16.10.2018
I slept early every night here on board – by 22:00 latest I was out! There is no TV in the room and it is dark outside. The windows were better kept closed after sunset because of the mosquitoes and other flying insects.
Sleeping very well I got up very early in the mornings. By 05:30 I was up – even without the temple bell – made myself a tea – yes, the cabin has a water heater! – opened the windows wide and watched the river go by. I had already moved the little desk in front of the window to have a better view while doing “paper work” or writing things down.
The ship had sailed last night quite a bit, but had anchored at 22:30 or so. I cannot remember, because I slept already by then. But usually they sail no longer than that, because in the dark it is too complicated without radar. So after sunrise around 06:000 or 06:30 they started sailing again.
Breakfast was from 07:30 this morning and I went down at 08:00. We had moved the tables to make a long one to have all 9 guests plus me sitting together. So when I come late I did not have to choose where to sit …
At 09:00 we went with our country boat across to visit the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project. It is the only crocodile project in West Bengal and is located adjacent to the Lothian Island and on the bank of the Saptamukhi Estuary. This hatchery of estuarine crocodile in the project has crocodiles of varying ages. They have so many crocodiles now, that they no longer have to go and collect the eggs of crocodiles in the wild in the Sunderbans, but breed them in the farm now.
Because the Sunderbans are greatly affected by the tides, the Crocodile Project seems to be best reached by boat. But there are different jetties. We wanted to use the one which is closer to the project meaning we had to do a shorter walk. But the tide was low and when the boat staff went to check there was too much mud to walk safely up the steps. Therefore we had to take the longer walk. The boat ride was only a few minutes and then we had to climb some stairs to reach the path.
The path leading to the Crocodile Project was approx 2 km long and led along the top of some kind of dam through the mixed mangrove forest. No tigers in this area of the Sunderbans – they assured us! What a pity! We were still looking out for tigers, though! Instead we found a little land crab ….
The path was leading absolutely straight with only 2 sharp turns and there was not much shade along the way. It was hot and humid again. Babu found some birds and butterflies to show us, but mainly we just walked along enjoying the scenery.
At the Crocodile Project they had several small enclosures with crocodiles in various stages of growth. We basically reached the back entrance and walked past the enclosures first. Each enclosure housed the crocodiles of one year. We saw the oldest ones first, maybe 5 or 6 years old and maybe 1 m to 1.20 m long.
Other enclosures had the younger ones which were much smaller. Apparently they reintroduce the crocodiles to the wild once they are approx. 1.5 m long. The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), also known as the estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile or informally as saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles in the world.
There were 2 huge brackish ponds – behind grand fences – where the adult crocodiles lived. They had 2 big ones in one pond and one in the other. Of course, they were not showing themselves to us, but the guards knew the trick to make them appear. They tied a piece of wood from a palm leaf on a rope and then threw it like bait in the pond. The crocodiles jumped out of the water to grab it. The guard did it like 3 or 4 times, but then the crocodiles had caught on to the scam and thought better than jumping out for nothing.
The crocodile was very fast. The first time we all missed it because it was so fast and we all got startled, because we of course did not know what the guards were doing. They just had said to watch.
By the second pont the guard threw this fake bait and the crocodile did not even appear. Probably it knew the routing already …. But then it jumped out twice for us tourists, before it decided to lounge underwater again. This time we were all prepared with the cameras, but still mostly the splash appeared on the photos.
Because the tide was rising not as fast as our guides had hoped, we had to walk the long way back to the jetty again. If the tide had come up faster we could have used the jetty which was closer, but it was still in the mud. So we trekked back the same path, which was actually a brick laid road. It was very hot already again and we had to remind the guests to drink water along the way. We always get enough bottled water to take along on the excursions.
Back on our ABN Rajmahal we had the rest of the day off. The ship sailed out of the Sunderbans via different rivers and channels. We reached the Hatania-Doyania River and followed it along past Namkhana to the Hooghly River. In the small fishing village of Namkhana we had to anchor for a while and wait. There was a bottleneck by the fishing harbor – many many fishing boats were anchored off in the river, 2 car ferries crossed and a huge bridge was being built. It was slack tide at the moment and the fishing boats at anchor kind of blocked the way. Our ship was just too big.
We had lunch in the meantime and it was noticeable when the tide turned. All ships at anchor moved sort of out of the way automatically. Just when the Captain pulled anchor we finished lunch and took dessert up to the sun deck to watch the spectacular passage.
Our little country boat went ahead of us leading the way and ABN Rajmahal went behind full steam against the tide and sounding the horn very often. It was a highlight to see all the fishing boats in the harbor. The bridge was not finished, still missing the center section.
