You say Mumbai, I say Bombay...

Ok, it is now known as Mumbai but some of the locals I met still call it by its colonial name of Bombay. Either way, I just spent the weekend in this huge, chaotic and cosmopolitan city.

Started off fine. Flight was only 45 minutes late and my car was waiting for me. As we left the airport, I quickly realized the stark contrasts I was about to encounter. As you depart the domestic airport (they have two airports separated by 6-7 kms) you drive through what is supposedly the largest slum in Asia. It was packed and there were school kids in uniforms walking home, commerce of every kind taking place on the streets and an unimaginable collection of garbage everywhere.

The hotel I had picked was beautiful but in the worst location possible for my meeting and for being close to the tourist spots. This distance from tourist spots will be featured in its own post - I can't wait to share that experience with you. The ITC Sheraton Grand Central was just that: grand in luxury and central in location (central Mumbai that is). I checked in and realized I was running a bit late for my meeting. I hired a hotel car and realized I had to go back past the airport and then some. I was late. I can't tell you the name of where I was, but it was nice. All new buildings with Greek-inspired architecture, smooth roads and swanky shops. I also saw my first non-scrawny dog here. Of course as soon as we left the meeting and headed back, we were right in the middle of another rutted road.

On Saturday I headed out for the Gateway to India monument and some siteseeing. The cab driver ended up being my tour guide for the next four hours and showed me around the southern part of the city. Much of the area is made up of colonial era British architecture and most of those buildings could use a good power washing. I wanted to call up the tourist board and tell them they had architectural gems just sitting there, waiting to be exploited.

The Gateway to India monument was built in the early 1900s in honor of the King's visit to Bombay. It's now a prominent symbol of the city and a gathering spot for locals, beggars and tourists. Saying "No" will get you nowhere here - just ignore anyone who is talking to you and go about your business.

Across the street from the Gateway is the famous and elegant Taj Palace Hotel. Built by Indian industrialist JN Tata in 1903, this places screams "money!" and has room prices that most of us couldn't afford. The story is he built the hotel after being snubbed by a European hotel for being a "native." Tata is now one of the biggest India companies and has their fingers in everything. I'm sure the ancestors of that European hotel owner now operate a chip shoppe in some backwater English village. I strolled through the hotel and had an overpriced beer in the bar. With security tailing me, I quickly left the premises and headed to less costly environs.

Next up was the University of Mumbai campus (pictured at top of this page). Built in the 1850s, it could have been plucked from England and dropped here. I was pleased to see some major renovation taking place on the Convocation Hall and no one seemed to mind it when I rolled through the Library on a book cart.

The rest of the tour consisted of Marine Drive, Chowpatty Beach, Mani Bhavan (where Ghandi stayed while in town), the Jain temple and the Hanging Gardens. Also drove by the Haji Ali Mosque and got some pics from afar.

My plans to go out with friends of friends were quickly dashed after I met a crazy American I will call Okie and his German friend "Sideshow Klaus" in the hotel. We ended up staying at the hotel and closing down the bar (which is easy since they close at 11:30).

Next up: Why I should listen to my own advice, Indian style.