Valentines

LISBON, PORTUGAL APRIL 19, 2008

2008-04-20T13:15:00.006-04:00

LISBON, PORTUGAL APRIL 19, 2008

We arrived at Lisbon early in the morning to be greeted by the monument to Christ the King (Cristo Rei) that stands on the south side of the river in Almada across from Lisbon on the north. The citizens of Portugal built the statue in thanks to God for being saved from World War II. Portugal had stayed neutral during the war.

We caught the tour to Fatima, which was 100 km away, early in the morning. Fatima is the sight of the vision of the Virgin Mary to 3 little Shepard children. During the various sightings the children received several messages.
World War I
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Assassination of the Pope
These messages were turned over to the Vatican before the last one came to pass. After the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II the third message was announced. The Pope came to Fatima and gave the bullet removed from his body to include in the crown of Our Lady.

After returning for the tour we attended a special dinner sponsored by Cunard and the Queen Victoria. The dinner was held on the floor the old Bull Fighting Arena. The elegant formal dinner was entertained by singers and dancers in authentic Portugese dress. We had matadors and picadors and all the rest.

See the final picture at night with Judy returning to the Queen Victoria.

BARCELONA, SPAIN APRIL 16, 2008

2008-04-18T11:54:00.005-04:00

BARCELLONA, SPAIN APRIL 16, 2008

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the capital. It is also the most populous city of the Spanish region of Catalonia with a population of over 3 million in the metropolitan area. The layout and design of the city is typical of the beautiful cities of Europe with its wide tree lined boulevards. An interesting feature is at every major intersection each of the 4 corners is cut off to provide a more open airy and bright intersection.

Barcelona was founded as a Roman city and became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon. The city’s cultural roots go back over 2000 years and the Catalan region extends beyond the Spanish-French border. The Catalan people feel a strong sense of national unity almost separate from Spain. Barcelona is a bilingual city: Catalan and Spanish are both official languages and widely spoken.

Catalan modernism architecture (often known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe) developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. Especially remarkable is the work of Antoni Gaudi, which can be seen throughout the city. We were fortunate enough to take a tour to Gaudi’s La Pedrera.

The building La Pedrera, built from 1906 to 1912, never allowed itself to be constrained by the rules and aesthetics. From a very early age Gaudi manifested a great interest in shapes, colors, and the geometry of nature and sought his own particular resources and solutions for the artisan crafts. See the unusual appearance of the curves of the balconies and the avount guard treatment of the chimneys on the roof where Judy stands.

Later we visited the Picasso Museum. Picasso donated his early works to this museum, but his name was not added to it until after his death. It seems that Franco was still alive at the time and since Picasso was a Communist and Franco was a Fascist, Franco prevented the Picasso name to be applied. Two years later after Franco’s death the name was changed. Some of Picasso’s work at age 14 is staggeringly advanced even for a mature artist much less for such a youth.

Finally note after being exposed to art in all forms we were treated to a beautiful sunset. The beauty of nature surpasses the best of mankind’s efforts.

We have tacked on a picture taken on board the ship in the theater where we booked a box seat for one of the special performances.

ROME / CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY APRIL 14, 2008

2008-04-15T09:36:00.008-04:00

ROME / CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY APRIL 14, 2008

Rome with a current population of about 4 million is the capital of Italy. Known as The Eternal City, The city of the seven hills, or Threshold of the Apostles, Rome is one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed. Central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character.

The city and port of Civitavecchia is the powerful maritime engine of Rome’s Lazio region. Evidence of ancient settlement at the port reveals that people have lived at the strategic site longer than history has been able to record details about them.

We chose to tour the 14th century Castello Odescalchi in the town of Bracciano near the Lake Bracciano, which is the third largest lake in Italy. On this gorgeous spring day we arrived at the imposing castle located in the middle of the town. The edifice has been well cared for over the years and there is constant renovation being undertaken. It was the site of Tom Cruise’s recent wedding and is used as a wedding site for many locals. The rooms and especially the ceiling are fantastic with their original gold leaf on the decorations. There was one room completely devoted to the armor collection. We had lot of walking through out the castle, but it was well worth the visit.

The countryside surrounding the lake was fabulously beautiful in it’s emerald green of the spring season. We were in route to the site of a performance by a troupe of flag throwing. The performers were dressed in medieval costumes and were accompanied by drummers and trumpeters. They lined the entrance to an old farm “Antiche Scuderie Odescalchi” refurbished as a country site for elegant entertaining. We enjoyed champagne and appetizers on the surrounding lawn; we were then treated by the talented group to their art (Sienna Flag Throwing). After the performance we adjourned inside to a sumptuous lunch including carved Parma ham and series of pastas and salads with an outside grill of chops and sausages. Great relaxing afternoon in spring Italian countryside.

NAPLES / ISLE OF CAPRI, ITALY APRIL 13, 2008

2008-04-15T09:26:00.007-04:00

NAPLES / ISLE OF CAPRI, ITALY APRIL 13, 2008

The city of Naples with a current population of 4.4 million, was founded by the Greeks between the 7th and 6th centuries BC and given the name Neapolis. During the period of Roman domination, the town preserved the Greek language and original habits.

Naples is rich in historical, artistic, cultural traditions and gastronomy. Hardly true gastronomy, a local restaurant in Naples claims to be the birthplace of pizza, which is traditionally made with mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil, representing the white, red and green of the Italian flag.

We decided to visit the Isle of Capri instead of the Mt. Vesuvius volcano area to visit the 79 AD ruined towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which we toured on a previous visit.

We gathered our Capri group from the ship and walked from the ship to the ferry docked nearby. Many of the people on the ferry were normal commuters on the 45-minute ride. As we approached the island we could see the high steep cliffs that originally the Romans found attractive as protection against any attacking force. A higher town of Ana Capri was at the top and the larger community of Capri could be found at a lower level. Of course the harbor is where we landed.

We had lunch at a quaint restaurant with lemon trees on the veranda overlooking the bay. The restaurant owner met us carrying his overweight cat with all four feet sticking up in the air. It was probably a testament to the good food. A huge tree called an umbrella pine on the property of the restaurant impressed me.

The town was a marvel of small winding streets with very old buildings. One of the many cafes claims to have invented ice cream. Now many of the shops offer the delicacy. Another story that has led to the marketing of a product is that of the silver bell. A young Capri shepherd was saved by St Michael and given a silver bell. Now the tiny amulet has become a talisman of luck and success. The marketing slogan is “Do not think of leaving the isle of Capri unless you have purchased the lucky bell of St. Michael.”

We took a funicular back down to the harbor for the return trip. On the way back we got a nice view of Vesuvius.

As we left Naples the night view of the renowned harbor was beautiful.

ATHENS, GREECE APRIL 11, 2008

2008-04-14T11:58:00.009-04:00

ATHENS, GREECE APRIL 11, 2008

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. It is also known as the birthplace of democracy. Named after the goddess Athena, Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world with a recorded history of at least 3000 years. Today, the Greek capital is a bustling cosmopolitan metropolis with an urban population of 3.1 million people.

Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state center of learning, home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European Continent. The classical era heritage is still evident in the city, portrayed through the number of ancient monuments and artworks, the most famous of al being the Parthenon and the Acropolis, standing as an epic landmark of western civilization.

Today our long time friends Platon and Annelise Davakis who are residents of Athens greeted us at the foot of the gangway. We were delighted just to be in the company of these dear friends, but in addition Platon being a trained historian and guide of ancient sites, began a day long tour of a few of the ancient features of Sparta where his family’s roots began.

We first stopped at the “Corinth Canal” built at the end of the 19th century by the same French company who constructed the Suez Canal. The canal divides the narrow causeway linking the Peloponnesus and the mainland and is 3.8 miles long and 75 feet wide and 26 feet deep. A channel linking the Ionian and Aegean Seas had been an unfulfilled dream since antiquity.

We then visited ancient Corinth once the wealthiest city with a forum larger than Rome’s. We saw the remains of the paved Lechaion Road, 25 feet wide and the ruins of the Doric Temple of Apollo.

