09.03.2020
India’s Golden Triangle is the regular tourist circuit which connects Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and is so called because of the triangular shape formed by the locations of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan on the map. First time visitors to India usually do this tour – most do it in a rushed 5-day quick trip. The tours usually start in Delhi moving south to the Taj Mahal at Agra, then west to the desert landscapes of Rajasthan and Jaipur – or vice versa. As part of our Brahmaputra Cruise we do the Golden Triangle as additional land program – in to parts. When the guests arrive we visit Delhi on the first day before flying to Assam. After the 10-day-cruise we then visit Jaipur and Agra before flying home.
Today, the last day of a wonderful Brahmaputra cruise – the last cruise for a very long time – brought some more sightseeing, but also more disturbing news concerning the current situation. Not having TVs on board and only WIFI in the Salon when there was a network available, made for a very relaxed crowd. I only ever read the news once a day and only the headlines. If anything dramatic would happen, somebody would contact me or the ships’ management. A very good strategy … Life is more relaxed …
For weeks the novel corona virus had not bothered us at all – news of far away cases we only noticed peripherally … While in Delhi in the end of February waiting for my last tour group for the season, of course I often read the newspaper and after a cluster outbreak had happened in Italy in the end of February, India had announced that anybody entering the country would have to proof that they had not been in Italy in the 2 weeks before … I was going to fly home on 15.03. with the group only to return on 01.04. with a friend for a month long vacation in Nepal and India which we had planned for a long time and were looking forward to immensely … It was going to be the 10-year reprise of our awesome Nepal Tour in 2010 …
And I was going to take Mom on a road trip through Tuscany for a week in between … we had been taking road trips North of the Arctic Circle in Norway and on Iceland’s Ring Road in the last years and this spring it was going to be Tuscany … sadly … It was not going to happen … Not only had Mom – being exposed to a constant TV news stream – already second thoughts, but I was also thinking that India might not let me back in for that long planned trip with my friend … I had no choice but to cancel the rental car and hotels – 3 weeks before the trip with a 25% cancellation fee – the tour agency was not happy … There was no travel warning out yet … it was not dramatic yet … but I could always go to Tuscany with Mom any other time … but India putting me in a 2 week mandatory quarantine on arrival for a 4 week vacation was not going to happen with me … I could not cancel the flights to Italy at all, though … I left them … If I did not get any money back, I might as well let them expire … Never know what will happen in the next 3 weeks … I had a notion and nothing to lose … It would have been a great tour through Tuscany, though …
My last group of tourists had landed in Delhi arriving from Germany in the wee hours of the 28.02.. No special checks had been done at all on arrival at Delhi Airport. We did our city tour as usual and flew to Assam on 29.02. – There we encountered some sort of Corona Virus Check at the airport for the first time. But I could not even get what they actually wanted … – You want what from me? – You come from one of those countries? … The person stood next to some huge warning signs and shoved a paper in my face … Germany was one on the list and showed 12 cases … Yes, Germany! – You have to fill in paper? – What paper? Why?- This paper! Because you from Germany! – No, I am in India since 09.01.! – But you German … Yeah, but we all landed in Delhi and nobody checked there … What do you want now? …
Obviousely they had absolutely no idea what they were actually suppose to do … In the end I made so much of a fuss and also my Guide Mohan did some talking and they let the group pass without anything. They even forgot to take the temperature. I just waved my guests through. We were the only foreigners, everybody else just got asked if they had anything and nothing else …
That was the only unusual – apart from the annoying social media memes flooding my facebook feed – until the ship manager showed me a news report on 06.03. that an American tourist had been tested positive for C-19 on arrival in Bhutan. That person had travelled on a Brahmaputra Cruise a week before on the only other ship carrying foreign passengers – different tour company and going in the opposite direction. He had left the ship a few days before in Guwahati and later had flown to Bhutan. Now Bhutan – bordering directly to Assam – had closed borders to all foreign tourists and the authorities in Assam were going bananas …
The mood on the ship was calm. Those information were none published on the German news sites our guests were reading. Even that a group of Italian tourists and their guide and driver had been tested positive in Rajasthan a couple of days before, had not come through to them yet. It had not affected our daily life, anyway. We had been able to postpone temperature checks on board … Do not make the guests nervous! They are all good. There was nothing yet in Germany, nobody had any symptoms of any kind of cold … We are good! There was nothing in Delhi, nothing in Assam! Let’s keep them calm! If we chase them up now it will not change anything and this cruise will go down the drain! As long as the authorities have no official information or order checks, we keep a low profile and observe everything closely!
