Salaam Bombay!

Sophia mingles with the crowd at the Gateway to India

Haj Ali Mosque - the path to visit is underwater at high tide.

Shailesh and Sophia - Shailish showed us some of his favorite places in Mumbai.

Guys walking near Mutton Street

This guy made some great lamb balls - yes I tried them and they were out of this world.

Sophia making some new friends - or maybe thinking about lunch....

Victoria Terminus built over ten years starting in 1878

A great Gugarati lunch - curries, pickles, chutneys, different breads, dals and mango puree. Best meal I've had in a long time.

Shailsh snaps the picture before we dig into the food at the Samrat Restaurant (http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Samrat_Veg_Restaurant-94004-1.html)

Our last day in Mumbai was a nice one. Our friend Shailesh Paul made a special effort to arrive in Mumbai Friday night so he could spend the day with us Saturday. Shailesh and his wife Ruchira our recent transplants to Singapore by way of Doha. They come from the Delhi area but both have lived in Mumbai. We had a fine Saturday (and I had a fun Saturday night) with him.

Shailish picked us up at our hotel in the morning. He had the use of a very good car and driver for the day. Our first few stops were for shopping purposes. We hit the Hide Design leather store for belts and bags, then we went to Color Plus (http://www.colorplusonline.com/), a nice clothing store with fine casual shirts, slacks and stuff. Of course being the spendthrift I am I picked up several shirts.

We made a few drive bys for key landmarks and sights and then went to one of the very old Muslim areas where each narrow street seems to have some sort of specialty shops. One had all tools, another clocks and fans, another fabric and fancy Muslim skull caps and finally we turned onto Mutton Street. Each little shop was jammed to the rafters with antiques, reproductions, schlock and some gems. We saw some fabulous old wood, mirror and painted glass panels that came from a tea shop somewhere in India, Pictures with Hindu writing advertising the quality of their tea and cakes and letting people know that they did not extend credit. I was really hoping to buy one or two and we were given a decent price. when we came back to make the deal the vendor had changed his mind and doubled the price. I'm still upset by this! We also saw a really interesting dowry chest in another shop. It was made of dark heavy carved wood and had old tiles on the front depicting Hindu Deities and flowers. We were close to striking a good price but the owner was not sure how we could ship it back to Singapore. He called a friend who quoted us a price equal to the cost of the chest for packing and delivery to a shipper but did not account for the freight charges. It was all too complicated so we passed. Funny how in Bangkok at the weekend market and in Shanghai at some little antique street we had no problem lining up shipping. It was a great tour but left empty handed.

We hit a few more spots and then went to lunch at a wonderful Thali place (small dishes, vegetarian) called Samrat. The food was superb. The mango puree was so sweet and delicious it melted in your mouth - we had giant seconds. The savory stuff and various dreads were also well prepared and extremely tasty. They drizzled ghee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee) onto some of the breads to give is more flavor and extra artery clogging power! We stuffed ourselves, definitely eating more then we should have.

After lunch we made one more stop at a place called Fabindia http://www.fabindia.com/. It is a very cool store with a huge range of traditional and modern clothes, linens, towels and fabrics all very colorful and beautiful. I just found out they ship to Singapore and the US!

After shopping and fighting traffic back to the hotel it was already almost 7:30 PM. We were planning to go out for the evening but Sophia asked to opt out after the long day in the heat. OK by me because I always welcome a boys night!

I showered and changed and headed back downstairs. Shailesh had left the car and driver behind and took a taxi back to where he was staying. I hit the road and it took almost an hour to get back downtown. We met his friend Lalit, a TV commercial and music video producer, and headed out. First stop was a place called Not Just Jazz by the Bay (http://www3.oag.com/Cities/Detail?city=683&cat=24&item=320299). It is on Marine Drive - a prime beachfront street. A nice place with an outside area for dining and a small, smokey inside area with tables and a bar. We went inside where I had a few Cobra beers and the band started to play. The band (name forgotten) was made up of 4 guys who appeared to be in their early twenties. Their repertoire included some classic rock hits of the 70s and maybe a few from the 80s. They loved Pink Floyd and Zepplin and also hit on ZZ Top and Lynard Skynard. The singer was weak, the guitar player decent and while it isn't my favorite genre of music it was fun. Everyone in the crowded place was into the tunes. The crowd was about 70/30 local to expat types. After a few snacks and several Cobras and a few Vodka Shooters we moved on. The second stop was a place called Henry Tham's. Here is a recent review-

Henry Tham’s Lounge: It’s the latest craze among those who wish to party in style. Friday is the best day of the week to take a peek at the well-turned-out crowd. You might witness a tabla maestro jamming with the DJ, if you are lucky enough. At Apollo Bunder, Colaba (Tel: 22848214)

While I have since found out that this is a very well reviewed restaurant, by the time we got there at about Midnight it was a happening club. There is no big sign but there were cars and taxis jammed in front of the place and a long line of people waiting to get in. Lalit dialed up his friend the manager of the place and we were quickly brought into the house!

