Japan

Leaving Kobe

ylad to be on the wat  6:30 Am  and the vibretions feel good.  The internet was down for a week in Japan.  Dont knownwhy.  r. Matt is riding his bicyle on the deck  The Archbishop and Mrs. are walinf round and roound.  Rube and Margret are gossiping in the corner and I am glad to be on the way home.

Kobe Wednesday

 

      The internet  connection is off but I cansyill write inthis blog connection.  Hope I dont lose it as I did two days ago after writing for a hour.   Temperature screening is still going on for an hour.  I will take half a day to finish the disembarkation proceedures.  Much longer than anywhere else.  Altho were are here five days there is less planned than usual.  Two days with no trips.  We are in the city and will have toi get around on our own.  Do plan a trip to Hiroshima on the bullet train on Friday.  We  have made 1000 paper cranes to give to the children of hope.  It was supposed to be a small trip but is growing as there are few options.  Big trips are getting very dificult.   Many people, students and faculty are going indpendently, but not here.  It is too expensive.   Even the rail pass is over 200 dollars.

There was a fireboa  and a brass band as we approached the harbor at 8 AM.   We all marched around  the deck as a thank you to the band.  It was a rousing welcome dispite the rain.

Qingdao continues

    The weather has turned cold, now more breakfast on the aftedeck.  Actually wore my black silk underware under my jeans {thank you Amy).     Visit to the Childrens Palace was outstan.ding.  This isan afterschool and weekend program sponsored by yhe government.We went on a Sunday morning and the many classes were packed.  Rverythig fromtable tennis, to violin,ballet, tai quan dow, watercolor, and Chinese dance.  The large classes were well disciplined and the rooms were ringed with parents.  The one child policy produces devoted parents.  Thonly two  children I saw were twins.    We werre not taken to the industrial districts or the workers barracks.   The six and ten story apartment blocks were extensivs.  Pocket parks dotted the area and street corners were taken up by men playng cards.  They will have to tackle the smog problem before the Olympics.

Qingdao, China

   Easternmost city of China.  Once a German colony.  Red roofed old town and brewery started by the Germans.  Now Tsingdao Beer is the leadingbeer o China.  Thetour through the brewery was the most spectauler sight they could produce.  It is a vast operation now jointly with Anhauser Busch.   Sponsor of the sailing Olympics for 2008.  The shorefront is beautiful and should be a peerfect venue but there was not a T-shirt in sight.  Very disapointed.  Never thought I would feel that way about a T- shirt!  The park is dominated by a huge red sculpture Independence Day-May 4  1919 when China got the city back from Japan.        Returned in nthevening  with Mary and Michel Weill  for  dinner.  Chose the most brilliantly lit restaurent on the strip.  Live fish and shellfish in the entrancway,  30 platters to choose from to see how it will be prepared' We selected three and waitwed  with our pitcher of Tsingdao beer.  The fish was grilled with tangy sauce,the spiced prk was on a bed of perfect broccoli 

Leaving Vietnam

      It was a very fast trip,  one day Saigon 3 days cambodia , ond day Saigon.  Hard to catch your breath.   Cambodia was everythihg expected and more.  The ancient relic of Anchor Wat permeates the culture.  Everyone comes to Siem Reap (city) to pay their rerspects.  one Hundred hotels have been built in the last 2 years.  There are over  adoxen major sights nearby,  we touvhed on 5 but passed many more.  This is all overlaid by tourism.  There are many other sights in Cambodia and perhaps it is better to seek out others.  Cambodias Hope is an orphanage ouside Phenom Phen  supprort ed by former SAS students.  Worth a visit a base to contribute some medical know-how and find less exposed sights.  They also have a base at the beach 80 miles away.   The folklore dance group rivals the one we saw at the dinner presentation.  Must come back.

  Cambodia is behind Vietnam in industrial ddevelopment but moving fast.  Saigon may be moving too fast.  The industry outside the city requires massive nunbers and they are all excited by Intel building a huge investment.  They will carry alot of investment along with them.  But the many dressemakesrs  still produce beautiful clothes to exact measure in three hours.   The mens suits are outstanding of fine wools with silk linings.  There is so much competition it is hard to choose. 

