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

[jpalbny]

Did your fellow passengers say why they were not enjoying the cruise? Did they get gastric illness or what?

 

Pretty much everyone had a stomach issue at some point. I don't see how it can be avoided on this trip. It wasn't that, though I'm sure it doesn't help.

 

I think it was more of a question of expectations vs reality. This is part of the reason I'm doing this detailed review. This trip is not all relaxing. The bus rides are long, and the pace is fast during the first week. It's tiring! You don't have time to enjoy the beautiful hotels. You're always off to try to cram in as much sightseeing as you can.

 

On the boat, your tours ashore are pretty short and can feel rushed. There's almost no opportunity to head out independently. The cruising segments are long, and you can't save time by cruising at night. It was fun for us, but it's a terribly expensive trip to figure this out after you've spent all that money. It's not how we usually vacation either, but for a totally unknown place like India, it worked well.

 

We shared several meals with this particular couple. They never acted miserable, and they were very pleasant company. They were just honest that this trip wasn't what they were expecting, and that some of the above aspects disappointed them. I'm not sure how the trip could be set up differently other than to spend more time in each stop. But then it would either be a longer trip, or you'd see fewer places.

 

India is huge. We only saw a tiny part, despite it feeling like a whirlwind.

 

We were stunned to learn that most of that complex is being funded by the Ford Family, or at least Alfred Ford. Did you go to a service in there? It was simply amazing, wasn't it? Our guide had a doctorate in religion, and he knew all the words to the Hare Krishna song. I thought it was the same two words over and over, but turns out it's Krishna's 108 names.

 

Yes, we also learned that one of Henry Ford's grandsons is a major funder of this project. It is unexpected! We visited the temple as above but didn't see a service per se.

 

I hope you're all better! Thanks for stopping by.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Edited April 18, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Thursday, February 16th. ISKCON Temple Complex, Mayapur

 

So, a brief stroll around the complex. Lots of outbuildings. Some were stores, where you could buy necessities like food and toiletries. There were dormitories, cafeteria halls, souvenir shops, places to buy religious necessities, etc. They seemed to be well set-up to handle crowds.

 

It's a pleasant place, with lots of nice decorations.

 

 

Happy people. Even the paintings look happy!

 

 

The Puspasamadhi Temple, dedicated to the founder of ISKCON. It's confusing keeping track of everyone, because the central figures have many names.

 

 

His car, parked by the temple.

 

 

Not sure where this gate leads to. But you have to take your shoes off to enter, it seems.

 

 

One last look at the mantra, as we left.

 

 

We walked slowly back to the dock, to catch the sampan back to the boat. Only 5:20, and it's getting dark.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, February 16th. Leaving Mayapur

 

Back to the boat dock to get ready for dinner. We paused on the bridge, to admire the view of our beautiful ship floating in the river, illuminated by the evening light. People were launching lighted candles into the river.

 

 

Some from our group asked to go down to the river to touch the water. I wanted to keep my fingers intact, so none of that for me! This guy (not one of our group) is way braver than I am.

 

 

After a quick ride back to the boat, we got ready for cocktail hour. Tonight we were supposed to wear our Indian dress. I hadn't bought any, so I wore one of Chris' necklaces from Jaipur because it matched my shirt. Chris wore her scarf from the hotel in Jaipur. Instead of that picture (which doesn't exist), here's a map of our docking point:

 

 

Tonight was the farewell dinner. Some people are leaving very early on Saturday, before 5:00 AM, so tomorrow night will be an even earlier night than usual. I guess they figure some of those people will skip dinner? Tonight's menu.

 

 

I started with the lamb meat balls.

 

 

Chris had the shrimp.

 

 

My apologies for the lighting. It was very dim in the dining room tonight. Though the Galaxy phone does pretty well in low light, this was really testing its ability.

 

Before dinner, we had started cruising south to reach our mooring point for the night. Maybe we were cruising in stealth mode?

[jpalbny]

Thursday, February 16th. Dinner on the River

 

The appetizers were followed by Cream of Broccoli soup.

 

 

I had the South Indian Chicken Curry for my main course.

 

 

Chris went with the salmon.

 

 

Dessert was "Baked Alaska," which they carried around the dining room before serving. Not too much flame was visible, though.

