We arrived in Cochin, India on April 14th. Since we had a bike tour set up for later in the afternoon we decided to take a Tuk Tuk tour in the morning. For those of you that don’t know what a Tuk Tuk is, it is a three wheel vehicle that carries 2 to 4 passengers and the driver. The driver is basically driving a motorcycle with two rear wheels and a passenger compartment. These vehicles race in and out of traffic as much as possible to ensure they get to where they are going as fast as possible. Our driver started off by taking us to an Indian woman on the side of the street that made us a very nice “welcoming” necklace of jasmine and carnation flowers that smelled. We kept the necklaces in our cabin after this tour to enjoy the fresh fragrance it provided for the next few days. Cochin is your typical Indian city with cows wondering around in the streets. We made a stop by a neighborhood Indian laundromat where clothes are washed in a big concrete basin and then thrown against stones or concrete slabs to “wash” the clothes (or scare the dirt out of them!). After washing they are hand wrung out and hung on the clothes lines. Instead of using clothes pins, the clothes line has two strings twisted together which allow them to slide the clothes between the two strings which hold them in place while drying. After drying, some of the clothes are taken to be ironed by some very unusual irons. Some are electric (and look like they were built when electricity was invented) and others are heated by putting hot charcoal in the iron. We took a ride by a local fish market where they had some Chinese fishing nets. These are huge fishing nets that extend out into the water on poles and are lifted up and down by counter weights of stones. We tried lifting the nets up by pulling the stones down. These nets we were working typically require six men to operate while fishing. Sharon bought a bead bracelet for $1 from a little Indian orphan girl who came by. We visited a spice market that had both spices for cooking and herbal remedies. One of the roads we went down had a local market where we stopped and watched them load and unload huge bags of rice, peppers and other products. We walked down an alleyway in the marketplace to see where some of the people lived. They were very small “homes” with just a small room or two. Clothes were out hanging everywhere and kids were playing. All the children were happy and ran out to have a photo taken of them.
In the afternoon of Cochin we did our bike rides in the backwater area. We were picked up in a Tuk Tuk at the port and taken out of the city 10 to 15 miles to the backwater country where fortunately the traffic was a little less. Most of our biking was done going down small paths between the various fishing areas. People owned these fishing areas and actually had little lookout stands on stilts over top the water to ensure no one fished in their areas. We saw several people fishing along the way. Some just waded out into the water with a net and caught their meal for the day. We then stopped at a shop where they built wooden canoes. These were very large canoes and they used bread fruit trees for the lumber. They heated the wood to curve it along the length of the canoe. Coconut husks were sown into the canoes to create a seal for the wood plank joints. After seeing these canoes being built we were given a ride in a canoe. The canoe was plenty big enough to fit five people and our four bikes. We floated down one of the canals and saw all the Chinese fishing nets used by many of the homes along the canal. These nets were smaller than what we had previously seen and we were told that they could be operated by just one person. The homes were very small and many had roofs that required plastic tarps to keep out the rain. Some of the walls of the homes were under repair. It appeared that each home was a work in progress where they made repairs or additions as they got enough money to do the work. Even though some of the roofs were almost missing, almost every home had a TV antenna! We were later told that TV service was very cheap in India as was electricity. As we rode our bikes done the paths it was amazing how many of the Indian children would stop to say hi and “what is your name”. English is actually the official language of India although many people do not speak it. They are now teaching it in school and that was why the children all wanted to practice using it. We were obviously easily determined to be non-Indians as we rode our bikes if for no other reason than we were the only bikers with helmets on! Towards the end of our bike ride we came across a beach on the ocean which was very nice. It was a nice bike ride and a nice way to see some different parts of Cochin.
