Pat and Norm's World Cruises and other adventures

Before our last world cruise, we never thought we wanted to go to India, but then we had an incredible experience and were looking forward to returning this time.  Now that we have visited Cochin, Mangalore and Goa on this trip, we were waiting to explore Mumbai where we only spent one day last time.

What can I say about Mumbai?  It is a study in contrasts.  First of all, 22 million people live in the city, so it is a mass of humanity everywhere you go.  You see the world’s most expensive home with more than 800 rooms, worth 1 billion dollars, some of Asia’s biggest slums, fashionably dressed people and people sleeping on the streets. Like New York, Mumbai is a city that never sleeps. And it is safe to walk around anywhere at any time of day or night. It is illegal to own guns and street crime is minimal. While many people who have never visited here have seen Slumdog Millionaire and have their impression of the slums from that movie, it is both similar and different.  There are rich people living in the slums, this is what they know, and of course there are the very poor. Some of the places are just lean-tos and others have rooms but the conditions are very crowded.  These are mostly hard working people, though, you don’t see them lying about. We heard that many get up and go to work at 3 AM and work until 10 PM.

The city is the capital of Maharashtra and it came into existence by the clustering of seven swampy islands which were formed into one island during the British rule. The word Mumbai is derived from Mumba Devi, the patron Goddess of the Koli fisherfolk, the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai. Now there is not much fishing in the harbor as hundreds of container ships and other vessels are here and the waters are quite polluted.  The fishermen travel out to the sea for a week or more and then return with their catch.  The air is pretty polluted too, you can’t see across the massive harbor.  During monsoon season it can clear for days at a time.  Monsoon season starts next week and we are the last cruise ship to come here until September.  India is also home to the second largest Navy in the world, second only to the US.

The bureaucracy can drive you mad here.  We had another face to face inspection before we could get off the ship.  You need to have your yellow landing card and a copy of your passport and they were checked AGAIN three times before we could leave the port.  And this happens every time you leave and come back.

There are stray dogs everywhere and because the Hindu people believe that every living being has a soul, they are allowed to live wherever they want. The traffic is unbelievable and as one of our tour guides said “pretend it is music and you will get used to the honking!”  There are thousands of cabs and they maneuver around in ways that you wouldn’t believe! But somehow they don’t hit people or dogs or have accidents.

The train system is something to see.  Trains (about 3000 daily) arrive and depart every 3-4 minutes here and carry 7.5 million commuters each day, some people travel up to 5 hours to and from work.  There are separate cars for men and women and while the cars are made to carry 1700 passengers each, they are packed with 3x as many.  The trains are not air conditioned and have no windows and doors so people are seen hanging out of them as they flash by. It is estimated that if the train tracks were laid out, they would circle the equator three times.

In 1996 Bombay was renamed Mumbai as part of a wider policy to replace names of any places, roads and features in the city that had connotations to the Raj.  Because it was a decision by the state and not the nation, some of the Indian National buildings still have Bombay in their names.

On our first day in Mumbai, we hoped to meet Bhaskar, an ICF colleague.  But as it turned out he was in an entirely different area of Mumbai and the timing didn’t work out as we had an evening tour scheduled.  So we took a cab and made our way to the Gateway of India, on the massive harbor of Mumbai. There are separate lines for ladies and men to get in, and we had our bags checked too. This structure was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911 and is considered the principal landmark of Mumbai.  It is over 85 feet high and has four turrets and intricate latticework carved into yellow basalt stone.

After a bit of walking and having people wanting pictures with us, we went to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the first 5 star hotel in India.  It was also the site of the 2008 bomb attack and we saw them carefully checking cars up and down and sideways.  We had to go through a scanner to get into the hotel.

The hotel is truly massive and beautiful.  This fresh flower arrangement in the lobby was just spectacular.

We did some shopping in the stores that are inside the hotel (pictures later as I wear the lovely caftan and the blouse that I bought).  We then decided to have lunch in the Sea Lounge restaurant in the hotel.  It was a beautiful place and we were seated by a window overlooking the harbor and harborwalk where we watched a colorful assortment of people pass by.

After our lunch, we shopped in the street markets where I bought a pair of shoes.  And how entertaining it was!  There are no shoe boxes on the display floor, just one of each of the shoes, presented beautifully.  When you choose one you want to try on, the man (and it was all men) who is waiting on you yells up to a loft and someone throws down the box or boxes of shoes.  When you don’t want one, the man tosses it back up.  It was fun to see.

As you know, I love markets and here they sell anything and everything and it can be quite overwhelming, both the crowds and the merchandise.  But fun.

