The Marvelous Metropolis of Mumbai

As we sailed north to our final stop in India, each port got larger.  Mumbai is the largest city in India at 17 million, according to the 2005 census.  This also makes it one of the world’s largest cities.  We weren’t sure what to expect, but we certainly didn’t expect to see what we saw! 

In the 16^th Century the Portuguese named it Bom Bahia, which meant “Good Bay”’; this was anglicized to Bombay when the British took over.  The name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995, honoring the local Hindu goddess, Mumbadevi.  Mumbai was built on eight islands which are now connected by reclaimed land.  There are sixteen languages throughout India; the recognized languages are Hindi (first) and English (second), and the rest are regional languages that are not understood in other parts of the country.  When speaking in Hindi, the city is referred to as Mumbai, but when the people speak in English, they call it Bombay.  Hence our tour guides on both days referred to the city as Bombay. 

As we awaited our first shore excursion of two scheduled for Mumbai, Banganga and the Khotachiwadi Heritage, we wondered what made us choose that one when we’d never been to Mumbai and would have appreciated having an overview of this massive city!  But there we were with tickets in hand and the description printed up on the computer verifying that we’d made this choice for some strange reason! 

Our tour guide explained that she had been told that the city reminded people of Edinburgh, but she couldn’t verify this as she’d never been to Edinburgh!  After her comment, we really began to notice the similarities in buildings.  However the masses of humanity are far more prevalent in Mumbai, and we were more likely to see a cow on a street corner than a kilt!  Everywhere we looked people were walking, riding, driving, weaving in and out!  What a colorful place.  We would have been happy to just sit and people-watch! Certainly though, we found that everywhere we went the people were once again greeting us with friendly smiles and waves!  As we drove, not only did we enjoy the tour guide’s commentary, but we were fortunate to sit in front of a very interesting lady!  The last two people on the bus had been a blind man and his legally-blind wife.  Since there was no place where there were two seats together, the man sat behind us and his wife sat ahead of us.  The lady seated next to the blind man spent the time when the guide wasn’t talking describing the urban scenery in great detail.  One of the first things she said was that she had been in Mumbai several years ago and she was very pleased to see that by comparison with back then, there was very little litter on the streets.  We started watching for it also, and in contrast with Goa, where we saw litter everywhere we looked, we quickly realized that Mumbai was far cleaner! 

Our first stop was at Banganga, an area where there are many Hindu temples.  We alighted from the bus and began a trek down many stairs, through narrow streets, past small temple after small temple, arriving at an enormous cleansing pool which Hindus would use for bathing before worship.  This pool was created from a natural spring which is an offshoot of the Ganges River. The Ganges is as sacred to Hindus as the Vatican is to Catholics. As we walked, we could opt to step inside the small temples, but since most of us had already visited temples in Mangalore and Goa, we didn’t feel the need to once again remove our shoes and enter temples.  We contented ourselves with peeking in the doors, listening to the rich sounds of bells and gongs clanging inside the small temples, and watching the people going about their daily business.  At one point I noticed a man on small side street giving another man a haircut – right on the sidewalk.  People walked by us pushing carts or balancing things on their heads; all seemed willing to stop for pictures or to greet us with a smile.  One lady who had been to India before commented, “This is the real India! When I’ve been here before I’ve never had a chance to get into areas like this.”  It truly was amazing to watch these people as they went about their daily lives.

A short ride took us to Khotachiwadi, an area dating back to the 17^th Century settlements of the Portuguese.  The colorful homes were Portuguese style, and most of the people who lived in this area belonged to The East Indian Roman Catholic Community. We were invited into the home of one of the people who lived there and served tea or lemonade and hors d’oeuvres.  It was very interesting to get inside a local home.  We went upstairs where there was a small shop where handmade clothes were available. We had passed a room where the fabric was being woven.  When we exited the home, we walked through the very narrow streets to view the architecture of other buildings in the area.  I honestly think that the rear access drive in our subdivision was wider than these streets, which teemed with pedestrians, vendors with pushcarts, bicycles, and motorcycles, all performing a seemingly intricate dance to advance through the neighborhood. 

We made a final shopping stop, and on our way we passed the famous Gateway to India as well as the Taj Hotel, which had been bombed in the terrorist attack of 2008. 

This was the first photo stop on our excursion the second day in Mumbai.  That day we had selected another wonderful, but very different tour, A Day in the Life: Mumbai on the Move.  Within minutes of leaving the port, we were exiting the bus in order to take photos of the Gateway to India. Built in 1911, it commemorated a visit by King George V and Queen Mary, this    archway not only symbolizes arrival in India but also was the exact location where Britain left India once and for all, giving them their freedom in 1947. Across the street was the Taj Hotel, giving us a much better opportunity to get pictures than we did the previous day!   Apparently the best hotel in India had denied entry to a man who decided that he was going to build an even better hotel.  The result was the Taj, and the original hotel is now very run-down and not nearly the showcase that the Taj has become! 

Both days we made a quick photo stop at Victoria Terminus, which was built to look somewhat like St. Pancras Station in London.  (For those people who have never been to London but have seen the Harry Potter movies, St. Pancras is located across the street from King’s Cross Station and was used for the filming of King’s Cross exterior in the movies.  This will give you an idea of what Victoria Terminus in Mumbai looks like.)  India has the largest network of trains and is the largest single employer in the world, and Victoria Terminus sees a half-million passengers every day! 

We took quite awhile to visit the Mani Bhawan Gandhi Museum, the site of Mahatma Gandhi’s base between 1917 and 1934. It is filled with memorabilia, including letters he wrote to FDR and Hitler, as well as dioramas that depict important events in his life. 

Our guide timed things so that we would be getting of the bus at Churchgate Station in time to watch the dabba-wallahs in action.  Dabba-wallahs are members of the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association.  There are approximately 25,000 dabba-wallahs who go out to homes and pick up tiffin boxes (stackable aluminum lunch boxes that can hold a multi-course meal), take them by train into the city, get off the train, separate them according to destination, where others pick them up and deliver them to the person at work.  This first started in the 1800s because men were reluctant to eat food if they did not know who had prepared it.  So the wife would prepare it at home and send it to her husband.  At first the dabba-wallahs were not all literate so various methods were used to identify the destination of these unique lunch boxes.  Now it has become a real art as the men rush off the station with about 100 lbs of lunches balanced on palates on their heads, deliver them across the street where they are separated to be carried further to their destinations by bicycle or other method.  After lunch these boxes are picked up and delivered home again.  They virtually never make a mistake!  Our only question was, “Why can’t the men bring their lunches to work when they leave home in the morning?”  Guess we’ll never know…

We entered the train station, which reminded me of the train scene in Slumdog Millionaire and boarded a train for a short ride to Mahalaxmi Station, where we got off to view the Dhobi Ghat, or laundry.  Our guide had told us that we must hurry because all of us had a total of 30 seconds to get off the train before it would continue on its way.  Glad to know that after so many days on the ship, we’re still all very quick as nobody was left behind!   We walked up the stairs and over the station to the Dhobi Ghat. There were what appeared to be hundreds of men doing hand laundry in the local river and hanging it out to dry, then pressing it, wrapping it in bundles, and returning it to the owners.  Once again, these professionals mark the laundry in such a way that nothing gets lost.  Absolutely amazing! 

As we returned to the ship, we got caught in a traffic jam, which in itself isn’t surprising in this vast and populous city.  However, in this case it wasn’t the traffic that caused the jam.  We had timed our return with a demonstration just outside the Port House, which apparently has something to do with the Mumbai Port and employs people outside the state of Maharashtra (of which Mumbai is the capital).  These people were blocking the road waving flags and placards protesting for the hiring of people within the state rather than outside the state.  Fortunately we were only held up for about 15 minutes before the police came along and paved the way for us.  I would not have wanted to be the bus driver who had to back down that narrow street onto the major thoroughfare we had just left!

I’m not sure what I expected when we came to India, but having felt very indifferent about seeing India, this was the one part of the trip where I was not terribly enthused about our stops.  I’m delighted to say that I was very pleased with all three of our Indian ports!  Each was very different, and each had something unique to offer.  We were received very warmly in all three ports, and I am so glad that we had this wonderful opportunity!  I enjoyed Mangalore and Goa, but I think I would definitely put Mumbai on my list of places that I would like to visit again sometime!