I had not called my company yet either – I figured they might have more serious problems – anyway, there was nothing they could do at the moment … and if anything, they would call me … no news is most probably good news … The ship manager Kunal kept me dutifully updated every day. His company was keeping a close eye on the situation … The Assam news were going nuts over that person having cruised on a ship on the Brahmaputra and the authorities announced to put that ship in quarantine upon arrival in Neemati Ghat the next day … – Listen, they will put them in quarantine, maybe they will put us in also! – Why should they? Nobody has anything, all have arrived from Germany directly, nobody had been to Italy! We are good! – But nobody knows how the authorities tick! – We will see! You and me, we will have to stay calm now! No crew talks about anything. As long as the guests do not ask and we do not hear anything concrete and official, we play this cruise as usual! – What if they do not let us go ashore in the villages? – We will see that when we get there! And we will cross that bridge when we reach it! For now, we have no other information!
It all went well until we docked at Pandu Port Guwahati today. There were no problems in the villages in the last days. They probably had not even heard of the craziness yet … they had more serious problems than a still far away virus they could not relate to … We even visited the city of Guwahati yesterday without problems. The ship anchored as usual in the middle of the river and nobody cared where we went.
There were many rumors flying in the Indian social media – hotels did not let Italians in anymore or any foreigners for that matter – in Rajasthan tourist life was basically on a stand still – hotels were closing … None of those rumors could be verified, though. I was in constant contact with the local agency in Delhi and they kept assuring me, all was well and going as usual. Not to worry.
I contacted a German friend who was travelling as a tourist with a different tour agency at the moment in Rajasthan – to get a first hand account from a foreign tourist. They noticed no special safety meassures. They did have to go to a clinic the day before and get checked – Fill in a Self Reporting Form for all Travellers arriving from SARS-CoV-2 infected countries, get their temperature taken – stamp and signature – done. No other restrictions at hotels or anything. Everything as usual …
However, already yesterday rumor had it that we would most probably get a check from the health department upon arrival in Pandu Port Guwahati. Rightly though, the guests asked why we might get checked on arrival if we already had visited the city yesterday … was that not paradox? … Well … My only worry at that moment was – what if … anything … happened … what if … they checked and decided they found something …
In Pandu Port we actually docked at a pontoon and there was a port authority … Nobody knew, however, if they would come on board or what they would do or if they would just put the ship under lock and chain … Everything was a bit diffuse at the moment … I had prepared the guests to expect something in any case – they had seen the worldwide case numbers as well and it came as no surprise for them – and they knew that if one of us – guest or crew – had something, we would all go down together … But … We have nothing! … Let’s not get stuck in the Indian province …
The ship reached the pontoon just after lunch – no welcome committee by authorities on the dock … was that a good sign? … What is happening? – Not sure! We will see! Our excursion starts in 1.5 hrs, we have time! … Once the lines had been fastened things got moving … Phones were ringing … Kunal was nervous … We have to go to the port authority building for the health check! Everybody! Take passports! … Now!
Since there was no PA System on the ship I had told the guests to expect everything and anything upon arrival … Most were on the sundeck watching the docking procedure anyway … I told everybody there, had the boys ring the temple bell in the corridors … knock on the cabin doors of guests not accounted for … We all went together to the building on the dock and waited there outside for things to happen … Of course 2 guests had not gotten the message … Why are we here? No, we did not bring the passports! Nobody told us! What is happening? When did you announce that? Why was it not on the daily program? … – Ladies, just go get your passports, you have the time, but we need it! This is going to take a while! And again, ladies & gentlemen, remember … No, you have not been to China, Italy, Iran, Spain or France recently! No, you have not met anybody from those countries recently! No, you do not have a cough! No, you do not have any problems! All is good! Please, do not make any jokes, stay serious! We do not know how nervous the authorities are, how easy they get triggered! This is a first for all of us!
