10 Things to Relish while on a Business Trip in Mumbai, India

Words and Images by LB—-

    I was summoned by my company to go on my first business trip. This means a lot. First– it means that my boss is confident that I can represent our company well. Second– that I am intellectually capable to transport all of the product knowledge. Third– that I am a very lucky girl!

    As they say, “when opportunity knocks on your door, always be willing to take a chance, because you never know how perfect something could turn out to be.” Who knew that I will enjoy a city  which I never dreamt of visiting because it was once cited as one of the most dangerous places for women.

    Here are my top ten things to relish while on a business trip to India:

1.) Relax in Courtyard by Marriott Hotel

After the 8-hours work, it is so rewarding to pamper yourself with this big bed. Too bad I don’t have a roommate.

2.) Taraporevala Aquarium

     My co-workers and I toured this place– and we jokingly compared India’s water species to what we have in the Philippines. Entrance fee is around 200INR (or 4 US dollars). India has a diverse set of water species and they boast that some of those species can only be found in their country.

3.) Chowpatty Beach

     Across Taraporevala Aquarium you will find Chowpatty beach. According to our colleagues from Mumbai, this is one of the most famous public beaches where families gather in celebrations of Ganesh Visarjan, where statues of Hindu God, Ganesh (God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles) are placed in a body of water and left to disintegrate in a process called visarjan (immersion).

4.) Gateway of India

     This is my favourite spot as it serves as a formal division of the land and the sea in Mumbai. The arch also serves as a monumental trademark in history (though I don’t want to tell much about it as it refers to the colonialization of this beautiful country).

5.) Visit  the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station

     This historic railway station was part of the UNESCO World Heritage site list. I did not do much research after that– but I am so amazed that I crossed out again one heritage site on my bucket list.

6.) Be Astounded with the Indian Wedding Ceremony

    I am not sure if the time that I have been in Mumbai is the wedding season. But believe me, weddings are almost in every corner of the city.  I am impressed with how the Indian people organise their weddings– from the event’s full-packed flower decorations, elegance of their traditional dresses, and artistic henna tattoos in the hands of every female guest.

7.) Enjoy the Hot Luscious India Cuisine

     I now describe spice level based on Indian standards! I was impressed on how they use many spices and much effort in preparing Indian cuisine.

 

8.) Have a quick watch of the famous sport in India

     We accidentally entered the largest and exclusive Cricket field of Mumbai upon looking for the ladies’ toilet. It was indeed a good chance watching one of its famous leagues even for a short while.

9.) Do the spices shopping at Tanvi Super Market

Near our company office, we bought spices we will deliver home and burn our family’s and friends’ tongues. This market is located at Acropolis Building, Military Road, Andheri East.

10.) Take a Picture of Dhobi Ghat

     Although the place does not impress me, we take in the credit that this place is considered as the world’s largest outdoor laundry! We also appreciate the manual labor of doing their laundry rather than using washing machines.