Bombay

I arrived into Mumbai's CST station early on the overnight train from Aurangzabad. I was staying in the 4 Seasons which was in North Mumbai and I enquired about the nearest train stop so I could use the local train to get there. It's similar to the tube system, but it is mostly overground. There are separate carriages for ladies and the train only stops in stations for 10 seconds at the most, whether you get on or off. The hotel was between 2 stations. I got off at Santa Cruz and got a rickshaw to the hotel. Luckily my room was ready and I was able to check in straight away. I got a cup of tea on arrival, which was uch appreciated. Compared to many of the places I had stayed in, in India, this was luxury. Thought I'd treat myself. It was thanks to Mayu's uncle who was able to get me a room. I had rung around several places and was finding it difficult to get a room somewhere.

After checking in I showered, washed clothes, had breakfast and planed my itinerary. I had 4 days in Mumbai, which was more than enough, but needed to cover different areas. On that first day I walked to the nearest local train stop, which was Vile Parle. There was a market nearby, which I passed. I bought a big bottle of water to keep me going as the day was hot. It was past noon.

From Vile Parle I went back to CST, but came out to have a look at it. It looks very similar to St Pancras station and has a gothic look. At first glance, you wouldn't think it to be a train station as it looks more like a cathedral or palace or something. It was completed in 1887 and designed by Frederick Stevens. There are many carvings of gargoyles and a few animals, but it was hard for me to capture these on camera, due to the busy roads around it.

I walked around the area just taking in the business of it all. Traffic was hectic and the station was packed with people running to work. I followed some of a walk outlined in LP and went past the Flora fountain, the prince of wales museum, Bombay University, the High Court, a college & a library. I didn't take any photos as it was too difficult. One the road was too busy and two there were a lot of trees in the way. Some of the buildings had the gothic influence, similar to the train station. Around the Prince of Wales Museum there was an outdoor art exhibition of contempory pieces. I had a look at some.

After walking for a couple of hours I got hungry, so went to find lunch somewhere. I came across a cafe/pub type place near the Regal cinema. One of Mumbai's oldest theatres. There was a nice atmosphere in the cafe as there seemed to be many students in there as well as tourists. It was also close to Colaba market. I had a tuna salad instead of something indian and a diet coke. I enjoyed it very much. After lunch I browsed the Coloba market. There was all sorts on sale from clothes, to silk fabrics, photocopied books, pirated cds and dvds etc. I didn't buy anything on this day but was trying to get an idea of prices and the best place to go to. I went to get a cuppa later in the afternoon at one of the chain coffee shops and continued reading Shantaram. Most of the book is based in Mumbai so it was good to know where the author meant.

I was feeling tired so decided to head back to the hotel. I had no idea of train times and had to go get a ticket. I knew it would be rush hour as it was 6.30pm by this point. I walked into CST and it was chaos. I thought rush hour in London was bad, this was so much more worse. So many people. The queues for tickets was out the door. Luckily Ihad some change on me and managed to get one from the machines. Good job as the next train was at 6.52pm and the journey is about 40 minutes at least. As soon as the train pulled in everyone rushed to get on. It left dead on time. It was so packed. I had managed to get a seat, but a lot of women were standing and it was like sardines. The benches could accommadate 4 people comfortably, but on many there was at least 6 women. I was grateful for the women only carriages as I didn't fancy being in a carraige with sweaty men. At Vile Parle I got a rickshaw back as I didn't fancy walking back to the hotel in the dark. At the hotel I ordered a pot of tea to my room and got comfy. I watched some tv and fell asleep watching some hindi film.

The next day I went back into town and went to see the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which are near the harbour. The gateway is an icon of Mumbai and is where the last British regiment departed from when leaving India. There were loads of tourists, beggars, hawkers, and touts hanging around. The Taj Mahal hotel is a Mumbai institution. It was built in 1903 by the Parsi industrialist JN Tata, apparently after he was refused entry into one of the European hotels, due to the fact he was a native. I wish I had ventured inside, but I felt so underdressed. There were a few designer shops on the ground floor.

