We set off after breakfast in a minibus with our two fellow cricket tourist, Paul and Les, and our trusty guide whose name was Derek. The streets were busy and noisy, full of people and all forms of transport and lined with shops and stalls. We learned that Mumbai consists of seven islands joined together by causeways built by the British and forming the only natural harbour in India ... clever stuff!

Not fat from our hotel, in the Fort district, we turned into what our guide called the heritage area and were amazed to see some of the most spectacular old buildings you could imagine, in stark contrast to the cramped and rundown blocks nearby. We drove past the impressive Bombay High Court, built in Gothic style, the old Secretariat, the beautiful Mumbai University with its 280 foot high Rajabhai Clock tower and set in an oasis of quiet, peaceful gardens. We had a photo stop by the lovely Town Hall, opposite the impressive Victoria Terminus which is the main railway station in Mumbai. Trains are a very important form of transport in India and apparently about 40 million people work on the railways!

All these vast and beautiful buildings in the heart of Mumbai are an amazing and, for me, unexpected sight. It seems that the legacy left by the Victorians is more enduring than I had realised. In many other areas the buildings seem cramped, rundown and decaying, probably not upgraded much since our ancestors were here, but redevelopment is also taking place.

Next stop was the Crawford fruit and vegetable market. After risking our lives yet again crossing the road (just look straight ahead and keep walking!) we wandered round the market enjoying the colours and scents of the many kinds of delicious fruit: pineapples, strawberries, mangoes, all kinds of bananas, grapes, papaya and a whole lot more. In another area we admired all the lovely fresh vegetables and the aromatic spices. We were shown a fountain designed by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood, but it was a bit rundown and the nearby market sellers were hanging their gear on it!

We stopped at Mani Bhavan, one of the places Ghandi lived in India, which is now the Ghandi museum. It was really interesting, and well worth a visit. There were displays detailing the milestones of Ghandi's life and his room still preserved as during his life. We saw walls lined with his books, and many of his sayings were framed on the walls. There were several examples of spinning wheels which, we discovered, were a symbol of his (non-violent) battle with the British to bring home to India the manufacture of cloth with the cotton they produced, for the benefit of the Indian people, instead of shipping it over to the Lancashire mills for the benefit of the British. The symbol of the spinning wheel was incorporated into the Indian flag when they gained independence in 1947.

Another stop was at the Hanging Gardens which are built over a fresh water reservoir. It is a pleasant place for a stroll, and there are many examples of topiary including oxen and some other quite strange looking animals. From here we could see some of the very opulent residences built for the rich on Malabar Hill, including one 27 storey block which houses the head of Reliance Industries, his wife and two children. Nearby we saw the Jain temple and passed the Tower of Silence which is where the Parsi dead meet their end, now that they are not permitted to be exposed on a hillside, as is their custom. Inside the tower they keep vultures to deal with the flesh and then the bones are destroyed below in a lime pit.

Next we visited the Dhobi Ghat which is the world's largest open air laundry, situated down by the railway tracks. We could see people doing the washing in big tubs and there were rows and rows of lines with sheets, shirts and all sorts hanging out to dry on the sun. They clearly aren't expecting rain any time soon! The lines of clothes seemed to be divided into colours, ie whites, pinks etc so they seem to know a great deal more about the problems of washing different colours together than my dhobi did all those years ago when I lived with my family in Karachi!

We drove along a part of Marine Drive which is known as the Queen's necklace because of the way it looks at night when the lights are on. We saw a mosque set in the sea at the end of a jetty, and on the other side an old Portuguese fort. We then travelled out towards the airport across some of the impressive bridges joining together the islands of Mumbai. Our destination was the slums made famous by the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The slum area is truly vast, much greater than we had realised. It stretches for at least 10 km, and possibly 20 km. It is amazing to see so much humanity crammed so tightly together in such conditions, with an open sewer running down the side. The smell is not too great, but we can move on and they have no choice. Our guide told us that 30 million people in India are living without fresh water or sanitation, but things are improving albeit slowly. The slums of Mumbai are gradually being redeveloped and should disappear within 7 years if things go according to plan.

Back at our hotel we were feeling a bit peckish and so set out in search of a late lunch. We found Cafe Mondegar, situated on a busy corner and overflowing with people of every nationality. We had the usual curry, rice, dhal and naan accompanied by ice cold Kingfisher beer. Great value and we ate a lot!! Afterwards we made our way back for a much needed late afternoon nap to help sleep off lunch. We walked back along Mereweather Road which was wide and tree-lined and not so busy as the parallel shopping street, Colaba Causeway.

Much, much later and feeling revived we wandered out to have a couple of drinks. We walked along the water front and, although late in the evening, it was interesting to see that it was much busier than in the daytime. Men, women and children were all out enjoying the cooler air while others slept on the pavements with a result that everyone walks along the roads.

Near the Gateway of India we went into the magnificent Taj Palace Hotel to enjoy a bit of luxury. It is a very grand hotel and we had a walk round before having a drink in the Harbour View bar. Afterwards we went down the road for another drink in the less luxurious Bar Stock Exchange before strolling back along the back streets, still surprisingly busy in spite of the lateness of the hour. No wonder everybody wants to sleep all day!