Vietnam

      Four hours going up the Saigon River.  The broad delta with few fishing boats gradually narrowed and became very busy.   Freighters loaded with containers going in both directions,hpuse boats with families.  The shores with tall lifts grain cylinders  long wharfs with barges along side.  As theriver narrows the traffic increases.   Alond the dock ten Vietnamese dancers are waiting to welcome.    The first view of the town is streaming motorcycles,  endless lines going in several directions at once.  We were told to cross ingroups and go slowly in a straight line.  The downtown district #1  is still called Saigon even tho the

town is Ho Chi Min City.  The women on motorcyles wear masks and long gloves to protect tnem from the sun.  It is considered advantageous to be lighter skinned.  Families with three childrenall ride on one motor cycle.   Lunch at Maxims a fancy restarant left over from the French era but with excellent Chinese food.      New york time is 12  hours behind- much easier to keep track.

Explore at sea Most of the voyagers have left the ship to explore China, Beiging, the Great Wall. Only 66 on board and we are having a proper cruise for two days. Dinner is served nightly in the main dining roomand every one dresses in thei Vietnam finery. We play bridge all moning and watch movies in the afternoon. Totally decadent. My friend Pat has left me her cell phone and it is a delight to be able to talk to everyone. A phone is a must onthei trip to keep in touch. When I wanted to make a local call in Hong Kong a g irl on the street seeing my dilema gave me the proper coin. I miss the lectures but will start again in Qingdao. Thelast port for cheap shopping. We have beenspoiled by the extraordinary variety. Japan will be quite different. By the way Tin Tin comics were all over Cambodia in every language!

Leaving Vietman

Angkor WatCambodia

.. Exhausting but fabulous.  Five Temples in two days  plus a trip down the Siem Reap canal  to see the  lake people.  They live on boats canoes and   barges   that rise   up thirty feet in the monsoons.  The floatng school and restaurant too.  They now do fish farming and raise crockodiles but it is still marginal..         Arrived at the Temple at 5 am to see the sunrise  I went in alone as everyone waited for the sun.  An hour alone was magical  all the dancers . buddhas and carvings seemed alive.  Then the rain came with the grey clouds, and no sun.   Hordes of people thronged thru the passageways  but I had my private time.  Each suceeding Temple added to the glory of a time long past.  The jungle had captured  many of

the structures and many are being restored by tha Japanese Germans Fren chand Koreans  not the Americans.  Many small children  but no teenagers  it is only in the last ten years that there is peace.  The internet is much faster with the ship empty but I must go for my last day in Saigon.

Angkor Wat Cambodia

Saigon, its Jumping

    Ifthetraffic doesnt get you the hawkers will.  You get off the bus and they are ready and waiting.      Three hour trip up the  Rive r Saigon was levely in the early morning.  Fisherman hauling their nets while freighters loaded with containers passed on the other side.   As we approached our berth a dozen dancing girl were twirling their umbrellas .  We toured the history mueum which proved that the delta was settled in prehistory.   Thena performance of the Water Puppets  dancing on a water stage.  The story goes that the area is flooded for four months of the year so they had to figure out some entertainment.   Then the former preidental Palace with conference rooms seating 100.  An underground war room was such alabyrinth that 6 of us got lost for 20 minutes.     Lunch was at a glamorous French restaurant  Maxims  but it was totally Vietnamese.  Seven courses but I couldnt sat what we were eating..  Then the Post Office where you could make phone calls but it was 5 am in New York, so I passed.

Bunkering Singapore

Steam Hot Penang

Vary hot so it is only possible to be out in the morning.  Thei mix of cultures in Georgtown is interesting but you soo relaize it ia all orruring in four square blocks.  The rest of the city is being swallowed by malls and condominiums.   The trips outside the city were great-fish farming. exotic fruits and spices.  But they have cut all the teak trees to make way for  palm oil trees  the future for biodegradable fuel.  They have the second longest suspension bridge the second largest computer chip exporters and hope to

 be a first world country by 2020.   International phone calls were impossible but everyone is talking on a cell all the time.  The peninsula will have free wifi next year.

