Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Mumbai Tipping Advice

Mumbai Tipping Advice

Although there are no universal rules regarding tipping in Mumbai, the general rule of thumb is between 5-15%.

Five percent is generally adequate in an upscale restaurant, while in hotel restaurants, 10%, depending on the level of service, is the standard. Hotel porters should be tipped at the rate of 10 rupees a bag.

Mumbai Dinning

Mumbai Dinning

Mumbai, being a city of migrants, is a concoction of cultures and cuisines. Nowhere in India will a food connoisseur be as satisfied as in Mumbai. Here, you will find restaurants that serve dishes from the various regions within India - Tandoori Chicken of North, the various Masalas from the southern states – prepared to perfection. You will also find some of South Asia’s finest European cuisine.

Mumbai Travel Tips

Mumbai Travel Tips

Mumbai enjoys sunshine throughout the year, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. Take the afternoons off for mild exploration of the city’s Victorian streets, hop into one of the exquisite restaurants, enjoy a sumptuous meal, and save your energy for a night of fun, frolic and revelry. For it is in the nights when Mumbai truly comes alive: club DJs endlessly churn out rhythmic beat patterns; restaurant dishes become more eclectic; Mumbai residents begin indulging in activities that range from the eccentric to the merely entertaining. Regardless, visitors are guaranteed a good time.

When To Go

When To Go
The best time to explore Mumbai is between the months of September and April, when the weather is relatively dry and cool. From June to September the skies open, sometimes with catastrophic results - the floods of 2005 killed nearly a thousand and left thousands more homeless. During the monsoon season, ferries to Elephanta Island and beyond stop, and trips to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the forts and cave temples around Mumbai are often impossible. YOu might also want to avoid the months just before the monsoon breaks, when temperatures can top 40ºC (140ºF).

Without doubt, the biggest spectacle in the Mumbai calendar is Ganesh Chaturthi, an 11-day Hindu festival that rocks the city every August/September. This colourful event reaches a climax when huge images of the elephant-headed god are immersed in the sea, most notably off Chowpatty Beach. The largest effigies are hauled into the river by crane and all are painted in surreal, fluorescent colours.

Mumbai At a Glance

Mumbai is the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district.

This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It's a city with vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars.

Monday, September 17, 2007