Once in a blue moon the actions speak louder than words follower husband takes it upon himself to give his missus an excuse to wear her new clothes and his kids the chance to assert yet again why he’s the best dad in the world. Yesterday was one such day. He was a man on a mission.
I’ve been living in Mumbai for a long time now but it’s amazing how little I’ve seen of this place. For someone who loves to explore what India is made of, this is the perfect place to begin with. As you travel, every fifteen minutes, the changing names of shops and restaurants suggest you’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country! ☺
A long weekend, two hyper-energetic adventurous kids and a breather taken by the incessant rains; what more can one ask for! A, who likes to plan everything on the spot, suddenly decided that we are taking the kids to the Jijamata Udyan which houses a zoo and also the Bhau Daji Lad Museum which I had been planning to visit for quite some time.
In the zoo, A Jr felt important telling Angel about the names of animals and reading out to her the ones he didn’t know of, why they are kept in open green places (elephant, deer), why they are lazy and sleepy (python, hippopotamus), why they are called amphibians (crocodile, turtle) etc. The fun part was that all she was bothered about were the birds or ‘Kaw-kaw’ as she calls them.😘😘
The museum tour was quick. A Jr, being my son, went through each section gingerly and absorbed everything he could. Angel kept the attendants busy by running amuck and bumping into the barriers laid out in front of the displays. I particularly enjoyed the pictures and models of the old maps of Mumbai and its history.
Yet another surprise up his sleeve, A then took us all to Girgaum Chowpatty! It was a rare occasion when it wasn’t littered, crowded or stinky. I and A Jr played in the water like two little kids (ok, he’s already a kid) with Angel joining us soon after (even if it meant me carrying her). She screamed hysterically and shouted ‘paani-paani’ looking at the vast sea. Boring A, took our pics.
Tired and hungry by now, all we wanted was to sit and hog. Next stop? Sardar Pav Bhaji at Tardeo. For the uninitiated, this is one of the must-visit restaurants in Mumbai whose specialty is the inimitable Pav Bhaji. Apart from the long queues in front of religious places, this is one place where I’ve seen people queuing up for grabbing a bite, as early as 7 in the evening! Since you’ll be consuming humongous dollops of butter, remember to leave your diet at the doorstep.😈
One would assume we would reach home and simply crash. Well, yes and no. While I and A could barely stand, with their batteries charged up with the nap on the way back, the kids were ready to wreak havoc again! We didn’t mind that though. 😆😆😆
People wait to visit exotic places and spend exorbitantly to have fun, but I think when you’re in the company of your loved ones you can feel the magic anywhere. What say? 😄
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What a beautiful post along with accompanied pics ????☺. A family outing is so exciting and esp so when there are kids willing to explore everything…Angel shouting paani paani i can imagine the joy on her face ???? and the big brother telling her about animals is just so adorable.. Kudos to Mr A and you who has just planned it so well on a perfect weather day ????????
The beach looks so clean unlike juhu one…What was the name of the museum? would like to visit these three places????????
Keep writing more such travel posts…makes us feel like we have ourselves travelled. And finally the last para takes the cake…visit with loved ones makes even an ordinary journey extraordinary ????????????
When you plan something for them and kids enjoy it, there’s no other joy like it! ☺
A Jr was quieter as a child, but Angel is very reactive and wants to be a part of everything. Together, they are sheer pleasure to watch. ????????
I’m glad it didn’t rain or a perfect day out would’ve been a dream. If you’re planning on a museum I’ll suggest the CSMVS in Colaba or the Nehru Centre, since your kids are older.
Girgaum chowpatty is just like Juhu, maybe worse. In fact I stepped in water there for the first time. We beat the fast gathering evening crowd possibly.
Usually I don’t write out of laziness, but I really wanted to jot this down for them to read sometime later in their lives and smile about it. ????????
Thank you for such a lovely comment Parijat. ☺
Thanks for the suggestion Varsha ????. Actually we havnt yet covered even a fraction of places in Mumbai..Most times its nearby parks or movies..We have identified few places like Colaba Causeway, Marine drive, Linking Road market, Chor bazaar etc . As i dont like driving we try to visit places using Auto/ public transports so havnt been able to plan due to incessent rains etc..wish to visit these places as soon as possible????????
Same here. A doesn’t drive either. We take public transport wherever possible. It is much faster, cheaper and convenient.
We try to cover one area if possible in a day. Say, you go to Colaba and you cover Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Causeway, Jehangir Art Gallery and also get to visit iconic food joints ( it matters a lot to us ????) like Kailash Parbat or Cafe Mondegar. In Worli, you can cover Nehru Planetorium, Nehru Centre, Haji Ali, Mahalakshmi temple etc in one day.
A has travelled a lot and it helps. Else, I rely a lot on Google maps. It is handy and somewhat reliable.
Am I sounding like a Mumbai darshan tour guide here? ????????????
wowww some great info and we are going to utilize every piece of this valuable info..About food none of us prefer eating in restaurant so that we can leave….Thanks a lot ????????
A little information I’ve collected over the years from experience. I shared all this since I believe you will prefer places you can take kids to. ☺
Both me and A are foodies and love sampling famous dishes from well-known places. Dadar’s misal is on line. Haven’t tried it yet.
Glad I could be of help. :):)
Nice to know A and you are great foodie ????Will definitely try these signature dishes..Kids dont sit silently at restaurant and food is always more spicy for our taste..but would love to try favt snacks at popular joints…do inform me about them ????????
Sure I will tell you as and when we get to it. ☺????????
Azhar has just started coming on sony max..its a good movie????????
Ya…we are watching it too. Thanks. ☺☺
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okay got museum’s name ????????
Totally 100% true .. I been to some of the si called exotic places. . What a waste of time. . Compared to family together going to a local park or a day out .
Wonderful. ..
I and A argue about exotic places a lot of times. He says its the same water land and sea everywhere. We enjoy them more because of how much we’ve paid to get there. ????
It is more fun to see kids enjoy those moments. ????????
He is right.. I must say. We enjoy as we spent so much money.
But with family and all together is much more fun and also LESS money spent toooo????????????
Ha ha…all men think the same way huh ????????
It is a bit difficult to make him enjoy since he’s the serious types. But once he’s game he’s a pleasure to hang out with. ????????
Have you ever taken Mumbai Darshan bus by Tourism corp…My tauji is visiting next month and i am thinking of using this to show him around…
No I haven’t. A hates it and doesn’t let me take it either. But for visitors it is the best way to look around the city.
okay ????????
Sure, nothing beats the company of loved ones on a day out no matter the destination!
True. Family time is the best time. Thanks for the comment. ☺
You’re welcome!:)
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