gateway of india

First time to Mumbai, India

I recently had the opportunity to go to Mumbai for a few work meetings.  With this being my first time to India, I had no idea what to expect.  I arranged my schedule to arrive a day early so I could check out the local sights in Mumbai.  

I grabbed lunch at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which is right across from the Gateway of India.  

Fish and Prawn Curry

Fish and Prawn Curry

Here's a night shot of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel:

Up at the top of the hotel, there was a great view of the Gateway of India down below.

The Gateway of India is Mumbai's top attraction.  There were lots of local photographers offering to take your photo and print it out on their portable printer.  It also seemed to be a local gathering spot for friends and family to eat and relax.

From the Gateway of India, there is an hour long ferry ride to go to the Elephanta Island, where the Elephanta Caves are the main attraction.  When you arrive at the island, you're faced a long stairwell up to the entrance of the caves.  Lining the sides of this stairwell are street vendors selling food and the typical touristy souvenirs. 

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The caves themselves had lots of rock cut sculptures and pillars. 

I caught the last ferry back around sunset, which led to amazing scenery.