After a fabulous night out cruising Marine Drive and the Queen’s Necklace, we were excited to get touring during the day and discover the cool things about Mumbai.
Many of you might be thinking….where is Mumbai – Isn’t it Bombay? And you would be right! Bombay is the name the British gave to the city, but in 1995, the government of the time decided to change it to a more Indian name and called it Mumbai after a Hindi God.
We wanted to do a city tour and found one that was quite unique….it’s called Mumbai Local and it is led by university students who really know the city.
We met up with our guides Pranali and Narmala down at the Gateway to India. It’s really an impressive site to see – a large archway right on the harbor. It was originally built in 1911 to commemorate the royal visit of King George V and was completed in 1924. Ironically, it’s also the same gate to commemorate the British leaving India when they received independence! It’s now a great place to gather and people watch. There were all kinds of people there to enjoy the lovely weather and great views.
The ladies took us on a good walk around the British Heritage District. The buildings are gorgeous! There is the Prince of Wales Museum, University of Bombay, High Court and so much more! The fountains in the middle of the streets and big palm trees really add to the beautiful scenery.
Part of the tour involved taking all the different types of transportation, so there we were jumping on the bus with all the other locals. It’s similar to our bus system in Toronto, just with way more people!
We stopped for a fun lunch at Swati Snacks where we tried some of Mumbai’s fast food. We really enjoyed the masala dosas and the potato burgers – they were really delicious!
From there we walked through Bhaji Gully which was a gorgeous, but crowded bazaar. Again, we marvel at all the beautiful colours we see everywhere!
The ladies then took us on the famous Mumbai open trains. The trains are built for 1500 people, but over 7000 people use them during the peak hours. Due to the extreme heat, there are no doors on the trains so people hang out of them. Narmala told us that 7-8 people fall out everyday and die on the tracks. That’s just India.
We gripped our poles a little tighter, and told the girls to move away from the doors! We were lucky as we were travelling in off peak hours, so the trains were not that busy. Still…one doesn’t want to get too close!
When we got off the trains, we saw evidence of the dabba wallahs! Everday, most of the Mumbai men go to work in the downtown offices. A good number of their wives stay at home and prepare a hot and fresh lunch for them. The dabba wallahs are responsible for picking up 200 000 lunches a day and delivering them to the men at work. After lunch, they then pick up the empty containers and return them to the workers’ homes. This lunch delivery system has been in place for a centuryand the dabba wallas have set Guinness records for this system. Although, almost all of the workers are illiterate, on average, they only make one mistake for every 6 million deliveries. Those are pretty incredible results!!!
When we left the station it was a short walk to the largest open air laundry in the world – the Dhobi Ghat. It was incredible to see! There are hundreds of open air tubs where men wash all of Mumbai’s laundry with their hands and feet and hang it to dry. We learned that only men are able to work in the Ghat as they live at the Laundromat as well. The Ghat reminded us of the leather tannery we saw in Fes, Morroco – the same sort of idea with the men in the tubs.
We then jumped into Mumbai’s famous black and yellow city cabs and made our way to the Victoria Terminus station – a very impressive building of gothic architecture. Even though we were there during off peak hours – it was crazy busy! Again, I promise never again to complain about Toronto traffic, or about crowded transit systems. It’s been a great education!
Overall, the tour was lots of fun and it was great to have a young person’s perspective on the city. We were able to try all the different ways the locals get around and where they like to hang out. Both Narmala and Pranali were in their final years of university and were very well spoken. My girls enjoyed their company and their jokes. It was a great time for all of us! Mumbai is a beautiful city – not to be missed!
Comments
6 responses to “Magical Mumbai!”
So, um, with all of that laundry, how do they know who owns what, where it goes after they wash it? Do they dry, iron , fold and package it too? A bit overwhelming! And primitive! And the lunch system! Having trouble getting my head around the logistics of that too… And the why…..
This is certainly a different way of doing things. Part Western and part , well, I guess Indian! Love the ‘No Honking’ sign amidst all ofthe constant honking! Such an interesting and complex place. Seems a little like “the best of times and the worst of times” if I may borrow from an author whose name I currently cannot remember. Loved brave Oliver dancing with the worshipers.
Hi Herta,
Dhobi Ghat is an amazing place where people have developed a system of dropping off laundry, (mainly hotels and hospitals), having them washed, dried, pressed and returned in 1-2 days. The people who work there use colour coded tagging to ensure it gets back to the correct people. From our experience, only some of the middle class have washing machines in their homes (this is changing as we speak). Many of them send out their laundry as they try to support the billion+ people who need jobs. This is one way they can help each other.
As for the dabbah wallas – this is the tradition of India….fast food is not as popular as mom’s home cooking. Again, the people are supporting those who need jobs – it’s around $5.00 per month for the service. When you have so many people, many of them uneducated, it’s important to have roles for everyone. It’s fascinating to see them in action – and to know that Harvard and Forbes have recognized their level of accuracy is pretty amazing! It’s something very unique to Mumbai and worth seeing.
Cheers,
Kat:)
Katina sometimes when we watch movies about India I still wonder how true their depiction of everyday life is….you have brought so much to life for me. Thanks for this amazing informative post. Miss you all!
HI Vania
India has been a real eye-opener for us as well. You just can’t believe it until you see it! The education we have had here has been unreal. I have gained so much insight and respect for the Indian culture….my perspective has changed so much since being here.
Miss you all too – lots of love,
Kat:)
Hi Kat, This is a very interesting tour of such a large city that looks as though they try to employ some of the less fortunate or illiterate people with jobs such as the laundry system and the lunch system. I’m sure that it probably puts food on their tables, and gives them a feeling of empowerment–needed!!!! WOW! Trains without doors!!! I’m glad that you had a good tour. Love, Baba
Hi Mom,
What we have learned is that everyone has a role to play and there is work if you want it -it doesn’t matter your level of education. That is why there is such a focus on education – parents want their kids to be successful and they know education is the key. As an admin, I now have such a better understanding of why INdian parents want their kids to do more school work instead of play. When you have so many people competing for jobs – education is the only way to ensure you have a white collared job instead of a hard life of labour. This has been a fascinating experience for all of us. We have learned so much!
Love,
Kat:)