Next we drove to Mycenae where for four centuries it was the most powerful state in ancient Greece. The famous Lion Gate guards the Citadel of Mycenae. The amateur archaeologist, who also found the site of Troy, discovered the shaft graves here. We visited the Tomb of Agamemnon (also known as the Beehive Tomb). Agamemnon was the Greek Commander-in-Chief during the Trojan War.

The final stop of the day was in the costal town of Naupilon for a Greek lunch. Mezze is a series of small offerings shared by all at the table. It is supposed to be like a group of appetizers but be ordered so many of the small dishes it became a real MEAL. The city of Naupilon was once the capitol of Greece but today it is a pleasant and very attractive costal town that could be easily lived in.

SUEZ CANAL APRIL 9, 2008

2008-04-09T12:21:00.006-04:00

SUEZ CANAL, EGYPT APRIL 9, 2008

The Suez Canal is a large artificial canal in Egypt, west of the Sinai Peninsula. It is 163km (101 miles) long and 300 meters (984 feet) wide at its narrowest point. It runs between Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea and Suez (al-Suways) on the Red Sea.

The canal allows two-way water transportation between Europe and Asia with out circumnavigation of Africa. Before its opening in 1869, goods were sometimes off loaded from ships and carried over land between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

The canal allows the passage of ships of up to 150,000 tons displacement. It permits ships of up to 16 meters (53 feet) draft to pass and improvements are planned to increase this to 22 meters (72 feet) by 2010.

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported that in 2005 18,193 ships passed through the canal producing around $3.5 billion income.

It took us about 13 hours to traverse the canal at a speed of about 8 knots. We formed up s convoy of about a dozen ships at about 3am. We began through at about 6am. I was impressed by the number of military on both sides of the canal. See one of the towers that dotted the banks and a small encampment. One small boat of 3 Arabs in a row boat were rowing parallel to the bank and an army speed boat swooped down on them with sirens blaring. A couple of minutes later a truck on the shore road arrived full of soldiers that piles out to confront these hapless guys in the boat. They really reacted quickly to what I didn’t even recognize was a potential threat.

There were numerous ferrys across the canal for both trucks and cars. There was even a couple of tunnels carrying fresh water from the Nile to the Sinai side under the canal. We have a picture of the only bridge spanning the canal called the Peace Bridge. Since it was built by Japan, it is also know as the Egypt / Japan Peace Bridge. Seems like a few bridges like this built by the USA would go a long way to repair the American image. Maybe we would have a little money for a bridge if not spending on a war.

At dinner that night we also met a couple more Arabs.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS, KARNAK, LUXOR, EGYPT APRIL 7, 2008

2008-04-08T12:33:00.013-04:00

VALLEY OF THE KINGS, KARNAK, LUXOR, EGYPT, APRIL 7, 2008

The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt). The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Luxor, which was ancient Thebes.

Luxor, has frequently been characterized as the “world’s greatest open air museum.” The ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these temples and their presence represents a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. Indeed tourism represents billions of dollars of for the country in total.

At 7am we boarded the 27 buses for Luxor on the Nile and our police security lead convoy began the 220km (137 mile) journey. Since the terrorist incident 13 years ago the government is very careful and protective of its tourists.

After 4 hours of travel through mountains, deserts and finally the small towns bordering the irrigation channels from the Nile, we arrived at The Valley of the Kings.

The area has been a focus of concentrated archaeological and egyptological exploration since the end of the 18th century, and its tombs and burial continue to stimulate research and interest. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. We arrived and were taken to 3 of the 63 tombs: Ramses I, Ramses IV, and King Tut. The best part of the tombs was the fabulous ancient art. The colors after all these years were still bright and vibrant.

We stopped briefly and Queen Hatchepsut to see the amazing structure not too far from the Valley of the Kings.

The Sheraton hotel where we had lunch was right on the Nile and docked was one of the numerous river cruise ships that plied the river from Cairo to the Anwar dam.

In the afternoon we visited the magnificent temple of Karnak and the adjacent temple of Luxor. It is said that about 15% of the treasures of Egypt have been discovered. The ancient 3 km avenue between Luxor and Karnak is currently built over by the modern city. Egypt is trying to buy up the city properties and begin an extensive excavation to discover more of the ancient treasures.

The Karnak Temple was built over two millennia by generations of Pharaohs dedicated to their god Amun. With its Ramses statues, obelisks, and the great Hypostyle Hall including a veritable forest of 164 columns (used in the James Bond film) it could take days to explore.

The Luxor Temple has an avenue of human head sphinx’s leading to the Karnak Temple. Its extensive columns appear in this novice’s eye to be precursors of the famous Greek columns. By the way Athens is our next stop after the Suez Canal.

SALALAH, OMAN APRIL 3, 2008

2008-04-05T07:33:00.007-04:00

SALALAH, OMAN APRIL 3, 2008

The sultanate of Oman is the second largest country in the Arabian Gulf. With the accession of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to power in July 1970 after overthrowing his father and exiling him to England, new era was born, and in the past three decades, Oman’s economy has grown dramatically under the wise and able leadership of His Majesty. It is unfortunate that the Sultan never married and there are no heirs. We heard rumors of the Sultan’s sexual preferences.

Salalah is known as the “perfume capital of Arabia.” The city is a popular destination for tourism due to the natural attractions of the Qara Mountains and abundant stands of frankincense trees lining mountain wadi courses.

We visited the Frankincense Museum and the pictured tree with Judy and I is a rather scrawny affair. We then traveled to Job’s mosque and his mausoleum. Job is an Old Testament prophet and has been made key in the Masonic Orders “Job’s Daughters.” Here are some azaleas with Judy in front of the mosque and a shot of the tomb itself.

We passed a group (herd?) of camels hiding from the sun in the shade of a tree and eating the trade at the same time. After a short bus ride we passed Mirbat's beautiful beaches and arrived at Mughsail, famed for its blowholes and nearby groves of wild frankincense.

The final picture is of what this country actually is…a desert.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MARCH 31 2008

2008-04-04T07:32:00.005-04:00

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MARCH 31, 2008

Evidence of human encampments along the shores near the Strait of Hormuz date back more than 5,000 years, yet details about the ancient nomadic cultures remain sketchy. Each time there is new construction in Dubai, more is found beneath the sands.

A little more than 600 years after Christ lived, Muhammad was born in Mecca, and Islam swept across the Arabian Peninsula.

Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A king rules the country. The king is selected by the 7 sheiks to rule. With the council of 7 sheiks the king rules over the region. The council has not allowed foreigners to own property in the country in spite of the sheik of Dubai’s efforts. Dubai therefore decided to build new land in this emirate in the ocean over which the UAE would not have control. Hence the Palm Islands and the World Islands were created which are for sale to foreigners. Even the spectacular Burj al Arab hotel is built on a reclaimed island. This hotel, which has a cheapest room rate of $1500 per night, will not be profitable for the next 100 years of full hotel occupancy. It was built as a symbol of the new and tourist oriented city of Dubai.

The city and Emaar Properties is currently constructing what will become the world’s tallest structure, the Burj Dubai. The final height of the skyscraper is a closely guarded secret; an indication of the developer’s resolve to attain the title of the world’s tallest building and its intention to hold on to it for as long as possible. Estimates point to a heights upwards of 810 meters. By 17 January 2007 it had reached 100 floors.

Thankfully tradition has not been discarded. A group of old wind tower homes in the Bastakiya district near Dubai creel showcase the inventive Arabian style.

We have pictures of the port of Dubai, the downtown skyline showing the Burj Dubai, Burj al Arab outside, Burj al Arab inside and some unnamed sheik that happened by.

TAJ MAHAL MARCH 29, 2008

2008-04-02T09:06:00.015-04:00

TAJ MAHAL - AGRA, INDIA MARCH 29, 2008

We landed in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and were met at the dock for transport immediately to the airport to fly to Delhi. On arrival in Delhi we were again met and began our 4-1/2 hour drive to Agra. The drive was on a four lane divided highway and the 120 miles should have taken about 2 hours if it weren’t for the camels, water buffalo, elephants, three wheeled taxis (tuk-tuks), pedestrians, and heavy traffic. The drivers use the steering wheel and the horn equally in navigating the vehicles.

