India – III. Mumbai & Pondicherry

At the tail end of my time in Rajasthan I decided to cut out a large chunk of my remaining India itinerary. This included the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and parts of Tamil Nadu. My reasoning could constitute its own post, but in short I’d decided that the experience of traveling on a budget through India no longer interested me. I’d gotten the culture shock I wanted, but I also knew that later in Sri Lanka there’d be similar if not more beautiful and clean beaches/tea regions. So, this post will cover what little remained of my journey in India.

From Udaipur I took an overnight bus to Mumbai. I’d always thought I’d like this city, the home of India’s Bollywood scene. It’s said to be India’s most crowded city, though its position along the Arabian Sea is what appealed to me. Like Delhi, Mumbai is sprawling — spread across a long peninsula that at one point was a chain of islands.

I spent my time solely in the southern area, also known as the “Fort”. Walks along streets such as Mahatma Gandhi Road featured stunning British colonial architecture, at times I felt like I was somewhere in England. Here too I observed a larger diversity of people and workers, and none of the begging and bizarre scenes I’d witnessed in Rajasthan.

I spent two full days in Mumbai, and for me this was plenty. The first of these days was one of my favorites of the entire trip. It was one of those days with a packed itinerary of pleasant activities — breakfast at a quiet, adorable cafe with British inspired fixtures — a gander through a fantastic history museum — an afternoon pitstop at Starbucks + a walk through the scenic Oval Maiden park — and sunset/dinner with a fellow traveler. I hate to admit that what I liked about this part of Mumbai was just how much it didn’t feel like India.

Both days I took a notice to the way in which power lines were strung from buildings. They weren’t usually a jumbled mess as expected, but rather they appeared as a whimsical and disjointed spiderweb — branching out in picturesque waves.

All three evenings I watched the sun set along the lengthy, curved foot path of Marine Drive. It was a little tricky to find a place to sit with many visitors and locals out as well. The sun never totally fell upon the horizon, instead it was eaten by a low sitting haze.

The second day in Mumbai was mostly walking, with morning stops including the Zaveri Bazaar and the Chor Bazaar. The latter was a fiasco to find, mostly because the location was incorrect on Google Maps. A helpless local who seemed as lost as I was volunteered himself to be my guide, and then begged for a tip despite the fact that we’d only made it there via other people’s directions. I came to the Chor Bazaar for the antique shopping, but I didn’t end up find anything of interest.

That afternoon was better. On the long walk over to the northernmost bit of Marine Drive I caught a glimpse of a peculiar Trump cartoon (this just over a week after the US election). From there Malabar Hill featured a decent view of the peninsula facing south. Amidst all the modern development you’d never guess there were so many colonial era buildings spread about. On this day I also had my first cups of South Indian filter coffee, a tasty and uniquely prepared concoction that’s recently been named the second best form of coffee in the world by TasteAtlas.

From Mumbai I had an ungodly early 2:55 AM flight to the coastal city of Chennai in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. Getting to the airport via the Mumbai metro I had to be quite literally taught by the locals how to safely get off at my stop — the metro here is often packed behind belief, and I had to brace myself for the overwhelming push of dozens of people alighting and boarding through a single door at the same exact time. The Mumbai metro is an absolute free for all, and not for the faint of heart.

Chennai is an extremely overgrown coastal city built around a former British fort. I personally didn’t find the city appealing from a tourist’s lens. It had a very clean and efficient metro train system, yet this was largely unused, meanwhile the streets were full of traffic. I did find Chennai was a good place to sample the local Biryanis, and my guesthouse was a fascinating old colonial building that used to house the Turkish Consulate.

My primary reason for still including Tamil Nadu on my trip was to reach the smaller and more appealing town of Pondicherry. It was recently listed as the #2 best destination of 2025 by Lonely Planet, a distinction I was curious to test for myself. I love visiting colonial era towns, and with the city center (known as White Town) being a former French fort I eagerly anticipated sampling the French and European inspired cafes, bakeries, and restaurants on offer. The dichotomy of South Indian and French colonial culture ultimately made Pondicherry a standout to close my time in India.

I made an exception to my typically low daily budget to properly sample the growing restaurant and cafe scene in Pondicherry. For every meal I’d pick out a different spot, aiming to find not only good food and/or coffee but aesthetics that spoke to the dual Indian/French culture. I was rarely disappointed in this pursuit, and I particularly enjoyed places including Bread and Chocolate, Le Petite Four, and Coromandel Cafe. Pondicherry felt like a vacation from the rest of India I had visited.

Pondicherry struck me in the way it was so noticeably gentrified. Beach Road, along the sea was a zero-vehicle zone, while White Town was almost entirely comprised of wealthier Indian tourists and European foreigners. Here signs vigilantly reminded visitors to not litter and to “Keep Pondy Clean”, reminders for which you wouldn’t find elsewhere.

I stayed at a guesthouse a couple blocks out of White Town. Here the streets grew more typically Indian, with newer and less impressive buildings, and more congestion. Here the sight of the tall and colorful South Indian temples contrasted the couple of Christian churches in White Town. Both White Town and its surrounding areas were wonderfully tree-lined, and it was nicely shaded most of the time.

I spent three days in Pondicherry and I’m glad I chose this to end my stay in India. I think that more work could be done to keep the beach area just south of White Town clean (no city deserves a #2 must-visit spot with a whole beach filled with trash within walking distance). Aside from the restaurants I really appreciated the vehicle-free zone, making it easier to enjoy an afternoon stroll and the sound of the waves at night after dinner. I didn’t really hang out with anybody during my stay, but as usual there were constant interactions with local tourists that kept me engaged socially.

Next post: Sri Lanka — Part 1