India at a Glance
For good reason, Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is known as the 'Maximum City'. An island that's home to more than 12 million people, Mumbai teems with energy and pulsates with life. Residents say it's like spending every day on permanent fast forward. No other city in India compares with this cosmopolitan, ambitious, movie-mad metropolis that contains the best of everything the Sub-Continent has to offer. And it's certainly not for the faint hearted.
The city today is in constant flux. Many places have been renamed, but are relentlessly called by their old name. And as far as transport goes, although taxis and auto rickshaws are now equipped with new metres, their drivers still have to carry a card to check the metre reading against the rupee equivalent listed on these cards. And although rickshaws are supposed to maintain certain speed limits, speeding is not unheard of in Mumbai.
Getting There
Named for the 17th century Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is India's busiest. The domestic terminal, sometimes referred to as Santa Cruz, is about 10 minutes by shuttle bus from its international counterpart. Mumbai is also the terminus for Western Railways and Central Railways. The main station, previously Victoria Terminus, now shares the name of the airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji, but is often referred to as VT. Arriving by sea, Silversea cruise ships regularly dock at Mumbai.
Weather
The dry season runs approximately from November to February and is the best time to visit. From March, both temperature and humidity rise until the monsoon breaks around mid June and the city occasionally suffers flooding; the rains last until September. Annual temperatures range between 38oC and 11oC, when winds can be chilly. Annual rainfall is 200 cm, much of it brought by the monsoon deluge. In July 2005, 90 cm fell in a single day!
Prof.John Kurakar
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