Bright Lights, Big City

When you are Mumbai you almost have to remind yourself that you are
still in India. Mumbai is still obviously a big city in the
developing world, but the economy, organization and civil order is so
far ahead of other Indian cities that I have seen that I would almost
say that Mumbai is more like an Indian New York or London then a rich
Dehli.

It actually feels a lot more like home to me. Certainly there are a
lot of slightly crumbling old buildings, but there are also a lot of
things that are either new or well taken care of. The stuff that
makes you feel more at home is subtle but everywhere. They actually
have sidewalks here that are not allowed to turn into a shanty town or
parking lot. Since autorickshaws are not allowed in the city center,
most of the vehicles on the road are actually cars and they more or
less follow the traffic rules. I have not seen a cow or other large
animal since I got here, meaning you can actually look up when you
walk rather then watching for cow patties. No one lives in the public
parks, and there is a very nice promenade along the waterfront.

The richer economy here means that there are a lot more smart and
flashy new restaurants, cafes and bars. These places cater to a much
larger group of well to do Indians then I have seen elsewhere. They
also have a lot more food variety then just the usual Indian
standards.

Tomorrow we go to Goa, which should be fun as well, but for someplace
that we ended up for a few days in transit, I have thoroughly enjoyed
myself. The blend here, which I think does a good job capturing the
energy of India with the order of the west makes it a great city to
visit.