Note: This post was originally published on July 25th, 2013.
Before I jump into the countless adventures and stories I have to tell, I want to explain the absence of any posts these past two weeks. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, I caught the traveler’s most dreaded illness- the stomach flu. If you have ever been to India during the Monsoon season, you would be able to understand my pain, as if being sick isn’t bad enough, feeling ill in a foreign country is even worse. Thankfully, my family was able to help me a lot! It really helps to have my grandparents and all my aunts and uncles in Pune in such times, and words can’t explain how grateful I am for all of their tender loving care.
In any case, it took a couple weeks for me to fully recover, but that also meant that it threw off my schedule, as well. This past week has been much better. I’ve adjusted back to my work schedule too, though I’m scrambling now to finish data analysis, as I only have two weeks remaining to wrap up my research project and submit my final report. As I have been getting back to my old schedule, I’m realizing that I only have a few more weeks left in this beautiful country I want to call home. Before I get too sentimental (let’s save that for my last post!), let me transition into the real substance of my post today, my adventure in Mumbai.
This past weekend, I traveled to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, with two travel buddies, fellow Khorana/Bose Scholar Interns. What was initially supposed to be a two-day trip somehow became a hectic one-day excursion through the city and Elephanta Caves. But I can’t complain. You only get one life to live, and this experience was truly once in a lifetime.
And now, without any further ado, more on my first solo trip to Mumbai. And you might also want to prepare for the overdose of pictures following the description!!! 🙂
The Magic of a Train Journey
The rhythmic sound of the train presented itself as a harmonious form of onomatopoeia, paradoxically lulling me and exciting me all at once. Nearly pulsating, the train travelled over the coarse tracks obviously worn from the hundreds of trains and buggies crossing it daily- perhaps even hourly. It meandered its way through a path carved out of a magnificent forest- it seemed. Along with my two travel buddies, fellow research interns, Siddharth and Nick, I gazed, seemingly purposefully, out of the cracked, cheap, broken metallic door of the Mahalaxmi Train. It was as if I were intent on seeing something magnificent in the blurred wilderness beyond the limits of the train. We were so close, yet so far, from what lay before us. As I gazed outward, I was reminded of the simple beauty of travel, and what it means: It means movement, literally, going from point A to point B, but in reality something incredibly empowering and complex; travelling is progress, it is a journey. A thought that crossed my mind as the train rocked those tracks was a realization that the world is so vast, that we should slow down to enjoy it. At some point while I was gazing through the door, and then opening the train doors to see the outdoors more clearly, I wished that the train would slow- instead it gradually picked up speed. Despite the fact that I wished the train would slow down, another part of me – perhaps the part that was tired from the action-packed day- was mind-numbingly staring through the doors, lost in thought, and finding solace in the sight of the passing blur of bright colors and rain. Regardless, it was a memorable treat, to see the world whiz by, on a vibrating vehicle.
This was on the way back from Mumbai to Pune- after an exhilarating, tiring and unforgettable adventure in the financial capital of India- Mumbai. (This is where I travelled this past Saturday). At that moment, however, all three of us had seemingly suppressed all our energy that had built over the course of the day- so it would seem- to inhale, take in, imbibe that moment in the train- travelling over a path we might never again traverse, experiencing something so unique and beautiful- a travel experience by train. This may have been the close of our trip to Mumbai, but it was perhaps the most memorable and poignant events from my Saturday.
Each part of my day trip to Mumbai was equally exhilarating, if in a different way. Though words may not do it justice, I will try to capture my whole experience in this post. But, you are completely free (and encouraged!) to explore the pictures enclosed below to gain a clearer idea of Mumbai’s uniqueness- a picture is worth a thousand words, after all. 🙂
Taking the Bus to Mumbai
The day began on a melancholy note. It was raining heavily, as it is often these days – it’s the middle of the monsoon now! The plan was that I would meet with Siddharth and Nick at 5 AM. Naturally, I shouldn’t have been surprised that this was an impossible expectation. We ended up passing IISER’s tall iron gates just past six thirty, as the golden globe of the sun had just emerged above the plain ground- Pashan Rd., for once, silent and peaceful (this is indeed a rarity in India!) For almost a half hour afterward, we all trudged through puddles, seemingly hopelessly walking through the darkness. Our mission? Find a rickshaw to get us to the Shivneri Bus Station! Just the day before, Medha Atya had told me about a luxury bus- Shivneri- that would transport us to Dadar, a region/suburb within Mumbai. With our bad luck, however, we continued walking toward the main road for another 20 minutes. When we thought there couldn’t possibly be any Rickshaw driver awake at this hour, a few began passing us. After a number of attempts, a Rickshaw wallah kaka finally turned toward us, and after a bit of convincing, agreed to allow the three of us ‘grown adults’ to squeeze in- mind you, three (actually four!) little youngsters were already seated in the corner, hitching a ride to school.
Adventure # 1
I’ve been in a rickshaw with three other people, four others, even five (max, when one individual joins the driver in the front seat!). But never in my life have I been in a rickshaw with six other people. That morning, our threesome joined four children on their way to school. The experience, though incredibly uncomfortable, was a first of many reminders of India’s crowding issue- apparently, it permeates to all areas and places! We all miraculously made it out alive, (including the children) and thankfully (my luck must have been picking up!) we reached the stop just in time, to meet an energetic crowd, mixed in age and occupation, impatiently awaiting the blue bus’s arrival.