We returned to the ship to cool off, shower and dress for our evening excursion, Bombay by lights. When the sun goes down and the lights come on, Mumbai becomes quite an entertainment center.  Our guide was Maleini.  She pointed out many landmarks which are beautifully lit up at night. We traveled past the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the Gateway to India, the Victoria Terminus train station and the Art Deco Marine Drive, referred to the Queen’s Necklace at night due to the vision it creates with the curved shape of the bay being accented by thousands of sparkling lights.  There were many people on the beach and Maleini said they mostly go at night, never dress in bathing suits or swim and completely cover up in the day since they think their skin is brown enough and they don’t want to be exposed to the sun.

We also visited the night market which was the same market we went to during the day! It was busier, if you can believe it.  Friendly people but no time to bargain and buy because we were on our way to a Bollywood movie at the Regal Cinema Hall, Bombay’s first Art Deco theater.  We saw a movie, Noor, which was in “Hinglish”, a combination of Hindi and English.  Very interesting and it was enough for us to understand the story.  And they served us popcorn!  We didn’t get to finish the movie, though, because the port gates close at 11 PM and we had one more stop to make for drinks at a Mumbai bar. We intend to download the movie and finish it when back in the US so we can find out what happens.

Bollywood is the combination of Bombay and Hollywood and the motion picture industry here is the world’s largest.  Mumbai accounts for almost 60% of the Indian productions and they are really well done.

We stopped for drinks and snacks at Geoffrey’s and it is a good thing they poured the wine continuously because all of the snacks except one burned my mouth!  The innocent looking quiche like thing was a 5 alarm fire. We shared our table with this fun couple from Belgium.

On the way back to the ship, we saw some of the crowds on the streets and the night vendors.  Limeade is very popular and they make it up fresh. And of course there are bananas everywhere.

The next day we had a tour planned – the Elephanta caves.  Our guide was Sudha, which she told me means “nectar”.  We drove to the Gateway of India and boarded our boat to travel 9 nautical miles to the Gharapuri Island which took about an hour.  The view from the water was nice, but we were cautioned not to take any pictures of the Navy boats and the island just off the harbor which is now uninhabited but may serve some function for the Navy.  It was a museum for a time but only the Navy was allowed to enter which didn’t prove too lucrative!

No one seemed to pay attention to this sign on the boat, and Sudha didn’t even know about it! We sat on the upper level of the boat and had a nice breeze all the way there.  Part way, we were stopped by a police boat (who knows why) but we were afraid to take any pictures.

We arrived on the island to see a very long pier which had a train to take you to the island.  But the train wasn’t working. There are 2000 people living on the island in 3 villages.  There is no electricity on the island and they are dependent on Mumbai for everything.  During the monsoon season no boats can get there so they depend on dried food.

There is lots of trash around, and we were laughing at this sign with the trash right behind it.

The island resembles twin hillocks rising from the sea with the caves located halfway up the higher of the two.  There are 120 steps to climb.  For $30 (plus tip) you could ride in one of these chairs with four men carrying you.  Not for us, but some people took advantage of it.

Vendors lined the way up and some followed us to get us to buy, but Sudha told us to wait until the way down.

The cave is carved out of solid basalt rock and represents Mount Kailash, the heavenly mountain residence of Lord Shiva.  They were carved starting in the 5th century! The cave complex is a collection of shrines, courtyards and porticos filled with stone sculptures and reliefs of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.  The Portuguese renamed the island Elephanta after discovering a large stone elephant statue near the shore.  Unfortunately many of the sculptures inside were damaged by the Portuguese who took potshots at the Hindu Gods with their rifles but what remains is quite amazing.  It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987.  Sudha took us around to each of the huge panels and described their meaning.  She says that she sees Hinduism as not a religion but as a way of life and each of the panels does have a story to tell.

We were amazed by the quality of the carvings, the stories and the preservation over all these years.

Lots of monkeys live on the island and we saw other animals too!

It was a great day.  On the way back, Sudha told us of her 13 years of trying to get her father to accept marriage to the man she loved.  When he finally agreed, they got married 18 days later!  She now has a 14 year old son and loves her career.

Back to the ship after a wonderful 2 days in Mumbai.  Now we have 2 days at sea before arriving in Dubai.  Tonight, dinner with two senior officers and milk and cookies with the captain!

April 26, 2017

As I wrote before, on our last visit to India, we missed Goa because we spent several days at the Taj Mahal.  This time, we did a half day tour called highlights of Goa.

We were met at the pier with people handing out red roses and serenading us.

