In India: To Mumbai, Tuesday 2012 January 31

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We had a late start: only a one-hour drive to the airport and an uneventful flight. Our arrival at the very modern Mumbai airport was also easy.

On the road I was in for a shock! The pollution here is multiple times worse than in the other parts of India we have visited, although smog is persistent all over. We drove for a while through congested traffic. Near the airport are the infamous slums, which I photographed from the air – just like in Slum Dog Millionaire. The colour is deep brown and no light seems to penetrate the covered corridors. Considering the monsoons, having contiguous cover doesn’t seem unreasonable. The huts occupy roadsides and any “spare” land; but, away from the airport there are virtually no slums on our route. Buildings are of all qualities neighbouring each other. Later we were told that some are traditional small coop apartment buildings that are disintegrating while owners save to buy something better. Laundry hangs almost anywhere.

At one point L__ and the guide came to an agreement to enable her and J__ to visit a costume jewelry store they liked from before. The rest of us jumped down for the adventure. We walked for about five minutes (me wearing handkerchief over my nose and mouth) trying to hug the edge of the road even as we walked past parked taxis and motorcycles. The store itself was beautiful, full of sparkly bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Many Indian women were shopping, one purchasing a veil with sparkly edges, perhaps for her wedding considering all the other women helping her. When we returned to the bus, our travel time to the hotel had increased by sixty to ninety minutes because it was now rush hour.

The Taj Mahal Hotel is magnificent! We were upgraded to the Palace – the services and décor are completely over the top! Shown to our rooms, welcomed by a butler, and the room tidied for the evening by yet another man. (Wished they would go and let me have a nap.) Beautiful paintings on the walls, and in the lobby flower displays about 3 – 4 foot in diameter. The internal staircase is a work of art in marble, carpet and wrought iron. We met in the lobby to go out for dinner and watched the tight security: large bollards that rose and lowered at the entrance stopped cars. Cars had to open their hoods and trunks, plus be examined underneath by a mirror.

Our bus waited on the street. Dinner was at the Kyber Restaurant, which serves north Indian food. It was a busy place, and thanks to the insistence of L__ and JK, we were in the midst of the hustle bustle, not relegated to a dining room in the back. The set menu was delicious and exceedingly plentiful.

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Photos

Mumbai street shopping
A string of Canadians was a definite oddity to the sophisticated Mumbai shoppers.

Art Deco
Many lovely Art Deco style buildings in Mumbai, my favourite style

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Hotel of the most luxurious dreams!

Mumbai street
An ordinary street of people going about their business near the end of the day.

Mumbai traffic
Marine Drive was full of cars moving at a snail's pace through the smog.

Comments

[Peter]

Thanks for these latest shots, Judith. My how fortunate we are in Canada, this must have been the thought of many on the tour. Smog, security!

[Isabel Gibson]

Art Deco - who knew?
Art deco in Mumbai: talk about your globalization! Are these new-ish buildings in that style, or buildings built during that period?