17.02.2019
The 2nd Brahmaputra Cruise Tour was finished and the airport transfer was at 22:00. Again I had booked my onward flight so I could go with the guests to the airport and stay there waiting for the flight instead of going back to a hotel. No point. I like to arrive early in a destination to have maximum time there. Flying at night I prefer – I sleep in the plane and save hotel fees.
I waved the guests off by 22:30 and then found the same quiet bench like last time and settled in. I had checked in online for my Air India flight already and it was on the display – it would be going! I sat there writing until approx 01:00, then went to bag drop. There was a long line up – I had to check in at the International Air India counter … ??? What the heck … Well, I had enough time. Then, however, I had to go to the international gate entrance as well … Passport control? For Mumbai? – No! – Passengers with D on their boarding pass go through a special passport control, madam! They just check, but stamp only the boarding pass! – But then I have to go through International security check! – Yes! – But there are no fluids allowed! At Domestic a bottle of water is allowed! – No, madam, you have to throw the water bottle! – But I fly domestic! – But your flight leaves from International, because it came from Shanghai and goes via Delhi to Mumbai! – Oh …
Passport control was quick, but then there was a huge line on all the security checks. In the middle of the night there are most international flights leaving. It took forever and they did the proper international check … But I was flying domestic …
So I was back in international transit before I planned to. Lucky I was – the guests’ flight to Germany had been on time and had left already. My flight was at 04:00 and it was going to be on time. I found the gate and sat there. I finished my leftover pizza from lunch. It was a big mistake. Not only did it not taste good cold, but it also sat in my stomach funnily for days … Well … I guess it was the last time I had cold pizza in India …
My flight was very much on time and even arrived 30 min earlier in Mumbai – around 06:00. It was a long way to walk to the exit. At the immigration check they wanted me to go for the visa counters, but I produced my boarding pass with the big fat D and all the stamps from Mumbai and was motioned to a special counter again. Domestic passengers just had to present their boarding passes there. Maybe they had not thought that a foreigner would fly domestic from Delhi to Mumbai ….
My bag came relatively quick and I walked out in search of the prepaid taxi counter. They had moved it all again since the last time I was here 2 years ago ….. I asked at the Uber counter for a ride, but their system was down and they told me to do it via the app. But I had not set up the Uber app, because it was too complicated with the payment account. To be honest, I had not really looked at it. The Ola app seemed to be easier, but I had not used it yet. Therefore I followed the signs to Prepaid Taxi pick up and there was another prepaid counter. None AC taxi to Fort, where my hotel was, cost me Rs 670. That was OK. I found the taxi quickly and off we went.
Mumbai – formerly known as Bombay – is the most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 12.4 mio inhabitants. It lies on the west coast of India. It is also the wealthiest city in India and has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires among all cities in India. The 7 islands that constitute Mumbai were for centuries under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese Empire and subsequently to the East India Company in 1661. During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped and along with construction of major roads and railways it was transformed into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. The city’s official name change from Bombay to Mumbai happened when the regional political party Shiv Sena came into power in 1995. They saw Bombay as a legacy of British colonialism and wanted the city’s name to reflect its Maratha heritage, hence renaming it to pay tribute to the goddess Mumbadevi. Mumbai is India’s financial powerhouse, fashion epicentre and a pulse point of religious tension.
There was almost no traffic this early in the morning and the ride was quick. As we came closer to my hotel I led the driver by GPS. The hotel I booked was hard to find, I remembered from last time I stayed there. I had online booked the same hotel like 2 years ago – Hotel Elphinstone. There are so many options in the city and I had picked wrongly many times, therefore I stuck to the familiar.
The hotel looks shabby from the outside, but inside it is newly renovated, clean and comfortable. The rooms are tiny and have no window, that is true, but what is the difference of having no window and having a window which looks onto the wall of the next building anyway?
I arrived there approx 07:30, but had to wait only maybe 30 min before I could check in. I had advised my arrival time and they had said, if a room is available, then I could check-in early. By 08:00 I was lying in my bad for a quick sleep.
