The fascinating streets of Mumbai

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Toothpicker

Mornings and Sundays are the best times to ramble around Mumbai

I have wanted to visit India for years and yet never made it until recently. However, due to all the negative press on safety issues for female travellers in recent years, it made me quite anxious before my trip. The only ‘alone’ time during my month-long trip was in Mumbai, and even though I have a good friend there, I still had concerns despite being told that Mumbai is supposedly the safest city in India.

After spending a total of 5 nights at the beginning and the end of the trip, I can now say that Mumbai is generally a safe city for single female travellers. This was also confirmed after speaking to other single female travellers during my stay and they all felt the same way. I think when we travel in major cities, it is necessary to be vigilant anyhow, but I didn’t feel that Mumbai is more dangerous than cities like New York or London.

Mumbai’s rapidly changing cityscape

In fact, I found Mumbai utterly fascinating. Upon arrival, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the chaos, noise and pollution level, but I got over it quite quickly. I think it is a city that you would either love it or loathe it. Mumbai’s current urban population is estimated to be around 22 million (8th in the world), while London is just over 9 million (33rd), so if you think London is hectic, then try crossing the streets of Mumbai during the peak hours – it is really not for the faint-hearted.

Dhobi Ghat – the world’s largest open air laundromat

Cricket is still Indian’s favourite sport

What make big cities interesting are usually the people, history, architecture and cityscape. In order to appreciate a city fully, you have to be act like a flâneur/flâneuse because walking is always the best way to explore a city. However, some cities are not made for walking i.e. Moscow (not made for pedestrians), and a mega city like Mumbai (I had no idea it was so vast before my trip) is hardly ideal for strolling around. Now due to the constructions of the metro system, the city looks more a like a gigantic construction site and will stay this way for the next few years. During my stay, I relied on uber a few times (cheap and pretty safe), took the train once (with a group), took a tuk tuk once and then spent the rest of the time on foot. I chose to stay in Fort (the old part of town) initially because I knew it would enable me to ramble, and at the same time enjoy the beautiful colonial architecture around me. I highly recommend strolling around Fort on Sundays as it is much quieter with less traffic and tourists.

A signage (see above) that looks very much like the London underground!

One of the problems the world faces today is homogenisation. Major cities around the world are being homogenised to the point that old neighbourhoods are disappearing to make way for international chains like Starbucks, Zara and H & M etc. Do we really want all the high streets (and airports) around the world to be the same? Starbucks has been trying hard to make each coffee shop look different, but this is just another marketing strategy to trick the consumers. I like Mumbai because it differs from cities like New York, London, or Hong Kong – It is vibrant, full of character and surprises. Here are some of the reasons why I love the streets of Mumbai:

The people

Despite its size and population, I actually found most people in Mumbai very friendly. At times, strangers would say ‘hello’ to me in the streets, while others would ask me for a selfie (Indians love taking selfies with foreigners), but I never felt threatened nor did anyone harassed me when I was alone. Interestingly, many Indians don’t mind being photographed, which is not always the case when you travel in countries like China and Russia.

Colours & street graphics

Mumbai is a colourful city. I was particularly captivated by the trucks with hand painted water tanks around the city. They are so distinctive and playful – I love seeing them in the streets. While many first-world cities are embracing the digital technology and competing to be the world’s ‘smartest’ city, I found the hand painted street advertisment and signage very refreshing; I only hope that this kind of craftsmanship will not die out in the near future.

Indian graphic design is unique and conspicious without being tacky. They love usuing strong and contrasting colours with bold typpgraphy, yet they tend to work fairly effectively.

Colourful and interesting graphics

Street art

Animals

It is rare to see animals roaming around in big cities, but cows are ubiquitous in Mumbai, and sometimes they are just ‘parked’ on the pavement, which I find quite surprising.

Religious shrines

Religious conflicts are a complex issue across India, especially between Hindus and Muslims. Although the majority of the population in Mumbai are Hindus, you can still see mosques, churches, Gurdwara, Jain and Buddhist temples in different parts of the city. Hence you can find shrines of different religions in the streets, which indicates the diversity of the city.

Street food vendors

It is hard to avoid street food vendors in Mumbai, and the best ones often gather crowds around them. Regrettably, I didn’t dare to try the street food, but I loved walking past these stalls and often was drawn to them because of the smell and crowds.

Fruits and vegetable vendors

Street vendors

I loved seeing a variety of small street vendors in different neighbourhoods. While many street vendors in other Asian cities are disappearing due to urban development and gentrifications, it gave me joy to see them still thriving in Mumbai.

After listing all the positive points about Mumbai, there are some issues that I have yet to point out, and I shall continue in my next entry.

One sad incident also happened during my trip was the collaspe of the foot bridge connecting the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station to Badaruddin Tayabji Lane. Seven people died and at least 30 others were injured in the incident that took place during the peak hour on the 14th March. When I heard the news, I was traveling in Gujarat, but I seemed to recall crossing the bridge less than 2 weeks ago.

