Today we have a whistle stop tour of the best bits of Mumbai - as recommended by the lovely Norbert. We take a taxi across the sea link bridge (more on that later) to Dhobi Ghat.
The Dhobi are a caste group found in Pakistan and India who specialize in washing clothes. Known as the world's largest outdoor laundry, the municipal Dhobi Ghat in Mahalaxmi is where Mumbai's traditional washerfolk -- or dhobis -- provide a wonderful service, collecting dirty laundry, washing it, and returning it neatly pressed, all for a very small fee. Stubborn stains are removed by soaking garments in a boiling vat of caustic soda; drying takes place on long, brightly colored lines; and heavy wood-burning irons are used for pressing. The "laundries" are called "ghats": row upon row of concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. The clothes are soaked in sudsy water, thrashed on the flogging stones, then tossed into huge vats of boiling starch and hung out to dry. Next they are ironed and piled into neat bundles. The most famous of these Dhobi Ghats is at Saat Rasta near Mahalaxmi Station where almost two hundred dhobis and their families work together in what has always been a hereditary occupation. It's a fascinating spectacle, looking down on row upon row of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone, while Mumbai's dhobis (around 200 dhobi families work together here) relentlessly pound the dirt from the city's garments in a timeless tradition. However, we are again constantly pawed and implored to give money, buy tat or donate food to the scores of ragged looking children lining the bridge. It doesnt get any easier to ignore the pairs of staring doe eyes and the little hands reaching up at you.
We pile back in the taxi and drive to Mumbai's most famous monument, the Gateway of India arch. It was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, complete with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British ships that set sail for England left from the Gateway. However, in true Handley style and fortune we arrive here in the midst of Navy Day -the area is heaving with armed police, naval personnel and hordes of Indians. We cant even get close to the gateway and having had our fill of crowds we retire to a nearby cafe for lunch and to plan our next move. We decide to walk to our next site. Taxis and autos are moving very slowly and we have just witnessed our first road accident - very minor and no one hurt - not sure how we haven't seen one before now as there seem to be no road rules here - a bit like Toad of Toad Hall - foot to the floor and hope for the best, and if in doubt honk your horn! On the way we pass through rows and rows of hawker stalls, selling everything from second hand clothing, snacks - both pre prepared and fresh, sunglasses, jewellery and other tourist tat. Rowan is now on her 3rd pair of sunglasses and so after a lot of fun trying on we settle for a new pair which will hopefully last until we leave India! David negotiates with the stall owner who initially asks for 80 rupees (about a pound) and eventually because there is no case (as if!) we pay 40 rupees - ridiculous to think that Tiegan's cost £12.99 in Boots before we left!
Next stop - The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic railway station which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 1996 its name was changed to the present name in honour of the Maratha warrior Shivaji. Its abbreviations CST or VT are popularly used by locals to refer to the station and it is also known by its abbreviation CSTM or Bombay VT. It is the busiest railway station in India and indeed Asia and serves both as a terminal for long distance trains terminating in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway. We go inside briefly and marvel at the amazing architectural features of stained glass windows, ornate ceilings and beautifullycarved wood panel doors and wall plaques. It is from this station that we will catch the train to Varanasi in 24 hours time - so we dont linger too long in the crowds.
Our penultimate highlight is Girgaum Chaupati commonly known as just Chaupati (pronounced as chow-patty), is one of the most famous public beaches adjoining Marine Drive in the Girgaum area of Mumbai, India. It is here that we will watch our last Mumbai sunset.
There are already hundreds of people perched on the sea wall when we arrive - and we try our luck on the sand - which is just as dirty as all the other beaches we have seen so far. The sea is coming in so we make for a stairway carved into the sea wall about a hundred metres further along by clambering over the huge coastal defence stones along the base of the wall. We settle a little way off ffrom the steps up and just sit taking in our surroundings in the last minutes of daylight. We are all suddenly aware of a succession of locals who are venturing onto the beach- at first we think they are making offerings of flowers and candles (puja) but to our horror we realise that this couldnt be further from the truth. It seems that they are rubbish scavengers, collecting carrier bags of refuse, which they sort on the shoreline and then discard the contents directly into the see. We are aghast as broken glass, plastic, wood, food and nappies are launched into the water - equally shockingly noone else seems to notice or care.
It rather spoils our beautiful sunset - which actually in the haze of the Mumbai skyline and smog - vanishes about 15 minutes before the daylight.
Wearily we hail a taxi to take us back to Bandra and our wonderful hotel haven. We opt to pay the 50 rupee charge and take the Bandra–Worli Sea Link (BWSL), also known as the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link. It is a cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side, that links Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli. BWSL reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli from 45–60 minutes during peak hours to seven minutes.
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