On the move

Monday, April 1, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Wednesday, April 3, 2019

We’re back out on the lonely seas. But, are we truly alone? Apparently, there’s a chance for company!

Where am I?

SO, WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

Let me start off with this nice sunset departure from Mumbai.

As we set sail from Mumbai, each stateroom received this letter from the captain of the ship.

On Tuesday, we actually had a “pirate raid” drill. The staff manned their “battle stations” including a hyper-sound projector (sonic cannons), water cannons, and the captain prepared to make “evasive maneuvers.” I really don’t know if any of the weapons were actually deployed because passengers participating in the drill were asked to leave their staterooms and go out into the hallway until the “all clear” was sounded. I followed those instructions.

I am sure that no real “evasive maneuvers” were performed since I did not fall down in the hallway while waiting for the drill to end.

In theory, we’re as ready as we can be if Somali pirates try to board us. On the other hand, piracy in these waters is more of an historical event. So I’m not really worried. Very much.

As we approach Muscat, Oman, I’m happy to tell you that I have not seen pirates, and I’m sure that Johnny Depp is not on board. Still, I find myself scanning the horizon from time to time.

Anything else?

I’m making good progress toward the end of the book I’m reading. It’s called The Outsider, written by Stephen King. It’s a good story. So good, in fact, that I’m burning through the pages and expect to finish it very soon. For those that know my reading habits, that must sound like an impossibility. We’ll see.

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, I’m in Muscat, Oman. I’m not really sure what to expect there, but I’m certainly going ashore to see what’s what.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

This is my last port of call in India. As I complete this visit and start to write, I’m choosing to write in a different manner. This time, I’m not writing chronologically, and I’m not writing geographically. Instead, I’m going to write thematically.

Where am I?

The good

Mumbai is a very, very old place and there have been many different cultures present here over the centuries. If one looks around, there can be seen traces of all these different cultures. In those traces can be seen beautiful artistry, deeply felt religion, and attempts to understand and be one with nature.

For example, on my first day in Mumbai I went out to the caves on Elephanta island. These caves can be found on a hill by climbing a path that holds 120 uneven steps between the bottom and the top. The caves were originally just plain natural caves. Over the years, the people who lived in ancient Mumbai started to enlarge them and in the process created exquisite panels carved from the rock that told the story of Shiva.

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The Elephanta caves, which were once a place of worship, are a UNESCO site that demonstrates their cultural importance. UNESCO also provides the means to preserve and protect the caves and the works of art within from any further destruction (accidental or intentional.)

It appears that the wildlife on Elephanta also enjoys the protection of UNESCO and the generosity (sometimes involuntary) of visitors.

There is also some beautiful architecture in Mumbai, especially that which remains from the era of British occupation. A wonderful example of that would be the Gateway to India, seen here.

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Other old and beautiful architecture can be found in the old downtown area of Mumbai.

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The views around the harbor are varied and colorful. The sea is beautiful everywhere one can see it, and Mumbai is certainly no different in this regard.

And, ultimately, Mumbai’s most beautiful treasures must be the decent people who live there. They can be seen everywhere, working hard, smiling, and making their way through life, day in and day out. This is something that is not always easy, and it shows.

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The bad

Mumbai may be the financial capitol of India, and it may have some beautiful people but, like most places in the world, there is a dark side. Much of India’s money may be here in this city, but not everybody has access to it. As a result, Mumbai certainly has its trouble with trouble.

Another problem here is the overcrowding. Streets are clogged and people are jammed together nearly everywhere. The population of the city of Mumbai is more than twice the population of the entire state of Arizona. All of that crowding causes short tempers in traffic and so the car horn must be the national musical instrument. Now, take people selling their wares, dense traffic with car, taxi, and bus horns providing a never-ending cacophony, and you can start to imagine Mumbai as a noisy place. And, it is. 24/7.

The ugly

Most of the people that I know back in the U.S. have accepted that we need to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I’m one of those people. So it breaks my heart to see places that are so littered and and show such a lack of care.

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And it’s not just individuals carelessly tossing cans, papers, or plastic bags. There’s also industrial waste and pollution to be seen, and in the cases of the following photos, it can be seen right in the middle of the very places of beauty that I showed you earlier in this post.

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My visit to India has been a richly colorful experience. I’ve seen the pursuit of inner truth, and the creation of architectural beauty. I’ve seen some impressive generosity, and have also been warned about thievery. I’ve seen places that have been lovingly cared for, and others where everyday waste needlessly collects.

I’m very happy to have visited this place, the home of yoga, of nirvana, and of hinduism. I have a better appreciation for the underpinnings of the many different societies that make up the country known as India. Yet, I have also seen it as an imperfect place with overtaxed resources and careless abuse. I’ve seen it as a place where people subscribe to a religion that focuses on the inner self, while seemingly allow its environment to suffer. So, while my visit here was too short, I doubt that I will return. Of all the foreign places I’ve visited on this cruise, this one seems the most foreign of all. And, being in a place that is so foreign, my desire to see home once again grows stronger.

