A Taste of Mumbai Mary, A Run along Marine Drive: SQ SIN-DEL/BOM-SIN (Econ/772/A380)

[SQueeze]

I am usually on the night time SIN-DEL so never saw this view before. Wonder if it is possible to spot well known peaks like Everest etc as one flies past. I suspect it would be quite difficult, as there are so many peaks. I tried to match the peaks in my photo with maps of the Himalayas, but couldn't find any correlation.

I think the SIN-DEL route is too far south when it’s adjacent to Everest. I had seen it on the way to northeast India.

For SIN-DEL, you probably can pick Annapurna and Nanda Devi which are further west. And also, the Himalayas are layered. You have the 5000-6000 m peaks in front of the 8000ers. Might be difficult to pick them among the crowds.

[SQfanatic]

My maternal uncle and his family live in Delhi, so they know how fog can be. Being a SFO native, SF gets fog but not where I live.

I really enjoyed the views of the Himalayas even from onboard the SQ plane. Depending on plans, I may actually go to Varanasi and Ganges at least this year, and Himalayas another time in my life. I really did enjoy the TR and would definitely visit Delhi again in the future.

[yflyer]

I think the SIN-DEL route is too far south when it’s adjacent to Everest. I had seen it on the way to northeast India.

For SIN-DEL, you probably can pick Annapurna and Nanda Devi which are further west. And also, the Himalayas are layered. You have the 5000-6000 m peaks in front of the 8000ers. Might be difficult to pick them among the crowds.

Thanks for the info, SQueeze! Will try and look out for Annapurna and Nanda Devi next time I am on the daytime SIN-DEL...

[SQfanatic]

Thanks for the info, SQueeze! Will try and look out for Annapurna and Nanda Devi next time I am on the daytime SIN-DEL...

You should definitely visit Chennai one time as well, though that's South India. Delhi is also a great place, the roads are better and well maintained compared to parts I've traveled in India.

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

My hotel was the Westin Gurgaon, located in the heart of this up and coming cyberhub close to New Delhi.



For visitors loyal to SPG who need to stay in Gurgaon, the Westin is probably your best bet. While SPG has many superb hotels in New Delhi, such as the Luxury Collection property, the ITC Maurya, the traffic situation makes it impractical to travel from New Delhi to adjoining Gurgaon each day. It's possible, but you essentially spend the better part of an hour each way on the road at peak periods (Possibly more.).

This is a fairly new property very popular with business travellers.



I checked in and was upgraded to a Suite...



A large living/work area and adjoining bedroom...





The bathroom was especially spacious, with an enormous tub...

[yflyer]

Gurgaon remains a place of contrasts. Arguably one of the most modern places in India, modern infrastructure exists side by side with scenes of old India.



The view from my Suite...if you look carefully you can see the new metro line, with trains not too different looking from Singapore's MRT...

[yflyer]

There is a Westin Executive Club Lounge available to SPG Platinum guests...



This is a fairly large lounge...







...with a good selection of F&B for breakfast...





...and pre-dinner canapes...





Liquor selections (Limited to the evening happy hour) included local Kingfisher beer...



...and Sula wines...



...and some distinctly Indian liquor such as Old Monk Rum...





The staff in the Executive Lounge were excellent, taking very good care of lounge visitors and SPG Platinum.

Overall, I was quite happy with my stay at the Westin Gurgaon. This is pitched as a business/executive property rather than a luxury hotel, so in general guests will not be pampered the way they are at the Oberoi Gurgaon, for example, but the superb service in the Exec Lounge, and the SPG Platinum upgrade to a Suite did partly close the gap between the two properties, at least for this stay.

[yflyer]

Apart from the impressive new malls, eateries and office buildings sprouting in Gurgaon, the other new development I noticed was how pervasive Uber was becoming.

I used Uber a lot on this trip to India. Prior to this, I used mainly hotel cars and maybe the occasional taxi if I was travelling with my local hosts.



Compared to other countries, some of the Uber cars I rode in could best be described as "far from showroom condition", but I think that is par for the course in India. Cars aside, the Uber drivers I met were great: Very helpful and friendly, and almost all I rode in spoke good English (Although my sample size was quite small).