We arrived at the most elegant hotel, The Oberoi, and were met by the front entrance staff and after a refreshing drink in the lobby swept away by the front desk staff to our room where we registered. The Taj Mahal was immediately visible from our balcony as it was only 600 meters away.

In the morning we boarded the hotel’s courtesy golf cart to go to the Shah Jehan’s masterpiece the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum in 1653 for Jehan’s wife of 19 years Mumtaz. Their marriage produced 14 children of which only 7 survived. Jehan lived the last 8 years of his life as a prisoner of one of his sons. Aurangzeb, and was confined in the adjacent Fort Agra overlooking his wife’s burial place. He joined her after his death and is buried in a sarcophagus beside her.

After passing through the entrance embattlement the beautiful marble covered dome comes into view surrounded by four smaller domes. The interior boasts marble walls with inlays of precious and semi precious stones and inscriptions from the Koran. While strolling the gardens there are wonderful views of the Taj and that adjacent mosque.

You will see Judy seated on the same bench that Princess Diana appeared in her pensive moments while also visiting the Taj Mahal.

In the afternoon we visited the Fort Agra that held the Shah Jehan. The red sandstone fortress was built by Jehan’s grandfather some 80 years prior to the Taj Mahal. The interior features marble throne rooms, audience halls and a central courtyard with magnificent vaulted colonnades. The same exquisite inlays and carvings are evident in this ancient building as in the Taj Mahal itself

2008-03-27T08:29:00.009-04:00

COCHIN, INDIA MARCH 26, 2008

Cochin is a city on the west coast of India south of Bombay. As a result of successive wave of migration over the course of several centuries, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of the state of Kerala, India and the world. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities. The city has a diverse, multi\cultural, and secular community consisting of Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists. Surprisingly Christians represent 40% of the population. The population is proud of their harmony and diversity.

We were met at the dock by this wonderfully bedecked elephant.

Our tour took us to St. Francis church that was begun by the Franciscan Friars accompanying the Portuguese in 1507. After the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama landed here in 1502 he was later buried in this church in 1524. Get a load of the "airconditioning system" consisting of fans running up and down the church and a rope pulled by somebody outside.

The Paradesi Synagogue here was begun in 1568. The Jewish population is said to date here to 3000 BC when Jews from Jerusalem migrated here to trade in the spices popular in this coast of India. The clock tower of the synagogue is a prominent part of the skyline.

Fishing is a large part of the culture here. The large fishing nets are called Chinese nets because they were brought from China many centuries ago. They are very primitive in their construction with boulders hanging as counterweights. They are however huge things as you can see by the man walking out toward the net to ad weight to lower the net into the water.

Other fishing is by larger brightly painted boats that go out into the ocean for their catch of larger fish. Here are a couple of them coming in and you can see the open hold filled with silver fish.

CHENNAI, INDIA MARCH 23,2003

2008-03-24T12:08:00.005-04:00

CHENNAI, INDIA MARCH 23, 2008

Chennai, formerly know as Madras, it the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai has an estimated population of 7.5 million making it the fourth largest city in India.

Our tour today takes us to the Chettinad Palace. Built in 1902-1912, the palace boasts elaborate use of Italia marbles, limestone and teak. The palace is home to the grandson of the last raja, M.A.M Ramaswamy, a prominent industrialist, who owns the largest stable of racehorses in India. I did not count but there might be from 5000 to 10000 silver cups or awards for every conceivable race 30 to 40 years. Shown are just a few in the extensive collection.

We stopped for tea at the Taj Mahal Connemara Hotel and took a picture of the lovely sky lighted room with urn fountains in the center.

To and from these high level stops we passed thru some of the very poor neighborhoods. The filth and litter abounded and the people seemed to be unaware of it. Before this country becomes a world-class nation something will have to be done about the high level of dirt and garbage.

PENANG, MALAYSIA MARCH 20, 2008

2008-03-22T04:05:00.010-04:00

PENANG, MALAYSIA MARCH 20,2008

Penang is a state in Malaysia located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang may be the most famous island in Malaysia. Priceless architecture centers mainly in Georgetown, the capital of the “Pearl of the Orient”. Its endless rows of 100 year-old shop-houses and colonial villas give Georgetown its distinctive atmosphere.

Penang was venue to several blockbuster movies, such as “Anna and the King” (the Jodie Foster version) and the French film “Indochina” (in which Catherine Denuve starred).

Our tour started with a 197-step climb up the Penang hill to the Kek Lok Si or Temple of Paradise. It is the largest Buddhist temple in South East- Asia and dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and reflects the Chinese influence.

The Reclining Buddha Temple features the traditional Thai Buddhist temple.

The Dharmikarama Temple was a stop representing the Burmese style.

It is funny to be visiting all of these temples just a couple of days before we have one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar Easter.

After a lunch where we were entertained by some very talented Malaysian dancers we traveled to the Penang Butterfly Farm. Here, just as with the orchids in Singapore, I had trouble selecting which of the pictures of these beautiful creatures to attach.

At the end of the visit there was an enormous Rhinoceros Beatle that Judy thought it would be nice to have a picture with.

KUALA LAMPUR, MALAYSIA MARCH 19, 2008

2008-03-19T07:33:00.007-04:00

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA March 19, 2008

Kuala Lumpur entered my consciousness as the home of the twin towers that took the title of the tallest building in the world away from Chicago…unfairly I might add, but that is another story.

The city is the capital and the largest city of Malaysia and commonly referred to as KL. The name Kuala refers to a “confluence” of rivers and the rivers in this town are Klang and Gombak which is where the town is located.

The city is really in a rain forest and there is a hot and humid climate pretty much year round. It is the only city in the world that has a one million year old primary forest within the heart of the city.

As the capital of the country there is the palace of the King of Malaysia, which is a ceremonial position. In the 13 states of the country there are 9 Sultans and these sultans elect one of their number to perform as the king for a 5-year term. Then another one is selected. We visited the palace and got a picture of the guards during the changing.

The country is about 75% Moslem and Islam is the national religion. We visited the national mosque and were allowed to go in with proper head covering and clothing, but with lack of footwear.

I had to take a picture at one intersection of a unique fountain. It was of the carnivorous “pitcher plant” in a huge fountain in the middle of a park intersection. Also observed were the street lights with flowers on them and the lights acting as the stamens.

Finally on the way back to the ship we stopped at a pewter factory Royal Selangor. The metal is hand finished and there craftsman ship is world class. Take a look at www.royalselangor.com.my. We had our picture taken with the Guinness Book of Records holder “Largest Pewter Beer Stein”.

SINGAPORE MARCH 18, 2008

2008-03-19T07:25:00.006-04:00

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE MARCH 18, 2008

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore is an island city-state, located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 85 miles north of the Equator.

The name Singapore was derived from the Malay words singa (lion) and pura (city). The city-state has a current population of 4.5 million and is working to max at 6 million. Citizenship is difficult to obtain for immigrants, but the government is paying significant incentives for families to grow: S$3000 for first child, S$8000 for second up to S$18,000 for the fourth.

In 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in the Sumatran trading center and claimed it for the British. Under his insightful plan and forward thinking guidance the harbor, strategic position and free port status fueled rapid growth. A remarkable man created this amazing city. Another amazing man was Lee Kuan Yew, first Prime Minister of Singapore, who stepped down from his post in 1990. His guidance unquestionably created an economic marvel from a chaotic post WWII colonial state. Singapore’s laws are tough but clear. Jaywalkers, litterers, and gum chewing are fined on the spot. Drug dealers receive the death penalty. There is no denying the system’s icy effectiveness.

We photographed the Merlion (derived from the name of the country) from the a sampan in the Singapore river.

Visiting the Botanical Gardens we were amazed at the beautiful orchids. The national flower of Singapore is the orchid. We took so many pictures but include just a couple.

