Our Introduction to Southern Africa - the Islands of Madagascar

Fishing villageon Nosy Komba Island, Madagascar

Now admit it.  Readers of this blog have probably always ranked visiting the island nation of Madagascar high on their list of “must sees”.  No?  Well, admittedly we hadn’t either but now that we have completed our one day visit, we come away with a much different and much more favorable impression.

We really didn’t know what to expect as we arrived in this rather new tourist destination.  In fact our next door neighbors on the ship, Bob and Brenda, are members of the Travelers Century Club for those who have visited over 100 countries.  They had made four previous attempts to set foot on Madagascar to no avail – until now.  The major reason in the past had been political upheaval but that has died down and it is considered safe for visitors to make at least the kind of visit we made.

Madagascar is located about about 210 miles off the east coast of Africa and is estimated to have drifted away from Africa a mere 160 million years ago but that has had a profound impact on the development of Madagascar.  We visited the island of Nosy Be which means “large island” and it’s only about 5 miles off the northwest coast of the main island of Madagascar.  It’s the biggest island of the country other than Madagascar itself.  At 13 degrees South latitude, Madagascar has a tropical climate and we visited in their so-called rainy season which runs from November to April, but we experienced nothing but blue skies and warm (make that HOT) sunshine.

Because of its isolation, Madagascar has had the opportunity to develop a mix of different animals and vegetation.  In fact it has been called by some ecologists the “Eighth Continent” because it is so unique.  Although Madagascar occupies less than one percent of Earth’s surface, it has about 150,000 endemic species meaning that there are that many species found in their natural habitats only on Madagascar!   Our current Explorations lecturer, George Sranko, who sailed with us last year on a segment near Australia, described some of the unique species of animals and indicated that new species are being identified on a very frequent basis.  He cited the aye-aye as the largest nocturnal primate though it looks more like a rodent and initially was cited as such.  The size of a large cat, it is one of the types of lemurs.  Needless to say we saw no aye-aye as our visit was during the day.  For us, nocturnal animals are difficult to see and though we have visited New Zealand twice and have tried, we have never seen a kiwi even in a zoo.

Madagascar is home to a unique tree which we would love to have observed, but our short stay didn’t take us to a location where they thrived.  The Baobab tree looks like an inverted tree with a very thick trunk that goes straight up and then has spindly branches at the very top that resemble roots more than branches.  Though we saw neither aye-aye nor baobab trees, we selected an excursion that took us to see the lemurs.

Because we weren’t scheduled to anchor off the main town on Nosy Be, Hell-Ville (named as such by a French mariner, Admiral de Hell) aka Andoany until about 9 AM, we had several daylight hours to watch the islands pass our window and to see the old fishing boats some with square sails in the water.  The tiny islands we passed to arrive at Nosy Be were primarily lush and green and contrasted with the bright blue sky were made all the more picturesque by the many one or two man boats we were passing.  By the time the anchor was dropped, small outriggers with several people on each were near the hull of the ship with wares to sell.  Some in the boats below were just calling up and saying “money, money” wanting people to drop money to them as they would probably jump in the water to retrieve anything dropped close to them.  We saw no one actually throwing money in the water.

Our tour, Nosy Komba:  Isle of Lemurs was obviously a popular one.  Cruise Director Bruce had informed us that there would be about 550 on tour for the day and that the need to tender would require an all out effort to get everyone ashore as quickly as possible to get the tours out.  We then found that 280 people were doing our tour, probably more than any other single tour we had done this entire cruise.  Friends Sally and Ange as well as Bob and Nancy and Carol and Calvin were in our boat.  We transferred quickly from the tender at the port in Hell-Ville to our small motorboat.  Fortunately it was a covered boat with a center aisle and bench seats that faced each other.  Apparently some of the other boats on our tour were uncovered and one had to crawl over seats.  Barb overheard a rather interesting comment by one guest on the boat and we surmised the full extent of the conversation.  The sound of the motor required that the guide come around and tell each small group what he wanted to convey.  Apparently the guide had made the error of asking one group if they were all Americans.  Barb and I both overheard a lady scream a blood curdling and emphatic “Nooooooooooooooooo!  I’m Canadian!!!!”  When she heard the “no”, Barb thought the lady had been hurt but then figured out the context.  She commented that it reminded her of the “Ugly American” tourist but this time it was a Canadian.  Like Americans, Canadians are proud of their country and we are grateful for our true Canadian friends like our dinner companions, Leida and Herman from an area a couple hours east of  Vancouver, as well as Carole and Conrad, friends from Ottawa who had originally planned to share this cruise with us but had to cancel their voyage.  Fortunately we know that most Canadians don’t act like the woman on our tour today.

Unlike our two hour boat ride to Praslin Islands in the Seychelles, this was a more manageable 10 minute boat ride.  Thanks to Sally who had read the ticket carefully, we had been aware that we would have a “wet landing” meaning that we would transfer from the boat to dry land, but rather we would have to wade a short distance through water that was up to knee deep for me – more for shorter people.  Last summer, while in a Bass Pro Shop in Bolingbrook, I noticed some water shoes and purchased them. I had gone the entire trip until the Seychelles without using them and certainly wanted them for our wet landing on Nosy Komba Island.  I had used the shoes on the beach in Praslin to avoid getting a lot of sand in my shoes.  After later hearing of a man at one of the beaches who stepped barefoot on a sea urchin and was stung, I was glad I had worn the water shoes.  For our Madagascar experience, Barb put on a pair of crocs but as late as breakfast the day of the tour, we told some friends about the wet landing.  They actually considered not doing the tour but found someone who had a pair of water shoes that they didn’t need in Madagascar that would fit.

Since our boat was the lead boat and left as soon as it was filled, we were the first on shore on Nosy Komba.  Nosy Komba appropriately means “Isle of Lemurs.”  We waded ashore and then had to walk over some very uneven rocks to the sandy beach.  Once we were all ready, our guide Ernest began walking us across the beach through the picturesque (to us) village.  Lots of boats were in the water and a few appeared to be rotting and not able to be used any more.  We walked near homes and it was obvious there were paths to other homes like side streets for us, but there were no motorized vehicles other than boats that I observed and not even any bicycles.  Ernest told us that Nosy Komba had a population of about 4,500 inhabitants.  Some homes were also shops.  Some had placed embroidered objects on the sand for display. Other larger items like tablecloths were hanging on clotheslines and clearly for sale.  Designs of flowers and turtles seem to be favored.  Others were selling craft products like wooden masks, wood animals, and much more including the required tee shirts.  Ernest pointed out the school which was not in session and wouldn’t have been anyway since it was a Saturday. Then after most of us had taken several pictures, Ernest told us that it was not considered appropriate to take pictures of people without their permission and if granted, typically they would be given $1 US for allowing the picture to be taken.  Because at a dollar a picture, it would get rather expensive, we missed taking a lot of wonderful pictures that would be totally unique for Americans.

Our guide took us to the area where several lemurs were swinging in the trees and came down to visit their curious guests.  Between Ernest and George Sranko, our ship Explorations speaker, we learned much more about the lemurs.  Lemurs derive their name from the Latin, “ghost” or “spirit” as a result of the sounds they emit.  They are definitely a primate and found only in Madagascar and most particularly on this island (Nosy Komba).  At one time lemurs thrived on the African continent, but more aggressive predator monkeys wiped lemurs off the continent.  Without the same predator on Madagascar, lemurs survived.  About 65 species of lemurs are known to exist but 39 new species were identified just since 2000.  The most common are the ones we saw. Their gender is easy to identify though their colors – black for males and reddish brown for females.  They have distinctive eyes that are quite large and give the appearance of staring.  Their long tails let them swing in trees like the monkeys.  And like other primates, they have opposable thumbs and nails rather than claws.  We were told that lemurs are quite friendly and harmless unless one interferes with the tails.  Don’t touch the tail, we were warned!  Several including Barb allowed the lemurs to jump on their shoulders and sit on their heads.  We had been told some could actually fit in a teacup but the ones we saw were more the size of squirrels.

