22 Feb 2025
Got the bus from Murud up the coast to Alibag. Quite a pleasant trip, coastal scenery and a nice breeze coming in the window. At Alibag bus station I needed a few directions to the ferry company offices from where I got their bus to the ferry terminal at Mandwa and we were soon away on the open sea.

The ferry trip was quite pleasant, followed most of the way by loads of gulls coming quite close, to be fed snacks from the passengers.

We got off at the Gateway to India where it was a short walk to Bentley’s Hotel. Interestingly this was the same hotel I had stayed on my last visit to Mumbai/Bombay in 1994!

After a quick cleanup I was soon out onto the streets of Colaba for lunch. Colaba has been the tourist enclave of Mumbai for years and has many cafes serving tourists and locals alike with non-Indian food. I popped into the Churchill Cafe, an old established favourite run by a Parsi family. It’s a tiny place so I was lucky to secure one of the last remaining places and was enticed by their roast lamb club sandwich, the only non Indian meal I had on the trip and it was probably the best!

I had one job to do in Mumbai, buy some fabric for Jackie, so as it was still fairly early I thought it prudent to get that sorted first. I grabbed a taxi and was soon off to Mangaldas market, probably the best fabric market in central Mumbai. As expected, once inside I was soon completely swamped by the mass of stalls selling every known fabric known to mankind. I’ve been shopping in similar markets like these for years but this is the first time I found some fabric I liked and was able to video call back home to see whether Jackie liked the fabric I was choosing. A modern and faintly surreal experience!

I then emerged into the sunshine to find myself outside the Jama Masjid, one of the main mosques of central Mumbai and a thriving food market.

From here I thought I would wander back in the general direction of Colaba. As it happens I passed Kyani and Co. a famous old established Iranian bakers and coffee shop (Est. 1904), so I thought it rude to pass so stopped for a cup of Iranian chai and a cranberry muffin. Delicious!

Sun 23rd Feb 2025.
It was only 7am but I heard the blokes up and about so popped my head out of the door and ordered breakfast: four pieces of toast and a mug of tea. Then it was off and out as usual to avoid the heat of the day. The streets of Colaba were very quiet, the tourist stalls hadn’t opened up yet. I headed north roughly back to the area I was yesterday, however, this being a Sunday the streets were eerily quiet. Not in the maidan though. That was full of cricketers.

I also wandered into Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus, the famous gothic train station built in 1888.

Opposite the train station is the equally impressive Mumbai Municipal Corporation Building

From here, further north to Crawford market, which was actually open but very quiet.

A panel on the market front carved by Rudyard Kipling’s father.

Then a short taxi ride further north to Mumbai zoo. It was actually pretty impressive, especially because most if not all of the animals were native to India. I especially liked seeing the sloth bear which I had seen very fleetingly in the wild on a previous trip. Funnily enough there were also a colony of fruit bats roosting in the trees, inside the zoo area but not enclosed.

Next to the zoo is Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum Like many things in Mumbai it was built by the British (as the Victoria and Albert Museum) but now renamed.  Rather an impressive building and a few interesting exhibits.

After the impressive British era buildings, more local vernacular architecture and a spot of lunch.

On my way back to the hotel I happened to pass this interesting building which turned out to be a Parsi Fire temple. Although the photo below seems to be of a building just down the road.

 

More photos of Mumbai here

And here is a map of the India 2025 journey: