Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Part II

My trip to Mumbai did not end on Friday, and I was able to have many more adventures post-Diwali. One of the most intriguing parts of my trip was a visit to the one of the slums of Mumbai. A non-profit runs these so-called "Slumdog" tours in order to raise money to fund schools and community centers in the slums. This particular tour went through Dharavi, the biggest slum in Mumbai. The tour was eye-opening to say the least. We were not allowed to take pictures other than this one from the bridge before we entered so I will do my best to describe some of what I was suprised about in enough detail to make you visualize it:

• The slum is huge. This particular slum had close to 1M people in less than 1 square mile. I have been told that more than 50% of Mumbai's 25M people live in slums like this...a bit harrowing, but I believe it given how crowded it was.
  
• This place is a bustling hub of industry. They export something like $700M worth of goods from the slum, some of it around the world. We were able to walk through tanneries, sewing shops, and recycling plants as part of the tour. My original idea of a slum as a place where extremely poor/homeless people live was way off. Not only is this place full of businesses, but it is pretty expensive to live there. People have to pay high rents and often are not able to afford bringing their families from the villages-- they go home to visit on vacation at some point during the year.
  
• Families do live there...and sometimes live pretty well. I was originally a bit scared to go down some of these dark, twisty passages filled with people and precarious buildings. But when I looked inside the doors, I saw things reminiscent of home...including TVs with cable. So weird.

Even though it was a bit hot and a bit overwhelming at times, I am glad I did the tour. I feel like I am a much more knowledgeable person (I know, not hard, right?) and have seen parts of Mumbai that I never thought I would get a glimpse into. I recommend the tour to anyone who comes to India.To end my trip on a bit less philosophical note, below are pictures of all the food I ate post-tour (really, walking around works up an appetite for Mumbai specialties) and a nice final view of the city. See you soon Mumbai!