2017 - Cruise: Bangkok to Abu Dhabi
Above: My Alaska Arctic Circle cap and Isle of Man TT jacket.
Cathay Pacific Lounge. O'Hare
International Airport. Chicago, Ill. 03 April 2013.
Chicago.
Murder capital of the US. Sanctuary City. Oxymoron?
Good for transit.
Less for visiting?
More than one Chicago friend has told us
that even Michigan Avenue area, down town, is not particularly safe these days. We know a lot of Chicago people. We haven't polled everyone.
Stephen D. Taylor traveling to Hong Kong international Airport from Hong Kong International Airport 停機坪.
April 4 at 1:59pm · Hong Kong ·
Last time in HK was in 06 on way to Ulan Bator and a motorcycle ride (BMW Funduros) in the Gobi desert. Had breakfast with HK resident Torquemada at the Pen where Torq ingested 15 or 20 homeopathic pills to supplement his omelet.
Above: Two images from hotel room window. One night, the other day. "King Klong?" From our hotel (Royal Orchid Sheraton Bangkok). 04/05 April 2017.
1st visit to Bangkok in fall '63. Dined at home of Tim Wang Lee, Bangkok business man and former student of my dad at BYU. My first multicourse (8 or 9 courses) meal. Gekhos were walking all over the walls of the dining room. A cultural eye opener for this Happy Valley raised, recent high school graduate. Accompanied by Mom, Dad, and Buh.
2nd visit to Bangkok (this is really a Calcutta story) was 10 years later (1973). TIMDT, Mwah (sic), 3 year old FeeBee, and newborn, Rudy Jr., departed for Bangkok from the old Dum Dum airport in Calcutta around midnight. The Dalai Lama and his entourage of monks was in the departure lounge awaiting a flight to Dharmsala, the Dalai Lama's home city. One of the monks came over to us and asked if the Dalai Lama could hold six week old Rudy Jr. We passed Rudy Jr. over to the monk and watched the 15 or so monks hover around their leader as he held our baby. Thankfully, the monk returned Rudy Jr. a few minutes later.
Significant story considering the well known quest of the Dalai Lama to find a newborn to be his heir.
Above: Bishop evaluates1033 Foundation scholarship applications. Sheraton Hotel Bar. Bangkok, Thailand. 05 April 2017.
Applicants are sons and daughters of Utah cops. Love these kids and their respect for their parents. In a world where beaucoup bad or no parenting produces a troubled generation, these 45 kids are exceptions. They foreshadow a more hopeful world than I sometimes imagine as I survey the "bigger picture." Kudos to Tore and Mona Steen for championing the 1033 effort. Proud to support them. — at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers.
Above: Big Bangkok Billboards. Bangkok, Thailand. 06 April 2017.
Above: Buddah and TIMDT.. — at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 06 April 2017.
Above: Jade sculptor with his sculpture. Chaing Mai, Thailand. 06 April 2017. Complex sculpture at right can be had for $40K.
Above: Orchid wall. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 06 April 2017.
Above: Rider's Corner, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 07 April 2017.
Go to place for American motorcyclists in Thailand. Dr. G haunt. He sent me there. NE corner old city. Rider's Corner is on the northeast corner of the old city. The square old city is surrounded by a moat. On either side of Rider's corner are located motorcycle sales, rental, and apparel stores.
Above: Bishop at Rider's Corner, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 07 April
2017.
Above: Helmet display. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 07 April 2017.
Above: Bishop at Wat Chiangmun, oldest temple in Chiang Mai. 1296 AD.
Note the black and white bunting at the temple entrance. Bunting is seen throughout the country as a symbol of mourning for the revered Thai king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October of 2016. The bunting is not taken down for a year after the king's death. The king lies in state for a year whereupon his remains are cremated in a temple built specially for the occasion.
In lieu of going on the pre-planned trip to the elephant encampment, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) walked around the old town of Chiang Mai this AM. Huff puff. Walked about four miles ending the walk at noon when outdoor temperature was 90 degrees. Felt good though... even though I napped most of the afternoon.
Thailand is an enigmatic place for me. I don't have any real experience here other than a half dozen times as an "in and out" tourist. This visit to Chiang Mai is my first time to northern Thailand. It seems good to tick Chiang Mai off on the travel list. The reverence in which the Thai's hold their king seems to be a reflection of the monarchy's importance to the Thai culture. Culture, here, in other words, seems strong... intact. Outwardly, as we walk around Chiang Mai, the people seem friendly, ordered, and peaceful. We get offers for cab and tuk-tuk rides, but the touts are friendly... not pushy. I know there are some negatives. There is a thriving underage sex trade in Thailand. The climate (heat) is punishing. Reminds of our three years living in Manila. I'm glad I came... but, there are other places to see before I make a return trip. And... i do make return trips. I love Alaska, India, and Marfa, Tx. As far as new places to see are concerned, Panama Canal is on my bucket list.... Cabo... Cartagena.. West Africa.
Addendum:
Your pics are great especially of the mountain trail.
Bridge,
Palm Beach, FL
Notwithstanding your complaints, Deer Valley will always be the best place to ski (no snowboarders).
Rudy Jr.
Salt Lake City, UT
Good to see you smiling, Steve
Joe, Sydney, Australia
CONGRATS on the 1MM vertical- enjoying sharing a small part of that
Nice pictures.
Montage, Marina del Rey, CA
Wondered if you were there I was in heaven on the lower slope's this morning till 1130. Excellent even some sunshine. V
Odd, I found this in my Spam box, which I seldom look at (too much Russian s** emails). Must have been some cosmic thing that vectored me there.
Boats, trains, planes, buses, taxi, tuk-tuks, and motorbikes - you could write a book, the hook being looking out through a window versus moving outside the window.
I've a two week road trip ahead, and it snowed here in Mile High today - called the Mrs. two days ago and she was complaining about how hot it was in Chiang Mai.
If you've a few minutes while in Chiang Mai, stop in at The Rider's Corner (NE corner of the moat). Owner and Thai wife took on the local expat mafia and have done well. I helped a bit, putting them on the map. They let us (me) HU guys/gals use their place for two nights each year. Buy a T-shirt, drop my name with Phillip or Som, tell them you're in my inner circle of Big Dog existential economists.
While you're cooking at 95 F, I'm at 35 F here, looking at 550 miles through Wyoming, wondering why I didn't become a car junkie instead of a motorbike addict.
Best,
Dr. G
Above: Cabin. Seven Seas Voyager. Pattaya, Thailand. 08 April 2017.
Above: Shot from cabin. Seven Seas Voyager. Pattaya, Thailand. 08 April 2017.
Above: 'Cake, Tucson, Fenway. LSDM. Wasatch Bagel, 08 April 2017.
"At breakfast today with the executive committee. Where the hell is our leader?
Discussions on Scott's Korean war fighter pilot Dad, Tom Waits and summer entertainment here and SLC. Out of here today to Scottsdale for family and Restaurant Leadership Conference."
Above: Baby Elephant Park. Ko Samui, Thailand. 09 April 2017.
Gnat is there. It's just hard to see it with the naked eye.
Above: Bishop. Buddhist temple. Wat Plai Laem. Ko Samui, Thailand. 09 August 2017.
Bishop gapes, mesmerized at what he sees as his mirror image.
Above: TIMDT at Buddhist temple,Wat Plai Laem. Ko Samui, Thailand. 09 April 2017.
Meanwhile, TIMDT channels the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Quan Yin, imagining the ultimate visit to Neiman Marcus.
Above: Ko Samui locals watch cock fighting on TV. Ko Samui, Thailand, 09 April 2017.
Bishop, bored with monkey show, joins locals for cock fight TV. Between fights, locals go crazy placing their bets. Lots of yelling and screaming.... money flying to and fro. Ko Samui, Thailand.
Cock fights illegal in US. Killing off pre born and NFLers dying 20 years early from brain tumors OK
Above: Tree climbing monkey with coconut prize. Ko Samui, Thailand. 09 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT at lunch. Bhundhari Spa Resort & Villas Ko Samui, Thailand. 09 April 2017.
Koh Samui is a vacation spot island. Lots of tattooed western men with colored hair riding around on motorbikes, with cute local girls riding pillion.
Sister island to Pukhet, one and a half hour ferry ride away.
David and Victoria Beckham own a $10MM house here.
Interesting stop. Been to Thailand before, but Ko Samui and Chiang Mai were new places for me.
PS. Power lines in image indicative of Thailand's continuing status as a "developing" country.
10 April 2017 - No image. At sea on the Seven Seas Voyager. Getting to know the boat.
Addendum:
You are the real globe trotters!!
Zibby,
New York City, NY
I love the Chicago Symphony Orchestra!!!
Music in the Mountains,
Fond du Lac, WI
I thought of you as I cruised down the easy blue and empty slopes. Spectacular seemingly "private" runs!! I asked mike if I could stay back it was so good. He vetoed that idea and I am in New York which is also fabulous and the rain has ruined the snow says my neighbor. Interesting story on your encounter with the Dalai Lama.
Comic Mom,
New York City, NY
Above: Singapore pre dawn. 11 April 2017.
Image from 11th aft deck of Seven Seas Voyager.
My third visit to Singapore.
The first was circa 1977 when TIMDT and Mwah (sic) visited our friends David and Dianne, Harvard Business School classmates and LDS Cambridge Ward-mates.
In Singapore, David was working for First National Bank of Chicago (FNBC). He stayed with FNBC, living later in Hong Kong, until the late '80's and moved to Salt Lake City, where he engaged in various activities, including starting a private equity fund and working as CEO for one of the brine shrimp businesses operating at the Great Salt Lake. In both of these activities he leveraged his Asian experience, in the first instance attracting Chinese investors to Salt Lake City based start-ups and in the second, parlaying his knowledge of the far east (he was fluent in Mandarin) with the Asian customer base... private fisheries... with his highly desired brine shrimp product.
David's professional experience in Salt Lake was not a happy one. One of his Salt Lake City based private equity investments was run by a fraudster, ironically, his old Hong Kong LDS mission president. Because of the fraud.... spec concrete mausoleums fraudulently constructed of wood... his fund blew up and his Asian investors were left hanging.
David sued his former mission president for fraud and after three years of legal wrangling won his case. By that time, however, the mission president had declared bankruptcy and there was no money to be had.
The fraud experience was hard on David and his family. As a devoted Mormon, David's experience with his prevaricating mission president strained his relationship with his church. That fellow church members sided with the mission president when David undertook legal action furthered David's anguish about his religion. The mission president was close to Mormon royalty, having been the contractor of LDS church president Gordon B. Hinkley's private residence.
After the private equity experience, David hired one of his good friends to help him with the brine shrimp business... and later, inexplicably, fired him. The firing led to a permanent rift between David and his friend, who, up until that point, had shared a strong bond with one another since their experience as LDS missionaries in Hong Kong in the mid '60's.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) lost touch with David and Diane in the mid 90's.
Circa 2000,we were later to learn, from David's estranged friend, that David had taken his life while living with his oldest son and his family in Dallas, TX. I attended a memorial service for him in Salt Lake City, shortly thereafter.
Above: Moonrise over Singapore. Pre Dawn. 11 April 2017.
Image captured from aft 11th level deck of Seven Seas Voyager.
My second visit to Singapore was circa 2011. Singapore was the tail end of a month long cruise starting in Athens.
Then, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) stayed in a spectacular room at the New Fullerton Bay hotel, overlooking the bay and the amazing Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
On that visit, we visited China Town, Little India, and the Singapore Planning Commission. We shopped at Orchard Road (where I bought a Meistersinger watch I still like), watched the water show from the Marina Bay Sands, and visited the Orchid Museum, where I saw a carnivorous plant, the Venus Flytrap for the first time. We were with Montage and SpaGo who via their friend Jim, had organized our Singapore stay. We had a wonderful Chinese dinner out with Jim, Montage and Spago.
The contrast between the spread out and sleepy Singapore we had seen in 1977 and the dynamic, architecturally diverse city we saw in 2011 was eye popping.
Above: Sunrise over Singapore. Dawn. 11 April 2017.
Image captured from 11th deck aft of Seven Seas Voyager.
Third visit to Singapore. With her cronies, TIMDT has visited Singapore a couple of times since 2011. On those visits she became aware of the military sites associated with Singapore's capture by the Japanese in early 1942 during WWII.
Knowing (correctly) that I would be interested in the WWII historical sites of Singapore, TIMDT laid out a plan. The military plan was pleasantly interrupted by a visit to Gardens by the Bay and a brief shopping stop (by foot from Gardens by the Bay) at Marina Bay Sands Hotel. TIMDT and Mwah (sic) decided to get a cooperative taxi driver to take us where we wanted to go. We went to the first cab outside of the cruise terminal and found Tommy, a young sixty something who had worked for six months in the US... Minneapolis.