Goa was our second stop in India. Like Cochin we had been to Goa once before, five years ago. There was nothing we really wanted to do or see in Goa so we decided to make it a beach day. India supposedly has some very nice beaches. We took a taxi and went to one of the local beaches not too far from the cruise port. We were surprised to only see taxis at the port and no Tuk Tuks like we saw in Cochin. When we were here five years ago we saw mostly Tuk Tuks but they don’t seem to be very popular here anymore in Goa. It is also interesting that your taxi ride in Goa is round trip with the taxi driver waiting for you while you stay at the beach. The beach was nice and we were able to get a few chairs and an umbrella. The chairs were a little different in that they were wooden chaise chairs and weighed a ton. The time at the beach was enjoyable with a nice breeze and pretty blue skies. Boats could be seen out in the distance. The beach had several local Indian restaurants to grab a snack or a beer but since we were going to a specialty restaurant that night on the cruise ship we decided not spoil our appetites. We spent several hours at the beach before heading back to the ship. We had a pleasant and relaxing day in Goa.
Our third a final stop in India was in Mumbai. Sharon was very excited to make this stop because she wanted to visit the Dharavi Slum where Slum Dog Millionaire was filmed. In order to view the slums we had arranged a tour with a company called Tours by Locals. This is a company that allows you to search local tour guides for specific tours they offer in various cities. They charge a single fee for the tour and offer it to a specified number of people. We did this tour with just the two of us but we could have brought along another couple for the same price. It is a worthwhile tour company to consider if you like relatively private tours for a reasonable amount of money. Our guide was Shailesh who actually lived in the slums and turned out to be a great guide for the day. Since this was a private tour for us we were able to customize it to see what we wanted to see and we spent the majority of our time visiting the slum area. Mumbai is a city of more than 20 million people with more than 60% of them living in the slums. The particular slums we went to (where the movie had been filmed) is the third largest slum in the world (Brazil #1 and Pakistan #2) and covers a one square mile area. We weren’t allowed to take too many pictures in the slums but did take some from some overviews and at some specific areas. The slums were amazing! We had no idea that so much work was done there. While the people lived over head in buildings made of corrugated metal or plywood, the bottom portion of the building was used as a small business. The three primary businesses performed there were plastic recycling, leather production and clay pottery manufacture. The government sponsored these programs and it allowed the people to have very labor intensive jobs but make enough money to eat and keep a roof over their heads. There were bags and bags of plastic that were brought in and out of the slums for the plastics to be sorted by type, color and purity. After this work was done it was re-bagged and sent to manufacturing plants outside of Mumbai that made this recycled plastic into finished product. Corrugated boxes were recycled by cutting open the boxes and reprinting new information on the opposite side of the carton before reassembling them. Everything was recycled and reused! The hides from animals were brought into the slums were it was processed and made into finished leather products. We bought a few items as souvenirs. Another different area of the slums was dedicated to clay pottery making. They produced a great quantity of pots and sold them to stores for sale to people. As we walked along the streets of the slums, people hustled around and most everyone seemed happy. Many children wanted us to take their pictures. We were told about the making of the movie and in one alley where they filmed they decided to film a daylight scene at midnight so they had full use of the alley way. They had to use a great deal of power to light up the entire area to make it look bright enough for a daylight scene. We were told that no people in the slums received anything for the filming of the movie in their area. It was also interesting to find out that the film upon its completion could not be shown in India because the government thought that it showed a degrading look of the Indian people (i.e., beggars and crime, which neither did they have). Years later after the movie continued to gain popularity throughout the world, that ban was lifted. It was a very interesting morning viewing the slums and learning about it and the people there.
After our slum tour we asked our guide to take us to a good Indian restaurant in the area for lunch. He had just the place and we were treated to his favorite local Indian restaurant. While Greg had his beer, Sharon had some Indian rum with Pepsi (she actually had several of them!). The meal was great as we had an appetizer – a chopped pickle mixed in oil and Indian spices; rice; curry; vegetables and chicken with some of that great Indian flat bread. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch and some more time to chat with our guide about the Indian lifestyle. The lunch was extremely inexpensive and we provided a large tip to show our thanks to the manager who was a good friend of our guide and took great care of us!
