Arcadia alongside her berth at Cochin.
The port gate.
Auto-rickshaws.
Plenty of taxis!
Busy streets at the port gate area.
Daily life goes on,....wonder who is on the big white ship in port?
Lots of atmosphere - hustle and bustle.
A good snap of Arcadia with the Palm tree.
Waiting for business.
Armed guards all around.
We had an additional gangway out on A deck forward today for the morning arrival rush.
People with an eye for business.
Graham and Cynthia ready for the off.......
Tour Coaches ready for our passengers.
Pauline ready for meet and greet.
A hive of activity...nothing like the morning arrival!
Local drummers who welcomed us to Cochin - many thanks - much appreciated.Good Day Everyone,
It is so exciting to be back in India! Arcadia called at Mumbai on the way out on this Grand Voyage on the 23rd January - seems like yesterday! I could feel the buzz all day yesterday as our staff were exciting about the prospect on being back in their homeland. Only a small crew change today of 35. Joseph and Petrina from my Front of House team are leaving us today and it is sad to see them go - they have been a great asset to the team.
After leaving Langkawi in Malaysia we enjoyed two smooth sea day with perfect weather which gave our passengers a nice time to relax and enjoy the sunshine and all the indoor activities Arcadia has to offer - not everyone likes the sun and we end up with venues packed in the mornings and afternoons! Richard Digance was interviewed in The Palladium by Gary Glading to a full house at 3.15pm.
It was an interesting sail in this morning with lots to see and we came along side to the sound of a traditional drum welcome from a group of local men. Again the quayside was well organised with tours going from one point and independents from another. There was a desk to purchase a tuck tuck or a taxi voucher before leaving the secure area so you would not get 'ripped off' as they say........!! There was also a well dressed gentleman from the concierge at the Taj Malabar to encourage business to their hotel - visit http://www.tajhotels.com/
Lots of Officials boarded Arcadia on arrival. All passengers and crew require an Indian Landing card for going ashore today. Two Officials travelled with us from Langkawi and did most of the paperwork therefore clearance was speedy and soon our passengers were off on their adventurers. I saw Graham and Cynthia on the quayside and they will have lots of tales to tell when they get back this evening. Alan Hodges from our Mumbai Office is also here to oversee the crew change and exchange greetings with the Ship's Company. I used to work with Alan when he was a chef on board with us - so it is always good to catch up with our shore side colleagues. Captain Paul our boss agent here tells me that business is good in Cochin and that they are enjoying a record number of cruise ship calls to this port.
This port was formerly known as Kochi, the large city of Cochin is in the state of Kerala in south western India. This is 170 miles from the southern tip of India. It is often referred to as the Queen of the Arabian Sea and even the Venice of the Orient. Lochi means a 'small place' in Malayalam, a rather misleading name for a city with more than 1.6 million people living here.
Cochin is on a similar latitude to Ho Chi Minh City and Trinidad.
Enjoy your day,
James.
Travel 'spices' up you life!
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7 comments:
How lovely to get up and find another entry - thank you. I've missed your writings the last couple of days - not a criticism - just an indication of how you have become part of our daily lives.
Your photographs make it look very hot! India isn't a country I have had a burning desire to visit, but I'm more than happy to be proved wrong.
I'm sure many of the crew will be feeling a tug on their heart strings, just being back in their country. I remember one member telling me last year, that he wouldn't allow his family to try and see him when in Mumbai, because he would find it even harder to continue to Southampton and the end of his contract. They make such sacrifices for their families - and us - don't they?
Have fun!
Gill
Hi, to all on Arcadia.
Fantastic photo's the first one really shows the immense size of Arcadia, your now on the downhill slop of this Grand Voyage,not long now and you will all be back in Blighty, disembarking old friends and welcoming new ones.
Everyone deserves a pat on the back for the hard work that you all do to make the day-day running smooth for the benefit of all on board.
Hope you do decide to carry on blogging when back in local waters.
Geoff Witts Perth.
Unlike Gill, I do find myself increasingly drawn to India. Sounds a fascinating place. I give some small supprt to an Orphanage in Chennai and hope one day to get there to see it for myself. Would also like to visit Mumbai.
Thanks James for the update. Does it feel like you are "coming home" now? It must be a strange feeling for the Grand Voyagers when they get back...to real life after such a fabulous experience.
I had an idea this week that P&O should have one ship doing Grand Voyages all year round - calling at Southampton every 3 months, and regular calls in Sydney and Mumbai. The itinerary would vary with the time of year depending on weather. This would enable more people to do all or some of a Grand Voyage. I did email P&O with this idea but no-one replied! Oh well, I'll just have to save up, buy a ship and do it myself!!! If I need an Exec Purser, I'll give you a call!
Thanks again for the time you spend on feeding our Arcadia habit.
Dear James,
I had the same idea myself and was wondering if there was a world voyage going on most of the time during the year and not only during the winter months?
I expect it is all down to pricing and how much money a world voyage costs compared with the shorther trips to the Med. I remember when we sailed through the Panama Canal aboard Oriana someone said it cost £100 000.00+ just to travel through it and in this time of crisis on the financial front all things need to be considered.
There is no doubt about it however, once you have experienced some of the more exotic ports in the world the thought of stopping off in Gibralta or Palma one more time does not seem so appealing.
I alays think though that some people have never been on holiday and unless you ocasionally have "a boil in the bag cod in butter sauce" how will you ever appreciate a fine fillet steak!!!
I really felt for the guys as we sailed away from Mumbai and it was quite emotional to see all of the families on the quay and some of the crew on the decks waving & taking photos. I know our cabin steward Noel (Hello Noel - B93) will not see his family until October!! There is dedication for you. I was worried about not seeing Tiger and my two soldier boys for 10 weeks but it puts it all into perspective!
Love to everyone on board especially those who still have a long time to go before they see their families..
Love from Tony & Louise. xx
Great blog and photos again James, India definately draws me to it. Only saw Bombay (as it was then) for a few hours when disembarking to come home would love to have a week or more there.
It must be such mixed feelings for the crew to see their homeland and families for a few hours only to leave them again and in some cases for many more months. I know for some of them it is to much and they don't like their families to visit.
They truly are a great asset to P&O as are all the crew.
Thanks again for another great update and photographs James, you are an "ace reporter".
I wonder if Kevin got to see his wife today, if you see him when you go to dinner tonight tell him I was thinking of him and hoped that he got to see his wife and boys.
Cheers
Mary K.
Thanks James for this insight to Cochin
As you may remember my story of my 'Merchant Adventurers' from Portugal starts here in Cochin, and over the years end up in Calcutta,Howrah & Alahabad
To see and read your blog is very helpful
I agree with your comment about Joseph and Petrina, they were so helpful and caring ...I miss them a lot
Avril
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