I will be arriving at 7:30 AM at the Mumbai's centrally located railroad station, Chartrapati Shivaj Terminal (CST). My current plan is to stay at a hotel located near CST.....drop my travel bag at the hotel and take an 7 hour tour appropriately called "Mumbai Highlights". The tour finishes at 4 PM which gives me enough time to unpack, shower and get ready for "Mumbai by Night" which starts at 7 PM and finishes at 10 PM....I believe that I will be tired enough to get a good night sleep....zzzzzz.
April 9 will be my final day in India. I am uncertain on what I will do....walk the Colaba and Fort areas viewing the mix of British Colonial and Indian architecture....visit the Gateway of India and take a ferry to Elephanta Island and visit famous Hindu caves, have tea at the Taj Mahal hotel, visit a Bollywood movie set or take a "slum tour".
I will be leaving from downtown Mumbai for the international airport around 6 PM since the drive could take up to 3 hours.
My plane departs at 1 AM on April 10....I betcha that I will be glad to board the plane, reflect on my trip and most importantly...look forward to seeing my darling wife, Ann Marie, and my family. I fly from Mumbai ---> Zurick, Switzerland ----> Frankfurt, Germany ---> Washington Dulles airport. (My Plans)
____________________________________
As planned, I arrived in Mumbai on time...went to the hotel which provided me with a complimentary breakfast and let me into my room early. I freshen up and headed back to the CST railroad station to meet up with my tour guide...I ended up with 2 tour guides. The tour was run by a branch of Intrepid called Urban Adventures which offers day tours at many major cities throughout the world. The tour lasted approximately six hours...we visited major Mumbai sites...traveled by tuk-tuk, black/yellow cab and the local train to get a flavor of how inter-city travel works and had lunch at a neighborhood Indian restaurant.
Gateway to India and Taj are located near boat area where the Mumbai terror attack was launched in 2008.
Next we visited the ancient Babulnath Hindu Temple that sits in the midst of this large metropolis. As devotees ascend the steps leading to the Temple, they light small candles that sit on beetle leaves as offerings to the Lord Shiva. Believers place a leaf/candle on each step leading to the main temple.
Banganga is a small lake area which has similarities to the Varanasi cremation site. It is believed that the water in this lake merges with the Ganges...people come to the lake to spread deceased ashes since they are unable to visit Varanasi or other holy sites. There is a mythological story whereby one of the Hindu Gods shots an arrow into the air which pierced the earth and the lake iwa formed...the water is fresh and no one can explain the source of this water that is so near to the ocean.
We visited Mumbai's Hanging Garden area, Kamala Nehru Park, which is a small park which has a great vantage point overlooking Chowpatty beach and Mumbai's Marine Drive. Pictures show you the day view and the night view often referred to as the "string of pearls".
The Haji Ali's Mosque appears to float in the Arabian Sea when in fact it is connected to the mainland via a narrow causeway. When the tide is in, it is impossible to walk to/from the Mosque. The 1st picture shows the Mosque at high tide...the 2nd is a close-up picture which I took with my camera's telephoto lens...best I could do. One can visit the Mosque but allow yourself a minimum of 2 hours...it's a long walk and the crowds were long later in the day at low tide.
We did not visit Mumbai's famous slum areas which were made famous in the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire"...Mumbai's slums are 2nd largest slum in the world after Rio's favelas. Here are some pictures of the area as we drove by. I met a woman working for Reuters who was writing an article about the slums....she said that there a number of small industries operating within the slum...they generate revenues approaching $5 billion.
Since it was Easter Sunday, it was appropriate to visit a Mount Mary's Catholic Church in Bandra. As with all religions in India, there is a story about the Church and how its location was chosen...google "Mount Mary Catholic Church, Mumbai" for the answer.
Mumbai at Night - the evening tour visited 3 sites that I had visited during the day. Here are some evening pictures of Mumbai:
Chowpaddy Beach - a large beach area which attracts mainly families to its warm sand and cool night breezes. The lighted building is their new modern hospital which is clearly visible from the beach.
Victoria Terminus - Built by the British as Mumbai's central rail railway station in 1887. It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and its architecture is stunning.
At the end of the evening, I went to take additional pictures of the Gateway to India and the Taj Mahal Hotel at night. Interestingly, they were not illuminated except the top of the Taj. The horse drawn carriages with their colorful lights ply the streets near the Taj and offer tourists a slow paced view of Mumbai's Colaba neighborhood.