As serendipity would have it, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) had a great day riding from military site to military site under Tommy's able hand and commentary.
Oh... and its hot as hell here! How did we ever live in these sub tropical climates (Tokyo, Miami, Manila)??!!
Above: "Hash Puppies" Restaurant. 11th deck Seven Seas Voyager. 11 April 2017.
Always a sucker for corned beef hash, these little suckers have become a daily staple for me on the Seven Seas Voyager. This corned beef hash approximates the apex of corned beef hash found at "Over The Counter" in Salt Lake City.
Above: Mural showing emaciated allied POW's at Changi prison camp Museum. Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Changi was the site of the allied POW Japanese internment camp from early 1942 to near the end of WWII in July 1945.
Through letters, drawings, and personal artifacts, the museum chronicles the story of POWs and civilian internees during their years of captivity by the Japanese during. WWII.
Above: Map illustrating the furthest reach of Japan's East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere... by February 1945. Changi Internment Camp Museum. Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT observes tulip exhibition. Flower Dome. Gardens by
the Bay. Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Above: Tulips. Tulip exhibition. Flower Dome. Gardens by the Bay.
Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT gazes at water fall. Cloud Forest Dome. Gardens by the Bay. Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Above: Bishop observes Marina Bay Sands Hotel from cat walk in Cloud Forest Dome. Gardens by the Bay. Singapore. 11 April
2017.
After visiting Garden's by the bay, TIMDT walked over to the Marina
Bay Sands Hotel (in sweltering heat). TIMDT bot a pair of shoes while I walked around the mall.
Above: Tommy and TIMDT pose in front of the artificial trees. Gardens by the Bay. Singapore. 11 April 2017.
TIMDT didn't sign up for the ship's tour. We had an idea what we wanted to see and hoped we could find a taxi driver at the cruise port to take us around. Here he is. Tommy lived in Minneapolis for six
months working for an American corporation. He has three kids...
one a doctor, another as a fighter pilot (F16) in the Singapore Air Force, an another currently at university.
Above: Bishop at Battlebox. Fort Canning Hill, Singapore. 11 April 2017.
Battlebox housed the command of British Forces in Malaya in February 1942. It was from this site, after seventy days of fighting on the Malayan peninsula, that on 15 February 1942, British forces surrendered to the Japanese command. Per Winston Churchill, the surrender of Singapore was the darkest hour in British military history.
Parallel. Battlebox and Corregidor, the island fortress in Manila Bay where Jonathan Wainwright, US commander, held out until his surrender of US forces to the Japanese on 06 May 1942. TIMDT and Mwah (sic) visited Corregidor more than once during our stay in PI from 1979 to 1982.
Above: Arthur Ernest Percival, Lt. General in charge of UK forces in Singapore marches out of the Battlebox, 15 February 1942, with the Union Jack under a white flag of surrender to the Japanese. 11 April 2017.
Above: Three images from Singapore National Museum. 11 April 2017.
1. Comparison of strengths of British and Japanese forces at the beginning of the Singapore campaign.
2. Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese commander Singapore campaign. Image at time of surrender.
3. Arthur Ernest Percival, British commander Singapore campaign. Image at time of surrender.
Brits had double the troops of the Japs (war time lingo), but lost Singapore after 70 days of "resistance" on 15 February 1942. To be fair, the Brits had far less aircraft and tanks than did the Japanese. The British naval complement, led by the battleship Prince of Wales was knocked out by Japanese air power early in the skirmish for Singapore.
At the risk of type casting, shots of the winner (Tomoyuki Yamashita) and the loser (Arthur Ernest Percival) generals at surrender proceedings seem stereotypically apt. Just this quick look at Percival reminded me of Ian Hamilton, commander of another failed British military effort, Gallipoli, during 1915. No doubt about it... Yamashita had the tougher look about him.
Yamashita's troops rode bicycles 500 miles from the Malaya landing beaches to reach Singapore.
Yamashita was a seasoned field commander with victories in Manchuria and Korea. "Percy" and the Brits just weren't up to the job.
Churchill called Singapore a low point in British military history. Some would call Churchill audacious for making this statement, considering Churchill's personal engineering of Britain's fail at Gallipoli during 1915.
There is also a parallel between Percival and US general Jonathan Wainwright, who, almost simultaneous with Percival's defeat, was the senior US officer at the time of Japan's defeat of US forces in the Philippines. Both Percival and Wainwright spent the duration of the war in a Japanese prison camp. Both Generals, wan and emaciated, were invited by Douglas MacArthur to join the Japan surrender proceedings on the US Missouri battleship after the war. Yamashita was one of the Japanese representatives at the surrender, and there, Percival refused to shake his hand.
Addendum:
Thank you for sharing these wonderful pics...can see you both are having a great time!
Maui and 'Cake
Maui, HA
Thanks Steve. I knew that mission president and sometime when you get back it would be fun to compare notes. He was his own worst enemy.
The Monk,
Salina, UT
Quite a story. Torquemada should be present for the discussion.
Karen and I I don't recognize the Singapore of your visits. Its far different from the one we frequented 69-82 when living in Jakarta, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. Indonesia in 69 was a 3rd World county with few amenities and Singapore was a welcome escape. During one of our trips Singapore was hosting a Conference of the Commonwealth of Nations . We had to leave our hotel for another one as then U.K.Prime Minister Heath was to stay there. Additionally, we saw the distinctive profile of Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus as his car was passing the Intercontinental Hotel. While Ugandan President Milton Obote was attending the Conference.he was deposed by General Idi Amin in a coup.
Thank You.
Spook,
Reston, VA
Debbie and I lived in Singapore ~ 1980-1982.
David Gibson was S. Asia Division Head(reported to him while pushing "Electronic Banking"
aka as Cash Management in NY, in his countries.
No Internet then so Citi corporate built, from scratch, it's own electronic network.
Bought international lines from country telcos, setup router/modems etc and built the network.
A memorable visit to show the Sultan of Brunei, while in his Palace basement, that he indeed had $110 million in his new Citi
account in Switzerland.(Dick Huber referred to this story before).
Tom Dunton was CCO Singapore then.
Oldest kids, Anjuli and Kimberly were born there.
Hand,
San Jose, CA
Steve
In 2015, I went to Myanmar. We visited Mandalay and Bagan. We took a small bus between Mandalay and Bagan so we saw a lot of the countryside. In Bagan, we saw some of the most magnificent temples that I have ever seen. They were so much more impressive than Angkor Wat. The hotel in Bagan was on the Irriwaddy river.
I did not make it to Yangon or Inle Lake. Everyone said we should see Inle Lake. What was Yangon like.
I am attaching a couple of photos from Bagan.
The Pope,
Talahassee, FL
Pope. We went to Yangon and Bago... but my writing is behind. See current notes on Facebook or wait a few days for the diary version via email.
Above: TIMDT observes, respectively, Blue Mosque, Thean Hou Buddhist temple, and Sri Mahamariamman Hindu temple. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 12 April 2017.
Malaysia. At some level, is a multicultural success story. To be sure, there is evidence of sectarian friction. Chinese hold disproportionate wealth and are resented by the majority Malays. Though the country's constitution proclaims religious freedom, Christians are forbidden from using the term "God," and Islam is the national religion.
This situation reminds of the benign caliphates of the past, in southern Europe and northern India (Mughals) where Muslim majority leaders tolerated non Muslims...but, made them pay an extra tax (protection?).
Notwithstanding, seemingly like India, interfaith cooperation in Malaysia is good. Malaysia has 14 national holidays, including Christmas, Chinese New Year and everything in between. Like India, all faiths and races happily celebrate each holiday. Resentment of religious holidays by non adherents, particularly secularists, such as is commonly found in America, is non existent here. In Malaysia, we can all get along!
Apropos putative resentment of Chinese by Malays, Malaysia has relaxed hurdles preventing foreign ownership of residential property. The action is directed mainly to attract mainland Chinese and Singaporean investment. Property values in Penang, as a consequence of Chinese individual investment in second homes, are skyrocketing.
Malaysia reminds me of Turkey. 6% plus growth. Dominantly Muslim. Accommodating modernism.
It's hard to reconcile Arab country failure "caused by Muslim culture" with the seeming success of Islamic countries like Malaysia or Turkey.
Note: This short cruise, whistle stop, tour, over two days, of KL and Penang represent our first visit to Malaysia. We lived in this region (Australia, PI, and Japan) for 11 years. During that period, excepting Thailand, we missed most of Indo China. Over the ensuring years we've come back to fill in the blanks. I still have Laos and Brunei to visit. TIMDT was in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia last month.
Above: TIMDT observes world's tallest flagpole (claimed) at Independence Square and erstwhile world's tallest buildings, Petronas Towers. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 12 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT observes national memorial. Note inscription. Freedom of religion is written into the Malaysian constitution. But, Islam is the national religion. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 12 April 2017.
Guide Suzy: "Malays represent 65% of the Malaysian population. The rest are Chinese and Indians. All Malays are 'moderate' Sunni Muslims. Muslim extremists exist in Malaysia, But they are well contained by the government."
Above: Ancestor offering in restored home of prominent Penang Chinese family.at Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Penang, Malaysia. 13 April 2017
Honoring ancestors central to Chinese culture. Ancestor worship is likely central to culture cohesion and strength, generally. Honoring the past secures the future, so to speak. Mormons do a facsimile with their genealogical research and ordinances for their ancestors.
Cultures which forget heritage and ancestral obligation become self absorbed. They atrophy. Voire: Europe today.
Civilizations rise. Civilizations fall. It was ever thus. For us in the west, those of us in twilight years today, can legitimately say, "it was good living at the apex."
Above: TIMDT at Kek Lok Si, Temple. Penang, Malaysia. 13 April 2017.
Curious that two ship's Malaysia tours (KL and Penang) focii has been oriented to Chinese culture and modern Malaysia. Little focus on Islamic dominance of the country.
Kek Lok Si, Penang, Malaysia, billed here as largest Chinese temple outside of China.
Above: Betel nut and nutmeg. Penang, Malaysia. 13 April 2017
Above: Police motorcycles at Kek Lok Si temple. Penang, Malaysia. 13 April 2017.
Addendum:
My mom in Law is/was Burmese, but we are yet to visit. She was not allowed
as her brother was an Army Officer, while husband and she had deserted during WWII.
Inshalla, someday soon.
Scout,
Mumbai, India
Above: TIMDT observes Big Buddha Temple. Phuket, Thailand. 14 April 2017.
We were in Phuket five years ago, also on a cruise. My memory from that visit was SpaGo lying on the ground under an elephant's foot. It seemed amusing at the time. I have since learned that hanging with elephants in Thailand may not be all that safe.
Above: Buddhist credo. Big Buddha Temple. Phuket Thailand. 14 April 2017.
Above: Firecrackers going off. Chalong Temple. Phuket Thailand. 14 April 2017.
Thai New Year's Holiday.
Above: TIMDT and holiday participants. Chalong Temple. Phuket, Thailand. 14 April 2017.
Water Holiday. Fire crackers.
Wat Chalong (วัดฉลองหรือวัดไชยธาราราม) is where stands the cast statue of Luang Pho Cham, who helped the people of Phuket put down the Angyee, or Chinese Coolie Rebellion, in 1876 during the reign of Rama V. There are also statues of Luang Pho Chuang, and Luang Pho Cham, abbots of the temple during later times.
Above: Two images. Looking aft from 5th deck of Seven Seas Voyager. Apple I-tunes gizmo already 10 years obsolete. 15 April 2017.
Beyond the ship's wash, 600 miles to the south lies the island of Java. To the north about 250 miles lies Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) our destination tomorrow morning.
Day at sea.
The Seven Seas Voyager is on some kind of Center for Disease Control (CDC) discipline. Apparently "some" crew members and guests have reported severe bouts of gastro enteritis.
Guests are advised to wash hands regularly and use hand disinfectant stationed at the doors of each of the restaurants. No more getting your own plate and food at the buffet. Now, we are served at the buffet station. The library is closed. Shuffling books around from hand to hand is represented as a risk. At fine dining, there are no place settings, empty wines or waters, salt, pepper, or sweetener boxes. You must be served each one of these things on request. The regular menus are unavailable. We are issued freshly printed 8 1/2 11 sheets as a substitute. All of this is required to heighten the ship's on board cleanliness.
Whatever is going on, the crew seems to be taking it very seriously. Crew members are posted at each sanitization station requesting that guests disinfect their hands. We have been asked to not shake the hands of fellow guests.
