Last chapter--Dubai

We had 3 days in Dubai, one with the ship and two on our own.  Day one took us on a tour of the city, mostly through the "modern" parts of town--less than 15 years old.  City is interesting as it is spread out with clusters of high rises here and there, often grouped by type of business.  We shopped at the modern souk with lovely shops and local artifacts.  Our purchase was a Dubai Starbucks mug!  Oh well.  The highlight of this trip was seeing the Burj Al Arab Hotel.  The beautiful building built to look like a sail.  You need reservations to get to the building so we were glad we were having high tea there.  The interior is quite contemporary with fountains, aquariums and is gold and royal blue in color.  It is triangular in shape on the inside.  High tea was on the 27th floor which was really the 54th as every floor is a duplex--202 suites smallest is 1800 sq feet, largest is 8400.  It is built on an island.  Tea was good but the view, architecture, and design were the special parts of the visit.

Last night on the ship, dinner in the main dining room, packing and saying goodbye to new friends.  Disembarkation was at 8:30 am and we were off on our own adventures.  Taxi to the hotel--upgraded to a two bedroom suite with a view of the city and the Dubai Creek.

Went to the mall of the Emirates to see the indoor ski slope--chair life, bobsledding, tobogganing all in the desert in a silver dome of sorts.  Real snow, they loan you the jacket, pants, skis et al....for a mere 200+ dollars.  The mall was huge, did we tell you this is the city known for shopping.  Roamed for a while and then went to the Gold Souk in the old part of Dubai.  On any given day there are 10 tons of gold on display in the windows.  Holy smokes.  We looked by came hope empty handed.  Sue was tempted but having turned over a new leaf....

Back to the hotel for a rest before hitting the attached shopping mall--festival city mall, the third largest in Dubai--over 370 stores and 90 restaurants built on the creek.  Every shop you can imagine is here in one or another of the malls.  Columbia to Prada. And if you walk out the other end of the mall you will find IKEA and an ACE hardware the size of a walmart store.

Today we had ressies to go up the Burj Khalifa tower.  Tallest building with longest single stage elevator with the fastest rise.  163 floors, we went to 124, the highest occupied floor is 154 with offices.  830 meters tall with 27 terraces.  It is a y shaped building.  Fairly clear day so the view was amazing.  The buildings below looked like models in our pictures.  Spent time in the mall--found the Harley store and the suitcase store so all is well.  Lunch at Potbelly and a short fountain show.  Back to the hotel for time to blog, shower and late check out before out 10 pm flight tonight.  It has been fun to share our trip with you.  While we loved to travel, Dorothy had it right, there is no place like home.

Nancy and Sue

Muscat Oman, Fujairah UAE and Abu Dhabi UAE

We are winding down.  In port in Dubai, what a way to end.  Tea at the Burj Hotel this afternoon and disembarkation tomorrow.  The past few days have been busy and fun:

Oman found us in the city of Muscat which is beautiful.  Unlike the other big name cities in this area this is a city of low rise buildings in keeping with the desert landscape.  It is the second cleanest city in the world.  While it keeps its Arabic heritage in tact it also has a touch of modern thinking evidenced by it's art galleries and women's rights in schools and public office.  Oh what a day we had...First stop was the fort--an hours drive out of the city center so we got to see some country side.  The fort was quite interesting and nicely renovated to display period furnitures and living.  The views of date orchards and local village were stunning.  We drove through the village to a mountain spring oasis.  Families were there enjoying the warm waters, cool shade and favorable picnic sites.  We all put our toes in the water to get a fish nibbling pedicure--quite fun and it tickled.

And then drama began.  A woman fell and hit her head on the curb.  It bled as head wounds do so she looked pretty ragged, covered in blood and mud.  Two docs on the bus helped out and got her wound cleaned and covered and advised her to head back to the ship.  She wanted to stay with the tour so after 1/2 waiting we all took off.  20 minutes out of town Sue and I spelled the engine from the back of the bus and shortly there after we were stranded on the side of the highway.  Remember how hot we keep saying it is, sitting in a closed bus is even hotter.  45 minutes later we had a replacement bus and off to the remainder of the tour.  Stopped outside a mosque for a photo stop, wished we could have gone inside.  Then we went to the ship and convinced the woman to see the doctor after which she could meet up with us if she wished.  Off to the Ritz palace hotel--WOW.  Had a terrific buffet lunch and enjoyed the beauty of the lobby.  It was a former palace converted to a hotel.  Met a group of Indian people in the lobby from all the over the world.  Had a great conversation and got invited to their classical Indian music concert.  Unfortunately we were on our way to Abu Dhabi.  Next stop the souk to shop, not much to be had.  Our wounded fellow traveler returned to the group no worse for the wear--after five stitches and a tetanus shot.  Back to the ship.

