After a long flight from New Zealand, I arrived once more in
Mumbai India to blistering heat and humidity with the monsoon season just about
to kick in. I had a free day on the Sunday so I decided to head to South Mumbai
to see the sights and visit the beach.
So after a truly hectic train ride down to the Apollo Bunder
area, I could finally see the striking monument of ‘The Gateway of India’ located on the waterfront overlooking the
Arabian Sea. The monument was built
during the British Raj and erected to commemorate the landing of their
Majesties King George V and Queen Mary when they visited India in 1911.
Just next door is the magnificent The Taj Mahal Palace, a five-star hotel located in Colaba. The hotel has hosted notable guests such as
The Beatles, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Roger Moore, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger
and Deep Purple. So I added my Hurricane wine to the long list of rock n’ Roll
visitors!
I then headed to the beach for a bite to eat. Bhel Puri is
the popular seaside dish of Mumbai and is made out of puffed rice, vegetables
and a tangy tamarind sauce; quite delicious
The beach is a lively place with stalls of fruit and, for me,
many unidentified objects. Plenty of beautifully coloured saris made a lovely
contrast to the searing hot sand and the smog-filled city backdrop.
I wandered into the shopping area to get some presents and
literally stumbled upon a working bakery and much-welcomed fresh bread aromas!
To finish off the
day I made an intriguing visit to BangangaTank. According to local legend, this
holy watering hole apparently came about when the Hindu god Ram, the
exiled hero of the epic story of Ramayana, stopped at the spot five thousand
years ago in search of his kidnapped wife Sita.
Legend says he was so overcome with fatigue and thirst Rama asked his
brother Lakshmana to bring him some water. Laxman then shot an arrow into the
ground, and water gushed forth from the ground, creating a tributary of the
Ganges, which flows over a thousand miles away.
It is so named Banganga because Ganga
(The Ganges) was created by a baan (an arrow).
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