Mumbai is the commercial capital of India as well as the hub of the film industry in India. It is the most expensive city in India and thus naturally houses the who’s who of India.

Bollywood

The Ambanis, as well as the Khans of Bollywood, live here. The nightlife of Mumbai is amazing due to the celebrities as well as the liberty to the party. The cash thrown around to improve the city is enormous. With a plethora of places to visit, I am always spoiled for choice when I wish to move out. However, there are a few places that I can go to any time, places which are the evergreen destinations to relax in the city.

Juhu Beach

Evenings in and around Juhu Beach near the Gateway of India are always amazing. The hustle-bustle of the crowds and the silence a little further away provides for a unique and contrasting experience and one that I personally love. The chaat available at the beach are famous throughout the country, and I remember being taught about Juhu Beach in my 4th class. Nothing compares to the feeling of waves lapping at your feet, a plate of good spicy food in your hand and good company around you. Just nearby is the Gateway of India, a place of history and awe. Right in front of the Taj, situated on the sides of a great road dotted by great places to hangout, the Gateway of India and the area around it, is symbolic of Mumbai.

Marine Drive

One doesn’t talk about Mumbai without mentioning the Marine Drive. I have always experienced a sense of profound calm and peace when I have visited the place. Loving couples, sweet children and wise elders adorn the drive as they take a stroll or sit by on the rocks decorating the sea-side. It is a great place to enjoy a smoke or a beer with your friends. The conversations I have with my friends by the sea are usually stimulating, and sometimes turn philosophical as well. The cool breeze, the silence broken by the occasional barks of a few dogs and the glittering lights which dance upon the waters of the sea provides for a melancholy experience.

Lonavla

Sometimes, I move out of the heat in the city and hang out in Lonavla, a hill station two hours away from  Mumbai. It is a quaint little place, with polite and friendly people. I usually like to go there to enjoy a free Sunday in pleasant weather. Lonavla is a place where I can forget all my worries and troubles and just have a carefree day.

Nightlife

Mumbai is a place of excitement and activity and it seems unfair to me that I have been describing it till now majorly as a place of calm. Yes, it is calming, but it can be very exciting too. Pubs, discotheques, and celebrities mix up together in Mumbai to provide a great nightlife. I just love Blue Frog, a one of its kind club. Artists of various genres perform live here and one can spot several high profile people. Andheri East and Andheri West are replete with good night clubs with DJs and dance floors. A night out in Mumbai can cost anywhere between a thousand to a couple of thousand bucks, thus allowing people of various pocket sizes to have fun. I could go on and on about Mumbai and yet be unable to capture its true essence. It is a vast metropolitan city with a multitude of people from many different cultures, and I would not dare to ever explain the essence of Mumbai. I can only just roam about in Mumbai, and hope to have a connection with it till the night lasts.

Prepare yourself for your trip to Mumbai

First thing first – to enter you need to get a tourist visa to India. You may do it 100% on-line as now Indian visas are electronic and all you need to do is to fill out the form on the website, pay the fee by credit card, get your visa by email, print it out and enclose into your Canadian passport.

Flights to India and hotels in Mumbai may be conveniently booked through this site.

Do not forget about emergency medical insurance as this will save you a lot of stress and money if you fall sick while being in Mumbai.

And to be always connected it would be a good idea to get a pocket travel wi-fi – a hand-held device that provides you with wireless internet access anywhere all the time. It is even more valuable if you are traveling in a group, as 5 people can be connected to it at one time. In normal circumstances, each of 5 people would be using its roaming package and got charged. And with the pocket wi-fi device, they are all connected without roaming.