Live from Uniworld's India and the Sacred Ganges - Feb 6, 2017

[mysty]

Excellent pictures and colour commentary JP! Thanks for taking us along with you!

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 10th. Optional tour of Amber Fort

 

As we approached, the fort was visible beyond the lake. As it is dry season, the level is low.

 

 

Lots of people climbing up to the fort. Though it probably would have been a good thing for us to make the climb, others were excited to hear that we'd be driving to a parking lot nearer the gates. So, not much walking involved.

 

 

Across the way, on the opposite side of the road, you could see other defensive structures that were part of the fort complex.

 

 

We turned off the main road and started up towards the fort. It was a very narrow road! Throw in two-way traffic, cars parked along the side, plus the occasional roadside market...good thing we're not in a bus! In fact, even in a car, it's remarkable that this is a two-way street!

 

Our driver was used to this, so in short order we pulled up to the gates of the fort. Here we got out, and walked up a short distance until we reached a large outdoor courtyard.

 

 

Everyone, it seemed, was dressed in bright beautiful colors.

 

 

Rishi left us to go buy tickets, so we took in a preview of our destination, when we weren't being harassed by vendors. There are several levels to climb to. We are on the lowest level in the outer courtyard, looking up at people on the next level.

 

 

Beyond them lies a beautiful decorative gate, leading to some more lavish, private quarters. That will be our final destination.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 10th. Optional tour of Amber Fort

 

A different kind of colorful item in the outer courtyard. This might have been handy when the fort was built.

 

 

More colorful clothing. Very pretty.

 

 

We climbed up to the second level, where you can see the people looking over the railing in my last post.

 

 

Nice view of the courtyard from here.

 

 

Across the road, the defensive wall and towers. More stairs to climb. This could be fun, if we had all day!

 

 

The direct sun was pretty hot today. So we headed over to the Diwan-i-Aam on this level for a little shade. This is the Hall of Public Audience. Following the typical design, the public audience hall is located in an outer courtyard. Nice columns, and it was comfortable under the roof.

 

 

We heard a little history; this fort is much older than the structures in the city. It was originally built around 1000 CE, but it was rebuilt in its current form over the time period from about 1550-1700. The ruling family moved from the fort to the city in the early 1700s.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 10th. Optional tour of Amber Fort, continued

 

From Diwan-i-Aas, we saw a number of colorfully dressed tour groups.

 

 

And we had a great view of the Ganesh Pol, which leads to the private palaces of the Maharajas. We'll head there shortly.

 

 

Because of the backlighting, you can clearly see that there are screens in the top part of the gate, above the middle archway. Again, members of the court could sit there and observe the goings-on without being seen from below.

 

Before moving on, we had a look over the edge of the front wall at Maota Lake, in front of the Fort, and the town of Amer at the left edge of the photo.

 

 

A close-up of the Saffron Garden (Kesar Kyari), in the center of the lake.

 

 

We tried to not interfere with the view too much.

 

 

Some nice decorative work on the ceiling.

 

 

Off through the Ganesh Gate, to see the rest of the palace.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 10th. End of the day in Rajasthan

 

Up another flight of stairs, through the Ganesh Pol, and we were at the third level of the Fort. Here, there are two main structures. The first is called Sukh Mahal, or Hall of Pleasure, which was used during the summer because it had running water that flowed between the walls and screens to keep it cool. It was not open for visiting.

 

The second structure was the Sheesh Mahal, or mirror palace, was open to visit. Pretty impressive!

 

 

Floor to ceiling mosaics, with colored glass and mirrors so that it sparkled even though the roof kept it in the shade.

 

 

If the mirror palace isn't enough, there's another nice view of the lake and the gardens from nearby here.

 

 

The mirror palace, as viewed from across the way, near the pleasure hall. In between, there is a Mughal Garden.

 

 

After a little free time, we gathered up to move along to the last part. Further back in the complex, we saw the oldest part of the palace that still stands, from the year 1008. And there is a very sheltered section where the ladies of the palace lived. This Baradari (twelve-doored pavilion) is where the Maharani (queens) used to meet.

