The Gateway

If you are a photographer, India is a dream, a photographers paradise.  It was a perfectly clear sunny day when we embarked on a day long tour of Mumbai.  This is our first visit to this city.  We arrived by air just after our overland visit to the Taj.  No time to rest on this cruise, for sure.  Mumbai is a mix of everything from the uber rich to the desperately poor.  It is high energy without stopping for a rest.  While here, you get caught up in energy of the crowds, the craziness of the traffic, and the exciment of many things to see and do.  Eat, shop, wander and get lost in the hoards is what to do here. The first thing I noticed was the crowds.  Crowds (20 million plus) and traffic are a good description of what India is all about. But there is much more to India then that.  India is 1/3 the size of the US with 3 times the population.  

Our day long tour wanted to give us an overall view of Mumbai.  Traveling by sea we really get nothing in depth of each country, just  taste.  We just make the best of it.  My city visit has to include a market. Our guide did not fail us.  We arrived on the late side for markets. We found this market rather pleasant, organized and cleaner then most we have seen so far.  We we did not visit the fish and meat market because everything gets sold by 7AM. The smell of fish still waifed in the air,  but not too bad.  We saw veggies and fruit.  Men with baskets on their head or carts carried the purchases to your car.  The produce was beautiful and fresh. It was sorted so the nicer ones would be priced higher.  Sometimes the men would sit up high in wooden boxes with their vegetables surrounding them.  Spices and hot snacks were also sold here.  I loved this place and would shop here if I could.

Next was a view of a huge sandy beach which reminded me of Lake Michigan and Chicago in the way the city was built around its waters. No one swims here because "Indians do not like to swim" we were told but also because the water is very polluted.  People gather on the beach when the sun sets and just enjoy meeting and greeting each other. 

Slum Dog Millionaire could not have been filmed without the slums of Mumbai.  Here are squatters homes which are also slums.  There are a lot of slums in Mumbai.

If I give my blog 4 pictures then it must be something fun in my eyes.  This is the part I love about MY blog... the only control I have.. :).   I have 300 more Mumbai photos in Picasa. I  am willing to guess most are of this public laundry in Mumbai, the largest in the city. There are 730 cubicles here and 4,000 workers. This was fascinating and only found here in Mumbai.  In fact, the city is hesitant to sell washers and dryers as that would put these guys out of business.  Dirty clothes are picked up at your home, cleaned and press, and returned to your home.  The same guy picks up your clothes each week.  Looking at these photos you wonder don't they loose a few?  No. The water is brought in by pipes. There is no running tap water. Electricity is very limited. They use a black soap stone to wash your clothes against rocks.  The clothes are rinsed in several basins. When the water gets dirty, there are no drains and water  has to be emptied by bucket and refilled.  The used water goes into the sea. Hard Hard backbreaking work in the scorching sun. 

The Jain Temple, built in 1905,  belongs to the strictly vegetarian Jain community.  People here believe that you can't hurt anything, including a virus.  You eat nothing below the ground either.  No garlic, no potatoes, no yogurt, no bread (yeast).  So they only eat leafy vegtables.  It is colorful.  We took off our shoes and walked a bit on its marble floors as people all around us worshiped. Upon entering they ring a bell and when they leave they ring a bell. 

Here is my child photo in Mumbai- cute little guy on a bus ride enjoying the sites.

The Gateway to India, Mumbai's signature landmark, is supposed to be a highlight and a must for anyones photo journal.  Today we have a slight problem capturing this wonderful stone archway. They were erecting a stage of sorts in front of it. In back of it hundreds were lined up for a ferry. To its left is it blocked off because the Taj Mahal Hotel has gone overboard, and rightly so, with security forces. This hotel was attacked in 2008 and 195 peole were killed by terrorists. Although the hotel has been repaired, it remains roped off, baricaded and under heavy police protection.  Here is the arch and the hotel... I did not realize how close to each other these two were.

 

India has this fasinating to watch lunch delivery system. You pay a monthly fee, make a lunch, and put it in a sealed tiffin box. Boxes are picked up at your home by Dabbwallas and delivered to schools or to the office in the city. They charge about $11 a month for this service. The train system is built to hold 1,000 people but 5,000 use it daily. There is no space to carry anything personal as people shove their way into the trains to travel to the city each day. This is the way to get lunch from home and save some money from going out to eat. Each lunch is coded and sorted many times so it makes the right train, the right building, and the right office. At 2PM the tiffins are picked up, sorted numerous times and brought back home.... an amazing system. 5,000 men work in this system to deliver 200,000 lunches each day. We watched as the lunches were brought in from the trains, sorted and hauled off in time for the lunch hour. This system works because men love to be spoiled with home cooked food. Now with more women working they are opening storefronts that make lunches and put them in the tiffin boxes for the ladies who are out in the workforce so that the system goes on...



Ghandi's room for 15 years



After all the touring and a very good Indian lunch, I was really tired by the time we reached Ghandi's house. Although not excited to go see one more thing today I was happy I did. They have books and photos galore about his life. They have dioramas of his life with the neatest hand made dolls, a bigger scale then what I do but fun for me to see. There are letters here from Ghandi to Hitler and to Roosevelt and the room he spent most of his time in looks like he still lives in it. I bought a handcrafted book of his sayings while here. I just felt him being aorund as I moved through the 3 floors of his life. What a great and wise man he was...

And after lunch we have tea?  Well OK I will just go with the program.  We were all invited to have tea at the home of fashion designer James Ferrara.  His Mom was there too.  Cakes, cookies, sandwiches and tea were on the dining table waiting for us at his home.  His home is in a historic area that is now declared a slum area for no reason other then it is easier for the government to declare it such.  His family has lived here for 200 years.  No air conditioning.... I noticed right away.  I went up to his studio and he pointed out where his home is located in this once great area.  I also saw wedding pictures of his Mom and Grandma.  He also showed me his newest collection.  All of his garments have just one seam, the rest is draped.  What a nice man he is.  His Mom was proud, and rightly so. A nice visit.

And the rest of Mumbai......

When the tour ended a glass of champaign awaited me on the ship.  David headed to Trivia. The ship went all out with cake and tea as the Royal wedding was broadcast live in the theater.  I was back in time to toast the couple, champaign in hand, and headed up to my room for a shower.  Dinner will be soon.  Fujairah awaits us.