 

 

And a nice crème brulée.

 

 

After dinner we went to the suite for a bit, before the evening "surprise" that was scheduled for 9:00. We found another surprise in our room - they had given us little statues of two Hindu gods. A nice memento of our visit.

 

 

Back out to the deck, for the "surprise" at 9:00 tonight. We had our cameras. What did they have in store?

[jpalbny]

Thursday, February 16th. A surprise at night

 

We were tied up along a deserted section of river bank, to the north of Kalna. We'd visited there on Monday to see the temples. It was quite dark, and the outdoor lights of the boat were off as well.

 

 

We saw movement ashore, then lights. As our eyes adjusted, we saw that it was our crew, setting off miniature hot-air balloons along the river bank!

 

 

A few more shots of their work. It took a lot of effort to launch each one.

 

 

 

It was the only light visible all around.

 

 

The lights were reflected in the river.

 

 

But was there something going on at the other side of the boat too?

[jpalbny]

Thursday, February 16th. Diwali on the Hooghly

 

On the river side of the boat, we saw that our sampan had cruised upstream from us. They let out a stream of floating candles that slowly drifted by us.

 

 

Then the ground crew started with fireworks.

 

 

Always a challenge to get a good shot. Many did not make the cut!

 

 

 

 

And the show concluded with sparklers from the shore crew.

 

 

A very nice show! We were told that it was a small version of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. It was a nice way to end the evening.

 

Tomorrow is our last full day of cruising and touring. On Saturday, we start the long journey home.

[SuiteTraveler]

How amazing! I love the surprise gifts and the surprise light show!

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Hooghly on the Hooghly

 

Today, we were cruising back to Kolkata to dock overnight before disembarking tomorrow. We were up at our usual early time and headed to breakfast just after it opened. They had the smiley potatoes again, which made me smile too, even though we only had one more day on board.

 

 

I also tried this Indian chickpea dish in a nice spicy sauce, with fried flatbreads. Yum!

 

 

Today I decided to take a picture of the breakfast buffet. There were breads on the far left out of the picture. Spreads, veggies and meats, then cheeses are in the picture. At the far right there were berries. On the other side there were cereals and other choices. There is also a hot food station where they cook eggs to order, and serve bacon, sausage, spiced chickpeas, etc. I'll post a picture of that at lunch.

 

 

After some scenic cruising this morning, we arrived at a little town called Hooghly (like the river). We motored ashore on the sampan. Not a lot to look at, from first glance.

 

 

The river has a lot more stuff floating in it at this point. Not garbage, but it appeared to be pieces of tree branches.

 

 

The flowers on the river bank were very pretty, though.

 

 

Off to visit the Hooghly Imambara and its mosque.

Edited April 21, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Hooghly Imambara

 

We got off the sampan, walked up the stairs, and through a nice arcade.

 

 

This led into the courtyard of the Imambara. The building in its current form was built in the mid-1800s. It replaced a building that was a century older. Unfortunately, it's not in the best condition, as it's not well maintained.

 

 

Some ladies in their colorful dresses were waiting here. They were smart, utilizing the shade!

 

 

In the arcades of the courtyard, there was a nice collection of miniature mosque-like structures. These were used in religious ceremonies. Here is a sample of the collection.

 

 

 

 

We exited the courtyard on the opposite side, to see the exterior of the building, while the other tour groups went into the mosque. Smart to avoid the crowds!

Edited April 21, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Hooghly Imambara

 

The exterior of the Imambara, which faces inland.

 

 

And the famous clock tower.

 

 

Another view.

 

 

Some local street scenery. Here, Chris figured out that her camera settings are funny, and I fixed it for her. But we thought this shot was cool despite the digital gimmickery.

 

 

We headed back into the courtyard to enter the mosque, as the other groups made their way out. Some exterior shots first - some of the tile work was still in good shape.

 

 

But in other places, the windows were missing most of their glass panes. A shame about the somewhat dilapidated state. This looked like it was a pretty building at one time.

 

 

Off with the shoes, and on with the foot covers. Note, there are a lot of pigeons here. So you definitely don't want to walk around in your bare feet, or even in your socks. You never know what might stick to your socks!

