In Mumbai/Bombay at the moment. Took the overnight train a couple of nights ago from Goa. Second Class AC this time. Similar layout to Sleeper Class, but obviously there is Air Con and they give you bedding and soap. Much less crowded than Sleeper and not so many people walking by. Plus a loy quieter, as there are windows which don't open due to the AC, so you don't get the track noise, and people in 2nd class tend to keep themselves to themselves more than in Sleeper class. Also toilet was nicer - same as sleeper class. but everyone aimed correct in this one!

Arrived into Mumbai CST at 6am. Got a cab to our hotel, and both looked at each other in horror! Mumbai is very expensive, so we had paid more than we wanted to (nearly all our daily budget) on a hotel which had quite a few bad reviews, but had a good location. At 6am when it was slightly foggy, nothing looked good about it or its location. It looked like it had closed down, and was hidden behind other buildings, and you had to walk up some stairs through an alley to get there. The street looked deserted and in the middle of no-where. Inside things were a little more promising, but we could not check in until 10.30ish. So, we left our luggage, got a map and headed to find somewhere for coffee. Evebtually found a little cafe down the street and had breakfast as the sun came up. Spent the next few hours walking around. We headed down to Chowpatty Beach, which is close to where we our staying, then headed inland and eventually back to check in. Things were looking much netter down the street of the hotel now. It is quite a busy, bustling shopping street, and the fog had cleared which made it all look less creepy and more vibrant with colour. There was also a welcoming, smiley security guard now at the front of the hotel. Once inside our hotel was fine and the room is great for the price.

After a long shower, and a bit of a relax we headed out again. We had downloaded a walking tour from the Ntional Geographical website, so set about doing this, but in reverse, as the end was nearer to our hotel. We got los a couple of times, but the tour was great, taking us to Mutton street Market first. On the way there we passed what looked like a street of car boot sale stalls selling used jeans, other clothes, car parts, bike parts, etc, and particularly car/bike horns, which Graham took a picture of as they are so keen on using them in India. The tour took us past several Temples and to Bhuleshwar Market and eventually to Crawford Market. Crawford Market is an indoor market and the exterior was designed by Rudyard Kipling's faher, Lockwood Kipling. Unfortunately a lot of this market seemed to be closed (maybe because it was Sunday) and there are many people trying to give you guided tours here for money, as it is quite a tourist attraction. You never know whether people are just being friendly or trying to get money from you.

After the tour we headed to the Gate of India. We didn't realise but there was a boat show going on so it was really busy. We were also hassled by children begging here - grabbing hold of us and touching my bag, so we moved on quickly. Around the corner we found a McDonald's. I hate to admit it but we went in. Graham had been dreaming about there being one in Mumbai! Unfortunately no beef though (as expected) but we had Chicked Maharaja Mac's instead, and the whole meal cost only about 1.75GBP each. It was great to find somewhere so cheap and with AC in the main tourist area. Took a taxi back to our hotel then (and he tried to charge us more than quoted when we got there, we didn't give in though). We were getting very tired and had walked miles and miles.

Had such a good sleep last night, then set out again today for more walking around. We had hoped to go to Elephant Island today, but they don't do tours on a Monday. So plan to do that tomorrow before getting the overnight train to Jaipur. We walked along Marine Drive (not the one in Scarborough) again, but today it was much sunier, so looked nicer. I stopped to take some photos, and a group of boys playing on the beach ran up and asked me to take their photograph, so I did. They were so excited and shook Graham's hand afterwards! We headed all the way down to the Gate of India again and took more photo's. We were then asked a few times if people could take pictures of us with their families! Graham said to them 'we're not famous!' but they did not seem to mind!

Took another taxi back again, but back to the beach this time, but found that some of the taxi drivers really try to rip you off. The first guy we asked was going to charge us 400 Rupees. Yesterday we paid 200 Rupees to get back to our hotel, which s a little further than the beach. Then we asked another driver today, and he took us to the beach for only 50 Rupees! On the way home we bought some snacks for tonight from a bakery. The staff were so friendly and they gave us some samples to try. We also bought some fruit froma street vendor, and found that Pomegranites are really expensive here (not sure why).

Anyway, hopefully we shall make it to Elephant Island tomorrow and then we shall be on our was to Jaipur (Rajesthan) on first class AC this time. Can't wait as it is another 18 hour journey, so hopefully there will be some luxury!

Maggie x

PS. picture is not of Mumbai, as Graham can't upload the photos in this Internet Cafe so I had to choose one of the general pictures from this website!