Came to port in Fujairah the next morning.  We were amazed by the number of oil tankers waiting to enter port for loading or unloading--4-5 hundred was the predominant estimate.  We found out later the loading there means they do not have to spend $35,000 to navigate the Straights of Hermuz.  We have never so many ships.

Our trip today was a mountain safari, actually back into the northern part of Oman.  1 1/2 hour drive out of town then onto the gravel road into the mountain and canyons.  Past goats and Bedouin camps on our way to 3600 ft.  Sue's favorite was the goat in the tree.  The mountain trip reminded us of Sedona, Arches national park and the Grand Canyon.  Beautiful geological formations.  Stopped at the top for a quick refreshment break--guess what, for once it was not hot!!  Back down we went...good thing we were in four wheel drive vehicles.

Abu Dhabi is the richest of the emirates.  20% of the population is native and 80% foreigners.  We went to a museum which showcased development plans for the new Louvre, Guggenheim and National galleries on a previously undeveloped island.  Also in the plans are golf courses, hotels (St Regis is already there), resorts and villas.  Should be quite amazing when completed.  The Guggenheim will be the largest museum in the world and was designed by Geary.  The architecture is new and modern contrasting with ornate palaces and hotels.  The ocean front promenade is lovely and full of activity and families.  And then it rained, and rained some more.  Unusual for the desert and it was finally cool.  We thought of our friend Jill because of the number of Bentleys, Ferrari, and Lamborghini cars to name a few.

What a gorgeous mosque--absolutely stunning.  The previous Abu Dhabi king and one of the founders of the UAE built the mosque with his own money.  It has 84 domes, largest hard tied carpet in the world, chandeliers from Germany and white marble from China and Italy.  WOW.  Can't even express how breath taking it was.  Sue said it reminded her a bit of the Taj Mahal with it's inlay world on the walls, floors and columns.





Back to the ship for dinner and set said for Dubai.  It is hot today....and so it goes.

We have plans to blog after Dubai adventures we are here for two more days.
Cheers.

Mumbai, India

Spent two full days in Mumbai.  Not a surprise to any of you, it was hot, packed with people, lots of pick-up cricket games on the street, cows, hindu shrines and flowers.

First day we went to typical sites--Ghandi's house/museum, shopping, a Krishna temple, a museum and hanging gar dents (built over a reservoir) and saw the victorian buildings that make up old Mumbai--note to mention a Bollywood movie viewing. We enjoyed the Hari Krishna temple, our temple guide was from New Zealand and was honest and open in his discussions with us.  The temple itself was beautiful, welcoming and clean with many deities, golden alters and decorative floors and walls.  Men and women sit on opposite sides of the temple to pray and each person repeats the Hari Krishna chant.  This was among the more memorable temples we have visited.

We went to a Cineplex that could have been typically American--popcorn, pop, and nachos.  Then there was a baked potato stand and Hindi food as well.  The Groods 3D was playing as well.  Many families were headed there.  We went to see Bollywood!!  It was in Hindi though every so often a few words of English were thrown in.  We got the gist of the movie in spite of no subtitles and yes they do break out in song and dance throughout.  The movie lasts 3-4 hours so we saw 40 minutes.  They are end happily since people do not want to spend hard earned money to be sad or challenged.  Good fun was had by all.  Nancy wanted to dance during the musical scenes, but Sue would have been embarrassed.

Much of the architecture and gardening in Mumbai is based on being a part of the English empire.  The gardens had sculpted topiaries--giraffes, elephants and carts with bulls pulling them.  Flowers were pretty and it was a site visited by Indian tourists as well as our bus loads from the ship.  Next to the garden is the Zoroastrian or Parsi burial site.  Quite interesting.  They believe that cremation or burial pollutes the land so bodies traditionally were left to the vultures to devour.  The last vultures died from city pollution several years ago and crows and kites take too long to accomplish the same task.  The Parsi's now use solar panels to speed the decay.  Bones are kept together in a central pit.  The priest and body carriers are the only ones permitted in the funeral area.  Famous Parsi's include the Tata family of commerce fame, Freddie Mercury of Queen and Zubin Mehta.

