|
From
Home (Dec 26th, 2005) |
Drive
from Fenton to Ann Arbor's Amtrak station
Our journey began
at the crack of dawn. We took my car down to Ann Arbor
from Fenton. We wanted to take the train to Chicago so
that we wouldn't have to worry about driving in the winter
weather, finding parking, and adding parking expenses to
the laundry list of costs for this trip. Besides all this,
I happen to enjoy riding on the trains as it lets me catch
up on my reading.
|
Catch
8am train to Chicago's Union Station
Amtrak got us
on our way to Chicago on time and in wonderful comfort
due to the conductor isolating people with small kids in
a separate car from those of us who were child-less. Yener
and I got to enjoy our quiet 5+ hour train ride without
hearing the screams and crying of children. It was simply
heavenly. Kudos to Amtrak!
|
Hop
on the CTA train in Chicago headed out to O'Hare International
Airport
We had a short
walk from Union Station to the nearest CTA train station
at Clinton. We hopped on that train and were whisked off
to the O'Hare airport without incident.
|
Air
India Flight to Mumbai via Frankfurt, Germany
| We
arrived to the airport ridiculously early, so we got
checked in without a problem and through security in
plenty of time. To assist in maximizing our comfort,
we changed into more comfortable clothing. I put on
green sweat pants and a t-shirt. Yener, pictured to
the right, put on his baggy workout shorts. It made
the flight MUCH more bearable. |
 |
| We
were loaded on to the Velha Goa, our home for the next
18 hours or so. This plane left pretty close to on-time
and we were seated by the nose of the aircraft in row
35. We were immediately offered orange juice as we
settled into our long journey to India. As it turns
out, the headphones I brought with me with the airplane
adapter proved to be useless. The headphone jack on
the plane required a different connection, so I ended
up bringing these headphones for nothing. *sigh* |
 |
| After
almost 8 hours on the plane, we landed in Germany.
We had about an hour or two layover while the plane
was refueled and restocked. A new flight crew was assigned
to the plane, so we got a whole new group of faces
to look at when we reboarded the aircraft. It felt
SO good to walk around and stretch our legs! |
 |
|
Arrive
in Mumbai (Bombay)
|
The
green dots on this map represent most of the spots we visited
in Bombay. These dots are also where we took pictures you will
see on this page. The blue dot in the center of the map is
our hotel, the Sea Green Hotel. Not pictured on this map
are the
Elephanta Caves located on an Island off to the right of this
land mass by about an hour if you take a ferry boat.
The spots in the upper left portion of the map were visited
on a taxi tour. All of the others were sites to which we walked.
It looks big here, but it wasn't a very long distance to walk. |
 |
Our visit to Mumbai started when we arrived at
the airport. The first thing we noticed was the smoke. The atmosphere
was SMOKEY, no...not foggy....pollution filled. It was about
2am when we walked out of the airport and we needed to get a
cab to take us to our hotel. We figured out that the routine
is to prepay for the taxi service to take you wherever you want
to go. It would cost us about 380 rupees (approx $8.45) for our
trip. You take the ticket you're given at the window over to
a pool of parked taxis, identify the taxi by the license plate,
give the receipt to the driver who goes and collects his share
and then returns the receipt to you before you take off for your
destination.
Never mind going to an amusement park...take a ride in an Indian
taxi. This old vehicle (probably something the British left)
sped off into the night towards our hotel. It seems lane lines
on the road, signs, traffic lights, etc. are all merely suggestions
that the driver feels free to blatantly ignore. Our guidebook
warned us that driving in India was not for the faint of heart,
but it said nothing about that being true for the passengers
as well!
After about a 45 minute blur of a ride through the city (where
we saw LOTS of people sleeping on the street and in rickety shanties
along the way), we arrived at our hotel to find the lights
all off, doors locked, and a bunch of people sleeping in front
of the building. Our taxi driver managed to wake up the people
inside and we got checked in to our first night at the Sea
Green Hotel.
The hotel's accommodations
were rather...spartan. Yeah, let's put it that way...spartan.
