Goans (and others) visiting Bombay and wishing to have independent short term
accommodation (from days to weeks) can check out the YMCA at Bombay Central.
Situated in the lower central core of the city, steps from Nair Hospital, it is
located in an area that was once home to senior railway anglo indian staff
living in sprawling bungalows. Although the neighborhood has now gone to seed,
it is safe because the big Bombay gangsters are headquartered nearby. Just as
Mafia homes are clustered in Garden City, Long Island, New York, making it the
safest (but most expensive) place to stay, so in likeness is the YMCA.
Far from the airport (about 40 kms) but close to downtown and all the rest of
the city's attractions, it is a simple neat and well run facility. A five star
hotel it is not, but tasty meals thrice a day, veg and non-veg thrown in,
courteous and almost a fully dedicated personal room service and a line of
taxis dedicated to Y guests make is as Bombay-convenient as it can get.
The Manager when I last went, was a well mannered parsee gent with decades of
service and the staff were mostly Maharashtrian Christians from small towns in
the state. It would nicely fit the needs of an individual or a family visiting
Bombay for a short while on personal business or pleasure and don't want to
break the bank.
You can check them out on the net but they have a big demand and one must book
well ahead. I paid what I am sure is a foreigner rate but if you could get
someone in Bombay to book it for you, it would probably ensure a much reduced
room rate though I can't vouch that.
Bombay is not New York, London, or Toronto, by a long mile and be prepared for
culture shock. But having said that, the city cannot be given a miss.
Bombayites or Mumbaikars (take your pick) talk fast, think fast and are ahead
of you by about three steps, but they are friendly, helpful and informative
(even on directions they don't know, so be careful). Very few denizens of
cities with a twenty million population are ever like that. Bombay has history,
even a solid Goan history, so don't skip a long visit to Dhobitalao and
environs, carrying along my Goanet posts with you as guide.
Guard your money safely. In crowds, you will be relieved of your wallet and
will be probably smiling at the guy who did it without least suspecting it was
him.
The city's food is a special delight. You might have had tandoori and butter
chicken in the west and think that is it. But there is this food and there is
Bombay food. If you eat the city's Malwani (Konkan) fish fare, you will not be
wrong in thinking you have died and are now in heaven.
That is the way to see Bombay. Not confined to five star hotels where the scene
is the same whether in Tel Aviv, Tblisi or Timbuktu.
Roland
Toronto.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
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