MUMBAI, INDIA
I sort of made up my own walking tour of Bombay today. Actually I started by taking a bus north for about 45 minutes, hopped out to take a look, and ended up walking all the way back to Colaba. And man, it was hot!
I started at Chowpatty Beach, which is where a lot of Mumbaikars like to meet, eat, and hang out during the early evening. But as I was there in the middle of the day, it was virtually deserted--probably because unlike most beaches, the water is so filthy that not even the locals dare to go swimming there! It's a shame, because it's in a good location with some good skyline views of the city in both directions.
From there I walked south along the seaside down Marine Drive, then headed inland to get a view of some of Mumbai's old Victorian buildings: The High Court, the University of Mumbai, and the totally over-the-top Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a train station known until recently as Victoria Terminus. It's a mess of 19th Century Gothic architecture with stained glass, stone lions, and lots of crazy gargoyles and waterspouts including lions, monkeys, and crocodiles.
I then made my way south through the areas of Churchgate, Fort, Khala Goda, and finally, Colaba. By the time I made it back to my hotel, I was completely knackered, as the British say.
NP: "Bombay" by Bel Canto
I sort of made up my own walking tour of Bombay today. Actually I started by taking a bus north for about 45 minutes, hopped out to take a look, and ended up walking all the way back to Colaba. And man, it was hot!
I started at Chowpatty Beach, which is where a lot of Mumbaikars like to meet, eat, and hang out during the early evening. But as I was there in the middle of the day, it was virtually deserted--probably because unlike most beaches, the water is so filthy that not even the locals dare to go swimming there! It's a shame, because it's in a good location with some good skyline views of the city in both directions.
From there I walked south along the seaside down Marine Drive, then headed inland to get a view of some of Mumbai's old Victorian buildings: The High Court, the University of Mumbai, and the totally over-the-top Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a train station known until recently as Victoria Terminus. It's a mess of 19th Century Gothic architecture with stained glass, stone lions, and lots of crazy gargoyles and waterspouts including lions, monkeys, and crocodiles.
I then made my way south through the areas of Churchgate, Fort, Khala Goda, and finally, Colaba. By the time I made it back to my hotel, I was completely knackered, as the British say.
NP: "Bombay" by Bel Canto
posted by John Kuge at 10:25 PM
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