Mumbai in 100 words

I kept thinking, how to finish this off, kept thinking for two continuous days, but I think, I can go on and on about Mumbai. Yes, those 10 days were special and memorable in their own way. One of the best vacations I had in my life.  Though I was there for some official work, but it was a vacation for me. So, after putting in too much thought, I am gonna write my 100 words about Mumbai and would put a full stop to this travelogue. Here it goes

"Mumbai is definitely a city of dreams. Full of surprises and shocks. You will develop a love-hate relationship with the city. Sea is what makes the city special. You love the city, it would love you back. You work hard, it will reward you. In short, it will either make you or break you. Mumbai rains are to die for. The nightlife of the city is awefuckingsome. Visit the city without any presumptions like I did and you would definitely fall in love with it, like I did, so much that I am planning to move there." 

The most memorable pics from the trip are here : 

Hiranandani

The place where I spent hours thinking about various things

First Journey in Mumbai Local

BSE

Hotel Taj

Gateway of India

My first encounter with the Sea :)

Shivaji

Marine Drive

Queen's Necklace 

VT 

Freedom

#IfYouKnowWhatIMean :D

Chandivali Lake

Sky Is The Limit

In the end I would like to thank each and every person who took time out to take me around the city. Specially Rishika, Dheera, Adnan Bhai, Ajit, Viraj & Dev.

Signing off from this one, this time permanently. 

- 

Yatin

Book plane tickets to India with Cheapoair! 

Day 9 - The Last Morning

Woke up at 7:30 in the morning and I was late today. I had to reach the Airport by 8:30 because I had promised Ajay ( @BloodyKamina ) that I will meet him at the airport. Quickly I finished the last part of my packing, took a shower and got ready. Cousin also got up and he was still sleepy. I asked him to sleep but he said, he would come to see me off. After a brisk discussion, I asked him not to spoil his morning because of me and he agreed. 

Ajay called me up to confirm if I have left my place so that he can leave accordingly, I told him that I would start in 10 mins. At dot 8:30 I was in an auto rickshaw and was sailing through the streets of Mumbai that I wont get to see anymore for dont know how long. 

Mixed feelings they were. Honestly, I never loved any city like this before. It might be infatuation, but the only thing I know is, I have to visit there soon. While I was thinking about everything that I did in the city in past 10 days, suddenly this thing came up in my mind.

DAMN! I FORGOT THE PACKET OF ALL THE PRASAD THAT I GOT FROM ALL THE TEMPLES AND DARGAH !

Called up my cousin

Me : Ek gadbad ho gayi yaar. 

Cousin : Kya hua ?

Me : Prasad bhool gaya yaar. Fridge mein rakh diya tha maine. Le jaana yaad nahin raha.

Cousin : Ab kya karna hai ?

Me : Aata hoon wapas lene, neeche gate ke paas milna mereko. 

Asked the auto rickshaw driver to go back to the place where we started. Made another call 

Me : Hey Ajay! 

Ajay : Hi, Have you reached ?

Me : No not yet, I am actually heading back towards home.

Ajay : What happened ?

Me : I forgot something at home, need to take it. Its very very important. I will see you at the airport at sharp 9:30.

Ajay : Okay, cool. Airport is 10 mins from my place, give me a call and I will be there. 

Me : Sure I will. 

In like 15 mins or something, I was standing outside the society, called up cousin and asked him to bring the packet. He got it for me. Said thanks and asked Auto waala to rush to the airport, it was around 9:10. God has his own ways to deal with the things. I firmly believe in that. If I had started from my place a bit late, I wouldn't have time to come back and collect the packet. In a way, I was thankful to Ajay that he agreed to meet me up at the airport. Looked like EVERYTHING WAS PLANNED.

Called up Ajay again when I reach the airport, he came up in no time. Initially we couldn't figure out where should we sit, but then as there was very little time in my hands, we decided to sit at a nearby pavement and started chatting. Another tweetup where we didn't discuss twitter much. Ajay came across as a nice sober guy, who has his goals clear. He asked me to visit Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi and assured me that he would take care of my accommodation and everything else. Thats so nice of him. He also told me many things about the city, the goods and bads about it. At exact 10:00 A.M, I told him, I wish to take a leave from him now because I had to check-in at the airport that was over crowded. Promised to see him soon. 

My flight was at 11:20 and as per the norms, I should have checked-in my luggage and collected my boarding pass by 10:35. The Indigo check-in counters were so crowded that everyone was clueless and furious about the chaos there. I sneaked out of the line, went to a counter. Told the executive about the status and she quickly took my ticket, handed me over my boarding pass and my luggage was checked in. I quickly walked towards the security check gates and got the security check done. 

Looked for Gate No. A4, where we were supposed to wait for the announcement to board the flight. While waiting, I thanked everyone on twitter to make my visit a memorable one. Suddenly, the announcement to board the flight happened and I was on my way to board the flight. Twitter and BBM were going in full swing as I walked towards the aircraft. 

The moment of joy happened when I saw the beautiful air hostess who welcomed me in the aircraft and as I walked towards my seats, I was greeted by 4 more. I was like " Chalo yeh flight ka paisa vasool ho gaya".  *wink*

As soon as I got comfortable on my seat and was looking outside, don't know what struck me. I felt a lump in my throat. Felt like I am leaving a place where I belonged. As promised, I called up Divpreet ( @Smilesgalore ) but couldn't talk much because I was choked. I told her that I will give her a call soon. As I was looking out of the window, it started raining, didn't last long though. That was a signal, that this city is gonna miss me. At least I took it that way because I firmly believe that if it rains while you are leaving a city, the city loves you like anything. It has happened with me in the past so many times, so I know how it feels. 

Announcements were in full swing as we were ready to take off.  The aircraft started moving towards the runway and mixed feelings were there. There was an unexplainable sadness in my heart and joy of meeting my family after 10 whole days. The aircraft took off in some 10 mins and took a whole round above the sea. I could see the sea, the buildings, the roads and MUMBAI, the city of dreams that got lost after a while and all I could see were clouds and only clouds.

-

Yatin 

Day 8 - The Nightlife Of Mumbai - Part 2

After Viraj dropped me at Hiranandani on 30th Morning, I was extremely tired. Sleep debt was there and I had a very long day ahead. Cousin had to go to Chembur to renew his flat's agreement with his landlord. So, when I reached home, no one was there. I decided to take a nap. It was a Saturday morning so I thought I would relax a bit and then go out and meet more people from Twitter. (Gawd, now it feels like, my whole Mumbai trip was about twitter and twitter people only! ).  The night was supposed to be spent with cousin and his flatmate on the streets of Mumbai. Yes, I wanted to experience what do people do on weekends.

Suddenly a phone call. 

Me : Who is this ?

Person : Sir, this is XYZ.

Me : Haan bol yaar.

Person : Sir, when are you coming back?

Me : Reaching on 1st July noon.

Person : Huge huge problem in office sir. We need you here.

Me : Give me an idea about it.

And the person went on and on and on about the mess people have created in the office. I was psyched out. I was like FUCK EVERYTHING, this is my last day in Mumbai and I don't know when I will be back here so I won't think about it and go with my plans. So, I took a peaceful nap after putting my phone on silent. Woke up, took a shower and again the phone rang.