So, what’s coming up?

Next, the Amsterdam crosses the Arabian Sea and touches on the Arabian peninsula.

G’night!

Saturday, March 30, 2019

We’re back at sea for a day, so it’s another “sea day.” Always relaxing, sometimes surprising!

Where am I?

SO, WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

Today, since we were at sea, I spent most of the day sleeping, relaxing, trying not to eat too much, and reading. I think I’ll actually be able to finish an entire book before this cruise is over. If you know me well, you know that it can take up to a year for me to complete a novel. So, with sea days, I’m reading at what I would call a voracious rate.

Still, there was a nifty surprise today. Some of the crew put together a little impromptu talent show for the benefit of the passengers, mostly those passengers that hang out at the Sea View Bar.

These people are not professional singers, and that should be very apparent if you watch the video. Neither is anybody playing an instrument (including iPad drums) a professional musician. These are just some crew members sharing with us passengers a little bit of how they entertain themselves on those two decks way below our own.

I’m very happy to say that almost everyone of these crew members that you’ll see performing have become my friends. So, even though they are not professional performers, their performance reminds me of sitting around a campfire and the beach, drunk as skunks, just doing what we liked to do, which mainly was just enjoying each others company. Well, camp fires are frowned upon on the Lido deck (and other decks, too) but even without one, the feelings of being surrounded by friends, having a good time, and swimming in “joie de vivre” are alive and well on the Amsterdam. Oh, that fancy phrase I just used? That’s french for “laissez les bons temps rouler.”

So here you go!

Anything else?

On these “sea days,” I spend my time doing things to relax. I’ve shared with you some of those things, as well as views of the ship, and other tidbits.

Is there anything that you’d like to hear about or see? If so, let me know and I’ll try to fill you (and the rest of us) in! I’m asking because we’re sailing into the middle east very soon, and there will be lots of “sea days” (11 out of 14, to be exact.) I may just run out of things to tell you about. On the other hand, this could be the blessing you’ve been looking for.

What is it?

So, can you guess what this is?

Ok, I’m not going to leave you guessing this time. I’ll tell you.

This is one of the passengers leaving the buffet, carrying her salad bowl!

Her name is probably Julie. I dunno.

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, I’m in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly craving a gin and tonic.

Friday, March 29, 2019

This is our first (of two) port of call in India. I have some mixed feelings about this country, but I’m willing to get out there and see what India has to offer.

Where am I?

So, what’s been happening?

This morning when I woke up, I stepped outside onto my balcony and this is the sight I beheld.

At first, Kochi (also known as Cochin) looked like a nice rustic little place. As it turns out, the people with balconies on the other side of the ship saw something completely different. They saw a large metropolitan area. Personally, I prefer the view you see above. We are actually looking across a “lake” that is connected to the ocean on both sides. On the other side of this “lake” is the Old Fort area which is where I spent my time today.

Our bus took us into Old Fort which is very close “as the crow flies” or by boat. On the city streets, it’s quite a trek. The streets in Kochi are narrow and crowded, so driving anywhere takes some time. But, the scenery was interesting along the way. Some of these photos will look like they have a blue-green tint to them. This is because they were shot through a bus window. Click on any of them to see a larger version.

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Kochi has a long history. People were living here will before the 15th century when the Portuguese came to town and declared the place as their own. Later, the Dutch (in 1663) took Kochi from the Portuguese and kept it as a colony for more than 100 years. In 1814 the British took over Kochi as part of a treaty with the Dutch. As we drive to the Old Fort area, there are many examples of all three eras, as well as of current-day Kochi.

The tour for today was to visit a museum and stage where we would be educated and entertained by a small troupe of dancers performing Kathakali dance, but more on that later.

Our walk also took us past the headquarters of the Communist Party of Kochi. Judging by all of the political advertising I saw all over town, there must be an election coming soon. With that in mind, I’m sure that the Communist Party was using its headquarters to show the electorate how much the lives of the citizens of Kochi would improve if the party of the red flag were to be elected en masse.

Just before we arrived at the museum/theater this sign tried to induce us to stop in for some very tasty, but perhaps not too attractive food. Most of us had enjoyed a large breakfast, so nobody on the tour was inclined to detour from our intended destination.

Eventually, we found the theater building. It was a very nice looking place in the middle of a very chaotic neighborhood. I, for one, was happy to get inside the building and to the safety it afforded from the crazy traffic on the street. BTW, we were also walking on the street, as sidewalks were practically non-existent. So we had to learn how to “mix in” with the two, three, and four wheeled vehicles on every side of us.