The ferries – both only passenger and also car ferries – were busy as well, but we passed between them. It was a grand hustle and bustle in that bottleneck of the channel, but quickly we had passed it and reached the huge Hooghly River now sailing north towards Kolkata against the tide.
In the afternoon most guests – and me – took a siesta. Still everybody was a little affected by the jetlag, even though it is only a 3.5 hrs time change from Germany. Almost everybody, however, came up to the sun deck around 15:30 for the good light and sunset, which would be around 17:15.
Not 5 min was I up when the first one already complained, why there are no announcements on the sights along the river. – Sir, there is no PA system on this ship and if you want to know something just come and ask our guides Amit or Babu – who are on the sun deck most of the time! – But I want to know what is that over there, all those brickworks! – Well, those are exactly as you say brick factories! – And in the distance on the other side the refinery? – Is just as you say – a refinery! I could make up a name for it if you want ….
The river is very wide here just before it is reaching the Gulf of Bengal and the banks are in the far distance. Moreover it got quite hazy and smoggy as we got closer to Kolkata which was still a long way off. Sunset was very nice again and dinner anyway. Everybody went to sleep early again.
17.10.2018
The ship had stopped last night late again around 22:30 or such and of course I was already fast asleep by then.
This morning the Captain started sailing after sunrise again and after breakfast we anchored off the jetty for the the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, which is commonly known as the Calcutta Botanical Garden and is situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata.
At 09:00 we took a short ride on our country boat and got off at the jetty. Because it was very hot again today even so early in the morning and the garden is very wide spread, it was decided that we would take an E-Rickshaw to the back entrance of the garden. 3 guests in one rickshaw and off we went. The ride took about 15 min through the narrow streets busy with markets and Durga Puja preparations. The lead rickshaw man was kind of dreaming, though and he passed the garden entrance. Maybe 500 m further on he realized, that not all rickshaws were following him and then Romeet did some angry Indian impression and blahblah. We all turned around and went back to where the rest of the rickshaws were waiting for us by the entrance. Welcome to India!
The gardens were founded in 1786 by Colonel Robert Kyd, an army officer of the British East India Company, primarily for the purpose of identifying new plants of commercial value, such as teak, and growing spices for trade. Joseph Dalton Hooker says of this Botanical Garden that “Amongst its greatest triumphs may be considered the introduction of the tea-plant from China … the establishment of the tea-trade in the Himalaya and Assam is almost entirely the work of the superintendents of the gardens of Calcutta and Seharunpore (Saharanpur).”
Today the gardens exhibit a wide variety of rare plants and a total collection of over 12,000 specimens spread over 109 ha – unfortunately, it is a little neglected or unattended. The best-known landmark of the garden is The Great Banyan, an enormous banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) that is reckoned to be the largest tree in the world at 486 m in circumference. It covers alone 1.6 ha and has been therefore received recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records – according to the sign. Its highest branch rises to 24.5 m and it has approx 3772 aerial roots reaching down to the ground. It is truly massive and is supposed to be 250 years old. It looks like a forest, but in fact it is only one singel tree!
The Great Banyan was relatively close to the back entrance and from there we walked the main path down. There were a lot of butterflies and dragonflies in the garden, ponds with water lilies and birds and squirrel in the trees.
My favorite tree is the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis). It is native to the rainforests of Central and South America and it is cultivated in many other tropical areas throughout the world because of its beautiful, fragrant flowers and large, interesting fruits.
There are medicinal uses for many parts of it and the tree has cultural and religious significance in India, Sri Lanka, and throughout Southeast Asia. In India, the tree is sacred to Hindus, who believe its hooded flowers look like the nāga, and it is grown at Shiva temples.
I just like the beautiful flowers which smell very good. The fruits do look like cannonballs and are quite heavy. We picked one up from the ground. The fruit is edible, but is not usually eaten by people because it can have an unpleasant smell.
When we reached the main entrance we exited the garden and took a short walk in the alleys. We had seen some Durga Pujas along the way and wanted to at least visit one since we are here in festival times.
Durga Puja, also called Durgotsava, is an annual Hindu festival particularly popular in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bangladesh and also in Nepal where it is called Dashain. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, typically September or October of the Gregorian calendar, and is a multi-day festival that features elaborate temple and stage decorations (pandals), scripture recitation, performance arts, revelry, and processions.
Durga Puja Festival marks the battle of goddess Durga with the shape-shifting, deceptive and powerful buffalo demon Mahishasura, and her emerging victorious. Thus, the festival epitomises the victory of good over evil, but it also is in part a harvest festival that marks the goddess as the motherly power behind all of life and creation. Durga Puja is a ten-day festival of which the last five are typically special and an annual holiday in regions such as West Bengal.