She : Kahan Hai Dost ?

Me : Ghar Pe.

She : Mere Se Kab Milega ?

Me : Aap Batao. 

She : Aaj shaam ko milte hai. 

She : Shaam ko mushkil hai. I have plans with my cousin. He is taking me out for dinner and movie. I have hardly spent time with him. 

She : To usko bhi leke aa na saath mein. Hum masti maarenge. 

Me : Arre par woh bahot shareef aadmi hai, hamare jaisa luccha nahin hai. 

She : Mujhe nahin pata, abhi is hi waqt usko conference pe le. 

Me : Hain ?

She : Haan le na, mereko baat karni hai us se. 

Me : Okay. 

I tried to take my cousin on conference, but he was busy on another call.

Me : He is busy on another call.

She : Tu jhoot bol raha hai, dobara laga I am holding. 

I tried again. This time cousin picked up the phone. 

Me : Listen, a friend of mine wants to talk to you. 

Cousin : Kaun hai ?

Me : She is on conference, I am connecting you with her. Talk to her. 

And then there was a conference call. It was one mad call. The person on the other side i.e. "She" was Mishkka ( @RJMishkka ). Mishkka and I met her through twitter only and I first met her in Delhi when she was in town. WE ARE TWO CRAZY FREAKS. Paagal hai hum dono. So, Mishkka convinced my cousin to meet her at Juhu Beach in the evening at a place which has a story attached to it.

But before that, I had another tweetup planned. Sharad ( @ThatPungiDude ) , Aditya ( @Visa135 ) and Ajay ( @BloodyKamina ) had to come. Ajay couldn't be there as he had some work in office, so we decided to catch up later. Sharad and Adiya came for the tweetup. We had lunch at Aroma, a coffee shop in Hiranandani. Technically, it was Sharad's and Aditya's first tweetup. We three kicked off really well and again it was one of the tweetups, where we didn't twitter much. It was more about Mumbai and my experience with the city. Aditya and Sharad both have lived in Mumbai all their life so they know the city pretty well. They told me more facts about the city which definitely added up to my curiosity quotient about the city. Sharad told me about a few places where I would be visiting during my next visit. Aditya wanted to take us out to some of the places, but due to time constraint, we couldn't go. But next time for sure. The meetup started at 2:30 and I had to leave at 4:30 because I had to go to Bandra to meet one more person. So had to leave and I came back home. 

I came back home and met my cousin. 

Me : Haanji, whats the program for the evening ?

Cousin : We will go to meet Mishkka first,  uske baad dekhte hai.

Me : Aisa hai, lets meet Mishkka first and uske baad movie chalte hai.

Cousin : Perfect ! Let me sleep for a while. 

Me : Cool. 

Cousin slept and I collected my stuff which was lying all over his flat. Yes, I am a messy person that ways. I collected everything and put that aside and thought of taking a nap. I lied down on my bed at around 5 and thought would get up by 5:30 and leave for Juhu directly, as that meet up in Bandra got cancelled. 

That nap got stretched to a full one and an half hour sleep. I got up at 6:30 and DAMN!! Cousin was still sleeping. We were late. Mishkka would beat the shit outta me and then again the phone rang

She : Kahan Pahuncha ?

Me : Abhi soke utha, kal poori raat soya nahin tha, aankh lag gayi.

She : Kitna ganda hai na tu. 

Me : Sorry, but I will leave my place in 15 mins.

She : Theek hai, come fast. I am waiting for you at Hotel Classic, Juhu Beach pe. 

Me : Okay

I shook my cousin, and asked him to get ready ASAP. We both got ready and left the place in 10 mins. Took an auto to Juhu Beach and in half an hour, it dropped us at Juhu Beach. Mishkka was calling us again and again and I knew that she was upset. But, finally we were at Juhu Beach. I called her up.

Me : I am here at Juhu Beach. Where is Hotel Classic ?

She :   Its right next to the beach, ask anyone.

Me : Okay. 

I asked a lot of people around, even policemen, no one had any idea about Hotel Classic. My cousin spotted another hotel right next to the beach, which was Hotel Citizen. I called Mishkka again.

Me : There is no Hotel Classic.

She : Arre Baba! Its right next to the beach.

Vodafone was being a bitch and there were call drops again and again. That was bloody irritating. 

Me : All I can see is Hotel Citizen.

She : Wait, let me give you the directions over the phone and you follow it.

Me : Okay

She gave us the directions and it took us to HOTEL CITIZEN. What a BUMMER! 

I walked into its restaurant and saw Mishkka standing there. Even before saying Hi to her, I said "THIS IS HOTEL CITIZEN, NOT HOTEL CLASSIC". We laughed like anything and hugged each other. 

Cousin, me and her, we kicked off really well. Mishkka is full of life, not on radio but in real life as well. Me and her form a perfect bakar bakar gang! :D 

The location of the hotel was PERFECT. We sat in the balcony that opened up on the beach side. VIEW WAS SPECTACULAR. People were enjoying at the beach. The waves hitting the shore. That sound of waves, was offering calmness in its purest form. We were enjoying our conversations and each other's company. Sat there for 2 hours and then Mishkka had to leave. 

After Mishkka left, I asked my cousin to take a stroll on the Juhu Beach. It was EPIC. May be in Delhi we dont have that luxury here that's why I was awestruck, but honestly saying, the feeling was amazing. The wind, the sound and the peace the place offered was AMAZING! We took a long walk on the beach and then decided our next plan. 

Next, we took an auto for Powai. As soon as we sat in the auto, there was a group of call girls heading towards the beach. It was a sight to see them. On our way, we thought, we would to go Phoenix Mills Mall Malad and catch up with "The Amazing Spiderman" there. But then finally we settled down at Infinity Mall, Andheri and headed there. 

The mall was bustling with people. Everyone was up to something or the other. I spotted Landmark, a book store. In no time, I stepped inside and got the hard copies of the books that I was reading on my iPad - "50 shades of grey" trilogy. Without thinking twice, I picked up all the three books of the series. I WAS A HAPPY MAN! 

Post that, we caught up with the movie, which was in a way disappointing because of the slow and lousy storyline but 3-D effects were superb. Post movie, we decided to head towards home and in between we would take a walk at Powai lake. While on our way to Powai, we spotted people everywhere in the weekend mood. 

There were homos, transgenders, prostitutes everywhere, trying to hook up with people. Thats another side of the city that I got to see in the middle of the night and people were mingling with them. Cousin was kinda shocked to see all this, but then I told him, its normal and you can see it everywhere. After taking a stroll at the Powai Lake, we headed towards home. And yes, that was the end of it. My time for being in Mumbai was officially over. I was sad about the fact that I would be leaving his place but had no option. Packed my stuff and slept at 4:00 A.M.

Till The Next One.

-

Yatin

Day 7 - The Nightlife Of Mumbai - Part 1

Sorry for all the delay that happened but I was really very busy in these last two days. Had loads of work to finish and many people to catch up with.