 

 

A pretty nice place to visit. We could have used about a half hour more, I think.

 

We headed out and made our way back to our car, which was wedged into the parking lot in such a way that I thought we'd never get out! But it was easy for our driver, and off we went back down the narrow street to the main road back towards town.

 

We passed more camels alongside the road, pulling carts or saddled up for riders. We saw the floating palace again, very pretty, and some street vendors nearby.

 

 

Then we had a choice: a little time for shopping, or we could return to the hotel. We figured we'd shop a little. Jaipur is the place to shop, supposedly, so we'd be good tourists... So the cars drove us to the "upscale" shops where our regular tour groups had gone today.

 

First the textile shop, where we saw a demonstration of block printing. Then they tried to get us to look at carpets. We knew better, so we politely declined yet another carpet demonstration, and headed to the textile portion of the store. I got three very colorful silk scarves for Chris, for $110, down from the $135 asking price. It's funny; they quote you in dollars, but then convert to rupees when charging the credit card. I made sure that the conversion was accurate; it was.

 

Feeling satisfied, we headed a block down the street to the 'silver art palace" where we saw a few other folks from our tour group, giving their credit cards a good workout. We looked at various jewelry. One of the salesmen was desperate to sell us a sapphire ring, but we really weren't interested in a big ticket item.

 

Eventually we settled on two necklaces: one string of lapis beads, and the other was malachite beads. Beautiful colors, and we really like those stones! I worked them down from a little over $550, to $400 even, so I was happy with that. And when they converted to rupees, their rate came out to about $390, so I was even happier!

 

Time to head home for dinner! Since two of the other couples from our small group had wanted to bail on shopping, but hadn't figured that out at the same time, both cars had already left. But the buses from the regular excursion were still here. So we hopped on one of them and headed home with essentially no delay.

 

It was too late to swim, so we figured that we should use the cool bathtub in our room to relax before dinner. Unfortunately, the water from the tap was not very hot, and the marble walls cooled the water too much. So our bath was kind of tepid, and we didn't get to relax long. We got ready and went over for dinner a little after 7.

 

Tonight was another "on your own" meal which is OK, but you're kind of stuck at your hotel without other options. The food is great, but pricey. This is an area where I wish there were a way to improve on the options, as the hotel restaurants are really good, but you wonder just what else is out there. But I enjoyed a Malabar fish curry, and Chris had a salmon dish. We had some Indian Sauvignon Blanc with dinner. Yummy.

 

We went back to the room and repacked our bags, and put a bunch of things from our carry-on bags into our checked luggage, as we weren't even close to the 15 kg limit. Then we tried to sleep, with moderate success.

 

I woke up a few times to check on the time, as expected, but overall I was OK until 3:30, when I awoke with a headache. Advil, a little more rest, and we were up for good around 4:00 to get ready for the flight to Kolkata! Tomorrow, we finally get on the boat!

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Hi all! Another story published from this cruise- Ganges River Cruise Tips: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2789

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jpalbny]

Saturday, February 11. Jaipur to Kolkata

 

Another very early day today! We were up at 4, and ready to put out our luggage by 4:45. We grabbed some breakfast items in the hotel lobby, and then the buses pushed off for the airport around 5:20 for our 7:45 flight. One last look at our beautiful hotel; they turned the front lights on for us!

 

 

It was an easy drive, less than a half hour, without much traffic.

 

It was time to say goodbye to the guides and the drivers, who had been with us all week, and we had appreciated them very much. We still had over 8000 Rupees, so we gave 2000 extra to both our guide Rishi and our driver Mr. Singh, as they had gone all out for us. But tips were not expected and there was no pressure to do so.

 

Then the fun started. We lined up to go through an initial security screening at the entrance, where they check your ticket, X-ray your checked bag, and put a tag on it so that the airline knows that it's been screened.

 

Then, on to the check-in counters where we weighed our luggage, which was only 27kg despite stuffing all that extra stuff in! Then security before the gates. Relatively quick and not too painful, but seemingly everyone gets a pat down whether the metal detector rings or not.

