Bangkok to Dubai - occasional live blog!

[forgap]

I'm afraid that I'm behind on this blog. We have had two relaxing sea days and arrived in Galle, Sri Lanka this morning. This is a port where we anchor and take a tender to the port. Unfortunately the swells in the harbor were too severe today and the Captain decided to lift anchor and sail in to Columbo. We should arrive at 1:30. This is the second port that we've missed and we have some unhappy campers as a result. I'm afraid, though, that some people are in a perpetual state of outrage and disappointment. For the most part, our fellow passengers are congenial and interesting...others, not so much. Fortunately, the ship is big enough.

 

I thought I'd post some ship pictures today.

 

 

Our favorite part of the ship to relax after a hot, sticky day.

 

 

The beautiful horizon lounge and the panorama lounge

 

 

And, my least favorite painting on the ship!

 

 

I'll try to catch up on my port reports in the next days.

[Travelcat2]

Great photos! The pictures of Malaysia brought back fond memories (although not so fond memories of all of the steps at the Batu Caves:-). Looking forward to your next installment.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Travelcat2

[forgap]

Penang

 

On Sunday we arrived in Penang, Malaysia in Georgetown - a UNESCO world heritage site because of its preservation of colonial architecture. It has many colonial buildings as well as preserved Malay "shop houses" - shops on the bottom, shuttered living quarters on top. The town was closed up tight because it was Sunday but we managed to get to some sites - in particular,the Khoo Kongsi clan ancestral house. Clan houses are for families of a particular lineage. It's an odd combination of club house and temple - very ornate and full of symbolism.

 

 

 

We also went to the Chew jetty. These are neighborhoods built on stilts and jut out into the bay. The government tried to get the inhabitants to move into more modern housing but there were massive protests as the settlements have existed for hundreds of years. Plus, because they are not theoretically on land, they don't have to pay taxes!

 

 

 

Weather continues to be very hot although we're acclimatizing to it a bit. I now have a "sticky index" from 1- 10 which measures just how uncomfortable we are. The ship, however, is wonderful and we are spending a lot of time on our balcony, cooled by the sea breezes.

[Travelcat2]

Again, love the pictures..... and, we really like Penang. While we have not been to Chew jetty, we have been to a similar place in Malaysia. It was so nice when the tide was up but when the tide went out you could see all of the garbage that is thrown into the water. Very sad.

 

I like your sticky index. Sometimes I feel like I will melt into a puddle in those climates.

[Swelldame]

Thanks for your pictures, especially the ones of the ship. They make me miss it, and bring back some great memories.

 

One night on board the comedian commented that all the new art was "signed on the bottom right corner - so they'd know which way to hang it."

 

Here's something "fun" for your sticky index. In Canada, we have something called a humidex, short for humidity index. It's a formula that uses the relative humidity coupled with the temperature to calculate how hot it really feels. If you can get those numbers, plug them into this website to see what you're really dealing with!

 

http://www.csgnetwork.com/canhumidexcalc.html

[leese]

Exact same thing happened to us in Galle a few years back. I wonder if it's common. I wasn't at all unhappy, while it is a shame to miss a port, I always welcome the unexpected sea day.

Edited April 18, 2014 by leese
Mistype

[forgap]

Phuket

 

Phuket was decimated by a tsunami in 2004 although there is little evidence of it now. We took an all day tour to Phang Nga bay which is known for its karst rock formations. The bus ride each way was a little less than two hours with questionable air conditioning. There were rubber and pineapple plantations on each side of the road as well as tiger prawn and red snapper farms. Water looked pretty polluted so I'll continue to be wary of farm raised fish!

 

Once we reached Phang Nga bay, we boarded a boat and cruised through the rock formations for an hour and a half.

 

 

The fishing village is the only population allowed in Phang Nga bay which is now a national park. It is a Muslim village with a prominent mosque, wall to wall restaurants, and tourist shops.

 

 

Regent tours used to have their lunch there but the guide said a lot of people got sick so the lunch spot was changed to a hotel on shore. The fish were in cages off the decks and the sewage system seemed questionable so this was probably a good idea.

 

 

The sticky index was pretty high and I got a sunburn despite a hat and sunscreen. We were pretty wiped out on our ride back, slept the whole way I til we stopped at the obligatory gem factory. The bus almost mutinied, but it was fascinating to see the legions of Russian tourists dressed like tropical birds buying up the gaudiest jewelry I've ever seen!

 

For those interested, the destination lectures have been very stimulating. We have two experts on board that have managed to illuminate this region for me - politically and historically. Ironically, the lectures are much more well attended than the frothier events that are scheduled. Although, I did manage to get to the wine tasting - new world vs. old world whites.

 

The sea is like glass and we have seen lots of flying fish.