The Ghandi house, as expected, is quiet simple with a large library and small sitting/study room.  Walls are full of historical photographs and letters.  It is always amazing to be in the presence of places that have historical importance and whose occupants have made a significant contribution to society.

The museum was large and un-airconditioned so our visit was shorter then it might have been.  We were quite taken with the ancient sculptures of various Hindu deities.  We also enjoyed seeing miniature paintings with distinctive Indian themes and styling.

We ended our visit with a trip to the state store selling quality local crafts, clothes and jewelry.  This is were Sue purchased antique jewelry and a rug during her first visit to Mumbai.  We bought a blouse this time.

Back to the ship past the street cricket games.  Sunday provides space relatively free of cars for play.  Relative being the operative word.  Power nap before heading out to Mumbai at night with dinner.  Back past many of the same buildings and the beach lit up for night and packed with people.  Once the sun goes down, people come out to visit, eat, and have fun together.  Night cricket is played by lights on the various fields.  It was 11:00 at night and there were more people on the beach than you would find at a Twin's game.  This is truly a family friendly time.

Dinner was in a traditional Indian restaurant.  We learned that most Indian restaurants in the US are run by Pakistanis or Bangladeshis.  So this was unique for many.  The food spicy so Sue and I were cautious.  Many said this was the best Indian food they had ever tasted.  We can't tell was we ate, though curry, mint, lamb and chicken were main ingredients.  After dinner we went to the City Gate and saw many lit up horse and buggies made of silver.  That was a unique site and made for a colorful evening.  We saw the "Queen's Necklace,"  the lit-up main road edging the semi-circular bay.  Back to the ship for a short night before a full day tour the next day.  Cricket is still happening in the streets.

Day 2.  Past the same sites to begin our tour, cricket is now in the alleys as there are more cars in the street.  Our guide says it is a quiet morning but we would not have called it that.  Turned out that a general shop strike had been called by one of the political parities so there indeed was a bit less traffic.  We learned this at a local fruit, veggies, meat and fish market.  We we enthralled by the sites and were enjoying our walk when everyone began to close up shop.  Lots of discussion as some were not happy about the strike so we left quickly just to be on the safe side.

Different temple experience today.  A different Hindu deity where they make offerings of flowers, fruit and milk which they pour over the statues and rub into the statues as part of their prayer.  Several people rang bells as they entered.  This was a very old temple, 100 steps up (or in our case an old lift).  The clock in the lift said--"It is impossible to study on an empty stomach!"  A billboard in town professed "In a safe city, every day is women's day"  Two good sentiments.

We went the Portuguese part of town, also one of the only Christian areas.  Beautiful small old homes being threatened by developers wanting this prime land.  We visited a home and were treated to tea and sweets.  We toured the upstairs office/studio of the owner who is a designers.  Beautiful art collection and his robes and saris for the wealthy were stunning.  Back downstairs for a sari tying demonstration.  5 1/2 yard of material fit all sizes of women, pregnant or not.  We were all impressed by the flair that one strip of material can create when expertly folded and draped.  We found some boys playing cricket, of course, but this time we were able to test our skills as well.  sue and I both had hits though Sue's went farther and impressed the young chaps.


Back to the same restaurant for lunch,  but we found a dish we liked very much this time.  Not sure what it was but the flavor was mild and sweet.  Again, people liked the meal and we were full when we left--can't go wrong with rice and naan and our good dish.

We asked to do a bit of shopping.  Most went to the state store and we went across the street to roam the market.  Had fun seeing this is the daylight as we had walked through quickly last night.  Bought a few souvenirs and returned to the bus.  We came upon a yearly parade/ritual and took our guide by surprise.  By the way, did we tell you she was a bit of a feminist, told us what she really thought and we had a good time with her.  She saved the milk at the temple to give to a child on the street, she thought they would need it more than the god.  Just a sampling of her attitude.