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Hooghly Imambara and Departure

 

We walked into the mosque, careful to avoid the largest piles of bird droppings. The interior was dim, but after a while, you could see the calligraphy and the colored Venetian glass.

 

 

A set of stairs, leading nowhere.

 

 

Back outside, there was a sundial that wasn't too inaccurate. It was a few minutes before noon. I put my phone there to calibrate it.

 

 

These two kids were more interested in their pickup game than in talking to us.

 

 

They had only brought one bat, though. I didn't see much sharing.

 

 

Back into the sampan for the trip back to Ganges Voyager II. The last few times, we've sat up on the top deck. More fun that way, and some extra sun. Since we'll be returning to the frigid north soon, we need to store up all the sun we can get.

 

 

Soon it will be time for lunch, while we cruise to this afternoon's destination!

Edited April 21, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Leaving Hooghly

 

A few more pictures from Hooghly, while we were taking the sampan back to the boat. Here is the Jubli (Jubilee) bridge, a railroad crossing. If you look closely, there are actually two bridges here.

 

 

The one in the foreground (flat, with three small arcs) was completed in 1885, which was Queen Victoria's jubilee year. Thus the name. It was the first permanent crossing over the Hooghly.

 

It was decommissioned in 2016, and replaced by the newer bridge in the background, with the taller central arc. It's called Sampreeti Bridge, but everyone calls it the New Jubilee Bridge.

 

A few fishermen, making their way through the debris in the river.

 

 

And a map of where we were today.

 

 

OK, now it's really time for lunch!

[amd1234]

jP... loved the pictures ... very interesting but something I would never experience. love your sense of adventure. We are cruising the Rhine and Moselle in August on Uniworld River Queen. We are not adventurous and now we are seniors India is fascinating but not a trip on our bucket list.. Glad you had a great trip...:)

[jpalbny]

jP... loved the pictures ... very interesting but something I would never experience. love your sense of adventure. We are cruising the Rhine and Moselle in August on Uniworld River Queen. We are not adventurous and now we are seniors India is fascinating but not a trip on our bucket list.. Glad you had a great trip...:)

 

It was really a great trip! Thanks for following along. I appreciate your comments.

 

Just so you know, there is no reason to avoid India just because you might consider yourselves seniors. It is a long trip, and certainly not one to do if the country holds little interest for you. But if you really want to see some highlights of India, Uniworld takes great care of you. There were people on our cruise with limited mobility, and they were well accommodated. Don't be worried - if you really want to do this trip, they can make it happen for you.

 

But enjoy the Moselle. It is beautiful. We saw the River Queen in Bernkastel about a year and a half ago, while we were driving through Germany in my new Audi. She had just sailed from Trier that morning. You will have a great time, I think.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Lunch Buffet

 

The Dining Room on Ganges Voyager II has room for about 60 passengers at once, IIRC. There are mostly tables for 4, but there are one or two round tables that hold 6, and a couple of tables for 2. Most of the 4-tops are arranged in pairs, so that you can pull them together to seat 8 with minimal trouble.

 

The dining room is split down the middle by a buffet counter, and there is a station for hot food at the far end opposite the entrance. The tables flank the buffet counter on either side.

 

Today I was thorough, and I took a lot of pictures of the lunch buffet. I'll start with the salad bar. Lettuces and varied other vegetables. Three or four dressing choices. They varied from day to day with frequent repeating.

 

 

Then there were prepared salads. Usually very interesting and worth a try. These varied almost every day.

 

 

Fresh bread, and butter. The conical rolled-up stuff on the left was delicious! I think it was made from lentil flour, or chickpea flour. They were crispy and addictive - I had to take one almost every time I passed by. There is also a pot of soup on the end of the counter, behind the breads.

 

 

On the other side, vegetables and cold meats to go with the bread. Most of these choices were similar each day. Today they also had bruschetta.

 

 

Then we had some hot selections. These changed daily. There were a few repeats over the week but not too many. Today we have mutton curry (goat, not sheep) and fried fish. There would be two more selections on the other side, at least one vegeterian. I didn't take pictures of those...

 

 

Our chef, Zaved Islam. He was just super. Very personable, and always visible at every meal. Today, he's manning the cook to order station. I rarely needed to go there because everything else was so good!