After this I went to find some music/dvd shops as I wanted to buy some old hindi films. I was told to go to either Planet M or Rhythm House. I found both and spent quite a lot of time in both. I had a huge list ready. One of the staff at the shop helped me with my list and was back and forth fetching items. Also mum and dad wanted me to send some newer films home for them to watch. I also bought some music. I ended up buying loads, but it was so cheap compared to UK prices. I popped into a bookshop too, but only bought a few. It was dark by this point, so I went to have dinner as I was tired from all the shopping. I headed to Leopolds restaurant as it is mentioned in Shantaram and I was curious to see it. It caters mainly for tourists as the menu has a bit of everything. It was really busy in there. I hadn't made a booking, but I managed to get a table. It looked more like a cafe than a restaurant. I had pasta and garlic bread, but the portion was so huge and I couldn't eat it all. I also treated myself to a cocktail. Beacuse I had a table to myself the waiter asked if I minded another single person joining me. I said no. It was a man from the Philippines, so we chatted for a while. He worked for an airline and was in Mumbai for work only.

I had almost finished dinner and decided to get a taxi back to the hotel rather than the train as I was laden down with bags of all the cds, dvds and books I had bought. So I paid up and went to flag one down. The drive back was hectic, but colourful with all the city lights. The taxi went up along Marine drive, which has a lot of offices and is near the sea.I saw so many brands lighted up as we were driving. The drive back took longer than the train but at least it was door to door. Back at the hotel I again ordered tea and sorted out my shopping. I was gonna get it shipped home, but first I had some clothes and accessories to buy as well.

The next morning I went to a coffee shop near the hotel, where I met an American woman. She was staying near the Hari Krishna temple which was only a little further than my hotel, so I went to have a look. We walked up together and I had a wander round. There were loads of people in there and lots of chanting and singing going on. The building was fairly modern with lots of statues and paintings all the way round. On the way up to the temple a wedding procession was going on, so we stopped to take a few pictures.

After a wander I got a rickshaw to take mt to a boutique specialising in Indian outfits. I wanted to buy some for myself and some for my mum. I ended up spending most of the day there trying to find what I wanted. They brought me tea on arrival and then gave me lunch and mineral water. I chose a few outfits for me and mum and some shirts for dad and my brothers. I then accessorised one of the saris I had bought. Next was the bill. I knew it would be huge, but I was prepared for the battle of haggling. After much to and froing, we negotiated and came to an agreement. I apid by card and all the items were going to be shipped by the store. I then asled if I could bring my cds over, so they could be shipped together and it was fine, so that was one less problem for me. I went back to the hotel to bring the items over to leave with them.

That was all the shopping done, so I was ready to relax now. I didn't have much time left in India and I was sad to be leaving. On my return to the hotel I got the rickshaw driver to take me to Juhu beach as it was close by. I had a wander round there, saw the sunset and people watched. It was a really dirty and smelly beach and it was only locals who ventured into the water. I then went to watch a latest Hindi film called Dus Khaniyan (10 stories). It was a film with 10 short stories and was unusual for Bollywood. Before the film came on the Indian National Anthem was played and we all had to stand up for it. It was the first time I had come across this. The film was quite an intersting though and I enjoyed it. I even indulged in popcorn.  I went back to the hotel and decided to have dinner there. I had a curry and rice, but again the portion was huge and I couldn't eat much. I took tea to my room and watched some cheesy indian film before going to sleep.

The next day was my last day and I went into town  after checking out and just walked around. I went to Marine drive to see what it was like in the day. I walked down to the tip which is called Nariman point. It was so smooggy. I did take some photos, but wasn't sure if they would come out or not. It was a lovely sunny day. I then went back to the Gateway of India to catch a ferry to take me to Elephanta Island. The island is an hour's ride by boat and has caves with religious statues. There weren't too many but enough to wander round and take some photos. The way to the caves is to climb quite a few steps. I was a bit out of breath when I got to the top. The statues are of Buddha, Shive & Parvati.

By the time I got back to Mumbai mainland it was 5pm so I went to get dinner I had a plane to catch just after midnight. I decided to have dinner at Leoplolds again. As I was walking back to the train station from Leopolds I stopped off at a book market and got talking to a guy from the US. I had seen him with his mates in Leopolds. He invited me to have a drink with them, so I did briefly as I was going to get the local train back to the hotel. I had a glass of wine, chatted for a bit and went on my way. I arrived back at the hotel at 9pm and had the airport transfer booked for then. I collected my bags and was on my way. I felt weird. I had gotten used to India and it's ways and had spent a great deal of time, travelling around. I had thorughly enjoyed my time here and was so glad I took this journey. I was going to miss it. I was flying to Bangkok. Time to move on. Goodbye India, for now :)