Christmas 2016 Cruise to India Onboard the Constellation

Prior to entering the building our guide explained some of the artwork on the exterior.

Our guide.

The main artwork consisted of inlayed precious stones.

And marble relief sculpture.

At the Taj Mahal you have to park some distance away (about 1km) and you can walk, or take various other means of travel to get to the entry. Besides the rickshaws and horse drawn carts, they also had electric buses and electric golf cart type of vehicles for 8-10 people. The buses were free, all the other modes cost extra. Our guide had us take one of the buses for the trip in - I think he did it to expose us to their crowded transportation system! It was basically a free-for-all with getting on the bus, as there was large crowds waiting for each bus. People were pushing to get on as soon as the doors opened to let people off. Parents would throw their kids past people getting off and then push people out of the way while screaming they had to get their kid. I'm not sure how many people each bus was designed for, but I'm sure the one we were on was at least double that. Fortunately, it was a quick ride.

Couple of the ways of getting to and from the Taj Mahal.

For the ride back our guide got us one of the golf carts (300 Rs), which was much better. On the way we met a small funeral procession, with four men carrying the body on a stretcher. I understand they would be cremating the body on the river at dusk.

Walking at the parking area was difficult as the area was full of very aggressive hawkers. Our guide told us to not engage with the hawkers in any way whatsoever and once we got on our bus he would let some of the hawkers show us anything we may be interested in.

Hawker showing some of his wares.

After leaving the Taj Mahal we were scheduled to go see the Agra Fort and then drive to the other side of the river to get pictures of the Taj Mahal at sunset. We all agreed with our guide that trying get the sunset pictures would be a waste of time due to the fog.

Our guide also suggested we put off going to the fort in the afternoon, as normally the crowds from the Taj Mahal would be now making their way over to fort and it would be a very busy time of day. He suggested we go the fort early in morning, rather then trying to get any sunrise pictures of the Taj Mahal.

Instead he took us to a couple of local craft markets which demonstrated and sold various handmade crafts.

The first market was in a three story building with one floor displaying marble being inlayed with semi-precious/precious stones similar to what is on the walls at the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

Apparently each of the crafts were practiced by a single family which passed the techniques down from generation to generation.

In this picture the guy on the right is shaping a thin wafer of stone to be inserted into the recessed area the other guy is cutting into the marble. The accuracy of their work is astounding, as the cut wafer is normally very small and thin. We noticed the hands and fingers of the workers were cruelly bent out of shape from holding the tools for hours on end.

There was a large showroom attached to the work area displaying a large number of inlayed and carved marble items for sale.

Table.

Statues.

You begin to understand how tedious and mind-numbing this type of work is when you consider each of the colored areas is not painted on - but is actually tiny pieces of inlayed stone!!

The other two floors in the building contained wood products and paintings (mostly on silk).

Statues.

 

You begin to understand how tedious and mind-numbing this type of work is when you consider each of the colored areas is not painted on - but is actually tiny pieces of inlayed stone!!

That is amazing !!

That is amazing !!

And expensive!!

The inlayed marble table shown above looked to be about 2ft x2ft and was $25,000.

And expensive!!

 

The inlayed marble table shown above looked to be about 2ft x2ft and was $25,000.

Out of my range!! Thanks for that info.

Our guide then took us to a second craft shop which had a demonstration of metal thread embroidery. Understand this type of work is unique to the Agra area of India.

According to their presentation it can take this worker three months to complete the wall hanging he is working on. They estimate the piece will sell for around 25,000Rs (US$400). We purchased a similar size and pattern (different color) for 22,000Rs from their showroom.

It does raise some questions in one's mind when, like the marble inlay work at the previous shop, they claim the work is done by members of a single family - yet in their large showroom they have thousands of pieces for sale. In addition to our purchase, we saw several other people making purchases in the short time we were there - so they could quite possibly be selling dozens per day (and likely have to in order to survive).

According to "Mr. Singh" (and not unexpected) the guides make a fairly substantial commission of any sales made by people they bring to the shops. The possible lack of commission is likely why our guide on our last day in Delhi would not take us to any shops selling more basic souvenirs.

:oJust noticed I did not finish my review.

Will go back over our pictures (and memories) and try to complete the review - including New Year's Eve in Dubai.

The following morning before returning to Delhi we visited the Agra Red Fort. It was before most of the crowds arrived, so was easy to get around and see things.

The fort is more of a walled city of some 94 acres, most of which has been taken over by the military and closed to the public.

They are in the process of restoring the sections open to the public and seem to be doing a nice job with it.

After visiting the Agra fort we drove back to Delhi.

It was foggy, so we didn't see much of the countryside.

Got to our hotel at lunchtime. After checking in and a quick lunch, we were taken on a tour of New Delhi and Old Delhi.

The New Delhi tour primarily consisted driving by various sights, such as; President's House; Parliament House; Connaught Place and India Gate.

Yes, Delhi also has an India Gate, somewhat similar to Mumbai's Gateway to India,

Our visit to Old Delhi was mainly taken up with a walk through Chandi Chowk, a market area which has been around for some 300 years. Overall it was a worthwhile experience, but of course - very crowded in some areas.

