Not sure what there is to see in Mumbai, but to be honest, I thought it was just a big dirty city. Sort of like Tianjin in China but with more chaotic traffic!
Things I saw on my afternoon there included the Taj hotel.... Most impressive from the outside, nice views across the bay and the Gateway to India and possibly the most expensive beers in India. However, with the beers they did serve popcorn dusted in chilli powder and paprika which was pretty good. The beers weren't cheap but actually nor were they outrageous... Just seemed a lot for India!
Also, not sure it looks like the Taj Mahal (hence the name), its a different colour for a start!
First full day back in Japan: Osaka
I have to say that I love Japan. It is one of my favourite places. It is very different to other countries in Asia or in Europe either for that matter. It reminds me a bit of Taipei, only (of course) with less Chinese influence. Not too surprising as Japan ruled Taiwan until the end of the second World War. Everything just works and works perfectly! People are really well mannered and when you live in China that's a big plus. It's clean and the natives are friendly... What more could one want?
Osaka at night from above
When we were here before, Osaka was one of our favourite places. Osakians (?) have a reputation of being a bit brash and uncouth by Japanese standards, but that is by Japanese standards! So that's where we kicked off this time. The plan was to stay in Osaka a night and move onto to Kyoto, but we couldn't find accommodation at anything like a reasonable price so made full use of our Japan Rail passes and just travelled from Osaka to Kyoto.
The Umeda sky building is a relatively new addition to Osaka. It has a top floor viewing platform that is accessible via glass encased escalators. Needless to say Mrs E didn't fancy it over much so watched from the ground.
The two diverging (or converging depending which way you're looking) strips running across between the two towers are the said escalators. Then, at the top is a circular walkway.