When you land at a city you have spent only six hours in before in your life and yet know exactly where the bathroom is in the airport you know that you have been spending too much time travelling. Especially given the fact that you can't turn on a fan in your own office without putting all the lights on. Well, that is the life of a sports journalist. The latest issue of the travelling cricket circus takes us to Mumbai where the visiting South Africans take on the Indian Board President's XI in a warm up game leading to the actual series. After a day of less than spectacular cricket my fellow traveler Babu and I found our way back to our hotel room.

After half a dozen taxi drivers confirmed that they had no idea where the Hotel Residency was even when given the street name, we took a taxi back to the nearest big landmark, Flora Fountain and then walked back to our room. At the room a last minute check of the day's events and efforts revealed that there was no more work to be done on the first day. Quick freshening up and we were off to discover the city of Mumbai.

We got in a taxi and asked the chap to show us the sights. He took us straight to the Gateway of India, a famous enough landmark. We reached the spot and were greeted by a magnificent structure. Superbly lit up, bang on the sea shore, the Gateway of India was truly imposing. At the shore there was a mind boggling array of boats and their respective operators all yelling out trying to entice you into going out on a ride. We were tempted, but decided to keep it for a more appropriate hour. We chomped on ice creams and walked down the pavement alongside the sea. When we had enough of walking, we noticed that the time was already past 9.30pm.

Another taxi was taken and the same instructions issued. Obviously this gentleman had a different interpretation of the word sight seeing. On the other hand he might have only wished to show us Mumbai as it really is. He drove us straight to an area that we later discovered was known as Grant Road. Walking down those streets was a surreal if somewhat unwanted experience. The roads were lined with pokey little shops that had all manner and ages of men and women sticking their heads out and offering you services that would not be listed in the Yellow Pages. Though one has heard of the existence of such places, it is impossible to believe that they exist till you see them for yourself. Leaving the area with the certainty that you never want to return, we searched for a good Chinese restaurant to have some dinner.

In a recent sojourn in Sri Lanka we had roamed the streets of Colombo in vain looking for a place where Babu could get a decent Chinese meal. The exercise was all in vain on that occasion, making it all the more important that we found a place this time around. After a bit of walking we found a restaurant that called itself Hong Kong and decided that this must be our place. Forty five minutes later, two very content CricInfo employees emerged from the restaurant.

Another short walk and we were back at the hotel just before the stroke of midnight. My first impressions were very mixed. The city was too big in its own right to give away a distinct flavour in one evening. However, it must be said that the city has a vibrancy that draws you to it. With all the congestion, pollution, poverty and problems, Mumbai has a heart that throbs strongly and you will be drawn to it.