Travel The World with Bill & Mary Ann HAL's Grand World Voyage 2007

[RuthC]

Glad you're back where you belong safe and sound. I can't wait to read your reports of the trip to the Taj Mahal. It's on the list of "must see before I die". Until then your descriptions will have to do.

[DFD1]

I'm with RuthC....Glad your back where you belong....safe and sound. Sounds like you had an interesting trip. We missed you.

[May4]

Hi May4:

 

I just have to say I always enjoy your sense of humor and your posts....:)

 

To the best of my knowledge, Bill and Mary Ann are not actually "home" yet; they just got back from a 3-day land tour in India, and have now returned to the Amsterdam, their "home away from home". They still have about another month of the Grand World Voyage to go, lucky us!:)

 

Karin

 

Thanks for the catch, Karin.:p I wonder how I thought that the Amsterdam could have made it back from India quite so fast. :rolleyes:

 

I very much adore your posts, too.

[Barocl]

I not sure if someone has already mentioned the fact that we (the Rotterdam) and the Amsterdam are meeting on the same day in Casablanca. We have really enjoyed your posts and may have a chance to meet in person there. From some of the things you've said, makes me believe we've sailed together before. (World Cruise 96, 98, 99 or 2000). Take care.

[Hflors]

Bill & Mary Ann. I sure hope you post your report from the Taj Mahal before friday. I leave for my cruise that evening if the post is not there I will need to wait until I return in two weeks. BooHoo! ANyway I'm glad you had a good time and no matter when you post I will read it!

 

Keep up the posting. We are with you the whole way!

 

Helen

[I Luv Crusin]

Greetings fellow readers!!

 

We're baaaackkk!!! As soon as we can, we will post reports! Had a great trip to the Taj Mahal, and the ride from Delhi to Agra was enlightening, to say the least!

 

As for the stealing reports, we do not have the details, so sorry. Will investigate further if we can.

 

Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

You're back already!?! I'm going to miss "cruising" with you! thanks for all the reports!

[WCB]

Report # 51 3-17-07 Saturday Cochin, India - Day One of our Trip to the Taj Mahal

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the port of Cochin in southwest India at 8 am this morning. Again, we have warm and sticky weather, and an overcast of smog, like we had in Malaysia. Seems like this is going to be the way it is, like it or not.

 

Waiting for our arrival, were three large traditionally decorated Indian elephants with their handlers. A group of drummers greeted us with their welcome music. Some of the passengers, including Lucia, our host, climbed on top of the elephants for a picture. It only cost $10., and they did not charge more to get off the animal! That happened to some people in Egypt a few years ago, where they charged $20. to get down off the camel!! Very funny. One handler gave his elephant a huge bunch of small bananas. He took the whole thing in his mouth, and crunched away - peels and all. Another man fed his animal leaves from the sugar cane. These elephants must like their sweets! Hmmm, just like us!

 

After leaving our check-in bag in the Ocean Bar at 9 am, we walked on the pier to take a few pictures of the vendors from Cochin, since we were not going to be able to see much more here. A lone elderly Indian man was selling shoes near the ship. After purchasing a pair of leather sandals, he took them apart so they could be fitted tighter. He did this while we waited and watched for about 10 minutes. It was worth it just to see him slice, glue, and re-stitch the seams. Hope they don't fall apart in a day!!

 

We joined our CSI group of 68 at 10:30 in the Ocean Bar, where we were assigned a bus number that we would keep for the entire tour. Heather from Seattle met us at this point. She is from the shore excursions department and was going to accompany us all the way, along with Ellen. Then we were off to be loaded into three coaches. The luggage was put under the buses. By the way, we were allowed one bag weighing 66 pounds per person, more than ample for four days of travel. One carry on bag was also OK. Some people chose to carry their bags onboard the plane, just in case the checked bags got lost.

 

Our tour was operated by Abercrombie and Kent of India. They have an excellent record of handling group tours, so we trust we will have a successful trip.

 

The ride to the Cochin airport from the pier was over an hour. The only road was not a freeway, but a rural four lane highway flanked with stores, factories, and car dealers. It was stop and go all the way, or should we say "blow and go", referring to using the horn every two minutes!! Before we arrived to the airport, our guide said that we could not photograph any police, military, or airport facility. Also, we were not allowed to carry extra camera batteries. They had to be placed inside of our checked bags.

 

Once at the airport, our guide handed us our plane tickets for our first flight to Mumbai. The airline used was Kingfisher Air, which was not a familiar name for any of us. We were in for a nice surprise.

 

The airline building was nothing like we have at home in the USA...........not even close! We only needed to show our ticket to gain entrance into the receiving area. We strolled through the few shops in the terminal, since we had an hour and a half before our flight left. We heard our name called, and we were led to the baggage screening area to open our locked bag. Apparently, the xray showed our two camera battery chargers with their cords and plugs. The guards wanted to see them. They are very touchy about electronics here, since they receive a lot of bomb threats in India's airports and railways. Satisfied that we posed no threat, we locked the bag again, and were released to proceed to the terminal room. We had to go through the xray check with the women on one side, and the men on the other. The ladies were patted down in a small draped tent, while the men were searched in the open.

