24 hours in one of Asia's most enigmatic cities

BOMBAY -- Poised precariously on India’s western coastline, a thin spit of land that extends out into the Arabian Sea holds more mystery per square mile than any other city on the Indian subcontinent. Bombay – a fishing village grown up to become a city of dreams.

             We had only day in which to see it. Flight times, family and conferences had conspired to give my friend from Cambridge, Carmen, just 24 hours in the city.

 

            “Is it worth it?” Carmen had asked. “Flying all the way for just one day?”

She had answered the question herself. “Ok, we’ll just have to wake early.”

 

            Bombay is a hard city to resist. The only thing wilder than the myths surrounding it are the facts. Financial hub, seaport, movie capital, military base, fashion capital, and cultural center Bombay is many things - to many people. 18 million at last count, but who’s really counting.

           

            We start out at dawn from Breach Candy, a residential neighborhood in south Bombay. In his benevolence Surya, the sun god, rewards our early rising with a beautiful marmalade sky. As we fall into the front seats on the upper level of a red London-style double-decker bus, the city below begins to come alive. In nooks between the designer stores boys hand-weave garlands of marigolds, and vegetable vendors roll out jute mats on which they place their wares.

 

            Though stately homes and palaces once dotted Breach Candy, and the neighboring Malabar Hill and Altamount Road, most have given way to shabby concrete towers and tiny stores and boutiques that nudge each other for space.

 

            Despite its wealth and heritage, Bombay wears a surprisingly worn look. A complex rent control regime ensures there is little or no maintenance of most property. But like an aging rock star who has survived much self-inflicted abuse, the city wears its scars with a grim but potent dignity.

 

            Our first stop is Mani Bhavan on Laburnum Road, Gandhi’s residence in Bombay and the place from where he launched his call for India’s independence. The building retains a surprisingly authentic feel of those times and the aura of the great man is still palpable in the one austere room in which he lived.

 

            Taxi’s are easy to hail in Bombay and we take one, an aging Fiat in yellow and black, down Marine Drive, Bombay’s elegantly curved version of a chic Côte d'Azur ocean boulevard. Carmen is shocked to see scores of couples kissing and groping along the sea wall.

 

            “Public kissing in India?” she asks incredulously. I point across promenade, to the row of buildings opposite, which many consider one of the finest stretches of 1930’s Art Deco architecture in the world.  From wind-battered balcony’s seniors are gazing out at the sea, but as I point out to Carmen, they are deliberately looking past the young lovers below.

 

             “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” I say. As in the U.S. armed forces, it is this policy of mutually assured discretion that allows many Indian families to reconcile tradition with social change.

 

            Artful accommodation has always been vital to this city of contradictions. Life here has been defined by any one thing and despite every new influence, every new immigrant, that floats into the city somehow space is made for the old. 

           

            The Kolis were Bombay’s original inhabitants when the area was first captured by a Portuguese captain, Heytor de Silveira, in 1528. Today, crammed along a narrow stretch of the sea between the modern office complexes at Nariman Point and nouve-riche residential towers at Cuffe Parade, they still survive, continuing their ancient life, seemingly unperturbed by the world that has risen around them.

 

            From Sassoon Dock, the main fish market not far away, Koli’s still sail their Arabian dhows, or fishing boats. Amidst the din to the market we can see Koli women patiently weaving the fishing nets their husbands use to catch silver pomfrets and the famous Bombay duck, a thin white fish unique to Bombay, about 8 inches long that is rolled in red chilies and fried.

           

            A beaming fisherman comes up to us and asks if we’d like a harbor tour.

 

            “For golden lady only two hundred rupees” ($4), he says, gesturing at Carmen’s hair.  

 

            I warn Carmen that after an hour on his boat we might never smell the same again. But she wants to go and our captain, Suresh, sails us down the harbor to Bombay’s most famous landmark – the Gateway of India monument, with the grand Taj Mahal Hotel just behind it.  

 

            The Gateway of India was built in 1911 from private contributions to commemorate the first visit George V paid to the jewel in his crown. An elegant sand colored monument that is part Arch de Triumph and part Rajput fort, it apparently failed to impress HRH adequately, for he never returned.

