Marie and Toms World Cruise

Islands of the Caribbean--Almost Home

2009-05-10T05:06:00.055-04:00

Islands of the Caribbean
Almost Home

After leaving Devil’s Island we had a two day sail to the Caribbean and the islands of Trinidad, Barbados and St. Barts which were our last Ports of Call before reaching the end of our trip in Fort Lauderdale. It’s been 114 days, 39 Ports and 35 countries and we’ve met so many people along the way that it’s hard to remember them all. However, we’ll discuss the more interesting and annoying characters in a follow up post that should be amusing. The trip has naturally changed our perspective on the many cities, countries and regions that we visited and we’ll be able to put a face on news reports, the travel channel, national Geographic and the animal planet, rather than looking at them as something foreign a long way off. We’re looking forward to getting home, catching up with our friends and family and enjoying our little corner of the world in Vero Beach. We’ll enjoy staying put for awhile but the trip did wet our appetites for more travel and with luck and a recovering stock market we’ll want to return to some of the places we visited for a little more in depth look at the areas.

I have not added much commentary to the 3 islands in the Carribean. Hopefully the pictures will show the beauty and character of each. However, there are decided differences in the island. Trinidad is a mix of Indian and African influences while Barbado’s is distinctly African. St. Barts, on the other hand, is French including all the arrogance you would expect to find in France.

St. Barts

Barbados

Trinidad

Devil's Island, French Guyana

2009-05-06T11:57:00.030-04:00

Devil’s Island, French Guyana

"Looking for Papillon"

This is spooky place with a very dark history. There are actually three islands that make up the former French penal colony, 3 miles off the coast of French Guyana. Opened in 1852, it served as a prison until 1952 (most likely a death sentence). The inmates ran the gamut from political prisoners to thieves and murderers. The terrible conditions and spread of disease (malaria & yellow fever) on the island guaranteed that more than 70% of the 80,000 prisoners were never seen again. The remote location with shark filled waters made escape virtually impossible. As I recall, however, Steve McQueen (Papillon) escaped to Venezuela. Actually, after many years on the island Papillon lived a good life as a hotelier in Venezuela. Recently, however, there has been some debate over who Papillon actually was.

We found Devil’s Island to be a very hot, humid tropical jungle with monkeys, macaws, iguanas and small rat like animals. The island is mountainous and as you climb the trails there are reminders of the penal colony everywhere. When you arrive at the top there are eerie ruins of the old barracks, the cells, prison hospital, chapel and former guard’s mess hall that has been converted into a hotel (sort of). Further along is a children’s cemetery. It seems that after the inmates completed their sentences they had to stay on the island for 8 years and work. France sent female convicts to the island to marry these freed prisoners. Their children did not last long.

On the positive side, today there is a small harbor that seems to be a stopping off place for yachts and small boats from South America. The paths leading around the island have beautiful views of the ocean and the other islands. Once on top of the island, we were able to buy a beer and enjoy the company of other shipboard prisoners. Since we were drenched from the heat and humidity by mid afternoon we were happy to head back to the ship after our beer.

Ascension Island

2009-05-01T03:28:00.017-04:00

A Thousand Miles from Nowhere

We thought St. Helena was isolated until we got to Ascension Island and the village of Georgetown. This place doesn’t even make it on the world map because it’s so small and isolated. The best way describe Ascension’s location is that “it’s in the Atlantic a thousand miles from nowhere.” The good news is that the ship did not have to go out of its way to get there.

We arrived off the coast of Ascension to discover that the swells were lifting the Tenders (ships boats) 6 feet up and down and the sea would wash over the pier. So, the Captain decided to wait and see if the tides helped. Finally he took a tender to view the situation himself. On returning he notified us that those that were in good physical shape (meaning you could walk) could go ashore. So off we went in the tender and had to wait as the first passenger tried to get off—he was a guy that used a walker on the ship.

The island is a British dependency, is really laid back and mainly serves as a military tracking station and former marine garrison. There is a church, a few bars, a hotel (more like a motel) several forts, a few gift shops and a golf course. The golf course greens are made of crushed lava that have been pressed flat with diesel oil and are called “browns” by the locals. The fairways are marked out with large volcanic boulders. It has officially been registered as the worse golf course in the world, although the old condo course on US1 in Vero may give it a run for the money. Four of us started up a hill that would lead to the course but after 20 minutes of walking straight up a volcanic road in 86 degree heat we gave up and went to the hotel for a Beer. Who cared if it was only 11:30 in the morning?

We also noticed a few other things on the island. On the way down the hill we saw a sign that read “entering Georgetown, drive carefully.” Georgetown is the only village on the island so where were they coming from? The license plates had numbers like “A21.” The largest number I saw was only 2 digits. In town there are sheep running through the streets along with donkeys. At the Church there is a sign that reads “please close doors after entering to keep out the Donkeys”. Upon arriving back on board the Captain said that he would circumnavigate the island so that those that were unable to visit would have a chance to see it. He would not have been happy if he knew about the guy with the walker.

Jamestown, Saint Helena

2009-04-29T07:26:00.024-04:00

Homeward Bound

We’ve begun our trek across the Atlantic and have left Africa behind. Over the next 2 weeks each of our last 6 ports will get us closer to Fort Lauderdale. We’ll make the most of each port but are also looking forward to getting home.

St. Helena is a British Overseas Territory and one of the most isolated places in the world, located more than 1,200 miles from the nearest landmass (Africa). Because of its remote location it became the place of exile and death for Napoleon (1815-1821) after his defeat at Waterloo. We were able to visit his former home, Longwood, in the mountains as well as his former tomb (his remains have since been moved to Paris).

The island is quite beautiful with green lush mountains, vertical cliffs and V-shaped valleys. The weather is moderate with the annual temperature somewhat over 70 degrees. There is no airport and the only mode of transportation and import of goods is by the islands ship which returns every two weeks. The town of Jamestown where we were tendered into is located in a v-shaped valley between two mountains. One of the most unusual and daunting sights is “Jacob’s Ladder.” This is a long improvised very steep stairway leading up the sheer mountain to a plateau with some homes above. It was originally built by the military to link the fort above with the town of Jamestown. The ladder is 900 feet long and has 700 steps. If you climb it you get a certificate that states you were dumb enough to do it. Unfortunately you also have to climb back down. Well, we were surprised to find hundreds of our ships passengers and crew climbing the ladder. Marie did it and I filmed her. I opted out when one of our friends that we had done the ATV’s with 3 days before passed out halfway up. He was helped down and we all had a Beer together afterwards. He didn’t get a certificate.

We spoke to several of the town’s people including our taxi driver, the proprietors’ of the local hotel and a guy that was the former Magistrate. They all agreed that the town was like living in the 1950’s, with no crime, few interferences from the outside world, a beautiful climate, scenic vistas everywhere and an 18 hole golf course. They said that the 6,000 residents were not interested in what we call “progress.” We understood that and found the place to be as close to Shangri La as we’ve encountered. I cannot imagine living in such an isolated place but if you were born and raised there it would make for a very comfortable life.

Namibia, Africa

2009-04-26T08:37:00.026-04:00

The landscape of Namibia in West Africa is not what we expected when we envisioned Africa. The great Namib Desert makes up much of the overall land mass; however, it has great wildlife and is distinctly African. The land is desolate but has something very special---diamonds. The first person to purchase land from the natives was Adolf Luderitz, founder of this town. Luderitz was the first German settlement in Southwest Africa and in 1884 the German military took over the port. There were several wars between Germany and the allies during WWI and WWII. South Africa to its east also claimed it for some period of time. Finally in 1990 Namibia became independent.

Diamond mining has driven much of the areas economics. We met a couple in Luderitz who managed the operations of the de Boers diamond mines nearby. As with the rest of the world, diamonds have fallen on hard times because they are a luxury. The company has over a year’s supply of inventory on hand and has shut the mines for 4 months giving all employees a fully paid leave of absence. So, even in the little town of Luderitz our U.S. housing market collapse has affected this local economy.

Luderitz and Kolmanskop

Luderitz was our first Port of Call in Namibia and in the morning we headed out to Kolmanskop, the first diamond mine. In the 19th century Jan Kolman was traversing the desert when he began finding what appeared to be diamonds on top of the sand. From there the town was founded and the Germans began to arrive. It is now a Ghost town with the Sand trying to reclaim what’s left. It operates as a museum and we found it pretty interesting to see how these 400 people lived while digging for diamonds. They built an ice house, sausage factory, bowling alleys and a medical clinic. They were able to use shovels since the diamonds were very close to the surface and large equipment had not yet been invented. After the 90 minute tour we found our taxi driver and began the trip back to Luderitz. On the way, he announced that the fee he had committed to was only a one way fare and that he wanted double the price. I told him to take us to the tourist office and we would straighten it out. He finally agreed to a $5 tip. These guys are in training for a New York City taxi job.

As you can see from the pictures of Luderitz, it’s a very pretty seaside town. It sits on rocky shores and reminded us of Maine, although it’s much drier. The buildings are painted bright colors and most of the roads are sand. They’ve begun some work to attract tourists along the waterfront with a few shops and restaurants. We had a delightful day walking in the spring like weather and ate lunch overlooking the harbor. The ship was unable to moor alongside the pier because of tides. The Captain also announced that the Rotterdam would have been the largest ship ever to enter the harbor and he did not feel good about that. So, we tendered in from the outer harbor.

Walvis Bay and Swakopmund

Walvis Bay (Whale Bay) our Port is about 350 miles North of Luderitz, also on the Atlantic. Our destination this day was the Sand Dunes about 20 miles North in Swakopmund. We had agreed with some shipboard friends to rent 4 by 4 ATV’s and take a guided tour of the Namib desert. We didn’t know what to expect but all agreed that it ranked high on the “most fun” scale when we were done. The dunes can reach 1,000 feet high and as the group of 15 followed our guides we all became more confident—probably a mistake. The dunes became more like the moon and much of the time we travelled on virgin sand with the Atlantic off to our West. The Weather was perfect and after 2 hours of non stop action we were ready for lunch and Beer at a German Brew house in Swakopmund.

When we returned to the port we found out that the ships Dentist had to be medivacked. He took the ships excursion on the ATV’s and flipped over shattering his collarbone. We’ll pray that we don’t have a toothache on the way to Fort Lauderdale.

But for us it was a great day and a good send off as we left the African continent for St. Helena in the mid Atlantic.