Inside the building was a long hallway. As we entered, a nice museum was to our left (which did not allow photos, sorry) a restaurant on the right, and a theater at the back. Down the hallway was some absolutely beautiful pieces of religious art.

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We were ushered inside the theater which was small (about 100 chairs) and dark. I kinda liked the darkness as it helped to hide what I thought might be things I really didn’t want to see. But, that’s just one man’s opinion/delusion.

But before I continue, let me write a bit about Kathakali.

Kathakali is a dance style that is unique and traditional to the area around Kochi. It is an intense form of dance that involves using gestures, expressions and eye movements to tell ancients stories. To me, it felt like some crazy cross between opera and kabuki (Noh) as they might be performed for the deaf. Like ballet, student of Kathakali will study for many years (usually twelve) two learn the expressions and movements of the dance style. You can learn more about that in the following video.

NOTE: I recommend changing the resolution of the following video to the best that your Internet connection will allow.

Although I did record our entire performance, it is too large to upload and display here. Still, I’ll show you the very end of the dance (which lasted in its entirety a good twenty minutes!) where the evil demon Choothu kills the beautiful young woman. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before the show started, one of the actors came out on stage and showed us how he applied his very dramatic makeup. In the dance to be performed, this man would become the green-faced demon, Choothu.

In the dance, Choothu tries to seduce a woman who is known to be the most beautiful in the land. He is unsuccessful in his wooing, and ultimately kills the woman because she rejects him. Here is the last few minutes of the play as it was presented to us.

Now, if the woman in the dance performance does not strike you as all that beautiful, please consider that female parts in Kathakali are often played by men. That was the case in this theater.

After the play, the actors were nice enough to allow us to come up on stage individually for photos. So, here’s my proof that I was actually there.

After the performance we all risked our lives to return to the bus. The bus driver then risked our lives returning us to the ship. Still, along the way I found a few sights that I thought might be fun to share.

First, there’s this beautiful Royal Enfield motorcycle. Royal Enfield used to be a british motorcycle brand and was a rare treat to find when I first started riding motorcycles in 1967. Although they are now made in India, the styling of the bikes still looks like 1940’s and 50’s british motorcycle legends like Triumph and BSA. Look closely and you’ll see that they still make these bikes with drum brakes!

So, enough with motorcycle nerdity. Let’s move on.

On the road home (but still in Old Fort) we passed this rather interesting clinic that seems to provide natural health services for the gay community. (?)

And, finally, what would a drive through any town in southern India be like without a parade of tuk-tuks.

Once I was back aboard ship, I took a quick shower (the heat and humidity of this place simply cannot be described) and headed to the Sea View bar on the Lido deck, aft, for our happy hour sail-away. Just before departure, I snapped these quick photos.

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So, our quick stop in Kochi was very interesting, educational, and entertaining. If any of you, gentle readers, were to consider a visit here, I could recommend it, but only go during a season when the weather is cooler, like in August.

So, what’s coming up?

We have left Kochi and will spend a day at sea, followed by two days in Mumbai.

G’night!

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

We’ve crossed the Indian Ocean and have arrived at Sri Lanka, an island famous for its elephants. There were no elephants for me, though, as I toured the southwest coast of this tropical nation.

Where am I?

So, what’s been happening?

This morning when I woke up, I stepped outside onto my balcony and this is the sight I beheld.

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But, my plans today involved very little of Colombo because I’m was my way to Negombo, a little tourist village on the coast north of Colombo.

The bus left at 10:30am and I was on it! It was about a one hour drive up the coast. Before we could get on the expressway to Negombo, we had to leave Colombo. Now, all that I really got to see of this city was the port area which is totally industrial. It’s hard to judge the conditions of anyplace by limiting your exposure to an industrial area, but that’s pretty much all I got to see as well left the port. There were a few new residential developments that I saw. For example, here is a new apartment complex that we drove by.

If you only look at the small picture on this page, those buildings look pretty nice, and they are. But, if you click on that photo to see a larger version and then zoom in on the balconies, you’ll see that there is either an economic condition at play, or that I’m just a victim of culture shock. Are clothes dryers very expensive, or is this just a cultural thing? I really don’t know.

Along the expressway to Negombo I saw people living along a canal in homes no better than plywood shacks in shanty towns. In fact, all through this day it seemed to me that there are very wealthy people and organizations as well as very poor ones. Most people seem poor by US standards, and there seemed to be a very small middle class.

On the way, the tour guide was filling us in on the history and the makeup of Sri Lanka. He told us that the island has had many names, most recently Ceylon.

He also told us that christians are in a very small minority: only about 4.5% of the population. However, in Negombo (where we were approaching quickly) there is a christian majority.

I saw plenty of evidence of that as we entered the outskirts of the town. There were catholic churches on every other block. I still saw plenty of muslim women and even a Hindu man, but I think that the number of churches tells the story.

