Mumbai (Bombay)

...in India.

Mumbai though, was a revelation. It is well off the usual tourist tours offered by the UK operators such as Bales or TravelSphere. Many people will only use it as a stepping stone before traveling onto other more glamourous places in India but it does deserve a closer look as there are many sites and experiences on offer.

I found that the thoughts and feelings that Mumbai imparted will stay with me for far ...
...public holiday.

Mumbai is full of architectural lovelies and this stretch of drive is no exception being full of lovely buildings and houses from the 30`s and 40`s, many designed in the vogue of that time - Art Deco! In any other town or city, such wonderful designs would have long been bull-dozed away into history!

8. Malabar Hill.

Continue along Marine Drive, past Chowpatty Beach and you`ll end up in ... more

After many, many years, my wife and myself finally got to go to India and although my wife is of Indian extraction, she knows of no relatives in the sub-continent. We were not without contacts however in Mumbai, which we had originally meant to use as a stepping stone for further travel but due to many conflicting priorities and circumstances, we were confined to that city for the duration of our two weeks in India.

Mumbai though, was a revelation. It is well off the usual tourist tours offered by the UK operators such as Bales or TravelSphere. Many people will only use it as a stepping stone before traveling onto other more glamourous places in India but it does deserve a closer look as there are many sites and experiences on offer.

I found that the thoughts and feelings that Mumbai imparted will stay with me for far longer than the tourist spots around the city that we visited. Any tourist guide, and there are plenty of excellent ones, will give a list of all the sights and locations to sample. For anyone planning on a trip encompassing Mumbai, I shall list and comment upon these next.

Don`t expect anything very,very old in Mumbai. By Indian standards, it`s a young city, something of an upstart. It started life in 1661 and was only developed extensively by us Brits in the 19C and early 20C. Thats most of the history lesson. You can get it all from the guide books if you wish. Due to this, most of the historic buildings are colonial in origin, but all the same, for any fan of architecture, some of them are fantastic. You want a list - well, here goes!

1. Gateway of India.

This is one of India`s famous structures and probably the one most closely linked to Mumbai. Built in 1924 as a commemoration of the Royal visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1911(?), this enormous stone arch stands proudly next to the sea and close to the tourist area of Colaba and the majestic Taj Mahal Hotel. Every Sunday it throngs with tourists and locals alike and is even more spectacular at night when it`s floodlit.

2. Taj Mahal Hotel.

The Taj is one of the East`s most splendid hotels. Complete with a red-dome and roof, imposing facade superior reputation, four separate resturants and huge lobby, it deserves a visit, especially when you can`t afford to stay there. Standing next to it is the annexe `cos it became too popular and they had to build some extra bits on at the side. These bits are about 22 stories high with a restaurant at the top.

3. Colaba Causeway.

In common with lots of the roads originally named by the British, this has been renamed - in this case as Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg! Everyone still calls it Colaba though. A real mixture of shops, eating places, hotels and street sellers. Lively till late at night.

4. Victoria Terminus.

Known to everyone as V.T., this is an incredibly busy railway station in the heart of Mumbai. The architecture is so wonderful and spectacular that some will think, if not knowing, that it is was a palace or great house. Sorry, but it was built in the late 19C and now is the departure point for over 1100 trains a day and wait for it, an incredible 2 million + passengers, suburban and national. It deserves a visit inside, not just the usual photos opportunities of the outside.

5. General Post Office.

Yep. A post office but something very different from any that you have ever seen before. A combination of Indian, European and Islamic influences have resulted in an architectural wonder that will leave the folks back home saying....."That`s a Post Office?".

6. Haji Ali Mosque.

Although some people will think that this dates from long ago, it was only built in the 40`s. It`s perched at the end of a long causeway that reaches out into the sea and at it`s heart is the tomb of a merchant from the 15C who had a revelation of sorts, abandoning his wealth and giving it all away to the needy. At high tides the walkway becomes submerged which conveniently drives away the beggars that line it from start to finish. At night it is flood-lit, really making the white dome and minaret something to be captured on camera.

7. Marine Drive.

The is name of a wide, sweeping promenade, road and houses on the seaward side of Mumbai, making you think more of Skegness or Brighton. It has of course been renamed, this time as Netaji Subhash Chandra Road, but again no-one calls it that. At night it lights up and becomes one of the favourite post-card scenes on sale with the "Queens Necklace" of car headlights and street lighting sweeping away from your view-point. Lovely to walk along from it`s southern point at Nariman Point until it peters out just past the famous Chowpatty Beach. I can`t help but always think of this beach as Cow Pattie! This was evidently full of food stalls until being cleaned up a few years ago. All the sellers of tat have also been moved on and this is now a very pleasant retreat on a sunny day. Very busy on a Sunday or public holiday.

Mumbai is full of architectural lovelies and this stretch of drive is no exception being full of lovely buildings and houses from the 30`s and 40`s, many designed in the vogue of that time - Art Deco! In any other town or city, such wonderful designs would have long been bull-dozed away into history!

8. Malabar Hill.

Continue along Marine Drive, past Chowpatty Beach and you`ll end up in one of Mumbais premiere residential areas. Malabar Hill is home to some very tall apartment buildings, costing an arm and a leg to buy or rent. Many of Mumbai`s up and coming ( or already arrived) monied people have residences here. It is quieter with a lot more trees and parks around. Also the views from the high-rise blocks must be superb although I`ve only seen these in Bollywood films!