On to the Raffles Hotel for high tea in the Tiffin Room. We were greeted by Nasaraj the doorman who reminded us of Punjab. This international landmark and splendid hotel of 103 suites that Somerset Maugham once said of it “the legendary symbol for all the fables of the Exotic East”.

KO SAMUI, THAILAND MARCH 16, 2008

2008-03-19T07:21:00.004-04:00

KO SAMUI, THAILAND MARCH 16, 2008

Ko Samui is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand; close the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand’s third largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2.

The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687 under the name Pulo Cornam.

The north coast of the island offers spectacular views and the Ang Thong National Marine Part to the east. On this north part of the island we were escorted to the Four Seasons Hotel for a spectacular gourmet lunch and views from the hotel. It is basically a series of private villas built on an extensive wooded hillside that each has their own pool. Access to and from the central buildings and the beach are by golf cart. Because it was full occupied we were not able to get inside one, but here is a view of one of the pools.

We next stopped at a coconut grove that was manned by teams of monkeys. The monkey master had either trained his monkey himself or sent him to a 6-week school where the monkey learns how to twist the nut on its stem until it twists off and drops to the ground. Of course there is obedience training involved too. The monkeys are hard workers because climbing the trees comes naturally and is kind of fun. They however don’t like to work when it gets too hot so afternoons are usually off. One of your tablemates Linda Russell was brave enough to have the monkey on her shoulder.

Lastly we came to an unbelievable sight. It seems that a monk had predicted the time of his death. On that day he was found deceased in a seated position from his earlier prayers. That was 32 years ago in 1975 and they still have him seated in that position. What is hard to believe is that the body has remained in tact all these years in spite of the excessive humidity. Normally a dry climate is required for mummification. The large number of visitors to see the monk has allowed the pagoda to have enough money available to build this beautiful edifice.

BANGKOK, THAILAND March 15, 2008

2008-03-19T05:40:00.005-04:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND March 15, 2008

Laem Chabang, Thailand is the largest port in Thailand. Now get this:
Laem Chabang is a township of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It covers the tambon Bang Lamung of Bang Lamung district, and the complete tambon Bueng, Sura Sak, Thung Su Khla and parts of Nong Kham of Si Racha district. It is 25 kilometes north of Pattaya and south of the city of Chon Buri. In other words our ship docked 2 hours away from Bangkok.

Thailand (formerly know as Siam) has a monarchy, which is the longest running lineage in the world. The current monarch is Rama IX. It is remarkable that during the time of colonialism and during the WWII the country maintained its independence. For example the French were given part of the country for the promise of a hands off policy. During WWII the country declared itself to be neutral and unaligned. This saved the country from the Japanese invasion and take over, but did allow it to have an encampment of Japanese soldiers in the Lumpini Park in the center of Bangkok.

The elephant has become almost a symbol of the country and even use to be displayed on the national flag. The king was upset once that the flag had been flown upside down once, with the 4 legs of the elephant pointing up in the air. He therefore changed the flag to 5 bars of red white and blue; blue in the middle with first white then red on top and bottom. This way they cannot fly it upside down.

Today we visited an elephant village in Pattaya. They demonstrated the talents of the elephants in moving and handling the teak logs once so plentiful in the Thailand forest. Now due to uneconomic forestry, the forests are all but depleted. They are currently being redeveloped but a mature teak tree takes 60 to 70 years to develop.

The master of the elephant (mahoot) spends almost full time with his elephant. The elephant has the intelligence of about a 6 year old human child. It can learn and retain simple tasks and signals from the master. There are only about 2800 in the wild remaining today.

We later stopped at a “Golden Buddha” shrine. Judy confronted a couple of fierce warrior gods protecting the entrance and I got by them to take this nice picture.

SAIGON / HO CHE MINH CITY MARCH 13, 2008

2008-03-14T21:13:00.012-04:00

DA NANG, VIETNAM MARCH 11, 2008

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DA NANG (CHINA BEACH), VIET NAM MARCH 11, 2008

Vietnam officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. On the country’s east coast lies the South China Sea. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. The country is listed amount the “Next Eleven” economies, according to government figures, GDP growth was 8.17% in 2006, the second fastest growth rate among countries in East Asia and the fastest in southeast Asia.

The name Viet Nam had been used for this country before it became the official name in “Du’dia chi” of Nguyen Trai written in 1435 and perhaps even before. Vietnam is larger than Italy and almost the size of Germany.

When docked at an out of the way place, Chan May, which is being developed as a deep-water port, we were warmly greeted (as noted in the sign) by and orchestra and dancers in full costume. I found the greeting by the fishermen in the round boats with the single oar just as interesting. Who do they row a round boat with a single oar.

We stopped on the tour at very nice museum of Vietnam artifacts; limited collection in a French design building. Near this museum there was a war memorial commemorating the dead of the American vs. Vietnam war. This memorial however was only for the ones killed by the Americans.

Next stop was a Buddhist pagoda. Here Judy got some luck rubbing the Buddha’s tummy and Jim found himself in a line up.

There is a nearby mountain almost fully of marble. They have wonderful sculptures of religious statues, dolphins, free forms etc. We were interested in buying one as they are beautiful and very cheap, but time ran out. We did take a picture of one of the artisans carving tombstones on and embankment of a river. He used water to clear away the chips and let is run down to the river.

We stepped back to modern times for a moment with a stop at the Sandy Beach Hotel. Great beach, and fine hotel facilities right on China Beach.

Lastly, please look at a picture of the ubiquitous water buffalo this time giving the kids a ride.

HONG KONG MARCH 9, 2008

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HONG KONG, CHINA March 9, 2008

Hong Kong primarily consists of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. Hong Kong is bordered the north by Guangdong Province and on the east, west and south by the South China Sea.

The Kowloon Peninsula is attached to the New Territories to the north, and the New Territories spans northwards eventually connection with main land China across the Sham Chun River (Shenzhen River).

Hong Kong was a British dependency from 1840’s to July 1, 1997, when it passed to Chinese sovereignty as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). The British control of Hong Kong began in 1842, when China was forded to cede Hong Kong Island to Britain after the First Opium War. In 1984 Britain and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which stipulated that Hong Kong return to Chinese rule in 1997 as a SAR of China. There was considerable concern for the community pending the Communist Chinese take over, but by all accounts on its tenth anniversary it has be a very successful transition. Capitalism continues to thrive.

We entered the Victoria Harbor on the Queen Victoria with a considerable haze and overcast as you can barely see the red sun in the morning for in the first picture. As we proceeded into the harbor we came across a large suspension bridge. We took this picture, as you will never see the future bridge at this state again.

As we docked we were greeted by the elaborate dragon dance with 15 to 20 dancers.

We boarded our tour and were taken to the vernicular to be transported to the top of Victoria Peak. You can see the tram clearly in the picture but the continuing haze made the photo view from the peak less than optimum.

Our next stop was the sampan tour of the harbor. In the middle of the harbor is a famous restaurant called Jumbo. We enjoyed seeing the luxurious yachts moored alongside the rather shabby watercraft in the “very” working harbor.

We next stopped at the Stanley Market long famous for special prices on some desirable and a lot of not so desirable items. Recently the Chinese government has cracked down on much of the counterfeit/fakes/knock offs. With you eyes open you can still buy special watches and purses not found else ware.

Later in the evening, after we had returned to the ship, we were taken to a special event for world cruise passengers at a private club The Hong Kong Club. Four people entertained us at the club while we were having cocktails: a calligrapher, a caricature artist, a cricket (made of bamboo leaves) maker and a fortuneteller. During the twelve-course dinner of Chinese food dragon dancers, silk dancers and a string trio entertained us. A very special event with Judy being pictured in an object of are outside the club.

KOTA KINABALU MALASYIA MARCH 6, 2008

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KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA March 6, 2008

Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah, a state in Malaysia, as well as the capital of the west coast division of Sabah. Located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo facing the South China Sea with Mount Kinabalu in the background, the city has a population of 532,129 in the city and 700,000 in the urban area. It is the largest urban center in Sabah and the fastest growing and currently the sixth largest city in Malaysia.