A short distance later, we had a chance to see another quite different animal, the boa constrictor which is native to Madagascar.  Normally not in an attack situation, the boa constrictor will wrap placidly around a person’s neck.  Barb allowed the snake to wrap around her shoulders before we moved once again to see yet another animal common in Nosy Komba, the chameleon.  Very brightly colored, Barb and others let two friendly chameleons get on her arm and head.  The guide again walked us back to the waterfront through the village.  This time though he told us we were welcome to stop and browse the shops and make souvenir purchases if we wished. We didn’t worry about getting lost as it was a small village and we were always aware of the coast even if we couldn’t physically see it.  Someone stopped and asked the price of tee shirts and the $30 US tag discouraged purchases there.  The guide let the vendor know that people woudn’t pay that price.  I later picked one up for $10.  I didn’t even try to bargain.  I had felt so guilty over haggling over a $1 magnet in Vietnam last year, that when she said the shirt price was $10,  I just paid it knowing I probably could have gotten it for $7 or $8 or even less.

After a bit of local refreshments and some native dancing by some young people, we waded through the water again back to our boat and to the pier.  Barb and I decided to hop on the shuttle bus and go to Hell-Ville to browse the shops.  It was less than a ten minute ride and we spent only about 20 minutes looking in the shops.  It was more curiosity as to what the village looked like than a serious shopping venture, so twenty minutes later we were on the return shuttle. 

When we arrived at the pier, it was in a near chaos.  Two ferries were unloading supplies including an old pickup truck. These were being backed up the rough and pitted ramp.  Crates of live chickens and probably other interesting items were also being brought off the ferries.  At the same time, a tender was at the dock loading and small boats were arriving to drop off those who had been on tour.  We were motioned on through to board the tender.  Literally, as they got to Barb, she was stopped and told the tender was full despite the fact that we could seen about six available seats including 4 on fold down seats just as one stepped on to the ferry. A tender would arrive soon we were told and they moved us back up the ramp into a more shaded area where we could observe the seemingly frantic desire to get all the other tour boats with their bows pointed toward the pier and people getting off the boats all at once.  Then they had to climb the ramp and move to the back of the line.  Had the boat operators kept people on tours seated, they would have been shaded and would have avoided standing in the line on a hot day.  It would have allowed the tenders to get to the pier, load and move away before tour boats unloaded and got people onto tenders.  Our tablemate Leida told us they were on the boat that caused the problem.  Their boat operator was angry and shouted in a language she couldn’t understand and he seemed to be determined to get his people off FIRST!  That caused other drivers to get competitive and thus the chaos at the pier!  Back on the ship, we were ready to set sail for the African continent but only after we had developed a new more personal appreciation for what had previously been just a name on a map, Madagascar.

As our tour guide noted, tomorrow would be Easter and he wished us all a Happy Easter. We join him with the same joyous “Happy Easter”.  This year on Easter we participated with our Protestant and Catholic friends in attending a beautiful 6 AM outdoor sunrise service on the outdoor aft deck over the Mozambique  Channel between Madagascar and Mozambique as the sun rose over the horizon.   Happy Easter to all our family and friends!

CT

The Seychelles - Africa's Tropical Paradise

Vallee de Mai, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Praslin Island, Seychelles

As we raced across the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and The Seychelles, we were well aware that the ship was in “pirate alley”.  Despite this, we were relatively unconcerned after all the precautions that had been taken.   Also, one of our guest lecturers gave a very interesting and informative talk about all the reasons that ships are less and less in jeopardy from these modern-day buccaneers.  Not only do cruise ships make poor targets because of their speed, but because, unlike cargo ships, there are hundreds of people who just sit and enjoy the views of the ocean and notice things like “ships passing in the night”.  Early warning of unfamiliar boats is one of the best defenses.  In addition, there are military ships in known pirate waters that will come to the aid of vulnerable ships should the need arise.

We were due to dock in the Seychelles at 8:00, but Captain Jonathan made an announcement stating that our berth was currently occupied by a NATO warship and that when they set sail, we would enter the harbor and dock as quickly as possible.  Yes, we were a half hour late getting in, but on the other hand, we were quite happy to see for ourselves that there were ships in the area that would be available for any possible pirate emergencies.

We had heard that The Seychelles were very beautiful islands, so we were not at all surprised to fall in love with this small island country.  In fact, while there were many great differences, we found what we saw quite comparable to our favorite South Pacific island, Moorea.  The rocky hillsides, the lush landscapes, and the amazingly beautiful beaches were very much like Moorea!   One major difference, though, is the way the islands were formed.  While Moorea is part of those French Polynesian islands that grew from the ocean floor due to volcanic activity, the three biggest islands in The Seychelles, Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, are all granite while the smaller outlying islands are coral atolls, meaning none of them are volcanoes.  The theory is that the largest islands may have been peaks of an enormous underwater plateau that appears to have fallen off the edge of the Indian subcontinent about 65 million years ago. 

The Seychelles are made up of about 115 islands that lie approximately 1000 miles off the east coast of Africa and are considered part of that continent. With a population of about 782,000 and an area of about 176 mi², it is a relatively small country.  The capital, Victoria, is one of the smallest national capitals in the world and is the only town in the entire country.  The other settlements are villages.   

The Seychelles are known for a most unusual palm tree that apparently is indigenous to only two islands in the world (both being in The Seychelles). This is the rare coco de mer.  It is actually two different trees, one male and one female.  They can’t tell until it is older what the sex of the tree is, but when it is young, it is very easy to tell the age.  This coconut tree produces one palm frond a year so while we couldn’t tell the sex of some trees, we could quickly identify the age by counting the fronds.  The male has long shoots that pollinate the female, which produces the very unique coco de mer nut.  Not only is it the largest nut in the world, but it has a very unusual shape.  It almost looks like two coconuts have been joined at the top forming a kind of Siamese coconut. 

Upon our arrival in Victoria, our shore excursion, Praslin Island by Boat, was sent ashore immediately.  We walked to the front of the ship where we boarded a small charter boat that would take us to Praslin Island.  As I looked around the boat, I could tell that usually this charter was used for fishing and diving expeditions.  Two large fishing reels were fastened to the stern of the boat.  I thought of our cousin Lyman and wondered how he would enjoy fishing in these Indian Ocean waters and what he might catch if he did.  Under the seats were stored lots of scuba tanks, all labeled Coltrisub.  Now it might seem strange to think that I’d so easily remember the name on the tanks, but I got a chuckle out of it!  As I told Chuck, one of my Mokena colleagues was a fourth grade teacher named Tina Coltri.  When I retired I subbed for her a couple times, making me the Coltri sub!  You never, ever know what things will pop into your head when you’re traveling! 

The boat ride to Praslin took about two hours.  As we sailed across the waters we could see the NATO warship nearby.  What a comforting thought!  There were also cargo ships and sailing vessels as well as speedboats, all plying the waters we were sailing through.  I kept hoping to see some marine life, but no such luck.  (We had noticed something in the water during breakfast that morning. At first we thought it might be a large yellow piece of paper until we realized it was “flapping” its fins.  It was a manta ray probably coming to the surface to see what large beast was sharing its territory.)

