Mumbai

Just didn't feel like putting up a post for the last month or so. I really am not of the "diary keeping" types. Hope you all have read the mood indigo posts that Kunal.S and Salil have put up. Kunal T and I had booked tickets for the Deccan Queen which was scheduled to leave for Pune a day after mood-i got over. We thus had one full day in Mumbai. We took a slow-local from Kanjurmarg to VT (now CST) which took about 45 min for its journey. The local was not as crowded as it usually is at that time of the day since it was christmas and we had a pretty pleasant ride. The VT building is one of my favorites in Mumbai with typical British architecture. Its got this huge dome on the top of which on the outside are stone dogs (look like hounds) stretching outward which serve as water drainage spouts. Looks pretty amazing. We roamed about in the fort area which was uncharacteristically peaceful that day because of the holiday. I love this area of Mumbai because of the old buildings, the well kept roads, lots of trees, and the overall old city feel. It also reminds you of how small Pune is in comparision. Mumbai really is a very beautiful city. We walked till marine drive, and peeked inside the windows of some of the big banks and the more expensive restaurants. These places are really different than the ones we have in Pune, just in the fact that they are so much more expensive and hence have such a select clientele. We walked along the marine drive, saw the Air India building, the Brabourne stadium, and hotel Sheraton at nariman point. We then walked back through the Vidhan Sabha area, along the famed oval cricket ground, to Regal cinema which is near the Gateway of India. Had food in an old Irani place : Cafe Mondegar. This is a very nice little pub which is famous for its decor (Mario Miranda caricatures fill its walls), beer, and great music played using a very old and fully mechanical jukebox. You also get very good quality continental food here. I had a large steak with cheese, and kunal had some chicken dish that sounded very spanish. The food was excellent and it was one of the best continental food meals that I have had till now. We spent the rest of thetime in the Prince of Wales museum, which we noticed, would have been 80% empty if it had not been for the Tata collection. The museum is now called Chatrapati Shivaji museum like many other great landmarks of Bombay. We came back to VT and got on the train. There was an old parsi couple in the cubicle next to us and the woman was lamenting loud enough for everyone to hear how she never got a window seat in any of her journeys. Now we had two window seats and we offered her one; she happily, almost like a child, took it. She was very talkative and we could barely keep up with her in the conversation that followed. She and the whole incident very pleasantly reminded me of P.L.Deshpande's Pastonji uncle. We had a good journey and the Deccan Queentook us to Pune in three hours as promised. Thus came to end another Mood Indigo trip.