Any way, the parade was a once in a life time experience for us.  Usually seen only in National Geographic.  This Hindu sect believes in self mutilization  as a form of penance for prayers that are answered.  They pierce their cheeks as put 15 foot poles through them, weighted by rocks on the ends.  People walk with them to pour water in their mouths along the route.  The hardest for Nancy to watch were the men with hooks in their backed attached to carts or cars that they pulled along the route.  Our guide explained all of this but was clearly distressed.  She said, "this was not on the itinerary."  Next we turned left to get out of the traffic jam and ended up in a slum, this was not on the itinerary either.  She explained that not all living in the slums were unemployed or poor, rather the cost of real estate is so outrageous that many have no choice.  The kids are likely to go to school and they have their own health care facilities in some of the slums.  But all houses had a satellite dish as we have found in many countries and slums.  A study has shown that cable t.v. has reduced the birth rate in poor areas--now there is entertainment.

Off to the city museum which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Miniature scenes of life in Mumbai mixed in with ancient city related artifacts.

Two days as sea, we needed the rest.  Played bingo today for the first time--quit laughing--the prize, uncollected, was $1000.  Now we have to play next time to see if we can win.  We are in the Arabian sea, soon out of pirate territory, as we head to Muscat, Oman.  Then we go through the Straits of Hormuz to the Persian Gulf and Abu Dhabi and Dubai.  Can't believe we are nearing the end.

Kochi (Cochin), India and another day at sea

Nancy got a gentle introduction to India by starting in southern India in the state of Kerala--known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea.  We took a tour called Traditional Sojourn and headed through town and into the countryside.  Traffic and roads were nuts but not as crazy as we will find in Mumbai and we were only driving on the wrong side of the road 1/2 the time.  Have you ever been in a bus with an interior door.  At the top of the entry stairs is a door, so we were in a passenger compartment separate from the driver and his assistant.  It was rather unique.  The countryside is not as populated in every square inch as in the north, or you just can't see it through the dense tropical vegetation.  Lots of palms, palm ferns as well as other trees and every type of spice plant you can think of.  In fact this area is known for it's spices and was a major spice port during early trade routes.   Many lakes, rivers and canals added to the tropical and natural beauty.

We started by visiting a small weaving factory that made cotton cloth for the government--sheets, towels and curtains.  All hand woven on one of 20 or so looms.  The sound of the shuttle cocks and the banging looms was loud and rhythmic.  All women working there, of all ages.  An elderly woman sat on the floor spinning threads and loading bobbins.  They get paid by the piece, it can't be much.  Watched a man outside carving wooden handles for tools. He looked old and the tool looked older.

Off the coconut oil extraction plant.  Again very small with primitive machinery.  They removed the shells for cattle feed. Extracted the meat and squeezed it through various machines to extract oils.  this was soap grade, cooking grade would need more purification.

Went to Hindu temple next.  They were celebrating a special holiday that comes once every twelve years.  The holy men chanted and threw flowers in this ceremony which lasts 12 days and one million flowers and ten million chants.  They also had special ceremonial art that looked like an exotic rug.  Made of colored sand, shells, rice, seeds etc.  On the ground for all to see and pray before.  It remains for 24 hours then is swept away only to have a new one created.  At the temple people line up to view the paining and every day free food is available.  People come to eat food blessed in a holy place.  When inside main temple building, men must remove their shirts and both were the finest traditional clothing.  No shoes of course for anybody and then there were the funny westerners with white socks on....The temple is a walled area with many buildings inside.  We got to visit the temple elephant used for ceremonies and transporting the holy men.

On to a short tuk-tuk ride during which Nancy was only terrified once as Sue laughed.  She had prior experience so knew what to expect.  Got let out at a canoe pick up spot and sat 6 passenger wooden flat bottom canoe with lawn chairs.  Poled along the canal for 1/2 hour past homes, gardens and forests.  Birds, ducks, cows and people were seen along the route.  It was quiet and many people used the word idyllic to describe it.  Ended at a country compound for a box lunch, catered by a hotel in town.  Then they shared traditional skills and crafts with us.  Tapping palms to make liquor.  They climb the palm, work the branches with a bone to stimulate production and let it seems for 7-8 hours before collection and repeating the process.  Rope spinning was fascinating.  Two women wove two strands at once from coconut fiber.  Then a wooden tool is used to spin the two strands together into one, very much like sisal rope.   This was our favorite.  We also saw coconut meat shaved from the fruit and the fibers pounded by hand from the shells after three weeks of soaking.  Once dried and cleaned they were ready for the rope.

