India

[John Pruden]

typical world we live in starving people yet space program costing billions going to planets to far away for human life while to government officials living high on the hog? jp

[john walker]

I have been there about a dozen times. the first time in 69 when we had about 5 weeks loading all round the coast from Vizakhapitnam to Bombay and hated the place for the poverty, inequality and money grabbing people that live there. On that first visit there was a young Aussie lad that had been backpacking his way to Europe but had come to a halt and run out of money in Bombay and was trying to get a pier head jump from there. A couple of the deck crowd took pity on him and stowed him away. About 10 days later when the ship was about half way to Cape Town homeward bound for Avonmouth He popped up on deck. The Captain went ballistic and threatened all and sundry with D.R's if he did not find the culprits that had stowed him away. Nobody grassed on their shipmates and the lad was eventually arrested and taken ashore in Avonmouth. Nobody received D.R's. The last time I was there was in Calcutta on a bulk carrier in 89 which cemented my present day views on the country and its people. From the arrival on board of the pilot and a bloke to carry his satchel demanding a meal and 200 cigs to the same pair on departure inclusive of port health immigration and customs all demanding the same and anything else they can get there hands on. I hate the place. How any body could visit the Bombay cages for sex is beyond me just the idea of makes me feel ill and anything you caught would be deserved. I have just spent 8 weeks travelling around South East and East Asia where even the impoverished parts of Phnom Penh and Manila seem prosperous in comparison.

[cappy]

###spent many months in 59 indian coast .....people constantly with the shits from water mainly but food stores just as bad early morning dead in the streets wagon just slinging them in......but as said by others any one who went to the cages must be one animal.....docksides running with rats and the size of cats with no fear of humans......it was one big shithole .....bombay madrass kandla.....dirtiest places on earth...cappy

[John Arton]

Like most folks here I could not agree more. India and its neighbour Pakistan are the ass holes of the world yet trumpet themselves a civilised go ahead countries. My brother ( a tight fisted bugger) spends a month in Goa each year and is forever extolling it as a brilliant place where you can get a fantastic meal for £1.
He obviously has never ventured away from his hotel and looks askance at me when I tell him what the real India is like.
rgds
JA

[Dennis McGuckin]

Hi Des. Must have been a regular occurrence taking over Garry's.
Did the same thing, but galloped around the Cages area.
After a while the horse got tired, so we had to stop.
At least that's my story.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Some years ago flew into Bombay and as we got closer I looked down on the largest cover of iron sheeting I had ever seen. there must have been two or three thousand houses or forms of accommodation under there.

The international terminal was closed so we had to sit on the tarmac for two hours with the doors open. Every fly in India came om board, it was like a fog.

Returning the terminal was open, pity, I have never seen such a mess in my life. Went to go to the dunny, got the smell and decided I could wait.
Bodies all over the place, told they were waiting for connecting flights some of which were only weekly so spent up to six days in there. Obviously these people have no sense of smell.

Our local florist goes there three times a year and loves it, but I suspect she goes to one of the better parts.

Hi John.
She probably takes a bunch of roses with her and buries her nose in it while she's there.
Cheers Des

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###spent many months in 59 indian coast .....people constantly with the shits from water mainly but food stores just as bad early morning dead in the streets wagon just slinging them in......but as said by others any one who went to the cages must be one animal.....docksides running with rats and the size of cats with no fear of humans......it was one big shithole .....bombay madrass kandla.....dirtiest places on earth...cappy

Hi Cappy.
Den managed it to the Cages with a Garry.
Cheers Des

[cappy]

Hi John.
She probably takes a bunch of roses with her and buries her nose in it while she's there.
Cheers Des

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Hi Cappy.
Den managed it to the Cages with a Garry.
Cheers Des

#####garry who..... was it that garry from southampton ....lol.....cappy

[Colin Wood]

Had several trips to India and none pleasant. First one was as 3rd. Mate on the ss Mandagala,, really the British Prince but chartered to Brocklebanks. The ship was Victory class. Crew were so useless we never called them out to shift derricks but duty officer and cadet did the job. If you wanted anything done in Calcutta you got the Gurka watchman to tell the Indians and it was done pronto. We retired to the clib one night and mate got a little sick and I think he filled 6 mugs with vomit. We did not do back, were probably been barred any way.

Indias not all bad, one trip the old man was found to be a diabetic and close to collapsing, so put him in hospital and got promoted to Master.

The last time I was there was on a QANTAS flight. We left Singapore bound for Rome when a passenger got sick. So we dumped thousands of dollars of fuel and landed at Chennai where he was eventually taken ashore. First of all, the fuel truck ran out of fuel and and had to go away, then a BOAC plane arrived so we were towed out into a paddock. Our flight plan was lodged but rejected as it was a computer print out and had to be hand written. There we are a long way from the terminal when a man arrives with an extension ladder and the 1st. office climbs back on board. The door was hardly shut when we were off to end of the runway. As we roared down the runway the Captain came on the air saying, We are out of hear. We learned later that the crew were getting very close to being out of hours and we would have had to stay there until a new crew arrive.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Chennai/BOAC those two don't go together!! Colin, in those days Quantas used to be known as Quaintarse all male cabin staff

[Keith Tindell]

I may have my numbers wrong, but when I was in Bombay we were allowed I think was 7 beers per week, as booze was banned, if I recall correctly, this was ashore, and our bond was locked. Then when we reached Calcutta, the best news we could have in India, the booze was not licensed ashore, and we could all make whooppee, This was 60 years ago, so am sure others may recall this ?, .
i have posted before, anchored out in some god awful port in India, the wharfies came on board and we had to clear the cargo from under one of the side decks so they could cook their own food on open fires on the deck. Stages had to be rigged for them as latrines etc, but when we up anchored to leave , they had preferred to use the spurling pipe as a latrine !!, you can imagine our matelot language having to wash that lot down, India a literal crap hole ,kt