Details in Mumbai…

PHOTOS 1.MAP OF AREA, 2.ELEPHANT CAVES, 3.THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE, 4.COLABA STALLS, 5. BADEMIYA OPEN AIR FOOD STALL

Elephanta Caves (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Price: R250.00 (for a single adult) Duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes Address: Ferry ride from the Gateway of India located at Apollo Bunder, Colaba (Closed on Mondays)

Elephanta Caves is located about an hour ferry ride away from the Gateway of India, at Apollo Bunder, Colaba.The first ferry ride is at 9am, from the Gateway of India. Try to arrive at the Gateway of India to buy ferry tickets for the ride about 30 mins before the ferry ride, as it can be crowded, especially on weekend mornings, and on public holidays. The ferry operators are located at booths at the entrance to the Gateway of India. (Note: there is no preference on whichever ferry operator you choose out of the 2 operators there, as the boats they have are about the same, and tickets are priced competitively.)Ferry tickets are priced at about Rs 150, but depends on the class and category of ferry that you choose. For more comfortable seating (and less crowded areas), I will recommend taking the Deluxe categories than the economy categories, if you can afford it. Pricing difference between the categories are about Rs 50.Note: The ferry tickets are for round trips, to the Elephanta Island and back.It will be good to take the first boat at 9am to Elephanta Caves, as this will provide you ample time to spend there on the Elephanta Island, and then take the first few boats back to the Gateway of India (the first boat leaves Elephanta Island at about 12 noon or 12.30pm, depending on the ticket sales in the morning), giving you more time to explore the area in the afternoon. Local's Tip: On the way to the Elephanta Island, make sure to look back in the direction of the Gateway of India, as that will make a good angle for a picture.On arrival at Elephanta Island, note that there will be many locals waiting at the docks to ask for guide services on the island. If you are interested, do remember to bargain on the prices first, but they are generally not cheap to begin with. It will be ok to explore the island by yourself even without the guides.There are numerous caves, stone statues and wall carvings to be covered on the island, which makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To get to the caves, it will be a short walk up the hill on foot (or you can bargain with and pay locals to carry you up the hill while sitting on chairs), and there is an additional charge of Rs 250 to enter the caves. It will be an experience to go into the caves as that's the main attraction on Elephanta Island.Local's Tip: Look out for the monkeys in the area, but they are generally harmless to tourists if you do not provoke them.If you have time left exploring the island before the first ferry is scheduled to bring you back to the Gateway of India, you can catch the mini train on the island that takes you around.

Gateway of India

Price: FREE   Duration: 30 minutes  Address: Apollo Bunder, Colaba

When arriving back from Elephanta Island back to the Gateway of India, this is a good time for a photo taking session, with the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace (see directions as shown in the map at the end of day 1).Note: Photo time is suggested now and not in the morning, to use the time in the morning for ferry tickets queuing, and not getting carried away for photos of the Gateway of India.

This is also an ideal time for people watching. Just take note that there will be locals walking around with their cameras and trying to sell you pictures you can pose with the Gateway. If you are interested, bargain for the price before you go for it, and beware that some may be pricey. There are also hawkers around the borders of the Gateway, selling a mix of everything from toys and decorations to street food. Take time to walk around, but unless you are really interested, do not offend them by picking on their items and eventually

Lunch

Price: R800.00 (for a single adult)   Duration: 1 hour  Address: Le Pain Quotidien, Dhanraj Mahal, C.S.M. Road, Apollo Bunder Colaba

This Belgium-style restaurant is within 200m walking distance from the entrance/exit of the Gateway of India, and is relatively easy to find (directions as shown in the map at the end of day 1). It uses organic ingredients from the local farmers for preparation of the food that you eat.It opens from early morning at 8am to late in the night at 11.30pm. If you are early, you can try the breakfast menu. For lunch, try their Tartines and Lemon Tarts (for dessert). Also see their boards in the restaurant for weekly special items (from starters to desserts and drinks) which are not on the main menu. A proper meal of starters/soup with main course and drinks should cost between Rs 800 to Rs 1300, depending on your orders. If you like what you ate, you can purchase the sauces, jams etc from the shop in pre-packed bottles!If you're looking for other choices for lunch, there are a few other restaurants (Indian, Mediterranean, French) along the same road, or opposite Le Pain Quotidien.  If you can afford the budget, you can try the many famous restaurants in the Taj Mahal Palace eg. the Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean cuisines are definitely world-class standards.

