Mumbai

After being sick in Delhi for 3 days, I finally feel better in Mumbai. The sunshine might have something to do with it - it's beautiful here. We arrived on Saturday, which was our shopping day. I got to barter with the street vendors for some gifts. It was fun, but I feel a little guilty since they could probably use the few hundred rupies more than I could. This morning we visited the Elephanta Caves off the coast of Mumbai. We took a rickety, wooden boat to the island, but the ride was actually relaxing. I didn't expect the island to be as touristy as it was though. It was very crowded and on either side of the long path we had to walk up to the caves were vendors trying to sell crafts or t-shirts. The caves themselves were incredible. Our guide showed us the main cave, the Shiva cave, with carvings all depicting the legend of the god Shiva. The rest of the day we spent wandering around Mumbai, trying and failing to find a temple. Before I left for India, people kept telling me that the amount of poverty is shocking. It definitely is. Children constantly followed us with their hands reaching out for money. People live on busy streets here - their kitchens and bathrooms are sidewalks. The area we're staying in is one of the nicest in Mumbai, and in this same area we saw people giving their baby a bath and cooking on makeshift stoves right next to traffic. It can be really difficult to watch at times. At the same time, they make their living on these streets selling crafts, clothes, and food. I heard that the government could force the homeless off the streets, but fortunately remains relaxed about it. I have to wonder where all of these people would go, and how worse off they would be if the city cracked down on them.