The day goes as normal but for the above precautions.
Whatever is going on is sufficient for the ship to action a CDC mandated procedure.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) are fine as of this writing.
Lectures
There were a couple of lectures today. One on the traders and ships that plied these same seas three centuries ago. The other was on the lecturers experiences teaching in China during the mid-80's... chronicling the massive changes that have occurred there since Mao's passing in 1976.
Walking the Deck
On "at sea" days, I'm back to Bob Seger inspiring hour long, spirited, sprite like, sprints on deck five. The same album (Seger's Best Hits #2) that TIMDT put on the pictured gizmo ten years ago, played for me today. Listen to this rendition of "Sunspot Babe" and tell me that you don't want to get out and do a power walk to its beat.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRmgT3n1m8Y
As I walk, I also reflect on today's discussion about the early European traders plying these seas. I look into the distance and try to imagine a privateer. Those guys left home, went to far east trading ports and didn't return home until a year and half later. They lived without communications, navigated by the stars, and survived using their wits. These explorers and traders were the ultimate people who knew how to do stuff. When they succeeded in bringing back riches... silks, spices... from the east, usually in return for opium from Turkey, they themselves became very wealthy. The ultimate in risk taking. Not for millennials.
Assisted Living
It would not be hard to mistake this ship, 700 hundred passengers strong, for an assisted living facility. Are we that old (yes)? Right now, we don't feel old. We miss hanging out with younger people while aboard ship. There aren't any younger people on the Seven Seas Voyager, other than ship's staff. As is typical, ship's service people make up a veritable UN. Russia, PI, Croatia, India, France... on and on. These young people are hard working. US needs to open H-1B floodgates to attract people with work ethic displayed by these kids.
There are at least a half a dozen couples on board where Pa either walks with a cane or is in a wheel chair. Ma helps him around. It gets you to thinking.
Addendum:
David's nemesis was the LDS Mission President in Hong Kong when Karen lived there 65-67. She was without any support structure beyond a friend or two and I was in Vietnam except for a few days on infrequent trips to Hong Kong on Air America aircraft. She often visited their residence where she was welcomed with open arms and they made her feel at home including Thanksgiving. On one occasion they asked her to escort Governor George Romney's wife Lenore while he was taking a familiarization trip to Vietnam. Some thought him to be a credible Republican Presidential candidate at the time. The Mission President and his wife were not fond of Romney. Karen was also engaged by them to escort the wife of golfer Billy Casper while her husband visited American troops in Vietnam. Karen didn't have a clue who Billy Casper was but it was apparent the golfer's wife thought her husband was a big deal so Karen asked her what Billy did for a daytime job. Karen worked as Q's #2 at the CIA's Station located in the U.s. Consulate.
Spook,
Reston, VA
I hope you are keeping up with all your fantastic reminiscences... writing, updating, organizing, filing etc. You and Karen have truly lived a "life."
Above: TIMDT observes Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017.
Today marks TIMDT's and Mwah (sic)'s first visit to Myanmar. Shwedagon was a great place to start.
The visual effect of this religious site is eye popping. Think Buddhist equivalent of Notre Dame, Salisbury, Blue Mosque, SLC LDS Temple, or Kanchipuram.
The pagoda is a gilded stupa, 325 feet fall. It is situated on Singuttara Hill in Yangon and dominates the Yangon skyline. The pagoda sits at the center of an enormous marble paved square and is surrounded by smaller stupas and temples containing relics and buddha statues.
Shwedagon is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, as it is believed to contain relics of four previous Buddhas, including eight strands of hair from the head of Gautama Buddha, the first Buddha.
I asked our guide, "Are the eight hairs of Buddha ever brought out for the population to view?" "No," was the reply. I thought of my 2009 visit to St. Mary of Zion Church in Axum, Ethiopia, where Ethiopian Orthodox Church officials claim is housed the Ark of The Covenant. There, a monk lives for a year in the crypt where is housed the Ark, whereupon he is replaced by another monk for the next year... and so on. the Ark is never made available for public view. I asked our Burmese guide if there was a similar arrangement at Shwedagon. "No," she replied. "The relics are permanently sealed inside of the pagoda. There is no monk oversight of the relics."
Today was the fourth day of Thinngin, the Burmese Water Festival, and the day before Myanmar New Year's day. There were many local worshipers at the temple, young and old, giving the impression that the Myanmar people's spiritual nature remains strong, despite having lived for years under authoritarian military government.
Above: TIMDT at Shwedagon Pagoda Buddha display. Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT at holy of holies. Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017
Above. Water Festival antics. Downtown Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017.
Timing to see Thinngyan, the Water Festival, the most unique, colorful and happiest holiday in Myanmar, was excellent. We were out and about in downtown Yangon on the fourth and final day of the festival.
Large numbers of Yangon citizens roam around the city in cars or on foot and throw and splash water on one another.
We were told that we would get wet as we walked around the down town area... and, that was true... but, quite a bit of the dousing occurred because it was also raining.
People running around were hyper merry as they engaged with our intrepid band of Seven Seas Voyager geezer foreigners walking around down town. I was doused by youngsters three or four times.
People would also walk up to me and say with a smile, "Happy New Year (The Water Festival is also part of the Myanmar New Year celebration).
The Myanmar people believe that Thinngyan water has the power to cleanse the evil and sins of the old year.
Thinngyan falls on the last four days before Myanmar New Year day, which is roughly the second week of April according to the Gregorian calendar.
Above: TIMDT observes Thinnyan water festival. Independence Square. Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT observes Chaukhatgy Buddha. Yangon, Myanmar. 16 April 2017.
Why should TIMDT seem so enamored with this reclining Buddha when she sees the real thing every day?
Addendum:
Good one.
Thank's Steve.
Brand, Ventura, CA
Penang: When Clancy was doing the first motorbike ride around the globe in 1913 he stopped in Penang, where his plan was to off load his motorcycle from the boat and ride down to Singapore. The plan failed to recognize there was no road to Singapore at the time, so he played tourist in the town of Penang, then was back on the boat.
Dr. G.
Crow Agency, MT
Enjoyed your comments about the assisted living crowd --700 or so-- on your ship.
How about going on a cruise with 4000+/_ like that, as we did on an Alaska cruise in 2015..
We leave for Portugal on 4/25 for 3 weeks. and will wing it--well, we have rented a home in Evora for 2 weeks.
We hear the food and wine is great!!
Ohl, Midway, UT
Great shots... thank you.
Zibby, NY, NY
Above: TIMDT observes Buddhists monks filing to mid day meal. Kyat Khat Wyne Monestery. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017
The monks eat twice a day. Once at 5:00 AM and again, just before noon. It is forbidden to eat solid foods between noon and 5:00 AM the next morning.
The food is donated. Visitors to the monastery are not required to donate food or money, but, may do so if they wish. If visitors wish to participate in the meal they are welcome. Few, if any visitors, mostly tourists like ourselves, participated in the meal with the monks.
Above: TIMDT observes distribution of rice to the monks. Kyat Khat Wyne Monastery, Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
Above: Monk meal. Kyat Khat Wyne Monastery. Bago, Thailand. 17 April 2017.
Above: The Bishop observes Shwethalyaung Buddha. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
At 70 meters, the largest reclining Buddha in Myanmar.
Above: TIMDT checks out the jade bracelets. Shwethalyaung Buddha. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
Most of the world's jade is found in Myanmar.
Above: Guide Khin, TIMDT behind in the mirror, applies tha na kha to her face. Shwethalyaung Buddha. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
A local custom. A majority of the women had this very visible paste on their cheeks. Khin said it was good for the skin. It also, she said, acted as a sort of sun screen.
The paste is derived from crushed wood, milled in a pestle, and mixed with water.
Above: Guide Khin and TIMDT walk towards Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
Today, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) left the Regent herd, hired a car (driver Nev) and a guide (Khin) and drove to Bago... two hours from the ship's port near Yangon.
Talking and listening around, we learned that there were five "must do" touristic spots in Myanmar. Bagran (the foremost), site of major ancient temple complex, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Yangon, and Bago. Bagran was reachable via Regent organized special air flight, two overnights away from the ship. However, TIMDT and Mwah elected to stay near the ship and concentrate on two of the five: Yangon and Bago.
I have almost completed reading a book I purchased in Singapore, "Survivor on the River Kwai." WWII history buffs could also visit spots along the Rangoon - Bangkok railway constructed by British and Australian prisoners of the Japanese. Such visits would require special permits and specialized tour arrangements.
Above: TIMDT observes Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
MOAP (Mother of All Pagodas).
Tallest Pagoda in Myanmar. 357 feet. Wider at the base and taller than the Shwedegon pagoda - magnificent enough - which we saw yesterday in Yangon.
Above: TIMDT amidst the holiday crowd at Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda. Bago, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
Today is the last day of the five day long Myanmar New Years holiday. The pagoda was packed with pilgrims and holiday goers... all in a smiling, friendly and happy mood.
Its risky to draw to many impressions or conclusions from such a short visit. But, the outward friendliness and happiness of the Myanmar people seemed to evidence almost a kind a naivete. I had the same impression when I visited Salalah, Oman ten years ago. Then, like Myanmar, Oman, had also just opened to tourism. Omanis were outwardly friendly, curious and totally unsophisticated. I expect it won't take long for openness to modern ways to harden up the Myanmar people and make them as wary and cynical as, well, say, I am.
We were fortunate to be in Myanmar during its top holiday period. In a short burst we got exposure to disproportionate number of locals than would have otherwise been the case.
Above: TIMDT observes Taukkyan WWI cemetery. Yangon, Myanmar.
We visited this cemetery on the way back from Bago to the Seven Seas Voyager at Yangon port.
Here lie the remains of 6500 soldiers (1700 Indian soldiers) who died fighting for Great Britain against the Japanese in Burma during WWII.
The cemetery is immaculately maintained by The commonwealth Grave Commission, in the same manner as I saw, first hand, visiting Commonwealth WWI cemeteries in Flanders, France and Gallipoli two years ago.
In the end, the Burma theater was a WWII side show, having little effect on the war's outcome. Burma was a battlefield, though. The allies need Burma as a base to supply China, which couldn't be supplied from the Japanese controlled east. The Japanese needed Burma as a base from which to neutralize British India, the supply station for materiel sent to China.
Some two million Indians fought for the British in WWII. Seventy thousand Indian soldiers died in that conflict. An obsessed Indian nationalist, Subhas Chandra Bose, in a misbegotten effort to advance Indian independence from the British, cooperated with the Germans and the Japanese to create a rump army of Indian soldiers, mostly those released prisoners from Singapore Japanese prison camps, to fight against the allies. Bose's effort failed and weakened his claim on being a legitimate player in the ultimate struggle for Indian independence, later secured in 1948.
Above: Aung San Suu Kyi. File image.
Above: Residence of Aung San Suu Kyi. Yangon, Myanmar. 17 April 2017.
Image taken by Mwah (sic) from car window as we returned from Bago to Yangon.
Yangonr is replete with beautiful parks, greenery and lakes. The central city is dominated by decaying colonial era buildings with few of the sky scrapers that have been introduced in other formerly colonial cities... Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, and KL. Military government in Myanmar, since WWII, has taken its toll... at least in terms of limited, weak economic growth.
In talking about Aung San Suu Kyi, our guide, Khin, would refer to her as "The Lady."
Wikipedia:
The youngest daughter of Aung San, Father of the Nation of modern-day Myanmar, and Khin Kyi, Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon,British Burma. After graduating from the University of Delhi in 1964 and the University of Oxford in 1968, she worked at the United Nations for three years. She married Michael Aris in 1972, and gave birth to two children. Aung San Suu Kyi rose to prominence in the1988 Uprisings, and became the General Secretary of the newly formed National League for Democracy (NLD). In the 1990 elections, NLD won 81% of the seats in Parliament, but the results were nullified, as the military refused to hand over power, resulting in an international outcry. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest [at the house pictured here] for almost 15 of the 21 years from 1989 to 2010, becoming one of the world's most prominent political prisoners.
Her party boycotted the 2010 elections, resulting in a decisive victory for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Aung San Suu Kyi became a Pyithu Hluttaw MP while her party won 43 of the 45 vacant seats in the 2012 by-elections. In the2015 elections, her party won a landslide victory, taking 86% of the seats in the Assembly of the Union – well more than the 67 percent supermajority needed to ensure that its preferred candidates were elected President and Second Vice President in the Presidential Electoral College. Although she was prohibited from becoming the President due to a clause in the constitution – her late husband and children are foreign citizens – she assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor, a role akin to a Prime Minister or ahead of government.
Above: View, looking down the Yangon Rivere, from 11th deck observation lounge. Seven Seas Voyager. 17 April 2017.