Luderitz and Kolmanskop

Swakopmund and Namid Desert

Cape Town, South Africa

2009-04-23T10:54:00.053-04:00

Cape Town, South Africa has been one of the ports we’ve been most anxious to visit since the beginning of the trip. According to Frommers travel guide, Cape Town is considered ,by many, to be the most beautiful city in the world. We would agree with that assessment. It’s the 3rd largest city in South Africa and lies at the foot of Table Mountain (3,750 feet) and on the shore of Table Bay. Most of the former dock area is now a commercial and tourist waterfront area with museums, craft markets, and restaurants. Cape Town is the tourism capital of South Africa with the largest number of tourists of any South African city.

We encountered rough seas since leaving Durban which got worse as we rounded the Cape of Good Hope on our way to Cape Town. We were scheduled to spend 2 ½ days there (longer than any other port) but upon arrival the Port Authority would not allow the ship to enter the harbor because winds were gusting to 60 knots. So, we rode at anchor in the bay from 10:30 AM until 9:30 PM when we were finally allowed to enter the harbor. That simply meant that we had some time to make up, which we did.

Our first day in Port started out with a visit to Robben Island, a former prison for political prisoners and now a museum. Actually, what this means is that it was a former prison for Blacks that were campaigning against Apartheid. Among the most famous of these inmates was Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison for spearheading the African National Congress (ANC) as a legitimate party. He was released in 1992 and became President of South Africa in 1994 with the ANC becoming the majority party. Robben Island is 9 miles off the coast of Cape Town which you reach by boat. The ride out is quite beautiful and takes about 30 minutes. Once there we were given a tour of the island by bus, after which we were introduced to a former prisoner, who was our tour guide for the remainder of our internment on the island. We were brought inside the prison and shown how he and others had lived. They lived in 8 by 10 foot cells with no mattress and only 2 thin blankets. There was no toilet, no desk—no anything. They only had a bucket which they emptied out in the morning. One of the cells we were shown is Nelson Mandela’s, which I have included a picture. During the day they were driven to a limestone quarry where they worked at hard labor all day. Many went blind from the light of the limestone and others have severely damaged eyesight, as does Mr. Mandela. This reminded us a bit of Alcatraz which we had visited a number of years ago. It’s within sight of Cape Town (vs. San Francisco) which prompted some of the prisoners to attempt escape. There were a few attempts but no survivors. The only residents left on the island (other than the employees of the Museum) are a Penguin Colony that has been there for years.

After returning to the harbor we decided to attempt to get to the top of Table Mountain (over 3,000 feet) which had been closed in the morning because of wind. You get to the top by Cable Car and luckily it had reopened. The cars rotate 360 degrees on the way up the mountain which gives you a spectacular view of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. Once on top there are stone paths to walk for various view points. Actually, it’s pretty extensive since Table Mountain is over 3 miles long and ¼ mile wide with a mostly flat top (hence “table” mountain). The winds were howling and it was pretty cold (it’s late Fall here) but we managed to walk most of the paths and after 90 minutes took the cable car back down to the base of the mountain (which is still halfway up the mountain from the harbor). From there we went back to the harbor to visit some craft shops and have our first local beer of the day (Castle).

For our second day in Cape Town we hired a private guide along with 2 other couples to visit the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Peninsula (about 2 hours away). This is the Southern tip of Africa and is where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic meet. The guide, “Niels” was half the fun because of the stories he told. The short version is that he is a white South African who was orphaned at the age of 2. He mostly looked after himself and lived just outside Kruger Game Reserve, South Africa’s largest. His early occupation was “Poacher” in the park and later Poacher of Abalone and other illegal sea life—pretty nice guy huh? Well, he claims that after a few days in Jail as a young guy he learned his lessons. For sure he had a lot of stories to tell and knew the area really well. On the way to The Cape we stopped at Boulder Beach the site of the largest Penguin Colony. These are Jackass Penguins and were a lot of fun to watch. Once at the Cape of Good Hope a Cable Car takes you to the top. You then get to climb another 160 steep steps to the Lighthouse on top (what fun). The pictures I’ve posted show the fantastic views. In fact, Marie and I can’t remember a more beautiful setting. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a Winery for some tasting and even though it was early we decided to follow Niels direction that, in South Africa “we drink when we’re thirsty.” The wine was good and Cape Town a highlight of our trip. We left for Namibia later in the afternoon where we’ve rented 4 wheelers to tour the Namib Desert. We’ll let you know how that goes in our next Post.

Robben Island Prison

Table Mountain

Harborfront

On the way to the Cape of Good Hope

Penguin Colony

Durban, South Africa

2009-04-19T00:11:00.019-04:00

Durban is a city of 4 Million people and the busiest port in South Africa. It’s also the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is best known for its warm weather and beautiful beaches. The majority of the people are Zulu but there are also Indian and Europeans, chiefly Afrikaners of Dutch descent.

Today we hired a private tour guide for the day. We were tired of the ship’s bus tours and the private tour was about half the price. We’ve pretty much decided to go this way for the rest of the cruise since we’ll be in larger ports than many of those we visited in Asia. In the morning we headed out to the Valley of 1,000 Hills, about 45 minutes from Durban. This is a mountainous area and the views into the Valley are beautiful. I’m sure my pictures don’t do it justice. More important we wanted to visit a Zulu cultural village since we would be leaving the province tonight. Our guide, Christian, was a Zulu and had been brought up in a typical Zulu Village about 4 hours North of Durban. He recounted his upbringing and that his Father was a Polygamous who had 6 wives and 50 Children. He walked 24 miles roundtrip on dirt roads and through the bush to school each day, much of the time barefoot. Unfortunately, only 32 of his siblings are still alive with the rest having died of Aids. I described this Pandemic in my last posting. Christian took us to a Zulu Cultural Village where we were able to see how things were done in the old days and in many cases, still today. The dances that I show in the pictures can’t really be appreciated without the drumbeats but it will give you some idea.

We returned to the city and visited the Old Indian Market where you get a chance to bargain with the Indian Merchants. No matter what price you pay you get the feeling that the Indian got the better of you. Next it was a city tour and then the Beach for lunch and a beachwalk. This is a beautiful area lined with beach side vendors, restaurants, a shopping area and an aquarium. It was a great day in the high 70’s and perfect for lunch on an oceanside deck followed by a walk. Great day. Durban is a city that deserves more than one day.

Zululand, South Africa

2009-04-17T23:31:00.027-04:00

Zululand evokes images of the fabled Zulu warriors. The Zulu formed a powerful state under their Zulu King, Shaka, who united many tribes into an impressive empire. After several wars with the British the Zulu were finally defeated. After Nelson Mandela became President in 1994 the Zulu became citizens of South African and KwaZulu-Natal it’s newest Province. Today the area is known as Zululand.

We had arrived here on Thursday morning from Mozambique which is just to the North. Richards Bay was our seaport and the entire area is known primarily for its game parks and marine estuaries. The Zulus still live in villages throughout the area much like they have for hundreds of years. Even 15 years after the end of Apartheid our guide told us that the Zulu were still not counted in the census of the country—hard to believe. We’ll have more to say about South Africa in a future posting. However, the country is struggling 15 years after the end of Apartheid with 40% umemployment, very high crime, and a 50% HIV rate among 13 to 20 year old girls. Tens of thousands are dying monthly from the Pandemic with no end in sight. It’s a country that is in serious trouble. You don’t see it as a tourist but the guides and locals are very open in their discussions.

On Thursday our destination was Hluhluwe Umfolozi game reserve, the oldest game park in South Africa. Upon arrival we transferred to open four wheel drive vehicles for the 3 hour game drive. We had hoped to see the white and Black Rhino’s which are a trademark of this park and we were not disappointed. In addition to these animals we were up close to elephants, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, cape buffalo and water Bucks. This was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 70’s, much cooler than our previous game drive in Kenya. The pictures show the animals and the topography.

Today (Friday) was a beautiful day in the mid 70’s and our destination was the Santa Lucia Wetlands Park, which is Africa’s largest Estuary. This brackish swamp is home to a thriving population of Nile Crocodiles and Hippo’s along with thousands of birds. We boarded boats to take the 2 hour cruise onto the lake in search of the animals and were not disappointed. Almost as soon as we left the dock we were able to view Fish Eagles and Africa’s largest Herons. About 5 minutes later we came upon the Crocodiles and before long saw our first Pod of 8 Hippos swimming and walking along the estuary. Hippos can actually walk along the bottom of a river or estuary underwater at pretty good speed. We viewed 4 other Pods of Hippos and many other Crocs before heading back to shore. As the pictures show we were very close to many of them (within 10 feet).

The ship leaves for Durban, South Africa this evening and will arrive there in the morning. This is a busy part of the trip in that we will be in 7 ports in 10 days.

Maputo, Mozambique

2009-04-16T01:12:00.021-04:00

Mozambique is a country still struggling to get back on its feet after years of civil war and natural disasters. We docked in the large port of Maputo harbor and as we entered the harbor were surprised to see an attractive seaside city with a promenade that winds for miles along its shore. Our ship was the first cruise ship to enter this harbor in years and Maputo was a maiden port of call for Holland America. The city had been preparing for our visit for over a year and the British Embassy had spent time training the new tour guide. It was the first time that any of them had done a tour and all the buses had to be brought in from South Africa many hours away. Tourism to Mozambique has only just reopened and we were told by the ship’s excursion leader not to expect too much.

Maputo is the capital and largest city of Mozambique with a great location on the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese had run the city for several centuries until in 1962 the Mozambique war of Independence began. The Portuguese were eventually overthrown and in 1975, 250,000 Portuguese were given 12 hours to flee, leaving the country with no skilled professionals to maintain its infrastructure. The economy collapsed and the country turned to East Germany and the Soviet Union for help; but the country still went bankrupt. This was followed by a Civil war which lasted until the mid 1990’s. Unfortunately, many of the animals also fell victim to the years of war and the animal population is only a small fraction of what it once was. They are trying to repopulate this but it will take years.

Now 10 to 15 years later the country is till poor with 40 to 50% unemployment, a huge HIV problem and wages that can be less than $1 per day. So, our expectations were not very high for this visit. However, we were very pleasantly surprised by what we found. The city is clean, the people well dressed, and there is a growing wealthy class in the suburbs. The inner city still had its squares and beautiful Colonial buildings from the days of Portuguese rule. We found some really nice businesses just opened, with western like coffee shops and restaurants. The city market was the cleanest and most modern we’ve seen on this cruise and the tour guides tried very hard to explain the city to us.

