Western India What to Expect

visite ghandi´s birthhouse, never give childrens money, check out a public laundry and have a drink in the bars from the Taj Mahal Palace Tower. take a look at the Gateway of India and the train station........

i would travel in a group of three or more if there is only women travelers. if you bring children keep them close. womrn dress modesly it will not attract to many eyes towards you.

bandra is a cool place. there is lots of poverty as there is in many areas of mumbai, or most of mumbai. however, bandra has a lot of spots that might seem transplanted from a western city! try zenzibar, a cool bar with hot sunday salsa dances! you'll catch india's hip youth down there. these kids are some of the best brains in the world, educated in some of the top schools around the world, working for the hippest places in india, with great salaries etc. and they are totally awesome on the dance-floor too! and, given that it is india, one must admit the girls are really hot down there! so, take care!! bandra is easily accessible by train, and the ever-present rickshaw!!! the trains can be crowded though!!! and i mean really really crowded###

Lone women in Mumbai, there's a solution to the dangers of travelling by taxi. Having nearly been raped by a taxi driver in 2002, I was delighted to find an all-female taxi service, with female drivers and comfy cars, is now available in Mumbai. I booked them for a 2AM trip from the airport to the railway station in February 2011 and was well impressed with their service. They're slightly more expensive than regular taxis (but not by much), and well worth the cost. They will only transport lone women or women with children as their drivers are women, too, so if you have a male companion, they're not for you. Find their contact details here: http://www.ilfsindia.com/projects1.asp?Category=1Project=10subLink=121

Mumbai is the place to be.the hotels are superb thats if you go to the expensive ones,you get to shop in lovely stores,i even has a free makeover.......food is lovely but spicy and ridiculously cheap.its better to change money in the bank because i got cheated in the stores.....the locals are not too friendly if you are female and dont drink a can of beer,you will get drunk.i cannot try their train,goosh its so dirty.went to some places where the indian muslims stay and it was like i was back in lagos.they have their share of slums.Dont trust anyone in india.......an average indian is a thief.

Lone women in Mumbai, there's a solution to the dangers of travelling by taxi. Having nearly been raped by a taxi driver in 2002, I was delighted to find an all-female taxi service, with female drivers and comfy cars, is now available in Mumbai. I booked them for a 2AM trip from the airport to the railway station in February 2011 and was well impressed with their service. They're slightly more expensive than regular taxis (but not by much), and well worth the cost. They will only transport lone women or women with children as their drivers are women, too, so if you have a male companion, they're not for you. Find their contact details here: http://www.ilfsindia.com/projects1.asp?Category=1Project=10subLink=121

Mumbai is a nice city to explore on your own and there's no need for a guide as such. If you want to meet backpackers then the Colaba area is full of them and there are many places like the Leopold's Cafe and Mondegar Cafe where you will find a lot of the travellers enjoying some fantastic breakfast early in the morning or some beers at lunch or dinner. You might just be lucky to be asked if you wish to act as an extra in a Bollywood movie too!!! If you are on your own, just visit the Gateway of India and you will also get a nice view from the top if you go to any of the higher floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. If you want to visit the Elephanta island for the famous caves then take a boat from the Gateway and it will take you about an hour to get there. The tickets can be bought in front of the Gateway from one of the booths selling them. There is a free guide inside the caves complex from morning to afternoon (just inquire with the security guard for his/her whereabouts). After you get back from the islands you can carry on walking towards the Regal Theatre and see the Museum as well as the other places for art like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery for some interesting art exhibitions. Then carry on towards the other side of the University of Mumbai buildings and see the Rajabai Clock Tower , Library and Convocation Hall. Also see the High Court of Mumbai buildings. Then if you look across there will be a game of cricket going on in one of the famous playing grounds (maidans) called the Oval Maidan. Across the street is the Eros theatre and opposite that is the Churchgate railway station and in front of that is the Western Railway Headquarters as well as the Tourism office. You can then walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian ice cream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. There are some other nice places to see in between like the Flora Fountain and Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square) and the St. Thomas' Cathedral, which is very beautiful with a lot of nice sculptures inside it. Nearby is the Bombay Stock Exchange building and also the Jewish David Elaiyahoo Synagogue and the David Sassoon Library as well as the Elphinstone College buildings opposite it. The Town Hall building with the Horniman Circle and gardens is also worth seeing behind the cathedral. Visit the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai city - the CST station building besides the other site in Mumbai which is at the Elephanta Caves on the island by the same name. There is the General Post Office building which is also worth seeing and a small part of the original Fort Wall next to the St. George's Hospital. You can visit Mani Bhavan (the house in which Mahatma Gandhi lived in Mumbai) which is now a museum devoted to his work and life as the father of the nation. Nearby is the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum which has a lot of Iranian artifacts housed in the Khareghat Colony Hall and if you climb the steps leading up to the Parsi Towers of Silence and Hanging Gardens from the outside, then you will be able to get a good view of the Queen's Necklace from above. On the way down, you can visit a very elaborately carved Jain temple and then come down towards the Governor of Maharashtra's bungalow before reaching Chowpatty beach. You may carry on towards the Mahalakshmi temple and the Haji Ali shrine in the middle of the sea followed by a trip to see the Dhobi Ghat which is from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station. Upnorth in the suburbs of Borivali there is the 2nd Century old Kanheri Caves which are about 100 in number and built on a hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park which is the only National Park in the middle of a metropolitan city.

