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25/12/05

MoRe MuMbAi !!!

posting this from the office at 1100 hrs on sunday....

flashback...

what is the time right now.. lemme check... 2245 hrs... in my room... and the date today is 24th Dec... i have more about mumbai today to write... but before that.. something about what i have been doing in the last two days...

flashback...

yesterday...
usual office.. nothing great.. came back late from the office... had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel... came to the room.. watched "Gods must be crazy" and slept... i think i have written this in the last post too... so nothing new...

inside the office building...this is the reflection in a mirror on the floor of the roof...

today... went to the office late... did not feel like getting out of the blanket... for people who are missing me in delhi.. i am using an AC in this room full blow... and mom told me yesterday that she had not seen the sun for three days..

and the son for about two weeks now... love you mom.. love you pa... your son is just fine... do not worry... he is more of a loner kinda guy so being alone is not killing him at all.. he has a mind to think.. eyes to keep looking around....and loads of work which keeps him really busy the entire day and gives him enough reasons to sleep peacefully....

so back to today.... did the training just fine... thank God we had three people with laptops in the training which meant good amount of hands on done.. otherwise it was just my laptop that was being used for hands on by the team.. the training was not that effective yesterday coz the people really needed to work on the tool to understand ( i realise that but i cannot really anything about it...) but today it turned out to the best session so far in the 4 sessions i have completed so far... the entire north has been trained... west would be completed tmrw.. and then i move to south and then to east !!! funn... eh !!!

was able to get over todays agenda by 1830 hrs.. and then came to know that Prasanna ( the IT guy from Mobility Maharashtra, Pune) was planning to go to the MahaLakshmi Temple... and he asked me.. and i was more then happy to say yes !!! he is an IBMer so he can hire a cab from Hertz.. and pay using his AMEX... i do not have that option.. and what did we have for a cab today.. a black Mitsubishi Lancer... i like that car.. its sleek....

so first stop... mahalakshmi temple... drove next to the race course as well... and then walked down to Haji Ali... and saw the sea in the night... scary !!!! it is... really.... second time i saw the sea now... i am not sure what direction i was looking at now...was it the west or the east or what the hell... coz when i went to Gateway of India that day.. the sun was setting opposite to the sea.. and i was totally confused.. it was supposed to set in the sea here !!!! why was it setting ina different direction... a quick look at the map helped me understand how the coast was structured...

phew but trust me i usually good with directions.. but i am taking more time then usual here in mumbai with that... this is not me !!! need to read more...

anyway about today.. MahaLakshmi and then Haji Ali..

the Haji-Ali Dargah...

inside the Dargah !!!

the road next to the sea... B E A U T I F U L

and then what next... one major temple left.. the Sidhdi Vinayak Temple, PrabhaDevi Mumbai !!!! so we head towards that temple...

one of the busy mumbai roads...

all sins taken care of... all Gods happy.. and i am an angel now... with wings.. and i did not even drink Red Bull !!!

one of the roads in worli...

then a great dinner at a restaurant called the Shobha Restaurant in Mahim !!! and a taxi back to the hotel...

now my observations about the city...
~ its fast... no i am not complaining... this is just an observation.... i still walk at my own pace here...
~ its crowded... no matter what time of the day it is.. you will be in the middle of traffic... and a sea of people...
~ it has lots and lots of taxies.... all FIAT... mmmmmmmuah :)
~ you have to be careful before you ask a taxi-wallah to take you anywhere... always walk for a minute or two in the direction you have to go... and then stop a taxi going in that direction... that helps !!! the first thing that the driver would do is turn down the metre.. and go where you has asked him to go.. no arguments nothing.. at the destination he will check the meter tell you the fare.. you give him the fare... greet him.. and smile.. and get out of the cab.. simple... Dilli mein meter and auto.. wishful thinking eh !!! and thrice the amount from the hotel to the office and back was exact 37 bucks.. which means that the meters also work just fine !!!!
~ do not look like a stranger to the city... just be yourself... just look busy and in a hurry...
~ mumbai has a lot of shops.. or probably the route that i take has too many of them. dadar, parel, lower parel... only shops and shops both sides of the road...
~ there is no way that the roads can expand in mumbai.. which means more vehicles are going to add to the length of the jams... and nothing can be done to increase the number of lanes the jam is in...
~ there are very few two wheelers.. i have atleast struggled to find a lot of them... unlike bhopal and delhi.. where there is an equal number of two wheelers as the 4-wheelers... oh.. and bhopal.. definitely twice the number of 2-wheelers then cars etc...