While we were in Mumbai our ship was fitted with a little extra decoration.  We are now adorned with barbed wire that surrounds the ship below the Promenade Deck in preparation for our tear across the Indian Ocean and (supposedly) pirate-infested waters! 

BT

Goa – India’s Smallest State

We are now in the second most port intensive part of our journey now, behind only a series of consecutive days in the Mediterranean.  It was a quick overnight sail from Mangalore in far southern India to Mormugao in India’s smallest state of Goa.  For once our side (port side) had the nicer view as we overlooked the harbor with many small boats and some reasonably modern buildings to view rather than view the commercial, industrial side of the port.

Goa evolved separately from the rest of India and to this day¸ Goans, if asked where they are from, will say “Goa” instead of “India.”  Only if a person doesn’t know where Goa is located will they say that it is on the west coast of India.  We have seen the name “Mormugao” spelled in several different ways but this seems to be the spelling of choice here.  The port itself is named for the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama as it where da Gama embarked when he was returning to Portugual after his voyage to India.  Goa, unlike the rest of India, was largely settled by the Portuguese starting in the 16^th century.  For a time the Dutch tried to take over from the Portuguese but the Portuguese influence still remained.  As the British gained foothold in India, and since Goa was so small comparatively, Britain eventually asserted control over India including Goa.

In 1947 as a part of the end of the European colonial empires in Asia and Africa, India became independent but Goa remained under colonial rule.  It wasn’t until 1961 that Goa became free.  In 1970 the states to the north and to the south, which contained Bombay (Mumbai) and Mangalore respectively invited Goa to join them but Goa rejected the offers.  Instead it became the smallest of the Indian states.  They preferred to remain independent but logistics didn’t make this practical.  Goa’s population is under two million people today out of a population of over a billion people nationwide.  It has a land are of just over 3700 square kilometers.  To this day, Goans refer to Mumbai as “Bombay”.

For our excursion we chose Mangushi Temple and Panjim City.  We boarded our bus and found the seats to be smaller and window viewing wasn’t really good, but it was air conditioned!  We can’t imagine what it would have been like in this hot, humid climate without air conditioning.

 The Mangalore excursion had only shown us the city, but here we quickly got out into the countryside.  While there were still many shacks visible we also saw some more attractive home which clearly showed the Portuguese colonial architecture.  Many of these had been nice in their day but a bit run down now.  However there were still a number of nicely preserved homes.  Someone asked our guide, Caesar, about the preponderance of trash along the road and he told us the story of why that has happened.  He said that at one time, Goa was the cleanest of the states.  He indicated that he remembered that as a younger man, he observed someone throwing trash from a car window; he picked it up, caught up with the driver and handed it back to the driver to dispose of properly.  But now he said that much trash had been tossed out by visitors to the state and that they would be accused of racism if they spoke to anyone about discarding the trash.  Apparently there is a political correctness in Goa too – same story, different issues.  But as a result, Goans have become careless too and thus the trash is apparent almost everywhere.

Our first stop, about an hour from Mormugao was at the Mangushi Temple, another of the Hindu temples we are visiting.  Once again, we had to remove our shoes to enter the temple and this time I wore loafers rather than shoes that had to be tied!  That was much easier.  We could take pictures outside but it was strictly prohibited in the temple.  The Mangushi Temple in the village of Mangueshi was different from those we toured in Mangalore but that should come as no surprise because our Christian churches look different from each other with certain standard characteristics unique to our religions.  Someone asked what the significance of the elephant head on a man’s body was.  Our guide told us that in the Hindu faith, the Lord Shiva¸ the most holy man, had had a quarrel with another man.  It seems that Lord Shiva went out to the mountains alone and had stayed for years.  But before he left, his wife became pregnant and had a son. The son grew up not knowing his father nor did Lord Shiva know the son.  One day, Lord Shiva’s wife was bathing and instructed her son not to let anyone into the house at all.  It was at that precise time that Lord Shiva returned.  Since Lord Shiva and the son didn’t know each other, they quarreled over whether he should come into the house.  In the course of the confrontation, Lord Shiva beheaded the young man, not knowing it was his son.  His wife, when she found out what happened, was so distraught that she asked that the first living thing be beheaded and placed with her son.  It was an elephant that Lord Shiva saw first so he beheaded the elephant, placed it with the son, and so began the importance of the elephant to the Hindu faith.

We are aware that the cow is sacred and we saw many cows wandering the countryside.  Al told us that he had seen quite a few in Mangalore the day before but Barb and I were on the other side of the bus and for some reason, we saw none.  But in Goa it was different. We saw lots of cows, many alone but several in groups. In the Hindu tradition, the cow’s milk sustains infants and the bull was the chariot of Lord Shiva. Shoes aren’t worn in the temple as most shoes are made of leather.  So as not to make a mistake, even shoes not made of leather are prohibited.

When we left Mangueshi, we drove toward Panjim City by way of the town of Old Goa.  Old Goa is a well preserved village and the location of what once had been 30 churches, pretty much all in one area.  Six of the churches survive including a large Roman Catholic complex which we drove past.  Driving into Panjim City on the Mandovi River (Goa’s second longest river), we noticed that for the most part it was quite modern but still reflected the old Portuguese heritage.  We stopped to visit the local market which included the vendors’ booths along a very narrow street.  That led into the big market, made of concrete and with a roof.  Everywhere fruits and vegetables were being sold along with fish and other products.  Most of the women sat up on the tables and sold their products from that perch.  We encountered several beggars, one a woman carrying a baby, another a small girl who asked me to buy a plastic toy for her.  Initially I thought the girl was trying to convince me to buy it but then I realized she wanted me to buy it for her.  We were warned by our port lecturer, Barbara Haenni, that giving to beggars was our choice, but if we did, we should expect 20 more to come out of the woodwork to ask us to do the same for them as we did for the one we helped.  As a result, none of us that I observed gave anything to the beggars.

A 45 minute drive brought us back to our ship in time for an early departure from Goa at 3 PM. The reason had to do with the tides.  We needed to get into the open sea before the tide came out. 

Sri Lanka and India are not even hours off most of the world, but rather ½ hour.  For example, we are not 10 or 11 hours ahead of Chicago, but rather we are 10½ hours.

We are now half finished with our four day Indian exploration with our two days in Mumbai ahead.

CT

Mangalore: An Introduction to the Indian Culture

After a busy day at sea, we arrived in India.  Not only was this our first time to India, but it was also the very first time that Holland America has stopped at the port of Mangalore. 

India is divided into states; each state is divided into districts; each district is divided into talucks (sp?); talucks are divided into cities.  Mangalore is in the Indian state of Karnataka, and is located about 220 miles from the capital of the state, Bangalore.  Mangalore is a city of about 600,000 people and is one of the largest ports in India.  It exports most of the country’s coffee.  Since the processing of cashews is so important to the area, the port handles the vast majority of the exportation of cashews. 

While our guide was excellent, we had quite a bit of difficulty understanding some of his descriptions, especially since we are not well-versed in the practices of the Hindu religion!  We really appreciated what we did, but we have a feeling that we won’t be able to do justice to what we saw. 

Our tour was called Mangalore Highlights and included four stops.  The first stop was at a cashew processing factory.  We learned about the many steps that they go through to prepare cashews for sale – most of which is done by hand.  About all that we saw done by machine was a conveyor belt and an oven.  The cashew is a nut that is attached to the top of a kind of apple. The cashew must be removed from the apple, the poor quality ones are removed, and the rest are placed on the conveyor belt, and sent into the factory. Women are hired to crack the cashews open by hand, one by one.  For this tedious task, they make a whopping wage of approximately $4 a day, based upon how many cashews they can crack open!  One woman worked so fast that her hands appeared to be a blur!  After being cracked open, the cashews are weighed, and then roasted for eight hours before being sent to the grading room where they are separated according to the color, size, and  of the cashew.  We decided that we now understand very well why cashews are so expensive! 