As we got closer to the beach where our resort-for-the-day was waiting, the scenery became more colorful.

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Our destination, The Jetwalk Blue Resort, was a rather nice place to hang out for a few hours, at least by my own personal feelings on the matter. It is a very high end resort by standards in this area, but it felt more like some beach resorts in Mexico. It was nice enough, but it was most certainly not the Four Seasons. Here are a few photos of the resort to give you an idea of what I mean.

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And perhaps the most picturesque view to be found at the resort was the beach.

Of course, my personal favorite area was the hotel bar! It’s not that I just can’t stop drinking (I know what you’re thinking…be careful…) but I had several motivations to be there:

1. The bar has A/C and it’s 90º+ with equally high humidity
2. The bar has cold beer
3. The bar has good wi-fi

And since I’m talking about beer, would it be a coincidence that these were the two beers I had?

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I was thinking that if this had been a nude beach I could have enjoyed Lions, and Tigers, and bares. Oh, my!

I also inquired (as I often do when traveling) as to what the official (or unofficial) national alcoholic beverage is. Every country seems to have one. So does Sri Lanka. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Arrack.

Arrack is made from coconut palm sap. In Sri Lanka it is typically a very refined spirit. I would say that it tasted much like a good añejo tequila but with a slightly lighter body of flavor. It was really quite good. I had two shots before we left.

So at the end of my visit to Jetwing Blue resort, it was time to pay the bill. Two bottles of beer (750ml each) and two shots of Arrack. Four drinks. Total amount of charge: $16.00. And remember, this is a bar in a resort! The price was fantastic. (I wish the beer had been.)

Well, anyway, at 3pm it was time to get back into the bus for the one hour ride back to the ship. At this point, though, it had obviously become rush hour and the roads were packed. Everybody was crawling along regardless of the direction one was headed. As we got deeper into the industrial area around the pier where we were docked, I started to notice the trucks. I didn’t recognize any of the brands! I guess I’m used to seeing Ford, Freightliner, Mack, White, and other American brands. That’s not what I was seeing here.

Although I saw lots of Lanka Leyland trucks, the most popular ones seemed to be from the Indian automobile company, Tata.

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Needless to say (and many of you will agree with the “needless” part) between the expressway and the port, I saw a lot of Tata’s.

<groan>

Just as I thought we might never reach the ship on that day, the Amsterdam came into view.

I was back on the pier and just outside the ship by 4:30pm, but I had to go investigate that permanent marketplace on the pier. I shopped for clothes or other keepsakes but I couldn’t find anything to my liking except for (another) cap, so that (and this page) are my memories of Sri Lanka.

Back to the room, open a bottle of cold, cold wine and prepare to depart. That was my plan for the rest of the evening. And we all hate smog, but it does help to create pretty sunsets.

Departure

At 6:00pm we had to do something that happens at every port of call: we had to sail away. So here, my friends, is our sad sail-away. Well, not too sad, I guess, because it was also happy hour! Cheers!

As we sailed away toward the western horizon, it looked just like this:

So, what’s coming up?

Tomorrow is a day at sea. Stay with me as I’ll be announcing the “What is it?” animal and you won’t want to miss that. Huh? Right?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

G’night!

Sunday, March 24, 2019
Monday, March 25, 2019
Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Three more sea days, as well as setting our clocks back 1.5 hours all adds up to more sleep and more relaxation.

Now, let’s talk about food.

Where am I?

SO, WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

The main dining room serves dinner every night. That should not surprise you. However, every 10 days or so we have a Gala Night. Gala nights are dress up affairs, and for that very reason I have avoided them for the entire trip. I’m in Matt Danger Tolle mode. Always.

Except for now.

One of the ladies at our dinner table on the night before the gala night announced that she would not be attending because she was just getting tired of them. I announced that I had never been to one, but that I would get dressed up and attend if she did. It was really just peer pressure to get her to join the rest of us for dinner, but it worked.

Damn it.

Each gala night has a theme, and the gala night theme this time was Secret Garden. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant but since I had a very limited amount of dress clothing with me I guess it really didn’t matter too much.

So, when we (the Table 64 crew) arrived at the dining room at our appointed time, we were greeted at the door by a very attractive and creative floral arrangement.

If you look closely you’ll see the arrangement has some of those crab claw flowers like the ones I saw in Darwin on my Segway tour. By the way, the floral department on the ship is exactly two people and they did all of the decorating for this night. So, after stopping for a minute or two to admire their work at the entrance to the dining room, we ventured off to our table to see what awaited us there.

Our table, and every other table in the dining room that seated more than four people had the most amazing flower display that I’ve seen aboard ship so far. I really couldn’t capture this in a single photo so please bear with my attempt to portray what I saw.

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And those are all real flowers. There’s nothing artificial in that arrangement. Beautiful, no?