 

A word about security screening. You have to take your electronics out. They didn't care about liquid; in fact, I accidently left a bottle of water in my backpack and they didn't bat an eye. But - and this is important - you have to have an airline tag, which you get at the checkout counter, attached to every carry-on bag.

 

Once your carry-on bag goes through security, that tag is stamped by the officer. So is your boarding pass. When you go to board the plane, there is a security officer at the gate checking each bag for this stamped tag.

 

 

We ate our snacks from the hotel while awaiting the plane, and then it was time for boarding. Not a bad terminal, though we took buses to the airplane instead of a jetway. Of course, Chris and I were in separate seats, but that's normal for us. Funny enough, most everyone else was separated too, so we settled in for the flight.

 

We pushed back on time and took off at 7:55. The on-board service was fairly pathetic in that the only free beverage was what looked like tap water from a pitcher. Everything else was an upcharge of 100 Rupees. So I did without at first. Not taking a chance with that suspicious-looking water! Next time through I relented and bought seltzer water for 100 Rupees.

 

Touchdown was early, around 9:45 instead of 10:10 as scheduled. We caught another bus to the terminal.

 

 

Luggage was quick, and started to arrive a little after 10, and we eventually reassembled to load up into buses for the long ride to the pier. We were moving by about 10:30. There were markets along the way,

 

 

But also some nice areas of greenery.

 

 

The wiring was a little sketchy, though! Lots of loose ends here. Not sure I'd want to walk around under these power lines.

 

 

Onward, trying to dodge the traffic, with varying degrees of success.

[jpalbny]

Saturday, February 11. Kolkata

 

We headed on through the traffic. It was pretty dense at times.

 

 

Many buildings were dirty, but a few were impressively maintained.

 

 

We drew closer to the river, but encountered traffic again. As we drove by the southern end of the Maidan, a massive park, we saw the Victoria Memorial peeking above the trees. We visit there tomorrow.

 

 

Finally, we crossed the Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge) and entered the suburb of Howrah. Lots of haze.

 

 

I was tracking our location on my phone map (yes, I had a data connection and it worked perfectly), so I knew we were getting close. We turned off onto narrow roads and skirted the edge of the Botanical Gardens before arriving at our pier, a few minutes before noon. Here is a map of the location, across the river from the main city.

 

 

The Ganges Voyager II was awaiting our arrival! We walked down to the dock, and were welcomed aboard with a shower of flower petals. Cold towels followed, and then a welcome drink. It's good to be home.

 

 

It will be even nicer to unpack, and not have to worry about moving for another week.

[jpalbny]

Saturday, February 11. Onboard Ganges Voyager II

 

So, within a minute or two of walking onboard, we were shown to our suite on the third floor. One flight of stairs up from where we entered, then a little bit down a hallway. Our first impressions were very favorable!

 

 

A spacious room with a nice design. The blue bags on the bed were our welcome gifts, which were the thin blankets that they've given out in the past. Probably don't want anything thicker in this climate; it was about 80 degrees out.

 

The bathroom was really nice for a boat, we thought. The shower is way bigger than anything we've seen on a river boat.

 

 

The sink was small, though. And we found that there was limited counter space to store things, and no closet. So our toiletries mostly stayed in their bags, under the sink, and we took them out every time we used them. Slightly inconvenient.

 

 

Since we hadn't eaten much breakfast, and it was now after noon, we headed directly to the restaurant for lunch. The buffet spread was quite nice considering the size of the ship. Fresh salads, nice bread, several hot entrees to choose from with Indian and Western options.

 

The pork vindaloo was my favorite, but not very spicy at all, as we had expected. They have spicy sauce on the side to add if you'd like. Lots of Sauvignon Blanc was had.

 

After lunch, we took some time to wander the ship and get our bearings. Unlike most times, we actually remembered to take pictures!

 

Here is the fourth deck Governor's Lounge, where evening meetings would take place. The hotel manager Romica was already hard at work in the back corner. After seeing how much wine everyone drank at lunch, I think he was taking inventory to make sure that he had brought enough wine...

