Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is situated on Salsette Island, on the west coast of India and, as a result of its location, has a number of beaches. The most popular beaches in Mumbai are Chowpatty Beach and Juhu Beach, and these are well worth visiting if you are staying in the city.
Chowpatty Beach
Also known as Girgaon Chaupati Beach or Girgaum Chaupati Beach, Chowpatty Beach is situated in the south of Mumbai and adjoins Marine Drive.
Although it’s relatively quiet during the day, and isn’t a suitable place to sunbathe or to swim, Chowpatty Beach comes alive in the evenings. You’ll find it lined with street entertainers and vendors, and there are kiosks selling local food, such as bhelpuri, a dish made from puffed rice, potatoes and tamarind sauce.
A number of festivals are held at Chowpatty Beach throughout the year. One of the main festivals to be held there is Nariel Purnima (the Coconut Festival), which is held in August. This festival marks the end of the monsoon season, and fishermen decorate boats and break coconuts against their bows before setting them afloat, in order to honour the Gods and ask for protection whilst they are fishing.
Another annual festival held at Chowpatty Beach is Ganesh Chaturthi (also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi). This ten day Hindu festival is celebrated throughout India and is usually held during August or September (during the Hindu month of Bhaadra). It celebrates the elephant-headed god, Ganesha and, on the final day of the festival in Mumbai, giant statues of Ganesha are paraded through the streets and down to Chowpatty Beach, where they are immersed into the sea in a ritual known as Ganesh Visarjan.
Juhu Beach
Juhu Beach is situated in the suburb of Juhu, to the north of Mumbai’s city centre, on the edge of the Arabian Sea, and is popular with both locals and tourists. Like Chowpatty Beach, it’s not a great place to sunbathe or swim, but you’ll find plenty of street vendors and entertainers here, and its famous for its food stalls. The beach is busiest in the evenings and at weekends.
Juhu is one of the most affluent of the city’s suburbs and a number of Indian celebrities live in the area, and you’ll notice some particularly luxurious apartments and hotels at the southern end of the beach.
Other Mumbai Beaches
Other beaches in and around Mumbai include Madh Island Beach, Versova Beach and Marvé Beach.
A number of airlines operate flights to Mumbai, and you’ll find a wide range of hotels and guest houses within the city. Most of Mumbai’s beaches are accessible from the city centre by public transport, taxi or hire car.
Image: Toksave
Tags: Chowpatty Beach, India, Juhu Beach, Mumbai, Mumbai Beaches
Cornwall, in the south-west of England, is best known for its beaches, but it also has some beautiful gardens that you can visit. Here are details of just a few of them:
The Lost Gardens of Heligan (Pentewan, St.Austell, Cornwall)
The Lost Gardens of Heligan were developed between 1766 and 1914, but after World War I they fell into disrepair and became overgrown. They were rediscovered by Tim Smit (who was also responsible for setting up The Eden Project) and John Willis (a descendant of the Tremaynes, the family who originally owned Heligan) in 1990, and the gardens were cleared and restored.
There are a number of different areas for you to explore: the Northern Gardens, where you can see the Vegetable Garden, the Walled Flower Garden, the Melon Yard and the Pleasure Grounds; the Jungle, which is home to palm trees, banana plants and bamboo; Horsemoor Hide, the centrepiece of Heligan’s Wildlife Project, where you can see video footage of some of the estate’s wildlife; and the Wider Estate, which includes the Lost Valley and Heligan’s Ancient Woodlands.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan cover more than 200 acres of land, so you should set aside a whole day if you want to explore them properly. The site also has a tearoom, a bakery, a plant centre and a shop, where you can buy souvenirs, books and even seeds, so that you can grow your own fresh flowers at home.
The gardens are open daily between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. between the 1st of April and the 30th of September (last tickets available at 4.30 p.m.), and from 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. between the 1st of October and the 31st of March (last tickets available at 3.30 p.m.). Admission fees apply.
Trevarno Estate and Gardens (Crowntown, Near Helston, Cornwall)
The Trevarno Estate has more than 35 acres of gardens, which have been restored and were opened to the public in 1998. Highlights include the Italian Garden, the Bluebell Woods, the Bog Garden, the Grotto and Rockery, and the Walled Garden. The grounds also include Trevarno Lake, where you can see a Victorian boathouse.
If you visit the estate between January and May, you should also be able to see the daffodils in the National Daffodil Collection Showgarden in bloom. There are more than 2,500 varieties of daffodil within the collection.
Other attractions on the Trevarno Estate include the National Museum of Gardening, a Soap Museum and a Vintage Toy Collection. There is also a herd of reindeer on the estate.
Trebah Garden (Mawnan Smith, Near Falmouth, Cornwall)
Trebah Garden is a sub-tropical garden situated near Falmouth, on the banks of the Helford Estuary, on the south coast of Cornwall. Originally a 19th century pleasure garden, Trebah Garden fell into disrepair after World War II, but it was rediscovered by Tony and Eira Hibbert when they bought the house in 1981. They restored the garden and opened it to the public in 1987.