Day 7 began on a slow lousy note. As usual woke up around 8 in the morning and fiddled around with twitter and e-mails. Back in the office, there is a chaos and the intensity with which I was getting mails on my Blackberry, I am sure some major fuck up is waiting for me there.

Honestly, I was actually looking forward to this day during my whole stint with the city, but why ? Well, we will get back to that later.

Today, I was not supposed to visit any place. I had to catch up with more twitter people. After making a few calls and settling things down in the office, I took a nap. I had to catch up with Rishika ( @ TharkiThakurain ) and Tejas ( @Bedardi_raja ) again. Another person who was gonna join us was Drishti (@ daDriffti ). Drishti is studying law and stays in Ghatkopar. We have been following each other on twitter for quite some time so I was looking forward to it.

Cousin's flat mate got a new laptop that day. I had to meet Rishika at 2:30 at R-City Mall in Ghatkopar but till 1:45, I was busy setting up the new laptop. Tejas had a SAP Certification exam that morning which he qualified with flying colours. Congratulations buddy.

He calls me up and says where am I and at what time I am reaching there. Told him that I will be on time. Rishika also called up and said she would meet me at the entrance of the mall. I got ready and left my place at 2:15. Made a few calls on my way and was on BBM with Rishika. In no time I reached the mall and met Rishika. We decided the Urban Tadka at the meeting place and Rishika told me that another twitter person Shreyansh ( @OyeBehenDeTakke ) will be joining us.

Finally, all of us were sitting together in the restaurant. Ordered starters because we all wanted to have Beer but happy hours would have started from 3:30 (Gareebo Ki Kahani). We counted each and every second on the clock to show 3:30, meanwhile had lunch and then had a round of Beer. 

After finishing the lunch, Shreyansh left because he had sneaked out of his office to meet us. Me, Rishika, Drishti and Tejas went to a store from where I got some stuff for my sister. Post that a MAD MAD MAD photo session began, which left us in splits. I dont even remember when was the last time I laughed so much. It was hilarious. 

Drishti had to attend a Punjabi wedding in the evening so after getting a few tips and stories from me and Rishika, she left for her place. Me, Rishika and Tejas sat together for some time and then it was the time to go back home. I realized this was for the last time, I would be seeing Rishika in Mumbai and obviously Tejas too. Bid them bye with a heavy heart and we all promised to see each other really very soon. 

Came back home and all I did was waited for the L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y tweetup that I had been planning from the times when me, Viraj ( @Gaaliman ) and Dev ( @Nostradevus , @CaptnJellyBelly previously )  came in touch through twitter and became best of the buddies. Dev and Viraj has known each other since years as they studied together and Viraj introduced me and Dev when Star Plus showed premiered Rockstar for the first time on Indian Television and I was live tweeting it furiously. 

The plan was to have a nighout at Dev's place. He stays in Navi Mumbai and Viraj and me were supposed to go to his place and thats what we did. I met Viraj (Who kept on changing plans till the last moment) at Mulund and finally we were on our way to Dev's place. Just to tell you, VIRAJ LOVES DRIVING ! ( Saala paagal ho jaata hai driving seat pe baith kar). The excitement was clearly visible the way he was behaving that day. All he did was played Dope-Shope by Honey Singh in his car and kept dancing on it while he was driving. He showed me around a bit and after like 30 minutes or something we reached Dev's place. 

Dev and Viraj both are CA aspirants. Dev has recently given his final exams and Viraj had appeared for PCC. Both are waiting for their results. Finally, after months of planning WE THREE WERE TOGETHER. A dream come true to say the least. The plan was to have dinner and get sloshed. 

Dev to say the least, is an amazing host. I loved his house. He ordered Pizza for us which was our dinner and the non-stop gossip began. Everyone on twitter knows that how big gossip whores me and Viraj are.  While we were chatting, I told them that only thing that I missed out in Mumbai was seeing Marine Drive in the middle of the night. And within the moments of saying this, both of them were on their feet to heard towards Marine Drive. 

After finishing our dinner, we were again on wheels and headed straight towards Marine Drive. Viraj as usual was high on happiness and was playing foot tapping numbers at the loudest possible volume. We all were too excited to be at Marine Drive because its been months since Dev and Viraj had been to the place. 

What I noticed on our way was. Mumbai never sleeps. It was around mid-night that we were cruising through the roads of Mumbai. No traffic nothing. We got stuck a bit at some places, but that was okay. Within some 45 minutes we were at Marine Drive. The place was bustling with people. It was a friday night and everyone there was in a weekend mood. 

All three of us, sat at Marine Drive and discussed about our lives, our dreams and everything that we could share. It always feels good when you sit with people who share the same mental frequency with you and all three of us kicked off really well. We all lied down and were gazing at the moon-lit sky which gave us an out of the world feeling. Some experience that was.

Finally, after spending an hour or so, we headed towards Dev's place. Dev was telling me about Mumbai roads and he asked me to count the number of bridges that we crossed on our way back. They were total 13 in number ( I hope, I am not wrong as I lost the count in between). In no time, we reached his place and all the bottles of alcohol opened in no time. Viraj and Dev kept teasing by saying "Tu Jaanta Nahin Hai Mera Baap Kaun Hai" as I hail from Delhi and every other person here keeps saying that to each other. We laughed a lot on this thing. 

When alcohol went down to our throats, we all started discussing various profound things. It was one of the tweet-ups where we didn't discuss twitter much. We were discussing about our life plans, things around us and stuff. It was informative, loved the whole session. After drinking whole night, we all decided to sleep at 6:30. Dev strictly asked to not to wake him up when we leave. Dev and me hugged each other and promised to meet soon. Me and Viraj slept in no time and by 9 in the morning, we left Dev's place. 

Viraj dropped me near Hiranandani and we hugged each other and said bye. I am so waiting for both of them to come to Delhi as they are seriously planning to be here. 

Now, you all know why I couldn't update my blog that night. Because I was having the time of my life. Marine Drive looked beautiful in the night and the only click I could manage there is this where you can see the famous Queen's Necklace.

Till the next one

-

Yatin

Day 6 - The Wet Mumbai

It rained all night and when I woke up at 8:30, all I could see was lush green surroundings and heavy rains. Yes, it was raining. Cousin told me that this is how it rains here.

The title of the post is a bit cheesy, but it has got nothing to do with what you are thinking right now. Mumbai is known for its rains and every year people here look forward to it. Rains brings joy to the city, the whole aura of this place changes in monsoon which would soothe you in an unexplainable way. With rains, comes some problems too, water logging, a hideous stench, traffic jams and Mumbai Locals comes to a halt when it pours heavily here. It happened today also.

Rains can be depressing at times too. They can take you back to those days which you would not want to remember. Happened with me too this morning. Was a bit upset but then it is how it is. You have to live with it.

I had no plans for today. I thought I will make sudden plans and execute them and that's what I did. After having breakfast, I took another nap and post that decided to visit IIT-Bombay. A friend is doing post-graduation there and I also knew 3 professors here, out of which 2 were out of town and 1 gave me time to meet him.