We all got a Self Reporting Form to fill in outside the building and used the parked cars as desks … Does anybody have an extra pen? … While we lined up, I helped the guests to get the right information. I was very worried – you never know – nevertheless I was joking about it with the guests – but I was like a duck on a pond … One by one we had to go into the room filled with 4 officers in full PPE …
One of them used a thermometer to take our temperature and the boss lady asked questions in broken English which was extra muffled by the funny mask she was wearing. Now – most of our guests did not understand much English in the first place, then they had always problems with the strong Indian accent and that then muffled by a mask … it was an experience for all of them …
I went in somewhere in between. But the moment they saw I had been in India since before all this started they visibly relaxed and I got my OK. They meassured my temperature with 35.4°C … is that even normal? I did not question it …
But it made me remember my vacation touring Madagascar in 2017 … While it is not new that the plague – yes, you read right – The Plague! – has not been eradicated completely in Madagascar yet – typically the annual plague outbreak in Madagascar peaks in December and runs until April – the state had experienced 2 notable outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague in the 21st century – one in the beginning of 2014 with 71 death and another in 2017 with 221 death. There had been no travel warnings and also the tour company I traveled with had no special announcements regarding that. The outbreak had began in August 2017 and expanded rapidly, with about 2/3 of cases transmitted person-to-person as pneumonic plague, the most dangerous form of the disease. More than half of the cases had been recorded in the capital of Antananarivo and the main port of Toamasina, the largest cities in Madagascar. The outbreak appeared to have peaked in mid-October with the number of new cases declining … I visited Madagascar in November 2017. And other than the usual hygienic measures and trying to avoid the most crowded of markets, the tour group I was travelling with, did not observe any special measures. Only in bank branches or big shops in larger towns and when arriving on the island of Nosy Be, we were checked for signs and symptoms … Those checks were just hand disinfection and taking the temperature … At Nosy Be Port they measured my body temperature with 32.2°C … Oh well ….
Here in Guwahati back outside the building I worked the waiting line – checking the papers, joking, hoping all will be fine … With every guest coming out again smiling, a bit of the load fell off me … 3 … 7 … 15 … 19 … 20 … 21 … 22! Done! Phew! I need a drink now! Oh no! No time! You all go powder your nose, it is only 20 min until our last excursions starts! Let’s go! Let’s go!
The officers did not want to give us a copy of the paper we filled in even when I asked repeatedly, because they were in a makeshift office doing the check and did not have a copy machine … But I insisted – and I am sure I had gotten on Kunal’s nerves royally about it – he was as nervous about this entire thing as I was, because also the crew was going to bechekced … – but he had talked the officers into letting him scan the papers and print a copy for us. Thank you! The lady had signed the paper, but she had forgotten to date it …. I did not notice that until a few days later, but that circumstance saved us a couple times during the next days as well …
Visiting the Kamakhya Temple this afternoon was slightly wierd, though. Apparently, in the news on local TV it had been said that the virus is brought in by foreigners and they are the biggest problem because they bring that virus and therefore people should not get in contact with foreigners. The guests did not notice much of a difference, but I did notice that for the usual photo opportunities some of the locals shied away or covered their mouth and nose with scarves … less selfie inquiries … just in case the foreigner was contagious … as if Indians could not transmit viruses …
It was the Holi Festival – in some parts of India it was celebrated this year on the 09.03. in other parts on 10.03. – but since the Prime Minister had advised every Indian to not celebrate in huge crowds this year, there was not much happening. Only a few children were playing. But I was pretty sure the big day was tomorrow anyway …
10.03.2020
Well, that was yesterday … Today we were leaving Assam after 10 amazing days cruising the Brahmaputra River and flew to Delhi for an overnight. Usually our flight from Assam to Delhi had been mid-afternoon, which was always somewhat inconvenient. Officially we had to check out and leave the ship by 10:00 latest, but with a flight at 15:45 check-in at the airport only opened 2 hours before … We would have packed up the minibusses and visited the Kamakhya Temple before going to the airport, though. The guests did not like that very much, because it ended up being a very long day …
On the February Cruise the agency even had booked us on an 20:30 flight in the evening. Luckily I got this information very well in advance already in early January … before all mayhem broke loose … and while brainstorming via whatsapp with my peeps in Assam I also wrote to my company asking if they had a Plan B for that case. The group would have to leave the ship by 10:00 for sure since the new guests would be arriving shortly after lunch … We could do one temple visit and stretch it to 2 hours … but then we would need transport, lunch options and a hang out spot in Guwahati and would be arriving in the hotel in Delhi well after midnight … In the guests’ papers it was clearly written “after arrival dinner at the hotel” … Who was going to have dinner – or serve dinner – at 01:00 at night? … even in an airport hotel the restaurant closes by 22:00 … Can we please have the flight changed?
Obviously, nobody had thought about a Plan B … and for once it was a very quick matter of communicating between continents and in absolutely no time – literally less than a few hours – the local agency had changed the flight to 13:30! Gosh, was I happy! – Thank you! … Now whilst you are at it … may we have this flight for all future tours as well, please? – I had put it in my report since the first time I did this tour in 2018 and never ever did anybody hear me … And what can I say? … As quickly as the first change went through, the info came through that this would be the timing for all future cruises as well … Happy me!
