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Chowpatty Beach & Marine Drive
Chowpatty Beach & Marine Drive Review
It's not much of a beach in the resort sense, but Chowpatty and the rest of long, spectacular, perfectly curved Marine Drive capture at once the mammoth, cheeky, beautiful seaside beast that is Mumbai. Chowpatty is a taste of the bazaar and mela (festival) rolled into one. A hundred species of salesmen throng the beach in the evening, especially Sunday, selling everything from glow-in-the-dark yo-yos and animal-shaped balloons to rat poison. Men stand by with bathroom scales, offering complacent strollers a chance to check their heft. Hand-operated Ferris wheels and carousels are packed with children. A few stalls nearby distribute Mumbai's famously satisfying fast food—crunchy bhel puris (puffed-rice snacks), ragda pattices (spicy potato cakes), and paav bhaji (fried vegetable mash eaten with bread). From the beach, walk southeast down Marine Drive toward Nariman Point and you'll bump into flotillas of evening exercisers, cooing couples wandering past the waves in a daze, and dogs and kids being walked by their respective nannies.
Travel Deals in Mumbai (Bombay) and Maharashtra
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· Forums Trip Reports
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Finally got around to following up my real-time teaser reports (see "leery husband" thread) with a proper trip report of our northern India swing. Read more
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Just finished my 5 day trip to Kerala and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to write my first trip report. Read more
·India Forum
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Read a couple of very positive comments you made about this place and how you could stay there for many days. Read more
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Trip Ideas & Itineraries
Reading trip reports from other travelers can be an invaluable resource for planning your next vacation. Read more
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Practical Travel Tips
Passengers were stranded on the runway for close to nine hours aboard an Air India flight at Gatwick Airpo Read more
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Travel Tip of the Day
Remove your shoes before entering a shrine, even if it appears to be in ruins. Read more