For the Love of Bombay: What I will (and will not) miss about Mumbai

We have five months left in India.  For a vacationer, this seems like forever.  But for a place where you've established yourself, made friends, and picked haunts, 150 days is a short amount of time. The transition of moving from one location to another always brings out a series of mixed emotions: you are leaving an old life behind while looking forward to the one to come.  Initiating project devil's advocate, I am going to play a game called "this is what I will and will not miss about Mumbai."

Drivers like to honk their horns in Mumbai: it's a way to say hello, goodbye, I'm turning, move, I will run you over, or any other form of communication that says I have a car horn and I am not afraid to use it... Horn NOT ok!

Not miss:
The noise, the traffic, the smog, smoke, dust and dirt

Miss:
The people, delicious food, beautiful fabrics, the dances of bird songs outside my window

Not miss:
Fireworks the sound of bombs going off at all hours of the day (Sunday at 5:00 am this morning);

Miss:
How excited my dogs get about all of the interesting smells and finds;

Not miss:
Having to bleach bath my vegetables before I can eat them, not being able to drink the water;

Marigold petals from Ganesh Chaturthi at Chowpatty Beach 

Miss:
Incredible trips throughout India--like a last-minute trip to Kerala through the backwaters on a houseboat;

Not miss:
Possibilities of malaria, dengue, cholera, TB and a treasure trove of other good bugs;

Miss:
The high-end and low-brow restaurants that all serve amazing fare with really kind people;

Not miss:
Piles of trash with little rat leaders who surround their germy bounty;

Every rickshaw has its own special flare

Miss:
The movie theater deluxe experience including free drink, blanket, reclining chairs, and movie-side ordering of anything from papa chaat to cappuccinos that is inimitable in any other place (for the high cost of $7);

Not miss:
All the kids begging in the streets, and the sadness that comes from seeing how tough life is for millions of people on a day to day basis; knowing that two people per day starve in the city when so much wealth abounds;

Miss:
Rickshaws--yes, in all of their craziness;

Chaiwallah serving tea on the moving train: he gave us a makeshift seat, stellar guy  

Not miss:
The disordered chaos of driving;

Miss:
All of the fashion, art, and Bollywood events that occur any and every day of the week;

Not miss:
The crowdedness that comes with being the largest city in the second largest country in the world;

Miss:
running across spectacular architecture and little shrines and temples throughout the city;

Not miss:
Haggling.  Scratch that. Sometimes haggling is fun.

Miss:
the beautiful cows who get in the way riding to work every morning;


Not miss:
I don't know.  Mumbai has grown on me.  There really are so many incredible things that I am going to miss, it is hard to say goodbye.

Miss:
The young, creative energy of Mumbai and the people who work so hard to create ventures, venues, and projects;

Miss:

The festivals like Holi and Ganapati Chaturthi and 9 days for Durga and the lights and lanterns at Diwali;

Art is everywhere, if you take the time to look.

Miss:

The affordability of the city; 

the joy of new adventures; 

the smiles from little children in other cars when we are stuck in traffic throughout the city; 

the dusty bizarres and teeny perfumeries; 

sari shops and dessert stops; 

so many vegetarian options; 

the green parrots, hawks, and ominous crows; 

the street dogs who just want to be loved; 

poojas and ablutions; 

prayer sites and chaiwallahs; 

amazing bouquets of flowers; 

train adventures;

upma, parathas, dosas, and fresh bread; 

yoga and Vipassana; 

the religious diversity of Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews all living together in one city; 

and all of the little non-touristy places where we've made ourselves a home.  

We're going to miss this hectic, 

                                              crazy, 

                                      joyful amazing place: 

                                                                 Rome, you've got a lot to live up to!