Considering the advise of the tout at the gateway the day before I get up at 8am and jump into a taxi at 8:30am straight to the gateway to get an early boat to Elephanta. Unfortunately my driver, despite me using the map and showing him a picture of the massive arch, took me to ‘India bull’. In his defence, the drive was really interesting and I saw a route into the city that I hadn't seen yet. When we stop at India Bull I said he had taken me to the wrong place and he called another taxi driver over. I said to the new driver ‘gateway to India’, immediately he turns to my driver and says, in a Bombay English accent, ‘gateway to India’…suddenly my driver understands!! He turns to me and says ‘800 rupees’. I can't say my reaction was lady like. He had agreed 300 with me from the flat to the gateway which I'll admit I thought was a good deal. I kicked off. He refused any less and I got out the taxi. New taxi driver seemed to side with me and said something to old taxi driver and we agreed on 500 rupees. We had driven a stupidly long way so by the time we reached the gateway it was 10am. I walked to ferry port which was inside the gateway security complex bought a return ticket from a man to the left of the archway, for 300 rupees and climbed the boat docked behind the arch. Once out of the harbour the loudest euro trash club music started playing through the terrible tinny sounding speakers that every Indian person seems ok with. It was so loud I sat and laughed to myself, looking at the buildings getting smaller behind a calm sea.
Elephanta Island took about an hour to get to, a short walk along a jetty to a cluster of shops, then a ticket counter where you pay ‘Island tax’. More stalls follow on both sides of the road selling all the items you would find in £1 stores. If I was coming home after India, this is where I would have bought my crappy gifts for people. As you climb the stairs to the caves the shops continue and inbetween them hanging overhead, providing shade, are blue plastic sheets. Where they create shade, they also make it darker and muggier. At the top of the stairs you take an immediate left to the gardens, to the right a restaurant and bar, up a another small flight and you reach the entrance to the caves and another payment counter. In retrospect I should have done the caves in reverse order, cave 1 was magnificent. Carvings in every alcove in fantastic condition, solid pillars distributed evenly in column and row, caves 2-5 in comparison weren't as detailed. Next, back to the top of the stairs and a right turn. The gardens, I cannot recommend at the time I was there, but I imagine after monsoon it would be beautiful. Water fountains and water ways ran empty and the grass was a pale green, edging toward beige. Lastly, back to the top of the stairs and to the bar, I order a veg thali and a kingfisher, much to the waiters surprise as he tries to suggest an omelette. I think Indian people think westerners live off eggs and particularly omelettes.
Boats back leave every 15 minutes so I meander back down the steps, under the blue covers, through the stalls and find a seat on the next boat to depart. Fortunately there's no music this time.
It's 3:30pm now. That time when Mumbai seems to get so hot that you really can understand why you see people just lying down in the shade at the side of the road. That sunburn heat where you feel the ground itself is radiating heat. I was not walking to VFS in it. I also miss tuc tucs in downtown because they will generally take you anywhere, but in a repeat performance from before, no one would take me to Express Tower. I start to walk. It's 4pm and I am repulsively sweaty and grumpy to boot. Grumbling about the ‘bloody taxi drivers who won't take me…bloody unhelpful…bloody bloody bloody’. Then I hear a horn beep and see a taxi driver asking ‘you need taxi?’ I'm right in the middle of this grumble so I bark ‘Express Tower’ and he says ‘ok. 50 rupees’. It's a rip off. But I'd have paid him 500 the mood I was in. I suddenly feel very ashamed for my snap and do 180 mood u-turn being all lovely and thank you thank you.
The staff at VFS must have thought I had a sweat problem. My third visit in as many days and again Im revolting. I tell the security lady my reference number and I'm sent to the payment counter, I pay for the VISA and I take a seat, enjoying the air conditioned waiting area. Ten minutes later I'm called up and my VISA is approved and I'm on my way to the Irish bar to celebrate. China is a go!
The night is spent actually planning what I'm going to do in these places in China that I have decided to send myself. Although my China guidebook isn't the most useful with its 2011 published date! Again, I take a taxi home, along the same route as last time. This time however the roads are even busier than usual, there is a cricket match on. The streets are full of people in blue jerseys and the atmosphere is electric. The driver listening to the cricket on the radio, people laughing and joking along the sea front and the same warm breeze blowing through the car, I make my way back to Nina's and sleep.