Some of the most interesting sights were;
Nelson Mandela’s residence where he lives with his wife, formerly the wife of Mozambique’s President.
The Iron House—made completely out of iron. It was built by the Portuguese for their Governor but was too hot to live in-Duh
The Fresh city market
City Hall
The beaches and suburbs
Botanical Gardens
Natural History Museum

This country has tremendous potential and tourism is just beginning again. It was very interesting to see the country prior to the large investments that I expect it will receive in the next few years.

Mombasa, Kenya

2009-04-14T09:40:00.052-04:00

Kenya has always evoked images of wild Africa for us. Game parks where animals outnumber humans three to one are the main visitor attractions. So, when Marie and I booked our trip on the Rotterdam the excursion we were most looking forward to was a game drive in Kenya. We were fortunate that the ship offered a two day (overnight) trip to Tsavo National Park, the nations oldest and largest of the game parks. This was our primary focus but we also had time to explore our port of call, Mombasa. We had been scheduled into Madagascar for one day but the state department suggested we not go because of a military Coup 2 weeks ago. Therefore we stayed one extra day in Mombasa.

Recently, Mombasa has been in the news because of the pirated ship, Alabama. The Alabama entered Mombasa Harbor 90 minutes after we left on Saturday evening (minus its Captain who was still being held hostage) and our Captain let us know that he had the ship on his radar as we were leaving. Our trip from the Seychelles was eventful in that the Captain had to make substantial course changes due to the 5 hijackings that took place on our way into Mombasa. Holland America flew in their head of security from Holland to meet the ship in Mombasa. The U.S. Navy agreed to keep us within their radar range until we reached the coast of Mozambique, which is south of the pirates operating area.

Tsavo National park is a 2 ½ hour drive about halfway between Mombasa and the capitol Nairobi. Tsavo is a massive plain which allows the animals to migrate between Tsavo, Masai Mara Park and the Serengeti Plain on the Tanzania border. I’ve included some pictures of our beautiful lodge inside Tsavo (more about this in the next paragraph). Over the two days we had 4 game drives with each being in a different area of the park which covers 10,000 square miles. We only saw one quarter of it. During each drive we were able to view many different types of animals including Lion, Cheetah (eating a fresh kill), Elephant herds, Giraffes, Zebras, Cape Buffalo’s (bad boys), Jackals, Baboons, Monkeys, Impalas, Gazelles, Mongoose, Hartebeast, Hippos, Crocodiles and dozens of birds (some as large as a small child). Speaking in Swahili, the guides were able to let each other know when they found a group of animals. The weather was hot and humid, as expected. Despite the heat we had to wear long pants, long sleeve shirts and lots of Insect repellent to protect us from the Malaria carrying mosquitos. The CDC informed us that this was a high Malaria risk area and although we had brought Malaria Medication with us, we were told that the side affects of the medicine were worse than the disease, so we did not take it.

OK, the lodge. As the pictures show it was in a beautiful location. However, because it is in the middle of the country the only power available is by generator. Kenya is a 3rd world country and not a whole lot goes as planned. The power was only turned on from 5 PM to midnight and then its blackout time. There was basically one light bulb in the room which meant we took a shower in the dark. Dinner was a buffet which was good despite the fact that they did it with only a couple of lights to work with. The local Beer (Tusker) was good and almost cold. Back in the room, naturally there was no air conditioning and we had to sleep under a mosquito net, which cut off any air that might have circulated through the windows. However, we were asked to keep the windows closed because the Baboons tend to break in, steal everything and make a mess of the room. No problem with me—I don’t relish having a Baboon in the room with me. In fact, at dinner (on an outside porch) one guy at our table left to get some butter for his bread and a Baboon jumped onto his chair and stole his roll. He didn’t need the butter after all. After Marie and I got used to the rock hard beds, the mosquito nets on our nose and began drifting off to sleep, the Lions moved in to the watering hole about 400 yards below our room. We did have one heavy grid protected window open and when the Lions began to growl I almost fell off the bed. It’s hard to explain how loud that sound is in a darkened lodge in Africa in the middle of the night. This lasted for about 30 minutes which gave me time to think about what they might be interested in for dinner. My guess is that we both got 4 hours of sleep before our wakeup at 6:00 AM for the morning game drive.

We’ve included pictures of the people, Kenya countryside and Mombasa old town. Kenya is a republic, and the predominant tribe in Mombasa is the Maasai. Today the country is struggling with its government and less than a year ago Mombasa was the scene of near civil war with thousands killed in the streets. It’s a very poor country with a questionable government leading it. However, in addition to Tsavo, we enjoyed meeting the people, walking the Old Town of Mombasa(which hasn’t changed much since the 19th century), visiting some of the local markets and walking the Bamburi Nature reserve trails. It was a terrific 3 days and without further rhetoric I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The People

Mombasa environs and Old Town

Seychelle Islands

2009-04-06T21:26:00.034-04:00

We arrived in the Victoria, Seychelles early on Saturday morning. This was a day earlier than the schedule called for because the Captain wanted an extra day to transit from the Seychelles to Mombasa, Kenya. There had been some recent Pirate activity and he wanted to take a south west course vs. a straight west course upon leaving. This would allow him to come north along the coast of Tanzania and remain south of Somalia on our way into Kenya.

The Seychelles consist of 115 islands and are quite remote, being 990 miles off the coast of Africa, in the Indian Ocean. Known primarily for its warm clear waters, mountainous terrain and beautiful beaches the people are a mix of former African Slaves and French. They speak English and Creole from their days as a French nation. Later the British ruled them for 200 year before gaining Independence in 1963. Today, tourism is key with most of the visitors coming from Europe and Africa. We had hoped for good weather because we planned to spend all of our time on the beaches or snorkeling, skipping the ship’s tours. We got lucky with two beautiful days of Sun.

On Saturday we visited the morning market in Victoria, the small capitol city. Victoria is on the island of Mahe, which is the largest of the 3 major islands. From there we took a bus (white knuckle) over the mountain to Beau Vallon Beach on the other side of the island. The bus ride was driven by a crazy man around the hair pin turns over the mountain, jamming on his brakes every time someone wanted to get off. After 20 minutes we reached the beach and swore never to get on one of those buses again. We walked to several beach resorts and made ourselves at home. They did not seem to mind that we used their lounges and pool as long as we had lunch and bought a few Beers. The water was 88 degrees and the beaches white sand. It had been such a nice day that we decided to brave the bus again back to Victoria as the sun set. We went straight to a bar upon arrival.

On Sunday we decided that a day of Snorkeling at the underwater marine park was in order. We hooked up with another couple from the ship and hired a small glass bottom boat along with the skipper and his young wife who was our guide. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we immediately began seeing tropical fish as we cleared the harbor on our way to Cerf Island. The island is part of St Anne’s marine park and is one of many that ring the harbor. The fish were in a frenzy as we fed them with bread rolls before proceeding to the island for snorkeling. Now we were in for a pleasant surprise. We landed at a private beach and were asked to bring our gear up to the house just a short path from the beach. This was a beautiful setting with lounge chairs, umbrellas and picnic tables and we were introduced to our guide’s Sister who was cooking our lunch. We were told that we would be called for lunch and to enjoy the day. Now it was time for snorkeling in this clear water. Lunch was served by the 3 hosts and included 12 different items. Apparently, this is true Creole cooking. We had barbecued jack fish (not jack crevalle), red Snapper, fish soup, curry, several salads, pumpkin mash, potato salad, rice and other things we had never eaten before. The 4 of us agreed that it was the best meal we had eaten on our trip (including the ship food). After lunch we did a bit more snorkeling before our guide took us to the pier with a pot of awful looking stuff which she poured into the water. Almost immediately the fish appeared including the Moray eels from under the rocks, Barracuda, some Reef Sharks and hundreds of other smaller fish. Next it was climb the hill to visit the Giant Tortoises for feeding and finally back to the boat for our ride back to the ship. This was one of those days that will long be remembered and hard to duplicate.

Our next port of call is Mombasa, Kenya. We’re very excited by this port of call since we’ve signed up for a two day overnight Safari in Tsavo Game Park. We’re told that we’ll see lots of the big game and if we’re lucky we’ll have plenty of photo’s and video for our next posting. We’ll be in Africa for the next 2 weeks and have several other game drive opportunities along the route. This should be the most exciting part of our trip.

Muscat, Oman

2009-04-03T22:49:00.033-04:00

As we approached Muscat, Oman it was hard to make out the city built at the base of the mountains. Closer in we began seeing Portuguese built forts on the outer rock islands with several other large forts on outcroppings protecting the harbor and city. The initial view of the city and the white flat topped roofs of the buildings was quite spectacular and it didn’t change as we got closer. Oman looked like it was built by Hollywood with it’s sheer Mountain backdrop.

Oman is both the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman. Located on the Arabian Sea it has been ruled by the Persians and the Portuguese. Because of this Muscat has always had a diverse group of people not native to the Arabian Peninsula. Although Arabic is the predominant language of the city, English, Balochi, Swahili and other South Asian languages are spoken. In 1970, Sultan Qaboos bin Said staged a bloodless coup in the palace with the assistance of the British and took over from his father as ruler. He married his cousin but got divorced and has no heirs. That should make for a good fight when he dies.

We took a morning tour and visited the Grand Mosque (one of the largest in the Middle East), the Palace and the history museum. We were also able to see quite a bit of the interior of Oman which looks similar to the coast with white flat topped buildings nestled in the mountains. We asked to be dropped off in the Muscat walled city before the bus returned to the ship and wandered around the city before hiring a taxi. The taxi driver, Silah, knew the area well and took us to a remote working fishing village complete with goats, the harbor area overlooking the Palace and several forts. He encouraged us to climb one of them, which was higher than it looked. Finally he took us back to Mutra, which is famous for its Souk (market) and overlooks the harbor where the Rotterdam is berthed. The fare had to be negotiated (I paid half what he asked) and he was on his way. After lunch at an outside harbor restaurant we walked the narrow streets of the souk and town. A few small negotiations in the Souk told me that these guys were not the most honest we had met. They were friendly but I wouldn’t turn my back for long. Oman borders Yemen and Saudi Arabia and feels like it’s on the edge of being safe to Americans. We saw lots of German tourists but no other Americans. They are trying to promote tourism but we found many guards with AK47’s around the city and its various museums—they’re not yet ready.

