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Mumbai
Local housing and shops05/06/14
Our tour today apart from being dirty was very informative. Our guide stated that Colombo is the 34
th busiest port in the world, and there has been marine traffic coming and going all day. The Navy are based here as well and they all live in accommodation here at the port.
All education is free, even university, and colleges, however, there was a protest outside a university today as we drove past, the students were complaining about rising costs of hostel style accommodation. All hospital and medical treatments are also free, *Please take note Australian governments. Today being Thursday there were numerous games of cricket, soccer, and even rugby being played at various venues around the city.
We were supposed to slip our lines at 7:30 p.m. and head out to sea but had to wait for a father and son who were 45 minutes late getting back to the ship. When they arrived on the wharf there were people lined up all over the upper deck giving them the biggest yahoo you had ever heard. Apparently they had good intentions of getting back to the ship with plenty of time to spare, but the traffic was
Giant condom
Street vendors everywhere chaotic. In the end the taxi they were in was given a police escort to get back to the ship. A couple who went on a bus excursion to the Colombo wilderness, told us how it was incredible that when travelling in congested areas, the local police would part the traffic and give the buses right of way. Just like that tablet guy parting the Red Sea.
06/06/14
Happy birthday to my sister Donna, as we head towards Mumbai we will maintain a westerly course across the Indian Ocean. Dawn Princess is a fully ECDIS approved ship meaning we can legally navigate using only electronic charts as a back up means of Navigation. (Bet you didn’t know that) One of the main duties of the officer of the watch on the bridge is to make sure that the ship is following these tracks!!! And doesn’t get lost DOH!! The entertainment on board has in the main been pretty good, there have been some very funny performers. Tonight we went and saw the magician Phil Cass who has been on the footy show, Ray Martin, etc. He involves members of the audience and it is great. There
Mumbai Ladyboys
Interesting characters gave us all a big smile have also been two members of the Four Kinsmen performing, and they are fantastic.
This afternoon at the veteran’s get together I had the good fortune to meet Captain Errol Stevens R.A.N retired. This splendid gentleman spent over 40 years in the R.A.N. serving in all conflicts from WWII to the Vietnam conflict, a truly remarkable man. His eyesight is failing and his wife mentioned that this cruise is their swangsong, he would have some remarkable stories to tell, I would love to get him alone for a while and just talk. There is also on board my uncle!! Bob Simpson, the ex Australian cricket captain, haven’t had the good fortune to meet him yet, hopefully soon. We can then reminisce about old family times.
07/06/14
During our transit across the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean we experienced strong South-Westerly winds which were caused by the summer monsoon. This phenomenon occurs from June through to September when the hot sun in the Thar Desert heats up the air in the adjoining northern and central Indian subcontinent, creating a large low pressure area. To fill this void
Temple Delhi
Fantastic architecture the relatively cooler southerly winds rush up over the sea, they become moisture laden. The winds are drawn towards the Himalayas which act like a high wall blocking the winds passing to Central Asia. They hit this wall and are forced to rise, as they are forced upwards rain occurs in some areas quite extensively.
Went onto deck 11 aft this morning and was talking to the security guard on duty, his responsibility during our transit through pirate territory is. In the case of a threat there is a very audible sonic boom facing away from the stern, if pirates approach he emits this loud noise which will burst the ear drums of any supposed pirates. These guys are on watch 24 hours a day until we clear the threatened zone.
Tomorrow we arrive in Mumbai and start our four day sojourn to the Taj Mahal. As we are approaching India the temperature is quite mild, as the conditions are overcast, however we have been told to expect temperatures of 45 during the day down to 30 at night, and in Dubai two days ago the temp. was 50 degrees.
The seas have moderated this morning a
Delhi
Gateway to India little bit choppy yesterday, and as such barf bags were placed strategically throughout the ship. Very proud of Colleen she is handling the conditions extremely well.