Steam Penang

Penang, Malaysia

Exploring Chennai

Visited northern India 15 years ago with Christine,nJeff and Amy soelected to stay in southern India Chennai and environs.  Chariot of the Mylapore Temple complex getting painted for the ten day festival.  All the Hindu Gods and Goddesses repaintedin their multi colors forthe parade that starts at 6 in the morniing.  Mencome to prayall day and fast untilevening..Flowere garlands of jasmine perfume the air.   13*58.2N   80*17.74* E   Docking port side with welcoming band rh outside my deck.     Shopping with Lynn in Spencer Plaza--High rise mall 5 stories with interior atrium.  getherAll types of shops jumbled.  Magazine  INDIA tODAY PACKAGED WITH business week and india travel all for 20 ruppees 40cents and inlcluding an asperin tablet!s

  Working Womens Forum 26 years old  granting to women micro loans usiness.   Join in .goups of 6 friends.  peer pressure to repay  Interest rate of 18 % deminishes with good experience. 

Away India

It was a magical place.  The sights sounds honling horns people the students returning to the ship each day in Indan dress,all embracing the magic.   Driving from the city along three lane divided highway IT centers on both sides.shiny buildings with thtched huts at their base. People going to work in starched white shirts  sor pants.or saris.    Many schools colleces and universities, engineering rrcolleges. Motorcycles and tuck-tuckes  three wheeled taxis or motrocycle with framed seats  Rural farm Hindu house has prayer room set  aside for daily prayers..Grandfather portrait with lights next to the tv which is always on. Small vegetable plot in back.  Ride bullock cart  to  tfkor us to drinhe fields.  Cut rice for the harvest.  Farmers wear madras cloth skorts and white shirts.  Peanuts and coconuts. He climbed the trees and thew down green coconuts for us to drink.   All the children go to school and are enticed with breakfast and lunch.  Monsoons are not as steady as they used to be and crops are poor.

Chennai India

Just two days in India and the world looks different.  It is great to be on land and doing some sightseeing, even in a bus with thirty people.  City of Chennai is a sprawling mix of small towns.  The most impotant feature is the long metropolitan beach second only to Rio in the world.  It was an empty stretch of sand in the dat but at night it came alive with people. Famitlies with children. religious groups chanting, cricket games and long lines of stalls selling every kind of foods barbeque, fried dumplngs corn on the cob and on and on.  It is the life of the city but only when the sun goes  d               Religeon is all over the  city fronm  Hindu shrines  buddhist temple Catholic churches .  Every little shop is another dealer in something from saris to computers.  Luck it was Sunday so the bus could get thru..The people live above their shop much like Brazil.  These countries of many small entrepreneus are switch ing rapidly from brooms to cell phones.  I mad several calls from an unbrella stand set up on the dock with three cell phones.  On e dollarr American for three mionutes          .                          

Chennai

The days are long but we do have fun

TRY THE Anything but clothes dance.   You must were somethying but not clothes or anything from yhe ship.  How about hats, momeo sheets glued together, papernapkins  hats or what have you.

Mauritius after the storm

It was quite a night on the edge of cyclone Indlala.  Thg.  Water bottles. remote controlsllyine ship wastossed and thigs wew fl down and we sighted Runionying,   anything not nailed down.  By morning it had calmeddoe north We edged inside hwn  and we sighted Reuni       the on.    Mauritius about 11 am  Wind blowing about 35 knotsfrom trom the north  we edged inside the reef and the large harbor swollowed us up.

Equater almost backMarch21

Long days at sea  made lively by the sea olympics.  Alond day of competionb by the ten "seas"  that  represent the corridors of the ship

continuing at sea

The sea olympics was a wild day on board.   Starting with the flag and cheering contest with each of ten teams marching g  intheir colored T shirts and bandanas.  I was one of three judges a difficult task to choose among the turtles sharks, yellow submarineetc.  The the tug of war. theslippy-slidycontest the ping pong contest, trivial persuit ending with the lip synch contest which was hilariuos,  everything from strip tease to barbie doll.

sighted land, an island south of India

Lat 7.1S  Long 72.24E  The sea is calm and we are continuing study days alternating  A and B.  Most days I start with coffee on deck then 15 minutes of spinning bicyle riding followed by breakfast.  the best meal  cereal with yogu rt eggs any one of three ways on alternayting days and more coffee.    Global studies a required course talks about the places we have been and where we are going.  All in geographic or historical context.  Also touching on poltics and the sustainable planet. Local speakers come on board between ports to give their views of the contempoary scene.   Then some work on the computer, mostly frustrating.   Lunch outside on the afterdeck with either friend faculty os students.   A large plate of lettuce is the centerpiece plus mixed beans rice fritta or fish.  It doesnot sound too good but it really is.  Fresh fruit which I usually save for later..Two classes in the afternoon followed by an hour of pilates a  metting of the life long learners (which is really a cocktail Hour)  I have given it up for the voyage.  We have show and tell after each port but most LL are pretty dull.  One is collecting masks at each port and they are interestng.   Followed by supper, much like lunch.  But you never get too hungry because you dont do too much.   Evenings have an entertainment a film some bridge or whatever.  We lose an hour every other day so the nights are short.