 

 

Further astern on the fourth deck, there is an open-air observation deck. It has a solid roof to shade you from the sun, but is open on three sides. This looks like a comfortable place to spend time. We grabbed some sparkling water to dilute all of the wine we had with lunch, and relaxed for a few minutes.

 

 

Some interesting sights from the observation deck. As many times as we saw this, I could not get over the fact that people actually bathe in this river.

 

 

But that wasn't the worst thing we saw. This river is not for the squeamish.

Edited March 9, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Saturday, February 11. Onboard Ganges Voyager II

 

We sat out with our water and watched people doing their laundry. Lather, beat and scrub on the stone steps, then rinse into the river water.

 

 

Next to us, at the pier, another person was painting a boat. I hope that paint doesn't spill in the water too much, because...

 

 

People actually drink this water too! Gross. I grew up on a farm and I'm used to dirt, but still. I would need every antibiotic that I could think of if I were to drink that water.

 

 

The early morning start finally caught up to us, so we had a nap from 3 to 5. Refreshed, we headed up for cocktail hour, a welcome speech, and our port talk.

 

This was followed by a traditional dance show.

 

 

We thought we were safe in the second row, but we were asked to dance the last number. We will have to hide more effectively next time.

 

We changed for dinner, and reconvened in the restaurant. Tonight's menu looks nice.

 

 

We eagerly awaited our first course. The dining room was abuzz with excitement. We were all really happy to be here!

[jpalbny]

Saturday, February 11. Onboard Ganges Voyager II

 

Dinner was very nice, and we enjoyed our selections.

 

We both had the poppy seed dumplings to start.

 

 

That was followed by mushroom soup for me, and chicken and spinach soup for Chris.

 

 

My main was the Indian Barramundi fillet. Nicely spiced, very flavorful, but not hot.

 

 

Chris had the citrus chicken breast.

 

 

They served a reserve white blend all throughout dinner which went well.

 

Desserts were nice too. Here is the cashew nut and gram pudding. I couldn't figure out if they meant graham flour, or something else entirely.

 

 

And the Ice Cream "Ganges" for Chris. I hope the name is just symbolic...

 

 

We went to the lounge to finish our wine after dinner, and were eventually joined by one couple. No entertainment tonight. I think everyone was exhausted after the long day.

 

We had some sparkling water for a nightcap, and headed to bed by 9:30. A decent night's sleep felt good, after a long day.

Edited March 9, 2017 by jpalbny

[ewizabeff]

That bathroom layout is why my 3-1-1 toiletry bag has a little hanger in that I can put on the towel bar. :)

[mimmy52]

I'm catching up after being out of town for a week. I like the Piet Mondrian background for your cashew nut and gram pudding. I also hope there will be more to this review.

[jpalbny]

ewizabeff, good idea. We used to use an item like that but got away from it. Ours was too big to go in a carryon, so we just downsized most of our stuff into a Ziploc bag.

 

mimmy52, glad to see you back. I promise I will keep going. The river cruise portion was great fun and I am happy to share that with all of you. I've been on call a lot since returning home and I'm working this weekend too, so time is somewhat limited. But hoping to post more soon.

 

PS I had to look up who Piet Mondrain was...:o

[ewizabeff]

Here's the 3-1-1- hanging toiletry bag I use. It's pricey, but I have an addiction to this brand and just love how everything works together for no-wheeled, carry-on only travel.

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Kolkata

 

We woke up around 6:00 after a nice sleep. There was some noise outside from the river traffic and a few foghorns.

 

Leisurely breakfast in the dining room, with a small but nicely furnished buffet, as well as items cooked to order. Plenty of coffee too, and it was brewed, not instant. The staff was again quite attentive and we were (too) well-fed.

 

We headed out on tour at 8:30. The dock isn't in the prettiest part of town.

 

 

There was comparatively less traffic today, given that it was Sunday morning. We were first headed off to visit the Mother House, and the drive was less than 30 minutes. Here are a few exterior shots of the building.

 

 

 

And the entrance leaves no doubt about the person who is honored here.

 

 

Inside, there is a life-sized statue. Though she was amazingly small in stature, she certainly had a lasting effect on this place that belied her small size.

