Mumbai

Mumbai, maddening but marvellous. The traffic is terrible taking 2 hours to go 20 miles but even in the thickest tangle there is much more good natured than you'd ever get in the UK.
We are staying with 'family' who were neighbours to Cathy's parents in 'Bombay' back in the 1960s.

Cheers from Nalini 
In the garden with  Ammu

A typical street

On the Mumbai local train at a quiet time, with our amazing guide from Khaki tours. We did two trips, one to elephant island and one walking tour of historical Mumbai and both were full of interest and insights.
Unofficial accommodation  (count the satellite  dishes )

With Ravi and Shoba at the banana leaf South Indian Restaurant.


Lunch with Dilip, Sumir, Gayatri and Kapu 

Rasmalai ...yum

At the top of Gilbert hill

On juhu beach 

Carvings of Shiva and Parvati on elephant island 

The amazing Britania restaurant where the Parsee owner at age 97 still waits tables and wishes the queen would come back to rule India 


Mike and Cathy with Kapu and Sahu.


Goa

Here we are in Sunny Goa, after a short and easy flight from Mumbai. Unfortunately, I forgot about the power pack that can be used to charge a phone . So after seeing everyone else's cases be delivered at Goa airport we talked to a Spicejet agent who phonedMumbai to confirm that the bag had been stopped at security. Amazingly after some ID forealities they were happy to send it on the next flight (minus power pack of course ). The next day we had to do a return trip to the airport but had no problems in picking up the bag. The manager at the small and quaint Mateus hotel was really helpful? taking and sending messages and phone calls. Overall we were very impressed with how we were helped by Spicejet and could not imagine that something similar in the UK could have been solved so well. Cathy reckons it would have resulted in a controlled explosion at the end of the runway and a sharp talking to from the police.
After a small beating around the head Cathy has forgiven me as long as I PAY ATTENTION in future.

In Panjim near our hotel.  This is very much still India but with a strong flavour of Portugal.  Plenty of great places to eat and, unusually for India, relaxed and open bars. One just around the corner even brews their own. 

Lovely Bodega gallery and café.

You can't keep Cathy out of a good market and the one in Panjim was full of great produce and relatively relaxed stall holders.

Veg in the market, but we also found a really nifty Indian charger for all our electronic stuff for only 200 rupees. 

Panjim is famous for fish, all looked very fresh.

Panjim roads can get busy, nothing like Mumbai but similar scooters and Auto rickshaws.

Apologies for a slightly sparse Blog, I'm only just getting used to doing everything on the phone and it is a little more difficult than just hacking away on a laptop .




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