“Cruising the historic Hooghly to the Mother Ganges” - in 5-star comfort

One should actually title this journey “Cruising Three Rivers – from Kolkata to Varanasi in 5-star comfort”. We began in Kolkata at the mouth of the river Hooghly. Then we entered the River Bhagirathi and after we had crossed the Farakka Barrage we were in the main body of the river Ganges.

This was a trip of a lifetime  .... I have been on a few major rivers of the world: there is a feeling of being overawed by Nature - it’s so majestic; when one is afloat on these rivers, we realise that Man as such is insignificant against Nature. Each river has its own charm – I have cruised on the Irrawaddy, the Amazon (with its tributaries –  Marañon  / Ucayali / Sapisapi in Peru), the Yangtze,  the Mekong, the Rhine, the Mississippi, the Danube, the river Li in China, the Chao Phraya River in Thailand and in the backwaters of Kerala. So, when an opportunity arose to cruise the Ganges, (in 5 star comfort), I gratefully accepted it.  I have always wanted to go on the Ganges and see the scenery en route. Little did I know that we would actually traverse three rivers... Hooghly, Bhagirathi and Ganges.

THE SHIP AND ITS ACCOMMODATION 

I had full faith in my friend who had invited me to go on his ship. I knew the service standards would be exceptional and I was not disappointed. The trip beats similar cruise travel anywhere else in terms of comfort as the tours are geared for international tourists who have cruised many rivers and seen many countries. Cruisers are generally pax who have experienced the land component first and then move onto the cruises. Each of my fellow passengers have been on multiple cruises and many were visiting India on a repeat visit. So, service has to be of a high standard. Here it was unbelievable.                

The ship RV Bengal Ganga is a Burmese  vessel built in 2004. Part of a fleet owned by Exotic Heritage Group. Its a beautiful vessel – as the Company website states “designed as a replica of the colonial style ‘Clyde’ steamers that at the height of Empire trudged through swamps and far flung deltas; in particular, similar ships employed were used by a succession of important officials and celebrities of the day, most notably recorded as being used by Viceroys of India and the Prince of Wales. Shining Teak and Brass lined state rooms opening onto similarly equipped promenade decks with rattan sitting areas. The 28 state rooms today can still ensure a fantastically comfortable and elite travelling style. ‘Improvements’ to meet today’s needs such as the saloon bar, dining room and observation deck are crucial facets of enhancing what otherwise would be long distance road travel.”                      It can take a max of 56 pax - 28 with private bathroom and shower – A/C on Upper Deck; 18 Deluxe Twins Main Deck; 10 Superior Twins Lower Deck and  4 Single Cabins  for senior crew.  

The itinerary : Kolkata -  Kalna - Matiari - Murshidabad - Jangipur - Farakka - Samtaghat - Bateshwarsthan - Sultanganj - Munger  and then there was the overland section -  Nalanda - Bodhagaya – Varanasi. 

To ensure legal compliance as cruising in India is a different experience from abroad, the company states – “It would be prudent ... to be flexible and patient since cruising on the Rivers in India particularly the Ganges is incredible, adventurous, and tranquil..... an exciting and intense experience, quite unlike cruising the controlled waterways of America and Europe. We operate in areas with little or under developed infrastructure and subject to the confines of local conditions” . 

I soon found that we were delaying our start by an hour or so as we needed the water level to drop – only then can the ship pass under Hooghly bridge! As the rivers we sailed on are subject to seasonal rise and fall of water level and flow of water, there can be significant changes in water levels overnight. A sudden rise can hamper progress upstream considerably and even prevent from passing under certain bridges. 

The route is marked with the red pins - from Kolkata going to Varanasi

THE DISTANCE FROM KOLKATA TO VARIOUS PORTS

                                                                                                    
Our GM on board issued a daily programme for our benefit detailing the next day’s activities and any specific information on what we were to see. it  was delivered to each cabin every evening with a goodnight chocolate ! 