There is not much more to this port than what is seen in this image.
There is room for another four ships along the pier where we are docked. There is only one crane track with one crane.
It speaks to Myanmar's impoverishment, relative, say, to similarly sized countries in the region, such as PI, Malaysia, and Thailand... not to mention tiny Singapore, all of which have massive port facilities and burgeoning economies.
Above: TIMDT. 11th deck observation lounge. Seven Seas Voyager, ship now underway into the Bay of Bengal. 17 April 2017.
Addendum:
Thanks Steve!!
I know little about Buddhism and but will now find out more. After worrying so much about Islam, I need a break!
Manhattan,
Park City, UT
Great pixs, I was there in the mid 80's. Probably hasn't changed that much.
Bridge,
Palm Beach, FL
Nice reference to St Mary's Church in Axum. Marcia and I got close but never breached the walls when we lived and taught school at the Abraha Atsbaha School as Peace Corps volunteers 1965-67. One of our students became the strategic brains behind the overthrow of the Mengistu government and still today is a senior member of the Tigrean orchestrated Ethiopian government.
Privateer,
Hancock, ME
Yes Steven, we too were quite amazed by Shwedagong.
Saker
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Above: TIMDT relaxes. Yangon River. 18 April 2017.
Took a break today while the ship remained in Yangon port until early 3:00 PM departure. Ships tour offering was to a near by monastery and, we felt, duplicated much of what we had done in Bago the day before.
Addendum
Steve
You have convinced me that I need to return to Myanmar to see more of the country.
Your photo of monks reminded me of the monks we saw in Lhasa Tibet practicing their arguing skills. The monks gather every day at the Portola Palace to argue and practice these skills.
The Pope,
Naples, FL
Steve, very interesting and brought back memories of a trip that VK Raganathan and I took to Hanoi in 1976 and had to go to Rangoon for VN visas. Quiet, dirt roads and the Gov of the Central Bank met us in his office barefooted. Our ambassador had been the DCM in HK whom I knew so we got a very extensive briefing about Burma. As DCM/HK he was actually the CIA Station Chief . Unfortunately we only spent two days there and never had an opportunity to go back- my regrets because as you know I could have gone anywhere I wanted to in those days. Looks like one of your best trips. Best,
The Archbishop,
Naples, FL
Above: Breakfast at sea. Seven Seas Voyager. Bay of Bengal. 19 April 2017.
Crankin' at 21 knots.
Above: Selected slides from ship board lecturer, Andy Jampoler's presentation on technology's impact on early far eastern trade. 19 April 2017.
Over 200 years, from the 15th to the 18th century, The Dutch East India Company moved a million people between Holland and The Dutch East Indies and the Spice Islands. Over 200 years the Dutch East India Company showed an average annual return of 18%, accounting for significant wealth creation in the Netherlands.
Jampoler showed the evolution of maps as a template for discussion of the advancement of far east trade. Shown here is a T-O map. The map is a religious interpretation of the world in the 7th century. On the left side of the map, bisected by the horizontal trunk of the T Mediterranean Sea) are Europe and Africa. The crossing of the T (upper: Don River, lower: Nile River) separates Europe and Africa from Asia. The outer circumference (The O) is ocean.
Above: Selected slides from ship-board lecturer Clive Leatherdale's presentation on WWII in the Pacific. 19 April 2017.
Teddy Roosevelt brokered Treaty of Portsmouth signaling Japanese victory in the Russo Japanese War, 1904. Victory signaled the rise of Japan as a world ship building and military power.
Above: Selected slides from on board ship lecturer Clive Leatherdale's presentation on South Korea. 19 April 2017.
According to Clive Leatherdale, Seven Seas Voyager on board lecturer, South Korea's emergence as a major industrial power follows Japan's post war industrial model. Korea's Chaebols mirror Japan's Zaibatsu. But, the Chaebol's have become relatively stronger as cultural touchstones in Korea than are today's industrial conglomerates in Japan. Chaebols account for a majority of Korea's economic production and have become almost countries within countries securing super ordinary devotion of their employees. Note LG's company song.
There are other departures from Japan in Korea. The main sports hero's in Korea are video gamers. Also, the importance of Chrstian cults in Korea cannot be underestimated.
Seven Seas Voyager on board ship lecturer, Andy Jampoler, talks about the rise of shipping trade between Europe and Asia. He rehearses the technological advancements that enabled an extraordinary business.
Above Selected slides from on board ship lecturer Clive Leatherdale's presentation on Japan. 19 April 2017. Clive Leatherdale, talks about the uniqueness of Japanese culture...how it's many highly sophisticated, ritualized practices are evidence of high culture and could have only developed over centuries uninterrupted by conflict with outsiders. The Yakuza and Sumo are two of several examples cited.
Above: Sunset. Bay of Bengal. Observation lounge. Seven Seas Voyager. 19 April 2017.
Sitting with TIMDT in cat bird seats absorbing the view, amplified by sounds of soothing female vocals. "Play it again, Sam[antha]...." "...on that you can rely..."
Day at sea. Bay of Bengal.
Above: Image from shipboard lecturer's presentation on Zheng He. 20 April 2017
Day at sea. Bay of Bengal sailing South West direction Sri Lanka.
Seven Seas Voyager on board lecturer Andy Jampoler spoke on "The Ocean Cruises of Admiral Zheng He and China's Navy Today."
Between 1414 and 1430 Chinese Admiral Zheng He, sponsored by two Ming emperors, made seven voyages across the Indian Ocean... to the Malabar Coast of India, to the Persian Gulf, and to the east coast of Africa.
Zheng He's flotilla was the largest such fleet that ever sailed... until World War II. Zheng He's fleet numbered 160 ships and carried upwards of 30 thousand men. The Chinese wooden sailing ships were four times the size of European ships at that time.
In 1430, the Ming emperors shut down Zheng He's outward reach and turned inward, never to reach out to the world again, until recently when China has once again, in the image of Zheng He, has begun building a fleet of ships and started to reach outward... much to the consternation of her smaller neighbors.
Above: Selected slides from onboard ship lecturer Clive Leatherdale's presentation,, "Weird North Korea."
Day at sea. Bay of Bengal.
Seven Seas Voyager on board ship lecturer, Clive Leatherdale, spoke today on "Weird North Korea."
Image shows Kim Il Sung, protégé of the Russians, who, post WWII, were charged with governing the northern part of the Korean peninsula. They came across Kim, who fought against the Japanese while exiled in China. Kim turned into a megalomaniac who built a system of governance around his self proclaimed godlike persona. He built a communist state... but, not in the image of Russia or China. Rather, Kim's credo was self reliance for individual and state. Kim's personality cult was carried on by his son, Kim Jong Il, and grandson, Kim Jong Un. Where once China and Russia were allies of North Korea, today North Korea stands alone... just as per Kim's credo... they are self reliant with no allies in the world.
2nd image shows power evolution of Korean peninsula since 1950. In early 1950, Kim Il Sung's North Korean forces conquered almost the entire Korean peninsula. South Korean and US forces retaliated driving the North Koreans to the Yalu River on the Chinese border. The Chinese could not have a "US puppet" country on their border, so they amassed troops and counterattacked the US/South Korean forces, driving them back to the status quo ante line, the 38th parallel. General Douglas McArthur felt strongly that the US/Korean forces should fight the Chinese and hold North Korean land south of the Yalu River..... and the rest is history. MacArthur's view did not prevail and for his public insolence, MacArthur was fired by President Truman.
Leatherdale, an Englishman, recounted anecdotes from his own trip into North Korea during the '90's. He was able to obtain a visa from the Korean embassy in Beijing solely on the strength of being able to show deep knowledge about the North Korean World Cup football (soccer) team, playing in the 1966 World Cup in Britain, having reached the quarterfinals on the strength of a surprising victory over world football power, Italy.
Bob Seger
TOMORROW
They say the sun
Is gonna grow someday
It's gonna get a real close
And burn us all up
No more traffic in the street
No more road rage
No more pretending
Things are real tough
I can't promise you tomorrow
No one has the right to lie
You can beg and steal and borrow
It won't save you from the sky
Let me see a show of hands
Tell me the truth now
What happens if
Nuetrinos have mass
I can't tell you about tomorrow
I'm as lost as yesterday
In between your joy and sorrow
I suggest you have your say
Here's to the little things
The sports section
The weather channel
A good battery
Sri Lanka coast now visible starboard.
Day at sea. Bay of Bengal. 21 April 2017.
"India's increasing impact on the world's economy and politics is well known. But, she has an equally huge impact on world culture as well."
Clive Leatherdale, on board lecturer. Seven Seas Voyager.
Film (image 1), sports - cricket (image 2), literature (image 3 V.S Naipaul).
Above: Selected slides from shipboard lecturer Clive Leatherdale's presentation on India. Seven Seas Voyager. Rounding Sri Lanka. 21 April 2017.
"India is a place that breeds conflict."
Two such "breeders" are the rise of Hindu Nationalism (1st image) and rapidly growing imbalance of female to male ratio (second image), where, with introduction of ultrasound technology, disproportionate numbers of pre born females are aborted by couples preferring male children.
Addendum:
Good history lesson on Korea-- and of course very topical—enjoy the cruise
Montage, Marina del Rey, CA
Above: Cochin spice file image. Cochin, India. 22 April 2017.
"He who controls the spice controls the universe."
Frank Herbert, "Dune."
Today marks my second visit to Cochin, TIMDT's third. We cruised in here together in November of 2012. Then, on a Seabourn ship, we were headed the opposite direction, Athens to Singapore. Through Dubai on that voyage, we sailed with Eton Mum and el Contador. From Dubai, we were joined by Montage and SpaGo.
Originally founded by the Portuguese very early in the 16th Century, Cochin became a British and Dutch trading center one hundred years later when the Portuguese moved the center of their spice trading to operations to Goa, further north on the Malabar Coast. Colonial buildings and neighborhoods from both periods remain. There is even a "Jew Town" and an active Synagogue, which we visited the last time we were here.
In the foothills of the Western Ghat mountain ranges 30 to 40 miles from the Malabar coastline, rainfall and topographic conditions combine to create conditions where grow the bulk of the spices used in the world, even today.
European passion for spice... mainly black pepper, which grows on a vine, drove European civilization's growth. Ships and navigation technology grew and huge capital amounts were amassed by the risk taking traders in spice. The capital produced from the spice trade was eventually there to finance the industrial revolution.
It all seems so quaint here... but when you put the place in context of the hullabaloo that spice caused, it also seems quite sobering.
Having already visited most of the colonial spots in town, we, today, expect to visit a couple of spice farms later in the voyage, further up the Malabar coast, in Mangalore and Goa. Today, we'll visit a cultural museum, a Kerala village, and some of TIMDT's favorite India shops in old colonial Cochin.
We departed from the ship tour bus hoards and, with the assistance of TravelScope India, hired a car and a driver.
Above: TIMDT obtains bottle of pure coconut oil at Chackukkal Extractors, Viakom, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Guide Sabu (green shirt), who is 50, maintains that using coconut oil in his hair, daily, has prevented his hair from turning grey.
Above: TIMDT observes coconut oil extraction process. Chackukkal Extractors, Viakom, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT observes hand looming cotton cloth for dhotis. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT makes purchase of dhoti for Hoops. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT and friends at Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Guide Sabu is at left. Sabu's helper at the village, Arjun, is at right. Homeowner wears the longi and his daughter, weaving a mat from palm leaves.
TIMDT holds her sleeping mat purchase.
Above: Village woman weaving palm fronds. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Above: Village woman making rope from coconut husk strands. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
This is what Gandhi wanted for all Indians... for them to be dutifully engaged in cottage industry. While many Indians continue in this vein, they are giving way to technological and industrial practices price them out of their traditional markets.
Above: Rose Apple. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Above: Cashew. Kulasekharamangalm, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Nut hangs from the fruit, in this image only partially developed. The fruit will grow to several sizes of the nut and eventually turn red.
Above: Portuguese, 15th century icons. Hindu carnival mask, 15th century. Folklore Museum. Cochin, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
The two images point to Kerala's ongoing, centuries later, multicultural nature. In "Hindu India," 25% of Kerala's population is Christian. Muslim population of Kerala is 15%.
India remains a very spiritual place were members of all the faiths, including the Christian faith, are active church/temple/mosque goers. India's spirituality contributes greatly to its ongoing cultural energy.
There are 20 million Christians in India. Most are church goers. There are 70 million "Christians" in France. Few are church goers. One could reasonably say that India today is a more Christian nation than France.
Christian churches are sighted frequently as drive through the area.
