India

10th May - Cochin, India

We always knew today was going to be very slow getting off the ship. That didn't stop many people getting fairly 'cross'. The Indian visa had to be applied for before the trip, were expensive, slow and were difficult to get. Turns out 275 people DID NOT apply for Indian Visas. They had to stay on the ship. Four days without seeing India! Of course it was all Royal's fault! Just ask them.  

Four people got off the ship in Sri Lanka and flew to India, for emergency visas. They missed six days on the ship, had to pay for airfares, emergency visas, five nights accommodation and transport. Expensive mistake. But at least they saw India.

We had been warned that India immigration was a pain and that it would take a few hours to disembark.

The morning started with meeting in the CL at 8am. At 8.45 Amit, our Concierge, took us to the front of the line at the main dinning room to collect our 'papers'.

The line went from the dinning room, around centrum and into the Casino. We got the express line. It was then back to the lounge to wait for our turn to leave the ship. Amit took us down the lifts to a football scrum of people wanting off. Luckily he took us to the front. We only waited for about 15 minutes and off we went. We had to show our papers many more times.

Lots of people were not so happy to wait.

But here we were in India. So hot and steamy.

We got two Tuk Tuk's as we had George the Scots with us and off we went. $20 US for two people for a five hour tour.

First intersection out of the port was amazing. Traffic coming from about 6 directions – in a constant stream. And we were turning across the traffic. If I was driving, I do believe I would still be sitting there waiting to turn right.
I can usually work out the road 'rules' after an hour or two. Here it was simple! There were no rules. You drove on the left most of the time. But only when it suited.

My Tuk Tuk went around almost every roundabout on the wrong side of the road.
The horn blowing was insane, the passing was insane. Totally insane.
It was then onto four hours of amazing sites and sounds. Awesome and fabulous.

My first cows.

This place is full of Cobra's that come out at night.

Each temple of a certain size needs an elephant.  We were taken to see this one.  For $5 US each we got to see this one.  Really big for an Indian Elephant.

Then we went to the laundry. Amazing. Two rows of cubicles. Each cubical has a channel of water flowing through it, a place to stand and a cement shelf that the clothes were beaten against.

I really don't know how long the clothes must last.  Between the sweating and the beating, they cannot last to long. 

The iron this lady is using weighs 9 kg and is fuelled with burning coconut husk.

This guy gets to use the electric iron.  It's only about 5kg.

The Chinese Fishing Nets date back to the 1840's. It take 6 people to operate them. To put them in a man walks along the top beam. Each one is set to a certain depth. When they are raised up they have many fish in them - hopefully.

The Chinese Fishing Nets date back to the 1840's. It takes 6 people to operate them. To put them in a man walks along the top beam. Each one is set to a certain depth. When they are raised up they have many fish in them - hopefully.

A huge thunderstorm. So much lightning and huge thunder claps. The windows rattled. Pretty impressive on a ship.

11th May - Mangalore

The fish looked great but....I don't know....the water didn't. 

Nan was hilarious that night.  She wasn't impresse by the fish markets. Every time you mentioned it she would gag and carry on about "Ooookkkk, Noooooo.  Disgusting" and would gag again.

The Tuk Tuk drivers have  a list of places they want to take you.  Shops that is! Why? Because they get a kick back. When we said "No, No shops", he said "I get a litre of oil if we go there". So we went in......and we bought things...........

Thy took us to so many places......."No. No shopping! At one place another guy with better English came up and said "If you go in he gets a petrol voucher".  So of course we went in......but we were strong, we didn't buy anything. But he got his voucher and everyone was happy.

They then said we were going to the Spice Markets.  Yay.  Love spice markets.

Twice! Just a shop...twice...but still pretty.

Lunch at a super expensive hotel but really good seafood curries.

Just a bit of rust. This is an open ocean fishing boat. 

We saw dolphin out here during lunch. And again during sailaway.

Then back to the ship. A great day.  Five hours in a Tuk Tuk.

Sailaway was great.  Got to see the fishing nets going in and out.  Lots of rusty boats and a huge crowd to see us off.

Fascinating.  Wonderful.  Amazing. Such a great day.  But also wonderful to go back onto a lovely ship - with air conditioning, luxury and things you can eat and drink without thinking about hygiene.

Mangalore, 

11th May

At about 1 am this morning there was a huge thunderstorm. So much lightning and huge thunder claps. The windows rattled.

Today was to be a hire a taxi day and travel in comfort.  We got off the ship very easily.  Only had to collect out pass then show it a few times.

We were greeted by the usual pack of taxi drivers.  We eventually got one to agree to $40 US for about 4 hours and YES the car was air conditioned.