Malaysia was founded in 1963 as a Moslem country with 14 states. Indeed their flag has 14 alternating red and white stripes similar to the USA flag. However on the blue field there is a crescent representing the country’s religious foundation.

Kota Kinabalu has a majority population of Christians and just recently was allowed to elect a non-Moslem to the position of governor. In addition the religious sectors in the population, there are many specific heritages stemming from the original native tribes on the island: Kadazans Hill Dusuns, seafaring Bajaus, Muruts. Chinese and Indians entered the country and were a moving force in the business of the state. The government gave special status to the indigenous peoples, the Bumiputras, and are an officially recognized racial group with special status. The Indians and Chinese are not allowed to own property. As a person observation with the various segments of religious, heritage, racial, country of origin, the country seems a very divided (even prejudice) community with little country unity.

On our tour of the city we initially noticed the mosques. The two pictured are extensive and beautiful structures that we are not allowed to go into.

We stopped at a Muzium Sabah which had a clear collection of the dress and customs of the various indigenous tribes. Adjacent to the museum was a Heritage Village with various stilt houses lived in by each of the different tribes. You can see a couple of pictures of Jim and Judy at these sites. Jim is in a pot, maybe reminiscent of the cannibals that use to roam the island of Borneo.

2008-02-29T16:26:00.003-05:00

PORT DOUGLAS, AUSTRALIA February 28, 2008

Port Douglas is a small town far north in the state of Queensland. The town’s population quadruples with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May-September.

Port Douglas is near the Great Barrier Reef. There are numerous companies that run daily trips from the marina to the outer reef and the Low Isles for scuba diving and snorkeling. Port Douglas is also well known for it’s many restaurants, golf courses and five star resorts.

Today we visited a rain forest nature park to see many animals and plants that are not seen at home. We traveled through the rain forest in Army Ducks (really DUKW’s) and then into the water to see some aquatic plants and animals.

When we left the rain forest we boarded a scenic train to come down from the mountain. We traveled along the Barron River. At one point the river fell 1000 feet over the Barron Falls and it was spectacular. The picture we have of it doesn’t do justice to the beauty of the view.

I was particularly interested in the number of different types of termites. One of the species attacks a particular type of tree, the Black Wattle, and only eats the core of the tree. They leave to outside shell of the tree intact. Now the aborigines use this Black Wattle tree for their boomerangs. The aborigines also make a musical instrument called a didgeridoo. This is a 4 to 6 foot long and 3 to 4 inch in diameter straight piece of wood that is hollowed out. The player blows into the end of the instrument like a horn and produces a low buzzing sound. Anyway to make this instrument they simply take a log of the proper dimensions and stick it into a termite nest and in 9 to 12 months the log has been hollowed out and with some finishing touches the instrument is ready to go.

See some of the aborigines with their didgeridoo (see the man on the left) playing it and dancing on the deck of a tender from our cabin balcony.

We have with this stop visited 4 different cities in Australia from Melbourne in the south to Port Douglas in the north. Melbourne is about the same distance from the equator as Chicago and Port Douglas is equivalent to Miami. I am struck by the diversity of climates in the country of which I was not aware. Further to this surprise today we came down from a mountain peak to a seashore town filled with world-class resorts. We have similar resorts in the Miami area, but of course no mountains or rain forests. Again we find unexpected diversity.

BRISBAIN, AUSTRALIA February 26, 2008

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BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA February 26, 2008

Brisbane is a city in eastern Australia, capital of the state of Queensland and a seaport on the Brisbane River, near Moreton Bay. Brisbane was founded as a station for British convicts in 1824. The term POHM refers to Prisoners of Her Majesty and is usually used in a phrase “pohmy bastard” in a fun loving way.

The city is accessible to oceangoing vessels with 2 miles of wharf space. Wool is the chief export. Other leading exports are meat, hides, sugar, dairy products, corn, pearl shell and coal. Brisbane is an important manufacturing center with diversified industries, including food processing, tanning automobile assembling, brewing, and the manufacture of lumber, clothing, tobacco products, boots and shoes and machinery.

We had a chance to tour this beautiful cosmopolitan city with its old Parliament House, the town hall, Brisbane Museum and the buildings of the University of Queens land. In addition there is much modern architecture built for the 1988 World’s Fair which was held in Brisbane.

After our tour we traveled to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Here in addition to the Koalas we were treated to a wonderful exhibit of sheep herding by a master of training dogs to do his bidding. He has these dogs so highly trained they seem an extension of his will. With subtle motions and signals they not only herd sheep but stop, go, sit, stand, lie down, while they are running in the field. They even go jump in the pond at his command. When we owned our sweet and loving dog and I gave her a command, she had no idea what to do. It was as though she was in a different universe, so this demonstration was a real amazement for me.

Judy was very much anticipating holding the Koala. The cute animals were very cuddly. It seemed that this “cuddling” was their primary occupation because they slept 20 hours, ate for 3 hours, performed some bodily functions for part of the remaining hour, which left about ½ hour to be cuddled. Luckily they had 139 koalas in the sanctuary so all could share the laborious cuddling task.

Judy met Specs who weighed about 25 pounds, was very sweet and awakened the maternal instinct in the holder. Specs I’m sure considered the holder more like a tree to which he was trying to get comfortable for a little nap.

Jim tried to get a small kangaroo interested in his hand but evidently the hand did not include food and the animal had seen a hand before and was not interested..

The Rainbow Lorikeets were very colorful as the name would imply and were a treat to see.

Finally we left the park and the koalas were again off duty and sleeping.

SYDNEY Februayr 23 & 24, 2008

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA February 23 & 24, 2008

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. The city was established in 1788 when Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet landed in Sidney Cove and claimed Australia for the British. With a metropolitan population of over 4 million people, it is the most populous city in the country of about 20 million.

Built around Sidney Harbor, which is sometimes considered one of the most beautiful harbors in the world, has on its shores structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which are globally, recognized icons of the city. Sydney is a major domestic and international tourist destination, notable for its climate, famous beaches, culture, renowned landmarks and modern architecture. It is Australia’s main financial center and the skyscrapers of its financial district cluster around Circular Quay, making the city’s skyline one of the most distinctive in the world.

Queen Victoria made her first call on Sydney on February 23, 2008. Her famous sister Queen Elizabeth 2 who is on her farewell World Cruise, made her final call at the port exactly 30 years she made her first call here on February 24, 1978.

We docked at the Circular Quay with Jim and the Queen Victoria. You can also see the Sydney Opera House nearby. We were met by dear friends Barry and Louise Mc Lean and given a tour of the North Beaches, which were the most beautiful beaches with great surfing. See the Sydney Opera House again from the ferry.

On the second day in Sydney Maud, a friend of Barry and Louise, entertained us in her home with a lovely lunch with her friends and family; a warm and welcoming group of new friends.

The thousands of people who visited the harbor on land and sea to see the two queens were absolutely astounding. Take a look at the panoramic views taken from the air of the two Queens. The first shows the QE2 in the fore ground and the second the QE2 is on the right. In both cases the older QE2 has tugs guiding her in the harbor where as the QV tugs are not needed. The vast armadas of smaller pleasure boats were a sight to see.

As we pushed off from the dock and while we make our way out of the harbor the many scene of the mobs of people were memorable.

The last picture is of the crowds at the headlands waiting for a final view as she left the harbor.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA February 21, 2008

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA February 21, 2008

Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria and the second largest city in Australia with a population of approximately 3.7 million.

Melbourne has a world reputation as a very sports oriented city with numerous sports venues that house Formula One Grand Prix, tennis, sailing, swimming, cricket, Australian Rules Football and soccer among others in various stadiums that include a 140000 capacity stadium. Very impressive

Melbourne has twice shared top position in a survey by The Economist of The World’s Most Livable Cities on the basis of its cultural attributes, climate, cost of living, and social conditions such as crime rates and health care, once in 2002 and again in 2004.

