Sign in with Facebook"The Gateway to India" Mumbai by uglyscot
Mumbai Travel Guide: 1,972 reviews and 3,891 photos
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 to 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 any 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 feed their families. With the population likely to double by the year 2015, it is hard to imagine what this megapolis will be like.
Inevitably with such a sharp divide between rich and poor, there is a side that tourists rarely see- corruption, crime, prostitution, drugs and the mafia.
For more information of the real city read 'Shantaram',a New Zealander's account of his life in the underbelly of Mumbai.
- Pros:has its own atmosphere
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The Queen's Necklace
Nightlife
(1)
One of the most famous things to do is to see the lights of Mumbai at night, especially along the bay. This has been... more travel advice
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When driving around Mumbai in your airconditioned hotel taxi, you realise how privileged you are The ordinary Mumbai-ite... more travel advice
Walk along Marine Drive
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The Bay of Mumbai has beaches,and on the opposite side of the road the hotels, restaurants and shops of Marine Drive. It... more travel advice
Old and new
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We did not actually stay here but had a tour of the premises. My daughter stayed here a few years ago and was impressed... more travel advice
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Comments (5)
Very nice page!
I enjoyed reading your impressions of Mumbai.The colonial architecture impressed me too-what about that crazy traffic!!! Hope you are keeping well, Shane.
Mani Bhavan is reason enough to revisit Bombay/.Mumbai , hope it will be a longer visit as compared to my previoius fiascos ;-)))
Nice tips on Mumbai-the city I grew up in.And the Taj Hotels where I started my career as chef-brings a smile ..
Excellent page on this great city. I liked especially the museum, the gate and the temple. Your picture of the laundry is most interesting although working there must be hell, esp. in hot weather.