Mumbai

Mumbai -February 2018

I was a little nervous about my first trip to India with the tales I had been told of the crowds, the poverty and the uncertainty of safety.  Yet, I was intrigued to find out what it was about India that made people love it so or hate it so.  Is it as crazy and colorful as they say? Is it as dirty and congested as they say? Is it as beautiful and mysterious as they say? YES!

There is no easy way to get there and we arrived in Mumbai after three flights around midnight.  We then waited 2 ½ hours in line to get through customs and we had pre-purchased our visas to boot.  They were careful and through with each person.  Passports, visas, finger printing, scanning bags repeatedly and before entering the hotels. Bring your patience.

Epic things to do in Mumbai:

Experience the food

Experience the culture

Gateway of India

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (the railway station)

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Dhobi Ghats (outdoor laundry)

The many markets

Other things to check out if you have time:

Haji Ali Dargah

Mount Mary Church

Elephanta Island

Stroll along Marine Drive, also known as the Queen’s necklace

Chowpatty Beach

 

Mumbai, formally Bombay, is the largest city in India and one of the largest cities in the world. 20 million people live in 1,600 square miles on this peninsula jetting out of the western coast of India and facing the Arabia Sea.

Gateway to India – located at the tip of the peninsula, in one of the oldest parts of the city. The gateway was built in 1911 to welcome King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. It stands 85 feet tall on the Apollo Bunder Port.  Check it out and get a picture, then walk across the street to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel is an iconic oasis in the frenzy of the city. Also, it is a good bathroom stop if you have been assaulted by the pigeons in the trees by the Gateway. Grab a local beer and enjoy your peaceful surroundings. Please take a minute and notice the magnificent floral displays in the hotel lobby as well.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station – This ornate Victorian railway station, formally known as Victoria Terminus, is worth a look.  The details on the building and on the gate are amazing.  It is a good example of the cultures of British and Indian craftmen working together.

Dhobi Ghat – is an open air laundromat in the city. The workers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai’s hospitals and hotels.  You can lean over the bridge and have a good look, take a photo, hop back into your taxi and then spend the rest of the day in awe over how the system works and if your hotel linens were washed there as well!

Markets and Bazaars – there are many and your trip would not be complete without spending a few hours wondering through the maze of them!  You are mostly likely going to get lost for a while, but you will certainly come away with a new understanding of the culture.  Watch the people, look at the buildings where they live, listen, absorb, embrace the smells, sights, sounds.

Sightseeing in Mumbai is overwhelming. It is sensory overload.  Every sense is engaged.

Sight – the trash, the dirt, the people, the poverty, the old crumbling buildings and infrastructure and then there are other beautiful buildings and the colors of the clothing

Smell- many extremes – you have the food and all the burning incense everywhere and then you also have the smell of hot, dirty bodies and rotting trash.

Touch – Everything is dirty out on the streets, so you don’t want to touch anything but inside the nice shops you want to touch the beautiful fabrics and fancy beadwork

Sound – the sounds on the street are overwhelming – the noise level is extremely high. People trying to sell you things, the people talking and shouting at each other, the traffic and the constant honking of horns, constant crow of the many, many black birds.

Taste – the spicy food is wonderful, but I also advise caution when out on the street as many of our stomachs are unable to handle the different level of sanitation. One of best and safest place to try Indian street food is Ecole Market.

Halfway through the week I met one of the other wives whose husband was attending the conference and she knows Mumbai and boy was I in for a treat by hanging out with her for the day!  She took me to see the upscale shops that I would never have found on my own.  The most interesting one was a wedding shop.  I cannot tell you how elaborate and unique each dress was!  Many had hand-sewn beading on them.  There were spectacular!  Traditionally, women in India chose red as their color for wedding dresses.  And then she introduced me to Indian street food!  I had been hesitant to try anything out on the street for fear of illness but she knew the safe place to eat and what to order and so we headed over to Ecole Market.

Indian Street Food - Elco Market – Wow!  The first thing she had me try was called pani puri, a deep-fried chickpea flour shell filled with lentils, potato and chickpeas, then it was dipped in a spicy clear water, then a sour water.  You pop the whole thing in your mouth and then you experience the most amazing burst of flavor! There was Pav Bhaaji, an assortment of vegetables cooked with spices and seasonings and served with a buttered bun. Delicious!  I also tried a frozen treat, Kulfi, like ice cream on a stick. I chose a saffron and pistachio flavored treat. The combination of the flavors and ingredients in all the food here is so powerful and delightful! I absolutely love all the food that I have tried here!  I could eat my way through this whole country!

I learned so much about Indian culture from my new friend – it certainly enhanced my experience here.

Yoga – The birthplace of yoga is India and so I decided to give it a try here and scheduled a class for myself.  My instructor was incredible, and I loved my experience.  I felt so stretched out and relaxed afterwards – like I had just gotten a massage! Better yet, I also have more knowledge about yoga benefits and positions to take home with me.

Clothing – Most women here wear traditional clothing.  And all people here, women and men, dress very modestly, despite the heat and humidity.  Pack accordingly.  You will feel like you stick out enough without being inappropriately dressed/covered.

Traveling as a woman – I have never really felt like people were “watching” me until I was in India.  I am sure that it is probably just a cultural difference, but people definitely “stared” at me. Especially in the trains and subways.  Also, if you are traveling without a male escort, you need to be aware that that there are “women only” cars in the subways and trains (near the front) that you will need to use.  If you have a male escort, then you can sit anywhere.

Driving – There is no reason to ever even consider driving in this country! It is like nothing I have ever experienced!  It is insane and crazy!  If there are three lanes, there will be four cars wide. And motorcycles with whole families on board, and a bicycle, and walkers… it is dangerous, and it is also very inexpensive to hire a car with a driver. Do that.  And then sit back and enjoy the ride!

Overall – I did not expect to like India, but I did!  There is so much to see and do and taste and smell, it is constantly interesting and so different.  I am glad that I was staying in a Hyatt Hotel - an oasis to return to each night.  You will need some down time and real rest to be able to get back up and deal with the chaos that they call Mumbai again tomorrow.  But you will also be rewarded….