Saturday, October 4 . Delhi to Calcutta.
Although we had seemingly hours to while away in Delhi, this passed very quickly. First of all we waited for our baggage, then a wait at a crowded bus stop for a free bus that was taken to take us to terminal one for: this was a true touch of India with far too many people, each with an average of three large suitcases , so we had to clamber over them when the bus arrived. There were seats, but nobody could move in the corridors for all the suitcases. It was at least a 20 minute ride to the other terminal which turned out to be completely modern, nothing like the box in experience on the bus. We then had to go through security and this was ruthless with them turning out everything in the backpack, in my anorak pockets, and in David’s bag of valuables including about 20 coins and then leave us to clear up the mess. So I was not amused by India by this time! Then a long walk to the furthest departure lounge for the flight to Calcutta which did take place well on time and it was an almost 2 hour flight on Indigo. I was a little disappointed not to get the colourful sandwiches: apparently these had to be ordered in advance.
But once in Calcutta the was a car from the Taj hotel waiting for us and it was a 50 minute drive through dense traffic at times to the hotel. The Taj Hotel was a very impressive marble building with a blether of well dressed and subservient staff. We were shown to room 415 which was quite enormous with a huge bathroom and very pleasant view over a wooded area, which apparently belonged to the police and the government and was not part of the hotel. We were in a club room which entitled us to use the club lounge for afternoon tea and evening Tapas. First of all though we had a 2 hour siesta as we had only slept really for maybe the two hours on the Indigo flight since leaving Spain
Then I went for a swim in the extensive swimming pool which was a delight to swim in, but the surrounds were not exceptional. Around 16.00 we went and ate too much for afternoon tea, the club room being staffed by two girls in striped cricket blazers and white trousers. We followed this by an exploratory walk of the ground floor of the hotel and then waited till almost 7 o’clock before ascending again to the fifth floor for some wine and Tapas. We enjoyed Tapas in the club lounge with a good wine before turning in about 9:30 pm hoping for a really good sleep until 7:30 am. We enjoyed talking to the girls working there in their natty outfits.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Club Lounge |
Sunday, October 5 Calcutta.
During the night there was a horrific thunderstorm with lightning breaking right overhead for at least 45 minutes: during this David slept like a baby. I got up after the alarm went at 7:30 am, checked that there was no longer any rain and went down for a swim, only to be stopped by the pool manager who told me it was too dangerous to swim because there might be thunder. I was not amused. So we went up to the club lounge for breakfast about 8:15 am and had a very pleasant breakfast there overlooking the police headquarters wooded grounds.
We had had a phone call the previous night at 9 pm from one Nicholas from Pandaw who said he would be picking us up at 9:45 am. So we were dutifully checked out by then and departed with one other couple from the hotel, Diane and Steve. We were driven through a not very salubrious area to where the Pandow Katha was moored. Then more people arrived and we found we were a compliment of 11 for this trip, 3 from New Zealand. 5 from the UK, 2 from Spain and 1 from Northern Ireland. We unpacked a little and then went to a briefing at 11:30 am before having lunch out on deck by with Sam from New Zealand whose wife Jackie was an amputee and could not face up to travelling in India.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
At 1:30 pm we left the boat and went to The Indian Museum. The Indian Museum (formerly called Imperial Museum of Calcutta is a grand museum in Central Kolkata. It is the ninth oldest museum in the world and the oldest, as well as the largest museum in Asia, by size of collection. It has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta in 1814. The founder curator was Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist. However we found it was somewhat badly laid out and we found little of interest in it.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The bridge over the Ganges | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| An old print of the building |
After this we proceeded to the Victoria Memorial which was indeed impressive and we could’ve spent a little longer there.
The Victoria Memorial is a large marble monument in the Maidan in Central Kolkata, having its entrance on the Queen's Way. It was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British Raj. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, the Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. Work on the superstructure began in 1910. It is the largest monument to a monarch anywhere in the world. It stands at 64 acres of gardens and is now a museum under the control of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Possessing prominent features of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, it has evolved into one of the most popular attractions in the city.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
This was followed by a visit to the Hindu Festival activities. Surviving a downpour protected by handout brollys, we enjoyed watching the last day of the festival and we were honoured to be VIPs, with covered seats to sit in but somewhat limited view of the floats and dancers due to the scaffolding. But we watched it for up to 2 hours, by this time just eight of us (as three had already returned on the bus to the boat ).
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
We got back to the boat just before seven and quickly changed and went for a cocktail before a briefing and then supper around eight. This we had on a table with Diane and Steve, the food being just average. After dinner we sat out on the deck this being quite magical before returning to cabin 201 to finish putting away all the bits & pieces that were still littered over the bed.
Monday October 6. Calcutta.
An early morning start at 6 am to departure and Chris really had to be stern with herself to get up, as she would surely have liked to have stayed in bed.
We first went to the Akhara, A school for martial arts, and the only one ever it’s kind in Calcutta. Here young men from 5 years old and upwards trained hard. Doing sit ups, climbing ropes, knocking the hell out of tyres , et cetera in order become really strong. They did this from 4 am to 8 am on several days of the week. Our guide, Dipak, had arranged for them to be training this particular morning in their site right beside the Ganges. After watching the younger ones do countless press ups on bars, and running, and rope climbing we were then treated to 2 displays of wrestling between eight-year-olds and a 15-year-old and his master. David had a quick go at wrestling with them too.
After this, we proceeded to the flower market which was quite quite incredible: so vibrant so noisy, not like anything we have ever seen before. We then proceeded to walk over Howrah bridge and then on to one of the two main stage train stations in Calcutta.Then on to the river shoreline where the ships tender picked us up and took us back to the Pandaw Katha.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Another lunch at 12:30, and then at 2:30 we went out again to see St John’s Cathedral and to visit the new market. Because it was a public holiday the streets were almost empty and we were able to proceed in the coach right into the grounds of St John. We visited the inside of the church and saw a painting by Zoffany. And outside in the grounds there is the 1903 memorial to the black hole of Calcutta, erected by Lord Curzon (so not contemporaneous)
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbnail below
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Black Hole Monument erected 1903 |
The coach then took us to to the New Market and David, Diane and Steve decided to return to the ship. Sam and Titu went off to try to buy a SIM cards and the rest of us went into the market. Chris decided that there might be something to see here, so she went along with the others. But it was not truly a market in the market sense of the word just ordinary shops off a corridor in an internal area. The really interesting thing was a Jewish bakery which had no end of products but they were only 22 Jews apparently in Calcutta today, spread amongst 22 synagogues. Note I must look up the genealogy I did for someone who had Armenian Jews as ancestors called Paul Chater : a ancestor of Nigel Gasper
We were back at the ship in time for happy hour, this spent happily at the back of the ship as it sailed forth in the darkness. We dined with Jo and Maureen and learnt a little more about them, and vice versa.. We anchored by about 21.20 as I was finishing dictating this diary. Another interesting and enjoyable day.