Day 5: Mumbai Misery
Oh what a day!!!! Not even sure where to begin. My head was pounding from the sun and I just could not cool down. Yet, despite suffering from what could only be dehydration, it had been a fabulous day summarized into 4 key parts: walking, monkeys, sea water, and photography.
(Mumbai is deceptively hot, the intense humidity and the burning Indian sun zap the water and the energy out of you faster than you can put it back in, so be careful and try to travel with a few liters of water in a camelback or something equivalent!)
We began the day with our hearty smoothies and were out the door on our way to the bus
station. After checking with the attendant in the kiosk we joined the queue for the bus that would take us close to the University. The bus looked like it had just dropped out of London, whatever company makes the buses for the public transit system in the UK must make the busses in India as well because they were identical. Sitting in this familiar bus, looking out the window gave a completely different view of Mumbai from that which you experience on the train. The motorway was enormous and although it only had about 4 lanes the cars were driving as though there were 7. The little streams we passed along the side of the road had pitch black water in them and were a not so pleasant reminder as to why one is not to consume the water in Mumbai. The bus dropped us a short walk from the university, and after running across the road we found ourselves on a lush tropical campus. Monkey's were flinging themselves around in the trees and chasing each other across the tarmac. I left my things in a cubby outside the library and sat inside for a while to write while my friend got on with her University business.
The university has filtered water fountains that are safe to drink from so we refilled our water bottles here and legged it to the train station to ride in it to Colaba. We disembarked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formally known as the Victoria terminus. Victoria Station was obviously built as a grand central terminus however, the grandeur was now hiding under the filth that had found its way on to every surface within. We made our way through swarms of people, escaping into the lesser crowds outside. As it was a nice day we decided to walk (for about 3 hours) to the Gateway of India stopping at a restaurant inside an art gallery for some lunch. It was a cute little indoor restaurant with an outdoor feel where the waiters all knew my friend. I tucked in to a chicken vindaloo roti roll that wasn't spicy at first but had me sniffling and inhaling a mango lassi by the last bite to cope with the heat.
We finally made it to Gateway of India where we bought our tickets for the ferry to the Elephanta cave. We queued down a ramp on the back side of the gateway for the ferry and as we got closer to water level we were suddenly able to see that instead of walking down a pier and boarding the ferry as had been expected, we would be boarding in a very different way. There was a row of three ferrys lined up next to one another, now you are probably thinking that means you can touch each boat from the dock but
you would be incorrect. The first boat is parallel to the dock, a concrete slab 2 inches deep in the Arabian Sea. The second boat was parallel to the first and the third parallel to the second. To board the ferry we waded across the slippery concrete through the sea water to wait for that perfect moment when the wave had reached its lowest point to jump on to the first boat. Having made it successfully through the first challenge we walked through the ferry and approached the second obstacle where a man stood patiently waiting. The two boats were lined up next to each other moving to their own
individual rhythm. Complete with slippery wooden decks either side the goal was to time your crossing just right so that you could simply step onto the other ferry without slipping and potentially falling in between two massive ferries into the Arabian Sea. Fortunately we were both successful at overcoming the second obstacle as well as the third which was exactly the same for the third and final ferry. After earning our seat on the ferry, we took a seat on the inner row of the first level, looking out onto the ocean while happily being in the shade. From here we watched as children got passed from boat to boat and the man on the receiving boat steadied the people that slipped so they wouldn't fall. (This method seemed to be the local favorite as it was how we got on and off the ferry all day.)
The boat ride was about an hour and incredibly pleasant except for when the black sea water of the Arabian Ocean would splash up in our faces. Before we knew it we had arrived at the island, a little wet but in good spirits and after managing to get off the ferry we began walking down an incredibly long pier. At the end there were a slew of carriages at the bottom of a massive staircase. Venturing up the hill, past countless shops, we were constantly passed by people being carried up on these strange carriages. (The carriages, otherwise known as sedan chairs, were basically chairs with long arms in the front and back, each resting on the shoulders of local men.)