08/06/14
Mumbai: Today at approximately 7:00 a.m. we berth in Mumbai. Mumbai is a port city and is the most populated and richest city in India, and the second most populated city in the world. The initial city was made up of seven islands that were traditionally fishing colonies that came under the control of successive indigenous empires. The harbor is a natural deep water harbor sheltered by one of these islands, and due to this has become the gateway to India. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869 the importance of Mumbai as a port continued to increase, becoming one of the largest ports on the Arabian Sea, and today handles approximately 50% of the countries cargo.
We found out today that we will be unable to meet up with Punjab due to the fact that Indian Customs will only allow us to disembark once off the ship. Punjab will be at the wharf with two of his girls at 8:00 a.m. and our tour to the Taj
Delhi train station
Locals having a sleep wherever they drop Mahal does not leave the ship until 11:00 a.m. We have asked Greg and Judy Reinke to pass on our apologies and best regards. Colleen has given Judy two small tokens to pass on to the two girls.
Left the ship at 11:15 a.m. cleared customs and changed $1200.00 U.S. into Rupees, needed a suitcase to carry the money, I now realize I have changed too much over, not to worry, Colleen can buy an elephant, or something. Jumped onto a bus an did a tour of Mumbai, went to the gates of India for a photoshoot, half of the 20 million people that live in Mumbai must have been there and it was a Sunday. Vendors everywhere and they would not take no for an answer, almost had to beat them off with a stick. The richest guy in India lives in Mumbai and has just built a 27 storey house at a cost of 1 billion U.S. Dollars. There is poverty everywhere and also there appears to be lots of opportunities to make money. After our tour we made our way to the airport for our two hour flight to Delhi. Mumbai airport seems very small in
Delhi news
No need to state the obvious relation to the population not many departure gates but heaps of planes, and shuttle buses running all over the airport. Arrived in Delhi to 46 degree heat, not too bad though no humidity, but I couldn’t believe that our guides were wearing ties and coats. Another city tour, this time I think there is more poor people here than in Mumbai, however this is the capital and all government departments are here, even the Navy and Coastguard H.Q.’s are here and there is no ocean within cooee of here. Our guide told us that all religions get on here in India, 13% of the population are muslims that equates to 140 million of them, the largest religion is Hindu and the smallest Jewish. In Delhi there are 50 jews comprising of only 8 families and they still have their own synagogue. Our guide told us that in the Hindu religion they worship over 330 million gods, I asked if he could name them, not all was his reply.
Tomorrow we get an early wake up call at 4:00 a.m. to catch a 6:00 a.m. train to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal, in the morning, before the heat of
Big foot
Elephantitis of the feet poor buggar the day. We then have some time off before visiting the old fort of Agra in the afternoon, before some retail therapy.
09/06/14
Delhi to Agra; Interesting trip I couldn’t believe the number of people asleep in the most peculiar places totally oblivious to the noises around them. They were asleep on the roadside, park benches, railway station platforms, every conceivable place you could think of. On the way to the train station we were fortunate to see one of only fourteen elephants that exist in Delhi. On arrival at the station the urine stench was almost overpowering, and in the train on the way to Agra, the number of people squatting beside the track to relieve themselves needed to be seen to be believed. As you are aware cows are sacred in India, but the conditions they have to endure are horrifying, I thought they only ate grass. Not here I even saw one fossicking through refuse, plastic bags etc. looking for something to eat.
On arrival at the Taj Mahal there were plenty of beggars, but I felt sorry for one poor person who was in a hand driven pushbike, this guy had
Entrance to the Taj Mahal
Apparently this is the where the workers lived. elephantitis of the feet, they were huge, and one poor boy no more than 12 or 13 was crawling on all fours begging for money, so sad.
The Taj Mahal is a truly majestic sight, to think that the Shah built it for his wife as a final resting place, defies comprehension. His wife bore him 14 children in 18 years and died during the birth of his last daughter. Only 7 children survived, and the third son killed off his two older brothers, and imprisoned his father for the final 8 years of his life, in a prison that overlooked the Taj, nasty buggar hey.
The story that the Shah was going to build himself another shrine in black marble is according to the local tour guides, a myth. The Tal Mahal took 20,000 workers 22 years to build.
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