Leaving Mumbai

I left Mumbai on November 11, 2009 on the overnight train to Udaipur. The house boy, who spoke no English, took me via taxi to the station, as my host was working, and made sure I got safely on the coach.

For some reason, the ride across Mumbai made a greater visual impression on me than many other aspects of my stay there. Tropical Cyclone Phyan, for which the warning was posted about an hour before my departure from Bombay, caused localized flooding and traffic jams. It was the coolest weather since my arrival in India.

Haji Ali Mosque

Children in Flooded Street

Traffic Jam

Street Scene

Next stop...Udaipur Overview

Awas Beach Trip

One of my adventures during my stay in Mumbai was a day trip to my friend's family beach house in Awas. We took an early morning ferry from the Gateway of India heading south across a spit of the Arabian Sea. The boat was crowded with day trippers including families, foreign tourists, and a mens' soccer team. There was a lot of picnicking, card playing, and some even had musical instruments for everyone to sing along. 

En route, the variety of tiny wooden fishing boats bobbing on the water next to huge cargo ships was mind boggling. 

Eventually we arrived at the Mandwa Jetty pier and procured a very old auto rikshaw to take us to Awas village. 

The family home sits in a huge tropical garden overflowing with vines and a variety of both wild and cultivated plants tended by an elderly caretaker and his wife who live on the property.

We walked through the village to the wide beach, which my friend told me is one of the cleanest in the entire region due to the current moving rubbish away from shore. Many beaches around Mumbai are not safe for swimming due to severe pollution.

Cargo Ships on Arabian Sea

Small Fishing Boat on Arabian Sea

Schoolgirls in Awas Village

Vines on the Beach House

Sandy Expanse at Awas Beach

Family Dog with Bindi on Forehead

 Although it was very hot and humid the day of our visit (as most of the year is), I have fond memories of the day.