15th February - The Heat is On.

Shrugging off the porters and taxi touts, we stride out almost the full length of CST's Platform 18 and then the full width of the station to the Local Booking Hall. The queues are short and in just a couple of minutes we are in possession of First Class Tourist passes, covering the substantial Mumbai Suburban Network for the duration of our stay. Cost Rs 515 each, just over six quid. We debate whether or not to get a taxi to the hotel, deciding it will be less hassle to just walk the 600 yards to the Fort Residency Hotel.  We arrive a little early for check in but are invited to take a seat and given a pot of tea while a room is prepared. After about twenty minutes we are shown up to the third floor, where a sweeper is finishing off our room.  It is a mirror image of the room that we had here two years ago, small but well finished and with everything that we need.

After showering off the train grime we make a plan for the afternoon. This year we are a few days late for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival but R has found a suggested Art Walk in Lonely Planet. This features one venue that is close by and some others in Colaba, the next district to the south. We decide to go for it and set out towards the Chemould Prescott Road gallery, just a couple of blocks west. The early afternoon sun is very strong and it is noticeably warmer than Kolkata. The gallery is on the third floor of the Queens Mansion building. If the entrance to the Harrington Arts Centre is a bit decrepit the stairway up to this place is almost in ruins. Once again this is all left behind as we enter the gallery.

Sonia Khurana is from Delhi and has a Masters from the Royal College of Art, London. She works mainly with lens based media. The gallery has been divided into interconnecting spaces where videos are showing. Most of these feature the artist lying on the ground and the message, if there is one, flies over our heads. It was worth it just to see the staircase. We descend and head southward, noting that the Flora Fountain,  a local landmark also known as the Floozy in the Jacuzzi,  has been boarded up as part of the construction works for the new North - South Metro line. Our next stop is the Jehangir Gallery where the main hall is devoted to works by Paresh Maity, who not only paints but creates large bronze sculptures.  R climbs inside one of these and gets chased by the janny. We also visit the smaller hall upstairs where a lady called Varsha Prabhu is exhibiting a collection of paintings depicting scenes around Banganga Tank. We particularly like some of her small watercolours. 

The other sites that R has in mind require a hike of about half a mile. We pause at Cafe Mondegar for liquid sustenance before battling our way through the vendors who throng the pavements of Colaba Causeway. "Pashmina , sir?"  " No thanks. I'm trying to give them up".  There is one optimist who attempts to sell D a roll down wall map of India. When D tries to take his photo he gets all shy. The next gallery is on a street named 3rd Pasta Lane, but is all locked up despite notices that indicate that it is open on Wednesdays. Our next target is called Project 88, just one street further on, but nobody has heard of it. There is a place called the Mumbai Arts Centre which is a 20' x 20' shop unit, painted white and filled with fog. A young Indian guy with no English tends the door. We can see no notices or captions. Perhaps we are just Philistines.  On the way out we notice that the unit is part of the Pipewalla Building. Mumbai has some splendid names.

We mutually agree that art is finished for the day and take ourselves off to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. We have meant to go here for a drink every time we have visited Mumbai and, until now,  not got round to it. The hotel was the scene of a major terrorist attack in 2008 and takes security seriously,  unlike many places which just go through the motions. Inside it takes us a while to find the bar, which we have to ourselves. We sit by a window, overlooking the Gateway to India, and enjoy two small beers for only £15. The accompanying snacks were different class. On the way back to our rather less grand accommodation we pass the premises of the Bombay Natural History Society. They have a shop with lots of bird books and some t shirts that appeal. We treat ourselves. Our walk back through some of the back streets keeps us in the shade and away from most of the traffic.

Having blown today's food and beverage budget at the Taj we eat cheap tonight. We have been to the Taste of Kerala before and enjoyed it. We have boneless fish curry, lemon rice and really good dal with a bottle of water for Rs 360. There is more than we can finish. One thing we have discovered today is that theoretically the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949 is still in force and that any person buying alcohol should have a permit. This law is enforced in Gujurat, which was once part of Bombay Province, but appears to have lapsed in Mumbai. We have never had problems buying drink when we have visited.  But are things changing. A notice on the door of our local beer off suggests that we need a permit and they will supply one. In practice we just hand over money and walk away with beer.