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Published: October 20th 2014
M. Roahman, ‘A Picture of Success’
Mumbai: India Today, October 31, 1988Current Mood: I need a Fan.
Panoramic image above is taken from Chor Bazaar (The thieves market) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Chor_
Bazaar India
What Can I say? It has been a long time coming but finally arriving in the ‘City of Lights’ is as every bit confronting and crazy as you would imagine. First impression is that I give it the Thumbs up!!
It wasn’t too Bad of a flight out of Nepal but due to the weather systems in the area flights had been cancelled days before so on my day of departure we had a five hour delay. After eating my leftover Nepal rupees in its weight of chocolate we were however up in the air enjoying the comfort of Jet Airways. If you ever get a chance to fly with these guys go ahead and book. From the off, you are munching on Curried snacks and fantastic meals. In a three hour flight I got more than I would have on any other carrier plus an amazing Bollywood movie that seemed to be based in both London and Birmingham. It also had every real world subject in it like romance, dancing, brain altering drugs (that turned you
into a dog for 24 hours) and human cloning. Landing in India was as much of a Rush!
Getting through customs was easy and I’m thankful considering it took so long to get the visa. After a few too many baggage checks however the scamming began. First at Thomas cook money exchange where I was duped out of $30 Aussie, and second on a ‘you must pay for your bags in the Taxi’. Transport number in hand we walked across the car park to our fine Taxi but let me tell you he was no Prabu (Shantaram). This guy didn’t care for where you put your bags so for an hour we sat in a crammed motor with our 10kg bags on our laps. This really adds to the heat.
Out of the window Daytime in Mumbai was becoming night and the change was incredible. Mid rush hour traffic, Pedestrians, Peddlers, Bikes and Cars jostled for space whilst moving in each and every direction. On the sidewalks the homeless were setting up for the evening in-between the night Chai wallahs and fruit stands whilst Guys walk through the crowds carrying what looks to be Beds on their heads.
Crowds of pedestrians gathering at each food stand tucking into local Thali plates (a mix of three different curry bowls combined with rice and a chapatti) throughout the day is normal but at the point where day becomes night it seems to be the time that the homeless pull together for the evening feed. Any scraps that may be left seem to be fed to the pet cow or goat. Moving from the craziness of the lower levelled roads we then get up high on the fly overs where you then get to see glimpses of the sprawling slums that spread across huge areas of Mumbai. The speed increases yet the space Cars have to move decreases. How people survive on these roads is a mystery to me. Bring on the motorbike!!
Arriving at The Travellers Inn in Fort was a nice surprise. After circling the streets looking for our hostel we noticed how quiet the streets had become. Also how dark it seemed to be. Casey and I, during looking for places to stay normally, like on this occasion go for a familiar but foreign busy backpacker area until we get a grasp of things but this seemed
to be nothing like what we had looked for. Nowhere in any direction was there a foreign face. Not a European anywhere. This was amazing. After checking in to our little hot box with fan and satellite TV, we popped out for an arrival beer and then went in search of a Curry. Palak Paneer and Veg Biryani with a couple slices of tandoori roti later I was truly stuffed and called bedtime. Tomorrow we would meet up with the Mighty Shmoe!
Waking early with great excitement to catch up with a good mate we wobbled down the road to the hotel where they would be checked into. On route however I was distracted by a little shop that sold all sorts of curry snacks but the Samosa was where I got caught. These Samosas are phenomenal. All I needed to wash this tasty treat down was a cup of tea and to my astonishment right behind me, not 10ft away was my first Street Chai wallah vendor experience. Sorry Joe you will have to wait. Not finding him at his hotel we decided to go for a walk about the streets of Mumbai to figure out exactly where
we were.
We took a route in the lonely planet that would lead us through a good variation of streets that would expose us to real poverty and absolute grandeur. From beggars to Bentleys, Cardboard boxes to City halls the colours however never once became dull. The smiles of the poor in India are what tourists come to love. A chai that costs 6 rupees seems to produce more satisfaction than the air conditioned mall cup of coffee. These social gatherings are what makes Mumbai special to me and its only day one. A simple wag of the head followed by a handshake, will usually lead to a photo opportunity, usually on their cameras and more likely of Casey and not me. All jealousy aside though we are to be in for a great time here in Bombay.
Weaving through the streets you eventually come upon Colaba Causeway which is in the vicinity of Mumbai Gate. After a refreshing fresh lime and soda at a famous Café called Leopolds (also written about in the book Shantaram) we went for a look at the Gate where sadly you don’t get to arrive in India these days. If this was
possible it would be a real fantastic way to see India for the first time. Obviously there are heaps of touts selling everything from iconic pictures to boat trips, but as it is near the water you also get to see locals just hanging out, taking in the good weather and supping on freshly squeezed Sugar Cane juice. Taking a moment to enjoy all of this I was rudely interrupted by the sight that I would have to deal with from now on, on a daily Basis. Joe, sporting a monster beard. (Shit myself have you?) was great to run into him.
