hell of a scary ride!

View from Matheran,April 2008
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Well we read about this place called Matheran in the lonly planet and it seemed a nice change from Mumbai.

So of we went early one morning to the main train station,it was only 17 Rs for the two and a half hour trip to Neral.Then in Neral we had the two ways of getting up to Matheran,

No 1.The toy train.Yeah.No way two hours up and then two hours down.No thank you.So on to number 2.

No 2.Take a mini bus or taxi up.Yeah just a 20 min drive.Easy.Not.

The Matheran lake in the distance,April 2008
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As i have a real fear of height's.I knew this was going to be bad.We paid 50 Rs each for the 20 min drive,not bad.But what a drive.

On some sections of the road there was no barrier between us and the sheer drop,there was a group of 20 something y/o Indians from Mumbai in the minivan with us and they were just as nervous as us.One of the woman just could not stop laughing the whole way up.If someone moved she'd laugh,if someone farted she'd laugh and so on.I was so close to screaming SHUT UP WOMAN,but i was to busy with my head hanging out of the window just incase breakfast decided to show up again.My knees were knocking together in tune to an awful hindi song on the radio,what's worse is i started to sing along.Within seconds everyone was in the hysterics even my partner was heaving from laughing,the driver had to slow down because he was convulsing at my hindi singing.

Working horse's Matheran,April 2008
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Anyway time went very quick and we got up there without incident.And i must say the views are very nice from Matheran.There is some lovely walks around town and you can hire out horse's for 100 Rs,but i would rather walk.In April it is very,very dusty up there.

All in all it was a nice place.BUT NOT THE DRIVE PLEASE!

Introducing Mumbai (Bombay)

Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power-moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of poverty; add a smattering of swish bars and restaurants (don’t skimp on quality here for best results); equal parts of mayhem and order; as many ancient bazaars as you have lying around; a handful of Hinduism; a dash of Islam; fold in your mixture with equal partsIndia; throw it all in a blender on high (adding generous helpings of pollution to taste) and presto: Mumbai.

An inebriating mix of all the above and more, this mass of humanity is a frantic melange of India’s extremes. It is the country’s financial powerhouse and its vogue centre of fashion, film and after-dark frolics. Glistening skyscrapers and malls mushroom amid slums and grinding poverty, and Mumbai slowly marches towards a brave new (air-conditioned) world. But not everyone made the guest list: more than half of the population lives in slums, and religious-based social unrest tugs at the skirt of Mumbai’s financial excess.

The Mumbai Pages

Location and history

Located on the west coast of India, the group of islands which has grown into the city of Mumbai, was probably first recorded as the home of fisherfolk where a group of Buddhist monks established an outpost late during the Magadhan empire. The islands were tossed from one king to another emperor for two millenia, until the maritime trade empire of the British decided to develop the natural harbour into a city. In the four hundred years since then, the city has grown by a series of land reclamations which now link the original islands into one mass.

More on the city's geography, history, architecture, and famous people.

By any other name

The city was called Bombay for much of the last four hundred years. The origin of the name is obscure, but is often said to come from the Portuguese phrase bom bahia meaning "good bay". The name Mumbai has been used in the main local languages for as long, and is ascribed to the local goddess,Mumba (ai means mother in Marathi). The name of the city was changed to Mumbai by an act of the parliament in 1997.

More details in the faq.

It's a big city

Estimated to hold about 15 million people (a census is on in the years 2000-2001), the city has grown dramatically in the last fifty years. The core area called the "Island City" has the most expensive real estate in all of India. As a result, the city has grown far into the mainland both to the north and the east. It is not unusual for people to commute more than an hour to work each day. Getting water, power and food into the city is a major task, which is handled reasonably by civic agencies planning bodies and people going about their business.

More on the languages, food, and people.

Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan

Mumbai is called the financial capital of India: the stock exchange is the primary stock exchange of the country; most large business houses have their corporate offices in this city. It also the primary center for the arts and the entertainment industry. In India it is the city of gold, of dreams. Everyone comes here to make money, whether by selling chapatis on Chowpatti or stolen wallets and used dentures by the roadside. Whatever. Bombay does sleep at night, but usually rather late and very briefly.

The Mumbai Pages

Location and history

Located on the west coast of India, the group of islands which has grown into the city of Mumbai, was probably first recorded as the home of fisherfolk where a group of Buddhist monks established an outpost late during the Magadhan empire. The islands were tossed from one king to another emperor for two millenia, until the maritime trade empire of the British decided to develop the natural harbour into a city. In the four hundred years since then, the city has grown by a series of land reclamations which now link the original islands into one mass.

More on the city's geography, history, architecture, and famous people.

By any other name

The city was called Bombay for much of the last four hundred years. The origin of the name is obscure, but is often said to come from the Portuguese phrase bom bahia meaning "good bay". The name Mumbai has been used in the main local languages for as long, and is ascribed to the local goddess,Mumba (ai means mother in Marathi). The name of the city was changed to Mumbai by an act of the parliament in 1997.

