Mumbai, but can't walk much

ssharonuk

With only 3 weeks before my holiday ive torn the cartlidge in my knee an operation is needed but i dont want to cancel my holiday so i am willing to wait untill i get back but i wont be able to walk far please tell me can i still see the sights of mumbai and enjoy myself without walking a long distance
Aadil can u help ?

machadinha

Ouch...

I'd say if you're just visiting Mumbai it'd be fairly easy to just take it easy, not run around a lot, and let yourself be driven to what you want to see and do (public transport, cabs, etc). If you're thinking of staying in Colaba it's not all that big and there's some decent places to just sit back and observe the crowds. This might well be true for some other favored hotel areas as well. Most of my walking there I did out of choice I think (usually further than planned as always, it is, after all, a massive metropolis).

Were you planning to move on? I don't think India in general is all that friendly on people with walking troubles, though I remember one one-legged western guy who I kept meeting wherever I went, seemed to be enjoying himself, despite his hardly knowing any English either. I'm sure he'd had the time to grow accustomed to his condition however so to speak.

One drawback to kicking back in Mumbai is that it's an expensive place to be in, but it'll have to do then I guess. It's a nice city really with plenty to see, even if you have to take a ride to get there Should be OK.

Hope this helps some. Best wishes with the knee.

(*nb This is just a reflection on the walking question, I know nothing of torn knees. See Gregornot's advice below & strongly consider it.)

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gregornot

Namaste,
I have had this happen you are going to need crutches and heavy drugs and it still will hurt badly. Do you have trip insurance? If not get it today and then cash it in in a day or two.

You are going to be in a lot of pain, do you have a traveling companion that can /would push you around?

As much as you want to go I personally after having suffered this in both knees at different time and it is too much pain to deal with and if you are all narc'ed up you will not remember of enjoy the trip. Maybe the drugs but not the trip.

Hope all works out, but think about traveler's insurance. I don't know what plans you have made or paid for but a torn knee is painful

good luck, gregor

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ssharonuk

Ill still be coming to india Im not going to let it spoil me and my husbands well earned holiday which we have been waiting all year for I just need to know what to see and not Of course i know elephanta island will be to much to handle but can i still enjoy myself ?

capt_mahajan

Yes, you can. But it would help if you plan to hire a car for whole day trips. Else, you can manage with taking cabs everywhere. Cabs are easily available. If hiring a car, keep in mind that the walk to where it is parked can be tiresome in Mumbai, with the crowds and a bad leg.

You need to walk a fair bit in Mumbai if you go to Elephanta island, or generally walk around in Bazaars/fort area etc for a length of time.

Otherwise, most places, including Hanging Gardens, Marine Drive, the National Park, shopping malls, the museum, resteraunts etc, you can control how much you want to walk, and take a cab (or sit in a nearby resteraunt) if it gets too much. Or, in very few cases (beaches, Marine Drive, parts of the National Park) simply sit down on a bench or something.

Enjoy yourself.

machadinha

Yes... I am wondering now if I didn't paint it a little too light-heartedly before. I don't know, not having trouble walking won't exactly make you notice how difficult it can be. Thinking of those jam-packed uneven sidewalks with millions of passersby & general traffic mayhem & indeed a walk to the cab area or subway station or... Besides I mentioned public transport and the subways can be great fun, but being squashed in like a sardine with a serious leg problem?...

So maybe it really is an unwise idea. I just don't know. It would be a shame of your holiday but you'll learn to live with it, better than you would with going through sheer hell there perhaps, India can be difficult enough as it is. I guess the extent to which your condition is affecting you now at home should give you something of an indication, think of it severely magnified in a foreign place.

