Mike - Today was our last day in Mumbai before heading south for a much-needed respite from the chaos, mugginess, and overall fast-paced life of the city. We booked an over-nighter for Goa, set to depart at 11:00pm. The problem was that our hotel check-out was at noon, which meant that we’d be carrying our packs around to all the sights and places of the day. Our bags aren’t necessarily that heavy, but it’s a task to carry ourselves around Mumbai, let alone an extra 25-30 pounds.
We had a pretty ambitious plan for the day. Our first stop was the Hajid Ali Mosque, in Northern Mumbai, which can only be reached at low tide because it’s set one kilometre into the ocean, and can only be reached by a narrow, winding man-made path.
When we got there, it was packed. I’d say most of the people there were tourists, but a different type of tourist – a devotee. People seemed to have travelled far and wide to pray at this mosque.
There were separate entrances and prayer sections for men and women. The male section was much larger. The inside was beautifully designed. There was a shrine in the middle, and descending from the roof was a large golden chandelier. The roof was concave and tiled with gold. There were Arabic inscriptions bordering the tile work. The outside was pretty run-down, so it was pretty surprising to see such a beautiful interior.
Teg and I didn’t feel entirely at ease while we were there, and decided not to linger. Our next stop was the “Dhobi Ghats”.
The “Dhobi Ghats” is an area of Mumbai that is famous for it’s laundry… yeah, laundry. In actuality, it’s not “what it is”, but “how large it is” which draws many tourists to check it out. It’s the central hub for laundry in Mumbai. Many and most of the laundry service industry operates here. It’s filled with concrete tubs, some filled with water and others with soap. Laundry is piled in each tub, where it’s stomped on by a couple workers at the time, then each item is whipped against the side of the tub to wring out the moisture. Afterwards, it’s all hung up to dry. As you can see by the picture, it’s a pretty large operation!
Following that, we grabbed a cab into the area called “Chowpatty Beach”. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but personally, I can whole-heartedly say that I never feel the need to go there again. Basically, it’s the Mumbai Robson Street – lots of chic stores, spas, and expensive restaurants serving food from all over the world. It wasn’t exactly the “Indian Experience” we are looking for. I guess it’s good to have gone there and discovered it for what it was, but yeah, pretty standard.
It feels great to get out of Mumbai. I love the city for what it was, but damn is it ever exhausting. I’ve never experienced a “smell” that weighs on you like when in Mumbai. People say the best way to describe India, in general, is a sensory overload of sights, smells, and sounds. Well, I’d say Mumbai smelt like a mixture of Andre the Giant’s armpit and Stalin’s moustache. If a brewery were left to rot, it might smell like flowers in comparison to parts of Mumbai. But, that’s what makes it what it is. It’s part of the experience. Some might say it’s what lends it character. I guess that’s true.
Teg- Bahahaha! Agreed. I can’t even put a finger on what the smells were, but all I know is that the city definitely reassured Mike and I that our sense of smell is working perfectly!
Two things really stuck out for me in Mumbai. The first is that the city has become way more western than I could have imagined. Don’t get me wrong, there still are parts of Mumbai where its ‘true’ culture if well maintained, but these were the lower class areas. Seriously, almost everywhere we went people on the streets were selling jeans, colognes, dress shoes and shirts and gadgets of all kinds. It seemed like forever until we found a place to buy some Indian attire. Modernization in full swing, seriously. It honestly seemed like most people we passed on streets were either wearing jeans or talking on cell phones.
The advertisements where ridiculous! SO big! And most of them were of western companies or advertised white models. Its interesting how such techniques obviously seem to work to sell a product here.
The second thing I feel the need to mention is the men. It seemed over-whelming at times. The amount of men in plain sight far out-numbered that of women. Professions typical of women in most Western countries – housekeeping, waiting, or clothing sales – were even occupied by men. In my 4 full days in Mumbai I bought 1 thing from woman. I guess there’s a labour surplus (shortage of jobs) and men are highest on the hiring ladder.
This was at the Crawford Market, where again it was all men selling all kinds of goods from fruits and meats to shampoos and diapers.
Okay so funny story I must share. On our last night in Mumbai, a couple hours before we had to catch the sleeper train, we decided to hit up Leopold’s Cafe one more time for a little grub and the experience of the night-life at this famous (in our minds anyways) restaurant/pub. Mike orders these spring rolls, not even sure what they were called, but within the first few chews he’s crying to me about the spiciness! He orders a lassi moments later and then shortly after decides there’s no way the rest of them are going down. Like the Ellora post, pictures speak louder than words!!hahaha
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