10:00 I had set the alarm and got up. I decided to walk all the way to Colaba, the old British quarter and long Mumbai’s unofficial tourist headquarters. It is something like Khao San Road in Bangkok or Sudder Street used to be in Calcutta back in the days. On the way I detoured to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – until 1996 known as Victoria Terminus. It is a historic railway station and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The station was built in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and is to date one of the busiest railway stations in India, serving as a terminal for both long-distance trains and commuter trains. I went in search of the Tourist Booking counter to check on trains and tickets for Matheran. Several people pointed the searching foreigner in the right direction, therefore I found it quickly. I had to line up a while – there is only one window serving foreigners.
When it was finally my turn, I was told Neral – where I would have to change to the toy train to Matheran – was still considered Mumbai metropolitan area and therefore only unreserved tickets were sold on the spot. Those tickets were sold at a totally different counter in a different section of the station. I went to check out that counter – You go out and then straight and then right and then left and then right and then … somewhere over there! – I did find it eventually quicker than expected and was told – Trains to Neral go like all the time, just come, buy a ticket and go! – I decided to do that tomorrow! Early tomorrow!
Mumbai is big. It is full of dreamers and hard-labourers, starlets and mobsters, stray dogs and exotic birds, artists and servants, fisherfolk and crorepatis (millionaires), Bollywood bling, bumper-to-bumper traffic and lots and lots of people. It has India’s most prolific film industry, some of Asia’s biggest slums as well as the world’s most expensive homes and the largest tropical forest in an urban zone. The heart of the city contains some of the grandest colonial-era architecture on the planet, unique bazaars, hidden temples, hipster enclaves and India’s premier restaurants and nightlife.
Vibrant and colourful, Colaba is compact, walkable and packed with stuff to see and do. Located on the very tip of the tiny peninsula that makes up Mumbai, Colaba is a diverse and dynamic area of the city, filled with bustling markets, colorful art galleries and historic monuments. It is experiencing a grand renaissance, Indian-style. In the midst is Colaba Causeway – a market extending from a scattered collection of stalls to a seemingly neverending boardwalk of irresistible things. A rumpus of hawkers and street vendors, it’s the place to pick up knick-knacks and hippy chic. Tie-dyed sweat pants and bead necklaces, nuggets of rock crystal, incense, dubious antiques and galaxies of bags, exotic shawls, amusing household items, t-shirts sporting mottos and slogans – with prices as low as your bargaining will take you.
I walked the tourist stretch and hoped to remember the tailor shop where I had my trousers copied last time I was here. Of course, I had forgotten to look up the address in my – handwritten – travel journal before leaving … but then again this trip to Mumbai was not in the cards when I left home. Originally I was supposed to stay only till mid-Feb and fly home with the guests after the 2nd tour. But when I was already on the 1st tour, I had received the assignment for the 3rd tour as well and had decided to stay on. Since I like Mumbai, I came here. Good chance to get new trousers made … Funnily enough, I found the Immediate Boutique immediately. It is located in a side street just off the main strip. I dumped my good trousers – made here 2 years ago – on the counter and ordered 4 copies – 2 in black and 2 in white. Selecting the fabric took the longest time, but eventually they found what I liked and after some bargaining we also settled on the price. Rs 15000 for 4 fancy trousers are not bad, since I like the style of them and cannot get them anywhere else. Mind you the very original of those trousers – now being copied for the second time – I bought 10 years ago at C & A for € 15 …. Last time they made this set of trousers in 24 hrs, this time I gave them 3 days, because I planned on 2 days Matheran.
Having organized the trousers, I walked a few times up and down the market along the causeway in search of nothing in particular. Sometimes you find something you ar not looking for just browsing the stalls. Then I realized that I was rather sweaty and somewhat dusty and since I wanted to go to have fancy cocktails at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel later, it might be a good idea to get a nicer top. Dress code in the Harbour Bar is smart casual, but even though mid-afternoon it is not busy there, I did not want to stick out too much. So I took the opportunity and browsed the clothing shops and eventually found a nice embroidered kurta for the occasion.
