Mumbai, Maharashtra

Mumbai is a city with a soul. A labyrinth of sprawling cultures, religions, and cuisines. A diverse, pulsating cosmopolitan, constantly evolving, reinventing, and expanding itself. Crowded bazaars, forgotten mansions, hipster enclaves, and antique remanets - a zealous terrain anchoring to an ancient longing. 
I only spent three days in Mumbai, a transient visit, but nonetheless unforgettable. In just three days, I managed to catch on to this intoxicating city’s unique rhythm - the gargantuan, entrancing masala entertainment industry that is Bollywood, the polar extremes of poverty and affluence, the brimming humanity amidst the chaos, and the dizzying street food. Not for the faint hearted. Definitely for the foodies. The front door to India. 

To make the most out of time in Bombay, we hired taxis to jump from experience to experience. First stop? 

Juhu Beach.

The front yard of the homes of the Bollywood stars from my childhood. You can always go star-spotting, test your luck going to various star’s million dollar homes hoping they’ll pop out to give the crowd a wave, but the beach itself is where it’s at. The famous street food stalls sweep a plethora of aromas wafting through the atmosphere, clashing with the salty winds on the shore. The sort of smell that leaves a warm after-blaze on the tips on your tongue and can transport you into a nostalgic nebula memories about summers gone, and moments too quickly gone. Spicy, freshly prepared pav bhaji, gol gappe, chocolate fudge golas, vada pav, bhel puri, samosas, prepared on massive iron tavas, eaten ardently with butter-slathered rolls, a conglomeration of finger-licking flavour that is like none other. The best food in Mumbai in my opinion. 
This open-air buffet accompanying the beauty at the shore - lapping waves, crisp winds, golden hazes, soft clouds. While there we were jostled by vendors of all sorts, gubbara waalas (balloon sellers), chai waalas (tea sellers), toy sellers, looking to haggle a few rupees out of a few tourists, all while immersing our feet into the cool sea and eating chocolate golas while watching the sunset, a furious energy grappling with the sublimity of the ocean. Juhu Beach, for me, is the perfect encapsulation of Mumbai, if not India.

Pav Bhaji being prepared on a massive iron tava, Juhu Beach, Mumbai.

Pav Bhaji (front), Pav Bhaji with cheese (back), Juhu Beach, Mumbai.

Last stop, Marine Drive. 

The epicentre for Mumbai’s youth, a pulse point for morning catch-ups, lunchtime breaks, and late night talks. A moon-shaped promenade lined with palm trees and adorned with the pearls of streetlights. After every single day in Mumbai, we ended the night here, right on Marine Drive. The perfect place for midnight walks against the ocean breezes with cousins. This place is irresistible. On one side, pounding waves, whispering winds, and on the other, a thriving metropolis, technicolour energy and chaotic city life. The perfect summation to our time in Mumbai. The quintessential encapsulation of this ancient, urbanised city.

- Tanya.