When I was looking up "Things to do in Mumbai" Chowpatty beach kept cropping up, so we hopped in the rickshaw one sunny day and set off in hope of nice sand and sea. We got there and it wasnt too bad, not a spot of Goa of course, but for a beach in a massive city it was pretty nice. There were loads of people there, families having picnics and kids splashing in the water.
Chowpatty beach, near Colaba in Mumbai
Chowpatty wasn't really a bikini and sunbathing sort of spot
But there were also some sad looking scenes, like a man with tattered clothes asleep next too his salvaged rubbish bags of rotting half-eaten food, and homeless kids with matted hair covered in dirt. As we were leaving the beach we went past a small boy who only could've been around 2 years old. He was trying to drink the few remaining droplets of water out of a large container, and it made me want to cry. We went over to him and spotted his mum, and asked whether she wanted to come with us to the shop to pick up some food and water for her and her baby. We soon realised this was a bad move, as her friends and their kids soon wanted in on the trip too. We told them that we just wanted the one woman with her child and that we would bring stuff for the others, but still ended up wandering to the shops with a trail of mucky stragglers.
We wanted to go to the nearest place just to quickly get them some bits and continue on our way, but they seemed to be taking us to somewhere special they had in mind. After about 15 minutes we told them that we were going to stop at the next shop and get them something, and they almost scowled at us. Maybe they couldnt understand us, but when the next shop was a fruit stall and we were bagging them up some bananas they did not look happy. We were going to get them some mangoes and other bits, but were actually pretty annoyed by now; the first woman I spoke to was so unappreciative and was pretty much rolling her eyes! Screw you then! We just got them some bananas and said goodbye, it was such a slap in the face when we were trying to be nice! We made sure to get some extra bananas and some water for the guy on his own next to the rubbish though, as he seriously looked in need of some vitamins and goodness. It's sad sometimes here - you want to help so many people but it's just on such a massive scale that it's impossible, and you would be bankrupt way, way before you've helped as many people as you wanted to.
Lemme take a selfie!
Lots of locals having fun in the sun
One of the children that seemed to be living on the beach
Two street children playing on the beach, the girl in green had a bad limp but tried to keep up with her friend
We bought this man some bananas and water, after watching him eating collected rubbish
Other than the sadness at seeing the homeless people, it was a nice beach to visit. You weren't constantly bugged to buy anything or have your photo taken (only happened once!), and it was nice to step off the busy main road and onto the soft sand.
A major perk of this beach was New Yorkers, an amazing restaurant with one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life (BOLD!!!!). Before we came to Mumbai I looked on Instagram for #Mumbai. I never really used the app until I came away, and had recently found out how useful searching for hashtags can be. Anyway, long story short I ended up seeing a photo of this amazing brownie dessert, and I had to try it.
New Yorkers, slightly pricier than our usual budget but soooo worth it
We sat down and were given menus and place settings, which strangely resembled kids settings but hey ho - pass the crayons! All of the food looked soooo good, but we ended up getting a cheeseburger and enchiladas to share, with a side of nachos. Our drinks arrived and we started filing in the puzzles on our mats, when we saw out of the window a police man looking at our rickshaw while writing on his pad.
Ash having lots of fun on his crossword
He was out there for ages. I watched him as he obviously tried to argue that the rickshaw was fine to be parked there, but then I remembered the three English guys we had met a few days earlier. They had a rickshaw too, which had been towed away because apparently they're not allowed in South Mumbai... gulp. I went out to see if I could help at all, but the guy was adamant on having a tow truck brought down to take our little 3-wheeler away.
Sorry Mr Officer!
He asked Ash to go with him up the road, so I went back inside to wait. It was at least half an hour before they came back, and I'd already eaten my share of the food which was now pretty cold. The officer had made Ash park the rickshaw somewhere less conspicuous, thankfully it hadn't been impounded. It put a bit of a spoiler on our date, but what came next couldn't keep my mood down...
THE ULTIMATE DESSERT. THE BROWNIE SIZZLER.
SERIOUSLY, GET A CLOSER LOOK. omg I want it again right now.
The New Yorker Brownie Sizzler. This thing is synonymous with delicious. A yummy brownie, topped with ice-cream on a hot plate, with hot chocolate sauce that goes chewy on the plate. I mean, it's what my dreams are made of. GO TO MUMBAI NOW AND BUY THIS!!