 

There really was no gate, but a door that led us to the tarmac. At 1:30, we went out the gate to a bus that took us to the plane right near the runway. We had our reservations about flying in India, but once we were on the plane, we relaxed. It was like flying with Singapore Air. Even the coach seats had ample leg room with TV screens in the back of each seat. Little zippered bags were handed to each of us. They contained ear phones, a lunch menu and flight schedule, and personal niceties like toothpicks, mints, hand wipes, etc.

 

We were served a drink as well as given several bottles of water. There was no alcohol served at all, since it is banned on all domestic flights throughout India. A hot lunch followed - either vegetarian or chicken (all heavily spiced with chili and curry). And this was just an hour and a half flight! Don't see this service at home anymore.

 

By the time we got settled, fed, and comfortably watching TV sitcoms from the US, we landed in Mumbai. Since we were running a bit late, a decision was made to bus us directly from this flight to our second plane going to New Delhi. We all hoped that our luggage would also make the connecting flight.

 

The next flight was equally as nice as the first one. We were served another lunch and given more zippered bags. In less than two hours, we landed in New Delhi, were escorted to our buses, and driven to the Shangri-La Hotel. And our baggage followed us without ever having to handle it. Way to go!

 

The Shanri-La Hotel was more than a five star hotel, in our opinion. Located in the heart of De;lhi's busy city, it was a welcome, elegant oasis for all of us to see. We all had rooms on the high floors, which entitled us to their Horizons Club amenities. Frankly, we were so worn out by the time we arrived, we did not seek out this club.

 

The room was spacious and gorgeous. The marble bathroom had a see-through window between the tub and the rest of the room. Luckily, there was a screen to pull down over it. A large desk, a flat screen TV, a kingsize bed, a bar with a refrigerator, and a lighted closet completed the room.

 

Dinner was served, buffet-style, in the Uno One Cafe off of the main lobby at 7:30 pm. Many dishes were spicy Indian food, of course, but there were also recognizable dishes of beef, fish, and chicken. The best part was the veggie pizza! We did stay away from salads and fruits that we could not peel. We also had ample bottles of water to use for drinking and even brushing our teeth. The hotel tap water was reported to be filtered, but we were advised not to drink it. Don't want to go home with "Delhi Belly"!

 

After our leisurely dinner with Kingfisher beer and wine, we were ready for a restful evening in our luxurious rooms. We did walk the grounds outside the hotel gardens briefly, and would have liked to swim in the pool. But we had an early morning start for Sunday, so going to bed early was the wisest thing to do. So was a long, warm soak in the European sized tub. So much for day one!

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

Kingfisher Air and Kingfisher Beer? There's got to be a great one-liner around someplace if I could just find it. :rolleyes:

Nice start on the full Taj Mahal report. I'm looking forward to more.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Kingfisher Air and Kingfisher Beer? There's got to be a great one-liner around someplace if I could just find it. :rolleyes:

 

Nice start on the full Taj Mahal report. I'm looking forward to more.

 

Ruth, I'm not positive, but I think that in India the Kingfisher bird is supposed to bring good luck....

 

Karin

[RuthC]

Ruth, I'm not positive, but I think that in India the Kingfisher bird is supposed to bring good luck....

 

Karin

OK, that makes sense. But still, there's a funny mental image of an airplane with one wing holding a large stein of beer. :D

[Mary Ellen]

OK, that makes sense. But still, there's a funny mental image of an airplane with one wing holding a large stein of beer. :D

As long as it isn't the pilot - or any of the crew! :eek:

[RuthC]

OK, now I'm picturing several drunken planes passed out on the tarmac---empty kegs of beer strewn about.

Stop me!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

........

 

Stop me!

 

But why, Ruth? You're on a roll now.....:)

 

Karin

[Ella2]

I've just spent the better part of the last couple of hours reading your report from Day One until now, and all I can say is WOW. I feel like we are all along on this wonderful adventure with you. Even though I've not been able to get ANYTHING done today that I planned to :rolleyes:, it's been time very well spent.

 

THANK YOU for sharing your ongoing story with us...I most definitely can't wait to read more. :)

[Grumpy1]

We've never had the pleasure of Kingerfisher Airlines, but did have the Kingfisher Beer when we were in Chennai, India in 2005. Pretty good beer, as I recall.

 

Ruth... you can get high on either one, I guess....

[Chivalrygirl]

You can keep your airline and your beer, but down here in Auckland we have kingfisher birds and they are truly beautiful :D

[WCB]

Report # 52 3-18-07 Sunday Day Two of our Overland Trip to The Taj Mahal

 

After a welcome night of sleep, we enjoyed a buffet breakfast in the Uno One Cafe at the hotel, starting at 7 am. There were three stations of food. One side held the basic American breakfast foods, and one side held Indian cuisine. Another smaller station had fruit, either stewed or fresh, and another station had breads and sweet rolls. Cereals were available also. Two places were set for omelet making. Coffee and tea were served along with small bottles of water. Needless to say, we tried a little of everything, except Indian.........can't handle the hot and spicy foods that early in the day.