Time Change

 

Tring to one of the shrinesonite we advance the clocks one half hour for India.  Do you know why they do it that way?     The sea was calm as we crossed the equator today.  Bright sunshine and very hot.  5 oclock cocktailparty on the seventh deck for Marys birthday.  It was memorabls to sit out with a dozen friends and cross the equator.     The we had a class in making paper doves in oragami to bring to  one of the shrines in India.  Everyone is excited to get to land after 8 days at sea.   Manyclasses are having exams as we are about at the halfway point  .   I have been comparing guide books and found a restaurant that all three said is the best in Chennai--I will put together a party one night,

Good morning

It is 6 am after another time change.  The only way to get on line.  Sorry I wont be in N.Y. when you are.  How about summer plans maye=be after camp.

After Mauritius

Itwas a great visit to this distant island capped by the brightly colored fis swimming in the Indian Ocean.   Blue Bay was a beautiful lagoon circled bt palm trees.  We entered the water in a glass bottomed boat and floated over giant corals then snorkeled among brightly colored fish.

Happy Birthday

At Sea March 12  Happy Birthday to you and  island  this is independence day.  We have two more day at sea.  This is reputed tobe the most turbulant area of the sea and it is.  Overslept to the crashing of the waves.  I am lokking forward to this port a very unusual place with  island widw wifi free and an import export zone .

continuing Saturday

We are stii rocking and rolling

March 10

New method of blogg post  will be quick and easy.

WednesdayMarch7 Just retuned from tour of the Cape Flats area between Cape Town an d the Peninsula. Area o f sand dunes and scrub vegetaiotn mostly the Australianacacia trees. A small demonstration site is set aside by Cape Flats Nature Preserve to educate peoples of the area to importance of native shrubs and plants to the area. This is the most heavily settled area now housing over 250,000 peoplein 10 by10 tin shacks. Another 1000 arrive eachday. The government provides water and sewer and they movein. There are no jobs and little transport . Business spring up from hairdressers to tire repair shops and the people live on hope. They are destroying the dunes and when winter comes the wind and sea will flood all this area. The Nature Preserve employs some women in the reforestation programs. Some schools are being built but it a race against Hivaids. At the other extreme we touredthe Kirstenbosch B otanicalG ardens one of the most beautiful in the world. The gardens and planting are extenssive but it was difficult to leave the other images.

Saturday,March10 atsea. Rocking and rolling one hand for th e shipthe waves are not very big but the rollers are huge. The Captain just announced the elevators are shut down and the outsihde deckens are closed. It is a day of no classes so all the students are sleeping in to catch up from river rafting, bungee jumping and wine tasting, none of which I did. Theglasses in the bar arte jingling like wind chimes. Stillin the commercial harbor of Capetown waiting for refueling. This huge basin ceould hold fifty freighters but is quite empty. Not much commercial shipping. Trip to Cape Nature Preserve a small plot of about 10 acres being reclaimed from the acacia trees. Local women are employed rushto clear the bldrerush and plant seedling of native species. It is a small starrrt toward microemployment. School chil dren are brought in study reclaiming the land around thr factories. Further down the peninsula the Cape Flats are bulldozed to provide more area f or the 1000 people a dayt arriving from the farms. Four privveys back to back are erected a from nd connected with electricity. From overhead wires. Then the squatters erect their tin sheds around. 10 to a group with no space between. On and on for several miles They become etabllished villages providing whatever they need for each eryother. Transprt is by jitney busses the look they would breakdown from the load . PreprimaysEducationis as far a.s it goes

Wed. 2/28/07 approaching Cape Town South Africa thaw weather is cloudy and the seas rough as predicted. The Indian Ocean is flowing over the Atlantic and clouds and rain are produced. Lecture today by Desmond Tutu, very charismatic speaker who carries hisaudience along with jokes and stories. As chief of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he was He was instrumental in preventing a blood bath in South Africa. I wonder what he would say about Iraq. Visited the Bridge all automatic and tied to gps. Generators use 16000 gallons of fuel each day to make water and supply airconditioning. The are always a pair of eyes looking for whatever the radar misses. Alarms and firedoors are automatically coordinated. Always carries paper charts to backup the computer. Advance the clocksone hour again tonite these 23 hour days are difficult with all mandatory meetings in addition to the classes.