Every science student who wants to be an engineer dreams of getting into an IIT. They are the best in the country in every domain, be its education, faculty, infrastructure, co-curricular activities etc.  I also dreamt of getting into an IIT but wasn't lucky enough. But no regrets there. I am happy with what I have.

I left my house around 2 and took an auto to IIT campus. It is very close to the place I live. Met my friend Uday there. I have known Uday since my school days. We used to study together in coaching classes. Uday showed me around the whole campus and took me to Student's Activity Center, where I met a couple of people and discussed a few things with them that turned into something productive for me.

The whole IIT campus is lush green and you would instantly fall in love with the place. It is one of the most reputed education centers of India. After seeing the main building and various other departments and labs, I went to meet the professor I know there. This is for the first time I was meeting him. Ever since I had known him, we had either exchanged e-mails or had talked over phone. He showed me around his department and we had a chit-chat about his current research based project. He invited me for a lunch tomorrow but I had to refuse because I already have plans for tomorrow. 

 
I thought after visiting IIT, I would go to watch Gangs of Wasseypur but it was too late for me. I decided to head back towards home. Met Uday again and he dropped me to the main gate of the campus and I came back home and took another nap.

Woke up in the evening and made a few phone calls here and there. Got the news that petrol prices are decreasing by Rs.2.46. I was starving so I decided to take a walk near Powai lake again. The place despite being on a busy road offers calmness. But then sudden change of plans and I decided to take a walk in the park adjacent to Chandivali Lake and go to the nearby market.

While walking down in the market, I saw a street food joint and I thought let's try how good is street food here. I have already had Vada Pav and I instantly fell in love with it. Today I tried paani puri, bhel puri and Sandwich. They were quite okay, but not as good as we get them in Delhi. The street food disappointed me.Delhi wins hands down when it comes to street food. Quenched my thirst with fresh coconut water and came back home.

The day was a bit lousy but I caught up with much needed rest and sleep. Had a chit-chat with sister and she told me that its too hot to survive in Delhi. I just hope by the time I reach there, weather gets back to normal. The heat should just go away now.

Now last two days of my visit to Mumbai are left and I am gonna make most of them. I wanted to catch up with the night life of the city but I guess I will have to come back again to experience it. Meeting more people tomorrow over lunch and dinner. Might not be able to update my blog tomorrow.

Till the next one.  

-
Yatin

Day 5 : The Raw Mumbai

As usual, I am here again with more updates about my visit to Mumbai. This city has not disappointed me in anyway till now. The day was totally planned and would have taken a toll on me by the end of it, but something happened and whole planning went for a toss, else I would have been at Marine Drive at this house and writing this post. Anyways, happens.

Today, finally I managed to wake up late. Yesterday was too tiring and I have a peaceful sleep. Honestly saying, I was actually looking forward to today because I was about to meet a person whom I had always wanted to meet since I got in touch with him on twitter. Somehow managed to wake up at 8 A.M and then lazed around a bit. My phone kept constantly ringing since then. People back home are missing my presence and it was very evident. I am sure some mess is waiting for me there.

Since days, I was constantly getting SMSes from the person whom I was about to meet in the noon. It felt like I am going for some business meeting because they were very particular. Finally somehow I managed to drag myself out of the bed, took a shower, had breakfast, got ready and I was all set to leave the house. Sun was too harsh today that gave me a clue, today is gonna be bad bad bad day coz it gonna be too humid.

Today I had to meet another twitter person with the handle ( @oongalbaaz ) and I address him as Adnan bhaijaan. A well educated, well read, opinionated and witty guy who runs his own business in this city of dreams and his goals and fundas about everything are quite clear. We decided to meet up at VT or CST station at dot 1:15 P.M.

Ever since I planned to come to Mumbai, I always thought of traveling in Mumbai Locals. People keep cribbing about how crowded they during office hours and stuff, but let me tell you its same everywhere. When we talk about Delhi Metro, the conditions are exactly same during office hours. You hardly get a place to stand when you go from Kashmeeri Gate to Gurgaon. In my opinion, Delhi Metro is nothing but a sophisticated and more organised version of Mumbai local.

I decided to take a Mumbai Local today to CST station. It was for the first time that I was traveling alone in it. Nervousness, excitement and anxiety was there. I reached Vikhroli station around noon, got my coupons punched for CST and I was all set to board the train. Saw the signages and the digital display boards and figured out from where I will get my train. The moment I reached the platform, train was there, figured out the second class and boarded the train. Quite a cakewalk it was.

After some 40 mins or something, I reached CST station and got out of the station premises on the side where they have this beautiful building which is the BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation)  office. Made a few calls and after some 10 mins, Adnan bhai dressed in a blue jeans and mustard coloured shirt was there. He is much older, but looked younger than me. :P

After greeting each other, we strolled towards the place where he wanted to take me. Cafe Britannia, its an 89 year old parsi cafe situated at Central Mumbai. We got a cab and it dropped us there in no time. The first impression that you would get after seeing the cafe is that its shabby coz the owners have not renovated it from years. After waiting for some 5-10 mins, we were allowed to sit inside the cafe. I looked around and saw that his place has been awarded with several awards such as Kingfisher's award and Times food award etc. Another thing that I noticed about the cafe is, the owners are obsessed with Queen and the Royal family of the great Britain. You can see their pictures placed on the walls of the cafe. Adnan bhai shared some trivia about the place.

Adnan bhai wanted to show me the raw side of Mumbai, thats why he had brought me to this cafe and I am glad he did. The food was yummy, specially berry pulao. Loved it. Over a scrumptious meal and ice-cold fresh lime soda, we discussed about a lot many things, and specially about our endless arguments and leg pulling on twitter. Off twitter, we get along really well.

For desserts, Adnan bhai had some other plans. He took me to Bhindi Bazaar after that. We took a cab and in some 15 mins, we reached there. Bhindi Bazaar is one place where you would get to see the raw side of Mumbai or I should say Bombay. Bhaijaan told me that the underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim has his house there in the bazaar. Quite intimidating that was. He took me to a sweet shop named Suleman Usman Mithaiwaala and ordered a mithai named "Aflatoon" which is quite funny as the name of a sweet.

Aflatoon is basically this super rich halwa which comes in the form of small cakes. It was yummy. Sugar was just perfect, light as I like it and full of dry fruits. Superb it was. After finishing that he took me to another shop to try something else i.e. Kesari Phirni. Initially I said no for it but when I saw that yellow frozen phirni in a clay dish, I couldn't say no. It looked yummy and tasted even better. Its basically a kheer which is made up of "Sama Chawal" but definitely super rich and creamy. Finishing up that small quantity of Phirni was quite a task for me but I managed it somehow. Both the items are a must try if you have never tried them.

After this, Adnan bhai showed me Taj Publishers, who are known as the largest producers of Quran in India. I have always wanted to read Quran to know what actually Islam preaches because I feel that its always debatable. So, I asked Adnan bhai if I can get a hindi translation of it, he said yes and in no time, he bought me a copy of it. That was one his gifts that he gave me today. The other things were a beautiful bottle of "Itra" ( Natural Scent) and a pen with my name inscribed on it. (The only personalized thing that I posses now) . I am never gonna use both these gifts because they are special in their own way.

That made me feel really special. Thanks bhaijaan, I am sure you are reading this one :)

Very soon, I am gonna start another blog which would be all about my interpretation of Quran. I dont know how good I will be with understanding the things said in it, but I will try my level best.

After that, Adnan bhai showed me a few other places and later texted me their names so that I can include all of them in this post

1. Apollo Bunder

2. Minara Masjid which looked beautiful.

3. Md. Ali Road.

We also crossed Haj House where all the meetings of the Haj Committee of India happens, Musafirkhana and Manish Market on our way back to VT station. We chit chatted a bit before Adnan Bhai left and I felt like someone very close and dear to me was leaving. Felt bad. Wish could spend some more time with him.

From there, I had plans to meet Jatin (@TheSlumDawg) at Girgaum Chowpatty, and post that I had to meet some other twitter friends at Leopold Cafe. I took a cab from VT to Girgaum chowpatty and waited for Jatin to come. Got a call from the person with whom I am here to meet in Mumbai. He called me up at Powai which is quite far from chowpatty b. With an upset mind, I had to cancel all the plans for the evening, called up everyone else but very close to my place including Jatin and apologised for ruining their plans. Straightaway took a cab to Powai that crossed Bandra Worli Sea Link and made it to the meeting. I have almost got what I was here for in Mumbai so I am actually happy and satisfied today. My sole purpose to be in Mumbai got fulfilled today. Came back home, slept for a while. Called up parents and told them everything.

So, that's what I did today. It was surely another memorable day where I think I have earned a person for the rest of my life. Tomorrow I have no plans, so will just roam around here and there or may be a ride in Mumbai Local at peak hours :D

Till the next one, Ciao

-

Yatin

Day 4 : The Spiritual Mumbai

Hola! 

Here I am back again. Too tired to blog honestly because I had a long long long but an AWESOME & MEMORABLE day.  

Back home, when I was reading about places to visit in Mumbai, I realized that the city has got a lot to offer when it comes to spirituality. So, at that time only I decided that I am gonna visit the following places in a single day : 

1. Siddhivinayak Mandir 

2. Haji Ali Dargah

3. Mahaluxmi Mandir

4. Mumba Devi Mandir

and my twitter friend Ajit ( @Ajitwrites ) asked me to not to miss out the ISKCON temple of Juhu and Madhusmita ( @JustMadhusmita ) was very keen on me visiting the Mount Mary Church. So, I decided I would add both these places to my list too. 

Yesterday when I was with Dheera ( @Dheera_ ), she asked me about my plans for today and when I told her, she said that she would try and join me and Rishika but would confirm today morning. Yesternight only, she BBMed me saying that she is on for today and that added to the excitement. Dheera also offered that she would take us to all the places as she knows the city quite well.  

Today morning, Rishika's plan got changed and she decided to watch the latest bollywood flick playing "Gangs Of Wasseypur" . I was a bit upset about the fact that she would not be with us, but its okay. Dheera and me decided to meet near Gold Spot Factory in Andheri around 1 P.M. 

After having breakfast and all, I was talking to my mamaji and mamiji as they were leaving for Jaipur tonight. Right now they are on their way to Jaipur. So, I told them that I would definitely come with them to the station and will be back home by 9:00 P.M. 

So, got ready and left home at 12:30 dot and took an auto-rickshaw to the decided place and at exact 1 I met her. We were all set to roll and as per Hindu rituals we decided to begin our tour with Ganesh Ji. 

While on our way to Siddhivinayak, Dheera told me that we would be taking the Bandra Worli Sea Link or Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link to go to the temple. I was so excited about the fact. It took almost 9 years to make this sea link and it looks AWESOME. That 7 Km drive is sheer pleasure but the toll tax that you have to pay to use it is quite high (Approx Rs.82 including return, if I am not wrong) . As soon as we entered the sea link, I was mesmerized. You get to see a whole new look of the city from that Sea Link. Every penny and each second you spend on it is totally worth it.

Sea has always been special to Mumbai. I feel its the Sea only that makes Mumbai what it is. Every city has its own pros and cons but it is all about how you take it.

Siddhivinayak Mandir :

Ganpati Bappa Morya!!! 

So, from the sea link we directly drove towards the temple in about 10 mins we reached there. Dheera was worried about where to park her car but we got lucky that we got a proper parking place. As soon as we were about to come out of the car, rains started. Mumbai rains are very unpredictable. We decided to wait for a few minutes and it was worth it. Rains stopped. Tuesday is considered as the day of Ganpati at Siddhivinayak. I was told by my cousin that it would take around 3-4 hours for me to have darshan there. But it hardly took 30 mins for me and Dheera to go inside and come out and had almost PERFECT darshan there. I think Ganpati Bappa made some special arrangements for me only. On that note, I would like to say it again

GANPATI BAPPA MORYA !!!!

Haji Ali Dargah : 

Straight from Siddhivinayak temple, we headed towards Haji Ali. Its right in the middle of the sea and you have to walk through a special bridge sort of a path to reach there. As there was no parking space available, me and Dheera decided to park her car in a mall and took a cab for Haji Ali. We went inside the area from where that path starts and got some flowers and other things to offer to Baba Haji Ali. As soon as we started walking towards mosque, we observed that it was high tide and as it was hitting that path, the sea water was all over it. Quite a mesmerizing scene it was. Suddenly, in no time, it started raining heavily. We both were in the middle of that path and had nowhere to go. THE VIEW THOSE RAINS OFFERED WAS MIND BOGGLING. Honestly, I had never seen such a beautiful view in my entire life.You get the whole view of the city from that path and while its raining, the city looked majestic. Dheera and Me had goosebumps, we were totally drenched and high tides of the sea played a role in that along with the rains. As soon as we entered the mosque, it stopped raining. Haji Ali Baba welcomed me in his own style and showed me his city in a completely different light. Offered my prayers and then we came back to the mall. Filled ourselves with Mc'Donalds burger and hot coffee and we were all set for our next destination.

Mahaluxmi Temple :

Mahaluxmi temple was a disappointment. We couldn't get a parking space there so we decided to go inside the temple and offer our prayers from outside only. But I will try and visit this temple again in coming days.

Mumba Devi Mandir : 

On our way to Mumba Devi, Dheera showed me the world's costliest building "Antilla" built by Mukesh Ambani. The building is an epitome of modern architecture. On our way, Dheera was telling me about her life and stories about different places, bollywood celebrities etc. We entered that area which was set up by Britishers. Crossed Mumbai University which has got amazing architecture. Mumbai police headquaters and many other place. We also crossed Jahangir Art gallery, Marine Drive on our way to the temple. Finally we reached near Mumba Devi and parked our car and decided to walk down towards the temple. Mumba Devi temple is located in the heart of Zaveri Bazaar ( The jewellery market of Mumbai). After a 15 minute walk we reached the temple, offered our prayers and came back. While on our way back, we crossed Marine Drive, Worli Sea Face and again Bandra Worli Sea Link and entered Bandra.