I'm not clear on have you been before and have some idea of what to expect btw. Just some general observations.

ssharonuk

Hi i think the rickshaws will be ok and then as you say ill just walk in my own time and stop at restaurants ect ect to rest when needed i was going on a fort walk with aadil but dont think ill be able to manage that so ill just have a few drinks with him (hopefully) and just relax The hotel im booked for is The Residency in the fort area so if anyone knows the directions of the Mahesh Lunch home id really appreciate it as ive been told there buttered crabs are to die for Also a few bars and cafes in that area which we can use would be really helpfull. Im still looking forward to mumbia it will be my first time there but ive been Goa a few times so i think we can handle it
sharon
P.S If you think mumbia is expensive then please dont think about coming to London

aadil

Hi Sharon,

Sad to hear that about your knee and hope you will be wise enough not to make it here if you have even the slightest problem with walking. Mumbai is a bad city for anyone who has to walk a lot and it can take it's toll on you even if you were perfectly fit. The roads and pavements are not easy to walk on especially for someone with a damaged cartilage/knee. I would have taken you around on foot only so now I suppose it would be out of the question to go for a walk around the areas I had promised to take you and it is definitely not the same even if you moved around in a car (you would not see anything!!!). Using a wheelchair is not a good idea either as it is very difficult to manouver in Mumbai as roads are not physically challenged friendly at all. If I were you I would just cancel the holiday and come back later on when you are fit to walk properly. But if you think you can walk on your own without much of a problem, then go ahead and come anyway. Let me assure you that it will be a pain, right from the time you get out of the aircraft to the time you get back on the aircraft. Travelling in India is a real pain in the knee anyway!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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gregornot

Namaste Sharon,
Hope that your knee has settled down some, by now you should be able to make a good decision as weather to go or not. If you do, be sure to have good pain killers, and I would suggest a heating pad that you could use and ice for your knee (not to drink unless your system is stronger than many folks) Ice for 15 min and heat for 15 can help.

Hope you lets us IM's know your outcome and the best of luck

Peace, gregor

Nattusbs

I have a different suggestion.

With the help/recommendation of your physician, you may wish to have the knee surgery in India. I hear that many hospitals have patients from the UK, Canada and the US and make a kind of deal with nearby 5* hotels for a combined "surgery + recuperation in the hotel". One chain of hospitals is the Apollo group (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with them or any other hospital for that matter and have no personal interest).

Hope all is well.

Cheers

Nattusbs

ssharonuk

I WILL be coming to India Ive made a few changes so i will stay just 2 days mumbai then off to Goa to relax in sun If i stayed at home id get no rest whatsoever Being a housewife with 2adult sons living with us and the cleaning so ill live it up a little Im going to have operation in march on nhs here in England How about telling me the whereabouts of that restaurant called Mahesh for the buttered crab ive waited all year for ? and any local cafes /pubs near to residency hotel please
Thanks Sharon

Nick-H

Good for you, Sharon , you sound amazingly strong and determined about this .

I'm sure you will make the best of things and enjoy your trip.

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AvidTrekker

Mahesh is just a five minute walk from Residency.

The Pepper buttered crab and the garlic buttered crab are both well known there... You also get some huge crabs this time of the year...

For local cafes and pubs ask aadil...

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aadil

Hi Sharon,

Just what I was expecting from you!!! Glad to hear that you WILL be coming!!! Like to meet strong willed people always and it's good to be like that!!! I am sure you will make a good trip out of this one even with all the minor problems which will seem to disappear with your strong will power!!! Mahesh Lunch Home is just around the corner from the Residency so it is almost a hop, skip and a jump away from where you are but I am sure you will not like to do either of them but walk very slowly to go to one of the loveliest seafood places in Mumbai. There are other places around the area too which I am sure you will love too. Once you are here I will show you around the place so it should not be too much of a problem. Hope to see you around soon!!! And I am sure you will be having a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before you land in the City of Gold!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

wonderwomanusa

I've got "bad knees" (nothing torn, just old and wearing out) and have to say that India is so physically exhausting that you might be sorry you didn't re-schedule your holiday.