The foot bridge that collasped less than 2 weeks after I cross it in Mumbai

I tried to search for the photo of the bridge on my phone but couldn’t find it (turned out it was on my camera). I wanted to know if it was the same bridge that I crossed had collapsed. And it was THAT bridge. My heart sank immediately. I felt terrible for the victims and their families, and I realised it could have happened to me.

Apparently, it was the third foot bridge that had collapsed in two years in Mumbai. Yet the structural audit and repairs of this foot bridge were carried out only six months ago. These incidents reveal the infrastructure issues, and negligence is still prevalent in Mumbai/ India. As foreign travellers, we are unaware of the depth of the issue, but this incident did make me see Mumbai in a different light.

Last evening in Mumbai

To be continued…

Christmas in London

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Toothpicker

Regent Street’s Christmas lights

Apparently, the British are the most Christmas-obsessed people in the world, according to the results of a recent research. This doesn’t seem to surprise me judging from shoppers’ behaviour before Christmas. However, there is also a large population of people here who, under different circumstances, do not have families to celebrate with. Hence, Christmas can be quite daunting for those who don’t share the festive mood or joy.

This year, a group of Network Rail workers organised an alcohol-free four-course Christmas meal for 200 homeless people at the normally commuter-packed concourse inside Euston Station. Perhaps more cities should follow suit so that the homeless could share the festive spirit for just even a day.

2nd & 3rd row: Playful ‘Home for Christmas’ art installations by English artist Alan Kane at Tate Britain; last row: love the Christmas decorations outside of this house in Clerkenwell!

Since I started the business 6 years ago, the few weeks running up to Christmas had been extremely hectic and stressful. I would either get sick or be exhausted by the time Christmas arrives, so the word ‘Christmas’ has a completely different meaning for me and those of use who work in hospitality or retail-related businesses. I have also learnt that traveling around this period is a nightmare – especially if you are taking any kind of public transport – so I try to avoid it at all costs. When I went to meet up with my mother in Paris for Christmas last year, I caught the stomach flu bug after Christmas and ended up vomiting several times on Eurostar on my way back to London. Yes, it was memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.

Luckily, I have some friends in London who also don’t have their families around, so I spent this period catching up with those whom I haven’t seen for some time. With 5 festive meals in one week, it was probably a shock to my poor stomach, but at the same time, thoroughly enjoyable.

Festive indulgence – Top: pre-Christmas Sichuan dinner at Chilli cool; 2nd & 3rd left: Boxing day lunch at Hampstead’s gastro pub The Wells; 3rd right: Festive afternoon tea with a free bottle of prosecco at the May Fair Hotel

And on Christmas day, I had arranged to meet up with my American friend in central London for an Indian Christmas lunch, which I considered to be quite unusual. The truth is that I couldn’t find a restaurant/pub that wasn’t overcharging on the day i.e. £75 or more for a so-called festive menu that didn’t appeal to me at all; and since there was no transport on the day, I had to find a place where we could both reach (I was on foot and she was cycling).

Days before Christmas, we were anxiously checking the weather forecast to see if it would pour or snow, but luckily, the weather turned out to be quite mild though a bit grey (unlike the blue sky on Boxing day). The walk from my home to the restaurant took about 75 mins because I opted for a scenic route via Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park; on route, I crossed paths with joggers and many independent tourists who were wandering and enjoying a much quieter London. Interestingly, I also walked past Euston station where I saw some homeless people and volunteers outside preparing for the Christmas meal event.

Walking through Primrose hill, Regent’s park and Euston

Both my friend and I were very satisfied and pleased with the service, value and food quality at Salaam Namaste, and we spent a pleasant few hours savouring our tasty three-course Christmas lunch. I had so much food that I didn’t even bother having dinner in the evening. Fortunately, the walk back home helped me to burn some calories…

The 3-course Christmas lunch & a chocolate wreath – a gift from my friend

After I parted with my friend, I decided to take a different route back via Kings Cross and the canal. The roads were almost empty and there were very few people and traffic around the usually busy St Pancras Station. The city was surprisingly peaceful, and at the same time, quite surreal.

From Camley street, I crossed the Somers Town Bridge for the first time (I didn’t even know about it before the day), which was opened in the summer. This lightweight and sleek steel bridge is designed by Moxon Architects, and it links Camley Street with the Gasholder Park. In the summer, this area would be quite busy, but on Christmas day, there were only a handful of people strolling around at a leisurely pace.

After walking along the canal for about 20 mins, I finally reached Camden town, where the canal ends. And what caught my attention here was the post-modern futuristic style architecture on the opposite side of the canal. This is the Camden Sainsburys and housing designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners in the late 1980s, apparently it was influenced by car manufacturing techniques. How interesting.

The best part of my journey was to walk through an empty Camden Town! I have never seen Camden so quiet before, and so I took the opportunity to explore the area’s vibrant street art.