Arriving at the airport I knew the procedures and nothing had changed. I had prepared the guests again for everything and anything – nobody knew what to expect at the airport – either here in Guwahati or in Delhi in the current situation. My greatest worry was to get stuck here in the far North-East of India in the middle of basically nowhere just because some overzealous offical was not sure about procedures …
I knew the group check-in counter for our flight with IndiGo and all was normal up to there. When I went to the counter with my group ticket and they saw me and a group of foreigners, there was a slight hitch in their actions … one of them went straight on the phone … presumably with the boss or such … Is there a problem? – No no! No problem! – Why is she callling with our ticket in hand? Is there a problem with our ticket? – No no! – Are you sure? – No no! – Listen, madam, we have this paper from the Health Authority Guwahati from yesterday! You need it? … I pulled out my Self Reporting paper … she eyed it and handed it to the one of the phone … Immediately the attitude changed … OK OK, all good, let’s check you in! You are taking a tour around all India? Very nice! … Later I realized that my arrival date in India being 08.01. had once more saved us from more hassle … Sometimes you just get lucky … They did not even look at any of the papers of my guests …
The group check in in Guwahati is most of the time a hassle free affair. Once I convinced them to do it in one go – It is easier if you print all the boarding passes and I call out the names of the guests so you can check the passports with the boarding pass afterwards! Believe me! And put all the luggage lables on the group ticket! We stay together anyway! Yes, all those 23 baggages were mine! – it was no problem and often enough they had asked for a group photo with the foreigners afterwards … even today! I am just annoyed that I never took a photo of that myself …
Passing the security check was always an adventure in Guwahati as well – ladies and gentlemen are strictly seperated and it always is very thorough … It is a small airport and I always hang around to make sure all guests have passed … Often enough they forget nailclippers or a pocket knife in their carry-on … lighters are also not allowed … Today we had a different problem, though … nothing virus related … but one lady claimed her mobile phone was missing after the security check. She said, she had been told to put the small iPhone in a seperate box for x-ray and then had been sent 3 rows over to the other ladies gate … by the time she reached the other side of the x-ray machine, all her bags were there, but the box where her mobile phone had been was empty … Oh my … already other guests made all kinds of assumptions … already the officers were searching … Madam, calm down, just wait here, we are checking! – I had plenty talking to do to the guests … the guests not involved … The lady who was missing the phone was rather calm … We had plenty of time until our flight, the airport was small, everything is on CCTV watch … They will find it! … I am sure!
It took maybe 10 or 15 min waiting max and there was a shout – Here it is! – A supervisor had indeed gone to check the CCTV footage and had seen the box come out of the x-ray machine empty … he had climbed it and sure he had found the mobile phone stuck inside in the corner of the belt … The box had obviously been too light and with everybody pushing boxes and bags throught to make it go faster, the box had tilted and the phone had fallen out … Everybody was happy! … I could see the officers were probably the most happy people around – apart from me – because they probably had the same notions of endless paperwork and reports if that phone had been not found like I had …
Damn … I had just enough time for a very quick Kingfisher now and I was in desperate need of it after all this excitement and tension today … We were at the gate, had boarding passes, the flight was on time … We were going to Delhi and would be close enough to the Germany Embassy and Delhi should anything happen unexpected … As long as we did not get stuck here in the opposite end of the country … Taking a bus for the almost 2000 km journey to Delhi was not going to be an option …
The flight was uneventful and I was lucky I had an F window seat. The seats get assigned randomly and we cannot choose – domestic flights are low cost flights when it comes to group tickets. Often enough even husbands and wifes get seperated seat assignments. Usually however, the groupd is seated in clusters and the guests can change in between the group, if they cannot live with their spouce for the 3 hrs flight … Anyway, I was fortunate to have a beautiful view of the Himalayan Range and Mount Everest … It was like meditation …
Well, we landed in Delhi on time – no special checks or hassle whatsoever at the airport – and arrived at Hotel Vivanta by Taj Dwarka around 17:15 – here a security man just took everybody’s temperature at the entrance upon arrival. And it was actually only upon arrival. It was not really a hassle since everybody had to pass the regular security check with x-ray and all anyway everytime coming in the hotel.
