Visited state in this India post
India again, I did not plan that so soon actually.. After around 10 months that I already spent in South Asia in 2022 and 2023 I actually did not expect to come back to India very soon. But as always in life: Most ideas and plans are just something that turns out very differently :D
So why did I end up in India now again? One rainy night in Saigon I had a call with my 2 very good friends Felix & Niklas from Germany and we had the idea of traveling together in Asia for 3 weeks. We created a poll then out of 5 different trip options and ideas and no India didn't win :D The option that won was a 3-week overland trip from Saigon via Cambodia to Bangkok. The war between Cambodia and Thailand kept going on, and all the borders remained closed, so we decided to split the trip in between Vietnam and Thailand only. Then we checked our flight options we came across a very tempting IndiGo flight to Mumbai and the idea of a week in India grew and grew :D
I also didn't see my Indian friend Sameer for a long time, who I had already met on different continents, so he directly invited us to his home in Thane for our stay and we were ready to fly to Mumbai! The only thing that nearly stopped us already was applying for our visa online. An absolute pain in the ass like most other homepages in India, India travelers will know what I am talking about. It took us 5 or 6 days, at least 30 attempts in total and around 100 times confirming that our grandparents are NOT from Pakistan. Sometimes the payment failed, sometimes the homepage went offline at the very last step, sometimes the photo did not get uploaded and a few times the entire online visa system went offline for 12 hours :D The first introduction to India for my friends.
Let's dive into the State of Maharashtra!
1. Thane:
Thane is often overshadowed by nearby Mumbai, but it has a character of its own. With more than 2 million inhabitants, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in India and feels like a slightly calmer extension of the megacity next door. The city is known for its many lakes, which give it a bit more space and greenery compared to the dense urban chaos of Mumbai. Still, traffic, construction and rapid development are everywhere, showing how quickly this part of India is expanding.
It became pretty much our base there since dear Prajakta and Sameer hosted us at their condo for most of the nights of the trip. It was just perfect to get a real understanding of everyday life in India with local people, markets, a city without foreigners - the best way to dive into the Indian lifestyle and get the best understanding of that very unique country. India is one of the very few countries in the world that is really able to give me a small culture shock after that long trip. So I can imagine how big and amazing that feeling must have been for my friends. That was always the biggest highlight moment of my entire world trip: To step into a new world and experience it with all my senses for the first time. And India has something for every single sense you have on your body :D
We explored Thane's lively markets, the busy railway stations, a funny shopping mall, many food places, our friends' gigantic condo complex and many other places on foot and auto (Indian tuk tuks)
2. Mumbai:
Mumbai is just a 1,2 or 3-hour taxi ride away from Thane, depending on the traffic and the mood of that busy megacity. We went there for 2 entire days and had extremely busy days there. In general, that entire 3-week trip was insanely busy and a sensory explosion. In India we didn't even sleep the first 2 days, always went to bed late after some fun night adventures and woke up early with a day full of plans ahead of us. It was one of the most intense times of my entire world trip so far and I loved that! Sometimes we were so sleepy that we just fell asleep in random locations and woke up 30 minutes later without knowing where we were :D :D
Mumbai is the beating heart of modern India and one of the most intense cities in the world. As the country’s financial capital, it is home to the Reserve Bank of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange, making it the center of India’s economy and business life. At the same time, Mumbai is also the entertainment capital, where Bollywood produces some of the most-watched movies on the planet.
The city is a place of extreme contrasts: luxury high-rises and some of the most expensive real estate in the world stand right next to vast slum areas like Dharavi. With over 20 million people in its metropolitan area, Mumbai feels crowded, chaotic and constantly in motion. Life happens everywhere at once: On the streets, in trains, on sidewalks and there is barely a moment of silence. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, but at the same time, it has an energy that is hard to match anywhere else in the world. I visited 9 out of India’s 10 biggest cities and I would say that Kolkata and Mumbai are my favorites and Delhi and Jaipur my least favorites. Mumbai is just super cool: Tons of stuff to do, India in your face but muuuuch less annoying than most other Indian cities. People are also so much nicer than in Delhi for example.
We took a free walking tour, tried many Marathi dishes, visited a very busy beach with typical Indian beach vibes (which are entirely odd for non Indians :D) and spent a LOT of time in traffic, which we conveniently used for valuable naps, enjoying AC and watching the cricket world cup
3. Pune
The third city we visited for 2 days was the city of Pune, where we had a very eventful time. Every India traveler knows: The train rides themselves are huge adventures already. Imagine thousands of people on the stations, passengers hanging on doors, Masala Chai everywhere, Biriyani & Veg Thali ("veg or non veg , sir?"), open train windows & doors with interesting landscapes, plenty of small towns and villages where you just absorb every single detail and just EVERYTHING offers something interesting for your eyes, taste, ears and nose. India is a 24-hour exposure! The platforms and times for incoming trains change every few minutes and our second train was 2.5 hours later. You basically end up running from platform to another even though you need to wait all the time and in the end there is still a chance of missing a train :D
We met a police officer at the station, with whom we enjoyed some conversations. After another hour of waiting, he came back holding a very poor young guy (like a hunter with his prey) who had robbed another guy earlier (which we had actually seen ourselves) and dropped the quote "look, a robber". I think he even wanted that we join his work of catching more robbers :D The poor thief was then beaten senseless with batons in a police station..
