Cool, Yet on Fire

“Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet;  a happy marriage has the tranquility of a lovely sunset.” ~ Ann Landers

Looking Out to the Sea

“May your time be filled with relaxing sunsets, cool drinks and sand between your toes.” ~ Unknown

And I would also like to request those who can to please support the efforts of Lisa-Marie to help the less fortunate children of Riverton, Jamaica.  Click here to learn about how you can help.  Thank you!

So We’re Back …

… from our gorgeous haveli in Mumbai …

… to the sand and glass of Dubai.

Not that I’m complaining.  I think I’ve seen enough green and rain to last me, well, at least 6 months *hint to the husband*

I’m so happy to be back  in the U.A.E.  Why?  Because this is the time of the year to be here!  Clouds are starting to float in the sky.  I can see stars twinkling in the night.  The birds have begun to migrate from neighboring countries.  I can keep my windows open to cooler breeze.  I can finally plan BBQ with family and friends.  Masood and I can steal some time (an hour, for example) from work and go out for a walk.

I am geographically closer to my family.

And I can hear beautiful adhaan five times a day.

 

Marine Drive in Mumbai: The Queen’s Necklace

It’s officially called the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, a name I can never remember, let alone spell.  But for most of the Mumbaikars, this place will always be known as Marine Drive.  And it’s also fondly known as the Queen’s necklace because street lights along the curved road illuminate at night, resembling a diamond necklace.

Here’s an image that I’d googled:

Masood and I went to Nariman Point for some business one morning, and after we were done around noon, we walked towards Marine Drive.  I had been insisting to see this place even before arriving in Mumbai!  I’d seen it in movies and had been looking forward to being there myself.

Beautifully laid out in South Mumbai, Marine Drive is actually a ‘C’-shaped six lane concrete road, which lengthens to 3 km along the coastline – a natural bay – it’s coastline a part of the Arabian Sea.  It was built in 1920.

The highlight of Marine drive is the beautiful promenade along the road – lined with trees – where people take in a breath of fresh air and view the sunsets.

Surprisingly, Mumbai isn’t as polluted as Delhi or Hyderabad.  Auto rikshaws are restricted to certain areas here, and almost all public transports have been converted to use compressed natural gas, or CNG.  So even the noise level on the roads is pretty low.

I love the shape of these concrete rocks!  While we were sitting there enjoying the breeze and view, we noticed several small crabs having a walk on these rocks.

According to Wikipedia, real estate prices along the esplanade are among the highest in India, and fourth in the world at US$2100 per square feet. A lot of celebrities live here, making it one of India’s premier residential community.   No wonder we saw lots of luxury cars along this road.  Also, there are a lot of fancy restaurants on the other side of the road, opposite the bay.  But we chose to eat pav bhaji in Chowpatty Beach.

Mumbai GPO, the Largest Post Office in India

This impressive building of the Mumbai General Post Office is just a few steps away from the grand CST Station.  It’s difficult to get a decent shot since the trees are blocking the front view of the building.  Speaking of trees, one of the several things that truly impressed me about Mumbai is its greenery.  There are LOTS of trees everywhere.  Old trees.

Anyway, so we went on a Monday.  Though it was a holiday, since the Hindus were celebrating the festival of lights, the post office was open, most probably for last minute mailing of greeting cards.

It was designed by British architect John Begg in 1902.  Construction began on September 1, 1904.  It was completed on March 13, 1913 at a cost of Rs. 1,809,000.

This building is an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, representing a synthesis of Muslim designs and Indian materials.  Black basalt, with a dressing of yellow Kurla stone and white stones from Dhrangdra are the predominant materials used.

The interiors are equally impressive, but both Masood and I hesitated to take photographs.  There is a massive dome at the center, and I noticed several paintings of rulers hanging on the walls. There is also a small exhibit of old stamps and letters.

While we were busy taking photographs just outside the post office, I young boy – around 5 years old – approached us.  He had unkempt hair and wore old clothes.  He looked at us with his huge, innocently pleading eyes, and said, ‘Photo.’  We just smiled and started walking away, when I told Masood that we should probably take his picture;  it’ll make the child happy.  I was sure he was fascinated by the camera we were holding.  Either that, or he loved having his picture taken.

So we turned and walked towards the boy.  The moment he saw us, he came running, with this broad smile on his face.  And I was like, ‘Awww!’  But the moment Masood pointed the camera at him and started to focus, we heard a woman’s voice (who had been sitting nearby but we barely noticed a while ago) say something like, ‘Paisey do.’  Give money.

I grabbed Masood’s arm, and we left.  Why should we pay her for taking the picture of her son that we didn’t need or want?  All we had intended to do was make a child happy, yet this had all been a way of getting money from tourists.

So sad.

But the GPO building is truly impressive.