 

 

Further inside, you may visit her tomb.

 

 

There is a small museum in the room next to her tomb, with exhibits about her life story. The Sisters have preserved her simple bedroom up a flight of stairs, just as it was when she passed almost 20 years ago. No pictures are allowed in these areas. Some of us even obeyed that rule...so no more pictures from me.

Edited March 11, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Kolkata

 

We took our leave from the Mother House. The Sisters gave us small pendants as keepsakes on the way out.

 

Back out on the street, it's a different scene with more old-looking buildings which are in more disrepair. Chris also found two old goats who were willing to pose for a picture.

 

 

Just a few minutes away, we visited the Sisters of Charity Orphanage. The kids were busy doing their thing, mostly less interested in us than we were in them.

 

 

A few of them came up close to us, but not many. They were having too much fun in their playground.

 

 

We learned that the children can no longer be adopted from the orphanage. There was not much discussion as to why.

 

Back on the bus, we passed through the old part of the city with crowded buildings and fine meat markets,

 

 

to the newer British Colonial portion of the city less than 10 minutes away. Nice parks in the traffic circles,

 

 

and the "Netaji" Statue in honor of Subhas Chandra Bose, a patriot who advocated for India's independence from Great Britain.

 

 

The airport in Kolkata is also named after him. But we have a lot more to see and do on this trip before we go back to the airport.

Edited March 11, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Kolkata by bus

 

We continued on in the bus. We drove by two Government buildings, Raj Bhavan (the Governer's House),

 

 

and Bidhan Sabha Bhaban (the State Legislature of West Bengal).

 

 

The Calcutta High Court (still spelled that way),

 

 

with a nice flower garden in front.

 

 

The streets are wider and "nicer" here but people still do some of the same things. Guess they didn't want to walk to the river to do laundry.

 

 

I liked this building though it's nothing official, just an accounting firm.

 

 

I was getting a little disappointed that we just drove by these beautiful buildings without ever stopping. The area looked like it would be pleasant to explore on foot. We will stop at St. John's Church soon, though.

[RachelG]

Just now found this report, and I am loving it.

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. St. John's Church, Kolkata

 

We were able to park the buses behind the church, and get out to have a look around. A bit too close for a proper perspective. But, nice to be off the bus!

 

 

Inside, the usual stuff. A pipe organ. Standard design. Tall sanctuary, rather austerely decorated.

 

 

Painting of The Last Supper dated 1787. Restored, 2010.

 

 

Outside, there were several memorials, such as this one to the Second Rohilla War. We knew nothing about this, but learned that the Rohilla were a group who were driven from Northern India in the late 1700s

 

 

And a memorial to the lives lost in the Black Hole of Calcutta. That, I remember from history class.

 

 

A tomb of nobody that we've ever heard of, Francis (Begum) Johnson. At the time of her death in 1812, at age 87, she had been known as the oldest British resident in Calcutta. As stated here, she was married four times, and was universally beloved, respected, and revered. Impressive epitaph!

 

 

Back on the bus for a ride to the Victoria Memorial. Its getting sunny and warm. Rather pleasant, actually, for February.

Edited March 12, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

 

We arrived at the Victoria Memorial around 11:00. In the distance, it looks pretty, but there is a little haze in the air.

 

 

The guard lion stands watch over the crowds.

 

 

Closer up, a view of the Queen herself.

 

 

The gardens surrounding the Memorial are well-kept and quite pretty.

 

 

We joined the throngs on the steps to enter the Memorial. It's pretty crowded here.

 

 

One last look from the steps before we go in.

 

 

Inside, there is a central rotunda, with a few side rooms that hold different exhibits. One was on the construction of the Memorial, and there was another detailed exhibit about the history of Calcutta/Kolkata. That was far too much detail for us to read in the 30 minutes of allotted time. There was also a small exhibit of art and literature, and an armory.

 

There was a balcony inside the rotunda, up a few flights of stairs. We headed up there instead, and spent some time watching the crowds. Less hectic. There were murals up at this top level of the rotunda, about the Queen's life, but they were hard to see from the balcony where we were.