Salvador Brazil 12*5729N 38*30.59W Major pry city I northern part of the country. Have ost much of the typring that I did but have my notes. Old city on high cliff access by elevator free during Carnaval . Favellas homes of poor set very clos together surround The town. Squatters are alowede to occupy atny vacant space for three years then the govt wilol bring I water and sewers, May build up to 5 stories and they own the property. No outside yards overcrowding brings crime. Trip to Itaparica Island by converted fishing boat- two masts no sails island and snorkel no fish a volcanic isinssland. Harbor inside breakwater many cruising boats from around the world this is where they resupply. Good local food beans and rice, Pelorinho, old town many churches closed due to Carnaval.also museum an d post office. Carnaval viewing from platformalong ing thrshitteam te route central location=most noise. Continuous line of huge semi transport vans loaded with amplifiers. And fans all wearing the team t eac shirt. The t shirt is your ticket. Rock star ocn each truck blasting away. Colorfull costumes have givenway to t shirts. Dinner at typical barbeque restaurant with meatofs served on swords like Central Ave. Steady line of cruise ships at least 7 enterred port for the last day o carnival then left. Many gemstone store4 around the square. Brazil exports largest quatities and qualities resourses of the coutry are vast. Bolsa Famalia credit card with money given poor families for income a start o n redistributuion the socialist scheme. nWe lost another hour last night.Now at sea for eight days to South Africa.

Noow Braxil is doing onw in Salvadoe Arrived 7 am and still havent been able to get off the ship. Immigration wanted to see everyones face. I want to make a phone call but the companies are limited to the state company. Will try to call collect . The trip isgreat so far I will take a tour with the global studies prof to see h of Because on globaliztion.ow Brazil is doinggh onglobalization. Carnival has everhing shut dow including the markets and shops. I have a tour to Carnival, one to an island in the harbor and one to the country. If nothying else I am learning the computer.Everything is great and if I dont call here I will on thr high seas . The snow seems Quite hot and hmbut at 12 degrees northlatitude it is very hot

One day to go to Salvadore. The classes have beeninteresting but we are all ready for a change The satellite has been cown all day but I will try to write and send a long message.

I am on WORD TO WRITE WHAT I WANT TO SEND THE COPY AND PASTE FOR THE Blog..a

Hi everyone. I found out how to accsess th Blog. I did not get lost at sea. Will send more later.

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aboard m.v.explorer. here I am ! Quite an elegant ship. A dorm room was nver like this. Gary was my porter and my things will only fill half the space. The dining rooms are extensive the swimming pool is tiny and everybody very friendly. We met Archbishop Tutu in the lounge surfing the web.

marc is helping me with posting pictures. he is so fast i can hardly follow his fingers.

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First Stop Ft Lauderdale. Travelling through security with a computer made all my organizing of packages fall apart. But the security camera would not let me go --it turned out the metal hair clips were setting off all the bells. lauderdale yacht club is having four day reggatta starting today. 25 lasers on the line sailed by college freshmen and 15 Finns from around the world-Ireland, Spain, Great Britian, and the USA.

Just 1 week togo. As the temperature drops to minus 1 I keep looking at Brazil wherre it is 75. Packing is difficult.We will be there just in time for Carnival- need a dress and Samba shoes.

Countdown to departure. Leave New York Jan.31 for Ft .Lauderdale for short visit. Gary will go with me to Nassau where I board the M.V.Explorer for 100 days around the world in the Southern hemisphere. Next stop Puerto Rico.

It is now the new year and a new beginning. Mamaroneck looks like fall but the snow will come soon. But by then I will be off to the southern hemisphere and continued summer. I still have to learn the camera and the computer but it takes practice.