From the cashew factory it was a short drive to the Khadri Manjunath Temple, a Hindu temple dating back to about 1068.  As is always the case in Hindu temples, we had to remove our shoes before entering the various separate building of the temple.  (Being in stocking feet was a real challenge, especially since I don’t do well walking around without shoes for long periods of time!)   The chief deity for this temple is Manjunath (or Lord Shiva).  Since Monday is the sacred day for Lord Shiva, our guide warned us that it would be a very busy day as people would be coming to worship.  That was certainly the case!  Everywhere we looked there were people coming in and worshiping – cleansing themselves in nearby pools, kneeling in prayer, bowing to the priests or Brahmins.  The statues that adorned both the exteriors and interiors were very ornate and often depicted various gods sacred to the Hindus – Lord Shiva with his many arms, the elephant-headed “prince”, and others.  We had to move around each room in a clockwise pattern to bring luck.  It was very interesting, but we have decided that we would not make very good Hindus because we didn’t seem to understand a whole lot about what was happening!  One thing is for sure: as Al commented, the Hindu religion certainly is a noisy one with all the gongs and bells being rung and the people chanting!  Apparently “ohmmmm” is a lucky sound! 

Our third stop was much more understandable.  As we arrived at the St. Aloysius Catholic Church, uniformed students were flocking to the gates.  Our guide said that it was exam time and they had most likely finished up an exam and were heading home.  The church itself was built at the end of the 19^th Century; the interior was adorned with paintings that depicted the life of Christ as well as the life of Aloysius Gonzaga, the wealthy young man who did so much to help the poor and needy.  Here was a place where we could examine the artwork and actually know what things meant!

Our final stop was the Gokarnanath Temple, a modern temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.  Its founder wished to erect a temple where non-Brahmins could come and worship. Hence people can worship here without concern for the caste they belong to.  As a result they are far more tolerant (though we still had to remove shoes to visit the temple grounds).  We were allowed to take pictures inside as tourists, though people who worship there regularly are not allowed to do so.  We got special permission thanks to our guide, who is a member of this temple.  Each different temple on the grounds honored a different god.  Lord Shiva’s was the most prominent and important.  His wife was Parvati (which I found very interesting – couldn’t help but wonder if JK Rowling got the name for one of her Gryffindor characters from Lord Shiva’s wife), and she was pictured beside him.  There was also the monkey king, the bull, and many others.  I didn’t quite follow what the guide was saying, but apparently the planetary positions of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the ascending and descending moon are extremely important to the religion because there were icons that represented each in two or three places. 

Our guide told us that since he had been married in that temple, he arranged for them to open the marriage hall so that we could see it.  There are three marriage halls, based upon the wealth of the people being married.  The wealthiest are married in an ornate, air conditioned hall, while the poorest are married in an non-air conditioned hall, though it was still very beautiful.

About 85% of all Indian marriages are arranged, including his.  Parents arrange marriages for their children within their castes, and the children meet anywhere between one and six months before they get married.  The father of the bride pays for the wedding.  When they are married, the eldest son takes over responsibility for his parents.  The wife goes to live with her husband and his family.  When the woman gets pregnant, she spends the last couple of months of pregnancy with her mother and remains there for about the first three months of the baby’s life, returning to her husband and family at that time. 

Literacy was at about 85% on the 2001 Federal Census, but they anticipate that it will be up over 90% when the results of the 2011 census are published.  To encourage parents to send children to school, lunches are provided for free.  Otherwise, our guide said that parents may decide to have their children work instead of receiving an education. 

As we drove throughout the city, we passed several factories.  The dust and grime brought back memories of our trips back and forth to Buffalo through Lackawanna. (For our friends who don’t know the Buffalo area, Lackawanna was a steel mill town, and the homes were virtually all rust-colored.)   I can’t say that Mangalore was a pretty city, but despite this, the people exuded enthusiasm and friendliness to all they met.  No matter where we were, people were waving to us on the bus, wearing broad smiles and happy faces.  In the temples, many people nodded their greetings and gave us delighted smiles.  One lady said that her tour guide told them that guests to their temples were seen as gods and were treated as such.  At one of the temples, there was an elderly woman standing at the door who made eye contact with every one of us and gave us a smile and a friendly nod, her hands folded as if she was in prayer.  We smiled and nodded back.

While we can’t say that we were taken with the scenic beauty of Mangalore, we found much beauty in the warmth and friendliness of all those we encountered!  That was a lovely first impression of the vast nation of India! 

BT

Sri Lanka: The Teardrop or the Emerald Island?

Our journey around the world continues as we officially leave Southeast Asia behind with our visits to Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand now complete.  Now we focus on Sri Lanka, the large teardrop island off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent, and of course India itself.

Never a part of India and with a completely different culture and tradition, Sri Lanka has always been in the shadow of its larger neighbor on the continent.   Formerly known as Ceylon, Holland America was paying its first visit to Sri Lanka in many years primarily because of the political strife that had occurred there for the last few decades.  Forty years ago, whoever would have thought we would visit Vietnam as tourists?  The same applies to Sri Lanka whose civil war ended quite recently with the killing of the rebel Tamil Tiger leader in 2009.  (One wonders if ever tourists will enjoy the wonders of Baghdad again.  But Vietnam and Sri Lanka give it some hope.)

Sri Lanka (Ceylon) had long been on the trade route going back to the days of the Greek, Persians, and Romans.  Going back to the 15^th century, the Portuguese had established a foothold.  The Dutch, followed by the British assumed control there until 1948 when Britain granted independence to Ceylon.  Over the years a mix of Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims populated the area.

During the recent era of political strife, the city of Colombo, and other parts of Sri Lanka were no place for tourists.  In fact our tablemates, John and Gerda told us of Gerda’s harrowing experience in Sri Lanka on her last visit in 1983.  She was with her two daughters coming back to their hotel in Colombo when fighting broke out and the streets were awash in gunfire.  Her first husband was elsewhere in Sri Lanka at the time.  Gerda clearly remembers her young daughters seeing people killed and lying in the streets.  Their trip back to the hotel was less than pleasant and they left the country as fast as possible.  This was her first return visit since that time and she said her daughter said she would feel much better when she heard that her mother was on her way from Sri Lanka this time.

But no worries today.  The events that gave rise to the reference to the Teardrop are over and peace reigned supreme today.  Our guide today said that Sri Lankans are essentially a peaceful people and that people are thankful that the events that brought on the civil conflict are in the past.

We had elected an excursion called Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage by Train and Motorcoach.  There was a two price system for this excursion – one with a 3 hour ride by motorcoach and the other with a Viceroy train, and old, elegant train car which undoubtedly was for first class travelers.  We had chosen the less expensive option since it was $100 cheaper to do the visit by bus, but Holland America offered one complimentary excursion to suite guests who had booked early and who were doing the entire cruise.  This was a change from the past since previously they had done a special event excusive to suite guests.  On our 2009 Grand Voyage, we had gone to an Air Force Museum on Remembrance Day (Veterans’ Day to Americans) in Christchurch, New Zealand where there was an outstanding dinner, World War II vintage entertainment from “the Andrews Sisters”, and more.  Last year on the World Cruise there was a special event at the Celsus Library in Ephesus.  This year, as part of the economic cutbacks at Holland America, we could pick one shore excursion from an approved list and we had chosen the train version of the elephant orphanage tour.

As we waited for our tour to be called, my eye began to burn from the sunscreen I had applied.  In the three minutes I was in the public restroom caring for my eye, our tour was called.  Al went on ahead and was in a different group from us all day.  Barb and I were in a second group that had to wait until the time the tour was scheduled to depart in case stragglers arrived just in time.  Al’s group boarded the train and we never saw him again until lunchtime at the hotel near where the elephants were located.  When we got on the train, we had to scramble for seats. I found a double seat but didn’t realize until the train was ready to leave that we would face the reverse direction of the train and our seats were in recline position and they couldn’t be adjusted.  Barb’s not a happy camper when she has to travel facing back.  I don’t care for it but it doesn’t make me sick like it does her.  She leaned back and closed her eyes, missing the interesting sights of the Sri Lankan countryside – all because the sunscreen had burned my eyes at exactly the wrong time.  We communicated the problem to the attendant who found her a seat in a small connecting car.  That one wasn’t air conditioned but at least she could face forward and had some fresh air.  Later she moved to a dining car and sat at one of the tables facing forward with the window open and was able to enjoy most of the trip.  We enjoyed watching the unique scenery of Sri Lanka which included people in small towns, people in the fields, cows and water buffaloes, dense and lush foliage and even, at quite a distance, a mother using a tub of water from a nearby river, to bathe her small child.

