Bombay Nights

Since the last post, I've continued up the west coast and spent 4 plesent days in Mumbai. Mumbai (formally known as Bombay, but changed back to the pre-British name) is Indias largest city, about 16 million residents, and is by far the most cosmapolitan/westernised place I've visited so far. Which is hardly suprising, givin that Mumbai is positioned on a headland facing the Arabian Sea, and has always had trading links with Arabia and the west. The prominent community in Mumbai are the Paris- originally from Iran/Persia who got kicked out with the rise of Islam. Interestingly they hold water, earth and fire to be sacred, so they leave there dead in towers, to be picked at by vultures! Nice.



View from Arthers Seat, Western Ghats. About 250km south east of Mumbai are the northern tip of the Western Ghats, a chain of mountains that run all the way down to Kerala. The views are incredible, and the mountain roads are hair-raising.



Sunday morning cricket, Oval Maidan, Mumbai. There is a big patch of grass outside the High Court and Bombay University that is used by Mumbaites for playing the national game. Its an amazing sight seeing thousands cricketers running around, creating dust clouds. Everyone plays, young and old. If you go in the evening you can see businessmen in there suits running around like school boys before they go home! The joy and enthusiasm with which the game is played is really infectious. Much more fun than watching a game at Lords!!!!



Mighty bladesman, having a go. As you can see from the completely gay stance, I went to a state school. Didn't make any difference in the end, the bowler kept spraying it down legside for some reason.


Victoria Terminus, Mumbai. Affectionately known as VT, this is all you need to see why Britain had a vast Empire. To invest so much money and time in a train station says it all. Now all we get is the Millennium Dome. All the same - Empires a bad thing, kids. Anyway, most of the old city is littered with these incredibly ornate neo-gothic buildings.



Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai. The place to be in the evening. Everyone congregates to eat food, and watch the sun set, with the city of Mumbai as the backdrop. Ended up getting pissed on the beach with some friendly Mumbaites. The evening ended when they went off to find some hookers and I went back to the hotel to watch Chelsea v Arsenal.