If you are interested in shopping, then depending on what you want to shop for there are many specific markets like Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver jewellery, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar for antiques (and not so old stuff too!!!), Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just walk into one for a quick look and buy whatever catches your fancy. There is a small shop called Avante just opposite the Regal Cinema at Colaba where you will get the best bargains in handicrafts, souvenirs, etc at very reasonable and cheap prices. Also nearby on the Phirozshah Mehta Road, there is a shop called Bombay Store which has a lot of handicrafts and good Indian teas as well for sale in attractive packaging which is another excellent gift idea.

Meeting Mumbai for the 1st time can be an overwhelming experience. You'll either love it or hate it. Th Royal Enclave hotel is a clean, comfortable hotel to stay in before your onward journey. Its close to the international or domestic airport.

Learn a little Marathi if you can. It makes all the difference to how Mumbaikers treat you.

Monumental caves:
34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km,
built between the 5th and the 10th century
World Heritage Site

Ajanta Caves
First Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
Amazing paintings and sculptures,Buddhist religious art
World Heritage Site

Mumbai is a nice city to explore on your own and there's no need for a guide as such. If you want to meet backpackers then the Colaba area is full of them and there are many places like the Leopold's Cafe and Mondegar Cafe where you will find a lot of the travellers enjoying some fantastic breakfast early in the morning or some beers at lunch or dinner. You might just be lucky to be asked if you wish to act as an extra in a Bollywood movie too!!! If you are on your own, just visit the Gateway of India and you will also get a nice view from the top if you go to any of the higher floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. If you want to visit the Elephanta island for the famous caves then take a boat from the Gateway and it will take you about an hour to get there. The tickets can be bought in front of the Gateway from one of the booths selling them. There is a free guide inside the caves complex from morning to afternoon (just inquire with the security guard for his/her whereabouts). After you get back from the islands you can carry on walking towards the Regal Theatre and see the Museum as well as the other places for art like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery for some interesting art exhibitions. Then carry on towards the other side of the University of Mumbai buildings and see the Rajabai Clock Tower , Library and Convocation Hall. Also see the High Court of Mumbai buildings. Then if you look across there will be a game of cricket going on in one of the famous playing grounds (maidans) called the Oval Maidan. Across the street is the Eros theatre and opposite that is the Churchgate railway station and in front of that is the Western Railway Headquarters as well as the Tourism office. You can then walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian ice cream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. There are some other nice places to see in between like the Flora Fountain and Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square) and the St. Thomas' Cathedral, which is very beautiful with a lot of nice sculptures inside it. Nearby is the Bombay Stock Exchange building and also the Jewish David Elaiyahoo Synagogue and the David Sassoon Library as well as the Elphinstone College buildings opposite it. The Town Hall building with the Horniman Circle and gardens is also worth seeing behind the cathedral. Visit the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai city - the CST station building besides the other site in Mumbai which is at the Elephanta Caves on the island by the same name. There is the General Post Office building which is also worth seeing and a small part of the original Fort Wall next to the St. George's Hospital. You can visit Mani Bhavan (the house in which Mahatma Gandhi lived in Mumbai) which is now a museum devoted to his work and life as the father of the nation. Nearby is the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum which has a lot of Iranian artifacts housed in the Khareghat Colony Hall and if you climb the steps leading up to the Parsi Towers of Silence and Hanging Gardens from the outside, then you will be able to get a good view of the Queen's Necklace from above. On the way down, you can visit a very elaborately carved Jain temple and then come down towards the Governor of Maharashtra's bungalow before reaching Chowpatty beach. You may carry on towards the Mahalakshmi temple and the Haji Ali shrine in the middle of the sea followed by a trip to see the Dhobi Ghat which is from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station. Upnorth in the suburbs of Borivali there is the 2nd Century old Kanheri Caves which are about 100 in number and built on a hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park which is the only National Park in the middle of a metropolitan city.

If you are interested in shopping, then depending on what you want to shop for there are many specific markets like Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver jewellery, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar for antiques (and not so old stuff too!!!), Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just walk into one for a quick look and buy whatever catches your fancy. There is a small shop called Avante just opposite the Regal Cinema at Colaba where you will get the best bargains in handicrafts, souvenirs, etc at very reasonable and cheap prices. Also nearby on the Phirozshah Mehta Road, there is a shop called Bombay Store which has a lot of handicrafts and good Indian teas as well for sale in attractive packaging which is another excellent gift idea.

Meeting Mumbai for the 1st time can be an overwhelming experience. You'll either love it or hate it. Th Royal Enclave hotel is a clean, comfortable hotel to stay in before your onward journey. Its close to the international or domestic airport.

Learn a little Marathi if you can. It makes all the difference to how Mumbaikers treat you.

Monumental caves:
34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km,
built between the 5th and the 10th century
World Heritage Site

Ajanta Caves
First Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
Amazing paintings and sculptures,Buddhist religious art
World Heritage Site

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If you like Clean places, Just don't visit India but if you love shopping cheap Softwares and Clothes just visit India...and be carefull when you go for eating

Dont drink the water or ice cubes!