A potter turning three pots while we watched.  A woman, his wife or mother, spun the wheel by hand while he worked.  He made a flower pot, a bank complete with coin, and a small bowl from the left over clay.  Watched two women pound rice into flour for baking--two long poles requiring careful coordination and rhythmic movement.  Also saw a women spin rope by hand, pulling and turning the fiber through her hands.  Several were weaving palm leaves for various purposes, baskets, roofing, fencing and floor mats.

On the bus and back to the ship.  Did we mention today that it was hot and humid.  It was very nice tour and day.

Sitting on the verandah today watching freighters go by and seeing streams of plankton go by.  It is a large ocean, though we officially in the Arabian Sea.  We have decided that now that we have all continents we might as well begin collecting oceans and seas.

Missing Jessie but not the snow we have heard about in MN.  Watching the news on Boston and Texas.  Glad all of our friends and relations are well and safe.  Cheers.  On to Mumbai.

Sri Lanka and Maldives

We left Phuket and headed to the high seas, crossing the Bay of Bengal on our way to Colombo Sri Lanka.  Had a piracy talk and drill for post Maldives seas.  In fact the ship we are on was chased three years ago by pirates.  Our defenses are speed, height, water canons and a high pitched ear piercing noise machine, plus trained staff and additional guards picked up in Colombo.  We feel very comfortable and safe.  So what do you do for two days at sea?  Eat, eat, eat and eat again, workout, rest, read, walk around, shop, watch the ocean go by and meet other passengers to trade travel stories.

Colombo, Sri Lanka on a rainy day.  As we pulled into port we were watching the cranes load containers onto ships.  It is among the list of busiest ports.  The ship side market sprung up as were tying off.  We got off to shop and the clouds opened up.  Back on board to await our tour, which was shopping.  Was not what we expected but we managed to spend a little bit of money.  Went to a gem market, beautiful stones but the average price was $5000 and above...all natural stones from Sri Lanka. Next came the government handicrafts store, not as much fun as markets, but interesting to see local items.  TEA.  Known for Ceylon tea in all varieties, black, green, golden tip and silver tip white teas, not to mention flavored.  Tea growing is the island's main industry and export, followed by rubber and coconut.  Last stop was a department store.  Small compared to shopping in Singapore but interesting and with a variety of locally made brands plus international brands.  Did we mention it was still raining and it was holiday so not much was open.  Back on board, past the ship side market again, still raining and then came the thunderstorm.  Sat at dinner watching lightening and listening to the booms of the thunder.

Another sea day on the way to Maldives.  Sat in the library in big cushy chairs reading, met new friends for dinner and enjoying eating on the back deck, breeze kept the warmth at bay but the coolness of yesterday's rain had disappeared.  By the way the food is terrific.  We like to eat at the buffet which has choices similar to the main dining room but takes 1/2 the time.  Managed to stay up for the show--the Nautica singers in a musical tour of the US.  We have been changing times at night 1/2 hour at a time back and forth.

Open the blinds in the morning to blue, blue, clear waters and brilliant, hot sun.  We are in the Maldives.  The highest elevation on the main island, Male is about 21 feet and the island is 1.2 miles long by .62 miles wide packed to the edges with buildings and roads.  65,000 full time residents and lots of boats and mosques live in the capital city of this Islamic country.  The island is one of many in this low lying coral bed chain.  It is a destination for scuba divers with it's spectacular reefs and sea life. We experienced a little bit of it:

We got up in the morning with Sue singing the Beatles "Yellow Submarine"  We headed off by tender to the pier where we caught another boat to take us to a submarine launch site.  48 of us boarded sitting two to a large porthole and off we went.  125 feet down to one of the reefs and along side and up the reef for a about 20 minutes before turning around and going the other way.  Colorful coral and fish were everywhere.  Saw an eel poking his head out of the coral looking at us square in the eye and watching as we went by.  Tiny, medium and large fish, gray to striped to multi colored.  Hard to take pictures so we primarily just watched and understood why people come here to dive.  What fun.

Back on shore we walked through the windy, narrow streets of town.  Sue swears every other shop was a hardware store, with souvenir and fruit stands in between.  Every hardware store was packed.  After an hour we succumbed to the intense heat and made our way back to the pier and the tender ride home.  Relief.  Sat on the balcony watching smalls boats dart all over from island to island.  Enjoyed sunset, dinner on the deck and another show.  A one man show by a tenor with a beautiful full voice and wonderful range of songs.  Everything from Frankie Valle to Frank Sinatra, Pavaroti, Josh Grobin and Elvis with a few show tunes and Irish ballads thrown in for good measure.