Check-in was quick and there was plenty of time for a very quick run to the Pacific D21 Mall by the Metro Station for some shopping … It was brand new and had only opened last December. I did run – literally ran – in search of hand sanitizer. On the ship they always had enough also for the busses during excursions by habit. But during the land program there was nothing usually. I only had my personal emergency supply and by now with the news of C-19 coming in more strongly even from Germany, I figured to have some on the bus would play well with the guests … I was not lucky, though. There was no hand sanitizer to be found in the big supermarket … usually they had a huge shelf full … I walked around the residential area opposite the hotel and found a couple of pharmacies … nothing there either … Oh well … But usually the guests are paranoid enough to have their personal supply with them anyway when travelling India … It is a common cliché to be paranoid about excessive bowel movements while travelling in India … Believe it! When I work on board of riverships in Europe during the summer and I tell guests about our Ganges and Brahmaputra Cruises in India, the first thing many of them mention is – Oh no, I would never go to India, I do not want to get sick and spend the entire vacation on the toilet! – They more often asked me first, if anybody had diarrhea, than being interested in the cruise or if we see the Taj Mahal … So, therefore usually my guests are very well equipped with the necessities.
Dinner for the group I always ordered for 19:15. So the guests had some time to get ready. When we had the later flight we never arrived at the hotel before 18:45, so there had never been much time to change or go shopping before.
I have been here so many times in the last few years … I mean, I had 5 months worth of tours in 2019 and the first 3 months this year as well … And on every tour we stayed in the same hotels … The staff at reception waved at me the moment I walked in and at the restaurant they already knew me and booking connecting tables for the group was never a problem. My favourite dish on the buffet was the Thai Green Curry and I was always looking forward to it. So, when I arrived at the restaurant 15 min before the guests were scheduled – to make sure the tables were reserved and the buffet was ready and I knew what was on it – one of the first things I checked was, if they had Thai Curry … Unfortunately, this year they seemed to have taken the Thai Curry off the buffet menu … I was gutted … I love Indian food … do not get me wrong … but every now and again I need a change … and that Thai Green Curry here was always something I had looked forward to … When I was here in February and I had been craving that curry I had a banter with the head waiter – he always asked if everything was fine for the group and if everybody was happy – and I told him everything was perfect, but personally I was sad that there was no Thai Green Curry on the buffet today. He smiled – But we have it on the à la carte! – Yeah, I know, but we only have buffet included … – But no problem! For you I do everything! You want Green Curry? I give you! – You kidding? – No! You want me to order now? It takes 15 min. – Well, yeah! If that is OK. Germans are always 5 min before the time and I am sure everybody will be here soon and I can have my dinner in peace as well! – OK, no problem! You go sit! Thai Green Curry Veg is coming soon! You want rice? – No, no rice! I take some noodles from the buffet! – Good! Go sit! Go go! – … I was in heaven …
Do not worry, the guests never noticed. Often we have guests with intolerances like garlic allergies or such. And in those cases they also get dishes especially cooked for them in case it is not certain that the buffet dishes are suitable. I mean, especially garlic … garlic is basically in almost any Indian dish … In my home we do not use garlic at all. I do eat it, when it is part of dishes, but I would not cook with it. Or sometimes there is too much garlic in a dish, then I choose something different. But in general, I do not bother. And when I come home after like 3 month travelling in India, one of the first things my Mom will tell me is – You smell of garlic terribly! … If I did no know that garlic is in all Indian dishes, I would not have noticed I ate it … and she smells it on my anyway … from afar …
Well, after dinner for me it is usually an early night with watching TV and catching up on the tour report before sleep. Today it was a longer night reading the news, contacting peeps around India to get information, messaging with friends and colleagues in Germany. Thinking how my own vacation was going to go in April … By now information were coming in hourly … I was seriously thinking about not flying home with the guests and staying in India for my vacation. What if they did not let me back in the country in the beginning of April … at least I would be here already … the last thing I wanted to do was sit at home for my 6 weeks off … But I had to fly home for a 1.5-day kickoff meeting for the season in Europe which was scheduled for 16.-17.03. … I was seriously considering to call and say I cannot come and would stay here and go for a meeting before my assignments start in the beginning of May …
I did not sleep well … Due to the time change to Germany I did a lot of messaging and researching … Already during the night the next news came in – not only I was up late at night … All Indian Visas for German, French and Spanish nationals issued before 11.03.2020 and who not have entered India yet were suspended with immediate effect … My friend would not be able come here and if I left, I would not be able to get back in either … There was a lot of thinking to do … It was a long sleepness night … Even if I had wanted to sleep I could not …
