Sunday 2nd February 2014: GMT + 5.5hrs ­ Mumbai: Embarkation for Elephanta Island

This morning’s tour offered an opportunity to gain a brief insight into the origins Indian mythology of the Hindu religion with a visit to a network of sculpted caves on Elephanta Island.

The tour began appropriately at the India Gateway, built to commemorate the visit of King George the V and Queen Mary in 1911.  This monument is an ‘Indo-Saracenic’ (Deriving from Arab or Muslim origins at the time of the Crusades) archway, constructed of yellow basalt stone and was originally conceived as an entry point for passengers arriving on P & O steamers from England but is perhaps better known today for the place from which the British Army staged its final departure in 1948.

The Gateway stands on the Apollo Bunder where, even today, are to be found all kinds of hawkers peddling their wares although the snake charmers have recently been banned from this area.  It being a Sunday the pier below the Gateway was thronged with Indian families taking outings to the Elephanta Island.

The photos show the Gateway from the landside, the throng of boats each carrying about 75 passengers all eager to win custom and our motor launch, the MZ Alfasar brightly painted in green and white, drawing along side for our embarkation and cruise out to the island; a trip of about 1 hour in pleasant sunshine.

The crews of these boats live and sleep on board and it was interesting to watch them as they went about the daily task of making their meal, beginning with the all-important grinding of the masala spices.  Sadly they were not keen for us to take any pictures or to reveal their recipe but it was all cooked in a tiny galley no bigger than a metre square in the aft of our sturdy and hard working wooden vessel.