Back on the we headed out on a 3 day cruise to the Seychelles off the coast of West Africa. This will be 2 beach and wander days in preparation for a busy two weeks in Africa.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2009-04-01T22:50:00.047-04:00

Mumbai to Dubai—we were in for a culture shock. Talk about a rags to riches story—it is a 21st century phenomenon with no end in sight. Skyscrapers, Sheiks, mosques and malls make up this city of oil riches. Glitz, glamour, and 7 star hotels are located in what was nothing but sand dunes 30 years ago. It is one of the seven emirates (Kingdoms) that make up the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf. Dubai is the most populous and second largest after Abu Dhabi located only 50 miles away. All the positives aside, Dubai will run out of oil reserves within 20 years and has diversified into major real estate projects, tourism and sports venues to become a world business hub. Construction on a huge scale has turned Dubai into the fastest growing city in the world. It’s unusual in that its population is comprised 90% of expatriates none of which can become permanent residents. They were brought here from India and other Asian nations to do the hard work . Most of the UAE nationals work for the government in guaranteed cushy jobs. The nationals also receive free education, housing, healthcare and pay no taxes—not bad. However, Dubai is also located in one of the world’s most unstable regions—the Persian Gulf. The Captain was quite concerned about our transit through the Straight of Hormuz on our way to the Persian Gulf. He had notified nearby Navy ships of our transit and had security personnel on outer decks with the fire hoses charged as a method of defense. There were no incidents and we docked on time at noon on Saturday.

Marie and I opted for an overview shore excursion to get acquainted with the city before venturing out on our own. From here we retraced our steps to the many Souks (markets) including the Spice Souk, Gold Souk and Old Dubai Souk. We also braved an Arabian meal for dinner and agreed that we like Italian much better. On Sunday we went back to town and walked the old waterfront section, visited the Souks and then headed for the waterfront hotels by taxi. We spent a good part of the afternoon at the famous Madinat Jumeirah hotel which is the size of a small city and includes its own creek with water taxis (Abras), a large Arabian Souk and a beautiful white sand beach on the Persian Gulf. It’s connected to the Burj Al Arab Hotel which is the one that looks like a Sail and is the only 7 star hotel in the world. Also located on the waterfront is the Palm Islands development which has been created by mining sand from the deep sea and locating the islands offshore in the Gulf. The development includes the new Atlantis Hotel and many small islands with every type of residence possible. It’s connected to the mainland by a private tunnel. Not to be outdone is the newest development called “The World.” This is a series of islands in the Gulf each in the shape of a specific country with most countries in the world being represented. You can buy a country for yourself. Rod Stewart reportedly bought England for $78 Million. I’m thinking maybe I can get a better deal on Somalia.

Dubai is like no other city in the world. The emiratis are very proud of their wealth and don’t hide the fact that going for another guiness record with the tallest building, most expensive hotel or highest standard of living is a goal of Sheikh Mohammed. He’s not bashful about press coverage and is moving his city/state toward a technology driven Emirate. Although we would not choose to fly thousands of miles to spend our beach vacation here, many Europeans do so all the time. We enjoyed our two days and are looking forward to our visit to Muscat, Oman in two days time. We would expect Muscat to be more down to earth and much like it was hundreds of years ago.

New Dubai and the Architecture

Old Dubai and the People

The Markets

Mumbai(Bombay), India

2009-03-28T05:47:00.060-04:00

Only pictures can describe this city of 19 million people but to truly understand what it’s like you need to add the sounds and smells. We looked forward to visiting Mumbai since first planning this trip and we were not disappointed. It’s not for everyone and back at the ship we found some passengers depressed at the “awfulness of it all”. The sights of the slums, beggars, crowds, traffic, pollution and animals were difficult for some to cope with. We had prepared ourselves for this and truly enjoyed the throngs of people, colonial architecture amid the cacophony of the streets. We were able to get out among the neighborhoods, markets, temples and people and learned that there were only two types of pedestrians—the quick and the dead. We just don’t see this type of life every day in the US; not even skid row or the bowery can compare. With this is mind you must overlook it and truly be amazed at how this craziness actually functions pretty well.

A 1 hour boat trip from the Gateway of India took us to Elephanta Island. The carvings in the caves are over 1,000 years old and are dedicated to the Goddess Shiva. On our trip to Elephanta our guide explained (and I’ll paraphrase here) that Hindus come into this world like all babies, with their fists closed crying and ready for the fight, and learn through the Hindu philosophy to open their hands in a giving up gesture to all materialism; never to expect anything. It just doesn’t matter. Of course this is a bunch of bull because if you’re sleeping on cardboard it does matter. However wherever you are in this city, in the worst of the worst slum, you will find tucked away a temple covered with beautiful flowers and filled with wonderful smells Again the dhicitomy of this philosophy showed up at the Dhobi Ghats, the communal washing area. As explained by our guide she herself has a washer and dryer but still sends out her bedspreads and sheets to be washed by hand, along the rock cubicles at the dhoby ghats because the people need the work. Many large restaurants use them as well. So here you have an uneducated underclass that will always exist because the upper castes’ want them to. From our point of view we would tear this down, build a Laundromat and teach the people to work in it. We learned that there are only two types of pedestrians-the quick and the dead. I’ll provide a few facts so that the pictures have some context to them.

The area was originally appropriated by the Portuguese and later ceded to the British East India Trading company in 1661. Under Ghandi’s policy of non cooperation, India won its Independence in 1947. Today it is 88% Hindu; the majority of Muslim’s moving to and creating Pakistan not long after Independence.
Over 400 families a day come to Mumbai looking for work. They initially must live on the streets and within a few days begin building a home made from discards in the slums. Today, over half the population live in the slums without running water or toilet facilities. Even 40% of the police force live in the slums. The caste system still exists. An example is the Fisherman’s slum which you will see in the pictures I’ve posted. Only fisherman may live there. The more established have a better dwelling. You find slums concentrated in some areas and often mixed in among richer areas. However the children don’t seem to care where they live and love getting their pictures taken if only to look at the digital images afterward. Our taxi driver, Babu, took us to the top of Malabar hill (where the wealthier population lives) to see the home of the Kingfisher beer magnate atop the highest point in the city.

Finally, you will see some pictures related to the Terrorist attacks that took place over our Thanksgiving Weekend. There were hundreds killed over the 3 days and the city is still recovering. The Taj Hotel is partially open and we were able to get some pictures of this. In addition, Victoria Station, opened within a week but is still undergoing repair. The Jewish Synagogue is closed and is not likely to open to the public in the near future. It appears to me that the Indian Security was lax and the high speed boats came through the main harbor and landed at the foot of Fishermans wharf within a half mile of the Gateway of India. Security was certainly beefed up but it appeared to me that it was still not as strong as we’ve observed in other countries.

Our next posting will be of Dubai.

The People and the Street Scenes

The Temples

The Dhoby Ghats (communal Laundry)

The People

Ghandi

The November Terrorist Attack

The Market

Elephanta Caves and Island

The Slums

Chochi (Kochin), India

2009-03-27T05:26:00.028-04:00

We feel like we’re on a movie set as Marie and I are rocketed through the streets of Cochi, India in the back of Abdullah’s Tuk Tuk. This will be a day we remember as our introduction to India and a primer for our upcoming trip to Mumbai (Bombay). As our ship port lecturer stated "India is ‘real’ travel and unlike any other port we will visit."

Cochi (population 1.4 million) is both a city and state in Southwest India on the Arabian Sea. It has one of the highest population densities in India with fishing and agriculture as its chief activity. It’s known for a fine port and is home to the Indian Navy and shipbuilding industry. It was founded by the Portuguese after Vasco da Gama visited the city in 1502 and much of the Portuguese influence is still here. The Dutch captured it in 1663 and the British in 1795. India itself has a population of over 1 billion.

After getting through pretty heavy security we boarded a boat for a 2 hour cruise through the harbor and backwaters, where we were able to see the city’s 7 islands and see how the locals go about their lives on the water. In addition to rows and rows of fishing boats there are watercraft of every imaginable design possible. The canals link villages and still serve as the main highway in many places. Once back in the city we agreed to hire Abdulla and his Tuk Tuk for the day ($5) and tour the city. This is a hair raising event as the thousands of Tuk Tuks battle with various types of cycles for any space they can find in the streets and narrow alleys. I believe that without horns the city would come to a halt. It’s survival of the fittest and Abdullah was able to find a crevice to drive through at full speed at each opportunity. I have video and lots of pictures but will save most of them for our even more incredible trip through Mumbai’s streets two days later.

You will see pictures of the Chinese fishing nets along the city promontories. These are permanent nets that came with Kublai Kahn hundreds of years ago and are still used today. They take 5 men to operate and use a system of pulleys and weights (big rocks). We were able to watch them from both the harbor and land as they brought in their catches. Along with plastic bags and other trash they did actually catch some fish. Our next area we visited is named Jew Town, for the formerly large Jewish settlement. Today it’s a series of winding narrow streets with vendors selling everything imaginable. We bought some “good deals” there and had our first Indian meal in India.

Back on the ship we waved to the town people who lined the promenade as the ship sailed out of the harbor toward Mumbai. We really loved these gracious people and began to understand their culture. Abdullah explained to us that in Cochi, the Muslims, Hindus and Christians lived together with no problems. That is not true in other areas of India (such as Mumbai) where riots and terrorist attacks continue.

Phuket, Thailand

2009-03-21T20:15:00.029-04:00

Phuket is Thailand’s largest and most visited Island. It’s located in the Bay of Bengal on Thailand’s southern peninsula and is attached to the mainland by a causeway. Marie and I had been to Bangkok about 10 years ago and therefore opted for an adventure tour on Phang Nga Bay vs a cultural one. Having said that, you get adventure and culture just by being in the country—no way around it. This is a mostly Buddhist nation with a sprinkling of Muslim’s mixed in. As the pictures show there is no shortage of Monkeys or beautiful water scenes.

Our trip to Phang Nga Bay in the north took about 2 hours each way but it was worth it. The bay includes rocky peninsulas, limestone cliffs and numerous fishing villages. Once there, we boarded a high speed boat and spent several hours on the waterway. It’s a shallow bay and is surrounded by the South China Sea. Fishing is the primary industry here and the villages are built on floating docks anchored by piers and stilts. Four years ago the Tsunami flooded the villages and beaches with the heights exceeding 10 feet over the houses. The village has since recovered as have most of Phuket’s beaches on the West Side of the Island. We were able to visit one of the villages and meet some of the people during our tour. The fishermen and their families are poor but the children were great. We bought some inexpensive jewelry and post cards which they appreciated. I handed my change back to one of the children who bowed and made many gestures of prayer hands to show her appreciation. I hope she can keep the money.