 

Since we were traveling as a group, we did not need to check out at the front desk, unless we had charges from our suites. By 8:30, we were loaded into our buses, with all of our bags, and on our way for a five hour journey to Agra. The driving distance was only 130 miles, but the going was slow. The traffic in Delhi wasn't too bad since it was Sunday, but it still took quite a while to navigate through it. Delhi, being the capital of India, has over 14 million people, so it is a sprawling metropolis. We will return here on Monday for more touring, so we'll save that info until then.

 

Now, for the ride to Agra. It is hard to know where to start with descriptive words! In order to leave the city limits, a tax had to be paid for every vehicle. So we slowed to a crawl, and stopped with hundreds of cars, motor bikes, and trucks of all sizes. We were here for almost 20 minutes..........waiting. Vendors and beggars came from out of nowhere it seemed. There were even stands of food and juice set up on the roadside for the waiting drivers. And they weren't the cleanest. At one point, a man with a monkey performed his tricks for us, then begged for money. It did not matter to him that our windows were locked, he still tried. When nothing worked, he hit the side of the bus, until he finally gave up and went on to the next bus. Another surprise happened when a man held a basket up to the window. When he opened the basket, a king cobra came out and was looking at us eye-to-eye! Our guide told us that these handlers de-fang these snakes, because their bite can be fatal within minutes. These snakes are then returned to the wild after one year, when these fangs grow back, and the snake charmer has to catch a new one. We were to see a lot of this for the next three days!

 

While we drove through the countryside, we noticed that the landscape became fields of wheat, goats, camels, donkeys, sheep, pigs, and the almighty cows. Cows are sacred here ( maybe that's where the expression "holy cow" came from). They roam the roads and streets everywhere you look. They do actually belong to people that use them for milking, but they are left to forage for themselves all day. People will feed them, like we would give a dog treats. They are never eaten, and when they die (many must get hit by cars and buses), they are ceremoniously cremated. Most Indians do not eat meat, so the cows and other animals are lucky here. It was so funny to see these huge beasts laying in front of the stores and houses, that we must have taken a million pictures of them! And along side the road, were little straw huts covered with roofs. It turned out that these were places to store the dried cow patties (dung) for future use. Six foot high piles of dried patties were stacked everywhere. Our guide said they were used for fuel for cooking and also for fertilizer. Nothing is wasted here. However, we expect the smell of burning cow dung added to the odd smell outside. That along with the billowing smoke from the stacks of the tall kilns used for drying bricks. It appeared that garbage was piled high, then lit on fire to dispose of it. Stinky smoke filled the air for all of the 130 miles we drove. Combine that with the oil refineries burning along the way, you had a potent mixture of gases that had to contribute to the thick haze that never left the air.

 

OK, continuing on, our guide gave us a lecture on India for the entire five hour trip. In order to describe India, we needed to know about the religions of the country. There is no other way to understand their way of life, since it is intertwined deeply with their beliefs. The stunning fact that there are over 1.2 billion people living in India is staggering to comprehend. And northern India, where we are traveling now, is much different than the south. The Moghul invaders (strongly Muslim) brought Islam with them centuries ago. By 1615 AD, the Moghul Empire was the wealthiest on the plant, according to our guide. It was said that the rulers drank wine from a single cut of ruby, and the diamonds were as numerous as all of the blackberries in England. Long story short, this wealth caught the attention of the British, who eventually established the British East India Company by 1856. Shortly thereafter, India became under the control of the British Crown as a colony of the British Empire. And thanks to the British, the country of India enjoys democracy as a form of government today.

 

To get back to religion, 80% of the people are Hindu, then comes Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Christianity also exists here, but in smaller numbers. Since there is no social security, the people rely on their religious networks to help support them when they reach old age, especially if there is little or no familiy ties. Most families can have four generations living within the same house. The elders watch the younger children, daughter-in-laws do the cooking and cleaning, while the rest go to work to support the family. The Hindus believe in good karma, such as the act of feeding the poor, means good things may come your way. Our guide mentioned that the crime rate was low, since most beggars do not need to steal for food, because they are fed by everyone. The Hindus also believe that they have to make a pilgrimage once in their lifetime to the Ganges River, where they dip in the river to wash away all their sins. And the Hindu mosques outnumber all the schools and hospitals combined. Hindus are cremated when they die, while the Muslims are buried in the ground.

 

Jainism is the exteme religion from our point of view. They are completely vegetarians (with restrictions on some vegetables). They will not harm a living thing, including insects. They will not wear leather, since a cow had to die to produce it. They may be successful lawyers or jewelers, but when they reach an eldery age, they renounce all wordly possessions, and go off into the mountains to become monks. Their final days are spent meditating, and barely existing until they die. Very hard for us to comprehend.

 

Sikhism is the religion where the men never cut their hair or their beards for their entire life. These are the Indians you see with the turbans wrapped around their heads. Their mosques are among the most impressive here in northern India. Most of the domes are covered in gold, and they feed their people every day, as we were to see on Monday afternoon.

