We visited the ancestral home of the Otto de Oliveira Fernandes family. It's a beautiful old Portuguese home. The family still lives there, but it's used mostly for events. They have a huge patio lined with tropical plants, a bar, and the band plays from the covered porch that surrounds the home. Inside, antique furnishings and mementos from many countries. Outside, some crops growing and a farmyard complete with dogs, chickens, geese, ducks, and even turkeys. It reminded us of our time in Porto, where our apartment overlooked a similar family farm. And Portuguese snacks! Dois Rissois de Camarao!
We made a quick stop at the flower and fruit market in Panjim. Bad thing was that one had to pass through the fish market to get to the fruit. Phew! On the way back to the ship, we learned that there are two measures of time in India because of the traffic. First, there's GMT: Goa Maybe Time. Then, there's IST: India Stretch Time.
Finally, Mumbai. It never dawned on us that "Bombay" was a Portuguese name: good bay. The drive from the pier to the Gateway of India Jetty was enough to remove any idea of walking around in Mumbai from our pea brains. Wall to wall traffic, everyone on the horn, people everywhere, and no shopping nearby to speak of. It was obvious that taking a cab wouldn't improve anything. You'd spend the day in the cab. There are so many motor vehicles because there are so many people...two million more people in Mumbai than in all of Canada, according to the Cruise Consultant.
Arriving at the Gateway of India (built in 1911 to welcome King George V and Queen Mary), we had a pleasant surprise. A very popular crew member named Devendra had left us in Bali for his vacation. He said he'd see us in Mumbai and he wasn't kidding. When we arrived at the Gateway, there was Devendra. Some people who didn't get to the Gateway were disappointed to have missed him. He's that well known and loved. Says something for Regent and their people.
Anyway, from there we took a one hour ride on a local ferry. The ferry looked homemade to us. Destination was Elephanta Island. There are no elephants there, but when the Portuguese arrived and saw the island, there was a huge stone statue of one, hence the name. The statue has since been removed to a museum. What is on the island is a cave-like complex from the 5th through 7th centuries, hand carved into the rock using only hammers and chisels. The main cave honors the God Shiva and he's depicted in many forms. Really amazing stone work.
Sadly, it has a lot of damage caused by the Portuguese. They weren't quite sure what they were seeing and in some cases, didn't like it, so they smashed parts. They preserved the centerpiece, Shiva depicted with three faces: the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer. Apparently they thought they saw the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so they left it alone.
Oh, did we mention that the island has a usual assortment of cattle, goats, dogs...and monkeys? All roaming amongst the tourists and vendors.
Don't let that trash can fool you. There's nothing in it. Maybe here's why:
We spent the night on the dock, wondering at the assortment of cargo ships, coal carriers, car carriers, oil rig tenders, ferries, and naval vessels in the bay.
OK, grab your hijab, we were off for the United Arab Emirates.
