This issue of our magazine brings with it The World Made Local, the first global collaboration between the seven editions of Condé Nast Traveler
In mumbai , where I was born and live today, there is a very simple way to distinguish locals from visitors and expats: see how each other feels when the annual monsoon arrives. It's in our rainy season, from June to September, when the city floods again and again, when the water chokes our drainage systems and the gales and intense storms persist for days. Our trains stop, hundreds of people must dodge the force of the water to reach their houses full of humidity, malaria and dengue are rampant...
But try asking someone in Bombay to tell you about the monsoon and you will see that, full of poetry, will tell you about the dazzling rosy sunsets over the Arabian Sea, of what it means to walk along the coast while the waves crash against the pier or the great plan of shutting yourself up at home to watch movies and eat crispy pakodas.
each of us has his favorite bhuta walla, the one who throws ears of corn on the coal of his car and crowns them with a slice of lemon well covered with salt and red chili powder. Also we have our favorite waterfall, the one that, among lush vegetation, glides down the ghats with force. Y we deliberately set out to let the rain soak us, to soak up such a celebrated time of year.
On bad days, when the flooding becomes dangerous, people rush out of their buildings to offer chai with hot milk in paper cups and Parle-G cookies to those who still have a long way to go to get home.
There are no tourists. Logical. And yet, it is our favorite season, the moment when the worst of the city's infrastructure mixes with the friendliest face of its inhabitants. If you want to fall in love with Mumbai, ask a local about the rain.
For The World Made Local –the first global collaboration among the seven editions of Condé Nast Traveler– We have asked a hundred travelers what they love most about their places of origin.
As the world opens up again, as travel slowly returns, we want you to find your own reasons to dust off your bags and, for that reason, we decided that the coolest people we know would be in charge of encouraging you to do so. In the end, Traveling is as much about places as it is about people. and there are many in the world who anxiously await our arrival; that we experience and love the corners that others call home.
What Mory Sacco, 28 years old, born in Senegal and named young chef of the year by the French edition of the Michelin Guide, which he tells us about his favorite place in Paris, where you can arrive after hours and order cod fritters and a fried Guadeloupe-style sandwich. EITHER Australian model Nathan McGuire that with his favorite signature, Ngali, shows the art of Aboriginal people and those who live in the islands of the Torres Strait. Also Francisco Seubert, whom I call "the baker who looks like a movie star", who shares the markets of Buenos Aires where he always finds old metal teapots and jugs. Surely now you would be unable to return from there without one.
You will come across all these experts and their endless suggestions not only on these pages, but also on all Condé Nast Traveler websites. We are excited to think about traveling again, that's why we promise to guide you through uncertainty, to help you on every adventure, whether near or far away. And maybe one day we'll find ourselves in Bombay, walking down Marina Drive without an umbrella in the rain. Finally understanding why living something like this is so special.
***This report was published in *number 147 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (September-October 2021) . Subscribe to the printed edition (€18.00, annual subscription, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The September-October issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device
Divia Thani, Global Editorial Director, Condé Nast Traveler