India Trip Feb-April 2006

Sightseeing trip around South Mumbai

Sunday I got to spend the whole day with one of the Datamatics employee's (who took his only day off to spend with me)!

It was great to see a whole different view than I have seen so far...between hotel and office.

The traffic actually wasn't quite as bad. They do have a highway system to some extent that the traffic generally keeps moving. But it was also under construction in places and the driving is still pretty crazy.

I am going to post pictures now, but will have to come back and add the descriptions. Some I know I don't remember exactly what or where they were taken!

I did get to visit a couple of beaches along the Arabian Sea, which flows into the Indian Ocean. Mumbai's layout is similar to the Puget Sound and made me feel a little like home...but then also made me miss home a little more at times. I got to put my feet in the water...so now I have had my feet in 3 oceans! And, even though the beach was the cleanest beach they have, hardly even a little rock laying around (and no seaweed or anything like that)...I stumbled upon 2 seashells!

First we went to a history museum and it had the complete history of India from ancient times to the present. I got a few pictures taken before I was informed...no photo's allowed!

Then will be:

• this is a Hindu Temple that was just on the way
• beach photo's (don't remember name of this beach)
• Buddah Temple acroos the water way
• Photo's in the History Museum
  
• Chowpatty Beach, with me in water
• no photo's but went to the official Tea Center of India...and got some tea to bring home.
• A bunch of old buildings that include the Univeristy, Capitol, Congress buildings of the state, Central train station)
  
• Freedom Fountain
• Taj Mahal Hotel (both old and new - side by side)
• Gateway of India (across street from Taj Mahal hotels). This is where all incoming boats arrived since the discovery of India, and trading ships) It is still a major port area, and also you will see some Navy boats.
• Boat ride to Elephanta Island. Took about an hour each way, was a great ride and got to see yet another view of the city.
• Once on the island, we took a little train ride up to where the steps start. There are 120+ stairs to get to the monuments. By the time we got there, we ran out of time. But I was able to get some cool stuff to bring home!
• What was scarey, is that they had guys that had these freakin' chairs with poles attached and for a fee...they would carry you up the stairs! I chose not to go for that ride...
  
• They even had wild monkey's hanging out in the trees.
  

While in my journey's though I really wasn't able to find much in the way of souveneirs! Most of anything I saw...wasn't any better than dollar store crap! And it seems that everyone sells all the same crap/

I'll just have venture out some more to find some cool stuff to bring home.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! I had fun taking them.

Love and miss everyone....can't wait to get home!!!!!!

PS
OK...it's almost 1am....and this blogger is pissin' me off! Half the time I upload the pictures, it isn't loading them; the other half it loads - it is only like a thumbnail and big gray box!
I will continue tomorrow...plus it puts them in the wrong order from what I am uploading...ugh!

posted by Unknown @ 6:26 AM