ON BOARD ACTIVITIES

There was a Tea / Coffee service with snacks on the Sun Deck from 6.00 am till sundown.  Many of us would be there by 6.30 am, some even earlier to see the magnificent sunrise  when it deigned to appear – many times there was early morning fog / mist. I used the Sun Deck for evening walks. Seeing the sunset from here was magical as it was always different. 

College kids presented Indian dance.

Tying a sari is complicated business !

To ensure guest involvement, there were daily activities and excursions for 3 to 4 hours. We also had a spa on board where one could get various types of massage to alleviate “the pain in the calf muscles” which were just idling away relaxing!!  
At Matiari, we saw the metal workshops – every household is engaged in this activity in some way or other; at Kalna there were the Nabakailas Temples – 108 eight sided or sloped roof temples in two concentric circles, Murshidabad with its 1,000 door palace and the Katra Mosque. Visits to local temples and markets of interest. A visit to a yoga school, a sari and dhoti demonstration which was really loved by the pax, an excellent demo by the Head Chef on Indian spices on one day followed thru next day by a cooking demo where he showed how to make pakoras, pulao and another item. A group of students came on board one evening and showed their skills at traditional Indian dance with a modern music embellishment .There was ample history and culture too, in that we saw the Vikramshila university of the early 9^th Century and visited Nalanda, the famous temple at Bodh Gaya and finally ended up in Varanasi with a boat cruise on the river ending with the evening aarti which has now become an art form, rather than a simple religious ceremony. My travel blogs on some of these excursions are already up.   

There was an outstanding farewell for us – as we were in Bihar with its prohibition, the alcohol having been sent off ship at Farakka as per law, the Chefs excelled themselves with their cuisine.

The Rajbari Temple complex in Kalna

THE CUISINE ON BOARD

If there was a very special memory for me – it was the awesome cuisine on board. 

Each pax commented to me, and I am sure that they wrote about it in the evaluation form, there was not one single dish served over nine days which could be faulted. Breakfast was extensive. Vegetarians were catered for too as every non veg option had a veg option. Lunch buffet had soup, a range of main items, salads and their accoutrements like artichoke hearts, olives, chives, and the like. Dessert was always divine and this was followed by a cheese platter. Dinner order was placed at lunchtime and it was a plated affair – again a full four course meal. The farewell dinner was an orgasmic delight – just see the photographs. The Chef and his men spent a lot of time decorating the table with creative visuals. 

BELOW DECKS 

We were invited below decks as many of us were keen to see how the crew lived. Starting with the spotless kitchen, the large storeroom, we were shown the crew quarters and their large lounge. A view out of the porthole at near sea level height was awesome. We ended up at the Captain’s bridge where we were shown the highlights of the navigation system.

What adjectives does one use to describe the crew? I had lots of time on hand to interact. As John had introduced them, and I knew from my personal chats with many of them, they came from all over India.... Sikkim, Darjeeling, Orissa, Himachal, Rajasthan, Bengal... the ratio of crew to guests is high. They are well trained, dedicated and some of them have been there for years.. like the Captain who has served with the ship since 2009 when the ops began. What amazed me was their single minded “devotion” in caring for us and their genuine affection and respect for their Chairman. They never knew who I was, so it was easy to appreciate their sincerity. 

This was the steering system.
You had to lookout for the sandbanks 

At the end of it all, remain our memories – Our on-board Guide, Sumit’s interesting and educative talks to us on Kalna’s temples, on Indian deities and the caste system; the ship sparkles...every banister, every floor and every surface is not only spotless but also incredibly well polished;  on return from an excursion, we were given a fresh hand towel, the soft drink, the hand sanitizer and the shoe cleaning – great detailing. At the end of it all, the amazingly caring staff who looked after our every need. 

Thank you for such a wonderful journey and memory.  

I have not said anything about my fellow passengers or my friend 
as I wish to respect their privacy. 

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