Our tour guide was Jenny and she was warm and informative.  Her English was perfect too.

Goa is a lush and lovely port.  It has a history of British and Portuguese occupation until it was taken back from the Portuguese by India in 1961.  This didn’t end well for the Portuguese since they had to leave immediately or be militarily escorted out.  So most had to leave their ancestral homes and now many are just abandoned.  Those that are still occupied are often quite beautiful.  More about that later because we visited one.

It was shortly after the “Liberation” or “Occupation as some Goans still refer to it that the first hippie travelers came here.  Relieved to have found somewhere culturally undemanding to party, the “freaks” got stoned, watched the sunsets over the Arabian Sea and danced like lunatics on full moon nights.  Since then Goa has been trying to shake off it’s reputation as a druggy zone!

Goa is the state in India and the town we arrived in is Vasco de Gama named after the explorer.  While 66% of the population is Hindu, 28% is Catholic as compared to only 2% Catholic in the rest of India.  This is again due to the Portuguese missionaries who converted a lot of the people in this area.

People consider Goa to be the best state in India, and it has the highest GDP in India.  It is also the smallest state. There are 330 villages here in this area and it was the community system where the community owned the land. In 1962 Indira Ghandi took the land and gave it back to the farmers – social democracy.

Here in Goa, women are allowed to inherit property unlike in the rest of India where it had to go to the sons until recently. Now the rest of India is slowly starting to follow the trend in Goa.

Mangoes are everywhere and they have 160 different varieties.  Every family grows their own rice. Cashews are grown here in the season from February to April.  Monsoon season is June – September and they get 300 cm of rain during that time.  No one gets married or does a lot of work outdoors during this time.  They are building a new 6 lane highway and work will need to stop.

Iron ore is the biggest export but tourism brings in the most money. Many families have one member working outside India, often in the Arabic countries, and they send the money home.

Coconut trees are everywhere and they collect the “sap” in clay pots up in the tree.  They make an alcohol called todi and it is also used to make vinegar.  Coconut oil is widely used both in cooking and for skin and hair. There is a research facility with one of the projects to shorten the coconut tree since they don’t have people willing and able to climb them to harvest the coconuts any more.  (Maybe they need to import those monkeys from Thailand!)

We traveled about an hour to Old Goa.  We saw a compound of three different churches here, the most important legacy of the Portuguese.  There is not really much of a town here anymore.

We went first to the Se Cathedral, dedicated to St. Catherine.  It was consecrated in 1640 and took over 80 years to construct.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is larger than any church in Portugal.  The church had 2 towers but one collapsed in 1776 and was never rebuilt.  You can see that on the right side of the photo. The remaining tower houses the Golden Bell, renowned for its melodic tone. We did hear the tone, but could not go inside as a wedding was taking place there. We didn’t see the wedding but caught a couple of guests on their way.  And I guess that tree bends with the winds!

We did get to visit the attached Church of St. Francis of Assisi which was built in 1661 and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This church features buttressed walls with frescoes and floral designs as well as a series of painted panels showing scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Across the gardens is the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This is built of black laterite stone with marble and inlaid precious stones and is the most famous church in Old Goa.  It contains the tomb of St. Francis Xavier who spread Christianity in the Portuguese colonies and is the patron saint of Goa. Jenny told us that in every family one son is named Francis Xavier! The building is the first church in India to be elevated to the status of a minor basilica and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was consecrated in 1605 and is the best example of Baroque architecture in India.

As we all gathered after visiting the basilica, many Indian people came up to us and asked to have their pictures taken with us.  Jenny said that Indian tourists come here partly to see westerners!

I captured a few photos of them, too but they were much less interested in that.

We went back to Merces where we visited the ancestral home of Otto de Oliveira Fernandez, a Goanese family.  The home was quite spectacular – an example of Goan-Portuguese architecture.  We met the family, had lovely refreshments (they have a bar in the courtyard and the Goan Kingfisher beer was one of the beverages served.  We were entertained by the many birds and the three family dogs -as well as two musicians who played and sang from the porch.  A delightful respite on a hot day!

Our last stop of the day was at a market in the capital city of Panjim.  The city is spread on the south bank of the Mandovi River.  This city has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and lots of bakeries and taverns.  The market was as amazing as any we have visited – and I love markets – the displays are just beautiful and the people pretty friendly but sometimes don’t like their pictures taken.

After a hot and interesting day, we relaxed in the cool comfort of the ship.  Next stop is Mumbai where we will spend 2 days.