The beds reminded me of those 3 inch
mattresses they used on beds at the summer camps. There was
a TV with English and Indian channels, a mini-fridge, and some
other miscellaneous furniture. The guidebook actually has a perfect
description of the place:
"The green
trimmings on this five-story building have been weathered
by the Arabian Sea (and pollution) over its more than
50 years of hosting guests. Beyond its friendly service, the
Sea Green's only virtue is that it's a remarkable bargain for
its price and location, if you don't mind the lack of facilities
and worn, government-office look. Narrow halls open onto surprisingly
large rooms with window air conditioners and clean but institutional
(think 1960s-asylum) furnishings, such as metal wardrobes and
turquoise vinyl couches. All rooms but one have small balconies;
a few look across Marine Drive to the sea and offer a splendid
view of Bombay's famous sea promenade. The bathrooms have only
open showers, no stalls or tubs."
They sure did hit it right on the head! We spent our first
night in a room on the first floor. In the morning we asked for
a different room since this one was very noisy and it is also
the room referenced above without a balcony. We were relocated
to the 5th floor which gave us a much better view and a lot less
noise. Once settled in here, we started our walking tour of Bombay. |
|
 |
Flora
Fountain
According to the guidebook I
have:
"Standing tall
in the middle of a major five-way intersection, this fountain
marks the heart of Bombay's Fort district. The
ornately sculpted stone fountain was created as a memorial
to one of Bombay's early governors, Sir Bartle Frere, who was
responsible for urban planning in the 1860s. The square in
the which it stands is called Hutama Chowk (Martyr's Square)
in honor of those who died in the violence surrounding the
establishment of Maharashtra in the 1960s (the Bombay Presidency
was split into the states of Maharshtra and Gujarat). It's
a hot spot for rallies, political and otherwise." |
 |
 |
When we visited, there were no such rallies going on...just
a lot of traffic. Here are two obligatory pictures of us in front
of the fountain. As you can see, we came dressed for the weather
in shorts. On the way to the fountain, we noticed that everyone
was staring at us. It was a bit odd, but I suspect that the fact
we were the only ones in shorts might have something to do with
that. |
 |
We continued our exploration past the fountain,
where we managed to find a street vendor that didn't look too
scary. Yener purchased two vegetable samosas from the stand and
we ate them on the street while fending off the children parents
sent to beg us for money. While it seems cruel to just ignore
them, the guidebook advised us that giving any money to one of
them would bring forth a swarm of others demanding their share.
Fueled up on some
amazing samosas (about 7 rupees for the pair, or about 16
cents), we proceeded toward the Gate of India
to see what that looked like up close and to investigate the
possibility of going to the Elephanta Caves. All along the way
to this destination, we fended off pleas from beggars and
salesmen for our rupees. "Please sir...just one coin..."
or "Do you need a guide to the city? I've lived here all
my life." and many other variations on those themes.
These people are both creative and persistent in their pursuit
for your money. In any case, it wasn't too long before we
reached the Gate |
| |
| |
Trip to the Gate of India |
|
From the guidebook: "Bombay's
signature landmark, this elegant 26 m (85 ft) stone archway
was hastily erected as a symbol of welcome to Queen
Mary and King George V of England when the paid a visit to India
in 1911. In the years following, artisans added decorative carvings
and lovely jhoroka work (window carvings), finishing
in 1923. Less than 25 years later, the last British troops departed
India through the same ceremonial arch. The monument serves as
a launching point for boats going to Elephanta Island; this is
also where the Queen Elizabeth 2 and other luxury liners dock
on their cruises. The majestic Taj Mahal hotel, built before
the Gateway of India in 1903, now stands just behind it." |
 |
Left: The plaza in front of the Gate. Note the Tourist Policeman
in the red box. He used that stick he had to beat away the people
trying to harass the tourists with their sales pitches.
Right: A shot of the Taj Mahal hotel and the boats docked
nearby. Notice the haze in the air...that's not fog! |
 |
 |
Left: This is my first attempt at using the photo stitch function
on my camera. It turned out a little warped, but still not bad
for my first try!
Right: Yener on our ferry boat ride to the Elephanta Caves.
The breeze felt absolutely wonderful to me! The picture he took
of me didn't really come out well since the sun was behind
me. |
 |
Arrival at the Elephanta Caves
Once you get off the ferry, you can buy tickets to a little
rickety train that will take you to the entrance of the site.
