"By far the most popular place to watch the Ganesh Visarjan is Chowpatty Beach in South Mumbai. You can either follow the processions or find yourself a position on Marine Drive and settle in for this spectacular site. There is nothing like watching thousands of people make their way along the road, with hundreds of brilliantly colouredGaneshas floating above them." ~ Make My Trip Blog

Somehow, we managed to visit Mumbai

 as preparations were in full force

 for the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi...

The festive atmosphere could be heard...

winding through the streets as the giant idols head to the sea.

Having read about Chowpatty Beach,

it was the perfect choice for sunset viewing...

and watching this area of Mumbai... 

come to life.

Our last morning...

we sadly left our lovely digs in South Mumbai

and ventured up Malabar Hill where we creeped through traffic...

alongside this group headed to the sea... 

to immerse their statue of Lord Ganesha.

Our destination was...

the spring fed Banganga Tank...

a temple tank located in what is considered...

 one of the oldest, continuous living areas in Mumbai.

Originally built in 1127...

 and rebuilt in 1715 after being destroyed by the Portuguese...

 it is a community surrounded by temples,

and steeped in history...

and considered one of the holiest sites in Mumbai.

 The market...

and residents were in full Ganesh celebration mode...

 as one of its youngest...

proudly guarded their Ganesha statue.

Up the hill from the Banganga area...

you will find the terraced Hanging Garden... 

where this melted my heart.

Or maybe it was the 95° weather. Ha!

Next stop, as we headed to northern Mumbai...

we explored the suburb of Bandra...

known by the locals as "queen of the suburbs"

because of the famous Bollywood,

cricket and political residents.

Clearly, I would not recognize any of the famous residents...

even if I had a third eye.

While under the rule of the Portuguese crown, 

there were many years of Christianization...

and is still evident with St. Andrews Church, built in 1575 and

St. Andrews High School following in 1780.

Mount Mary Basilica is located here as well.

Bandra is also the home to some powerhouse high schools, 

for day scholars as well as boarders, 

advertising famous alumni.

St. Catherine of Siena School and Orphanage 

is just around the corner...

from where this barber was offering haircuts 

for a donation to the orphanage.  Love💟

Ren Man was not brave enough

 but he did donate.

Bandra definitely has a different feel about it.

And to think I only went for the street art.

Hopefully,

you have seen a few of the many qualities

 of the most populous city in India.

 To think Seven Islands have merged to form modern day Mumbai

 is quite incredulous and explains the distinct characteristics still evident.