April 25, 2017

Mangalore was one of the most famous ports of south India. It was well known as a major source of pepper.  Today the main exports are coffee, cocoa beans and cashew nuts.

We had a tour today – highlights of Mangalore.  Ulchana was our guide, and she is a master’s degree prepared marketing executive for universities and hospitals. She lives in Bangalore now but is a native of Mangalore.  She started doing tours as a college student and returns to her hometown to do tours whenever she can.  She was a terrific guide.

In this photo, she is explaining part of the process in the cashew nut factory, our first stop. Aschal Industries employs 500 people, mostly women.  They have a child care facility on site. We got to see almost all stages of the processing of the highly prized cashew nut, starting with the drying.  They don’t allow visitors to the final sorting and packaging due to cleanliness concerns. Cashews are the only nut that grows exterior to its “apple”.  The apple is used to make liquor and the shell of the actual nut is pressed to extract oil which is used in furniture polish.  Mangalore is recognized as the birthplace of organized cashew nut processing although the nuts are grown mostly in neighboring Goa.

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It is a hugely labor intensive process. We bought some cashews and Ulchana also gave us each a package when we got back on our bus.

We learned that there are 3 nuts that form the basis of what is eaten here, coconut, cashew nut and areca nut. The coconut tree has thousands of roots and they do help on riverbeds to prevent erosion.

Brown and red rice are also grown and there are typically 2 harvests a year. They export about 10,800 tons daily.

Mangalore has 500,000 population. There are 4 major universities and all have medical schools and are teaching hospitals.  Medical tourism is big as people come from all areas of the world and especially from southeast Asia for the quality medical care.

As in other areas of India, English is taught in schools and there is a 94 % literacy rate here. The local language is Tulu.

We visited the Gokarnath Temple.  It was built in 1912 and is dedicated to Lord Gokarnath and has recently been renovated.  It is considered to be an excellent example of the modern architecture created by the Billawa Community of Mangalore.

The red marks we have on our foreheads have nothing to do with the caste system but are blessings from the temple for good health and prosperity. In the temple you must go counterclockwise as you view the various statues, etc.

Speaking of the cultural norms – a law has recently been passed here that prohibits marriage before age 18 to stop the “child bride” trend.  Most educated young people don’t marry until 26 for girls and 28 – 34 for boys.  There are still mostly arranged marriages but now the young adults are free to say no or to have a love marriage.  There can be up to about 2000 guests at some of the weddings.  Young couples (the youngest son) brings the bride to live with the parents so it is common to have 3 generations living together.

Our next stop was the amazing St. Aloysius Chapel which is one of the most beautiful we have seen.  It was built in 1884 by the Italian Jesuit, Antonio Moscheni and  is often compared to the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  There is a remarkable series of intricate paintings that cover every square inch of the interior ceiling and walls. Brother Antonio Moscheni, who was also an Italian artist, painted it all in 2 1/2 years! The chapel is dedicated to Aloysius Gonzaga and one entire portion of the chapel tells the saint’s story through paintings. There is also a huge series of buildings, part of St. Aloysius College, which have a wonderful view of the sea.

Unfortunately they do not allow you to take pictures inside but here is a link to a series of photos that show the amzaing fresco, tempera and oil murals that adorn the entire inside of the chapel. St. Aloysius Chapel

There are beautiful gardens as well.

Our last stop was at the Belmnt House, which was built in the early 18th century by Michael Thomas Harris, the son of Lord Harris.  After his tragic death at age 40, it passed through several owners before being purchased by the Peres family who still own it. Joan Peres, now a widow (in the picture with me) and her son Greg (pictured with Norm) live in the house where Joan and her husband raised five sons and a daughter. Most of the children have left Mangalore but Greg is involved in the real estate business and stayed behind. One son, Joel, is the General Legal Counsel for Coca Cola in the Asia Pacific Region.  Joan was very proud of her family and showed me pictures of her children and grandchildren.  The home was beautiful and they were so hospitable, serving cookies and lemonade which we really appreciated as the temperature and humidity were very high – 96 degrees!

We enjoyed Mangalore and it is the home of our butler, Vishant.  He brought his family aboard but unfortunately only Norm saw them as I was getting my hair cut when they arrived.

Both Indian cities we have seen so far have a mixture of beautiful homes and apartments and also great poverty and trash.

So, the chicken stall was almost right outside of the lovely Belmont home!  Lots of diversity here in India, but I do have to say, all religions seem to live in peace here.  We see burkas, saris, Western clothing and no one seems to have guns or objections to other religions.  Maybe we have something to learn.

On to Goa tomorrow.