We visited the Shrine of Remembrance which is a war memorial initially for the World War I veterans and today to include all of the conflicts in which Australia participated. Special interest is in the statue of the donkey used as a successful field expedient in transporting the injured in the battle of Gallipoly.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are very extensive and beautiful.

The first governor of the area, La Trobe, lived in this 1839 cottage.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND FEB 17, 2008

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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND February 17, 2008

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, the country’s second largest urban areas and the most populous nation capital in Oceania. Wellington stands at the southern tip of the North Island in the geographical center of the country. Wellington is named in honor of Arthur Wellesley, the first duke of Wellington and victor oat the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke’s title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset.

In the maori language Wellington goes by two names. Te Whanganui-a-tata refers to Wellington Harbor and means “the great harbor of Tara”. The alternative name Poneke is often discourged because of a belief that is nothing more than a transliteration of the harbor’s former nickname in English, Port Nick, short for Port Nicholeson.

Today we were taken on a special tour to the symphony hall in the center of town. There we enjoyed a cocktail hour prior to being escorted the the symphony floor. Since there were no chairs they were able to set up a formal dinner for all 80 of us complete with unlimited wine. After the gourmet meal a group of operatic singer entertained for and hour. We then toured by buss to Mt. Victoria which provided a panoramic view of Wellington and it’s harbor.

As a final send off from the port a group of bag pipes and drums serenaded us at dock side. I must say it was a very touching way to say good-bye to the wonderful country of New Zealand

NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND FEB 16, 2008

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NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND February 16, 2008

Napier (Ahuriri in the native Maori language) is an important port city in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. It has a population of 57,000. Napier is the largest cross bred wool center in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest apple, pear, and stone fruit producing areas in the country. It has also become an important grape growing and wine production area.

Napier was struck by a disastrous earthquake on the morning of February 3, 1931. The town was leveled; what remained was consumed by fires. The town completely rebuilt itself using the contemporary Art Deco style of the time. Now the town is still noted for the continuing architectural Art Deco style.

We were lucky to be able to be in port during their ART DECO Weekend. The annual weekend festival this year included the Queen Victoria. During the docking of the QV, a greeting was provided by swarms of pleasure yachts, an overhead air show and thousands of visitors lining the shore docks and overlooking bluffs.

We were amazed to see some of the Vintage (pre-war) antique cars on the dock as we disembarked for a day in the town. There were over 80 of the 350 cars in the rally in town that were on display at the dock. After a pleasant walk to the town, we came upon a cricket game being played by people in 1920-1930’s costume. It turned out the the whole town enjoyed dressing up in some form of the period costume. At a period band shell built along the ocean walk (Marine Parade) they had a full 1930’s band with folks dancing the Charleston and other dances.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND FEBRUARY 15, 2008

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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND February 15, 2008

The Auckland Metropolitan Area, or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. Auckland’s population is approximately 1.3 million making it by far the largest city in New Zealand, with one third of the country’s entire population.

Auckland straddles the volcanoes of the Auckland Volcanic Field. The 50 volcanic vents in the field take the form of cones, lakes, lagoons, islands and depressions, and several have produced extensive lava flows. The volcanoes are all individually extinct although the field itself is merely dormant.

Auckland is popularly known as the “City of Sails” because the harbor is often dotted with hundreds of yachts and has more per capita than any other city in the world with one boat for every four families.

We took a tour of the city and got extensive views of the numerous yacht harbors. We also visited the wonderful Auckland museum. Here one whole floor was dedicated the Maori, Pakeha, the peoples of Oceania. It examines the diversity of Pacific Island communities and the astonishing beauty of the objects they produced.

The visual highlight of the tour was the Sky Tower. At over 600 feet it is the tallest man made structure in the southern hemisphere. At one point they had a glass floor in the observation deck floor. Not many were willing to walk on it except this one who took a picture of his shoes. We then took some pictures at the tower and on the way back to the ship.
Finally we stopped at the New Zealand National Maritime Museum right at the dock where the ship it docked. They have an extensive exhibit of the history of physical boats one of which Judy chose to captain.

2008-02-11T22:59:00.000-05:00

LAUTOKA, FIJI February 12, 2008

Fiji is comprised of 300 islands, two of which, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, comprise more than 80% of the total land mass. The total population of Fiji is 850,000. Lautoka is the second largest city with a population of 30,000. It owes its existence to a large sugar mill (said to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere) and a deep-water port. It may be of interest to note that Fiji produces some of the world’s best sugar.

Today we traveled by bus to the home of the Burness Family. There we learned of the host’s great grandmother and great grandfather who independently traveled from Scotland and met in Fiji in the 1860’s. Their family grew as farmers and they raised sugar cane on their plantations. Now in addition they raise orchids and artheriums. In the first two pictures you will see examples of these plants.

Next we traveled to Viseisei Village which according to legend is the island’s oldest village. The chief of the village had some of the singers and dancers perform for us with much beauty and excitement. A cooperative market in the village helps visitors “discover” souvenirs.

CROSSING THE DATE LINE FEB 11, 2008

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CROSSING THE DATE LINE MONDAY February 11, 2008

For us the date of February 11, 2008 has not occurred.

Today is February 12, 2008. Yesterday was February 10, 2008.

We crossed the 180th meridian, which is the date line. When proceeding west from Greenwich England, one hour is gained every 15 degrees of longitude. Consequently, 360 degrees divided by 15 degrees equals 24 hours, which causes one day to be gained when circumnavigating the globe westward.

When this is done in an airplane it does not seem so significant and is hardly noticed. When it is done on the ocean at 20 knots per hour it has a different relationship and is hard to realize.

There are eleven people on board that have a birthday on February 11, 2008 and those lucky few will not age.

AMERICAN SAMOA -- PAGO PAGO

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PAGO PAGO AMERICAN SAMOA February 9, 2008

Polynesians were exploring and settling in remote islands hundreds of years before Europeans visited the Pacific Ocean. These intrepid explorers set sail with no compass and not knowing whether they would see land again. They had a vague notion of the direction in which new land lay educed from the observations of migrating birds. Travel was in a twin-hulled waka, navigating by the stars and by primitive maps made of sticks and shells.
The life of the peoples of the Pacific is bound up with numerous rituals and traditions. American Samoa is made up of seven islands and Tutuila is the largest. The island is high thin and eighteen miles long. Enclosed by nearly vertical rock walls festooned with tangledltropical vines, the harbor of Pago Pago is in fact a drowed volcanic crater. It is located just east of the date line (180th meridian) and just south of the equator.

It is very beautiful coming into the harbor. On the first picture you can see the high mountains and the harbor curving around to the right. As we curve around with Judy in the picture we can see the harbor opening up to us.

The next picture as we got hungry is from our beautiful table #4 finally approaching the dock on port side.

After boarding a tour bus we made a stop at a rather unspectacular (but I’m sure much photographed) rock linked to a legend about two lovers swimming to the island from another island to escape a cannibal king. They drowned just short of the island hence the two rocks….or so the story goes.

I had to take a picture of this golf course. I will never be able to pronounce the name I’LII’LI.

Finally we arrived at a Samoan village recreation and were treated to lunch, handicrafts, family life, cooking, coconut tree climbing, and of course the Polynesian dancing. This is a picture after getting “leied” (that is receiving our lei). Much Fun.

CROSSING THE EQUATOR FEBRUARY 7TH

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CROSSING THE EQUATOR February 7, 2008

Crossing the Line Ceremony

This ancient tradition of a Crossing the Line Ceremony is intended to commemorate a sailor’s first crossing of the equator. The ceremony undoubtedly owes its origin to ancient pagan rites connected with propitiation of the Greek sea god Poseidon, known to Roman as Neptune. Sailors who had already “crossed the line” are nicknamed Shellbacks, and those who haven’t are known as Pollywogs. Basically the ceremony consists of the Pollywogs being subject to humiliating ordeals largely for the entertainment of the on looking Shellbacks and King Neptune’s court.
These pictures are of the procession of the King Neptune and the Pollywogs “ordeal” undergone to everyone’s amusement. The ordeal is simply being doused by jello, spagetti, whipped cream, etc. and then rinsed off in the nearby swimming pool. All of this is taken in good sprit and fun for all.