Presently is is 12:00 noon on the 18th we are at 6 degrees 54 minutes n,  6 degrees 53 minutes east, traveling at 12.5 knots.  We are halfway between Male and Cochin India--resting up for the next adventures.  Many folks leave the ship tomorrow to fly to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  Since we are coming back in November we will explore Cochin and Mumbai and enjoy another day at sea.  Bollywood here we come.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Phuket, Thailand

This was our last day with Flat Stanley.  Did we mention Flat Stanley before?  He is about a foot high, flat, and has been traveling with us at the request of our great nephew Brien from West Chester, Pennsylvania.  Great fun to have him along, take pictures and have his view of our trip.  Other travelers enjoyed seeing him as well.
In Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, we docked at Port Klang and drove 1 1/2 hours to the big city.  KL is known for the Petronas Tower, the tallest towers in the world.  In fact Petronas Tower was built to get people to notice and stop in KL.  It worked big time.  We visited the Central Market where there was an abundance of batik shops, a national craft, as well as woodcarving shops and a great kite store.  The architecture reflected many different cultures, the old railway station is very British as is Selanger Cricket field and Officers Club.  Then there is the National Mosque, China town, and the Hindi Temples.

Tin mining used to be the countries largest contributor to the economy.  That has changed and now Pewter.  We visited the Royal Selanger factory and showroom.  Very interesting history lesson on money, tin and pewter.  Tin animals used to be the money system, you would twist off an arm or leg to pay for goods, based the weight of the tin.  Later they made coins attached to a tree, thus the term money tree.  Once the coins were used, the tree was melted and new coins attached.

Once KL became a free state they decided to have a king, but not heritary.  Each of the heads of state are hereditary and the king position passes from one to the other every five years.  If the king dies it passes to the next territory.  The PM is elected.  The national slogan is One World Under One Roof, reflecting their vision of a society that embraces a diversity of religions and cultures.  Islam in the predominant religion but it is a secular state.

Back to the ship and on to Phuket.  Phuket is an island roughly the same size as Singapore, significantly less populated.  It is mountainous and was known for its beautiful beaches.  It is now known for the Tsunami  Let's talk about that first:  You would never know it occurred if you had not been here before.  Building are back but have to keep the first floor clear.  A warning system has been installed and some places have been reclaimed by trees and bushes rather than buildings.  Because of the climate, things grow very fast and look mature to us after eight years.  The people have been trained on what to do incase this ever happens again.  We heard about the great volunteer efforts and the pulling together of the community is face of this disaster.


So what else does Phuket have besides resorts and beaches.  Pineapple, rubber, cashews, temples and a 45 meter high big Buddha on one of the mountain tops, working elephants and monkeys.  We visited two temples, Wat Phra Thong with a Buddha buried to its elbows.  The second temple was gorgeous.  We have seen a lot of temples, and never seem to tire of that.  At this one, Wat Cha Long, we would have loved spending a few hours exploring the buildings and images we found here. Intricate and beautiful.

Many places we have visited on this trip have working monkeys and monkey schools.  The monkeys pick coconuts at the rate of 1000 per day versus humans at 300 per day.  The ability to jump from tree to tree speeds the process.  Schools last two years and cost $1000 US.  Elephants can work in all conditions, flat, steep, dry, wet and muddy though most are now used in shows as more and more of their natural habitat is destroyed.

By the way, Happy Thai New Year, today.  We saw the early prep for this celebration.  The entire island is awash with water pistols, buckets, and any water conveyance.  The tradition is to soak everyone passing by including vehicles, and humans, visitors are not immune, nor are police, and local authorities.  It seems like good fun is had by all.  Our bus got a bucket full and we watched as tourist tried the local custom.  It is a five day holiday, including the water, but also visiting relatives and paying respect to family living or deceased.

Our last two stops the day were the Cashew Factory and the Sea Shell museum.  We now know why cashews are expensive--picked, cracked, roasted, re-roasted, sorted and flavored all by hand, one nut at a time.  But the end product is hmmm, hmmm, good.  World's largest sea shell at 500 pounds and the largest golden pearl at 160 carats were on display.  The range, color, size and shape of the shells was stunning.  We strolled through the port side market and could not believe the heat.  Managed a purchase or two before seeking refuge from the weather on the ship.  Pan Asian buffet for dinner, and an early night only to find we had to change the clocks back again.  We have been going back and forth but are now heading west so have a few more changes to make.