11.03.2020
Nevertheless – today we started our Rajasthan Tour. It was always an early start. Only today I had not really slept much … Lucky I have been working on cruise ships more than 20 years already and I have perfected the art of being able to sleep anywhere, anytime and on command … We had a long bus ride ahead … I could catch up on sleep on the highway …
Leaving the city as early as possible meant also less traffic and more time sightseeing in Jaipur, which was our first stop. I always pushed for a 07:30 departure. Breakfast officially starts at 06:30 in the hotel, but it is never a problem to order an early cold breakfast – some guests need a very long breakfast … The buffet gets started to set up anyway by 06:00. Only warm breakfast is not available before 06:30. But it is never a problem to have the cold breakfast before. And coffee was always available – they have a couple of proper coffee machines with coffee made from real beans as part of the breakfast buffet … The best coffee in Delhi! Believe it …
I never take breakfast. I have to make sure the luggage is brought down by the bellboys and I have to count and identify it and make sure it gets loaded into the arriving bus before the guests are ready with their breakfast and we can depart on time … Of course, I also have to check that everybody from the group has checked out properly and paid their room bill – drinks during dinner, drinks in the bar, minibar etc …. But I always take the time to have a mug of Coffee with 2 extra shots of Espresso … That is a special for me here, though, because I am deprived of proper coffee … working on ships in Europe I get my regular espresso shot every morning … but here I take the load when I have the opportunity …
Sometimes there was even time to have that coffee sitting in the lobby … There was never time for the newspaper, though … I would take it and read it on the bus …
As I said before – Germans are always 5 mins ahead of time … mostly … we always left on time. I held my mandatory speech in the bus – Good morning everybody! All luggage is loaded. We are ready to depart. May I ask, if everybody knows where their passport is? Hopefully in your carry-on luggage and not still in the hotel safe? Mobile phone chargers all with you? Shoes? Toiletry bags etc? Everything with you? Nothing forgotten? … On the first day of our 4 day tour the guests still thought it was funny … everybody was laughing and making jokes about it … But often, somebody jumped up and got going … I will be back soon, I forgot something … Once we even were already 45 min away from the hotel and we had to turn the bus around to go back to get somebody’s documents from the room safe … 2 hours lost … Therefore I hold that speech even if they laugh at me … They cannot say later I did not ask …
The drive to Jaipur was approx 270 km and we estimated – depending on traffic – 5-6 hrs including regular technical stops. When we reached the National Highway 48 – shortly after passing the airport – it usually ran smoothly. We crossed into the state of Haryana – one of the smaller Indian states – and passed Gurugram, its leading financial hub. Gurugram – commonly also called Gurgaon – is located near the Delhi-Haryana border, about 30 km southwest of New Delhi. It is one of the major satellite cities of Delhi and part of the National Capital Region of India. Gurgaon has become a leading financial and banking centre after Mumbai and Chennai. From the highway we could see the fancy skyscrappers of DLF Cyber City – a corporate park which houses some of the top IT & Fortune 500 companies. I never took a photo of the skyline, but last November I had been there on a very quick Hard Rock Café run and the Cyber City was impressiv … that is going to be a different story, though.
National Highway 48 – NH 48 – is a National Highway of India that starts in Delhi and terminates in Chennai traversing through 7 states of India. It has a total length of 2807 km. We only drove part of it of course … and if you wonder why for some 270 km we would need 5-6 hrs … I know, I know … I always calculate in Western standards, too … for that I would estimate 2 hrs on a German Autobahn … depending on traffic max 2.5 hrs … Well, in India everything is different … especially traffic … even on a national highway …
First everybody uses the highways, even Tuk Tuks go on the highway sometimes, but also animal herders and such. And they drive on the left side of the road … but not only on the left side … We had learnt during the land program of our last January Ganges Cruise that this is not always the rule … Do not worry … no accident … But for the approx 270 km from Bodhgaya to Varanasi on National Highway 19 – for which we usually estimated 7-8 hrs – we needed in January 12.5 hrs … A major bridge – the Karmanasha Bridge in Bihar – had broken a couple of weeks before we were there and the traffic had been detoured as one lane around it on a makeshift track. That was not so bad, but since that highway is the major Delhi-Kolkata connection … especially for all the truck traffic … there was no other way around …
That bridge was closer to Varanasi and on the way there we got stuck in a some 50 km long truck traffic jam … it was often only stop and go if ever … and to get out of it our bus driver often used the opposite lane … No worry! No worry, Chachi! Is allowed in India! In traffic jam bus can go like this, Chachi! … OoooKkkkaaayyyy … I get called Chachi a lot nowadays … it means something like aunty – basically something like father’s or brother’s wife and is generally used for older women … yeah … I am old … the times I got called Didi – sister – are long over …
Ladies & gentlemen, next time you drive the Autobahn in Germany and in the radio traffic news they warn of a ghostdriver you will remember that you have been one yourself!
