Day 245, Mumbai, India

On the train in Mumbai 

We went for a walk today to Chowpatty Beach today, but unfortunately mostly closed off, so we didn't get to go on, however we went passed by bus later this afternoon and found an open gap in the fence, so that's tomorrow's trip.

Next we did a 4 hour tour of Mumbai; it was very interesting.

We met our local guide near the Gateway to India and Taj Mahal hotel. She was a young university student who does the guiding as a part time job. It was just us and her, so plenty of one on one time.

At the Taj Mahal Hotel

She told us the story of how the Taj Mahal Hotel came to be built; first there was a hotel called the Watson. There was an Indian man who wanted to stay at the Watson but was refused entry because he was Indian (in 1903), decided to seek revenge and built his own hotel. It is now a 5 star hotel, which boasts 1500 staff including 35 butlers. The Watson's is in serious disrepair, but still houses lawyers offices.

The Watson's in disrepair 

We stopped at numerous spots in South Mumbai, including Ghandi's house, caught a public bus and train and had afternoon tea at a very simple but popular snack bar/ restaurant. It's so popular we had to queue to get in! The dishes she selected were scrumptious!

Next a walk through a vegetable and fruit market and then the train to look at the largest 'open air laundry' in Mumbai. About 1000 men hand wash laundry here 7 days a week, up to 18 hours a day. They live in simple shacks, ten to a room, to send money home to their families up north, where they visit once a year. Very sad to see. The amount of washing they must get through a day, there were uniforms, hotel sheets, and all the ironing is done with coal filled irons. They have a simple but effective coding system to identify which items goes in which batch of washing.

The open air laundry 

Back from there in a taxi, where our guide had to assert herself at the end of the ride as the driver was trying to overcharge her hugely, so she had to stand her ground!

Alleyway view

Last visit was to the Victoria trainstation, which was a beautiful English style building; interestingly it is the design that was meant to be in Melbourne; instead they got the Mumbai design. Shanna reckons Melbourne lucked out for sure.

Our dresses have arrived from the tailor just now, so time to try them on and make sure they fit.