my mumbai

well i've spent several months now chronicling my travels around the subcontinent. i'd say it's time i gave a little attention to my own little corner of this country. in my months here, in between travels, i've had some time to explore little bits of this massive city and have even been lucky enough to have some visitors to show around. and so, here i have some favorite places i shared with them and will now share with you, dear reader (since i assume there is only one of you).

if you ask any mumbaiker what they love or miss about the city, chance are the first thing (or twenty) will be food. (i distinctly remember hour-long conversations about food my friends had before my arrival that i understood almost none of.) true, the same goes for pretty much any indian, but i think many would agree that mumbai has some of the best street food around, and there's no shortage of variety here. i figured it was a good place to start.

mmm.. spicy non-veg...

i got a crash course in street food early on at muhammed ali road, which i chronicled here, and then again here. it's basically a place where, particularly during ramadan, you can find all manner of sweets (both subtly sweet and syrupy, deep-fried) and non-veg deliciousness. the atmosphere is electric, with families out to celebrate and young people buzzing around gorging on the amazing food. i'll be sad when ramadan rolls around in july and i can't find my way back here.

pav bhaji: just add butter!

then there are the street foods you can get any time of year. the most famous of these, of course, is vada pav. the portuguese influence in bombay is most evident in foods like this, that include bread (that would be the pav/pau). vada pav is a delicious little fried ball of potatoes, spices and green chilis served on a bun with green chutney and a dry red chutney powder. they can be found on just about every street corner, especially in the south. just look for a crowd of men standing around eating. then wash it down with a rs. 5 glass of sugar can juice (which will probably be found no more than ten feet away). also in the pav family, we have the famous pav bhaji. i like to think of this as an indian sloppy joe, although it's totally vegetarian. don't worry, though, the vast variety of vegetables are tempered by the paula deen-levels of butter in this dish. i watched it being made in this giant tawa and it was almost grotesque. we're talking bricks of butter here, people. but of course that's also what makes the dish so delicious. you can find it at almost any little cafe or beachside stand. at juhu beach you can sit on the steps and beckon someone over for the extra bread (don't worry, it's got butter on it too) that you will inevitably need.

beach corn

while you're at juhu beach (a veritable street food heaven) you should try some roasted corn. walking along the crowded sands, in between the photo hawkers and the local picnickers, you'll invariably find someone at a cart roasting ears of corn over the hot coals. he may even let you fan the fire yourself. but whatever you do, be sure to get lemon and masala on it. otherwise it's just a plain old ear of corn. the tangy spiciness makes you lick your lips after every bite - you'll never want to eat corn any other way.

name your poison

but my favorite snack at juhu beach has to be the gola, another of mumbai's claims to foody fame. while to the untrained eye it's basically a snowcone, in reality it's so much more. for one thing, the ice is crushed before your eyes on a great old metal hand-powered grinder that you just know weighs 40 pounds. the ice is served on a stick and the syrup (stored in old whisky bottles) is poured into the cup it's served in. so that, when the flavor from your snack inevitably drips down to the bottom, you just dip it back in the cup. ingenious, right? and the syrups - as you can probably see from the image - come in a wide variety, including typically indian fruits and flavors like mango, khus, and rose. and you have the option to drizzle the whole thing with malai, fatty fatty coconut goo, that just makes the whole thing extra creamy/sticky/delicious. now your only problem is trying to not drip onto your feet. (yeah, right)

lights, smoke, action

then there are the late-night foods. quick snacks, like kebabs and chicken tikka rolls that are great for post-beer wandering down south. bademiya is probably the most famous such establishment. you'll see it from afar with its billowing smoke and crowds of people milling around. there are plastic tables too, but the food's so fast you hardly even need to sit down. in the few minutes you spend waiting for your seekh kebab or chicken roll you can watch the guy making the rumali (super thin) roti by spinning and spreading the paper-thin dough over the stone dome - it's mesmerizing. like watching master crêpier on the streets of normandy. also across the street is a great dive bar, gokal, that has some of the best kheema (minced meat and spices) i've ever had.