Upon our arrival on Praslin, we were greeted by guides and ushered to two small buses.  We really lucked out:  there were about 27 on the tour, but only about 11 got onto our bus.  Apparently once people had settled on the other bus, they were content and didn’t want to move.  That meant we had more time at the various places because we could get around more quickly – it took less time for us to board or get off the bus each place we stopped.  That also meant that we could hear our guide much more easily.  (Of course hearing and understanding are two different things!  We had been warned that in many of the African countries the guides would be a little more difficult to understand.)   Like all the natives of The Seychelles, our guide Jean spoke a French Creole language, and although they start learning English when they are about six, their accent is very thick!  There were times when I could understand and pick up what he was saying and there were times when I didn’t have a clue!  We did have a Spanish couple on our bus, and Jean spoke to them in French, so I was able to pick up a little more, but even that accent was a challenge for me.  However, his enthusiasm was evident, and he was eager to share his wealth of knowledge of this lovely country. 

If I understood correctly, Praslin Island is about 60 km² with a population of about 8000 inhabitants.  Much of the island is tropical rainforest and a national park called Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  As we headed toward the park, we made a couple of photo stops.  One was along a lovely beach.  Praslin Island is known for its beautiful white sand beaches, and we could definitely see why!  The other stop was along a road in the park itself where we could view a waterfall that allowed islanders to collect natural rainwater.  Having grown up near Niagara Falls, this trickle was miniscule, but we found it interesting to realize that such a very small stream had such an important impact upon the area. 

In the park, we went on a short guided walk where Jean explained about the coco de mer palm.  He pointed out small trees whose sex had not yet been identified as well as towering male and female trees.  There was a coco de mer nut available for us to pick up.  While very large (I’d estimate easily 12” x 12” x 6”), it wasn’t as heavy as I’d anticipated.  Jean also showed us several other indigenous palm trees as well as pointing out some that had been brought to The Seychelles.  In one case he showed us some philodendron that had been introduced and that they were trying to get rid of because it grew everywhere.  It reminded me of how the New Zealanders felt about the introduction of gorse that has now overtaken the landscapes!  Jean cut a small piece from one tree and asked us to smell it.  He asked what we smelled.  Several made different guesses; my best guess was clove.  It turns out that this tree is a four-spice tree.  I only caught three of the spices, but those three were cinnamon, pepper, and clove.  Interesting that one tree would produce so many spices!

One of the things we’d really hoped to see was the extremely rare black parrot.  This bird makes its home in the Vallée de Mai forest and is very difficult to see.  It flies very quickly and when sitting in a tree it is hard to spot because of its black color.  We were really lucky – we saw one fly right   across our path shortly after we entered the forest.  And toward the end of the path (where we would double back to the beginning) another guide was with a small group pointing out a black parrot perched in a tree.  Because it heard us approach, it darted away, but we caught a glimpse of it as it flew.  Then that same guide spotted another one perched high up in the branches of a tree.  He showed Jean, who showed us, and most of us were able to see it and even snap a couple of pictures.  Chuck and I were both pleased to get pictures since it was well hidden in the canopy over our heads.  Later I learned from someone on the other bus that they hadn’t even seen one parrot!  Lucky us!!!

We had lunch at a lovely resort area right along the beachfront.  The menu was local cuisine including fish, beef, and a very spicy chicken.  Dessert fascinated us – one dish was in the shape of the coco de mer so we made sure we got pictures of it before anyone cut into it.  Shortly after we finished eating, it started to rain.  We were particularly interested in something we saw in the lobby which seemed to funnel and collect rainwater.  They obviously highly value this as they were also very proud of that little waterfall in the park that provided rainwater.

Many of the people on the tour were especially looking forward to a stop that included a swim.  Because of the tardy arrival of the ship, everything in our tour that could be condensed was condensed.  Therefore, the swim time was cut back.  For Chuck and me, this was no problem, but for some it was a disappointment.  However, I did take the opportunity to remove my shoes and go in ankle deep so I could say I had stuck my big toe in the Indian Ocean.  At that same location we were particularly fascinated by several giant tortoises.  They were fenced in but were quite active, moving around and seeming to cock their heads and listen when we’d talk.  When I asked him, Jean explained to me that they were a relative of tortoises from Madagascar as well as the Galapagos tortoises.  He said that the tortoises had to be contained because if they weren’t they’d travel in a path and eat everything in sight as they went.  By keeping them fenced, they could provide food for these huge animals without fearing destruction of crops or other important flora.

We were pleased to be able to have an opportunity to shop for souvenirs, but we were given about ten minutes in a very overcrowded store where we could barely move down aisles let alone pass someone who’d stopped to examine an item.  As a result I came away with exactly one purchase – a postcard. 

Back on the boat, we settled in for the two-hour ride to Mahé Island and the ship.  Because I hadn’t purchased any souvenirs, I decided to buy one of the t-shirts available on the boat.  Let’s just say that now I have “bragging rights’ for having purchased the most expensive t-shirt ever.  Chuck held that title for three years when he misinterpreted the exchange rate in Bora Bora in 2009 and bought a very expensive t-shirt at Bloody Mary’s.  We did agree, though, that the t-shirt I bought is more interesting than the one he bought, and most likely part of the money goes to funding for research on sharks.  I also figured it would be more expensive to try and come back to The Seychelles to get a souvenir than to spend a little extra on a t-shirt now!

En route we once again passed the NATO warship.  That was good news – we knew waters would be protected as we set sail from the remarkable Seychelles! 

We arrived back at the pier at 5:25.  Boarding time was 5:30 so we could see that they were starting to pack things up.  They had already hauled in the “down” gangway.  One of the shore ex reps was on the dock waiting for us to return.  We were glad to see him, knowing that he was aware we were coming and they wouldn’t leave without is.

With dinner at 5:30, we had to race in and make a quick change.  We got to the dining room at 5:45, not bad for having returned to the ship so late!

Our wonderful visit to The Seychelles may have been over, but they had one more surprise for us.  Our dining table is at the aft windows, and as we set sail, we enjoyed the most magnificent sunset we’d seen on the entire trip, and one of the most spectacular we’ve ever seen in our lives!  The red hues in the skies and among the clouds above the islands just kept getting more and more amazing as the sun dipped closer and closer to the horizon!   It was a truly remarkable ending to a wonderful day! 

BT

A Quiet Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Asian elephant in Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Having had a busy and full day last year in Sri Lanka, we decided to have an unusually quiet day here this year for several reasons.  In 2012, we had taken a full day shore excursion out to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage near the Sri Lankan capital of Kandy.  We had taken an elegant early 20^th century train out to the elephant orphanage and had had our buffet lunch in a restaurant overlooking a river in which we watched elephants bathing, before taking a long bus ride through small villages back to the ship in Colombo.  This time our ship was in port only until 3 PM and we considered taking a tour of Colombo itself.  However, we remember that the air quality here was poor and given the fact that Asia had been so hard on Barb’s respiratory system last year and she seem finally to be doing much better after dealing with the pollution earlier this month, she felt it best to stay around the ship. 

