second time around

Chilly for being naked

Perhaps the best thing about traveling alone is that you are not beholden to anyone else. There is total freedom to come or go strictly as you please. I flew on to Rome and have enjoyed the week here. Rome is such a wonderful city to visit. I toured Saint Peter’s Basilica and once again think it is the most spectacular building in the world. It edges out the Taj because of the incredible artwork inside and the fact that it is a living building, in use daily for services, not just an empty mausoleum for tourists to view. I spent a full 8 hour day in the Musei Vaticani. The audio guide was great and I could just stroll or sit at my leisure. I saw all of the exhibits and sat for maybe an hour in the Sistine Chapel. The colors are magnificent since the restoration work was completed. The past few days have been cold and windy, but clear and beautiful. I have enjoyed eating here even though it is way expensive. Today the museums are closed for no apparent reason, so I am just passing the day at the hotel. I am looking out at the large snowflakes swirling down off and on in the freezing rain. Not such a grand day for strolling around Rome aimlessly.

I have been looking at photos and remembering the great things I have been able to see and do over the past 9 months. From climbing the Potala Palace to diving the Barrier Reef, from Tokyo subways to Aitutaki beaches it has been just incredible. Since we skipped Egypt I am in Europe a month earlier than expected and have been staring at the map for some days now. I find that most of the places I would like to visit are in the north, and while I could pass some weeks in Spain and Portugal to let some of the winter pass, it will continue to be cold and wet through at least the next two months.

So…. I have decided to spend the Spring in sunny Florida. I came home to Orlando. Perhaps Poe and I will come to Northern Europe or on a Baltic Sea cruise this summer when it is nice weather.

Don't cry for me, it is just beginning

And so this will be my final blog. To all of you who have followed it and especially those who have been kind enough to comment on the site I say: “THANK YOU” for all of the love and support. I hope it has been somewhat entertaining and has given you cause to reflect on what we are doing here and what dreams you might go after. I still think of the antique sign I saw in a window in Australia: “Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” It has truly been: 93,773 miles, 285 days, 25 countries, 6 continents and one hell of a ride. Now I just have to figure out my next adventure. Jim

Home Again

Israel and Jordan were good fun. The weather could have been better, but you take what you get. We overnighted in Tel Aviv after the 02:50 arrival having traveled all day and night. Then we caught a puddle hopper from Tel Aviv to Eilat on the Red Sea and a cab across the border to Jordan where we got another cab for the two hour ride up to Petra. Poe loved the 100 meter walk through “no man’s land” with the armed guards at each side. Once we got up into the mountains, the temperature dropped and it was Cold! Our hotel the Movenpick is located right next to the entrance to the Petra site. Petra was inhabited by the Nabataeans, established sometime around the 6th century BCE. The access to the city is via the As-Siq, a narrow gorge cutting through the 80 meter high rock walls. Although we were not at the gate at the opening time, it worked well. We were between the other groups of tours and so had a full view with nobody else there for most of the walk. It is an incredible place. The colors and buildings and carvings are spectacular. We did have Sabo our donkey owner pushing us to get a donkey ride to the monastery, or the Sacrificial stone, or back to the entrance for about an hour before he finally gave up on us. It was definitely one of the must-see places in the world. It was fun to think of the caravans that passed this way 2,500 years ago. The landscape of Jordan was impressively barren. Just rocks and dirt for a long, long way, nothing green at all. Compared to this wasteland the Israeli desert is “land of milk and honey”.

Sunday we reversed the trip and flew back to Tel Aviv and got a rental car. Now I find the Israelis to be very kind and gentle and helpful, person to person on the street. BUT, put them behind the wheel and a transformation occurs: Mr. Hyde emerges. No mercy, take no prisoners and never, ever give the sucker a break. The red lights show a yellow the last few seconds before it goes green, and if you aren’t moving forward by then it is lay on the horn time. And the rental car has Hertz stickers plastered on it, so they know I am not local. The street signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English which is good. The print is microscopic which is bad. The maps have most of the major streets which is good, they show straight when it really curves and show curves when it is really straight which is bad. We survived but had more than one opportunity to explore the winding back alleys of residential Israel.

