Mumbai is the financial and commercial center of India, the most populated city in the country, making up a beautiful metropolis built on the coast of the Arabian Sea--it quickly became my favorite city in India and I would love to go back to visit again. While there was still a huge amount of poverty throughout the city, it felt much more cosmopolitan compared to the other places we had seen. Since it was Sunday, the entire day was devoted to sightseeing. Our tour guide was so sweet and spoke extremely clear English.
We started the day off by visiting a huge outdoor laundromat called Dhobi Ghat where families, hotels, and schools bring their laundry to be done.
Our final big tourist sight of the day was near the Bombay Municipal Corporation (pictured below) where we visited the Prince of Wales Museum. We spent about an hour here and were able to explore numerous exhibits on ancient Indian history and art.
After the busy day, we stopped for a late lunch and enjoyed some delicious southern Indian food. My favorite dish of the trip was their coconut curry fish. The remainder of the day was spent shopping around some markets and brushing up on my bartering skills that I used when I visited China.
We started the day off by visiting a huge outdoor laundromat called Dhobi Ghat where families, hotels, and schools bring their laundry to be done.
Next we went to see Antilla, a $1 billion skyscraper that is home (yes, home) to India's wealthiest man, Mukesh Ambani. The house is the most expensive in the world and has just about everything you could ever need inside...including a room with man-made snow in case you need a taste of Milwaukee. What bothered me the most about it was that you could walk a block away from Antilla and be surrounded by poor families living on the street. It was a strange and depressing contrast between classes.
After this we visited the Hanging Gardens which is a park full of greenery shaped like animals with a great view of the ocean.
Next up, we spent some time Mani Bhavan, where Ghandi lived from 1917-1934. The building now serves as a library, memorial, and museum recognizing Ghandi and all of his achievements.
Our final big tourist sight of the day was near the Bombay Municipal Corporation (pictured below) where we visited the Prince of Wales Museum. We spent about an hour here and were able to explore numerous exhibits on ancient Indian history and art.
After the busy day, we stopped for a late lunch and enjoyed some delicious southern Indian food. My favorite dish of the trip was their coconut curry fish. The remainder of the day was spent shopping around some markets and brushing up on my bartering skills that I used when I visited China.
Day 7
Monday morning was devoted to our next corporate visit. This company is headquartered in the U.S. with offices around the world and India that specializes in helping clients with audits, financial advising, taxes, and consulting. We arrived there around 10 am and it was pretty empty because the typical Indian business day goes from 10 in the morning up until 7 at night to overlap with the U.S. time zones. One of the girls taking us through the office explained that the price of living in Mumbai is so expensive that she commutes two hours--each way--everyday as a means to save money. I also noticed that the desks at every office we visited were very bare--most were lacking pictures, decorations, and even computers. She explained that most Indians tend to keep their "home life" separate from work. Some desks may have a picture or little Ganesh statue, but that's about it. Everyone works on a laptop too, so they take them home every night.
Monday morning was devoted to our next corporate visit. This company is headquartered in the U.S. with offices around the world and India that specializes in helping clients with audits, financial advising, taxes, and consulting. We arrived there around 10 am and it was pretty empty because the typical Indian business day goes from 10 in the morning up until 7 at night to overlap with the U.S. time zones. One of the girls taking us through the office explained that the price of living in Mumbai is so expensive that she commutes two hours--each way--everyday as a means to save money. I also noticed that the desks at every office we visited were very bare--most were lacking pictures, decorations, and even computers. She explained that most Indians tend to keep their "home life" separate from work. Some desks may have a picture or little Ganesh statue, but that's about it. Everyone works on a laptop too, so they take them home every night.
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