The festival begins with Mahalaya, a day where Shakta Hindus remember the loved ones who have died, as well the advent of Durga. The next most significant day of Durga Puja celebrations is the 6th day, called Shashthi where the local community welcome the goddess and festive celebrations are inaugurated. On the 7th day (Saptami), 8th (Ashtami) and 9th (Navami), the goddess along with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya are revered and these days mark the main Puja (worship) with recitation of the scriptures, the legends of Durga in Devi Mahatmya and social visits by families to elaborately decorated and lighted up temples and pandals – theatre like stages which we have seen a lot.
We found a small community puja near the garden entrance and were allowed to visit it. The Durga statue was beautiful. It was the 8th day of the festival. During daytime it was not too busy yet and we could have a good look and take our photos. Some of us got blessed with the red bindi and offered coconut sweets. We were allowed to take photos and greeted friendly. Indians are very friendly people, anyway.
From the puja we walked back to the jetty and encountered many more friendly people. I always tell the guests that we are the exotic ones in India. Now with mobile phones and all, very often people come up to us and ask for a photo of us or with us. They have at least the same fun in photographing us than we have photographing them. Often when we ask if we can take a photo – usually it is enough to give a friendly smile and lift the camera with a questioning tip of the head – they agree and then ask in return for a photo or they just want to see the photo taken of them and are happy.
Back on the ship we had lunch and sailed for some 45 min to the center of Kolkata. There was only time for a short siesta and then at 14:45 our next excursion started. We took the country boat across to Mullick Ghat and the Flower Market. Romeet was a bit worried about too many people in the market because of the festival. He sent almost all of his staff with us, and each guest had like one bodyguard in order to not get lost. For that purpose we also had crafted a flag this morning to be carried by Amit. I had a broken selfie stick and out of a logo backpack one of the boys sewed a flag and fixed it to it. That thing can be seen very well and hopefully nobody ever gets lost in India!
Reaching the Mullick Ghat is always a bit of a shock for the guests since it is quite polluted, many people bathing there despite of it and a lot of seemingly homeless are lounging around. It is right below the Howrah Bridge and gives a good view of the magnificent bridge.
A visit at the century-old flower market is a must when in Kolkata. It makes for great photo opportunities and it is one of the biggest flower markets in Asia. The market is some 130 years in existence and people come from all over the city to sell and buy flowers here. It is situated right under the southeast end of the Howrah Bridge and is easily accessible from the Mullick Ghat because it runs along the riverside. Mainly they sell flowers for temple offerings and prayers here. The market is open 24 hrs and the best time to visit is early in the morning. But we came late in the afternoon and it was not less colourful or busy. Part of the market is made up of seemingly makeshift shacks were workers not only sell flowers but also life. Here the grey foot walk had turned already into a leaf laden green carpet that we had to make our way through. Even though I had prepared the guests and told them, some had not listed – why listen to the tour leader anyway … – and had come in flipflops …..
We pushed through the very narrow and very crowded alleys between the shacks lost in the fragrance of the thousands of flowers, their colors and the bustle of the crowds. There were not only buyers and sellers but many porters as well who carried the bulk purchases on their heads.
I loved the hustle and bustle, the colors and the noise, most of the guests too. But there are always one or two who don’t and keep hurrying the group out. Shame, because there were great photos to be taken.
Coming out of the maze of market shacks we walked up the stairs to the Howrah Bridge. Just below the bridge there is an open air section of the market where they mainly wholesale the marigold chains used for the temples and celebrations. Marigold necklaces are offered in welcome as a mark of respect and honor or hung around the main door of a house. They are also used in weddings as decoration and as necklaces for the bride and groom to wear. So there is a great demand of those marigold chains and as we looked down from the bridge onto the ongoing below it was fascinating to watch.
A pity that not everybody could enjoy this sight … I blame it on the jetlag … because otherwise I cannot explain why people would not even walk 20 m from the point we were meeting to the rail to look down at the market. Why did you come to India, if on the first opportunity to dive into the Indian life – as an onlooker only – you give up already? …. I blame it on the jetlag! …. Did you not do a little preparation and research on the country and your trip to be able to expect the culture shock? …. I have to blame it on the jetlag!
Anyway, we walked across the Howrah Bridge to the Howrah Station.
The Howrah Bridge has a suspended span over the Hooghly River and was commissioned in 1943. In 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate, however, it is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge and a famous symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal. It carries a daily traffic of approx 100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 150,000 pedestrians, easily making it the busiest cantilever bridge in the world. With its 705 m total length it was the third-longest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction and is currently the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world.
