Hello Mumbai and Elephanta Island 

Flight to Mumbai

India- we’ve wanted to go for ages and now we are sitting in an Air Canada Boeing 777-200LR plane, awaiting departure in Toronto for our 15 hour direct flight to Mumbai.

The flight is full and a screaming toddler is sitting a few rows back. If he doesnt sleep, this fifteen hour flight will seem like thirty.

I’m tired. The last couple of weeks were super busy with building a new website for our blog. It’s a work in progress that finally went live a few minutes before boarding our flight.

I find the seats a bit narrow, however I’m still able to sleep for most of the flight.

We land in Mumbai terminal 2 at 9:45pm. The Mumbai airport is large, clean and fairly modern. Feeling like we’ve been walking for miles, we arrive at the immigration and are totally confused by all the different line ups. We choose the shortest line and another Canadian couple follow us because they think we know what we’re doing.

The line is stagnant with the same Asian gentleman being questioned at the booth. Finally airport personnel come over and advise us that we were in the line of people who have visited China in the last couple weeks. We move to a much longer line. We are then advised that persons with an e-Visa (that’s us) are to move to a different line. An hour and a half later, we are almost at the immigration counter.

I take a long time to process because I keep having to redo my fingerprinting on the touchscreen. Apparently I don’t press hard enough.

Finally through, we go to baggage claims only to discover that we were in immigration so long that our flight no longer shows on the electronic board telling you which luggage carousel is for your flight. Hmmm…which of the 15 carousels in this huge room could be the one that handled our luggage?   Fortunately we found them in about 10 minutes, stacked and off to the side of one of the carousels.

Check out these tips for getting through Mumbai’s airport.

Reunited with our bags, we do not find our prearranged driver when we exit into the Arrivals Hall. We think he probably gave up and left. John starts to work on plan B, lining up to book a taxi but sends me outside the Arrivals Hall to search for our name in a large group of persons holding up signs.

No sign. But then I’m not allowed back inside.  Argh! John waves at me from inside the airport. Argh! Eventually he comes out and we are told to go down one floor. Of course there are line ups for the elevator. We took the scenic tour, riding to the top before descending to the level we needed. We finally get to the very long line of taxis and have to walk all the way down to zone 2. A taxi driver helps us find the specific license plate of the taxi we have been assigned…but there is no driver in it.

A few minutes later our driver saunters up, hoists our luggage in , gets into his seat and does up his seat belt.

We get in and start to do up our seatbelts only to find that the other side of them is missing. It’s now 12:43am.

They say that besides being beneficial for your body, yoga is good for developing peace of mind, concentration and patience. I need more yoga.

A remnant of their British past, Indians drive on the left side of the road.We move quickly at this time of night, passing high rise buildings, road construction, ramshackle houses and shuddered businesses. Colorful lights are strung here and there. The  Colaba area, where we are staying is well kept.

We pass Marine Drive which curves around the bay. With the street lights following the crescent arc of the shoreline I can see why they call it the Queen’s Necklace.

Signs are both in Hindi and English. It is gorgeous…aging opulence; Victorian meets the exotic.

Our hotel, Hotel Suba Palace is centrally located in the Colaba area very close to the Gateway of India. Upon arrival we were greeted by four hotel staff who whisk our bags to our room by way of a small, old fashioned,  cage type elevator.  The lobby is simple but it appears that the hotel has been renovated in the last few years. It’s clean with tasteful, current decor and has everything we need.

We felt bad because reception said the driver was still at the airport. I do not know how we missed each other. The fact that we didn’t have a phone made it hard to connect.

First Morning

Morning came quickly. John slept well but I needed a sleeping pill and now I’m drowsy. I had read that it’s always noisy in the city but I found our room very quiet except for the buzzing of the mini fridge. Note to self, pull the plug tonight.

The hotel puts on a nice breakfast spread of North American and Indian foods. I love the corn fritters. From our window side table, I watch the birds. Besides pigeons, some green parrot like (Alexendrine?) birds keep watch from the roof next door.

We drink lattes to kick start our day and are on our way. The sun is shining and the weather  perfect; not too hot and not too cold.

