è Report #11 - March 09 – 17, 2008  - Strait of Malacca, Chennai (Madras) & Mumbai (Bombay)

We departed Singapore on March 8, at 8pm, to sail through the Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia (to the north) and Sumatra, Indonesia (south).  All security systems (acoustic blasters) were put in place on Lower Promenade Deck as a precautionary measure, because the Strait is one of the world’s busiest and there have been recent reports of piracy.  We were assured that any attempt to board or stop our ship would be unsuccessful, as we’re just too big and too fast.

After three full days of uneventful sailing, we arrived in Chennai (Madras), our first port in India, on Wednesday, March 12.  India is the largest country in southern Asia and is bordered to the northwest by Pakistan; to the north by the Himalayas, China, Nepal and Bhutan; and to the east by Bangladesh and Myanmar.  While India is less than 1/3 the size of the USA, its population is over 1.1 billion people.  Hinduism is the main faith, but there are also Muslims, Jains, Buddhist, Sikhs, Jews and Christians.

India’s history is complex, with early traces of human activity dating back to 400,000-100,000 BC.  Much more recently, since the 1500s, India has been greatly influenced by invasions from the Portuguese, French, and the British.  The British (or the British East Indian Company) controlled parts of India from 1612 until its independence in 1947, which was achieved only after bloody uprisings, battles and several massacres.  Today, India is the world’s largest democracy and its 5^th largest economy (and still growing). Even so, as we all know, India currently has widespread poverty, child labor problems, high illiteracy, wide-ranging corruption and bloody religious conflicts.

To get ready for our time in India, we attended several lectures and travel talks on board.  The speakers all ended with words of wisdom about how to be careful (wear no jewelry, don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket, don’t eat uncooked food) and how we should go with an open mind (you’ll see poverty and beggars, but try to look beyond).  We thought we were ready when we hit our first port of call, Chennai (Madras), but….not so.  Our morning tour took us 2-hours south along the coast to Mahabalipuram, a World Heritage Site.  Here we saw rock-cut temples (dating back to the 4^th century) that incorporated life-size and larger bas-reliefs - that was the good part.  The bad part was the poverty and garbage everywhere – in the city, in the country, along the roads, on the beach, at the site.  Beggars (mostly children) approached us wherever we went and no matter where you looked you saw people, or entire families, sleeping, cooking, eating, and washing in the streets, in the dirtiest of conditions.  It was overwhelming sad and disturbing.  Our guide talked about how the caste system (outlawed in the constitution) is breaking down and how improvements have been made to help the poorest people, but how it was a huge problem and it would take much longer to solve (that’s for sure).

By mid-day the initial shock had worn-off and we started to notice another lifestyle (higher caste people, for sure) emerging in stark contrast.  There were young smiling children in crisp clean school uniforms; beautiful women, in colorful silk saris, almost floating down the street and over the piles of garbage; young businesspeople walking in a hurry while talking on their cell phones.  Also, at lunch, the young Indian wait staff (all males) were impeccably dressed and impressively trained.  Maybe things are improving, but back on ship that night, most were talking about how grateful they were to have not been born in India.

During our next 3-days at sea, we attended a few more lectures and read more about India, in hopes of being even better prepared for our next port of call – a 2-day stop in Mumbai (Bombay).  We arrived on Sunday, March 16, and immediately took off on a full day tour of the city.  We were told that it was quieter than normal in Mumbai, since it was a Sunday, but we were warned that Monday would be a different story.  Mumbai is on the west coast of India, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is India’s commercial and financial center.  It is the home of the Bollywood film industry and is a city of extremes – from the very rich to the very poorest.  Its relatively high standard of living has attracted migrants from all over India and South Asia, making the greater city area a potpourri of various communities and cultures with a population of over 17 million.

Our tour took us by Victoria Terminus (“VT”), Gateway to India, Taj Mahal Hotel, Prince of Wales Museum and many other imperial buildings, built by the British under their rule.  We also visited Mani Bhavan, the home where Mahatma Gandi stayed when in Mumbai. After that it was off to view the dhobi wallahs (washermen), as they washed the city’s laundry by hand in open-air stalls (hundreds of them).  The dhobi wallahs are for sure in the lower ranks of the caste system and our guide said that most workers are illiterate and actually live in the stalls where they work.  Again, there was poverty and beggars, but mostly street vendors selling all kinds of stuff for $1US or a few more.  They were busy just trying to make a living, so most of us bought a few things thinking we might make a difference.

