Of all the places in India, we spent the most time in Mumbai. We were the periods of May 28 to June 3, June 8 to 10 and June 13 to 15. So a total of 13 days.
There were a couple of reasons that we spent so much time there but thhe main reason was that Kiran was born in Mumbai and he wanted to spend some a lot of time there.
It also helps that Kiran's parents own a flat in Mumbai that we were able to stay at for free. That managed to save us a fair bit of accommodation money.
While were in Mumbai we were able to see the tourist sites, experience Mumbai living and hang out with some of Kiran's old friend.
Mumbai vs. Bombay
Most people are more familiar with Mumbai's old name of Bombay. Well it turns out that back in the 90's the government changed the name of Bombay to Mumbai.
The reason for this is that Mumbai is original name of this city and Bombay was the name the British assigned to it when they gained control. The whole name change is all about asserting that India is independent from foreign rule.
There's actually several things that have been renamed from their British names. Examples include the city of Calcutta being renamed Kolkata, the main train station of Mumbai having it's name changed from Victoria Termius to Chhatrapati Shivagi Terminus and my personal favorite, Prince of Whale's Museum being renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum.
Monsoon Season
Due to the timing of our trip we hit Mumbai just before the monsoon season began. However, we still got some rain. For about half the days we were in Mumbai it would rain for about an hour. This rain could be good or bad. If it happened at night it would cool the night down. However, if it happened during the day, it would just make the day hot and humid.
Actually you could describe most days in Mumbai as being hot and humid. The temperature ranged between 30-35 degrees while we were there, but it was the moisture that killed us. Whenever, I walked for 5 minutes outside I would become covered in sweet.
For the time in Mumbai I was covered in a moisture. It made me long for the imposing deserts of Rajasthan. Sure it was hotter, but at least sweat would evaporate.
Mulund
As I mentioned before we were lucky that Kiran's parents still had a flat in the Mumbai suburb of Mulund. Mulund is pretty nice area and is basically a middle class suburb.
Kiran parent's flat was actually quite nice. It was two bed room flat with a living room, kitchen and all the things one would need. I was too lazy to cook myself, but Richard took advantage of the kitchen to make several meals.
Odd thing about Mulund is that is greatly resembled the suburbs back home. For example, there were several malls that were similar to the ones that one would find anywhere in Canada. It was strange contrasting this to the poverty we had seen in most of places we had gone.
One day while we were walking around Mulund when we saw a fire break out in a near by rubbish/recycling pile. It was interesting to see people react to the fire. It was also interesting to see that it took about 45 minutes for a fire truck to show up. Fire insurance would probably be a good investment for a flat owner in Mumbai
Trains
The one downside with staying in Mulund is that it's pretty damn far from downtown Mumbai, most tourist sites and the main train station. That meant that we had to brave the local Mumbai train system in order to get downtown.
Mumbai doesn't have a metro and it's road system is over crowded. Therefore the only way that most of the population of Mumbai can get around is one the train and trust me, it feel like each train has the complete city population on it.
Most trains are packed. Not busy day C-train packed, I mean sardine, people being crushed to death packed. Every part of ones body is being touched by someone else. People literally hang on the outside of the door frame to stay in the train.
The most difficult part of the train comes when the train stops. If it's your stop, you have to push with all your might to get out. If you want to get on the train, you have to push with all your might to get on. It should be noted that this happens at the same time with half the train pushing to get out and the other half pushing to get on. It's not uncommon to see a shirt ripped or similar event.
You have to be on top of your game if you want to get off. The first time Kiran took the train he wasn't close enough to the door at his stop. No matter how hard he pushed he wasn't able to escape the train and had to get off at the next stop.
Based on what train we caught it'd take anywhere from 45-90 minutes to get down town to the main train station.
Down Town Mumbai
If you look at a map of Mumbai you'll see that there's a peninsula located in the southern part of the city. It's in this area that most of Mumbai's tourist sites are located.
Richard and I spent a day walking downtown Mumbai and it really interesting. Perhaps the most apparent thing was the fact that most of the tourist area was made up of huge Victorian style buildings. Combing the huge buildings with the palm trees and plants of Mumbai, the area was quite beautiful.
We hit all the major sites such as the Gateway to India and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum. It was a nice way to spend a day.
Old Friends
It turns out that Kiran had kept contact with some of his old friends from when he lived in Mumbai. This was a really great for us because we got hang out with them and experience what Mumbai was like for locals instead of just being tourists.
We ate a couple of meals at a family friend of Kirans and I tell you it was good cooking. I probaly ate my 3 days of food in one sitting there.