So besides dressing up and having a theme, what makes a gala night so gala? Well, the menu is also kicked up a notch. For example, one can have lobster any night, but it comes with a $20 additional fee. On this gala night, lobster was an entrée choice and there was not additional charge at all! So, of course, I had two of them!

Another feature of gala night is that tables of eight can ask for a member of the staff to host their table. This is very nice as it gives those at the table a chance to get to know a member of the staff a little more personally. For our table, we were hosted by Doolin (remember that fish kissing photo?) Now, not only to we get the entertainment benefit of Doolin’s sparkling repartee, be we also get free wine with the meal. Score!

After a nearly 2 hour meal, we left to go to the MainStage theater to see a Karen Carpenter tribute (that was really good!) But before we left the dining room, the ladies just had to pose for photos. In these photos you can see Kathleen (left) Beth (center) and Mary Lee. I’m not sure who that damn photo-bomber is.

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On the way to the MainStage theater we walked by the customer service desk which is right in the middle of the ship. There, in front of the desk was this:

It looked like there were little secret gardens popping up all over the ship. How do two people pull this off?

Anything else?

Well, yeah, ok, there is this one thing. A new towel animal popped up on my bed during these three days. Personally, I’m not sure what it is. Before I ask its creator to reveal its identity, I’ll let you take a guess.

What is it?

Leave a reply for me with your guess. I’ll ask Wayan (this thing’s creator) tomorrow when I see him.

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, Sri Lanka!

Friday, March 22, 2019
Saturday, March 23, 2019

We had an overnighter in Singapore which should have been a chance to get to know the city better, but things did not go as planned. Perhaps because I had no plan.

Where am I?

So, what’s been happening?

Well, before I get started let me provide you with a map of the Singapore harbor area so that you can see the places I’m writing about. This story could get a little complicated. Here’s your map.

Days prior to arriving in Singapore it was time to decide whether to purchase a shore excursion or to just “go it” on my own. I researched Singapore and found where the cruise ships dock. Posts I read indicated that the docking place would be in the Marina district very near the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Gardens by the Bay. I truly invite you to check both of those links to see why they are so exciting. I really wanted to visit both of those places.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel – This hotel was prominently featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. Atop the three towers is an island of decadent luxury featuring a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, the world’s largest infinity pool, and an amazing view. Rooms in the hotel can be outrageously expensive, but this place is an icon of Singapore, so it’s all worth it. Right?

Gardens by the Bay – This is a futuristic botanical garden, with features that seem to be right out of the movie Avatar. It’s an awe inspiring walk through a lush, tropical environment and, at night, it has a laser and water light show much like the one I shared with you in Lima, Perú.

Since these two attractions were so close to the port, I decided I could just walk there from the ship, and so no paid shore excursion would be necessary.

Upon arrival, a surprise

So, as we entered the harbor at Singapore, I could see these beautiful, if smoggy sights:

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Yes, the air in Singapore was rather dirty for our visit. The combination of the high humidity and the industry to the windward side of the city made it a bit harder to see.

Keep in mind that these photos were taken from my balcony with a telephoto lens. Therefore, those buildings were still quite some distance away. And that was when I started to worry. If we were “parking” close to the Marina Bay Sands, why was it so far away?

The answer was not too long in coming. It turns out that there is a new cruise ship port located on the west side of the city called Harbourfront. (Please refer to the map above.)

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Harbourfront is a nice enough area. It has a large shopping mall adjacent to the docks. It is also close to Sentosa Island which is a family playground. It features resort hotels, golf courses, Universal Studios, shopping, bungee jumping, pristinely combed beaches, and other attractions for vacationers. What it does not feature are the attractions I most wanted to see.

So there I was, in Singapore, on the wrong side of town (for me) with no tours booked and no workable plan. I was on my own. I might have been able to create and carry out some plans, even at that late hour, but the story gets worse.

Immigration

By the time we could disembark, it was after 10am. At that hour I was still in my room, hatching a plan for the day. By 11:30am I was ready to put my plan into action. I left the ship and walked down the gangplank into the cruise ship terminal only to find a line of my fellow passengers standing there, waiting. It seems as though the line to get through immigration was currently 1.5 hours long. Shock!

I was not about to stand there with my thumb up my…with nothing to do but wait, so I decided it would be more comfortable to wait aboard the ship. I returned to the Amsterdam. In the intervening 1.5 hours, I researched how long it would take to get across town and visit the sights I was so anxious to see. I also needed to allocate time to return and be back aboard and ready to go to dinner at 5:30pm when our Table 64 group of friends was about to say goodbye to two of my favorite people aboard. You must remember John, my beer and cigar buddy that I introduced to you earlier. Well, it was John and his wife Patricia who were leaving the ship in Singapore and I wasn’t about to miss the farewell evening.

