The Fabric Of Their Lives In Mumbai

There's a great indoor fabric bazaar in Mumbai, a meandering labyrinth of small stalls to browse and wander through. You have the luxury of being extremely picky with dozens of places vying for your business. But it's a relaxed atmosphere, literally, as most of the stalls are designed with a raised floor so fabric can be unfurled.

Welcome to the laid back fabric sellers bazaar.

Fabric overflows the place, from splashy swaths for women to stacks of shirt designs for men.

The confident fabric seller.

Carts outside the complex, waiting their turn to haul new material in. Two more vendors.

Another crew, ready to help, aways folding.

A typical shop, raised platform, lots of representatives and piles of fabric. The quarters are tight so you have to learn to work together.

A final portrait, especially tailored (ahem) for this post.

Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai

Say you're staying at your posh hotel and you fill that fancy laundry bag with a few things to be washed. That white-gloved porter just takes it to the laundry penthouse to have it all done up clean, right?

Well, not necessarily. Out the laundy goes, waaay out to Dhobi Ghat. Your stuff, the hotel sheets, uniforms, other people's clothes, a lot of it ends up at an open air washing bonanza.

Welcome to the mighty Dhobi Ghat. Now you understand why your shirt might get lost?

Two closer views, tripping into abstraction, unless you enlarge the photos (go ahead, you know you want to see the working details).

The high rise city is creeping in, but still the ghat holds on. It's a massive operation, buzzing with activity. On the right, a typical ghat worker in his little piece of real estate.

Another look at the action. Unfortunately, someone runs the place with an iron fist and doesn't allow tourists to wander through the complex. So the pics are several versions of the same angle.

Crawford Market, Mumbai

Most big cities in India have an old central market and Mumbai is no exception. Opened in 1889 and with features designed by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood, Crawford Market is still busy today despite many vendors moving to "New Mumbai." Take your fresh veggies and leave the lovely patina to the real city folk.

The building, designed by William Emerson, looking a bit like a Flemish castle. What were the Brits thinking when they brought such incongruous designs to the subcontinent? Foreign domination.

Shopping and carefully moving the heavy melons.

Idle orange sellers.

Pausing at work, whether halting sweeping duties to take a cell call or simply passed out from all the heavy lifting.

The pineapple sellers.

Box building and vegetable selling.

Another exhausted worker, catching a brief nap.

Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue

We've shown you the only synagogue in South India - the sweet Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin. In Mumbai, there are actually a handful synagogues and a slightly larger, but still tiny population of Jews. The beautiful blue Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue is located in the Colaba neighborhood in central Mumbai. Built in 1884 by Jacob Elias Sassoon in the memory of his father Eliyahoo Sassoon, the temple still cuts an imposing figure.

The outside, definitely looking blue. Yea, sand bags for the police around the perimeter.

The lovely interior.

The view from the casual balcony, complete with wicker chairs. We love how you can just move them around as you please. On the right, Jewish tools of the trade.

The floor is as beautiful as the rest of the temple, nice tile work. A final look.

Chowing down at Chowpatty Beach

At the north end of Marine Drive in Mumbai sits the vibrant Chowpatty Beach. The place feels a bit like Coney Island without a boardwalk. It's a city beach with tons of people, junk for sale and a whole food scene. The night time is the right time to go check everything out.

The sun setting, people making the scene.

Vendors selling the usual beach novelties. Buggies are available for kiddie rides.

Let's get eating.

More food vendors working their stalls, from the bottom to the top.

The menu hawker and day-glo drink stall.

These gentlemen really know how to rock the mustache.

Meandering Marine Drive In Mumbai

The place to be in Mumbai, whether early in the morning or as the sun sets, is Marine Drive. It's a long stretch of road and wide sidewalk, curling around the Arabian Sea. There's room for everyone, young and old, lovers and haters (why not?), animals, vegetables and taxi cabs.

Come hang out, loaf around looking at the water or do the crescent stroll.

Maybe a lonely dog sidles up for some companionship. A man and his monkey.

Playing the waiting game, whether looking for a fare or just looking around.

You gotta record the moment, either with your buddy's camera or by one of the sketch artists.

A bat and a ball and you've got a cricket game (and an area to steer clear of). The stretch at night, nick-named Queens Necklace for the string of pearls the street lights resemble.

Searching For The Real Mumbai, Part 2

Our stroll around Mumbai continues, always seeking the usual, unusual and sublime.

Did you know India has a lot of people? An afternoon on a street near Crawford Market.

There's so little room that this vendor sells books out of his truck. You want to mess with this property? Then you will be messing with Mr. Ashok Patel.

Hanging out.

One of the many workers who is part of the massive tiffin lunch distribution trade. Mumbai alley.

What's left when a building is torn down. Outside a post office, red postal trucks on the left, piles of mail on the right.