Mumbai (Bombay), India - Day 18

We docked in Mumbai at 7:00 a.m. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the buffet and ran in to some of our friends who were going on an individually planned excursion. Our ship excursion left at 10:30a.m. to visit some city markets where people actually shop, no souvenir stands.




The first thing you notice about Mumbai is the amount of people. I believe Mumbai is the most populated city on earth. There is a frenetic pace to everything, very similar to Manhattan except way, way more chaotic. You see lots of people pushing carts blocking buses and taxis. There are lots of horns blaring, people yelling, but all moving along.

Our first stop was at the Crawford Marketplace. All types of food are sold here from fish and chicken to fruits, nuts and spices. We saw cages of parakeets and cats – not sure exactly where these would end up at. It was the most exotic market we had ever seen. Other world markets that we have been to appear very clean and organized. This was colorful and frantic but didn’t appear very clean although I witnessed lots of people sweeping up. We absolutely thought this market was a major highlight of the city.

It was great to get back on our bus to sit in air conditioning again. It is very hot and humid here. Our next stop was at the Chor Bazaar or otherwise known as the Thieves Market. It is a block after block of junk. I’ve never seen anything like it that I can recall. One block sells old drill bits, another block sells reconditioned drills, another sells hub caps, another wrenches. Carts pull up to people’s houses in Mumbai and the cart owners pay the homeowner to cart away their junk. This bazaar is where that junk goes. The stall owners recondition the products and put them up for sale. We didn’t find this market as exotic as the Crawford Market. Poverty seemed to be much more evident. Every stall had a goat in front which I understand eventually get sacrificed but I’m unclear as to what purpose. To be on the street in Mumbai is a crazy experience. You have taxis, motorbikes, push carts, people, buses and cars all vying for the same space as you since you have to walk out into the street much of the time since the sidewalks are blocked.

Our tour guide took us over to the area where the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is located. This was one of the hotels that the terrorists bombed and created worldwide headlines a few years ago. Parts of it are still being reconstructed. The hotel is directly across from the monument called Gateway to India where most of the British ships landed back in the time.

We had the most incredible Indian lunch at the Masala restaurant in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The garlic Naan bread and another kind of bread stuffed with onions and spinach was incredible. We shared a chicken curry and a shrimp pomegranate dish. It was most excellent! It was back to the ship to collapse. We felt stuffed but were still able to make it upstairs for a poolside buffet.

After our day, we felt we had had a very unique experience in this city and would definitely come back again.

Hi all, Jeff here.
It is impossible to describe the combination of heat humidity and humanity. Oppressive is the best word I can come up with As Ron said everyone and everything is competing for the same space and woe be unto the person or car that tries to jump their turn.
The time at the Taj Hotel was very special not only the meal but conversations with the restaurant manager who also conducted a tour of parts of the hotel for us.
The shopping in the areas near the hotel was awesome and I managed to continue to add to our ever growing bundle of serious purchases.
We have come to recognize that yet another suitcase is required. Ron is not pleased. Oh well.