Mount Mary Church : 

Mount Mary Church is one of the oldest churches of Mumbai. Actor John Abraham lives very close to this church. It has got a beautiful architecture. When we entered the church, we were mesmerized by its beauty. It offered the much needed peace of mind that a person looks for at the end of a long tiring day. We sat there for a few minutes, offered our prayers to the almighty and left the church.

The last destination left was ISCKON temple Juhu, but before that Dheera decided to show me Shah Rukh Khan's house Mannat at Bandstand which is in Bandra only. Mannat is a very beautiful property and too many people were standing outside expecting SRK to come out and wave to them. Right opposite to Mannat, there is Bandstand beach. You can see all the couples in love sitting their and chatting. One of the nicest things about Mumbai is "Nobody cares what the other person is up to" unlike Delhi, where your neighbor knows much more about you than you know about yourself. No one really cares and likes other interfering in one's business.

So, we drove on the road right next to Bandstand beach and headed towards Juhu. Dheera told me that too many bollywood celebs live in Bandra and you can spot them every now and then. She also showed me former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen's house too.

ISKCON Temple, Juhu : 

ISKCON stands for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Honestly, their temples are the most organized and clean temples you would find anywhere. With the help of Google Maps, we located the temple and finally reached it. It was around 6:45 P.M when we reached there, parked our car and went inside. I have been to many ISKCON temples since I was a child, but Dheera was going there for the first time. She was mesmerized by the beautifully dressed idols of gods and goddesses and the paintings that were done on the walls. After spending like 15 mins in the temple we left for Andheri.

Dheera finally dropped me at Juhu Circle, where I had to wait for almost 20 minutes to cross the road. Finally somehow I managed it and waited for another 10 minutes to get a cab to return home. My mamaji and mamiji had to leave for Jaipur tonight so me and cousin decided to drop them at Bombay Central Station. Anyhow, I had to reach home by 9:00 P.M so I asked Cab driver that I will pay you extra if you drop me home by 9:00. The driver was from U.P and we exchanged a few words. I also told him that I am from U.P so he got all nostalgic. He somehow managed to drop me home at 8:45 and when I offered him extra money, he refused by saying "Aap toh apne area ke ho, aapse extra nahin lunga". So nice of him.

I reached home, dry cleaned myself for the next task of the day. We all  had decided to take Local from Kanjur Marg Station which is close to the place where I am staying. We took a slow local till Dadar which is on the Central line and then changed our line to Western Line and reached BCT (Bombay Central Terminus). After dropping them at the station, while on our way back I had a Vada Pav (Yes, I am in love with it) and somehow by 11:30 we managed to reach home. My cousin was sharing his experiences with the Mumbai Local when he was new in the city.

So, that was all about how I spent my day today. What I observed today is there is vast faith in God in the heart of every human being but sadly religions have divided it. I know I am touching a controversial topic here, but  honestly, I dont believe in religions and all. We humans are much above than this whole religion system and high time people realize it and stop ridiculing each other on the name of religion.

So, thats all for today. I have another long day waiting for me tomorrow and my eyelids are getting really heavy now, so no proof reading for this post and excuse me for all the grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Signing Off.

-
Yatin

Day 3 : The Workaholic Mumbai ...

The kind of responses that I am getting for this whole travelogue is amazing. I am too tired to write but would still do it because back home my sister wants to read what I did today. Had a long tiring day, but yes a memorable one. 

As usual, morning started a bit early, woke up at 6:30 and took a stroll in the nearby park. Came back and packed my bag pack and I was all set to see the workaholic Mumbai. 

No offense to anyone, but I guess but this song "Dauda Dauda Bhaaga Bhaaga Sa" song from the famous Kamal Hassan movie Chachi 420 perfectly defines how Mumbaikars run on working days. As usual my guide for Mumbai Darshan, Rishika had to join me and we fixed the meeting point as Kurla Station. I left my place at 9:30, took an auto rickshaw from to the station and Rishika took a local from her place. We decided to meet at Kurla at around 10:30. 

I keenly observed people on the streets on the way. Everyone was in some kind of strange rush. Well, then I realized that fact that it's MONDAY today. Probably the most cursed day of the week. MONDAY BLUES #YouRemember ? Enroute from Powai to Kurla, I called up Adnan Bhai ( @oongalbaaz ) to wish him and then focused on the roads. Buses, Auto Rickshaws, Pedestrians, all of them were in hurry so that they can report as their respective workplaces on time. It felt like, their boss is singing "Bhaag Dk Bose" song in their mind. Everyone was just running. 

People say that Mumbai never disappoints anyone and someone I met today said "This City Will Always Reward You, If You Are True To Your Work". We'll get back to that later though. So, I reached Kurla station in around 50 mins. Roads were trafuckked. Mumbai is a congested city and traffic jams are big pain in the ass. They have the potential to turn a 30 minute journey into a 3 hour one. After finishing a few things over phone, I somehow managed to reach Kurla station at 10:30. Rishika also joined me after 10 mins and we were all set to leave for Andheri West. 

Today's plan included meeting one more twitter friend Mrs. Dheeraj Bharadwaj Vashisht ( @Dheera_ ) who is popularly known as "Dheera" on twitter and in real life too. We have known each other from past one year and have been in constant touch through twitter, BBM and Phone Calls. She is an entrepreneur who runs an advertising agency K&V Media Pvt. Ltd. with her husband Mr.Priyank Vashisht. I got a chance to work with her agency for IPL-2012. They were supposed to do on-ground activation for IPL-2012 for Set Max and they asked me to help them out with some things.. They have got a perfect team for crisis management and two people from her team that I would like to name here i.e. Mr Manoj Chanchan and Ms. Tejas with whom I coordinated with, during the assignment are kick-ass professionals. 

So, at around 11:30, we reached her place and met Priyank Sir and her along with their son Nawab. ( I wish I had my laptop so that I could share the pics ). Finally after numerous calls and BBM chats me and Dheera were finally meeting. We chatted about a lot of things including how she landed up in Mumbai and how did she got into entrepreneurship and all. She got a bit nostalgic while sharing her life with us. She is from Delhi but loves MUMBAI TO THE CORE. Well, the city deserves all the love. Another thing that I would like to share about her is her huge collection of books.  I think she told me that she has got around 5000+ books in her collection. THATS LIKE WOW ! I had plans to go to her office and we finally left for there at around 1:30. Her office is in Versova and on our way she showed me Lokhandwala and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Another thing that I would like to mention is Dheera and Rishika kicked off really well. \m/ A Leo and A Saggi ! :D 

We reached her office at around 2 P.M and finally I got to meet her entire team. She has a small team but all the people are highly dedicated and are thorough professionals. Met them all. Finally Tejas and Manoj Sir too. Post that, Dheera Ma'm told me that there is Versova beach right behind their office. Me and Rishika decided to visit the beach and left her office. Took an auto and it dropped us at the beach in no time. 

