Bombay Nights (and days).

Mumbai – October 12th – 37 deg C.

I decided to take today off, well it is Sunday after all, and since I arrived here I have done nothing but focus on work.

I am staying in the Fort area of this densely populated city – 15.2 million people to be precise. It’s a hotel that I have stayed at before and it’s rather comforting to see familiar faces amongst the constantly smiling, head wobbling staff.

Following breakfast, I should mention at this point that I have brought my favourite cereal along with me – Alpen, I grabbed my sun cream, water bottle, and set off on a 3-hour walking tour. Amongst some of the many architectural gems that I visited along the way included:

The Gateway of India:

This bold basalt arch of colonial triumph faces out to Mumbai Harbour at the tip of Apollo Bunder. It was completed in 1924 to commemorate the 1911 royal visit of King George V. It’s a favourite gathering spot for locals and a top spot for people watching.

The Oval Maidan:

The Oval Maidan is a large Grade I recreational ground. It is named because of its oval shape and is situated just south of Churchgate railway station. It is a popular recreation ground and there must have been over 20 cricket matches taking place. The tennis balls that were being used in place of proper cricket balls spilled out all over the place making it appear that the various matches in play were actually one and the same.

Victoria Railway Terminus:

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India.

Whilst at the railway station I purchased a train ticket for my next destination – Pune.

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About Richard Griffith

My first independent travel experience was a trip to Israel, in 1997, it was here that I caught the 'travel' bug! In 2001 I took an 8-month sabbatical and traveled around South East Asia. Since then I have managed to visit most of Eastern Europe along with India, Bangladesh, and a few other destinations in between. I love travel and I love meeting new people.
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