DESTINATIONS CRUISE |GANGES


TRIED & TESTED ganges voyager ii


The three-storey vessel can accommodate 56 passengers and offers five suites (of between 280sq ft and 400sq ft) and 23 staterooms (261 sq ft). Elegant colonial- style decor and handpainted murals feature in all, with floor-to-ceiling sliding windows to allow maximum sightseeing. Staterooms have rain showers, while suites offer baths and all come with Molton Brown toiletries. A pillow choice is available and all rooms have individual climate control. Shared spaces include the sun deck, with colonial- style solid wooden seats and recliners (below); the Governor’s Lounge, a stylish air-conditioned bar; and the East India Restaurant. The Lotus Spa offers ayurvedic massage by appointment, and there is a small fitness centre.


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Holy man on Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi; Matiari village; Governor’s Lounge on Ganges Voyager II; Shiva Temples of Kalna PICTURES: Shutterstock


For those clients keen to embrace the wellness


offering, healthy dishes were available (although an iron will would be necessary to resist the daily à la carte menus, featuring fragrant curries and Indian specialities alongside a selection of Western dishes). The gentle sunrise and sunset hatha yoga sessions, which took place on the sundeck with knowledgeable and friendly teacher Anuska, helped to establish an easy rhythm to our days, and ayurvedic massages, courtesy of the Lotus Spa, added a welcome level of pampering, too. Unlike other over-timetabled cruises, our itinerary


was perfectly paced. Each day generally offered one shore excursion, where we would hop on board our sampan, or small tender boat, to be ferried to the riverbank. On day two, we visited Kalna, renowned for its 18th-century terracotta temples, and our guide explained the significance of plaques depicting themes of Hindu epics alongside everyday life in the region.


MOTHER EARTH To witness daily life in the 21st century, we only had to gaze out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in our staterooms or, for the lucky few, suites. The Ganges is a sacred deity in Hinduism – India’s predominant religion – and is known as Mother Ganga because


90 16 JANUARY 2020


33Peaceful rural scenes floated by: low-lying boats manned by solitary fishermen and women beating clothes against rocks


of its life-supporting powers. We saw this in action every morning, drifting past villages and towns with ghats (steps) leading down to the river, where everyone bathed; women in jewel-bright saris, men in dhotis (a type of loose trousers) and children in undergarments. And nearby, cows, also sacred in Hinduism, quenched their thirst from the same water source. Later in the day, peaceful rural scenes floated by on


repeat: low-lying boats manned by solitary fishermen and women beating clothes against rocks on the riverbank. Further inland, workers crouched low in the rice and tea fields and lofty terracotta chimneys signalled a village’s ceramic industry. A personal highlight of the week came on day four


with an afternoon excursion to the remote and rural village of Baranagar. Although the official focus was


² travelweekly.co.uk


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