Tuesday 10th - CST Revisited. Again and again.

When Mumbai was Bombay it had a wonderful railway station called Victoria Terminus (VT). Many people still know it as that but the official name is

Chhatrapati Shivaji  Terminus , named after a seventeenth century Indian warrior king , now usually shortened to CST. It is still a wonderful sight to behold and a tour should feature on every visitor's Mumbai agenda. It certainly features on D's list.

We breakfast and pack our bags so that our room can be swopped while we are out. First job is to buy our five day rail passes so we can travel the local trains without needing to queue for tickets each trip. At around 9 a.m. we arrive at CST which is just starting to get a bit busy. D joins the dozen or so in one of the queues which moves quite steadily and he is soon in possession of the necessary. Next job the Museum. We are directed around the houses and eventually come up against a man with a sub machine gun who tells us to come back at 10 a.m.

We kill an hour by walking up to Crawford Market where things are just starting to get under way for the day. We follow this with a circuit around the outside of the Mangaldas clothing market. We save a lot of money as it is still closed. Back to the station. At the barrier we are told to go away and waved off in the direction of the main gates. As we try to enter these a man shouts 'No!' very loudly. When we tell him that we want the Museum he just shakes his head. We are about to admit defeat when D sees a locked gate and a notice to the effect that the Museum hours are 3pm to 6 pm.

Plan B kicks into action and we head for the Kala Ghoda Arts festival. Last time that we were here it was Sunday and the place was packed. Today it is quieter and there is more chance to see the slightly wacky stuff on display. It is heating up now so we move on in search of shade and/or AC. We have time to come back later in the week.

Just next door is the Jehangar Art Gallery which is showing work by some current Indian artists. The main hall has a collection of views of Venice by one such. In a side room there is a collection of sculptures and the man responsible seems to mistake R for a serious collector, pressing an autographed catalogue upon her and insisting that it is a gift. We make our escape and enjoy a lemon tea in the Cafe. The Panjim Marriot could learn a bit about how to do it from here.

We have been contemplating going to the cinema while in Mumbai so we walk on to the Regal Cinema to check the listing. Nothing on the listing really grabs us but the lure of the nearby Cafe Mondegar and a cold beer does. After Panjim the prices seem astronomic. We make our way back to the hotel where our room switch has gone smoothly. The new room is a little smaller but has all of the same facilities. The tap in the bathroom does not shoogle. However the entire pedestal washbasin does.

Lunchtime beer knocks R out so D sets off for CST alone. The museum gates are still locked at 3.05. An official looking man says to come back in thirty minutes. This is a chance to take a train trip. D hops on the first one, virtually empty, and heads out for 15 minutes, riding at the open door, then crosses to the other platform and returns to CST. The gates are open and a lady takes the 200 rupee fee, issues the ticket in a plastic pouch with a neckstrap and sends D on to the security check. First off is a gallery of photos,  models and railway artefacts. 

While D inspects these a guide and three English ladies arrive. One lady is quite old and the other two are her daughters.  She lived in Bombay and Calcutta as a girl and had come to relive her memories of using VT. She has some fascinating stories, much more interesting than the guide's spiel about the architecture.







 He does take us to some interesting areas accessed via a spectacular grand staircase, including a gallery overlooking the booking hall, and a flat roof at the front which gives a great view of the snarled up traffic. These ares are all part of the Central Railway offices and are closed to the public except for these tours. Halfway round we are given chai and biscuits. Time flies by and it is heading for 6 p.m. when D gets back to the hotel.

For supper we head to an old favourite,  the Gaylord, near the other big railway station,  Churchgate. We have been urged to try a fish called pomfret so we share one, tandoori roasted. It is delicious. On the way back we happen upon the Kala Ghoda festival live performance stage where we see some dancing and some kind of comedy double act that reminds R of Francie and Josie.