Travel Destination: India - Bombay,Delhi,Agra
Wow what a trip 8 nights in India checking out some of the major tourist attractions this incredible country has to offer.
Right now is the summer period the heat mixed with the pollution was almost unbearable, better to go during the winter months thats for sure. Temperatures ranged from 30 degrees celsius to about 45.
We arrived in Mumbai (Bombay) to an airport that hasnt seen a lick of paint in maybe 20-30 years, run down and in need of some major repairs and refurbishment. The smell hits you as soon as you step off the plane. Whilst I have travelled in a third world country before nothing prepared me for India. The trip from the airport into the city was a real eye opener. Choking traffic fumes, heat, thousands of people living on the sides of the streets, wild dogs, excrement, rubbish and rotting food greeted us all the way to our hotel. We had heard that India was a booming economy, however it looked as if it was booming for some people but for most nothing has changed.
View from our Hotel in Bombay
Bombay is a bustling city of around 18 million people (estimate) although the geographic area would easily fit into Sydney’s area. We visited their main beach (Chowpatty) thinking that we might be able to go for a swim, no such luck, nobody swims in the ocean in or around Bombay, the waters are so polluted, from the air you can see the sewrage plumes billowing out into the sea along the coastline. Every river we saw in India was also like this lifeless and devoid of oxygen therefore life too.
Chowpatty Beach - Delhi
My first morning in Bombay I went for an early morning stroll along the beach front to view the Haj Ali Mosque, again was in a state of disrepair. Beggars converge on any westerner, most sleep on the streets, parks, in fact anywhere that they can lie down. There were many disfigured beggars. I gave 10 rupees to one guy with what looked like a broken leg that had healed in the wrong position. Soon after I was surrounded by them, this made for a hasty retreat back to the hotel.
Bombay Slums from the air
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