Redefined Timeline

The next stop on the tour was Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. We boarded the overnight train, walking passed the first dozen or so cars which were jam packed with locals sitting on bus bench-like seating, open windows and no air conditioning. My first thought was that this was going to be a LONG night. Thankfully, we continued down the platform. The next set of cars contained seats that allowed people to partially lay back. Improvement, I suppose. Finally, the guide directed us onto a car that had closed windows and even included climate control. He had upgraded our overnight train tickets to “first class.” While it wasn’t quite what most people would consider first class, we had lie-down bunk beds, bedding, and curtains separating us from other passengers. I climbed into my upper bunk with all my belongings.

While I can’t say I had the best night of sleep, it was better than those other cars. I am an extremely light sleeper, so of course I had the gentleman loudly snoring below me all night. Pro tip: Always pack ear plugs. Oh, and have some extra layering to combat the cold temperatures the train was set to.

We arrived just after 5AM that morning, semi-refreshed and raring to go. A majority of our time in Mumbai was exploring the city ourselves. The guide did give us a short walking tour that culminated at Pizza By The Sea for a westernized breakfast. Not what I was expecting at a restaurant that boasted pizza as it’s main dish, but hey, it was pretty tasty!

Mumbai sits on the coast and does have a long sandy beach. Don’t expect to see sunbathers lounging in the sand. It is India, and unlike Goa, was not a party town. The city is quite walkable, and Julia and I may have walked the entire length of the coast from the restaurant to the opposite end of the expansive beach. Still exhausted from the overnight train, we opted for coffee. Sadly, the only coffee shop close by was my least favorite Seattle chain – Starbucks. They really are everywhere. One noticeable difference were the food choices, which were diverse and tasty!

Lining the streets of Mumbai are dozens upon dozens of book sellers. Locals set up kiosks and make-shift shelving all along the main drags and alleyways. Now, you mustn’t expect the best quality books, these were clearly the knock off versions… some pages were crooked, the paper was a bit flimsy, and the ink a teensy bit smudged in spots. The upside, you can get every New York Times bestseller IN ENGLISH for about $1.00 to $1.50, or 100-150 rupees. Had I had the space, I would have come home with far more than I did.

We taxied back to the hotel, Hotel Manama, which was small but adequate, to prepare for another city walk before retiring to Leopold Cafe, the restaurant that was the site of a terrorist attack in 2008. Colaba Causeway is one of the busiest areas of Mumbai, which is where the cafe is situated. The terrorists opened fire on the bar, killing eleven and injuring many others. They then moved on to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the main target of their aggression. Leopold boldly reopened four days later, but had to close after two short hours due to crowds. Unlike the hotel, the cafe did not fix all of the extensive damage – bullet holes riddling the interior and exterior walls are still visible throughout. It was a defiant tribute to those who perished in the attacks.

While in Mumbai, I started chatting more and more with the two chicks the Mean Girls had deemed unworthy. Their gang was already freezing me out like a bunch of overgrown high schoolers just for daring to say hello to the pair. I responded as I usually do when dealing with petulant children… I walked away. The duo, Bronte and Harriett, hailed from England, and were a happy lot to hang out with. Harriett and I sauntered down the streets towards Leopold gabbing about this and that. They welcomed me with open arms, and the India Outcasts were born. Even though I was old enough to be Harriett’s mother (I was a little over 21 years older than her), she was far more interesting and entertaining to interact with. When we retired to the bar after dinner, we chatted for more than an hour. However, my age kicked in, and I headed back to the hotel to pack and sleep.

When we were at Leopold Cafe, I unfortunately got put in the corner of our long table sandwiched between a Mean Girl and a mirrored wall. Baby got put in a corner with the Mean Girls separating me from the laughter at the opposite end. While awaiting my food, chicken tikka in the form of a sandwich, I entertained myself by snapping photos of the Asian Australian’s increasingly glowering face in the mirror. Even after the girl’s tasty looking pizza arrived, she complained the food was awful before even sampling a slice. While taking the unflattering photographs was certainly on the childish side for my advancing age, I had to occupy my brain from listening to the group insult Harriett and Bronte just for sport. They were having a blast at the other end of the table.

And there we have Mumbai.

Prior to the long train ride to Bombay, we made a couple of stops – the Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati, and Ahmedabad. Two vastly different pitstops to say the least! Ahmedabad seemed like a waste of a stop in my opinion, since we just spent four hours wandering a shopping mall. The second detour made a lot more sense as we toured the Gandhi Ashram – busy, loud plaza vs. quiet, peaceful garden.

Ahmedabad Mall was your run of the mill high end mall. For some reason the tour took a sojourn there. I started by having a burnt Starbucks coffee, and then paced the multistory building for hours until our train ride to Mumbai. Not the greatest use of time in my opinion, but at least it was air conditioned!

The Gandhi Ashram was one of the many residences of Mahatma Gandhi. The Ashram now has a museum dedicated to Gandhi’s life. There are several life-sized galleries featuring oil paintings of Gandhi, his famous quotations are plastered across the walls throughout, and a library consisting of his manuscripts, books and teachings in the Ashram.

Next on the tour, we flew to Goa for a few days on the party beach to conclude this portion of my trip.

March 2024