When we arrived at the station nearest the Elephant Orphanage, we were told to gather all our belongings as we would be taking a motor coach back to the ship in Colombo.  That came as quite a surprise as our tour description clearly state that we would take the train in BOTH directions!   Very interesting …

When we arrived at the Elephant Orphanage, we were walking to see where the elephants bathed and also to the restaurant overlooking that area where we would have our buffet lunch.  We were asked to step out of the path of several elephants that came lumbering down the street from their bath.  As we walked, it behooved us to watch carefully to avoid stepping in a few piles of football sized elephant droppings!  We had the opportunity to watch the elephants of various sizes including a few baby and adolescent elephants in the stream.  There had to have been more than a couple dozen in the water, enjoying spraying the water on their backs on a hot sunny day.  It was fun watching the mother elephants watching out for their babies.

I should comment that the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was established in 1975 to care for seven orphan elephants.  It grew and elephants were sent from all over the world.  It’s the only program of its kind in the world and has grown to become a conservation and educational site which fosters the breeding of the gentle, intelligent Asian elephants.  The Asian elephants are smaller and more trainable than their African counterparts.  The elephants found on Sri Lanka are the largest of the Asian elephants. The first baby was born at Pinnawela in 1984 and elephants are free to find mates.

After some time for the requisite shopping, we walked a short distance to view the elephant feeding.  Several elephants, with the assistance of some willing guests and the elephant handlers, fed bananas, watermelon and other items.  They drank water from some bottles as well.  There was one elderly elephant that was virtually blind but quite obviously was beloved at the orphanage.  We were told as well that the elephant had been shot several times but survived.  Another appeared to have lost its front right foot but we never learned how that occurred. Without the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, certainly several of these elephants would never survive in the wild.

After several delightful hours there, we boarded our buses for the three hour return to Colombo.  That was the part of the excursion that had been unexpected since we had been told through the excursion description that it would be by train both ways.  The drive through small busy towns was interesting with many people out on the streets on a sunny Saturday afternoon.  What we all noted was that vendors seemed to be selling the same things in each particular village.  In one place we saw all kinds of places selling car seats (not children’s but front or back seats of cars) with many of them on display in front of stores.  Another place was selling plastic children’s toys, yet another had lots of fresh pineapples, and another with toilets for sale.  Some were just the bowls, some had tanks as well but they came in various bright colors.  How can there be a market for so many of the same product in such a small locality?

Back to the ship, I saw a group of young girls from an orphanage that performed for those on the ship before we returned.  Holland America always chooses a charity in a particular place and this year they chose this cause in Sri Lanka.  Some fundraisers were held including a silent auction of watercolor paintings by guests and a dunking of ship celebrities like Cruise Director Scudder, Port Lecturer Haenni, and Captain Mercer.  A generous cash donation of about $5000 (about half of which was raised by passengers that was matched by Holland America Line) and supplies were made to the orphanage.

We did inquire at the Shore Excursions office about the bus ride versus the train trip back to Colombo and they had been made aware of the situation.  There was a possibility that something might be done for the people who paid for the tour but not for those who received it as the complimentary excursion and who based choosing this one on the description as written.  Later we heard that Holland America was caught unawares too and that it had been a decision by the excursion provider without Holland America’s knowledge.  But there has been no explanation to us so we are left to wonder where the real truth resides.  If there is any change, we will note it in a further blog.

It was a great excursion and we enjoyed our time seeing a country that neither of us knew much about.  Our day ended with one of our favorite groups that had performed on the 2009 Grand Voyage, “The Unexpected Boys” who sing many of the songs of the Four Seasons.  They are very energetic and always do a great job.

And next … three ports and four days in India!

CT

(PS:  We miss our proofreader, Pam!  It was one month ago tomorrow that she flew home from Sydney.)

Thailand: The Pachyderms of Phuket

As we made our way across the Malaccan Straits from Singapore to Phuket, we learned of yet another cruise ship incident.  The Silversea ship, Silver Shadow, ran into a cargo ship in the fog while en route to Hong Kong.  Not only had we just traveled the reverse route from Hong Kong to Nha Trang, Vietnam a few days earlier, but we were actually in port with this same ship in Nha Trang.  We saw her sail in the morning we arrived, and she was gone by the time we returned from our shore excursion that day.  My goodness, we’ve heard of strange things happening on other cruise ships during our time on board the ms Amsterdam.

Since we knew our cousins Terry & Rebecca were particularly interested in elephants, we sent them a quick email to let them know we’d be thinking of them in the next two ports since both excursions were to involve elephants.  At that time we discovered that the new addition to their family had arrived.  Congratulations to Terry & Rebecca on the birth of their son, Harrison Cooper.  What wonderful news! 

Our one and only stop in Thailand was the island of Phuket, located off the west coast of the mainland of Thailand.  Up until now when I thought of Thailand, my mind immediately went to Yul Brynner and the musical, The King and I. We learned, however, that it is quite politically incorrect to ask Thais about this as they feel the king is not portrayed in a very positive light.  So we kept that thought to ourselves. 

We had been told that Phuket was an area that was hard hit in the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.  However, they had done such a wonderful job of rebuilding that we were totally unaware of the destruction; the only evidence we noticed were road signs that marked tsunami evacuation routes! 

 It was quite a trip to get from the ship to shore – not so much because of the tender ride, but because of the very long floating pier they had to construct for us to walk between the tender and the shore. Then it was quite a hike (about ¼ mile) to get to the buses.  All a part of the adventure, I guess! 

Phuket, with an area of less than 360 square miles, is home to about 3000 elephants, about 20 of which we saw during our shore excursion, Siam Elephant Safari.  As we drove from Patang Beach to the safari, we passed beaches, shops, and homes, and once again, more tangles of electrical wires than one could imagine!   At the entrance to many of the properties (homes and businesses alike) were what looked like ornate and brightly- colored little houses up on pedestals.  These were spirit houses, which Buddhists believe will keep evil spirits away and bring good luck to those who live and work within.     

As we drove our tour guide taught us a lot about the similarities and differences between African and Asian elephants.  Elephants have a 22-month gestation period.  They can only give birth to one baby at a time, and when the baby is born, the mother cares for it for its first few years.  This means that a female elephant can only have one baby every four or five years.  African elephants have bigger ears than their Asian counterparts, and while African male and female elephants both have long tusks, Asian males have long tusks and females have short tusks.  Asian elephants have a pair of bumps on their heads that allow them more space for their brains.  Therefore, Asian elephants are more intelligent and trainable than African elephants.  Asian elephants are used as beasts of burden, and at one time they were believed to be the vehicle of the gods.  That meant that only kings were allowed to ride on elephants, and they would often ride them into battle.  Fortunately for us, this has changed so that we were able to enjoy and elephant ride.   

After boarding 4 wheel drive vehicles and being transported up into the hills to visit the Siam Safari, we were separated into groups and sent on our way to do several different activities.  Al, Chuck, and I, as well as our friends Bob & Nancy, were in the first group to have a ride on the back of an Asian elephant.  We had been told by someone on the ship that we would need to climb a ladder to mount the elephant so we were pleasantly surprised that all we had to do was take the stairs up to a platform where we were helped onto a seat (much like a wagon seat) balanced on the elephant’s back.  Our elephant was 44 years old and was named Tarfan.  We got ourselves situated, feeling very precariously perched on this placid pachyderm.  As we set forth, every lumbering step taken by Tarfan made us feel as if we were going to tip out of our seat.  Our driver, who was mounted bare-back behind the elephant’s ears, asked us to shift slightly to the left, and from there on, we felt a little safer.  Once we got used to the gait, we really enjoyed our ½ hour ride.  We got a kick out of watching our driver guide the elephant with each step, putting slight knee pressure behind the ears depending upon whether he wanted to go forward or turn left or right.  Each ponderous step felt like a small lurch as we took our well-traveled trail up the hill through the forest, where we enjoyed seeing the rubber trees being tapped much like one might see of New England maple trees.  At one point Tarfan turned around and backed up, and our driver turned around to face us and took pictures of us with the ocean backdrop far below.  All too soon we were arriving back at the platform and dismounting.  That had been a brand new experience for us and definitely one we would not forget. 

From there we continued to a cape buffalo demonstration.  After being served coffee or tea and coconut pancakes (which were very tasty despite my dislike of coconut), we watched as a “farm laborer” hooked one of these enormous beasts up to a yoke and pretended to plow a rice paddy.  I can’t imagine walking around in that muck, but neither the demonstrator nor the animal seemed to mind it a bit!