 

BTW, no pictures inside the memorial. That makes for a short section of this review.

Edited March 13, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

 

So after too little time inside the Memorial, we headed out the exit, in the back, opposite where we entered. A little quieter on this side.

 

 

We were able to get the whole Memorial in one camera frame, with a little work. I should Photoshop the piles of rusty scaffolding pipe out of this picture, but then it would be a little less real.

 

 

Another side view as we walked back to the meeting point.

 

 

These structures looked like tree stumps, but they held electrical boxes (I think) for the screen behind them.

 

 

As we headed out towards the exit, we saw a guy painting the fence. No brush necessary. I'm glad that I don't have to do his laundry.

 

 

The rubbish bins were cute. Too bad they were underutilized.

 

 

Back on the bus for the ride back to the boat. While we were away, the boat had moved upriver to a new location.

 

Apparently the two bridges immediately upriver from our location this morning are impassable at high tide, so the boat had to move before the tide came in and the opportunity was lost.

 

Even though Kolkata is about 100km from the ocean, the river here is still tidal, and flows in both directions. Living along the Hudson River as we do, we're familiar with this phenomenon. As long as there is wine and food aboard, we're OK with that!

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Kolkata by bus

 

We boarded the buses a little before noon for the trip back. It seemed like it would be quick, since we made it back to the Howrah Bridge within 10 minutes.

 

 

From here, we turned north on a street paralleling the river, Grand Trunk Rd. The road itself was OK, but intermittently quite crowded. Some of the side streets, though...

 

 

Good thing we're not trying to squeeze through here.

 

 

The girls are absorbed by whatever is on their cell phones. The guy on the motorcycle seems puzzled by us.

 

 

A little market on the corner.

 

 

Finally, we passed the second bridge, and a small inlet of the river.

 

 

I had located a ferry boat dock on my map, about a mile north of the second bridge. Sure enough, we stopped here and walked down to the river. The ride had taken almost an hour.

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. Kolkata

 

Here is the docking location, called Uttarpara.

 

 

The Ganges Voyager II was sitting pretty, out in the river. It was almost 1:00, and lunch was calling to us.

 

 

Nice setting.

 

 

We hopped aboard our sampan (tender boat) for the ride out to the Ganges Voyager. Safety first...however, if I fell into that river I think drowning might be the better option...

 

 

We did our usual boarding routine, which would become second nature before long. Remove life jackets, and leave them on the sampan. As we stepped aboard GV II, we removed our shoes and left them in a rack with little cubbyholes, one per cabin. We put on the slippers that we'd left there that morning.

 

Suitably shod now, we moved to the hand sanitizer guy who made sure we used that before proceeding. Then the cool towel guy, so we could wipe the hand sanitizer smell off. Finally, the cold drink guy.

 

Lastly, you would head towards your room and find a butler waiting in the hallway, with a tray full of room keys. Drop off the boarding cards, which you picked up when you left, and pick up your room key.

 

We headed for lunch shortly after boarding. We got a window seat, with a view of the dock where we'd just arrived. The last bus was arriving. We'll try to save some lunch for them.

 

 

This afternoon, no plans other than scenic cruising, and serious relaxing. We'll arrive in Kalna, tomorrow's stop, around dinner time. We park there for the night.

[jpalbny]

Sunday, February 12th. North along the Hooghly

 

A very relaxing afternoon. We sat out on the observation deck and watched life go by along the river's edge.

 

The river was smooth, but we weren't the only vessel out. Lots of small fishing boats.

 

 

Some of the buildings along the bank were built up above the water line.

 

 

Another village. There were not many uninhabited stretches of river bank.

 

 

Every once in a while we got up and wandered from side to side. This Hindu Temple looked striking.

 

 

When we looked over the stern, we saw that our sampan was coming along for the ride.

 

 

Most of the villages had steps leading down to the water, for everyone to swim, bathe, do laundry, etc.

 

 

Very relaxing. Watch scenery, drink sparkling water or wine, repeat. Though we don't usually sit still much on vacation, it was nice to relax after the first week of running around. Maybe we could get used to this!

Edited March 15, 2017 by jpalbny