From Dharamsala to Mumbai

At the Amex Platinum Lounge in Delhi

Sun Salutation Statue at Delhi Airport

Our suite at the Taj

Bathroom

Masala Corn Appetiser

Soft Shell Crab Appetiser

Whole Chicken en Croute

Chicken with crust broken away

Today was devoted to travel. We left Dharamsala descending once again from the high mountain towards the airport. Because of the rain some of the direct roads were washed out, but we eventually got to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

The security at the airport was extremely thorough. They checked our identity several times. There are few direct flights between cities in India. For many locations you have to fly through Delhi. We actually flew in a small prop plane seating about 40 people, a type of plane we hadn’t been in quite awhile.

After a short layover in Delhi we headed for Mumbai also known as Bombay (they are used interchangeably) A.K.A “Maximum City”. We have been to Mumbai many times, this is Scott / Tom’s first visit. The monsoon rains were pelting the city as we drove in at dusk. During the over hour ride to the Taj Palace, the rain would start then stop again. The rain made the traffic, always bad, worse. People were out strolling and shopping, some with umbrellas, most without - disregarding the showers.

When we checked into the Taj, there was confusion about our rooms. Although we had confirmed reservations for a sea view (our preference) none were available. We have always spoken highly of the Taj and its service to Tom and Scott and were surprised at the lapse. The manager  was very gracious, offered us a free dinner and promised to move us to sea-facing rooms tomorrow with a double upgrade of quality. The suites we both have now are spectacular (minus the view). They are extremely large, dining room, living room, bedroom, and huge marble bathroom. We have been to many Indian homes. This suite is bigger! Tom and Scott immediately understood the inspiration for our recent bath remodel.

Tom wanted to have a crisp shirt to wear for dinner, apparently the one he wanted to wear was wrinkled, when he called the butler for his suite for an Iron and ironing board, he was surprised when the Butler just took the shirt and disappeared to get it ironed. Tom has a new appreciation of Butler service.

We ate a Marsala Craft, the Taj’s Indian restaurant. We had great food, lots of appetizers. We were trying to figure out what to have for entrees and the waiter told us that someone had a pre-ordered a whole chicken cooked en croute (cooked inside of bread wrap), it has to be ordered 24 hours in advance. They apparently were a no show for dinner, and we could have it if we wanted. It serves 4 and was a perfect choice. It was succulent and fragrant. We then had desserts. Two bottles of wine later, it was almost midnight and we were ready for bed. I think Tom and Scott went on to explore the hotel.