What to do in Mumbai? 10 cool do's

Mumbai is often seen as a place to be deserted as soon as possible, but that's not entirely fair. Here's what I would do if I had four days on my hands in Mumbai.

1. Do the few points of interest: Gateway of India (a must, even if it is just another disappointing colonial monument) and Chor Bazaar (pic on the right), the thieves market. I hear that the Prince of Wales museum in Colaba is actually pretty decent. Instead of displays on Charles and Camilla it boasts a wide collection of ancient vedic sculptures and at least used to offer free audio guides. And don't forget the Oval Maiden (pic on the left), where people play cricket in a wicked colonial surrounding.

2. Did you always dream of becoming an actor one day? This is the site of Bollywood and this is your chance! In case the Bollywood recruiters fail to find you in Colaba, ask around and you'll find one. They hire extras for commercials and even movies.
You can count on being payed about a thousand rs (14 euros) for a long day, which involves a lot of waiting around, doing nothing. But in the end of the day, you've been to a Bollywood film. That is still cool. They'll fetch you from your guesthouse and give you a ride back.


3. Eat lunch every day at Cafe de Paris. Despite its name, this is a bare bones all you can eat thali joint with possibly the best price-quality ratio in Mumbai, which at least on Indian standards tends to be expensive. Incredibly popular with the locals, it serves fantastic thalis for the whopping price of 40 rupees (that's 60 cents, folks) and can not be found in the Lonely Planet. It's located on the Southern end of the Colaba Causeway, past the main hubbub.


4. You've seen the Slum Dog Millionaire and now want to see the real deal? One such place is the ominous red lights district, left out from the LP but featured with ample warnings in the Footprints guide. Some girls wear saris, some Western gear, some are kept behind bars. A stroll around the area is not as shocking as it could be but it's definitely not another Reperbahn.
It's a rather straight forward but longish walk from the Central Train Station to Falkland Road and the way is badly signposted. But if you don't mind asking for directions to prostitutes, then it's not too hard to find. I succeeded with my second attempt.



5. Elephanta Island. A welcome retreat from the polluted city, Elephanta Island is a 40 minute boat ride away. It has pretty decent sculptures in caves (pic above) and a big monkey population. I liked it.


6. As you probably have never seen a man powered Ferris wheel, Chowpatty beach is the place to spend an evening. These crazy dudes climb up the wheel and then grab a down-going gondola and hang from it until it reaches the ground in order to give it extra weight and thus an extra pull down. You should see it yourself. It's mind-boggling. The beach is particularly popular with locals at evenings. They just come there to hang out.


7. Go clubbing! As Mumbai is the home of India's elite, it has quite a few crazy ass clubs where the bold and the beautiful hang out drinking champagne. But don't bother trying to get in wearing the baggy pants brigade armour and flip flops. Dress to impress.


8. Okay, this is a lousy suggestions as you'll probably end up inCafe Leopold's anyway, but I happen to really like this restaurant/bar even if it is overpriced. And if you decide to steer clear from the Taj hotel, then this is your place should you want to do some terrorist tourism as Leopold's was one of the sites of Mumbai terror attacks in November 08.


9. If you do decide to check out the Taj then there is a new option for the Lonely Planet recommended drinks or tea at Taj's top floor. There's a new restaurant there serving nouveau Indian cuisine, meaning that the food is prepared without ghee and is thus not fatty. It requires a splash, but the food is amazing,


10. If you have read Shantaram, a novel I recommended in my list of books to read in India, then you might want to walk the route he walks every night through Bombay's alleys. The walk gives you a cool perspective although I'd do it in the daytime.