Just kidding, this place is AMAZING!
Hi all, So day one is done and it is now the morning of day 2. It doesn't feel like I've only been here a day. Mumbai is the most amazing and fantastical city I can ever hope to visit, I think. It is not pleasant, but it is so exotic. It's loud and crowded and bustling. The air is thick with smells of spices, herbs, food, oils and perfumes. The traffic is a constant blur of sound in the background. It's hot here... somewhere around 90 degrees (you convert that to Celsius) and really muggy. We met with the people of Koliwada yesterday for the workshop and spent the day figuring out a project for our group. Koliwada is a fishing village in Dharavi that is amongst the oldest villages on what used to be the chain of islands that is now Mumbai. My group and I will map their main street businesses today and present a plan to change their niche to that of an education area for craftsmen. :) THey used to be fishermen (for centuries) but there are no more fish in the black sludge that used to be a river. Now they survive by subdiving their housing and renting pieces out and they have also set up alot of little shops in their village. More on all that later. The Kolis are very happy to have us here and it is a very special experience to have such an intimate relationship with locals. I walk around the slums completely unmolested (except for the throngs of children who want their pictures taken and the occasional drunk man who wants to sell us a a belt) and walk through some otherwise creepy areas with no fear at all. This is a grimy place, but it's not what the pictures make it out to be. Hopefully I can upload some pictures soon. For now, I need to run and meet my group. More later...