also a staple: paper menu under plastic table cover

also in the south (mostly) you'll find a fair amount of parsi food. the city has a substantial parsi population although it, along with the number of persian cafes, is dwindling. the ones that remain are some of the oldest and most interesting though. the décor looks as though it hasn't changed in fifty years (it probably hasn't) - dust-covered frames hang filled with deceased relatives, musty plastic chandeliers hover over checked tablecloths covered in plastic. yellowing wallpaper peels off walls covered in old posters or placards ('upstairs for family only'). in short, charming. you can go to britannia for the famous berry pulao, teapot cafe for its  chicken dhansak or ideal corner for one of their changing weekly specials. but my favorite thing to do is go to kyani and enjoy the standard irani chai and bun maska. the joy is in the simplicity - irani chai is essentially regular chai with a little something special (it's also called special tea) and a bun with butter. generally this means a lot of butter (you're shocked, i know) but i shamelessly scrape the excess off with my finger before devouring it.

a stone's throw from kyani is metro theater, one of the oldest in the city. virtually every book i've read that takes place in bombay has made reference to at least one of these classic theatres - metro, eros, regal. though metro has been redone inside into a 6-screen multiplex, at some of the others balcony tickets can still be had for rs. 150 or less. there are also some in the grant road area (just past the red-light district, apparently) that constantly run cheesy movies from the '90s (think DDLJ) for a pittance. like the parsi cafes, these theatres are some of my favorite relics of a bygone past that nevertheless remain a vibrant part of the cityscape.

yes this is bombay

actually the south is full of such buildings. even if the façades are dirty and neglected, you can't hide the beauty of some of these structures. they're even more beautiful in the mossy, high saturation of monsoon season, when i first began wandering among them. in the fort area you'll find quasi-sassanian parsi buildings along MG road, neo-gothic revival style over by the oval maidan (the big open grassy space that always reminds me of the mall in DC - just substitute softball games for cricket and football), and of plenty of art deco (second largest number of art deco buildings in the world!). even a few baroque buildings (blue synagogue). i love meandering around the fort area - you turn a corner or wander down an alley and all of a sudden you look up and find yourself in a street that could be somewhere in europe. well, until you almost run into a cow in the road.

the dark horse

just south of fort is the kala ghoda area. so close, in fact, that i'm not entirely sure where one ends and the other begins. it's named for the black horse statue that no longer stands there. even the cool mural (pictured) has been painted over since i took the photo, sad. the area's great for all the galleries and cafes peppered throughout it. artisan's gallery, which caters to craftspeople throughout the country, the institute for contemporary indian art, the jehangir gallery, with its famous art café and many spaces with constantly changing exhibitions - all are great to wander in and out of. you can see some pretty great artists in these and other galleries. also nearby is the national gallery of modern art, which has a surprisingly nice little collection, and which shamefully few people are even aware of.

shor in the chor

another of my favorite little pockets of the city is chor bazaar. a funny name (as 'chor' means thief), it actually derives from the word 'shor' (referring to the noise-level - much more appropriate). but somehow chor stuck, and chor it remains. i'm generally a fan of all things old and cheap so flea markets are sort of my thing. and any flea market that includes things like ancient cameras, rusted old tea tins, and vintage bollywood posters has my seal of approval. this goes without saying, but also a great place to hone your haggling skills. you know, if you [scoff] need that sort of practice.

standing

well as long as we're talking about old things, i feel i have to mention the national park. a bit of a hike, up at borivali (though really only a train ride away) the national park contains the kanheri caves, some of which date back as far as 1st century BCE. while, true, it's no ellora, you will still see some pretty old buddhas without having to leave the city limits, or spend the better part of your day on a boat to the elephanta caves (which i am told are overrated). the caves are carved right out of the hills and the shallow steps criss-cross all over the gently sloping rocks. i never did figure out the number system, but suffice it to say that there are over 100 caves. even if you don't make it to them all (and really, i doubt you would) you'll see your fair share of pretty impressive statues and deep relief carvings (and some that are less deep: 'vijay 2004'..). definitely worth the trip. but maybe don't wait till midday in one of the hotter months to go there, like we did..

sun down, lights on

rounding out the list of typical must-do highlights on the mumbai list is the haji ali dargah. it's on every major tourist list, and for good reason. it's sort of like the mont saint-michel of the city, a mosque you can only reach at low tide. when i visited it happened to be the perfect time of day. the sun was low in the sky and the breezes coming in off the sea were blowing our dupattas around our shoulders. we made the walk on the raised stone path, leaving the tall city buildings and stones near the shore behind us. we walked all over the mosque itself, buzzing with activity before the evening prayers. then just as we were getting ready to make the trek back the lights came on and the call to prayer began. the mosque looked so beautiful in dusk, with the strings of lights coming on, so of course we stuck around for a bit. when we did make it back to land we rewarded ourselves with an obligatory stop at the famous haji ali juice center. overpriced, maybe, but where else could we find custard apples out of season?

