Day 1: We wish you a Merry Christmas

December 25th. My first day in Mumbai. It's Christmas Day and I woke up to an amazing view of the sunrise over the Arabian Sea. Mumbai is slowly waking up. Television channels are broadcasting special Christmas shows and everywhere in my hotel I can hear Christmas music playing. Everywhere I go in my hotel, the staff greets me with a smile and a "Merry Christmas".

I'm almost ready to explore the city... but first, I am eager to have my first meal in India. Breakfast at the Taj Lands End is a real feast. The staff members at Vista are corteous, polite, and always willing to make every meal a fantastic experience. They offer to make me any breakfast of my choice, but I'm more interested in trying all those awesome-looking Indian dishes I can see in the buffet. There is an entire section dedicated just to local vegetarian dishes and the chefs take their time to explain how there is no special "breakfast foods" in Indian cuisine and how every dish is made. Of course, I have to try the idli (a type of fluffy pancake with chutney and a vegetable soup). The parotha and aloo smell delicious, and the Goan-style empanadas bring me back to a childhood tradition. Growing up in Northern Spain, my family would eat empanadas on special occasions. (After all, today it's Christmas, so the special day justifies loading up my dish with all this savoury food...)

Needless to say, it is a long breakfast. Drinking masala chai with a view of Band Stand is actually not a bad way to begin a vacation. My waiter is quick to point out that just around the corner is the house of Shah Rukh Khan, king of the box office in Bollywood. Since I'm such a big fan of his movies, I write down a reminder to take a stroll up the street to see his house.

I'm ready to go explore! My tour guide, Amit (who is an awesome photographer, as shown by all the pics on this blog) has prepared an itinerary of places to see today. First stop is the Prince of Wales Museum...but first, I have to endure a Mumbai cab ride...