INDIA

---

Upon leaving Myanmar we were fortunate to have three days at sea. After nearly a month straight of big cities and touring and shopping, we needed some time to recharge and catch up on projects and paperwork.

We had a dinner party for our group. It was such a nice event. We started with cocktails on the aft deck behind LaVeranda Restaurant. There was almost a full moon shining on the water and it was a fine tropical weather evening on the Bay of Bengal. We had an officer or staff person at each table and the Captain came for cocktails. We bought small Burmese jade good luck charms and cloth gift bags and gave them as party favors. Our guests loved them and some even hung the charms on their ears for fun. We gave a short greeting and toasted the cruising life and then had a lovely dinner. Several of the men, including Kevin, wore the traditional cloth wrap of Burma—called a longhy. Of course they had to take a lot of kidding about men wearing skirts etc. We had assigned seating and we really gave a lot of thought to who would gel with whom. It seems to have worked because everyone stayed quite late and there was much laughter and good conversation.

The next day we were informed by the Captain that our stay in Sri Lanka was being cancelled. We were supposed to spend Easter weekend in Colombo. But unfortunately the cruise line received warnings from Homeland Security that we could be in danger if we stopped there. Apparently tourists are being targeted. So instead we bypassed Sri Lanka and headed directly to India. There are many problems out in this area of the world. We had to cancel our call in Belewan, Indonesia due to strife. Someday we’ll probably take a world cruise and make no stops at all due to weather, war or worry. As it turned out, the day we were to arrive in Colombo, the Tamil Tigers used a floating mine to blow up a Sri Lankan Navy ship with the loss of 10 sailors. So I guess Homeland Security had some pretty good info.

We cruised into Cochin on Easter Sunday. Cochin is located on the southern tip of the Indian Subcontinent and is our favorite part of India. The Kerala area has probably the most Christians and thus it was an official holiday. As we sailed in past the huge Chinese fishing nets we could hear psalm singing emanating from a waterside church.

We went on a chartered boat with fellow passengers and staff for an all day tour of the backwaters. Since Cochin is a delta region, there are hundreds of miles of rivers and creeks and waterways. There were about 20 of us on the boat and several coolers were brought from the ship filled with thirst quenching beverages. It was a hot day, so being on the water was the perfect way to spend it. We had a close up view of the fishing nets and their meager catch. It seems that the waiting seagulls and crows got most of the fish as the nets were raised. We went out to the entrance to the harbor and escorted the Silver Seas cruise ship into port. I’m sure many of their passengers wondered what all these pale faced tourists were doing welcoming them to India.

We stopped for lunch—but to get to the hotel we had to hire ten tuk-tuks. These are small, open-air, three-wheeled death traps which are a blast to ride around in. I think the drivers were having as much fun as their passengers with all the horn honking and hooting and hollering. When some of the passengers climbed up on the rooftop luggage racks, the drivers got worried because they would be fined by the police if they were caught carrying anyone on their roofs. Kevin ended up with a few cuts and bruises to show for his escapade. We had a fabulous Indian lunch at the Malabar Hotel in their outdoor courtyard. I’m not a big fan of Indian food, but between the Kingfisher beer and some excellent curry and rice, it was a terrific meal.

We then took the boat to Jew Town. This is where the original settlement of Jews fleeing persecution in Europe ended up. There is still a synagogue there and a Jewish cemetery as well as a vibrant spice and antique market. There is also a Catholic church where Vasco de Gama was buried and a Portuguese museum detailing the history of the Spice Route and the explorers who sailed these waters.

Spending all day on the boat gave us the opportunity to get to know some of the new staff that had just boarded the ship in Singapore. Growing up on the plains of South Dakota, I never envisioned that I might be spending an Easter on a boat in the backwaters of India sailing with good friends.

This magical day continued into the evening as the ship hosted a dinner under the stars. The threatened rain showers never materialized. We joined up with Sherry and Mike and friends for Sherry’s birthday celebration. The pool area was decorated with Indian saris and scarves and the crew band put on a great show and played some good dancing music. Stewardesses, waiters and other crew joined in the affair which is a first for us—mixing staff, crew and passengers in one big party. Kevin danced with some of the stewardesses, while I did a few spins with our favorite waiters. Captain Dag showed that not only is he a good boat driver, he cuts a pretty mean rug on the dance floor. The dinner party was a big success.

