Our ship was pulling into Mumbai Harbor by 7 a.m. Sunday morning. The air was hazy and the visibility low. We took a ship’s excursion to Elephanta Caves, “a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. They are located on Elephanta Island, about 10 km from. Mumbai. They date from the 5th to 9th centuries.” We had an excellent tour guide, who expertly led us from the port, to the Gateway of India, adjacent to the Taj Mahal Hotel, and onto a waiting ferry boat. It took about an hour to cross the Mumbai harbor to Elephanta Island. We rode a short train ride to 120 steps from the landing to the mouth of the caves. So interesting!
We returned to the ship by 2 in the afternoon and enjoyed lunch and a few minutes of rest, before leaving to meet a walking tour I had arranged with a local tour company. We met across from the Queen Victoria Train Station ( Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus). We proceeded to walk through much of the historic British Colonial area of Mumbai, ending close to three hours later, along Marine Drive with its twinkling lights. Mumbai is so full of people, over 20 million, living and working in an historic place with hundreds of religions and languages spoken. It is an amazing place!
