Picto Diary - 19 April 2017 - Bay of Bengal

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..."