Thursday, February 26, 2015

By train from New Delhi to Mumbai (Bombay) for a few days.


Eighteen hour night train to Mumbai – sharing 2nd class compartment with Max, American who is freelance journalist for the NY Times, moving from Delhi to Mumbai. Intelligent, informative, interesting and charming company.

BOMBAY! Seashore hotel in Colaba, touristy and backpacker part of town. French restaurant with whole grain large round loaves of bread, yippee.
View from our room, Gateway to India
Inside the Seashore Hotel, nice and clean
Another view from our hotel
The monsoon season had not yet ended.
Fishing boats in Bombay harbor.
Feeding pigeons at The Gateway to India
The Taj Palace Hotel on the Colaba waterfront
Ferry across Mumbai Harbor to the village of Mandwa past 2 oil or gas platforms, rusted tankers, rusted dredgers. Not much there but peaceful and a good break from the noise and bustle of the city. Could not find a café for lunch, and a kind local man invited us into his house, introduced us to his 96 year old father and gave us 3 bananas each.
Ferry boats in front of the Taj Palace and Gateway to India

Our ferry to Mandwa

Leaving Mumbai for Mandwa

One of a number of oil platforms in Mumbai Harbor

Standing guard at a local house on Mandwa

Nice old colonial house at Mandwa

More fishing boats with Mumbai in the distance
Back to Mumbai and 4 days hiking around town – very crowded market adorned by Rudyard Kipling’s Dad’s friezes.
Frieze created by Rudyard Kipling's father almost 100 years ago
Kalighoda area of current art scene, old synagogue, David Sassoon 200 yr old Library, gorgeous corner view from hotel room – harbor, Gateway of India, street life and hundreds of crows. Fed the crows from the window ledge. 1st look at whole families living on the street. Moms are street sweepers. At night parents spoon the little kids and by 8 yrs old they are sleeping separately on the pavement.










Mumbai City from Colaba area
Next: 6 Hour Train to Goa........