We were shown how they harvest and process rice as well as coconut milk and oil.  Then they demonstrated the making of curry from many different spices.  I’m not a fan of curry, but the sample food they gave us was quite tasty – at least not so hot that I couldn’t eat it! 

Our final stop at the safari was a baby elephant training center.  Two young elephants, aged 4 and 6, were put through their paces.  They picked up small toys, then they had a race to see which could pick up and put the trainer’s hat on the head the fastest.  They each played us a little harmonica duet.  One of them demonstrated her painting skills with a brush in hand (er – trunk).  They kicked soccer balls, and then picked them up with their trunks and handed them to someone in the crowd.  I was quite pleased to have the 6-year-old hand me her soccer ball.  These little girls really won our hearts over!  We enjoyed posing with them for pictures, and I got a basket of fruit and fed the 6-year-old. 

We finally tore ourselves away and left the safari behind and headed for lunch.  We went to a lovely Thai banquet hall where they served us a buffet lunch, mostly of Thai food.  I do have trouble getting used to curry, so I was glad to have rolls available to take care of the hot spiciness I felt every time I took a bite! Despite the unique (to me) flavors, we did enjoy the meal.  We think our friend Betsy, with her love for Thai food, would have been in her element!

Our final stop on the excursion was one we hadn’t anticipated – a visit to “The World’s Largest Jewelry Store”.  I love diamonds and sapphires, and emeralds, etc., but I wasn’t planning to spend my money here!   I have a few pieces of jewelry at home that have sapphires, and each time they come with a statement that the sapphire came from Thailand.  However, Chuck, Al, and I weren’t in the market for sapphires, so we sailed through that part of the shop and found our way to the souvenirs where we were able to browse a little more comfortably. 

As we made our way across the Malaccan Straits from Singapore to Phuket, we learned of yet another cruise ship incident.  The Silversea ship, Silver Shadow, ran into a cargo ship in the fog while en route to Hong Kong.  Not only had we just traveled the reverse route from Hong Kong to Nha Trang, Vietnam a few days earlier, but we were actually in port with this same ship in Nha Trang.  We saw her sail in the morning we arrived, and she was gone by the time we returned from our shore excursion that day.  My goodness, we’ve heard of strange things happening on other cruise ships during our time on board the ms Amsterdam.

Since we knew our cousins Terry & Rebecca were particularly interested in elephants, we sent them a quick email to let them know we’d be thinking of them in the next two ports since both excursions were to involve elephants.  At that time we discovered that the new addition to their family had arrived.  Congratulations to Terry & Rebecca on the birth of their son, Harrison Cooper.  What wonderful news! 

Our one and only stop in Thailand was the island of Phuket, located off the west coast of the mainland of Thailand.  Up until now when I thought of Thailand, my mind immediately went to Yul Brynner and the musical, The King and I. We learned, however, that it is quite politically incorrect to ask Thais about this as they feel the king is not portrayed in a very positive light.  So we kept that thought to ourselves. 

We had been told that Phuket was an area that was hard hit in the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.  However, they had done such a wonderful job of rebuilding that we were totally unaware of the destruction; the only evidence we noticed were road signs that marked tsunami evacuation routes! 

 It was quite a trip to get from the ship to shore – not so much because of the tender ride, but because of the very long floating pier they had to construct for us to walk between the tender and the shore. Then it was quite a hike (about ¼ mile) to get to the buses.  All a part of the adventure, I guess! 

Phuket, with an area of less than 360 square miles, is home to about 3000 elephants, about 20 of which we saw during our shore excursion, Siam Elephant Safari.  As we drove from Patang Beach to the safari, we passed beaches, shops, and homes, and once again, more tangles of electrical wires than one could imagine!   At the entrance to many of the properties (homes and businesses alike) were what looked like ornate and brightly- colored little houses up on pedestals.  These were spirit houses, which Buddhists believe will keep evil spirits away and bring good luck to those who live and work within.     

As we drove our tour guide taught us a lot about the similarities and differences between African and Asian elephants.  Elephants have a 22-month gestation period.  They can only give birth to one baby at a time, and when the baby is born, the mother cares for it for its first few years.  This means that a female elephant can only have one baby every four or five years.  African elephants have bigger ears than their Asian counterparts, and while African male and female elephants both have long tusks, Asian males have long tusks and females have short tusks.  Asian elephants have a pair of bumps on their heads that allow them more space for their brains.  Therefore, Asian elephants are more intelligent and trainable than African elephants.  Asian elephants are used as beasts of burden, and at one time they were believed to be the vehicle of the gods.  That meant that only kings were allowed to ride on elephants, and they would often ride them into battle.  Fortunately for us, this has changed so that we were able to enjoy and elephant ride.   

After boarding 4 wheel drive vehicles and being transported up into the hills to visit the Siam Safari, we were separated into groups and sent on our way to do several different activities.  Al, Chuck, and I, as well as our friends Bob & Nancy, were in the first group to have a ride on the back of an Asian elephant.  We had been told by someone on the ship that we would need to climb a ladder to mount the elephant so we were pleasantly surprised that all we had to do was take the stairs up to a platform where we were helped onto a seat (much like a wagon seat) balanced on the elephant’s back.  Our elephant was 44 years old and was named Tarfan.  We got ourselves situated, feeling very precariously perched on this placid pachyderm.  As we set forth, every lumbering step taken by Tarfan made us feel as if we were going to tip out of our seat.  Our driver, who was mounted bare-back behind the elephant’s ears, asked us to shift slightly to the left, and from there on, we felt a little safer.  Once we got used to the gait, we really enjoyed our ½ hour ride.  We got a kick out of watching our driver guide the elephant with each step, putting slight knee pressure behind the ears depending upon whether he wanted to go forward or turn left or right.  Each ponderous step felt like a small lurch as we took our well-traveled trail up the hill through the forest, where we enjoyed seeing the rubber trees being tapped much like one might see of New England maple trees.  At one point Tarfan turned around and backed up, and our driver turned around to face us and took pictures of us with the ocean backdrop far below.  All too soon we were arriving back at the platform and dismounting.  That had been a brand new experience for us and definitely one we would not forget. 

From there we continued to a cape buffalo demonstration.  After being served coffee or tea and coconut pancakes (which were very tasty despite my dislike of coconut), we watched as a “farm laborer” hooked one of these enormous beasts up to a yoke and pretended to plow a rice paddy.  I can’t imagine walking around in that muck, but neither the demonstrator nor the animal seemed to mind it a bit!

We were shown how they harvest and process rice as well as coconut milk and oil.  Then they demonstrated the making of curry from many different spices.  I’m not a fan of curry, but the sample food they gave us was quite tasty – at least not so hot that I couldn’t eat it! 

Our final stop at the safari was a baby elephant training center.  Two young elephants, aged 4 and 6, were put through their paces.  They picked up small toys, then they had a race to see which could pick up and put the trainer’s hat on the head the fastest.  They each played us a little harmonica duet.  One of them demonstrated her painting skills with a brush in hand (er – trunk).  They kicked soccer balls, and then picked them up with their trunks and handed them to someone in the crowd.  I was quite pleased to have the 6-year-old hand me her soccer ball.  These little girls really won our hearts over!  We enjoyed posing with them for pictures, and I got a basket of fruit and fed the 6-year-old. 

We finally tore ourselves away and left the safari behind and headed for lunch.  We went to a lovely Thai banquet hall where they served us a buffet lunch, mostly of Thai food.  I do have trouble getting used to curry, so I was glad to have rolls available to take care of the hot spiciness I felt every time I took a bite! Despite the unique (to me) flavors, we did enjoy the meal.  We think our friend Betsy, with her love for Thai food, would have been in her element!

Our final stop on the excursion was one we hadn’t anticipated – a visit to “The World’s Largest Jewelry Store”.  I love diamonds and sapphires, and emeralds, etc., but I wasn’t planning to spend my money here!   I have a few pieces of jewelry at home that have sapphires, and each time they come with a statement that the sapphire came from Thailand.  However, Chuck, Al, and I weren’t in the market for sapphires, so we sailed through that part of the shop and found our way to the souvenirs where we were able to browse a little more comfortably. 

We all agreed that despite the forced shopping stop we had been delighted with our visit to the Siam Safari and thoroughly enjoyed our time among these gentle giant animals!  It was a thrilling experience to be able to interact with them, and we’re very pleased that we will have another opportunity in Colombo, Sri Lanka, our next port, to encounter elephants in a different surrounding. 