The Elephanta caves were amazing, so so beautiful. In some ways they reminded me of the temples in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Walking in the caves was like walking into an impressive stone temple. The ornate pillars through the center and elaborate carvings lining the walls were simply unbelievable. The first cave was incredibly large taking several minutes walk around and truly appreciate. The other caves were not as large but were equally impressive in their own unique ways. It was an absolutely scorching day and being inside the caves provided some well needed respite from the sun. The temperature was so incredibly different that they almost felt air-conditioned.
Having traveled a good distance up the hill we were now basically at the top and the views were gorgeous. There was a fence stopping you from tumbling down the steep slope, which the monkeys found to be a useful road. Jovial little monkeys were everywhere actively going from tree to tree, playing with each other,and stealing food from the unwary. There were three miniature baby monkeys being carried around that according to the guard, ranged between 10 and 15 days old. So so darling!!! My trusty camera was busy clicking away the whole time we were at the top of the hills and before we knew it, it was time to head back down in order to catch the last ferry of the day.
On the way down, we stopped to buy a few little things from the shops. For the vendors, this was their last chance for the night, the prices were dropping incredibly quickly enabling us to get some fabulous souvenirs without having to do too much haggling. Arriving at the ferry just in time we hopped on the boat and watched the sun begin to set as we chugged back to the Gateway of India.
By the time we were finally walking back to the train station, the sun had gone down, making the temperature finally bearable. Head pounding from dehydration with every step, it made it very easy to discourage an over-zealous drum sales man from continuing his sales pitch the entire way to the station. We walked through various streets and finally cut through a park which brought us to the train station. The ladies carriage was busy but not full like the men's carriages which were so packed that there were men basically hanging out from the sides of the train. We were finally on our way back to Bandra pounding head in full force it was a relief to arrive in Bandra and catch a rick back to the flat. By the time we made it back I was extremely sick and ended up sitting on the floor under a cold shower before curling up in bed and passing out, sleeping heavily in between bouts of sickness throughout the night.
Oh what a day!!!! Not even sure where to begin. My head was pounding from the sun and I just could not cool down. Yet, despite suffering from what could only be dehydration, it had been a fabulous day summarized into 4 key parts: walking, monkeys, sea water, and photography.
(Mumbai is deceptively hot, the intense humidity and the burning Indian sun zap the water and the energy out of you faster than you can put it back in, so be careful and try to travel with a few liters of water in a camelback or something equivalent!)
We began the day with our hearty smoothies and were out the door on our way to the bus
station. After checking with the attendant in the kiosk we joined the queue for the bus that would take us close to the University. The bus looked like it had just dropped out of London, whatever company makes the buses for the public transit system in the UK must make the busses in India as well because they were identical. Sitting in this familiar bus, looking out the window gave a completely different view of Mumbai from that which you experience on the train. The motorway was enormous and although it only had about 4 lanes the cars were driving as though there were 7. The little streams we passed along the side of the road had pitch black water in them and were a not so pleasant reminder as to why one is not to consume the water in Mumbai. The bus dropped us a short walk from the university, and after running across the road we found ourselves on a lush tropical campus. Monkey's were flinging themselves around in the trees and chasing each other across the tarmac. I left my things in a cubby outside the library and sat inside for a while to write while my friend got on with her University business.
We finally made it to Gateway of India where we bought our tickets for the ferry to the Elephanta cave. We queued down a ramp on the back side of the gateway for the ferry and as we got closer to water level we were suddenly able to see that instead of walking down a pier and boarding the ferry as had been expected, we would be boarding in a very different way. There was a row of three ferrys lined up next to one another, now you are probably thinking that means you can touch each boat from the dock but you would be incorrect. The first boat is parallel to the dock, a concrete slab 2 inches deep in the Arabian Sea. The second boat was parallel to the first and the third parallel to the second. To board the ferry we waded across the slippery concrete through the sea water to wait for that perfect moment when the wave had reached its lowest point to jump on to the first boat. Having made it successfully through the first challenge we walked through the ferry and approached the second obstacle where a man stood patiently waiting. The two boats were lined up next to each other moving to their own individual rhythm. Complete with slippery wooden decks either side the goal was to time your crossing just right so that you could simply step onto the other ferry without slipping and potentially falling in between two massive ferries into the Arabian Sea. Fortunately we were both successful at overcoming the second obstacle as well as the third which was exactly the same for the third and final ferry. After earning our seat on the ferry, we took a seat on the inner row of the first level, looking out onto the ocean while happily being in the shade. From here we watched as children got passed from boat to boat and the man on the receiving boat steadied the people that slipped so they wouldn't fall. (This method seemed to be the local favorite as it was how we got on and off the ferry all day.)