So, in the end, I surmised that I didn’t have enough time left in the day to do everything, and the farewell party was the most important thing to me. So, I just stayed aboard.

That evening

Well, we had a very nice dinner, all of us regulars at Table 64. Here’s a photo of the whole gang.

John is the fellow to the left and he is standing next to his wife, Patricia. I’m on the right standing next to Beth (who I swear looks like an older Elease Caracci.) Next to Beth is Kathleen, and in front of Beth is her sister, Mary Lee. The elderly lady in front of John is Marge and she just joined our table, so I really don’t know too much about her.

After dinner, John suggested that we go and take a ride on the cable cars. This sounded like a great idea to several of us because: 1) we could walk to the entrance to the cable car just outside the cruise port, and 2) the Amsterdam was positioned directly underneath the cable cars and the “flight” might afford us a nice view of the ship. So, off we went.

The cable cars are nice, comfortable and modern. There are two separate routes and we decided to ride both of them. The initial route we chose would take us from Harbourfront to Sentosa Island, and right over the top of our ship.

As the cable car left the boarding point, we climbed steeply into the air.

Within a couple of minutes we were directly above the Amsterdam. As you know, I am regularly mentioning the Sea View bar on the Lido deck, aft, where John and I have often enjoyed the Cigars and Cognac recurring event. Well, we could see it plainly from the air! Can you make out the pool?

After the cable car ride we returned to the ship and proceeded to the Crow’s Nest bar (deck 9, forward) for one last cocktail. Just when the group announced that they needed to leave, and that John and Patricia needed to do some last minute packing, I bought the group a round of drinks just to stall them a little bit longer. I really was not ready to say goodbye to John and Patricia. Ultimately though, after that last round, the evening was over and everybody returned to their rooms. I suddenly felt quite alone.

The next day

I woke up the next morning telling myself that I needed to get off the ship and go see the sights. Slowly, I came to realize that my energy level was at just about zero and that my internal container of joie de vivre was only about half full. I fought with myself about getting dressed and getting out the door but, in the end, I lost that battle. I had no energy, no appetite, and little desire to do anything except, maybe, work on this blog.

I ran into Table-64-Kathleen later that day. I was sitting alone at a table by the Lido pool, midship, and Kathleen sat down on the chair next to me. We chatted about the night before and I told her I still had not left the ship to go see the sights. When she asked me what was wrong I told her I thought I was experiencing postpartum depression. That statement caused her to raise an eyebrow, but I explained that I thought I was just missing John and Patricia Frank. A lot.

Or, maybe in the wake of John and Patricia’s departure, perhaps I was not only missing them. Maybe I was missing all of my friends, especially those at home whom I love and hadn’t seen in over two months. Maybe it was all of that. In any case, I had missed my last chance to get out and see the city, and yet somehow that didn’t seem all that important to me.

And so it goes.

Departure

We left Singapore at 5:30pm that second day and, appropriately enough, the sky clouded up and almost imperceptibly started to cry. It started out just little misty, with the little drops barely perceivable as they fell. And then, all at once, the sky cried real hard, but only for a little bit.

After a few minutes and almost as if on queue, the sun came out again just as it always does. As the light glinted over the bay, all seemed fine with the world once again as the air filled with excitement for what was waiting just over the horizon.

It seemed like no time at all and we were heading west out of Singapore at a good clip. I set my camera up on my balcony railing to capture my last thoughts of Singapore. Just like me at this moment, the camera looks forward, and not back.

So, I didn’t get to see those sights I’d longed to see. I said goodbye, at least temporarily, to new friends. I lived in a funk for a wasted day. Still, this was a visit I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and I’m glad to have had the experience.

So, what’s coming up?

Three days at sea, and then we arrive in Columbo, the capitol city of Sri Lanka. I wanted to experience new cultures on this trip and I’m getting a full dose of that!

Thursday, March 21, 2019

As we approach the equator, our passage awakens the mighty King Neptune whose ire can be resisted by no pollywog. What am I talking about? Read on!

Where am I?

SO, WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

Today, we crossed the equator and there was a tradition to be upheld as we did.

This tradition is as old as anybody can remember and each seafaring group has their own way to carry it out. In the US Navy, it was tantamount to a hazing which was meant to embarrass (and sometimes even injure) sailors who had not previously crossed the equator. Holland America would never stand for a hazing ceremony (thank goodness) so they have their own way to commemorate this important event. Here’s how it was done aboard the Amsterdam.

The tradition involves waking up King Neptune by trespassing upon his domain without his permission. Illogically, this only seems to happen when a ship crosses the equator. King Neptune, as it turns out, casts a blind eye to those who have passed this way before and their “crimes” are ignored. These people are called shellbacks and they do not need to suffer for their “crimes.”

However, if this is a person’s first crossing (and the ship has not received any prior “temporary reprieve”) then that person is known as a slimy pollywog and must stand before King Neptune and his court to be punished for their “crimes” and made to be uncomfortable and humiliated for the duration of the court.

