Bombay (Mumbai), India

Gateway of India, Bombay, India

Hmmmm

Bicycles

Housing in Bombay

Writing on the wall...

Church

Dinghy dock at the foot of the Gateway of India. There are always lots of people around.

Fishing nets

Veggies

The market

Haircut!

Marine Drive in Bombay

Maria shopping

Bombay (Mumbai), India Skyline

Just another protest

Walking the streets

Bombay Taxi

Grid lock!

Vasco da Gama's one-time grave.

S/Y Aspen – February 11, 2011 – Log #64
Position: 18 degrees 54’ N 072 degrees 50’ E (UTC +5.5 Hours)

Bombay - the stuff of legends! Of course the name has now been changed to Mumbai in 1995 for some strange reason but it is still the fabled center for trade in the far east. There were 16,000,000 people in this city in 2001 but that number is closer to 20,000,000 today.

The crush of people is unlike anything we have ever seen. If you saw the movie Slum Dog Millionaire then this is the place you will recognize. Bombay is exactly as depicted in the movie, especially the slums. The abject poverty is indescribable to anyone, even those who have seen the worst of Central or South America. The largest slum in the world is here in Bombay as evidenced by Captain Steve getting a bit disoriented during one of his runs. Ummm, better turn back quickly!!

Then there are the buildings that rival anything in London. India was an English colony until 1947 when the Brits departed and left their lasting legacy with the enormous stone architecture built in the 1800's that defines Bombay. The Gateway of India stands at the foot of where we land our dinghy to go ashore. Across the street is the famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel where the 2008 terrorist bombing occurred. The hotel has been repaired and only the rich and famous are welcome there. The Royal Bombay Yacht Club is nearby but lowly around the world sailors are not allowed inside, much to our dismay.

Visibility here is around 100 yards, on a good day. The air is extremely polluted, more than anywhere in the world except China of course. The foul air hangs over Bombay and breathing is difficult. There are no pollution controls here, raw sewage runs through the streets and beggars number in the thousands nearly everywhere. It is quite a place to visit, just don't drink the water!

We can't wait to be on our way toward the troubles in Egypt!!

We have posted some photos on the blog site too.

Sail on sail on Aspen…