On the way to the Taj Palace Hotel I frequented the ATM again … money goes fast in Mumbai … I walked past the Gateway of India, which was erected in 1911 on the spot where King George V and Queen Mary first landed on Indian soil, it’s Mumbai’s most iconic monument. Since I had been there a few times before and could not be bothered with the security checks, I beelined for the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel across from the Gateway instead. Following the attacks in 2008 security is tight here, too. But here it did not put me off, I was on a mission.
The Taj Mahal Palace opened in Mumbai, then Bombay, in 1903, giving birth to the country’s first harbour landmark. This legendary luxury hotel has played host to kings, dignitaries and eminent personalities from across the globe. I have been a few times at the Harbour Bar to sip cocktails. However, I have to admit, I never dared to venture further into the hotel than the lobby. I do know where the restrooms are located and dipped in to change quickly.
“Every city has its classic bar. Iconoclastic or premier, it must capture the mood of the city, reflect its heritage and its pulse. In Mumbai the classic bar must be the Harbour Bar at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Its only possible rival is The Eau Bar at the Oberoi, but the view from Harbour Bar is infinitely more interesting, and being situated in one of the great hotels of Asia is itself a huge historical advantage. Harbour Bar looks out on the Gateway of India. The entrance has a mother of pearl feel as if you are entering somewhere extraordinarily glamorous. In the old days the bar had a very clubby nautical feel, closed in with wooden floors and a makeshift wooden bar. Now the image has changed. The wood has given way to some exquisite marble, the floor has been raised so that from the comfortable art deco chairs clientele can view the harbor — surely one of the most iconic sites in the city with its boats, yachts and ships bobbing on the ocean waves. The trellis has been removed and a massive marble bar has been placed by the entrance. Modernizing an institution that has been around since the 1930s is a task fraught with risk, but somehow the Taj has pulled it off. Harbour Bar is the oldest licensed bar in Mumbai. The licence plate used to be displayed prominently and proudly at the entrance of the original Harbour Bar. “
As usual I stuck to the cocktails and as usual – you can tell, I have been here before – I started out with the signature cocktail “From the Harbour since 1933” – it was invented in the year the bar opened, which happened to coincide with the abolition of prohibition in the US. The story behind the cocktail is that an American who had his yacht moored by the Gateway of India heard about the abolition of prohibition in his country, entered the Harbour Bar to celebrate and demanded a cocktail which would blow him away. The bartender used Indian fruit juices to concoct a cocktail that is now known as “From the Harbour since 1933”. I like it, because the waiter brings it to the table, tells the story and then it gets flambéed.
Nowadays there is a glossy sleekness and understated opulence about the Harbour Bar – unfortunately I have never been here before the renovation – but more importantly a unique sense of discrete gentility belonging to a world that has vanished. There is no loud music distracting conversation, the lighting is perfect and even casual dress does not preclude smart.
And I had another cocktail – this time I chose “Wild Orchid”. It had Passionfruit Puree, Curry Leaves, Lemongrass, Ginger Beer and Absolut Vodka in it and it for sure was very good as well – even though it did not get flambéed … Like in every proper bar, they serve snacks with the drinks. Here they come in a three-tiered étagère. I ate them all … as usual … I like to return to favourite haunts …
Still standing I paid my – exorbitant – bill and went to change back into my smelly t-shirt. It was as always a chilled out and meditative afternoon here.
From the Taj palace I walked to the closest bus stop of Bus 44 which would take me right to my hotel. This bus goes from Colaba actually all the way north to Worli – once completely across the city. But I had to go only 15 min for Rs 10 to Carnac Bunder where the hotel was. Unfortunately, this bus only came every 20 or 30 minutes – on no apparent schedule, though. I had to just wait by the bus stop and hope I would not miss it. The problem with the busses in Mumbai is, that on the front they only display destination and number in Hindi …
Latin letters and numbers only appear next to the back doors … by the time this sign comes into view the bus has passed … I do know 44 looks somewhat like our 88 – vaguely similar like 88, though. And even on the bus stop you have to flag down the bus, otherwise it will just pass. This time I almost missed the bus – fortunately there was a traffic jam on the next junction and it had to stop some 50 m past the bus stop. I ran after it and jumped on. Bus doors are always open here anyway.
