Saturday 14th - Leaving Mumbai

Our last day in Mumbai. Five days have gone so quickly. After breakfast we pack our bags and take the short cab ride to CST where we check the luggage into the Cloak Room. One thing that we have learned on this trip is that shoe shine artists are a bit thin on the ground in South India. D avails of the service at the station to get rid of the Matheran dust and return a shine to his shoes.

On Tuesday we were going to eat at the renowned Parsi restaurant Britannia but we believed TripAdvisor and got there too late. This time we got there just after opening and had no problem getting a table.  The decor is idiosyncratic and reflects the views of the owner, Mr Kohinor, who is a great fan of HM The Queen. The service is prompt and efficient and we place our order for Veg Berry Pulao and Sali Chicken, both house specialities.  Mr K does the rounds, chatting to people at each table and showing us a copy of a letter that he received from Windsor Castle.

We have arranged to meet A at the Kala Ghoda Festival so after our meal we drift south, stopping off at the Monetary Museum (free admission,  no cameras) for some respite from the sun. This is rather interesting but suddenly fills with students on some organised visit. We beat a retreat and find a spot for a chilled one before heading to the Festival.  This is much busier than on Tuesday and there are a few more exhibits. We meet up with A but the crowds are a bit much so we move on. Visitors to India are always warned to be very wary of roadside juice stalls as they are notorious for poor hygiene. A personally recommends a sugar cane juice stall near the Gateway to India so we go to try it. Not as sweet as we expected but very refreshing.

We take a turn around the Gateway. It's busy but not crowded.  On the way back into town we see that the Modern Art Gallery has an exhibition of works dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar, the famous Yorkshire cricketer. We decide to give it a try. There are some really imaginative pieces and even ardent non cricket fan R enjoys it. They have to chuck us out at closing time.

It is time for A to head back home and we want a snack before the journey.  We choose Cafe Universal, not too far from CST. It is a light and airy place with a bit of a French feel to it. We order  a Chicken Kati Roll and Mutton Sheesh Kebab with a Naan to share from the snack menu. The portions are huge. We have eaten more today than in any other two days of our trip put together. The food was delicious and the cold beers not bad either. 

No coupe for us tonight. There is an MP and his wife on the train. We share a cabin with a Polish couple who are also heading to Aurangabad. They are in India for the first time and are not impressed. They say they much prefer Thailand or Sri Lanka. The train leaves on time at 9.10 and we turn in for what is going to be a short night.

Apologies for the delay in posting. Technical issues.