By this time I was a bit past my limit but I do that so infrequently I gave my self a pass. I had a few more cocktails and spoke to a bunch of people. The crowd was mostly local but a far different group of people then most of the folks I saw around the city. One drink probably cost more then most Mumbaites make in a month. Being one of the few Westerners and probably the only American was fun. I think we left sometime after 3AM. Lalit drove us most of the way back to the Marriott (at very high speed I recall- traffic was finally light at 3AM) and then Shailesh and I got into a black and yellow taxi for the rest of the ride. What a nice guy he was to see me back to the hotel and then have to schlep all the way back to where he was staying. I slipped into the room and into bed. Woke up with a bit of a headache. Sophia was very understanding. We left the hotel, headed to the airport and then home......

A Day in Bombay - Part 1

Dhobi Ghat - where the laundry gets done.

They have a system and it works.

It's not pleasant work that's for sure.

Also - please do not send them your "delicates".

The nearby Mahalaxmi Train station - the trains are standing room only.

The work is never done.

A mother and daughter looking for some help.

Sophia and I above the Ghat.

At Leopold's - a Bombay institution.

Random street scene. You see it all there.

It has now been a year since we moved to Singapore. During that time I have visited many cities I had never seen before. I knew, or thought I knew, what to expect in many of these places from the pictures painted in my mind by books I have read, movies and TV shows I have seen and travel magazine articles. Each city has turned out to be very different in person then any book, magazine, movie or TV show can convey.

Manila with its Spanish names, jitneys, poverty and traffic - Jakarta with red tile roofed slums, mosques, modern buildings and palm trees - Singapore with its clean streets, endless blocks of apartment buildings, food courts and diverse ethnic population - Bangkok with it's smiling citizens sporting yellow shirts in support of their King, river traffic moving goods and people in all directions, street food vendors, tuk tuks and markets - Beijing with its wide streets, massive buildings, crowded sidewalks and dirty air - Ho Chi Minh City with its psycho traffic of overloaded motor cycles, sidewalk vendors and coffee sellers and Melbourne with its modern almost US, almost Canada, almost London look and its hip pubs and trendy shops. Every one of these places has a unique identity and is both attractive and daunting in its own way. I submit that Mumbai is the most interesting, satisfying, scary and exciting one of all.

Our first full day in Mumbai was spent touring with a car and driver. We hit the key sites (of which there are only a few) including the Gateway to India, Victoria Terminus, The Chhatriapati Shivaji Maharaj Vatsu Sangrahalya (formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India), the Ali Haji Mosque, the Taj Hotel, Chopatty Beach, Naraman Point, the Queens Necklace and more. Most of the key sites are leftovers from the Brittish era. The buildings built by the British with great style and grandeur are peppered throughout the city but sometimes hard to pick out as time, the elements and general lack of upkeep have made the city look, on first glance, like a city in ruins.

From the moment we left the hotel we were engulfed in a sea of people and activity. People in cars, trucks, taxis, motor bikes, push carts, bicycles and on foot traffic were everywhere. I mean there isn't one place to look in Mumbai where your field of vision isn't filled with people. The people ranged from rich to dirt poor - they were dressed in many styles including Western business suits, saris, designer wear, kurta pyjamas, Muslim attire and salwar chemises. there were beggars, street vendors, bankers and lawyers all moving in different direction. Traffic is chokingly slow so any trip afford one ample opportunity to observe.

Our first stop was at Dhobi Ghat. In Singapore, Dhoby Gaut is a nice new Subway station located in a nice neighborhood next to a nice shopping mall. In Mumbai it is a slum and an institution. The words mean something like "laundryman's place", and the scene is amazing. Set in a small low lying area next to a very busy train station one finds the place where hundreds of men do the laundry for thousands on locals. The laundry people and their families live and work in this slum. Outside of their doors are rows and rows of cement wash basins with attached flat stone areas for swatting, smashing and wringing the clothes and linens. The work looks hard and backbreaking. All day each laundry guy hand washes piece after piece of linen, pants, shirts, underwear, towels and the like.

After the rigorous washing process the clothes are hung to dry - arranged by color. From the bridge above where a few tourists venture it looks like a painting - big patches of white, red, orange and blue garments waving in the breeze hung around and above the huts and shanties while shirtless men work hard in this basins. Kids run around and women keep the shanties neat. The question that naturally comes to mind is how do they keep track of the laundry to make sure that it gets returned to the right people. I understand they have an intricate system of marking the individual pieces of laundry with dots and lines that allows anyone in dhobi ghat to immediately determine who the laundry belongs to. This life is passed from generation to generation. http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/dhobighat.htm

There is s similar system in place for lunch deliveries in Mumbai. Each day hundreds of lunch wallas pick up thousands homemade lunches in bright steel tiffins, deliver them to working men at their offices, pick up the empty tiffens and return them to the homes so the women can prepare the lunches for the next day. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to see these guys in action. http://www.kk.org/streetuse/archives/2007/04/indian_dabbawallas.php

One of the most amazing things about Mumbai is the slums. These slums are not like the ones we would see in the US where people are living in rundown house and buildings in cities but rather people who have set up squatter neighborhoods with homes made of sticks, scraps, tarps , newspapers and other found items. The slums can cover many square miles and house almost 1 million people. I've been reading a book called Shantaram http://www.shantaram.com/ which is a good semi autobiographical read about a guy who escaped from prison in Australia and ended up in Mumbai. For over a year he lived in one of the slums. The book is relatively well written and the story, while it wanders at times, gives a really good insight into many aspects of life in the city. After his many adventures the author is back Mumbai now. A movie starring Johnny Depp will be made soon so if you don't like to read I guess you can wait.

