A Refreshing Visit to the Marine Drive in Mumbai

I can come to Mumbai over and over again, and never get bored. I, belonging to Indore, find this city as mesmerizing as any small-town person would do.  I do have a satisfying life back there in my hometown, but I love exploring the city of dreams called Mumbai, or Bombay, as many locals still call it. I have been to several places in the city during this time of my visit in the month of December 2017, and I decided to go to Marine Drive as well. I should have done it long ago, but somehow I had to postpone my plans. Anyway, this time I could not defer the visit anymore, and I took my friend along to explore the place. 

I knew that going to the Marine Drive during the day would be a foolish idea on a weekend because it would be densely crowded as usual. I did not want to get stuck in the traffic and then struggle to find a place to sit on the boulevard. I drove to Marine Drive with my friend, Kashish in the car rental we had taken for the night, and thankfully did not brawl to park it. 

Even though I come from the not-so-fast life of Indore, I still like to enjoy the urban peace of the Queen’s Necklace. The fast-paced existence of Mumbai can make anyone feel tired to death, so it does to me. And whenever I feel exhausted from traveling, I try to find out places like this to instill some sense of calm in my mind. No doubt that as soon as I reached Marine Drive, I felt the serenity and calmness. Although it was the rainy season in Mumbai when I was there, it did not downpour much. Nevertheless, the breeze was just so awesome while we sat on the stones. 

Just sitting at this place makes monsoons in Mumbai a lot more pleasant, though we have to be careful of the high tides. When the tides are too high, we get the constant splashes of water that come from the strong waves banging on the seashores below. Mumbai-kars also come to Marine Drive for a morning walk and evening saunter. The students from the neighboring colleges have it as their favorite hangout spot. And it is needless to say that this location has been the preferred choice of shooting movies for a long time.

We sat there for at least three hours and not for a moment; we felt bored. It is always soothing to be there at a place as serene as Marine Drive, but we had to leave for our upcoming destination, which was Churchgate Station. Although we did not have any local train to catch, we wanted to try some local food outside the place. We took our Self-Drive Car Rental Mumbai and drove off to the station. 

A few food stalls were there in place outside the Churchgate Station, and even at 3 am, we could see at least a few dozen people enjoying the delicacies. The station opens at 4 am, which makes many people wait outside the station for the first train of the day. While we had the refreshing tea, we quickly grabbed the maska bun, and placed the order for bhurji pao and egg tawa rice. Considering the crowd at the place, it is inessential to say that the food, as well as the tea, was just so scrumptious. We were a little tired, and it did not take us long to gorge the lip-smacking food.

With our stomachs stuffed with food, we sat back in our car and left for home. Although we were tired, the people of Mumbai were not. The cars were still running at high speed on the roads, and it appeared that the people still had a task to accomplish. Without a doubt, Mumbai never sleeps.

How I Realized Not to Ride an Elephant Anywhere in the World

Asia is a famous part of the world where the elephants are a common sight. Whether it is India, Thailand, or Sri Lanka, one can easily spot an elephant and take a ride on its back for fun and frolic. Whenever I would see an elephant earlier, I would ask my friends to join me for a fun trip. However, it was not too late when I realized that I should not do it. I still remember my first giant ride in Delhi when I was there with a friend who had come from Mumbai. It was around eight at night when I was there in Connaught Place, and we spotted an elephant with its mahout, the master of the animal. The man seemed to have a good reputation with the giant being, and as soon as he gestured, the elephant bowed to its front knees to let us sit on it.  

Our joy could see no bounds when we realized that we were going to ride an elephant in reality. The mahout let us sit on the square seat that he had created on the back of his tamed creature. As soon as the elephant got up, we had to grip the bars of the seating tightly to avoid falling from the top of a huge animal that we had even touched for the first time. Just in the flash of a second, I could imagine myself being trampled under the foot of the elephant if he got angry. Nevertheless, it was too much to think of when all we had to do was to hold the iron bars tightly. 

As soon as the elephant started moving, we started enjoying the bumpy ride. Although the mahout charged us a hefty amount for a two hundred-meter ride, we did enjoy the trip to the best. We wanted to be there on the back of the elephant for at least a few more minutes, but before we realized, the journey got over. We got the pictures clicked with the adorable living thing, and went ahead to have the dinner with our hearts full of joy. At several other instances, including ones in Mumbai, Ludhiana, and Kerala, I took the pleasure of elephant rides. However, it was when I was there in Mumbai when the realization dawned on me that I was indulging in a cruel act for my sake of fun.