This might be easier to explain if I show you some screen shots of the 30-minute video that I took.

Before I share my screen grabs, please imagine the setting for the court. On this ship, the court is held around the pool on the Lido deck, midship. This is the area I showed you earlier that has the dome that opens up to let the outside in. There is a “pulpit” for the judge who, oddly, does not do any judging at all! Then there is a throne area set aside for King Neptune and his mermaid queen. There is then a place for five senior officers of the ship who will do the actual judging of the pollywogs. There is also a “jail” where the pollywogs are contained until it is their turn to kneel before the officers and receive their judgement.

OK, let’s start with the photos.

With loudspeakers blaring Chopin’s Funeral March, the “judge” makes his entrance. In this case, the judge is our cruise director, Hamish.

Next comes King Neptune himself, with his lovely mermaid queen. Here, King Neptune is actually Ian, our shore excursion location expert. I’m not at all sure who the lovely mermaid queen is.

Next to appear are the ship’s senior officers, all of whom seem more than willing to administer the punishments to the pollywogs among their crew.

With all of the officiators in place, the slimy pollywogs are brought in “tied” in a line with a long length of rope. They are escorted to the jail to await their turn before the officers, King Neptune, and all the creatures of the briny deep.

In groups of no more than four, the pollywogs kneel before the officers as their “crimes” are announced. The guy in the white t-shirt is Doolin, an assistant cruise director. As an example, his “crime” was being too well known to head to the bar after his shift was complete. At this point with their “crimes” announced, the pollywogs could (uselessly) beg for mercy.

The first step in each pollywogs contrition is to step up and kiss the fish! Here we see Doolin sneaking a little smooch from this large, slimy and slightly stinky denizen of the deep. In a later conversation with Doolin, he told me he never actually got close enough to the fish to make lip contact, however, I think this photos speaks otherwise.

The next step in the punishment is to proceed to one of four tables placed around the pool. Each table was supplied with a large plastic container full of freshly made meringue in a variety of pastel colors. Shellbacks working at each table slathered the meringue onto both sides of the poor pollywog lying on the table. After being well coated, the pollywogs would return to the senior officers for final judgement.

If the senior officers were feeling lenient toward the group of ‘wogs they would order them to be thrown into the drink. In this case the drink was the pool. This was a light punishment indeed.

On the other hand, if the “crimes” were deemed severe, the pollywogs would be ordered to take a seat on the sidelines and bake like a cake! Can you imagine being covered in meringue, and sitting in the sun for up to half an hour while that meringue began to stiffen up and solidify? Yuck!

This process was repeated again and again in groups of four (or less) until every pollywog had been accused, sentenced, and punished. Oh, and I didn’t yet mention that there was a distinct advantage to being one of the first groups to face the judicial process because those that needed to wait were met with frequent dowsings of ice cold water!

At the end of the ceremony which lasted about 30 minutes, everybody aboard the ship was inducted by decree into the Ancient Order of Shellbacks. This includes me.

“Wait a minute!” I’m sure you’re saying to yourselves. “How did Robert become a shellback having never stood before the court nor been punished for his crimes?” Well, the answer should be as obvious to you as it is to me.

I’m a complete innocent.

Now, in case you didn’t get a good look at that deep sea beauty that was getting all of the action today, here s/he is in his/her magnificent oceanic glory. Now, ask yourself and then tell me truly: Would you have kissed the fish?

I really want to know. I await your Reply.

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, we pull into Singapore for two days. This should be good!

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Java is our last stop in Indonesia.

Where am I?

It seems like the ports of call are coming at me with lightning speed. Today was my third port in four days. Perhaps I was just getting used to the pace set by my trans-Pacific crossing. Oh, well. Doesn’t matter. We’re here and it’s time I went ashore.

So, what’s been happening?

Today I enjoyed another tour that I booked through EXC, Holland America’s shore excursion arm. The tour included a couple of very nice stops where I was able to drench myself in the local culture, and that is one of my goals for this cruise.

For starters, let me tell you about the buses that cart us around to all of these exotic places. Here is a very good example of the bus I was in today.

These ultra-modern buses are very comfortable and air conditioned. Most of them offer in-transit wi-fi, though I think this must be a service that is paid for by whomever charters the bus. On more than one occasion when I was on one of these busses, the outside displayed the wi-fi graphic and I could find the wi-fi network with my iPhone, but the network was not connected to the outside world. When I asked about the wi-fi, in all cases I was told, “Oh, it doesn’t work.” What a coincidence.

Here in Java, I found that the bus ride to the attractions could also be part of the cultural education experience. For example, just looking through the bus window I was greeted by sights like these.

