We left the disappointing island of Diu and flew to Mumbai, an hour down the coast. David was still not fully recovered from his bout of Delhi Belly, so we still lurch between eating >dashing to the bathroom> recovering > trying to get some sightseeing done in the “good periods” in between!
We have been feeling that India is certainly the land of “Make Believe” and Mumbai has confirmed this 100%. Every article we have read or seen talks about “pristine beaches, smart hotels, attractive buildings” but none of this is real. It’s doctored and photo shopped to the ‘n’th degree. It may have been true 50-75 years ago, but imagine Buckingham Palace suffering an earthquake then being left untouched for 50 years. Trees overgrow, pavements lift up, windows fall out, and paint peels away. This is very much modern day India.
Old and new 
Regular street corner scene 
How our hotel room is advertised. Note the view…. 
Beach nearby????? Never found this building….. 
Real view!! 
Reality. 
Front entrance!
Mumbai is home to several strucurally beautiful buildings, many built by the British, many are now UNESCO sites, but they are surrounded by dirt and debris. We have ticked off visiting the Gateway of India (a 26m high arch shaped monument, built to commemorate the landing in December 1911 of King-Emperor George V and Queen-Empress Mary, the first British monarch to visit India) and the Gothic Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Train Terminus or Victoria Terminus. Construction began in 1878 and was completed in 1887, the year marking 50 years of Queen Victoria’s rule, the building previously being named, Victoria Terminus. The 18 platformed building is full of Italian style towers, turrets and domes and in the grounds outside is a memorial to the 58 people killed and 104 injured by two terrorists who, in 2008, entered the station in the evening with bombs and rifles. It is more famous, in the UK, for being the location of the dance routines in Slumdog Millionnaire, and yes, I was singing “Jai Ho” as I looked at the building!
Reminded us of Bath 
Police HQ 
Railway station 
Art deco building 
Railway station entrance 
A girl’s school. 
Train station 
Train station gardens 
Run down empty building 
Another school. 
Taj Mahal Tower hotel, 5*
Night time is buzzing until 10pm, people shopping in the markets, getting taxis or walking home, eating out, or simply chatting on the street corners. Its friendly, safe, and there’s very little hassle off vendors.
Considering 23 million people live here, it’s certainly cleaner than all other cities so far, traffic is more structured and drivers do adhere to rules and take note of traffic lights! Yes, the slums are as you see them on TV, endless areas of shacks made from bamboo poles, plastic sheets, wood and cardboard, with narrow 3foot passageways running through them, the river nearby was a sea of rubbish and filthy children run about half naked, the same as in other cities. Nothing can be done to help these people, it’s far too big a job, but lots do menial work and manage to survive. The only crime here seems to be generated by the politicians! An amazing place!!
Mumbai skyline 
Gateway of India 
Station at night 
The Taj Mahal Hotel & Tower
We took a boat trip out to Elephanta Island, discovered by the Portuguese about 500 years ago. They used the island as a military lookout but the Indians have opened it to the public, another UNESCO site. They were created about 450AD as cave temples, one main cave and several smaller ones. Its impressive due to the size of the pillars and carvings, the 3 headed Shiva carving is 6metres tall. The walk to the caves was up 120 steep steps, passing street vendors and monkeys, in 32c heat! The monkeys stole my carton of fruit juice, so I sat for a while and watched the babies playing tag on a plastic sheet while mum finished my mango juice ?
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