Saturday, April 7, 2018, Mumbai (Bombay), India (1 of 2)

Spread over seven islands, Mumbai is a major cultural capital of India. Once an archipelago of fishing villages, this coastal region was transformed by the Portuguese in the mid-1500s, then ceded to the British East India Company about 100 years later. Bombay, as it was known until 1995, still enjoys its magnificent seaside setting and is home to some of India’s most beloved landmarks. Perhaps none is as glamorous as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, it has hosted celebrities and presidents. Adjacent, the impressive Gateway of India was built to salute the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Mumbai also hosted the headquarters of Mahatma Gandhi.

Seemed odd to see this in India.

South end of East train station; since this is the end of the peninsula, it's the end of the line.

Over seven million commute on the train daily in Mumbai.

Our first excursion stop today was to take pictures at the southern Eastern train depot.

There are dozens of train lines here at the south end. Passengers MUST unload quickly so the train can be reloaded and leave the station in five minutes.

Looking north along the west side of the peninsula.

A cricket tournament was in town this weekend.

Aquarium along the beach.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a "Heritage five-star hotel in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Historically it was known as the "Taj Mahal Hotel or the "Taj Palace Hotel". or simply "the Taj".

Part of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, this hotel is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 560 rooms and 44 suites. There are some 1,600 staff including 35 butlers. From a historical and architectural point of view, the two buildings that make up the hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace, and the Tower are two distinct buildings, built at different times and in different architectural designs. In 2017, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel has acquired an image trademark. It is the first building in the country to get intellectual property rights protection for its architectural design.

Mumbai and India are classics for contrasts.

Young boys in religious dress.

Note tarps on roofs; fortunately it's not monsoon season.

Small, ornate temple.

Our second excursion stop today. The Hanging Gardens, in Mumbai, also known as abhinav Gardens, are terraced gardens perched at the top of Malabar Hill, on its western side, just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park. They provide sunset views over the Arabian Sea and feature numerous hedges carved into the shapes of animals. The park was laid out in 1881 by Ulhas Ghapokar over Bombay's main reservoir, some say to cover the water from the potentially contaminating activity of the nearby Towers of Silence. When seen from the air, the walkway inside the park (Hanging Gardens Path), spell out the letters PMG(Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) in cursive.

Apartment building with gardens on top.

Kamala Nehru Park is part of the Hanging Gardens complex in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India covering an area of approximate 16,000 sq.mt. (4 acres). Located at the top of Mumbai's Malabar Hill, it is developed and maintained by the Hydraulic Engineer's Department of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. One of Mumbai's premier gardens it is popular with young children and also tourists. The garden offers a spectacular view of the Marine drive below also known as Queen's necklace.

The shoe structure is inspired by the nursery rhyme There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.

Lookout over Queen's Necklace Beach.

Local birds - wow, lotsa beauties.

This "home" for four, including two sons who are in school in Europe, has 24 floors and cost US$ 1.2 billion and thought to be the most single expensive home in the world. The owners are thought to have a net worth of US$40 billion; the owner has a goal of being the richest in the world.

Contrast that with the Dharavi slum within eye shot of the above; the slum has of over one million inhabitants with one toilet for every 800 people. This slum is the largest in Mumbai but not the only.

Very exclusive and expensive golf course.

Dhobi Ghat (Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat) is a well known open air laundromat (lavoir) in Mumbai, India. The washers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. Dhobi Ghat was built during the British Raj in 1890. The word Dhobi Ghat is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present.

There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. Called the world's largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists.

The Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Cooperative Society, the apex body that represents washer men, estimates the annual turnover of the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat at around Rs 100 crore. For 18 to 20 hours each day, over 7,000 people flog, scrub, dye, and bleach clothes on concrete wash pens, dry them on ropes, neatly press them, and transport the garments to different parts of the city. Over one lakh clothes are washed each day. Some of the wealthier dhobis have given up on manual cleaning and have now installed large mechanical washing and drying machines. The dhobis collect clothes from all corners of the city, from Colaba to Virar. Their biggest clients are neighborhood laundries, garment dealers, wedding decorators and caterers, and mid-sized hotels, and clubs.

Dhobi Ghat garnered a Guinness Book of World Records entry under ‘most people hand-washing clothes at a single location’ in 2011. In 2013, World Records India and World Amazing Records honored World Record Certificate to Dhobi Kalyan and Audhyogik Vikas Co – op Society Ltd.

The Saat Rasta Project is a proposed Public Space Project along the Bapurao Jagtap Road, connecting Jacob Circle to the Mahalaxmi Railway Station. This public space will connect to Dhobi Ghat, which is also a major tourist attraction.

Home to the dhobis and their families (around 200 families), the Dhobi Ghat has seen this occupation passed down from one generation to the next. Also known as the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, it can be viewed easily from the Mahalaxmi Railway station. The best time to visit Dhobi Ghat is early morning and early afternoon. While the dhobis are in action in the morning to take care of the washing load, the early afternoons are an ideal time to see the clothes dry.