We are now well into the seas of the Indian Ocean.  I’m not sure why I never thought of whales and dolphins inhabiting these waters; maybe it’s because I’m not at all familiar with the Indian Ocean.  But we’ve had two sea days in the waters of the ocean and both days have brought us entertainment for our dining pleasure as what seemed like dozens of dolphins arching and diving and in some cases flipping and spinning as if to bring us greetings.  

We continue to enjoy our Explorations Speakers.  What a wonderful surprise when one of the speakers was our favorite speaker on our Voyage of the Vikings, Danny Catt.  He is a naturalist and photographer who gives very interesting talks with (needless to say) beautiful wildlife photography!  I can’t remember how many times I commented while we were in South America and Antarctica that I wished Danny Catt was on board so I could ask him about a particular bird or animal that I’d seen!   After several scientists and naturalists, we once again have a historian as a speaker – Ambassador Krishna Rajan, who has given us a very interesting perspective on the Southeast Asian countries, some of which we have visited on this cruise.  One comment that particularly interested us was that Thailand is one of the richer countries in Southeastern Asia. A new entity has been developed with similar purposes to the European Union:  ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) that includes ten nations, of which we have visited four:  Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand. 

Each day brings new and exciting adventures, whether it’s learning about the people of a region or experiencing the wildlife that inhabits the region we’re traveling through. 

We all agreed that despite the forced shopping stop we had been delighted with our visit to the Siam Safari and thoroughly enjoyed our time among these gentle giant animals!  It was a thrilling experience to be able to interact with them, and we’re very pleased that we will have another opportunity in Colombo, Sri Lanka, our next port, to encounter elephants in a different surrounding. 

We are now well into the seas of the Indian Ocean.  I’m not sure why I never thought of whales and dolphins inhabiting these waters; maybe it’s because I’m not at all familiar with the Indian Ocean.  But we’ve had two sea days in the waters of the ocean and both days have brought us entertainment for our dining pleasure as what seemed like dozens of dolphins arching and diving and in some cases flipping and spinning as if to bring us greetings.  

We continue to enjoy our Explorations Speakers.  What a wonderful surprise when one of the speakers was our favorite speaker on our Voyage of the Vikings, Danny Catt.  He is a naturalist and photographer who gives very interesting talks with (needless to say) beautiful wildlife photography!  I can’t remember how many times I commented while we were in South America and Antarctica that I wished Danny Catt was on board so I could ask him about a particular bird or animal that I’d seen!   After several scientists and naturalists, we once again have a historian as a speaker – Ambassador Krishna Rajan, who has given us a very interesting perspective on the Southeast Asian countries, some of which we have visited on this cruise.  One comment that particularly interested us was that Thailand is one of the richer countries in Southeastern Asia. A new entity has been developed with similar purposes to the European Union:  ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) that includes ten nations, of which we have visited four:  Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand. 

Each day brings new and exciting adventures, whether it’s learning about the people of a region or experiencing the wildlife that inhabits the region we’re traveling through. 

BT

The Modern, Vibrant Republic of Singapore

The contrast between our last two ports, Saigon and Singapore, couldn’t be starker. While Saigon itself seems to have rebounded from the war, the area outside Saigon displayed a depth of poverty that we have rarely, if ever, seen.  However Singapore is the epitome of a vibrant, modern 21^st century city that would rival any American city.

Singapore’s origins come from a small fishing village near the tip of the Malay Peninsula just 1° above the Equator to the city we have just visited.  United Kingdom assumed control of the area during the era of European imperialism and held it until the Japanese took control during the 1940s.  After World War II, Singapore was returned to Great Britain and in 1963, it became a part of the newly established country of Malaysia with whom it shared much of the Malay Peninsula.  But the differences between the city of Singapore and the rest of Malaysia were so significant that Singapore felt it could strike out on its own as an independent city and country.  The Republic of Singapore became independent from Malaysia in 1965.

Today, Singapore is the smallest country in Asia, with a land mass of just over 700 square kilometers, a population of 5.2 million people, and it is the 22^nd wealthiest country in the world.  The city is very modern and new with few buildings that seem to date back to the earlier British period.  Streets are wide and cars are as nearly abundant as in the US despite the fact that people don’t travel long distances by car.  They are expensive and people pay a high tax to purchase one.  There were parkland and green and flowering medians nearly everywhere we drove.  In short, it’s an exceptionally impressive city.

We have heard that laws are strictly enforced in Singapore and that punishment for violation is quite severe.  Fines are administered for what we might consider to be minor offenses in the US like jaywalking, littering, and gum chewing. Yes, the sale of gum is prohibited in Singapore.  We saw virtually no litter.   Singapore continues to use lashings as punishment for some offenses, and carrying larger amounts of narcotics would be a capital offense.  As a result, it is a very safe city.  A notice in the MTR station warned of a $500 fine for eating or drinking, $1,000 fine for smoking, and a $5,000 fine for having explosives. (A Singapore dollar is worth slightly less than a US dollar.)  It was the first country where we were required to carry our passports with us whenever we left the ship.  They were checked as we disembarked the ship each time and we would have to have produced them if an officer asked to see them.  Considering the small size of Singapore, it’s amazing to think of their strict control in comparison to the US where crossing our border illegally is now all too routine and where in Illinois it is considered an insult to ask a voter for a picture ID to vote!  I am sure that’s not going to happen in Singapore.

We were here for two days and one night and because of heavy ship traffic, we had to go to the cargo container port for a few hours, while another Holland America ship, the Zaandam was berthed at the passenger terminal until mid-afternoon on Sunday.  At that time, the Amsterdam moved the short distance to the Singapore Cruise Center (passenger terminal).  When we went out on Sunday, we were amazed at the huge size of the cargo terminal.  Our tour bus drove a great distance through the cargo terminal.  It was almost a small city there with streets and traffic signals until we finally got out to the city itself.

Barb, Al, and I took a shore excursion, Singapore’s Highlights, since it was our first visit to the city.  We figured it would orient us to the city so we could obtain an overview as to what was there.   Our first stop was at the beautiful National Orchid Garden for an approximately 40 minute walk through the magnificent gardens.  The drive through the modern downtown with its modern buildings and shopping reminded us of the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  For block after block there were malls and well known stores that suggested wealth.

We next visited the Sultan Mosque in Singapore, removing our shoes before entering.  Singapore has few Muslims, but this was a large mosque.  Then we drove past the Raffles Hotel where the famous (but not to me) Singapore Sling drink originated.  A visit to the waterfront once again showcased the modern city buildings including the Sands Hotel with a large roof spanning three separate buildings as part of the complex.  I’ve seen pictures and You Tube videos of this roof which is complete with a swimming pool that looks like one could swim right off the top of the tall building.  A highlight and symbol of the city is at the harbor, the so-called “Merlion”, with its lion face and mermaid tail.  It is to Singapore as the Little Mermaid is to Copenhagen except the Little Mermaid is on a rock in the water while the Merlion is a large statue along the water with water spurting from the mouth as a fountain.  It’s a favorite photo stop in Singapore. 

Two final stops took us to Chinatown and Mt. Faber for a panoramic view of the city from above.  In Chinatown, we could either visit a Chinese pagoda for an inside visit or visit a Hindu temple short block away.  Since we would have had to remove our shoes at the Mariamman Hindu Temple and our time was limited, we opted to visit the Chinese pagoda and allow time to hurry down the street to take a few pictures of the unique Hindu temple.  Our final stop atop Mt. Faber gave a great view of the city and the busy port.

It was a quick tour but gave an excellent overview of this impressive city.  In the afternoon, we were scheduled to make the short move over to the Cruise Terminal as a space had now been cleared to accept the Amsterdam, but there was a delay as a result of the refueling of the ship.  We were glad to be on the ship at that time as a heavy downpour with thunder and lightning occurred.  By the time we arrived at the Cruise Ship Terminal it was time to leave for the second shore excursion of the day, called the Night Safari.  This was the first zoo in the world devoted entirely to nocturnal animals.  Quite obviously the zoo was open only at night and the lighting was very subdued so as not to interfere with the animals but to give sufficient light to guests so the animals could be observed.

