WHAT a day!
This is our second full day in Mumbai, and man was it amazing! Firstly my Taiji and Taiaji (or Foi and Fua for the Guju folk, or Aunt and Uncle or the non-brownies) took us across the city to the Golden Star Restaurant in Central Mumbai, to taste some delectable Rajasthani cuisine. We all ordered the Thali (large plate with 8 or 9 bowls) and proceeded to be served some of the most delicious food ive ever had. You sit and the table and about 20 waiters carrying a multitude of dishes serve you...And the moment you take one spoon of curry or sabji, the waiters refill your bowl. We were just bursting by the end! Really wish my mom and fungus has been there to try it all out.
After the feast, we headed to Colaba to check out the Gateway of India. The gateway is a solid piece of basalt overlooking the Arabian sea. Its quite a phenomenal site, and really gives voice to India's colonial past. But to be honest, it's difficult to really appreciate the beauty of the structure are you are constantly being assailed by pedlers and amateur photographers who are trying to convince you to purchase thier services and expertise.
We managed to avoid thier constant offers and eventually walked down the worf towards the Taj Hotel, site of the 2008 Bombay Terrorist Attacks. Built in 1903, the Taj is India's oldest and most reknowned hotel, having hosted some of the worlds most famous people including the Beatles and Brad and Angelina. In 2008 it also became the site of India's worst terrorist attack, after 4 individuals detonated bombs and opened fire on it's occupents and guests. Today the hotel looks to be almost perfectly restored, with only a slight difference in paint colours visible from the outside indicating recet renovations. The cafe inside the hotel is also said to posess bullet holes, vesitages of the police battle that raged immediatly following the attack. But otherwise the hotel is virtually flawless. There is a large police presence outside of the TAj, complete with armoured vehicles and armed patrolmen at all times. You are required to walk through metal detectors before entering any mall, theatre, and monument as well, and your bags and person are regularly searched. As my uncle informed me, this is pretty typical around the more popular areas in Mumbai, as the fear of terrorism is still strong amoungst the populance.
After the Taj, me, my dad, my aunt and cousin, headed down Colaba, to check out the stalls and street vendors. You can buy just about anyting from here. Fruit sellers and spice peddlers are seperated by jewelry and clothing stalls as far as the eye can see. We bought a few trinkets, but the heat proved to be a little bit daunting, so we eventually sought refuge in my uncle's air conditioned Jetta.
Later in the evening, me, my cousin, aunt and dad, headed to Pheonix street to check out a little of the night life in Mumbai. Mumbai is home to a lively and exciting social scene, and it's not uncommon to pass clubs and studios raging with the latest bollywood offerings and comedy shows. We managed to get tickets to the Canvas Laugh Factory, featuring Brij Bhakta and Varun Thakur. Honestly, i havn't laughed that hard in AGES. It was excellent. All in english, and ranging in theme from life in Mumbai, to the immigrant experiance abroad, itwas constant laughs from beginning to end. Mumbai's arts and social scene is reputed to be one of the best in the world, with regular appearances by Bollywood stars and industry hotshots....so the level of theatre and comedy is unparalleled.
We also drove around the Juhu and Bandra regions of Mumbai, which homes some of India's most famous glitterati including Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor (*drool) and Katrina Kaif. The highest echelons of bollywood society are considered higher than royalyu, and revered more than the American President or even the Queen of England combined. Hundreds of individuals constantly camp outside the houses of the top stars, hoping for just a glimpse of thier idols. The fanfare behind Bollywood is like nothing ive ever seen. Billboards of new films and advertisements litter every wall, bus and stall throughout the city. I can't imagine even Hollywood is as glamerous as this.
To be completely honest, Mumbai is one of the most fabulous cities ive ever been to. Once you get over the initial shock of the multitudes of people, the weird and distinctive smells, and even the crazy streets and vendors, it is such an experiance that you find yourself not wanting to leave. The culture is unique even in India, and the peoples and places that make it up are so interesting and exciting, that you fall in love with it just by walking down the street.
I wish we had another day or two to hang out here, but tomorrow morning we are headed to Aurangabad, to check out the caves at Ajanta and Ellora. So my next post will likely be fromthere.
Wow..i totally said i wasn't gonna write a novel, and yet here it is.
Stay tuned for hte next post!
- k
P.s. Photos to come!...Turns out we don't have a cord that is compatible with my Tab, so it might be a few more days before photos are uploaded!
