Sunday, July 23, 2006
Mumbai in the rain
It is monsoon season after all...
It doesn't rain constantly, and some days it doesn't rain at all. The really bad days are when it rains constantly, heavily, for hours on end. More commonly, however, the rain will be moderately heavy for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours, then taper off or stop completely for awhile, and then restart later. This weekend was very much this kind of rain.
Sadly, the weekends are the only time I actually have to wander around Mumbai and see the city, but I am brave soul (and don't mind getting wet) and wandered out into the storm (add some theatrical music to that if you would like). I did indulge somewhat by taking a cab, instead of the bus, to the area I wanted to walk around, but once I was there, my feet were my only mode of transportation.
Mumbai has some beautiful colonial architecture. Everywhere you look there are French doors out onto balconies and terraces, buildings lined with banks of windows with ornately carved frames, intricate wrought iron railings and so on. However, most of the buildings are in terrible shape, covered with layers of city grime that could never be washed off.
Part of the problem I've discovered with walking in the rain is that you're too distracted to really look at the buildings. With holding the umbrella, avoiding puddles (since some might be far deeper than they look), dodging the spray thrown up by the cars driving by, skipping around the piles of dog presents on the sidewalk, trying to not trip on the uneven pavement, and trying not to run into other people who are equally distracted, it is a little difficult to actually look around. Yesterday, I managed to walk right by both the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and the Prince of Wales Museum without even noticing (I was trying to dodge buses while crossing the street at the time).
I did manage to find my way back to the NGMA before it closed at six. I don't know anything about the Indian modern art, so I honestly couldn't tell you how good a collection it is relative to what is available. There were only a few sculpture pieces and the vast majority of the works were paintings of different kinds. There were some interesting pieces and a few that, to my limited art appreciation eye, were quite good. However, the impact of exhibit was limited by the lack of organization and limited information about the pieces (often year wasn't even listed). However, the building itself was beautiful example of art deco architectural style and I really wish I'd been able to take pictures.
The other parts of the day were spent traipsing around the Colaba Market (rather quiet and empty since it was Sunday), the Gateway of India (a massive basalt arch built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai in 1911), the Taj Mahal hotel (a classic old hotel right near the Gateway) and the streets of the Colaba area.
At 7:30 when it started raining again and I'd already been soaked about three times that day, I figured it was time to head "home." Hopefully next weekend I will get over to Elephanta Island.
It doesn't rain constantly, and some days it doesn't rain at all. The really bad days are when it rains constantly, heavily, for hours on end. More commonly, however, the rain will be moderately heavy for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours, then taper off or stop completely for awhile, and then restart later. This weekend was very much this kind of rain.
Sadly, the weekends are the only time I actually have to wander around Mumbai and see the city, but I am brave soul (and don't mind getting wet) and wandered out into the storm (add some theatrical music to that if you would like). I did indulge somewhat by taking a cab, instead of the bus, to the area I wanted to walk around, but once I was there, my feet were my only mode of transportation.
Mumbai has some beautiful colonial architecture. Everywhere you look there are French doors out onto balconies and terraces, buildings lined with banks of windows with ornately carved frames, intricate wrought iron railings and so on. However, most of the buildings are in terrible shape, covered with layers of city grime that could never be washed off.
Part of the problem I've discovered with walking in the rain is that you're too distracted to really look at the buildings. With holding the umbrella, avoiding puddles (since some might be far deeper than they look), dodging the spray thrown up by the cars driving by, skipping around the piles of dog presents on the sidewalk, trying to not trip on the uneven pavement, and trying not to run into other people who are equally distracted, it is a little difficult to actually look around. Yesterday, I managed to walk right by both the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and the Prince of Wales Museum without even noticing (I was trying to dodge buses while crossing the street at the time).
I did manage to find my way back to the NGMA before it closed at six. I don't know anything about the Indian modern art, so I honestly couldn't tell you how good a collection it is relative to what is available. There were only a few sculpture pieces and the vast majority of the works were paintings of different kinds. There were some interesting pieces and a few that, to my limited art appreciation eye, were quite good. However, the impact of exhibit was limited by the lack of organization and limited information about the pieces (often year wasn't even listed). However, the building itself was beautiful example of art deco architectural style and I really wish I'd been able to take pictures.
The other parts of the day were spent traipsing around the Colaba Market (rather quiet and empty since it was Sunday), the Gateway of India (a massive basalt arch built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai in 1911), the Taj Mahal hotel (a classic old hotel right near the Gateway) and the streets of the Colaba area.
At 7:30 when it started raining again and I'd already been soaked about three times that day, I figured it was time to head "home." Hopefully next weekend I will get over to Elephanta Island.
# posted by Disease Cowgirl @ 10:56 PM 
