Mumbai, India

We woke up at 08:00 am and were already docked at Mumbai port. The captain had the ship cranked up to 20 knots since departing Dubai, in order to arrive in Mumbai early due to an impending dock workers strike scheduled to begin at 08:00 am. We were told by the crew that we had actually docked at 06:30 am.

It was a warm, humid 83 degrees F and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Tapas Terrace. We were drawn to the starboard side of the ship by the sounds of the big brass Indian band playing welcome tunes. We departed the ship and walked along the red carpet into the cruise passenger terminal, where each lady passenger was presented with a small red rose by a woman dressed in the traditional silk sari.

Our private guide Rhubar and driver were waiting for us and we piled into the small 5 passenger van. It was not at all comfortable for those in the back seat, which required gymnastic moves to climb in and out of.

As we exited the gates of the cruise terminal, we entered an interesting world of hustle and bustle, filled with matchbox size taxis, double decker buses that have seen much better days, festively painted trucks called goods carriers, hand carts loaded with all types of goods and produce, cattle wandering aimlessly through the streets and beggars at every turn. It was an assault on the senses, but fascinating none the less.

This is a city of over 18 million people, built in a natural harbor formed by 7 islands. It is a tolerant city with an unspecified number of different religions practiced and a view of humanity that says live and let live. Our guide explained that sleeping on the streets and garbage piled high is just a way of life because each individual is viewed as being responsible for their own destiny.

Our first stop was in the center of a traffic circle to take photos of Victoria Station. It was a risky move with traffic whizzing by, but was apparently the norm since all tours seemed to stop there. We also visited the University of Mumbai main campus to see some of the ornate Victorian style buildings there.

We drove along the corniche waterfront of Chowpatty Beach called the Queen’s Necklace and had a good view of modern Bombay’s skyline. Our guide also explained it is wedding season and all of the areas near the waterfront were decorated in anticipation of the afternoon’s wedding ceremonies with affairs that usually last 3 days.

We passed by the older, fancier houses of Malabar which overlooked the Chowpatty Beach area and stopped at the Jain Marble Temple. The Jain is a Hindu sect that worships over 1000 different gods. We were able to witness the worshippers presenting gifts of flowers, cookies, cakes, fruit and rice to the numerous idols, all of which looked alike, except for a small drawing on the base of each one that indicated the god it represented. There was also a constant ringing of a bell, initiated by each worshipper as they entered the temple, to let the gods know they were there.

From there we headed up to the highest point in Mumbai, the Hanging Gardens, with Arabian Sea views on either side and a bird’s eye view over Chowpatty Beach. The topiary garden was built over the top of Mumbai’s reservoir, because the place where one of the religious sects place their corpses for the birds to pick the flesh clean, was located next to it. One of the Rajs back in the late 1800s noticed birds sometimes dropping bits of flesh from the bodies into the reservoir, so he decided that building a garden above it would be more sanitary.

We traveled on to Dhobi Ghat where we witnessed the world’s largest outdoor laundry. For about $15.00 USD per large laundry load, the Dhobi Ghats pick up your laundry in the morning, wash it in these large stone tubs, beat it on the stone, line dry it by twisting it in the clothesline or stretching it out on tin roofs. Then they iron it, fold it and deliver it as a nice neat package at the end of the day. While the water they washed it in looked gray and dirty, the whites were amazingly white. Our guide told us that their secret for whitening is a closely guarded one, passed down through generations. I made my first purchase here from a young girl dressed in a pink and gold sari selling cuff bracelets with jeweled hand triangles connected to a wing. Supposedly, traditional Hindu wedding jewelry - not real gold of course, but a fun and inexpensive purchase, that I’ve received many compliments on. A good buy for $2.00 USD.

We stopped at Mani Bjavan, the old home where Gandhi lived and worked. It has been turned into a museum depicting his life in photos and miniature scenes, with a library devoted to his teachings.

From there our guide took us to a couple os stores that sell on commission to the tour companies. Very expensive carpets, jewelry and testiles. We went next door to the sari shop and I purchased a beautiful magenta/gold silk shawl, hand-painted with gold accents and fringe. My biggest purchase so far at around $20.00 USD, and a silk brocaded pillow cover for the bed at around $15.00 USD.

Next, we were off to the Gate of India for some scenic photos and then crossed the street to the world famous Taj Hotel. I loved their uniforms with the fan hat turbans. We enjoyed a couple of local Kingfisher Beers and some vegetarian dim sum for an expensive $50.00 USD. I tried to get the guide to take us to a less expensive local restaurant, but she was not cooperative with our request. I then told her we wanted to do some bargain shopping at the stall market, but she took us to a store with fixed inflated prices…a place where she would probably receive commission on anything we bought. We refused to shop there and read her the riot act that she needed to take us shopping where we wanted to go. The van finally returned to pick us up and headed towards the stall shopping. The traffic was getting heavier as the day wore on. One of the things that happens here at traffic lights, is the vendors and beggars knocking on the car windows to get your attention and then pressing their faces against the glass. A bit intrusive when you’re not used to it. I had some fun with one of the young vendors selling Bollywood videos. I startled him when I pressed my face against the glass from inside the vehicle. After getting over the shock, he started to laugh and a face making game commenced between us until traffic started moving again.

Helen and I finally got to have some fun bargaining for “chochkies” and cheap jewelry while the boys rode around in circles with the driver, laughing at the maze of traffic along the way. My favorite find here, was a beautiful teal, jeweled handbag for about $6.00 USD. The same type bag at home would have easily cost $30.00 USD or more.

Our last stop was Crawford Market. We got out of the van in a traffic filled frenzy with engines racing, horns honking and people everywhere. Helen absent mindedly ran out into traffic and we all held our breath, thinking for sure she would end up as a hood ornament. She went the wrong way and had to be escorted back through the traffic by a local man who took pity on her predicament.

We entered the covered Crawford Market, which was a mass of stalls selling mostly fruits, vegetables and livestock, but was a photographer’s paradise filled with people watching opportunities. Helen bought a bunch of Christmas decorations for our trivia team to hang on their cruise cabin doors for about 50 cents per piece.

After that, we were happy to return to the ship, in desperate need of a shower. The filth and grime of the city, covered us from head to toe.

There was a duty free shop and souvenir stalls in the terminal where we were able to buy some water, liquor and mail some postcards. They even had a reasonably priced internet and phone call center.

We enjoyed our on-time sail away at 8:00 pm from the A/C comfort of Horizons Lounge with a nice cold beer and had a casual buffet dinner at Tapas.

Emily from the cruise staff performed a solo show tonight in the Nautica Lounge, but we retired early after a busy day.

---

---