We arrived in Mombay before 6am and had to appear in front of Indian immigration for a face-to-face check against our passports and have our entry cards stamped. It’s been strange in India on how their immigration works. In Chennai, our first port we had to get embarkation cards and return them when we got back on board. In Cochin, no checks were done at all and here in Mombai we had to do face-to-face checks. My conclusion is that each Indian state has their own rules about arriving passengers. Well this is our last port in India.
We’ve been taking Malarone to prevent malaria and it hasn’t had any noticeable side effects. We’ve been using a bug spray as well, and haven’t been bothered by any flying bugs yet. We had a good time in Mombai visiting several museums and art galleries, including the Ghandi museum.
We had a couple of adventures in the city including being accosted by Hari Krishnas and inquisitive school kids. It seems everyone we see is as curious about us as we are about them. The kids speak very good English and aren’t hesitant about saying hello and asking questions. There’s a commercial on tv that tells it all about India – it shows two businessmen dressed in suits and ties sitting in a sauna suffering from the heat and the voice over asks “getting ready for Indai?”. Very true. The other impression is that their work ethic is horrible. No one seems to want to do any maintenance of any kind – everything – buildings, boats, houses – all look like they need a coat of paint or cleanup to remove junk lying around. Our dinner table overlooked the dock here and the whole time at dinner we could see three immigration officers sitting in their chairs at the end of the dock doing absolutely nothing except drinking water and chatting. At the same time, all the equipment at or on the dock is rusty and in need of paint or washing. It’s the same all over India.
In any event Chris and I wondered around the Calaba market and she found two Punjari dresses that look great. After that we stopped at a site called the gate of India – a large arch by the ocean. Back to the ship and Chris went to the spa for a manicure and pedicure while I went to the pool and recovered from the heat.
We had a quick dinner without dessert – most people were still touring – and went the folklore Indian show and had tea and dessert afterwards. A long and interesting day and while the tour guides hoped we’d return to India some day, I don’t think so!
So two more days at sea to rest and get ready for Dubai. It’s hard to believe but we’ve been gone two and a half months and we’re actually on the way home!
We’ve been taking Malarone to prevent malaria and it hasn’t had any noticeable side effects. We’ve been using a bug spray as well, and haven’t been bothered by any flying bugs yet. We had a good time in Mombai visiting several museums and art galleries, including the Ghandi museum.
We had a couple of adventures in the city including being accosted by Hari Krishnas and inquisitive school kids. It seems everyone we see is as curious about us as we are about them. The kids speak very good English and aren’t hesitant about saying hello and asking questions. There’s a commercial on tv that tells it all about India – it shows two businessmen dressed in suits and ties sitting in a sauna suffering from the heat and the voice over asks “getting ready for Indai?”. Very true. The other impression is that their work ethic is horrible. No one seems to want to do any maintenance of any kind – everything – buildings, boats, houses – all look like they need a coat of paint or cleanup to remove junk lying around. Our dinner table overlooked the dock here and the whole time at dinner we could see three immigration officers sitting in their chairs at the end of the dock doing absolutely nothing except drinking water and chatting. At the same time, all the equipment at or on the dock is rusty and in need of paint or washing. It’s the same all over India.
In any event Chris and I wondered around the Calaba market and she found two Punjari dresses that look great. After that we stopped at a site called the gate of India – a large arch by the ocean. Back to the ship and Chris went to the spa for a manicure and pedicure while I went to the pool and recovered from the heat.
We had a quick dinner without dessert – most people were still touring – and went the folklore Indian show and had tea and dessert afterwards. A long and interesting day and while the tour guides hoped we’d return to India some day, I don’t think so!
So two more days at sea to rest and get ready for Dubai. It’s hard to believe but we’ve been gone two and a half months and we’re actually on the way home!
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