marine drive-by

much of the appeal of haji ali (apart from the juice) is the water itself, of course. no matter what time of day or season - even in pouring rains - people can always be seen along marine drive just sitting facing the sea. young couples arm in arm, kids kicking around a football, or men just staring out at the water. the calm constancy of the sea seems to be a good antidote for the craziness of the city. even as cars whiz by just a few meters away, people seem to take solace in water and soak in the tranquility of the sea. i think there's just something undeniably peaceful about looking out and seeing nothing but rippling water.

paperback heaven

the last - though certainly not least - of my favorite things to do here is shop. india's a great place to shop in general so in mumbai i've found time to uncover some little pockets of great finds. the first of these is flora fountain, my first go-to book stop. sure, there are little stalls and streetside blankets set up with books around the city. but those are very hit-or-miss and often filled with pirated books (boo!). i prefer flora fountain, which has piles and piles of secondhand books attended by friendly and incredibly knowledgeable bookwallas. i just hand them my list and they can tell me immediately if they have any of the titles and, even more impressively, where in the massive stacks they are. most days when i stop by i come home with at least one or two new finds.

then of course there are clothes. down on colaba causeway you can get all manners of shirts and scarves (you can find some nice silk ones if you dig a little) but of course you have to put up with the constant hassling from vendors who at first assume you are a silly tourist. a little farther north on MG road you can find all sorts of men's shirts, belts, underwear - which vendors will try their best to pawn off on you despite being both a woman and clearly uninterested. to round out my shopping i go to hill road, just a short walk/ride from my place in bandra. all kinds of dresses, shoes, accessories, but again, you have to be willing to dig. i have a few favorite go-to spots along the road.. but i can't divulge all my secrets, can i?

caves of wonders

after giving my mom a whirlwind two-day tour of bombay we headed out for aurangabad. we ended up flying which seems a little ludicrous given that it's in the same state. buses and trains run regularly but we were short on time so for us this was the way to go. why go to aurangabad? well it has the advantage of being a small city between the cities of ajanta and ellora, both of which have ancient caves with sculptures and paintings.

the first day we checked into our fabulous hotel (i'd forgotten what it's like to have a room with a tv, much less a refrigerator or a hotel pool - traveling with your mother has definite advantages), got ready and set out to find an auto to take us to ellora. mom was ready to agree to the price our cab driver had quoted (to be fair, less than the hotel's prices, yes, but those were ludicrous) but i wasn't having it. in
the end we got an auto and payed a modest but ample sum for the 2 hour round-trip drive.

to contextualize this a bit, i should add that ajanta and ellora were two of the earliest discoveries of ancient indian sculpture, made by early british 'orientalists' (to oversimplify: the good kind, not the edward said kind). it was also some of the earliest indian art i was exposed to (along with the stupas at sanchi), in asian and indian art classes so they have something a sentimental/nerdy, art historical appeal for me as well.

notice the faux-wooden ceiling beams

when we reached ellora we of course had to fend off the inevitable book peddlers and would-be guides before buying our tickets (10 rs, for me, thank you very much). once inside the path led to the middle of the set of caves; we chose to visit the latter half first. there are over 30 caves (mostly hindu and buddhist, but a few jain), some only separated by a few meters, others quite a bit farther. the guidebooks like to choose their favorites to highlight so we kept that in mind but also stopped wherever we felt like it. the first few caves we stopped in had minimal, but quite excellent, carvings of larger-than-life bodhisatvas and guardian figures. i had to remind myself there was much more to see. we continued on, exploring caves with, usually, a central buddha figure in the back niche and other figures flanking it. there were some lovely carvings of scenes like 'shiva and parvati playing dice' and 'ravana shaking the mountain' (ravana proved hard to find though, as he didn't appear to have 10 heads). at one point we came to an impasse, the narrow path, which followed some steps down and then edged along the curve of a small cliff, was blocked, presumably because the steps were a little worn. this was probably the dumbest thing anyone could have done - since the scaffolding they placed over it didn't preclude anyone from climbing around the side of it along the border of the stairs. which is exactly what people did. surely edging along the side of a staircase (and cliff, as it were) clinging to some bamboo scaffolding is much more unsafe than some worn-down steps. i was convinced we could get across - as we watched many people do the same, but mom was unsure (rightly so) so we had to turn back. one of the authorities - who would sporadically yell at people not to climb around (to no avail) - told us there was a path above. somewhere. perhaps there was, but if so we never found it.