I had given some thought to doing one of the excursions and particularly when friends Bob and Nancy offered to let me join them on their tour of the city.  The tour was to include a temple, and frankly, last year we visited many temples and we both felt we had “templed” out as a result.  Taking off the shoes, leaving them in an area outside and then walking on hot concrete or marble in stocking feet wasn’t optimal either.  Then we heard that we would not be permitted to dock at the same cruise ship terminal in Colombo as last year because priority at that dock had been given to an Iranian Naval ship and instead we would be docked at a much less than scenic container port dock.   Here, like in Thailand, the taxi union was rather strong and no complimentary bus shuttles would take those not on shore excursions into a central location in the city.  I wasn’t going to negotiate a price for a taxi just to wander around on a Sunday in Colombo, so I too stayed near the ship.

Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is a pear shaped island (some call it a tear drop shape) off the southeast corner of India but Sri Lankans insist that they are not Indian and that there are significant differences between them and the much larger nation of India.  The largest city, Colombo, where we are docked, is in southwestern Sri Lanka.  Because of its location so far south, Ceylon had become a major trade port for European and Middle Eastern traders.  Muslims established a foothold in the area and later the Portuguese, Dutch, and finally the British at the end of the 18^th century took control.  But in 1948, about the time India gained independence, Sri Lanka became independent of British rule.  Through much of the rest of the 20^th century, Sri Lanka was plagued by civil strife.  In fact our friend Gerda from Brisbane, Australia that traveled with us between Sydney and Hong Kong this year, had related last year when we first met her, that she and her young daughters had been caught in Colombo during a revolution a number of years ago and they had to gather their belongings and get out of the country as fast as possible.  Today however, the political situation is much more stable and cruise ships are again including Sri Lanka on their itineraries.

Staying in port gave us the chance to have a relaxed morning so even before breakfast we headed out to the dock and were photographed with a cooperative Asian elephant.  Many people were handing Social Director Adele cameras and she was willingly taking pictures of anyone who wished next to the elephant.  On the other side of the large animal, some local trainers, in Sri Lankan ceremonial garb, also posed with tourists next to the elephant, but they then put their hands out and expected to be paid.  In addition, there were some local musicians and dancers on the pier who performed a few numbers.  However, neither of us noticed too much music and dancing by the time we arrived.  After breakfast, we went out into the morning heat which continued to go higher through the day, and browsed the vendor stalls.  Most of the items were very similar to what we had purchased a year ago so we came back empty handed except for a new tee shirt which I liked and which I purchased for $5 after bargaining it down a bit.  Neither Barb nor I enjoy the bargaining, but it’s expected in this area of the world.

We have heard several reports of injuries to fellow guests.  Our friends Nancy and Bob had done the excursion that involved sampling some Ceylon tea in a hotel.  Nancy commented that there were a number of very small, almost unnoticeable steps at random locations in the hotel where one wouldn’t otherwise anticipate steps.  One man, she said, fell flat on his face.  A lady who sits near us at dinner, fell at Mt. Victoria in Hong Kong and broke her ankle and is sporting a walking cast and is sometimes in a wheelchair.  This evening as we went into the Queen’s Lounge for the entertainment, we noticed a woman we know with a black eye.  Barb asked what happened.  Her response was that she missed a small step coming out of the stall a bathroom in Malaysia; she hit her head on the sink and her shoulder on the wall, leaving massive bruises.  These are just the ones we have personally heard about.  There have been so many small steps in unfamiliar places that it is nearly impossible to remain attentive to every single step!

I thought that since we didn’t have too much to report about Colombo as a result of not doing an excursion and not leaving port, it might be a good opportunity to comment on shipboard activities.  On a cruise such as this, the day is filled with things to do and of course, if a person chooses to read all day, they can.  Or perhaps they can take a siesta out by one of the pools.  Our friend Sally is an avid bridge player and does so every sea day.  To give an idea as to what can be done, I will identify some of the opportunities from Saturday, March 23, the sea day before Colombo: 

Early morning stretch

Body conditioning

Yoga

Sit and be fit

BeginningTai Chi

Intermediate Tai Chi

Making movies with the techspert

Watercolors

Indoor cycling

Exploring the Book of Genesis with the rabbi

Service club

Body Sculpt boot camp

Sit and knit

Guided meditation

Intermediate bridge

$1 low limit table gaming

Onboard sports – gold putt challenge

Guest Chef George Geary discusses cheesecake

Beginning Bridge

Onboard sports – wall ball

Team trivia

Single and solo travelers meet for lunch

Onboard sports – Wii Challenge

Deep stack Texas Hold’em tournament

Game players meet (party bridge, cribbage, Mah Jongg)

Duplicate bridge

Qi Gong

Spa Secrets: 5 steps to glowing skin

Techspert answers computer question

Arts and crafts

Afternoon Tea

Arts and crafts

Lifestyle Seminar:  ABCs of Vitamins

Bingo

Core Conditioning Pilates

HAL (Holland America Lines) Chorale

Friends of Bill W (Alcoholics Anonymous)

Vigil Mass

Fab Abs

Wine by the glass

LGBT gathering

Three card poker contest

Texas Hold’em cash game

Nightcap on Nine

Singalong Bingo in the Piano Bar

All request Hour with DJ

The above are activities in which I did not participate but are available to those interested.

Overnight we gained 1 ½ hours as Sri Lanka and India as well as a few other areas are ½ hour off most of the rest of the world.  I chose to stay up a half hour longer, stay in bed a half hour longer, and go out for my sea day walk a half hour earlier than usual.

On the same day, this is what filled my time:

·        6 AM  14 laps around the deck (about 4 miles)

·        8 AM   Breakfast in LaFontaine Dining Room

·        9:30 AM “Good Morning Amsterdam” interview with guest diamond expert from Israel

·        10:00 AM Travel Guide Barbara Haenni updates our stay in Colombo and describes things to see and do in the Seychelles, the port after Colombo

·        11:00 AM Explorations Speaker Series (Dr. Joe Daley):  Amad Ibn Majid – The Sea Lion, a little known but creative Arabian explorer and other useful inventions by Arabs

·        12N Lunch in Lido (today with friend, Ange)

·        1:00 PM work on organizing pictures taken in Hong Kong

·        2:00 PM Exploration Speaker Series (Dr. Robert Schrire):  The Future Bigger and Better (more on this later)

·        3:00 PM organize pictures and write emails

·        5:00 PM prepare for dinner

·        5:30 PM Dinner in LaFontaine Dining Room.  Barb invited guest flautist, Clare Langan from near Cambridge, England to join us

·        7:15 PM Listen to Piano Bar pianist Debby Bacon play requests

·        8:00 PM  Evening entertainment in Queens Lounge, Ventriloquist Brad Cummings

Needless to say, it was a busy day and anyone who is bored with the variety of activities has only him/herself to blame.  The ship sponsors a series of speakers who lecture on relevant topics.  A speaker who has drawn huge crowds to his lectures was Dr. Robert Schrire, a political analyst and a professor at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.  His lectures included topics on why India is an unlikely democracy, a comparison between modern India and China, motivations of current and recent leaders in places like Libya and Syria, forecasts for doom and gloom, and on March 23, the topic above.  His analysis seems to be “spot on” and he mixed political humor with serious discussion.  We got a kick out his comment, when talking about Law of Comparative Advantage” where he said, Illinois could grow grapes, but the Finger Lakes area of Upstate New York and Napa Valley in California are more suited to it and thus they had a comparative advantage over Illinois in grape growing.  He brought the house down by saying that Illinois had the comparative advantage in producing politicians!  Point made!

