Mumbai Introduction

10th Feb – 14th Feb 2025

What can I say? Mumbai is well, let’s call it an experience you won’t forget. The Dentzz offices are shall I say, just an island of paradise in………………………….. Let’s just say, Non-Paradise. In Mumbai, you have to learn fast and watch every step.

My first real mission after getting out of the Dentist on Day 1 was to obtain an Indian SIM card for local calls and Data. A simple mission, I hear you say! Well my first step was to find a Telco shop, nothing hard in that. Three Telco shops later, I’m starting to beleive the story you can only get a SIM card with a phone and a plan. Apparently, this is a step toward making it tougher for India’s phone scam racketeers. Even after showing I had a Dual SIM phone with no need for the upsell, I eventually realised they either couldn’t (or wouldn’t) help.

Eventually, after talking to shall I say, slightly less reputationed people, I got a referral to a person who had access to SIMS. Took me a while to find the establishment, embedded within one of those market areas you were questioning whether you really wanted to enter. So here’s the establishment;

To put this in context, the walkway into the shop was accross a tin council sign. The “Walkway” was over open sewer drains. Apparently, they’ve been re-doing the sewer system for more than 6 months. You’re truly lucky this page is missing the Smellovision function. After sizing me up a bit, the shopkeeper decided to help. The guy in the shop didn’t sell them. He called his “Supplier” who turned up with an assortment of SIMS. It was just like doing a back alley Drug deal. Anyway, 1300 rupees later, they got it working just fine.

As soon as I pulled my wallet out, I had a lady gesturing she needed money for food. I’d purchased a couple of basic small Frankies (Souvlaki/Wrap) for about 50 rupees so I knew what a basic feed cost. Well, as soon as I appeared to be considering assisting, there was another. I pulled out a 100 rupee note and asked the shopkeeper to split it into two 50’s and give it to them. He did. Next thing I see is them refusing to leave, clearly wanting more. In the end, the shopkeeper shooed them away. The shopkeeper was polite to me, but his facial expressions were saying I’d done something wrong so I asked him if I’d just made a mistake and told him I wanted to be fitting in with the local culture. That was like opening a floodgate. He explained they were “Begging Ring” slaves being run by criminal gangs. He then went on to explain they wouldn’t get to keep the money and worse, when the “Bosses saw 50 rupee notes”, they would assume there’s plenty of cash in that spot and will likely put many more of there beggars there for some time to come. He then explained that drives away the trader’s customers and makes running (an already hard) business far more difficult.

This was the first of many conversations on the topic of the correct culture behaviour.

Now here’s a few pictures of the 3km walk to find the SIM card along Linking rd, a very typical major street.

And this is before the adventure of trying to cross a road

When wanting to cross, look for a break in the sea of cars, Tuk-Tuks and motorbikes, Hold a hand up then just walk. Don’t change direction or speed and magically, everything just zooms around you. On a Zebra crossing, the procedure is identical. To this day, I can’t fathom why they waste that paint!

My first full night, I stayed at the New Castle motel. Exceedingly basic room for $73AUD/night so that prompted me to look elsewhere. I found a backpackers just 2km away at $9AUD/night and decided that was a better option given I was going to be here at least 2-3 weeks. This turned out to be a great decision. For the most part, I was the only tourist. Most stayers were Out of Town people in Mumbai for work, study, time off or men trying for acting & modelling opportunities. These people were GREAT! Warm, hospitable and more than happy to share their time and advice in planning my itinerary. The local knowledge had me find places to see, not so easily found.

It was amazing, as soon as you were out of the environment, (like in the dorm), where people were trying to either beg or sell to you, the freindliness was incredible. People of all ages, from 18yo’s up to the eldest of around 50 just took this 62yo right under their wings. They were happy to share tips & tricks on everything from Public Transport, their home areas, families, places to see and how to reduce getting scammed. Even strangers on Public transport would tell you things like “Don’t give up your seat in a crowded train, that’s how you get pick-pocketed”

Astounding me, hour by hour, was the contrast in wealth standards, second only, to the individual’s dedication to earn. Individuals with goods ranging from socks to electronics. Some with carried trading trays, others with tarps on the ground, plenty with wheeled stall carts and more with full blown market stalls. Every one of them trying to catch your eye. Hilarious were the Women’s and kids clothes sellers trying to sell to me. Even when you say “No Wife” or “No kids”, they insist on buying for other friends or rellies. You could get a laugh going with them by holding up the kids or women’s clothes and doing a little jig.

