Mumbai! On the way home.

Our last stop this year was in Mumbai.  I usually spend as little time as needed there, but this year allocated a couple days more for Anne to get a sampling of the place, since her last visit was in 1995/96 when we travelled around with the boys for that winter.
The weather was excellent, lots of ocean breeze seemed to wash across the area we stayed in (at Bentley's Hotel, near the Colaba Causeway in the south of Mumbai, somewhat near the India Gate), and, other than my being sinus-sick for a couple of the days (a left-over from Udaipur?), we had a great time.  Without a doubt had some great food as well!
This is the last blog entry from this trip.  If there are any other good pics I would like to share they will be over at http://daveindia.blogspot.com

As usual, please click on the pics to embiggen and start the Google image viewer.

Mumbai is a real mix of the old Raj-period buildings and the new.

Now...what does this refer to?  Parking for Stephen Hawking?  An area to 'Hawk'?  The part of town for hawks to rest?  ....or a place to set up your 'informal' side of the street shop?

mmmmmmm.....paan......

mmmmmmm.....paan......

mmmmmmm.....paan......

MMMMMMMMM........Masala Dosa and Idli!!!!!......MMMMMMMM!!!!!!! (with fresh lemon sodas)

A bunch of stuff for sale in a sidewalk stall.

The painter on the side of the road.....Anne picked up one of his paintings.

Golgappa wallah!  If you REALLY need to insure you'll have a poop right away...eat a few of these.

A water cart.

Moving parcels through the traffic.

Selling jewelery on the side of the road at a public event.

Selling jewelery on the side of the road at a public event.

Selling jewelery on the side of the road at a public event.

Chewing gum and selling unlicensed stuff....on the side of the sidewalk.

Women weeding a garden at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya museum
(used to be known as the Prince of Wales museum).

Back to Udaipur.

We stopped again for a couple of days in Udaipur, on our way down to Mumbai.   Here are assorted pics from this stop and a couple from our earlier time there.

As usual, click on a pic to embiggen and go through the Google viewer.

A view from 'Sunset Point' on the south end of Pichola Lake, looking towards the Monsoon Palace in the distance.

From a sunset boat ride on the lake, a view to the west.

A deity in the City Palace

One of the water features still in action in the City Palace.

A bronze bust in the Jagdish Temple

At the entrance to the inner temple.

A woman cleaning clothes at lakeside just near the Little Prince restaurant.

A common sight - women escorting small donkeys carrying bags of dirt from street work.

A bride at a wedding at the ghat near our guest house.

At the wedding ceremony.

Women with pots of holy water dancing at the ceremony.

A woman watching the wedding ceremony

At the Millets of Mewar restaurant - excellent place to eat. Just doing a bit of hanging out with my friend Pete, from Quebec. 

Anne at the Millets of Mewar restaurant 'mellow' area.

 area

Sunset from our guest house.

 

Pushkar

Quite a few changes from the last time I was in Pushkar - 1980!  I know enough now to take a place as it is, not as it was, but boy this was a different place than the little, scruffy town around a little lake that Pushkar was.  The lake has now been replaced by a tank surrounded by ghats, the street is solid packed with tourist & pilgrim shops & restaurants, but like years ago...I was really sick for a few days!  We got a couple of days in wandering around, and for all the changes it's an interesting place to wander around....and food was pretty good (especially the Tibetan restaurants).


You can click on a big to 'embiggen.'

A telephoto view of part of the town from our balcony

Vegetable sellers in the street

Pilgrims buying stuff from a general goods store (which was associated with our first guest house)

Boys admiring swords & knives

Coloured powders and paint sets

A foreigner having a discussion with some gypsy women

A 'Canadian' cafe.

A rooftop mellowing out spot

An 'Art Gallery' and owner.  Most shops sell almost all the same stuff, but actually, this guy had a massive amount of interesting stuff in a series of upper story rooms.  

Looking into a temple courtyard.

An old guy in a nearby rose garden, chucking rocks at monkeys doing their usual - crazy and chaotic destruction.

Women picking roses in the rose garden.  This is what our first room looked out on.

A band's music system cart....and a butt.

A guy making hot malpuas - a local and wonderful milk sweet from Pushkar.

A bunch of malpuas soaking in a sweet syrup......mmmmmmm....(with gulab jamun in the back)

Savory and sweet seller.

A roadside restaurant with a customer.

Looking down to a rooftop from our room.  This guy was having a relax in between scaring off marauding monkeys,

Older fellow with a rasta-looking hat.

Older lady making soft bangles on the side of the road.

Very common sight in India.