Along the northern part of Malabar Hill are two places of merit, although you will only be able to visit one, unless you are Parsi. You should visit the Hanging Gardens. Many years ago, huge water tanks were positioned on the ridge that lead down from Malabar Hill to the north. Conveniently, they were grassed over and turned into a park to hide them. The perimeter walkway is a magnet for people of all ages to exercise along and the no-eating signs are ignored by everyone as family groups picnic. Nothing special but a haven of peace and tranquility after the bustle of Mumbai city itself.

Joined to the gardens is Kamal Nehru Park from where you can get really nice vistas of the city, Marine Drive and Back Bay. Again, nothing exciting but very pleasant and peaceful, with trees, flowers, lawns and wild parrots whizzing around.

If you are Parsi, and I don`t expect that many of you are, you can visit the Towers of Silence. At the top of these, the Parsi dead are laid for time, weather and vultures to dispose of! The three differently coloured towers are for the men`s, women`s and children`s remains.

9. Prince Of Wales Museum.

Opened in the 1920`s, this is a quite a magnificent building, set amidst gardens. If you are into antiquities, then this place will probably hold you spell-bound for days. You`ll find three floors of assorted old stuff! Relics from ancient India and Assyria, art from Nepal and Tibet as well as ivory, jade, arms, armour and miniatures. Different galleries hold natural history exhibits, Maritime exhibits and European art and glass. Sorry, but I was bored by all this as museums are not my cup of tea!

10. Elephanta Island.

Right next to the "Gateway", the sea is crowded with boats, most of them eager to transport you to Elephant island, about 40 mins away across the bay. This is home to some spectacular rock carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries - about the oldest items that Mumbai has to offer.You really nead to go early in the day to make the most of your trip. Get some good shots of the gateway and the Taj Mahal Hotel as you depart. Once you get there, be prepared for a long climb up to the main entrance of a cave system, cut into the solid rock and housing statues., mainly of Shiva, one of the Hindu gods ..... ....

And Bringing Up The Rear!

If you get yourself a good guide book, and I mean GOOD then you will find that there are many hidden sights off the beaten track and lots off not-so-hidden but largely ignored ones as well.

11. Bollywood!

Mumbai is home to one of the largest film industries in the world and it is possible to visit a few of the studios, maybe seeing some films in production. These include Film City, R.K.Studios and Natraj. All of these are in the northern suburbs and do allow visitors, usually on certain days. Most hotels can get information for you about these trips.

12. Markets.

Although there are thousands of shops, stalls and markets in Mumbai, a few of these deserve special mention. Crawford Market is a vast collection of stalls selling all sorts of fresh produce and set in a large building of Victorian-era architecture. Chor Bazaar is a maze of small shops with lots of "antiques", bric-a-brac and assorted junk on offer. Feeling flush? Zaveri Bazaar is an area of jewellery shops galore.

13. The Cinema.

For a truly memorable event, go to a cinema and see a Bollywood film. We saw "Khakee" a few days after it had opened and the experience was totally different from anything that we had encountered in the West. The cinema was full - about 1500 people in total, with lots of cheering at the heros, booing at the baddies and clapping when a really good scene was over! Don`t worry if your Hindi is non-existent, just go with your emotions and the action on the screen, you`ll probably be able to work out the plot!

14. Eating Out.

Cuisine from all over the world is to be found somewhere on offer in Mumbai and as with anywhere else, the standard varies from cheap and cheerful roadside stalls to International standard restuarants, however, you`ll probably find that even then you are paying less than at your local Balti house back home. We ate only vegetarian and drank only sealed, bottled water and had no problems with "the trots" at all. Mumbai is a gastranome`s delight!

15. Dhobiwallahs , Dabbawallahs and Bhogawallahs.

I think that it`s some of the people that we encountered in Mumbai that will stay with me forever. There are just so many people there, no matter what part you go to and they all appear to be moving about at the same time, whether by foot, bicycle, car, bus or train !

Some of them though will stand out more than others. Fruit and vegetable sellers are called Bhogawallahs and one was, for example, the wizened old man selling bananas across the road from the first hotel we stayed in. He would appear just after 9.00 in the morning and if he hadn`t sold his fruit would still be there at 11.00 at night before trundling his wheeled stall away. All that for a few rupees a day profit under the baking sun.

Then there are the city`s washermen - the Dhobiwallahs. Right next to Mahalakshmi railway station are 1000`s of these chaps, who working in shifts from 4.00 in the morning till late at night, get Mumbai`s laundry done, steaming, boiling, pounding and scrubbing away. On the road overlooking them, tourists will stop and stare at these very industrious workers.

The average Mumbai office worker does not pop into the sandwich shop next door at lunch time, instead they receive a lunch-box or Dabba, brought in from the suburbs that morning and delivered to their place of work ready for lunch. Thousands of Dabbawallahs are involved in this business, preparing the food, transporting it by foot, cart and train to the city from the suburbs and then carrying out the reverse to take the container back to it`s starting point by late afternoon. A very highly organised business.

To be honest, I could go on for pages about the place but as you`ve probably had enough , I`d better draw this to a close.

Mumbai has gripped me like no other place that I have visited and we are already planning a future visit , hopefully getting a little further next time.

If you do get to go there yourself, then I hope this meandering look at what the city has to offer will be of help.

 

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