April 9 will be my final day in India. I am uncertain on what I will do....walk the Colaba and Fort areas viewing the mix of British Colonial and Indian architecture....visit the Gateway of India and take a ferry to Elephanta Island and visit famous Hindu caves, have tea at the Taj Mahal hotel, visit a Bollywood movie set or take a "slum tour".
I will be leaving from downtown Mumbai for the international airport around 6 PM since the drive could take up to 3 hours.
My plane departs at 1 AM on April 10....I betcha that I will be glad to board the plane, reflect on my trip and most importantly...look forward to seeing my darling wife, Ann Marie, and my family. I fly from Mumbai ---> Zurick, Switzerland ----> Frankfurt, Germany ---> Washington Dulles airport. (My Plans)
____________________________________
As planned, I arrived in Mumbai on time...went to the hotel which provided me with a complimentary breakfast and let me into my room early. I freshen up and headed back to the CST railroad station to meet up with my tour guide...I ended up with 2 tour guides. The tour was run by a branch of Intrepid called Urban Adventures which offers day tours at many major cities throughout the world. The tour lasted approximately six hours...we visited major Mumbai sites...traveled by tuk-tuk, black/yellow cab and the local train to get a flavor of how inter-city travel works and had lunch at a neighborhood Indian restaurant.
Gateway to India and Taj are located near boat area where the Mumbai terror attack was launched in 2008.
 |
| Gateway of India |
 |
| Taj Mahal Hotel |
 |
| Boat Area in Front of Taj |
 |
| Mumbai Business Skyline |
Next we visited the ancient Babulnath Hindu Temple that sits in the midst of this large metropolis. As devotees ascend the steps leading to the Temple, they light small candles that sit on beetle leaves as offerings to the Lord Shiva. Believers place a leaf/candle on each step leading to the main temple.
 |
| Near Temple Entrance |
 |
| Lighted Offerings |
Banganga is a small lake area which has similarities to the Varanasi cremation site. It is believed that the water in this lake merges with the Ganges...people come to the lake to spread deceased ashes since they are unable to visit Varanasi or other holy sites. There is a mythological story whereby one of the Hindu Gods shots an arrow into the air which pierced the earth and the lake iwa formed...the water is fresh and no one can explain the source of this water that is so near to the ocean.
 |
| Urban Nature of Banganga Lake |
 |
| Ceremony Honoring the Deceased |
We visited Mumbai's Hanging Garden area, Kamala Nehru Park, which is a small park which has a great vantage point overlooking Chowpatty beach and Mumbai's Marine Drive. Pictures show you the day view and the night view often referred to as the "string of pearls".
 |
| Chowpatty Beach and Skyline |
 |
| "String of Pearls" |
The Haji Ali's Mosque appears to float in the Arabian Sea when in fact it is connected to the mainland via a narrow causeway. When the tide is in, it is impossible to walk to/from the Mosque. The 1st picture shows the Mosque at high tide...the 2nd is a close-up picture which I took with my camera's telephoto lens...best I could do. One can visit the Mosque but allow yourself a minimum of 2 hours...it's a long walk and the crowds were long later in the day at low tide.
 |
| Cut-Off from the Shore |
 |
| Close-Up of Haji Ali's Mosque |
We did not visit Mumbai's famous slum areas which were made famous in the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire"...Mumbai's slums are 2nd largest slum in the world after Rio's favelas. Here are some pictures of the area as we drove by. I met a woman working for Reuters who was writing an article about the slums....she said that there a number of small industries operating within the slum...they generate revenues approaching $5 billion.
 |
| High-Rise Poverty |
 |
| Low-Rise Poverty |
Since it was Easter Sunday, it was appropriate to visit a Mount Mary's Catholic Church in Bandra. As with all religions in India, there is a story about the Church and how its location was chosen...google "Mount Mary Catholic Church, Mumbai" for the answer.
 |
| Shadow of His Sacrifice |
 |
| Mount Mary Church |
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| Main Altar |
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| Church's Beautiful Interior |
Mumbai at Night - the evening tour visited 3 sites that I had visited during the day. Here are some evening pictures of Mumbai:
Chowpaddy Beach - a large beach area which attracts mainly families to its warm sand and cool night breezes. The lighted building is their new modern hospital which is clearly visible from the beach.
 |
 |
Victoria Terminus - Built by the British as Mumbai's central rail railway station in 1887. It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and its architecture is stunning.
 |
At the end of the evening, I went to take additional pictures of the Gateway to India and the Taj Mahal Hotel at night. Interestingly, they were not illuminated except the top of the Taj. The horse drawn carriages with their colorful lights ply the streets near the Taj and offer tourists a slow paced view of Mumbai's Colaba neighborhood.
 |
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