Found the beers, the Brits, and the shopping in downtown Mumbai!

I knew it was all here, I just had to find it, and I did! Taking advantage of my sudden time off, Shyamala took me to infamous downtown Mumbai, postcard Mumbai. The downtown area is so different from the northern suburbs. Though I appreciate the 'burbs for offering the true Indian experience, I can't help but enjoy what downtown has to offer. We started our adventure early in the morning, traffic here is fierce and it took about two hours to travel less then 40k. As we entered the downtown area, we drove down famous Marine Dr. This stretch of road reminded me so much of Lakeshore Dr. in Chicago. The high rise hotels and condos were on our left and the beautiful Arabian Sea was on the right. This area, known as Chowpatty Beach, is a well-known tourist attraction, not for sunning, more for strolling along the promenade.

Once we arrived, we stopped at a sort of artist colony/gallery where some local artists were having an exhibition. We then stopped briefly at another museum, formerly known as the Prince of Wales musuem, (Shyamala wanted to sign up for a class) that houses historic treasures from India, Thailand, and the like.

Ok, enough museums, where is the shopping? At least that is what I was thinking anyay! We then went to lunch at a south Indian "joint," (restaurants are often called joints, fyi) for some amazing treats, and again, super cheap. Lunch for two ran about $3! After lunch, we then strolled all through the Colaba Causeway area. Shopping and hostels/hotels galore. From high-end stores to street vendors, jewelry, art, shoes, anything Indian, or otherwise, was available! I was mostly looking yesterday, but did score an amazing hand-painted pendant, sterling silver for about $30! Had to have it people, had to....We also stopped at an amazing stationary/paper store. There, you could find beautifully made cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, etc. for practically free. I did pick up a ton of cards, five card packs with envelopes ran less than a dollar per pack! Crazy....!

The downtown area looks an awful lot like London with palm trees and sans gray gloom. The architecture is very much influenced by the English and there is even a clock tower that so resembles Big Ben. The flavor of India is still quite present with temples jammed in between towering universities, street-side food vendors, fruit stands, etc., but considerably less slum in the Colaba area. All throughout the day, I saw tourists from Canada, UK, etc. and plenty o' beer joints, finally!

After our shopping, or looking rather, we headed toward the Arabian sea to check out the Gateway to India, built by King George V and Queen Mary in 1911 as a ceremonial entrance. Ironically, the last Brit troops to leave India in 1948 exited through this gateway as well. We also checked out the world famous Taj Mahal Palace and hotel (not that Taj, this one is different!) Lastly, a little more shopping, and then, the worst traffic grid-lock ever....sigh...in all, I enjoy staying in the suburbs for the true India feel, but for anyone planning a trip to India, the south end of Mumbai is the way to go. I plan to spend more time there, and have already booked a room for when Andrea arrives during the Ganesha festival. On the last day of the festival, day 11, the idols of Ganesha are submersed in the sea for his return home. It seems staying near the Arabian Sea is the perfect place to watch this famous event, and to drink a beer....or two.