BudgetTravel

Editor's note: This article is part one of a two-part series on India. Please visit us again on Sept. 23, to see part two on Agra and the Taj Mahal.

It's early evening in Mumbai and I think to myself, if this taxi cab had legs, it would walk faster than we're moving. All around us are other cars, buzzing rickshaws and hordes of people carrying bundles in their arms and on their heads. I am sweating profusely as a child beggar appears at the window, palm open, eyes beseeching. She is nearly run over by a gleaming blue BMW driven by a guy who looks like he's about 19, perhaps one of the country's newly-minted software magnates. Suddenly a song pops into my head:

Sunrise, burning heat

Nothing is as traveled as a Bombay street

Contradictions, city of extremes

Anything is possible in Bombay dreams

City of extremes. How true.

With this cheery refrain from the Broadway hit Bombay Dreams in my mind I think to myself how perfectly Mumbai (or Bombay, as it used to be called) merges its unique extremes, extremes which somehow coexist in a vibrant mélange of culture and history. From the shimmering glamour of Bollywood cinema to the rank sprawl of Asia's largest slum, the city is indeed an experience in contrasts.

Sitting in traffic I realize that anyplace else, I'd probably be in a lousy mood about it all. But to be honest, this is some of the most interesting traffic I've ever been in. The window of our cab is like a TV, broadcasting a fascinating documentary on daily life in one of the world's most interesting and complex cities. I have been here for three days already and have to confess that the city is growing on me.

The complexities of the city

While most travelers who come to Mumbai will continue on to other destinations within the sub-continent, Mumbai is, without a doubt, worth at least a few days of your time. The city can be frustrating and overwhelming, but it is never boring. The crowds and chaos of Mumbai can perplex even the savviest traveler. (In fact, Mumbai is projected to be the world's second most populous city, surpassing Mexico City by 2015). But adjust to the rhythm and thrum of Mumbai, and you'll soon find yourself pleasantly surprised. And while Mumbai is more expensive than other places in India, the budget-minded traveler will find that the city is easy on the pocketbook.

To me, Mumbai seems far larger in reality than it appears on the map. It took us almost two days just to get oriented to the city, which, unlike the mostly grid-like layout of cities like New York or Los Angeles, is organized in a more haphazard fashion, with some of the streets looking on a map like the scribbles of a child.