I was lucky enough to make a trip to India for business, but I spend some good time exploring the cities of Mumbai and Delhi – and I was greatly intrigued by the beauty of the 2 cities.
India is a fascinating country, with its crazy traffic, colours of saris, packed trains and bulls trotting along the main street.
Here’s some of the greatest aspects of India:
1. Colours and Patterns
The Colours of India – Beautiful colourful cloth covering the pots drying. These clay pots are made at some of the slums by the people staying here who sell it to make some money.
The carpet design the moment I stepped out of the airport. Just some of the common motifs you see throughout India.
One thing that fascinates me the most about India is the stunning vivid colours of the clothing. The patterns and designs that adds so much energy to the individual.
2. Mumbai Street Market and Wares on Sale
The streets of India is filled with all sorts of amazing clothing, souvenirs, and cultural goods. Just strolling down one or 2 of the streets and I get greeted by all these beautiful wares and old vintage items.
Elephants are regarded as sacred animals to Indians, and its common to find a lot of India souvenirs and cultural things with the elephant motif.
3. Mango Fiesta: Alphanso Mango Season in India
And so the mango season started. I didn’t know till I arrived, and boy, the streets were filled with carts and carts of grocers selling bright luscious orange skinned round mangoes.
There is that common warning for tourists to be careful of consuming fruits in India, not becoz of the fruit itself, but the water used to rinse it. But hey, the mangoes were so easy to eat that the delicate skin can be pealed easily to reveal the rich yellowish orange flesh, so sweet that it fills your whole mouth.
Crates and crates of mangoes on display in the fresh market. From afar, they look like golden goose eggs straight out of Jack and the bean stalk.
4. The spices and aromas of Indian cuisine
What’s best about India is none other than the amazing rich range of spices and aroma. The variety is astounding, from chocolate flavour spices, to mint, to masala and the hottest of the hottest curry powders.
The hottest peppers in the world can be found in one of these old India markets – The Ghost Peppers! The shop owner was saying that a piece of this chilli is so strong it hits you so hard. I dare not try one of them.
Sweet treats of India – From traditional desserts for the sweet tooth, to salty naan breads and nice chilled India brewed beer. There is something for everyone.
5. Sights and Landmarks of Mumbai
India has so much to see, and Mumbai and Delhi alone is really just scrapping the surface. On my free day, my driver stopped me at this washing point where you could see strewns and strewns of clothing being hung to be sunned. These clothing are mostly uniforms, and some of them are even the uniform of the India Police Force.
And yes, I was a tourist and went to visit the Gateway of India,the most crowded part of India I visited. It was sooo packed with tourists from all parts of India, that the security guard let me through a separate door, seeing I was a single female chinese traveler looking so lost and overwhelmed.
Sunset in Mumbai with the view of the train tracks. Hundreds and hundreds of locals use it to commute daily.
Exploring the streets of India was truly a great experience. Whether it is just randomly exploring the few museums around in Mumbai, eating at the famous Cafe Mondegar or admiring the street art at King’s Circle or just feeding pigeons at The Gateway of India.
What other exotic places have you been? South Africa, Dubai or..?
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