Day 3: 17th May 2011 Mumbai City Tour

And so we woke up very early that day and made our way to the domestic airport for our flight to Mumbai..I'm pretty surprised at the comfort of JET airways..it's better than Lionair I feel haha..

the flight took about 35mins..and we arrived at Mumbai, the metropolitan city of India..I caught sight of Amin, carrying a signboard that was written his name. We were pleased to see his big car..as unlike the car we had in Aurangabad, this car gave us more leg space and stronger aircon power haha..


Amin in the picture

Without much ado, Amin started talking to us about Mumbai, telling us about the good and bad side of it..The thing which I remembered most is Amin keeps saying that Mumbai is a magical city..and we will know during this trip..

Along the way, he showed us the Dhobi Ghat..the place which has the largest laundry washing service in India..


Dhobi Ghat


People at work



Generations of people working as laundryman..to wash clothes from people working in hotels, restaurants..anywhere..150Rs per piece I recalled..and only men were working in this industry..is a hereditary occupation..once boys reach 12-13, they will start to work.In Singapore, we have a MRT station named as Dhoby Ghaut. In fact, it was a place for laundry washing by the Indians in the past!

"Indian dhobies (laundrymen) in early Singapore washed their laundry in the stream which used to be known as Sungei Bras Basah - a rivulet - that flowed from Orchard Road to the sea. Today it is Stamford Canal. The Chinese called the road beside it 'Lau Chooi Koei' (Flowing Water Road).

The dhobies dried their laundry in the open space between Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road. Bras Basah Road (West Rice road) was once called Church Street and College Street because of the several Churches and the Schools in that locality." ref

Well, in Mumbai,this place is located next to a Mahalaxmi Station where the hustle and bustle of the city began..we saw people climbing and clinging on to the narrow handbars of the train...was so worried that they may fall off the train at high speed..but no..i think they were well trained in this..


Busy Train

Then, the car moved through the street of Kamathipura, a red light district in Mumbai..where we saw prostitutes awaiting for business..there were a couple of mafias and policemen hanging around...social issues are clear to the eye..young women..being exploited..sometimes even locked into rooms where they cant see daylight..being forced to serve "customers"..and yet it seems that not much help is given to the needy in this country..talking about birth control, talking about sexually transmitted diseases..talking about women rights..I feel there is nothing of such in place to control these problems..not to my knowledge at least.we were asked not to take any pictures during that time as we may be attacked if we are caught with cameras..so we obediently kept all our cammies..and used the best lens which we have..that is our eyes..to see the reality..


Streets


Slums


Movie theater

Amin, the guide, was someone i chanced upon during my reading in Tripadvisor. true enough, he's similar to what people have described in the forum..witty..talkative..show you both the good and bad side of the city..tell u stories..an interesting guy in summary..he's very streetsmart and walk super fast too! we were initiallie "chasing" after him as we walked very fast through the streets..haha..


Cows spotted on the road..the road is multipurpose..for men..for women..for vehicles..for cows..sometimes goat..i even spotted camels at Aurangabad!


After checking in at Mumbai Residency Fort hotel, we settled down for a while before meeting up with Amin again for our day tour. Just a note..Mumbai Residency Hotel..it's a hotel located in the heart of the historic districts in the south part of Mumbai. The rooms are spacious enough. My only complaint is that the bedsheets are not so clean..and I'm glad I brought my jacket to cover over the pillow which I rested my head on. Other than that, no complaints. Is good enough if you wanna have a comfy sleep.




Streetfood

Amin first brought us to the nearby Colaba street that can be reached from our hotel in 15mins by foot. That whole street consisted of shops selling souvenirs and the famous Leopold Cafe, which was bombed during the Mumbai blast in 2008.


Bangles


The cafe

There were a couple of men dressed in beige clothes, carrying some drums. Amin told us they are actually scouting for foreigners to take part in filming Bollywood movie, just to inject some foreign flavour into their local produced movies. I read from somewhere that a day of hardwork will reward you with 500Rs( SGD 17) and there's no food given. Tough work in fact in this hot hot weather.


Scouting for foreign talent

We had our lunch at this sandwich shop. and we do find the sandwich to be tasty. giving us enuf energy before exploring Mumbai..

Amin first brought us to some places...here are the places:

1. A closeup of laundry washing



The load


The products

2. Bangaga Water Tank




The ducks at the holy water


The buildings..from the high rise buildings to the slums...


The pigeons near the Bangaga


The residence

3.Jain Temple




The lucky sign





4. Gandhi Museum: this is one place that I like a lot. I always wanted to know more about the lifestory of Gandhi. The pictures, words, books, displays have indeed enriched me with loads of info on this special guy, who is a symbol of peace in every Indian's heart.A great man indeed!




The great man




His books


Fighting for equality and peace


The exhibits to depict his life story




Gandhi with his wife


Gandhi was shot to death

5.Hanging Gardens: where you can have an overlook of the beautiful beach



Children at play

6.Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: bus terminal



The iconic red bus


7.Central Railway Station/Victoria Station where we caught sight of Indians taking trains. These trains are the lungs of the city, running north and south of Mumbai.


The busy road




Taking the train..on board!




The central railway

8. Crawford Market: that sells anything and everything..We bought our Alphonso mangoes from there!Each of us bought a dozen mangoes. The smell was mesmerizing.


Mangoes everywhere!


with a "hooligan" boss





cute dogs on sales


Amin and the Dr Mango


Dr Mango picking great mangoes for us..thanks to his expertise!

9.Textile market: from saris to silk to scarves





10.Gateway of India





Gateway of India: where ferries to Elephanta Island can be taken from

I felt amazed at the number of attractions we covered in this hot sunny day. Temp that day was stated to be 39C I think...what an amazing start to our Mumbai trip haha..the trip ended with the rest visiting a restaurant near our hotel, known as Mahesh Lunch Restaurant I think..while I had to recover from the heatstroke in the hotel room..thank goodness it subsided after a good rest that day!

Amazing Mumbai..Amazing Day..more to come tomorrow!