INCREDIBLE INDIA……… OH MUMBAI!! - how quickly we forgot about that incessant noise – beeping, honking and tooting ALL DAY LONG!!! The traffic is incredibly crazy and you do take your life in your hands whilst crossing the roads, even with traffic lights!!
It was good to be back and after watching over 100 people get off the ship to take a side trip to The Taj Mahal in Delhi, we decided to do our own tour on foot, beginning around The Fort area of the city of Mumbai which was the stomping ground of Colin's parents who were attached to the British Army – these days all the beautiful old colonial buildings are sadly in need of restoration and a good clean up.
We kept walking to the Gateway of India, a monument built during the British Raj in 1924 – such an impressive structure and a huge tourist attraction. Today was a holy day celebration so there were masses of locals, as well as the annoying hawkers!! We enjoyed all the magnificent and vibrant colours of the ladies saris and the truly beautiful children with their huge brown eyes and the whitest teeth.
Right across the road is the awesome Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (which was the site of a horiffic terrorist attack in 2008) and the Tower. The hotel is a very grand building, was built in 1903, and fortunately is immaculate, inside and out. There was plenty of security around and we decided to have High Tea there – (we shouldn't have that early lunch of meat pies and chips on the ship). It was really delightful and we were very lucky to be seated by the window with a great view of the Gateway and watched the buzz on the street below. Lots of familiar faces around us, think we all had the same idea, and it was also great just to sit and soak up the atmosphere whilst pushing down finger sandwiches and petit fours, with copious quantities of tea. We then wandered around this exquisite hotel and were blessed (second time today) by some of the hotel staff.
Continuing on our walking tour and refreshed, we just happened to stumble on the markets, but it was rather chaotic and was filled with women beggars with babies on their hips – actually they are everywhere. I bought a couple more pairs of sandals to add to the collection, but they might not even last the journey!!
Now getting to the weary stage and it was getting dark, so we headed back – more begging women with poor little babies or small children asking for money – one got excited when I reached into my bag but wasn't as happy to take the "cookies" I had taken off the ship.
Glad we survived our walk back against the blinding lights of the traffic and no footpath – just so lucky to be back to our floating hotel and time for a refreshing shower, followed by a long cool glass of wine and beer for Colin. We did love our day in Mumbai!!!
Photos: All of our wonderful day in downtown Mumbai.
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