So over we went to his very small, very scratched up 1980’s car. As we hopped in Raina started bleating about no real air conditioning as Caroline started bleating about no seat belts!

No thanks.  So off we went. We walked off the port and found a guy near the gate who agreed to our price and had a brand new, lovely car. Yay.

Of we went in comfort and safety.

Of course the traffic was chaos. But this was more of an organised chaos.

Stop one.

A stunning Hindi Temple - Maha Shivratri. The bottom levels were stations where people prayed and made offerings.  Much of it was in smoke and looked amazing.

Then we climbed up the steepest, hugest and straightest staircase to the bathing area where men did a ritual bathing.

All of this of course in bare feet.  We could have paid to leave our shoes at the “Foot wears keeping place”  but just left them with the hundreds of other pairs.

More driving around seeing amazing things then a visit to St Aloysiou College Chapel. A Portugese chapel built in 1880. The whole inside is covered in amazing murals.  They were done by one artist in under 2 years. 

Next was Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, another Hindi temple and very beautiful.

There was a wedding happening and we were told to come in. It was very beautiful The clothing of the wedding party and the guests was fantastic. So rich and bright. And when they were declared married (I guess) there was huge cheers then the rice throwing. How special!

Lunch was amazing.   

Three serves of bread and dippings, multi cups of chai, some sweet stuff to take away!  Brilliant food.  With a large tip it cost $10 Aussie dollars!!!!!!!

The only lunch problem was that the curry dip was fairly hot. The chai was hot and my mouth was on fire.....and the only drink was tap water......which of course you (read we) cannot drink!!!!!!!!

More looking around.

We were on the way to The Sultan's Palace and come onto a huge traffic jam.  A Ship tour bus was doing a 93 point turn in a narrow street. Then we saw why!

There was a few tons of soil and waste dumped onto the only road in.  Oh well. No Sultan's Palace.

Then we went up a goat track to a museum. Like really a goat track. But on reachingthe top of this narrow goat track the museum was closed.

So back to the ship!

And another great evening.

Sitting the lounge we got a good look at the Port. Bit of a junk yard!

Super high security.  We had to show papers many times.  But this sacred Brahman bull just got to walk right through. But then again they just get to walk anywhere.

Go home ship! You're drunk. You shouldn't park there. 

But the port did look great from some angles.

Sunset was pretty impressive.

Bringing in the Indian Flag as we sail out into international water - for the night.

Dinner - our waiter made us paper roses.

The traditional shot - minus Sarah.

then the flying Monkey show.

12th May - Goa, India

Today was a change of pace. Out of the city and into the country.

We did a private tour with 10 other people from the internet.

It was soooo hot. Super humid and was 40 degrees. The air cond in the bus was useless! Cameras didn't work as you came off the ship. They fogged up and gave really trendy photos. A local group welcomed us.

We saw much of the same as we travelled along. Rubbish, building in different stages of completion, building that looked like they had 'dry rot' growing up them. Guess it's mould! Amazing clothing, great colours and more.

I really noticed today that despite all the rubbish lying around, India smells great. Not offensive at all. The smells include greenery, smoke, cooking, curries. All great smells.

It was great driving through the county to Old Goa, the original Portuguese capital. Very pretty - and I saw a monkey! The rest of the group in the bus called me "Monkey, Monkey" for the rest of the cruise. I may have squealed "Monkey, Monkey” quiet loudly when I saw it.

Latin Quarter. The human history of Goa goes back around 30,000 years with local rock art showing the oldest human traces in India. In 1510 the Portuguese defeated the ruling sultan and set up Portuguese rule that lasted until 1961. We visited the very old 'Latin Quarter' with its original houses. Lovely.

These windows are made of shells.

It was great driving through the county to Old Goa, the original Portuguese capital. Very pretty - and I saw a monkey! The rest of the group in the bus called me "Monkey, Monkey" for the rest of the cruise. I may have squealed "Monkey, Monkey” quiet loudly when I saw it.

Basilica of Bom Jesus, or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika, completed in 1605, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This Jesuit church was India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India. It's Goa's most famous church and is among the most revered by Christians worldwide. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesuits.

Basilica of Bom Jesus.. The tomb of the "miraculous" St. Francis Xavier.

Giant trees.

Se' Cathederal is across the road from Bom Jesus. Construction started in 1562 and was finished in 1619. The Cathedral was commissioned by the Portuguese Viceroy, Redondo to be "a grandiose church worthy of the wealth, power and fame of the Portuguese who dominated the seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific". The final edifice is bigger than any of the churches in Portugal itself.  

