Mumbai - India's Heartbeat

Inspiration:

India had always been a destination that I had planned to travel to, so when the opportunity to combine a trip with my love for sport, it seemed like the perfect timing! The Indian Premier League cricket tournament held each year has rapidly become the highlight of the indian sporting calendar. Through an association with Australian clothing company, Big Dogg Clothing, I had the opportunity to meet with many of the players and go to games.

I also took the opportunity to ensure I had time to dedicate to seeing the sights and experiencing the culture of one of the most fascinating travel destinations in the world. My second stop on a 18 day tour around India was India's biggest city - Mumbai.

Getting There:

I flew into Mumbai on flydubai before getting a car to Pune. I then came back to Mumbai the same way. Getting around India with Uber proved to be really easy, clean and not expensive when converted into foreign currency. There are definitely cheaper ways to travel internally through India, but if you have a schedule to keep and just want to get from one place to another, Uber or private taxis is a great option.

Getting around Mumbai was a similar story. There weren't anywhere near as many rickshaws as there are in other parts of India, but Uber worked well and there are loads of local taxis. I didn't have any great issue catching the local taxis - they were relatively clean and very cheap.

Local Knowledge:

I was fortunate to meet someone living in Mumbai over Instagram before I travelled and made a good friend - local photographer Atul (Instagram, @atuljoshiphotography). It's always great when travelling to meet new people along the way and Atul was able to give me a few insights not Mumbai and take me to the Mumbai Press Club for dinner, where he has access through his job with Times of India

Where To Stay:

I chose to stay at the Taj Vivanta (map)- it is close to Whankhede Stadium for the cricket and in a nice area of Mumbai on Nariman Point - close to places like Gateway of India, Colaba Causeway and Girgoan Chowpatty.

The Taj Vivanta was a breath of fresh air compared to Sagar Plaza in Pune. It is a genuine 5 star property and the staff are wonderful. I couldn't fault the service of the staff and they helped me arranged shipments to Delhi, booked cars and sorted out issues with my sim card.

There is a very nice pool, fitness centre and spa - which in the Mumbai summer of 44 degrees and high humidity is a welcome sight to com back to.

The rooms are excellent and the buffet breakfast was one of the better ones I had in India. There are certainly cheaper options to stay in Mumbai that you may consider, however if Taj Vivant is in your price range, you wont be disappointed.

What To Do:

There is a small observation deck (map) close to the BMC Commissioner building that looks directly at the facade of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Its a great spot to go and visit at night when the BMC building an date terminus are both brightly lit up. The BMC building changes colour each night. Its a great spot for some night photography in Mumbai.

The Colaba Causeway (map) is a busy street (Shahid Bhagat Singh Rd) that is lined with shops, restaurants and street sellers. At night especially it becomes very busy and there is plenty of street life. You will get hassled by people trying to sell all sorts of different things. It isn't clean by any stretch, its Mumbai.

The Gateway of India (map) is probably Mumbai's most iconic landmark. It is on the water's edge in front of the Taj Palace Hotel. The structure was commissioned to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. It overlooks the Arabian Sea and for many years it was seen as a ceremonial "gateway" into India. Following Indian independence in 1948, the last British soldiers left India after marching through the giant arch. It is a very popular tourist attraction and becomes extremely busy later in the day. Entry is free, but you do need to pass through a small security check point. If you want to get photos without a crowd, you're much better off coming early in the morning. Boats leave from the docks close to the Gateway to go on tours of places like Elephantra Island.

Not far from Gateway of India is Horniman Circle which is a neat place to take photos - some nice doorways like the old post office. There is also the Asiatic Society of Mumbai close by and the steps are a really great place for photos.

Must See:

My must see in Mumbai was somewhere that I doubt features in many tourist brochures! I stumbled across a really nice sunset spot by pure accident, which is why its my "must do" - because sometimes just being spontaneous when you travel leads to some of your best memories. I didn't have much luck finding a good sunset at either the Girgoan Chowpatty or Gateway of India, so on my last night in Mumbai just started walking from the hotel, waiting for a rickshaw to drive past and go looking for somewhere along the water. No rickshaws came and I just ended up waking to a little place called Kasav Point (map). The road came very close to the water and a really small "bay" with lots of fishing boats. The beach area was absolutely filthy, covered in rubbish and worse (perhaps one of the reasons it doesnt feature in tourism brochures). There was a group of kids playing football, who all wanted their photo taken. Along the "beach" were some building and a group of young boys were making dinner up on the rooftop of one of the buildings. They invited me up to get a better view for photos and have something to eat. I went up for the photos, but politely declined the food. Was a really great spot to take some unique sunset photos in Mumbai. Whilst I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, if you are into trying something a bit different, this is a for you. The area along the street is a small local market selling fresh fish and other foods. I later found out that this was also the site where the people involved in the Taj Palace bombings entered Mumbai.

Number 1 Travel Tip:

Many people had warned me about security and safety in Mumbai - theft, assault, etc. For me personally, I did not find this to be an issue. However, I met up with 2 ladies travelling from Northern India who did say that were subjected to frequent insults regarding their "asian" appearance, as well as sexual harassment. Unfortunately, it certainly appears that as a Western male, travelling in India is more comfortable than for a females. As general advice, based purely on my experience, I would suggest travelling in a small group with at least 1 male companion.

Excess Baggage:

Somewhere that didn't have a chance to visit was the Dharavi Slums. It is possible to do "guided tours" of what is regarded as the worlds largest slum/informal settlement. I've read some people suggesting that visiting the slums is unethical and that seeking "entertainment" from the unfortunate situation of others is poor taste. I tend to believe it is entirely personal preference and it is more to do with one's intentions. Probably the biggest thing that struck me in India on the whole was the overwhelming poverty and in particular child poverty. It put a lot of things in perspective for me and I hope influenced my life in a positive way. I believe that visiting these slums, if done in a way to gain a broader undetsanding of teh situation huge populations of people find themselves in and to educate yourself, then it is both worthwhile and ethical. I did a similar tour of the informal settlements in Soweto, South Africa. It was confronting, somewhat depressing, yet at the same time inspiring. I do feel that I spent a lot of time in India out walking the streets, markets and local areas to see and understand the enormity of substandard living and poverty. I didn't do that for entertainment, rather to get a better understanding of the situation so many people have found themselves in. This is only my opinion and I respect the opinion of those who do not want to visit these places.