Waitangi Day - Indian Style!

12 February

We have survived India and that was no meant feat! Thailand finished off without any problems but our location at Laem Chabang, 2 hours south of Bangkok was a real pain. The day trip to Coral Island was nice but there were 2 on the trip who were particularly high maintenance and had questions every 5 minutes so not much peace had at the beach!

Chennai was as filthy and poor as I remember and since we were only there for one week it was a very intense time. With temps in the 30s, it felt like we were walking around in a furnace. We had a bit of a hike to get out of the port and then were bombarded by rickshaw drivers willing to take us wherever we went as long as we stopped at their friend’s shop along the way. Stacey and I told our driver we didn’t want to stop at any shop but still found ourselves parked outside a furniture shop trying to be coaxed but they couldn’t get us in the door. The pollution on the streets was disgusting and you could feel your lungs being attacked with each breath as the rickshaw driver managed to squeeze through yet another impossible looking gap leaving only a hair follicle distance between. Our arrival in to port was delayed for a few hours and then the Indian Immigration department sent 20 people along to process the ship which was quite ridiculous and took longer than normal with more people! Talk about a sense of self importance! The Indian tourist board put on an official welcome with all of us being greeted with a necklace of flowers and a red or ochre bindi that soon slid off your forehead with the intense heat as we politely stood without shade while the band played on! A very nice gesture but it was soooo hot! The next day, Amy, Stacy and myself set off for a wee overnight adventure for Waitangi Day south to the beach village of Mamallapurum. It is only 65km from Chennai but took over 2 hours by public bus. The buses were a little different to InterCity and only cost 50cents for the ride!! Very open air, mainly due to the buses having no windows or doors. We managed to make our way to the bus station and found the right bus. Stacy and Amy were brave enough to use the public toilets and had to wash their feet off as they exited!! There was a sign at the railway station asking people not to urinate in public. It made me laugh as it was in English and I didn’t see too many foreigners taking a whizz where they stood! You just don’t get used to seeing men urinate and defecate wherever they see fit. It is now wonder the streets are so disgusting as of course you have the cows with sacred status so they stroll around all over the show leaving their calling card as they have the urge. We bounced our way south and were so happy to get out of the chaos. The village was small and actually felt like we were a million miles from the city which was a welcome relief. We checked in to a small hotel and they said they could do a triple room and their version of putting in an extra bed was to put a mattress on the floor! The most important job to do first was to make up the kiwi dip and place in refrigerator. There were a couple of bottles of Kingfisher just waiting to accompany the occasion – of course it was Feb 6, Waitangi Day. We went out of the hotel and straight in to a tailors and had some clothes made up. I opted for a traditional Indian sort of over dress in a dark cream silk and got a couple of pairs of trousers and scarves to go with it. You could hardly tell me apart from the locals, quite frankly! After a wander passed the shops and numerous offers from beggars for us to relieve ourselves of some change we came across the beach and there was a restaurant (basic) on the beach and a table with our name on it. The beach had been hit by the tsunami and there were before and after photos and the village has done an incredible job of getting back on its feet. The ice cold Kingfishers came out and we toasted all Kiwis near and far! As we sat enjoying the serenity, children with arms awash with tacky necklaces again invited us to part with our money along with the filthy tramp with a baby monkey swinging off his head as part of the show. Then there were the hawkers who had ‘throws for the couch” in various hideous patterns that I really couldn’t see adorning any piece of furniture that I don’t own despite their constant attempts. As a gesture of good will, one of them grabbed my hand painted a henna design on it in the vain hope I would feel sorry for him and visit his stall – no dice, I left the beach by another exit. We had to chuckle as the sun was setting and the locals were taking their cows for a run down the beach for their evening constitutional. Our view extended along to the Shore Temple which dates back to the 8^th century and was built from one piece of stone and survived the tsunami – there were decent builders about in those days. At the entrance to the grounds the entry signed had a list of do’s and don’t’s and one of them was not to do any shooting in the grounds which was of some comfort and I am pleased to say everyone complied! Once we got back to the hotel we cracked open the kiwi dip and beers and felt quite at home! We got the bus back up the next evening and we got dropped off at a station as the bus conductor told us we could get a bus directly to the ship from there as the bus terminus was quite some way. We had no idea where we were in the city which was quite funny and after much tooing and froing we found the right bus and clambered on stepping over the leper beggar again offering us an opportunity to make a donation. The sad thing about India is that poverty is so rife, it feels like every other person has their hand out