Day 5: I found my dream house!

My usual start of the day... Seeing the sun rise over the Arabian Sea, heading down for breakfast and a friendly chat with the staff of the breakfast restaurant. They are spoiling me rotten and I realize today that I'm not going to like having to make my own breakfast when I get home.

I have a great view of Band Stand. People are walking along the shore, occasionally stopping to soak their feet in the water. It is early in the morning and the sun is already quite strong. However, this is winter in Mumbai. CNN is broadcasting images and a list of somewhat potentially volatile areas outside Pakistan, in the aftermath of Buttho's assassination. I agree with most of the people I've talked to here about who is behind this, but I can't help laughing when I look out the window and see a perfectly calm area. Large cities in India are marked as places with potential for violence and demonstrations after Buttho's death. In the last two days, I've passed by predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods, predominantly Hindu neighbourhoods, mosques, temples, and churches... not a sign of violence anywhere. Sorry to disappoint the Amanpours and the Coopers, but no sign of anything brewing in Mumbai.


My first stop of the day is Worli Sea Face. After a brief lunch at a neighbourhood Chinese restaurant, we head out to the promenade in Worli. Worli is the other end of the already-under-construction Worli-Bandra Sea Link, which as Amit has quickly pointed out, will "save" 46 traffic lights. During peak traffic, that will save a considerable amount of time. As we walk down the promenade, I hope the so anticipated Sea Link does not spoil such a beautiful view of the sea.

Worli has quite an interesting blend of architectural styles. Brand new highrises share streets with very old (and sometimes abandoned) buildings, obvious vestiges of another era. Many of the houses are full of character. I love the charm of old buildings. It's a refreshing break from my "cookie-cutter" world in North America. While Amit is taking pictures of the famous statue in the promenade, I notice a house across the street. It seems abandoned. It's a corner building from the colonial era. The view from that house must be spectacular. (Note to self: I need to figure out a way to increase the odds of winning the 649... I would love to buy that house!)

Tonight, a new experience for dinner... a sizzler restaurant. We opt for Kobe, in Bandra, where we order (you betcha!) paneer. A sizzler dish is a very hot cast-iron plate where the food is cooked and is still cooking (sizzling) by the time it reaches your table. Our order is an enormous portion of vegetables and cheese. Truth be told, I could just eat with the smell coming from the orders placed by other tables. All the dishes seemed delicious.