Foremans' Travel: 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.