In a nutshell, morning jog along Marine Drive from Nariman Point towards Malabar Hills. Afternoon in Elephanta Islands, then back for some more on foot sightseeing.

[Marine Drive photos to come]
Visited Babulnath Mandir, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, although I hadn’t realised it at that time. I couldn’t visit the Towers of Silence as it was within a private Parsi compound, which I had accidentally wandered into, until I was chased out by a resident. I then walked up to the Hanging Gardens, as indicated by Apple Maps, which seemed unremarkable. But maybe it wasn’t actually the Hanging Gardens, as Google says the site was due to be shut down for reconstruction for 7 years from late 2023.

Took an Uber back to hotel, and had breakfast. Only ate about half of what I did pre race yesterday and was stuffed anyway. My body is clearly not digesting well in the heat, and I definitely over ate yesterday! I was so full that I skipped lunch, and only had a vada pav on Elephanta Island (more for the concept than hunger), which a monkey was eyeing aggressively, so I ended up having to hide behind some Indians, and then stuff it down my mouth!

Had a shower and a think on what to visit in my limited time left in Mumbai, given I have an early rise tomorrow to catch my morning flight, and I slept very poorly last night. Decided to visit Elephanta Island, which would allow me sit in a ferry during high noon, and visit shaded caves during the hot afternoon as well. This gave me to chance to revisit Gateway of India by day to see if it was more lovely (it was not!).

Elephanta Island and the Cave Temples were really good. Some really good carvings of Shiva, and largely indoors, unless like me, you decide unwisely to also visit the Cannon Hills. It was interesting to read the stories about the Shiva sculptures, and rather amusing to see that in the Hindu pantheon, even goddesses and gods are prone to human emotions and drama – very anthropomorphised! For example, Shiva’s consort Parvati was jealous of her sister Ganga and slightly turned her face away, and Shiva extended an arm to reassure her.

Came back to town late afternoon and did more sight seeing – walked deeper into the Kalaghoda Art District, visited the CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – what a mouthful!! – previously known as “Victoria Terminus”). Revisited some old ground by day, which was nice, but also explored new areas. I was crossing busy Mumbai roads with / like the locals!

I criss-crossed town to find a dinner spot. R has recommended a few places. Old Britannia & Company, an old Parsi Cafe, was closed on a Sunday. And I saw groups of locals playing ‘street cricket’ in the quiet streets of the neighbourhood. I realised Trishna was lunch only, so headed for the third place she recommended. I finally struck gold with Swati Snacks, but had to wait 40-45 minutes for a table.

I had Panki Chatni as recommended by the staff (YUMMY!!), bhel puri, and vada pav (too much!). Also had limbu pani and kesar lassi while waiting, and sugarcane juice during the meal.

[Photos & potentially further updates to come]