Back at the hotel I stopped at the local restaurant below for beer. There is only one of the several restaurants in the vicinity that sells beer and it is right below the hotel – lucky me. I took a couple of bottles to my room. Then I remembered that I had not eaten any food today other than the snacks in the bar. That awful cold pizza still sat in my stomach … I needed something, but Indian food did not strike my fancy today. I walked across the Carnac Bunder Bridge, because I knew there would be some fruit stalls over there – and bought mandarins and grapes.
I had some grapes and a beer, skipped the shower and fell asleep by 19:00. Tomorrow morning I wanted to get up at 04:00 to go to the train station and find that train to Matheran.
Skip to 19.02.2019
Arriving back from my fantastic short trip to Matheran around 15:00 I just took a short break thinking about what to do with the rest of the day. Mumbai is a good place to have fancy cocktails and it did not take long before I had the brilliant idea to look up, if there is a Social in Mumbai. Odeon Social in Delhi is very cool and Komal had told me there are others in the bigger cities. Sure enough I found Colaba Social on the internet and off I went.
I wanted to take the public Bus 44 to Apollo Bunder, but no bus came for a very long time. I waited like half an hour or so. Guess, it was stuck in traffic. Late afternoon rush hour was starting and that Bus 44 has a very long route from Worli in the North to Colaba in the South of Mumbai. Tired of waiting I tried the Ola App again and sure enough a car was close by. It arrived quickly and the short ride to Colaba cost me Rs 106. That included a Rs 25 cancellation fee – for what I was not sure, but I think I might have pushed a wrong button last time and ordered a cab when I did not need one or so. Traffic was not too bad yet, either and I was quickly in Colaba.
Colaba Social is located in a quiet side street just behind the Taj Palace Hotel. I found it easily and it looked as cool as the one in Delhi. In late afternoon it was already packed with mostly local young people. It is apparently a popular hangout, a bit off the tourist trail. Since Colaba is the tourist hub in Mumbai, most foreigners however hang out in the famous cafés on the main street – like Leopold Café or Montegar Café. For me they, however, have long lost their appeal – while in times gone by they were the backpacker hang outs where everybody met up and hung out and planned, now they are just places tourists go, because the guide books state it is a must. Those cafés have not changed in years and after I had been their once, I already had enough. They are expensive and uncomfortable and just live off their names.
“Colaba Social is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. An upscale café and bar, it is a hangout place for photographers and freelancers by day and a place where young professionals can tear into a fun meal by evening. Dressed for success, the place has lent a rugged, warehouse spin to its decor, drinks, food and presentation. It prides itself on being the perfect launch pad for projects, collaborations or a space to network with like-minded people – it is where artists, designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, photographers, writers, web developers and creative independents meet to bounce off ideas. Step in and be welcomed by the sight of unfinished bare walls, plush leather sofas, skeletal table clamp lights and bulbs dangling from the ceiling – minimal intervention in the existing space, minimum use of materials to be environmentally responsible, 100 % upcycled and creative furniture. This resulted in a space that kept most of the old architectural features intact, retaining the property’s original floors, windows and doors. Quite the perfect little surreal setting to fill in for a dull work day.”
The set up was similar to the Social in Delhi. Social is somewhat of a chain now, there are almost 20 Socials in the main cities of India. Here as well the menus were printed newspaper style. I got a nice table with a huge leather chair in a corner near the entrance. I had looked forward to the Green Papaya Salad, unfortunately it was not on the menu here. While the rest was pretty much the same, some items were different. No problem, I settled for The Thai Thali with shrimps and a Thai Maalish Cocktail.
