Visit Bombay And Try The Bhelpuri

Bombay (now properly called Mumbai) is a city of great contrast. One minute you can be surrounded by poverty and the next minute you can be in a cozy restaurant enjoying great food and wine.

Mumbai is also known for its chaotic street scenes.

Bhelpuri is a type of chaat, or in other words, a small plate of savory snacks that is particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai (Bombay)

Although Bhelpuri is available all across India, it is something which is very popular in Mumbai. Surprisingly, Bhelpuri, which was originally a Gujarati fast food, got merged with the Mumbai culture and became synonymous with Mumbai or Bombay. Much of the fun of eating Bhelpuri is in the crunchiness. Besides, ask anyone from Bombay about it, and they would surely have tried it out!

Now that, we know what Bhelpuri is, when are you dropping by Bombay to try it out?

Mumbai is basically the financial capital of India, in addition to being the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a population of approximately 13.75 million, it is the second most populous city in the world.

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra state, which is widely spoken throughout Mumbai. The other languages that are spoken include Hindi, Gujarati, and English. A colloquial form of Hindi, known as Bambaiya – a blend of Marathi, Hindi, Indian English and some invented words – is also spoken on the streets.

It is also to be note that English is not only the language of the executive, or the white collar job-force, but is also widely understood throughout Mumbai.

Mumbai has a large polyglot population like any other metropolitan city of India.

Most upper middle class people live comfortably in large apartments, and they typically have drivers and servants (such as a cook). Meals are usually really cheap or fairly expensive. And most visitors of the city are said to either love or hate it.

With available space, going at a premium, Mumbai residents often live in cramped and rather expensive housing which is usually located far from their workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass transit, or jammed roadways.

So it is not surprising that Mumbai suffers from the common urbanization problems that is seen in many fast growing cities in third world developing countries – which is widespread poverty and unemployment, poor public health and poor civic and of course educational standards for a large section of the population.

Presently, more than 60% of the city's population lives in slums

Remember the “slumdog millionaire”

Mumbai is also the glamour of Bollywood cinema so if possible it would be nice to try to experience Bollywood (and hopefully be an extra in a Bollywood movie)…it would be fun.

Mumbai is also the commercial and entertainment center of India, generating 5% of India's GDP and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy and it is also one of the world's top ten centers of commerce by global financial flow.

And for those inclined towards the media. Mumbai also enjoys an array of media in print and on the radio. English speakers are spoiled for choice as the major national papers have Mumbai bureaux and there are various English-language local papers and magazines.

There are shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri or having the famous Bombay Burger or the traditional masala chai teas and the masala dosais on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district…..

It's a city with vibrant street life, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars.

Outdoor bazaars top the list of attractions for the bargains for example shopping in Fort/ Colaba neighborhoods… you'll find very inexpensive scarves, necklaces, t-shirts, leather sandals and anything touristy. You can do some bargaining [which is fun], but at a certain point it doesn't feel worth it to make a fuss over what's only worth $1 to a traveler, even though if they are technically trying to rip you off by their standards….so have fun and just give in gradually…..

More sightseeing options are the Gandhi Museum, in the leader's former home, and the cave temples of Elephanta Island.

For tranquility, Mumbai has many religious sites, lakes and parks. Popular waterfront destinations are Marine Drive, where visitors go to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea, and the carnival-like Juhu Beach.

Mumbai is geographically located in a tropical zone and is positioned near the Arabian Sea, thereby giving the city, two main climatic seasons - the humid and the dry season.

The humid season falls between March and October, is characterized by high humidity and temperature and between June and September, the monsoon rains lash the city. The dry season is between November and February and is characterized by moderate levels of humidity and warm to cool weather.

So pack your travel bags, November through March is a very good time to visit Mumbai. It is peak season, so make sure all your bookings are done in advance. Prices are higher at this time, of course.

Welcome to Mumbai and don’t forget to try the bhelpuri...