Marine Drive is a funny place. I say funny because it’s always bustling with activity – always. No matter what hour it is. There’s not a single minute of the day when the place is not filled with people. If New York is a city that never sleeps, Mumbai is home to insomniacs, and Marine Drive is witness to that.[break]
On the northern end of Marine Drive is Chowpatty Beach. During the day, it’s the hangout place of the happily unemployed or tourists who snooze under the shade of its stunted trees or laze around reading books. Evenings are a different matter altogether. With kids screaming on Ferris wheels and taking pony rides to monkey shows and gymnasts, Chowpatty Beach is where the action is.
Marine Drive is comparatively quieter. But smokers, joggers, families, and couples of all kinds; the shy hand holders, the deep-in-conversation ones, the huggers, the kissers and the occasional arguers adorn the 4.3kilometer belt along the Arabian Sea in South Mumbai. A sunny day means couples under umbrellas and a rainy day means couples under umbrellas with a reason to get closer, not that they needed one in the first place.
Nighttime is absolutely stunning. Marine Drive is also known as “Queen’s Necklace” because when the streetlights glow, it resembles a string of pearls. The combination of the cool breeze coupled with the lights creates the perfect ambience to just sit and enjoy the sea.
At Marine Drive, you come to realize that Mumbai is more than the noise, fumes and crowds. The city is chaotic but behind the busy exterior it is a paradise that beckons. I could never understand how people could bear the scorching Mumbai heat but over time the city grows on you and that’s probably why so many people adore this city as much as they do. For those who are visiting the place, a week is enough to fall in love with it.
With the discontinuation of direct flights to Mumbai, getting there can be a chore for those who don’t like to travel long routes. But if you have some time and want to get a true travel experience, then buses and trains are easily available. Take a bus to Delhi and take the Rajdhani Express to Mumbai, or take the train to Delhi from Gorakhpur and change for Mumbai. Train journeys, albeit a bit tedious, are fun and exciting if you have a companion. Alone isn’t all that bad, either, as my friends say.
There’s a lot you can do when you are in Mumbai. From the 14th century Haji Ali Mosque to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Victoria Terminus (VT), the perfect example of Victorian Gothic architecture, you will not run out of places to see in the city. The Gateway of India, a bold basalt arch reflecting Hindu and Islamic architecture styles, is a must see. Built during the British Raj, it overlooks the waterfront and was once used to welcome visitors who arrived by boat.
I had always found the idea somewhat romantic and during my initial days in Mumbai, when I rushed to see what the hype was all about, I marveled at the iconic historical structure for hours.
If you are a food connoisseur, then Mumbai will make you very happy. For breakfast, gorge on the spicy side street vada-pav at VT. For lunch, have Biryanis or rotis at Gokul (they serve amazing fish dishes, too) at Colaba and wash it down with luscious thick juices and milkshakes just around the corner. Bade Miyan right opposite Gokul serves mouthwatering kebabs and rolls. And if you are in the mood for something fancy, head over to Leopold Café, the extensively mentioned joint in the novel, “Shantaram.”
If you aren’t such a foodie but if shopping is more your thing, then you can always shop at Colaba, Crawford Market or head over to fashion street on MG Road in South Mumbai after a good lunch because you can’t bargain on an empty stomach now, can you?
Don’t be surprised if you see some familiar faces during your shopping excursion, though. You most definitely will, and on the off chance that you don’t, pose for a picture outside Shahrukh Khan’s home in Bandra or Amitabh Bachchan’s residence in Juhu like every other visitor and local alike does.
The craze that surrounds these stars will amuse you no end. Of that, I assure you. During my initial days, I was shocked to find out that people lined up outside Salman Khan’s home in Bandra on Sundays to catch a glimpse of the actor. They had no idea when he would be leaving home, or if in fact he was in and would be coming out anytime soon, yet they thronged outside his gates from early morning, sipping on coconut water and munching on bhel puri with their fingers crossed and eyes glued to the gates.
Even if you didn’t grow up watching Bollywood movies, these are sights you wouldn’t want to miss.
The highlight of the city for me, however, always was and will be Marine Drive. There’s something about the sea and the way it shimmers that instantly makes your forget the chaos elsewhere and all the hustle bustle becomes a distant memory.
On my last day in the city I never knew I would miss so much, I was taking a stroll along Marine Drive when I realized that Mumbai definitely wasn’t love at first sight for me. A city of extremes and contrasts (read: high-rise buildings surrounding slums), it seemed like a place going through an identity crisis.
Now in retrospect, I find the contrast comforting as most people who have been there do. You can shop at a mall, or a simple local market. You can drink cocktails at a bar by the beach or dine in a dhaba. You can go out alone safely at night, take a rickshaw and not get threatened and cheated. And you can take a rickshaw onto the premises of a five-star hotel.
Mumbai will enthrall you no matter what, and it’s a city everyone needs to visit at least once in their lives to know what the hype is all about. You’ll come to understand it, love it – and the experience will stay with you forever.
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