The Taj Hotel
The old Taj hotel, the new Taj hotel tower and the Gateway to India Arch viewed from our boat going across to Elephanta Island.
Tuesday April 7 2009 - When we awoke, we were already docked at Ballard Pier, Mumbai, out our cabin window ships of all sizes were dotted across the bay at anchor. We were on the Southeast side of the peninsula that makes up Mumbai, a few miles North of the Gateway to India. I had arranged for a local service, Mumbai Magic, to pick us up for the day along with Shell and Bill and around 08.30am we met our guide, Sandhya and driver Virendra. After introductions we drove South to the the large open plaza with the Gateway to India and the Taj Mahal hotel, the Taj hotel was subject to last year’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the effects were still in evidence if you looked for them. The familiar corner windows of the hotel, seen so often on CNN, in flames, are now boarded up and access to the older part of the hotel is only through the new tower block. You are required to pass through two levels of security to gain access and there are plenty of security guards present, though I didn’t see any weapons.
We came to the plaza to catch a boat over to Elephanta Island, the bay was filled with these colourful craft and I wonder how they all can make a living from it.
Izzy talks to a little boy on board the boat to Elephanta Island.
We boarded what we thought was our vessel, only to find we had to cross to the next, then the next boat before we were actually on the correct one. I wondered why we wound our way out of the harbour in a strange back and forward path until I realised we were dropping one or two people at different boats at anchor in the bay, our boat sidled up to another and those leaving us made the precarious jump on to the other deck.
The little train travelling along the pier
The trip out to the island was pleasant and warm, Bill and I sat on the top deck in the open, enjoying the breeze, while Shell and Izzy sat on the crowded lower deck, where most of the passengers were locals, when I returned downstairs, Izzy was already engaged in her favourite pastime, talking, particularly to the kids, a little boy named Sushovan, from Calcutta, was writing her a note, he was six years old, spoke fair English and had excellent writing skills for his age.
We reached the islands long dock after about 45 minutes and after climbing the few concrete steps, we boarded the small open train, 10 rupees to transport us about half a mile along the jetty, all the time being assailed by vendors hanging on to the outside of the train trying to sell their wares.
The sedan chair ride to the top of the hill.
We dismounted the train and walked the few hundred yards to the beginning of the long stairway up the hillside, the stairway interspaced with sloping parts, was shaded most of the way by awnings erected by the many vendors who lined the sides from bottom to top. There are two ways to ascend, walk or ride in a sedan chair, I’d read about the sedan chair option, on the internet, and we’d decided that it was the ideal way to avoid the rigours of the long climb. We negotiated a price of 300 rupees and Izzy took her place on the wooden chair, flanked by a strong pole either side. With some effort, her four porters hoisted the chair shoulder high and, like the Maharani of Jaipur, she was off up the hill, I had to run ahead to get into position for photographs as the procession moved at a steady pace up hill. When we reached the top, I was exhausted, while Izzy stepped freshly from the chair, we gave the porters 500 rupees since their task was exacerbated by the possible few extra pounds Izzy may have put on during our cruise, just possibly, nothing you would ever notice.
Elephanta Island caves entrance.
Me in the main cave
We walked up the slope to the entrance to the caves which date from the sixth century, all the caves were man made, carved from the softer volcanic stone. The main cave is famous for its’ carvings of the Hindu God Shiva and the whole complex was visually stunning and a testament as to what can be done with time and dedication. Our guide led us step by step, explaining each of the great carvings and indicating the vantage points for viewing the unique geometry of the cave then we walked slowly back down the hillside window shopping on the way. As we waited by the tracks for the return train, I was followed by an ancient lady with some pots on her head, she wanted ‘one dollar’ for me to take her picture, I politely declined practising my few words of Hindi, to her amusement. After a while she lost interest in me and she approached an Indian guy asking 20 rupees (about 40 cents) to take her picture, this time she made the sale. We rode the little train back and then stepped onto the rolling deck of our boat for the trip back to Mumbai, it was hot but the breeze across the top deck made it an enjoyable journey.
Lunch at Samrat restaurant - Sanhya, Izzy, me,Shell and Bill
By then it was almost 01.00pm, so after a visit to an ATM, we headed off to lunch at Samrat vegetarian restaurant for a traditional Thali meal. After a short wait, we were shown to our table, each person was given a large stainless steel tray, five small dishes set on the tray, a large spoon and a small spoon. Various sauces and chutneys were on the table and we were encouraged to add a dab of each to our tray for sampling along with the main items which arrived by waiter and were doled out into our smaller dishes. This was followed by a liberal selection of different bread types distributed to each person and soon our trays resembled an artists pallette, each dish and dab a different colour from any other. I was hungry, so I ate a good amount, as spicey as it was, most was tasty enough and I threw caution to the wind (no pun intended) as far a ‘Delhi Belly’ was concerned. It was different and interesting to try, the food was obviously very popular as the place was packed enough to contribute to two ominous events. The first occurred when two waiters collided and several dishes of food crashed to the floor showering several patrons with multicoloured sauces, narrowly missing our table, the second was a collision between my beer glass (held by me) and my beer bottle (wielded by the waiter) fortunately the glass was empty and was soon replaced. Outside, our transportation was waiting for us and we headed off for a quick visit to the one time home of Mahatma Ghandi, an interesting but austere house depicting Ghandi’s lifestyle and history. As we drove, we were constantly assailed by the passing street scene, women carrying massive packages on their head, carts drawn by oxen and donkey, overloaded bicycles, beggars of all ages tapping on the car windows at every stop, dogs scrounging in every corner and everywhere vendors, vendors and more vendors and we loved every minute of it.
Dhobi Ghat workers
We drove along Marine Drive, popularly known as the ‘queens necklace’ due to its’ shape and sparkling lights at night, on our way to Dhobi Ghat, the massive outdoor washing area. The Dhobis are a caste of Indians who have long specialised in this outdoor laundry business, a Ghat was originally a section of a riverbank used for washing purposes. It was quite a sight, exclusively men washing the clothes, beating them against the walls of each small rectangular enclosure, the enclosures stretched into the distance.
Street vendors at Dhobi Ghat
Overlooking the Ghat, we were surrounded by an array of colours in the form of multiple vendors each intent on extracting a sale from us, the colour and the sounds were overwhelming and as we moved so did the crowd of vendors, like a giant multi-celled organism we moved en masse back to our vehicle escaping the heaving throng. Next stop was at a local street market where Izzy and Shell were looking for some Indian wear, Bill and I wandered around aimlessly outside, checking out the price of a McAloo Tikki at McDonalds and gazing in amazement at the shoe store where shoe requests were dropped, 3 or 4 boxes at a time, through a hole in the store ceiling, into the waiting arms of the salesman. The ladies didn’t find what they were looking for, so we decided to return to the ship and around 05.30pm we said our goodbyes and thanks to Sandhya and Virendra for a most enjoyable day in Mumbai, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and have decided already that we need to come back and spend more time there.
Some of the dancers in the folk show
Back on board, we had a nap then went up to the Cabaret lounge at 07.30pm for a folk/cultural show by a local dance troupe, fantastic stuff. The colours and the music were intoxicating as the constant beat of the drums juxtaposed with the high pitched squeal of the flute, the flashing of orange and yellow and blue and gold and the constant beat of the drums, it was mesmerizing, or it might have been the two beers I had on an empty stomach. The ship was scheduled to sail at 10.00pm and we thought we might not be able to stay awake, but the tiredness wore off and we found ourselves out on deck for the sail away which was delayed until closer to 11.00pm. Back in the cabin ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ was just starting on TV, so we sat up and watched it, before calling it a day.