Lunch was a great Thai meal at a restaurant overlooking the bay. It consisted of curries, fruits, several rices and lots of things that I did not recognize. After lunch Marie and I asked to be dropped off at Phuket town which was on the way back to our ship. The town is very much like a small Bangkok and after walking the town for 90 minutes(in 90 degree heat) we decided it was time for a Beer back at the ship. It was a tiring but fun day. We wish that we had time to visit some of the great beaches but you can’t do everything in a day.

We left Thailand that evening and entered the Straits of Malacca on the way to India. I noticed that there was some pretty heavy security on the outer decks since this area has been a hangout for pirates for many years. The captain notified us that there would be increased security on the ship and port entrance as we entered India tomorrow because of the recent terror attacks. Regardless, all of the passengers are looking forward to our visits to Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay) but will heed the safety and security information the ship has provided us.

Singapore

2009-03-20T11:00:00.021-04:00

Singapore is a tiny island city/country located on the Southern tip of the Malay peninsula. Thomas Raffles (the same guy that discovered Borobudor) was sent to this area by the East India company in 1819 and founded the actual site of what was to become the modern city of Singapore. Having been colonized by the United Kingdom in the 19th century it was occupied by the Japanese in WW II which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of local people as well as thousands of allied prisoners of war. The Japanese took the country on bicycles from the northern Malay penninsula while Singapore had their army readied in the opposite direction toward the sea. After the war Singapore became part of Malaysia and gained its Independence in 1965.
Singapore’s rules are tough, but clear. Jaywalkers are fined on the spot. Litter and you pay and convicted traffickers can expect a death sentence. You may remember the caning incident of the American for drug possession about 10 years ago. However, you can walk fearlessly day or night, but don’t chew gum and throw it in the garbage.
More than 3 Million people live on the island and there are 14 nationalities, mostly Chinese.
Today, Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia and is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The port is the busiest in the world and the slowdown does not appear to have stopped the construction projects or booming restaurant trade.
We were able to visit all 4 of the main neighborhoods including Chinatown, Arab town, India town and the Colonial central business district (mostly walking in the rain). We had a great Indian Lunch and our dinner consisted of the huge crabs (with Pepper) from Sri Lanka. This is a very interesting country and worthy of much more time. We felt completely comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful place.
We left Singapore by way of the Straights of Malacca toward Phuket, Thailand. This is a well known Pirate area and we noticed that security had been deployed around the outer decks looking for suspicious small boats. There were a lot of small fishing boats but none that the crew seemed concerned about.

Kemaman, Malaysia

2009-03-15T07:37:00.012-04:00

Malaysia is physically divided across two land masses—The Malay Peninsula and Northern Borneo. Our port of call was Kemaman on the East coast of the Malay Peninsula about 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur, the Capitol. Although the country claims to welcome all religions it is 85% Islamic and the opposing party wants to bring in total Islamic law. This seems to be a big issue in the country right now and would bring some dramatic change to the freedoms it now has.
Much of the area we were in was known for Beach resorts for locals and vacationers from Thailand and Singapore. They can drive the peninsula in a few hours and reach the beaches for a long weekend. As well the economy today is based largely on Petroleum and oil. Kemaman boasts the deepest seaport in Malaysia and also has a liquefied gas export terminal.
Among Malaysia’s traditional crafts, Batik cloth is the most famous. This is a wax based dyeing technique found in several areas of Southeast Asia. Marie was able to find and negotiate some “good deals” during our stay.
Our destination on this day was the Awana Beach resort on the South China Sea coast. We needed a day of rest after Vietnam and before Singapore tomorrow. It was a 20 minute ride by bus and about 15 of us from the ship enjoyed the beach, pool and lunch before rain came and washed out our outdoor activities. It was still an enjoyable day and we looked forward to entering Singapore the next morning.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

2009-03-14T02:07:00.047-04:00

Good Morning Vietnam! It was a gorgeous day as the ship entered Nha Trang Harbor. From a distance we viewed beautiful green mountains, small fishing villages on islands surrounding the city, and miles of beaches with warm clear water. It’s difficult to imagine that this is the same country in which so much sadness had taken place 35 years ago. I was interested in seeing how the people reacted after all of these years.
Nha Trang is essentially a fishing village but is quickly becoming known as a seaside resort. However, we were able to visit the quiet shops and talk with some of the villagers that offer a glimpse into traditional Vietnamese life.

After Independence day (unification by the North Vietnam Communist Government) on April 2nd 1975 many people from North Vietnam streamed South to the area. However, Nha Trang remained a sleepy fishing village until newly affluent merchants from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) began seeking seaside resorts a few years ago. There is quite a bit of new construction taking place but the South China Sea beaches remain unspoiled and the hotels are mostly smaller locally owned facilities which attract local Vietnamese. Many of the French colonial buildings are still in place throughout the town. In 5 years time I would imagine this will have changed dramatically since there are already a couple of 4 and 5 star hotels being built.

Our morning was spent visiting the two most important shrines. First was the Cham Po Nagar complex, begun in the 7th century to mark the site upon which Hindus had worshipped for more than 500 years. The complex today consists of 4 towers which are the focus of the ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists. You enter this complex via a winding staircase that leads to a large flat set of terraces overlooking the city. It’s quite beautiful and after taking off your shoes you can enter each of the towers which have their own temples.

Next was the Long Son Pagoda which has a large white Buddha statue overlooking the entire city. This temple pays tribute to the lives and tragic deaths of the monks who emolliated themselves as a protest against the Vietnam War (it’s called the American War by the Vietnamese). This was a somber reminder of the tragedies of this era and some of you may remember the pictures of the monks in the 60’s. Our tour guide told us we had to climb 150 steps to get to the Buddha. In reality it was almost 200 but he wanted everyone to visit the Buddha so he conveniently forgot about the 50 additional steps.

I had a chance to discuss the feelings about the war with our tour guide, Kuong. His comments related mostly to Agent Orange and the devastating affect it has had on the generations since the war, including the current one. Because the chemicals impregnated the ground and Rice fields it has affected the DNA of countless Vietnamese and has caused terrible birth defects. We were able to see this in some of the young. I understand that the U.S. is paying reparations for this without admitting fault. However, based on what we saw, it doesn’t seem to have reached the local people that need it.

After touring the Temples it was time for the beach and a swim so we negotiated two lounges with an umbrella for $4. Try that back home. The water was warm and the beach beautiful. But, it was hard to ignore the hawkers selling everything from souvenirs to massages and the inevitable nail jobs. We ignored most of them but I wound up buying 5 sets of postcards because I could not ignore the old veterans without a leg or a child that was deformed (Agent Orange?). I did observe that the hawkers were a little shy and not very aggressive. They were persistent, however, and had no problem sitting next to you and gently letting you know that they would stay for as long as it took for you to buy some piece of Jewelry or whatever for a $1 (17,000 Dong). At the local markets we were able to buy some very pretty rice paper paintings, T shirts, hats and other things for a few dollars a piece. For lunch we had a nice Vietnamese meal at a beachside restaurant for $10 which included two local Saigon Beers. We’re losing weight using chop sticks because we’re pretty inept with the sticky rice. We have never been to a less expensive city.

After photographing their War Memorial we decided to walk along the beach promenade which is quite beautiful. However, it was hot and pretty soon two Cyclo drivers came along side and offered to take us back to the pier for $5 a piece. Cyclos are Rickshaws with bicycles attached. It was about a 20 minute ride and the ship was leaving in an hour so we said agreed. After reaching the pier the price went up to $10 a piece. It was worth it so I showed him a $20 bill to split with the other driver. Now it was $20 a piece. I gently let him know that he was on the verge of getting nothing. That seemed to work and I didn’t mind getting taken for an additional $5 for each of us.

This is a pretty city on the verge of becoming an International resort. It’s not there yet and I hope that it retains some of its current feeling as the investment flows in. The people are attractive, warm and polite. There is a lot of poverty as is found in most South East Asian countries. However, the people did not seem quite as happy as those in other places we had visited—too much suffering I suppose. Hopefully the investments yet to be made will trickle down to the local people that need it most.

Shanghai & Souzhou

2009-03-10T18:43:00.049-04:00

You can’t describe Shanghai easily but I’ll try. Huge, people everywhere, modern & old, everything under construction, it’s happening now.
Shanghai is located on the Yangtze River and with a population of 20 million is the largest city in China. It is also the world’s busiest port and simply sitting on the ship’s deck watching the river traffic is a treat. In the 1920’s and 30’s it was a city where everything was possible for a price. In fact the word Shanghai translates as “up the river.” You don’t want to get “Shanghai’d” so to speak.
As the communists began to moderate (after Mao) and let in Westerners, the city changed rapidly and in the last 10 to 15 years the skyline has gone from the old British looking buildings to some of the worlds tallest and architecturally the most interesting. Today it is easily the largest commercial city in the Far East. Marie and I commented when watching all the river transports coming down the river that the cargo was probably headed to the U.S.
It’s so massive-- “where to go”? It was hard to decide what to attack first. But by the second day we were easily walking the back streets and taking taxis when we got hopelessly lost. We ate the food, met the people, bought some genuine Made in China “good deals” and in general had a lot of fun. We would go back and spend much more time.
An interesting side note. When we were in Houston for Melissa and Brandon’s wedding, last May, we visited a miniature version of the Forbidden City with Charlie and Marlee. Although the Forbidden city is in Beijing (not Shanghai) they also had a model of an ancient water town called Souzhou which was 80 miles from Shanghai. It was called the Venice of Asia. We decided to go there, even though it was a 9 hour day. I’ve included pictures and a description of Souzhou as part of this posting.

Souzhou

The Humble Administrators Garden

The Children

Hong Kong

2009-03-06T08:22:00.055-05:00

My expectation of Hong Kong was from 40 years ago during a visit while in the Navy. During the cruise I had been told that it had changed so much I would hardly recognize it. I found that not to be true. There are two very different Hong Kongs, however. The one from years ago still exists although you may need to get off the tourist path. Then there is other more updated version of the one I visited in 1968.

The view as you enter Victoria Harbor is still as breathtaking as ever with the wooden boats sailing past the ship and Victoria Peak standing high above the modern skyscrapers. Add to this, the old Star Ferries moving millions from the Kowloon mainland to Hong Island and anxiety builds to get off the ship and begin exploring.

Although a half day sightseeing tour is an great way to get your bearings(we did this) the best way to see the city is by walking and using the public transportation. We did just that, using a mixture of the old double decker trams crisscrossing the city, buses, the modern subway, taxis (very inexpensive) and our feet. We liked the Trams and our feet the best.

