Mumbai

[Rail Paul]

I was about to do just that when I stumbled upon the Modern Juice Centre, a little stand that sold fresh fruit juices and chicken shawarma. I ordered a custard-apple milkshake, and with the first pull on the straw, the throbbing stopped and my world expanded.

 

Around me, I could now see, were gorgeous Victorian houses and quaintly run-down concrete buildings, sidewalks shaded by knobby-trunked tropical trees, shopkeepers and passers-by engaged not in ferocious arguments but in cheerful banter. I was cured of my headache, and it had cost a mere 35 rupees (about 81 cents at 43 rupees to the dollar, the exchange rate when I visited in mid-April).

 

Just to be safe, I dropped another 30 rupees on a ganga jamuna (orange juice with sweet lime) and surveyed my prospects. I was planning to live the Mumbai high life, a weekend-long party of shopping, eating and luxuriating, and I was hoping to do it on a budget of $500, or 21,500 rupees.

 

NY Times

 

Normally, the Frugal Traveler's strategy is to save on Friday and splurge on Saturday, but since I'd already cracked open my wallet, I figured I'd switch things around. So, for dinner, we hit Trishna, a well-known seafood restaurant. Aditya, Dave and I powered through spindly king-crab legs with butter and garlic, lobster meat in an emerald sauce of pepper, basil and mint, and Hyderabadi fish tikka. When the bill came, I braced myself; surely I'd be eating plain samosas the rest of the weekend. Instead, it was 1,300 rupees each, the price of two cocktails at the Taj.

[hollywood]

Looking at this a little differently right now.

[Slapsie Maxie]

yes, funny to think I was there in March and staying right by "VT" and many of the places I visited were near the two hotels

 

But, Mumbai is an amazing city and will bounce back

 

S

[flyfish]

Our Department of Foreign Affairs has just issued a notice that Canadians should avoid all travel to India in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

[hollywood]

Our Department of Foreign Affairs has just issued a notice that Canadians should avoid all travel to India in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Sharp as a tack.

[rancho_gordo]

When did Bombay become Mumbai. I feel very, very ignorant.

I was in Bombay in 1979 and remember seeing a very modern, fab hotel and I could have sworn it was called the Taj Mahal. The hotel in the news seems to be old and fabber. Are there two hotels with the same name?

[Slapsie Maxie]

The name change came about ten years ago at the same time as Calcutta became Kolkata and Madras, Chenai. Mind you locals still use the old names and still refer to "VT" The Victoria Terminus with only officials using CST. All stemmed from the election of a strongly nationalistic govt who wanted to move away from the names of colonial rule.

 

There is only one Taj in Mumbai, although there is now a Taj Group and they own a few hotels. It has been around since the late 1800's, if I am correct and may have been refurbed in the late 70's. I was there in 1979 and then in thje 80's and 90's and it looked much as it does now. The Oberoi is very modern.

 

Slapsie

[rancho_gordo]

The name change came about ten years ago at the same time as Calcutta became Kolkata and Madras, Chenai. Mind you locals still use the old names and still refer to "VT" The Victoria Terminus with only officials using CST. All stemmed from the election of a strongly nationalistic govt who wanted to move away from the names of colonial rule.

 

There is only one Taj in Mumbai, although there is now a Taj Group and they own a few hotels. It has been around since the late 1800's, if I am correct and may have been refurbed in the late 70's. I was there in 1979 and then in thje 80's and 90's and it looked much as it does now. The Oberoi is very modern.

 

My memory was huge slabs of marble. Maybe they were from Agra? Would that make sense? I was young. And stoned.

 

[tanabutler]

When did Bombay become Mumbai. I feel very, very ignorant.

I was in Bombay in 1979 and remember seeing a very modern, fab hotel and I could have sworn it was called the Taj Mahal. The hotel in the news seems to be old and fabber. Are there two hotels with the same name?

The Taj Mahal hotel was built in 1903, vaguely the same era of opulence as the Titanic.

 

It's so painful to watch it burn, and to think of those attacks.

[mongo_jones]

Mind you locals still use the old names

 

maybe in english. bombay has always been mumbai to most non-english speaking residents of the city--certainly in marathi; bambai in hindi, and bombay in english. likewise calcutta has always been kolkata to its bengali residents. not that the politics of the official name-changes were simple*, but for the vast majority of the people who live in these cities they're seamless changes that reflect their relationships with their cities. i continue to refer to them as bombay and calcutta when i speak english.

 

rancho, the taj has two wings. the older wing, where the terrorists holed up, is the heritage section and is only 8 stories. connected to it is the newer tower section. there are other taj hotels in bombay, but these are not particularly visually striking.

 

 

*or identical in all these cases: west bengal has been ruled by a communist party for the last 30 years, who're not exactly well-disposed to the nationalist party you refer to.

[rancho_gordo]

My brain. Well, it was a long time ago.

Is there a Taj in Delhi? It's dawning on me it might have been New Delhi. Made with a lot of marble.

Don't research. Just confused and in the end....not a lot at stake.

 

Did I mention I saw the real Taj by moonlight? Well, I did.

[mongo_jones]

My brain. Well, it was a long time ago.

Is there a Taj in Delhi? It's dawning on me it might have been New Delhi. Made with a lot of marble.

Don't research. Just confused and in the end....not a lot at stake.

 

Did I mention I saw the real Taj by moonlight? Well, I did.

 

there are two taj hotels in delhi. the taj mahal hotel closer to the india gate area, and the taj palace closer to the airport. most 5 star hotels in india have large amounts of marble in them.

[rancho_gordo]

My brain. Well, it was a long time ago.

Is there a Taj in Delhi? It's dawning on me it might have been New Delhi. Made with a lot of marble.

Don't research. Just confused and in the end....not a lot at stake.

 

Did I mention I saw the real Taj by moonlight? Well, I did.

 

there are two taj hotels in delhi. the taj mahal hotel closer to the india gate area, and the taj palace closer to the airport. most 5 star hotels in india have large amounts of marble in them.

 

This one had food in the restaurants. And a lot of staff. The reception area was large and impressive. And there was a road, a very busy one, nearby.

And the name of the hotel was written on the outside of the building.

Ringing any bells?

 

[mongo_jones]

you've described every 5-star hotel in delhi and bombay.

[rancho_gordo]

you've described every 5-star hotel in delhi and bombay.

 

But this one had waiters in the restaurant and there was a man at the front desk who checked you in. He had black hair and a thick accent.