Wealth ditribution was incredible. I have never seen several Mercedes Maybach’s in a day, in Mumbai, quite a few. A shiny new Audi or BMW, even with super trendy colour chainging paint didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Literally, right next to a delivery guy distributing eggs on his motorbike.

I struggle a little with the Man-made recreational lake directly across from the Back packers

The next thing to form a standout for me was the very detailed and comprehensive OH&S systems applicable to the workplace. Take a few minutes and see if you can spot the nominal differences to the OHS processes applied in a live traffic environment in your area.

15th Feb – 20th Feb 2025

Next paragraph is entirely Andy’s fault. Andy was exceedingly helpful detailing how to avoid street food, act with caution drinking and cleaning teeth etc with only bottled water, etc to avoid food/water poisoning. That worked, I listened intently because Andy nearly Karcked over here 30 or 40 years ago from food poisoning. What he failed to do was warn me not to breathe, at all !

I did breathe and that resulted in the Mumbai Flu. I’ll give you the tip, this made COVID seem like two sniffs, a cough and a fart. No matter how much I wanted to get up and explore, for 5 straight days, I couldn’t stay out of bed for more than an hour or two. When I tried to get up, I’d go and sit in the Common room, then fall asleep. Several people expressed concern that it was the first time they’d seen me not happy and smiling.

The only two outings over the next 5 days was to look at a few motorbikes, condsidering purchasing one for touring considering the near impossible task to get registered with IRCTC to buy train tickets. (So far, 5 days trying to register an account with zero success).

Right outside my dorm, Solo Backpackers was theis incredible panel beater, sitting in the gutter, straightening a large Quarter Panel dent. Working with a toolkit worse than most Grandpa’s sheds, his determined hands worked magic. As his work progressed, he was proud to let me run my hands over it for ripples and he had it as straight as a die.

What’s legal on the road here is brilliant. I’m certain they’ve never heard the term “Engineer’s Certificate”, check this 4By out’

21st Feb, 2025

First day I could stay awake long enough to try an outing. Decided to get on the (local) trains and head for IRCTC’s Mumbai head office. After 10 days wrestling with their very broken system that really hates “Foreign Nationals”, I figured Face to Face might have better outcomes. If there was time after that, I could see the “Gateway to India” and possibly Elephanta (caves).

Now I’d become accustommed to litter & refuse in Mumbai’s streets, but to see the train tracks was truly next level. Initially, I didn’t realise I was also looking directly at peoples homes built between the adjacent shops and the railway tracks.

After several days of experiencing shanty towns and refuse continuously along most train tracks, waterways and roads, I will never again be convinced ALL of Australia has any measurable contribution to microplastics or virtually any other form of pollution.

Once on the (local) trains, I was very impressed. Yes, old and tired but they just work. They’re on time better than Australia and they run typically every 10 minutes. The interior of their trains is much (Guess 600-1000mm) wider.

Now, at peak times, they get so packed that up to 6 people hang completely outside the train on each doorway! They litterally have their toes on the floor and hold either the doorway side or top with their entire bodies outside, catching the breeze.

Once reaching Mumbai’s main station, it took probably 6 converstaions to understand IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) is a completely separate company to the Railways, specifically set up for intercity travel. By the 7th converstaion, I had an …………………………………. ADDRESS!

Found it an hour later and started conversations with their people explaining how I had done every single step, including paying their “Foreign National” identification fee several times. I expalained how other Aussie Expats had resorted to paying locals to book tickets for them or took buses. After demonstrsating the problems, 3 meetings later, I ended up with a really nice gentleman, Abhnav Gupta, IRCTC’s Cheif Supervisor for Tourism. He acknowledged the issues were known and assigned me to Mr Yogesh to find a way to get me enrolled via the Dev. Team. 3 days later, following a billion and three messages and emails. That’s when I discovered every train out of Mumbai, in any direction was booked 10-30 days in advance!

Upshot was my Dorm Owner, Faris, had a “Back Door” via a “Freind” (We don’t say Black Market here) and got me a ticket for the evening of the 3rd March, to Goa.

In India, they don’t call them “Scalpers” but huge swathes of tickets get snatched by “Agents” who resell them at a premium. Many don’t have websites or other normal methods to find businesses. You just have to “Know Somebody”.

Some are legitimate operators and eventually, I was introduced to Confirmtkt and ixigo

So onto my first page of outings………………..