Either the buildings in Mumbai are very tall or the airplane is flying too low…as you approach the mega city, you can clearly see the rooftops of the skyscrapers, the solar panels, the swimming pools, too close for comfort. Is it safe to be flying this close to the buildings !? Usually the airports in Indian cities are situated in the middle of nowhere far away from the city centers, abound with open acres and so this scene of navigating the skyscrapers to land is a bit scary 🛬. We landed in Mumbai- the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, that has now changed hands from GVK to Adani; found our way out through the airport exit gates and in the custody of the awaiting cab driver who deposited us safely at our hotel for the two day stay.

The driveway from the airport was lined with royal cuban palms and on the Sunday afternoon, the Mumbai roads were relatively less crowded. Our stay was in Chembur at the Royal Orchid Hotel🏨, the rooms were comfortable and the food yummy😋. The hotel in situated in a busy suburb and right on the road side; not much of parking space in the hotel though. The view from our pigeon net covered hotel room window was the street below and buildings outside; the sidewalks were teeming with pushcarts and makeshift stalls selling clothes, bags👜, shoes, fruits, snacks and everything in between.

We ordered in room service and slept off the afternoon; evening we had a cocktail party with both the bride and the groom sides. The food was good and worth a mention; simple fare like roti and dal tadka on one day and a mini non-veg thali on the next day, with rice, roti, butter chicken and dal makhni was so gooddd!!

The wedding the next day was an evening event, first the church wedding service in Dadar at 3:00 pm, followed by the reception at the Hooves club at the Mahalaxmi racecourse at 7:00 pm. It was lovely, just the photos will suffice 💖

Enroute to the Hooves club from the church we were right in the middle of the weekday Mumbai traffic and it was an experience. You cannot but gape at the tall skyscrapers in Mumbai and there are more being launched and built everyday🌃.

The decor at the reception was beautiful, lights and flowers, with shimmering gold table cloths; it was a cold windy January evening, the wind as a bit too cold, but luckily died down after a few hours.

The bride changed from her wedding white sari at church to her maroon and gold manthrakodi sari; the groom donned a tux and red bow tie.

A live band with a white piano right next to the stage. The food was fantastic and the choreographed events were fun. The groomsmen and bridesmaids danced their way during the entry to the reception 💃….to Macarena…🎶🎵

It was a fun and fantastic wedding in Mumbai; a memorable occasion 💐

Till next post, take care !!