Mumbai: A journey to the Financial Capital of India

 

Mumbai
Welcome back friends, I am going to share my another beautiful journey experience. This journey taught me a lot in my life and I felt a different positive wave in myself. I travelled this beautiful city of dreams some years back and I was very excited about this trip because I went to such a big city first time then. Mumbai is mostly known for Hindi film industry that is called Bollywood. Almost all the stars ( hero and heroine) live in Mumbai. Another name is given to this city that is Mayanagri. Mumbai is also known as the financial capital of India. I went to Mumbai for some work but I made this opportunity and planned a trip to enjoy the Mumbai city life. Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra and one of the four metro cities of India. The other three metro cities are - Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Maharashtra is a state in western part of India. This beautiful city is situated on the bank of Arabian sea. So Mumbai is on the western coast of Indian coast line. The old name of Mumbai was Bombay. The name was changed to Mumbai in respect of Mumba Devi, the goddess in Mumbai. Mumbai has a natural sea port and some famous architecture like The Gateway of India. The famous Elephanta island is also near Mumbai.

                  I was very much excited about this trip to Mumbai. Finally the night came and I packed my bag because the next morning I was going to experience another beautiful journey. The next morning my journey had started. There was no direct train from Moradabad to Mumbai (still there is no direct train connectivity between Moradabad and Mumbai ), so I was to reach Delhi. I reached Delhi by Uttaranchal Sampark Kranti express which runs between Kathgodam and Delhi via Moradabad. Train departed from Moradabad at 12:20 pm and reached Delhi around 3:30 pm. That was around 3 hours journey and I reserved my favorite window seat to enjoy train journey from Moradabad to Delhi. After reaching Delhi I had enough time till next train from Delhi to Mumbai. The train was at 8:45 in the night from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station to Bandra Terminus, so I stayed at my cousin's home for some time. 

              After some refreshment I picked a bus to reach Nizamuddin railway station which is another important railway station in Delhi. From Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station I started my journey to Mumbai by Maharashtra Sampark Kranti express. I love this train because only 3 stoppages are there for this- Kota, Vadodara, and Borivali. This train covers around 1400 kilometres distance from Delhi to Mumbai. Actually Borivali is in Mumbai itself, so only 2 stoppages between Delhi and Mumbai. I had reached at the station much before the time so I could explore the station and anything around. Finally the time came and I boarded the train. As the train was leaving the station, I was very excited towards my train journey. Although it was dark outside because of night, I was standing at the gate for some time to capture those moments into my mind. As the train was leaving city outskirts, it was getting its speed and soon views from outside disappeared. I returned to my seat and was sitting for some time thinking about next day's thrill. The next morning when I woke up, train was running at its pace and first halt, Kota, had been skipped in the midnight. Somewhere in Gujarat train took an unofficial halt and I got the opportunity to taste the famous Gujarati cuisine, Dhokla. That was the first time when I tasted Dhokla. Second stoppage was Vadodara and after that third stoppage was Borivali that is the last one and comes in Mumbai. When the train was arriving in Mumbai, we were welcomed by the rain. My destination was Bandra Terminus that was of train also but I ended my train journey at Borivali railway station because I had to go Andheri and that is near from Borivali.

                 It was around 4 pm when I alighted from train at Borivali and from here I took local train to Andheri. Now, the main task was to find stay and after a little bit of effort I found a hotel in 900 rupees per day. I was tired by long journey and it was evening too, so I slept early that night after early dinner. The next day, first of all I finished my work by afternoon and now I was free to enjoy my travelling. I was staying in Andheri West and someone suggested me going Juhu beach because that was the visiting place very near from there.

Juhu beach

Juhu beach: I was very excited to see the beach because that was my first chance to see the Sea. Juhu beach is also called Juhu Chowpatty in local. Within 10 minutes from my hotel I reached the Juhu beach by autorickshaw. First time in my life I was seeing any sea. Juhu beach is a long stretch of sand where you find many beach vendors selling different types of food items. There are many makeshift food stalls where you can enjoy snacks. In Juhu there are homes of many Bollywood celebrities. I was fascinated seeing the waves of the Arabian sea. I enjoyed there till evening and after having snacks at one of the food stalls there I came back to my hotel. Going Juhu beach is very easy. The nearest railway stations from Juhu beach are Andheri, Vile Parle and Santacruz.

Gateway of india

Gateway of India: The next morning I decided to visit the Gateway of India. I had seen this colonial time monument only in films. Seeing in reality gave me a speechless feeling. The Gateway of India has its historical importance. This was built in British era to welcome King George V and Queen Mary, although gateway was not yet built at the time of royal visit. The construction of this historical monument was completed in 1924. It is located on the waterfront of Arabian sea. You can see the famous Taj Mahal Palace hotel in the neighborhood of Gateway of India. This is a prime tourist attraction in Mumbai. Many photographers, vendors were available there with their services. One major attraction of the Gateway of India is that you can visit famous Elephanta caves from there. Motorboats ferry from Gateway of India to Elephanta island regularly.

                 After visiting these two places I had to visit many others like Marine Drive but suddenly plan changed and I decided to visit Shirdi. So next morning I headed towards Shirdi about which you will read in the next blog.

Food and Stay: In a metro city like Mumbai you should not worry about food and your stay. Every type of stay from budget hotel to luxurious ones are available in Mumbai. Even you can find cheap lodges and dharamshala in Mumbai also. If you want to experience what the luxury is, you should go to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. There are many budget hotels in Andheri and Andheri West also. You can enjoy your evening snacks at roadside cafés. This is really a nice experience to take tea or coffee at these cafeterias. Every type of restaurants are available there from budget to high range where you can enjoy your lunch and dinner.

Taj mahal palace

Other attractions: After visiting Mumbai you can enjoy Cruise. This would be one of the beautiful experience to enjoy Cruise safari. The Cruise service is available from Mumbai to Goa.

Weather to come to Mumbai: You can come to Mumbai in any season except rainy days. Rainy season of Mumbai is famous for its inundating nature. 

How to reach Mumbai: To reach Mumbai is no big deal. The city is well connected by all the three modes of travelling. I am giving a brief description of the same…..

By Air: Mumbai has a good air connectivity with other cities of India as well as foreign countries. Both international and domestic airports are there in Mumbai -- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Santacruz Domestic Airport. There are direct flights from USA, UK and other countries to Mumbai.

By Rail: Mumbai is very well connected with  rest of the country by rail network. There are many railway stations in Mumbai like Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Vasai Road etc other than small stations so you can reach Mumbai from any part of India by train easily. Distance from Delhi to Mumbai by train is around 1400 kilometres.

By Road: Mumbai has all weather connectivity with other cities by road. Roads are in very good condition to enjoy the ride to Mumbai. You can reach Mumbai by road from anywhere in India. Distance from Delhi to Mumbai by road is around 1450 kilometres.

Mumbai journey