 

Education is free, until university. But depending on their religion, not all children are allowed to go to school, especially the girls. There is a fear that educated girls may have a mind of their own, and will not follow their future husbands orders and demands. With the exploding population, birth control is taught from an early age. The government has been trying to change the minds of people who think that the more children they have, the more money can be earned for the household. Having only two children per couple, they hope to curb the population growth. All the hospitals diagnose patients for free, however the medicine is charged. And we did see many large hospitals in every big city.

 

By noon, we reached our one rest stop at a small hotel off the road. An Indian man, dressed in traditional garb, had a young boy dressed similarly who danced for us as we arrived. Another Sikh Indian greeted us as we entered the gate. We had 20 minutes to use the facilities and check out the store inside. We knew that we would return here on the way back, so left the shopping for later.

 

We arrived at the city of Agra and the Jaypee Palace Hotel by 1 pm, were handed our room keys, then showed where our lunch would be served at 1:30pm. We can describe this hotel as being quite different from the Shangri-La in Delhi. The architecture of this hotel was a blend of Mughal and modern amenities. Floors of marble and huge chandeliers lined the long narrow hallways. This could have been a palace 400 years ago, since it gave us a feeling of "old", as like we were in a museum. The room was no where near the opulence of the Shangri-La, but for Agra, this was as good as it gets. The 25 acres of surrounding gardens and courtyards with dancing fountains made the hotel much more appealing. We never did have time to find the swimming pool.

 

Lunch was served in a large ballroom around 2 pm. It was buffet-style, and had a variety of Indian foods. We liked the bread the best, as well as the Kingfisher beer. It was very warm outside, so the beer really hit the spot. We did not have much time to linger, so we finished quickly and joined the group at 3 pm for the visit to the Agra Fort, two miles west of the Taj Mahal on the banks of the River Yamuna.

 

Emperor Akbar built this citadel in 1565 to 1573. The fort is built out of red sandstone, and stretches over two miles long. A mix of Hindu and Islamic styles, this imposing structure contains palaces, audience halls, and mosques. A deep moat surrounded the fort, and it once contained crocodiles to keep out invaders. One could get lost in here, especially today, Sunday, with the hordes of Indian visitors as well as us foreigners. One area of this fort became the prison for the Emperor Shahjahan, who was locked up by his son for draining the country's money building the Taj Mahal. Sadly, he could see the Taj Mahal, where his favorite wife was buried, from his cell window. It would be nine years before he died in prison, and could join her in burial at the monument.

 

We continued from the fort to see the Taj Mahal at sunset. Small battery-powered buses took us up to the modest, if not shabby, entrance to the complex. The road had to be the worst, pitted from travel and rain, lined with shanty type stores. Aggressive vendors and beggars haunted us as we tried to walk the block to the gate. We did buy two extra large t-shirts wrapped in plastic from a fellow. More about these later. In order to enter the gate, the men had to go through xray on one side, the women on the other side. We could not bring any large bags, since they would have to be searched. Apparently, this famous sight gets terrorist threats daily, so they are careful as they can be.

 

The first structure we entered was a red sandstone gate, so to speak. Once through it, the view of the mausoleum was breath-taking, and yes, emotional for most. You can see this monument on TV or in books, but to see it in person was equal to viewing the pyramids in Egypt for the first time. The grieving emperor erected the building in the 1600's as a final resting place for his wife, who died due to complications from bearing her 14th child. It took 22 years and 22,000 people to complete it. The structure is a mix of Hindi, Mogul, Persian, and Islamic artistic styles. The striking white marble, inlaid with semiprecious stones, was imported from Italy and China as well as from India. Four tall minerets rise from its four corners. They are slightly slanted so they could fall away from the main building in case of an earthquake.

 

While we were taking several, if not hundreds of pictures, a photographer was taking our picture.With the thousands of people that were there, we thought he would never find us again. However, he did find us the next morning with a package of 8x10 photos that included a few of us and some of the Taj Mahal. They were very inexpensive, so we bought them.

 

On both sides of the mausoleum are two mosques. Little information was given on these buildings, though good pictures could be taken from inside of these. We were able to go inside the monument, with our shoes covered with cloth socks. Climbing up steep stairs in the center, we entered the main opening to view the sarcophaguses. They were surrounded with a latticework screen of marble, making it difficult to see the actual jewel encrusted tombs. Strangely enough, the real tombs are directly down one floor below. No access was allowed to see them, however. It was very dimly lit inside, and what struck us as strange, was the thunderous noise from the people inside. It is said that the chambers are acoustically interesting, where a whisper can be heard from the other side of the room. With time running out, we worked our way back to the gate. Our group had to fight their way to get back to the electric bus, because the hawkers were even worse after we left the Taj Mahal.

 

On the way back, we made a stop at a marble factory near the Jaypee Palace Hotel. Here we saw a demonstration of how the semiprecious stones such as lapis, malacite, rubies, and sapphires are imbedded in the marble. It was fascinating to watch how the workers did this oin the old fashion with ancient tools. We are sure that the beautiful table tops of all sizes, vases, figurines, and jewelry boxes were made in modern factories. These were all quite expensive. A small 18 inch table costs around $220 US dollars, shipped to your house from here. A few people did buy some.

