Tomorrow, Mysterious India...

To me, the mystery is how the country can function, it is so large and seemingly unmanageable. The population is just about 1,100,000,000 today. [That is Billion folks]. If Canada had the same population density as India, the population of Canada would be 3,335,832,000. That would make it bigger in population than China and India combined. It would also make Canada 107 times more dense than it is now. Does any of this make sense?

On board, the people that I speak to have a variety of feelings about our visit to the two ports in India. [Chennai; was Madras, on the east coast; and Mumbai; was Bombay, on the west coast.] Many passengers, [most] have not been here before  and are somewhat apprehensive about what to expect. Lots have been here and find it very vibrant and exciting. Some have been here before and dislike it, and some dislike it a lot! We fall into a category of 'talk to me in a week about India'

The main cause for concern is the poverty that is right in your face. With poverty comes beggars and a very low class of people who are slightly above beggars. Some may remember my earlier blog about 'working for a living'? Well it goes double here, absolutely, no work, then no money, so no food, no welfare. The Indian working class people are not blind to the poor in their society, they just accept it. They are tolerant of the less fortunate and do help support them. It is just so much different than our lifestyle that we have trouble comprehending it.

The ones to be pitied are not the adults but the little children who have absolutely no chance of bettering themselves except for some form of miraculous intervention. Such as being taken in by World Vision or such and given a basic education and a kick-start to life. If you are supporting some child in such a way somewhere in the world God bless you for that. We will see the ones who do not have such support and have no chance. Imagine your child or grandchild begging on the streets in rags and you may begin to relate. Or worse still imagine a small child of yours in 'The Cages' in Bombay where child prostitution is a method of keeping food in your belly.

On the other hand India has a very well educated class of people that are amongst the world's leaders in software and high tech development. Indian businessmen are some of the smartest [and wealthiest], and very well connected. India is also the home of many, many Call Centres. If you made any enquiry into a department store account you may have been speaking to somebody in India as likely as in your own country. 

Enough rambling Doug, I have to be able to accept what is, and carry on, hard as it may be.

New Subject.

Here is an outline into what the Robin's and Cutler's are up to the next several days...

March 12. Get off the ship and fly across India to Mumbai, [2 1/4 hours]. Get on another plane and fly to Bhophal, [1 3/4 hours]. Get on a train [The Riwanchal Express] and travel to a town called Katni in the interior. The train arrives at Katni Station at 4.50 AM where we are picked up and taken to Bhandavgarth Tiger Resort. [Do you think we might be tired and want a shower?]

March 13. All day at the resort and the National Park, looking for tigers and leopards and other game. 

March 14. As previous day.

March 15. As previous day.

March 16. [The ship arrives in Mumbai that day]. Visit to the Park for the last time and then transfer to Katni Railway Station for the train to Mumbai. The train this time is the Howarth Mumbai Mail Train. That doesn't sound too good does it? Not like an Express or something! Train leaves at 4.25 PM and arrives in Mumbai at 11.25 AM next day. We then are transferred to our floating air-conditioned shower stall! The ship sails for Oman, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula at 11 that night.

So, two nights on a train, hmmm! We booked first class but who knows what that will be. We think we will be fine while at the Resort and are hopeful of seeing a tiger or two while there. To me the experience will be the thing, sighting a tiger will be a bonus. 

It is unfortunate that much of the train travel will be at night however, not the best of circumstances, but on the morning coming back we are hopeful of country-side viewing. Our main concern is food that is safe in our tender tummies! We are taking a reasonable amount with us to nibble on in case the first 24 hours is a bit iffy. 

My computer is going with me as a back-up for our pictures, but I am not at all expecting to be online while on the ground in India. Craig will post a daily a 'where we are' thing.

Sister Moe is going to be a busy lady. She has a tour in Chennai and two or three in Mumbai, as the ship is there for two days. 

So folks, I say adios for a while, wish us luck and we will talk in about a week.

The pictures are a group of us done up in our finery last night and the wonderful Victoria Railway Station in Bombay where we will arrive, Lord willing, on the 17th of March. I am looking forward to seeing Moe and our other shipmates then.