On the drive from Delhi to Jaipur we were always lucky and traffic was moderate. We usually did our first technical stop at a fancy new food court. The facilities were the most suitable, it was conveniently located max 2.5 hrs after breakfast … Remember, the breakfast coffee needed to go! … and they had a Costa Coffee outlet which has the best coffee outside of Delhi … the hotels in Jaipur and Agra did only instant coffee … unfortunately …
By now more information had been on the news – Germany had crossed the mark of 1000 positive cases of C-19 – everybody of my peeps in India was concerned about us. It was OK, it was still only 1000 cases … there were still less than 50 cases all over India! A country with 1.3 Billion inhabitants … and that is only the official number … No need to panic! Let’s stay calm. We were still moving. The agency still assured all services were going as planned! – I was still thinking about staying in India after this tour ended in a few days … There was plenty I still had not seen in India … I live in my uniform most of the year … no problem … I could wear it on vacation as well when my few other clothes were in the washing … My only concern was that my friend would not make it to India … She would have to sit at home during her vacation … and did I really want to cancel the one mandatory meeting of all tourleaders per year where I would see and catch up with my colleagues … The company might not be happy about it … I still had not called to check on the situation … I knew they might have grand problems already with the ocean cruise ships … I figured they were busy with that and happy not to hear from me and my tiny group of 22 guests as long as everything was still running somewhat smoothly considering … and it was … running smoothly …
Contrary to the Autobahn in Germany, the National Highway here was often leading through settlements and traffic slowed even more. It was the time of the morning when students in their uniforms where going to school and of course there were Holy Cows around aplenty as well.
Last year Holi Festival had been some 10 days later than this year. The dates for our tours here are always the same only shifting by a couple of days at the most. So, last year in March we encountered many pilgrims along the highway. I was not sure where they were going, but I think to Mathura approx 145 km south-east of Delhi. In Hinduism, Mathura is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. It is one of the Sapta Puri – the 7 cities considered holy by Hindus. Mathura was the capital of the kingdom of Surasena, ruled by Kansa, the maternal uncle of Krishna. There are still certain places in India that remain rooted in the traditional customs and folk tales and celebrate Holi in its true essence and with full fervor – One of those is Lord Krishna’s Mathura where the festival is celebrated for a whole week. Pilgrims walked from afar to be part of it.
Often we also saw large herds of sheep or cattle been drive along the highway. Most probably the herders migrate or the animals were brought to the market … We never found out.
The further we came into Rajasthan the more the landscape changed and so did the traffic. Convoys of trucks loaded with straw or corn were moving along often holding up traffic. More toll stations had to be passed and street hawkers used the line up for those to offer snacks to the drivers.
On one of the tours we had a guide who was deep into astrology and karma and such and we did an extra karma stop at a spot where many people stopped to feed the monkeys and cows for good karma. Of course the animals knew that exactly and plenty hawkers were there selling bananas to feed them. In any case it was a good opportunity to strech our legs …
Karma means action, work or deed. It also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual – cause and effect. Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths.
The philosophy of karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Indian religions – particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. In these schools, karma in the present affects one’s future in the current life, as well as the nature and quality of future lives. So feeding monkeys or cows is good for the karma … We had fun feeding them in any case. Some of the Rhesus Macaques were rather cheeky and the holy cow was rather briskly going for the bananas …
Around midday we reached Jaipur. We usually took the NH 248 – a spur road which traverses Jaipur from the east – and then turned into Amer to have a first passing glimpse of Amber Fort. Arriving in the city the first thing we noticed were all the domestic elephants walking along the road. There are many elephants – different sources state 80 up to 300 – which carry tourists up to Amber Fort. There is a limit to the total number of journeys each elephant can do in a day – and then can only work from around 09:00 to 11:30 making a max of 3 rides a day carrying up 2 passengers each time only. This has been introduced to prevent overworking the elephants and possible animal cruelty. During the high tourist season most of the elephants have finished their quote of rides by 11:00 …
The welfare of the elephants has significantly improved in recent years, though. Nevertheless, I do believe that the domestic Elephants we encountered in Kaziranga National Park in Assam during our Brahmaputra Cruise have a much better life than those here. And I am absolutely happy, that my company does not offer those elephant rides up to the fort.