Kiran's other buddy is in his early 20's so he was able to take us to some of the cooler spots in Mumbai. This was a great break from the usual tourist hot spots. We also got to see how somebody our age would live in Mumbai.
Almost Done
Today is our last day in Mumbai/India. Tommorow we fly out to Singapore. Sometime in the next couple of days expect one last India blog (I promise).
Next time: India Roundup
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
India Part 6: Aurangabad
Aurangabad is a city located about 7 hours by train away from Mumbai. The city itself is rather underwhelming, not that it's a bad city, it just resembles pretty much any city in India. The only reason to go to Aurangabad is to visit the nearby caves of Ajanta & Ellora.
With that in mind, we arrived in Aurangabad the morning of June 11 and left the night of June 12.
A Slight Problem
The trip to Aurangabad wasn't completely smooth though. The evening of June 10th we were preparing ourselves to catch a train leaving downtown Mumbai at 11:30 pm. We were moving at a fairly leisurely pace, since it would only take an hour to get down town and we had lots of time.
It was only at 8:45 did we check the ticket and realize that our train was actually leaving at 9:15.
Quickly we leaped into action. It was too late to get downtown, but we could still catch the train if it stopped at a more western stop. We used all our travel skills, individual talents and resources with laser point precision to discover that the train was stopping at a nearby station. We were able to get to the station and catch the train with time to spare.
At that moment we were the kings of travel (assuming you don't consider the fact that we made the stupidest travel mistake possible and didn't double check our tickets till it was too late).
Ellora Caves
The first day Richard and I went to the nearby Ellora Caves. The caves are not caves in the classic sense, instead they represent temples that have been carved into the side of mountains. In Ellora it was possible to find Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves.
The caves themselves were amazing. They were surprisingly huge and intricate. I can't even fantom the amount of time they must have required.
The centerpiece of the caves is the Kailasanatha Temple. The temple is caved completely out of rock and sits in a valley carved out of a mountain. It's larger than the Parthenon of Greece and is shockingly detailed. It's crazy how something that amazing is not world famous.
Daulatabad Fort
As part of the deal with the autorickshaw driver, he brought us to the nearby Daulatbad fort. To be honest I wasn't even going to bother with the fort unless the driver brought us there for free. I'm damn happy he did.
The fort itself was imposing. Sitting on top of a steep cliff it was surrounded by a moat and built in the European style. It was good hour of climbing to the top and walking through the poorly lit caverns.
Bonus History Fact: Back in the day Daulatabad was actually fairly large city with strategic importance due to it's central location in India. The city was so important that in 1327, the ruler of Delhi (and Northern India) wanted to make it his capital.
In order to do this, he tried to forcibly march the city of Delhi to Daulatabad. As you can guess the whole fiasco was a disaster and many people died.
Ajunta Caves
The next day we headed out to the Ajunta caves. The Ajunta caves were much farther than Ellora and we had to take a 2 hour bus (each way) to get there.
The bus ride was worth it though. The Ajunta caves represent about 30 Buddhist caves which have been carved into a horse shoe valley.
Personally I preferred the Ellora Caves but the Ajunta caves were better preserved. It was still possible to see the paint in many of the Ajunta caves.
That's about it for Aurangabad. We currently have 2 more days in Mumbai and then we're leaving India. Some time in the next couple of days I'll put my Mumbai blog up.
Next Time: Mumbai (for sure this time)
With that in mind, we arrived in Aurangabad the morning of June 11 and left the night of June 12.
A Slight Problem
The trip to Aurangabad wasn't completely smooth though. The evening of June 10th we were preparing ourselves to catch a train leaving downtown Mumbai at 11:30 pm. We were moving at a fairly leisurely pace, since it would only take an hour to get down town and we had lots of time.
It was only at 8:45 did we check the ticket and realize that our train was actually leaving at 9:15.
Quickly we leaped into action. It was too late to get downtown, but we could still catch the train if it stopped at a more western stop. We used all our travel skills, individual talents and resources with laser point precision to discover that the train was stopping at a nearby station. We were able to get to the station and catch the train with time to spare.
At that moment we were the kings of travel (assuming you don't consider the fact that we made the stupidest travel mistake possible and didn't double check our tickets till it was too late).
Ellora Caves
The first day Richard and I went to the nearby Ellora Caves. The caves are not caves in the classic sense, instead they represent temples that have been carved into the side of mountains. In Ellora it was possible to find Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves.
The caves themselves were amazing. They were surprisingly huge and intricate. I can't even fantom the amount of time they must have required.