 

Once back at the hotel, we freshed up for dinner. This time it was served in an outside courtyard, with a bar, music, and a buffet. Guess what food they served?? Indian, of course! Most of the food was unrecognizable, but a helpful waiter told us what the dishes contained. We suspected that it was toned down with the spices for us tourists, and that was fine with us. The nice additoin of beer and wine made the evening fun for all. The fun ended when we sat on the bed, and realized it was hard as a rock! Despite this, we slept pretty well. And the room had a distinct order about it...........a smell that we could not identify. Smoky incense was a close call, but who knows.

 

Looking forward to a busy day tomorrow!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[tomko2]

I was excited and happy to see you made it back to the ship safe and sound. You must take shorthand notes or tape all the tour information you receive ---- your recaps are fabulous! All your reports from this trip could so easily be massaged into a great travel book.

[ldog]

Dear Mary Ann & Bill

 

Thank you so much for taking us on this wild ride with you! What a wonderful trip you are having! I bought a lottery ticket today so one day maybe we'll be able to do the same thing.

 

I know how busy and tired you must be. Your efforts to post are deeply appreciated.

[WCB]

Report # 53 3-19-07 Monday Day Three of our trip to the Taj Mahal

 

The alarm clock went off at a rude 4 am in the morning. We had a meeting time of 6 am for our sunrise viewing of the Taj Mahal. A little bleary-eyed and sore from a night of trying to sleep on a rock hard bed, we overcame it all with the anticipation of another wonderful day of sight-seeing.

 

Once inside the gate, we spotted two monkeys running on the high walls of the complex. We have seen documentaries on these monkeys that run wild in the city of Agra. We even heard that people who had patio doors in their rooms at the Jaypee Palace Hotel were warned to keep their door closed, since these monkeys actually could come into their rooms, probably looking for food.

 

We were not disappointed with the site of the bejeweled palace shimmering in the first rays of the morning sun. Our experience was more enhanced, since it was Monday, and the Indian crowds from yesterday were gone. It gave us the opportunity to see the white marble walls embellished with delicate floral and calligraphic patterns made with inlaid semiprecious stones of rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and lapis. It was easy to see that to build this magnificent structure today, it would cost over $100 million US dollars.

 

We could have gone inside the tomb area again this morning, but truthfully, the real beauty is outside. There must have been one hundred angles to film the Taj Mahal, and we think we covered them all before we had to leave to the hotel for an 8 am breakfast. So farewell to the wonderful Taj Mahal, an incomparable monument built in the name of love.

 

Once back outside the gate, we headed for the rickety electric buses. And guess what? The photographer who had taken our picture the day before, was waiting for us to sell us the pictures he took. They were very nice for cameo shots, so we bought them for $2 a piece. The bad news was that all the pesky vendors were back hawking their goods. Hey mister, give me your best price, or come look at my store, everything is cheap, and of course, it only costs $1. were what we heard on our run to the buses. Saying NO THANKS meant nothing to them. That was just an invitation to bargain more. And again, we bought a few things just to get rid of them! No more t-shirts though. The two we bought eventually shrunk to size tiny!! They probably will fit our granddaughter when she turns four this summer!!

 

Breakfast was served in a little cafe on the lower level of the Jaypee Palace. It was a shorter version of the Shangri-La's buffet, but OK. When we asked for decaf coffee, a waiter appeared with a cup of dry instant Sanka and boiling water for our cups. And this was supposed to be a four star hotel? Oh well, we can look forward to spending our last evening at the Shangri-La in New Delhi tonight.

 

At 9:30, we departed for our return trip to Delhi. It seemed to take forever to get out of Agra. The narrow pitted streets were congested with tuk-tuks, local buses, vans, and cows, that the going was slower than molasses. The ride back was quiet, since our guide did not give any narration like he did on our way to Agra yesterday. We could have slept a little, if it wasn't for the constant hornblowing. It's either a beep for "hello", or beep to "move over", or beep "we're about to crash head-on"!!! Remember the joke about getting a license from a crackerjack box? Well, that applies here. Blow and go!

 

And once again, we were treated to sights of make -shift villages with fetid trenches of stagnent water alongside the road. Believe it or not, we saw many people (mostly men), using these trenches for a toilet. Even in the city of Agra, we saw men facing walls relieving themselves. Why is it that when you really don't want to see something, that's all you see? Murphy's Law we guess.

 

Goats continued to munch away on hills of garbage, cows lingered in pools of black water, while feral pigs wallowed in creeks. Further down that same creek, women were scooping water with cooking pots, and other women were washing clothes. It's no wonder that the life expectancy is 50 years old for women (the hardest workers), and 58 years old for men. If typhoid, cholera, malaria, infant mortality, or lung disease don't kill them, then car accidents do. However, it offsets the fact that a baby is born every 2 seconds in India.

 

After two hours of riding, we arrived at the same hotel complex where we had a rest stop yesterday. The strange dancing boy was back with his older companion. This boy knew two words in English..............hello and money. Another young boy with a cobra in a basket waited by the driveway for us to see his pet. With no money being offered, he hid the snake in the basket. Street smart, these kids.

