Mumbai - a city of contrasts
Mumbai, once known as Bombay, is a metropolis of many millions, bursting with energy, noisy, usually dirty but at times dripping with luxury. Mumbai's airport is an international hub from which you can reach other parts of India, including Goa.
The must-see list that every tourist should work through certainly includes the Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal Hotel, Victoria Terminus, the seaside Marine Drive promenade and Elephanta Island.
A more ambitious traveller won't leave the city without seeing the vast open-air laundries of Dhobi Ghat and the old temples and other fascinating places of worship hidden among the new buildings, such as Banganga Tank.
There is a certain problem with Mumbai. Sitting at a computer looking at photos of women in colourful saris and stalls of exotic fruit in all the colours of the rainbow, you don't grasp what bothers every tourist in this city. Rotting vegetation, pavements that haven't been cleaned for years, leaking pipes, damp buildings and exhaust fumes, combined with the humidity and heat, create a haze that stubbornly irritates your nose.
The Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal Hotel and Elephanta Island
Let's start sightseeing. The Gateway of India is the most famous monument of the colonial era. This great triumphal arch of yellow basalt was meant to bear eternal witness to British power in this part of the globe. As so often happens, history played a trick on its creators, and so, unveiled to the glory of the British Crown in 1924, after just 23 years it was bidding farewell to the British as they parted with their Indian jewel. Nevertheless, this monument is not only worth seeing; it is an important point in the city's topography. It is the starting point for many excursions and also the place from which boats leave for Elephanta Island.
Just behind the Gateway of India stands the Taj Mahal Hotel, impressive in both size and beauty. Admittedly, the malicious claim that the architectural plans sent by post were misread by the local builders and that the hotel stands "back to front". In other words, it looks its best viewed from one of the side streets rather than from the sea. The Taj Mahal is a place of refined luxury. In the lobby, photos of the world's great and good who have graced it with their presence are proudly displayed. Next to Lech Wałęsa hangs a portrait of one of Bollywood's actors, the idol of the masses Amitabh Bachchan.
Leaving the hotel and the Gateway of India behind, we board a small boat that hardly inspires confidence and, after 9 km, explore caves full of carvings of Shiva, depicted in many different forms. It is also a journey back in time: we go back some 1,500 years, because that is when, for reasons still unknown, this Hindu religious complex was created. For kids, the monkeys hanging around here and there will be an attraction. They are crafty, so you have to watch out not to lose your bag or camera.
Time to head back; the boat is waiting, and before long we are back in the centre of Mumbai. We decide it is a good moment for a little rest. A rest in luxurious surroundings. Upstairs at the Taj Mahal you can drink one of the most expensive cups of tea of your life. The view of the Gateway of India and the boats heading in all directions will partly make up for the size of the bill.
Marine Drive and Victoria Terminus station
Marine Drive is a wide seafront promenade. A stream of cars flows in both directions, while walkers unhurriedly admire the endless sea. The bolder ones paddle in the water, which, to put it mildly, is not among the cleanest. The promenade is a good place to watch Mumbai families, colourful clothes and all kinds of characters who have chosen Marine Drive to take a breather from the city's bustle. As is usual with places like this, the best time for a stroll is when the sun is already sinking towards the horizon, which is then enriched by the silvery glow of the sea and the orange blaze of the setting sun.
Lovers of colonial architecture will surely be delighted by the 200-year-old Victoria Terminus station building. Its soaring neo-Gothic towers can be seen from afar. There are more post-colonial buildings in the district where it stands. They bear witness to a closed chapter of history and bring to mind the people who built and lost fortunes on land that was meant to be a new homeland for them and their descendants for centuries.
Banganga Tank and the Dhobi Ghat laundries
Slightly on the edge of the centre lies Banganga Tank. It is a terribly dirty place, surrounded by even dirtier buildings. That doesn't change the fact that it is magical in its own way. I think that when you are there, it is easy to agree with the saying that the people of India are "very orderly on the inside but terribly messy on the outside". Banganga is a rectangular pool of murky water in the middle, surrounded by a few crumbling small temples and a few sellers of fresh flowers, whose woven garlands are to be offered to the deities. In contrast to the pool are the tall residential buildings surrounding it. Closer to the water stand hostels for pilgrims. The water is dark and dirty, and it is hard to believe that it is fed by an underground spring. The faithful should bathe in it, as they believe its healing properties are comparable to those of the Ganges. Apart from a few cheerful women dipping their feet, a few ducks and swans, I didn't see anyone bathing. Nevertheless, it is a place where you can certainly feel the spiritual side of India.
Another place that leaves you dumbfounded is a visit to the largest open-air laundry in the world. Dhobi Ghat provides work for 200 families who specialise in this trade. Standing on the bridge by Mahalakshmi Station, you can see lines of underwear, shirts and sheets stretching to the horizon. The washing is carefully sorted: whites hang on one side, greys further on, and blues and navies off to the side. Concrete tubs are used to soak the laundry, and tougher stains can be scrubbed on washboards. The system for collecting and delivering the laundry is a logistical masterpiece that the biggest Western corporations have studied and tried to copy. A similar phenomenon is Bombay's system for distributing meals every day, known as the dabbawalas. Metal containers of ready-made food pass from hand to hand, reach their recipients and then make the return journey empty. American analysts have calculated that delivery errors occur only once in 6 million operations.
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Cafe Britannia - a Persian restaurant in Mumbai
For dinner we chose Cafe Britannia. This modest Persian restaurant has been running for 100 years. The décor is very simple, the tables are close together, the atmosphere is relaxed and the food is tasty. The Persians came here from what is now Iran about 1,200 years ago, and this family restaurant has been handed down from generation to generation. Of the dishes we were served, the one that stuck in our memory most was rice with red barberries. To this day, this ingredient is specially imported from the Persians' former homeland. Polish readers may also be interested to know that the old furniture in the restaurant comes from... Poland, as even CNN Travel has noted.
Mumbai is a city of many faces and many contrasts. Noise and crowds, colonial architecture, temples, seafront promenades, heavy air and sacred cows. Add to that Mumbai phenomena such as Bollywood, the monstrous open-air laundries and the dabbawalas. Incredible India.
If you are thinking of going to India, consider Sri Lanka too. Less seasoned travellers usually find it more to their liking