After lunch we visited another Indian laundry but this one was even more amazing. It is in the Guinness World Record as the largest outdoor laundry facility. Although the clothes were cleaned in the same manner as we had seen in Cochin, this laundry was so much larger in size and the people lived right where they did the laundry. We then went off and did some more touristic sightseeing. We saw the Gateway of India which is a large archway at the pier built in honor of King George V. Right next door is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel which was built to replicate the Taj Mahal. One of the most beautiful buildings in the city was the Victoria Train Station where 90% of Mumbai’s population goes through every day! We visited the Hanging Garden which had a nice overlook of the city and the beach. We went by to visit the house that Gandhiji lived in for 17 years (1917-1934). It was more of a museum dedicated to his life. After that, we headed back to our ship and amazed at how much we had seen that day. We had a very fun and full day in Mumbai! Thanks Shailesh for sharing your city and home with us!
We are now heading across the Arabian Sea on our way to Muscat, Oman!
Sharon & Greg
In the afternoon of Cochin we did our bike rides in the backwater area. We were picked up in a Tuk Tuk at the port and taken out of the city 10 to 15 miles to the backwater country where fortunately the traffic was a little less. Most of our biking was done going down small paths between the various fishing areas. People owned these fishing areas and actually had little lookout stands on stilts over top the water to ensure no one fished in their areas. We saw several people fishing along the way. Some just waded out into the water with a net and caught their meal for the day. We then stopped at a shop where they built wooden canoes. These were very large canoes and they used bread fruit trees for the lumber. They heated the wood to curve it along the length of the canoe. Coconut husks were sown into the canoes to create a seal for the wood plank joints. After seeing these canoes being built we were given a ride in a canoe. The canoe was plenty big enough to fit five people and our four bikes. We floated down one of the canals and saw all the Chinese fishing nets used by many of the homes along the canal. These nets were smaller than what we had previously seen and we were told that they could be operated by just one person. The homes were very small and many had roofs that required plastic tarps to keep out the rain. Some of the walls of the homes were under repair. It appeared that each home was a work in progress where they made repairs or additions as they got enough money to do the work. Even though some of the roofs were almost missing, almost every home had a TV antenna! We were later told that TV service was very cheap in India as was electricity. As we rode our bikes done the paths it was amazing how many of the Indian children would stop to say hi and “what is your name”. English is actually the official language of India although many people do not speak it. They are now teaching it in school and that was why the children all wanted to practice using it. We were obviously easily determined to be non-Indians as we rode our bikes if for no other reason than we were the only bikers with helmets on! Towards the end of our bike ride we came across a beach on the ocean which was very nice. It was a nice bike ride and a nice way to see some different parts of Cochin.
Goa was our second stop in India. Like Cochin we had been to Goa once before, five years ago. There was nothing we really wanted to do or see in Goa so we decided to make it a beach day. India supposedly has some very nice beaches. We took a taxi and went to one of the local beaches not too far from the cruise port. We were surprised to only see taxis at the port and no Tuk Tuks like we saw in Cochin. When we were here five years ago we saw mostly Tuk Tuks but they don’t seem to be very popular here anymore in Goa. It is also interesting that your taxi ride in Goa is round trip with the taxi driver waiting for you while you stay at the beach. The beach was nice and we were able to get a few chairs and an umbrella. The chairs were a little different in that they were wooden chaise chairs and weighed a ton. The time at the beach was enjoyable with a nice breeze and pretty blue skies. Boats could be seen out in the distance. The beach had several local Indian restaurants to grab a snack or a beer but since we were going to a specialty restaurant that night on the cruise ship we decided not spoil our appetites. We spent several hours at the beach before heading back to the ship. We had a pleasant and relaxing day in Goa.