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Stop #1 – Ambarawa Train ride

I really love trains. Have I told you that before? And here, near Semarang, is a museum that offers rides on “ancient” trains. These trains are pulled by steam power and the cars we rode in are over 100 years old. This is the Ambarawa Railway Museum.

The museum grounds are like somebody’s well maintained back yard. Everything is clean, and trimmed. The restrooms are configured to accommodate everybody, no matter whether you are western or eastern.

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The train ride was just about ten kilometers and took us through town and across the very edge of a lake where rice is grown and fish are farmed. Yes, that farm tilapia you order at the restaurant or bought at the supermarket might have been farmed right here in this lake.

(NOTE: the conditions under which these fish are “farmed” did not increase my desire to have farm-fresh tilapia for dinner tonight, or any night, actually.)

How about taking in a little of the ride between Ambarawa and Polosiri?

OK, then. All aboard!

Stop #2 – Borobudur temple

The next place we visited was an amazing spectacle. The temple at Borobudur is an ancient buddhist temple that is cultural, spiritual, and incredibly artistic. It was constructed in the 9th century and is astoundingly well preserved.

The temple, aside from having intricately carved stone images which tell the history of the life of Buddha, also has levels that portray different significances in the path to enlightenment and (ultimately) nirvana. In order to help me explain the rich subtext of this monument, allow me to share with you an aerial view, and a diagram of that view to assist.

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The monument’s three divisions symbolize the three “realms” of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kamadhatu (the world of desires), Rupadhatu (the world of forms), and finally Arupadhatu (the formless world).

Ordinary sentient beings (especially me) live out their lives on the lowest level, the realm of desire. These levels are square and each and every wall is carved in a bas relief running story of the life of Buddha. Here are some photos from the Kamadhatu.

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Those who have burnt out all desire for continued existence leave the world of desire and live in the world on the level of form alone: they see forms but are not drawn to them. Sixty days at sea with our complement of elderly passengers is rapidly qualifying me for this level. I spent extra time examining the temple at this level, as well as my inner self. Here are some photos of the second level.

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Finally, full Buddhas go beyond even form and experience reality at its purest, most fundamental level, the formless ocean of nirvana. I’m sure I’ll never reach this level of enlightenment, even with an unlimited supply of gummy bears.

This highest level of the temple (representing nirvana, the total lack of form or desire) is covered in stupas which are bell shaped structures. Inside each stupa there is a Buddha. There are 72 of these large stupas positioned around circular levels of the monument at this, the highest level.

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Aside from the religious aspects of this beautiful place, its height above the surrounding area provides spectacular views.

Whatever goes up must come down, and so it was for me. Once I had absorbed as much of the breathtaking views of the temple and its surrounds as I could, I began my decent.

Climbing down all of the many, steep steps was actually more strenuous (and scary!) than climbing up. It took some time to reach the bottom, but then again, I was following behind (and providing verbal support) for a woman in her 80s who attempted and completed the climb to the top. By the time she reached the bottom of the last step of the temple, there was a subdued and polite round of applause for her from about 10 people that had decided to participate (at least spiritually) with her in her slow but confident trek.

After the climb, an al fresco buffet lunch was served at a restaurant that adjoined the temple area. Nothing too fancy, just some traditional Indonesian food. One thing that did catch my eye, though, was this piece of art at the entrance to the restaurant. I don’t know why I like it, I just do. I think that the ox is saying, “Put down that damn flute or I’ll throw you off!”

After lunch we started walking back to the bus that was parked about a block and a half away. During our walk, it started to rain. I was very happy to be walking in the rain rather than traversing the steep, and now slick steps of the monument.

With one brief stop for refreshments during the ninety minute drive back to the ship, our return was blessedly uneventful.

SO, anything else?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I did not enjoy my visit to Bali very much, and that I had no real desire to return there. Semarang has been a completely different experience. Though this island is only slightly more advanced than Bali, and even though the roads here are still vary narrow and packed with vehicles that are either too large for the size of the roads (trucks and busses) or too small and aggressively driven (motorbikes), I liked what I saw of Java.

I have also been impressed with Indonesia as a cultural melting pot. The population of Bali is mostly Hindu. The population of Java is mostly muslim. Despite the major differences in these two religions, this nation of people seem to be well integrated and very tolerant of their mutual differences. This may not have been true through history, but it certainly seems true now, at least to me.

I don’t think of Indonesia as a touristy place filled with resorts serving fu-fu umbrella drinks. But I do feel that there is plenty in this country to satisfy those who are searching for deeper meaning in life, rather than merely a warm beach and a cool cocktail.

This has been my last stop in Indonesia. Taken as a whole, I don’t think I’ll be planning a return any time soon. But, at the same time, I feel like I have learned much here, and it has given me time and opportunity to explore a stronger spiritual link between my inner self and the world around me.

So, what’s coming up?

We have a day at sea, and then a visit to Singapore!