Afloat in Assam
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A taste of India’s mighty Brahmaputra - and plenty of cups of tea - with Fred.\ River Cruises
As Madhab Saikia invites me to
inspect the surprisingly fragrant handfuls of course loose leaves and talks
passionately about his life as a taster - sometimes sampling up to 500 cups a
day - I am already planning to ditch my bag and mug habit, particularly when I
hear the tea that goes into them is called ‘dust’ for a reason.
In the background women in
jewel-coloured saris bend over bushes in the afternoon sunshine. They
painstakingly pick just two leaves and a bud at a time and drop them into bags
suspended from their heads. Meanwhile, Madhab tells us about the prized ‘second
flush’, the late spring harvest that follows the first picking in March and
produces superior, fuller-bodied teas.
We’re in Assam, the world’s
largest tea growing region that is a world away, as far as the tourism radar is
concerned, from better-known parts of India. Whilst areas
around Agra, synonymous with the Taj Mahal, are a magnet for first-time
visitors, India is a vast and diverse country. The more underexposed destinations,
such as the pencil slim north-eastern state of Assam, offer a remarkable
variety of historical and natural attractions.
Assam
still captures the whole essence of India. From the gateway city of Kolkata
teeming with people, old fashioned Ambassador taxis and rickshaws to sacred
cows, crumbling, palaces, ornate temples, tribal villages, lush emerald green forests
and the symbol of India; the magnificent royal Bengal tiger. Apart from the
last one, we saw them all.
Running
the length of Assam is the liquid and sacred artery of the Brahmaputra, a 2,391
waterway that rises in Tibet and flows across Assam into Bangladesh and empties
into the Bay of Bengal. The world’s fastest flowing river by volume, and the
only one with a view of the Himalayas in clear weather, it is a formidable
force that rises up to 40ft and swells to 11 miles wide during the monsoon
season. Philosophical locals living in precarious stilted houses say “what it
takes away it gives back” and in the dry season they plant crops in pop up
gardens on the fertile alluvial soil. The Brahmaputra is also unique as the
only Indian river with a male name - son of the god Brahma, who helped created
the universe - and worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and other religions.
We
travelled from Jorhat to Guwahati on this awe-inspiring river aboard the
46-passenger Mahabaahu, one of only a handful of vessels that tackle the
Brahmaputra on sailings from October to April. Far Horizon Tours, the
India-based travel specialist, operates the cosy and robust ship that’s
specially equipped with three engines to sail against the upstream currents at
speeds of three to seven knots. Conversely, we sometimes reached 14 knots on
our downstream voyage. With channels that can change daily, the river is only
navigable at day and wherever we go a pilot boat goes too - checking the
water levels and hidden sand banks ahead of our progress and mooring alongside
us at night. Aside from a distant sighting of another hotel boat we saw no
other western tourists during our time on the Brahmaputra, making it even more
of an adventure.
Religion
is inextricably intertwined with many aspects of Indian life and the warmth and
hospitality extended by people, often very poor by Western standards, is
humbling. We were the subject of curious but polite interest as we toured
villages, temples and historic sites. At one a group of schoolchildren nudged
each other shyly until the bravest walked up, proffered a hand and announced
his name. Immediately we were surrounded by all of them and they giggled as
they saw their pictures on our digital cameras. Young men, with carefully
coiffed hair, were eager to post for selfies too.
All
excursions are included in the fare and each brought a kaleidoscope of sights
and experiences, all interspersed with snapshots of the day-to-day lives of
locals and learning about the Ahom people who
were part of the ruling Assamese kingdom from 1228 to 1826. On the island of
Majuli, the world’s largest river island despite being lapped by the
Brahmaputra, we watched a colourful musical drama on the riverbank before sitting cross-legged in the cool of the
Kamlabari temple to witness an exuberant and hypnotic dance by Vaishnavite
priests variously chanting and playing cymbals
and drums. Part of their worship, our guide tells us not to applaud but
afterwards we could step forward to be blessed. Another very special moment.
The
tours are also very personal as instead of using a minibus we travel in cars,
only three passengers in each and accompanied by one of the on board
naturalists or other knowledgeable crew members. Indians drive on the left,
well, most of the time, and one of our guides laughingly told us “road lines
are just for decoration”. There’s an unwritten rule that smaller vehicles give
way to their larger oncoming counterparts at the last moment and with our
capable drivers we quickly got used to it.
The
seemingly organised chaos of roads was offset by many tranquil and reflective
moments. One night the crew lit a bonfire on the sandbar and in the
semi-darkness, overlooked by the creamy swathe of the Milky Way in the clear
night sky, we floated out candles on tiny bamboo rafts, making a wish as we did
so. Our cruise director Neena led morning yoga sessions, suitable for
first-timers and experienced alike, all enhanced by her insight into the
discipline which to Indians is far more than an exercise but a holistic and
far-reaching way of life.
On
other days we set off on small boat safaris, our sharp-eyed naturalists
spotting birds, many of them unique to India such as the grey-headed fish eagle
with its distinctive cream ‘pantaloons’ and barred owl, along with water
buffalo, a Bengal monitor lizard and numerous other species. The wildlife
highlight was a jeep safari in Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest
population of the greater one-horned
Rhinoceros, over 550 species of birds and, most elusively, more than 100 tigers
who also prowl on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
And
even though a tiger metaphorically never came to
tea, the sight of fresh paw prints on the river
bank one afternoon reminded us of how privileged we were to be sharing their habitat
with them. It provided yet another talking point which started over another cup
of tea when we were back on board the Mahabaahu and extended into sunset
G&T’s in the bar.
More information
Fred.\ River Cruises offers the
nine-night Kolkata & the Mighty Brahmaputra River itinerary with a
two-night pre-cruise stay in Kolkata and seven nights aboard the Mahabaahu including
all on board meals, excursions, international and internal flights and
transfers.
Photos by Mayuresh Hendre
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