Forts, camel safaris, and our arrival in Mumbai

I can’t believe it’s all already almost over. Crayton heads back to the States in a few days, and I head to Madurai for the ashram. We’ve squeezed in as much as humanly possible over the past week — monkeys, camels, long car rides, strolls through 15th century forts. We ate Rajasthani food, comprising meat and vegetables in thick curried sauces, and a shredded type of green bean with capers. We camped out in the desert for a night outside Jaisalmer and slept under the stars.

Right now we’re both nursing sore throats — Crayton actually has a full-blown cold — so that’s probably a sign that we’ve done too much. (Don’t worry, parents, we have medicine and we’re fine.)

We arrived to Mumbai on Thursday afternoon, and so far I really like it here. It doesn’t seem as polluted, with the sea so close. And the water just makes everything feel… chill. Added plus: there are no car and bus horns waking me up at 6 in the morning, like there was in Delhi. Although I miss the funny blurping city bus horns.

Today we had dosas for breakfast, a South Indian specialty that’s a type of tube made of crunchy, thin rice flour, stuffed with various fillings. Then we wandered around the Colaba area and shopped. I bought a shameless amount of items at Fabindia. Later we had drinks at Dome, a bar overlooking the sea, and then more seafood for dinner. Dessert: Green chili ice cream from Bachelorr’s, a roadside stand off Marine Drive. It tasted like a roasted serrano dunked in cold cream.

A few shots for your viewing pleasure…

Bombay…