Paige, Brett, Alex and I spent the day walking around Bombay. We first started at the Taj Mahal Hotel - the same one that was partially destroyed in a terrorist attack last November. The Taj sits right on the water next to a giant arch called The Gateway of India. Bombay was called the gateway of India by the British, because it served as the chief shipping and trading center during British rule. Our plan was to travel to Elephanta Island (there aren't any elephants there), but we came to learn that most things in Bombay were closed because it was a Muslim holiday.
Although a bit disappointed that we couldn't go to the island, we continued walking. We happened to stumble across one of the docks where a lot of the seafood comes in and is cleaned. This is not a tourist site and the proprietors were very adamant about the no photography policy. Fortunately, I was able to snap a beauty. The concrete pier was full of Indian women and children cleaning tiny shrimp (yes, "tiny shrimp" is redundant, but they were smaller than usual) in squalid and unsanitary conditions. The smell was absolutely horrendous. Men were bringing in squid off their wooden fishing boats and gutting large fish right on the pier. We were definitely the only white faces around. It was definitely interesting to see and, needless to say, but the four of us probably won't be eating seafood anytime in the near future.
Although a bit disappointed that we couldn't go to the island, we continued walking. We happened to stumble across one of the docks where a lot of the seafood comes in and is cleaned. This is not a tourist site and the proprietors were very adamant about the no photography policy. Fortunately, I was able to snap a beauty. The concrete pier was full of Indian women and children cleaning tiny shrimp (yes, "tiny shrimp" is redundant, but they were smaller than usual) in squalid and unsanitary conditions. The smell was absolutely horrendous. Men were bringing in squid off their wooden fishing boats and gutting large fish right on the pier. We were definitely the only white faces around. It was definitely interesting to see and, needless to say, but the four of us probably won't be eating seafood anytime in the near future.
Bombay Docks
Bombay has been an interesting place to visit. Although, in the grand scheme of things, there really isn't a lot of history or culture in the city. While it has been called the gateway of India, in terms of history, Bombay is relatively new and insignificant. It is one of the largest cities and most important commercial centers in the world, but Bombay is definitely lacking on the sights. In the morning, Melisa and I are flying to Delhi to start our week-long trek through Rajasthan and northern India.
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