Exploring colonial Mumbai

Breakfast was included at Hotel Bentleys and it was delivered upon request by phone when we were ready.  It was a simple affair with just toast, butter, marmalade and tea.

We walked along the harbour to the Gateway of India.  Touts pestered us but we ignored them.  We did a walking tour of the area following the route recommended by our guidebook.  We took in some very beautiful historic colonial buildings such as the Taj Hotel, Royal Bombay Yacht Club and Horniman  Circle (buildings arranged in a circular fashion around a round garden).

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We took an early lunch around 1000 near Horniman Circle comprising of a dosa plus battered paneer.  The dosa wasn’t like the South Indian paper dosa that I’m used to in Malaysia but it was like a potato cake pizza.

Continuing to Churchgate Station, the sheer humanity struck us.  This station was a contemporary one but there appeared to be a historic station opposite.

We took the suburban train to Mahalaxmi to see Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai’s famous laundry area.  There were hundreds of concrete partitioned areas where people did their washing.  In each, there was a rock that would be beaten by the washing.  As a child, my father told me that buttons get shattered at the Indian laundry and now I know why.  There were hoses and pipes in use but the water looked milky and clayey but not sudsy.

From Mahalaxmi we took a taxi to Victoria Station (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus).  The taxi was metered but there was a conversion chart to convert the meter to the new fare as it has not been re-calibrated.  At the station, we admired its great colonial architecture both inside and outside.

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We returned to the hotel by taxi for a rest before taking another taxi around 1630 to Chowpatty Beach.  We walked and people-watched.  It was a very colourful place with lots of snack stalls.  We chose to eat dinner indoors at a vegetarian place called Cream Centre. The food was good!  We had a murtabak, burrito and a delicious and refreshing Malai Kulfi (ice cream).

We checked our emails at an internet café before returning to the beach for more people-watching.  Many were enjoying their icy snacks, savouries or treating their kids to pedal car rides.

The taxi back took us along the long stretch of road by the sea known as the Queen’s Chain.  We decided to be let off at Mukerji Chowk, just inland from the Gateway of India, before reaching our hotel.  We strolled through the streets of Colaba back to our hotel.

At Chowpatty Beach.

At Chowpatty Beach.