This is our second full day in Mumbai, and man was it amazing! Firstly my Taiji and Taiaji (or Foi and Fua for the Guju folk, or Aunt and Uncle or the non-brownies) took us across the city to the Golden Star Restaurant in Central Mumbai, to taste some delectable Rajasthani cuisine. We all ordered the Thali (large plate with 8 or 9 bowls) and proceeded to be served some of the most delicious food ive ever had. You sit and the table and about 20 waiters carrying a multitude of dishes serve you...And the moment you take one spoon of curry or sabji, the waiters refill your bowl. We were just bursting by the end! Really wish my mom and fungus has been there to try it all out.
After the feast, we headed to Colaba to check out the Gateway of India. The gateway is a solid piece of basalt overlooking the Arabian sea. Its quite a phenomenal site, and really gives voice to India's colonial past. But to be honest, it's difficult to really appreciate the beauty of the structure are you are constantly being assailed by pedlers and amateur photographers who are trying to convince you to purchase thier services and expertise.
We managed to avoid thier constant offers and eventually walked down the worf towards the Taj Hotel, site of the 2008 Bombay Terrorist Attacks. Built in 1903, the Taj is India's oldest and most reknowned hotel, having hosted some of the worlds most famous people including the Beatles and Brad and Angelina. In 2008 it also became the site of India's worst terrorist attack, after 4 individuals detonated bombs and opened fire on it's occupents and guests. Today the hotel looks to be almost perfectly restored, with only a slight difference in paint colours visible from the outside indicating recet renovations. The cafe inside the hotel is also said to posess bullet holes, vesitages of the police battle that raged immediatly following the attack. But otherwise the hotel is virtually flawless. There is a large police presence outside of the TAj, complete with armoured vehicles and armed patrolmen at all times. You are required to walk through metal detectors before entering any mall, theatre, and monument as well, and your bags and person are regularly searched. As my uncle informed me, this is pretty typical around the more popular areas in Mumbai, as the fear of terrorism is still strong amoungst the populance.
After the Taj, me, my dad, my aunt and cousin, headed down Colaba, to check out the stalls and street vendors. You can buy just about anyting from here. Fruit sellers and spice peddlers are seperated by jewelry and clothing stalls as far as the eye can see. We bought a few trinkets, but the heat proved to be a little bit daunting, so we eventually sought refuge in my uncle's air conditioned Jetta.
Later in the evening, me, my cousin, aunt and dad, headed to Pheonix street to check out a little of the night life in Mumbai. Mumbai is home to a lively and exciting social scene, and it's not uncommon to pass clubs and studios raging with the latest bollywood offerings and comedy shows. We managed to get tickets to the Canvas Laugh Factory, featuring Brij Bhakta and Varun Thakur. Honestly, i havn't laughed that hard in AGES. It was excellent. All in english, and ranging in theme from life in Mumbai, to the immigrant experiance abroad, itwas constant laughs from beginning to end. Mumbai's arts and social scene is reputed to be one of the best in the world, with regular appearances by Bollywood stars and industry hotshots....so the level of theatre and comedy is unparalleled.
We also drove around the Juhu and Bandra regions of Mumbai, which homes some of India's most famous glitterati including Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor (*drool) and Katrina Kaif. The highest echelons of bollywood society are considered higher than royalyu, and revered more than the American President or even the Queen of England combined. Hundreds of individuals constantly camp outside the houses of the top stars, hoping for just a glimpse of thier idols. The fanfare behind Bollywood is like nothing ive ever seen. Billboards of new films and advertisements litter every wall, bus and stall throughout the city. I can't imagine even Hollywood is as glamerous as this.
To be completely honest, Mumbai is one of the most fabulous cities ive ever been to. Once you get over the initial shock of the multitudes of people, the weird and distinctive smells, and even the crazy streets and vendors, it is such an experiance that you find yourself not wanting to leave. The culture is unique even in India, and the peoples and places that make it up are so interesting and exciting, that you fall in love with it just by walking down the street.
I wish we had another day or two to hang out here, but tomorrow morning we are headed to Aurangabad, to check out the caves at Ajanta and Ellora. So my next post will likely be fromthere.
Wow..i totally said i wasn't gonna write a novel, and yet here it is.
Stay tuned for hte next post!
- k
P.s. Photos to come!...Turns out we don't have a cord that is compatible with my Tab, so it might be a few more days before photos are uploaded!
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