Mumbai : 4th - 7th March 2010

It was a very tiring day, and I was totally zonked out by the time we got to Mumbai.

By the time we checked in into the hotel, it was already almost 10.00pm, and I'd already decided to get my laundry done in Mumbai. We still had 2 more cities, and of course it'd be impossible to carry 2 weeks worth of clothes!!

my room @ Taj Lands End

Our day started at 9.30am, and ended only at 6.00pm. The pre-scheduled appointments were a bit tricky, but after that it was smooth-sailing till the end.

the hotel grounds -- poolside

The product presentation was scheduled for the next day, and since our involvement in it (us from HQ, that is) was minimum, we were given a bit of time to go see the city a bit.

this 'graffitti' is actually art on the city walls, legally put there by school children

the new sea link which connects the two parts of the city

Kavitha, our local staff, took us on a short tour of the city, showing us what was new in Mumbai and then we headed for the shops!

First stop, we bought CDs of Hindi oldies.

the dhobi ghat -- huge 'laundry shop' so to speak....
it practically services the whole city!!

and they live right next to the dhobi ghat, which is also located next to the tracks
(if you watched Slumdog Millionaire, this is a very familiar scene from the movie)

among the many faces in India that can melt your heart and
capture your wallet! BEWARE!!!

No, they're mostly NOT pickpockets, but they will persuade you to buy whatever it is they're selling, and when you see these faces, you don't hesitate to think twice about parting with your rupees :-D :-D :-D

kavitha, rahim and en salman (my immediate boss)

After lunch, we headed for Colaba to have a look around and buy some souvenirs. One of us ended up buying leather goods, which was really inexpensive there.

some of the souvenirs available in Colaba

mumbai university and clock tower

Then it was time to check out the saree shops :-)

at the saree shop

u're asked to sit down and make yourself comfy while someone will be assigned to you to help you shop and get what you want. the whole idea was so alien to me, as we're so used to browsing around on our own and select stuff we like ourselves!!!

the two men obviously working hard to out-shop the ladies (well, oNE lady i.e. me!),
and succeeding, too!!! LOL LOL LOL

Honestly, if this trip was a personal trip for me, I'd have bought like crazy and probably end up giving away to friends and relatives. BUT. Seeing it was official and I had 'work' clothes, 2 pairs of shoes and 2 bags of toiletries and makeup to carry around, I decided to just buy for myself, and mom and sis, and of course for Aina and the maid. I'd seen some nice kurtas earlier for hubby, but I know I'd be wasting good material on him as he'd rarely (if ever!) wear it, so I just bought a set of summarised biographies which I know he'll at least get to read.

Before ending the evening with a wonderful local dinner, we stopped by the Gateway of India and even used the facilites at the Taj hotel before going back to the hotel.

Oh yea... our hotel was in Bandra, so Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan were our neighbours for 3 nites LOL LOL LOL

another Taj property, located near the Gateway of India

a very familiar structure if you're a Hindi movie buff, like me!

The next morning, most of us spent the time repacking and reorganising our suitcases before checking out and departing for the airport for our next destination -- Delhi :-)



Till then....