 

            The Taj Mahal was built by the great philanthropist-industrialist Jamsetji Tata as an “all races” hotel in 1903, after he was denied entry into one of the city's “white’s only” hotels. Still splendid, behind it lies the area known as Colaba Causeway, a melee of curio shops and cafes where backpackers meet and plan their forays into India’s jungle reserves, Himalayan mountains and beach hideaways.

           
            We sail on to the “Lion Gate” naval base where lines of grey Russian ‘Kashin’-class missile destroyers and two hulking aircraft carriers lie anchored. As I complain to Carmen that India spends one-fourth of its revenues on defense, Suresh catches my drift and rushes in to defend his country. “India has many enemies,” he says darkly.

 

            Back on land, we convince a cabbie to ignore our stench and drive us to the military cantonment at the tip of Bombay. Free from the pressures of civil city life the area is much as it was a century ago. Walking through it gives one an idea of what Bombay was like back then - leafy roads lined with grey stone buildings and grand residences set amongst lush gardens.

 

            Taking the 123 bus into the city we stop at the crowded Colaba Causeway to seek out designer rip-offs and genuine antiques in its musty little shops.

 

            By the time we take the bus on into Flora Fountain, the city’s nerve center, it is rush hour (which in Bombay is 11.00am, not 8.30am).  Vespas, micro-cars, antiquated taxis, smog-sprouting trucks, handcarts and bicyclists all compete cheerfully for space on the road as pedestrians weave skillfully between them.   

 

             The Bombay Stock Exchange, Asia’s first, looms over the imperial Gothic and Indo-Saracenic buildings that crowd the area. The Bombay University with its soaring clock tower, the stately High Court, and the crumbling 19^th century trading houses of Horniman Circle are all within walking distance and we saunter around.

 

            The footpaths are jammed with make-shift stalls and giant hand-painted hoardings advertise everything from toothpaste to Bollywood films. Impatient commuters mill around us, clad in clothes that span continents, cultures and generations. Aging suits, colonial whites, designer linens, flowing sarees, floral frocks, and elaborate salwars mix freely with jeans, dhotis, Muslim veils, turbans and kurtas. 

 

            We lunch at Trishna, watering hole of the casually hip, on spicy fish in a saffron curry garnished with cilantro, and make our way to St. Thomas Cathedral. Built in 1715, it is the city’s oldest colonial building.

 

            The grandest building in the city is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (yes, in Bombay almost everything seems to be named after this Maratha warrior) just ahead. Originally called the Victoria Terminus, Asia's first railway, started in 1853, ran 33 miles from here to the northern suburb of Thane. Massive, ornate and yet elegant, the structure has one flaw.

 

            “I bet you I can find it,” says Carmen, and her bankers eye picks it out quickly. It is an empty pedestal. Once Queen Victoria’s proud marble likeness stood there, but in the 1970’s another equally proud empress, Indira Gandhi, had it removed.

           

            Catching a local train we head north, passing through the sprawling shanties of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. The sight of naked children playing in gutters is enough to tear at the hardest hearts, but the sweaty commuters around us gaze distantly through it all. Emotional insulation is the only way to survive the grit of a city where over five million people live in barren slums.

 

            Alighting at Borivali, a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw gives us a bone-jarring ride to the Borivali National Park and we are just in time for the last ‘cat’ tour of the day. From behind the bars of our bus we gaze at sleepy lions and crouching tigers that stare back to us with their bewitching eyes. For Carmen it is the most enchanting part of the day.

 

            Night falls as we leave the reserve and the cooler temperature emboldens us to walk despite the crowd.