The boat ride was about an hour and incredibly pleasant except for when the black sea water of the Arabian Ocean would splash up in our faces. Before we knew it we had arrived at the island, a little wet but in good spirits and after managing to get off the ferry we began walking down an incredibly long pier. At the end there were a slew of carriages at the bottom of a massive staircase. Venturing up the hill, past countless shops, we were constantly passed by people being carried up on these strange carriages. (The carriages, otherwise known as sedan chairs, were basically chairs with long arms in the front and back, each resting on the shoulders of local men.)
The Elephanta caves were amazing, so so beautiful. In some ways they reminded me of the temples in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Walking in the caves was like walking into an impressive stone temple. The ornate pillars through the center and elaborate carvings lining the walls were simply unbelievable. The first cave was incredibly large taking several minutes walk around and truly appreciate. The other caves were not as large but were equally impressive in their own unique ways. It was an absolutely scorching day and being inside the caves provided some well needed respite from the sun. The temperature was so incredibly different that they almost felt air-conditioned.
On the way down, we stopped to buy a few little things from the shops. For the vendors, this was their last chance for the night, the prices were dropping incredibly quickly enabling us to get some fabulous souvenirs without having to do too much haggling. Arriving at the ferry just in time we hopped on the boat and watched the sun begin to set as we chugged back to the Gateway of India.
By the time we were finally walking back to the train station, the sun had gone down, making the temperature finally bearable. Head pounding from dehydration with every step, it made it very easy to discourage an over-zealous drum sales man from continuing his sales pitch the entire way to the station. We walked through various streets and finally cut through a park which brought us to the train station. The ladies carriage was busy but not full like the men's carriages which were so packed that there were men basically hanging out from the sides of the train. We were finally on our way back to Bandra pounding head in full force it was a relief to arrive in Bandra and catch a rick back to the flat. By the time we made it back I was extremely sick and ended up sitting on the floor under a cold shower before curling up in bed and passing out, sleeping heavily in between bouts of sickness throughout the night.
Day 6: Mumbai Melancholy
A wasted day in terms of tourism but a much needed day of recovery. My day consisted of sitting at the flat sleeping and recovering. By the end of the day I was feeling much better so I popped out with the girls for kebabs and although I didn't eat much what I did nibble was incredibly tasty. Once we arrived back at the flat it was showers and straight to bed giving me the fabulous night's sleep I had been dreaming of the night before.
Day 7: Movie in Mumbai
As I was still not 100% we decided not to venture too far from the flat. Sleeping in late we took our time before getting up to go shopping. The markets provided us with masses of fantastic memoirs for purchase, from oil burners & oils to scarves, blankets, and cushion covers, we stocked up on souvenirs and enjoyed our lazy day. We had plans to go with some of the other Fulbright scholars to watch Iron Man 3 at the local theater, so we left the shops to catch a rick to the cinema.
What an experience! A movie theater in Mumbai lends a totally different movie watching experience to its viewers. The food selection is much more varied and exciting than your average theater in the states, providing various options: sweet and savory, healthy and glutinous. Before the film began, the Indian national anthem filled the theater with a waving flag on the screen and the whole audience stood in respect. After the anthem began a plethora of unusual ads including a rather graphic anti-smoking ad before Iron Man 3 finally commenced. Action in full force, Tony Stark mid sentence, suddenly the movie stopped, for what you ask? The customary intermission. Almost the entire audience shuffled out to restock on snacks during the 15 minute break and the film kicked back in mid sentence once the intermission was over. The film finished and we caught a rick back to the flat arriving back just before midnight. The next day we would leave for Aurangabad so I will leave you here until tomorrow's post.
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