Above: TIMDT shops at Anokhi. Cochin, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Here she looks at clothes. But this is the place where she gets her table cloths, mainly.
Anokhi's colorful table cloths have brightened up our round table in the kitchen area for years.
Anokhi has branches throughout India. Indiaphile (sic) that she is, TIMDT has been to most of them!
Above: The Bishop. Near Malabar House. Cochin, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Bishop took a walk through some familiar area while TIMDT shopped at Anokhi. We had lunch at Malabar House when we were here in 2012.
Its hot out. 90 degrees. 85% humidity.
Above: TIMDT. Lunch Brunton Boat Yard. Cochin, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
Coming into the harbor this AM I was alone (!) in the upper observation lounge and TIMDT was in our cabin. When we joined at breakfast, TIMDT excitedly asked me, "Did you see the Brunton Boat Yard as we cruised into the harbor?"
TIMDT was just as happy (see image) when we had lunch at Brunton boat yard today.
I saw it. For us it is an iconic spot. TIMDT stayed there during her first visit to Cochin, accompanied by her cronies. She took me there for a look when we were here together in 2012.
Above: Seven Seas Voyager First Officer at the joy stick, left. Cochin Pilot, dark pants, and another Seven Seas Voyager officer. Cochin, Kerala. 22 April 2017.
At depart from Cochin Harbor. It still seems kind of amazing to me that the First Officer is "driving" this huge vessel from the small panel seen in the image.
Above: Brunton Boat Yard. Cochin harbor. 22 April 2017.
Iconic for TIMDT... and now, for me!
Look beyond the hotel in the image.... the lush landscape of the Malabar Coast... the spice coast.
Addendum:
Steve,
Your cruise seems to be a very interesting one…I would appreciate your sending me the details. We may want to consider it.
Park Avenue, NY, NY
Above: Entering Mangalore harbor. Karnataka, India. Sunrise. 23 April 2017.
The Seven Seas Voyager follows the direct line of the sun's reflection, due east, into Mangalore port. Kinda like this entry was conceived by ancient Incas...aliens...or some such. The symmetry of this quiet experience is a bit spooky as I sit here, alone, in the observation lounge. I'm half expecting some kind of star gate to open up.
We're still on the Malabar coast. We were through Mangalore, Karnataka's principle port... #7 in tonnage of all Indian ports... in November of 2012. Then we visited St. Thomas Cathedral and adjoining Jesuit university, a shipbuilding area, the downtown market (where I purchased a Titan wrist watch), and a cashew processing factory (fascinating multi stage, labor intensive process).
The bulk of India's coffee and cashews are exported from Mangalore. Coal is the largest import.
We're going to join a ship's tour today that takes us to a tropical fruit and spice farm, and some important Jain sites.
The Portuguese grabbed control of the area in 1520. Portuguese lost Mangalore in 1650 to local warlords. First Cochin and then Goa became long term Portuguese strongholds on the Malabar coast.
Above: TIMDT stands at the base of a giant monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali. 23 April 2017.
Bahubali is a much revered figure among Jains. He was the son of Adinath, the first tirthankara (one of 24 Jain prophets) of Jainism. He is said to have meditated motionless for one year in a standing posture and that during this time, climbing plants grew around his legs. After his year of meditation, Bahubali is said to have attained omniscience. According to Jain texts, Bahubali's soul was liberated from the cycle of births and deaths. He is revered as a liberated soul.
The statue is fifty two kilometers from Mangalor in southwest Karnataka. It is 42 feet high and made of grey granite.
Jainism took root in Karnataka during the 10th century. There are still a number of Jains in Karnataka (the State where Mangalore, Bangalore, and Mysore are major centers).
Above: Flowers inserted into the toes of the Bahubali monolith. 23 April 2017.
The flowers simulate the vines said to have gathered around Bahubali's ankles and legs during his one year standing without moving.
Above: TIMDT checks out jack fruit tree. Soan Farm. Ponda, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
Above: Cannonball fruit flower. Soan Farm. Ponda, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
Above: Black Cardamom flower. Soan Farm. Ponda, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
Above: One Thousand Pillars Temple. Moodabidri, Karnataka. File image. 23 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT stands at the entrance to the holy of holies of the One Thousand Pillars Temple. Moodabidri, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
The entrance is guarded by a Jain priest. Beyond is the statue, made of five different metals, honoring Tirthankara Chandraprabha.
All of the pillars, walls and ceiling are intricately carved with design and symbol
Above: Guide, Mr. Fernandez at One Thousand Pillars Temple. Moodabidri, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
Here Mr. Fernandez inserts a newspaper in the narrow space between the pillar and its pedestal, showing the actual pedestal support to be much smaller than what at first meets the eye.
Above: Lotus blossom carving in ceiling of One Thousand Pillars Temple. Moodabidri, Karnataka. 23 April 2017.
Carved images of lotus blossoms appear throughout the temple. The lotus grows in a dirty, messy, swampy environment. Yet, the blossom rises above the sludge to be a flower of great beauty. So, say the Jains, we all have a responsibility to rise from that which is not pure to become something beautiful and good in life.
Jains, following a religion as old as Buddhism, practice what they preach. Only five million strong in India, they are disproportionately wealthy and work across a wide spectrum of career disciplines: art, manufacturing, finance... With wealth comes responsibility and Jains have a strong reputation for philanthropy.
Jain success derives from the disciplines taught by their religion. Culture and religion are like a double helix... inextricably intertwined. Without religion - a code that unites the faithful and motivates them to progress - there is no culture and, therefore, no growth.
Addendum:
I remember our visit with you to Cochin—especially “Jew town’; and the cashew nut factory. That was my first visit to India-Excellent pictures as usual. See you in park city this summer
Best Regards- Montage, Marina del Rey, CA
Above: TIMDT sits in observation lounge of Seven Seas Voyager. 24 April 2017. Port Vasco, Goa.
Ship had just docked. TIMDT was amazed at the number of tour busses awaiting on the pier. Today we opt out of the bus tour hoards. We hired a car, driver through TravelScope India, TIMDT's "go to" for India travel services. Hat tip: Royina,
My first visit to Goa. TIMDT's second. Channeling Vasco de Gama.
Above: TIMDT at the Panjim fish market. Panjim, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT and guide Reis (excellent guide) at spice store. Pamjim Market. Panjim, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Chiles in bags at front. Reis notes that there are 1600 varieties of chilis. The seventh hottest chili grows in Goa.
Above: TIMDT and Panjim Market. Panjim, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT surveys a Panjim street. Panjim, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Panjim is Goa's capital. Panjim was every bit a Portuguese town until 1961, when Portugal ceded Goa to India to become and Indian state.
Above: TIMDT and Reis. Fontainhas, Panjim, Goa. 24 April 2017.
TIMDT and Reis survey St. Sebastian Chapel in Fontainhas, Panjim. Not also the well in the square, with roosters on the pillars. The rooster is Portugal's national bird.
Goa's first capital was Old Goa, 7 miles inland from where we stand here. The captial was moved to Panjim from Old Goa in the 1600's due to chronic plague epidemics. Before moving the capital, authorities virtually burnt Old Goa to the ground, leaving only the great cathedrals standing. They didn't want to offend God. Still, the plague persisted, forcing the ultimate move to Panjim.
Reis is a native of Goa and is of Portuguese descent. The Portuguese and the British got along well before India's independence in 1947. Goans moved freely from Goa to British India to obtain employment.
Post independence, the Government of India closed the border to Goa preventing native Goans from pursuing employment in India. Native Goans, for economic reasons, were forced to turn against their Portuguese rulers, who had no solution for their economic woes.
In the face of rising protest from native Goans, Portugal ceded is colonial possession to India in 1961.
Above: TIMDT observes Basilica of Bom Jesus. Old Goa. 24 April 2017.
The remains of St. Francis of Xavier are preserved in this cathedral. St. Francis' remains are moved to the adjacent Cathedral of Se every ten years to be made visible to millions of Catholics from around the world who make the pilgrimage to Goa.
St. Francis of Xavier was a colleague of Ignatius of Loyola in Paris. Together, they founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.
India today has 25 million Christians. Most are devout. France has 70 million nominal Catholics. Virtually none are devout. In that sense, one could conclude that India is a stronger Christian nation than France.
Above: Altar. Cathedral Bom Jesus. Old Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: St. Francis of Xavier sculpture. Cathedral Bom Jesus. Old Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT at Cathedral of Se. Old Goa. 24 April 2017.
Largest cathedral in Asia. The cathedral celebrates St. Catherine, Christian martyr from Egypt. St. Catherine was beheaded by Emperor Maximillian around 305 AD in Alexandria.
St. Catherine's monastery in Sanai, Egypt, marks the spot where Maximillian is said to have rolled St. Catherine's head down the mountain only to have it miraculously saved from destruction by divine intervention. This story is depicted on cathedral alter panels.
Seeing these cathedrals (Bom Jesus and Se) creates a sense of deep awe for me. This is India! We're supposed to think of India in terms of its great Hindu temples (Kajuraho, Kanchipuram, Madurai), its incredible Moghul monuments (Taj Mahal, Red Fort), and Maharajah palaces (Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur). The Jain monuments at Ranakpur and Moodabidri seem quite at home in India. Mumbai's Parsi (Zoroastrian) Towers of Silence, the Sikh Golden Temple at Amritsar and Jama Masjid Mosque in Delhi, are wholly consistent with what one thinks of as spiritual, exotic India.
But, Catholic Cathedrals? Spiritual maybe. But, not so exotic. Somehow these great cathedrals (Se and Bom Jesus) seem anachronistic. In India, westerners were interlopers and overseers until they left, voluntarily in the mid 20th century.
Yet, the cathedrals strongly affirm the reality of how Western Culture and Christianity penetrated deeply in to Asia. While Christians today represent only 2% of India's population that's 2% of a billion people, or 20 million. And, it is important to note that India's Christian population is for the most part devout and church going. Christianity is vibrant in India.
I've long wanted to visit Goa. I'm thrilled that I'm here today. Today its Goa's beaches and the relaxed lifestyle that draw a lot of visitors. We bypassed the beaches in our long day here. I wanted to get a flavor for the culture... of how Western Culture meshed with India. Seeing these Cathedrals and the ongoing vibrancy of Christianity in India reaffirmed how unparalleled is India's complexity and diversity.
Above: TIMDT looking at jewelry. Old Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: Cashew fruit and nut. Tropical Spice Plantation, Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
The cashew nut is on top, but the cashew fruit is also put to use... to make cashew feni, a 40% alcohol aperitif, Goa's most popular alcoholic drink. Feni is produced exclusively in goa. According to our guide Reis, few Goans use drugs, so much do they drink cashew feni as a substitute.
Above: TIMDT observes feni distillation process. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: Cup of feni... for the tasting. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Europe's quest for spice triggered growth in capital and wealth, which in turn spurred the Renaissance and the industrial revolution. Following are images of selected spices... what the fuss was all about:
Above: Coriander. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: Black Pepper. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: Black cardamom flower. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: Vanilla. Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda, Goa. 24 April 2017.
Above: "Veiled" non Muslim woman. Old Goa, 24 April 2017.
Yesterday. Earlier walking through the Panjim market we saw two girls, wearing jeans, bare shoulder tops, AND full face covering hijabs. Surprised, I asked guide Reis, if Muslim girls in Goa had lowered their standards by baring their shoulders. . "Oh, those are not Muslim girls," said Reis, "Christian and Hindu girls in Goa commonly wear hijabs as a fashion statement. They want to protect their skin from the sun, or not be noticed by others.
I was struck by the parallel of the Goan girls' dress and the trend towards veils in the west. Paris designers are on to the trend as are the Women's Marchers. Women's March leader, Linda Sarsour, sets the example for more modest female habiliment.
Addendum:
The very exotic "Jack Fruit" Margaret was looking at is growing in our back yard here in Miami. Our tree produces so many fruits and they are huge and heavy. The only problem is that when ripe, they smell like cat urine...but, the fruit is delicious and plentiful.
Magnolia,
Miami, FL
Very interesting e mails. Thank you.
El Contador,
Tavistok, UK
Above: Indira Docks. Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
Image from 11th deck observation lounge just after docking. Seven Seas Voyager.
We've been to this sprawling, chaotic, exciting, historic city several times. Today's visit is our second visit to Mumbai this year. We were here in January 2017. Ship's bus tours posed no interest to us, so with the assistance of TravelScope India, we hired a car and driver for the day. We would check out some sights not seen before, do some shopping, and have lunch. We would return to the ship for a rest and a shower, and then join Mumbai friends for dinner at the Willingdon Club.
Above: St. Thomas Cathedral. Fort, Mumbai. 25 April 2017.