We caught a lot of rain for three days which made our exploration of the north of Israel less complete and less fun. The Galilee was very beautiful but we did not even go up to the Golan Heights as it was totally closed in by fog. We couldn’t get into the Ba’hai Gardens in Haifa even though they were right outside our hotel, because they close them during any rain. We did see the College in Karmiel where Mary studied for a semester and met her Israeli “ima” (mom) Maxine. She was very sweet and after a great Israeli breakfast showed us around the campus and told us how wonderful our daughter Mary is.

One can’t go to the holy land without seeing some religious sites, so we did. In Nazareth we went to the Basilica of the Annunciation, the spot where the angel told Mary she would have the Christ Child. It has artwork representing Mary from all around the world. There are Kimono clad, slanted eyed, headdress wearing, white, black and yellow Marys. The one from the USA reminds me of the Ice Queen from the movie the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. In Jerusalem we finally got some time without bitter cold or rain. The old city there is something to see and feel. We learned some of the history at the Tower of David Museum. All the way back to when the Jews took it over from the Canaanites. I was a little disappointed that I could not go into the Dome of the Rock because I am not Muslim. It is the spot where Abraham offered his son Isaac for sacrifice and where the Prophet Mohammad (blessed be his name) ascended to heaven. We did however see the Western Wall and even went up to Temple Mount, the Holiest site in Judaism. It is so holy that Torah Law says observant Jews are not allowed to go there. We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. That is the location of Golgotha (Calvary in Latin) where Jesus was crucified and buried. A short prayer in the “actual tomb” of Jesus with the Orthodox priest telling us to “hurry, hurry, ten seconds only”. The Yad Va-shem was very sobering and moving. It is the Holocaust museum recently expanded and through multi-media shows the slowly increasing Anti-Semitic activities throughout the years of the Nazis. It also points out how most of the other countries had limited quotas for Jewish immigration, so the Jews were not allowed to escape the persecution, just stay there and die.

Sadly, Poe caught her flight back to Orlando Friday night and I had one last day in Israel before I flew on to face the winter in Europe. I might add one of the coldest winters in a long, long time! At least it has stopped snowing in Rome. My last day in Tel Aviv the weather was perfect wouldn’t you know. Sunny and warm and I spent some time on the boardwalk at the beach. Things are slowing down some now. Since we bypassed Egypt I am three weeks ahead of schedule getting to Europe and so I will pass some time in Italy, Spain and Portugal waiting for the Spring to warm up some. Looking at the news out of Egypt lately I think it was wise to bypass it for now. I found out what happens when you tell an Israeli barber to make it “a little shorter”. But I actually like it this way, I don’t really have to have a brush or comb with me now, just use the towel to dry it and there you are.

Short hair at the Western Wall

fertile crescent my ass

the lovely Galilee

thrilled with my blog

I am having a problem getting the blog site to work, it won’t let me upload pictures or edit. I will try to get it fixed soon.

