Mumbai is a city that has hypnotized every soul that has had a taste of it.
-Anonymous
About three years ago, I remember browsing through a social media site when I came across a picture uploaded by one of the users. It was a photo of the famous Marine Drive, the most famous coastal road in Mumbai. I was so fascinated by that picture that all I could think of was visiting the city and that place in particular, just so I could have a glimpse of the blissful violet sunrise at 4 am. However, I never got a chance to explore the city until this year in June, when I came up with a spontaneous plan to visit the city. Saying the least I could about my trip, it was an unforgettable experience and would love to go back to it.
(Picture courtesy: Anonymous user @ask.fm)
My trip was perhaps a short one, for about four days. I reached the Mumbai airport at around noon and headed to a relative’s house in Powai, 14 kilometers from the airport. My first taste of Mumbai, literally, began with the popular ‘Vada Pav’. Needless to say, it had a great taste of authenticity and was a good snack. I spent the day exploring the local streets, street shopping while I didn’t miss the golgappas and grabbed an Alphonso mango shake. The weather on the other hand, was very sultry and not really enjoyable, at least to a non-localite.
(All photos clicked by yours truly)
The following day, we decided to pay a visit to the Siddhi Vinayak Temple in the morning and returned home by noon. Later that day, we had done quite a lot of exploring. Starting with the Gateway of India, which was crowded but the monument and the sea by it were quite a sight. We went on to the iconic ‘Bademiya’ where we grabbed some kebabs and went on for some more street shopping in Colaba. While we were at it, we dropped by at ‘Leopold’ café and tasted the best blueberry cheesecake and chocolate truffle pastries. We hired a cab to go on to visit the Taraporewala Aquarium, which in my opinion, was not very impressive. We were there for about half hour and went to take a walk at the Marine drive coastal road. It was about 5:00 pm when we got there and it was a peaceful atmosphere, pleasing to the eye. Gazing at the vast sea, with droplets from it all over our faces and the sound of waves hitting the rocks, just how it’s described in books, it was a wonderful experience.