Built in 1718, the Anglican cathedral is a standing example of the early British settlement. The church is named after St. Thomas, one of Christ's Twelve Disciples. Christian tradition in India maintains that St. Thomas visited India after Christ's crucifixion, to spread the gospel. The church is operational. Holy Communion is held every Sunday at 8:40 AM.
The cathedral was built to neo classical and neo-gothic styles with a white façade. The interiors of the cathedral mirror the interiors of the St. Thomas Cathedral in Ireland, and look much the same today as they did when it was first built in the 18th century.
My reaction was the same as when I witnessed the great cathedrals (Se and Bom Jesus) in Goa yesterday. How incongruous it seemed to see these great, historic Christian churches, common in Europe, here in India. Its just one more example of India's unique, incredible diversity, vibrancy and contrast. The cathedral also signals the penetrating influence the Raj had on India.
Above: Margaret at Phillips Antiques. Fort, Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
We went to Phillips Antiques on the recommendation of Mumbai friend Saker.
I purchased an 1826 dated French map which circumscribed exactly the geography of our voyage... from Indochina to the Persian Gulf.
We purchased a brass Nandi and a brass palanquin end ornament as lasting (we hope) souvenirs of our visit.
Above: TIMDT at Mumbai Museum of Modern Art. Fort, Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
There is a modern art scene in India... to add to everything else.
The most fascinating thing about this visit was the modern, domed architecture of the museum itself.
When we were in Mumbai in January of this year, we visited Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum. Tomorrow it is our plan to visit Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalava (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum).
Above: TIMDT shops Christina. Oberoi Mall. Nariman Point. Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
We made a trip to Christina in Delhi in January. Then, Margaret bought tops for friends, but, not for herself.
Before arriving in Mumbai, TIMDT wore one of her Christina tops to dinner on the ship one evening. After dinner, walking out of the Compass Rose restaurant, a woman came up to complement her blue top, worn with black pants. Margaret said, "If you want a Christina top, go to their store in the Oberoi Mall when you get to Mumbai."
Feeling good about the woman's complement, TIMDT followed her own advice and went to Mumbai Christina's to look for more tops for herself. I agree, by the way. TIMDT looks great in Christina tops... and, they are not expensive.
Christina tops. One of TIMDT's great shopping finds in India.
Above: Paneer. Fenix Restaurant. Oberoi Hotel. Nariman Point. Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
I hadn't seen the Nariman Point Oberoi and, after shopping at Christina's, it was time for lunch.
I'm a sucker for paneer... and this rendition was fantastic.
Above: Steven, Chita, and Mehli. Willingdon Club. Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
Reunion of good friends from Citibank days.
Dinner hosted by Chita.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) much appreciated being invited to this pukkah place.
Above: Steven, TIMDT, Aisha, Saker, Mehli, Bishop. Willingdon Club. Mumbai, India. 25 April 2017.
Pork with couscous. Delicious.
Good reunion.
Addendum:
GOA is one of my favorite places, Steve...remember it well. In the 90's while with AIG I was still able to speak Portuguese with most business folks there...
Also, as you remember, it was featured in one of the Jason Bourne films...
Montevideo, Burlington, VT
Above: Indira Docks. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Early AM image from 11th deck observation lounge. Seven Seas Voyager.
As a measure of security, Indian coast guard patrol boats constantly in the neighborhood of the Seven Seas Voyager.
Day two Mumbai coming up. Once again, ducking the bus tours offered by the ship, we have hired car and driver. TIMDT has a list of shops to visit. Lunch with Saker planned. Have to go. Need the exercise. And, Saker is nice.
Early AM Handheld Lounge Reflections:
MUMBAI. World City. Energetic city.
Fort. Glass sky scrapers and tattered, Raj era colonial buildings compete for space. Lottsa trees, parks (cricket grounds) and bougainvillea, even downtown. Fort.
The Sacred. Colonial Anglican churches are side by side with Kali and Siva temples. India's unapologetic, aspirational, spiritualism persists in Mumbai.
And the Profane: Bangkok sized billboards pushing the latest condo development and ubiquitous brite (sic) color curb side shop signage.
Black and yellow Suzuki/Maruti taxis proliferate...and toot obligatorily . No three wheel tuk-tuks in Fort.
Little litter in Fort. Good example for India's trash problem.
From Nariman Point, all along Marine Drive, young and old sit on the divider and contemplate sunset on the Arabian Sea from whence came Portuguese sailing ships early 16th century and British East India schooners a century later.
Sassoon Docks (opposite side of peninsula/island from Indira Docks). In from the indigenous Koli fishermen comes "Bombay Duck," a local fish dried for widespread consumption during the monsoon (June July) when local fishing stops. We visited the Sassoon Docks early AM when we were here last January.
At Churchgate Station, on the Western Line, dabbawallas sort the two hundred thousand hot meals, cooked at home during late morning, sent by train to Churchgate, to be delivered at lunch time to office workers throughout the city.
Whole area teams with differently engaged people... and a few stray, sacred cows. 25 million people in Mumbai. Scope and scale of Mumbai are a bit hard to process.
Hip girls in colorful tops, tights and designer sunglasses...many with their faces veiled to protect their skin, bearded sadhus, veiled Muslim women in full black chardor, and Armani suited business execs jumping in and out of Jags... seemingly all of them seeking something better than what they have. No whiner snowflakes in Mumbai.
Porches and push carts. Drive past Malabar...Gandhi's house in same area as Parsi Towers of Silence.
Beyond is the pukkah Willingdon Club, where you can squint and see the uppity colonials of a century past who in 1947 turned to the club over to their "local lessers," now the new sahibs. Club members now include many of the world's leading industrialists, authors and artists.
Slums and poverty are in Mumbai...in abundance...but we tourists avoid. Out of sight, out of mind, except for the movies.
For this trip, tony Bandra, Bollywood hang out, is too far away. We keep to the docks, Fort, Nariman, and Malabar Hill).
Mumbai: chaotic, claxon cacophonic, crazy, colorful, crumbling, careening forward as a pin ball or a Pachinko ball seeking its exit...a bellwether for the rest of India.
Incredible India. India Rising.
Above: Lucknow Chikan House. Opera Area. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
When TIMDT told the driver where to go, I thought she had something else in mind.
Above: TIMDT shops for embroidered Lucknow chikan. Lucknow Chikan House. Opera. Mumbai, 26 April 2017.
Above: The Bishop observes the Mumbai Opera House. Mumbai. 26 August 2017.
Bishop walked around the Opera neighborhood while TIMDT was at the 'chicken house.'
Above: Bishop observes 11th Century Sculpture. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Bishop was reminded of his and TIMDT's wedding photos.
World class museum. Must see. Not enough time. On your fiftieth visit to India you could find things to see which would "out world class" stuff that you'd see on your fifth visit anyplace else.
I was alone here. TIMDT was nearby, meeting Saker at Phillips Antiques. I would join them later when TIMDT called.
Above: Ashoka's ninth edict engraved in Brahmi script on this stone 2250 years ago. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
The edict asks for proper treatment of slaves and servants, reverence to teachers, restraint of violence towards living creatures, and liberality to priests and ascetics.
Long lasting stationary!
Above: Young India. School kids on a field trip. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Wikipedia:
India is the second most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world's population. According to the United Nations in July 2016, the population stood at 1,326,801,576.[1]
India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2022,[6][7] surpassing China, its population reaching 1.7 billion by 2050.[7][8][9] Thus, India is expected to become the first political entity in history to be home to more than 1.5 billion people. Its population growth rate is 1.2%, ranking 94th in the world in 2013.[10] The Indian population reached the billion mark in 1998.
India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan; and, by 2030, India's dependency ratio should be just over 0.4.[11]
Above: TIMDT and Saker, jewelry shopping at D. Popli and Sons, Nariman Point. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Above: Vintage Austin parked in front of jeweler, D. Popli and Sons. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
1939ish?
Above: Cricket Pitch. Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
According to Saker, Mumbai City would like to get its hand on this privately owned open space, smack dab in the middle of a busy metropolis.
The "spire" at right is Victoria Railway Station.
Above: Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
TIMDT and Saker half way down the portico.
Above: Saker and TIMDT pose at entrance to Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Saker invited us to lunch. I had paneer curry again. Pukkah.
Above: Multicultural religious icon display. The Bombay Store. Mumbai, India.
Two Ganeshes, one Shiva, and one Jesus Christ.
I bought an 1860 reproduced print of a map of India.
Addendum:
Glad Margaret enjoying shopping-what cigar store were you at-:)
Mr. Z3,
Ojai, CA
Enjoyed your journey without leaving home. And, that was very thoughtful of Margaret getting me a dhoti. I do like the light colorful Indian clothes
Hoops,
Pelham, NY
Steve,
Thanks for your travelogue- well done.
It has aroused a question: How long do you think that it will take for India to overcome China, economically? (you could couch this as: how much stronger is India’s raucous openess versus china’s centrally controlled “calm”)?
I’m curious,
Ahnrhi, Larkspur, CA
I'd bet on India. India still has a long way to go to eliminate/reduce its stifling bureaucracy with its petty corruption. The current government understands that an is taking steps to reduce red tape.
800 million cell phones (now in hand) with the capacity to make available everything from hair dressing tips to Harvard Business School marketing classes... put in the hands of hungry, spiritual, aspiring, entrepreneurial, FREE people with a work ethic... will eventually enable India to outpace freedom curtailed, controlled, culturally regimented China.
Memo to Capital: If you can't find a way to do business in India... you're going to lose out.
Day At sea. Direction Persian Gulf. Arabian Sea. Seven Seas Voyager.
Typical at sea day.
We've traveled these sea lanes before... two southbound cruises. This is the first time we go this way, north bound.
As early as 5:00 AM, I go to 11th deck to the auto coffee machine and get a cup of Americano.
I'd take the coffee to the observation lounge to update my diary. The lounge was dark. Never anyone there. Once and a while an employee comes in and says hi.
About 7:30 AM I move aft to the 11th deck dining area (it has a name, but, I forget) and start breakfast. TIMDT joins me shortly after I arrive. We've pre-arranged the meeting place and time... or, if not, we'll call or text one another.
After breakfast, I'll go to our cabin to read. TIMDT goes to the library to read or knit. Or, she goes to the spa for a manicure or a massage.
Between 10 AM and 11 AM I'll attend the ship's lectures. The lecturers on board are pretty good. Clive Leatherdale, a Brit, and Andy Jampoler, a retired Navy Captain from suburban Virginia. The lectures, brief summaries of which I've included in my diary, are, for the most part topical to the areas we are visiting on this voyage.
There are other things organized by the ship... bridge, sari wrapping, needle work, dance classes... but, other than the lectures, neither TIMDT or Mwah (sic) participate.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) join for lunch, either outside by the pool, or aft 11th deck. No complaints about the food. Lunch and breakfast are buffet style... you can order eggs to specification.
After lunch, we'll go back to the cabin. TIMDT goes out to the cabin deck and reads/snoozes. I read my self into a nap in bed.
At 3:30 PM I walk the deck five to the Seger beat for an hour. About three miles.
At 4:30 PM, I return to the cabin, read while cooling off for fifteen minutes, and then jump into the shower.
I go to the 11th deck observation lounge at cocktail hour (5:15 PM) and try to get one of four seats facing forward... the same view as the captain has from the bridge, one deck below. TIMDT joins me within 20 minutes of my arrival.
The above is also my pattern on excursion days... so the bartenders know me and bring my drink without first asking what I want.
Someone usually sits down and we start jabbering.
.... Retired guy from Vancouver, traveling alone, who, coincidentally rides BMW motorcycles.
...Retired couple from Miami, who met while employed with Eastern Airlines. This is their 15th Regent Cruise. They never get off the ship. The guy had read ten books by the time we were sailing from Mumbai to the person gulf. People travel for different reasons, I guess. I wouldn't go on a cruise unless I could spend some time visiting something unique... exotic... interesting... along the way.
.... Couple from Omak, WA. He's a retired doctor. She a retired school teacher. I asked them where they were from. "Eastern Washington," the school teacher said. "Well, where exactly?" I asked. "Well, you wouldn't know it, if we told you," said School Teacher. "Well try me," I said. "I know Eastern Washington pretty well. You could be from Walla Walla in the south east, or from Spokane in the northeast, or from the Palouse area south of Spokane... or, even from Omak." School teacher reacts with surprise! "Omak! We're from Omak!" she said. We didn't think anybody knew about Omak." I said I motorcycled that way quite a bit, usually I'm on my way to or from BC. "What?" says School Teacher. "We're motorcyclists too. We don't ride touring bikes... we ride crotch rockets!" And the conversation moves along....
