And so the adventure begins… Our first stop, India. Like many planned on our trip, it’s a country neither of us have ever been to, so we arrive with huge excitement, anticipation and healthy dose of nerves for what lies ahead.

After receiving advice to not bother with Mumbai or “get out of there straight away”, we decided to stick around for a few days to see what India’s largest city had to offer. We landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport and took a pre-paid cab to Fort where our hostel, Travellers Inn, was located. On route to our accommodation the scale of the city started to dawn on us, taking almost 2 hours to get there from the airport which seemed, from Google maps, to be pretty embedded in the heart of the city. 

After deciding that one long taxi ride crawling through streets that resemble car parks, was enough for the time being, we set about exploring Mumbai on foot. Before heading out, we took a crash course in Indian road-crossing from a friendly Canadian chap in the hostel common area – walk, don’t run, buses will not stop so get out of their way, if in doubt, follow a local. With his advice fresh in our ears, we headed out to explore.

We packed in a lot over our three day stay, taking in many of the tourist hotspots from The Gateway Of India and The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, to watching a spot of cricket at the Central Oval Maidan fields.

Our favourite area was the art district Kala Ghoda, the windy streets housed great eateries and shops, it was a sanctuary from the neighbouring busy roads. Kala Ghoda Cafè was the venue for our first “proper coffee” experience, served with banging waffles that will live long in our memories.

Chor Bazaar topped the list for best market, a huge flea market filled with anything and everything you could want – if you’re in to repaired electricals and refurbished furniture, this is your place. Mani Bhavan, Gandhi’s Mumbai residence added an educational element to our trip to Chowpatty beach and the view from the surrounding Hanging Gardens was worth the short uphill climb.

While we’re both glad we didn’t heed the prevailing advice to skip Mumbai altogether, we were definitely ready to board our early morning train out of there. When the train pulled out of the grand Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, with the sun rising across the tracks, we could just about hear the beaches of Goa calling our names.