The problem was soon sorted out, & I was faced with the prospect of mooching around in the hotel for a couple of hours until my friends returned. It is not that I am afraid to go outside on my own, but all cities (towns & villages too) have areas where it is unwise to venture, & it is best not to take the risk before you have a sense of the place
The window of my room looked down – a long way down – on the Gateway to India, where I could see lots of family groups wandering around, even though the day was overcast. Well, I could certainly go to look round there
Once outside there was obviously nothing to stop me from wandering even further, which I happily did. I came across an exhibition of modern art by Indian artists, which provided a fascinationg half hour at least
I even found some shops where, amongst other things, I bought a nice fat friendly carved elephant, who stands about 9 inches tall. My friends were very impressed that I had managed this without a guide
That was a long time ago, & I have happy memories of subsequent visits, including one spent staying in the house of the aunt of a friend (a very formidable lady). Bombay has always seemed one of the safest cities I know
Yes, the hotel was the Taj, much more than just the resort of businessmen & tourists, a symbol of the history of a city which was founded by international trade
And though my elephant is not a Ganesh I went down last night to where he sits on the bookshelves, to rub my hand over his back
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