As soon as we landed in the city, we were greeted with a warm rush of air. Mumbai, being close to the sea and experiencing a tropical wet and dry climate, never sees harsh winters. Rather, it remains warm throughout December to February. The summers sees huge amount of rainfall though. We started our city sightseeing the very next day we reached. The first thing that caught my attention was the laid back attitude. Although a financial hub and a metro city, Mumbai seems much more relaxed and laid back, very unlike other cities like Delhi.  The Marathi people seem more welcoming and friendly, something quite strange to find in the northern part of India. At one instance when I was queing up for the train tickets, one gentlemen asked me sensing my impatience, ‘Bhai, Dilli se ho kya?’ (You look like you’re from Delhi!)

Around the City            

Mumbai has a lot of tourist attractions. The sea side Marine Drive, Hanging Garden, Colaba Market, Siddhi Vinayak Temple to name few. What striked me most while going around these places was the colonial feel the city still carried. Old buildings along with Churches and offices from the time of the British still find a place in the main city between the tall skyscrapers. Although populated and quite hectic the main area has been quite well maintained. Colaba is a busy bustling tourist market and houses one of the oldest cafes of not only Mumbai, the whole of India, the Leopold Café. The sea side Marine Drive, a popular hangout among the locals, is a relaxing place to be especially during dusk. The Siddhi Vinayak Temple, popularized by celebrities and business men alike attracts a lot of domestic tourists and the Haji Ali Dargah, a marvelously built Muslim Dargah is no different. Moreover, the history carried by the city and its monuments make it even more interesting to travel. IN other words, for someone looking to explore India, Mumbai remains as travellers’ paradise.

Ek Chaalis ki Last Local

When one talks of Mumbai, it is impossible to leave out the Local Train. The Mumbai Local, a public transport is famous for its huge crowd. And it lived up to its reputation. Boarding the train, finding your way inside and then settling seems like a huge Herculean task. To avoid the the huge crowd, one night after spending time at a local café, we decided to board the last train that left exactly at 1:40 am. To our surprise, even when the seats were empty people were standing on the doors peeking outside. Out of curiosity, I asked one passenger for the reason. He firmly replied, ‘This is the way we enjoy Amchi Mumbai’!