RAMBLING BEARS: Moving through Mumbai

22^nd – 27^th November

Looking from Churchgate, South Mumbai, across the curve of Marine Drive to the city centre.

It was a short flight from Udaipur and we had soon landed. Still early morning so we quickly claimed our baggage, got our pre-paid taxi voucher and headed outside in search of coffee and maybe some breakfast. No! Breakfast and coffee were not to be had. Instead of breakfast we decided brunch would be a good alternative when we got into Mumbai. We joined the non AC taxi line. The line was a short one and we were soon sitting in the back of a taxi ready to take on the city of Mumbai.

Flora Fountain, The Fort, South Mumbai.

Flora is the Roman Goddess of flowers and Spring.

Not so fast! The driver left his car and headed towards a large group of drivers and remained there. Something was definitely going on but what, was about as clear as mud to us. After about 10 minutes another driver came over and explained to us that all the non AC drivers at the airport had just downed tools, or walked away from their vehicles in this case, because new rates had been passed and the voucher counter was still charging the old rates. This meant that they were being underpaid and they were not very happy vegemites. So where did that leave us? In a car getting very, very hot and no closer to Mumbai! We offered to pay our driver the deficit and he was happy to take it but it was quickly pointed out to him by others that by doing so he would be breaking ranks. We didn’t want that either so we collected our bags, returned to the taxi counter and lined up with all the others in the same boat as us and all the new arrivals. Finally got a new voucher for an AC taxi, lined up again and eventually, in the fullness of time, we were on our way to Mumbai.

Tourist taxis in Colaba, fancily decorated during the day

and beautifully lit at night.

Mumbai has an estimated metropolitan population of 20 million + which makes it one of the world's most populous cities in the world. The drive to our hotel gave witness to some extremely harsh living conditions for many of those millions and I was feeling glad that we had only decided to have three nights there - time to get ourselves train tickets, a quick look around the major sights and head for the sun, surf and sand of Goa. Well maybe not surf!

Check in at our hotel went smoothly and within no time two famished Australians hit the pavement in search of FOOD! Our hotel was in the middle of the business district of Mumbai. There was not a huge choice of restaurants so we quickly settled for a very busy local Parsi Restaurant that was doing a booming lunch trade. Excellent selection!

Afternoon cricket on the Cross Maidan

Don’t judge a book by its cover or a city by the first impression. I found a very apt description of Mumbai on the internet - ancient yet modern, fabulously rich yet achingly poor – and it fits well. As we wandered the streets of South Mumbai in the old city area with its broad streets, close proximity to both harbour and the Arabian Sea and beautiful buildings built during the British era we began to think that we had been a bit hasty in our first impressions. Our three nights were extended to five and in the end that was not enough – we had so much more we would have liked to do and see!

As the barmy army had invaded Mumbai in numbers not seen since the British East India Company was vanquished from the city our hotel was fully booked and a change was necessary but that was not a problem. The India versus England Test Series was in full swing hence the huge numbers of Englishmen and women in the city.

Check out this beautiful UNESCO world heritage building and tell me what it is!

Did you guess a railway station?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST),

formerly Victoria Terminus, is Central Railway Headquarters with the city's busiest railway station.

Platform 18 bound and we're Goa bound.

South Mumbai has the business districts of Ballard Estate, where we first stayed, and The Fort which in turn lead to the areas of Churchgate and Colaba. It was this section of South Mumbai that we explored during our five days but there is so much more to the city to explore and I would like to return one day.

The city is famous for its Dabbah Wallahs, the best lunch boys/men the world will ever witness. It is an amazing lunch system unique to the city of Mumbai. Thousands of lunches are cooked daily by housewives and mothers in their homes, put in tiffin tins, picked up by the Dabba Wallahs, taken by train into the city and then delivered by bike to the workers. The system is efficient and the meals look and smell delicious.

The following series of pictures were taken outside Churchgate railway station.

The tiffin tins (many now kept in insulated lunch bags)

are carried on huge trays on the trains.

By some magical system they are sorted outside the stations across Mumbai

and loaded on waiting bicycles to be delivered to workers.

For what we saw while there I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Suffice to say, we enjoyed our time in Mumbai, spent a great night with a group of pommie cricket fans, discovered some delicious restaurants (particularly Pizza on the Bay) and took many, many photos of the beautiful architecture.

The Gateway of India