We made a short stop in Goa, the former hippie haven of the 1970s. The port is probably one of the least attractive in the world as it is primarily a coal and iron ore port and is located quite a distance from any of the fine beaches or historical places on the island. Taxies are few and costly. We had hired a cab in Cochin at a cost of $15 for four hours. In Goa the going rate was $40 to travel 1 mile to a port town. The Indian Taxi Union does not allow ships to provide shuttle buses, so there are few options other than organized ship’s tours. We decided to declare it a sea day and take care of business on board.

Latitudes Restaurant had a new theme dinner which reflected the area in which we were cruising. Called the Exotic Spice Route Dinner, it gave me an opportunity to wear my purple sari and bangles and bindi (the jeweled forehead decoration) and Kevin dressed as an Indian holy man. Tying a sari is a very intricate business and probably takes quite a while to learn how to do it correctly. A sari is an 18 foot piece of cloth with no snaps or buttons or Velcro. Fortunately one of our guests has acquired the sari skill. Mimi came to our cabin and helped me dress for our Indian evening out.

In Mumbai we had two days to explore this large and frenetic city. We had private cars arranged for many of our group, so we spent both days making sure all went well with that program. It turned out perfectly as the guides were some of the finest ever according to our passengers, plus Mumbai is best seen from a car rather than a tour bus because a car can go places that are inaccessible to large buses. Steve and Karolyn said that they developed an immediate and strong rapport with Jasmine, their guide. President Clinton and Prince Charles are among some of Jasmine’s more famous clients.

We took a walk outside the port gate and were almost overwhelmed by the traffic, garbage, cow dung, beggars and flies. This is not a walking city and it was a relief to return to the port. That afternoon we accompanied one of our passengers in his private SUV on a driving tour of the city. We saw the regular tourist sites, like the Gateway to India which resembles the Arc de’ Triomphe and the Victorian Rail Station where 1.5 million passengers pass through on any given day. We have toured many times in Bombay and are quite familiar with most of the major tourist attractions. So we asked to see other areas of this sprawling metropolis. We visited the fish market and drove through the Muslim section of town. During a quick ride through the Red Light district we saw dozens of young girls looking for business. The ship has a documentary on board called “Born into Brothels.” This is an award winning film about the hard life the Indian kids face growing up surrounded by the seedy squalor of prostitution and drugs. Here we were seeing it first hand. We then drove by row after row of fabric sweatshops and watched men toiling away on the beautiful Indian silks. The finished products were hung out the windows making for a very colorful street scene amid the slums.

I had mentioned to Polly, our tour guide, that several years ago we had met a young boy hawking peacock fans. At that time, we had talked with 8 year old Ravi at length. He said that he spoke 6 languages and he was quite conversant in English. He told us that he wanted to be a tour guide when he grew up. Polly knew who Ravi was and said that he was still peddling peacock feathers. When we went to the Hanging Garden in Malabar, we spotted Ravi and his grandmother. He has shot up in height—probably a foot taller but just as cute and he can now speak 10 languages. We asked if he still wanted to be a tour guide, but he said that he has dropped out of school because the hawking life is more lucrative. Both our tour guide and Kevin and I encouraged him to continue with his studies as the street life is tough and education is the only way to escape the low caste system. We are going to keep in touch with Ravi via Polly and hope to continue to encourage this talented boy to make a good life for himself. The sad thing is that there are probably millions of kids like Ravi who will never have the opportunity to escape the poverty of the streets of India.

Now we are on our way to the United Arab Emirates. It is a tremendous culture shock to travel in two days time from the utter poverty and crumbling infrastructure of Mumbai to the brand new Disneyland style city of Dubai which sits on the edge of the desert facing the Persian Gulf with its striking buildings and fabulous yachts and manmade islands constructed as playgrounds for the very wealthy.

---

Comments

[Stephanie]

I just can't believe the events in Sri Lanka - it is a good thing your ship didn't stop over. The strife and worry are indeed woven into your journey, but wow, the beautiful descriptions of dinner my moonlight and Chinese fishing boats makes one *almost* forget about the strife. All is well here. MSA finally has an awning. We look forward to a few BBQs this summer.

[tony]

hello
LOVE YOUR TRAVEL BLOGS. WISH I ON HER CRUISE.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...

[Alysia]

Ravi story
I love the Ravi story, it's amazing that in such a big place you found that same little boy again. I hope he continues his education and gives up peddling the peacock fans!