Our journey began in Mumbai, India where we had a couple of days to look around.
Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) is a densely populated city on India’s west coast. A financial center, it's India's largest city. On the Mumbai Harbour waterfront stands the iconic Gateway of India stone arch, built by the British Raj in 1924. Offshore, nearby Elephanta Island holds ancient cave temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The city is also famous as the heart of the Bollywood film industry. It was built on a site of ancient settlement, and it took its name from the local goddess Mumba the consort of Shiva one of the principal deities of Hinduism—whose temple once stood in what is now the southeastern section of the city. It became known as Bombay during the British colonial period, the name possibly an Anglicized corruption of Mumbai or perhaps of Bom Baim (“Good Harbor”), supposedly a Portuguese name for the locale. The name Mumbai was restored officially in 1995.
Mumbai, long the center of India’s cotton textile industry, subsequently developed a highly diversified manufacturing sector that included an increasingly important information technology (IT) component. In addition, the city’s commercial and financial institutions are strong and vigorous, and Mumbai serves as the country’s financial hub. It suffers, however, from some of the perennial problems of many large expanding industrial cities: air and water pollution, widespread areas of substandard housing, and overcrowding.
We did a half day excursion to Elephanta Caves on an island off the coast, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also visited the Museum and the Gateway of India Arch and briefly viewed the huge Oval Maidan recreation ground where there are many, many cricket pitches.
Old buildings meet new high rise apartment blocks.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India
Gateway of India Monument where the ferry boats are located
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Ferries to Elephanta Island
Local family onboard the ferry
Lots of ships moored in the bay
Elephanta Island rises from the mist and smog
A tourist train takes you from the pier to the bottom of the hill where the tourist stalls are located
Small fishing boat in the bay
Local monkey (Bonnet Macaque)
Incense stick
The steps to the cave are shaded with blue tarpaulins which also keep off the rain
If you cannot manage the steps you can pay guys to carry you on a chair !
Let sleeping dogs lie!
A welcome sight after all those steps
Kite
Entrance to the caves
Everything is carved out of the original rock face
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times
Huge Buddha"s head in the grounds.
Gateway of India near sunset
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Local refreshment area
The Oval Maidan recreation grounds
Almost Art-Deco style building near our hotel
The Museum at night