Our third a final stop in India was in Mumbai. Sharon was very excited to make this stop because she wanted to visit the Dharavi Slum where Slum Dog Millionaire was filmed. In order to view the slums we had arranged a tour with a company called Tours by Locals. This is a company that allows you to search local tour guides for specific tours they offer in various cities. They charge a single fee for the tour and offer it to a specified number of people. We did this tour with just the two of us but we could have brought along another couple for the same price. It is a worthwhile tour company to consider if you like relatively private tours for a reasonable amount of money. Our guide was Shailesh who actually lived in the slums and turned out to be a great guide for the day. Since this was a private tour for us we were able to customize it to see what we wanted to see and we spent the majority of our time visiting the slum area. Mumbai is a city of more than 20 million people with more than 60% of them living in the slums. The particular slums we went to (where the movie had been filmed) is the third largest slum in the world (Brazil #1 and Pakistan #2) and covers a one square mile area. We weren’t allowed to take too many pictures in the slums but did take some from some overviews and at some specific areas. The slums were amazing! We had no idea that so much work was done there. While the people lived over head in buildings made of corrugated metal or plywood, the bottom portion of the building was used as a small business. The three primary businesses performed there were plastic recycling, leather production and clay pottery manufacture. The government sponsored these programs and it allowed the people to have very labor intensive jobs but make enough money to eat and keep a roof over their heads. There were bags and bags of plastic that were brought in and out of the slums for the plastics to be sorted by type, color and purity. After this work was done it was re-bagged and sent to manufacturing plants outside of Mumbai that made this recycled plastic into finished product. Corrugated boxes were recycled by cutting open the boxes and reprinting new information on the opposite side of the carton before reassembling them. Everything was recycled and reused! The hides from animals were brought into the slums were it was processed and made into finished leather products. We bought a few items as souvenirs. Another different area of the slums was dedicated to clay pottery making. They produced a great quantity of pots and sold them to stores for sale to people. As we walked along the streets of the slums, people hustled around and most everyone seemed happy. Many children wanted us to take their pictures. We were told about the making of the movie and in one alley where they filmed they decided to film a daylight scene at midnight so they had full use of the alley way. They had to use a great deal of power to light up the entire area to make it look bright enough for a daylight scene. We were told that no people in the slums received anything for the filming of the movie in their area. It was also interesting to find out that the film upon its completion could not be shown in India because the government thought that it showed a degrading look of the Indian people (i.e., beggars and crime, which neither did they have). Years later after the movie continued to gain popularity throughout the world, that ban was lifted. It was a very interesting morning viewing the slums and learning about it and the people there.
After our slum tour we asked our guide to take us to a good Indian restaurant in the area for lunch. He had just the place and we were treated to his favorite local Indian restaurant. While Greg had his beer, Sharon had some Indian rum with Pepsi (she actually had several of them!). The meal was great as we had an appetizer – a chopped pickle mixed in oil and Indian spices; rice; curry; vegetables and chicken with some of that great Indian flat bread. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch and some more time to chat with our guide about the Indian lifestyle. The lunch was extremely inexpensive and we provided a large tip to show our thanks to the manager who was a good friend of our guide and took great care of us!
After lunch we visited another Indian laundry but this one was even more amazing. It is in the Guinness World Record as the largest outdoor laundry facility. Although the clothes were cleaned in the same manner as we had seen in Cochin, this laundry was so much larger in size and the people lived right where they did the laundry. We then went off and did some more touristic sightseeing. We saw the Gateway of India which is a large archway at the pier built in honor of King George V. Right next door is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel which was built to replicate the Taj Mahal. One of the most beautiful buildings in the city was the Victoria Train Station where 90% of Mumbai’s population goes through every day! We visited the Hanging Garden which had a nice overlook of the city and the beach. We went by to visit the house that Gandhiji lived in for 17 years (1917-1934). It was more of a museum dedicated to his life. After that, we headed back to our ship and amazed at how much we had seen that day. We had a very fun and full day in Mumbai! Thanks Shailesh for sharing your city and home with us!
We are now heading across the Arabian Sea on our way to Muscat, Oman!
Sharon & Greg
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