Although I felt quite tired after the walk, I really enjoyed walking through London without the crowds and traffic. It enabled me to explore and see things that I might have missed normally, and best of all, it made me feel less guilty for indulging so much throughout this festive period.

Boxing day lunch and walking in Hampstead heath

After years of constantly aiming to spend Christmas elsewhere, I found staying in London for Christmas this year to be a pleasant and restful. Sometimes, the grass is not always greener on the other side, and maybe this is something I finally got to understand lately.

Live tango performance and dancing at the Southbank centre during the festive period

Slow living on Peng Chau Island

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Toothpicker

While I was in Hong Kong, the weather was greyer and cooler than usual and I hardly saw the sun. Hence when the sun came out one day, I decided to take the opportunity to get out of the city. But where? I browsed through the little booklet on Hong Kong’s outlying islands that I picked up from the Hong Kong tourism Association office and I decided to head for Peng Chau, a small island that I have never visited before. I took a cab to the Central ferry pier and boarded onto a (fast) ferry heading towards Peng Chau, and less than 30 mins later, I felt like I was on a different planet!

Another reason why I picked Peng Chau is to do with the fact that it is still considered as ‘rural’ and much less developed than other islands. From what my friends told me, Lamma island is now full of expats and trendy cafes and bars, and even Cheung Chau is becoming more touristy than ever.

For someone who wants to get away from city life and be in touch with nature, Peng Chau is ideal. There were hardly any tourists on the day (it was a weekday) and when I arrived on the car-free island, I saw mostly elderly sitting in groups by the pier or riding leisurely on their bikes. The pace here is slow and laidback, so immediately I felt relaxed and calm.

Unlike other outlying islands of Hong Kong, the ‘centre’ of Peng Chau is rather sleepy and I did not come across any Western bars/restaurant/cafe except for one on near the main square. On the main covered high street (Wing On Street), there is a stretch of inexpensive shops and Hong Kong-style cafes but many were closed on the day. I had a quick and inexpensive lunch at a Vietnamese cafe before setting of to explore the island.

I was quite taken aback to see the centre being so run down, the huge blue building where the former Peng Chau theatre once stood reveals that it wasn’t always the case. Peng Chau was once a thriving centre for lime and matchsticks productions during the 70s and 80s. Public can visit the former sites of the lime kiln and match factory (now just ruins), but I skipped them and visited some nearby temples instead.

Top & second row left & middle: Tin Hau temple; 2nd row right & 3rd row left: The Golden Flower Shrine; 3rd row right: Temple of Morality (Taoist); Bottom left: A small shrine near a village; Bottom right: Seven sisters temple

There are several temples on this small island, the easiest one to locate is the historical Tin Hau temple, located about 5 mins walk for the pier near Wong On Street. The temple was restored in 1798 and rebuilt in 1882, but the exact history of the original temple has yet to be traced. Tin Hau Goddess is the most worshipped deity in Hong Kong, there are over 100 temples dedicated to her in Hong Kong. She is said to protect fishermen and sailors, and the island celebrates a yearly Tin Hau festival on the 21st day of the 7th lunar month.

Not far from it is The Golden Flower Shrine dedicated to Lady Golden Flower, which sits under an old banyan tree. Worshippers believe that Lady Golden Flower can grant many generations of descendants.

Another interesting temple is the Seven sisters temple on Pak Wan. The ‘seven sisters’ are somewhat versatile deities; while they usually help young women improve their needlecraft (not sure how many women would be praying for this nowadays), at this temple, they aid couples who want to start families.

Nature on the island

After visiting the temples, I walked up to the highest point of the island, Finger Hill to check out the view. I was hoping to see a panoramic view of the island from the top but was disappointing to find the trees blocking the view. Hence I walked towards the sea and chilled out at the pavilion where I could see Hong Kong island from a distance.

It didn’t take me too long to walk around the island, but it would have helped if there was more signage for directions. Though I was happy to see many empty beaches, I was also bothered by the rubbish on these beaches esp. by the Fisherman rock. I am not sure if the rubbish came from the sea or was left by visitors, either way it is a nuisance when people do not respect the environment and nature.

After spending about 5 hours on this island, it was time to leave… as I was approaching the pier, commuters were starting to return home from Hong Kong island. I felt incredibly exuberant as I headed back to the city, and I sincerely wish that the island will continue to remain ‘local’ and not be over-developed like the other outlying islands. Yet this may be wishful thinking because new modern housing is already being developed now, and Peng Chau may soon loses the authentic and tranquil quality. I hope that this will not be the case but the government needs to protect Hong Kong’s nature and not sacrifice the citizen’s quality of life for economic growth/development. As a so-called international city, Hong Kong is very behind in its environmental effort ( air pollution is a good example) and urban planning, when will they wake up and smell the roses? If they continue to ignore these important issues, then there will be no roses to smell soon!