Life in a Skyscrapers city - Mumbai

Mumbai or what its local still prefer to say Bombay, is indeed a city that never sleeps. For the moment I landed in “City of Dreams”, I found myself in a different state of mind. It was my long cherish dream to visit this place & what better than staying with an old friend from college in her own Flat. To see a city, you have to see from the eyes of the people who are born & have a sentimental vive for their native place. Yes, am talking about the Mumbaikars.

· People –

I talked with person from Taxi driver, auto driver, Chowpatty food stall owner & street food vendor to person working in film industry. They all are living a “mast” life and enjoy their works. They never seems tired & always has the zeal to do that extra. As the 2nd most populous city in India, getting a house to stay is the toughest thing in Mumbai. But still people manages it as Mumbai has something to offer for everyone. It never disappoints. The Marathi people are the best in helping others. Even the girls of any age can travel alone in whole of Mumbai city from dusk to dawn without any worries.

· Food –

Mumbaikars love to eat. And the life-line of Mumbai is street vendors. Though Mumbai has beautiful restaurants & pubs, but people love the fast food in streets. Special mention in foods are panipuri, sandwiches, pav bhaji, misal pav & the evergreen vada pav. I tried all the above foods & believe me they are tasty. Also special mention to the Kulfi & gola. After a snack, it is a must try. The different varieties in sweets will surely give you a sweet tooth. After all these vegetarian food, I tried my luck with non-veg. I have heard of the fish call “pomfret”. I tried the dish of Garlic tandoori pomfret in “Urban Tadka”. Believe me, it was so tasty that all my taste buds pop up in my tongue.

· Places visited –

Mumbai has more than 25 places to visit in the city itself. As time constraint, my visit was somewhat limited. But I covered the most important & beautiful places of Mumbai.

Gateway of India – It is made in such a beautiful spot that you will fall in love at 1st sight. Adding to its beauty is the magnificent TAJ hotel. I clicked some photo by the photographer standing there. They reminded me from the film “The Photographer”.

Colaba Causeway Market – Just nearby Gateway of India, is this big street market. You can find jewelry & clothes in cheap rates. Also some very old restaurants are there. Best for eating non-veg items.

Elephanta Caves – The boat ride to reach the island gives you a calmness amidst the sea. The man made caves are the highlight. The Trimurti statue of Shiv Ji is a beautiful sculpture in cave number 1. But the Portuguese did bullet practicing in these caves & destroyed the statue. But after UNESCO declared it as a world heritage site, it is been kept safe from any further damages. Also the 2 big iron canons are the major attractions. From there I was able to see Mumbai city & the whole island.

Bandra Bandstand – The Bandra Fort is in deteriorating condition. But the view of the Arabian sea & bandra-worli sea link is worth a thousand buck. Also in the walking distance are the houses of the two great actors “Shah Rukh Khan”- Mannat & “Salman Khan”- Galaxy. But as I went in the morning, I could not see the actors myself.

Juhu Beach – After seeing the Bungalow of “Amitabh Bachchan” – Jalsa, I went for the famous beach of Mumbai to relax myself. Few years ago it was very dirty but when I visited it, I found it clean. Also I happen to see a shooting of a film which looks more beautiful during sunset. I tried the food in Juhu chowpatty & it was tasty.

Siddhivinayak Temple & Hali Ali Dargah – Both the religious places are worth the visit. I went in the early morning time so I could enter easily. People from riches to poor comes for the Blessing. The Dargah situated amidst the sea, looks beautiful from air.

Film City – The Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagri, Film city is situated inside the big forest and is spread across 520 acres. I took the 2 hours tour bus of Rs 650. It was worth it. Saw many places where lots of film shooting happened. Also saw the famous temple, where all Bollywood films & serials shooting take place. Saw many film sets being prepared inside the big film studios. The main attraction was the tour guide. He kept entertaining us the whole journey.

Marine Drive – I went after sunset which is the best time to visit it. The food in the marine chowpatty are yummy & a must try. I walked the 3 km stretch and found people sitting along the drive. I returned home late around 1 am.

Kanheri Caves – Situated inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali is a must visit for any person travelling Mumbai. The caves artifacts represents Buddhist worship. I went to the top the hills. I was full exhausted & lost count of the broken steps. But the view I saw after reaching the top was mesmerizing.

There are lots of malls in Mumbai but as time constraint I went to Infiniti Mall in Malad. The mall is very big & the major attraction are the roller coaster ride for Rs 300. I did lots of shopping for my family.

Transportation – The main lifeline of Mumbaikars is Local Train. On 1st day, I tour the city in OLA cabs (much cheaper than UBER). As I was new I was afraid to try out the public transport. But from next day I buckle up & took the local train. I went from Malad to Churchgate at the cost of Rs 10 whereas if I would have taken the ola it would had been RS 550 bucks. Also I reach in 1 hour whereas if by road it would had been 2.5 hours due to traffic rush. I also travelled in Mumbai government buses & local auto. All the cheap & easy mode of travel.

I loved Mumbai & it felt as my second home. I traveled in many places. But Mumbai city welcome me with warm feeling.