 

            We saunter down to little dhaba, a roadside food stall for truckers, and dine on hot Nan bread and tandoori chicken. It’s hardly more than a shack and Carmen worries for her tummy.  But the secret to eating safe is eating hot, freshly cooked food (for drinking, only bottled water from reliable companies is to be trusted). We can see the clay oven the nans are being baked in and the cook is delighted to let Carmen reach into it and turn her own nan. One hundred rupees procures us a beer from across the street, and after sharing a glass with our host he is all jabber. The openness and hospitality of Indians often astounds people, for they can open their homes and hearts wide and quick. As our host tells Carmen about his hometown and asks about hers, kids from the street gather to listen in, grinning ceaselessly and giggling when she tries to talk to them. The ubiquitous street dog also attends what is becoming Carmen’s going away party and as I scratch his ears I look over to Carmen. The airport is just a short taxi ride away and soon she will be comfortably ensconced in her seat, looking down on the shimmering lights of Bombay as her jet makes a majestic turn over the city. She looks tired, but happy. Bombay has not let her down.  It never does.

 

-         end –

 

 

How to get there

 

Bombay is about 16 hours flying time from Boston (plus layover time which can range from 1 to 12 hours). Most flights connect through Europe and the airlines with the best connections and flights to India are KLM, Air France, Air India and Virgin.  Fares range from $800 to $1400 depending on the time of year for a discounted coach seat. The best prices on air tickets are usually obtained through Indian-owned ticket consolidators.

 

www.indiatravelite.com always has great fares and is easy to use. Also see www.cheaptickettobombay.com and www.aiticketsindia.com in addition to the usual travel sites like www.cheaptickets.com, www.orbitz.com or www.travelocity.com.

 

For discounted around-the-world fares try www.around-the-world.com.

 

 

Information and travel Resources

Visas

American visitors need a visa to travel to India. A six-month tourist visa costs $60 and Boston residents can obtain their visas from the Indian Consulate in New York City.

 

Consulate General of India

3 East 64TH Street ( Bet. Madison and Fifth Avenue.)
New York, NY 10021

Tel: 212 - 774 0600

Fax: 212 - 570 9581.

 

Instruction and applications can also be obtained from the consulates web site at www.indiacgny.org.

If done thorough the mail, visas can take a total of 10-12 days to be processed, including postal time.

 

Background information

A comprehensive listing all web sites related to India can be found on-line at http://www.bccls.org/livingston/india1.html. Some god Bombay-related travel sites are www.travel-maharastra.com, www.eindiatourism.com/mumbai, and www.mumbaibombay.com.

 

Both the Lonely Planet and Fodor’s have good travel guides to Bombay and India.

 

Health

No inoculations or shots are required for entering India (only visitors who have been in Africa, or Trinidad and Tobago within six days of their arrival in India must get a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever).

However shots are recommended and you should ask your physician for advice. Most physicians advise visitors to India to take shots for the following: hepatitis A, typhoid and meningitis. Vaccines are also available for rabies and cholera, but neither are very effective; the rabies vaccine does not actually prevent rabies, it only reduces the number of shots you need if you get it. Many doctors will not dispense these shots, since they can delude people into thinking they are protected. 

Most Americans are already inoculated against diseases such as diptheria, polio, tetanus, measles, mumps, and rubella but adults may wish to take a polio booster called IPOL.

To guard against Malaria visitors could also take Mefloquine (or similar tablets).

What to do

 

In addition to the sights mentioned in the story, visitors to Bombay could visit:

 

Elephanta Island

A two-hour boat ride from Bombay, Elephanta Island features rock-cut temples and carvings thought to date 450AD. Boats run daily from Apollo Bunder (near the Gateway of India) every hour until early afternoon.

 

Walkeshwar Temple and Banganga Tank

This is the site where the God Rama was supposed to have rested on his way to rescue his wife Sita from the villain Ravan in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Originally built about 1000 years ago, the current temple is much more recent. Both structures are set amongst buildings and huts that have a remarkably rural feel despite being in the heart of the city.

 

Crawford Market and Kalbadevi

The tumultuous wholesale food center of the city, Crawford Market or Phule Market as it is now called, was designed by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling. Set in the heart of Bombay’s dense Muslim neighborhoods, it is just a short walk from the Jama Masjid. Just north, the Kalbadevi area is the center of Bombay’s thriving jewelry and diamond trade. Though not for the squeamish traveler, set amongst these narrow bustling streets lie Bombay’s quaintest markets –the Zaveri Bazaar (for jewelery), the Chor Bazaar (or “Thieves” market), the Cloth Market and Dhabu Street (the leather goods market). The Mumbadevi Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the Koli fishermen, is also nearby.