Sahakari Spice Farm - was next. 150 acres, 300 years old and family owned. Great - although the temperature and the comfort level in the 'jungle' were disgusting. So stifling. We saw so many spices being grown.

A great greeting welcomed us - our foreheads were marked, we were given flower necklaces and covered in petals.

Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, Peri Peri Chill - much hotter than other chilies. Beetle Nut, Cardamom, Pepper, Coves, Vanilla, 5 Spice (did you know it is actually one plant - not a mix of 5 spices). Mace (actually comes from the outside shell of the nutmeg plant). Who knew. Cashews are the pip from the red fruit below. Only ONE cashew, hand picked from within the fruit.

After the cashew is picked out, the pulp is crushed (by foot) and distilled into a 40% Moonshine.

We tried it and it sure warmed your belly. 

We tried it and it sure warmed your belly. We saw a guy climb the Beetle Nut tree to harvest the nut. He climbed one tree then bent it across to the next tree, then the next. 

A Spice farm tradition is to poor cold water down your spine when very hot. Caroline squealed - not with delight!

A very hot bus trip back to the ship - YAY.. Air Conditioning!

Concierge Lounge of course.
Tonight there was something new in the CL.
Whiskey tasting!  Sponsored by Johnny Walker.  Much fun.
10 different whiskeys. Ranging up to the lovely Blue.

A good nights work.  I will admit to being a bit wasteful though.

The end of that day!

13th May - Mumbai, India.

Immigration was a bit of a nightmare again today as it was our last day in India.

Queue up to get your yellow card and passport. Queue up to a do a ”face to face” with an Indian immigration officer – but wait, as most of them decided they needed a cup of tea. We then handed our passport back to ship staff and went down to the theatre as we were doing a ships tour! “Shades of Mumbai.”  My first ships bus tour.

Mumbai has a population of 25 million! Out guide told us that “life is very hard in Mumbai”.

First stop was a train station. A commuter station, where 2 1/2 million people pass through daily. We saw a train come in and people just kept getting off. It was a bit like a comedy skit where the people just keep recycling past. There were heaps of cobblers plying their trade - dozens of them. Shoes must be made (and repaired) to last a life time.

It was then our turn it board. We were travelling against the peak - luckily as they have four people per square foot on peak hour trains - thus the people hanging off the sides. The train only stops for around 30 seconds at each station so you have to be ready to leap on or off.

We were in a First Class carriage and were told that the main difference in First Class, “apart from the cushion on the seat, was the quality of the smell of the passengers”. Our guide commutes two hours each way to work.

There are a number of different carriages. Mainly women only carriages. The chances of rape in a mixed carriage is very high.

It was a fun train trip.

Dhobi Ghat - World's Biggest Outdoor laundry.

Very few India's do their own washing. The Dhoby Walla collects the washing from the home and takes it to Dhoby Ghat to wash it. It is washed in bays using blocks of soap and stone, and pounded on the cement bays. More than 5,000 men work here in the 826 washing tubs. They lease the tubs from the city and work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. They wash around 100 items a day. Everything is sorted by colour and hung to dry, or draped with military precision. It's then ironed by the women with coal-fired irons, and delivered home by the Walla.

These guys are totally illiterate, yet still manage to keep track of each person's washing. How do they know who owns which pair of jeans? They are all from the 'untouchable' class and working here gives them a 'good life'. There is a shantytown attached to the Ghat where they live in absolute poverty. Within kilometres of the Ghat is the world's most expensive private residence as well as the home of Bollywood, and the IT section of the city!

They also wash carpets.

Thought we were only hopping out of the bus for a minute and left my hat. So I had to make do!

We hit the 100 degrees today! Can you tell by my healthy glow to my skin? And of course we sweated like taps again.

Sacred cows in Mumbai are tethered during the day - to avoid accidents. Ladies bring them in the city and take them back at night. You buy a clump of grass to make an offering to the cow by feeding it.

Mumbai is very much a taxi city.

Taxis, and trucks, and buses, and scooters, and pushbikes, and wagons, and handcart and more. Handcarts - they carry such huge loads that the person can barely move them.

We saw Dabba Wala's, who collect hot lunches from homes and deliver then to workers. They travel on bikes with the lunch boxes in milk cans.

Cricket games everywhere.

Lunch stop - 

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel - No, nowhere near the real Taj Mahal (1000 ks away), was built by a wealthy Indian business man who was snubbed by the Brits and denied access to their hotel. So what did he do.......he built the grandest hotel in India. This is the hotel that was attacked in 2008 by the Palestinian terrorist group. 167 people were killed.

