The bustling, crowded city attracts many tourists each year, and the number continues to grow. With a vast amount of people visiting the city, and with this number continuously exciting on the graph, here are a few facts about Mumbai that you must know.
Don’t Keep Your expectations of space too high
If we go by the population of Mumbai, which is across twenty million, one can find people accommodating on top of buildings, bridges, tents, roads, and, surprisingly, on burial grounds too. However, besides being densely populated and occupied, it’s undeniable that Mumbai is home to some of the most beautiful and expensive real estate sites. And each free space spot is to be seized. Most of the time, you will be thrusting along a pedestrian sidewalk.
Learn Mumbai’s local train life tips
Image Source: financialexpress Once you hop on in the suburban railway network, you will see a glorious display of time management skills and personal space vanishing into thin air. In the general compartment (generally occupied by males), you will find men thrusting into each other with one arm holding the people and the other one touching the leaves of the passing trees. You might also get to hear investment tips in the stock market or see a game of cards unfolding on someone’s lap or briefcase. Unusual to experience, but you may also be offered to get your eyebrows done in the crowded moving train.
Explore the culmination of treat streets in the city
Image Source: curlytales Mumbai is the pinnacle of khao gallis, streets full of roadside treats, traffic, confusion & noises, frustrated individuals, and delays. It is the place where people come to eat, sometimes taking their own time and usually in a rush. Mumbai food classics include the bhel puri (puffed rice served with chutney) and pav bhaji (mashed and spicy vegetables served with buttered rolls). The variety of food available on the streets is endless, and the food, palatable. On another side, if Mumbaikars had to choose an official snack, it would be vada pao (a steamy potato patty stuffed inside a bun). Since vada pao feeds almost everyone in Mumbai, both on the social and economic front, this snack holds an iconic status in the city.
Respect selfie-banned zones
Since India holds a high mortality rate due to selfies, the police have declared 16 areas as non-selfie zones in the city. Nineteen of the world’s forty-nine selfie deaths reportedly happened in Mumbai, and if anyone is caught clicking a selfie in the restricted areas, a fine of up to 10 dollars may be charged against the person.
‘Don’t be on time’- The Mumbaikar thing
Mumbaikars interpret Indian Standard Time as Indian Stretchable Time since everyone runs a little late in the city due to its snarling traffic, delayed trains, taxi strike, or power outrage. They follow this culture of being preferably and fashionably late.
Well, it does not mean that they will forgive you for being late, especially if you show up after them.
See the artistic taxis
Image Source: qz The black and yellow taxis in Mumbai, commonly known as kaali-peeli, is a kind of home as well as the office of the taxi wallas (the taxi owners). Inside the taxis, you will see the reflection of the taxi owner’s dreams, joys, struggles, frustration, and anger in writing. You will also see the velvet seats, disco lights, mirrored ceilings, mini-fans, and deity sculptures on the dashboard. You may also get an insight into how, in the age of Uber and Ola, Mumbai’s taxis are becoming works of art.
Taste the essence of Irani chai with the royalists
Do not forget to take a break and sip a cup of Irani chai in Mumbai. The Irani cafes provide the nostalgia of old Bombay. One of the best Irani cafe rated 4.4 out of 5 on google with more than 2500 reviews is Cafe Irani Chaii. Not only is this the best cafe to enjoy Irani Chai but also the first Irani Cafe in 50 years.
Image Source: firstpost
Win a role in the Bollywood industry
Based on your looks, there are two ways to win a role in Bollywood. If you are white, visit any tourist spot, and there are chances that someone might approach you, asking to play the role of an extra (or be a back-up dancer). If you are not white, then you must hang out at a cafe in the neighborhood named Versova, where the film writers, directors, aspiring actors are said to be hunting the real talent for Bollywood.
Get a glimpse of flamingos
Thousands of flamingos migrate to Mumbai (on the eastern coast) each year and stay there for around half a year till the monsoon sweeps the land away. You may visit the flamingo sanctuary and get a glimpse of the marvelous migratory birds.
Wrapping it Up
Full of dreamers, actors, gangsters, and hard-working people, Mumbai has its own rhythm. The city never fails to impress anyone who visits and is home to people belonging to different religions. Give yourself time to learn and appreciate the lifestyle of Mumbai, and it holds power to take you in, only if you let it.