 

 

Where to stay

Most tourists prefer to live in the southern part of the city. Some good hotels in this are are:

 

Expensive:

The Taj Mahal Hotel

Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Bombay 400001

Phone: 22/202-3366

Classic and historic. The best address in the city.

 

The Oberoi

Nariman Point, Bombay 400005

Phone: 22/202-5757

Perfectly located by the sea and within walking distance of most of south Bombay, the Oberoi is a new-world contender for title “Bombay’s best hotel.

 

 

Moderate:

Ritz

5 Jamshedij Tata Rd., Bombay 400020
Phone: 22/285-0500 or 22/283-7623

The Ritz is lovely Art Deco building with simple but elegant rooms. Its location is convenient and its staff helpful.

 

West End

45 New Marine Lines, Bombay 400020, India
Phone: 22/203-9121 or 22/205-7484
Often overlooked, the West End is a full service hotel with a quiet 1940’s charm.

 

 

Economical:

Shelleys

30 P. J. Ramchandani Marg, Apollo Bunder, Bombay, India
Phone: 22/284-0229

5 min. walk from the Taj Mahal. Oozes old-world charm but is low on modern amenities like Internet connections and voice mail.

 

Ascot

38 Garden Rd., Colaba, Bombay 400039
Phone: 22/284-0020 or 22/287-2105

A backpackers favorite, the Ascot is basic (no restaurant, no view, no amenities) but it works.

 

 

Where to eat

Bombay is bursting with cafes, restaurants and bars. Though the choice of international restaurants are relatively few for a city this size, the local variety makes up for that.

Indigo

Mandalik Road, Colaba, Bombay. Tel. 22/285-6316 or 22/202-3592

The city’s cool crowd flocks to this elegant restaurant for its chic ambience and exquisite menu.

Chetna

34 K. Dubash Marg, Bombay. Tel: 22/284-4968 or 22/282-4983

Enjoy a traditional thali – a smorgasbord of vegetarian dishes served in a silver plate – while you marvel at the Art Deco floor tiles and soak in the simple ethnic décor.

 

Café Mondegar

Colaba Causeway, Bombay. Tel: 22/202-0591 or 22/283-0585

and

Leopold Café

Colaba Causeway, Bombay. Tel: 22/287-3362 or 22/202-0131

Great places to meet fellow travelers. The mood is sociable and the food and beer is good and cheap.

 

Jazz by the Bay

143 Marine Drive, Bombay. Tel: 2851876 / 2820957

Live music and a livelier crowd make this the perfect Saturday night venue.

 

Yazdani Bakery

Cowasjee Patel Street, Bombay. Tel. No:

A local jewel, Yazdani makes the city’s best breads, biscuits and apple pies. While you enjoy these, the proprietor, Zend M. Zend, will regale you with stories of love, lust and longing in Bombay. 

 

Mahesh Lunch Home

8-B Cawasji Patel St., Fort, Bombay. Tel: 22/287-0938

Once a lowly fish house, Mahesh has been discovered by the upper crust that come to savor spicy dishes like tandoori pepper crab from along the Konkan coast.

 

Jimmy Boy

11 Bank street, Fort, Bombay. Tel: 022-2662503/2700880.

And

Wayside Inn

38 K. Dubash Marg, Bombay. Tel. 22/284-4324

Gently derelict, both are good choices for Bombay’s famous Parsi cuisine. Try the complete wedding banquet at Jimmy Boy.

 

Café Churchill

103-B Colaba Causeway, Bombay. Tel: 22/284-4689

Tiny and always busy, Churchill serves up Bombay’s take on Italian and French food.

 

Khyber

145 M. G. Rd., Fort, Bombay, India
Phone: 22/267-3228

Try Khyber to see how Boston’s Indian restaurants, that mostly serve up northern Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala, stack up against the real thing. The only thing more sumptuous than its beautiful décor of antique and modern Indian art is its food.