After Meeting him and Annie we spent the next few days exploring the local sights including elephant island which is like going for a walk on the Sun, Marine drive for Sunsets, Chor Bazaar the thieves market and the prince of Wales Museum to make Joe feel at home. After shopping with the girls, most evenings were spent sharing the bill on some great food and beers and after five belly filling, (but in Joes case) belly emptying days we decided to head off on the real adventure we came here for. First stop Ahmedabad and then
onto Sasan Gir National park to find some lions. I really hope I don’t get eaten.
Until next time I send love to you all. Hope you enjoyed the first entry in India.
Niki xx
Sights Below. Mumbai Gate: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Gateway_of_India
The
Gateway of India is a monument built during the
British Raj in
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India.
It is located on the waterfront in the
Apollo Bunder area in
South Mumbai and overlooks the
Arabian Sea.
The structure is a
basalt arch, 26 metres (85 feet) high. It lies at the end of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg at the water's edge in
Mumbai Harbour.
It was a crude jetty used by the fishing community which was later renovated and used as a landing place for British governors and other prominent people. In earlier times, it would have been the first structure that visitors arriving by boat in Mumbai would have seen.
The Gateway has
also been referred to as the
Taj Mahal of Mumbai,
and is the city's top tourist attraction.
The structure was erected to commemorate the landing of their Majesties
King George V and
Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder, when they visited India in 1911. Built in
Indo-Saracenic style, the foundation stone for the Gateway of India was laid on 31 March 1911. The final design of
George Wittet was sanctioned in 1914 and the construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later the ceremonial entrance to India for
Viceroys and the new
Governors of Bombay.
It served to allow entry and access to India.
The monument has faced three terror attacks from the
beginning of the 21st century; twice in 2003 and it was also the disembarkation point in 2008 when four gunmen attacked the
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.
Chor Bazaar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Chor_
Bazaar located near
Bhendi Bazaar in
South Mumbai, is one of the largest
flea markets in
India.
The area is one of the tourist attractions of Mumbai. The
word
chor means
thief in
Hindi and
Marathi. The market is thought to have originally been called
Shor Bazaar, meaning
noisy market. The current name is said to have come from a British mispronunciation. Eventually however, stolen goods started finding their way into the market, resulting in it living up to its new name. According to popular legend, if you lose anything in Mumbai you can buy it back from the "Chor Bazaar".
The market has been mentioned in popular novels, including
Rohinton Mistry's
Such a Long Journey,
where it is described as "not a nice place".
In spite of this reputation, Chor Bazaar is said to sell mostly second-hand goods rather than stolen goods. The market is now famous for antique and vintage items.
A store called Mini Market offers old Bollywood posters for sale.
Others offer authentic Victorian furniture, replacement parts for automobiles, etc. Although
bargains are sometimes staggering, haggling is considered mandatory.
This is basically an "organized" flea market, where one has to rummage through junk to find what one wants.
A popular story about the origin of the name of the market is that a violin and some other belongings of
Queen Victoria went missing while being unloaded from her ship while on a visit to Bombay, and were later found for sale in the "thieves' market".
Elephante Island: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Elephanta_
Island This island is a popular tourist destination because of the island's
cave temples, the
Elephanta Caves, that have been carved out of rock.
The island is easily accessible by ferry from Mumbai, being about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the south east coast of the island city. Boats leave daily from the
Gateway of India, taking about an hour each way. The tickets for these can be bought at the Gateway itself. The first ferry leaves at 9 am, the last at 2 pm. From the boat landing stage on the island, a walkway leads to steps that go up to the famous caves.
There is also
a narrow-gauge toy train from the boat area on the dock to the base of the steps leading up to the caves (about 600 meters). Along the path, hawkers sell souvenirs like necklaces, anklets, showpieces and keychains. There are also stalls to buy food and drinks. Small monkeys play along the sides of the path, occasionally thieving items from the hawkers, trashcans and tourists.
Prince of Wales Museum: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Prince_of_Wales_
Museum The
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), formerly
Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is the main museum in
Mumbai, formerly Bombay.
It was founded in the early years of the 20th century by prominent citizens of Bombay, with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of the then
prince of Wales. It is located in the heart of South Mumbai near the
Gateway of India. The museum was renamed in the 1990s or early 2000s after
Shivaji, the founder of
Maratha Empire.
The museum building is built in the
Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, incorporating elements of other styles of architecture like the Mughal, Maratha and Jain. The museum building is surrounded by a garden of palm trees and formal flower beds.
The museum houses approximately 50,000 exhibits of ancient Indian history as well as objects from foreign lands, categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History. The museum houses
Indus Valley Civilization artefacts, and other relics from ancient India from the time of the
Guptas,
Mauryas,
Chalukyas and
Rashtrakuta.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
From beggars to Bentleys, Cardboard boxes to City halls
Great blog to open your forays in India. I hope your confidence in the food intake does not lead to disaster. Looking forward to more entertaining and enlightening adventures.