| Suburbs |
Bandra
|
Khar
|
Santacruz
|
Andheri
|
| Lodging (Single room) |
8,000/-
|
7,000/-
|
7,000/-
|
5,000/-
|
| Boarding |
10,000/-
|
10,000/-
|
10,000/-
|
8,000/-
|
Traveling
to & fro
(Railway/Auto/Bus)
|
1,300/-
|
1,200/-
|
1,300/-
|
1,800/-
|
Approximate
time to
Raffles |
20mins
|
10mins
|
20mins
|
30mins
|
Mumbai (AKA Bombay) is
the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans
on weekends, bhel puri on the beach at Chowpatty and red
double-decker buses running around buildings a century old. Mumbai has vital streetlife, India's best nightlife,
and more bazaars than you could ever explore.
Mumbai is located on India's central-western coast along
the Arabian Sea. The city developed for 150 years in isolation
from its hinterland and still seems to belong in a different
world to the huge, predominantly Hindu state of Maharashtra,
which encompasses a 500km (310mi) coastal strip, a portion
of the Western Ghats and a significant part of the Deccan
plateau.
The Western Ghats (literally, steps) start to rise
just north of Mumbai and run parallel to the coast. They
have an average elevation of 915m (3001ft) and are covered
with tropical and temperate evergreen forests and mixed
deciduous forest and harbour a rich array of plant and animal
life, including 27% of India's flowering plants.
Mumbai itself is an island connected by bridges to the mainland.
The principal part of the city is concentrated at the southern
claw-shaped end of the island. The southernmost peninsula
is known as Colaba and this is where most travellers gravitate,
since it has a decent range of hotels and restaurants and
two of the city's best landmarks, the Gateway of India and
the Taj Mahal Hotel. Directly north of Colaba is the area
known as the Fort, since this is where the old British fort
once stood. Further west is Marine Drive, which sweeps around
Back Bay, connecting the high-rise modern business centre
with Chowpatty Beach. To the north are the suburbs of Greater
Mumbai. Here you'll find the two airports, Sahar International
and the domestic Santa Cruz.
Like a giant magnet, Mumbai draws people from all walks
of life - traders and artisans, musicians and movie stars,
peasants and industrialists, entrepreneurs and executives,
students and dropouts. Mumbai
is like little bits of India all rolled into one sprawling
city. So, don't just pass through as you head for Rajasthan
or Goa, but stay awhile in Mumbai. Explore its sights and
soul - the promise of a heady experience awaits you.
The climate of Mumbai is
temperate with the summers warm and winters cool, with negligible
seasonal temperature variations. In May, the hottest of
the warm summer months, temperatures hover between 27°
Celsius (81°F) and 33° Celsius (92° F). The
summer heat gives way to the monsoon, when the southwest
monsoon winds unleash their laden fury on the city. The
average rainfall is 217 cm but the city’s streets
get flooded every rainy season (June to September/October).
Relative humidity levels climb to more than 87% and dehydration
and enervation as clothes-stick-to-the-body are two very
common complaints from visitors and residents alike. The
winter months from November to February are balmy and cool
with day temperatures averaging a comfortable 19° Celsius
(67° F).
Transport
Auto-rickshaws
Three wheelers are available only in the suburbs, they are
also metered, with a farecard.
