Our hotel is located just a block and a half from the ocean. And not just any spot on the ocean, but the giant arch called The Gateway of India is literally right here. Cafe Leopold, another famous place Mumbai, is right around the corner. Let's just say the neighborhood is really nice. And it adds a whole new set of experiences for us in this incredibly diverse country.
We spent the afternoon on Elephanta Island, home to an ancient Shiva temple, hand-carved out of the cliff face. To get there, we had an hour boat ride on a small, double-decker wood boat, past tankers and low-riding fishing boats, freighters, and navy vessels. The water, while clear, was a yellowish green color. Fortunately, it was fairly calm today.
When we got to the island, we had a crowded walk down a long dock, perhaps a half mile out into the sea. Along the dock, people were selling vegetables--cut cucumbers, tiny squash that get popped raw into the mouth, and roasted corn drizzled in lime juice and rolled in red pepper. As we got to shore and started to walk up the hill, the stone path became lined almost completely with small vendors, and canopied with colorful fabric and blue plastic sheeting. The path was narrow, built originally for the monks and the pilgrims. There were more than 100 steps, but some steps were narrow, some had 20 or 30 feet between them, some were short, and some were very tall. Some areas without steps were so steep it seemed crazy that there wasn't a step built in. And the stones that paved the way were uneven, so, as is probably clear from this description, the climb up to the caves was quite an adventure! Oh, and did I mention that there was a surging crowd for literally every step of the way? It was packed, although we were almost the only Westerners there. It was mostly Indian family groups out on a lovely Sunday afternoon. And there were the usual cows and dogs and monkeys as well.
Just as we reached the top, we had a dramatic moment. A cow lurched forward out of nowhere and "blessed" Brazil. That's what we are calling it, at least. What actually happened is that the cow stepped right on Brazil's foot, which was quite painful and scary. Fortunately, nothing is broken, but it does hurt. It took a while before Brazil could walk, so we hired a chair for her. In other words, 4 men put Brazil in a special chair mounted on two long poles and carried her like a queen on their shoulders. They took her around the caves with us, then back down the mountainside and all the way to the boat. The drama! Fortunately, Brazil is doing just fine and we are keeping an eye on her foot.
The Shiva temple in the caves is amazing! It is carved into solid rock, with massive decorated pillars holding up the roof. In the center is a large room with the lingam, or large phallic rock. This is probably 3 feet tall and half as wide, and had flowers and offerings left by modern day worshippers draped on top and around. Throughout the rest of the cave, there are large detailed sculptures, cut right into the rock, of the life of Shiva. These massive carvings are easily 10 feet tall, and even after 1500 years, the craft ship and detail was evident. The most impressive sculpture is of Shiva with 3 giant heads, each with a different expression and meaning. This took up most of the back wall.
It was an incredible experience to see this ancient place. It is clearly still considered holy by some modern visitors, but it is also a UNESCO world heritage site. It was packed with people, although we have quickly come to realize that Mumbai itself is simply crowded, and that our experience here will likely always entail aggressive crowds and a lot of people around us. It's quite amazing how packed it has been here. The crowded streets and sidewalks are just jammed with people and cars and bikes and motorcycles and cows, all moving and pushing. The walk past the Gateway and down to the boat was an intense experience pushing through a boiling crowd and jumping onto a boat while being pushed forward by the massive surge of humanity. Mumbai, we have found, is just like that.
This is going to be interesting!
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