We decided to walk as it wasn't really worth piling on the train.
Below, Left: Me after we got off the ferry. We began our trek
to the entrance. Can you see the smog in the background obscuring
the view of the mountains? We also saw a lot of other ships docked
here.
Below, Center: Yener
with three women who basically insisted that we have a picture
taken with them. This is the mostly
costly photo we took on this trip as we gave them 100 rupees
(about $2.22) for the "honor" of photographing them.
No, I don't know how they balanced that stuff on their head,
but
I did
see a
lot of
that in India.
Below, Right: One of hundreds of monkeys I saw on the island.
There are more photos of them on this page. |
 |
 |
 |
| The entrance to the site is actually at the top
of a very steep climb, so you have to walk through a mall of
street vendors (crafts, crap, and restaurants). At one point,
you can pay for a rickshaw-like ride up the mountain. You sit
in a chair and people carry you up the mountain. While it was
tempting, I figured the exercise would be better for me. |
Below,
Left & Center: Obligatory pictures of us
in front of the cave entrance. This is the main gallery of
the caves: "Exactly who carved these 7th-century cave
temples on Elephanta Island is not known. We do know that
the island was
originally called Gharapuri; the Portuguese renamed it Elephanta
after they found a large stone elephant near their landing
place. (This figure collapsed in 1814 and was subsequently
moved to
the far-off Victoria Gardens and reassembled.) ... It was Shivaism,
or the worship of Shiva, that inspired the building of these
temples.
The outside of the
main cave consists of a columned veranda 30 ft wide and 6
ft deep, which you approach on steps flanked
by sculptured elephants. The entire temple, carved out of the
basalt hillside, is 130 ft square."
It was a really
impressive sight. After getting clearance to take photos,
I snapped a few for you to see. Entrance fees were about
250 rupees for tourists and something like 10 rupees for Indians.
At least they were honest about taking advantage of us, huh? |
Below: This
is the "unusual Mahesamurti, the Great Lord Shiva" which
has three faces. From right to left-- Shiva the creator, The
preserver, and the Destroyer. This sculpture represents the
three aspects of Shiva. |
 |
 |
 |
| Below,
Left & Center: These are some more photos
taken of the sculptures in the central gallery. |
Below: This is the entrance to another temple on the left side
of the main gallery. It was a crowded day! |
|
|
|
Monkeys, Monkeys, and MORE Monkeys!
These creatures
were EVERYWHERE on the island. You see Yener below standing
a safe distance from the monkey and he's saying
between his teeth, "Snap the photo quickly, Glenn! They might
get too close!" In the rightmost photo, you can see that
these monkeys have no fear of humans. Gotta keep an eye on them
in
case they feel like going through your bag! |
|
|
|
|
Left: Some boats that were aground and being serviced. People
were cleaning the hulls and painting the boats. From what I
can see, it looks like this is a low-tide period.
Right: Me with the Taj Mahal and Gate to India behind me.
There were groups of Indians on this ferry back to the mainland
who were having a lot of fun dancing to the music and taking
group photos with some of the surrounding ships in the background.
|
|
|
These pictures give you a better view of
the Gate and the Taj Mahal hotel. The haze you see is pollution
in the air. Strangely, a lot of the dirt and pollution did not
really show up well on the photos. Just trust me on this one:
it was really dirty! |
|
After
this tour, we tried to do some shopping and we looked for food.
We found this little restaurant called the Food Inn that wasn't
listed in our guidebook, but we figured with a name like
that it couldn't be all that bad. I watched as a lot of people
went in and out of there. Crowded restaurants are a good sign
when you travel, so we decided to give it a shot. We ended up
stuffing ourselves on some wonderful food and it only cost
us about 8 or 9 bucks for everything.
We headed back to
the hotel where we rested for a bit and then went for a night
walk along Marine drive before we slept for the evening and looked
forward to arranging a tour of the temples to the northwest of
us. Here's a picture of Marine Drive at night...
Itinerary | Bombay (Day1) | Bombay (Day 2) | Calcutta
(Day 1) | Calcutta
(Day 2) | Coming home | Advice |
|
|
