Travelling.... the word brings the sensation of going to new places, spending time with friends or family, relaxing away from work and fast life in cities. But for me travelling is the way to meet new people, learn their culture, their way of living, food and lifestyle. Most importantly it gives me so many colors of life to capture through my third eye.. my camera.
Last weekend i decided to pack my gear and to explore mumbai city which made land up at Gateway of India. This place needs no introduction stand
ing tall in Apollo Bunder area of Mumbai.
The Gateway was opened on 4 December 1924, by the Viceroy, the Earl of Reading. Opposite to Gateway stands the royal Taj Mahal hotel which is famous for its exquisite services to the tourists from all over the world.
During holidays this place is full of locals as wells tourists, some of them busy in clicking pictures with friends and families, some enjoying 'chaat' and 'chana', and if you are in love with accessories to go with your outfits then you can purchase that from the road side vendors sitting near to Gateway. You can even get souvenirs for yourself.
After i captured some great moments at gateway, i decided to move on for my next stop Elephanta Caves. Ferry boats from Gateway can take you there in around 50 mins. So without wasting time i bought a ticket and boarded one ferry parked in front of Gateway. Frequency of ferry is every ten minutes so if u missed one , you are not required to wait longer for next. Timings are from 12 PM to 5:00 PM to n fro Elephanta Caves.
So here i am in the ferry with all other passengers, curious and excited to get started. Here it goes... the ferry started its journey to Elephanta caves with a whistle.... To get a better sight of mumbai, i decided to go up to the deck and when i looked back, the view of the gateway of india, the Taj and gigantic buildings was wonderful and unforgettable.
After leaving away the land and cruising over Arabian Sea, the ferry was on its way to caves. Around 50 mins of sailing, i was here at the port of Gharapuri (Elephanta island). The island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length with two hills that rise to
a height of about 500 feet (150 m). A deep ravine cuts through the heart of the island from north to south. On the west, the hill rises gently from the sea and stretches east across the ravine and rises gradually to the extreme east to a height of 568 feet (173 m). This hill is known as the Stupa hill. Forest growth with clusters of mango, tamarind, and karanj trees cover the hills with scattered palm trees. Rice fields are seen in the valley. The fore shore is made up of sand and mud with mangrove bushes on the fringe. Landing quays sit near three small hamlets known as Set Bunder in the north-west, Mora Bunder in the northeast, and Gharapuri or Raj Bunder in the south.
The caves are 2-3 kms away from the port and there is a facility of toy train which takes you the entry point of caves. But i preferred to take a walk and started left , right, left right. The noise of water hitting the coast, gust of wind, green high mountains and the aroma of surroundings infused some kind of energy into me. I was behaving like a lost kid in fair, looking all around inquisitively with or without my third eye. Not more a km walk, i was in need of liquid to maintain the energy level which made me halt at one of the juice counters. I had orange juice and lays. Then covering rest of the distance, i was at the entrance of Elephanta caves, small queue at the ticket counter, tall green trees of both sides meeting at center making perfect way to caves.
Showing my ticket to gatekeeper, i entered to take a glimpse of art made out of stones.The rock cut architecture of the caves has been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries, although the identity of the original builders is still a subject of debate. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. All the caves were also originally painted in the past, but now only traces remain. For more information , refer
I was completely lost in the wonderful piece of art and was amazed how much effort and dedication was put into making shapes out of rocks. This place is full of peace, serenity, learnings, and close to nature. As soon as i finished my last spot , i realised that it was a time to call for a day. I stopped back to have some food at the local restaurants. The food quality is good at reasonable price. There are many food outlets according to your tastes and then there are shops for those who are shopping freaks, ranging from clothes, to hand bags, accessories, table tops, idols.
By the time i boarded the ferry back to Gateway, the sun started heading down into the sea like a red ball falling into the bucket full of water. The red color was spreading all over the horizon and the reflection creating a perfect hue over the water reminds me the paintings of sun-set by great artists. At this point i was standing at the front part of the ferry and enjoying the heavy wind hitting my face. The feeling difficult to express. Like every good thing comes to end, the perfect trip was about to end. Here i am back again at Gateway of India and the sun was already dived into the sea.
Overall it was a great and memorable experience with lots of learning, fun and clicks. Heading way back to my home i was searching maps for my next destination.
Journey never ends.... only you reach milestones!
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