More about Mumbai

So since the next day of our stay in Mumbai was Sunday, Orest and I booked a tour guide to take us around the sites of the city. I had read that Mumbai perhaps did not have an abundance of historical sights, but we managed to fill up 5 hours of time seeing the following

1. Our first stop (we only drove by the Victoria Train Terminal, Marine Drive and Chowpatty beach) was a Jain temple up in the Malabar Hills. Our tour guide whisked us through Indian religion fairly quickly, so our understanding of which gods were which was minimal at best. However, it was like entering the local community hall with its vendors in the courtyard selling patties and bread. The rituals involved in worship were very interesting and it was wonderful to be in the centre of it for a few moments.

2. Next were the Hanging Gardens, which were created on top of a reservoir in the Malabar Hills. Although the pruned trees and flowers were pretty, the informative talk from our guide regarding the Parsi (or Zoraostrian) funeral rites was of greater interest. Next to the gardens was the Doonderwadi complex where they would take their dead to one of the Towers of Silence (an open-aired tower) where the vultures were meant to devour the flesh and the sun meant to dry and decompose the rest of the body. (They did this because burying would defile Mother Earth and creamtion would desecrate the fire - all natural elements being sacred.) We took a photo from the hilltop, but it was rather hazy so not much of Marine Drive is visible.

3. The Mahatma Ghandi Museum was next, and here we followed the displays and learned more about the man who spent most of his life fighting for (and winning) the rights of all Indians. Here's a photo looking up at the balcony where he was arrested for his speech incurring civil disobedience.

4. Our last stop was the Prince of Wales Museum where we quickly went through the Indian portion of the displays and spent the rest of the time in the gift shop purchasing lovely prints and cards for literally pennies. It certainly beats the prices at the British Museum's gift shop!

A quick bit of shopping followed and then a lovely evening meal at what seems to be the only funky restaurant outside the hotel; Indigo. Orest and I risked dsysentery by ordering the king prawn starter, but it was too tasty to pass up!