Day 2 in Bombay started off with breakfast at a well-known local spot, Leopold's Cafe. Another place heavily damaged by the terrorist attacks, it is a favorite of writers, ex-pats and Bollywood directors looking for extras.
After spending the previous day walking all over Mumbai, we decided to extend our sightseeing to places we needed a cab to visit. We started off with Dhobi Ghat - a traditional, outdoor, all human-powered laundry area. They say the majority of all of Mumabi's laundry is done each day in this one neighborhood. It was an incredible sight to see (and surprisingly, most of the people working there were men):
We were sweating like crazy just watching them! It was unreal. We wandered through the area for a while & passed through a meat, fish and veggie street market before heading in a cab to the next place: Banganga Tank. On the way, we passed by Mukesh Ambani's 27-story mansion (the first BILLION dollar home in the world!) -- talk about impressive. It was hard to see (because it was so tall), but here's a shot from the cab window (his place is the one peeking out on the right with all of the balconies):
We headed toward Malabar Hill, a fancier, more modern neighborhood. Hidden between the apartment buildings is Banganga Tank - legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank long ago by piercing the earth with his arrow. It was like exploring a maze to find the hidden treasure:
It is believed that the wooden pole in the center of the tank is the center of the earth:
The 'tank' is surrounded by homes, some that even had Direct TV (go figure), and a really great neighborhood with lots of kids hanging out and playing cricket in the street.
They were pretty excited when I showed them what the picture looked like on the preview screen - I don't think they'd ever seen a photo of themselves!
We headed to check out a local temple and then for afternoon chaat. We even made our own Pani Puri!
Then we hit up Chowpatty Beach. Unfortunately, the water is pretty icky, but the sand was nice & there was some quality people watching as well:
This lovely couple seemed so content to chill in the sand for a while (Elisabeth & I on the other hand had to escape to the shade within a few minutes.
On the way back to our hotel, I spotted my calling. Forget Google, I should stay in India to help with the local launch of "Lovable Lingerie Limited" -- looks like they are hiring :)
After a rest and high tea back at the Taj Palace, we headed back to Hyderabad. It was a quick weekend, but it was fantastic. We both just loved Bombay.
See all of the rest of photos from my weekend in Bombay: 3/5 & 3/6_Bombay Nights
After spending the previous day walking all over Mumbai, we decided to extend our sightseeing to places we needed a cab to visit. We started off with Dhobi Ghat - a traditional, outdoor, all human-powered laundry area. They say the majority of all of Mumabi's laundry is done each day in this one neighborhood. It was an incredible sight to see (and surprisingly, most of the people working there were men):
We were sweating like crazy just watching them! It was unreal. We wandered through the area for a while & passed through a meat, fish and veggie street market before heading in a cab to the next place: Banganga Tank. On the way, we passed by Mukesh Ambani's 27-story mansion (the first BILLION dollar home in the world!) -- talk about impressive. It was hard to see (because it was so tall), but here's a shot from the cab window (his place is the one peeking out on the right with all of the balconies):
We headed toward Malabar Hill, a fancier, more modern neighborhood. Hidden between the apartment buildings is Banganga Tank - legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank long ago by piercing the earth with his arrow. It was like exploring a maze to find the hidden treasure:
It is believed that the wooden pole in the center of the tank is the center of the earth:
The 'tank' is surrounded by homes, some that even had Direct TV (go figure), and a really great neighborhood with lots of kids hanging out and playing cricket in the street.
They were pretty excited when I showed them what the picture looked like on the preview screen - I don't think they'd ever seen a photo of themselves!
We headed to check out a local temple and then for afternoon chaat. We even made our own Pani Puri!
Then we hit up Chowpatty Beach. Unfortunately, the water is pretty icky, but the sand was nice & there was some quality people watching as well:
This lovely couple seemed so content to chill in the sand for a while (Elisabeth & I on the other hand had to escape to the shade within a few minutes.
On the way back to our hotel, I spotted my calling. Forget Google, I should stay in India to help with the local launch of "Lovable Lingerie Limited" -- looks like they are hiring :)
After a rest and high tea back at the Taj Palace, we headed back to Hyderabad. It was a quick weekend, but it was fantastic. We both just loved Bombay.
See all of the rest of photos from my weekend in Bombay: 3/5 & 3/6_Bombay Nights
Bombay/Mumbai looked amazing! The hotel was stunning and The Tank looks like the spot in "Outsourced" where he went in the water to wash off after getting pelted with colors during Holi, no? Can't wait to see The Golden Triangle!
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