Nightlife Mumbai Bombay Nightlife

Nightlife in Mumbai

Mumbai, also known by its older name Bombay isn’t called India’s city that never sleeps for nothing. Everyone who’s anyone knows the party and night atmosphere of Mumbai-Tourists, Residents, Office goers, Taxi Drivers, and of course Bombay’s very own Bollywood heart throbs. Bombay offers a phenomenal variety and number of pubs, discotheques and bars for the wildest of party animals, and for the pickiest of drinkers.



Bombay, as a city has now accustomed itself to its vibrant party atmosphere, and its alright if one just walks into a pub or a bar and grabs a shot. The city has grown to become comfortable with alcohol.



Cafe Mondegar at Colaba Causeway offers draught beer, Imported Beer and tongue twirling fruit cocktails. The place is relaxed and the music is more of old time Rock Classics. The crowd has a majority of students, and the place is a favorite for Westerners.

The Ghetto at 30 Bhulabhai Desai Road serves beer by the pitcher with all time Rock n Roll hits jamming away at the side. The place also has pool tables where one can catch up with friends, or just play a good game of snooker. The wall graffiti provides humorous reading and is a great pass time.

The Inside Story, located inside Cafe Mondegar is truly is Mondegars “inside story” for it act as the inner sanctum, an English pub with a dark atmosphere though the clientele is mostly male, with a few bouncers thrown around.


Jazz by the Bay next to the Pizzeria, 143 Marine Drive is the place to be, since it is indeed the Official Channel V pad. A great place to head off to, after helping oneself with Pizza at the neighboring Pizzeria. Jazz festivals take place pretty often here with both Indian and foreign artists performing, and weekends are great too, with DJs spinning out the latest tracks for the dance floor.

The Tavern, Fariyas Hotel, is more of an English-style pub, complete with wooden beams, the usual English paraphernalia, and great music.

J49 at Juhu Residency Hotel is a packed discotheque. J49 is one of the hippest places in Mumbai that’s actually entirely worth checking out if one is a regular party goer. The alcohol is a blend of the best spirits available, and the cocktails and tall drinks taste just perfect. Not only that, the liquor is actually affordable and smartly priced. The place has mirrors placed all over, along with Egyptian styled statuettes; mind blowing lighting and a huge, huge dance floor. Unlike the other discothèques of Mumbai which are quite cramped, J49 has got lots of space they also have therapeutic and trance music sweeping the floor.


The 1900s at the Taj Mahal is one of the better discotheques where entry is free to guests, but otherwise it’s for members only. Often visited by the who’s who of Mumbai, this is one place nobody should miss.


Fashion Bistro at 16 Marzban Road is one of Mumbai’s latest discotheques on the nightclub scene, with mannequins displaying the latest and hottest designer wear in one room, and a bar and dance floor with ear-deafening music in another.

Bassein Fort (Basin) Vasai Fort- Mumbai

Bassein Fort (Basin) Vasai Fort- Mumbai

Bassein Fort (Basin) also recognized, as Vasai Fort is an important sea fort located in Bassein, present day Vasai. Built by Bahadur Shah, sultan of Gujarat, it was originally one of a chain of forts intended to guard the coast against the Portuguese and the pirates. Bassein, however, fell into many hands such as- the Portuguese, the Marathas and lastly the British. In the course of time Bassein became a prosperous shipbuilding centre and the famous Bassein stone was very much in demand. This fort is about 55 Kms from Mumbai. By road, it is a 77 km long journey along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. Bassein can also be reached by train from Churchgate to Vasai Road and thereafter 11 kms by rickshaw from the railway station.


The fort is very big, with the main gate leading to a small courtyard, from where one can climb the ramparts to take a look around, which reveals the numerous old structures of the fort now in ruins. The Portuguese buildings in the interior of the fort are in ruins, although there are enough standing walls to give a good idea of the floor plans of these structures. They are usually adorned with carved stones, some weathered beyond recognition, others still displaying sharp chisel marks. Three chapels inside the fort are still identifiable, which have facades typical of 17th century Portuguese churches. The southernmost of these has a well-protected barrel vaulted ceiling. Several watchtowers still stand, with staircases leading up.




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Bassein was well-known as a place for ship building in the 15th Century. The Portuguese settled here because they were sharp enough to recognise the importance of Bassein as a strategic place on western coast. They conquered the fort from the Sultan of Gujarat and remodeled it by building a citadel inside. The Bassein fort was made the northern capital of the Portuguese, later then over a span of 200 years they built for its aristocracy, a walled city overlooking the sea. This city contained a cathedral, 13 churches and 5 convents. Many of the buildings still stand erect, albeit without roofs. In the 18th century the fort was attacked by the Maratha army under Baji Rao Peshwa, and fell in 1739 after a three year long fight. However, it was the British who had the final ownership of the fort.

The ruins of the Portuguese fort still stand almost concealed by brushwood and palm groves. Some of the walls and churches can still be witnessed. Almost on every wall of the fort, there are trees whose roots affect the structures. The Bassein fort needs immediate attention of the authorities, to retain the last relics of this historic place.


About 10 kms to the northwest from the fort is the Nalasopara village, the capital of the Konkan region. Many Buddhist relics were found here. This place is believed to have been the birthplace of Buddha. An hour by bus travel from Bassein station are the Vajreshwari temple and the Akoli hot springs. Ganeshpuri with the Sadguru Nityanand Maharaj Samadhi Mandir, the Bhimeshwar temple and other ashrams are also easily reachable.