The food was excellent. Thai Green Curry with shrimps! It was delicious! But the real deal at Social is the drinks menu. Fancy yourself drinking iced tea from a mini bathtub? Well, that’s not all. “The Reaction” is apparently served in a glass beaker with an injection syringe full of vodka and blue curacao. “The idea is to make drinking fun and social again. Every drink you have, you will remember it. And it won’t hurt your wallet either.” My first cocktail today – the Thai Maalish – had Gin, Lime, Basil and Lemongrass in it and came in a cool recycled glass made out of the blue bottle of my favourite Gin! It looked cool and tasted very good. I took Cosmo-explosion as second cocktail – it was good as well, but just a regular Cosmopolitain …
All filled up and happy I walked back to the bus stop at Apollo Bunder and waited for my Bus 44. There are never schedules displayed, though the busses must have one. Therefore it is always just waiting … While doing just that I watched a little rat come running out of the gutter, climb the fence and into the garbage bin by the bus stop in search for food. The bin was empty, though …
The bus ride was fun as usual. Yes, I could afford a taxi-ola-uber, but riding the public bus is much more down to earth and getting into the local spirit. I am on vacation and not in a rush, so it is some kind of meditation, too. In rush hour the busses are packed, but in other times – like now – it is very relaxing to ride the bus.
In the Mumbai public busses there is always a conductor with a block of printed tickets, a wad of banknots folded up between his fingers and a huge bag of change. He would walk the bus on every stop and collect the money from everybody getting on. He always asks where one wanted to get off and then calculated the price. Rs 10 in minimum charge and each section ticket has a different colour.
Back in the hotel, I did some writing and slept early.
20.02.2019
The plan for today was to get up very early and go to see the fish market at Sassoon Docks in Colaba. I did manage and left the hotel around 07:15. I took Bus 44 for a few stops to Old Customs House and changed there for Bus 125 which took me all the way to Sassoon Docks. I did not have to wait long for the busses today and got there quickly.
The bus stop was close to the imposing entrance gate for the docks, which looks like it leads into a fortress and I walked only a few minutes until I found the market. Built in 1871 and situated in South Mumbai, Sassoon Docks is one of the oldest docks in Mumbai, the only one open to the general public and one of the largest fish markets in the city. It was the first commercial wet dock in Western India that helped establish the cotton trade.
The Sassoon Docks is one of the oldest harbors in Mumbai and located in the outskirts of Colaba. With its enormous fish market it is considered the trading center of South Mumbai. Ships, cruise ships and fishing boats are aplenty and visitors can watch the fishermen bringing in their catches, repairing nets and trading fish – observing the harbor lifestyle is quite an experience while spending a day among the water-people of South Mumbai.
In the beginning of the market there were many women selling Green Mussels – known as the Asian Green Mussel – it is an economically important mussel which is harvested for food source due to its fast growth and used widely in several Asian cuisines. I had never seen it on an Indian menu, though … Hmmm …
The market was already busy when I arrived just before 08:00 – The trawlers start to pull into the docks as early as 05:00 – it looked as if everybody here was already halfway through their day. Most stalls were disappearing by 09:30. The sun had just come up and the harbor was full with boats unloading the night’s catch and getting it ready for sale. There was a basket of fish on almost every head – elbows jabbing, yelling, bare feet scurrying through fish guts and slime, pushing and pulling going on.
There was an overpowering smell – a mix of stale fish, humidity and sewage, that had a thick, almost layer-like quality. But surprisingly, standing in the middle of so much seafood this morning, the smell after a while was not too bad. Maybe the crushed ice from the baskets everywhere was helping. Maybe the sea was swallowing some of the stink. Or maybe I just got used to it …
The Marathi fishing community – or Kolis – are the original inhabitants of the island city, long before it morphed into present-day Mumbai. When Sassoon Docks was built in 1875 by Sir Albert Abdulla David Sassoon, a Jewish merchant, it was Western India’s first wet dock – one where ships could sail in regardless of the tide. Currently, about 1500 trawlers operate here, bringing in around 20 t of fish every day.
After a few minutes walking through what looked like a series of warehouse spaces on either side, I reached the actual docks, where hundreds of people were packed on to a partially covered chunk of jetty, boats bobbing alongside. Men pushed loaded handcarts through the crowds as they yelled for people to get out of the way, fisherwomen wove through holding plastic tubs filled with fish.