The centerpiece of the caves is the Kailasanatha Temple. The temple is caved completely out of rock and sits in a valley carved out of a mountain. It's larger than the Parthenon of Greece and is shockingly detailed. It's crazy how something that amazing is not world famous.
Daulatabad Fort
As part of the deal with the autorickshaw driver, he brought us to the nearby Daulatbad fort. To be honest I wasn't even going to bother with the fort unless the driver brought us there for free. I'm damn happy he did.
The fort itself was imposing. Sitting on top of a steep cliff it was surrounded by a moat and built in the European style. It was good hour of climbing to the top and walking through the poorly lit caverns.
Bonus History Fact: Back in the day Daulatabad was actually fairly large city with strategic importance due to it's central location in India. The city was so important that in 1327, the ruler of Delhi (and Northern India) wanted to make it his capital.
In order to do this, he tried to forcibly march the city of Delhi to Daulatabad. As you can guess the whole fiasco was a disaster and many people died.
Ajunta Caves
The next day we headed out to the Ajunta caves. The Ajunta caves were much farther than Ellora and we had to take a 2 hour bus (each way) to get there.
The bus ride was worth it though. The Ajunta caves represent about 30 Buddhist caves which have been carved into a horse shoe valley.
Personally I preferred the Ellora Caves but the Ajunta caves were better preserved. It was still possible to see the paint in many of the Ajunta caves.
That's about it for Aurangabad. We currently have 2 more days in Mumbai and then we're leaving India. Some time in the next couple of days I'll put my Mumbai blog up.
Next Time: Mumbai (for sure this time)
Friday, June 08, 2007
India Part 5: Goa
Last blog I mentioned that we were currently in Mumbai. We were in Mumbai from May 28th to June 3rd. From there we took a train to Goa. We were in Goa from June 4th to 7th and have now returned to Mumbai.
Since we are using Mumbai as a hub for the rest of our time here in India I'm going to wait till the last day to write a blog about it. So here's my Goa blog.
Goa
Goa is a state located on the west coast of India. Unlike the rest of India, Goa was never governed by the British. Instead it was Portuguese ruled until it joined the rest of independent India. This fact has caused Goa to be a bit different than the rest of India. Some of the most obvious traits are that the state is predominately Catholic and the architecture style is very Portuguese in style.
The fact that the state is Catholic actually some far reaching effects. The main ones being that beef and booze are easily available.
Now, Goa is world famous as a good party/beach destination. This is reputation that is well earned. The beaches are beautiful, there are bars aplenty and everyone is quite laid back. However, we had the unfortunate fact of visiting Goa during the rainy/low season. That meant there was not much partying and a lot more just chilling out, which wasn't that bad of a thing.
It should be noted that saying I went to Goa is a bit of a far reaching statement. It's like saying, "I went to Alberta" when I went to Calgary. There are several cities in Goa, but most (if not all) travellers head towards one of the beach towns that are located along the coast. The beach towns are pretty close together and each have their own flair.
We stayed at Baga beach which is apparently one of the busier beachs during high season. For us though it was pretty empty but there were still some people to chat with so it was a good place to go to during off season. The closest train station to Baga beach is about a 11-13 hour train ride from Mumbai.
Elections
When we were going to Goa, we knew that it was off season and the party scene was going to be affected. One thing we forgot to consider was the fact that we were going to Goa during the elections, which further reduced the party scene.
You may be wondering why elections would put a damper on the party atmosphere. Well it turns out that India, at election time, booze is either banned or restricted. But not because of it affects peoples judgement in determining their leaders. Booze is limited because it's the only to reduce the drunken fights that would otherwise take place around election time.
Baga Beach
The beaches of Goa rock. Each one is a bit different but the ones I saw consisted of basically the same thing. Sandy beach as far as the eye can see, huge waves and conveniently located beach shacks.
Shack is a bit of a deceptive term. The shacks are better described as a restaurant/bar located on the sand looking at the surf. Basically you chill at the shack all day and occasionally go for a swim/walk.
We were lucky that for 3 of the days we had nice sunny weather. It rained the last day, but it was nice sitting in the shack watching the rain, drinking beer and playing chess (Richard beat me but I was avenged by the shack owner).
I thought that my time in India had prepared me for the Goan sun. I was sorta right. The skin not covered by shirts was could handle the sun. Unfortunately I couldn't say the same about my back and shoulders. So now my upper torso is made up of either tanned or red skin. I don't feel too bad about the burn since even Kiran got his back burned by the sun.
