Mumbai

Looking more like a palace than a railway station, the Victoria Terminus is the highlight of Mumbai's Victorian Gothic Revival architecture and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.



The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Tower, and the so called "Gateway of India" (on the right in front of the tower). The "Gateway of India" was the gateway for the British but I think the real gateway to India is the Kyber Pass, from Afghanistan to Pakistan, because that was the way that Alexander the Great (his army anyway), Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the Afghans (the Ghaznavids, the Ghorids, the Durrani), the Moguls (Babur), the Kushans, and anyone else who wanted to invade India had to pass through to get there.



From Mumbai I took a boat to Elephanta Island to see the Hindu cave temples there that are carved from solid rock.



My hotel was the Salvation Army Red Shield House, another place I saw on TV and the only cheap place to stay in Mumbai.






The sacred Banganga Tank in Malabar Hill



Juhu Beach. Not a place for swimming, just a place for Indians to gather and stroll around. In the evening there are games, and carnival rides, and it has a really fun atmosphere.



Bhelpuri - essential beach food in Mumbai



I went to a supermarket and found some nice jam for my Jams and Jellies of the World collection.



And on my final day in Mumbai I saw a Bollywood film, Kabul Express, about some journalists trying to get to Kabul. It was mostly in Hindi with some bits in English but no subtitles and no song and dance routine. You have to see a Bollywood film if you come to India, this was mine.



Mumbai is one of the only places in world where you can find a Zoroastrian temple. Zoroastrianism is called the worlds oldest monotheistic religion and was once the dominate religion of western and central Asia. Learning more about Zoroastrianism was a big goal for my trip to Mumbai. I talked to a few (called Parsis in India) and they were friendly enough and answered my questions, but it's not a very open religion and non Parsis are not allowed in the temple.

The two things I will miss the most from India

Muesli and Maaza. I could make Muesli on my own I guess, but whatever. Having a bowl of Muesli was one of the highlights of a day in India. The one at the top has the best presentation, and the glass next to it is not milk but fresh coconut cream! Maaza is a mango juice drink from the Coca-Cola company. It's actually real mango juice, which is surprising considering it's from the Coca-Cola company. There are actually a couple similar competing mango juice products on the Indian market but I prefer Maaza. A cold Maaza on a hot a day is essential. Maaza is also good when your stomach hurts too much to eat food, and helped me recover quickly from the airline food poisoning I had on my way into Mumbai.

Back to Goa

From Gokarna I went back to Goa and the town of Margao with it's colorful markets and art deco houses. I also made a day trip to the nearby Rachol Seminary another 16th century Portuguese gem and still a working seminary. I read later in a guide book that it's technically not open to the public but thankfully no one told me that before I got there and there was no one at the front door to keep me out. I just wandered around through the church and the halls of the seminary and no one bothered me. It was beautiful.