t2 boarded Empress by Cordelia Cruises ('a cruise line for Indians' by Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd, which is headquartered in Mumbai) as it set sail to Sri Lanka from the port of Chennai on June 5. This marked her inaugural sailing to Sri Lanka, making Cordelia Cruises the ‘first Indian cruise line to call on Sri Lanka’. Empress stopped by Hambantota and Trincomalee and returned to Chennai on June 9. I journaled my maiden cruise experience and lessons from the ocean. Here are some excerpts.
Day 1
I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch an 8.15am flight to Chennai. Sending me off on my first cruise trip was a bowl of doi-cheere (‘yoghurt and poha’ somehow doesn’t have the warm embrace of a ‘doi-cheere’, that is almost like mother’s love!). Our genial chauffeur Raja greeted us at the Chennai airport. A quick dosa and besan-ladoo (oh the sight)-stop later, I was on my way to the port of Chennai, an hour’s drive from the airport. Raja saw us off at the first point of entry to the port. We boarded a second car that had the permit to drive us inside the port. Then began an arduous process of checking in and security checks. Trust me, your next airport trip will look like a cakewalk once you have gone through the multiple checkpoints on a cruise. The never-ending and exhausting process added to my morning-flight-induced crankiness. Though we were told it would only get smoother next time, I’d advise you to come armed with patience. All the tiredness and itchy irritation that accompanies morning flights vanished in a second once I stepped out into my mini suite’s verandah to be welcomed by the calm stillness of the Indian Ocean. You could actually spend hours watching the waves rise, fall and gurgle surf.We set sail from Chennai a little after 7pm. As the ship started to cut through the waves, I stood in my verandah wondering if this was what eternity looked like. Glistening in the dark, pregnant with deep secrets, rising up to kiss the sky, almost merging with it.The sounds of the ocean, a soft rumble, like a wind with a stormy belly knocking at my glass door, lulled me to sleep. Nature’s beauty. The real power. And, perhaps the only one that matters.
Day 2
The second day was spent exploring Cordelia Cruises’s Empress. I discovered the best place to sit and chill was Deck 5. You could just sit and look on for hours at the ocean, gloriously undulating. Over lunch at Chopstix, a restaurant inside Empress, we met up with Jurgen Bailom, president and CEO, Cordelia Cruises, who spoke about bringing cruising to India. A quick trip to the Bridge (the ship’s control station) later, I sat down to sip on chamomile tea, Jurgen’s recipe for seasickness. “It’s that feeling before an exam that you haven’t prepared for,” he said. Having spent four days on a ship, I can tell you nothing can prepare you for an experience of the might of the ocean, which can leave you shaken and stirred! Literally. As the glass tinkled and rattled on my mini suite’s shelf and my bed swayed from side to side, I quietly slipped under my cosy blanket, with a prayer on my lips!
Day 3
The penultimate day began with a press meet that saw Advantis, ‘the transportation and logistics arm of the Hayleys Group’ (‘a multinational conglomerate’) and Cordelia Cruises join hands to bring in cruise tourists from India to the island nation that would boost Sri Lanka’s economy.
“We are coming out of a dark period... the whole world was gripped by a pandemic which really hit tourism the world round and Sri Lanka wasn’t spared either... when the world was coming out of it, then again Sri Lanka unfortunately, went through the roughest patch in our post-Independence history... we had difficult issues in the country, particularly in the economic and political front and I think we are just about coming out of it.... I understand, out of all the tourist arrivals, 25 per cent come from India.... The cruise sector will play a pivotal role in the whole tourist sector in the country in the future. From as far as I know, up to April, Colombo has seen 31 cruises and we are expecting many more. In Hambantota, we have seen seven in the year and will have 24 in the next few months... we will make sure that we have the infrastructure and that the facilities are available,” said Keith Bernard, chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, at a press conference.
We also got chatting with the Master of Vessel, an amiable Captain Denis Korop, who shared with us his top tips to be a good seaman, which no Google search or book would tell you. We also asked him why the Bridge was called so. “My guess would be because it connects the right and left side of the ship!” he laughed.
My umpteenth trip to Deck 11 almost blew me away. I, however, did manage to take some stunningly serene pictures of Hambantota, right before the Empress set sail to our last destination in Sri Lanka, Trincomalee.
Day 4
I woke up to the beautiful view of Trincomalee. The lovely blue painted with the most lush green. A quick lunch later, I set out to capture a final round of memories. The many moods of the ocean. And, the horizon, a picturesque canvas, turning shades of sunset. Almost blushing from the embrace of the waves. And, oh so pretty.
I parked myself on my favourite bench on Deck 5 for what seemed like a lifetime. My sweet spot. The salt from the sea on my face and the wind in my tousled hair. The waves seemed to rise a little higher to bid the Empress goodbye. The surf, milky white, blended in now and then.The moment mirrored life for me. Its ebb and flow as we journey through it. The surf, the remnants of the joys and sorrows, leaving us with the message that life, which is in the now, goes on. No matter what.
Until next time.