At sea today and tomorrow. Sitting on our verandah writing, and watching the endless.  Colombo, Sri Lanka will be the horizon in two days.

Cheers.  We miss you Flat Stanley.  Hope the trip is going well.

At Sea and Singapore

A day of rest.  We explored the ship, ate lots, slept, and generally enjoyed this beautiful vessel.  She is 12 stories, holds 680 passengers, 400 crew.  Registered in Mujura.  Has 2 specialty restaurants, a main dining room, buffet and grill.  Spa, pool, putting greens, shuffle board, walking track, gym and all the usual amenities.  Our room is lovely with a nice teak veranda--though it is often too hot to enjoy.  We watched the mens final four games, ate our first meal in the grand dining room where we met interesting people at dinner.

Arrived in Singapore around 8:00 am.  What a lovely city.  Our boat docked in town so we could walk off the ship and explore town.  We took a morning tour of the city including the Murlion statue, the emblem of Singapore, the Raffles Hotel, floating soccer fields, downtown skyline, incredible architecture, and impeccably manicured city.  It is illegal to chew gum and litter--and they honor that.

At the end of the journey we went to an orchid garden--wow.  Incredible varieties of orchids, all colors and sizes in a beautiful botanical garden.  Wish we could figure out how to share pictures, our next attempt will be flikr or drop box.  Stay tuned.

Returned to the ship to cool off--IT IS HOT AND HUMID here.  In the afternoon we went back to town to adventure by ourselves.  Took a taxi to Orchard Street with all the malls, and made our way to Takashemaya tower mall--every exclusive and expensive brand had a store here.  We were on the hunt for the Harley Davidson store for Sue's brother.  Everyone needs a shirt that says Harley--Singapore.  Success.

Dinner at Toscana, the Italian restaurant on board--hmmm good.  Gnocchi, and fish for dinner.  Watched a thunder storm roll in and out from our window side seats.  Watched ferry boats and commuter boats go in and out of one of the world's busiest ports.  It is quite amazing to see the number of ships, cranes and containers in the harbor.  Across the harbor from us is Universal Studios.  A cable car runs across the port (over our ship) to the island housing the park.

Day two in Singapore was a quiet morning on board.  Then we went to the Jurong Bird Park--quite a place with over 20,000 birds from mainly Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia.  The highlight was while walking in an aviary a small bird landed on Nancy's head, roamed down her backpack then up her pony tail, before admiring himself in her sunglasses on top of her head.  Spent quit
e a bit of time there and was content staying there as we began to walk around the rest of the aviary.

Tomorrow is Kuala Lumpur.  Cheers.

First few days

Ok, here is our attempt to be bloggers and to share our journeys in real time.  We wish us and you luck!

We are in day four of our 25 day cruise from Bangkok to Dubai.  Today is our first day at sea, not port of call.  But lets go backup.

We told many of you via email about our visit to the Prasart Museum in Bangkok.  It is a collection of regional asian antiques and architecture.  Several buildings reproducing Buddhist and Hindu temples.  Lovely grounds thick with tropical vegetation including orchids and huge palm trees.  Lots of small ponds and meditative spots.  The owner wants to preserve arts and crafts of Thailand and neighboring countries.  

On the way back to the port our bus driver pulled up next to a stalled vehicle on the 5 lane wide freeway and stopped, opened the window and took off his straw hat and handed it to the bald headed gentleman standing in the 104 degree heat.  We were all impressed, then decided it was an example of a good Buddhist act.  

Day two found us in Ko Samui Thailand.  Still hot.  Their daily descriptors are hot and hotter.  Ko Samui is an island that has turned into a tourist resort/beach destination.  Beautiful beaches but Sue knew is was too civilized when she saw a sign for the Ko Samui Lawyers Association.  We visited three temples, back on our Buddha themed tours and loving each one.  We saw lots of spirit houses for sale and at homes and businesses.  They are a favorite Thai custom of ours.  No time to stop and shop.  Back to the ship by tender.  Always nap time after time spent in the hot sun.

We enjoyed an evening swim and photographic presentation by a travel journalist.  That might be Nancy's next career aspiration.  

Well, we haven't figured out the picture part.....