More details in the faq.

It's a big city

Estimated to hold about 15 million people (a census is on in the years 2000-2001), the city has grown dramatically in the last fifty years. The core area called the "Island City" has the most expensive real estate in all of India. As a result, the city has grown far into the mainland both to the north and the east. It is not unusual for people to commute more than an hour to work each day. Getting water, power and food into the city is a major task, which is handled reasonably by civic agencies planning bodies and people going about their business.

More on the languages, food, and people.

Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan

Mumbai is called the financial capital of India: the stock exchange is the primary stock exchange of the country; most large business houses have their corporate offices in this city. It also the primary center for the arts and the entertainment industry. In India it is the city of gold, of dreams. Everyone comes here to make money, whether by selling chapatis on Chowpatti or stolen wallets and used dentures by the roadside. Whatever. Bombay does sleep at night, but usually rather late and very briefly.

Nano to cost over Rs 1.34 lakh in Mumbai, Rs 1.23 lakh in Delhi

MUMBAI: Tata Motors on Monday said its people's car, Nano, will be priced between Rs 1.34 lakh and Rs 1.85 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai), although Nano in pics Nano Europa Similarities: Nano and Indica Tatas' future roll call the car's claim to fame was its Rs one lakh tag. While announcing the prices, Tata group Chairman Ratan Tata said the company has kept the ex-factory (Pantnagar) price of the base model of the Nano at Rs one lakh. Yet, customers will have to pay far higher than Rs one lakh to own the car. The Nano will have a price tag ranging between Rs 1.12 lakh and Rs 1.70 lakh for the three variants at showrooms at Pantnagar, where it is produced. Here, the Bharat Stage III compliant Nano will cost between Rs 1.34 lakh and Rs 1.85 lakh (ex-showroom) and in the National Capital, it will have a price range of Rs 1.23 lakh to Rs 1.72 lakh (ex-showroom) for the three different variants. "Six years ago we made a decision, a decision to conceive and produce more cars that would give the people of India, who rode with their families on two-wheelers, an affordable all-weather transport at a price that is within their reach," Tata said. To book the Nano, customers will have to shell out Rs 95,000 for the base model BS II and III, Rs 1.2 lakh for the mid-range model and Rs 1.4 lakh for the top end all across the country. "We hope this day we will usher in a new form of transport," Tata had earlier told reporters at a conference here to mark the launch of the snub-nosed car that was unveiled in January last year.

Mumbai- The Business Capital of India

Mumbai, which was previously known as Bombay is a major metropolitan city of India. It is the state capital ofMaharashtra . Mumbai city is known as the business capital of India, it being the country's principal financial and communications centre. The city has the largest and the busiest port handling India's foreign trade and a major Interntional airport. India's largest Stock Exchange which ranks as the third largest in the world, is situated in Mumbai. Here, trading of stocks is carried out in billions of rupees everyday.

Discription about Mumbai/Bombay can not be complete without the mention of Bollywood, the biggest Indian film industry which churns out hundreds of Hindi block-busters every year.

Where is Mumbai?

Mumbai (Bombay) lies on the western coast of India. It is a group of seven islands in the Arabian Sea which lies off the northern Konkan coast on the west of Maharashtra state in India. These seven islands which were once seperated by creeks and channels were filled and bridged over the years by the inhabitants.

History of Mumbai

In 1661, King Charles II of England, married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal, and as part of the dowry he received "Bombay" which is today known as Mumbai. Later in 1668 it was handed over to the East India Company.

In 1858 the administration of the country was taken over by the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, from the East India Company. A viceroy was appointed to rule India in the name of the Queen.

Bombay came under the direct rule of the British in 1861.

The first railway line in India was started between Bombay (VT) and Thane in 1861.
In 1864, modern water supply was started in Bombay (Mumbai) and in 1885, Bombay was lit with gas.

Mahatma Gandhi joining Indian Politics in 1920, was a turning point in the political destiny of India which led to the Independence of India from the British rule. Bombay (Mumbai) had an important role to play in this event.

Climate of Mumbai

Most of the year, Mumbai's climate is warm and humid. Between November and February, the skies are clear,and the temperature is cooler. From March the temperature becomes warm and humid till mid June, the beginning of monsoon. During monsoon there are torrential rains, sometimes causing the flooding of major roads and streets of Mumbai. The average rainfall which is brought by the south-west monsoon winds in Mumbai is 180 cms. Monsoon ends by the end of September. October is comparatively hot and humid.

Mumbai- A Melting Pot

The total population of Mumbai is about 10 millions. It is still growing. Mumbai provides umpteen opportunities to realize one's dreams. Hence, people from all over India, belonging to different cultures come here to realize their dreams. Mumbai has become the melting pot of all Indian cultures. This is the reason Mumbai has a truly cosmopolitan population bustling with activity. It's film industry "Bollywood" also draws a number of youths with tinsel dreams to Mumbai. Being a major financial center, People from all over the world come here for business opportunities. This has made Mumbai a major International city.