We love Bombay. Its wide streets free it from some of the congestion common in Delhi and the air doesn’t sting the eyes and lungs like Calcutta. It’s got a cosmopolitan feel to it, along with beautiful architecture from the days of Empire. The palm trees and waterside location don’t hurt, either.

Bombay is also the home of Bollywood, and movies here are like an institution. The exclusivity of Bombay makes it a lot more expensive than the other major cities in India. We were paying $25 a night for a business hotel with nothing but a shared bathroom with a faucet and bucket for “showering” and tiny, cramped rooms. There are cheaper places to stay, but they were all full.

We used the suburban trains to get around to places like Bandra and Chowpatty Beach, and they were a breeze to navigate, cheap, and not as crowded as you might imagine. Taxis are by far the easiest way to get around, and for once people use the meter, have change, and don’t hassle. Imagine that!

Here are a few choice photos to give you an idea of what the city is like:

Of course, a city the size of Bombay is not without its problems. On our trip to Bandra to pick up a package from DHL, we saw a shanty town right next to the train station. After six months of traveling in some of the poorer countries, it was still a shock.. It was massive, and obviously home to thousands of people. Because tourists never go there, we saw them leading their daily lives: children playing on trash piles, some naked, some with distended bellies from lack of food. Definitely not something you see every day, and something you can never really be prepared for.

All in all, we thought it was a great city with a lot to offer the traveler. On our next visit we’d probably like to change hotels, but other than that it was good fun.