Inside we peruse the destination board. We want to get to Borivali, 34 km north of here, on a fast train as that takes 15 minutes less than a slow. An incoming passenger takes the time to ask if we need help and points us at platform 3 where a train is just coming in. In no time flat it is ready to leave as the 08.00 Virar Fast and we are aboard in a totally empty First Class section. These Western Railway EMUs are superior to even the modern ones on the Eastern Railway out of Howrah. They have padded seats, better forced air and do not have a sea of rubbish on the floor. There is no difference between First and Second class apart from the price which means that First is less crowded. As we head north the coach slowly fills up but it never gets packed, unlike the southbound trains that we see bringing commuters into the city. One train that passes us is a Ladies Only special.
Our train is called Fast, with only limited halts, skipping three or four stations betwen stops. Some of the trains on the slow lines seem to go faster than us but then get overtaken when they stop at a station that we miss out. The commuter flow is more complex than being just in and out of the main terminals in South Mumbai. A lot of people travel north in the morning to centres such as Bandra and Andheri but the outbound trains do not get as packed as those coming in. After 45 minutes we reach Borivali and detrain. Waiting commuters watch, fascinated/appalled, as we go through the sunblock and bug spray ritual. We climb the stairs to the overbridge, from where you can look down on the massed ranks of commuters lined up to the platform edge.
On the east side of the platform there are lines of autos and guys offering rides to the Park for Rs 200. We keep moving until we find an auto happy to go with the fare meter. The exit to the station car park is just a swirling, jockeying mass of autos with the odd bus or taxi. When we get onto the street there is near gridlock. We have read about Mumbai's traffic problems but they don't really impinge on the south of the city, where we stay. Our ride cannot be half a mile but it takes half an hour. At the park gate we buy our tickets and promise not to throw plastic bottles on the ground. A chap tries to persuade us to take the 7 km ride to the Buddhist caves but we are here to walk and hopefully see some birds. We find a building called the Nature Information Centre, which has various rooms containing information boards in a seemingly random order.
A few hundred yards further on is a small lake, which has pedalos but also kingfishers ( 2 types) and a White Breasted Water Hen, new for us. We walk on in the hope of finding somewhere quieter with more bird life but find ourselves walking a road through what seems to be the staff quarter area. There are spotted deer grazing around the bins and macaque monkeys but precious few birds. Butterflies are all around but not many of them cooperate with photography. Carrying on through the habitations we move into an area of scrubby forest. Every piece of shade is occupied by a motorcycle and a courting couple. Coppersmith barbets make their repetitive boop boop calls all around but we cannot spot one. We hear loud rattling noises, apparently nearby in the undergrowth, and speculate about wild boar. Eventually we work out that the noises come from above as the breeze agitates the dried up branches of palm trees. We find a large tree with small green fruit that is attracting bird life, including bulbuls and some tiny birds that flit about so we that cannot ID them or take a picture.
By now it is nearly noon and 35C according to the weather app. A rough estimate of distance walked is 6km, not very impressive really but we are both flagging and decide to head back to the station. Walking this takes a lot less time than it did on the auto. At Borivali the information boards seem to be having a bad day. We spend about half an hour waiting on a platform where no trains arrive. Eventually we get a Fast to Dadar, part way home. For the first part of the ride we have to stand and are very aware of the open doors as the train bowls along. At the first stop we get seats for the rest of the trip. From Dadar we want to go to Charni Road, the nearest station to the famous Chowpatty Beach. This station is normally only served by Slow Line trains but a man at Dadar assures us that Fast Line trains also stop there. So we get on the wrong train and have to change again at Mumbai Central. This time we get the right train, don't get lost and find the New Kulfi Centre first time. This place is a Lonely Planet recommendation and well worth the effort. R has Banana flavour and D has Royal Pistachio. Absolutely scrummy.
We have had enough walking in the sun and find a taxi happy to run on the meter. A cup of tea and a blast of A/c are most welcome. We consider our options for supper and D contacts a man in the know. Within a few minutes the phone rings and and we are given a list of about 30 possibilities as well as having a nice chat. Thank you V. One of his suggestions is very close by, on the street parallel to last night's place. Mahesh Lunch Home specialises in Magalorean seafood from the state of Karnataka, still on the west coast, but north of Kerala. They open at 7 so we have plenty of time. D is despatched to get a couple of beers and some snacks. Not far from the hotel he finds a very classy looking namkeen shop with a huge selection of snacks. Rs 70 buys 200 grams of Masala Jali Chips, a bit like McCoys to look at but much tastier.
As it is getting dark we set out via the cluster of street food stalls at the far end of our street. We don't eat here but we do work up an appetite watching the various dishes being cooked. One thing we notice is that rather than newspaper the food here is served in computer printout paper. When we get to Mahesh we are not actually first for once. This is a much more upmarket place than Taste of Kerala. It even has a wine display cabinet and fish in tanks. The menu is vast and a little daunting. We both like pomfret, a flatfish, but are unsure which option to have. The waiter recommends it cooked boneless with Gassi, a thick spicy coconut sauce. We ask for recommended accompaniments and are surprised when he doesn't recommend a rice dish but suggests appams, savoury pancakes made with rice and coconut. As a veg dish he suggests alu gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) a dish that R cooks regularly so she is keen to see it done here. As he takes our order he asks a couple of times if spicy is OK.
We also order a beer to share and this comes with snacks and a spicy coriander and mint sauce. The under waiter is very anxious that we try this and spoons some onto our plates. The food arrives promptly and is very good. There is far too much of the sauces for our unskilled use of the appams and, at the prompting of the under waiter, we order a half portion of plain rice. This is a bowlful, about as much as we would cook for four people at home, but it does mean that the gassi does not go to waste. We do not need pudding.
A correspondent from the Emerald Isle has contacted us to point out that the Floozy in the Jacuzzi is not the Flora Fountain but a different one near Crawford Market. We apologise unreservedly for any distress caused to any of the floozies concerned.
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