and you simply cannot give to all and as soon as one sees you make an attempt to help out you get swarmed. The saddest thing is the children whose job it is to contribute to the family income by having their life on the street and performing on cue like circus clowns as soon as a tourist is in sight. On the 8^th we caught a flight to Delhi with the tour group and with a delayed flight we finally arrived at the hotel at 11pm. It was so nice to see workers dedication at the construction site next door as they worked all through the night – NOT!! The hotel was 4 star and I was spoilt with a suite but given the short amount of time we were there it was a bit of a waste. An early start the next morning and off to Old Delhi which is a stark contrast to New Delhi which has relatively clean and quiet streets. We visited an old mosque and the Mahatma Ghandi memorial which was playing host to hundreds of school children and we all felt like movie stars as the children all screamed out hello and wanted to shake our hands. They were so cute. I don’t know how the celebs do it all of the time quite frankly!! Our coach ride to Agra was a looooong 5.5 hours and it is only 200km away. Traffic was a nightmare as we dodged cows and overtook camels towing massive loads of wheat. Our hotel at Agra was another palace and another suite with a 4 poster bed – loving it sick quite frankly! The furniture was all antique and just stunning. We were going to the Taj Mahal for sunrise so again I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would have liked as the bed was soooooo comfy and big fluffy pillows that enveloped you in to a restful sleep. That wake up call was not welcome at 5:45am. I had had a lovely wake up call the morning before as Jac managed to get through after 5 attempts and it was great to have a catch up and news from home. The Taj is just as magical and beautiful as I remembered and I hope that one day my future husband has the decency to put up an equally magnificent structure in memory of his devotion to me – okay back to the real world. The hawkers outside the Taj nearly had me committing assault as they were so persistent it was like running the gauntlet trying to get back in the coach as plastic Taj models and snow globes were flung in your face. Next stop was Red Fort with fabulous views back over to the Taj. After lunch we headed back on the long haul to Delhi. There were woman mixing the concoctions of cow pats for burning, by hand and drying them in the sun – I do hope they have a good moisturizer! We really need to be a little more grateful for our charmed way of life and whilst I am not going to try and take the path of Mother Teresa it does make you think about how lucky we are. I am amazed that a government can sit and watch as people live in makeshift houses made of plastic bags with no sanitation or drainage and women and children try and etch out a living by rummaging through piles of rubbish that have already been picked over by the cows, goats and pigs. As we waited at a train crossing, there were 2 brothers who looked about 7 and 4 but their eyes gave looks of being old beyond their years. As soon as they saw the foreigners in the bus they started their performance with the older boy pushing the younger through a small wire hoop and then flicking his legs in the back of it like a contortionist. Then the younger put on an old dirty woolen hat that had a piece of string attached with a ball of something on the end and proceeded to swing his head to make it go in circles. If there was ever a weak moment for me that was it. Their wee dirty faces that have been exposed to so much just don’t deserve that existence. All I could do was look away in shame of being privileged. By the time the trip was over, everyone was excited and relieved to get back to the safe haven of the ship. I don’t remember being as disturbed by it all when I backpacked around 12 years ago but I figure it was because we were there for a few weeks and almost acclimatized to it all. I am not in a hurry to go back which kind of saddens me. The students were quite affected by it all with quite a few not even wanting to leave the ship after their first outing. I’ve just realized that this is once again turning in to a novel but I really can’t condense all that I have experienced in the last week. The Seychelles are going to feel like the lap of luxury.

We had some delayed Waitangi Day celebrations onboard in the staff lounge last night as we sailed out, the chef had mixed up the reduced cream and onion soup after checking with me 3 times how to make it! He couldn’t get his head around that you didn’t add water to the soup even though the packet said so and that you didn’t have to cook it. I was a tad worried that I was going to end up with a big gluggy mess but he came through in the end! I shared one bag of my precious Twisties (kindly sent from the Borlands along with a toy version of Minnie Eliza and the ODT) and some Minties. There were a few game to try Vegemite and only one spat it out! Had a few Kiwi sounds in the background and a lovely night had by all. Stacy came through with a wonderful surprise with a couple of bottles of Chinese Steinlager she had had in hiding and it was most welcome! Gotta love those Aussies!!

I am considering coming back for the next voyage only providing I can do some consultancy work for TSS in the off season while I am in OZ – negotiations are under way! I have felt so organized on this trip I would like to be able to have the same feeling for the other itinerary and I think I will be ready to hang up my sailing shoes after that! Take good care of yourselves and loved ones. Always thinking of you, love Kim.