Amchi Mumbai.....

We went to Mumbai on June 24, 2011 from Pune and reached there in about 3 hours via easy access six lane Mumbai-Pune Express way. It was a wonderful experience going there. We had just 2 days for the trip, so we planned to roam around some few but beautiful places that includes Band Stand, Haji Ali Mosque, Gateway of India and Elephanta Caves. It was worth a visit.

Band Stand: One very beautiful location for fun in Mumbai is Band Stand. It's a rocky beach. A cool breeze was blowing all the time. It's a famous lover's point.
One can enjoy at the sea side as well as at the rocks in the sea. Bhel puri, Sev puri, Pani puri, Sweet corns, soft drinks, juices and many other items were available at the many stalls.The front of it is residence of many famous actors like Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Shahrukh Khan(Mannat), Farhan Akhtar and many other famous personalities. People from nearby residencies came here for walks also.

Haji Ali Mosque: It is situated a long distance out into the sea. It provides a very beautiful view and religious feeling in heart. There's a cement walkway that goes out to Dargah. The walk to Dargah was not so good as both sides of it were dirty, smelly, crowded with shops selling unwanted stuff along with so many beggars.

Inside Dargah is very clean and beautiful. Women can go inside the Dargah and are not forced to cover their heads, although there are separate entrances for men and women.

View of Gateway of India along with Taj Hotel from the sea

Gateway of India , an archway, is one of the most famous landmark of India. It is very big and marvelous. This is a historic monument. It is on the sea shore. The Gateway was made by Britishers as a landing place for them. It represented a spectacular view of the sea with a cool breeze all the time. This monument is a major tourist attraction.

The monument and the wide ocean ahead of it provides the most picturesque view. In front of it is the famous Taj Hotel. Along with the visit to this monument one can also visit to Taj Hotel, the nearby market, the Leopard Cafe, and a boat cruise to Elephanta Caves.
Its worth a visit.

Elephanta Caves: Behind the gateway, there are steps leading down to the water. We took a ferry ride for a short cruise that took us to the Elephanta caves. The caves have been designated a `world heritage site' by UNESCO . About one hour joy rides in motor boat in the sea gave a nice view of the harbour, Gate way of India, Taj Hotel, some very big ships, other ferries and many other things. It was an excellent ride.

Once we reached at the Island(Elephanta Island), it was a long walk to the caves followed by so many steps. The Island is very beautiful. There’s a toy train also that helps to cover some distance . On this way we found souvenir & handicraft shops. There were many small restaurants also.

Map of location of all the statues

All the statues here were very impressive and interesting. Most of these are dedicated to lord Shiva. These are cut out from solid rock. We hired a guide for Rs 100/- .He educated us very well about its history and other interesting facts about these statues. He said the Portuguese called the island Elephanta on seeing its huge gigantic statue of an Elephant at the entrance. At present this statue is placed somewhere else. He also said that Portuguese used these sculptures as a target for shooting practice, so some of these were destroyed. Even today we can see the bullets carved into the sculptures. We spent around 3 hrs at this place.

Main statue of Trimurti(Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh)

Shivling

Natraj pose of Lord Shiv

Bullet embedded into statue

To go to these places we went through Bandra Worli Sea Link Bridge(Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link Bridge). This is a Wonderful bridge to have a nice view. It is a cable-stayed bridge. It links Worli and Bandra across Mahim Bay.

Mumbai Pune expressway

Its official name is Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway. This is a classic example of developing India. It's a twelve-lane(six lanes for going to Mumbai and six lanes for coming back from Mumbai), high-speed access expressway. It has reduced time span between Mumbai and Pune from 5 hours(through National Highway) to 2 hours that leads to reduction of fuel consumption and thus reduction of pollution. It has also reduced chances of accidents. There is Ban for two wheelers, three wheelers and tractor vehicles. The road passes through scenic Sahyadri mountain ranges due to which one has to pass through amazing tunnels, valleys, water falls, cool breeze and clouds also. Going through the expressway leads us to the imaginary world of roaming around in Heaven. It's just an example of Incredible India.