 

 

It would be hard to say enough good things about our chef. He asked for favorite recipes from passengers, and made a few of them during the trip. He always wanted to know how he could make things better.

 

His menus were a great mix of Indian food, and Western food for those who needed a break. He made the Indian food less spicy so that it would be approachable, but would always make it hotter upon request if you asked.

 

Dining is a great part of whether you enjoy a trip or not, and Zaved really made it happen. We really enjoyed dining on the ship.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Lunch and Chandannagar

 

A few more important things offered on the lunch buffet. Lots of hot sauces and other accompaniments. I actually used very little of these, preferring the "homemade" hot sauces that the chef served beside the hot dishes.

 

 

And an overview of the wine selections. Their inventory of Sula Sauvignon Blanc took a major hit during our week on board. They also had a nice Chenin Blanc that we went to when we wanted something heavier. We didn't try much of the red. The food and the weather definitely favored white wine.

 

 

Cheese and fruit if you want something before dessert

 

 

And the real desserts! Always worth a try. Lots of nice treats to be found and savored.

 

 

While we'd been enjoying lunch, the Ganges Voyager II had been moving back downriver. We could see Chandannagar Strand, in the town we were visiting this afternoon.

 

 

And on the opposite bank of the river, another ferry dock (Jagaddal Ghat).

 

 

Luckily, we have a little more time to relax before we go ashore, in the late group, at 2:45. We tracked down the Hotel Manager to ask if he'd heard anything about whether we could use our OBC towards the earlier shore excursions. Not yet, but given the time difference between India and Uniworld's HQ in California, he expected to hear something later today.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

Like many words spelled with a non-English alphabet, there are different English spellings for the name of this town. Uniworld went with Chandenagor. Google uses Chandannagar. In any event, it's a former French Colonial settlement, located here. We anchored in the river, by the last e in "Chandernagore" and we came ashore at Rani Ghat.

 

 

We had a view of our landing dock from the boat.

 

 

All aboard for the short sampan ride to the dock.

 

 

A little shrine near the ferry dock. The animal on the left reminds me of something you'd see in Egyptian furniture.

 

 

The riverside promenade was busy. Lots of kids running around. It was just before 3PM and I think the schools had just let out. The girls were calm and quiet.

 

 

The boys, though...

 

 

We had remembered to bring our pillow chocolates this time. I gave them away with no problem. The kids were very happy and grateful.

[TravelerThom]

JP

 

WOW! Your review has been fantastic!!!

 

Unfortunately Lyn has now decided that after having passed on a free ( to her) airfare to India in 1991 that she now wants to go.

 

Her stomach is less than third world worthty, so I hope you are available for comment

 

THANKS for the adventure!!

Thom

[SuiteTraveler]

I'm pretty sure those crispy cone shaped cracker things you liked on the ship were papadum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadum

Typically they are either cone shaped (so you can put stuff in them) or flat rounds and you put stuff on them. I love them, too, especially with Mint chutney or Tamarind chutney. You can probably buy them at your local india grocery store with some chutney. They have to be cooked by roasting, toasting or microwave. I've found I can crisp them in the microwave very effectively with no negative effect on flavor or texture - just watch closely as they cook super fast.

 

I'm just loving your review of this cruise. It really is such an incredible experience!

[jpalbny]

JP

 

WOW! Your review has been fantastic!!!

 

Unfortunately Lyn has now decided that after having passed on a free ( to her) airfare to India in 1991 that she now wants to go.

 

Her stomach is less than third world worthty, so I hope you are available for comment

 

THANKS for the adventure!!

Thom

 

Thank you, Thom. This adventure is nothing like your past travels, but I'm glad you're enjoying. Re: the stomach issues...I got sick once and it made for a miserable few hours, but meds work. Bring some. We gave away a few courses of Cipro to those who didn't think to bring something. Chris, however, ate everything I did and never got sick at all.

 

So, go and enjoy the trip, but be prepared. My opinion is that it's impossible to go to a third world country and completely eliminate all risk of GI sickness, so better to be prepared.

 

I'm pretty sure those crispy cone shaped cracker things you liked on the ship were papadum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadum

Typically they are either cone shaped (so you can put stuff in them) or flat rounds and you put stuff on them. I love them, too, especially with Mint chutney or Tamarind chutney. You can probably buy them at your local india grocery store with some chutney. They have to be cooked by roasting, toasting or microwave. I've found I can crisp them in the microwave very effectively with no negative effect on flavor or texture - just watch closely as they cook super fast.