After arriving, we boarded a tram similar to what one might find at Disney World, where we were given a narrated tour from a guide who pointed out the animals in their darkened habitats.  Barb and I freely took pictures knowing that most wouldn’t turn out even with the night setting but hoping we might have a couple decent pictures worth saving.  Shortly after that ended a 20 minute fire dance took place complete with the flame swallowers.  Another show involved bringing in some animals into the amphitheater and giving the public an idea as to how they functioned in darkness.  Before we reboarded the bus to return to the ship, we took a 20 minute Fishing Cat Walk where we had the opportunity to stroll along the path and take pictures of some of the amazing creatures.  It was a fun, and very different, zoo experience, giving us the opportunity to see many animals that not readily found in American zoos, such as the mouse deer (the smallest member of the deer family – about the size of a house cat), the binturong (related to the mongoose), the slow loris (looks like a lemur), the gharial (member of the crocodile family), and of course the fishing cat (looks like a tiny leopard), to name a few.

After returning to the Cruise Port, we once again went through the very rigorous customs and security checks which included two, not one, passport checks as well as an examination of our Singapore landing card which we had to keep on our person at all times when we were off the ship, a thorough security scanning followed by long and seemingly endless walks through the terminal.  Their cruise passenger terminal would put some of our airports to shame with the long hikes inside the terminal and the security checks.  Each time we got on or off the ship, we had to go through this process.  But at 11:30 at night, it seemed to take even longer.

Our second day in Singapore was much quieter and was planned that way.  We didn’t schedule a shore excursion and decided to do what we wanted on our own on Monday.  So after breakfast Barb and I boarded Singapore’s  MTR rapid transit system (the subway system similar to Chicago’s CTA subway or the London Tube), and headed toward the business district so Barb could add to her Hard Rock Café shot glass collection.  We first had to figure out the system for purchasing the tickets at automated stations and how to make the required transfer.  When we arrived at our destination stop, we were in what was called “Wheelock Place”, a large ultra modern mall complex.   But it held particular interest for Barb because, as a genealogist, she hadn’t expected to come across that name in Singapore.  Our great-great-grandmother’s maiden name was Wheelock and it is through that name that she traces our pre-Revolutionary War roots to claim some of her ancestors for DAR.  After a quick stop at an optical store to adjust her glasses (resulting from them being knocked out of alignment on the bus during our morning shore excursion), we headed for Hard Rock to make the collectible purchase.  After such a busy Sunday, we made the return ride back to the pier.  Having figured out the MRT system, we figured we could do some of the sightseeing on our own on a subsequent visit to Singapore.  We would like to visit the small island of Sentosa which we could view from our verandah, go back to Chinatown, and visit Singapore’s  Jurong Bird Park.

We sailed out of Singapore on our way to Phuket, Thailand about 11 PM, traveling up the long Malay Peninsula.  We were absolutely amazed at the number of ships with their lights blazing just off the Singapore coast. We had assumed that all those lights were on shore but as we drew nearer, all along the way we realized that there were literally hundreds of boats.  On Tuesday morning when I went out to walk the deck, I was able to spot at least 25 boats within sight of the ship. We had heard that some of the busiest waters in the world were in the Bay of Bengal between the Malay Peninsula and India’s east coast.  Having seen the number of boats in the waters we observed confirms the statement for us!

CT

Vietnam - Then and Now: Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City)

While we have found the Vietnam ports to be very interesting, the past couple days have been full of places and events that were significant in US history, not to mention our own personal history.  Having lost a couple of classmates, and having known others who served in Vietnam, these ports have been difficult as they brought back many memories of highly emotional times and events. 

As we sailed toward Phu My, we were struck by the difference between the two banks of the river.  On the port side we could see miles and miles of mangroves with openings that showed houses hidden back in the mangroves.  The river was dotted with fishing boats out for an early catch.  The starboard side was lined with derricks and cranes and industry.  What an incredible contrast!

Our tour, The Best of Ho Chi Minh City, was a full-day excursion from the relatively new port city of Phu My to Ho Chi Minh City.  While the official name of the former capital of South Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City, the name is only used for official purposes.  Otherwise it is still referred to by its former name of Saigon, the name preferred by the locals.  Since it would take about two hours to get there due to extremely heavy traffic, we settled back to enjoy the scenery and listen to the running commentary by our tour guide, Thien. 

In two days we’ve heard three quotes on the population of Vietnam, so the number of 90 million is somewhat of a question mark in our minds.  The country is roughly the area of New Mexico, though of course it is very long and narrow, which is hard to visualize considering the difference in physical shape.  The government is Communist, but the southern part (below the 17^th parallel or the DMZ) is allowed much more freedom than the northern part.  Here people can own their own property and can make their own decisions.  Up North, the government makes the decisions for the citizens.  Throughout the country, there appears to be much poverty as the only ones who are considered rich are those who work for the government.  Citizens here must pay for their own education and their own health care, as well prepare for their own retirement so they must work in some capacity to provide for those needs.  Many people own small shops.  Their living quarters are behind and above the shops, meaning that they eat, sleep, and work under the same roof.  It’s difficult to imagine a life in such a limited environment, especially with the trash that seemed to pervade the entire area.    

As we headed toward Saigon, we saw that there were almost no cars.  Everyone got around by truck, bus, or motorcycle.  Helmets are required, and most people wear masks and long pants as well as long sleeves and gloves – even in the heat!  It’s amazing to think that at home some people do everything they can to get a tan while people in Vietnam try to keep their skin as white as possible.  White skin in Vietnam signifies wealth so they cover up as much as they can to keep from getting too much sun. 

The traffic as we approached Saigon got more and more congested, and we were very glad that we were passengers rather than the bus driver!  I have never seen so many motorcycles in one spot in my life!  These cycles seemed to come from every direction and weave in and out in the traffic, causing many gasps among the bus passengers as we watched.  Not only that, but I’ve never seen so many unusual items being transported on those motorcycles.  In a few cases, there were two adults and a child on a motorcycle!  The assortment of items that they carried was amazing!  In one case a passenger was carrying a ladder and some kind of huge square box.  Another appeared to have about eight huge bags of concrete.  Friends of ours even saw one that had a full-size refrigerator strapped to the back of the cycle! 

Another thing that struck us was the tangles of wires we saw everywhere we looked in the city!  In one case I even saw a birdcage hanging from one of the wire tangles, and in another instance, there was a man on a ladder that was propped up against the wires – right in the middle of a street at an intersection! 

Our first stop took us to the Reunification Hall.  This was originally the Presidential Palace under the South Vietnamese regime.  It was here that the jeeps arrived to take over the government when South Vietnam fell in 1975.  This was our first experience of being in a place that was openly controlled by a Communist government, and it certainly felt strange!  We really weren’t sure how to react as the tour guide gave us some of the history – a history that brought back difficult memories for many Americans.

We also visited the Post Office, where we were able to see where the helicopters landed to take the South Vietnamese government leaders to safety. 

We also stopped at a lacquer ware workshop, where we learned about this beautiful artwork.  After a delicious buffet lunch at a very upscale hotel, we made one last stop at the National History Museum, where we learned about the history of Vietnam dating back as far as the Stone Age.  During our visit we enjoyed seeing a water puppet show – something very unique!  The puppets are steered through the water on long sticks by performers who are hidden behind a backdrop.  It was different from anything we’d ever seen before, and everyone in the group found it very entertaining. 

During our return trip to Phu My, the guide talked a little bit about the Vietnam War.  It was a totally different perspective from any others we’ve heard.  His father who I took to be about my age, and who had grown up working in farming, was expected to enlist in the army.  Because of his small stature, he found it very difficult to use the weapons he was given.  While he fought for the South, he really wanted to see a unified Vietnam.  Apparently this was the sentiment of many people. 

Because of the number of people who had full-day tours planned for Saigon, sail-away was not scheduled until 11:00 PM.  That meant there was time for a Vietnam Cultural Show.  While it had been a very long day, we didn’t want to miss the later-than-usual entertainment.  We were delighted that we did because the group who performed was excellent!  Many of the musical instruments were very unique, including one that looked almost like a small pagoda (Chuck said pyramid, and Al said birdcage) but in actuality was a xylophone-type instrument.  There were also six very elegant and graceful dancers whose grace and elegance was something to behold.  Each number exhibited different dresses and different accessories.  In one they used small china cups (egg cups?) as castanets, as well as head pieces that held lit candles.  In another there was an elegant use of fans, and in another they used conical hats to portray waves – whether of water or of rice in paddies, we weren’t sure.  We were certainly glad that we’d stayed up to attend this wonderful performance!

