Bombay baby!

I just got back from Mumbai India. (formerly known as Bombay) We fly from Paris, overflying several countries including Iran and Pakistan. Iran is very mountainous, so we carry supplemental oxygen as we would not be able to fly below 10000 feet MSL in the event of a loss of pressurization. We also have emergency routes we would fly if an engine failed and we couldn't maintain our altitude. (The routes would keep us clear of the mountains.) Other than that, the flight is typical and the air traffic controllers are nice.

We left Paris midday and arrived in Mumbai after midnight. As we left the terminal building, a man (the same guy every time) approached us and led us through the large group of people crowding the exit. He led us to a bus and loaded our bags. The ride downtown is exciting - the driver ignores the red lights and weaves about. The man who led us from the terminal rides shotgun, blowing a horn to get cars, dogs and people out of the way.

This religious picture is on the wall in the bus. DO NOT TOUCH! I have heard that it is a big problem and the bus will stop immediately if the light on this is not working properly!



This is the Taj Majal hotel, where we stay. It's awesome.


This was the view from my room. That is the Gateway to India.


Hold on, I'll show you another view of that...

Here's a closeup of the inscription because I'm too lazy to type it. This is a Roman numeral test.*


These are some of the many little black taxis in the city.

Here is a fishing bay on the other side of the city. The Indians have been filling in the bay to build new buildings, seen in the distance.


See the fish drying?

We also went to Gandhi's house.




With his bust inside the entrance:


There are many interesting pictures, letters and dioramas of his life:

This is a copy of the letter he wrote Hitler:

With Indira Gandhi, in 1924 (not related, just a family friend):

"Quit India" campaign of 1942:


This is Gandhi's room. There was no description of the items in the room so I'm not sure what round spiky things do. Any ideas?


This is my favorite Gandhi quote. GENTLEMEN PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

This temple was another interesting place to see. We took off our shoes and left them with a woman at the entrance.

Nobody seemed to mind that we were there watching them pray.

I took a video with my camera because it was so difficult to capture this experience in pictures. I've uploaded it to You Tube so click HERE to see it!

This is an Indian laundry:

Click HERE to see a short video of it.

These guys are at the entrance of the hotel. They let me get a picture with them before I left.

Check out the chaise lounges in the airport. I think they have the right idea!

Bombay is quite an experience. Hope you liked the pictures!

*1911