 

A beautiful buffet lunch was set up outside under colorful tents. Primarily Indian food again, the chicken, rice, fried potatoes, deep fried okra, and delicious ice cream was served. Kingfisher beer was also enjoyed since it was quite warm again today. After lunch we had just enough time to browse in the shop inside the restaurant. However, our lunch stop turned out to be twice as long, because we learned that bus # 1 had broken down. Promising to fix it in 20 minutes, our guide was positive that it would be fixed. No way! After waiting an hour, the decision was finally made to split the people in bus 1, and put them on the other two buses. There was plenty of room, so it was no problem. The pedal was to the metal all the way back to Delhi to make up for lost time. This made our ride even more thrilling than the drive to Agra yesterday.

 

Our karma must have been good today, since we make it back to Delhi in one piece! By now, it was 4:30 pm, and many passengers just wanted to go back to the Shangri-La Hotel. We had the option to see the nearby Sikh Temple, Gurudawa Bangla Sahib, to witness their community feast. This is where we saw some of the poorest and lamest street beggars, worse than you can imagine. These people were no doubt the untouchables we had learned about from our guide. We had been warned not to give them anything, but on our return from the mosque, one person gave one of them some money, and unseen beggars swarmed the bus door. There was a moment of confusion when people were blocked from getting back onboard. Our guide was understandably upset with that person, and he made it clear not to do that again.

 

Anyway, we squeezed our way through the crowded streets to see the front of the mosque. It's huge dome was covered in gold, with towering minarets calling for prayertime. Our guide led us to the side of the mosque, where we could view the kitchen area. Volunteers from the congregation were preparing the food for the poorer Sikh members. Huge caldrons of rice, vegetables, and lentils were being cooked for the waiting crowd. When one group of Sikhs were fed, the next group moved in to get their food. They proceeded with their plates to a carpeted area, sat down on the ground, and ate the food with their hands............their right hands only. We had mixed feelings about seeing and filming this meal being served. On one hand, the mosque members see to it that none of their members go hungry. However, we felt like we were watching people being fed like animals in a zoo. It wasn't the cleanest place we had seen, and flies were abundant everywhere. We had been told by our guide to bring head coverings so we could go inside the mosque. But those plans must have changed , maybe because there was such a large crowd in there already. And we doubt that they really wanted us to go inside anyway.

 

This may be a good time to address the caste system in India. A caste is a social class that one is born into. In general, a caste may dictate where people live, their occupation, and even their marriages. There are four classes, the highest being the priests and scholars. Warriors and rulers are next, followed by merchants, farmers, and traders. The last but not least class, are the laborers, artisans, servants, and serfs. The people of no class are the unfortunate untouchables. The have jobs of slaughtering animals or leather making. Physical contact with these people is viewed as defiling. The practice of labeling people as untouchables was outlawed by India's constitution. We believe it still exists from what we have seen for the last three days.

 

By now, we were tired and hungry and were happy to return to the hotel. Dinner was at 7:30 pm, and we were told that complimentary cocktails would be served for all in the lobby bar. Boy, that sure sounded good! We joined several of our bus mates in ther lounge for an hour before dinnertime. It was interesting discussing all we had seen today. To say that it is such a different world here in India, is an understatement.

 

Our meal tonight was served outside on the second floor terrace garden. Eight round tables were set with nine place settings. Surrounding us were long tables for the buffet line. The food was very Indian tonight, well labeled, and accompanied with bottomless beer and wine. We had noticed that a cool wind had started blowing, and just as we were finished eating, the rain began to fall lightly. That was a clue for us to call it a night and head for bed. Funny thing though, we had a view of the terrace from our suite, and noticed that by 10 pm, all the tables, chairs, and buffet set-up were gone. Remaining were two tables of people still talking and sipping their wine. Guess they did not want the magical day to end.

 

So, once again comfortable in our well-appointed suite, we enjoyed a well deserved night of rest. No hard mattresses here!

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 54 3-20-07 Tuesday Day Four of our trip to the Taj Mahal

 

Well, the fourth and last day of our excursion has arrived all too soon. We began the day with a hearty breakfast in Uno One Cafe. Their sweet rolls were particularly tasty and went well with our veggie and cheese omelettes. The decaf coffee looked a little like instant Sanka, but at least it was served from a carafe. Then we were ready to continue with more touring before leaving New Delhi. One nice thing about traveling as a group was that we never had to check in or check out of the hotels. Unless we had used room service or the telephones, we were free to go. So easy.

 

Our first stop was at a school run by NGO for the underprivileged children. Their ages ran from five to fourteen. Young girls greeted us with leis of marigold flowers, and graced us with the red dot that most women wear on their foreheads. We entered the small building, and proceeded upstairs to the first level of classrooms. The uniformed students were separated by the same grade system we use in the USA. And they were so proud to be able to say hello to each of us as we peeked in their rooms. Some students read out loud from their textbooks, while other groups sang for us. Their artwork was displayed on all the walls. Later on after our short visit through the classrooms, we were led to a small carpeted courtyard where different groups of students performed for us. The performance began with the youngest students reciting a prayer. Then a group of girls, dressed in their sarees, danced for us, followed by several older boys who did a rap-type dance. They looked so cool in their jeans and sunglasses. Finally, a short skit was portrayed to promote the use of paper bags instead of using the plastic bags. We noticed through all of India, there were no garbage cans anywhere. So people dispose of everything anywhere and everywhere. The plastic bags eventually find their way to the streams and rivers, where they clog the flow.