I might likewise comment that when we had our dinner with the guest flautist, Clare Langan, she related some of her experiences making the circuit from cruise ship to cruise ship.  Recently she was on another cruise line that was spending a good portion of time in Brazil.  She was listed by mistake as a passenger as entertainers and speakers typically are recorded rather than a member of the crew.  In Brazil there are very stringent visa requirements that are different for passengers than they are for crew members, and she didn’t have the visa required for passengers.  So she wasn’t permitted to get off the ship until their lengthy stay in Brazil was over. After leaving Brazil and moving on to Argentina, she wasn’t permitted to fly on to Tahiti where her next contract took her until she flew back to Britain first (Argentina and the UK are disputing control of the Falklands).  Furthermore, because she was quarantined on the ship in Brazil, she missed other contracts!

We are now ready to head toward The Seychelles Islands to the east of Madagascar and the continent of Africa.  Since we have now entered the “pirate waters” of the Indian Ocean,  the ship was  prepared in Colombo with the razor wire around the outside promenade deck, water hoses are at the ready and there is now 24/7 security watching on the outside deck.  The ship has increased speed and the ship reports regularly to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization which coordinates warships in the area to deal with anti-piracy.  Unlike last year, on Monday morning there was a shipwide drill in which everyone had to find a location in the interior of the ship away from windows, much like the old air raid or tornado drills done in schools!  The Asian portion of this grand adventure is ending and we now have just one more port in the entire cruise that will not be new to us (Belem, Brazil).

We wish our Arizona friend Al who traveled with us around the world last year a safe and happy voyage as he flies this week from LA to Auckland to begin a cruise of New Zealand and then back across the Pacific to the US!  Al had wanted to visit New Zealand and considered this year’s world cruise but opted instead for a shorter cruise but one that put an emphasis on New Zealand.   We hope he enjoys it as much as we did!

CT

The Beautiful Phang Nga Bay in Thailand

At 550 km² Phuket, Thailand is the largest of the Thai islands and is best known for its tourism.  It is the only island province in Thailand, and it’s most populous island with 220,000 inhabitants. According to our guide, there are two seasons hear – hot and rainy.  April is the hottest month of the year, and since we are approaching April, we certainly can attest to the fact that it was hot, hot, hot!  I had brought a small travel alarm with a weather station.  I put it on the verandah, and in the shade it was a mere 101 while in the sun it topped out at 118!  Considering the cold 3 degrees wind chill we heard they were experiencing in Chicago, it’s hard to even think about the people at home shivering through the early days of spring!   

Our arrival at the island of Phuket, Thailand, was exactly one year to the day of our visit in 2012!  Since we had spent the day last year visiting the elephants of Thailand, this time we decided to branch out a little further and do something completely different!  So we chose a sightseeing excursion to the beautiful Phang Nga Bay on the mainland of Thailand.

This was to be an eight-hour excursion in a port where we were docked for 8½ hours so we didn’t have time for anything else.  Thankfully our arrival and departure were each postponed by one hour.  We had originally been scheduled to arrive at 6:00 AM with our shore excursion departing at 6:15.  We heard absolutely nobody complaining that we would actually be departing on our excursion at 7:15 instead!  As it was, it was the earliest departure time so far.  So we were particularly thankful for that extra hour of the previous night that allowed us to have a full night’s sleep. 

We were also very grateful that this year we were able to dock.  Last year when we tendered in, we had to get off onto a floating dock and traverse about six more floating docks before arriving at a beach where we had to climb some high stairs just to get to the road, then walk quite a distance to wait for the buses, which could only park two or three at a time to take on passengers.  So we welcomed the new dock area where all the buses could line up for the excursions and we could walk off the ship onto solid ground! 

We were very pleased that our friends Sally & Ange as well as our friends Bob & Nancy were taking the Phang Nga Bay excursion, and we all managed to get on the same bus.  This made for a pleasant day with people we knew better than others. 

We set off through the town of Phuket in the province of Phuket as we headed north on the island of Phuket.  I think names could get a little confusing here if people weren’t specific!  The city was bustling with activity.  Of course heading off at 7:15 would most likely mean crossing the town at what we would consider rush hour at home, and the traffic was busy here also!  We ran alongside a very long construction project that our guide Zen told us was building a tunnel.  Interesting observation on the part of our friend Bob when we got caught at a long stoplight:  the steam shovel appeared to work hard to scoop what he called a teaspoon of dirt then, then dump it someplace else.  At that rate, if we return in about 2213, the tunnel might be dug!   It was an interesting trip through the city with all its tangles of wires (so typical of southeast Asia) and all the Hindu spirit houses that adorned the entries of buildings. 

After exiting the town we continued northward toward our destination, and at this point we did not encounter any other traffic signals at all in our journey toward the bay.  We crossed the Sarasin Bridge that took us to the Thai mainland.  Our first stop was at the Wat Tham Suwan Kuha, a cave temple dating back 200 years. (Wat is the word for temple, as in Angkor Wat.) The biggest draw as we got off the bus was the many monkeys that were climbing along the cliffs and in the trees near the entrance of the temple.  We had been some of the few people who had not seen monkeys in Malaysia, but we certainly made up for it in Thailand!  Those monkeys were everywhere, entertaining the tourists as they swung from branch to branch or from ledge to ledge and eagerly taking food from those who bought it from nearby vendors. The only big surprise might be that this time I didn’t opt to buy any bananas to feed them, but rather watched and enjoyed them from a short distance.  Actually there was a very good reason for this unusual decision on my part!  A few weeks ago we heard a story about a fellow passenger who had been on a shore excursion where she encountered some monkeys and, despite doing absolutely nothing to aggravate them, she was attacked by three monkeys and bitten quite severely.  Also, the day we were in Langkawi, our tour guide advised us never to show our teeth to monkeys because they view that as a sign of aggression.  Knowing my luck, I’d have been grinning from ear to ear, and some monkey might have taken it as a threat.  Then there was my experience in Barbados last year.  I had made a little sound to get a monkey’s attention so I could take his picture.  He bared his teeth and snarled at me, showing fangs. Needless to say, I backed away as quickly as I could and went somewhere else.  Now, everyone knows how much I like animals, but I saw no reason to put myself in a bad situation!  So while I did really enjoy watching all the monkeys’ antics, I preferred to remain at a fairly safe distance. 

Entering the temple itself, we were struck by the fact that it was filled with Buddha statues in various positions, the largest being the one lying down.  We were interested in seeing all the statues, and we climbed up the stairs to see more statues, but I chose not to continue into a second smaller cave to view the stalactites and stalagmites.  I may have done so had we not just been in caves the day before in Malaysia.  The walking looked just uneven enough to deter me.  But we found the temple very interesting!  Exiting the cave temple, we were once again entertained by the monkey antics.  They certainly are active creatures!

From there it was a very short trip to the lovely Phang Nga Bay.  There we boarded a boat for our ride along the coast.  For once we had chosen the correct side of the boat, which was not only in the shade, but also the one that was on the “picture-taking” side that ran along the coast.  While this boat wasn’t quite as difficult to climb in and out of as the one the day before, it was still a challenge to climb onto the seat and step down onto the floor, but fortunately I made it in and out without much difficulty each time. 

We set off circling the bay and were immediately impressed by all the islands, mangroves, and rocky cliffs that we were passing.  The cliffs were very colorful, as the tour description said ochre and amber-hued limestone. The streaks of color on the dramatic cliffs made for interesting sights.  At one point I commented to Chuck that the outcrop reminded me of a walrus.  Right next to it, I could envision a lion’s head.  The sizes, colors, and shapes were amazing, and pictures just didn’t do them justice. 

