Mumbai was built on a series of seven islands that now form the city districts. An extended land reclamation program linked the archipelago into a peninsula. Formerly known as Bombay, it is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is the most populous Indian city. It's estimated population is 18 million, making it the sixth largest metropolitan area in the world. The city has a deep natural harbor so has become the largest port in western India, handling over half of the country's passenger traffic. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai is 1995.
I had found a tour company online called Mumbai Magic before we left CA. I'd arranged a guided tour for the 2 days we would be there, hoping to meet another couple on the ship who would be interested in joining us to cut the cost in almost 1/2. We were lucky enough to meet Joan and Tom in the first few weeks of our trip.
We met them on the pier at 8:45 a.m., then looked for our guide, Freni, who was going be there at 9. She was early and we found her without a problem. I gave her a short list of places we knew we would like to see and asked that she add whatever else she thought we would enjoy seeing.
First stop was the Gateway to India which had been built in 1911 to commemorate the visit to India of King George V and Queen Mary. There is a large plaza in front of it which was full of people and pigeons, as well as a few vendors selling peacock feather fans and large balloons. Across the street was the Taj Mahal Hotel which was attacked by terrorists last November. It appeared to be restored but our guide pointed out the boarded windows on the second floor which had been a Japanese restaurant.
Our next stop was a small fishing village in the heart of the city. There were modern sky scrappers all around it. The residents had fought being relocated and won, so they are still living pretty much how they have lived for the last 100 years. They were bringing in a catch when we arrived. Many women were around the area with baskets of ice to keep the fish. There were large nets everywhere, some being repaired. The boats were moored in the harbor with fish being brought in on bundles of Styrofoam. Hard to explain. Some of the fish was loaded on carts which would be taken to a market, other in baskets which would be carried on women's heads thru neighborhoods and sold door to door. We walked down the main street in the area. They have their own barber, grocery, tailor, etc, in what we would call hovels, but where their people had lived for years. Our guide, Freni, explained that the people who live there are not poor. They have jobs and choose to live there.
Next stop was a temple that looked like a big, dirty pond. It was rectangular with steps leading down to it on all sides like a stadium. Apparently in ancient times a god had wished for fresh water and had shot an arrow into the area. A bamboo pole in the middle of the "pond" marked the exact spot where the water had appeared. People pay homage to their dead by the pond. We saw a procession while we were there. They also spiritually cleanse themselves in the water. We also witnessed that...after which the guy rinsed off with real fresh running water. That pond was filthy. Around the "pond" was another residential area filled with very small homes. Again, there was a barber, flower shop, etc. Seemed like each neighborhood was fairly independent. We walked to an area that looked out over the bay, and all we could see was tin roofs of slums next to the water. In every neighborhood were small marble temples for people to worship close to home. We saw a beautiful Brahma calf tied up near it's mother. Strange to see cows in a huge city. They are sacred, so are allowed to wander freely.
While we were on Malabar Hill, site of the "pond", we visited the Hanging Garden. It's built on the city's water reservoir. Because of this there were no trees but many topiary shrubs and pretty flowers. In a park across the street there was a giant shoe for children to play in, after the Old Lady Who Lived in The Shoe.
The dhobi ghats is a very large open air communal laundry. You have to see it to believe it! There are about 200 stalls where men stand in water almost up to their knees and wash clothes. They beat them against the cement, like the laundry we'd seen in Cochin. With limited lines for drying, there were clothes laying on the roof and surrounding areas to dry. These men would pick up and deliver wash from their customers through out the week, using the dhobi ghats one or 2 days. Freni said that many still use them for linens and such even if they have a washer and dryer. Under roofs around the wash area were women who did the ironing.
We headed across town to visit Gandhi's House. Turns out the house never belonged to Gandhi. He just stayed there when he was in Mumbai. They had turned it into a library and museum. The first floor was filled with books relating to Gandhi, and is open to anyone doing research on the subject. The second floor had his room as it was when he stayed there, a mattress on the floor and not much else. There were also copies of documents and letters he had written in his lifetime. One was a letter to Hitler asking him to choose peace rather than war (my words). On the third floor, someone had created a series of dioramas, telling of Gandhi's life. The figures inside were about 6" tall and very realistic. There must have been 50 complete scenes. Very nice.
We were given a choice of restaurants for lunch, included in the price of the tour. We chose the vegetarian one for the first day. We were each given a large stainless steel tray with small stainless cups on it. There were a number of condiments on the table, which we put on the tray. Servers brought containers of food to put in our cups. One was a vegetable stew, another a kind of garbanzo soup. There were about 6 different items. We were offered as much as we wanted. It was OK but not my favorite. The experience was worth it though.
After lunch we headed to the Prince of Wales Museum. It was in a beautiful building, built just for the museum. Inside it centered around a central area with a beautiful marble staircase and floors. There was a lot of ancient Hindu art as well as a nice display of Chinese art. We next went to Crawford Market or the Fabric Merchants Market, passing by the Victoria Terminus on the way. It is a HUGE Victorian building that houses the train terminal. Quite beautiful! The fabric market was packed with people! We went to one fabric store on the street. It had fabrics and scarf's from floor to ceiling. The salesman took me up some very steep stairs to the second floor where there was yet more fabric. The colors were amazing, beautiful stuff. After the store, we went into the market building. The aisles were about 4' wide with booth after booth of fabric. Each booth was built up about 2 feet so the vendors were all sitting in them, on large mattresses. I asked if they slept there too, but Freni said they don't. We didn't see any other tourists there, just dozens and dozens of Indians. Very interesting.
Back on the street we were very interested in a large gray spotted bull pulling a cart. I asked about it since I knew cows are sacred. Turns out cows are, not bulls! So the females can wander the streets while the bulls are put to work. We headed back to the port, passing an area with women sitting in the street with baskets of vegetables and many hand carts full of merchandise. It was a very interesting but HOT day. We ate in the Lido since we'd missed our dinner time. Had to have an early night to be ready for another long day tomorrow.
Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less.
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