Poe and I had a nice short flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. We were met by our guide/driver for the next 6 days, Letawo. He was very pleasant and knowledgable and a good spotter. The first night was in the Arusha Coffee Lodge. A series of bungalows in a coffee plantation. They plant tall trees all around to shade the shorter coffee trees. We mostly rested and got caught up and drank tea. That’s right, tea. The next day we drove out on the paved highway for about 50 km and then turned onto the “African super-highway”, a rutted and rock strewn dirt road. It gives you a massage and abs workout at the same time. Our safari truck would seat eight plus the driver, but it was just Poe and I and Letawo. It was nice having our own truck. We went to the Tarangire Treetop Lodge, checked into our room which was on stilts about 4 meters up off the ground. Then off to have our first actual game drive. An hour and a half down the backside of the Boundary hills and into the park itself. Since there are no fences anywhere, the distinction of “park” is purely in the minds of the people, the animals go anywhere they want to go. Tarangire in famous for Elephants and it did not disappoint. While there we saw many herds of Elephants, up very close, babies, juveniles and adults. Coming and going. The first afternoon toward the end of the drive as it was getting toward dusk the driver pulled up and at the same time Poe said, “over there is that a cat?” and sure enough it was a Leopard. They are the hardest of the Big Five to spot. This one was about 100 meters away and blended into the branch. I don’t know how she spotted it, but it made the Big Five for me.

I loved the Baobab trees. They are in this area and are amazing. The trunks are huge, easily 4 to 6 METERS in diameter. They are not overly tall, maybe 20 meters (66 feet). They look kind of like a stalk of broccoli but are great. The reception area of the lodge had a Baobab tree growing through the floor and out the roof. It had a large hole in the trunk and at dusk about 400 or so bats would come flying out for the night.

A couple of days and several drives later having gotten our eyes used to looking for animals and seeing bucket-loads of Elephants, Giraffes, Impala, Warthogs and so forth we checked out of the Treetop Lodge and drove on to Lake Manyara. It is on the edge of the western cliffs of The Rift Valley. Our game drive in Lake Manyara Park was a completely different environment. We went from savannah and scrub with some trees to a jungle like place with plenty of water and Baboons and Blue Monkeys everywhere. We searched in vain for the Lions and Leopards in the trees. In Tanzania the Lions often go up into the trees to get a breeze and escape the flies. Alas none to be seen, but we did see Hippos and many other animals.

From there we went on to the Manor at Ngorongoro. It is a Colonial style upscale place. We got some pampering in there. Then was the drive down into Ngorongoro Crater. It is a unique environment. 300 million or so years ago it blew out and formed a crater 12 kilometers across. The side and rim are dense forest and jungle like, while the crater floor is smooth with short grass. The animals stay here as there is good food supply all year round and they don’t have to migrate to find food. On the way in while driving along the rim we came upon two Lions, a male and female right on the edge of the road. After a few minutes they started making a new lion and then walked off into the thick green. The crater floor was full of life. We saw Hyenas cleaning a carcass and a sneaky little Jackal got away with a large piece of meat. We saw the black Rhino and Cape Buffalo and Elephants, so Poe had her Big Five. It was a long day, but we saw lots of lions and all kinds of animals. It was great. Then back to the Manor for some more 5-star treatment.

The next day we flew a tiny bush plane across to the southern Serengeti. We met our new guide/driver Baraza and had a short game drive before we went to the camp for lunch. I was impressed with the pilot, the landing was smooth onto a gravel and dirt runway that was at most two feet wider than the landing wheels and sloped outward to shed water. On our short introductory drive we saw a single Hyena make a kill of a baby gazelle. Hyena are mostly scavengers, but will hunt if the opportunity presents itself, or if they are hungry and in a large group. They are an intimidating looking animal, and have jaws that crunch up the bones of the carcasses. The Hyenas, vultures and Jackals are the cleaners of the bush. In less than 24 hours a carcass is nothing but a skull and a couple of bones, no skin, no meat, mostly no bones left.

Leopard in a tree

The Sanctuary in Kusini is a “permanent tent camp” which means the tents are on a wooden floor with its own bathroom and shower with hot and cold water. This is clearly uptown camping. The terrain here is another change from the rest. It is set in an Acacia forest on the edge of the savannah with short grass and scrub. The Tse-Tse flies are a pain, but our safari truck had A/C and so in the forests we kept the window up and the top closed and the A/C on. In the open plains the flies aren’t so bad, so we would lift up the pop-top and stand up holding on and looking all around for animals. Some of the other guests were in totally open trucks like the one I used in South Africa. One woman had her slicker on with the hood pulled tight over her head and tied around the face with a horsehair fan going full blast at her face. Later I mentioned our A/C and thought she was going to come over the table at my throat! The hosts; Mark and Cornelia have “happy hour” half way up the Kopje (huge granite rock sloping up, think Pride Rock from The Lion King). They put overstuffed pillows and open bar with snacks and we all watch the sun go down while drinking and chatting. This is some way to camp.

