On the fourth day we went to India's largest slum, Deravi. The decision to take the trip came after a frank discussion about the ethics involved. We wondered whether we would be assuming the role of colonialists, taking a glimpse into the lives of the underprivileged, exposing them to a judging foreign eye, simply for our own gratification. However, after speaking with Dilip, a man who had lived in the slum for years, we were convinced that it was looked upon pos...

It was on our third day in Mumbai that Alice and I got a proper glimpse into life in Mumbai. After being picked up by Baboo, Dilip's old friend and driver, from our hostel, we were taken on a tour of the … city. This first entailed a trip to the laundrette where in the place of machines stood a group of men who simply beat clothes clean in large trenches of water, all day, every day. The most surprising aspect of the launderette was that it was responsible fo...

After eating a hearty breakfast of omelette bread, literally an omelette wedged between two slices of bread, a banana and masala chai, which is a strangely refreshing blend of ginger, cardammon, tea, hot water and milk, we made our way to the impressive ….museum. Not only was the landscape picturesque, but the building itself contained some impressive architecture and interesting exhibitions. Walking around its large interior, we were taken through a history o...

The first thing we noticed about Mumbai was also its most emblematic feature: the traffic. Noticed is the wrong word. In fact, so is traffic. Rather I should say that an unruly, never ending organism of taxis, rickshaws, mopeds and cars enshrouded us in a …. cascade of beeping, hollering, swerving, overtaking and spitting as made our first jourmey from the airportt. Drivers seemed compelled to gain an extra inch, an extra second advantage over all other vehicle...