We left Mumbai at 11 PM last night to accommodate the people who had travelled to the Taj Mahal. Mumbai was surprising in many ways. The air is quite clean, vehicle pollution is well managed, garbage pickup and street cleaning is very good. It is really a massive and busy city. The first stop took us around the port area which included the Taj Mahal Hotel that was bombed 2 years ago and the George V Arch (1911) Gateway to India. The buildings here were truly designed in London. We saw many people asking for money, kids included, plus street vendors selling bracelets, postcards. peacock feather fans and costume jewellery. The Victoria Train station is real neat and busy. Since Mumbai is built mostly on reclaimed land, the mass transit is not underground. The Jain Temple have a different view on their faith. These people believe in never harming any living creature. They often wear face masks to avoid the possibility of inhaling an insect. Nehru Park or the hanging gardens is on the highest location in Mumbai and is built over a 32 million gallon / litre water reservoir - the kids park has a recreation of the old woman and the shoe. Traffic in the early hours is tolerable however the day brought on some serious clogged streets. The Ghandi Museum is amazing. This small man is listed as one of the top 25 people in history. His letter to Hitler - asking him to change his course on WW-II is haunting. The Prince of Wales museum was good but not great. Lots of oriental art, daggers, china, tools and pictures. A massive collection from the Tata family takes all of the 3rd level.
The afternoon was a leisurely day in the sun next to the pool.
Open seating at dinner.