Around 7:00 PM we go to dinner, usually at the main dining room, "Compass Rose." There are two specialty restaurants where you have to reserve, a steak house and a French restaurant... we went to each one once... they were fine... but, the food was equally good in the main dining area, Compass Rose.... so we tended to default to that.
Often we'd hear from the Maitre d'... can I pair you up with another couple. We said no... we were content to enjoy one another's company at dinner.
The after dinner shows started at 9:30 PM. We only went to a couple of them... one a very good ventriloquist and the other a Las Vegas Gala kind of review show. Both were good... but it was just too late. I got up really early and enjoyed my writing periods in the lounge... so I was eager to get back to bed after dinner.
On two occasions, after dinner, I started a movie on the room's entertainment link, but, I fell asleep. I finished one movie... not memorable... I can't recollect the title as I write this. Never turned on the TV news... they had live CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC etc... but, I did keep up on my handheld... Drudge, WSJ, BBC, FT...periodically throughout the day. List junkie and Facebook junkie that I am, I managed to keep up with email and Facebook. Internet service on the ship wasn't bad, but you'd have to sign on every day. Listening around, a lot of people seemed to be complaining about internet service. It definitely worked better later at night or early in the AM when there weren't many users. The ship's cohort is geezers and our cohort, generally speaking, are not great users of the internet. The ship still passes around hard copy news summaries which seem to be widely used.
I enjoyed at sea days... there were six or seven at sea days on the 25 day cruise.
Above: Richard Burton quote.
Burton. 19th century explorer of of Arabia. Topic today of shipboard lecturer, Clive Leatherdale.
Seven Seas Voyager, as we ply, direction NW, the Arabian Sea, direction Muscat, Oman.
This particular quote not for today's snowflake males.
Above: On boat ship lecturer, Andy Jampoler, discusses the impact disease has had on history.
Napoleon abandoned his effort to conquer Egypt because of Bubonic plague found there.
Indigenous South American civilizations were undone by disease brought by the Spanish conquistadors.
Slides show three of many examples cited.
Above: Bishop. Seger Time. Deck Five. Seven Seas Voyager. 27 April 2017.
I'm usually alone when walking this deck. Aft, there are some smoking chairs where you find a few people. The ship promotes walking around the smaller circumference 12th deck above the pool. But, this is better... longer... and besides, the contrarian in me pulls.
SEGER TIME, Arabian Gulf
"Sunspot Baby"
She packed up her bags and she took off down the road
Left me here stranded with the bills she owed
She gave me a false address
Took off with my American Express
Sunspot Baby
She sure had me way outguessed
She left me here stranded like a dog out in the yard
Charged up a fortune on my credit card
She used my address and my name
Man that was sure unkind
Sunspot Baby
She sure has a real good time
I looked in Miami
I looked in Negril
The closest I came was a month old bill
I checked the Bahamas and they said she was gone
I can't understand why she did me so wrong
But she packed up her bags
And she took off down the road
Said she was going to visit sister Flo
She used my address and my name
And man that was sure unkind
Sunspot Baby
I'm gonna catch up sometime
Sure had a real good time
Above: TIMDT. Observation Lounge. Seven Seas Voyager. 27 April 2017.
Hot companion. Wearing one of her new Christina tops.
Addendum
Hey Phin,
Congratulations!! You have been selected to receive any cymbal of your choice.
Your submission was our favorite because we could see how much effort you put into it! And we hope you will keep putting in that same effort playing the drums.
Please let me know what cymbal you want, as well as your mailing address and I will send it out to you.
Best,
Ian
Ian Ho
Zildjian Company
Day At sea. Arabian Sea. Seven Seas Voyager.
On board lecturer, Clive Leatherdale, provides a historical overview of Saudi Arabia.
Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, shown here in his early twenties on 1909. Ibn Saud, led the Wahabbi movement through which he was the first to consolidate power throughout the Saudi peninsula. Ally of Britain, as he rose to power, through the efforts of Col. William Shakespear (no "e" and no relation). Fathered eighty eight children which is one of the reasons that the Saudi royal family numbers over 10,000 today.
T.E. Lawrence formed an alliance Faisel, to create "The Arab Revolt" against the Ottoman Empire during WWI.
Feisal, a bitter enemy of Ibn Saud, was a son of the Sharif of Mecca, who was driven away from his post by Ibn Saud. Feisal was to go on to become King of Iraq - another brother became King of Jordan, whose descendants rule there to this day.
Above: Selected slides from Andy Jampoler's presentation on strategic waterways of the world.
I've done Suez, Bab el Mandab, Bosporus, and Malacca, shown above. Yet to do Panama Canal and Sunda Strait, also shown above.
SEGER TIME (4:00 PM) 28 April 2017
Seven Seas Voyager.
Arabian Sea.
Heading: 290.3 degrees
23 34 70 North longitude
61 38 78 East latitude
Wind direction: 294.8 degrees
Wind speed: 33.6 knots
Speed: 11 knots
Temp: 82.6F
Hum: 77%
Only 11 knot speed, but the effect is crankin'... crashing... into the strong headwinds...over white caps and moderate swells.
Manhattan
Shakey Davey's got a twelve gauge in his hand
It's sawed off to the limit
He's got a vague plan
There's this liquor store on Madison
There's another one down on Washington square
He's pretty sure no one's ever seen him
Down around there
The first one's birdshot the next four are double aught buck
The last one's a slug just for good luck
He's got his works in his pocket
He wants to score as soon as he's done
He can't wait to get straight to get long gone
He puts on his long coat scribbles off a short note
Sits himself down and waits for the sun to go down
It's right around midnight and there's still too damn many people on this street
He's walked all the way from Battery Park he's got sweaty hands and burnin' feet
He's desperate for a fix
His body's screamin' "Get me high"
He bursts through the door and lets one fly
Sunrise in the park and Davey's cold as stone
He got some bad merchandise and he was all alone
Two more unsolved mysteries a iot of paper pushed around
Most folks are just wakin' up in this great big town
Above: TIMDT in Observation Lounge. Seven Seas Voyager. 28 April 2017. Second day out of Mumbai at sea.
TIMDT's and Mwah's (sic) favorite place. Here... Arabian Gulf sunset, cocktails, classical guitarist. Nearing Straits of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Above: Portuguese fort seen above green Corniche walk. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
Seven Seas Voyager entering Port Sultan Qaboos at 7:00 AM.
Image from 11th deck observation lounge.
Above: Muscat from Big Bus. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
This was our third visit to Oman, but, only the first visit to Muscat, the country's capital and location of over half of Oman's population of 2.7 million (about the size of Utah).
Regent offered a hop on hop off tour, which wasn't a bad way to get an overview of the city if you hadn't been here before. The tour lasted 2 hours (if you didn't hop on and hop off... which we didn't). It was hot as hades. 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Notwithstanding, we rode in the open air upper deck. There was no wind when stationary, but, the breezes when the vehicle moved took off a bit of the edge.
The hottest I have ever felt was in this part of the world. We were visiting friends David and Diane in Dubai, in the late '70's. I remember walking out their front door and feeling as though I had opened the door to an oven. That's a bit what it feels like here in Muscat today.
Lottsa beautiful beaches and scenic views. Buy a house? Buy only cream or white paint. The white-ish look of the city, against the background of brown desert rock hills, reminded me of Essouira, Morocco.
TIMDT made the observation (correctly) that Muscat was one of the cleanest cities we have visited. Not a lot of litter.
Our previous visits to Oman have taken us to Sur, Salaleh (twice), and Khasab (the town right on the western tip of the entry to the Straits of Hormuz... where the eastern tip of the entry, in Iran, can be seen with the naked eye.
Above: Bishop observes front entrance, Sultan's Palace. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said is 75 years. His father was smart enough to get his son a western education in England, but not smart enough to keep the throne, as his "educated" thirty year old son deposed him in 1970.
The father wasn't doing much with the country. The young Sultan had a vision of bringing Oman into the modern world. By most accounts, he has been somewhat successful. The country has developed natural resources, including oil, a solid tourism industry, is at peace with most of its neighbors and has a strong alliance with the United States. This is quite an accomplishment considering the chaotic state of its neighbor to the west, Yemen.
Above: Sultan Palace, and adjacent old Portuguese fort, from the water side. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
Barley seen, the orange structures near the water are active 50 millimeter guns to protect the residence.
Above: Pork Chop. Lunch aboard Seven Seas Voyager. Port Sultan Qaboos. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
There are lottsa nice meals aboard ship... but, the significance of this one is its irony. Pork is forbidden in Muscat, a Muslim country.
I didn't order the pork chop to be contrary... it was there and it looked good.
Above: Seven Seas Voyager at berth. Sultan Qaboos Port. Muscat, Oman. 29 April 2017.
Above: Both ships are Sultan Qaboos' yachts. Port Sultan Qaboos. Muscat, Oman.
Livin' large in the neighborhood.
Above: Entering Dubai Port, circa 1:00 PM on the Seven Seas Voyager. 11th deck observation lounge. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Burj Khalifa seen through the haze.
For both of us, this is our third trip to Dubai.
We came in 1976 to visit David and Diane, who were working in Dubai for First National Bank of Chicago. I remember the visit as the hottest that I've ever felt. Opening the door to leave their home it felt like opening the door to an oven. Today will be the same. 102 degrees. Humidity 90%.
Our second visit was also on a cruise. 2012. Seabourn. From Athens to Singapore.
In 2012 we went to the top of the Burj... and saw as much of the Dubai Mall as was possible.
The Burj Khalifa only lets you go to their observation lounge on about the 148th floor.. out of 180 floors. Notwithstanding, the visit was worth it just to ride the speedy elevators (there are over 60 of them) and to see the view. No sewer connection (at least then) at the Burj. Sewage is trucked out daily. Then, the sewage solution gave a Potemkin Village impression about the city. I finished Massie's biography of Catherine the Great last year and found out that Potemkin has been misjudged by history. So, maybe, I misjudge Dubai's durability today.
The Dubai Mall was otherworldly in size and scope. If you are a watch junkie, even exclusive, niche brand Swiss watch makers have their own stores: Ulysse Nardin, for one. I own a Ulysse Nardin which I wear only occasionally. My current watch of choice is an automatic HMT made in India. HMT went out of business last year. I bought the HMT for about $200 in a walk-up store in Pondicherry two years ago. It keeps excellent time! I'm wearing the HMT on this cruise.
Above: Bishop observes Jamaira Mosque. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Today, we joined the ship's bus tour.
Above: TIMDT observes Burj al Arab. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Billed as "Seven Star" hotel.
Above: TIMDT enters Dubai Museum. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Most of the museum is underground. Informative on the transition, in fifty short years from a primitive, Bedouin desert and fishing culture to a state of the art, modern metropolis. A bit claustrophobic for me, particularly considering there were several bus loads of Regent cruise customers in the museum at the same time. TIMDT said that Regent, who otherwise seemed to do a pretty good job staggering customers around its destination, could have done a better job here.
Seven sheikhs got together in the 70's and said... "what are we going to do with all this oil money?" They formed a federation, called it United Arab Emirates, and turned their desert into a modern metropolis. That there is nothing over 50 years old in Dubai, which really differentiates Dubai from other cities of its size. Beautiful roadways with beautifully landscaped, green medians. Glass sky scrapers, all uniquely and creatively sculpted. Terrific beaches on the Persian Gulf... with separate women's and men's sections. Mind boggling malls and shopping centers. How many Rolex stores does one mall need?
Like Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Dubai/UAE seems to be another example of Islam and modernism reaching accommodation. Still, its a bit jarring to see scantily clad women and women in full hijab walking on the same streets... in the malls etc. You wonder if this seeming culture clash can be/will be sustained.
Lower oil prices have put pressure on UAE revenues. The Emirates, which now has no income taxes, are under pressure by the World Bank to start taxing income or introduce VAT. Our tour guide said that UAE rulers are repositioning their economies to reduced dependence on oil. Dubai, she said, now only has a 1% direct dependence on oil, having transformed itself into a major tourist, cultural and trading center. Neighboring Abu Dhabi is where all the oil is. Notwithstanding Dubai's claimed distancing from the oil economy, should neighboring, oil rich, Abu Dhabi suffer, Dubai would certainly feel the effects.
Above: TIMDT at the Dubai Gold Souk. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Above: TIMDT at the Dubai Gold Souk. Dubai, 30 April 2017.
We visited the gold souk in the '70's. Its one of the few recognizable links between our visit then, and today's visit.
Above: Boat across Dubai Creek to the Gold Souk. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Squint. Venice.
Above: Carrefour store. Dubai. 30 April 2017.
Image captured from a moving bus. Didn't go in.