HONOLULU, HAWAII

2008-02-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

HONOLULU, HAWAII Febuary 4, 2008

Today we docked at one of the eight islands of the 50th state of the union Hawaii: Oahu.

Oahu (approximately 600 square miles) was first settled according to oral histories and artifacts in the 12th century. The royal court of Kamehameha moved to the island from the Island of Hawaii in 1804 and ruled the island until taken over as a territory and finally becoming a state in 1959.

We took way too many pictures and distilled them down to these 9. Judy is in most of them for scale, plus the fact I kind of like her.

First is the welcoming scene of Aloha Tower. The hula dancers and musicians were out dancing and playing for us as we arrived at 7AM for a very warm welcome.

Next is a picture of Judy with a larger than life bronze of one of the dancers trying to teach her some moves.

Early in the morning we went to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona memorial. We attached a picture of the map of the harbor as it was on December 7th 1941 in the center you may be able to make out the Ford Island. Along the left side is the battleship row they took such a beating including the Arizona.

The 4th picture is of the memorial structure over the ruin of the Arizona hull and the 1000+ sailors still entombed. The 5th picture is of Judy with the Arizona tye up key in the background. The 6th shot is from with in the hall listing the names of those who died that day. In addition there are names of 89 more who survived the attackand chose to have their remains entered with their shipmates; very touching.

The 7th and 8th shot are of the Battleship USS Missouri now moored in Pearl Harbor as a museum. Judy has a special affection for the “Mo” as her uncle served on it and was on board during the signing of the Japanese surrender. He really had some stories.

Finally speaking of the Japanese, here is a picture of a model of one of the aircraft carriers loaded with some of the planes used in the attack.

2008-02-02T11:03:00.001-05:00

MANZANILLO, MEXICO January 27, 2008

Manzanillo’s history as a resort on the Mexican Riviera just north of Acapulco is brief, but the port’s history is as old as the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Cortez first espied the harbor in 1522, when he chose the bay as the site for a shipyard. The city’s maritime heritage continues to this day: Manzanillo is the largest commercial port on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The vast expanse of shipping containers along the bay attest to that fact. It is a bus ride of a couple of miles to get out of the port. What draws travelers, however, is the bay’s scenic beauty; jungle-laden mountains rise above rocky coves and golden sand beaches. The local resort of Las Hadas is the resort where the movie “10” was filmed with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek (especially Bo Derek).

Speaking of Bo Derek, here’s a picture of Judy at a great little park in the middle of the town square in the town of Colina.

2008-02-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

ACAPULCO, MEXICO January 26, 2008

Acapulco de Juarez, Guerrero, Mexico is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 300 km (190 miles) south west from Mexico City. It is the best harbors on the Pacific coast and perhaps the most beautiful.

Today we visited the cliff divers and watched them plunge into the ocean swells form 160 feet in the air at 60 mph. Not only do the divers have to climb up the steep rock wall and time the dive to synchronize with the ocean swells, but they must clear the 12 foot incline from top to bottom. This means that they must push out from their dive position at least 12 feet to clear the rocks at the bottom.

Many Hollywood stars have lived and visited Acapulco over the years. Today we visited Merle Oberon’s villa for lunch and a Mexican Folkloric Festival. The villa itself is beyond description. In a gated community in an exclusive area on the hillside-overlooking Acapulco Bay, the villa could have been an extravagant movie set. The theme of the “Arabesque Villa” was the east and Middle East with Moorish and India influences. High domed ceilings, minaret shaped doorways, horizon pools merging with the bay, exotic bedrooms and water running and falling could be seen everywhere. With its many stairs it certainly was not ADA handicap accessible.

2008-02-02T10:56:00.001-05:00

PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA JANUARY 23, 2008

We first took an old train and then a river boat represented by the above two pictures.

Costa Rica means “Rich Coast” and the Spanish bypassed the country because there were no riches in the form of mineral wealth like gold. However, the country possesses other wealth like climate, diversity of terrains, extensive animal life and location. Being at the crossroads of North and South America the country and it people were the beneficiaries of extensive trade and interaction. This resulted in a very open, industrial and cosmopolitan society.

Today we took a look at a small section of the country first via a narrow gauge short line railroad. We rode on old wooden cars went basically thru the woods emerging occasionally on small housing areas with the inhabitants and children offering friendly waives. We then boarded busses and journeyed over very rough roads to a river in the mangrove area. Since this river opened to the Pacific Ocean it had brackish waters. After a short snack of some fruit and juice, we boarded a boat for a cruise down the river. We saw a lot of wild life: howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, black hawk, blue egret, and others I was not able to identify. Then we saw about 6 crocodiles from the smallest of 18” to a huge 8’ one, all very active in the 12’ deep river.

Then after the brush with the “wilderness” we were back to the ship for a lovely dinner with the flaming crepe suzettes for desert….what a life.

2008-02-02T10:51:00.001-05:00

PANAMA CANAL January 21, 2008

The above pictures of the Panama Canal are in no paticular sequence but represent a wonderful day of an exciting new experience.

We saw literally hundreds of freighter in line waiting for their position to start the crossing. The ocean liners and cruise ships pay for and get a priority in line, so we did not have to wait for the few days to get through. They can pass about 40 ships a day based on cargo/passenger space. The most expensive transit was $314,000 and the cheapest was a swimmer (who took 5 days to cover the 50 miles) at $0.36. I understand the Queen Victoria cost $290,000 and the average is $60,000 each.

In spite of the normal impression that the transit is east to west the experience is that it is more north to south.

JANUARY 19, 2008 ARUBA

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JANUARY 19, 2008 ARUBA

Welcome to Oranjestad, Aruba

Dutch influence still lingers on this balmy Caribbean island, part of the Netherlands Antilles until its independence in 1986. Aruba is a contrast; the island’s arid interior is dotted with cactus and the windswept divi-divi trees, while secluded coves and sandy beaches form its coast. Aruba’s long and colorful heritage is reflected in its dialect. Called Papiamento, it is a tongue that combines elements of Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, African and English.

Ornajestad (English: “Orangetown”) with a population of 26,355 (2000), is the capital of the most important city of Aruba located on the southern coast near the western end of the island.

The town was built around Fort Soutman shortly after it was built in 1796 and Oranjestad has be the capital ever since. The for is still one of the town’s attractions, others being the tax-free harbor and the Willem III Tower, located near the fort. The city is named after the first King Willem van Oranje-Nassau, the first heir to the Dutch House of Orange.

We played the Terra del Sol golf course along the northern coast and it was pretty tough. There was a lot of cactus and sand and the watered fairways and greens. Better to be in the fairway.

We took this picture of the California light house on the northern end of the island in the background. Alongside Judy is one or our table mates Linda Russell from England. It was a pleasure playing with her. Next course is in Costa Rica. We are not sure if we are making the trek being 1-1/2 hours each way.

JANUARY 16, 2008 PORT EVERGLADES

2008-02-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 16, 2008 PORT EVERGLADES IN FORT LAUDERDALE

WE SPENT THE DAY PICKING UP THE REST OF OUR LUGGAGE FROM OUR HOME HERE. IN THE FIRST PICTURE TAKEN FROM THE QUEEN VICTORIA YOU CAN SEE OUR HOME IN THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

THE SECOND SHOT IS FROM OUR HOME TOWARD THE QUEENS. THE QE2 IS ON THE LEFT AND THE QV IS ON THE RIGHT.

THE THIRD PICTURE IS FROM THE QUEEN VICTORIA LEAVING THE PORT AND PASSING THE QE2 STILL AT THE DOCK ON HER LAST VISIT TO THE PORT.

WE WILL SEE QE2 AGAIN IN SYDNEY. SHE WILL GO AROUND SOUTH AMERICA AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL.

2008-02-01T19:09:00.001-05:00

JANUARY 13, 2008 PORT OF NEW YORK

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES

FIRST TAKEN AS WE AWAIT DEPARTURE FROM THE 49^TH STREET PIER WHICH IS THE STREET WE LIVED ON WHEN IN NYC.

