This last weekend was the only chance that I had to really see anything in Mumbai. Until then, I had only seen the roads that take me to and from work. On Saturday (after working all night) I had an adventure with two of my co-workers from Beaverton, Eric and Greg. We hired a driver and ventured off to Elephanta Island at 11 am. This tiny island, located in the middle of Mumbai Harbour, contains Mumbai's most visited historical attraction. After an hour car ride to the Gateway of India and an hour boat ride, we finally got to the island. We stopped at a small cafe to have a drink, then made our way up the 100+ stairs towards the caves. The steps are lined with vendors that sell various trinkets and souvenirs. After deciding that we would shop on the way down, we climbed our way through crowd of vendors and tourists. The Hindu temple carvings inside the caves are incredible. The centerpiece of the temple is a huge statue of the three faces of Shiva, the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe. It was amazing to just look around and imagine the wondrous things that must have taken place here. We also saw workers cutting stones for a walkway, then setting them into the earth. After taking pictures of the animals and livestock that roam the island, and having a monkey try to steal my water bottle, we browsed through a small museum that contains sculptures rescued from around the island.
As we made our way down the stairs, Erik and Greg found their element. Most of the vendors are willing to haggle when it comes to their prices and these two had a blast doing so. Personally, the pushy vendors made me not want to shop at all. If you so much as got in their line of sight, it is instantly "buy this beautiful purse" or whatever they are selling. This tactic might work on some people, but not on me. But I was in luck, because all I had to do was whisper in Greg's ear, tell him what I liked, and before you knew it I had an incredible bargain. He would tell them the price that he was willing to pay, then start to walk off when they said that was to high. Every time the vendor would give in and he would came away with a great deal. Erik did pretty much the same thing all the way down.
On Sunday we decided that we would do a little shopping and try to hit a couple of temples. This time Erik, Jeremy and I hired a driver to first take us to Big Bizarre, which is sort of an Indian Ross (which also sells food). This store was pretty interesting and I was able to pick up a few items while we were there. After our shopping excursion, we had lunch at Bombay Blue. The tandoori paneer (a type of Indian cheese) platter was delicious and for about 150 rupees, it was a great bargain. After being assisted by a parking attendant and his cell phone, we were able to locate our driver.
Our next stop was Haji Ali Dargah, a very popular Muslim shrine on the shore of Back Bay. As you walk down the narrow Stone causeway, you are first greeted by street vendors selling various Muslim inspired items. This is where things started to get interesting. Past the vendors, the walkway is lined with all sorts of beggars: chanting amputees, women with babies, solemn old men. I am a very giving person, but I am not usually comfortable giving money to people on the street (probably because I am used to people in Salem / Portland who spare change downtown). This was one occasion when the change in my pocket could be going to someone who truly needs it. It was difficult to take it all while walking through the sea of people. And on top of everything we obviously stuck out like a sore thumb (Jeremy could not wait to leave). The actual shrine was a bit of a let down. The shrine itself was beautiful, but the commercialism was a little much.
