Mumbai Nights, Sweaty Skies, and That One Time I Ate Tandoori Chicken for Breakfast
well, i woke up and here i am in that perpetual summer haze. the air is thick with 29.39 degrees of ‘i need a cold drink right now’ and 22% humidity that clings to your clothes like regret. let’s just say i spent most of this trip chasing AC units and shade trees. if you’re here, you’re probably either a digital nomad or someone who planned this visit around a sale on dengue repellent, which i guess… makes sense?
<p>Zoomed out to Mumbai’s chaos. Or as google calls it, a 12-layered mystery of honking cars and street food smells.</p>
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i checked the weather again. yep, 29.39 degrees. the worst part is it’s consistent. no morning chills, no evening cool-down. just that same sticky riptide of heat. i tried pretending it didn’t exist by walking through markets until i met a vendor selling frozen mangoes. she insisted they’d ‘cool your soul, not just your palate.’ i bought three. regretful? maybe. refreshing? absolutely.
one thing i’ve learned here is that people talk about neighbourhoods like they’re foreign countries. my roommate from Bandra sworeidon’t trust Colaba because ‘the vibe changes by noon.’ i heard a guy at a café say something about Andheri being ‘too touristy, like a yoga infomercial.’ meanwhile, i’m here because a Yelp review told me to avoid the main station bus stand at 3am. someone else warned me about ‘those rickety bridges that collapse when you’re not looking.’ i’m not sure which is scarier. the weather or the gaslighting.
the neighbors? well, let’s just say Mumbai has a personality. if you get bored, Thane’s flea markets are a short drive. if you crave chaos, Gorai’s neighborhood zdar Kunda is literally a five-minute rickshaw ride. someone told me to avoid the industrial area at night because ‘they throw garbage in the canals for fun.’ i don’t know if that’s true. but i did see a bunch of people at 2am arguing over a stray dog in a alley. never a dull moment, right?
now, about those reviews. i’ve heard a few things. one place in Bandra is called ‘that rooftop bar with the DJ who plays only asthma air.’ another guy swore by a street food stall that ‘serves chicken so crispy it might transcend to another dimension.’ i didn’t ask if that was a metaphor. i just ordered the tandoori chicken for breakfast. it was good? yes. was it also the only edible meal i had that day? also yes. risk worth it? in my opinion, yes.
i snapped a few photos. here’s one of me sitting on a bench at a park, judging the way the sun hits the leaves. it’s called ‘a man sitting on top of a wooden bench.’ unsplash says it’s ‘authentic.’ another image is this weird mural on a wall in a church. it’s of a giant elephant with a skateboard. i don’t know why. but it’s there. and here’s a third: nightlife in a local alley. neon signs, a dj booth, and a stray cat judging everyone. easygoing vibe? questionable. but enjoyable? definitely.
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<p>Bonus map: try not to get lost in the labyrinth of Mumbai’s lanes. it’s like a puzzle with no end.</p>
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i’m not sure if this place belongs to me. i’m not even sure if i belong here. but i’m enjoying the sweat, the noise, and the fact that no one seems to care if you’re late to a group chat. it fits. maybe. i’ll probably edit this post later to add ‘and by the way, avoid the mosquito net vendor near the Reliance mall.’ blame the sleep deprivation. or don’t. either way, this place is messy. just like life.
links: TripAdvisor for that rooftop bar giant elephant mural (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g186519-Mumbai_India-Hotels.html), Yelp for the chicken disaster (https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Mumbai+Biry+House&find_loc=Mumbai+India), local forum about the bridges (https://www.localmunicipal.gov.in/mi/complaints).
tags: travel, Mumbai, human, vibe, messy