Sunrise in Mumbai.
This morning I decided to get up at 5am to visit the Hanging Gardens. It's not mandatory that you visit the gardens at sunrise, but I thought it would be a great time of day to see them. I left my hotel when it was still dark and arrived at the gardens just as the sky was turning to a light gray. So, to be honest, I'm still a bit perplexed why they call them the Hanging Gardens. Their alternate name, "Sir Pherozshah Mehta Gardens," is much more appropriate. Mainly, because it does not claim that anything is "hanging." The area, while beautiful, was just a small park with lots of colorful flower bushes, animal-shaped topiaries, penguin-shaped trash cans, and tons of power-walkers. I could definitely see why you would want to make this your power-walking garden of choice if you lived nearby, but aside from that, it was sort of blah.
Luckily, the Kamala Nehru Park was just next door. This park was much more overgrown and run-down, but with gorgeous views of the city and Chowpatty Beach. The first picture is from the Hanging Gardens, the second is the view from Kamala Nehru Park...
However, my favorite find of the morning was this...
Christina Janelle: Apparently, buildings shaped like BOOTS are much easier to find in Mumbai rather than in Amarillo, Texas.
After passing a dead rat on the street, I decided it was time to leave. So, my cab driver (the same one from my Amazing Race episode), took me to Haji Ali Dargah, the "city's most important Muslim shrine." When we first got to the Haj, my cab driver told me, "No, no - dangerous." I asked him if I wasn't allowed and his response was "dangerous." So, I re-read my flaming pink "Best Of Mumbai" guide (Thanks Pecky and Michelle!) to double check to see if there was any reason why I shouldn't attend this site. According to Lonely Planet, this place was very safe for tourists to visit. But then I started to wonder if maybe some sort of political unrest had happened the night before and the Muslims were mad at the US and were going to take it out on some poor, little white-boy tourist. I decided I was going to brave it and, of course, it was fine. My cab driver was referring to how you get out to the shrine: a long, narrow, half-mile pathway that is completely covered in water at high-tide and uncrossable. Once high-tide hits, the shrine shuts their gates and if you are out there when it happens, you just have to wait the few hours until it subsides. However, at the time I was there, it was very low-tide and very safe. The shrine was indeed beautiful (you are not allowed to take pictures) and I had a great conversation with two guys trying to sell me pictures of random people. I'm not sure if the locals were surprised to see me out there at this time of day (dawn is not really typical tourist visiting hours), but I felt very scrutinized...more so than I have at any time since I've been here. It was sort of weird, but then I started thinking about when people come to the US and are wearing traditional, "strange" (to Americans) clothing and everyone stares at them. I guess its sort of the same thing. So, I just tried to be very respectful and after a few minutes of walking around, made my way back to the car and headed back to hotel for breakfast and a three hour nap.
On a side note, I finally unpacked this morning and got quite a chuckle at some of the things that I packed. The notion of wearing a sweater or anything that provides warmth is literally lol worthy. Even now, in the "cool" monsoon season, it is stiflingly hot. I probably could have made it out here with one suitcase. Ah well, I'm learning.
And last, but not least...HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY POOKIE!!!
This morning I decided to get up at 5am to visit the Hanging Gardens. It's not mandatory that you visit the gardens at sunrise, but I thought it would be a great time of day to see them. I left my hotel when it was still dark and arrived at the gardens just as the sky was turning to a light gray. So, to be honest, I'm still a bit perplexed why they call them the Hanging Gardens. Their alternate name, "Sir Pherozshah Mehta Gardens," is much more appropriate. Mainly, because it does not claim that anything is "hanging." The area, while beautiful, was just a small park with lots of colorful flower bushes, animal-shaped topiaries, penguin-shaped trash cans, and tons of power-walkers. I could definitely see why you would want to make this your power-walking garden of choice if you lived nearby, but aside from that, it was sort of blah.
Luckily, the Kamala Nehru Park was just next door. This park was much more overgrown and run-down, but with gorgeous views of the city and Chowpatty Beach. The first picture is from the Hanging Gardens, the second is the view from Kamala Nehru Park...
However, my favorite find of the morning was this...
Christina Janelle: Apparently, buildings shaped like BOOTS are much easier to find in Mumbai rather than in Amarillo, Texas.
After passing a dead rat on the street, I decided it was time to leave. So, my cab driver (the same one from my Amazing Race episode), took me to Haji Ali Dargah, the "city's most important Muslim shrine." When we first got to the Haj, my cab driver told me, "No, no - dangerous." I asked him if I wasn't allowed and his response was "dangerous." So, I re-read my flaming pink "Best Of Mumbai" guide (Thanks Pecky and Michelle!) to double check to see if there was any reason why I shouldn't attend this site. According to Lonely Planet, this place was very safe for tourists to visit. But then I started to wonder if maybe some sort of political unrest had happened the night before and the Muslims were mad at the US and were going to take it out on some poor, little white-boy tourist. I decided I was going to brave it and, of course, it was fine. My cab driver was referring to how you get out to the shrine: a long, narrow, half-mile pathway that is completely covered in water at high-tide and uncrossable. Once high-tide hits, the shrine shuts their gates and if you are out there when it happens, you just have to wait the few hours until it subsides. However, at the time I was there, it was very low-tide and very safe. The shrine was indeed beautiful (you are not allowed to take pictures) and I had a great conversation with two guys trying to sell me pictures of random people. I'm not sure if the locals were surprised to see me out there at this time of day (dawn is not really typical tourist visiting hours), but I felt very scrutinized...more so than I have at any time since I've been here. It was sort of weird, but then I started thinking about when people come to the US and are wearing traditional, "strange" (to Americans) clothing and everyone stares at them. I guess its sort of the same thing. So, I just tried to be very respectful and after a few minutes of walking around, made my way back to the car and headed back to hotel for breakfast and a three hour nap.
On a side note, I finally unpacked this morning and got quite a chuckle at some of the things that I packed. The notion of wearing a sweater or anything that provides warmth is literally lol worthy. Even now, in the "cool" monsoon season, it is stiflingly hot. I probably could have made it out here with one suitcase. Ah well, I'm learning.
And last, but not least...HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY POOKIE!!!
posted by Steven | 3:35 PM
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