One of the Shantaram's haunts is a restaurant called Leopold's. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/India/State_of_Maharashtra/Mumbai-1101422/Restaurants-Mumbai-LEOPOLD-BR-1.html
Sophia and I found it and stopped in for a beer. It was fun being in a place where a great deal of the action in the book took place. While it is now quite a tourist spot it was a nice feeling to sit in a place we had read so much about.

After an exhausting day we headed back to the comfort and clean bathrooms of the Marriott.

Next Stop - Mumbai

Juhu Beach - people as far as the eye can see.

Happy but lonely ice cream vendors.

Something for everyone. A sight and sound sensation.

The dancing monkey guys and their moneymakers. The monkeys didn't get to dance for us.

Everyone is selling something.

Waders and swimmers as the sun starts to go down.

The mysterious guy with the flaming plate.
Some local guys who attempted to explain the festival and who really wanted their picture taken.

The sun finally slips into the ocean as darkness sets in.

After Goa we headed up to Mumbai. We got the royal treatment on Kingfisher Airlines business class. Unlike in the US where you are lucky to get a smile from a flight attendant on a short hop, on Kingfisher we had 4 lunch entree choices on the 1 hour flight. Mumbai, formerly Bombay but still called Bombay by mostly everyone, is India's largest and most cosmopolitan city. It is said that it is the most populous city in the world. There are over 13 million people officially in the city, millions more metro area, perhaps 25 million total. It's really big and really crowded.

Upon arrival we met up with the guy from the Marriott who called us a car. The relatively short distance from the airport to the Marriott on Juhu Beach took at least 40 minutes as traffic was staggering. At every traffic stop we were approached by beggars and people selling things like books, magazines, flowers and towels. The poverty is striking. People are everywhere in cars, on foot, in tri-shaws, taxis (all old 1950s Fiats painted black and yellow). The buildings old and new all look old and decayed. The sidewalks, where they exist, are cracked and broken and there are piles of dirt and rubbish all over. We pulled up to the imposing hotel driveway. http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/bomjw-jw-marriott-hotel-mumbai/ Security guards checked out the car while I am not sure they would have found anything, even if it were there. Whenever I see these security guys who use a mirror to look under the car I truly believe that the only thing that would stop them from waving the car through would be if they saw a big red sticks with fizzling wicks tied together and marked with large letters "TNT".

The hotel is kind of boring looking from the outside but once inside there is a large well appointed lobby looking back towards huge picture windows with a view of a beautiful garden with water features, an elaborate pool and then the Arabian Sea. Quite a sight. We were shown to our small but comfortable room (no complaints as we used Marriott points). It was about 5:30PM so we decided to take a walk on the beach. http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/juhubeach.htm

http://www.webindia123.com/tourism/beach/juhu.htm


As we walked outside around the pool to the wall and gate to the beach we were met by a security guard. He had us sign out and told us to be back by 8PM. Once on the beach it was a carnival atmosphere. 1000s of people of all shapes and sizes. Women in colorful saris, men in traditional Indian dress, people in short, tee shirts, Nikes, Adidas, Louis Vuiton and Abercrombie. Many were swimming or wading as the sun sunk in the Western sky. The women swam in their saris and many of the men in long pants. Families were having fun, playing, laughing and getting relief from the hot humid city air.

As we walked down the beach we saw vendors selling Chai Tea, samosa, lime drink, paan, circus toys that fly or light up and cotton candy. There were guys with strange suitcases set up on pedestals, a DVD player, screen and a mat on the sand. I figured out that these were fortune tellers. You paid them some money, stand on the mat and the TV comes on and someone tells your fortune in Hindi or Mararathstra. Others had dancing robots and we were approached by two guys with monkeys on leashes asking us to pay to see them dance. I guess we should have but we passed. There were also small carnival rides for kids like a tiny Ferris wheel and merry go round and then just off the beach were very colorful and good smelling food stalls. Everyone was there to cool off and to watch the day end.

On the way back to the hotel we saw a bunch of people gathered around an older white bearded guy in a yellow frock. The guy was holding a bronze tray that held something that was on fire. as people approached he dabbed his finger onto the tray and rubbed some sort of yellow powder on the people. We chatted with some young guys who were hanging around nearby and they said it was a festival, the name of which we did not catch. They wanted me to take their picture so I did (see above).

That outing got us ready for the rest of our visit. The next day we were ready to venture into the city....