As we traveled along, we noticed one small boat that appeared to be filled with large plastic disks.  As that boat approached, we looked closer and realized that all the people sitting in the boat were crouched down and were hiding behind umbrellas all of different colors.  As a lady near me commented, “I’m sure glad I’m on this boat!”  While the water may have felt refreshing, their sightseeing was certainly extremely limited with all those umbrellas open! 

Soon we were passing Koh Panyi water village, a very unique village of about 400 homes, all built on stilts and connected by walkways.  On our way back, we stopped there and got out.  That was an interesting feat in itself because it was difficult to climb out of the boat onto a floating dock with uneven planks, then transfer to another floating dock with uneven planks, and finally climb a floating ramp to the stilted walkway.  Passing through a restaurant, we came to a large market area. Chuck went with the guide to visit a school (which was not in session) but I stayed to visit the market, knowing that there would be little other opportunity to shop with such a long excursion planned. The one thing I did miss that was interesting was the “football” (i.e. soccer to us Americans) field built on a large floating platform.  I wonder what they would do if they kicked the ball too far!  At any rate, it was very interesting to walk through the shops and be able to peek between buildings to see the houses perched on stilts above the water.  It would be difficult to imagine living that way! 

As we continued along the shoreline, we eventually arrived at the island of Khao Ping Gun, nicknamed James Bond Island.  This was where portions of the 1974 movie The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed (with Roger Moore as James Bond), and it is now a major tourist attraction and a national park.  While we didn’t get off the boat, we did circle the island.  We also passed through a water tunnel that went through the island.  Now I want to see that movie again and visualize where we’ve been. 

From there we turned around and headed back to our starting point.  Our two-hour cruise through the bay was absolutely wonderful, not to mention that on such a hot day it was refreshing to have the wind in our faces! 

After leaving our boat behind, we walked to a nearby resort hotel for a buffet lunch.  We were fortunate to get a table for eight right at the waterfront, where we were able to enjoy not only the delicious Thai food and the wonderful company, but also some “longboat” or “dragon boat” races that were going on in the harbor.  Apparently these teams of what we would consider crew were having a tournament, and the best would advance to another level.  We were able to see three of them racing through the waters right by the restaurant.

The trip back to the ship was without any stops, and it seemed like we arrived in Phuket during rush hour again!  Maybe it’s just that the streets are always busy, but it seemed to take a long time to go a very short distance!  And it was hot enough that the air conditioning on the bus didn’t do much to cool us off.  Guess I shouldn’t complain – there have been some vehicles in hot climates where we haven’t had any air conditioning! 

Despite the heat, we had thoroughly enjoyed the day, having seen a completely different side of Thailand from what we had seen last year!

The next day we heard a couple very interesting stories.  The first involved some crew members in Phuket.  Holland America often provides excursions specifically for the crew, and Phuket was no exception.  All the guest tours had gone out, and there was a crew tour of the Siam Elephant Safari (the wonderful tour we did last year) scheduled to go out.  Everyone boarded the bus, and when they prepared to pull out of the port area, a bunch of taxis blocked their way and would not move.  The taxis were quite unhappy that more of them hadn’t been hired to transport people to various locations and were protesting by not allowing the bus to leave port.  Even when the captain stepped off the bus to try and negotiate with the cab drivers, they refused to move, so the crew was unable to do their excursion.  We were sorry to hear that because the crew works so hard to keep us happy, and instead of having a few hours of pleasure, they had that taken away by some stubborn locals.  I’m sure that Seattle will hear about this from the captain! 

We enjoy listening to pianist Debby Bacon whenever we get a chance, and we have invited her and her husband Ron to join us for lunch on occasion.  The day following Phuket was no exception.  Debby told us quite a tale that involved a close encounter Ron had had with some monkeys in Langkawi, making me realize that my decision not to feed the monkeys was a good idea.  He and Debby had rented scooters and had gone out for a ride.  Spotting some monkeys, Debby had suggested that he ride on and she’d stop and take a picture of him passing the monkeys.  Apparently he passed between an alpha male and a couple females and babies, and that male was not happy!  The monkey went after Ron, who took off on the scooter and managed to escape as Debby shot pictures of him evading an attack. 

With this heat, it really is hard to relate to the fact that they are still dealing with winter weather at home!  As I write this we are exactly 12 hours ahead of Chicago time, but that will probably change as we head to Colombo, Sri Lanka.  At this point we are thinking of our Chancel Choir at church who are preparing for their Easter Cantata.  The day we were in Thailand was their dress rehearsal, with the cantata being presented the day we are in Colombo.  We certainly wish them well!

BT

Langkawi, Malaysia - Our First Visit to This Asian Country

A trip through the bat cave in Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi, Malaysia

As we sailed into the Porto Malai on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, we were warned of a very hot sunny day.  Our Arizona friends would feel right at home, but 95 for Chicagoans in March it’s just a bit much. Even harder to relate to is the forecast for 5-8 inches of snow in Buffalo for that same day!  Malaysia is another new country for us since it was not on our itinerary last year.  I was glad to visit it as I had very substantial misconceptions about this country.  Our explorations speakers who we enjoy hearing on sea days had told us that Malaysia has a higher standard of living than many other Asian countries.  For example, literacy rate is about 96% and unemployment rate is only about 4%, with poverty rate very low as well.  While incomes by American standards are quite a bit lower, cost of living is lower as is the price of gasoline.

The trip is helping to understand Asian geography much better because I hadn’t thought about how close Malaysia is to Indonesia, but a major part of Malaysia shares the island of Borneo with Indonesia (and the small kingdom of Brunei). The other major portion of Malaysia occupies the lower part of the long Malay Peninsula and the island of Langkawi which we visited is off northern Malaysia, not far from Thailand.  Independence from Britain came on August 31, 1957 and originally included Singapore but within a few years, Singapore opted for independence.  The population of Malaysia is over 28 million but, although it is approximately the same land area as Singapore, Langkawi supports a population of only about 100,000.  The island has 99 or 104 islands which seems to suggest that someone can’t count; however our excellent guide told us the difference in numbers may be accounted for depending on high or low tide, with 104 islands at low tide but only 99 at high tide. The island is approximately 79% Muslim since most Thais are of Malay descent and those people are overwhelmingly Muslim.  The rest are Chinese and Indians followed by other nationalities.  Langkawi Island is obviously the largest island in the archipelago and it’s the island that we toured.  We observed many of the beautiful islands of Langkawi from the ship as we sailed in and out of port.

The economy of Langkawi is dependent upon rice, most of which is consumed locally, rubber, though playing a declining role with growing emphasis on synthetic rubber, and fishing.  Langkawi is attempting to compete more and more for tourism income particularly with Phuket, Thailand, our next port.  Our guide explained that the growth of the island has come primarily since 1987 and then he proceeded to explain a legend, widely believed in Langkawi that indicates the importance of 1987 in Langkawi history.  A beautiful princess had a husband called into military service.  She was wrongly accused of adultery by jealous citizens and sentenced to death. The princess insisted on her innocence to no avail before her execution by a sacred sword, claimed that if when she died her blood flowed red it would prove her guilt, but if the blood was white, it would prove her innocence and the island would be under a curse for seven generations.  She was killed and the blood was white.  1987 marked the year of the completion of the 7^th generation and Langkawi began its growth and modernization.

