resident of another Mumbai slum and was incredibly knowledgeable about both the industries that make up the slum economies and the daily living conditions for the residents.  Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, is home for a nearly one million people spread across just 500 acres (2,000 people per acre) – making it the most densely populated neighborhood on the planet.

We first weaved our way first through the industrial sector of the slum.  Much of the Dharavi economy is based on the recycling and repurposing of cast off materials such as papers, plastics, fabrics and metals.  We toured through large recycling operations using custom machinery made on site to break down heaps of plastics and smelt aluminum.  It was impressive observing the resourcefulness of these operations.

After seeing several other of the cottage industries, we went through a brief exploration of the slum’s residential section. It is complicated to describe the feeling as one winds through the labyrinth of narrow, poorly lit passageways – passing by livestock, ducking live electrical wires and jumping open sewers, knowing that these corridors are the regular route home for so many.  The slum’s single room quarters serve as kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom to no fewer than four residents each and often times more as the going rent for these units are incredibly high relative to the wages slum workers can earn.  Water in Dharavi is only turned on for just two hours each day and the flow travels through the residential section in waves, providing each residential unit with no more than 15 minutes of running water each day which makes water storage essential and bathing difficult.  En-suite bathrooms as reserved for just a handful of the slums unit and the majority of residents make do with sharing the public toilets with an average of 1,500 residents per bathroom creating never ending queues that the residents must endure, regardless of urgency.

We toured a local machine shop which was filled with mills and drill presses but had almost no lighting.  What a job trying to make parts without being able to see what you are doing.   When asked if any of his workers were missing fingers the owner of the shop just smiled and said that everyone had at least eight good ones.

It is important to note how our tour left us with a strong impression that despite a drastically different way of life from ours, we are more alike than different. Our time in Dharavi really drove this observation home in a very tangible way as we experienced a brief two hour glimpse into the lives of so many.  We saw things that at first glance appeared as undesirable, highly labor intensive jobs or unsuitable living conditions, but after further inspection we gained a sense that the people here weren’t as negatively impacted from their lifestyles as one might imagine. We saw workers laughing and drinking Chai together, children playing joyfully, and most everyone taking pride in their jobs, despite the obvious obstacles.

After returning to the hotel in the afternoon our day of extremes wasn’t over yet.  Our hotel was hosting a Vegas style pool party complete with live DJ, bottle service, and an expensive admission fee.  Hundreds of well-healed twenty-somethings came out to dance to the loud music and partake in the festivities.  We watched with fascination as everyone began jumping into the pool fully clothed to continue the party.   Gil, Gunnar, and Campbell joined in on the fun for the last hour of the event.

Reflecting over our stay in Mumbai we were all a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of this city.   From the slums to the crazy public transportation we all received a real world education (and appreciation) for other cultures.   As we write this post several weeks after our time in Mumbai, Kim and Campbell look back fondly on these times as we were all thrust into another culture. Just when you feel a place is a bit too crowded or too intense with local energy someone introduces themselves and takes us under their wing to make sure we feel safe.  It’s was such a cool feeling to have complete strangers act as our guardian angels.

From Mumbai we boarded a plane to the Indian state of Kerala where we were going to spend a week travelling on the coast and in the mountains.