The Herald - The Herald Magazine
India and Sri Lanka Enjoy an authentic taste of everyday life – on a cruise
IN a history lesson at school I learned of the exploits of Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea; at the time, I dreamed of visiting this fascinating country.
This dream became a reality when I read the innovative itinerary to “Authentic India” with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. I was further excited that it included a stay in Sri Lanka, where I spent time many years ago.
I pursued this by contacting the shore excursion staff, whose knowledge helped enormously to select tours. I booked immediately.
We boarded the good ship Boudicca in Mumbai to a very warm welcome from the crew.
Our first ship’s excursion sounded intriguing, entitled “Delivery with the Dabbawalla”. A dabbawalla is a lunchbox delivery man taking freshly cooked individual meals to office workers throughout the city – unique to Mumbai. In her introduction, our guide Lakshmi told us there were eight religions in Mumbai but everyone embraced the ninth – cricket!
The tour began with a drive taking in the highlights, including colonial, Indian and art deco buildings, stopping at Dhobi Ghat, the open-air laundry, the largest in India, which has more than 750 workers washing by hand.
Then it was time to join the dabbawalla, and we boarded a train at Mahalakshmi station and met our man in the luggage carriage. The journey to Churchgate Station took 15 minutes, and during it he told us he was one of 5,000 who deliver individually cooked meals in lunchboxes before 12.30pm every working day. In total, there are more than 200,000 daily deliveries.
Alighting from the train, the challenge is to negotiate your way through a maze of traffic, as the only highway code is reserved for the sacred cow!
We accompanied our dabbawalla on his deliveries. I wore a white Gandhi hat and helped to carry his lunchboxes; he then
made me an adopted dabbawalla. He told us that he had delivered only one wrong box to a lady, and she is now his wife.
The day’s excursions continued, as we gazed at the Gateway of India, an imposing monument completed in 1924, commemorating the visit of King George V. Next to it and in contrast is the elegant Taj Mahal Hotel. Our first-day sights of India were mesmerising.
We sailed into Goa to the sights and sounds of traditional musicians and dancers. Our excursion to Old Goa took us through tropical countryside, stopping at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a Unesco World Heritage site, where St Francis Xavier’s relics can be seen. Then we meandered through the quaint Latin Quarter, admiring individually designed Portuguese houses dating back more than 200 years.
Our day ended in the small town of Panjim, where there was an array of silk clothing on sale at bargain prices. My wife indulged and, to my relief, I was left with little damage to my wallet. Throughout the day, you see women adorned in shimmering saris reflecting every colour imaginable – sights to admire.
The following day, we boarded an Indian-style motorboat to begin our next adventure: crocodile and bird watching. Entering the Cumbarjua Canal, our vessel hugged the banks, getting up close and personal within a few feet of crocodiles of all sizes. With the exotic birdsong, this was nature at its best.
Then followed a drive into the hills to a spice plantation, during which we weaved our way through an abundance of trees and colourful bushes which gave off sweetsmelling aromas and we learned about the spices used for cooking and medication. At the end of the tour, it is traditional to have water and lavender oil poured on the back of your neck, which was very refreshing.
Lunch was a sumptuous buffet served on banana leaf, with local beer – another highlight in an exhilarating day.
Dusk saw me in the deck Jacuzzi watching an amber sunset, then followed