 

Our guide mentioned that these children would probably never get a further education once they left this school. But at least they would have the skills they would need to get a better job. He said that the girls would probably be suited to work in the clothing industry, and would not have to depend totally on her husband for support. Our guide said that northern India is a man's world, and the women are not fairly treated. They are subject to abuse that goes unseen. With education, these girls will grow up seeing life differently, and be able to make better choices than most. At this school, the boys are taught to have respect for women with the hope they will make changes for the better for the future generation.

 

One subject that we think is worth mentioning is marriage in India. Most all marriages are arranged even today as they have been for centuries. Parents choose the wife or husband for their adult child according to their caste or family name (which denotes their caste). If the chosen partner does not meet their expectations, then they have the right to decline. And despite that fact that these marriages are arranged, most are successful, with only a 1 % divorce rate. When we were in New Delhi on Sunday, we noticed while reading the paper, that there were ten pages of ads for matchmaking marriages. There were over 2000 proposals from parents seeking proper companions for their children. The ads mentioned little about the future spouse, but more about the family history. In India, when two people marry, they marry the families as well. The girls live with the husbands family, and come under the rule of the mother-in-law. We happened to catch a few soap operas on TV while at the Shangri-La Hotel. They depict this type of communal living, and the stories were similar to the soaps at home.

 

After bidding the children goodbye, we had our final peek at New Delhi's magestic tree-lined boulevards, the government buildings, parliament house, the presidential palace,and the Indian Gate. We were not allowed to stop the bus at the government center, so pictures from the moving bus were all we could get. This part of new Delhi was created by the British in 1920, and was quite beautiful with with wide avenues, spacious parks and gardens, fountains in the roundabouts, and low colonial buildings. It was very different from Old Delhi where we saw 17th century mosques, monuments, and forts, all very Muslim, Hindu, and Mughal.

 

With our tour completed, we headed for the Delhi airport for our return flight to Mumbai. This airline building needs updating big time. For all the tourist traffic that goes through here, the facility was quite inadequate. Once through the security checkpoint, we waited for an hour for our flight. This flight was by the carrier Jet Air, and was not the same as the Kingfisher Air.........not by a long shot. Thankfully, we only had a short flight of about one hour 50 minutes, so the cramped seats were tolerable. We were spoiled by our previous flights, and boo-hooed when we had no TV at all. But the lunch was very good with curried chicken, rice, and lentils. Dessert was frozen mango ice cream, a first for us.

 

We landed at the very smoggy Mumbai airport at around 3 pm, and proceeded to the baggage claim area. The luggage actually beat us to the turnstyle for a change. We were met by three buses, and driven back to the Amsterdam, which was docked nearby, but over an hour's drive away. The traffic was incredible since there were no large highways to get to the pier. We had to weave through narrow streets with a thousand cars and taxis and people everywhere you looked. Can you imagine that 17 million people live in Mumbai? Well, that's another story for tomorrow!!

 

Until then,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[tomko2]

What a wonderful tour you experienced. Thanks ever so much for sharing. Now you have a little bit of time to rest before reaching Dubai; your energy level is awesome by the way.

[mountainmare]

What a wonderful trip you are having. Thank you so much for taking us along.

 

I know that you have arranged most of your port plans through your travel group, but have you talked to people who have done DIY in these exotic ports? I realize that it would be impossible to attempt an overland such as you just did for India--but what about the other stops?

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing adventure with us. I love reading about your travels. :)

[WCB]

Report # 55 3-21-07 Wednesday Mumbai, India Day Two

 

It's nice to be home on the Amsterdam once again! It was an adventure sampling all the Indian cuisine, but the food here is our "cup of tea"! Thanks, Holland America!

 

So, here we are in Mumbai, formerly called Bombay. With 17 million people, it is the most populous city in India. It is the 6th largest metropolitan area in the world. Having a natural deep harbor, Mumbai is the largest port in western India. This city is the commercial capital of India with the reserve bank, stock exchange, and corporate headquarters of many Indian companies. "Bollywood", like Hollywood, is also located here. The studios produce the highest number of the world's films........like 900 a year. And they are the most popular form of entertainment in India.

 

The tour we chose today takes us to Elephanta Island, about an hour's ride in an old wooden double-decker ferry boat. We had a short bus ride from the pier to the famous Gateway of India. This basalt and marble structure sits on the shores of the Arabian Sea, and is a monument to British Royalty. Built in 1912 for King George the Fifth's first visit to India, it was also ironically the exit point of the last of the British troops that left India.

 

It was from the Gateway that we boarded the ferry from the cement steps on the pier. The timing of boarding had to be just right, since swells were making the ferries bounce. As it turned out, we had a private boat just for our group. This meant that we would not be squeezed like sardines, and would leave the island once we were all aboard. We found out later that these boats will not leave until they were full, no matter how long that takes. tThe same applied to the ride back from the island as well.