Anjuna Beach Flea Market
One of the days we tried walking to the nearby Anjuna beach to check out it's flea market and get some souvenir shopping done. After getting seriously lost trying to walk there along the high way we grabbed a taxi and went to the market.
The flea market consisted of locals selling handicrafts along a road. These were people who made there living on this flea market, it was the last market of the season and there weren't any other tourists. It took all my bartering skills to avoid getting completely ripped off.
After 30 minutes of shopping all 3 of us had spent all our money and I had traded my watch. That meant we had to walk back. Luckily we stuck to the coast line and had a much better time not getting hopelessly lost.
Wrap Up
Goa was a great experience. Even though we got here during the off season I'm glad we came when we did. It was a great way to relax and it would have been painful to leave the beaches of Goa for the deserts of Rajasthan.
We spend the weekend in Mumbai then we head to the cities of Ellora/Ajanta to check out some awesome Budist caves.
Next Time: Ajanta & Ellora
Since we are using Mumbai as a hub for the rest of our time here in India I'm going to wait till the last day to write a blog about it. So here's my Goa blog.
Goa
Goa is a state located on the west coast of India. Unlike the rest of India, Goa was never governed by the British. Instead it was Portuguese ruled until it joined the rest of independent India. This fact has caused Goa to be a bit different than the rest of India. Some of the most obvious traits are that the state is predominately Catholic and the architecture style is very Portuguese in style.
The fact that the state is Catholic actually some far reaching effects. The main ones being that beef and booze are easily available.
Now, Goa is world famous as a good party/beach destination. This is reputation that is well earned. The beaches are beautiful, there are bars aplenty and everyone is quite laid back. However, we had the unfortunate fact of visiting Goa during the rainy/low season. That meant there was not much partying and a lot more just chilling out, which wasn't that bad of a thing.
It should be noted that saying I went to Goa is a bit of a far reaching statement. It's like saying, "I went to Alberta" when I went to Calgary. There are several cities in Goa, but most (if not all) travellers head towards one of the beach towns that are located along the coast. The beach towns are pretty close together and each have their own flair.
We stayed at Baga beach which is apparently one of the busier beachs during high season. For us though it was pretty empty but there were still some people to chat with so it was a good place to go to during off season. The closest train station to Baga beach is about a 11-13 hour train ride from Mumbai.
Elections
When we were going to Goa, we knew that it was off season and the party scene was going to be affected. One thing we forgot to consider was the fact that we were going to Goa during the elections, which further reduced the party scene.
You may be wondering why elections would put a damper on the party atmosphere. Well it turns out that India, at election time, booze is either banned or restricted. But not because of it affects peoples judgement in determining their leaders. Booze is limited because it's the only to reduce the drunken fights that would otherwise take place around election time.
Baga Beach
The beaches of Goa rock. Each one is a bit different but the ones I saw consisted of basically the same thing. Sandy beach as far as the eye can see, huge waves and conveniently located beach shacks.
Shack is a bit of a deceptive term. The shacks are better described as a restaurant/bar located on the sand looking at the surf. Basically you chill at the shack all day and occasionally go for a swim/walk.
We were lucky that for 3 of the days we had nice sunny weather. It rained the last day, but it was nice sitting in the shack watching the rain, drinking beer and playing chess (Richard beat me but I was avenged by the shack owner).
I thought that my time in India had prepared me for the Goan sun. I was sorta right. The skin not covered by shirts was could handle the sun. Unfortunately I couldn't say the same about my back and shoulders. So now my upper torso is made up of either tanned or red skin. I don't feel too bad about the burn since even Kiran got his back burned by the sun.
Anjuna Beach Flea Market
One of the days we tried walking to the nearby Anjuna beach to check out it's flea market and get some souvenir shopping done. After getting seriously lost trying to walk there along the high way we grabbed a taxi and went to the market.
The flea market consisted of locals selling handicrafts along a road. These were people who made there living on this flea market, it was the last market of the season and there weren't any other tourists. It took all my bartering skills to avoid getting completely ripped off.
After 30 minutes of shopping all 3 of us had spent all our money and I had traded my watch. That meant we had to walk back. Luckily we stuck to the coast line and had a much better time not getting hopelessly lost.
Wrap Up
Goa was a great experience. Even though we got here during the off season I'm glad we came when we did. It was a great way to relax and it would have been painful to leave the beaches of Goa for the deserts of Rajasthan.
We spend the weekend in Mumbai then we head to the cities of Ellora/Ajanta to check out some awesome Budist caves.
Next Time: Ajanta & Ellora
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