A short trip to Mumbai city 1 .

Think a megacity and almost instantly Mumbai comes on the lips.The city that never sleeps .Be a day or night it works tirelessly, without any pause.Here, none of the train,bus or any transport problems come just everyone enjoys the hassle free journeys.  One day  I don't know how a crazy thought  got better of me and arose  my mental hunger to see this dreamland.This mega city has lured me and others in more ways than one. It would not be wrong to say Mumbai ,a land of superstars, beaches and colourful nights. 

   The next morning  ,I got up pretty early and the rental car sped me toward the railway station. After an hour and a half I reached the railway station a bit early the scheduled arrival of the train .As I stepped in the platform the Mumbai bound train entered. The platform was packed full.The closer I got to my coach,the denser the crowd became but I didn't lose my patience.Anyhow I continued to worm my way through and occupied my seat.

The train was flagged off on time.Next morning in the early hours the hustle and bustle going around, in the coach woke me up.I opened my eyes and saw outside. It was kalyan station ,the first stop close to the main destination. The time was 3.40 AM .The interesting part was that even at that time and early hours the platform looked alike office hours ,full of commutters, and office goers.Again, after a short halt the train headed towards  the main and final destination.Then, my eyes fell at the hill along the railway track which was flooded with light .The space of the hill was covered with slums, not an inch vacant where there was  no temperory settlements.

 The view was tempting but raised many questions like how do they live? What happens in case of landslides? .But I didn't ask anything to anyone and kept mum.After about an hour the train rolled into Dadar station that connects the main and western line.Here, the condition of the passengers was very pathetic .All the passenger trains that passed me was packed full .The ladies compartment too  had the same picture.Many a passenger found travelling with no precautions ,simply hooked the fingers and toes while rest body parts waving outside the coach.To see these pictures I remembered and prayed to the God for their long life. Taking in the sights,sounds and smells on way ,I reached CSMT by 5.30 AM,the main destination of my journey.CSMT is the abbreviated form of Chhatrapati Shivani  Maharaj Terminus which is the heart of Mumbaikars.The building is old enough and being a historical monument it is focus of  attraction for tourists and travel enthusiasts. 

The unique thing that we hardly get a chance to see anywhere is having platforms on both the sides of the coach which is really convenient for the passengers and also reduce rush .Out the station ,to find a proper stay option in small budget is not an easy task but my ten minutes walk ,mental work helped me a lot and brought me to a  hotel of my choice .Here, even with a tight budget I managed to get a room .So ,happily I checked into .As I was new to this place I was a little nervous .But thanks to the manager of the hotel who himself came to my help and asked ''Sir, what's your planning tomorrow?" "Nothing sightseeing" I replied " .He kept mum for a second and told " Get ready in the morning "Now the problems to hit the road got solved.

It is said that in the beginning the CSMT was named as Bori Bunder railway station ,then the name changed  to Victoria Terminus followed by CSMT.This station has historical background and is also in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.Everywhere there was chaos .Every element that is required for calling it  a 'metro' like malls, markets, rush hour madness all is present here.

with sunset the city turns young and colourful ,fun ,parties all around that none wants to loose.Perhaps ,these are the reasons that attract travellers and tourists from different corners .

But ,here they come with different motives.Some keep a desire to experience the beautiful sights. Some come with a motive of shooting the images of the stunning beauty.Some come with a dream of becoming a  superstar.The wishes of some also get fulfilled here.

Post dinner ,I  strolled straight to  the busy street   crammed with traffic and I followed the way where the traffic were moving with slow pace .The route had a few restaurants to stay fueled and has some great places to stop.My slow  walk brought me to a place about which I had  only heard and read since childhood .It was Colaba. One of the most significant places for travellers.The Gateway of India and hotel Taj at the sea shore here are the main point of attraction that rejuvenate the heart and fill it with energy .Everyday scores of tourists visit these sites. About Colaba it is said that only affluent people live here.In  brief I could say that Colaba is a  blend of modern and old city.Tbe place bas a deep Portugal touch.It is said tbat Colaba was one of the seven islands of Mumbai which was ruled by the Portugal and was gifted to Charles II of  England as dowry when he married  Catherine of  Braganza.I devoted my first day to explore only  Colaba   but I was excited about the vistas that were about to unfold in front of me.