I survived a week long business trip in Mumbai. I had mixed feelings about going there. Partly because of the climate (hot or monsoon), food hygiene or lack of and the general environment. Also because of work as I was the face for a new client. It turned out to be alright in the end.
I found Indians to be very friendly and approachable, they would just come up to you and ask where you’re from, for example. The food was also alright, despite having a couple of days of stomach pains; my supply of Imodium seemed to have worked. The food from the hotel was lovely but on the expensive side. It’s surprising how few shops/restaurants there were in Nariman Point. When I read my guide book, I expected this area to be like any developed city. Perhaps I didn’t wonder far enough or expected too much?
I stayed at Trident, Nariman Point. I only found out after arrival that it was one of the hotels attacked by terrorists in 2008. It explains the tight security around the hotel now, having to go through vehicle searches, body searches and X-ray machines. I do wonder though is that if someone wanted to cause mayhem, all these “security searches” do nothing as I never saw any armed guards. Very nice hotel, classed as a 5* but still missing some features in my opinion, especially compared to some cheaper but higher quality places in Bangkok.
Sightseeing wise, I didn’t do much for a 7 night stay! It was simply too hot to wonder around and we only managed about 1 hour of walking about to see the Gateway of India. Here I am with my Thai colleague, Max.
Traffic is just crazy in Mumbai. No lane discipline, lights not switched on at night and it seems the person with the bigger car and loudest horn gets right of way. That’s my take on it anyway.
It would definitely be interesting to just explore more of India. Visiting on business doesn’t really do the country justice I think. I’m visiting again in a few weeks but perhaps in the future, should I ever dare, to spend a few weeks travelling India and trying real Indian food!