[yflyer]

On this trip, I spent time in the DLF CyberHub / Cyber City. There is a very popular F&B and entertainment hub in the centre of the complex.



It was a busy work week, so not a lot of time for a lunch-hour meal. Lots of options for a quick bite, including the inevitable McD and Taco Bell...





...but rather than eat at those places, I requested something quick and local, so my colleagues and I headed to Haldiram's, an iconic local brand and Indian food giant. This was inexpensive fast food, but boy was it delicious!







Dishes we had included Makki roti, made with corn flour, accompanied by a saag (i.e. mustard greens) gravy...



...and Puri...



...washed down with masala buttermilk...



This was inexpensive comfort/snack food, but so tasty!

[yflyer]

After Gurgaon, my next stop was Mumbai. I headed to Delhi International Airport for my flight to Mumbai (These days, many Indian airlines, including AI, Jet and Vistara, operate their domestic services out of the International Airport).



MiG-23 on static display at Delhi Airport.



The Indian Air Force stopped flying the MiG-23 in 2009, and since then many examples can now be found on display in various locations in cities and airports.

Quick check-in and security, and then a long walk to the gate in this sprawling airport...





Jet Airways 737s alongside Vistara A320s...



An AI A320neo...





Unusually, my DEL-BOM flight today was operated by a long haul configured A330.

[yflyer]

This 2-class A330 had herringbone J seats...



...and 2-4-2 economy...



This was a decent long haul economy product, with a comfortable seat, good recline and average seat pitch. I had previously flown this equipment on the 5 hour BOM-SIN red-eye.



Cushions on each seat...



Just your average long haul Y. But to have this on a short 2 hour hop from Delhi to Mumbai was almost luxury, especially compared to the 738's which operate most other 9W flights on this sector.

A hot snack was served onboard, with choice of veg or non-veg.

The tray as served...



Indian-style "Chinese" noodles...



Not the nicest meal I have had on Jet Airways but it was still nice to get a hot meal on this short flight.

No beverages apart from bottled water and coffee/tea...

Very pleasant cabin ambience onboard...





An on-time arrival into Delhi. The only downside with this equipment type was the slightly longer time to deplane if you were seated in the rear of this widebody. But I would gladly wait a little longer to deplane, in return for the spaciousness of an A330 on the DEL-BOM sector.

[yflyer]

As on my last visit, my hotel in Mumbai was the St Regis.



My last stay in this hotel was an all-too-brief late night check-in, and early morning departure. I would have more time to explore the hotel this time round.



A beautiful room...

[yflyer]

Bathroom...



...with separate tub and shower...





Pleasant views of the Arabian Sea by day...



The St Regis also has an outdoor pool...



...and a large, well-equipped gym...

[yflyer]

I was there during India's Republic Day Week, which would be celebrated that Friday. On Friday, I would have the opportunity to head outside for my first outdoor run in India, but in the earlier part of the week, I mainly spent my time in the office, with all my sightseeing done out of the car window.



The Bandra-Worli Sealink Bridge...which improved traffic commute times by a factor of 2 or 3 between Bandra and Worli. Without this bridge, first opened in 2009, it would probably have been unfeasible for me to commute between the hotel and the workplace.





Three wheelers still very popular in Indian metros.



Another MiG-23 on display...



I spent some time in Bandra Kurla Complex, a financial and business hub in Mumbal...





The Stock Exchange, banks, and many businesses have always been located in BKC, as the area is known, but a more recent development is the sprawling cluster of F&B outlets and trendy eateries that has sprung up in the complex.

[yflyer]

I dined at one of the more casual, yet distinctive places in BKC, with the unwieldly, yet catchy, name of SodaBottleOpenerWala...



This nostalgia-themed restaurant serves Parsi/Irani cuisine in a very eclectic setting...





A very intriguing menu...





...and quite a drink selection too...





A delicious mutton seekh kebab (Each portion comes with two...)



Mutton Dhansak, served in a traditional tiffin carrier...





A delicious meal...with Indian flavours but with a Parsi / Bombay Irani twist...