A typical Mumbai day starts as early as 0500 hours. Being in the western part of the country, it has late daylight and late daybreaks. So it is dark till 0600 hours at any time of the year. At this time, the roads might be empty, but there is atleast one place that finds crowds from this very hour, the Mumbai Suburban Railway system.
As the trains get crowded, so the roads. Then a madness follows, something that cannot be explained in words. A typical local train contains people from all walks of life, the daily labourer, or an investment banker from South Mumbai. The madness continues till 0000 hours, or perhaps even later.
That was a brief description of a typical day in Mumbai.
My day started at 0900 hours.
I got into a local from Andheri. Since it was a saturday, the local was relatively empty. I got a place to put my feet on.
It took 30 minutes to reach Dadar. That was a mistake. I had planned to go to Colaba. I could have better gone to Churchgate and taken a taxi to Colaba. The results of the mistake materialized. I waited for another 30 minutes to get another ticket to CST in the crowded Dadar station (My second mistake of not having taken a direct ticket to CST).
The train rolled in 15 minutes after I reached the platform.
I reached CST at 1100 hours. There I met my friend who had been waiting for almost an hour. He had come from Ghatkopar on Central Railway.
The scene outside CST is fantastic. Huge, old buildings that have been constructed during the Raj adorn the area. The CST is beautiful. The BMC looks overpowering. The best part is to find Premiere Padmini taxis rolling on the road. We took one and took it to the Gateway.
We got down at Leopold. The walls and mirros bear the memories of the gunshots of 2008 attacks. The place was very crowded. We had to wait. The wait was worth. The food is expensive, but really tasty. The best part however is the environment inside.
After having a decent meal, along with a cocktail, we proceeded towards Marine drive. It is one of the most romantic places on earth, specially when it rains. The ride along the promenade is awe inspiring. There was something esle in store. We went past Haji Ali, Worli Seaface and got into the Sea link. The 4 km ride on the cantilever bridge is fantastic. The skyline is visible, yes it is, and it is something that depicts the economic might of the country I am living in.
The next destination was Bandra Bandstand. A couple of coffee shops make the place better, since I am a coffee freak. We spent some nice time in the lovely sea breeze. The western sky started showing signs of daybreak.
We left the place by the time the sun had set. The Bandra traffic in evening is tiring. We reached the old Bandra station. Took a train to Malad. The InOrbit mall is considered one of the biggest malls in Mumbai. We had a early dinner, and the last few hours were spent watching a movie.
What did I miss?- A trip to Alibag
- A trip to the old streets in the masjid area
- A trip to Haji Ali
... and many more... but 24 hours is too less a time for a mighty city like Mumbai, isn't it?