Our excursion was called Cave and Mangrove Adventure with “adventure” turning out to be an unexpectedly important word at the start of our tour.  As our bus pulled away from the dock, we headed up a small hill, stopped and backed up.  We repeated the process with the same result.  The bus driver and Azam, our guide, conferred and then Azam told us that the regretted to tell us that he had had to make an executive decision that we needed to call for a new, backup, bus.  It seems our bus couldn’t make it up the hill.  The lady in the handicapped seat in the very front of the bus had a bright idea that we could all get out and walk up the hill to lighten the load.  How about that for a strange suggestion from someone theoretically so handicapped that she needed to occupy the front seat!  But the guide called for the backup which did appear in just over 5 minutes.  We unloaded the original bus and got on the backup and off we went, just a few minutes late, but after all the other buses from other tours drove past us.

We drove approximately 45 minutes across the beautiful island from southeast to northwest to a jetty in Kilim Geoforest Park where we began all of our interesting activities.  We were told to separate into four groups of eight people and since we were joining our friends Sally and Ange, they had found four other friends of theirs to be on the boat with us.  The small boats rocked as we climbed down the steep stairs to board them and stepped onto the bow before arranging ourselves so our weight would be balanced on the boat.  Our first stop was at the bat cave where we were told to carry flashlights as we entered the dark cavern.  Through the darkness we could see bats hanging from the ceiling.  Our guide told us that if the bat was hanging by one foot, it was sleeping but if hanging by two, it meant it was awake and aware of our presence.  Likewise it was recommended that we not touch railings as they were covered in bat guano!  Flash photos were permitted though good quality of pictures was difficult.  In several areas we had to crouch down very low to avoid bumping our heads.  At one point Barb told me to watch my head and suggested I move as a lady was trying to get past me while I stopped to take a picture.  Why it was so urgent for this lady to get ahead was impossible to comprehend as all the boats would leave at the same time and no one would be left behind.  I avoided hitting my head but in the process of warning me, Barb hit her head on the ceiling.  Fortunately, she said the bump was a very minor one.  As we came out of the caves, we walked along the stand of mangrove trees at low tide.  Mangroves thrive in wet tropical environments and their roots grow best in water.  Since it was low tide, we could observe the tangle of roots that would be hidden below the waterline when tide is high.  One person notice a tiny sand crab scurrying across the mud giving most of us an opportunity to observe it as well.

After reboarding the boats, we skimmed the water through some outstanding mountain scenery and thick lush green foliage toward our next destination, a fish farm.  Here we saw lots fish and one of the workers showed how a small fish, known as archer fish would literally shoot water at a small piece of bread he had stuck on a post perhaps a couple feet out of the water.  The shot of water would loosen the bread, causing the bread to fall into the water so the fish could eat it.  We had the opportunity to see other kinds of fish and before leaving, one of the workers demonstrated the underside of a crab, showing its legs, eyes, mouth and other parts of the crab.  Several people held the crab including Barb.  She can now add the crab to the list of animals she has held or posed with on this trip.

Our boat ride took us next to an area on the water where we put the four boats together so the guide could tell us about Brahminy kites, a type of raptor similar to eagles.   They and white breasted eagles would swoop down to the water to get the pieces of chicken that were thrown in the water to get these birds to appear for us.  All of a sudden, perhaps a couple dozen appeared out of seeming nowhere while we watched them get their food.  A short, fast ride out into the open sea took us to the Andaman Sea for a short time before returning to the jetty, back to the bus and eventually to the ship.

Our guide, Azam, was one of the best guides we had had on this trip.  He apologized for having only three years experience but one would never have known he had led tours for such a short time since his English was excellent and very easy to understand.  He had a wonderful personality and even sang a goodbye to us, the Frank Sinatra hit, “My Way”, including all verses.  As we got off, I heard one woman tell him she considered him to be one of the best guides she had ever had.  I think we would concur with that.

After lunch on the ship, Barb and I took the shuttle back to Porto Malai for a brief look at the shops.  We returned in time for the an outstanding performance by the Malay Kompang Dance Show by eight graceful dancers, four males and four females, as they made rapid costume changes and danced nonstop several Malaysian dances.

                   Our first visit to Malaysia was informative and interesting. Certainly I had some misconceptions about the country and have a much better understanding about the people, economy, culture, and definitely the geography.  We enjoyed our introduction to Malaysia and were pleased to hear that we gained an hour since, although Langkawi is only 120 miles from Phuket, Phuket is an hour behind.  We utilized the time change by going to bed as though we didn’t change times and got up at 5:30 Malaysia time but in Thailand it was 6:30.  Thailand will be our last stop in Southeast Asia before we cross to Sri Lanka.  Time on this cruise is really flying now but we are thoroughly enjoying the beauty that this planet offers.

CT

Colorful Singapore – An Island, a City, a Republic

Vividly Colored Parrots on Sentosa Island, Singapore

Those who visit Singapore today would find it difficult to imagine that when Singapore gained its independence, it not only had few natural resources, but it was also politically unstable and economically underdeveloped. Despite being the smallest country in Southeast Asia, today Singapore is the 22^nd wealthiest country in the world with a foreign reserve of almost $120 billion USD! 

Its high standard of living is evident, and there are very stringent laws for citizens as well as visitors.  There are strict fines for littering, and gum is not allowed at all (a school teacher’s dream)!  Those caught trafficking drugs receive a death sentence.  Pollution that is so evident in other Asian countries is under control in Singapore.  For example, we heard that to help control pollution, driving is very limited.  It reminds me of the watering regulations during the summer where if you have an even numbered house you can water on even days, and if you have an odd numbered house you can water on odd days.  They do something similar here, but with car license plates.  Odd numbers can drive on odd days, and even numbers can drive on even days.  Since both Chuck and I have odd numbered license plates, we would be in trouble, I guess!  I can’t even begin to imagine the outcry that would bring in the US!  But apparently it works here! 

Located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it was the site of several ancient port cities and has been owned by several empires throughout its history.  Before being colonized by the United Kingdom in the 19^th Century, it was Malay fishing village.  During World War II, it was taken over by Japan, but later became part of a merger that established Malaysia before gaining its independence and taking off as a small but viable nation.     

As we sailed into Singapore the first day, we passed through the Malaccan Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world.  Just 10 miles wide, bordered on one side by Singapore and on the other side by Indonesia, it is teeming with ships and boats of all sizes.  We were astounded at the sheer numbers of ships as well as very small one-man fishing boats that passed us by going in one direction or the other as we approached our destination.  There were times when we could count more than 20 vessels visible on our side of the ship, some of which passed so close that we could practically have shaken hands. 

Our arrival was scheduled for 2:00 PM, and we had a shore excursion that was scheduled to go out as soon as we docked.  We had had to rethink what we were taking because just as we sailed in, the skies opened up and some thunderstorms moved in.  We wanted to be absolutely sure that we had everything necessary for the afternoon because it takes awhile to clear security in Singapore.  Not only do we have to show passports every time we get off the ship, but we also have to pass through body scanners on our way out.  Coming back in, we have to show our passports at two checkpoints as well as scanners again.  The trek from ship to shore to ship is the longest we’ve ever experienced – more or less like walking to the farthest gate possible at O’Hare!  Ugh!  You do not want to forget something on the ship once you head out for the day in Singapore! 

Last year when we were there we did the Singapore Highlights tour that took us to the most popular visitor attractions (the Botanical Garden, the iconic Singapore Merlion, the Raffles Hotel, as well as various ethnic neighborhoods); we also did the Night Safari, which was a zoo where we could visit nocturnal animals after dark when they are most active. 

