Globe hopping River cruising /
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Worldwide
waterways From Holland’s tulip-covered banks to the holy waters of the Indian Ganges, river cruises are pulling out the stops to tempt clients back, says Sara Macefield
loCal fiSheRMan on the Mekong RiVeR
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t’s an eye-opening few days as we cycle under the shadow of the Himalayas during a biking cruise along india’s mighty Brahmaputra River, which carves through the north-eastern state of assam. While afternoons and evenings are spent in the house-party surroundings of our rustic 20-passenger riverboat Charaidew, which carries our fleet of bikes, early morning starts see us pumping pedals along tarmac roads and bone-shakingly bumpy dirt tracks, dodging charging pigs and scampering monkeys that eye us inquisitively. Over five days of cycling, our group covers nearly 100 miles and each outing brings a rich profusion of local life as we ride across hilly tea plantations, where tea-pickers’ bright saris add splashes of colour to the
vivid emerald backdrop, and through paddy fields past farmers steering water buffalo as they plough the reddish soil. Every route uncovers another mesmerising scene, from the village school where we watch pupils completing their morning exercises in unison before singing the Indian national anthem, to women pounding rice flour in hulking stone cauldrons and weaving threads on rickety handlooms. Stopping in villages where locals have never clapped eyes on Western tourists, let alone a group of lycra-clad cyclists, is as much a novelty for them as it is for us!
Go with the flow Asia and other exotic hotspots finally look as though they are returning to the river cruising landscape in 2022.
Covid’s reluctant but gradual retreat is sparking more confidence, but the restart is expected to be cautious as countries gradually roll back restrictions. “There’s still much uncertainty over exactly when we can resume operations in South East Asia as current entry restrictions make planning extremely challenging,” explained Scenic & Emerald Cruises UK Trade Sales Director, Joseph Grimley. “However, once these are lifted and we get back to normal, I see the region regaining its growing popularity.” Europe’s continued recovery in 2022 is underpinned by two pivotal events intrinsically tied to river itineraries: the Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria, featured in Danube departures; and Dutch horticultural extravaganza Floriade, included in Dutch and Belgian waterways sailings.
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