what else...

oh and yes...

i ate the pao bhaji.. good.. but for some reaon was extra red and not because of the chilly.. i guess more tamatar... or tomoto for people who do not understand the hindi...

i ate the vada pao.. i was thinking it would have the vada of idli-vada in it.. but no it was a pao with an aalu bonda in it... now my next question.. what the hell do people call that vada here... then found out.. its called Melu Vada...

ever heard of cutting chai... well i have.. and i saw the term being used today too... maza aaya sunker... "ek cutting chai dena :)" mast ekdum... oh and yes... i saw a lot of people coming to the restaurants having a quick tea and leaving.. good hai.. dilli mein nai hota ye... and guess what they have the tea in a cup and a plate.. the saucer.. and then pour the tea from the cup to the saucer and then drink.. wow... i used to do that in college whenever i could.. and here its done too.. loved that view...

the pic says it all...

i had the kolhapuri veg today.. spicy.. ek dum good...

i have not been able to use the SLR a lot so far in mumbai.. probably tmrw.. sunday.. when i move around the markets checking for stuff i can capture in the cam !!! thanks to my phone.. most of what i am seeing i can capture and its good enough to go on the blog...

will stop now... need to sleep.. with post the post tmrw morning after i reach office.. till then shabba khair.. keep travelling with me.....

18 comments:

  1. i can see that u really have a lot to say about Mumbai.sahi hai! but don't switch loyalties ok...Delhi should always top the list!

    your office's pic is amazing.i love the colours. beautiful!!

    AC?? we're literally freezing out here. but today the sooraj devta is a little kind. dhoop hai!
    and getting out of the blanket...tell me about it!!

    aah...nice teerth yatra huh?! good.angel with wings? some imagination!! in all white i'm presuming??

    and u actually managed to try out so many different things to eat at different places?? i can never do that. i am always happy with one kind of food from one place. especially when i'm not at home...this is a risk!! problem ho jati hai yaar. :D

    long comment at your loooong post!!

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
    enjoy!

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  2. @ bastm...
    baby, i have a lot to say about delhi as well.. and what tops the list is the people that i know in Delhi.. i can go on and on writing about them... am not switching loyalties at all...

    about the office pic.. it has been given a colour tint.. that is not the original colour...

    AC... yes... mast chala rakha hai maine... aur abhi t-shirt pehen kar baitha hoon office mein.. sab sweaters pullovers bekar hain... i am having issues with keeping my woolens in my bags... uff...

    teerth yatra yes... maza aaya... ek hi din mein sab dekh maara :P all white na.. light blue shirt and smart black trouser...

    and yes.. whenever i go to a new place.. i make sure i eat at different places to get the local flavour of food.. i mean thats how you come to find about the place.. walk around in the markets.. eat at local food joints.. travel in local buses and trains... thats wat travellers do... i know you can get into trouble when you eat ulta seedha.. so you better stay away from this kinda funda...

    merry christmas to you too baby !!!

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  3. dude! delhi is sooooo cold (and its soo much fun. anyways,..) talk about AC!

    auto fares.. hmm... i have always heard that about Mumbai.. delhi!! u r right.. i think the new metro line from 31st dec will be some relief from an-otherwise-sick public transport!

    chai..saucer and cup thing..i love to have south indian coffee like that! it rocks!!

    Haji Ali.. must have been awesome yaar.. me jealous again! you bloody travelling with work... damn!!

    happy clicking tomorrow!

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  4. Pics are beautiful. These posts are huge. The way you write your experiences is simply great.

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  5. Mumbai sounds especially tempting when people like us are stuck in a freezing Delhi:-(

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  6. hi prashant, so good to read all this about Mumbai from a stranger's perspective, I am so sorry about you getting overcharged in the auto, Mumbai is not like that generally i apologise on behalf of the city. actually from the international airport, you should take pre-paid taxis only straight to your destination, that assures correct fare.

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  7. and prashant, if you are still here, go to the girgaum chowpati, that is in Grant Road, you will be able to go by train or cab from lower parel, have the junk food there and definately eat green masala chana, you will love them if you like chatpata stuff. other places to visit are Bandra ban stand, marine drive, goregaon film city, flora fountain-books market, inorbit mall malad, linking road bandra, borivali national park to see a part of Mumbai you never imagined and there are so many other places, i just can't fit them in one comment, also if you like food, then just go to khau gulli in churchgate, mind boggling food. if you like see food, bandra has great places for non veg and sea food, churchgate has a mocha a cool coffee shop udhar aankh bhi sek sakte ho, really hot women. and if you need more info, visit my blog and leave me a comment, will gladly help.

