On the Ganges with G Adventures – Day 2

By Aaron Saunders On March 21, 2017 · 2 Comments

The Train to Farakka & Varuna

Today, our journey along India’s Ganges River with G Adventures kicks off in a big way. Today is the day we head for Kolkata’s Howrah Station for our rail journey to Farakka to board our riverboat, the 24-passenger Varuna.

If you’ve seen the film or read the book Lion, Howrah Station is where five-year old Saroo Brierley becomes stranded in Kolkata after taking the wrong train. A massive red brick building of Victorian stock, Howrah Station sits adjacent to the Howrah Bridge and the banks of the Hooghly River. It is one of the busiest train stations in the country, with 23 platforms and a hell of a lot of people.

With our train set to depart at 2:00pm, we arrived at the station just after 1:00pm. Before getting off the bus from our hotel, the HHI Kolkata, our guide Karan told us that we’d be departing from Platform 11, Car 6. He guided us directly to the platform, passing the throngs of people lined up at the ticket counters, sitting on the floor, or sleeping in the main building.

And the right train. Not all trains are created equal – and this Unrestricted Car would be the most cramped, offering little personal space. Fortunately, this isn’t our train! Photo © 2017 Aaron Saunders

Our luggage was transported separately, on a rickety wooden cart pulled by a scrawny Indian man. I suddenly felt like some awful Colonial coming here from England back in the 1800’s, bellowing for “the boy” to pull my baggage around.

All Aboard!

At quarter to two, our train pulled into the platform, and we queued up for departure. There was much jostling at the doors, but less so in our first-class, air-conditioned car. The second class cars – and the unrestricted class cars near the end of the train -looked like absolute bedlam.

Our car sat about 50 people in a 2-3 configuration. Seats are labelled in English in signs posted to the luggage racks above them. Still, boarding was complete chaos, with much pushing and shoving, and people sitting in the wrong seats. Don’t be shocked if you find someone – even an entire family – has taken your seat. Just politely ask them to move. Locals will sometimes “seat surf” before departure, hoping to luck out on a no-show.

Incredibly, the train also has power outlets located along the walls that accept North American-style two-pronged devices (like your iPhone charger), and is outfitted with two Western bathrooms and one Indian bathroom. Western bathrooms have toilets; Indian bathrooms have a hole in the floor with a metal base that you squat on to relieve yourself. And both smell just awful, though by this point in your journey, you should be used to this. By the way, I’m not trying to go on about the smell, but I don’t want to downplay it, either: it’s intense.

I’ve never really understood people who break out the sanitary wipes on flights in North America, and I wouldn’t consider myself to be a germaphobe. And yet I started wiping down my seatback tray like there was something radioactive on it. It wasn’t dirty. It just definitely wasn’t clean either.

If you’re headed here, pack sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer. Lots of it. Use it before you put your hands to your mouth for any kind of food. By Indian standards, our carriage was first class all the way. By North American standards, the whole thing had a sort of vague grubbiness to it. Specks of food, mystery smudges, dirt – all of it collects in places like armrests, floors, door handles, and so on.

None of this was being made better by whatever substance I’d tracked into the carriage; about 30 minutes in, I noticed some berries (I hope they were berries) I’d stepped on somewhere were beginning to leak from the soles of my shoes onto the floor, leaving a reddish liquid to roll around the car. Nausea rolled over me.

And then, just like that, it passes. So what if there’s liquid under my shoes, or the tray table isn’t as clean as I’d like it? At a certain point, I learned to just deal with it, accept that this is how things are, and just sanitized the hell out of my hands.

Almost immediately after departure, the two train attendants (wearing brown Meals on Wheels shirts) sprung into action. A traditional Indian lunch was dolled out, and we were informed this would be safe for us to eat. I wasn’t so sure: it was served in tinfoil boxes that seemed to be leaking everywhere. But I ate the rice and lentils and the fresh yogurt; both were delicious. After a while, our attendants came around with Chai tea that was absolutely boiling. No worries about untreated water there. And then, a third meal came around: two lights snacks, chips, chocolate, and an ice cream cup. If you want to know what the ingredients are, everything is labelled in clear English. The whole thing was rather remarkable.

The only thing to watch out for is the complimentary water that the train passes along to guests: my bottle had a lid that was already open, with the safety seal broken. Don’t drink it if this happens to you. I’d read before coming here that people sometimes attempt to make a quick rupee by refilling old water bottles with local water. Some of our guests seemed to have that issue, while others had bottles that produced a lovely snaaap! when opened.

