The other day I was reading the Lonely Planet guide book to Mumbai. The very first sentence in the book read "Mumbai is big". It really is, Mumbai has it all. From beautiful colonial buildings of south Bombay to the modern malls and night life of suburbs, the old dargahs of Haji Ali and Mahim, churches from the Britis Raj, famous temples of Sidhivinayak and Mahalaxmi, neck bending skyscrapers at Colaba and Prabhadevi, rock cut caves of Elephanta and Kanheri, the list is long. You name it and Mumbai has it.
It is one of those rare cities that is always lively irrespective of any day . You cannot get bored in Mumbai even if you want to, there is so much to do, so much to explore. You end up seeing a new thing each time you visit Mumbai. Somewhere in a book I read " Mumbai does not belong to anyone but everyone owns it". How true. Visit it to feel it. Its Mumbai Meri Jaan.
Here are some of the photos from a recent trip to Mumbai. The motive of the trip was to soak in the flavour of Mumbai and nothing else. We started in the afternoon from Mumbai's fishing hub and ferry launch station Bhaucha Dhakka, a vibrant place with ships and fishes all around (photography not allowed), after that we went to see the magnificient Gateway of India and its companion the Taj Palace Hotel. Then it was beer and choupsey at the famous Leopold cafe. Bought some books from old book sellers near Flora Fountain. Saw a double decker bus standing on a signal, sprinted towards it and enjoyed a quick ride to the Marine Drive sitting on the top floor. The day ended watching a calm and serene sunset at the Marine Drive. Next day it was the Jehangir Art Galley and Chatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum), the visit turned out to be very informative thanks to my cousin who gave us a perfect guided tour. Thats all we could cover in a short weekend. Looking forward to the next visit. Until then Bye Bye Mumbai !
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Haji Ali |
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Haji Ali and Nili Masjid (Blue Mosque) |
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Atop a double-decker bus near Marine Drive |
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Marine Drive |
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Mumbai's Skyline as seen from Marine Drive |