Carrefour shows prescience in locating in Dubai. Most of the new consumers of the world over the next 20 years will come from below the 35th parallel.... UAE, India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria etc.
Within the last 18 months I read Ram Charan's "Global Tilt" where Charan affirms that large corporations which don't do business in the new emerging economies (below the 35th parallel) will lose out. You won't, Charan points out, be able to grow in the West as economic growth potential there has stalled out. The ultimate point of Charan's book is that the new emerging economies have different business practices and that new entrants must pay a lot of attention to understanding business outside of their home markets.
I read an article today about the ten US retailers about to go out of business. The article added grist to Charan's hypothesis. Stalling US growth in retailing is starting to winnow out many retailing chains. You can't make it in the US, which is growing at less than 2% per year. You have to go to markets that are growing at 6% to 8% a year.... India, Indonesia, China.... if you want to survive.
I used to wonder how such French companies as Carrefour, Michelin etc. had such good growth records and robust P and L's when they were based in economically sluggish France. Duh! They have been successful in growing their businesses in the "south..." where the new consumers are! I wonder if Charan was on their consulting team?
Target, with which I once had an affiliation as a director of one of their subsidiary banks, will have to learn Charan's lesson to survive. They tried to expand in Canada in recent years, but failed, taking some significant write-offs as they pulled out. They're going to have to try to reach "southern" customers if they want to keep up their growth.
Addendum:
News from the home front!
Tonight was Lego night at the Bees baseball game. We told the kids we would take them but in late afternoon, Zach made some choices that resulted in him losing the privilege of going to the game. He was really upset. After Jake left with the other two kids he told me he was going to walk to the game and walked out the door. I grabbed my coat and locked the house and started following him thinking he would go a few blocks and then turn back. But he didn't. He kept going and I walked along giving him directions. At one point he told me he wouldn't give up even after I told him how long it would take and how far it was. He was determined and walked the entire 3.8 miles to the ballpark. It took him almost an hour and a half. I couldn't believe it. Portland
Above: Abu Dhabi harbor entry. 01 May 2017.
We've airport transited here once. Never, until today visited.
The hop on hop off tour offered by the Seven Seas Voyager seemed the best way to get an over view of the city. We needed some time on our feet. Outdoors it was too hot, so we decided to stop at the Marina Mall. We would walk for two or three hours, get back on the bus and complete the two and one half hour circuit... making sure to make one more stop at the Sheikh al Zayed Mosque... purportedly a must see in Abu Dhabi.
Above: TIMDT observes White Presidential Palace from Marina Sky Tower. Marina Mall. Abu Dhabi, UAE. 01 May 2017.
Above: TIMDT shops at Damas Jewelers. Marina Mall. Abu Dhabi. 01 May 2017.
Marco Bicego anyone?
Above: TIMDT walks past L.K. Bennet, London. Marina Mall. Abu Dhabi. 01 May 2017.
TIMDT noted that Kate buys here shoes at L. K. Bennet. I'm sure that helps!
Later in the hop on hop off tour we passed another mall announcing the coming of Bloomingdales and Macys. This amplifies the point that I made in my Dubai comments about Carrefour. You must do business below the 35th parallel in order for your company to successfully grow.
Above: TIMDT wearing abeya at Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque. Abu Dhabi. 01 May 2017.
The Mosque, completed in 2006, is the third largest in the world... and, the largest in the world outside of Saudi Arabia.
The mosque accommodates over 40K worshippers, while the main prayer hall can hold over 7000. There are two smaller prayer halls with a capacity of 1500 each, one of which is the women's prayer hall.
The carpet in the main prayer hall is claimed to be the world's largest carpet. It was made in Iran. The carpet measures 61K sq. ft. and employed 1300 carpet knotters. It weighs 35 tons. Wool. 2.3 billion knots. Two years manufacturing time.
The mosque has seven chandeliers made by Faustig in Munich, Germany. Incorporated in the chandeliers are millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest chandelier is the second largest known chandelier inside a mosque, the third largest in the world and has a 33 foot diameter and a 49 foot height.
The above is all for starters... there are pools, special lighting that operates according to the phases of the moon, 96 columns with mother of pearl inlay, calligraphy from Islam's top calligraphers... and more.
Above: TIMDT, in abeya, poses in Main Prayer Hall. Sheikh al Zayed Mosque. Abu Dhabi. 01 May 2017.
The great carpet and two of the magnificent chandeliers can be seen.
The total effect of this mosque was that it was stunning... breathtaking. Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque is a religious edifice on a scale of any other religious edifice in the world.
It is up there with St. Peters, Shwedagon, or Kanchipuram. But, wait. There's a difference. Al Zayed mosque is new. The aforementioned buildings are old. Al Zayed mosque's newness, splendor and scope is symbolic, I believe, to the energy and vitality of Islam today.
The Al Zayed mosque is state sponsored... constructed with state funds. Like in Malaysia, where we were a couple of weeks ago, Islam is the state religion of the UAE.
Islamic values prevail in Abu Dhabi. At malls there is signing requiring modesty in dress. Beaches are sex segregated. While freedom of individual expression seems to be curtailed, Abu Dhabi accommodates many other elements of modernism. The city has been created in the last fifty years. There is little evidence of anything old. Sky scrapers with creative architecture are every where. Shopping malls are extensive and feature top brand stores. Luxury automobiles at a Coral Gables or Beverly Hills ratio ply the well engineered road system, which is lined with finely landscaped medians and walkways.
Guest workers (80% of the UAE's population of 10 million) who are not Islamic are not expected to comply to Islamic rules. They are given free reign to practice their own religions. Modesty in dress, however, is a good idea for anyone out in public. I saw the occasional exception to this.
The five pillars of Islam are:
1. Faith. Allah is God.
2. Charity. Donation of alms to the poor.
3. Fasting. One month day time fast at Ramadan.
4. Prayer. Pray five times daily facing Mecca.
5. Hajj. Pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime.
Now that doesn't sound so bad does it? UAE. A country, culturally intact, people moving together according to the same credo, all prospering as they preserve their cultural values while moving into modern life. Nothing wrong with that right?
As Western Culture disintegrates, the progressive, globalist, secular model replacement culture seeks to enforce one value: the individual's right of self expression. One can be or do anything he/she wants as long as it does not direct harm to anyone else. No longer are cultural relics such as the Bible used to enforce uniform values amongst the populace.
As surging Islam surges into the West, particularly Europe, unlike Christian culture, it has, so far, resisted the lure of self cultural immolation in favor of Europe's secular individualism. "We want to remain a Muslim culture," say Muslims urged to assimilate into the secular European world.
Vibrant, energetic, and culturally intact, as Islam seems to be, Islam would seem to be on a collision course with secular Europe. Considering its robust birth rates, Islam, therefore, is likely to replace secular Europe as Europe's dominant culture at some point. Not that there's anything wrong with this. Orderly Abu Dhabi seems to have done pretty well with its own blend of Islam and modernism.
Addendum:
Way to go Zach.
Hoops,
Pelham, NY
Wow Wonder where Zach gets that determination?
La Psy,
Los Angeles, CA
Above: Good morning from the observation lounge of the Seven Seas Voyager! Abu Dhabi. 02 May 2017
We're just being joined by another ship!
Sitting at the empty bar, mood music wafting through the lounge, I work/write here from very early in the AM.
Contrarian Mwah (sic)... rarely anyone but me here in the AM. — at Port Zayed Abu Dhabi.
Above: View from hotel room. Yaz Island Viceroy Hotel. Abu Dhabi. 02 May 2017.
Marina Circuit. The only F1 Grand Prix track in the world with a hotel inside the track circuit.
Cars in images are people doing track days in F1 cars.
We've only been here for a couple of days... but, just about everything you see has a superlative aspect, not unlike our hotel sitting inside Marina Circuit.
Nearby is Ferrari World, the world's first Ferrari theme park. What's next?
Above: Ferrari World, file copy.
Above: Jose. Bartender. Cheesecake Factory. Yaz Island Mall. Abu Dhabi. 02 May 2017.
We had to do it. Ritual is good.
Jose, Filipino UAE guest worker, bartender/server.
"We like Dutarte. He's getting rid if all the drug dealers. Crime is down 85%."
Classic burger an exact copy of what I get in SLC. Cheese'... great food, great execution. Check out the bill written partially in Arabic. Best trained wait staff of any chain short of Ruth's Chris.
According to Jose, there are four Cheeses' in UAE. Three in Dubai and the one here in Abu Dhabi. To be opened soon are another in Dubai, one in Doha, and one in Bahrain.
Cheese' move into the Gulf is testimony of the point I made about Carrefour. If you want to grow you have to do business below the 35rh parallel. If you don't grow, you die.
80% of UAE population of 10 million are guest workers. They are mostly from India, Pakistan, and PI.
UAE guest workers are paid (well) only wages and have no benefits... retirement etc. They can only stay in the country as long as they are working. Job ends? They have to go back where they came from. They benefit from good salaries, no income tax, no sales tax. Their permission to stay is renewable every three years. Most of them, of course, remit a good portion of their earnings to their home country to help relatives and to create a retirement nest egg for when they have to leave the country. There is no possibility for them to become citizens of UAE and most seem to have no problem with that,, considering that their situation as legal and appreciated guest workers is far superior... at least in terms of earning power... to how they would live in their home countries.
The US should look at UAE as an example of a working guest worker program. Guest workers should not have to work under the shadow of being illegal. Employer certified, three year renewable, biometric (non forgeable) work permits should do the trick. Guest workers who wish to become US citizens can join the quota queue. Aside. I am a strong proponent of increased US immigration quotas, mainly H-1B visas, but, also across the board. Considering the failure of the millennial generation, America needs hard working people to fill the gap. Even without the millennial deficit, America should control immigration and increase immigration. The assimilation of immigrants into the American system is the source of America's vitality. Meanwhile, grandfather my social security payment.
Addendum:
The glorious massacres of September 11, 2001 and the tens of thousands following, met with an incoherent, feeble and apologetic response, has fueled the new-found energy and vitality of Islam. By default, Islamic supremacy surges.
Hoops,
Pelham, NY
Above: Image of interactive map on flight from Abu Dhabi to Dallas 03 May 2017.
Image shows location of the plane at the time I snapped the image.
As we fly over the Black Sea, I'm reading Clive Cussler's "Odessa Sea," a novel/thriller set in the western Black Sea area. Two years ago, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) sailed in the Black Sea and visited cities where action in the novel takes place: Varna, Bugros, Constanta, Sinop, and Istanbul. Three years ago, we motorcycled along the Black Sea coast, further East from the novel's setting, from Trabzon, Turkey to Bitumi, Georgia.
Above: Image of interactive map on flight from Abu Dhabi to Dallas 03 May 2017.
Aircraft is now over the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone of the north Atlantic, just south of the tip of Greenland.
Following are five images I liked which were not included in previous diaries of this trip - Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, via Regent cruise liner, Seven Seas Voyager.
1. Incense burner sculpture. Muscat, Oman. (through ship window post rain)
2. Driving along Corniche. Dubai, UAE.
3. Vintage Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. Mumbai, India.
4. Patrol Boat. Abu Dhabi Harbor.
5. Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque. Abu Dhabi, UAE
Addendum:
Pictures are terrific and information is very interesting ;did you happen to ask what brand Sweeper they used on the carpet-😎
Mr. Z3,
Ojai, CA
Yas. Not yaz.
TIMDT,
Park City, UT
While the aircraft on the cover appears to be an American B-29, it would actually be a Tupelov Tu-4 (given the story-line about a Russian nuclear bomber that crashed into the Black Sea in 1955). Soviet engineers examined B-29s that had force-landed near Vladivostok during WWII and reversed engineered them. So, they were Soviet-made bombers that were essentially copy-cats of the American B-29.
Rudy Jr.
Salt Lake City, UT
Glad for the tip on Cussler. I gave up on Patterson due to his writing style (or that of his co-authors). I really enjoy DeMille and you might add Daniel Silva and David Balducci to your list of authors.
Mickey,
Chicago, IL
Hi Steve -- I appreciate the book report, and I agree. I really like Cussler more when he did all the writing. Like reading the other authors you listed also. Have you read any Preston and Child books with the character Pentergast -- very original? We've enjoyed his a lot as well as John Sanford's "Prey" books. Just in case you have another long flight sometime. Your trip was fun to share. Thanks --
Cheryl,
Hatch, UT
2017 Miami Skyline. Building under construction will be highest building on east coast outside of NYC when completed.
Image sent by Mezzanine, a Miami resident since 1991. TIMDT and Mwah (sic) moved to Miami (our second move there) from NY area in 1991. Mezzanine on board search committee that hired me into American Savings of Florida.