Hong Kong (including Kowloon on the mainland) is actually an island that had previously been ceded to the British after the Opium wars for 99 years. In 1997 it was given back to the Chinese who now run it as an administrative region. Although it is now part of the Peoples Republic of China Hong Kong has its own currency(Hong Kong dollars) and still uses much of the British legal system.

Once you get away from the central section of the city with its modern skyscrapers Hong Kong looks and feels like it did in 1968 and probably at the turn of the century. The markets, temples and people come together in an exciting panorama of senses. At the markets we were able to buy $3 watches (which we did) and dried Gecko (which we did not). Over two days we were able to sample lots of food including wonderful Cantonese Dim Sum, which consists of various types of food that you pick off of carts being pushed past and Sea Food which is alive in tanks next to your outside table ( we opted to have it cooked).
The markets are so much fun and we spent lots of time visiting as many as possible. Among these were:
· Stanley Market on Hong Kong Island where we purchased some high quality gifts and clothing at a fraction of the US price
· The night market in Kowloon where you buy the knockoffs and inexpensive jewelry, clothes, watches etc. It opens at 7 PM and goes all night.
· The Ladies market where you can purchase women’s and men’s clothing
· The exotic and goldfish market where there are all types of fish for sale stacked in plastic bags. These exotic fish are probably not legal to sell but in Hong Kong no one really seems to care.
· The Bird Market and garden. This is both a market which sells dozens of types of birds and is also a park where the Chinese bring their birds for a day of socializing.
· The Flower Market which not only has a wonderful aroma but sells flowers of all types and in all kinds of arrangements.
· The Antique Market on Hollywood Street where you can buy a $10,000 desk or a piece of junk. Let the buyer beware.

The weather was not cooperating and we were caught without umbrellas high on Hong Kong’s mid level section. This is a pretty good hike up several hundred impossibly high steps to some of the local neighborhoods. We found the Man Mo Temple by accident and took refuge for a few minutes. This is Hong Kong’s oldest temple and I took some pictures since no one said I couldn’t. The rain would not let up so we taxied back the Star Ferry which took us to the ship across the harbor in Kowloon.

Java & Borobudor

2009-03-01T03:37:00.038-05:00

After leaving Komodo, the ship entered the Java Sea and, after a day of cruising, we moored alongside the pier in Central Java. The crew is made up mostly of Philippinos and Indonesians. The Indonesian crew has been looking forward to visits by many of their families upon arrival in Java. Most of them are Javanese and the families were able to come aboard and spend the day with the crew members. Some family members had travelled 9 hours, or more, from Jakarta for the short visit.
Marie and I, like most of the passengers, would spend the day travelling to Borobudur. This is a monumental temple complex in the central highlands of Java that is a phenomenal architectural achievement. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site and only Angor Wat in Cambodia comes close to it in terms of mass. Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple but you can’t really appreciate it until you examine the ingenious design and detail of its reliefs. It rises to seven terraces, each smaller than the one below it. The walls are sculpted in reliefs extending over a total of 3 ½ miles and has 3 miles of corridors inside. It was built in the 8th and 9th centuries and according to records, tens of thousands of workers (more than 5 generations) were involved. It was buried in the Jungle for almost one thousand years until Sir Thomas Raffles (sort of the 18th century Waldo Sexton on a grander scale) discovered it and began excavation. Renovation was completed in 1983.
The trip took 9 hours, with stops, and included a one way mountain passage on an antique steam train. Along the way we were able to see some spectacular views of the central Java highlands and meet some of the local people. Jakarta is the capital of Java and its largest city. The island has a population of 124 million and is the largest island in Indonesia. As the name “Java” implies, coffee is an important export and the island is the 4th largest coffee producer in the world.
We’ve really enjoyed our visits to the Indonesian ports but its time to move on to our next port, Hong Kong, a 4 day passage through the South China Sea.

Komodo Dragon

2009-02-28T03:11:00.016-05:00

“Mind your head” said our guide as we trekked through the jungle like Komodo Island. This morning we anchored off Komodo Island in Indonesia. This is where the Komodo dragon lives and is the only place they still exist. Cruise ships rarely visit this remote island so the government built a dock especially for the Ship’s tenders. Since the groups are large they had to bring in guides from islands far away.
The Dragon itself is between 150 and 300 pounds and can grow over 9 feet long. They have razor sharp teeth and produce a bacteria that kills their prey within minutes. They are carnivors, their young live in the upper tree branches in order to survive their early years. The can smell blood from 1 1/2 miles away. Definitely a bad boy! For these reasons we were given safety briefings before we left on our trek (stay in the group, be quiet, nothing dangling etc). The island reminded Marie and I of the “Lost Island” with the Dinosaurs (towering green peaks, jungle and Macaws in the trees, lots of spooky bird sounds). It must have been 90 degrees and 100% humidity because in no time we were sweating up a storm.
About 10 minutes into the walk we arrived at a watering hole where 2 dragons were drinking. We had about 15 people in our group and we all took photos and video. We were about 20 to 30 feet away from the dragons and at this point one of the (inexperienced) guides went over to one of the Komodos and prodded it at its neck with a pronged stick. It turned on him and before he and the other guides could get their sticks around his neck he charged the group. The guide started yelling “run away, run away” and it didn’t take much encouragement from us. Unfortunately Tom was to the right of the group and as the Komodo came at us he could see that the Komodo had closed off his (and 2 other passengers) path of escape. Tom’s comments. “This is when you get those 5 seconds of panic. All I can remember is the Komodo charging at us and as I tried to run I fell over a tree root and went down. Luckily I fell away from the Komodo that passed to my left by about a foot. I think he was just trying to get away from the group but that was not what I was thinking at the time”. Except for a few minor cuts, which they made us clean and bandage before we made our way out, (remember these creatures can smell blood) that was the end of the adventure. One of the other passengers fell right behind Tom and also had to be fixed up. She happens to be the ships visiting Chef and had a camera man with her since she is filming for an around the world type cooking show. She invited Marie and I to eat dinner with her that night and view the video. It shows the commotion and the Komodo running at us etc. She came to dinner wearing a stuffed dragon back-pack she bought for the occasion. We have a copy of the video and will make it part of the DVD when we return.
It was an exciting day and in the end adds just one more story to tell and embellish over the years. The Dragon has already grown by several feet and added 100 pounds. We learned—never poke a dragon with a stick.
Our next Post will find us in Java, Indonesia and we will discuss our visit to Java and Borobudur the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

Bali, Indonesia

2009-02-26T17:23:00.011-05:00

This is a very short Post. The night before we were to enter Lombok, Indonesia the Captain let us know that we had a Med Evac (as it turned out there were two passengers med evac’d) and that he was going to do that in Bali since they had a larger airport. The pictures I’ve posted show the famous sacred Volcano in the song “Bali Hai” which I thought you would enjoy. Along with that I’ve added a few pictures that give you an idea of the look and feel of the island.

Lombok, Indonesia

2009-02-26T02:34:00.056-05:00

It has taken four days to get to the Island of Lombok, Indonesia from Perth. However, it was the smoothest 4 days of cruising we’ve experienced. I suppose it has something to do with protection from the West coast of Australia and then the Archipelago of Indonesia. Indonesia has always been a bit of a mystery to me so it’s probably worth reviewing a bit about the country first. The Archipelago has a total population of 240 million and is made up of 15,000 Islands of which about half are inhabited. The island range is 3,000 miles end to end and most islands have their own language (estimate is 600 languages). However, the government has forced a mandatory one official language called “Bohasa” for school education and for doing business, which has unified the country. The U.S. would do well to follow this lead.
Formerly known as the “Dutch East Indies” because of the East Indian Trading Company, the islands were also known as the “Spice Islands” after the many spices grown here, such as nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon etc. The Japanese occupied the Islands during WWII treating the people badly. The Islands claimed their Independence in 1945 (even though the allies had given it to England after the war) naming themselves Indonesia (India Islands).
It is the world’s largest Muslim country, but Islam is much more flexible here. An example is that they pray 3 times a day vs 5 times as in Arab countries. Indonesian character is one of acceptance. The culture finds it hard to criticize, they are frugal, work hard and education and family are very important. They are not great marketers and instead put value in their artistic and creative capabilities even though you may not be able to find the product to purchase. Because they were so tolerant of mediocrity, they put up with many years of a very corrupt government starting in 1945. This led to the violent overthrow of the government in the 1960 but not before that government had purged over 1 million people. The hard part for us to understand is although it is a democracy, the government expects self censorship. Freedom of the press is sort of ok, but be responsible. There is a lot of gray muck here.
Rice is the main staple as a food source throughout the islands. A note about rice: Why does it grow in water? Because it can tolerate water which controls weeds. No pesticides are needed, the fields are flooded and lots of rice will grow! However, the country is still unable grow enough rice to meet the total demand so they are unable to export.
The Island of Lombok sits next to the island of Bali but is different in many respects. We are told that Lombok is the way Bali used to be prior to the invasion of tourists. Lombok, like Bali has its pristine beaches, reefs and native villages. That became obvious during our visit. However Bali is Hindu and Lombok is Muslim. Although both islands are roughly the same size and have about the same population (3.5 Million), Bali is much further ahead in terms of tourism. In fact, our cruise ship was the first American Cruise ship to visit the Lombok in 9 years. Upon arrival we were greeted with a great deal of fanfare, bands and dignitaries. It’s something that the island had been waiting for since they had heard the Rotterdam was going to visit a year ago. Upon arrival our group boarded 4 buses and had a police escort of 8 motorcycles and a police truck that barreled through the countryside not stopping at any lights and weaving around stopped traffic. Essentially our arrival made it a holiday for the island with many villagers lining the roads waving at our bus convoy as we drove by. This was quite a surprise to all of us. Many of the pictures we have included are of the people (especially the children) who are a delight. We were able to spend time at a village pottery shop, a Sasak Village(the locals are Sasak’s) which was not a tourist village, a weaving school, a local school for children and finally a resort on the Indian Ocean for lunch and a swim. It was quite a day and one we will not soon forget. We have many pictures and have included just a sampling for the Blog.

