During the first day in Mumbai we slept for a very, very long time. Traveling is tiring and we were so thankful to get some time to sit (and blog!). When we finally woke up and read the newspaper, we saw a review for a new fondou restaurant, and talked about how we really want to eat fondou and see a Hindi movie. A couple hours later, Sonali called and asked if we’d like to see a movie tonight after a fondou dinner. So, that was awesome.
We saw Loins of Punjab Presents- a Bollywood movie set in New Jersey made in mockumentary style about the contestants of a Desi Idol contest. It was absolutely hilarious and if it comes to the US, see it. At one point, a white American contestant sings the Indian national anthem for his final performance and the entire audience stood up (including us). So cute. When we exited the movie theater, a man approached us and asked if we wanted to be in a Hindi movie that was currently being filmed next door. We would have to stay until the filming ended at 5am, which we were not up for.
The next day we revisited our favorite store, fabindia! to buy our last Indian clothes. The electricity in the store was out, so we had to guess which colors and styles might potentially look good on us.
Later Sonali and I took a rickshaw to a vegetable market. When I stepped out of the rickshaw, I stuck my foot into a huge pile of mud. Sonali went to find some bottled water and in the mean time, about five people surrounded me, telling me the correct way to clean off my foot. “Tilt your foot this way” “Shake it!” “Pour the water from the side.” I’m going to miss India, where a simple foot in the puddle turns into a public discussion and cause for a crowd.
We then bought the ingredients for our delicious dinner of pani puri, the dish that I had been waiting for during our entire trip. We cracked open the puri, mixed together the vegetables and sauces, and ate way too much. We then said good bye to my family and sadly soaked up our last few hours of India on the way to the airport.