Magical Mumbai

What a great party town Mumbai is!  My first night comprised champagne, bratwurst, potato salad, men in leiderhosen, dancing to 80's hits, making awesome new friends, a spell at "Please Don't Tell" club before ending at 2am with a dose of sweet paan.  Wow, these people really know how to have a good time!

Left:  Aunty & "Ah Boy" Harvey;
 Right: at Britannia with Harvey, Michael & Mr Kohinoor

The main reason I'd come to Mumbai was to visit my dear "Ah Boy" Harvey Koh.  We first met at Calvary Church in 1994 when we were cast to play the two main characters in a Christmas production. The finale saw us serenading each other with a song entitled "O, What a Love", Bollywood style.  How apt that we should be reunited in Mumbai - the home of Bollywood!  Harvey and Michael live in Bandra, the Beverly Hills equivalent, where the major movie stars have their homes.  In fact, Shah Rukh Khan's house was a mere 300m away from our apartment!

The next day, the boys took me to Britannia & Co, an authentic Parsi restaurant in the heart of old Mumbai. While the sali boti (mutton stew topped with potato chips), chicken berry pulao (chicken rice with fruit & nuts) and chicken dhansak (lentil stew with chicken) were all extremely good, the real attraction is a charming 93-year old gentleman.  Mr Kohinoor is the owner, and while he took almost 15 minutes to take our order, I was completely enamoured by his stories, jokes and devotion to Queen Elizabeth II.  She's even written him a letter to thank him for his loyalty! You won't have to ask to see the letter, Mr Kohinoor proudly parades it around the restaurant every hour.

At the Gateway of India & Taj Palace Hotel 

I also treated myself to a stay at the Taj Palace Hotel - the grande dame of hotels in India.  It was right next to the Gateway of India, a unique landmark built to commemorate to visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.  The place was heaving with local and foreign tourists and security was tight.  Still, the monument and its eclectic mix of European, Mughal and Hindu designs is worth seeing.