SECOND AS THE QUEEN MARY 2 AND THE QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 JOIN US FOR THE FIRE WORKS IN THE NEW YORK HARBOR JUST NORTH OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

JANUARY 14, 2008 AT SEA IN THE ATLANTIC.

WE ARE CRUISING SOUTH DOWN THE EAST COAST OF THE ATLANTIC ON THE QUEEN VICTORIA AND OFF TO OUR PORT SIDE WE ARE STILL SHADOWED BY THE OLD QE2. SHE EVIDENTLY WANTS TO MAKE SURE THIS YOUNG QUEEN CAN HANDLE THINGS BEFORE SHE LETS GO OF THE REINS (reigns)

JANUARY 13, 2008 PORT OF NEW YORK

2008-01-22T14:08:00.001-05:00

JANUARY 13, 2008 PORT OF NEW YORK

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES

FIRST TAKEN AS WE AWAIT DEPARTURE FROM THE 49^TH STREET PIER WHICH IS THE STREET WE LIVED ON WHEN IN NYC.

SECOND AS THE QUEEN MARY 2 AND THE QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 JOIN US FOR THE FIRE WORKS IN THE NEW YORK HARBOR JUST NORTH OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

JANUARY 14, 2008 AT SEA IN THE ATLANTIC.

NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK

2008-01-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

HERE IS COUSIN JENNIFER WITH FINN IN BLUE AND COUSIN DANIELLE WITH ZANE IN WHITE AFTER THE MERRY GO ROUND IN CENTRAL PARK WITH JIM AND JUDY

VIEWS FROM THE CONDO

2008-01-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF VIEWS TO THE SOUTH OF A PASSING CRUISE SHIP.

WE ARE TOLD THAT IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AS TRAFFIC AND PASSENGERS INCREASE, PORT EVERGLADES HERE IN FORT LAUDERDALE WILL BE THE LARGEST PORT IN THE WORLD.

EVERGLADES HOUSE FROM THE AIR

2007-12-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

THIS IS A PICTURE FROM THE AIR OF THE CONDOS AT HARBOR BEACH. OURS, EVERGLADES HOUSE, IS SECOND FROM THE LEFT AND WE ARE AT THE RIGHT HAND END 4TH FROM THE TOP.

THE INLET TO PORT EVERGLADES AND THE ENTRANCE TO THE INLAND WATERWAY IS A CONSTANT STREAM OF WATER CRAFT. HERE YOU SEE THE PLEASURE BOATS. IN ADDITION THERE ARE MILITARY SHIPS, FREIGHTERS, TANKERS, CRUISE LINES AND EVERY IMANGINABLE SIZE AND SHAPE. WE NEVER TIRE OF WATCHING.

We've Moved!

2007-12-06T21:05:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone. This is our blog and to let you know we've moved.

We are now in Florida and it is everything we had hoped for...Judy is happy. Jim is happy and all is good with the world.

The next adventure is to meet the Queen Victoria in NYC on 13 Jan to begin our 105 day sojourn.

January 2008
13
Sun
New York, New York
Depart 5:00 pm
14
Mon
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
15
Tue
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
16
Wed
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
17
Thu
Cruising the Straits of Florida
18
Fri
Cruising the Caribbean Sea
19
Sat
Oranjestad, Aruba
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
20
Sun
Cruising the Caribbean Sea
21
Mon
Transiting the Panama Canal
22
Tue
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
23
Wed
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
7:00 am - 7:00 pm
24
Thu
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
25
Fri
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
26
Sat
Acapulco, Mexico
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
27
Sun
Manzanillo, Mexico
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
28
Mon
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
29
Tue
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
30
Wed
Los Angeles, California
6:00 am - 5:00 pm
31
Thu
Cruising the Pacific Ocean

February 2008
1
Fri
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
2
Sat
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
3
Sun
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
4
Mon
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
7:00 am - 6:00 pm
5
Tue
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
6
Wed
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
7
Thu
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
8
Fri
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
9
Sat
Pago Pago, American Samoa
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
10
Sun
Cross International Dateline - Lost Day
11
Mon
Cruising the South Pacific Ocean
12
Tue
Lautoka, Fiji
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
13
Wed
Cruising the South Pacific Ocean
14
Thu
Cruising the South Pacific Ocean
15
Fri
Auckland, New Zealand \
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
16
Sat
Napier, New Zealand
12:30 pm - 8:00 pm
17
Sun
Wellington, New Zealand
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
18
Mon
Cruising the South Pacific Ocean
19
Tue
Cruising the South Pacific Ocean
20
Wed
Cruising the Tasman Sea
21
Thu
Melbourne, Australia
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
22
Fri
Cruising the Tasman Sea
23
Sat
Sydney, Australia
Arrive 7:00 am
24
Sun
Sydney, Australia
Depart 6:00 pm 25
Mon
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
26
Tue
Brisbane, Australia
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
27
Wed
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
28
Thu
Cruising the Pacific Ocean
29
Fri
Port Douglas (for Great Barrier Reef), Australia
7:00 am - 6:00 pm

March 2008
1
Sat
Cruising the Coral Sea
2
Sun
Cruising the Coral Sea
3
Mon
Cruising the Banda Sea
4
Tue
Cruising the Celebes Sea
5
Wed
Cruising the South China Sea

6
Thu
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
7
Fri
Cruising the South China Sea
8
Sat
Cruising the South China Sea
9
Sun
Hong Kong
8:00 am - 11:59 pm
10
Mon
Cruising the South China Sea
11
Tue
Da Nang (Chan May), Vietnam
7:00 am - 7:00 pm
12
Wed
Cruising the South China Sea
13
Thu
Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam
7:00 am - 7:00 pm
14
Fri
Cruising the South China Sea
15
Sat
Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand
16
Sun
Ko Samui, Thailand
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
17
Mon
Cruising the South China Sea
18
Tue
Singapore
7:00 am - 6:00 pm
19
Wed
Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Malaysia
7:00 am - 6:00 pm
20
Thu
Penang, Malaysia
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
21
Fri
Cruising the Andaman Sea
22
Sat
Cruising the Bay of Bengal
23
Sun
Chennai (formerly Madras), India
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
24
Mon
Cruising the Bay of Bengal
25
Tue
Cruising the Indian Ocean
26
Wed
Cochin, India
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
27
Thu
Cruising the Indian Ocean
28
Fri
Mumbai, India
7:00 am - 10:00 pm
29
Sat
Cruising the Arabian Sea
30
Sun
Cruising the Gulf of Oman
31
Mon
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
7:00 am - 6:00 pm

April 2008
1
Tue
Cruising the Gulf of Oman
2
Wed
Cruising the Arabian Sea
3
Thu
Salalah, Oman
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
4
Fri
Cruising the Arabian Sea
5
Sat
Cruising the Gulf of Aden
6
Sun
Cruising the Red Sea
7
Mon
Safaga (for Luxor/Karnak), Egypt
Arrive 6:00 am
8
Tue
Safaga (for Luxor/Karnak), Egypt
Depart 1:00 pm
9
Wed
Transiting the Suez Canal
10
Thu
Cruising the Mediterranean Sea
11
Fri
Athens (Piraeus), Greece
6:00 am - 11:59 pm
12
Sat
Cruising the Aegean Sea
13
Sun
Naples, Italy
9:00 am - 7:00 pm
14
Mon
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
7:00 am - 7:00 pm
15
Tue
Cruising the Mediterranean Sea
16
Wed
Barcelona, Spain
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
17
Thu
Cruising the Strait of Gibraltar
18
Fri
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
19
Sat
Lisbon, Portugal
8:00 am - 11:59 pm
20
Sun
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
21
Mon
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
22
Tue
Southampton, England

Transfer to Queen Mary 2
7:00 am
22
Tue
Southampton, England
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
23
Wed
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
24
Thu
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
25
Fri
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
26
Sat
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
27
Sun
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
28
Mon
New York, New York
Disembark