Gateway of India

The Gateway of India is just a block away. We walk through security (separate his and hers entrances) to the square infront of this huge monumental arch. There is no fee to enter.

A symbol of the British colonial empire, the Gateway of India monument was built to commemorate the visit of Queen Mary and King George V in 1911. Unfortunately it wasn’t completed until 1924. Better late than never.

The majority of women are wearing saris in colours more vibrant than the brightest parrots. A famous designer said that the sari is the most flattering of garb; attractive on both young and old, skinny and not so slim. I totally agree.

The famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel dominates the street in front of the Gateway. This scene shows no signs of being targeted in the horrific terrorist attack in 2008.

A little girl runs through the thousands of pigeons in the square. They take flight and the air above shimmers with their flapping wings before they settle again.

A statue of a Maratha king is perfectly lit by the morning sun.

Elephanta Island

We board a small ferry to Elephanta Island. The ferry dock is located behind the Gateway of India and you purchase tickets at the boarding gate. Tickets are 205 Rs which includes the return trip. Hundreds of seagulls accompany us, flying closely to the boat as a man feeds them chips. They follow long after the food runs out. Hope reigns eternal, even with seagulls. The ride takes an hour.

Elephanta Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for the caves carved into the hillsides.  Covered in both Hindu and Buddhist stone rock temples, caves and statues, this site was created between 450 and 750 AD. There are five caves to visit. The island got its name from a large elephant sculpture which was damaged and moved to the Jijamata Udyan gardens. All kind of stalls line the stepped walkway leading up to the caves  and the smells of cooking intermix with incense and a slight undercurrent of gasoline.

The first cave has the most to see with many Shiva sculptures.The caves are a welcome reprieve from the hot afternoon sun. The main sculpture in cave #1 is a very large depiction of the three faces of Shiva (destroyer, creator and protector of the universe).

We check out the five caves and then climb Cannon Hill for it’s viewpoints. As you arrive at the top of the the walkway, just to the right of the entrance of the cave complex is the path to Cannon Hill. Two large cannons remain in separate spots at the top. A light fog covers the distant shoreline…pollution?

Dogs, cows, goats and monkeys roam freely around the island. There are so many monkeys that there are guards who regularly chase them away because they are apt to steal food or bottles of water. Never the less, it is fun to watch their antics…so human; and often so mischievous. Check out this video of the mischievious monkeys of Elephanta Island.

On the long pier leading out to the ferry boats a cow intentionally knocks over a garbage can and sticks its head inside to dig through the contents. Our only disappointment with the island is the amount of water bottles and garbage lying around.

What a perfect, leisurely way to introduce ourselves to India and its rich culture. As we head back on the ferry, we are surrounded by happy, tired people. A mother leans back enjoying the breeze as her baby sleeps on her lap and a father snoozes as his kids run around the boat.  A tourist beside me clicks pictures every now and then.

The afternoon  light is better for taking pictures on the street side of the Gateway to India. There are many more people milling around in the square in front of it.

John and I explore our area a bit more. The police headquarters are beautiful in a colonial kind of way.

Traffic is crazy with lots of motorcycle and autos beeping their horns.

Evening Out

A rest at the hotel is needed before heading out for supper. I worry about food since I don’t want Delhi Belly this early in the trip. John points out an Indian restaurant but I don’t see any tourists in it so we go up to a crowded street to see what els we find….and I find some bright turquoise cotton pans for $3.50 CAN. I almost don’t  buy them because the street vendor keeps pointing out how wide they stretch.

We finally stop in Cafe Mondegar. I order a glass of pure pomegranate juice ($3.60 CAN). The guy swears there is no water added to it and of course I have no ice. It is divine. The flavour explodes in my mouth. John orders coke ($1.40 CAN). We also order butter chicken, mushroom tikka and garlic naan. Delicious.

Prices here are not cheap by Indian standards but there are a lot of happy tourists and Indians eating here…and they are playing Coldplay!

Before we go back to the hotel, I want to see the  Gateway of India at night. An Indian lady points to the clear bag containing my pants and babbles in a friendly manner to me. I wonder if she is also pointing out how wide they stretch.

Costs