[forgap]

Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

We are en route to Cochin, India. We spent the day yesterday at a tea plantation in the mountains outside of Columbo, Sri Lanka...two hours there with the most interesting guide so that the ride was not dreary at all. There were 11 of us on a small bus...I doubt that a big bus could have made it. Driving in Sri Lanka is an adventure...tuk tuks, motorbikes with three to the seat (including infants - no helmets of course), busses, cars, all vying to be first...barely a two lane road becomes a three lane road. It was best just not to look. Our guide was was an amateur naturalist, so I saw a lot of birds for my life list and he kept stopping for good photo ops. I now know more than I ever thought I would know about tea. The East India Company played a big role historically and since they had a big place in Salem, Ma. where my family has a home that belonged to a captain of a ship owned by the East India Company. Salem was a big player in the Far East trade. It is very interesting to see the length of their reach.

 

Some pictures

Picking tea leaves...only the bud and top two new leafs.

 

Tea served in the 19th century bungalow that belongs to the plantation manager.

 

The vista

 

Water buffalo

 

Rice paddy

 

Cattle egrets

[tallship]

Just caught up on your posts...really great...thx

[RachelG]

Loving your pics and commentary!

[Travelcat2]

You forgot to report the sticky index. Guessing that it is high. Amazing photos!

[forgap]

The sticky index in Sri Lanka was moderate....being in the mountains with a breeze was not bad - or I'm getting used to it! Walking around Columbo brought us right up to 10 - on a scale of 1-10.

 

Now, Cochin, India brought us to to a new variation of the sticky index - the post-stick index. This is when you walk around, drip with sweat, get on the bus, cool off, get off the bus, re stick, etc. it builds up a film of sweat on your skin like you're wearing latex. And, under these circumstances, Some fellow assengers STILL look calm and collected. I, on the other hand, look a mess....red faced, clothes sticking to me in unflattering ways, hair plastered to my skull!

[forgap]

Uh, that's passengers.....:eek:

[WesW]

Hi Jennifer & Georges (am now on the Silver Cloud near the coast of Spain, enroute to Cadiz..our ninth sea day).

 

Thanks for the time/effort to post your wonderful Asia pix--very fondly brings back our Voyager cruise to these ports in Dec 2012. Jennifer, I find downloading from Photobuckett worked best at 5-5:30a.m, and 11-11:30 pm when most other pax were asleep.

[forgap]

Thanks, Wes. Too bad I'm asleep too at those times. I also found that when we're in port photobucket seems to work. Enjoy Spain. We'll be on Oceania in September....BCN to Lisbon.

[forgap]

Photobucket continues to be capricious so photos are limited and I'm a few days behind. As I said at the start, this is an occasional live blog!

 

Cochin, India

 

We arrived in Cochin on Saturday. Cochin is described as "India Lite" as it is not as crowded, chaotic, or poor as the rest of India. Even so, it was crowded, chaotic, and poor with children and adults employing the hard sell to get anyone to buy whatever they happen to be selling.

 

India, on first impression, is a land of stark contrasts. The colors are intense with a keen focus on adornment in clothing, in house paint, on trucks and tuk tuk's, and shrines. On the other hand, there is a complete lack of respect for the natural environment - litter is everywhere and vehicles spew pollution into the air already thick with humidity and dust. Houses and buildings are often in a state of construction or destruction. It's hard to tell with the amount of debris strewn around.

 

And, despite all this, the people are the most welcoming we have encountered. They wave and smile as we drive by. They have the most beautiful children I have ever seen and generously allow us to photograph them, and, they want to photograph us! In the state of Kerala, tourists are still not that common and we are a large part of the economy.

 

As a state, Kerala is one of the most prosperous in India with a higher literacy rate and life span than the rest of India. There once was a thriving Jewish community here but now there are only 7 people. The town is mostly Hindu, some Muslims and some Christians.

 

 

Unique to Cochin are the Chinese fishing nets that are used to scoop fish up from the bay. This is the only area of the world outside of china where these are used.

[forgap]

Sea day, so I'm catching up on my travelogue:

 

Mangalore is the principal port in the state of Karnataka with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east. We had a fairly intense day as we immersed ourselves in the Jain sect of Hinduism in the town of Karkala - about an hour and a half from the port. Karkala is a pilgrimage center for the Jains and is famous for its monolithic stone statue of Lord Gomateshwara which dates back to 1432 AD and is over 42 feet tall, weighing in at an estimated 80 tons.

 

After walking up about 240 steps in 98 degree heat to reach the top, we were fairly wiped out. Thankfully, there was a breeze. We were greeted by a monk who, after a modest donation, blessed us with a third eye.

 

 

In a nutshell, the difference between Hinduism and Jainism amounts to the blessings granted by divinities versus self-actualization. In Hinduism, salvation can be gained through divine grace. In Jainism, salvation can be achieved only through self-effort.

