"The Gateway to India" a Mumbai Travel Page by uglyscot

Mumbai is one of the most crowded cities on earth. The city is built on a series of islands, so travelling around is complicated. Then there are the hills. Driving into Mumbai from the airport, we passed through the centre of town and along Marine Drive beside the beautiful bay. The buildings reminded me of Alexandria, Egypt, with the shabby gentility of the colonial architecture.
For a tourist there is not much too see apart from the amazing buildings, the bay and Museum, but we managed to see a lot in the two days we had, and then enjoy discovering vegetarian food and great company in the evening.

From the air it is clear that the city has a clear divide_ the modern buildings and next to them shanties where there hardly seems to be ay passage between the 'buildings'. Yet again in the colonial centre of town there are elaborate Victorian Gothic buildings like the University, Court and Victoria Terminal and Prince of Wales museum with gardens round it. And on one side the sea. At another time this city must have been a city worthy of a visit. Now it is a hustling bustling city.

And those who live and want to live in Mumbai actually love it.

We find high rise buildings, some so high and not far away small huts where very poor people try to make a living. It is also a city of contrasts. Billionaires in modern houses with all mod-cons and not too far away people begging to fed their families. With the population likely to double by the year 2015, it is hard to imagine what this megapolis will be like.