Reasons why Mumbai 6 vs. Chennai 2 (and no, I'm not talking about IPL*)

6. Vada Pav: Delicious, incredibly unhealthy Mumbai carbohydrate speciality. Only was tempted by this recently when helping a friend research for a project about heart disease in India (Thanks, Michi!) Well done, Mumbai.

5. No men peeing on streets: Okay, "no" is probably an overstatement. But, it's quite amazing not having to watch where you step 24/7 slash not having to feel guilty after verbally abusing those who do pee on the streets. Well done, Mumbai.

4. Local trains: Yes, they're as packed as in the movies, even the "Ladies only" cars. I actually found that riding in the regular compartments that I was able to have more inches of personal space due to men not wanting to get yelled at for "crossing the line." Incredibly cheap and pretty good way to travel through Mumbai...NOT during rush hour, that is. Well done, Mumbai.

3. Dharavi Slum Tour: I was hesitant at first, but upon recommendations from friends, I realized it was not only raising money for a good cause but a way to restore my faith in development work. The largest slum in Asia has roughly 650 million USD turnover per year, is a recycling hub for international plastics and exports leather and other goods all over the world. It was really an eye opener. Well done, Mumbai.

2. Totos: An amazing "mechanic garage" themed bar seemingly run by a group of Uncles (one of whom walks around with sunglasses on). Draught beers, young good-looking crowd and servers in bright orange overalls. Well done, Mumbai.

1. Metered Autos: Probably the best thing about Mumbai. No bargaining, no hassle, no problem. Auto-wallahs are willing to go anywhere, whenever and are even super helpful when you don't know the exact location of the destination (take that, Chennai). Well done, Mumbai.

Everytime I go Mumbai, I like it more and more...it's definitely a city that grows on you!

(Chennai's 2 points come from– 1. Manageable street traffic and 2. Bhangra/Bollywood night @ Pasha, a dance club in the Park Hotel).

*IPL = Indian Premiere League, which is India's 3-year old national cricket league. My first cricket match is next Wednesday...go Chennai Super Kings!

Most ridiculous mama & papa bhatia quotes from our recent vacay in Kerala*

7. "I didn't assume, I overheard."- papa bhatia referring to a couple (who have been married for 4 years) on our tea plantation walking tour in Munnar as "newlyweds" without having ever spoken to them. "4 years of marriage is still considered newlyweds; you are newly married until you have been married for 5 years," my father, clearly a marriage expert, further explained to the couple.

6. "South Indians must really like gold."- papa bhatia commenting on the sheer number of roadside billboard advertisements for gold jewelry.

5. "It's not that we don't like your current flatmate, but if you had a ring on your finger, we'd like him a lot more." - mama bhatia's response to my concern they don't like my current (male) flatmate, even though they have never met him.

4. "Did you bring any oil?" - papa bhatia trying to be funny in conversation with a Saudi Arabian medical resident on a boat tour of Periyar Tiger Reserve after finding out where he was from. "What? It's a very funny question," he rebuked after a look of terror swept over my face (no pun intended).

3. "The food here [in Kerala] is much better than the food in Telugu."- papa bhatia on comparing Keralan food to the food they ate on their tour of Tamil Nadu last year (yes, papa did mean Tamil Nadu and btw, Telugu is a language spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh).

2. "Sorry, we meant 'Tamilian food.' It's just that we consider everything south of Delhi to be 'south India.'" - mama bhatia trying (hard) to justify papa bhatia's earlier comment.

1. "We're SO happy right now."- mama & papa bhatia exclaiming between bites of fresh tandoori roti at our last lunch after 5 days of Keralan parotha, Appam and Phulka (which was apparently too long for my Punjabi parents).

p.s. Mama B- thanks for all the goodies you brought me from the USofA :)

*Kerala is beautiful! In addition to the 24 hr. mama & papa bhatia entertainment, the greenery, abundance of coconuts at every corner, delicious seafood curries and variety of boating trips available, Kerala made for good photo taking opps and a welcomed diversion from city-livin.

Quanitfiiable reasons why auto rickshaws in Chennai = worst in India

8. Number of Times Auto-Wallah Spits While Vehicle is in Motion × Number of Times Auto-Wallah Stops Auto-Rickshaw to Pee on Roadside While Passengers Wait Inside > Grossness of Accidentally Stepping in Cow Shit in Sandals While Leaving Your House En Route to Hip-Hop Night at a Dance Club

7. 4 Passengers in Auto-Rickshaw = 3 People Squished in Back Seat + 1 Brave Soul Sitting Next to Auto-Wallah × Number of Times Required For Front Passenger to Physically Exit Auto-Rickshaw So Driver Can Restart Engine

6. Confusion of Name & Exact Location of My Flat + Drop-Off in Front of My Door ≠ Permission to Request Additional Rupees At Time of Payment and Freedom to Dole Out Insults for "Well-Educated People Complaining About 10 Rupees"

5. Semi-English Speaking Auto-Wallah + Look of Semi-Understanding About Requested Location= High Bargaining Power and Ability To Charge Up To 2X Accepted Amount

4. No Patrol + 5 minute Unannounced Stop at Gas Station = Guaranteed Tardiness at Any & All Important Events

3. Cost in Rupees for a Ride ÷ n Number of Kilometres Actually Traveled (where n= ∞) ≥ Actively Throwing Money Out of The Side of Said Auto-Rickshaw

2. Nightime Charge × (Number of One-way streets + Number of Flyovers + Possibility of Traffic + Road Construction) – Acceptance for Drop-Off On Opposite Side of Street = 5X Price in All Other Major Metros in India

1. No English + No Hindi + No Idea Where Requested Passenger Drop-Off is Located = Excuse To Stop Random White People on Road at IIT To Make Passenger Awkwardly Try and Escape Said Situation


These are just off the top of my head...maybe this guy is different...although, probably not :)