After the wedding, most of the guests departed with the Bride and Groom for a 10 day site-seeing trip. However,due to time and money (and the fact that we'd scheduled to see Delhi, Agra and Jaipur - more updates on these to come - before the wedding) we decided to stay in Bombay and see a few things in the city.
Bombay, though not the political capital of India. Is definately it's cultural capital. Because it is a port city, it has been the center of trade activity for centuries. Consequently, it was also the hub of British activity during colonial times.
Much of the city is built up around coast. the south end of the city extends like fingers into the ocean and makes for some beautiful sites.
We found a guesthouse in the Fort area of town and spent one day walking in that area. The train station is really something to behold - one of the oldest, most ornate gothic buildings in the area. There are carved statues of animals, stained glass windows, gargoyles and flying buttresses.
A look at the central part of the station that houses the administrative offices. I had to sweet talk the guard into letting me in the gate to take a picture.
Later that day, we found the courthouse (mentioned in Lonely Planet, our tour guide book, as worth a visit) and had a quick look around. We were too timid to sit inside any of the court rooms, but the open hall ways, swinging "saloon" doors and crowds of people did bring to mind scenes from Shakespeare times and writings (as described in the Lonly Planet). Unfortunately cameras were not allowed.
Our second day in Bombay, we headed down to the "Gateway of India" - one of the main ports on one of the many fingers of the city. Here are a few pictures from that trip.
a sailor stands around at the port
Our first view of the Gateway of India
a closer view of the Gateway
It is a beautiful structure and constantly has a crowd around it.
Another thing we read in the Lonely Planet book was that Bollywood scouts looking for foreigners to be extras often look around this part of town. Determined to be picked, we spent several hours walking and waiting around here.
I don't think they wanted to be Bollywood extras, but they were also waiting for something near where we were sitting.
Unfortunately, our talents are yet undiscovered, though we hung around as long as we could. It was a great spot for people watching and we found some shade, so it wasn't too hot.
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