This was for the first time in my life, that I was getting up close and personal with a beach. Though I visited Marine Drive 2 days back but still the feel of this beach was completely different. The sound of water that was hitting the shore soothed my mind. It was noisy yet peaceful. Offered a certain kind of calmness that  cannot be explained in words. After spending some time there in which I shot a video and clicked some pictures, me and Rishika were on our way back to the office. We spotted a Costa Coffee on our way back, decided to fill ourselves, ordered lemonades and sandwich and the very next moment, Gul Panag stepped into the cafe. I was kinda stunned. She was looking HAWT. I couldn't take my eyes off her. After finishing the stuff we ordered, we went to Dheera's office, sat there for some time, had a Vada Pav (That was yummy) and were off to Andheri Station in some time. 

On our way to Andheri, Dheera asked me if I have seen Amitabh Bachchan's residence, Juhu Beach and all, I said No. So, she took a detour and showed me Prateeksha and Jalsa, the two famous bungalows of Mr.Amitabh Bachchan and very close to those, it was Juhu Beach. I couldn't get off the car because two people were waiting for us at Andheri Station and we were already running late. 

At Andheri Station we had to meet Sharad Bhai ( @Marwaari ) and Jatin ( @TheSlumDawg ) . I met Jatin last month only in Delhi. He is a mumbaikar by heart, in fact I should say a RAW MUMBAIKAR by heart. Always talks to the point, holds nothing against anyone and is quite sorted in his own way. I totally respect him for what he is. More power, more success and happiness to him. 

Sharad Bhai runs his own business in Mumbai and this was his first official tweetup. He was in Delhi some time back but to some mis-communication, I couldn't meet him. Well, finally I met him in his own city. Honestly, he comes across as a very complicated soul on twitter. But, when I met him, he turned out to be totally opposite. All cool and Bindaas I should say. Me, Jatin, Rishika and Sharad Bhai sat in a Mc'D near Andheri station and a full on gossip session began. I didn't feel like that we all were meeting together for the first time. We all got along really well. After some time Rishika left for her place and me too after like 15-20 minutes and reached home at around 8:30 P.M. 

So, finally I survived through one more day in Mumbai. Met few more unknown (yet known) people from twitter and I guess their names are added in my list of life-long friends. 

 After experiencing a working day in Mumbai I dare to say that "A Mumbaikar can very well adjust in Delhi, but A Delhite would have a tough time to get used to Mumbai". Life is so so so fast here but no one really complains. Each city has its own things to offer that makes you fall in a love-hate relationship with it and as Dheera said, "Everything comes as a package with pros and cons, either you have to accept it or ignore" and the line about Mumbai in the beginning of this post was also said by Dheera only. 

So, thats what I did in Mumbai today. More memories were added to my brain and this blog too. 

Till the next post. Ciao! 

- 

Yatin 

Day 2 : A Walk In The Rain

So, here I am again. With nothing much to share about the city today, Initially I thought that I won't blog today. But then I decided let me just share what I did today.

So the day began late for me. Woke up at 7:30 and saw that it was raining. Mumbai looks beautiful during monsoons and I completely agree to that. Its green everywhere. Mumbai is definitely blessed in a way. After a chit chat with my cousin sister, who left for Jaipur today we had breakfast, Aloo Poori and Aamras. (Yummy It Was) and then we went to drop her to the Airport. 

Came back and took a nap. It was raining on and off. I was loving the weather and then we did something which was completely unexpected. We JAMMED. Music has always been a passion. Though I am not too particular about the kind of music that I listen to. I like anything and everything. Whatever sounds good to my ears is music for me and I feel it should be that way only. I have seen people fighting over their personal choice of music and found it really stupid to be honest. My cousin used to play Drums when he was in college and another roommate of his plays awesome guitar. My Mamiji (Cousin's Mother) is also M.A in Music and Fine Arts. So, all and all, it was a musicians day out. We kicked off with some old bollywood numbers and gradually shifted to the latest numbers. The best part was when we were singing "Paani Da Rang" from Vicky Donor and it was raining outside. The session ended with Linkin Park's "In The End" song.

While we were jamming, I got a call from my school friend. We have studied together for good 7 years in school and post that also, we always kept in touch during our college  till now. She came to know through Facebook that I am in Mumbai and she bashed me for it. She works with L&T here as a developer and is an awesome Bharatnatyam Dancer, Painter and a very good writer. A woman of substance who is confident and she knows what she is up to. So, we decided to meet up at Hiranandani and have lunch. I now somehow feel that Hiranandani's have paid to me promote their market in my travelogue coz I am almost meeting everyone there only :P 

It was raining on and off. We opened all the windows of our house and cool breeze filled up the house. There was no need of fans and AC. It was amazing. My friend reached at Hiranandani at around 2:00 and we met. Had awesome lunch at The Great Kabab Factory that ended up with mouth water dessert. Remembered some good old days of school times and discussed about work, friends and her life in Mumbai.  I might go with her to Marine Drive again if I get time from my schedule.

I came back home at around 4 and found that everyone was asleep. I was getting bored  and as usual Twitter came to the rescue. I was tweeting about that I have got nothing to do then Adnan Bhai ( @Oongalbaaz, Its his birthday today, i.e. 25th June) suggested me to go and take a walk at Powai Lake which is very close to the place where I am staying. Before continuing further, let me just wish him first.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADNAN BHAIJAAN. MAY ALLAH BLESSES YOU WITH HEALTH, WEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

I found out the directions to the lake and decided to walk down till there. Took a bit of a detour and saw Chandivali lake which is more like a Naala, and saw it too. 

Powai lake is beautiful. Yes, its a small one and a bit dirty too. But yes, if you will stroll around it, you would like it. Monsoons give a whole new feel to the city and you just can't get over with it. While I was walking around the lake, rains started. I was lucky that I was carrying a small polythene bag that I kept in my pocket moments before I left the house. Quickly kept my phone and camera inside it and decided to get drenched in the rain. I would like to quote a dialogue from the movie Wake Up Sid here when Ranbir Kapoor tell Konkona Sen Sharma "Mumbai monsoons are to die for. Log complain karte hai about floods, traffic wagerah, but I toh totally love it. Tum dekhna, tum baarisho main yahan kitna enjoy karne waali ho" and yes that thing he said in the movie is true. 

Walking in the rains always make you get lost in thoughts. It takes you to a completely different world where you just think about the things that ou've been ignoring purposely. Same thing happened with me too. I was lost in thought while I was sitting on the lake side and spotted a Nariyal Paani waala. Bought a malaai waala nariyal and refreshed myself. Then I decided to get back home before dark. 

Before entering the society, I thought I would again go back to Chandivali lake and take some shots and got some amazing photographs. That I am gonna post later here. 

Came back home, all drenched in rains and sweat too. Took a bath, had yummy Baigan Ka Bharta, Moong Daal and Chapatis for dinner and Ice-Cream as dessert while it was constantly raining outside.

Post that, we all sat together and had a chit chat about our experiences with life. My mamaji who works for a bank shared a lot many interesting stories about his career.And now I am here writing this blog.

The best thing about the day was it wasn't that humid for me.

Well, tomorrow is a busy day. I would start with the work that I am here for. Meeting Rishika again tomorrow morning and lets see what the day has got in store for me. No plans have been made till now. 

See you tomorrow then.

