What makes Mumbai different ?

I was in Pune for some of my "official" purposes and then decided I would drop down(??) to Mumbai as I had never been there before . ( I now wear an invisible tag around my neck saying - I have visited all Indian Metros .. Cochin Included ;-) )

I decided I would travel on the much hyped Pune-Mumbai Express way ( on a Tata Sumo ) .. from where I started it was 144 kms to Mumbai . I timed my journey ..it took only ( ONLY in bold and underlined ) an hour and 45 minutes. that was around 90-100 km/hr on an average .. So the top speed should have hit 150-180 more than once ! Luckily for me ... I was tired and was resting my head on the passenger next to me , dozing but for the occasional G-force due to the twist and turns . I witnessed an almost fatal accident , 2 non fatal ones , few accident hit spots and a bunch of people who cared little about what they just saw !

With over 1.3 crore people - converts to 13 million - if there is one raw commodity thats cheaply available - its life ! Mumbai is easily the most populous city in India with Bangalore coming third with less than half of Mumbai's population - now you get the picture ... If not .. taste this ...
The railway terminal at Churchgate ( one of the busiest terminals in Mumbai ) has 1,500 people coming In /out per MINUTE at its peak hours. If you still dont get the picture .. the canvas is out there .

Few things you should not miss doing in Mumbai

1) travel by the local train
2) get down at CST and walk to Gateway of India.
3) Dine/Lunch/ Beer (verb) at Cafe Mondigar
4) Have vada-pav and cutting chai at some local roadside tea shop
5) buy pirated dvd from some crowded ghali near the train stations
6) drive through the marine drive in a taxi
7) walk down Dalal Street ( for the one who dont have a Phd in economics .. thats where the Bombay Stock Exchange is )
8) watch the Dabba-wallahs having their lunch
and in the night ..
9) spend an hour in a 'dance bar' with a beer worth Rs.250/- and table surrounded by neatly dressed lipstick laden, ever-ready, barely-legal teens with tonnes of makeup.

With all its crime rate and fast life ... Mumbai still remains the mother of all cities .. it makes Bangalore look like .... just an artificial, temporary settlement ! .

Meri Pyari Mumbai .

Sunset at Khajuraho

Known for its erotic sculptures, I was advised by my helpful "Bharat Ghoomo" guide book to visit the western temples in the evening ... the sunset , they claim, ( not proven though ) is spectaculor ( minus the exaggeration ) .


But something thats truley spectacular is undoubtedly the intricate temple carvings. They are at the same time explicit, erotic and sensual ... ( see it for yourselves .. you will believe it ) often beckoning a few woows and ooughs from the foreign tourists who are bewildered by the carvings .

I missed the sunset at the western temples .. I had to rush back to Delhi ! When I returned back to Delhi, one of my friends wondered loudly .. "Would they have actually posed for the sculptors ? "

Never have South Indian from North India

During one of the legs of my 'epic' north Indian journey (in Agra .. I believe ), I had South Indian food from a North Indian restaurant. Mistake !! ( twice over ) ...
Some hotels have made their billing system so good and computerized that it gets you a faster bill... loosing money faster ! The billing is done on old one line dot-matrix priters with 2-3 inch printer papers and minimal software . So essentially the items on the menu ( owing to its big indian names ) are abbreviated ... My bill said

"Ms Dos : Rs.20/-"

( think MS-DOS .. think Masala Dosa )
Sometimes the billing system is better left not computerised !

The kingfisher experience

I had this "much awaited" trip to my home by the kingfisher airlines ( hereafter refered to as KFA ) ... Much awaited not because iam coming home for christmas after a long hiatus ... much awaited cos I was travelling by KFA ..
It all started with an online bidding and winning .. ( surprisingly no one over bid me .. and it seemed like the prices were pretty much fixed .. but I saved Rs.1500/- over the usual prize ! )
The hype was worth it .. the money too. Now what was the kingfisher experience afterall ?

a) great hospitality ( ghmmm .. starter's courtesy)
b) good looking & pretty ( pretty is ofcourse not the word ) .. gorgeous ( yeah .. iam closer ) ..air hostesses... ( see for yourselves )
c) good food.
d) PERSONAL mini TV screens with 5 video and 7 audio channels ( now thats something !! )
f) compliementory pouch ( contains a pen , a freshner-towel , a candy, a mouth freshner .. and a few other things like a head phone)
g) bright colors and interiors
h) artificial smiles ( who cares as long as its good)
i) unprepared lucid talk from the pilot..
j) and finally ... ofcourse the much hyped red mini skirts !!

I found a few couple of rare photos of the kingfisher airhostesses .. and here they are for your viewing pleasure .. As the media rightly says ... Malliya is our own Richard Banson ... ( aah for sure ) ..

Goa Ahoy !

I took a break from work ... and yeah Goa it was ... Sun , Sand and Songs .. Fish Fun and Frolic ... and amidst the predominantly Eurpoean crowd .. Indians and animals ( sorry for the bad association ) stood out prominent ... Have a look at this pic that I could capture .. ( Exhibit 1 ) ...

Now ... enlarge the pic ( Click on it !! huh ! ) and see what he is offering the beast ;-)