day 9 - Mumbai

Today's trip was to Elephanta Island, an island 9km off the coast of Mumbai (1 hour away by boat).The island got it's name from the Portuguese when they invaded and found a giant elephant statue (of which only two of the feet remain).

The main attraction of the island is an ancient temple dedicated to Shiva, which is carved out of the rock, and has some incredible carvings.

But first the boat crossing......

The sea was a little rough, but nothing major, we've been on dive boats in the past, on choppier seas, but it was choppy enough, that a Japanese girl managed to throw up before the boat had left the dock.  Not over the side, oh no, all over the deck, and herself.  She continued to blow chunks at least three more times before we reached the island.

Once on the island, a small noddy train took us the length of the pier, and onto dry land.

A wee train on Elephanta island

To get to the temple, there was 120 steps to climb.  The locals have lined the steps with stalls selling souvenirs, and if you can't do steps, you can sit on a chair with poles along the sides, and get carried up.

At the top, the temple sits carved out of the rock.  Nothing here was "built" and installed, the whole place - pillars and statues - are all carved from the rock.  It's spectacular.  There are nine carvings in all, all telling the story of Shiva.  The place is like something from Indiana Jones.

One of the none carvings on Elephanta Island

The return journey was, thankfully, a bit smoother, and although the Japanese girl was back on the boat, ot appeared that she had nothing left to throw up, which was a relief.  Then, the rain started, and with the tide going out, and an offshore wind, there was a lot of spray coning in and soaking people.  It was actually quite funny, and the kids on board were loving it.

In the afternoon, we'd asked the guide about other things in Mumbai, and he'd picked us up tickets to go to the Planetarium.  It was excellent, and pretty busy,  People in Mumbai seem to be more into doing things like this that Glaswegians.  A wee kid behind us had to be taken out pretty much as soon as the lights went down, as he was really scared and was freaking out.  Admittedly, if your a small kid, what was making me go "Oooh" probably would make you go "Aaargh!"

Back at the hotel, they had left a birthday cake in the room for Karen, which was a nice surprise, and when we went for dinner, in the hotel, when they realised we were celebrating, they brought a another cake with a candle in, and the staff sang Happy Birthday.

Tomorrow, we have to pack after breakfast as we're off to Kerela.