The gateway to India

When I went to India a few years ago we stayed across the road from the 'Gateway to India'.

The gateway is: "Mumbai's most famous monument, this is the starting point for most tourists who want to explore the city. It was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, complete with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British ships that set sail for England left from the Gateway. Today this symbol of colonialism has got Indianised, drawing droves of local tourists and citizens. Behind the arch, there are steps leading down to the water. Here, you can get onto one of the bobbing little motor launches, for a short cruise through Mumbai's splendid natural harbour". (http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/gateway.htm)

Here are some photos that I took whilst on a boat trip from the Gateway:

One thing that was clearly apparent was the fact that the harbor around the gateway was a very busy, working harbor. People were bringing goods in and taking goods out. This to me, highlights the importance of having the use of boats in a place like Mumbai as it is a great means of transporting goods and people using the water.