On our second day, we split up.  Nick took an all day tour, by private jet, to the Taj Mahal (the real one), in Agra; Georgiana went off with other passengers in a private car, with a driver and personal guide.

 

Taj Mahal…by Nick

Among the Seven Wonders of the World one stands out as a marvel of architecture and beauty, the Taj Mahal.  My parents, Charles and Martha Ide, talked about it constantly when I was growing up and always wanted to see it.  Unfortunately they never got the chance.

When I saw the “Taj” on the list of excursions for the World Cruise, I decided immediately that I would take the side trip from the ship to see first hand its great beauty.  I did, and it was more spectacular than I had imagined.  In spite of being up for 20 hours straight and boarding seven different busses and two flights, it was more than worth it.

We left the ship at 3:45am for an hour bus ride to the Mumbai International Airport.  A chartered, brand new 737-800 aircraft was waiting to whisk us off 900 miles to Agra in the northern part of India.  From there it was two more buses to get to the entrance of the Taj Mahal’s grounds.  On these two rides we saw the poorer side of India with oxen carts, bicycles, shabby huts, and children that looked happy although living in horrible conditions.

To get into the Taj Mahal we walked down a very shabby street with vendors pushing their wares on both sides.  At the end there was a building with a crude checkpoint where everyone was frisked.  On the other side of the checkpoint arch, the view opened up into a beautifully manicured green lawn leading to a building which completely blocked the view of the Taj Mahal, which we knew was on the other side.  Our guide led us towards the building and asked us to walk slowly through the large arch ahead.  As we did, the view of the Taj Mahal changed from a very limited keyhole partial view, until the expansive grounds, reflecting pool, and the full extent of the Taj Mahal burst into our consciousness.  It was inspiring.

The dramatic entrance brought us to gardens and walkways still about a quarter of a mile from the marble structure and it’s four minarets.  As we walked closer, the white marble and inlay designs showed the beauty and detail that comprise this truly magnificent structure.

 Fodor’s Exploring India:  LABOUR OF LOVE – The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to her 14^th child.  The heartbroken emperor determined to construct an unsurpassable memorial tomb and 22 years later, in 1653, after tons of Jodhpur marble and semi-precious stones from all over Asia had been transported to the site by elephants, the masterpiece was complete.  Some 20,000 craftsman and labourers are said to have worked on it.  Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, and spent his last eight years languishing in Agra Fort, but he was able to gaze out at the tomb of his wife, beside whom he was buried when he himself died in 1666.

As luck would have it, the weather was perfect and I took some fabulous photos I look forward to sharing!

 

Mumbai with the locals…by Georgiana

A fellow passenger from California invited me to join a group of seven to visit “the markets” of Mumbai.  She had made all the arrangements and I was game to go along to get a closer look at the city and its people.  It was Monday morning, it was hot and traffic was absolutely horrific, as previously warned.  Fortunately, the vehicle was an SUV-type, with A/C, and was big enough to hold the seven of us, our driver and a guide.

The driver only drove fast no matter what the traffic and the “guide” turned-out to be like a body-guard boss of all bosses, as no matter where we went people knew him, he got his way and we were not bothered (not even by the beggars).  Once we all figured out that whatever we wanted to buy was cheaper if the “boss” negotiated price, he did all our buying for us (he demanded a price, more than negotiated one).  The “boss” stopped traffic when we needed to cross the roads - nothing short of a miracle.  He also talked, in fast and furious Hindi, our way into the best parking spaces when there just weren’t any.  He was the epitome of a Vaishyas (merchant caste) person making good in today’s India.  We later found out that he owned and operated the four internet cafés in Mumbai, including the one inside our passenger ship terminal.  While we “lost” three of the passengers along the way, due to the heat, dirt and the press of traffic and people (they took cabs back to the ship), the rest of us had a ball and were sorry to see it end.

After a long shower and a few hours on the ship, I was off again on the Mumbai by Night tour.  It was hot and the streets were still crowded, but the city lights at night were spectacular.  After a special Indian thali meal at the Hotel Oberoi, we were treated to a horse and buggy ride along Marine Drive, before returning to the ship at 1015pm.  Nick arrived 15-minutes later and at 11pm, we set sail for Salalah, Oman.

Check out Nick’s website - www.nide.smugmug.com - for pictures from India

è Next - Report #12 (March 18 – 20, 2008) (2-days at sea and Salalah, Oman)