Fremantle

2009-02-21T21:32:00.032-05:00

Fremantle is the Port city for Perth but has its own character, distinct from Perth. Many of the beautiful old buildings were built using convict labor beginning in the mid 1800’s. The buildings still make up a good part of the downtown today with its old hotels, pubs and cafés. In 1987 the Port was the site of the unsuccessful defense of what was, for a brief period, one of Australia’s most prized possessions—the America’s cup yachting trophy.
We arrived back in Fremantle after our Swan River cruise from Perth and immediately went to the Maritime Museum which is directly on the harbor. This is one of the most complete Maritime centers I have seen and has something of interest for everyone. The building itself sits at the entrance to the harbor and makes for a very interesting sight upon entering. I’ve included a picture in the Blog. As well, there are actual vessels from the beginning of the fishing industry in the 1800’s to current day America’s cup yachts. There’s also an Australian Sub from the days when the U.S. had its Sub base in Fremantle during WWII.
The city is compact enough that you can walk around the entire city in an hour or so. We did just that, had a Beer at a Pub and Fish & Chips at the Fisherman’s Wharf area. The buildings remind you a bit of New Orleans and everywhere you look is the Harbor. The streets are full of art shops, second hand book and map stores and touristy places. I bought an out of print book at a used book store on a guy by the name of Jon Sanders. I had seen his boat in the Maritime Museum. It’s a 42ft Sailboat in which he circumnavigated the world 3 times solo, each time leaving and arriving from Fremantle. No one has ever beaten his record. He was 645 days alone at one point without stopping. Interesting guy—must be nuts.
We left Sunny Fremantle on the following morning at 9AM on our way to Lembok, Indonesia. This will take 4 days to transit and we are very much looking forward to it. We’ll have a Post for you when we leave our 3 Ports of call there.

Perth

2009-02-20T17:30:00.028-05:00

When you visit or discuss Perth you really need to include Fremantle as well. Fremantle is the Port city that you arrive in on your way to Perth (about 30 minutes by road) and is worthy of a separate discussion. We’ve chosen to do just that and have a separate post for Fremantle.
Known as the “friendly city” among its many fans, Perth enjoys more sunny days than any other place in Australia, according to city leaders. The city anchors South Western Australia and is one of the most isolated metropolitan areas in the world. It is actually closer to Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia, than it is to Sydney or Melbourne. It was a full 3 day passage from Adelaide through the Indian Ocean for us by ship. Perth became known as the “city of light,” when residents lit their houselights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth in 1962. The city repeated this tribute again in 1998 as Glenn passed overhead in the Space Shuttle.
As the pictures show it is also one of the most beautiful cities anywhere. Marie and I agreed that Perth would be the San Diego of the U.S., sitting on the West Coast, with fishing villages surrounding it. It has a distinct culture of its own with some Western and Aboriginal influences; more laid back than the eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Paired with Fremantle it has about everything needed in a metropolitan area. The Swan River adds greatly to this city and this Salt Water Lagoon stretches from the Indian Ocean to downtown Perth. Along the Swan is an array of fishing, boating, eating and waterfront housing. We were able to take a cruise on the river and the pictures will give you an idea of the pristine nature of the River. No docks are allowed in order to preserve the shoreline.
Like other Australian cities, the town center incorporates a “Pedestrian only” shopping area they call a mall. However, it is not enclosed and looks more like a modern city shopping area without cars. You can buy anything in this area that you can buy in the U.S. We even saw a Target store (thankfully no Walmarts’).
We began our day with a bus Tour of Perth. Our tour guide said we were just teething since our cruise was only 25% of the way along. The bus passed underneath hundreds of Peppermint trees on our way to Kings Park and the Botanical Gardens. Although all of the cities seem to have their own gardens, Perth’s seems even more because of its native plants. These plants are basically from the Outback or Great Sandy Desert. Very unusual and similar to what we will see in South Africa since the two continents were once joined. The city is 100 miles long and fairly narrow. It extends along the Swan River that cuts through the city and then North and South along the Indian Ocean. It can’t grow eastward because of the desert and other inhospitable geography. This was Feb 19 and the temperature was in the high 80’s. Generally, February is the hottest month and July is the coldest. Obviously this is the direct opposite of us folks who live above the Equator.
We ended our visit to Perth with a 90 minute cruise down the Swan to Fremantle. We will review this city in a separate Post.

Adelaide

2009-02-17T17:03:00.024-05:00

The trip from Adelaide to Perth has been quite interesting. We had entered the Indian Ocean and were paralleling the Great Australian Bight. This is where the Great Sandy Desert comes right to the Sea with little vegetation even around the coastal areas. It’s also home to another of Australia’s great reef systems and undersea life. The Captain had notified us that the ship was using techniques for Whale evasion since this was also an area of migration for several species. We were able to see whales from a distance although the crew said that they had seen some of them only 40 or 50 yards from the ship. The ocean at this point can be very rough. The Southern Ocean (from Antarctica) and the Indian Ocean meet at this juncture and create the greatest Ocean currents in the world. Apparently the Indian Ocean pushes the currents south so that the cold water from the Southern Ocean does not come as far North as Australia. On these 3 days of our transit the Ocean was a force 6 with 9 foot waves. Apparently this is not bad for this area even though we had quite a bit of ship motion.
We arrived in Adelaide early on Feb 14 and were serenaded by a guy that looked like Crocodile Dundee. As the group played “Waltzing Matilda” from the pier, it put us in the mood for our trip ashore. We were again lucky with the weather which was Sunny and mid 70’s.
Adelaide, is an isolated but delightful city of 1 Million and is the capital of the state of South Australia. Its location, close to the River Torrens, and its compact city center is surrounded by gardens and parkland. Adelaide was not founded by convicts but instead was settled by free settlers (mostly British) in 1836. Silver was found soon after and mines sprung up all over the state.
We found the city a delight and were lucky enough to be there on a Sunday when the traffic was light and the street markets were open. The river is one of the centerpieces of the city with tour boats, café’s and ball fields lining its banks. Unfortunately last week there was a malfunction of the valve system that manages the water levels through the city and all of the water drained out into the Ocean. We’re talking Millions of gallons of water. So, the river on this day was dry. Picture this, “Uh, Mr Mayor, we left the Valves open in Vero last night and all the water in the Indian River drained out into the Ocean.” The city had plans to use water from a reservoir in the hills above the city to replenish the water supply. Never park your car under a gum tree!
We spent a good part of the day searching the markets and visiting some of its many museums. Among the museums we were able to visit were:
· South Australia Museum has the most extensive collection of Aboriginal artifacts. It was phenomenal. To realize the different cultures of aboriginal people with 500 different languages within this complex community.
· Art Gallery of South Australia
· Migration Museum which depicts the immigration of the various groups to Adelaide before and after WWII when most of the city grew. It reminded us a bit of the Ellis Island Museum in N.Y.

The ethnic population today consists of Italian, Asian, Jewish and naturally British. The local beer is Cooper and it’s a good un! Looked in local phone book and found 50 Mullens’ and 4 Langans, no Julianos.
After our final museum in the late afternoon we took a train back to the Outer Harbor where the Rotterdam was moored and were treated to a pool deck Aussie Barbecue and more of the Croc’s music. The ship was on its way to Perth by 11 PM.

Melbourne, Australia

2009-02-17T15:52:00.011-05:00

It would be easy to prefer the city center of Melbourne over that of Sydney, excluding Sydney’s Harbor. This is the conclusion that many of us on the ship came to after our visit.
Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city and the capital of Victoria. According to the locals, Melbourne reigns over Australia culturally and has been dubbed one of the planet’s most livable cities. Great neighborhoods, wide leafy streets and a clean modern transport system make the city of 3.5 million seem smaller. It is also somewhat protected by the large island state of Tasmania some 150 miles to the East. Tasmania is interesting in itself, in that it has animals that live nowhere else but on the Island. An example is the Tasmanian Devil, a fierce fighter that has survived because of a lack of predators. Foxes, Dogs and other predators have been unable to cross the Bass Straight between Australia and Tasmania thereby providing a natural habitat for many endangered species.
We arrived in Melbourne early in the morning and took an organized morning tour. We find these helpful in getting the lay of the land before venturing out on our own. We were able to spend some time walking the Botanical Gardens, but it really needs a full day to explore it entirely. We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the high 70’s for our visit. Nearby the Bush fires were still burning but you would not know that in the city.
Next on the tour was the War Memorial. This was originally built to commemorate the 60,000 soldiers lost at Gallipoli in WWI. Of these 60,000 soldiers only 2 were brought back to Australia so the memorial was needed to help families and friends cope with the losses. Each day at 11:00AM the sun shines through a hole in the dome and the light crosses the memorial plaque inside the building. We happened to be there and were able to witness this. A short service is performed at that time which is similar to our taps.
Melbourne is very different from Sydney. The town is laid out in a grid, with little quaint craftsman style houses along the beach areas. The pensioners were given the boot by raising rent and the “DINKS” Double Income No Kids have taken over much of the waterfront area. Dry and brown in places, drought has taken its toll here…for the past 14 years water restrictions have been in place. However, for those of us that did not know the city prior to the drought we hardly noticed the difference.
The Yarrow River splits the city in two and is a great place to walk, with pathways and gardens down both sides of the river. Once the tour was finished we decided to visit the Old City Gaol (Jail). It reminded us of a tour of Alcatraz we had taken years before but was even worse. We should keep in mind that Melbourne was first settled by prisoners brought in from England and Ireland. I guess it was their Guantanamo. Not a bad idea actually.
Our final destination was to the Melbourne Marketplace, which sells everything. I bought another hat (my 3rd of the trip). Our feet told us it was time to head back to the ship for Happy Hour. We met some people from the ship and took the train. A great city and a nice day.

