in which I fall in love with a city I've been to a thousand times

clouds right before the first rains of the season

I went to Bombay (I polled quite a few "Mumbaites" while I was there and the general consensus was that the name change was completely unwarranted-- many locals, from those who are third-generation to those who just moved to the city, still call it Bombay) at the beginning of June and had the most amazing time! I've been to the city so many times before, but never really saw it before my trip last week.  I stayed with my aunt and uncle and my adorable baby cousin:

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She's 19 months old and completely brilliant. She's also already a total flirt--she waves "ta ta" and blows kisses at people and is just overall the cutest thing.

gorgeous baby

I had a blast going out in Bombay--we had drinks at a bar on the beach one night, and the weather was gorgeous. It's much more humid than Delhi but slightly cooler, and the skies are clear. We spotted plenty of star constellations and even Venus, which is virtually impossible in India's smoggy capital.

My uncle took me on a tour of the oceanside "downtown" area of Bombay one afternoon before we went out, and I fell hard for the area. There's so much history: Worli Seaface, where many Bollywood scenes have been filmed; the Haji Ali mosque, which resides on a rock in the sea; gorgeous architecture from when the British ruled; old factories and mills, the beautiful Sea Link bridge, stunning Victoria Terminus, etc.
I also saw the houses of SRK, Lata Mangeshkar, the Bachans', Sachin Tendulkar, and a few other Indian celebrities. The little green and yellow three-wheeled "rickshaws" aren't allowed in the Worli area, which is a testament to what a powerful/lucrative area it is, both residential and commercial. I also saw the Bombay Stock Exchange-- B'by (as locals affectionately/hip-ly refer to their city) is the financial capital of India, similar to NYC's role in the US. We went shopping and saw a lot of family and I was so thankful that I came at the perfect time-- it wasn't too hot (funny how all of a sudden 103 degrees is "not too hot" for me-- thanks, Delhi), and the monsoon rains started the day I left so I avoided those as well, although I hear that Bombay is gorgeous in monsoon season.

I unfortunately didn't get to take many pictures because of a slight mishap with my camera involving me dropping and breaking the power adapter without realizing it (I thought I had broken my camera-- thank God that wasn't the case!) and subsequently freaking out because my battery wouldn't charge and then putting my memory card into my aunt's camera and getting it stuck. I did manage to take a few with my trusty BlackBerry, though. Please excuse the quality:

Bombay skyline during the day and at night. It's also called the Queen's necklace, because the road that wraps it around the Arabian sea, Marine Drive, is C-shaped and resembles a necklace. Cute name, right?

Victoria Terminus, India's busiest railway station

The Taj hotel, victim to the 2008 terrorist bombings.

We saw gorgeous horse-drawn Victoria carriages (think Sherlock Holmes) in front of the hotel, but they were all decorated with gaudy flashing lights, etc. Somebody said that this tackiness was the "guju touch" and that it ruined the beautiful carriages, which of course made my day.

side view of the Gateway of India at sunset

Gateway of India was built from 1911-20 to commemorate a visit by King George V and his wife to Bombay. Interestingly, it was also the arch through which the last British ships set sail to leave India after  the country gained independence. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I'm so upset that I didn't have my camera to get good pictures of this and the rest of Bombay.
I look forward to going back again soon--the city is beautiful and I had a great time with my family (Thanks Ashish Mama and Bhakti Mami!)--, hopefully with a side trip to Goa!