Day 3 Saturday in Mumbai

(Missed three days. Posted after leaving Kanah National Park) We were exhausted after a full day exploring Mumbai and, anticipating a 3 AM call for the early flight, I thought we would post after we got to the jungle.  However, the Kanha Jungle Lodge has no internet.  Three days there and now we're at the Bandhavgarh Reserve Lodge where the connection sometimes works. So here's what I wrote about Saturday:

Mumbai Tour: How could anyone make sense of this town without someone like our local tour guide, Tombi Singh. He takes us by boat from 'Gateway' dock to Elephanta Island Caves and back to the dock. Coming in gave us a terrific view of the Arch and Taj Mahal Hotel from the water.  Off to lunch, then on a van tour of the city including historic and huge Rail Station, Colonial Government buildings, University, Jain Temple and afternoon celebration, Gandhi's Mumbai home, beaches, Hanging Garden, and a 27 story $Billion home. Topping it all was the visit to the Cuff Parade Slum/Laundry. Slum Dog Millionaire face to face.

The Caves: Buddhist monks started carving out the caves on Elephanta Island about 400 BC.  Then the Hindus worked on them from 400 AD to about 1200. Much was destroyed during a Muslim invasion after that. The caves were dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, and his wife.  On the long stairway to the temple, Steve really could have made to the top. The chair carriers were so persistent so he let them carry him the last 25 steps. Worth the picture.

The entire cave is carved from solid lava rock, except the central altar of dark stone which depicts the genitalia of man and woman combined.  The carvings had a strong message of equality between the sexes. Glad we read Ann Murrah's book 'The Holy Cow' so we had a head start on the tales of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three main Hindu gods, and some of the relatives and forms.

The Victoria Rail Station (Terminus) is the most extravagant I've ever seen....a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways in Mumbai. Designed by Frederick William Stevens with influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Mughal buildings, the station was built in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The stories about the hanging garden make new meaning for 'unbelievable.' Something about bodies of deceased Farsi people being picked clean by vultures and the vultures then polluting the waters under the current garden?  Ask me the rest when I get home.

The Jain temple pictures came out a bit dark in spite of the fact that most of the sparkle on those ladies came from real diamonds.






The biggest surprise of the day was the visit to the slum.  The community specializes in laundry and buzzes with industry.  The still camera can't capture the layers of racks, and rich personal impact.  Only men do this laundry, washing, hanging, folding, ironing, carrying the heavy bags of dirty and clean loads back and forth. The pictures are at the end, below the picture of the view from our hotel window. 


We skipped dinner so we could pack and get to sleep by 8.  Need to be up at 3 to start trip to Kanha National Park.  We'd rather sleep than eat. 

I'll add the rest of the photos here and add captions later.

A rich Indian was turned away from this Watson Hotel so he built the Taj Mahal Hotel below.  That'll show 'em!

Add caption

View from our hotel window

All these are taken at the Cuff March Slum

Friday in Mumbai

Today we do a walkabout in Mumbai to adjust
to the jet lag and see some sights.  This evening we
meet our International Expeditions (EI) Guide and
our two travel companions from Canada.

 

On walk to Gateway to India

Gateway of India from window of Taj Mahal Hotel restaurant

Ferries to boats in bay

We see a wide range of architecture - 
from grand colonial buildings to humble housing.

Fishing 'Village' next to sea in Mumbai

Lobby of Taj Mahal Hotel

Day 2: Feb 22, Friday

Seeking sunshine on our first real India day, we took a taxi to the old town area of Mumbai.  Three things we learned you need in order to drive in the city: good brakes, a good horn and good luck.  They pay no attention to lines, little attention to red lights (ignore them when they don't 'see' anyone coming) and the horn constantly says, "I've over here." We forgot to ask what we needed to survive as pedestrians so we stayed close to people who looked like they knew how to cross… who also didn't look suicidal. The variety of vehicles makes your head spin, but not fast enough to capture it all with photos.  Still, as crazy as it was, it's seems less crazy than what we saw in Vietnam: more tuk-tuks and cabs and fewer bicycles and scooters.  Same rules of the road though.

The Gateway to India arch and mall welcomed people from the sea to Mumbai.  It has serious barricades and one security entrance, but the agile young people climbed over with fast fluid motion like cats.  We went through the main entrance, of course.  It was a photographer's dream of colorful saris and adorable children.  We saw several photographer teams with lunchbox sized printers selling photos of folks posed with the Gateway in the background.  We didn't have the nerve to ask anyone to take our picture using our own camera… thinking we'd never see the picture or the camera again.

The venders all around peeled cucumbers, squeezed lemons for lemonade that people drank from a common glass, sold balloons, fresh fruit, and jewelry spread out on tarps.  Families sat with babies and their toddlers toddled around sans pants. 

Did you also notice the dancing Mickey Mice?

We walked to the Taj Mahal Hotel for a bit of soup and a view from the 18th floor restaurant. Delicious, expensive, expansive and spectacular. From that view we could see some colonial buildings close by to walk to next. Crossing several more death defying intersections, got close to the grand buildings and we ended up at the National Museum of Art which we paid $3 each to see.  No review here, but it was skimpy. Our feet hurt so we took a black cab back to the hotel. (The black cabs have no air conditioning, but we're from Florida after all, and wouldn't want the window to block any great photos anyway.)   

At 7 o'clock we met the tour guide, Vijay, and the other couple in our small group, Janet and Dan, from Calgary, Canada.  Vijay introduced himself as a naturalist who has been with IE for 26 years. He told us:  We'll see ten (10) UNESCO historic sites. Drink only bottled water, use same for toothbrush, no ice.  It will be HOT.  India has 21 official languages and 1,700 dialects and English is their common second language.  He says even he doesn't understand the English of some of his countrymen… somewhat like Miguel and the southerners he's met in North Carolina? We won't see all of the 1.4 billion people living in India. We will probably see a Bengal Tiger and lots of magnificent birds…birding being his favorite thing.  We will not see such nice accommodations as the Jaj President Hotel when we get to the jungle lodges where water will be hot only twice a day. Eager.

Four travelers with Vijay, our guide for the next 17 days.

Vijay said goodnight and the four of us went to dinner in the hotel restaurant. Again, delicious. I, perhaps obviously, decided not to take a half ambien, so I'm up here at 3 AM, in the dark typing on this adorable 11 inch MacBook Air.  So far so good.