Sydney, Australia

2009-02-15T23:03:00.033-05:00

“Gooday” Mates said our tour guide as we boarded our tour bus for a morning excursion through Sydney, our first Australian Port of call. The night before had been a late one. The ship was scheduled to enter Sydney Harbor early Tuesday morning but a Medical Emergency with one of the passengers caused the Captain to increase speed to 24 Knots in order to reach the harbor by 11:30 Monday evening. We haven’t heard outcome of the passenger yet.
The harbor and city were lighted and we could see the Opera House as soon as we made our turn into the main harbor. With its distinctive white “sails” and commanding position on the harbor, the Opera House is the most recognized landmark of Urban Australia. Over the next two days there would be plenty of time for pictures since the Rotterdam was to moor in Circular Quay adjacent to the Opera House. Not far away was Sydney’s Harbor Bridge. The Bridge was originally jeered as a “coat hanger”, but has since been embraced. It was an enormous engineering feat. Built in 1932 it is still the Worlds widest bridge. You can actually do a bridge climb across the top on a 3 hour expedition (some of our pictures will show this).
Over the next two days we walked, bussed and cruised our way through Sydney. Their city transportation is efficient ferry/bus/monorail and rail system steps from where we were docked. Although we saw a lot, the city deserves more than 2 days. The harbor, with the Opera House and Harbor Bridge must be the most beautiful in the world with its dozens of coves, villages and many mansions. Some of the highlights of our visit were:
An inside and outside tour of the Opera House
A meander inside the original settlement of Sydney’s old town called “The Rocks”
Bondi Beach—famous for Surfing
A harbor cruise which allowed us to get into many of the smaller areas not visited by the Rotterdam
Walking tour of the Inner city as well as a bus tour of the outlying portions
Queen Victoria Terminal—a restored 5 story shopping arcade from the 19th century
Darling Harbor including the Aquarium, Australian Animal Park and Maritime Museum

During our time in Sydney there were terrible fires raging near Melbourne which had been caused by record heat and wind. The fires had already killed 200 people and many animals. Flags were flying at half mast throughout the country. It is considered the worst bush fire in the countries history. We lucked out because the weather broke and cooled down. It was perfect for walking. It had been 117 degrees two days before we arrived. They suspect arson and the Prime Minister has stated that when caught the Arsonist(s) will be tried for murder. This morning a naval diver was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbor and is in critical condition. It’s the first in a long time. Apparently Bull Sharks are a real threat in the Harbor and most of the beaches have Shark nets.
We find the Australians to be very friendly toward Americans. They have fought in every war since 1895 with us and are grateful for our help in driving the Japanese away from their country during WWII. There are no airs about them, very down to earth—“No Worries Mate.”
Sydney is in the state of New South Wales and is Australia’s oldest and largest. It was established in 1788 as a Penal colony and to the first convicts arriving from England it was the end of the world. Once the convicts arrived they had to build their own quarters and other facilities. Some say the guards were worse than the convicts themselves. Today, Sydney is home to over 4 million people.

Marie’s comments
150 people got on in Sydney, 100 got off. They are a younger group, even a family with teenagers. Its summer here vacation time, nice to have some new faces around. The movie tonight is Brideshead Revisited and I won’t miss it. Thank god they have a nice assortment of DVD’s in the Library so I know the kids won’t be disappointed. Sydney is unlike any city in the US that I have ever been in. I think we have a million pics of the opera house. By the way, I bought a crate of TimTams, the Aussie cookie that is very, very yummy. Anyone who sits through all the pictures of this trip gets a box. Tom bought a piece of Aboriginal Art, we ate fish and chips, meat pie, drank beer and soaked it all in at the Soldier of Fortune Pub. I needed a break from the Lido.
A little bit about the eating arrangements here. Two seating’s, one at 5:30, the other at 8pm. You have to pick one. Neither really works for us. The dining room is gorgeous, two levels, a string quartet playing etc. We chose 8pm and a table for 2 because we didn’t want to leave a hole at a larger table; we knew we’d eat at the Lido most of the time which is open and casual. The other night while eating in the Lido, the couple directly behind us, (a French couple) had a big blow out. I recognized the man as the guy who burped loudly in my face while standing behind me in line for lunch the previous day. It was quite a scene. He finally left, limping away on his cane. Of course I took her side. She was in tears and we were holding our breath. He kept yelling that he was not her husband. She kept responding that he didn’t like the way she dressed! Before this mess started he sniped at the wine steward about the bouillabaisse. It was not made in the French way and why didn’t the chef know how to make it! He then went into detail, ingredient by ingredient how it should be made. He demanded to speak to the chef! I was stupefied. This was painful, especially for the Philippine wait staff. They are so kind and gracious. As we were leaving the guys were all smiling as Tom and I headed towards them knowing how relieved we were to get away. In relating this saga to a couple from Philadelphia they told a similar story. While standing in line at the Front Office a woman was explaining that she was going to kick her roommate out of the room. She wanted to cancel his key! Sometimes it’s good to travel around the world alone! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for us. Well, enough about Peyton Place and onto Sydney. The Opera House is really a performing arts center. We toured the inside and although we didn’t want to see Madame Butterfly I’m happy we took the tour. The most interesting room to me was not where the operas are staged although the set for Madame B was really clever with a stream running through the stage. The biggest venue of the 6 (and the largest) seats 2,516 and is completely constructed of white birch. It is magnificent. They are adamant about not admitting late arrivals because the sound of high heels on the wood floor would disrupt the performance. It’s in the round with seating behind the stage. The acoustics are fantastic because the wood ceiling is shaped and fanned like an opened umbrella. Suspended from the ceiling are what look like 16 large clear blow up swim tubes floating in the air above the orchestra. This allows the musicians to better hear themselves by breaking up and circulating the sound. It’s hard to believe that the original architect, a Danish man never set foot in the completed Opera House. He fought with the local politicians, over the cost overages and quit halfway through. It was finished by 3 Aussies in 1974. He just died last year. Sydney is the most beautiful city I’ve ever been in. They drive on the left. There are huge fig trees with massive roots on top of the soil. The city grew from “The Rocks” by the water area built by convicts sent from the UK and did so unplanned, which is what makes it interesting. It’s not a cookie cutter grid-like place. There was a baby boom in 2007 when the government offered a “baby bonus” tax incentive. They joke that it gets them a plasma TV! Twins = two plasmas. They have a red light district which is Kings Cross, where we were told not to wander at night. Petrol is $5.50 a US gal. They call 7-11’s “mixed-business”. They have 3 nude beaches all close to the Naval Bases. Another section of the city called Paddington looks like New Orleans with shot gun houses. The Darling Hurst area has the trendy shops and cafes and is the gay area. Pitt and George Streets are the main shopping areas. We ferried over to Darling Harbor to the Aquarium and Wild Animal Park. This Harbor has a completely different look and feel. Its all outdoor café’s, shops on the crescent shaped harbor, outdoor orchestra playing and across the water is Luna Park an amusement place. I loved every minute of it and would stay longer and I hope to visit here again!
It was a little rough leaving crossing the Tasmanian Sea between Australia and New Zealand. I was up most of the night. This ship underneath the water line looks like a big rocking horse and on the high seas it’s not a pleasant rock. Imagine that horse leaning over close to the floor on the left and then on the right and then to the front bumping its head sending it backwards and so on and so forth. It can be nauseating. I left the medicine cabinet open and it was slamming but I couldn’t get out of bed so I woke Tom up to do it. I slept in and missed my 9am Waltz class! OMG! Tom said it was very quiet in the Lido at 6:30 am, many had the same problem. We’re making our way to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and then onto Indonesia and Hong Kong.

ILE DES PINS, New Caledonia

2009-02-09T00:33:00.012-05:00

Ile Des Pins had to be the inspiration for Michener. This is it. What a Paradise. The most pristine, emerald water surrounded by forest. Enjoyed snorkeling and laying about. Took a walk to the Penal Colony or what was left of it. On this island Napolean kept the political prisoners separate from New Caledonian local prisoners. It was an eerie walk through head high weeds along a narrow trampled path to the walls of the prison. These men, the locals called them straw hatters, were often sentenced to life for disagreeing with the King. Not terrorists, but dissidents. Hard for us to imagine this freedom being denied and even harder is the realization that we are still dealing with it in the Arab world today. The prisoners, shipped over from France built the magnificent church that still stands today as well as their Jails. Some of their hats are on display in the Nouema city museum as are many Kanak memorabilia. The most notable event of the day, something we’re glad we didn’t get a picture of was the man who whipped off his bathing suit and proceeded to slowly dry himself off, top to bottom (and I do mean bottom…yuck) and get himself into his dry clothes. As an American this is a shocker, but to Europeans, it’s accepted as appropriate beach behavior. The Europa, a German ship had anchored in the harbor along side the Rotterdam so we had plenty of European company.

Some Shipboard Stuff:
Today we received the entire list of onboard names and places of residence. There is a Thomas Mullen from Hedon, E.R. of Yorkshire, England. Sounds important. I’ll look him up.

Went to dance class and started the Argentinean Tango. Wow, this looks so sleek when Ron and Sharon dance. I could watch them for the hour. We look like drunks. I wish I could film the class, without me in it of course. I watch the people who come to gawk and they have a real giggle.

We are currently in the Tasmanian Sea and will be in Sydney tonight. We’ll have some updates on Australia once we have some free time.

Noumea, New Caledonia

2009-02-08T20:05:00.015-05:00

Noumea, New Caledonia

After a somewhat rough crossing of 350 miles from Port Vila we arrived off the coast of Noumea, New Caledonia. A beautiful sunrise had us early birds anxiously awaiting our 7:00 AM entrance to the harbor. We were not disappointed as a fire boat spouting water lead us into the spectacular harbor. Pleasure boats, merchant ships and mountains were our first views of the city.
Noumea is the Capitol of the French territory of New Caledonia. Although British Captain James Cook first sighted the Island in 1774, it was claimed by France in 1853. The area first served as a Penal Colony for France, then a center for exploitation of Nickel and Gold which is mined on the Island. Later it served as the Headquarters for the U.S. military in the Pacific during WWII. At one time Admiral Halsey had 120 warships in the harbor preparing for the fighting in the Solomon’s, Philippines and other Pacific battles.
Today, Noumea in the South Pacific looks very much like a city on the French Riviera with its beaches, clear water and many café’s. We would have to say that New Caledonia is truly a surprise. Very French. If they do speak English and they know you’re American they pretend they don’t understand. We tell them we’re Canadian. Today France subsidizes NC with $300 million a year but they have an Independence referendum coming up in 2012 which will be a big deal. It would be nice to have their Independence but not so nice to lose the $300 Million a year. Their main export is “Kneekell” (nickel) and most of the mining is done by Chinese and Vietnamese. As in the other islands, the Chinese or local French are the main retailers, while the original settlers, Kanaks, sit on blankets outside in the parks and sell their home made wares. They can’t afford the retail space.
For lunch we had a wonderful Cheese and Ham baguette (the French do know how to make bread) sat in the park and admired the scenery, then onto the local city museum, which, although not air conditioned was very interesting. The first settlers, the Kanak were almost entirely wiped out in their sacrifices in WWI and WWII. DeGaulle used massive propaganda campaigns to recruit the young tribal men from all over the islands to enlist. This was a significant loss for the comparatively small population of New Caledonia. Today NC is quite cosmopolitan and very hip. We spent the rest of the day touring and swimming at the beach. Later we stopped in a café for a beer and watched the young skinny French women smoke cigarettes and push a baby carriage while walking a dog! This is a young population with one third of the Island under the age of 15. Tonight the ship will make way to the Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia for an early morning arrival.