Today we had a bit of a late start, but we were still able to cover quite a bit.
Right after leaving the hotel, we hired a taxi to take us around for the day. On our way to our first stop (the Mahalakshmi Temple), we drove on Marine Drive - which is basically the equivallent of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago:
We drove by some interesting buildings, including Wilson College- which I was told is the oldest in Mumbai. We also passed by a beach :)
Here is Ambani Tower... the entire thing is his home, but apparently the first 3 floors are for his cars?? crazy
The Mahalakshmi temple itself is really nice (sadly, no pictures from inside), however it is a little upsetting that when you go to the main part to do dharshan (prayer), there are people there who constantly push the line along. One cannot stand for more than a few minutes, so there really isn't much time to properly observe everything. Still, visiting the temple was definitely worth it - the inside was extremely beautiful (as was the architecture outside). That's one of the things I find really fascinating in India... that you can find temples in random areas, stuffed between various buildings. We also went to the Siddhivinayak Temple, but after seeing around 200 people waiting in line, we opted to simply observe the outside architecture. The temple is widely known, and is apparently extremely busy on tuesdays (which is the day we happened to be there).
We ate lunch at a nice restaurant, which was a little awkward at first. Once the food is brought out to the table, the servers actually place the food on the plate for you (and they keep refilling as you finish). It wasn't bad... just different. Another thing to get used to. But the staff was extremely polite, and the food was really good. They even had finger bowls, which I always have fun using :)
The afternoon was filled with shopping - as I brought nothing suitable to wear for my cousin's marriage. Shopping in India is also another unique experience. When you enter a shop, and you say what kind of clothes you are looking for, the staff immediately start pulling dresses out. They open them up completely, so you can put things side by side and compare. As compared to shopping in the U.S., there is always someone in these stores to help you out. Once you purchase the clothes, you can get things altered, for the best possible fit :)
But the best part about shopping in India? It is very easy to find something unique :) While some stores will carry the same outfit in several sizes, the stores I usually shop at will at most have similar dresses in different colors.
We finished off the day by driving around to Juhu and Bandra, to see the houses of famous people. I know it sounds stalkerish... but hey, if I'm in Mumbai, I might as well see what I can. Not that we were able to see much, with the security and high walls:
Jalsa (one of the Bachchan Homes)
Even though we could not see much, according to a good friend - at least I got to breathe the same air! haha
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Gateway of India and the Taj Hotel. Absolutely beautiful at night.
A very busy day - covered a lot - but still, a really great day :)
Right after leaving the hotel, we hired a taxi to take us around for the day. On our way to our first stop (the Mahalakshmi Temple), we drove on Marine Drive - which is basically the equivallent of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago:
We drove by some interesting buildings, including Wilson College- which I was told is the oldest in Mumbai. We also passed by a beach :)
Here is Ambani Tower... the entire thing is his home, but apparently the first 3 floors are for his cars?? crazy
The Mahalakshmi temple itself is really nice (sadly, no pictures from inside), however it is a little upsetting that when you go to the main part to do dharshan (prayer), there are people there who constantly push the line along. One cannot stand for more than a few minutes, so there really isn't much time to properly observe everything. Still, visiting the temple was definitely worth it - the inside was extremely beautiful (as was the architecture outside). That's one of the things I find really fascinating in India... that you can find temples in random areas, stuffed between various buildings. We also went to the Siddhivinayak Temple, but after seeing around 200 people waiting in line, we opted to simply observe the outside architecture. The temple is widely known, and is apparently extremely busy on tuesdays (which is the day we happened to be there).
We ate lunch at a nice restaurant, which was a little awkward at first. Once the food is brought out to the table, the servers actually place the food on the plate for you (and they keep refilling as you finish). It wasn't bad... just different. Another thing to get used to. But the staff was extremely polite, and the food was really good. They even had finger bowls, which I always have fun using :)
The afternoon was filled with shopping - as I brought nothing suitable to wear for my cousin's marriage. Shopping in India is also another unique experience. When you enter a shop, and you say what kind of clothes you are looking for, the staff immediately start pulling dresses out. They open them up completely, so you can put things side by side and compare. As compared to shopping in the U.S., there is always someone in these stores to help you out. Once you purchase the clothes, you can get things altered, for the best possible fit :)
But the best part about shopping in India? It is very easy to find something unique :) While some stores will carry the same outfit in several sizes, the stores I usually shop at will at most have similar dresses in different colors.
We finished off the day by driving around to Juhu and Bandra, to see the houses of famous people. I know it sounds stalkerish... but hey, if I'm in Mumbai, I might as well see what I can. Not that we were able to see much, with the security and high walls:
Jalsa (one of the Bachchan Homes)Even though we could not see much, according to a good friend - at least I got to breathe the same air! haha
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Gateway of India and the Taj Hotel. Absolutely beautiful at night.
A very busy day - covered a lot - but still, a really great day :)
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