Traveling with a Serious Crocodile - INDIA : BOMBAY (aka Mumbai)

I N D I A

G R E A T E R . B O M B A Y

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How can I start the story of Anjali Homestay in the city of Greater Bombay. Maybe by, once upon a time, in a tiny guest house in Andheri east, north of Bombay.
Be aware, you need to earn your room in that guest house, because, finding your way to that place is not an easy task. Straight out of the airport, fresh like a coconut after ten hours of flight and a jet lag of 5 hours, the first things to do is, to change few euros for a lot of rupies and jump in a "pre-paid cab"

« Namasté, 101 New Bimla Apartements, Andheri Chakala Link Road, please », the taxi driver nods his head to say yes and so I jump into the car. After half an hour, wondering around Bombay and noticing he had no idea where to look for that guest house, we start to ask to every single people still awake at 3:00am, strolling like zombies in the sleeping city. Finally, feeling that I am getting closer and closer to reach my quest, I'm asking to the taxi driver to stop and will search the guest house by myself.

I have the landmark shared by the guest house in front of my eyes, supposedly next to it. It is a temple, in a tiny narrow street. Well I will not lie to you, it seems sketchy and i was kind of peeing on myself, the darkness, in a small alley, with dozens of dogs barking, seems like the beginning of an horror movie. Anyway, the sun is almost rising now and I have to go, after couple of minutes, looking around that creepy alley, I am finally looking at "NEW BIMLA APARTMENTS" painted with big letters on the wall of that building. I am going in, pass the front door and try to guess where is 101, climbing the stairs, I am in font of a door but you could barely know this is Anjali, this look to no any other guest house I have been in, just a classic residential apartment. I am knocking on the door...

The sun is awaking and it is a Russian girl, not well awake, as for her, who open the door. Her name is Natasha and take care of that tiny guest house by herself when Raj, the owner, is away of Bombay. Here, it is for backpackers passing by, only. There is a living room, a small kitchen and two dormitories with a few bunkbeds. We meet there a ton of people, living their own adventures, always as exciting as each others, there we play to a Russian checker game, we eat delivered spicy food and we chill, simply.

I stayed in Anjali during ten days, i had the time to feel the atmosphere of that place but also of Bombay, to learn to know Natasha and Mike, a german mate, to feel like at home. I came back to that place couple of weeks later, in order to pick up a friend of mine coming from Europe. Soon we will leave to Rajasthan and I will have to say good bye to my new family.

I wanted to tell this story because, it is still today, one of my strongest and most beautiful experience I ever lived, humanly wise. It was my first big solo travel outside of Europe and the beginning of it was spectacular, mostly because of Anjali guest house, Natasha, Mike, Eric, Raj, etc.

H A R I . O M

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