May 4, 2024–Mumbai (Bombay), India

Back from our three day adventure that took us from Cochin to New Delhi to Agra and the Taj Mahal, then back to New Delhi, and on to Goa (get all that? 😊), we woke up this morning in Mumbai, India’s second largest city, with a population of 22 million. Mumbai was known as Bombay until 1995, when the government changed the names of numerous cities, roads, museums and more in an effort to reduce the reminders of British colonialism and make the names more Indian. All well and good, but many of the local residents don’t care for some of the changes, and many still call this city Bombay.

Bombay is an amazing and complicated place, sort of a combination of New York City, Hollywood, and Paris, for its roles as India’s financial center, its headquarters of Bollywood, India’s film industry, and its fashion hub. It’s a financial powerhouse, and yet it’s also home to the world’s largest slum. Try to wrap your head around this—of Mumbai’s 22 million residents, fully 10 million of them live in the slums. We didn’t get into the slums, but we got a look at how some of its residents earn their living, and I’ll share that down below.

We took a city tour today, and our first stop was at one of the nation’s best known landmarks, the Gateway of India. The Gateway is a large arch/monument on the waterfront commemorating the 1911 visit of England’s King George V and Queen Mary, the first visit by the British empire’s monarch to its Indian colony. It was constructed next to another renowned edifice, the Taj Mahal Palace, a gorgeous five star luxury hotel. Together the two have made the area around them a huge tourist attraction and popular site for visits by locals as well. It’s a beautiful spot, and the history associated with it made it a good start to our city tour.

Our next stop couldn’t have been more different, as it was to a house on a quiet residential street. However, in some ways it is even more significant than the Gateway of India and Taj Hotel, because for seventeen years, from 1917 to 1934 it was the headquarters and home of Mahatma Gandhi. Today it is a museum, housing an extensive library, along with photos, memorabilia, images and tributes to the life of one of the twentieth century’s most important people. As I strolled slowly through the museum’s three floors I was struck by the ability of a single person to change the world in such a profound manner. I wouldn’t be surprised if many people also have a “what have I done to make the world a better place?” moment. I certainly did. The museum is a quiet, dignified place, and I loved it.

We had another museum on our itinerary, but first we made a stop on a bridge overlooking the extraordinary dhobi ghat, possibly the world’s largest open air laundry. Here, dhobis, who are all men, spend up to seventeen hours a day washing and drying clothes, mostly for commercial establishments, such as businesses, industries, and hospitals, and there are thousands of them. Our guide said that they start with fresh water in the morning, but don’t change it all day, so most of the clothes are being washed in dirty water. The dhobis compensate by using strong bleach, so the clothes come out looking clean. Our guide also said that if we ever buy a garment that says both “made in India,” and “pre-washed,” we should strongly consider washing it ourselves before wearing it. Sounds like good advice. At any rate, it is quite a sight to behold, and your heart goes out to these dhobis, who make very little money, and most of whom live in a nearby slum.

Another contrast as our itinerary next took us to the Prince of Wales Museum. As with Bombay in 1995, the museum actually has a new name, but it’s so long that most Indians ignore it and continue to use its British name. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Bombay (sorry, Mumbai), put this museum on your agenda, because it’s extraordinary. It houses a jaw dropping collection of old statues, paintings, stuffed wildlife, tools and weapons, ancient writings, and even a mummy. The museum is huge, and it would be easy to spend half a day there, but unfortunately we only had a little more than an hour to take it all in. I’d love to come back if I’m ever in Mumbai again.

We also spent some of the day riding around Mumbai taking in the sights, and while we didn’t go into the slums, we did see quite a bit of the rest of the city, and it really is a fascinating place. It’s also home to some of the world’s wildest traffic. Our guide said that if you can drive here you can drive anywhere in the world, and that the three essentials are a good horn, good brakes, and good luck. I haven’t been everywhere in the world, but I can say that it’s absolutely, positively unlike anything I have ever seen before. Driving like this in the US would send road rage levels through the roof. If like us, you’re a passenger in a bus, it’s probably best to just look at the scenery out the side windows and ignore what’s going on up front. And bring earplugs if horn noise bothers you.

That’s a wrap on today’s excursion. We’re here overnight, and have another very different excursion planned for tomorrow, one that I’m really excited about. We’re visiting a remarkable site that I’d never heard of before, and I’ll bet you haven’t either. That’s part of the fun of our big adventure, and I can’t wait to share it with you, so stay tuned.

The Gateway of India, built on the Bombay waterfront to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. The site is as popular with the locals as it is with the tourists.

There’s quite a large plaza facing the Gateway, which is good considering how many people visit each day.

I love this photo that shows motor launches tied up alongside the Gateway of India, with the Taj Mahal Palace, a five star hotel that actually precedes the Gateway, in the background. These are the launches that take tourists out to Elephanta Island, but more on that tomorrow.

Seen from above, this is the dhobi ghat, possibly the world’s largest open air laundry. The dhobis work up to seventeen hours a day washing and drying clothes, the majority for commercial clients. The water is only changed once a day, so if you buy prewashed clothing from India you should consider washing it before wearing it.

This three story house on a quiet street was Ghandi’s headquarters from 1917 to 1934. It’s now a wonderful museum.

The bottom floor of the museum is an impressive research library.

Bust of Ghandi in the museum foyer.

This room on the third floor is set up as it was when Ghandi used it to work.

Typical side street in this part of the city.

Mumbai is a city of contrasts. This is the world’s most expensive home, which cost two billion dollars to build. It’s owned by an Indian business mogul.

You see a lot of individual vendors along the streets selling pretty much anything that they think people will buy.

There are a lot of grand old British buildings in this part of the city.

Thi is the city’s administrative building. Pretty impressive.

Speaking of impressive, this is the entrance to the Prince of Wales Museum.

And this is what the government changed the name to. No one pays it the slightest attention. It’s still the Prince of Wales Museum to the locals.

Another view of the museum entrance. It’s yet one more grand old British building.

The museum houses many statues and sculptures like this, and they’re all amazing.

Beautiful!

I obviously can’t read it, but I loved this ancient stone tablet.

I stood next to this one to give some perspective on its size.

Ancient coins.

Prayer wheels.

The museum has an entire section with stuffed birds and animals that are native to India. We saw a few of these while we were in the country.

They even have an Egyptian mummy.

An upscale street vendor.

Another street view. There’s always a lot going on along Mumbai’s streets.

This is a campaign poster. Narendra Modi is the leader of the ruling party, and is thus the prime minister of India. He and his party are running for reelection, and India’s 800 million voters have a full month to cast their ballots. Can you imagine having that system in the US?

Not exactly a campaign poster, but this is a recruiting poster for the Indian navy.