Bombay, India

We settled in our 12 hour flight, after already been traveling for 24 hours. I observed the orange threading theme of the plane. Faint Indian music played in the background as everyone piled in shuffling their bags. Hindi works spread across the tv..sharing the duration, temperature, and what our altitude will grow to. So dazed from hours of traveling and carrying out luggage we dozed off even before the plane was in the air. I awoke for an hour on the plane..just as they were passing out warm masala veg "subz" which seem to be very popular in the streets of Mumbai.

We landed passed midnight picked up our luggage, changed our currency, made it through customs, and immigration. When speaking to the customs guard he reads the passport, and I tell him I'm here for a few months and he instantly exchanged a large warm grin and wishes me luck. We settled with a prepaid taxi, who charged us very little for an hour ride to the city of Colaba.

The first experience of Indian traffic. stop go stop go..beep beep.. what are lanes on the road? I'm not sure if the horn is meant to say go ,get out of my way, move over or I see you or your free to merge... Few more months and I will figure out the horn language. Taking in the sounds, smells..people along the sides of the roads. It's midnight and the streets are filled with men walking, working, talking, stray dogs and cats digging through trash, trying to find food. Our taxi broke down on the side of our road at 2am for about five minutes but things started moving again...then he got lost but and we used the map on our phone to try to find the hostel. Sure enough, a kind Hindi lady dressed in an authentic orange sari came by our stoped car in the thick night a of Bombay and gave us direction.

The Backpacker Panda Colaba, was perfect for a one night stay. We stayed in a private room. We couldn't figure out how to work the got water, and it was too late to go down, so it was a quick one. In the morning we had enough room to both lay out our yoga mats... We were both very tight from two days of traveling. I am happy to have the Ashtanga primary series it's home, when your away. I was happy to bring along some of my little crystlas, and a traveling candle. It brings me back to a place of stillness and clarity to carry those small items with me. I would advise staying at Panda Colaba if you are looking for something simple, downtown in Colaba near the gateway.

We moved to a boutique hotel I had my eye on for quite some time, Abode . The staff was so kind, they let me pay at the arrival because my card wasn't working from the states. I loved every minute of the stay. They served a healthy Indian breakfast in the morning with coffee and tea. The white brick walls, intricate picture frames hung with Hindi gods, with antique heritage furniture in our room.The tea cups were picturesque.The staff was kind, and friendly catering to all of our needs. They wore light blue button ups with royal color collars creating contrast with their beautiful skin tone. They washed my clothes for me and returned them packed very cute. In the heart of Mumbai the boutique sits with luxurious accommodations, expressing its beautiful design of the city. The chic hotel shows off its modern interpretation of its historical features, and Bombay’s heritage, and bohemian past. Our room had a vintage desk and copper pitcher filled with purified water to help promote our digestion system.

Abode supports many local business, and helps steer the local people to a better way of life. The hotel offers multiple types of massages, tours, fitness, yoga, and meditation classes. I was given an Ayurvedic massage, by a blind Hindi woman who attends the blind and deaf university in Mumbai.I would recommend visiting the hotel for a massage with a therapist if your in Mumbai, or even stopping by the Le15 Cafe Colaba underneath! They have amazing tofu salad, and chai!

We visited the Gateway to India! It’s a beautiful large arch monument built in the 20th century.The monument was erected to commemorate the landing of and King George V & Queen Mary at Apollo Bandar on their visit to India in 1911. It sits right on the Arabian Sea, and was crowded with people since the New Years Holiday! Everyone was not use to seeing Americans that we were asked to take selfies with random Indian people! I even had one guy run after me just to ask to take a picture. I didn’t mind, because I am in India to explore their culture, and I find myself taking pictures of them- it’s only fair we return the favor! I just wonder how many Facebook pages we are published on! If you have read the famous Shatarm Book, I would tell you to go to Leopold's Cafe, it is real and it is very popular! If you haven’t read the book, you must it’s one favorite reads! 

I would also highly recommend visited Bandra! We were taken there by two friends of ours who have lived in Mumbai their entire life! We had amazing street food at Elco, supposedly even the Bollywood Stars eat there. We had Pani Puri. It’s nothing like you can describe!It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water, tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion or chickpeas. It’s hilarious to eat, because you shove it in your mouth in one bite! I would love to go back! We also had Pav Bhaji, a famous Mumbai dish. It was my favorite and so spicy! It consists of a thick vegetable curry, fried and served with a soft bread roll. You squeeze some lime and sprinkle some onion on it! Johan says at the end of this trip his spice level will be way higher! We explored Bandra, Marine Drive, and drove around the markets.. it was an amazing experience and I am so happy we were taken around with some locals! It puts a new perspective on our trip!

Off to Jaipur ✨the pink city!