A guide met us at the market and we entered from one side, while our bus then drove around to the other side to pick us up.

View of the side we entered from.

The market area extends over large area intersected with both wide streets and narrow alleyways.

One of the streets we walked down.

We didn't walk down any of the alleyways, as they branched off from the main areas, which meant we'd have double back in order to see the bulk of the market.

The area we came out at was adjacent to the 17th-century Jana Masjid red sandstone mosque (which we didn't visit).

Like most third-world markets and bazaars, this is also one where you can buy most anything.

It was somewhat separated into various products.

Clothing.

Shoes.

Toys.

Appliances.

It also included many small shops.

Nicknacks.

Dried foods.

Music instruments.

Jewelry.

And you could also buy some slightly used false teeth!!

One wall inside had shelves of old false teeth.

Food was available throughout the market area.

On carts.

In bulk.

Deep-fried foods were quite common.

Frozen treats.

Various nuts.

Including the ever present betel nut.

Including the intrusion of western food culture!

There were rickshaws for rent, but our guide recommended against it - mainly from a time point of view.

After the market place tour, our driver took us to a local market in New Delhi, so we could buy some reasonably priced souvenirs.

It was a street of more modern shops and nightclubs.

Didn't take any pictures of the market area, but like a lot of India - once you stepped beyond the glitz, you immediately ran into abject poverty.

We had to step around these guys to get off where our bus parked. That's our driver in the background closing the door on the bus.

They were burning garbage for warmth and our driver said they would likely remain on the sidewalk all night, in hopes of finding some work in the morning.

This is a view of what we saw driving away from the area.

The lit up area behind the hanging sheets is the market area and I understand the people camped on the sidewalk, call the place home!

Going on the Best of India and Sri Lanka on the Constellation in February 2018 and your great review has been very helpful. Excited !!

Thank you for your wonderful posts! Doing this trip from the UK in December 2017 and you've given a real flavour of what to expect. Can I fast-forward you to new year in Dubai? Can the fireworks display be viewed from on board the Constellation, or is it preferable to be ashore for this? - although I'd prefer to avoid the crowds! Thank you.

Really interesting posts, thank you very much, especially that taxis are cheaper than hoho in Abu Dhabi. We are going there this December.

Can I ask, did the men wear DJ on your cruise, or more informal due to temperature which I assume will be very warm to hit.

Thanks.

Really interesting posts, thank you very much, especially that taxis are cheaper than hoho in Abu Dhabi. We are going there this December.

 

Can I ask, did the men wear DJ on your cruise, or more informal due to temperature which I assume will be very warm to hit.

 

Thanks.

The temperature inside the ship was cool enough for the wearing of DJs and on the "formal" (or whatever they may now call it) nights there would always be a number of men who would be in DJs. Other nights, the dress code was usually smart-casual, or lower.

Thank you for your wonderful posts! Doing this trip from the UK in December 2017 and you've given a real flavour of what to expect. Can I fast-forward you to new year in Dubai? Can the fireworks display be viewed from on board the Constellation, or is it preferable to be ashore for this? - although I'd prefer to avoid the crowds! Thank you.

I'm still trying to locate some pictures of the fireworks. I know we took some, although they didn't turn out very good, but at least they'd give you some perspective as to how far away the ship was from the fireworks.

Anyway, the view from the ship wasn't all that great and you're far enough away you don't even get much of a sound show either. You can get a view of some of the fireworks going off on the Burj Khalifa, but most of the fireworks were going off on the other side of the building and on the beach area past it.

Overall, I didn't run into anyone who was all that pleased with what they got see of the fireworks from the ship.

The one's who went into town to see the fireworks thought the show was very impressive, but unbelievably crowded and dirty from the fireworks soot. They had to leave the ship by 6pm in order to get downtown, then returning home took hours. One couple said they went on a privately arranged tour and they didn't get back until 4:30am.

Another couple went on a river cruise which include dinner and the fireworks. They said the dinner was okay, but all they saw of the fireworks was just lights in the sky. I understand their view was blocked by the tall buildings - which is just about all Dubai is made up of.

A few others on the ship when to a hotel room which was right in the middle of the action and they had a great time with most of the fireworks going off right in front of the balcony. It was all setup by another passenger who lives in UAE and knew the people who were managing the hotel. Likely the best way to see the fireworks if you can arrange it.

Others mentioned they went offshore in a boat to see the fireworks, but a lot of the shoreline fireworks were fired off of barges sitting offshore, so therefore they had to stay a fair distance away for safety and didn't think it was worth it.

Thank you for taking the time to give such a full and very useful reply to my question. Sadly, I don't have any UAE contacts, but will follow up your hotel suggestion with some online searching. The prospect of a 6pm to 4.30am downtown adventure doesn't appeal, so we may just have to settle for the restricted view from the ship!

Very grateful for your help.

The temperature inside the ship was cool enough for the wearing of DJs and on the "formal" (or whatever they may now call it) nights there would always be a number of men who would be in DJs. Other nights, the dress code was usually smart-casual, or lower.

Thank you for your response. Much appreciated.