We left the hotel at 6:00 A.M. this morning. Box breakfasts were waiting for us in the lobby. Paul and I had ordered chicken and cheese sandwiches. Two baby bananas, nut bread, a muffin, and juice was also inside the box. Coffee and tea plus rolls were on a tray in the lobby. I chose a delicious chocolate croissant.
We said good good-bye to Anuja, then we rode the bus to the airport. Most of us had to pay about $10 for the 13-pounds excess weight of our two bags. The airlines here allow less weight than U.S. airlines do. They allow about 33 pounds in comparison to the 50 pounds allowed by U.S. carriers. Our bags had been under the India weight limit when we left home, but I have done some shopping here 🙂
Anyway, our flight from Cochin to Mumbai took about two hours. We met our guide, Tomli, who checked us into a nearby airport hotel. We relaxed a couple of hours in our rooms, then met him again at 2:00 to start touring Mumbai.
During our drive we went on the freeway across a large bridge. Mumbai is surrounded on three sides by the Arabian Sea. The city used to be called Bombay. Bollywood movies are made here. He pointed out lots of historical buildings. We stopped at the old railroad station to take pictures.
Mumbai is the hub of India’s finance, fashion, and entertainment industries. More films are produced here than in any other city in the world. It is often referred to as Bollywood.
The highlight of the day for me was when we stopped to walk through the laundry which was in the slums. Our guide bought pencils and erasers and passed them out to some of the kids. The kids were very excited to get them. They even pre-shrank new clothes before they sold them.
We walked through a market which I think is the dirtiest market I have ever seen. Piles of litter were everywhere. Some men were attempting to sweep up some of it out of the aisles to make walking easier, but we still had to walk around the huge mounds of trash and rotten vegetables. Men were sleeping in some of the stalls. I saw a dead rat next to a walkway.
This fountain was built by Rudyard Kipling’s father. The famous author was born here.
We went to a Church of England where Mother Teresa and King George visited.
We stopped at the Gateway of India. It is across the street from the historical Taj Hotel. That hotel was damaged by a bomb several years ago. Now every car that enters the parking lot is inspected under the hood and inside.
We went to dinner, but I wasn’t impressed with the food a the restaurant. After dinner, it was an hour’s drive back to the hotel.
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