 

I'm just loving your review of this cruise. It really is such an incredible experience!

 

Thanks for the comments, SuiteTraveler. And the name of the papadum. I will have to remember that. They are addictive!

 

We were pretty much neophytes when it came to Indian food, prior to this trip. After a few buffet lunches at the Oberoi hotels, we'd eaten more Indian food in a week, than we had in our whole lives prior to this trip. I can't think of a better way to introduce oneself to this cuisine, though I really can't remember the names of most of the dishes that we ate.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

We approached the other ferry dock (Jora Ghat), with its beautiful gate. This is the one we could see from our boat. But we landed upriver from here.

 

 

Loved the elephants sticking out from the sides! They reminded me of the gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals.

 

 

A few other statues around town. I didn't find out what any of them represented. There is also a statue of Gandhi here but I didn't take a picture.

 

 

 

 

And then, we came across these two. The one on the left is a good representation of how I feel, after two weeks on this trip, where I've been eating everything in sight!

 

 

We continued up the street towards the Catholic church.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

Now for the fun part of today's visit. These school children were adorable. They spoke English very well, and they were thrilled to see us and talk to us.

 

 

They followed us as we slowly made our way to the church. They also asked us to sign autographs for them. Chris balances her camera and phone in one hand and obliges them.

 

 

And they were happy to have their pictures taken. They enjoyed it even more when I showed them the pictures on my camera screen.

 

 

Really fun to interact with them. A highlight of today's visit.

 

 

A few grottos in the churchyard that were picturesque.

 

 

And a very French-looking statue.

 

 

On to the church itself.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

The Sacred Heart Church of Chandannagar was completed in the late 1800s.

 

 

Inside, some stained glass windows seem familiar.

 

 

And more cute autograph hunters.

 

 

Who's next?

 

 

We left the church and headed back to the Strand. Next, we visited the Dupleix Palace, the former home of the French Governor. This is now a museum of Indo-French culture, filled with historical exhibits about the city.

 

 

No pictures allowed inside the museum. After leaving, we now knew that even though most of India was British, the French had maintained a small presence here in West Bengal since the late 1600s.

 

 

After India became independent from Britain in 1947, Chandannagar remained French. The citizens voted to be united with India in 1948. That transition to Indian rule began in 1950 and was finalized in 1952. The town of Chandannagar has an atmosphere that is very different from the other places we've visited.

Edited April 23, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

We finished up with the museum and headed back along the Strand. Ganges Voyage II was waiting for us.

 

 

A cow, relaxing on the Strand, without a care in the world.

 

 

Some street food. It had been a few hours since lunch, but no need to tempt fate this late in the trip.

 

 

Beautiful spring blooms. Lovely weather for February! I wonder if the snow has melted yet back in Albany?

 

 

The wide promenade was full of activity this afternoon. Lots of people looking at those strange-looking tourists!

 

 

Maybe a visit to this gym is what I need? I haven't been to the fitness center on board our ship yet. Didn't expect to see the Terminator here in Chandannagar!

 

 

Almost back to our sampan.

[jpalbny]

Friday, February 17th. Chandannagar

 

I love the freshly-roasted corn. This looked really good.

 

 

Another young one, happy to see us.

 

 

Back at the ferry dock, one must be careful not to get on the wrong boat. We want the Ganges Voyager II, not the opposite river bank.

 

 

Pulling away from Chandannagar. It was an enjoyable visit.

 

 

Back on board, we relaxed out on the back deck as the last rays of sunshine faded away. The boat began cruising the last stretch into Kolkata. Before dinner we decided to use some of our OBC for a bottle of Moet. It will use more than half; the bottle is only $129, but there is about 40% tax added to the price.

 

Waiting to see if we can use the rest for optional tours from the land portion. We'll hopefully have an answer tomorrow, otherwise, we'll use the rest on something else from the wine list. We don't disembark until 4:30.

 

When we went down to change for dinner, we saw that our room stewards had been creative with the towels. A nice touch.

 

 

 

Off to our last dinner on board! I can't believe that the trip is almost over.