 

Now, at this point, we are 2+ hours on a very old bus with questionable air-conditioning. To say we were swimming in sweat is a vast understatement. The air was stale, the AC was blowing dust and god knows what pollutants. (I thought a wee bit about carbon monoxide poisoning and Legionnaire's dIsease.). The seats were velour, soaked with, I'm sure, generations of tourist sweat. My third eye had run down my nose.

 

Our next stop was Soans Farm for a look at tropical fruits and spices. It was really a planned rest room break, but a pleasant respite from the clunker bus.

 

Our final stop was in the town of Moodbidri and its thousand pillar Jain temple - Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi. This is a granite temple built in 1430 A.D. and it is famous for its open pillared front hall that consists of a thousand elaborately carved pillars - no two alike.

 

In the center of the sanctum, is the very sacred eight foot tall bronze image of Lord Chandranatha Swami.

 

The bus ride back was another hour and a half careening down hills, laboring uphill, belching fumes, passing traffic in the most alarming fashion. The gods must have been smiling on us as we reached the ship safely after the obligatory souvenir shop visit dressed up as a bathroom break. At least the shop was air-conditioned. As you can imagine, my sticky index was off the charts!

[Mr Rumor]

Even in the dry cool of the Land of Enchantment this morning I felt the stickiness--that's how good a writer you are! Savoring every post. . .

[forgap]

Goa

 

Our third day in India and we're getting a bit weary of the long days rushing from site to site. Our impulse was to stay on the ship, but who knows when we'll return to india, so we soldier on.

 

Our chosen excursion was LONG - 6 1/2 hours! We took the scenic route along the coast to the Shantadurga Temple, one of the largest and most famous temples of Goa dedicated to the wife of Shiva as the `Goddess of Peace'.

 

The tale goes that she mediated in a quarrel between Shiva (her husband) & Vishnu and brought back peace in the Universe. The interior was gilded and filled with shrines and flowers and thick with insense. The devout were chanting and doing something with water in the inner sanctum which I couldn't quite make out and I was reluctant to be more intrusive than my presence already made me.

 

 

On the temple grounds we again met lovely people who wanted to pose with us for pictures as much as we wanted to photograph them. One woman in particular, visiting pwith her son and her parents, had just returned from study at Arizona State. The two year old son was born there and a US citizen, a fact made his mother and grandparents very happy!

 

From there we went on to another spice farm, home to more than 84 different species of bird, 100 varieties of orchids, and almost every spice imaginable. We were greeted with a shower of marigold petals and Goan dancers.

 

 

Our guide was a young woman who had us see, taste and smell beetle nuts, peppers, turmeric root, cinnamon, vanilla, and cashew trees. We then had a traditional Goanese lunch which was spicy and good. Our fellow passengers tend to be culinary light weights and fearful of food poisoning or worse. I stuck to cooked vegetarian dishes and beer with no ill effects.

 

At this point, we were in the absolute heat of the day when we returned to the town center to explore the Indian and Portuguese cultures in Old Goa. The first stop was the basilica of Bom Jesus, built of black laterite stone with marble and inlaid precious stones.

 

This church contains the tomb and mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier who spread Christianity in the Portuguese colonies.

 

The Se Cathedral, consecrated in 1640, was directly across the street although it was very hot and felt like we had to cross the Mohave desert to get to it! The interior was cooler...perhaps 90 degrees and 99% humidity. Some of the local dogs were inside taking siestas which made total sense to me. The whole structure was very imposing, austere, and very different from the Hindu temples of the area. I'm sure that it made an impression as the Portuguese missionaries pursued their quest for converts.

[Travelcat2]

Your tour guide in Goa sounds lovely. As I recall, we were signed up for that excursion but it was cancelled due to a holiday. We would have loved sampling the food. We went on a private tour India where the tour guide took us to a questionable looking place for lunch. He assured us that it was fine and it was (as well as delicious).

 

I must say that just thinking about some of the ports in India makes me feel like melting into a puddle on the sidewalk. The heat was bearable but the humidity was over the top.

 

Enjoying your commentary and amazing photos.

[RachelG]

I would have been right there with you too trying those Indian dishes, my husband not so much. Great pics!

[JPR]

Photos linked are all gone now.

[forgap]

Hmmm...best laid plans....I deleted pictures from photobucket to make room for more photos. Dpi didn't consider that I would obviously delete the link....I'll try to remedy it.

[Eager2Travel]

Oh, the memories that your beautiful writing has triggered. Thank you so much. Our trip to India was on Song of Flower more than a few years back. Both DH and I greatly appreciate the gift of taking us along. Your posts:) are a joy to read.

 

Ann

[forgap]

My photobucket account has kicked the bucket...I've exceeded my gb allocation and, despite deleting pics, I can't get it back! So, I'll continue posting when I get home in two days with a new photobucket account. In the meantime, if you want the latest installments, I've been sending emails with pics to family and friends. We're friends now, right? So, my email is forgap at bellsouth dot net.