When we arrived from Delhi it was usually the time those elephants were walking back to their home … Most of them live in barns outside of the city and had to walk along the main road to get there … Elephant traffic rush hour … It was definitely a highlight for the guests to see them … after all most of them associate India with elephants and Jaipur with brightly painted elephants … But I am all for stopping those elephant rides in blasting heat up a steep paved road to entertain tourists!
Amer – or Amber – is a city picturesquely located at the mouth of a rocky mountain gorge, in which nestles a lake. It has attracted the admiration of travellers, including Victor Jacquemont – a French botanist and geologist known for his travels in India in the 19th century – and Reginald Heber – an English bishop who travelled widely – not only in India – working to improve the spiritual and general living conditions of his flock and served briefly as Bishop of Calcutta before his death in the early 19th century. Today we only passed Amer on our way to Jaipur as usual. We would return tomorrow for a visit of Amber Fort.
The first photo stop we did in Jaipur was at Jal Mahal – the Water Palace – in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. The Jal Mahal Palace is an architectural showcase of the Rajput style of architecture common in Rajasthan on a grand scale. The building is – owing to its seclusion from land – the focus of a many viewpoints. The palace – built in sandstone – is a 5 storied building of which 4 floors remain underwater when the lake is full and the top floor is exposed. One octagonal Chhatri – a dome-shaped pavilion – was located on each of the 4 corners on the roof terrace. The palace had suffered subsidence in the past and also partial plasterwork and wall damage because of waterlogging.
The Water Palace was supposed to be a duck-hunting lodge for the Maharajas. It was built for that purpose in the middle of the man-made lake in the mid-18th century. This impressive monument – one of the most photographed sites here – was in a state of decay not too long ago after being abandoned for more than 2 centuries. Luckily it was saved … Restoration works were last done in the early 2000s. The interior of the Jal Mahal Palace is not open to visitors, however. Even boat rides to view the exterior which were formerly possible have ceased to excist, unfortunately. Rumor has it that within a few years – if everything goes as planned – the Jal Mahal could easily be the most exclusive hotel restaurant in the world … But that is just a rumor …
The lake used to be a bird watcher’s paradise in the past and was a favourite ground for the Rajput Kings of Jaipur for royal duck shooting parties during picnics. The lake was a natural habitat for more than 150 species of local and migratory birds, but their numbers declined with the deterioration of the lake. Lately, with restoration works undertaken, the birds have started visiting the lake again, though not to the same degree as in the past. From the promenade we spotted large flocks of Cormorants and also many Pelicans sometimes.
There is a fairly nice pedestrian promenade located along the western side of the lake along the road connecting Jaipur and Amer. Since it is a popular photo stop there are also plenty souvenir hawkers there. A fun thing to do for tourists – if there is time … which we never have … and especially for Indian tourists – is to dress up in traditional costumes and have a photo taken with the Jal Mahal as a backdrop. It looked super fun. We prefered however to take photos of those other tourists. They did not mind and most often they had the photographer take a break and instead took selfies with the foreigners who took photos of them …
For our guests – who had just spend 10 days in Assam far off the beaten tourist track – this was also the first encounter of the Indian tourist circuit! As soon as the bus had rolled to a stop at the promenade a cloud of street hawkers flogging everything they thought a tourist could possibly need was crowding the door.
My dear guests, if you do not want to buy anything, then do not react to the hawkers! No Hello! No – No, Thank you! – If you do not want anything, then ignore them! You do as much as blink and they take it as an invitation! – But if you are interested in anything and start bargaining, then you will never get rid of them until they have made a deal! They are very persistent!
The first time I did this tour, the hotel we stayed in was directly at the lake. Unfortunately it was not up to the standard our guests were used to, therefore we were now staying somewhere else across town. But the location here had been unbeatable. There was a roof top – sadly there had not been a a bar up there, so this view was wasted. But we went up to have a look around sunset anyway and it was awesome … we were just missing the Sundowner Cocktail …
After the rooftop we also took a stroll on the promenade before dinner. The sun sets relatively early that close to the equator. There was still much going on. The photo opportunities were endless, people watching was always possible and of course were were taking in the atmosphere before heading for dinner in the hotel and an early night to be ready for an early start the next morning.
But today were were not staying in that hotel close to Jal Mahal … By now it was around 13:00 and time for lunch before diving into more sight seeing in the afternoon …
