Mumbai

Our planning for this trip was sparse and almost non-existent. But, we had always planned to spend very little time in Mumbai.  There was little we wanted see.

We arrived from Ahmedabad. The train between the two cities is a common ‘express route’ so tickets and availability were plentiful.  When we arrived in Mumbai we easily found a taxi to take us to our guest house.  This accommodation was a bit of a strange one. It seemed to be part of an old mansion building. On a leafy ‘Henry Road; yet in the heart of the main tourist area of Colaba.  Allocated a room off the pantry area with a small bathroom. It was an ingenious arrangement and we slept well.

Mumbai was also where we saw our first rain.  We had been on the road for three weeks. Here a pattern was developing. The arrival of an electrical storm most days at 5 pm, followed by relentless torrential rain.

Our little room on Henry Road was about 2 minutes from the waterfront.  I booked with no knowledge of the history and grandeur of Colaba.  At one end of Henry Road, you have the relentless movement and commerce of Shahid Bharat Sing Road. Here even the pavements outside the shops are brimming with market stalls. Often the only way to get to where you are going is to walk in the road. A death-defying activity. 

At the other end PJ Ramchandani Marg, a waterfront Road loops round to the Gateway of India.  Between the two, an oasis of calm, large colonial buildings, and a leafy green canopy.  This Dichotomy in Mumbai was a beautiful surprise. Something which brought a smile to my face every time we turned in to either end of Henry Road.

The Gateway of India. One of the few things we wanted to see in Mumbai.  Having vivid memories of Michael Palin walking up those steps from the water in the 1990s; in his BBC Epic “Around the World in 80 Days”.  I wanted to emerge from the water. Like some victorious King Triton and declare that we had travelled like pro’s from Amritsar to Mumbai.

Of course not. What we had done was not worthy of praise, it was barely worthy of a photograph and a Facebook Post.

The steps are now a boarding point for the ferry to Elephanta Island. The right side of the gateway is scaffolded. The forecourt absolutely gridlocked with tourists. Then it started raining.  We returned to our room, soaked to the skin, and tired after a long day of travelling.

The following day we awoke to a hot morning.  Finishing our toast and coffee we walked across the peninsular and found Cowpatty Beach. Along the way, we admired the architecture.  Mumbai is the world’s costliest city. The art Deco Mansions at Cowpatty Beach must top the wish list of its millionaire residents.  There is amazing history here for any admirer of Architectural history. 

There’s a massive land reclamation project going on at the apex of the curved beach. No explanation locally but Google seems to suggest additional parking, a park and improvements to the beach.  The beach is at the far end of the bay. In total disorder after two days of festivals. Efforts to instal order on the beach were being undertaken. However…dismantled immediately by people sorting through the sacks of litter picked, leaving it once again on the beach.  It was keeping the tourist police busy in a role they probably didn’t anticipate whilst doing their training!

A peculiar walk up the hill brought us to the Hanging Gardens.  It is a beautiful formal garden, with spectacular floral displays and amazing views over the city. 
Shortly to be dismantled to access Mumbai’s water reserves. Held in a tank below in Malabar Hill, the existing tank needs repairing and an expansion is planned.

Opposite the Hanging Gardens is Kamala Nehru Park. It’s a cute Nursery Rhyme themed area with lovely attention to detail. The Old Woman Shoe is worth the visit alone, it is free to visit and makes for some lovely, if a little strange, photos.

Grabbing a bus back down the hill. The journey didn’t encourage us to venture further into the side streets of Mumbai.  But we did venture back to the Gateway of India to see it and the Taj hotel opposite lit up.  In the evenings pavements spill over into the road amongst the sellers of cups of chai and cones of roasted nuts and groan under the weight of tourists at the waters edge.

Our last night in Mumbai would see us leave on a train from Mumbai Central Station to Goa, but that wasn’t until 23.00hrs. We delayed leaving the guest house until noon then making our way, via another local bus, to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus in order to deposit our luggage in the left luggage facility.

Previously called ‘Victoria Station’. A UNESCO World Heritage site. The facade is a wonderful example of the grand buildings of the British Empire.  Inside the building, the decadence is only afforded to the ticket hall. Once you leave this area more functional, mass transit area appears.  One which you may well recall from ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’.

Having left our bags with the baggage facility, (fully expecting to never see them again) we exited the station and went looking for a restaurant where the locals eat, to grab some lunch. 

When refuelled we moved on by foot past the Floral Fountain to the excellent Natural History Museum. 

Chhatrapati Shivaji Majaraj Vastu Sangrahalaya is housed in a beguiling building. An extraordinarily beautiful atrium awaits inside along with amazing galleries of interesting exhibits.  You can easily lose yourself for hours.  Incredible collections of art and sculptures are presented in an informative and engaging manner. All in all this museum is a bit of a treat. If you visit ensure you leave yourself enough time to explore it fully.

As night fell, so too did the realisation that we had checked the umbrella with the bags at the railway station.  We sought out the cathedral and ‘paused’ for around 30 minutes to avoid the worst of the evening’s Electrical Storm.  After seeking out some food we returned to the station looking for a first-class waiting room only to discover that they were only available in Ladies or Men only  

Having spent our ‘waiting time’ on the main station concourse, keeping a close eye on all of our items, we moved to the announced platform for our train.  Then we checked the app and decided that we had been unlucky, and would be sharing in a four berth.  Our discussion was being overheard by station staff. They were laughing at us and we weren’t sure why.

With train preparations completed we boarded. The App was wrong. We had won the lottery once again. A coupe for two…….the station staff tapping on the window outside the cabin, grinning and giving us the ‘thumbs up’.  They had known all along. That our app had been wrong. We had been allocated the coupe we wanted!  

Next Stop GOA