Day 10: Udaipur to Mumbai and the aftermath of Holi
Today was primarily a travel day. We relaxed in the hotel this morning, then left for the airport. We got to experience Holi, vicariously, from some hotel guests that braved the crowds (and virus), and scores of revelers on the streets.
 |
| Goodbye to the Lake Palace |
 |
| Holi colors |
Arriving in Mumbai later in the afternoon, we were able to experience rush houyr traffic (which I believe runs from 9 in the morning to 9 in the morning). The chaos seems a bit more controlled here than in Delhi or Jaipur and there appears to be less garbage on the streets (although they have the 2ndlargest slums in the world housing 50% of the population!).
 |
| Mumbai slums |
Mumbai is India’s most-populous city, and it is one of the largest and most densely populated urban areas in the world (18.4 million). It was built on a site of ancient settlement, and it took its name from the local goddess Mumba whose temple once stood in what is now the southeastern section of the city. It became known as Bombay during the British colonial period, the name possibly an Anglicized corruption of Mumbai or perhaps of Bom Baim (“Good Harbour”), supposedly a Portuguese name for the locale. The name Mumbai was restored officially in 1995, although Bombay is still commonly used.
 |
| Mumbai not slums |
 |
| Bridge to West Mumbai |
Income inequality here is ever-present and manifests itself by the juxtaposition of the glass towers with the slums in the forground. Mumbai is home to 37 billionaires and over 300,000 millionaires (before the present crash). It’s where India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, lives. It is the financial centre of India. It is also home to BSE, the 10th largest stock exchange in the world.
Ambani’s 400,000-square-feet, 27-storey house, the world's 2nd most expensive home after Buckingham Palace, for instanc is situated right next to Golibar slum in central Mumbai.
 |
| 27 story private home |
By the time we reached our hotel, the sun was setting. The hotel, the Oberoi, was magnificent. We all had suites overlooking the Arabian Sea. Because of the Covid-19 scare, there were very few guests, allowing us all to be upgraded to these amazing rooms. We even had access to a butler! This could get real easy to get used to.
 |
| Sunset from our hotel room |
No comments:
Post a Comment