There was chaos in the sky, too, with hundreds of birds trying to sneak a bite. They mostly lounged on the roof of the jetty building and observed the happenings, always on the lookout for food. When no one was looking, egrets descended on a pile of small silver fish and picked one in their beaks briefly considering a second picking, but decides not to be greedy.
The sheer variety of fish on offer was mind-blowing – red snapper, tuna, squid, baby sharks, cuttlefish, blue crabs, stingray, pomfret, shrimps, giant prawns – and these were just the easily recognizable ones – were mostly whole, some crudely hacked, small pools of fresh blood and guts dotting every few steps.
My favourite were the baskets and baskets filled with Spiny Lobster and King Prawns ready to be sold to restaurant chefs. Spiny lobsters – also known as langustas, langouste or rock lobsters – are crustaceans with a superficial resemblance of true lobsters in terms of overall shape, but the two are not closely related. Spiny lobsters can be easily distinguished from true lobsters by their very long, thick, spiny antennae and by the lack of claws. Spiny lobsters are found in almost all warm seas including the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea, but are particularly common in Australasia.
Men offloaded baskets of tiny shrimp from boats. They did look as if they were cooked already. But that seemed very unlikely. I really would not know …
There were many groups of women crouched on the floor in circles, chatting as they worked, their fingers a blur as they shelled those piles of tiny pink prawns.
Everybody was paying attention, though, because a fish auction might start without any warning. The auctions are open only to wholesalers, though chefs of famous restaurants are shopping around here, too. I watched a boat crew unload a massive shark – it looked like a tiger shark – from a boat by tying it to ropes and pulling it up the side of the dock. It then lay there in wait to be auctioned off. Potential buyers were taking turns to check the shark, pressing its body, peeking at its insides, into its huge mouth.
There were also a couple of big silver-brownish stingrays lying on the dock waiting to be sold. I could not quite figure out what kind of sting ray they were, they looked like brown eagle ray and very sad.
The floor of the market was covered in slime, muddy water, fish guts, scales and blood. I had to always watch where I stepped – after a while I gave up, however and just tried to avoid the biggest mud puddles. I was not very successful … y shoes and trousers were spotted and smelled like fish afterwards.
There were so many people and everybody was pushing through in search of the freshest fish. While I did not see any dogs hanging around, there were a couple of well-fed cats in their element.
I walked around the fish market for probably 1.5 hrs. There was so much to see and take photos of. Once the boats had loaded off their catch, they were leaving the docks again and made room for more boats. The boat crews were taking a break now – lounging on top of their nets to have breakfast, taking bucket showers or just eyeing the funny foreigner with the camera.
As it got later the crowd thinned a bit and I had better views of all the fish on display on those makeshift stalls. There were baby hammerhead sharks on one stall for sale – they made me sad. While with the rest of the fish – I always had the food it made in front of my eye. But with baby sharks and stingrays it was different.
I also saw a woman selling huge fish eggs – at least that was what it looked like and what she gestured it to be. I could not figure out from which fish that was, but those fish eggs were strange – huge caviar.
The commotion of the fish market wound down by approx 09:30 indeed. There was still much selling and buying going on, but most stalls were empty – everything sold. Just then some guy in uniform approached me and started telling me in broken English – No photo! No photo! – Who are you and what is your problem? – No photo! No photo! – I am not taking photos of you! You are not interesting! And I did ask the women if I could take a photo of them! – No photo! No photo! … In the end the women there told him off – they thought the strange foreigner was entertaining – and I just walked off.
At the other end of the fish market near the big warehouses they sold more fish and shrimp. Everything was sorted by size in plastic boxes or on plastic sheets and apparently sold per box.
When I left the Sassoon Docks I walked towards Colaba Market. On the way out I found a couple of interesting murals. In 2017 the Sassoon Docks Art Project had been realised by St+art India Foundation in a unique collaboration with both private and public enterprises, cultural institutions and embassies using the largest canvas available in a city – its streets and its buildings. The Project had witnessed the creation of site-specific installations, murals, audio-visual experiences, screenings, curated walk-throughs, discussions and other cultural events over a period of 2 months. The transformation of a fishing waterfront into an experiential public art exhibition was realised with the collective creative vision of 30 artists. Some of the outside artworks were still visible.
