Bye Mumbai or should we say Mumbaie?

If we had to describe Mumbai in a single word, we’d use ‘very’.

Very colourful

Very dirty

Very friendly

Very polluted

Very noisy

Very congested

all-of-the-very.

A clever friend called the city Mumbaie (Baie - pronounced buy-a - means ‘very’ in Afrikaans)

Yesterday Mumbaie was too much for @ingridlotze. She literally put her fingers in her ears and shut her eyes in the Automatic Rickshaw (Tuk Tuk). The sum total of relentless noise, smog, busyness, and rubbish stacks up after a few days and starts to feel like A LOT - even with the attitude of this-is-an-adventure.

We were also involved in a little accident. One Tuk Tuk touched another and tore the canopy. There was arguing, raised voices and people started to gather. Gavin immediately started taking safety precautions. After assessing the situation, we decided to sit it out instead of hailing another Uber rickshaw. After a spat, money changed hands and we went on our way. Another cool story in our adventure.

We were also lucky enough to witness an interview process at the coffee shop we were sitting at. A group of school kids was going through the process. It was interesting to see how the girls were treated differently from the boys by the interviewers. They were softer, more communicative and friendly (instead of summarily dismissing the boy interviewees)

During our short time in Mumbai, we had multiple experiences of unearned privilege because of the colour of our skin. A barista came to our table to check if the coffee was okay when he didn’t do that for anyone else, deference being served at a counter when it wasn’t our turn, deference in asking our opinion, and being checked up on by servers unnecessarily often.

We are stared at all-the-time and no matter where we are, people ask to have photos taken with us, or they don’t ask and pretend to take selfies unashamedly aiming to get us in the background. It’s uncomfortable and we’ve been told by guides to say no to the request, “because if you say yes once, you get overwhelmed with demands.”

India is known for having a preoccupation with pale skin and often "fair is equated with beautiful." In 2014, the Advertising Standards Council of India outlawed advertisements that denigrate those with darker complexion in an effort to combat skin-based prejudice. Although it was a step in the right direction, little changed as a result. Many people with darker complexion tones still aim to seem fairer.

The visit to India's largest and most populous city offered much to experience and explore. The highlight of Mumbai for @Ingrid Lotze and @Gavin Moffat was the Bombay Burger (or Mumbai Burger). Called Vada Pav, it is a spicy potato filling inside a soft bun smothered with spicy garlic and green chutney. The description doesn’t do the yum justice.