Mumbai

Just found time to stop and draw breath after a chaotic few days. Mumbai, or the "Gateway to India" is immense, with a real "in ya face" feel that only the sub-continent can truly possess.

It took just minutes for the mayhem to rear its ugly head - the traffic outside the airport was like nothing we'd seen before. The best way to detail the chaos is that the taxi journey to the Colaba district (about 22km) took longer than the two hour flight from Muscat! Seriously, the roads were just a sea of vehicles pulsing intoxicating gases into the air!

Opted for the city's cheapest hostel, The Salvation Army. Here the dorms are basic and toilets....interesting! But at the end of the day a bed's a bed, right? So with our first accommodation sorted we set about exploring this wonderfully colourful metropolis - and what a city it proved to be!

Far from daunting, the place is everything you want in a city boasting 15m people, and more. Different districts boast different surprises - the gulf between rich and poor has never been more apparent. 5 Star hotels line Colaba's Marine prommande, their backs turned on the ever-growing slums housing some of India's poorest.

Already the traditions and customs of the Hindus has had an intoxicating affect on us, while the businessman in every Indian is all too obvious. Where ever you turn some malnourished bloke will try to flog something useless, while the fruit and veg varies in price depending on facial colour!

They say this city's the most expensive in India. Well that'll stand us in good stead given that a great curry sets you back about 60p and you can wash it down with a litre of Kingfisher for about 80p - and that's expensive?! And though we're taking it easy with the food, so as to not invite the shits, the variety of restaurants, eateries and street stalls is truly amazing

The Maidan dominates the city's business centre, packed full of young wannabe Tendulkars! Victorian and neo-classical architecture towers above the wide streets while some of the newer buildings would put London's CBD to shame.

Then there is Chowpatty Beach, an idyllic stretch of sand where locals congregate every evening for sunrise and to gulp down an eccelectic mix of dishes, such as Mumbai favourite "puri". Temples jump out at every corner, while a number of the city's famous, both dead and alive, are remembered by way of towering monuments, street names and bars.

The urban train network must run on blood, sweat and tears, but is hugely efficient and runs like clockwork - though the melee that unfolds when a train is announced certainly takes some getting used to! And we've clocked up countless miles in our bid to make sure we unearth its many delights! I wonder if things will stay like this, or whether the novelty will quickly wear off and the India portrayed in the west soon begins to take hold!?