Cycling India

Mumbai slum tour at Dharavi Mumbai slum tours offer a glimpse into one of Asia’s largest slums, Dharavi, which is truly unlike any other. Home to over 1 million people, it’s a melting pot of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, religions, and languages. Reality Tours and Travel’s ethical and educational slum tours offer a unique glimpse into everyday life in Dharavi while challenging the negative stereotypes often associated with slums. Best of all, 80% of their post-tax profits are invested in their charity,  Reality Gives , whose impact we witnessed firsthand during our tour. Known for its thriving informal economy—pottery, leatherwork, garment production, recycling, and more— Dharavi stands as an economic powerhouse in the heart of Mumbai. Yet, like other informal settlements, Dharavi faces challenges such as poor infrastructure, overcrowding, and limited access to essential services. No photo taking of people is allowed in Dharavi due to privacy for the ...

Mumbai Street Food tour Mumbai is famous across India for its outstanding street food, but discovering the best hygienic eateries in the big city is not always easy. Not to worry, that’s where we come in! We’ll help you experience the city’s flavours that please the taste buds and go easy on the stomach, guiding you through three of Mumbai’s most renowned street food areas. We tasted 16 different items (9 veg, 2 non-veg, 3 desserts, 2 drinks) plus water/cold drinks. Panipuri - a little crunchy ball with liquid filling you eat in one bite. A deep-fried breaded hollow spherical shell, about 1 inch in diameter, filled with a combination of potatoes, raw onions, chickpeas and spices. It is a common snack and street food in the Indian subcontinent. Sev puri - is an Indian snack and a type of chaat. It is a speciality that originates from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Is strongly associated with street food but is also served at upscale locations. This one is made from chick...

Today we booked a Local Transport and Dabbawallah tour with a local non-profit / social impact tour company called Reality Tours and Travel.  This is a great company and they are very involved in giving back to the community through their tours. 80% of their tour profits and 100% of merchandise sales go directly to Reality Gives , their sister charity, funding quality educational initiatives that drive. positive change within their local communities. Today’s tour description: “  Discover Mumbai’s spirit on our  Local Transport & Dabbawallah Tour . Ride the famous suburban train, hop on a classic red bus, cruise around town in a typical black and yellow taxi and look on as millions of Mumbai’s working class head out in the morning. We will discover Mumbai beyond the typical tourist sites; we will see a number of different markets and the world-famous Dabbawallahs (the workers of India’s intricate lunch delivery system). This view of the Maximum City will giv...

Hooray we’re on the way to a two day rest in Mumbai. I rode the second section of the ride to get to the ferry to Mumbai. A very nice easy 20+ miles with minimal hills. We arrived on the ferry to The Gateway of India, Mumbai . Mumbai is known as the Gateway of India because  it was a significant entry point to India from the West, especially during the British rule . The Gateway of India was built to welcome the first visit of a British monarch to India.  Today’s ride 24.7 miles with 650 feet climbing. See my ride route on Strava Gateway to India, Mumbai. Erin walking to the Ferry

Struggled to make it to lunch today. Hopped in the van and skipped the afternoon part of the ride. (20 mi) Soooo hot 🥵. 100 F! Nice scenery today in the morning as we descended down the hill. Decent down from Malshej Ghat My ride today was 39.56 miles with 1,741 feet of climbing. See my ride route on Strava On our way down the hill we saw a truck turned over on the road. Nice scenery as we ride down the mountain today. Laundry washing at the river in Karjat Hot, Hot, Hot!