A Visit to Mumbai

[Continued from Saputara, Gujarat's Own Hill Station] Mumbai, formerly Bombay is the capital city of Maharashtra and is one of the most populous cities in the world. Mumbai constituted of seven islands where the fishermen were the main inhabitants. Today, Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India. Altogether Mumbai has a tropical climate with a little variation between the summer and winter temperatures. It also experiences a lot of rainfall during the monsoon.

Gateway of India

We woke up early in the morning because we had to catch the Flying Rani Express which was scheduled to leave Surat at 05:25 am. On reaching the station we saw that the train was almost ready to depart from the platform. It was a double decker train. We took our seats in the upper deck. Our train started its journey towards Mumbai. We reached Mumbai Central at 10:10 am. From there we took a taxi and went to search for hotels near the Mumbai CST Terminus (Victoria Terminus). There we booked a room at Hotel New Bengal. Our hotel had three restaurants namely Zaffran, Howrah and First Floor. In the afternoon we had lunch at the restaurant Howrah. It mainly served typical bengali cuisine. The food was quite good. That evening we went to see the Gateway of India, one of the most popular attractions of Mumbai. The structure was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay to attend the Delhi Durbar in the year 1911. The last British troops left India through the Gateway in a ceremony on 28 February 1948. On the way we saw the Flora Fountain, now renamed as Hutatma Chowk. After spending some time near the sea coast we came back to our hotel.

Taraporewala Aquarium

The next day we went to the bus stand near the Mumbai CST Terminus. It was a walking distance from our hotel. There we were enquiring about a bus which would go to Taraporewala Aquarium. Suddenly I saw that a double decker bus was preparing to start. I decided to catch that bus and go wherever it would go. We took the front seat in the upper deck. We disembarked at a bus stop on the marine drive. We crossed the road and boarded another bus which took us to Taraporewala Aquarium. But things took a worser turn when we reached there to find out that the aquarium was closed as it was Monday. Asking the local people we found out that most of the tourist places were closed on Monday. So we had to change our plans and go to Juhu beach. The beach was very good. Many street food stalls were there near the beach. We also saw many aeroplanes flying just above our head. Then we came back to our hotel. That day we ate at the Zaffran restaurant. We spent the evening at the Crawford Market which was a stone's throw away from our hotel.

Juhu Beach

The day after we went to visit the Prince of Wales Museum, now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. The museum remains open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:15 am to 06:00 pm. There we saw many sculptures, miniature paintings, oil paintings, arms and armours and coins from the old age to the present. After spending some time there we went to the Taraporewala Aquarium. This aquarium is the only aquarium in the city which hosts both marine and freshwater fishes. The aquarium has a large collection of aquatic life such as sharks, turtles, stingrays, starfish, whales and much more. From there we came back to our hotel. In the evening, we ate Biryani at the Civil restaurant. The food was delicious. Then we went to the CST Terminus and from there we boarded the Mumbai-Howrah Mail.

How to Reach :

Mumbai is very well connected with all the major cities of India and other cities abroad. You can also reach Mumbai by train. From Howrah railway station, 12262 Howrah-Mumbai CST Duronto Express leaves Howrah at 08:20 hrs and reaches Mumbai at 10:30 hrs the next day. 12860 Gitanjali Express leaves Howrah at 13:50 hrs and reaches Mumbai CST at 21:20 hrs the next day. From New Delhi, 12952 New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express departs at 16:30 hrs and reaches Mumbai Central at 08:35 hrs the next day.

Nearest Airport - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai

Where to Stay :

There are plenty of hotels in and around Mumbai. So you will never face any difficulty in getting accommodation in this city. Names of some hotels are given below.
1. Hotel New Bengal
2. Kolkata Lodge
3. Stay Inn Hotel
4. Hotel Woodland
5. Hotel Ritz

Places of Interest :

There are many tourist spots in Mumbai such as the Gateway of India, Taraporewala Aquarium, Juhu beach, Chowpatty beach, Prince of Wales museum, Elephanta caves and Mahalaxmi temple. Other attractions include the Essel World, Hanging Garden, Malabar hills, Zoo, Jahangir art gallery and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

For more information, please contact :

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
CDO Hutments
Opp. LIC  (Yogakshema) Building
Madame Cama Road
Mumbai - 400020
India