India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (49 page)

If you fancy dipping into the city from a literary point of view, or want to understand its art in more depth, contact Shriti Tyagi of
Beyond Bombay
(
98-6776-4409;
[email protected]
). She’s put together clever concept-driven tours that, in the case of her lively
bookworming tours,
evolve out of the plots and characters from popular books set in Mumbai—her Shantaram tour is very popular, but she also brings to life relevant episodes from Suketu Metha’s Maximum City, and will happily research other pertinent books and prepare an exclusive tour for you based on that. Also available are other ingeniously themed tours—
thali
tripping
for foodies,
Bollywood tours
for film buffs, and
rasta
shopping excursions
for shopaholics. Shriti is the former editor of a prominent Indian art journal, so she’s probably the best person in the city with whom to discover its art; she’ll enlist a textile designer to accompany you on a market tour, and perhaps a journalist to take you through some social history. A typical 3-hour walking tour costs around Rs 3,000, and driving tours run Rs 5,000, with no more than six people on a tour.

Shriti’s landmark-oriented tours are good for getting a sense of the city, but if you like building design, a group of young architects conducts
Bombay Heritage Walks
(
022/2369-0992;
www.bombayheritagewalks.com
), usually on Sundays mid-September to early May, with special monsoon walks June to September. If you have any interest in architecture, they’re quite a gripping way to take in various fascinating parts of the city.

Finally, you could see the city on one of the invigorating full-morning
South Mumbai Cycle Tours
that happen every Sunday (Sept–June), when the streets are relatively free of traffic. The tour starts at 7am from Eros Theatre opposite Churchgate Station, and culminates with lunch at Café Mondegar in Colaba. You’ll take in Marine Drive’s Art Deco buildings, and check out the diversity of Classical, Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and Indo-Saracenic buildings and landmarks in both well-known and undiscovered parts of south Mumbai; there’s some commentary on the history, too. The tour costs Rs 1,250 per person for a minimum of six participants, and includes the cycle, guide, breakfast, and lunch; check out
www.odati.com
for more information.

EXPLORING COLABA & FORT

If you’re at all inspired by Gothic Victorian architecture, then a jaunt through Mumbai’s older districts is essential. Most tours kick off at the
Gateway of India
(see below), but a more authentic place to start, given Mumbai’s origins, is
Sassoon Docks
(aka the Fisherman’s Market; daily 4am–noon except in the monsoon when weather dictates whether trawlers go out or not), which lies just south of the Gateway, off Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg (near Colaba Bus Station). Most of the delicious seafood dishes in the city’s finest establishments start out here, where Koli women in rainbow-colored saris whip the shells off prawns while others gut and sort fish. Get here early (5am), when the boats return with their first catch, for the vibrant, communal spirit as baskets full of fish are moved around the dock through various stages of processing. It makes for absorbing viewing.

From here, walk back (or catch a cab) to the Gateway, possibly stopping for a refresher at the Taj Mahal Palace’s
Sea Lounge,
situated directly opposite (see box below). From here it’s a 15-minute walk north to Fort, Mumbai’s cultural center, where you will find the superb
Prince of Wales Museum
(see later), nearby
Jehangir Art Gallery,
and the
National Gallery of Modern Art,
as well as a host of Raj-era Gothic architectural highlights. From the museum you can either head north along M. Gandhi Road to Flora Fountain, hub of downtown Mumbai, or travel southwest down the famous Colaba Causeway.

Mumbai’s Ultimate Afternoon Escape

One of Mumbai’s quintessential must-do experiences is high tea at the Taj Mahal Palace’s gorgeous
Sea Lounge
(
022/6665-3366;
daily
10am–midnight), a popular haunt of the city’s socialites who famously gather here to exchange gossip and tie up arrangements for family weddings. In fact, you won’t only be watching boats floating by in the harbor behind the Gateway of India (seen here through gigantic picture windows), but inevitably witnessing couples in the throes of courtship while their mums and aunties get to know each other over cucumber sandwiches and cups of the finest Assam and Darjeeling teas. Along with an update of its design that’s added a few contemporary colors and exquisite fabrics to the posh-but-cozy interior, the Sea Lounge now also serves traditional street snacks and chaat from a metal cart parked near the cake and sandwich buffet. For a mere Rs 850, you can stuff yourself silly, washing down the pani puri and vada pao with as much coffee and tea as you can manage. Take your time and lose yourself in the spectacular juxtaposition of the glamorous world you’re in against the lively scene down by the harbor wall, always brimming with camera-clicking vacationers immortalizing themselves in front of one of India’s most celebrated monuments.

Surrounded by colonial buildings that testify to the solid architecture of a bygone era,
Flora Fountain
has, since 1960, had to compete for attention with a
Martyrs’ Memorial
that honors those who died in the creation of the state of Maharashtra. As you head toward the fountain, take in the impressive
High Court
building (which overlooks the
Oval Maidan
[also called The Oval], where aspiring cricketers practice their paces), the neoclassical
Army & Navy Building,
and the 78m (256-ft.)
Rajabai Clock Tower,
which towers over the
Mumbai University
complex. East of the fountain lies
Horniman Circle,
where you will find the
Town Hall,
a regal colonnaded building with original parquet wood floors, wrought-iron loggias, spiral staircases, and marble statues of leaders associated with Mumbai’s history. The major draw here is the
Asiatic Society Library,
which has a collection of around 800,000 valuable texts. You can join the seniors and students who fill the library’s popular reading room to peruse local newspapers and check out the public book collection, but you’ll need special permission if you’re interested in viewing the priceless treasures.