586 Words Essay on a Visit to a Sea Port

During the last winter break, I had a chance to pay a visit to Mumbai. My cousin, who is a business magnate there, received me at the Victoria Terminus Railway Station. At Mumbai, I found myself in quite a different world.

There were milling crowds on all sides. The roads were full of impenetrable traffic. There was one long unending line of cars, taxies and other vehicles on every road. It was a problem to cross from one end of a road to the other.

The roads were open and wide with lofty buildings and grand ware-houses on both sides of them. Wherever I cast my eyes, I saw a huge sea of human heads surging forward.

My cousin took me home in his car. I enjoyed the ride and felt immensely happy within. The car halted in front of a big and lofty mansion which had seven storeys. I stood aghast at the sight of such a huge building touching the sky.

I failed to understand how people managed to reach the upper storey. But my surprise was soon over when we reached our flat on the fourth floor in the twinkling of an eye, in an electric lift. We just sat in the lift, a button was pressed and up we went in a trice. It was quite a novel experience for me. It was my first ride in a lift.

My cousin’s flat consisted of a drawing room, a bed room and a small kitchen. For this limited accommodation they were paying Rs. 4000 as rent per month. I was told that there was a terrible shortage of housing accommodation in Mumbai and, therefore, the rent was exorbitant.

My sister-in-law did her best to make me feel comfortable and quite at home. The flat faced the sea arid a cool breeze blew all the time. I felt as if a new life were springing up within me. I peeped through the windows and was simply thrilled to see the vast boundless sea stretched on all sides.

As far as the eye could see there was nothing but water. I felt tempted to pay a visit to the sea-port.

Next morning, we went to see the port. Mumbai has a big harbour. It was full of hustle and bustle. There were several ships near the sea­shore. They were being loaded and unloaded. There was great activity on all sides. The imported stuffs consisted of machinery, medicines, rubber, glass, watches and paper.

We had a joyride in a steamer. It took us far into the ocean. The sea-shore was out of sight. I was full of mingled feelings of joy and fear. It landed at the island where the Elephanta Caves are situated.

We paid a visit to the caves which are hundreds of years old. They have been carved out of solid rocks. They are a marvel of sculpture. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. The ships and boats sailing in the sea look picturesque.

The lighthouse raising its fairy head out of the surging sea is a sight hard to forget. A visit to the seaside enlivens the mind and invigorates the body. The constantly blowing pleasant breezes put new blood into the veins and fill the mind with some mysterious thrill.

Next day, we visited the museum, the hanging gardens and the aquarium full of living water plants, fish and animals. I cannot describe all I saw there. I returned to Amritsar after a fortnight’s rich experience of Mumbai.