Got off the ship after noon to go downtown and shop. Ran into friends Wally and Chad who were going downtown also, and shared a cab. This was our first view of Mumbai during the day. Lots of traffic and lots of people going about their various activities. Lots of people just standing around. Humidity and heat abounded. We got off at the symbol of Mumbai, the Gateway to India. This is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located by the seaside promenade. It was built to welcome King George and Queen Mary on their visit in 1911. I hope they had better weather. We got our pictures taken there and were invited by the guys to go to high tea at the Taj Palace Hotel nearby. We instantly gave up shopping and ended up having a buffet lunch and high tea also. We felt out of place in our attire, but the guys were issued some long pants to wear so I expect we were not the only group of tourists they ever had. If you can multiply posh by one gillion you will almost have the hotel. Staff had on Indian attire and everything looked like a Hollywood set. The food and service were splendid, but I was surprised when Colinda asked for a type of tea on the menu and was told they were out of it. Made us feel better after arriving dripping in our unfancy clothes. I took a picture in the women’s room of a woman in traditional dress and a woman with a skull T-shirt with fuschia color sprayed on her hair. Traditional/Modern contrast. That’s India!!!
There was an India themed party that night to celebrate Dewali, the festival of color. Lots of colorful decorations on deck. We have a friend Sandra who bought a huge stack of saris and fitted us out in some. We went from tacky to fabulous in a few hours. Was wonderful weather at night on the deck with a small breeze. Tomorrow is one of our last sea days before we get off at Dubai.
Where in the world is Dalna 