Monsoon Shopping

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Shopping during monsoon season is a real drag.

In Mumbai, the cheap shopping is in markets and small roadside shops. The markets are sheltered by canvas sheets or ground sheets with holes. So they are not really sheltered. And to go from shop to shop, you have to go out into the rain since most shops do not have a shelter on the outside. When in the shop, if the rain is really heavy, you can't stand near the entrance too as you will get wet.

Even with an umbrella, I got three quarters wet. I was wet from the waist down and on my back. Added to the fact that the roads are full of potholes, you get your shoes all wet and muddy. Sometimes, there are other "things" in the water because men and dogs all do their business on the roads. When the rain comes, they get washed into the potholes. So be really careful not to step into potholes when walking in the rain.