-

Yatin

Day 1 : The stint begins

I am seriously hating this fact that I am not carrying my laptop with me. Another bummer is I forgot my phone's and camera's accessories at home. I am usually not careless when it comes to travelling, but it  feels like, I didn't do my homework properly this time. I still cannot post photographs. DAMN !!!! But once I am back home, I am gonna update all the posts with pictures. iShapath ! 

Anyways, Day 1 at Mumbai began quite early for me. I slept at 3 last night at woke up at 6:30. These days I am reading this book "50 shades of grey" by E.L James which is an erotic fiction. Don't think I am some kind of a pervert, I am reading this book coz of its enticing plot. I highly recommend the book for all those who think they are adults now.

So, the day was planned. I had to meet two people from twitter. And then I thought I would spend some time with my family. The day actually began at around 10:30, when I told my cousin about my plans for the day and he decided to take his family out for lunch and then to Mumba Devi.

I had to meet Divpreet ( @Smilesgalore ) at Mainland China, Hiranandani at sharp 1:30 P.M. She is a British citizen and is currently living and working in India. She told me that she is very punctual as she is a Britisher. Keeping that in mind, I made sure that I reach the place before time. So, I finished my daily chores by 12:45 and made sure that I don't get late. 

. 

As usual, the humid weather was taking a toll on me and I was completely drenched in sweat when I reached the restaurant. Waited for good 10 mins there and at exact 1:30, a hottie entered the place in a black dress. I was awestruck.Yes, that was Divpreet, one of my closest friends on twitter. She is a smart woman, who knows what she is up to. Yes, a bit messy at times, but yes girls are supposed to be messy (Girls, don't kill me for this, I love you all). I met her for the first time today, but we BBM a LOT and yes, we gossip around a lot. To tell you a fact, her previous handle was @Gossipal. Yes, she is a Gossip Queen and you can label me as Gossip King when I am with her. 

We ordered some food and then began a long endless conversation with no full stops and commas. We were continuously blabbering about something or the other. Food was amazing. This was my first visit to Mainland China and I highly recommend it to the people who love Chinese food. 

After spending good 2-2.5 hours together, Divpreet had to leave. We bid each other goodbye and she promised that she would be in Delhi soon. YaY :D  

After that I had plans to meet another person from twitter, Ajit Parameswaran ( @AjitWrites ) , one of the wisest people I know on twitter. He works for an IT company as a Project Manager and is an avid sports lover, gadget freak and a travelaholic. He has lived in Mumbai all his life and another thing that I discovered after meeting him today that he is an encyclopedia about Mumbai. 

I met him at a coffee shop at Hiranandani only, and in some time we decided to go to Gateway Of India. Another twitter friend Viraj ( @Gaaliman ) was around, but he got stuck in some work and Ajit and Me had limited time, so after having a word with Viraj, we both left for Gateway Of India. (Read about it on Wikipedia if you dont know what it is).

Ajit explained me how we are gonna go there. We took an auto rickshaw till Ghatkopar and from there he told me we will take a local till CST. Travelling in Mumbai Local which are also known as the lifeline of Mumbai was an item in my bucket list. So, with all excitement, we entered the station premises. Ajit bought tickets and I got myself coupons which people use here to commute.

Mumbai Locals are plain simple example of a perfect strategy. It connects almost all the main parts of Mumbai. I might be wrong there, but that is what my knowledge says. Ajit explained me about dos and donts in the locals. The concept of fast local and the slow local, timing, east and west side of the platforms and a lot many things. The was some knowledge. We took a fast local ( That stops at Major stations only) to  CST. There were 3 major stoppages in between ( Kurla, Byculla, Dadar).In around 25 minutes, we were at the another part of the city. Ajit kept telling me about eachk station that we passed. And finally around 6, we were at the heart of the city, CST ( Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus).

We got out of the station and Ajit told me its a half an hour walk to Gateway Of India and the way is extremely beautiful. We decided to take a walk and Ajit kept telling me about all the buildings that we encountered on our way.This part of Mumbai was built by Britishers. The British architecture is beautiful and jaw dropping ( I wish I could share the pics ). He also showed me Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) coz of which many people have their lives and many lost theirs. I kept clicking pictures from my phone. Yes, I was not carrying my camera. FUCK MY LUCK.

After a good 30-35 minute walk, I could finally spot Gateway Of India and on the other side, I could see Hotel Taj and Hotel Oberoi. Hotel Taj is now famous for all wrong reasons after that terror attack but it is one architectural beauty. Also, this was my first encounter with any Sea. I was like, there can be nothing better than this. Mumbaikars are surely lucky that they have something like this in their reach. I instantly fell in love with the city. Yes, now I LOVE MUMBAI MORE THAN DELHI. I am not a traitor, but yes, the Mumbai bug has finally bit me too.

Soon after, I asked Ajit, if we can go to Marine Drive if he has time. Very coolly he said, its just 15-20 mins by Taxi here, let's go. We took a taxi and as we were about to reach Marine Drive, it started raining cats and dogs. GAWD, the weather is so unpredictable here in Mumbai. It rains when you are least expecting it. Well, Marine Drive in rains looks heavenly, many people had told me about this and now it was the time to experience it. Rains definitely added up to the whole experience. The moment we reached Marine Drive, rains stopped. Lucky Me. We got off the taxi and rushed towards it. 

I AGAIN FELL IN LOVE WITH MUMBAI after seeing Marine Drive. Honestly saying, we dont have places like this in Delhi and around. It was magical. Marine Drive right after the rains looks magical. We were there at around 7 and then, the street lights were lit. Now we could see the famous Queen's Necklace too. It looked like a dream. I was like, somebody buy me a house near it. I JUST DON'T WANNA GO BACK. The cool breeze, and the  sound of the sea waves hitting the shore. OH MY GOD. It was just amazing. Mumbaikars, you guys ARE SERIOUSLY LUCKY. 

After clicking a few pictures we decided to go back to CST. Ajit told me that there is this very famous Pav Bhaji joint near CST station named CANON. It is famous in the whole Asia. I was like okay, lets have some famous street food then. We reached there and the place was bustling with people. We ordered Pav Bhaji and Lassi. I spotted that they were selling Vada Pav too. Mumbai aake vada paav nahin khaaya to kya khaaya. I ordered a Vada Pav for myself and that tasted awesome. After finishing my Pav Bhaji, I again ordered one more Vada Pav and devoured on it. (And I'm trying to lose weight, someday, hopefully) . 

Post this scrumptious meal, we headed towards CST station, took another local and I got down at Ghatkopar, from where I again went to Hiranandani as cousins and family was there. Had an ice-cream and came back home at around 10:30 P.M. It was a long tiring day, but at the end of the day. I am a happy soul. 

Few things that I observed about Mumbai today is

1. People love their city are very proud of it.

2. Mumbai is the perfect example of "Life has to move on, no matter what".

3. Life here is faster than Delhi.

4. Public Transport is cheap.  

5.The "Bhaad Mein Jaaye Janta" attitude of Mumbaikars (This can be seen at Marine Drive) #IfYouKnowWhatIMean

All and all, Day 1 ended on a good note. Too many memories to cherish and the entire credit goes to Divpreet and Ajit. Signing off, till the next one.

-

Yatin