We're in Bombay/Mumbai now and I've completely skipped over Udaipur, the wedding, and a bunch of other goodies. I'll come back to all of that when I have some more time and can upload a few pictures. What is a description of dancing in front of a blinging white stallion surrounded by a band without the pictures to prove that it really happened? Anyway, my mind is completed inundated with Bombay at the moment, so I'm in a better position to updated about my impressions of this city.
I don't know what I expected of Bombay, but it's not this. First of all, its hot and humid. Where Rajasthan was hot and dry during the day and cold at night, Bombay seems to be hot 24/7. Second, Bombay is green. There are lush trees everywhere, lining streets packed with old colonial buildings and surrounding modern apartment blocks. Parks abound. Third, Bombay is clean and beautiful - at least the parts of the city that we've visited.
My overwhelming impression of Bombay is one of a city developing at two different speeds. On one side are the laborers who are riding carts laden with goods around town on horse carts. On the other side are the young kids driving slick cars and eating at overpriced western-style restaurants (not to mention the billionaire who is building himself a tower as his family home).
We've done a fair bit of touristy stuff. Yesterday, we visited the famous Victoria Terminus and watched the comings-and-goings of seemingly hundreds of people within a 15 minute span. We wandered about the huge and stately Post Office where an elderly gentleman warned us off of touts and corrupt taxi drivers. We visited the Gate of India and saw the blockades, police, and security gates surrounding the Taj Mahal Hotel, where the terrorist attacks occurred in 2009. We took a boat to Elephanta Island - about one hour off the coast - where we saw sculptures of Krishna carved into caves by Hindu devotees a millennium ago. To top it off, we watched a bit of Gandhi in our hotel room. What visit to India is complete without watching Gandhi? Today, we toured the Gandhi Museum (the movie inspired us) and the history museum.
Obviously, there is a lot to do and see in Bombay that we didn't get around to, but I feel that we've done well in our two-day stopover. After the energetic city, I feel ready for a taste of the beaches of north Goa - and a break from touts and corrupt taxi drivers.
I don't know what I expected of Bombay, but it's not this. First of all, its hot and humid. Where Rajasthan was hot and dry during the day and cold at night, Bombay seems to be hot 24/7. Second, Bombay is green. There are lush trees everywhere, lining streets packed with old colonial buildings and surrounding modern apartment blocks. Parks abound. Third, Bombay is clean and beautiful - at least the parts of the city that we've visited.
My overwhelming impression of Bombay is one of a city developing at two different speeds. On one side are the laborers who are riding carts laden with goods around town on horse carts. On the other side are the young kids driving slick cars and eating at overpriced western-style restaurants (not to mention the billionaire who is building himself a tower as his family home).
We've done a fair bit of touristy stuff. Yesterday, we visited the famous Victoria Terminus and watched the comings-and-goings of seemingly hundreds of people within a 15 minute span. We wandered about the huge and stately Post Office where an elderly gentleman warned us off of touts and corrupt taxi drivers. We visited the Gate of India and saw the blockades, police, and security gates surrounding the Taj Mahal Hotel, where the terrorist attacks occurred in 2009. We took a boat to Elephanta Island - about one hour off the coast - where we saw sculptures of Krishna carved into caves by Hindu devotees a millennium ago. To top it off, we watched a bit of Gandhi in our hotel room. What visit to India is complete without watching Gandhi? Today, we toured the Gandhi Museum (the movie inspired us) and the history museum.
Obviously, there is a lot to do and see in Bombay that we didn't get around to, but I feel that we've done well in our two-day stopover. After the energetic city, I feel ready for a taste of the beaches of north Goa - and a break from touts and corrupt taxi drivers.
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