Mumbai, India (Day 1 of 2, daytime)

Arrived in Mumbai this morning. Brad and I have been to Northern India (which we loved) and were really excited to be visiting the south. We booked an excursion to take us to Elephanta Island and the Elephanta Caves located about an hour’s boat ride from the Gateway of India on the waterfront.

The Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Created between AD 450 and 750, the labyrinth of cave temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva have been carved into a mountain of stone.

We boarded a bus at the port and disembarked at the Gateway to India monument. We had time to explore the area before we boarded the boat to Elephanta Island. Once on the Island we walked about a kilometre and climbed 125 stairs to reach the Caves. In the heat. We were rewarded with an extraordinary experience. The temples and carvings are enormous. How they managed to carve them into the mountain is incredible.

Because it’s the start of summer vacation as well as a state holiday tomorrow, the sites were crowded with Indians from other parts of India. And there was a cricket match on that evening bringing people into the city. Pure chaos. We loved it.Read more