It's just constant hustle and chaos. Oh and did I mention that it was close to 40 degrees on some days? I could tell 10 or even 20 more stories just about those two train rides!
Pune felt like a slightly calmer counterpart to Mumbai. Known as a cultural and educational center, the city has an interesting atmosphere with many students and a very historical flair. During a guided city tour, we visited the historic Shaniwar Wada, once the seat of the powerful Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. Even though much of it was destroyed by fire, the remaining gates and walls still give a good impression of its former importance. Around the city, we also came across several colorful temples, full of life, rituals and local visitors, adding a vibrant touch. We even got a small temple tour by the principal and had to write something in their golden book.
In the evening, we enjoyed the pleasant side of Pune. A gated community where the rich and handsome people of the city go for shopping and partying. We went to a super nice rooftop bar with fancy people in expensive clothes with tasty drinks to play cards and talk about the busy last days. What's interesting in India is that those different classes of people rarely interact with each other. Since I experienced many stories and events with and from very & very rich people, I had the feeling that those 2 extreme worlds don't even know that much about each other in most cases. Whenever I told rich Indians about my experiences in slums or the lower classes of trains, they acted like it's the first time they ever heard about that :D Many of my Indian friends have never been in a general class of a train or actually gone inside a slum. There are 2 different universes within the countries.
Afterword
Our very, very interesting and busy week in India was a big highlight with tons of new impressions and nice people we met! It was the first introduction to India for my friends and I think that's something they will always remember in their lives. India has tons of problems, can be insanely annoying (read my other blog posts about the country :D) and isn't that easy to travel compared to other countries but in my opinion, all the effort is worth it. The country can teach you so much that no other place in the world can, has the best food in the world (my humble opinion) and so many warm & friendly people who are very knowledgeable, social and very keen to share stories, knowledge and chai :)
Oh and by the way, even though I am a solo traveler and lone wolf by heart most of the time in my life, the social part with my friends was something I really loved! There are so many jokes to laugh about, share experiences for future stories and challenges during the trip become easier. We also had a lot of fun playing small daily challenges & games for 2 aspects of the trip: Sleeping spots (the winner chose first, and the loser got the mostly very humble place :D) and the "boss of the day" who had the privilege of doing every single decision for one day but also had the responsibility to manage the day in terms of planning and research. So you can imagine the pressure and blame if something failed :D
Thanks for having us for the entire time Prajakta and Sameer, we totally enjoyed your company and appreciate all the knowledge you shared with us. Sameer is probably the best car driver we have seen in India and a master in geography quiz games! See you soon!
Off to Vietnam for week 2 out of 3 of this trip!
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| The hardest part of leaving Germany every single time after packing.. |
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| Off to Mumbai! |
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| Touching down at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport |
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| Guess who lost at our card games for the worst sleeping place |
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| The condo of our friends in Thane |
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| A stroll around Thane |
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| Pet-friendly taxi policies |
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| POV: In an Indian auto with two 1.90m+ German oaks |
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| The very very best part about India: Food |
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| So done after no sleep for 50 hours |
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| Snapshots in the streets of Mumbai |
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| Felix and Sameer |
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| Typical Indian beach lifestyle :D |
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| Watching a cricket World Cup match on a 2-hour taxi ride (for a 20 km distance :D) |
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| Playing games for the best sleeping spots |
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| Foodcourt in a mall in Thane |
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| Breakdown of a taxi in Thane, actually the uncle just didn't have enough gas in his tank |
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| Mumbai, city of dreams for many Indians around the country |
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| Streets of Mumbai |
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| Mumbai Central Railway Station with more people inside than some countries' entire population |
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| I only got pooped on by one single pigeon |
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| Our honorable guide Rushi! |
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| The Indian Rupee sculpture in the financial district of Mumbai |
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| Gateway of India |
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| Train adventure to Pune! |
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| Railway station in Thane |
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| Breakfast set at the station: Banger Samosas and Masal Chai for 0,30 € |
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India is a paradise for introverts :D
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| People hanging outside the train doors to secure themselves a spot for the work express to Mumbai |
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| 2AC class. Lower, middle and upper berths for us |
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| In case you wanna buy a watch, there is a right uncle for every single product |
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| I could easily post 100+ photos of this 4-hour train journey and it wouldnt get boring |
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| Blending in with fashion too |
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| Rule in Indian trains: At least one chaaaai per hour |
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| Please don't sing any songs to women |
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| First impressions of Pune |
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| Mango Lassi, Niklas approves |
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| More oil than in the Middle East right now |
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| Sightseeing in Pune, here: Shaniwar Wada |
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| Inside a beautiful Hindu temple, where we got a private tour from a temple principal |
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| Street markets of Pune |
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| Every Indian bros Facebook photos are like: |
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| Kingfisher at a random "rooftop" bar with 4 Indian waiters staring us to death |
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| The winning card set to be the "boss" the next day |
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| A pharmacy in India: 60 percent sweets & Ice cream, 30 percent shampoo & shaving gel and 10 percent medicine |
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| Haircut in Pune next to a mutton shop |
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| Fresh Halal Mutton, some water company and Friends Men's Parlour |
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| Train station in Pune |
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| Our police internship in Pune |
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| Draw me like one of your French girls |
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| Back to Thane |
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| Ordering grenades in a bar in Thane |
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| Delicious chicken Thali |
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| Vadi Pav |
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| Off to Viet Nam! |
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