At the opposite end of the Howrah Bridge lies the Howrah Junction Railway Station, which is the largest railway complex in India with approx 687 passenger trains passing through the station each day requiring its 23 platforms and serving more than 1 Mio passengers per day. 1373 stations across India are directly connected to Howrah Railway Station.
We reached the station by passing though a pedestrian tunnel under the road and came up in the main hall. Our guides bought us platform tickets so we could walk around in the station complex. Because in India it is common practice that you can only enter a station complex with a valid ticket – a train ticket or a platform ticket. Same as you can only enter an airport building if you produce a valid plane ticket and your passport.
The station was very busy. It is always very busy not only in festival times, but today it seemed extremely busy. Up at the Upper Class Waiting Room on the first floor there is a balcony overlooking the Hooghly River and the Howrah Bridge. The view is nice and it was a bit more quiet – apart from the constant honking from the traffic below.
We took some nice photos and met a group of Indian Boy Scouts who proudly posed for us in their smart uniforms.
Leaving the Howrah Station we walked along the road outside the complex to the Rail Museum. Usually on this cruise we only look through the fence, because it is closed. But today – surprise! – it was open!
This rail museum here is unique because it is only the 2nd Railway museum in the country after National Rail Museum at New Delhi. It is in a nice garden setting and we saw many old and rare steam locomotives, the first electric loco built in the country, various artifacts, models, signals etc.
E-Rickshaws waited for us outside the museum to bring us to the jetty where our country boat would pick us up am Ramkrishnapur Ghat. There was a big Durga Puja set up right by the jetty. It was not yet busy, but it would get there in the evening and night. At the moment the music was already blaring from huge loudspeakers. Nevertheless, we had a quick look at their special Durga statue.
We returned to the ship just in time for sunset. At the jetty there were some kids swimming in the river and jumping off the jetty. Once they realized the tourists were watching they showed off and had a lot of fun.
There was a thick smoggy haze over the city – mind you, not as much as I am used to when coming here in January – and the sun was dipping down in it. But the view of the skyline of Kolkata to the East was great and the Kingfisher was cold.
Before dinner there was a Folklore Show from Kolkata on the sundeck. Unfortunately, we had technical difficulties. They usually bring their music on a CD, but had changed their system and now had it on an iPad. But that did not connect to the speaker system on the sundeck …. The staff tried hard to find a solution and actually managed to play 3 of the 5 titles they wanted to show. There were long technical breaks in between the dances. However, what they showed was wonderful, especially the first dance which was a special for the Durga Puja Festival.
Somewhat delayed we had dinner and then spontaneously decided to take a night walk at the Ramkrishnapur Ghat, because the lighting there was fantastic and the music was loud. Since we were here at festival time we might as well go and have a look.
Durga Puja is the biggest and most widely celebrated festival of West Bengal. You could compare it maybe with Christmas at home – a huge event commercially and for the families. The city is decked out in festive lights, loudspeakers play popular songs as well as recitation of mantras by priests, thousands of beautiful pandals are erected by communities in cities, towns and villages across the state, but particularly in Kolkata. There are organizing committees, which plan and oversee the temporary shrines and stages for the festivities. “Today, Durga Puja has turned into a consumerist social carnival, biggest public spectacle and major art event riding on the wave of commercialization, corporate sponsorship and craze for award-winning.” is what they say.
We went across with our country boat and took a walk through the streets which had colorful pictures of lights displayed. We came past a small Durga shrine which was still quiet other than a priest performing a puja.
Next to the jetty was the big set up which we already saw this afternoon. It seemed to have been sponsored by a local bank. They had a special Durga statue which apparently was already 21 years old – that is what they proudly told us. It was beautifully lit up at night.
There was a stage where somebody was holding speeches. When we had walked by before they already had talked to us and made photos and filmed us, now they invited us to come up on stage. The boss of the sponsoring bank branch wanted to welcome us. We discussed only briefly, decided it would probably be fun and almost everybody of my group came up with me to the stage. We were seated and they held a speech welcoming us and such. All was filmed for local TV, of course. Then somebody of us should make a speech – of course all voted for me! Typical!
I made fun of it and started speaking in German … that did not go down too well. But when I switched to English everybody already started cheering – even though I had not said anything special yet. There were quite a few people already at the venue, although it was early at 21:00 and the festivities were only about to start. Anyway, I did my duty and said thank you for having us and Happy Durga Puja. We were the stars! They would talk about the foreigners on their festivities for the next few days! We are exotic for them! And we had fun as well! And our boat staff was laughing their bums off!
We returned to the ship by 21:30 and all went more or less straight to bed. What a day it was!