Security is intense. They check under the bonnet and in the boot as well as the underneath of every car that drives up. Huge bollards are raised and lowered between every car sealing off the area. We had an amazing lunch here. So many curries!

Opposite the hotel is the "Gateway to India" a huge British monument. The first and last thing you see travelling to India.

They are very heavy with security.

But at least our bags were comfortable as they travelled through the scanner. on their red velvet cushions.

Lunch was great and the deserts were amazing.

Opposite the hotel was the "Gateway to India" a huge British monument. The first and last thing you see travelling to India.

Mumbai Central Railway Station. Modelled on St Pancras in London. Where I was two weeks ago!
3 1/2 million people a day through here. A very stunning building and so huge.  As big as the London one but so used. Luckily this one has a protection order on it so it is one of the few buildings that will not rot away.

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai wholesale market was built in 1869. Huge and a riot of colour, noise, smells. Wonderful. So many mangos - but not ones that would sell in Australia. They pack them is straw. How much better is that?

And it looks so good.

Khotachiwadi - the Portugese Heritage Village.

Don't know how many houses they would save with this hydrant!

Of course I bought grass to honour the cow.

So...India was brilliant. I love it. So much to see. The colours were amazing. I loved the building - in a post apocalyptic way. All run down and stained. But they will all fall down in the not to distant future. There is no maintenance at all. Either buildings are new and shiny or in a state of rotting away.
The food and the chia were brilliant.
But it was so good to get back onto the ship at night.
Fun times in the lounge.
Sail away was through an incredibly busy harbour with lots of unusual vessels.  I saw a few that I have seen on the TV show Mighty Ships - Cable laying ship, drilling platforms.

And Mumbai looked extremely pretty in the the setting sun light.

The flute guy, Marlan, is still in Giovanies. He played for us, then whipped out a knife, a potato and a tomato, and made us a rose.

Later that night there were heaps of drilling platforms all lit up.
Now two sea days. Time to catch up on the computer, sleep etc.

Sea Days  14th and 15th May.

Crossing the Arabian Sea.

Well, It's official.  I am a genius...well a sports legend.

I won the Shuffleboard!

Arrived a few minutes late and got put in the left over term who were coming dead last. I didn't get a warmup. Our team had no points.

Then it was my go.  BAMMM - straight down the line into the 8 box.

Second go - still dead last - BAMMM straight down the line, knocked their puck out (so they got no points) and landed on the 8.

Third and final go. "Where do I put it? I asked.

"Just don't touch their pucks."

"OK"  BAMMM straight down the left side to land on the 7.

Our team went from last to first and I got the top score!  And a Gold medal.  I'm sure its pure gold!

One of the teams I beat were people we toured with the other day. When Crackers bumped into them in the pool they told her I was a bitch.  HAHAHAH.  They thought I was very skilled.  Tim explained I was very ass-ie!   Yahh.  What fun.

I think I should never play Shuffleboard again. Why tarnish my record.

Formal night was fun.

Nan was not imporessed with the new batch of "Berringers White Sinfendel".  the think it was a dodgy load!  So funny to watch then curling their noses at it.  

Formal night was fun.

Our waiter made us Red paper roses tonight.

Cheering on the Chefs.

The Elite Divas. Two ladies who have played many of my favorite roles on The West End and Broadway. 

They played lots of great show tunes and they sang 'Somewhere' from Westside Story, 'I love him' for Les Mis and 'I don't know how to love him' from Jesus Christ Superstar. 

How happy was I!!!!!!

Then another Monkey Show.

2nd day

Sailing into the Persian Gulf.

It is stupidly hot. Muscat, Oman was 47 degrees today. We are just off Muscat - So we have the heat AND the humidity. It is the hottest/wettest combination I have ever been in. DISGUSTING. But funny. Like a wet blast furnace. 

But it's OK. It's 6 pm and the temp has dropped a bit. It's all good, it will be down to 36 degrees by midnight. Oh and don't forget the total humidity. You walk outside and everything gets wet. The camera fogs up. Your glasses fog up. The camera gets droplets on it!

We had a few hundred dolphins play next to the ship today. Acres of them - leaping, tail displaying and all.

It was pretty though, with the giant ball up in the sky.

Pretty, but also a bit eerie as the radiation fog rolled in. Yes radiation fog. It is formed by the cooling land at sunset by thermal radiation in calm conditions with clear skies. Heavy heavy fog. All the decks were wet. And the windows. 

This is NOT rain. It is condensation. You couldn't see out any windows.

Tomorrow Dubai

Now time to click on THE DUBAI TAB.