We are very pleased to have had the experience of visiting Vietnam, but we are sure that our next port, Singapore, will be quite a contrast!     

BT

Vietnam – Then and Now: Nha Trang (near Da Nang)

“Going to Vietnam” was something I never wanted to do because of the connotation that held for those of my generation.  When we booked the world cruise and saw it included Vietnam, “going to Vietnam” was an exciting prospect and our day in Nha Trang did not disappoint!  Back in the 1960s and 1970s, no one could have imagined that some day we might be visiting Vietnam on a cruise ship.  Vietnam has always been, to us, on the other side of the world, a fact made even more significant in that in Vietnam and with Chicago now on DST, we are exactly twelve hours ahead here.  I laughed that as a kid, I remember people saying that if we dug down we would come out in China, on the other side of the world.  Barb added that when she was about 5 or 6 years old, she had actually gone out in back of the house and began to dig her way to China.  I hadn’t remembered that and commented that had I known, I probably back then would have encouraged her to keep trying!

My friend and former colleague from Hamburg, Bill McCormick, had visited Vietnam last fall so I had asked him for his impressions.  He really liked his visit to Vietnam and Cambodia so I did anticipate I would enjoy my visit here.  And I was right.  I certainly did enjoy the day.

Nha Trang is located in the northern part of the former South Vietnam, not too far from Da Nang, a place that held special significance for the troops who fought there “back then.”

The sail in was quite pretty as the sun came up a little earlier today and we could see a series of small islands as we approached the mainland of Vietnam.  When we docked, our side of the ship finally had a nice view of the islands including some cable cars that crossed to one of the islands (our tour guide explained that it went to a luxury hotel on the island).

Today Barb and I were taking a shore excursion, Nha Trang Highlights, a gift for booking the cruise through AAA.  We had originally paid for this exact excursion through Holland America but cancelled our paid tour through them and did it with others who had booked the cruise with their local AAAs.  AAA has onboard escorts, Jack and Gloria Meerman, who are traveling on the cruise and through whom we often deal if any onboard issues arise.  Al, having booked through his travel agent who is a part of another group, has done one free excursion already with his group.  In Nha Trang it was our turn and while we ran into Al in a couple of locations since he was doing the same excursion, we weren’t able to arrange to be in the same bus.

Our tour was greeted by a friendly guide, Thao, who quickly became known in our group  for his smile.  (He was in several of our pictures, most unposed, and in every single one he had an infectious smile.  In addition, he volunteered to take Barb’s and my pictures several times so that we have almost as many pictures together as we have for the entire trip so far.)  It was hard to judge his age as he looked youthful and maybe no more than his early 20s but we imagine he might be quite a bit older than his appearance suggests. 

Thao only once mentioned “the war” on his own but answered the questions if anyone asked. I asked one question and he answered it and then he moved on.  The only time he brought up the subject was when we passed a large war monument.  We weren’t sure if it is a subject that isn’t discussed or if it wasn’t mentioned because most taking the tour were Americans.  I asked Al if his guide commented on the war and he said it wasn’t a subject of discussion on his bus either.

Our first stop was at the Long Son Pagoda.  As we drove up, vendors hawking their wares descended on the bus, holding up their products and wanting us to buy.  Those who have done much international travel are aware of what I am talking about, but those whose travel is limited to the US or northern Europe won’t be familiar.  They were selling everything from brightly lacquered jewelry boxes with Oriental designs, to fans, post cards, pictures, and even polo shirts. As we got off the bus, we had to say a polite “no, thank you” and try to keep up with our group.  The Long Son Pagoda is the largest of about ten Buddhist pagodas in Nha Trang.  About 30% of Vietnamese are Buddhist, 10% are Roman Catholics, 1% Hindu, and of the rest, including Thao, practice ancestor worship.  Atop the hill above the pagoda was a large white statue of Buddha sitting in the lotus position.  We could opt to climb to the top and see it up close as well as capture an excellent view of the city, but Thao suggested that it was quite a hike and he didn’t recommend it – there were no complaints.  We had to remove our shoes to go inside the pagoda where we saw a number of monks at worship in an ornate religious setting. Thao told us that this monastery had only ten active monks that kept it going.  There was a monument near the entrance which honored the monk that funded it.  Although I don’t read Vietnamese(!), I noticed the monk was born in 1897 and he died in 1963.  1963 was at the height of the Buddhist protest against the pro-French, Catholic rule of Ngo Dinh Diem.  A number of monks committed suicide through self immolation in front of pagodas as an expression of protest against Diem’s rule.  Diem was assassinated on November 1, 1963, just three weeks before the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  The war escalated under Lyndon Johnson and greater involvement of the United States began under LBJ.

After visiting the Long Son Pagoda, we made our way to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, a series of towers built between the 7^th and 12^th centuries.  While constructed as a Hindu shrine, it is now a focus for Buddhists who routinely come to pray.  As one climbs the stairs (not a difficult climb), good views of the Xom Bong Bridge are seen along with lots of red and blue fishing boats in Nha Trang Harbor.  Once again, as in Long Son Pagoda, we removed our shoes as we entered the shrine.  The aroma of burning incense was very evident as a part of the religious ritual.  At both the Long Son Pagoda and the Cham Towers, we appreciated the blue sky and sunshine, the first time on tour we had that luxury since our first day in Sydney.  It made for much better photos.  Hooray!!!!

This was followed by a stop at an embroidery shop in Nha Trang were demonstrations of the delicate weaving were given.  Not being an expert on embroidery, I can’t speak in much detail here but the finished products were exquisite.  They were on sale in some cases for millions of dong.  (The dong is the currency unit in Vietnam and there are about 20,000 to the US dollar.)  As we finished browsing through these works of art, a cup of Vietnamese tea was offered along with an unusual snack of a slice of roasted sweet potato as well as a taste of ginger.

Our final stop was at a beachfront hotel where we could purchase a glass of coconut milk if we wished, or stroll the beach and watch the waves roll in.  Of course the vendors were out in full force and by now we were getting the knack of bargaining the price down.  Barbara Haenni, our Travel Guide, had told us that probably the best bargains of the entire cruise would be likely to be found in Vietnam along with some of the most aggressive vendors.  Barb had heard that the lacquered boxes were selling at a reasonable price so she bought several of them.  I purchased three identical baseball caps which varied only in color and said “Saigon, Vietnam” on them for $5 total.  I kept one, Barb bought the other from me at cost (I was being so generous), and I will find someone to give the other cap. Jack Meerman got on the bus with four (FOUR) Ralph Lauren polo shirts which he had purchased for a total of $10.  He jokingly offered to sell them for $5 each.  A vendor offered to sell four to me for $20.  When I said I wasn’t interested, he offered 3 for $10.  I told him I knew someone who bought 4 for $10. The man professed surprise at such a deal but quickly agreed.  I then said I had no need for four of them and offered to buy two for $5.  The deal was struck and I now have two $2.50 polo shirts.  I have no idea how long they will last, but at that price, I couldn’t go too wrong.  We ran into Al there and showed him my purchase and he came back with two of the same polos which be bought for $5.  I wore mine to dinner, hoping that Al wouldn’t wear his too; as much as I like Al, we really weren’t interested in looking like twins! 

Back at the pier, we browsed the booths with items for sale there and found a few more purchases.  Actually we didn’t find the vendors as aggressive as we might have expected.   They were all friendly and we wish we could have bought something from all of them.  We did see a number of people with various physical deformities, most notably a man probably in his 60s or 70s who had no hands.  He was just wandering the crowd at one of our stops.  At dinner, I asked Al if he had seen the man and he said he wanted to give the appreciative man $5.  What a great gesture!  We are guessing he might have lost his hands during the Vietnam War.

As we set sail from Nha Trang, we anticipated our visit to Saigon but heard the warning that the traffic in what is now called Ho Chi Minh City would be oppressive.  I was glad for the opportunity to visit Vietnam and have a much greater appreciation for the country and its people.  The war has been over for nearly 40 years and it was nice to find Americans welcomed to Vietnam as tourists.  I found Vietnam a much more welcoming country than our visit six years ago to St. Petersburg, Russia, where I felt I was being watched constantly.  In Nha Trang anyway, we did feel like we were wanted and most people greeted us with smiles.

CT