I just finished a very long day in the city of Bombay (Mumbai). My office and hotel are in Navi (New) Mumbai, and I haven’t ventured to Mumbai proper since I landed at the airport. Navi Mumbai is another city (not really a suburb) across the bridge from Mumbai.
I had a wake up call at 6:45 am. I got dressed and went downstairs for continental breakfast before my ride arrived. Sarika and Jitesh picked me up in front of the hotel at 8. They procured a car and driver for the day. We went to the Vashi train station to pick up everyone else. The ride from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai is a little over an hour. We drove through the city and they showed me various landmarks until we reached our first destination – a mosque. It’s a really famous mosque called Haji Ali Dargah. We had to take off our shoes before entering the mosque and they separated men from women. We took a few pictures outside of the part where you pray (not sure of what to call it), and then we started to walk back. The mosque was located in the middle of the Arabian Sea and we had to walk across a long causeway to reach it. The smell was horrendous in that area. I tried to hold my breath while walking, but I just couldn’t force myself to do it longer than a few seconds. I felt like I was walking through a land field. I gagged several times while walking over there. Every Feed the Children commercial I ever turned away from came stared me in the face today. A group of healthcare workers stood near the entrance to the causeway giving children polio vaccines. Those poor children and their parents presented a very ugly picture of the poverty that so many of us fail to acknowledge every day.
After visiting the mosque, we headed to Elephanta Island. Before catching the ferry to the island, we took several pictures in front of Taj Mahal Hotel. We also took pictures at The Gateway of India. This monument was built by the British to welcome King George V to the island. Ironically, the Gateway was the last site that the British used to leave the island after India won its independence. We proceeded to the ferry amidst the crowd and the “hawkers” along the path. Once on the ferry, we took pictures of the group and the various landmarks along the way. The ferry ride across the Arabian Sea was around 45 minutes. Another foreigner was sitting next to me. I overheard him on the phone and I knew he was American by his accent. I was a little excited to know there was another American aboard. I asked him where he was from when his call ended and he told me he was from Massachusetts. We struck up a conversation about our experience in India. He’s traveled around India for a couple of weeks. He left home over 2 months ago and has visited many countries. He’s leaving for Thailand and maybe China later this week. I was surprised to hear that his best experience was in Iran.
Elephanta Island has 8 caves that were carved in the 6th century by one of the Indian rulers.. The carvings represent various forms of Hindu deities. On the way inside the gate, my group hurriedly pushed me inside. They later told me it was because the price for tourists is higher than Indians. They’d told the guard that I was from Delhi to get me in at the lower price. The path to the caves was lined with vendors selling various goods. There were animals along the path such as the ubiquitous cow, and the equally present stray dogs. There were also monkeys in the trees. Scary monkeys. They have a reputation of snatching things from people as they walk up because they think they it might be food. They also hang out in the trees near the caves. One of them stole a bag of Lay’s from a member of our group.
We went to McDonald’s after visiting Elephanta Island. I don’t even eat at McDonald’s at home, but the rest of the group wanted to go there. I had the Chicken Maharajah Mac with fries. Basically, it was the Big Mac made with chicken, and the sauce tasted like a ginger-based, spicy paste. Victoria Terminus was across the street from the McDonald’s. I stopped to purchase a book for Rs 50 before heading inside the station. I bought a bootlegged version of The Namesake. I’ve bought books from street vendors before with no issues, but this time I had to look through 3 different books to find the best copy. It looked like someone got lazy while making the copies, so some of the pages were a little crooked. They also stapled the first few pages in the wrong order.
Victoria Terminus is the main train station and houses both local and regional trains. There are vendors everywhere. It’s very similar to Grand Central Station in NY. You can infer from the name who built the station. It seemed that most of the tourist sites and older building were built by the last group of people to rule India.
I started writing this blog last night when I returned to the hotel. I was so tired that I couldn’t finish writing about the rest of the day. Now, I am refreshed and ready to continue.
We went to Nehangir Art Gallery which was built by the Tata family. It showcases modern Indian art. There was one piece that really fascinated me. It wouldn’t mind having it in my home, but I probably wouldn’t be able to afford it. Down the street from the gallery was the Prince of Wales Museum, now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum. You will find that many of the streets and buildings have 2 names – one Indian and one British. We only had 30 minutes to see the museum before it closed. We did the “quick tour”. Jaya (a member of our group) studied history in college and spent a lot of time at this museum. She told me what was there and where, which made our visit more effective. I told her what I wanted to see and she took us there directly. She also gave background information on the museum and some of the pieces. She was a great tour guide, even though we had a limited amount of time. After the guards put us out of the museum at 6pm sharp, we walked back toward the vehicle. Rupali suggested that we go to Rhythm House Music Store, which was next to the parking lot. It was just like any other music store I’d seen, but there was a huge section for movie soundtracks. Bollywood produces over 1000 movies a year, and each of those movies also produces soundtracks that become just as popular as the movie. I bought Erykah’s newest CD (I’m listening to it as I type this) along with an instrumental Indian CD with 51 songs. I didn’t want a CD in Hindi that I couldn’t understand. I always read the lyrics of English songs too. I’m very careful about what I buy here. I don’t want anything representing a deity or some other image that I don’t believe in.
We drove back towards Marine Drive where the sun was going down over the water. We walked along the path to the end. There were lots of couples and families enjoying the cool breeze and the view. Across the street were several upscale apartment buildings. It was a very pretty site made better because you couldn’t see the dirty water of the sea in the dark. We also saw The Queen’s Necklace. At night, the lights surrounding the beach make a semi-circle that looks like a pearl necklace; hence, the name.
We drove for over an hour to Juhu Beach around 8pm. I nodded off for awhile when we were sitting in traffic. I was tired and hungry. I get very cranky when I’m hungry, so I thought it would be best for everyone if I stayed quiet and napped. When we finally arrived at the beach, which is across from the airport, it was crowded and fit the carnival-like atmosphere I’d heard about Chowpatty Beach (on the opposite side). There were vendors selling food, toys, and other trinkets while people and the ever-present stray dogs walked along the beach. Some of them ventured into the dark waves. The stars were very clear and bright. We headed toward a restaurant, but the wait was over an hour. We ended up at Tawaa, a restaurant that specializes in fire-grilled food. We had to wait a few minutes for a table. While waiting, the ladies went to the “washroom”. I walked in and was assaulted by the pungent smell. I walked out almost immediately. One of the guys suggested that we take a rickshaw to find another more suitable restroom. I declined and said I could wait. I’m glad I always carry hand sanitizer.
After dinner, the driver dropped me off at the hotel. The first thing I wanted to do was shower and get clean. I felt really grimy from all the pollution and sweating.
I had a good time visiting all the sites of the city. I appreciate Jitesh, Sarika, Alkesh, Jaya, Rupali, Prasanna, and Febin showing me around.
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