Elephanta Island - Mumbai

We had a big list of things to do today.... but we decided sleeping was the way to go and napped til 11am. We eventaully got up and showered and got ready to head to Elephanta Island.

We got the "deluxe" boat thing, but I'm pretty sure they're all the same. Not something that would pass Transport Canada standards, for certain. They were a little sketch and definitely pumped some serious diesel. So, we set out on the hour journey to Elephanta Island at 1pm. The Island is home to some amazing Hindu caves carved in 5-7 A.D. They used to have amazing detailed carvings and paintings, but there is little left of this. Still, it was pretty awesome. The first temple is dedicated to Shiva (I have no idea who that is, but that's what the security guard told me...) and is totally amazing. There are incredible carvings that are quite well preserved, and the temple itself, with intricate pillars, is stunning.

The views from this place were amazing, and we climbed to the top of the first cave to get some stellar shots. We also did some shopping and bartering on the way back down the hill... mostly because we don't want to go to any more markets and still had some presents to buy. The trip back was fine, but disembarking the boat was hell. We had to jump between 3 boats with a pile of pushy people trying to fight their way through. It was insane. But, we made it back alive and ordered basically everything off the room service menu at our sweet hotel. Tomorrow is another temple, a beach and maybe a hunt for sunstone necklaces. Below are some of my fav shots of the day, so amazing there really isn't much I can say about them.