I was there with the same friend in Mumbai who had come to my city, Delhi when we first enjoyed the ride. We had taken a Car Rental Mumbai to explore her city of dreams. While having a great time around the grand town, we spotted an elephant again. As soon as we saw the animal, we giggled and immediately decided to ride it once more and relive our memories of Delhi. We took the trip on the animal as we had resolved, but as soon as we were about to leave the place, we noticed something that changed our perception towards animals forever.  

The mahout of the animal was poking sharp iron rode on its leg when the elephant refused to obey his orders. Maybe the elephant was sick and tired for the night, but his master was not ready to let go of his earning for the day. He wanted to get more out of the elephant, but the beast was adamant not to give in. After the mahout tortured it for a couple of times more, he had no choice but to agree. It was a terrible sight to see, and I could see it in the eyes of the elephant that he would never forget a human being for treating him like this. I recalled my so-called learnings of school when I had gained the knowledge that the lions, rabbits, and elephants are tormented to entertain the humans. I immediately decided not to indulge in this heinous act of riding an elephant again in my life, and so did my friend.

Going for a Paan Break in Jaipur

A few cities in India are famous for certain things that are truly unparalleled. Just like Nagpur is famous for oranges, Jaipur has earned the fame for Paans. For those who are new to India and its traditions, Paan is a mouth-freshener prepared with a combination of betel leaf, areca nut, tobacco (occasionally), fennel seeds, gulkand, katha, mukhwa, and many other refreshing ingredients. The psychoactive and stimulant effects of this fantastic creation are well-known from centuries in India and abroad. The Mughals have it mentioned in their scriptures as well. It is a simple, yet complex creation, which requires years of practice and expertise. Only a few Paan sellers in the country have been able to become famous for their variety of paans. 

Jaipur is one such city in Rajasthan where eating a Paan after a meal is a must-do. When I went there last month in October, I had made an elaborate itinerary to visit various forts and palaces. However, all of my plans failed because I had not managed my itinerary well. Nevertheless, few good things also happened on our vacation. I am blessed to have a supportive family who does not crib over petty issues. Even though our plans did not work out well in Jaipur, we still had a great time with each other.

It was our first day in Jaipur when we saw a massive crowd in front of a bicycle. Our first thought was that there must have been an accident, which is why such dozens of people were present. However, the presence of BMWs and Audi’s made it a little fishy scene. I got down from my car to find out what was wrong as the traffic was already moving at a snail’s pace. To my utter surprise, it was nothing else, but the rush to grab the Paan from the seller. I had never seen such a swarm of people maddening around to grab a piece of mouth-freshener. 

I have bought Paan from a few sellers in Delhi who are really famous for their creations. They sell a wide range of paans in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, Maghai Paan, Saada Paan, Paan, Banarasi Paan, Meetha Paan, Silver Paan, Rasamalai Paan, Gold Paan, Chocolate Paan, Bangla Paan, Tambaku Paan, Misti Paan, Jagannath Paan, and Kalkatti Paan. I must say that I have googled these names from just one source, and these are only a few variants of Paan sold in Delhi. Despite such a vast assortment of their creations, none of the sellers are able to attract more than ten buyers at one time.

Anyway, I got down to know what was so special about this seller. After waiting for a good fifteen minutes, I could manage to have my turn to buy his special creation of Paan. To my utter surprise, the person was not even preparing the Paan. He had already got his stock ready from home, and he was selling only Meetha Paan, which was quite cold I must say. He would take out the required number of paans from his storage box, probably a mini-refrigerator, and give them to his customers. I grabbed the four paans for my family, paid the price, and rushed back to my Self-Drive Car Rental Jaipur. 

As I gave my parents and sister the famed paans of Jaipur, and opened my share of this majestic creation, I looked at my sister who was about to ask something from me with her mouth filled with paan. As I was gulping down the cold and fresh paan, she asked me the name of the seller, and my reaction was, "Oops! I didn't ask for it!" What a shame! No, I did not go there again in the long queue to ask it.