We were interested in seeing the striking blue and white two storey 1884 Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue of the Bene Israel.

The Bene Israel are though to have escaped persecution in Galilee in the 2nd century BC.  They were shipwrecked and washed up on the shores of India with only their oral traditions.   They spoke no Hebrew but called themselves Bene Israel, Sons of Israel.

They remained isolated from other Jewish communities and developed their own form of Judaism, keeping the Sabbath while incorporating some of the Hindu dietary laws and their own interpretation of the caste system.  Their widows were not allowed to re-marry but their sons were circumcised.

There are many influential Bene Israel, including those involved in the film  industry, Bollywood.

On our way to the Gate of India we came across this very poor fishing community.  2000 years ago Mumbai was an archipelago of 7 islands inhabited by Kolis tribal fishermen.  Their descendents still live here in some of the worst slums in the world.

A few yards further down  Colaba we saw one of the few cars in Mumbai that hadn't yet been involved in a fender bender, a beautiful new wine coloured Rolls Royce. 

The Roller was heading here, to the ritzy shops of the Courtyard Mall.  Where you can buy clothes from India's most talented designers.   If you have the money, a penchant for Bollywood chic and can forget what you have seen just up the road.

A short block away was our destination, the Gateway to India and the Taj Hotel.