we came back to the middle, where had begun, and continued on, skipping the central cave, which we knew was by far the largest and most elaborate. we walked on and saw some fantastic structures - caves with arches and beams that mirrored those in wooden architecture at the time (it's amazing how many cultures have done that), and of course humbling, reverent buddha figures at the far end. it was quite a sight, and the crowds were such that if you waited a few minutes you'd probably have any of the particular caves to yourself. we made our way onward, exploring some caves and not others, stopping for a sit in the shade and a snack of oranges.

not sure this does cave 16 justice.. it was massive

finally we arrived at cave 16, the main attraction. this cave blows all the others out of the water, in terms of both scale and sheer amount of sculpture. it can't even be called a cave, really, except that it was underground until it was discovered in the 19th century. it's actually a series of multi-storied temple structures surrounded by a covered arcade. the structures themselves have fabulous heavy relief sculptures, from goddesses (these are largely hindu) hybrid animals to giant, almost freestanding elephants (who sadly had a lot of broken trunks). there were even some traces of paint on some of the sculptures. what an amazing sight, and a good note to end on.

we had a long leisurely auto ride back punctuated by a stop for chai and pagodas. back at the hotel we relaxed by the pool, enjoyed a lovely hotel dinner and ordered a movie to our room. this is more like it!

the next day was ajanta, a longer (about 3 times longer) ride that my mom didn't relish taking in an auto. instead we hopped an auto to the bus station where, indeed, we were approached by someone offering us a cab. there was apparently a dearth of cabs that day due to a local election but we still got a pretty decent price and were able to travel alone. one long nap later and we arrived at ajanta to the same fanfare of perspective guides and all sorts of vendors. cold drink? ice cream? book? postcard? we bypassed them all - including one very insistent man who was convinced my mom needed to be carried on a chair over the site's various steps. no thanks, bud.

entering ajanta

a bit like ellora, the caves at ajanta are arranged around a small sort of valley. they follow a horseshoe shape, so you walk around the curve of the hill. evidently in the rainy season there are waterfalls to be seen but of course, being february we saw none of those. no matter, the main attraction was the caves themselves.

we walked into the first cave and i was astounded to see one of the most famous paintings there, right off the bat. if you've perused any books on indian art you may have seen this image - of a sinuous figure whose torso seems to follow the curves of the lotus vine he holds. the cave walls and ceiling are all covered with detailed paintings such as this, some in better repair than others. there were quite a few people there but once again, with some patience, and a tripod, i was able to get a few worthwhile shots.

and now a moment on the state of the sites. i, and perhaps you too, have been reading lately about UNESCO world heritage sites and the effects of that label on their security and protection. in theory that status is meant to protect the sites from destruction and provide funds for their preservation. however funding seems uneven at best and often sites are left with few resources and a lot of extra attention (thanks to this new label). what i witnessed at each of these sites was some sporadic conservation and even more sporadic security. at the entrance of some caves guards were stationed, warning people against using flash and ensuring they removed their shoes. of course for every group of 50 that went in there were inevitably 1 or 2 who ended up using the flash either in ignorance or blatant disregard for the posted rules. at one point i was reprimanded for using a tripod (which, with its round plastic bottoms, surely did less damage than the feet of the 30 people who shuffle in there every other minute). as i was asking why this policy was in place, a buddhist family had gone up to the main idol to touch and take pictures with it. as the guard realized what was going on, he went (belatedly) to stop them, but as i pointed out to him - surely that's a more important problem than my 8 oz. tripod. then later at one of the more famous caves i was horrified to see scores of people going up and touching the reclining buddha figure. surely if my tripod's not allowed, that shouldn't be either. so, i suppose my final conclusion is that security is uneven and haphazard at best.

paintings everywhere

alright, back to the caves. we continued on admiring the impressive paintings (sadly few remain in good condition) and more buddhas figures. the final cave was that with the large reclining buddha. it was as impressive as the cave was crowded, including a japanese group that seemed bent on standing in front of the statue, taking pictures, and touching it as long as possible. not quite as quiet as the day before had been, but we still enjoyed the spectacular sites.

we hiked back, this time down through the small valley, past the vendors and back to our cab with a fanta for the road. one more night at our fabulous hotel and it was back to bombay the next day. from there it was just a quick stop in the city and then back to the airport. this time, bangkok-bound…