Transport in Mumbai

Mumbai Transport

Mumbai transport constitutes of thousands of citizens moving around the city by road, rail, air and water. These form an essential part of a massive network of transport.

The first bus in Bombay ran on July 15, 1926. Though it was received with great expectations and enthusiasm, this form of transport was yet to become available for all classes of society. For several years, it was looked upon as transport that was solely meant for the higher sections of society. The preferred mode of transport for the poorer classes was the tram. The bus fare was considerably higher than that of the tram. The bus fare would exceed the tram fare by a large margin.

Imagine how difficult it would be to transport THIS humungous crowd to wherever they want to go , and on time!





PS
Look at how almost all the people stare at the camera or the really hot indian woman taking the picture :) Indian mentality you could say :)


Different forms of transport in Mumbai include:

-Bus Service: The bus service provided in Mumbai is the main mode of transport. Most commuters take the public buses to and back from work. The buses have routes all over Mumbai. There is a mad rush to board the buses as they drive into the stops. People run to get on the bus. The entry to the buses is mandatory through the rear entrance. People can dismount from the bus through the front door. The buses have signboards that give details of where the bus stops and these details are displayed clearly. The bus service is of vital importance to the citizens of Mumbai.

-Railways: The Mumbai Railway system is owned by Indian Railways and is operated by Western Railways and Central Railways. With an overall length of 303 km, it claims to have the highest passenger density in the world, six million people every day. The railways are the best choice for anyone with a long commute route. These rail lines connect several parts of Mumbai. The rail service offers local trains and express trains. The local trains run through the usual routes with a stop at every station. The express trains run at higher speeds while skipping stops to reach the final destination.


-Taxis: The taxis arrived in Mumbai as a more personalized alternative to public transport. The taxis are painted black and yellow. The amount of fare is decided by the meter which measures price based on distance traversed. They are preferred by tourists and for long distance journeys through Mumbai. The cost of the taxi is slightly expensive but it provides privacy and comfort.

- Auto Rickshaws: Auto rickshaws play an imperative role of public transport in Mumbai. Auto Rickshaws are the most common mode of public transport for family outings and transport to specific parts of Mumbai. They are costlier than buses but more affordable than taxis. Most of these Auto Rickshaws are run for the public. Some Auto Rickshaws are privately owned and only transport the preset people. Some of these Auto Rickshaws are modernized and have air conditioning to keep you cool in the heat. The standard of Auto Rickshaws is improving by the day.

Cheers,
The Techmechanic!!

Mumbai Transport, Mumbai travel, Mumbai travel tips

Elephanta Caves Elephanta Island Mumbai

Elephanta Caves and Elephanta Islands

Elephanta Caves are the great tourist attraction in the vicinity of the large Mumbai metropolis. The Elephanta Island is located 10 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai city. These caves have rock cut temples dating back to the 5th century. The Elephanta Island can be accessed only by boat. Ferry rides are available from the Gateway of India and it takes just 15 mins to reach the Elephanta Island. It is one of the most thrilling ride as the boat cruise up and down the wavy sea making it a life time experience.



The Elephanta Island was so named by the Portuguese, after the statue of an elephant close to the landing area of the island. These rock cut temples dedicated to Shiva Mahadeva are rich in its exotic sculptural content. There are 3 entrances provided to this temple. The eastern and the western entrances denote the axis of the temple. There is a 20 pillared hall that lines the axis, and on its western end is a chamber in which a Shivalingam enshrined. Along with this image there are splendid sculptured images of Kalyanasundara, Gangadhara, Ardhanariswara and Uma Maheswara on the southern wall. Other sculptured images of Nataraja and andhakaasuravadamoorthy are to the west of the northern entrance and the images of Yogishwara and Ravanaanugrahamurthy are to its east. Motorboats pickup passengers from Appollo Bunder near the Gateway of India.
Once known as Puri - later Gharapuri - this island was the proud capital of a coastal kingdom and the great cave shrine in praise of Shiva, excavated in the sixth century, added to the ruling dynasty. Several centuries later the Portugese took control of the island. They discovered the monolithic stone elephant at the place where they landed and also named this as ilha do elephanta, island of the elephant. There was a stone horse too, a little further, which has vanished without any clue.

These rock cut temples were created by carving out rock, and creating the columns, the internal spaces and the images. The entire temple is similar to a gigantic sculpture, through whose corridors and chambers one can walk. The whole structure was created through a process of rock removal. Some of the rock surfaces are highly finished while some are unprocessed bare rock.
The cave temple, which is the pride of Elephanta caves, sprawled over an area of about 5000 square meters, is reached by hiking a flight of more than 100 steps, to the top of a hill. Inside the temple, is a large pillared hall that appears to hold up the roof of the cave.

The Cross beams complete the illusion of a ceiling. One's attention is immediately drawn to the series of stunning sculptured panels, nine in all, which are set like tableaux on the walls. Only little facts are known about the architects and sculptors, who worked on this gem of ancient architecture. Each of the panel captures the volatility of Shiva's essentially ironic nature, and the magical interplay of light and shade, only intensifies the overall effect.

Cheers,
The Techmechanic