Mumbai

Going to Mumbai as my husband's WAG (UK term for Wives And Girlfriends of footballers/celebrities) had its pros and cons. The upside was that I got to stay in a fabulous 5 star hotel for free and the major downside was that I had to explore Mumbai on my own.

My dear husband had to travel to Mumbai to work for three weeks so I decided this was as good an opportunity as any to visit India. India is often referred to as a must see by most travel junkies so why not. For me, it was a bit of a shock because Bombay was so unlike Malaysia and Singapore (which were the other asian countries I had visited) and so much more like Lagos. From the beggars on the streets to the crowded buses and trains.

According to wikipedia, Mumbai with its population of 18 million is by some measures the most populous city in the world, of this I have no doubt. Despite, being a born and bred Lagosian from the depths of Isale Eko, Mumbai freaked me out, there were people everywhere. Living on the streets, bus-stops, anywhere.

On my first day which was a Friday, I had a tour guide and we visited some local markets in Bandra and Dadar, then in the evening my dear and I headed to a cinema near Nariman point recommended by a friend. Unfortunately it was closed so we decided to have dinner nearby and stumbled upon this apparently popular restaurant. It wasn't until we were seated and given the menus that we realised it was vegetarian. So I had my first ever vegetarian meal, not sure if I will be repeating the experience as meat is the crown jewel of my meals. After this we wandered back towards India Gate and the Taj Mahal via the former Queen Victoria road.

On Saturday despite my fear of being crushed by the bodies, I began my search for Fab India which led me to Pali Hill and Bandra area. These were the nice suburbs very much like Ikeja G.R.A and Ikoyi. On Turner road in Bandra, I discovered an entire row of fascinating jewellery shops but it was so expensive that I could just window shop and convert in my head to naira and pounds.

On Sunday, when I finally had my husband back as a touring partner. We did a tour of the city from India Gate. We visited most of the major sites including the imposing Victoria Terminus but the most awe-inspiring was the house where Gandhi lived in Mumbai. It was set up as he would have lived in it, with only the basic items required for human existence. It also had pictures from the significant moments in his life. His life is truly a story worth reading about.

Having overcome my fear of being crushed, on Monday I headed out to centre of town by myself and visited the Colaba Causeway and the art district area with the Prince of Wales museum, the Wellington fountain and other colonial buildings which were legacies of the British Raj. I also discovered another Fab India and some other similar shops.

On Tuesday, after more shopping in the Bandra Market and the departmental stores of S.V. Road. My whistle-stop tour of Mumbai was over.
I will save my tips for shopping and touring in Mumbai for another post.