The Colaba Market a few blocks further along the road is primarily a vegetable market that lies between the shops of Colaba Causeway and Sassoon Docks. Turning off the main road I had to side-step mopeds flying down the side road and walked past burlap sacks of rice, lentils, rich red Punjabi beans and clear plastic bags of masalas, cardamoms and anise. There were women arranging apples, men butchering chickens with sickles, rows of brightly coloured umbrellas covering eggplant, tomatoes, bitter gourd, garlic, chillies, onions and beans.
Towards the seashore behind residential buildings, the lane narrowed, the vegetable stands disappeared altogether and a few steps later I was alone in a quiet residential street. A couple of turns later, I was at the seafront promenade walking towards the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The views from the promenade this early in the morning were spectacular. I enjoyed the seagulls playing – they made a nice foreground for the photos.
The Gateway of India was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911, then an event of grand significance for British India and the British Empire. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the structure is an arch made of basalt and 26 m high. The construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay. It is located on the waterfront at Apollo Bunder area and overlooks the Arabian Sea. The monument has also been referred to as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai, because it is considered as a symbolic monument that represents the city of Mumbai and is located opposite the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. For the British arriving to India, the gateway was a symbol of power and majesty of the British Empire, today it serves as a monumental memento of British colonial rule over India. The Gateway of India is a major tourist destination in Mumbai and a popular gathering spot for locals, street vendors and photographers. This time around I only admired the grand structure from afar. Security around there is tied as well and there are always a lot of people. I just could not be bothered. In the morning the light is not that good for photos anyway there. So I just walked around it.
It is a common scene in India – hundreds of pigeons swarm around a person who holds a metal plate full of grains in one hand while scattering the grains with the other. Feeding the pigeons – highly illegal where I come from … – in India it is not something you can do – it is something you must do! It is a duty to feed each animal you find in the street. This comes from the old belief in reincarnation – each person must pass through numerous lives until his or her soul, completely evolved, joins with the Divine Light. And of course, those many lives include having been an animal. That is why it is very common to see all kinds of animals wandering the streets – cows, pigs, goats, dogs, birds – not so much in the center of big cities like Mumbai or Delhi anymore – here they are mostly banned nowadays – but anywhere else.
The transmigration of souls is closely related to the concept of karma – all actions carried out determine the conditions of this life and the following lives, in the same way that what was done in the past determines the conditions of the life being lived now. So in order to have good Karma, you have to do things that tilt the scales to the good side. The rule could be applied to all animals, but the Hindu culture is especially superstitious when it comes to pigeons. There are many religious groups who give special meaning to the feeding of these birds. Some hold the belief that they will never be hungry in their next lives if they feed the pigeons in this life. Others believe that when you die, your soul takes on the shape of a pigeon, so by feeding them, you are caring for the souls of your ancestors.
On the promenade I stopped at a shoeshine man as well. Basically I gave in to the calls off all the shoeshiners I had passed so far … The lucky one had a field day with trying to clean my shoes! I think he got frustrated after a while. While he was at brushing and polishing my shoes, I chatted with a young guy also waiting for a shoe shine. He asked me why I am wearing such shabby clothes …. Well, shall I explain him, that my suitcase is 3-quarters full with uniforms and materials for work and there is simply not much space for fancy travelers’ clothes? Or that I rather walk around in comfortable clothes rather than tight jeans? Or that I had just spent 2 days in the red dust of Matheran? I simply told him that I just been to the fish market and therefore shoes and trousers were covered in fishy goo …
In the end the shoeshiner gave up – I did not let him use shoe crème on my shoes – and he asked a ridiculous Rs 200 for the cleaning attempt. – Are you kidding me? The going rate is no more than Rs 20! But I will give you Rs 50 for the effort! – OK OK!
From Apollo Bunder I took my Bus 44 back to the hotel again, took a short break and put my shabby trousers in the laundry. I would walk around with my favorite hippy skirt now ….