The train ride was very comfortable and totally fascinating. We made only a few stops along the journey to Farakka, which we – incredibly – arrived at ahead of schedule, pulling in at 6:30pm after only four hours of travel and not the originally estimated six. We later learned a large diplomatic party was travelling on one of the other cars; I’m guessing that had something to do with it.

Gone in 60 Seconds

As we neared Farakka, our guide Karan came around to warn us we were approaching the station. Apparently, the train only stops for 60 seconds here, so we had to be ready.

The second the train came to a stop alongside the darkened, dimly-lit platform, our group of 17 rushed off the train. At the front end of Car Six, two baggage handlers scrambled to pull our many pieces of luggage off, putting them into a large pile on the platform. iPhone flashlights illuminated the luggage, and a mad scramble ensued as guests were asked to identify theirs quickly before the train pulled out.

After a few tense seconds, all bags were accounted for. At the same time, the train blew its horn and began moving almost immediately, before the carriage doors were even shut. A few folks leaned out the doors to take one last look at the strange band of white travellers on the darkened platform as they sped into the night.

G Adventures warns that this tour isn’t suitable for guests with mobility issues, and the company isn’t exaggerating: to get to the station entrance, we had to walk up and down two sets of steep, uneven staircases that formed the entry to a large metal gantry crossing the tracks. On the other side, more uneven stairs and surfaces as we boarded two small minibus-style vans that would take us to the ship.

After a darkened 10-minute drive through the middle of nowhere, we arrived at a small boat launch. This is where our “country boat” – really a small covered skiff – would take us to the waiting Varuna, which was anchored mid-channel. Staff lit the way for us with flashlights and helped guests down the hill to the boat.

Welcome Aboard the Varuna

Within minutes, we were welcomed aboard Varuna. Guests were assigned cabins once onboard and invited to drop their things and use the restroom before meeting in the cozy Saloon for a welcome drink and an orientation briefing.

I’ve been given Cabin Number 3, the second forwardmost cabin on the starboard side of the ship. Of Varuna’s 12 passenger cabins, all are identical except for the two aftermost staterooms, which are larger and have two windows and a queen-sized bed. The rest, like mine, all feature fixed twin beds and a single window.

Cabins are immensely cozy, with wooden floors, wood doors, and wood wall panelling. Bright overhead ceiling lights complement two bedside reading lamps that have a soothing amber colour temperature. A seating area is situated in front of the picture window, with some super comfortable wicker chairs and a small wicker table.

One standard-sized closet is provided, which is going to be a tight squeeze for two people travelling together. I’ve left some lesser-used items in my carryon bag and my luggage to save space, and I’m travelling solo.

A small night table is positioned between the two beds. This has a single drawer for storing small items in, as well as an electronic citronella candle to keep the bugs at bay. A flashlight is provided (the power goes off every now and then), and a single useable power outlet is located underneath the night table.

A remote-controlled AC unit is in each room, and it takes a bit of getting used to. If your room is hot (mine was) and you don’t see a temperature displayed on the remote, do this: Press “Mode” until you see a sun and the temperature displayed. Then, use the up-down arrow buttons to select your desired temperature. You can also adjust the swing of the gate at the bottom of the unit to let more or less air out as you see fit. Like every AC unit in Asia, this remote only seems to work when you are standing about an inch away from the unit, so don’t even think about controlling it from the sitting area or your bed!

The bathroom is decently-sized, and sports a really large shower with an adjustable shower wand. Toilets are Western-style, and can accept toilet paper.

Like most things in India, the fit-and-finish in the room isn’t great. But the room is clean, comfortable, and exceedingly homey. To be honest, it’s better than the hotel in Kolkata – and more than I was expecting.

On a safety note, rooms have smoke detectors, as does the rest of the ship. Two lifejackets are provided in each room as well.

In the lounge, the crew of the Varuna was introduced to us personally, and we responded in kind by introducing ourselves: our name, where we’re from, what we do. Everyone is pleasant and smiling, and the level of English is exceptional. G Adventures has trained local Indians from here in West Bengal to work aboard the ship, which is great.

This is my first trip with G Adventures, and it’s hard to not be impressed. The level of detail, organization and authenticity right out of the gate has been stellar. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Our Voyage Report aboard G Adventures’ Varuna along the Ganges continues tomorrow as our river cruise along the Ganges begins in earnest! Be sure to follow along on twitter by following @deckchairblog.