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  8. will read the posts later at ease

    reg chics, i dint find mum females better than in del even when i stood at the platform at the spot where ladies compartment stop for an hour atleast [alto with some exceptions :p]

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  9. dude u r having fun...u r in one of my fav cities and believe me it rocks......del is cool but bbay rocks....

    priyangani has told u almost everything that u shud visit.....seems like she is mumbaikar...hey try to have vada pao at good place.....its too good ....its my staple diet whenever i am in bbay.....go to hiranandani gardens also...if u get time....do go karting at the top if hillock....view is awesom from there....if i wud have been there...i wud have tkaen u to IIT- powai too....view from new mutistorey hostels is breathtaking.........
    have fun .....and i agree with Burf....bombay gals are better overall than del gals.....

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  10. sorry for mis spelt name....it shud be priyangini

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  11. abbe dilli wapas aaja jaldi se, kya mast thand ho rai hai

    milke b*** watch karenge sec 18 me ;)

    :D:D:D

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  12. deeps - "and i agree with Burf....bombay gals are better overall than del gals....." ????

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  13. @burf
    sorry i missed "nt" part...anyway change my line to i dont agree with burf :D

    dude u have to stand in front of wilson or mithibai to check up the gals of mumbai...not on railway station :D

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  14. Prashant Radha wala blog kahan gaya?

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  15. @ rohit...

    tell me about it.. delhi is lovely cold these days... and here is a comfortable temprature...

    auto's are great in mumbai... infact the entire public transport system is awesome... unlike delhi.. where it kinda sucks...

    chai.. ek dum sahi...

    Haji Ali was good... and yes i steal time to travel with work.. thoda hectic ho jata hai par chalta hai...

    @ aqui...

    kinda... just one trip yaar.. biggest as well so far... not multiple trips... will take care yes... and i am not really sure if mumbai is a nice place to be in...

    @ bulla ki jana...

    to start with... your title comes from song that i love to love... the posts have to be huge.. there is so much that i still miss out on.. but i am trying not to leave anything that i experience.. when i am back home.. there is so much that i can relive with reading these posts...

    thanks for the compliment...

    @ nomadic waves...
    you are right :)

    @ priyangini...

    thanks for all that information.... i will keep these in mind.. about the overcharging thing.. i think i had an equal role to play.. did not do my homework right which i do otherwise.. i guess was careless because of the impression i had.. now i am more careful...

    i want to go to marine drive... and the hanging gardens.. also to elephanta caves, and the kanheri caves... borivali national park.. which i guess is also called the Sanjay Gandhi National Park... Khau Galli sounds so tempting... i am going there for sure... no sea food for me.. and no coffee shops.. have enough of them in Delhi.. about the hot women... i keep seeing them all around.. the issue is no one seems to notice me ;)

    thanks for all the help already... :D

    @ burf...
    uhumm... jab time mile tab padh lena... about the chicks.. i think they are trendy in mumbai... and the quantity is not hampering the quality...

    @ deeps...
    yess... lotsa work.. and loads of funn... i am not sure if i share the same opinion about mumbai rocking... it might... i dunno.. i might need to roam around with a few people who know this city in and out for me to reach that conclusion... as of now.. i have reasons to love a few things about here.. and hate a few too...

    ya.. priyangini lives in mumbai... vada pao.. already had... but only once.. good place.. how can i figure that out man !!! i eat anywhere... which looks hygenic...

    go carting and all.. neah... that is something that is not exclusive to mumbai.. i am more interested in things that are exclusive to this city... i might try to figure out if BEST runs a mumbai tour bus.. and catch that one of these days...

    @ burf...
    i miss that sector-18 so much man !!! babe watch yes yes.... :P

    @ b...
    radha wala blog abhi inactive kar diya hai... will resume sometime later... to many blogs ho gaye the maintain karne ke liye !!!

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  16. @deeps - first of all, i was being subjective - contrary to my preference

    but i got this admission from a mumbai girl

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  17. babe watch - lol

    bhul gaya tu original term :p salle

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  18. yes sir its amazingly cold! the best time to enjoy ice creams!

    public transport in delhi doesnt *kinda* suck, IT JUST SUCKS!

    chai.. thumbs up!

    and hey.. bidu.. sab chalta hai if you are getting to see so many places!

    enjoy!

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