Left Bundi by taxi and one hour later arrived at Kota station, from where we boarded the sleeper to Mumbai at 9.05pm. After very impressive service, dinner and breakfast (though the first time I’ve had breakfast before I’ve woken up), we arrived in Mumbai at 8.15am. Despite the stories, every train we’ve taken (s’ok, no more train rides ahead) has been on time. One was even early. Brilliant system.
So, Mumbai. Very obviously more affluent than anywhere else we’ve visited. The streets are clean and their surfaces in good nick. The temperature has increased, too, now running at about 26 degrees. As part of a four hour taxi tour, we went into one of the huge slums, the biggest of which has a population of 1m (Mumbai has 20m). Despite the narrow, dark, smelly alleys and lanes, it is a city within a city, just with a different level of affluence; the slum has shops, chickens, even a jeweller. We heard of one former inhabitant who, on moving out, rented out his slum dwelling.
Tuk tuks are not allowed into the city centre, so it’s a bit quieter, but the traffic still strangulates the roads and the horn is still the weapon of choice. Despite blue skies, vision of the skyline is hazy; smog is prevalent. We visited the beach yesterday (Sunday) evening to find it full with family picnics and games. This was at 8pm! The national sport is officially hockey, but you’d never know it: on Sunday, every possible space is occupied with yet another game of cricket. Not surprising they have the best team in the world and the richest league.
The taxi tour included the world’s biggest washing machine where 1,026 concrete water tanks are used to wash the city’s hotels’, etc., laundry, using the old way, ie brushing and beating the fabrics by hand – men only. The tanks are mains water supply fed these days. Also on the tour, a visit to the Parsi, originating from Persia, burial grounds; the recently dead are taken to the site and left for vultures to pick the bones dry. We saw swarms of red kites circling and some massive eagles aflight, too. Apparently, it’s about life passing to life and being regenerated. “Muslims are buried, Hindus are cremated, Parsis are eaten”, was the taxi driver’s circumspection.
Despite Mumbai being more westernised, the majority of married women have to stay at home, so there are swarms of male groups out and about. That always feels a bit strange.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, affectionately aka VT, after original dedication to Queen Victoria, lies behind an impressive Gothic meets Persian meets Hindu frontage. Which brings us back to trains; the stations have ridiculously long platforms because the trains are equally long. Of course. And the first carriage is second lower class, fifth in the pecking order and unbookable. So as a train pulls into the station, the would-be passengers charge onto the carriage. Disembarking, when the train actually stops, is a secondary traffic flow.
After 24 hours, it’s time to move on, this time by flight, to Goa. Mumbai airport terminal is new, clean and one of those ‘organic’ architectural thangs. Uncommonly, the flight runs late, but only by about 15 mins. That is because it has to get a bit of queueing in before we leave …..
Chris & Kath's Travel Time 