By 7:30, we were en route to Mumbai- a place that I’d been hoping to visit for weeks. Although it is the capital of Maharashtra, Mumbai is considered unsafe for many locals within Maharashtra. It was no wonder, then, that my Punekar family, especially my aunt, Medha Atya, kept tabs on us throughout the day- the first of which was in the form of a phone call when we had reached the halfway point in our ride to the city.
The bus ride to Mumbai was dull and dreary- but part of this may have been because we were all half asleep throughout the journey. The driver must have taken the scenic route, as we passed through a beautiful stretch of mountains. As I drifted in and out of a dream-like state, I caught glimpses of the evergreen and blue hues, the raindrops and mist nearly perfecting the view. Slowly, we spiraled upwards into the altitude of the Maharashtran mountaintops. The entire bumpy trip took nearly 3.5 hours, and before long, I awoke, rather unwillingly, to the sound of beeping horns, congested traffic and random shouting- the clearest clue that we had arrived at our destination!!
The Gateway of India
Once the three of us had safely descended the stairs, we flagged a taxi, and travelled directly to our first of a number of sights for the day – the Gateway of India. As the taxi cab slowed, pulling over to the side of the road, I was a bit unsure of where the great gate was, but we followed the windy path to the entrance on the back-side, and finally caught sight of the masterpiece. The gateway towered over us, as we approached it from the opposite side. It’s magnificence was quite overwhelming at first, and we all (If I can speak for my travel buddies too!) were in awe of it. I felt like a complete tourist, but I couldn’t help but take few typical pics before the landmark.
Trekking through Elephanta Caves
Just before we finished our photo shoot, we heard one of the many tour guides circling the Gateway gathering a group to see “Elephanta Caves,” and quickly wrapped up and joined them, since this was on the tentative list of things to see in Mumbai, as of that morning. Again, we made the ferry leaving to the island just in time.
The ferry ride to the caves was quite pleasant. By this time, much to my own amusement, we had already taken four forms of transportation- Rickshaw, Bus, Cab & now– Ferry! The waves were quite rough, and we couldn’t seem to avoid the rain, but regardless, I took everything as a unique adventure, enjoying every moment of the 7-mile-long route through the turbulent waves. Nearly 80 minutes later, we stepped off onto the shores, eager and excited to explore our first historical destination of the day.
More than a thousand years ago, these collection of seven caves were carved out of stone on Gharapuri Island. The cave complex includes seven caves (two of which are unfinished/remnants), containing carvings of a range of Hindu gods and goddess, most prominently highlighting the three key figures: Shiva, Brahma and Lord Vishnu. The mini-trek to the caves, about a mile from the dock, brought us through a small bazaar area, with a multitude of trinkets, cloths and pieces of unique décor available for sale. My challenge was to avoid the shopping until after we had seen the main site… We continued ascending the steps to the caves, and finally arrived nearly twenty minutes later.
As I stepped onto the gravel, I felt a strange combination of awe and bewilderment- the concept that men had carved such intricate, beautiful and honestly, amazing creations out of simple rock with so little technology available is truly a mindboggling feat. We set out respectively exploring the caves, planning how we would see them systematically at first, but ultimately exploring the area. When I got to the first cave, I was honestly speechless by amazement. Plastered across the bare rock walls of the stone cave were 3-D stone creations of hindu gods. The most spectacular one was perhaps the one of Brahma, the creater of the universe. One look at the figure, and you will feel a strength, a power so great that it’s overwhelming. The courtyard between the caves also had a distinct feel to it. It was rustic and historical, the scene reminiscent of a simpler time long ago.
Beyond the caves, I couldn’t help but appreciate the surrounding rolling hills and scenery. I just can’t seem to get enough of how beautiful Maharashtra is during the monsoon. One of the many things I will miss most about my mother country is the genuinely breathtaking beauty everywhere I look- the wind, the skies, the evergreen and navy hues blending perfectly, revealing nature’s perfection- it just quadruples the thrill of travelling.
We spent the next hour venturing in and out of four of the caves (two finished masterpieces, and one unfinished creation), gazing in complete awe at the perfection of the stone carvings. I stopped in one cave to take “darshan” at a small temple-like area. Viewing a murti, a representation of god, can be so invigorating.
The time flew by as we toured the island in all its beauty and historic charm. Before long, we were descending the steps, hurrying to catch the 1:30 PM ferry back to Mumbai mainland. A frivolous monkey followed us on the way back for a bit, entertaining us with his mischievously playful movements and energy. I wished he would have joined us on the ride back.
Back to VT Station
It was nearly 3:00 by the time we returned to the Gateway area, and though we were a bit tired from exploring the caves, we decided to take a few more pictures, and walk around the area, slowly making our way through Bombay Central to VT train station so that we could reserve tickets for our return journey. Agreeing on this plan, we leisurely made our way toward the train station, one of the largest train stations in India. As we crossed the central city, we passed by a number of buildings reminiscent of British India. The beauty of the architecture during this period is distinct, with gothic monuments and cathedrals. We also passed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum- I couldn’t help but simply appreciate the charming architecture! It was a unique opportunity to tour it, indeed. The walk to the station was long and winded, and we were all surprised to find that it was nearly 5 by the time we returned!
See Part II for my “Train Adventure” & the promised overdose of pictures!
