Mumbai Markets – September 7, 2018
Our first day in Mumbai opened with nervous/eager anticipation. We’d heard so many praises—and warnings—about Mumbai that we didn’t really know what to expect.
We were fortunate to have Silpa, a middle-aged Indian woman with a fantastic sense of humor, as our guide for the day. We started with a brief drive-by of some of old Bombay’s classic Victorian buildings (the University, the train station, etc.).
We then headed to Crawford Market, a fruit and vegetable marketplace that has been here since the late 1800s.
Porters stand near the entrance with baskets balanced on their heads. Shoppers hire a porter to carry their purchases as they shop. Silpa explained that with the heat and humidity of Mumbai, food spoils rather quickly, so it’s not unusual for a housewife to go to the market at least once a day for fresh produce. She showed us her mother’s favorite grocer.
Photos can’t do justice to the feeling of walking among the very narrow paths in the...