Mangalore, India, December 2

We’re on our way to the Maldives!  Departed Mangalore at 6 pm.  Have now said goodbye to India, the Middle East, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Cypress and Turkey!  That’s it, don’t need to go back to any of those places except maybe Turkey which is on the list for next year’s cruise if that goes ahead.  

I found Mangalore a little less dirty and littered than both Goa and Mumbai and the traffic, while still heavy, seemed more organised. My tour was ‘A Day in the Life of Mangalore’ - 3 hours in a funny little highly decorated bus which I thought would surely break down on the slightest rise!  Our guide was Shayne, yes you heard right, told us he was a qualified psychologist has also been guiding for 12 years, is Indian and a Catholic.  He told us a lot about the Hindu way of life, marriages, babies etc, and produced a necklace which married women wear always.  If the necklace should break then the woman has to go to the priests who decide if the marriage can continue. I reckon there’d be a few accidental breakages in our society!!! It was then explained how each state in India has a different language/dialect (this was like a grade 2 lesson) and Shayne produced about 8 newspapers to show us the various front pages from different states - that was fine but he then handed them along for everyone to look at.  

So first stop was at a market. I’ve been to markets in many countries over the years but today’s was awful - smelly fish with flies all around, filthy counters, a really grubby experience. But as I’ve said before, that’s India!  

Next stop was lovely although getting there was like taking our lives into our own hands.  The bus stopped on one side of a very busy road and we had to cross to the other side.   But there was a two foot high barrier in middle of the road - not a platform but like a stile - and once on that we were right in the middle of oncoming traffic from the other way.  Bad enough for me but feel for the poor old bloke with the walker and another man who is almost blind!!! 

Of course crossing roads in India is always a nightmare and the guides usually halt the traffic eventually but this barrier caused great issues.  

Eventually got to Belmont House - built in the 18th century by Lord Harris, he was the Collector and Magistrate of the Canera District, then a part of British Madras Presidency.  He commissioned the construction of this stately residence and named it Belmont House after their ancestral mansion in Fashersham, Kent. Belmont House soon acquired a landmark status which still remains even as this small township of the British Raj evolved into a city and to this day the traffic pedestal along its busy street is spoken of as Collector’s Corner.  Lord Harris died at age 40 and his widow went back to England and so Belmont passed through a few hands until the Peres family purchased it for $400 US a few years before India’s Independence from the Crown.  

The affluent Peres family were successful coffee and rubber merchants with plantation estates around the hills of Mangalore and Cochin.  Joan and Michael Peres  became attached to Belmont and raised a family of five sons and one daughter.  Most have left Mangalore and enjoy successful careers in diverse streams of travel, law, financial consultancy etc.  One of the sons is the General Legal Counsel for Coca Cola in the Asia Pacific region.  We met Joan, who is 84 and a true olde worlde gracious hostess, along with her son Greg she welcomed us at her front door and invited us all in to view the house and partake of light refreshments.  Greg is involved in real estate in Mangalore, a very nice man who sat and chatted to some of us about life in Mangalore.  Another brother is now working in Brisbane.  

On our drive back to the ship Shayne didn’t say too much except to point out a circus with all the tents etc, as most people appeared to be having a snooze on the bus.  Until he came on the PA and asked if he could sing to us!  Well, he had the volume up as high as possible and sang a terrible song (in English) and the problem was everyone clapped so he asked could he sing another!  On and on it went, absolutely terrible on a bus PA system and again everyone clapped! Ear plugs definitely required.  He then told us his mother is an opera singer.  I think it was a self promotion trip for him! 

I should point out that Mangalore is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It handles 75 percent of India’s coffee and cashew exports.  It’s been ruled by several major powers including Kdambas, Alcoa’s, Vijayanagar Empire, Keladi Nahaks and the Portuguese.  Many classical dance forms and folk art are practised in Mangalore and most of the popular Indian festivals are celebrate, the most important are Dasara, Diwali, Christmas, Easter, Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi.  

Now back from dinner in La Chartruese with friends from Belgium.  A most interesting conversation towards the end of the night, some of their clients are Russian so lots to hear about that - sadly G missed most of it as was asleep at the table.