We had considered doing the Jurong Bird Park also, but opted to leave that shore excursion for this year since we knew we would be back again.  As the bus headed toward the park, our guide passed out maps that were well marked with the route she would be following on a guided walk.  We were given the option of going with her or doing it on our own.  We decided that we would venture out on our own because if we had to wait for 30 people to take pictures every time we stopped to look at the birds, we would end up missing some of the other things we wanted to see.  This proved to have good points and one bad point, the good far outweighing the bad.  (The only bad was that because we were doing our own thing, we spent the entire 2½ hours walking, and we didn’t sit down at all.  The others enjoyed a tram ride through the park and watched a bird show, both of which we could have done, but timings were wrong.) 

Our first stop was the Penguin Coast.  The first birds we saw sure didn’t look like penguins, and they were flying!  I commented to Chuck that they looked more like puffins than penguins.  When we finally located the plaque that described the birds, we discovered that they were … Atlantic puffins!  All those times I hoped to see puffins on the Atlantic, and I had to come to Singapore to see them!  They are cute little birds though!  We moved on from there to other species such as the King penguins as well as the Humboldt penguins we had seen two months ago in Peru.  (Well, they weren’t the exact same birds, but they were the same species!)

By the time we left the penguin house, the other people from our tour who were doing the park independently had wandered off and we didn’t see anyone from the ship again until we returned to the starting point.   Even though it was a Sunday, the park didn’t appear to be terribly busy so we were able to spend time enjoying the birds and waiting to catch that perfect photo.  They certainly did have some unusual and colorful birds.  It would be impossible to name all the various kinds of birds that we saw, but they definitely were fascinating!  The hornbills in particular were quite unique!  I’d never seen such strange-looking beaks!  Those poor guys don’t know they look weird, but they sure did! 

One of my favorite stops was what they called Lory Loft.  Americans don’t have anything that begins to compare to the vivid colors of the lorikeets that are prevalent in this area of the world!  Our Aussie friends John & Gerda commented that they have lorikeets in their backyard all the time.  Lucky them!  Our robins and goldfinches are colorful, but certainly not the vibrant color of these little birds.  Naturally I opted to pay for a small dish in order to feed them, and all of a sudden I found myself surrounded by lorikeets, up to four or five at a time perching on my hand, wrist, or shoulder waiting to grab some grub.  One was using my baby finger as a branch; it was holding on for dear life with one of its claws dug deep into the skin.  Ouch!  Singapore sits at 1° N Latitude, so needless to say, it is hot!  Combine that with the humidity left from the downpour we’d had earlier, and I looked like I was in a sauna!  Any pictures posted on Picasa of me with the lorikeets will show you just how hot I felt! Maybe I was just trying to match the brightly feathered birds that were perching on my shoulders and wrists?

In the section the described as Dinosaur Descendants, we enjoyed watching large birds such as ostriches, rheas, and cassowaries. We were particularly interested in seeing the cassowary up close.  Last year we saw one in Australia, but he didn’t cooperate; instead he hid in the bushes.  Here one of the cassowaries came right up by the fence, and we could see every detail! A large and distinct flightless bird related to the emu, a cassowary is adorned with a colorful head and a horny crest.  Apparently cassowaries can be rather mean, but these didn’t show that side!  They also have interesting feathers – it looks more like they’re covered in fur!

As we continued on our way through the park, we saw three species of flamingoes wading in nearby pools.  I couldn’t help but think of our cousin Jenny, who absolutely loves flamingoes!  When we visited her family a few years ago, I got a kick out of sleeping in her room:  it was a veritable flamingo explosion!  She would really have enjoyed seeing all these colorful birds.  There were flocks of very pale-colored greater and lesser flamingoes from Africa as well as bright coral-colored Caribbean flamingoes! 

By the time we had finished walking the park, I felt like I had spent 2½ hours fully-clothed in a steam bath!  I was soaked to the skin.  However, we had thoroughly enjoyed seeing all these unique and beautiful birds!

The second day in Singapore was wide open.  Last year we had considered going over to the island of Sentosa, a resort area and theme park which we could see from the ship, but we just didn’t have a chance to get there.  We decided we would see if we could walk around the island without having to purchase theme park tickets. We set out early in the day and found our way to the tram station, located in a shopping mall connected to the cruise port.  And yes, we could go over on the tram and stroll around without doing the theme parks.  The tram ride was very short fortunately because the tram car we were in had exactly two seats! 

We got off at the first stop and started wandering around.  The first thing I saw was a Chili’s.  Oh, that looked tempting – a nice flavor of home, especially having seen that night’s dinner menu, with absolutely nothing that appealed to me!  But we bypassed it (for the time being) and headed toward Hard Rock Café so I could pick up my shot glass. I had started collecting Hard Rock shot glasses back in 2000 because they are small and relatively inexpensive souvenirs of Hard Rocks in the cities I’ve visited.  So far this year, this is the first I’ve managed to purchase!  And Singapore has such a good deal!  You get two shot glasses for one!  (However, one shot glass costs twice as much as in other Hard Rocks!  Hmm…  Not such a great deal after all!  Talk about a marketing gimmick!  Same thing happened last year when I picked up a shot glass in Singapore – only place in the world that I had to buy two to get one.  So now I have four Singapore shot glasses – two that say Singapore and two that say Singapore Sentosa.) 

Since we had arrived on the island at about 10:00 and the Hard Rock (and other things) didn’t open till 11:00, we did a lot of walking around just enjoying looking at what they had to offer.  We saw the Universal Theme Park entrance, but we weren’t even tempted a little to go there.  (However, Chili’s was still calling me!) 

We did go to Chili’s – I think Chuck would have preferred to go back to the ship, but the thought of those chips was just too tempting for me.  So that’s exactly what we did.  Expensive, but that taste of home was just what I needed!   From there we headed up to the Merlion statue.  Last year we saw the “real” Merlion – the symbol of Singapore that sits in the harbor.  This merlion is larger than the original and sits atop a hill on the island of Sentosa.  We were surprised to see that this one didn’t shoot water until we saw people appear in the open mouth of the statue.  That was when we realized that people can actually enter it and climb to the top, presumably for an overlook point where they can see the park. 

After seeing the merlion, we decided it was time to head back.  Although it wasn’t quite as hot and humid as the first day, it was still pretty uncomfortable.  So we hopped on the tram, this time getting into a car with about a dozen seats.  I guess it was early enough in the day that people weren’t heading back to Singapore yet because we did get to sit for the ten minute ride back.  Since we had had to hunt for the tram, it was a challenge to wend our way back through the maze of two connected malls to the cruise port.  Fortunately everything was in English so we managed without too much difficulty. 

It felt good to relax for awhile before heading out into the mall one last time to get rid of those last Singapore dollars. I was glad to be back on the ship for good after having had to navigate the security so often as we came and went.  Had we had the difficulties in Singapore that we did in Nha Trang getting everything needed in the right place (requiring several trips to and from the ship within about a half hour), we would have spent the entire port time going through security!  However, I guess it’s a small price to pay for such strict laws in a country that is thriving in an area where many other countries struggle to raise their standard of living.  Singapore is a beautiful country! 

BT

P.S. After three days in a row of trips to the Medical Center, it looks like I’m starting to get things under control.  Two were minor issues (small rash and very bloodshot eye), and the third was trying to get relief from the constant coughing, which was irritating my throat, which caused me to cough more.  The vicious cycle needed to be broken, and with some stronger cough syrup, it seems to have done the trick.  Not totally over the cough, but it is much, much better.  And yes, I’m still having foot problems, but the doctor insists that it will take weeks for it to heal. So I have to be patient… Thanks to those of you who have asked.