Aurora World Cruise - Dubai to Mumbai

Monday 30 January – Dubai

Weather: Dry, good visibility, clear skies
Temperature: 22C
Wind: Light airs

We had a reasonably early breakfast and, while disembarkation was in full swing, caught the HoHo bus. We did the full 2 hour tour before getting off at the Dubai Mall and spending an hour and a half window shopping in all the designer shops there. The mall was decorated for Chinese New Year. The tour was interesting and I was especially taken by the Old Wharfage area and Gold Souk near the Dubai Creek. This is the oldest part of the city and the only area with any character in my opinion – especially interesting were the buildings with the old wind towers – an early way to capture a cooling breeze and duct it indoors while at the same time sucking out warm stale air.

Wind Tower

Dubai Creek

Dhow

It was slightly weird getting back on board and seeing so many new faces and knowing half our table had gone home, or in a few cases flown to India to do the Golden Triangle tour.

We sailed very late from Dubai due to issues with paperwork. We finally left at 7.30pm and I gather than some 60-90 embarking passengers once again had the wrong Indian Visas – including one of the new entertainers – a singer from New Zealand!

Tuesday 31 January at sea

Weather: Dry, good visibility, clear skies, haze
Temperature: 25C
Wind: Force 2
Sea state: Slight

A lovely relaxing sea day again. There was little other shipping and I spent a while taking photos of a Masked Booby Bird before heading up have lunch outdoors at the Pennant Bar with my friend. It appears three of our previous table mates have left the table and changed to first sitting – but it would have been nice of them to tell us! Still, we have gained three new people who seem fun – with one more to join us in Mumbai.

Wednesday 1 February at sea

Weather: Dry, good visibility, clear skies, haze
Temperature: 25C
Wind: Force 5
Sea state: Slight

Another lovely sea day – our last before Mumbai. As always I spent most of it on deck but there was not a lot to see apart from a large pod of dolphins. These were exhibiting a kind of behaviour I have read about but never seen – thrashing around in a big circle which I think herds fish into the middle and makes for easy feeding.  

 

Thursday 2 February - Mumbai

Weather: Dry, moderate visibility, clear skies, haze
Temperature: 27C
Wind: Light airs

We arrived in Mumbai at 6am. Immigration started at 6.45am and we were among the first passengers to be processed so we could go ashore for our private tour. Once we had breakfast and gathered our things we caught the port shuttle to the “Green Gate” and once trough the Customs there, waiting to be met by our guide and driver. Maria soon appeared but then we were kept waiting for another couple and a single women. The couple arrived but no sign of this lady.  After waiting another half an hour we insisted we went without her as were losing valuable time we had paid for! It was an amazing day. I don’t really know enough about India, its political systems or religion to comment so these are only my observations and experiences. It was a brilliantly chaotic place with unending solid traffic. Just crossing the road seemed to be a matter of stepping out while praying at the same time – it worked for Maria and we just followed like sheep. We stood trying to cross one road on our own until Maria intervened and just walked out and held her hand up and it stopped! I am sure the only reason there are not more accidents is that traffic cannot build up any speed.

We saw cows in the city streets, the most appalling slums, street dwellers and hawkers, but they appeared content in their firm belief that on death they would be reincarnated in a higher social position.

The Dhobi Ghat was amazing – the world’s largest outdoor laundry which services hotels and hospitals as well as private families. There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with a scrubbing stone. After washing it is all hung up to dry in the hot sun, row upon row of brilliant white sheets and the most colourful clothing.

 There are no vultures circling the Towers of Silence that the Parsi lay their dead on anymore (mainly due to decimation of their numbers by veterinary drugs used on cattle) but huge black Kites swoop over the Malabar Gardens and even over the ship by the docks. We saw the Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal Hotel (which has the only Starbucks I have been to that required me to have a security scan before entering!), Marine Drive and the Art Deco waterfront area, a Hari-Krishna temple, the railway stations and other colonial buildings built by the British in colonial times.

Street vendors were on every corner selling sugar cane, coconuts and peacock-feather fans. After a 45 min lunch break at Starbucks (free Wi-Fi!), we continued to a street art gallery with beautiful Indian prints etc at very good prices, Gandhi’s house (where there was a lovely tabby cat sunning itself outside – a very chatty cat who got up and stood on my feet!) and then ended the tour about 4pm.

We caught the port shuttle back to Aurora and then spent some time browsing the stalls in the terminal – where I bought a Tanzanite flower ring. It had been an amazing day and we stood up on deck as the sun set over Mumbai – misty through the heat and smog. Our next Indian port will be Cochin the day after tomorrow.