Taj Mahal Palace

Price: FREE Duration: 30 minutes  Address: Apollo Bunder

Taj Mahal Palace

Take a stroll to the nearby Taj Mahal Palace, and take time to marvel at the architecture and interior of the hotel. 

Note: To go into the hotel, you will have to pass through some security and bag checks. Security has tightened since the bombing incidents in 2008. As the locals may say, the heightened security makes the place (and generally Mumbai as a whole) safer than compared to before the bombing incidents.The hotel has different wings - a tower wing and a palace wing. You can access all the areas, except to the rooms, which requires a key card, and is only accessible to in-house guests. There is a long stretch of shopping arcade at the palace wing as well.

Colaba shops

Price: FREE Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes  Address: Colaba

Take your time to mingle with the locals and stroll along the Colaba area (see directions as shown in the map at the end of day 1, at the marked start of the Colaba street stalls, and walk along the Colaba Causeway), where you will find a wide variety of tiny shops selling both local and international items eg. shawls, books, shoes, sports apparels, fashion accessories etc.

These street shops come alive from the afternoon to late in the night, especially on weekends, and you will find yourself shopping while chatting with the friendly local store owners, as well as their customers. Do take time to experience this for yourself and immerse in the shopping culture of the locals.Also remember to bargain for the items that you want to purchase. A general guide would be around 20% to 30% of the price you are offerred. However, bargaining depends on items too. Eg. for books, margins are generally low, and a good bargain of 5% should close the deal.Note: Most shop assistants and owners can speak English.

Dinner

Price: $500.00 (for a single adult) Duration: 1 hour  Address: Bademiya, located in the streets behind the Taj Mahal Palace

Bademiya

This local open-air food stall opens daily in the late afternoon at about 5pm, and goes into the wee hours of the morning.Note: If you have a craving for supper, this is one recommended place to visit. If you visit at 2am to 4am in the morning, chances are, you may even spot some Bollywood actors and actresses having supper amidst the crowd.The food stall offers many open-air seats serving local Indian food, at reasonable prices, as you will be able to tell from the crowd (which is almost 90% local). A meal costs about Rs 400 to Rs 600 for a single person. The stalls serve naan, curries, kebabs, etc. A recommended speciality will be the chicken leg (ie. chicken thigh). Get a seat and ask for an English menu where you can order from. Otherwise, go to the cooking area at the food stall, and literally take a look at "what's cooking" to start your orders.

Note: Try to be there early, as the queue and wait for food gets long at dinner times between 7.30pm and 10pm. (Locals usually eat dinner at later timings.) Also an interesting fact to observe, many locals will drive to the food stall and sit in their cars to have dinner after placing orders, to avoid having to queue for tables. Otherwise, they may choose to get out of their cars, and use the car boot as a "table" for the food, while standing around the car boot to eat.The hygiene standards of this local food stall is well-rated, and there are many non-locals who eat there too. However, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to stay clear of the street food especially during the monsoon season (June to September) where the streets are not as clean as the other months of the year.

If you are not comfortable with this street stall, other choices available for food includes the restaurants along the Le Pain Quotidien (earlier described). Otherwise, you can see below for more drink and food options.

Drinks (Optional)

Price: $500.00 (for a single adult)  Duration: 1 hour   Address: Option 1: Leopold Cafe, Opposite Colaba Police Station, SB Sing Road. OR Option 2: Cafe Mondegar, Mahakavi Bhushan Rd, Apollo Bandar

There are 2 famous pubs and cafes for drinks in the area, within walking distance from the Bademiya restaurant (about 300m away). 

Option 1: Leopold Cafe

This is the famous cafe that was attacked by the terrorists in the 2008 bombings. Since the terrorist incident happened, security has been stepped up, and there is a guard at the door to check bags before you enter the cafe. However, this is frequently patronised by many locals, and is generally considered to be safe. The cafe serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, as well as proper meals to fill your stomach.

Sit in to experience the bustling crowd drink and eat while chatting away after a day's work, with some background music.Note: If you are observant enough, you will be able to spot a few bullet holes in the walls of the cafe, which were left there as they were since the 2008 incident. Note: This cafe is non- airconditioned.

Option 2: Cafe Mondegar

This cafe offers a different genre of music compared to Leopold Cafe, which caters to a slightly younger crowd. You can also opt to put a coin in the juke box at the corner of the cafe to choose your own songs.

Cafe Mondegar serves similar food and drinks as compared to Leopold Cafe, and at roughly the same range of prices.Note: This cafe is airconditioned, compared to Leopold Cafe.

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