The ravine garden leads down to a private beach and is filled with plants and trees from around the world, including magnolias, camellias, bamboo and banana plants. There is a visitor centre on site, the Hibbert Centre, which houses a cafe, a gallery shop, and a garden shop.
Trebah Garden is open daily throughout the year between 10 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. (last entry is at 4.30 p.m.). Admission fees apply.
The Eden Project (Bodelva, St. Austell, Cornwall)
The Eden Project is Cornwall’s must-see attraction for gardeners or anyone interested in ecology or the natural world. Constructed in a disused china clay quarry just outside of St. Austell, The Eden Project is now one of the leading tourist attractions in the South-West of England.
It’s particularly famous for its giant greenhouses, or “biomes”, which are designed to replicate particular climates. The Rainforest Biome includes 20 displays, which together feature 1,129 different plant species from the main rainforest areas: South America; South East Asia; West Africa; and the tropical oceanic islands. The Mediterranean Biome includes 1,015 different species of plant which are native to some of the regions of the world with Mediterranean climates: the Mediterranean; South Africa; and California.
You can also explore The Core (The Eden Project’s education centre) and the Outdoor Biome (the gardens). The Outdoor Biome covers 13 hectares of land and contains 1,890 plant species. There are also regular special events held at the site.
The Eden Project is open daily (except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Check the Eden Project website for opening hours. Admission fees apply.
Image: Stevekeiretsu
Tags: Cornwall, Gardens, Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Eden Project, Trebah Gardens, Trevarno Estate and Gardens, UK
In this, the next post in our series about the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you can see and do in the Streets of America and Commissary Lane areas of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.
Streets of America
Streets of America Rides and Attractions
There are four rides and attractions in the Streets of America area of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park: Muppet Vision 3D; the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure; the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show; and the Studio Backlot Tour.
Muppet Vision 3D is a 17 minute long 3D movie, which features audio-animatronic characters. It stars characters such as Kermit, Miss Piggy and the Swedish Chef, together with a new computer-generated Muppet, Waldo C. Graphic.
Toddlers will love the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure attraction. It’s a themed play area, where kids can run through 30 ft tall blades of grass, see giant insects, climb on a huge spider’s web and explore mazes.
The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is a 33 minute long vehicle stunt show, in which you’ll see how movie car chases are filmed. The show features modified Opel stunt cars, trucks and motorcyles driven by stunt drivers in a high adrenaline performance, and you’ll even see stunts performed on jet skis, as well as pyrotechnic displays.
The final attraction in Streets of America is the Studio Backlot Tour. The first section of this attraction is a walking tour, but you’ll then transfer into a tram for the second part of the tour. You’ll get to see how sea storms are filmed in movies, take a tour through a props warehouse and experience movie-style recreations of an earthquake and a flash flood in the “Catastrophe Canyon” section of this 35 minute long ride.
Dining in the Streets of America
There are three dining venues in the Streets of America area of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park: Pizza Planet Arcade; Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano; and the Studio Catering Co.
Pizza Planet Arcade and the Studio Catering Co. are counter service restaurants. Pizza Planet Arcade serves individual pizzas, salads, cookies and a range of drinks, whilst the Studio Catering Co’s menu includes sandwiches, wraps, desserts and drinks.
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano is an Italian themed, table service restaurant, which is open for lunch and dinner. Its menu includes dishes such as crispy calamari, charred sirloin steak, flatbreads, goat cheese-filled ravioli and tiramisu.
Shopping in the Streets of America
There are a number of shops in the Streets of America section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so you can stock up on souvenirs to take back to your hotel or hire car. These include: the Stage 1 Company Store, where you can buy toys and Muppets themed souvenirs; the Writer’s Stop, where you can stop for a coffee and buy books and magazines; and It’s a Wonderful Shop, which sells Christmas decorations all year round.
Commissary Lane
There aren’t any rides or attractions in the Commissary Lane area of the park, but you will find two dining venues there, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant and ABC Commissary.
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is a fantastic themed table service restaurant, and is a great place to stop off for lunch or dinner. Its design was inspired by the drive-in movies.
The seating is designed to make you feel like you’re sitting in a 1950s-style car, and you can watch clips from old sci-fi movies, such as “Plan 9 From Outer Space” on the restaurant’s big screen whilst you eat. Its menu includes dishes such as shrimp pasta, smoked turkey sandwiches, seared marinated tofu, smoked St. Louis-style ribs, hot fudge sundaes and milkshakes.
ABC Commissary is a quick service restaurant which serves a range of international dishes, including chicken curry, Asian salad, and fish & chips. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it’s decorated in a style inspired by the Art Deco movement.
In the next post in this series, we’ll be taking a look at some of the things that you can see and do in the Pixar Place, Mickey Avenue and Animation Courtyard sections of the park.
Image: Jeff Christiansen
Tags: Disney's Hollywood Studios, florida, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set, Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show, Muppet Vision 3D, Orlando, Streets of America, Studio Backlot Tour, Walt Disney World Resort