 

The 45 minute ride to the island took us by freighters, oil tankers, oil refineries, and many other ferries coming and going. The smell of crude oil was heavy in the smoggy air. Despite being on the coastline, the smog was almost as bad as in Agra and Delhi. There's no escaping it. We had two jewelry vendors trying to sell us their treasures for the entire trip. Their prices were way too high for the colorful gemstones and pearl necklaces. But we bet that on the ride back, these prices will plummet. We'll wait and see.

 

We reached the slippery concrete steps of the cement pier at Elephanta Island. The island was given this name by the Portugese sailors who found a large rock-carved elephant near the shoreline. Unfortunately, it was moved to the Zoological Gardens in Mumbai many years ago. Our first greeters were two female dogs with two cute puppies. They were obviously looking for treats. From here, we boarded a small steam train that took us to the shoreline. We all walked to the bottom of the 125 stairs and landings that led to the World Heritage Site Caves at the top.It was a good thing we had taken our bottles of water we were given, since it was very hot here. There was not a single breeze to help cool anyone off.

 

Here's where the fun started. We were each entitled to use the sedan chairs , carried by four men to the top of these stairs (tips included too). We talked Cindy, our escort and lead medical officer as well as our friend, to ride up the steps if we promised to go too. Well, as it turned out, Cindy got on the last one. She felt bad as they whisked her away, but we really didn't want to do it anyway. Images of being dropped down the stairs was a painful thought!

 

So we started up the steps, which were flanked on both sides with hawker stalls all the way to the top. Blue tarps were strung over the stalls and the stairways, leaving very little clearance for the riders in the sedans chairs once they were lifted off the ground. As we were checking out the stalls, here came the empty sedan chairs being hustled rapidly down the stairs by the carriers. So, we changed our minds, and laughingly got in the chairs to be carried to the top like a king and queen! At any instant, we felt that we could be dropped. Thankfully, we were not, but we were very glad to be put down!

 

The temples at the top dated back to between 450 BC and 75 AD. Carved out of solid rock, the main cave had a verandah with large cement pillars that appear to support the ceiling. However, our guide said that only the first few were original, with others added for show. All the impressive rock carvings inside the cave were various manifestations of the Hindu Lord Shiva. The Hindu trinity Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer of evil was the most outstanding sculpture. The cave may have continued further into the mountain from what we could see, but it was inaccessible to the public. Although, around the bend, a few more unfinished carvings were hidden from the main crowd.

 

Now for the fun part again............the walk down the stairs past all the vendors, what we call "running the gauntlet"! We did have the option to ride the sedan chairs going down, but "no way Jose"!! We hoped to find a t-shirt here that actually fit and would not shrink to midget size! And we did. The quality of clothes and treasures here seem to be better than in Agra, near the Taj Mahal. We were in the process of purchasing two colorful cotton lanterns, when two small monkeys jumped from a tree and came closer to look at us. Our guide did tell us that many Indian families come to picnic on the island, so when the monkeys see bags, they associate them with food. How smart! As we went further down the steps, more monkeys appeared. We had fun taking pictures of them, but we were running out of time, and had to continue our descent. Seeing a few more bargains that we couldn't resist, our bags were full by the time we made it back to the little train.

 

We climbed onboard the waiting ferry, and had a much longer trip back to the pier............more like and hour and a half, due to the rising tides and strong currents. And just like we expected, the jewelry guys were begging us to buy their remaining necklaces. Now the price on some of those necklaces went from $40 for two to $10 for two. Not a bad deal if they were really lapis like they claimed it was. Who can really tell the difference??

 

Getting off of the wooden ferry was not easy. The boat was roped to two other ferries, and we had to exit through the middle of each one to reach the cement steps. We felt like we were on a merry-go-round , so we really had to be careful getting off. Safely back at the Gateway of India, we loaded our stuff on the bus, and drove back to the nearby pier. That was enough of an adventure for today, so spending the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and relaxing on the ship sounded just fine to us.

 

Did we mention that we had a few more presents waiting for us when we got back from our overland excursion? They were two sets of universal converters. This was funny, because we forgot to bring ours with us on the 4 day trip, and needed one in Agra. One day sooner with these gifts, and we would have remembered. Ahhh, Murphy's Law again! the night before we left on the overland trip, we received two blue collar shirts with the world cruise logo on them. Boy, are we getting spoiled yet?

 

And here's a funny thing that happened at our dinnertable while we were away. Greg, our tablemate, had also gone on this excursion with us. He pre-purchased a wine package, but since he would be gone for 4 nights, he told Shirley that she could have it. However, when she asked for Greg's wine, they would not give it to her. They claimed that it was not transferrable, and Greg also did not put this into writing. Well, we guess a scene was made with all our tablemates getting involved, but to no avail. The wine steward and the sommelier would not budge. Within one day, the stories ran rampant throughout the ship and many people asked what happened. And all this over a $3.00 glass of wine for four days? Sure not worth it for Holland's reputation as a four plus star service, and we are sure that our tablemates will find a way around this "use it or loose it policy"!!

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Mary Ann & Bill