The great migration is in this area at this time of year, so there are Wildebeest and Zebra all over. I can’t even guess how many we saw, maybe 50,000 over a few days? Herds from horizon to horizon. Sometimes just scattered all over feeding, sometimes a long single file line stretching for miles. We went on several days of game drives and saw many, many animals and loads of Hyena and Vultures cleaning up the carcasses of kills. We saw many Cheetah, on kills and with cubs. We put our pictures of the Cheetahs into the database they pass on to a Cheetah watch project to track them by identifying them with spot patterns. We saw many Lions, up in trees, on the ground and there was a pride of 17 sprawled out on a Kopje! The final game drive we went north and found a different environment again. The rocks were beautiful and the open grassland was miles of green tall grass. It looked so smooth I thought of a giant golf course, but the lions and other animals would disappear into it. At the end of the drive we came upon many other trucks and got the chance to have a good look at a Leopard. There were a mom and young one up a tree. We got a great look at them and it was a nice topper to a great last drive.

Wildebeest migration

The birds of Africa are just as amazing as the animals. We have seen many, many new kinds and the eagles are everywhere. The Vultures are huge and fight like crazy over meat. there is a Maribu Crane which steals food from the Vultures and stands easily 4 feet tall. I loved the Secretary bird, which chases and eats snakes. I can’t help but think of Katherine Hepburn in pedal pushers when I see it. (not weird or anything, eh?) and the Superb Starling was wonderful looking.

Hepburn?

Superb Starling

Africa has been spectacular, the people are friendly, the country beautiful and the animals simply amazing. It has exceeded all of my expectations and now we are on the way to Israel.

So after three and a half weeks in India I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa and the first thing I did was to have a double cheeseburger! It was awesome! Not spicy and no vegetables in sight. I am definitely a carnivore. Johannesburg was a clean and pleasant city. I didn’t spend much time there, but hopped over to the Balule Game Reserve which borders on the Kruger National Park. There are a series of “private” game reserves which share an unfenced border with the park, and they obey pretty stringent rules regarding the tourism and the animals. I stayed at Pondoro Lodge which was fantastic. On my four game drives I was able to see: Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Warthogs, Jackals, Lions, a Rhinoceros, Elephants, Hyenas, Antelope, Gazelle, Impala, Eagles and monkeys. Four of the “big five” isn’t too bad. The food there was definitely gourmet, five-star. The outdoor dining balcony overlooks the Olifant river and there was a mother Hippo and her very small baby hanging out one afternoon. Very fun to watch.

Coincidence continues to follow me. On the drive from the Hoedspruit airport to the lodge I shared the car with a couple of guys from Philadelphia. When I mentioned that I was from Orlando he told me a friend of his was going there to head a department of a new hospital (Nemours). It turns out that Mark is a pediatric CRNA in Philly. I had a great time in South Africa and now am on my way to meet Poe for safari in Tanzania. I need to spot a Leopard to finish off the big five.

Poe arrived and we are taking a short hop flight over to Tanzania and will start our Safari tomorrow. All is well.

Back in Mumbai passing time and waiting for my 2:35 in the morning flight to Johannesburg. To pick the storyline back up where I left off, my very good driver Ratan took me over some of the worlds worst road to Karauli where I stayed at the Bhanwar Vilas Palace. It was built in 1932 when the Maharaja moved out of the big palace. It is now a “heritage hotel”. It is somewhat grubby and major hassle with pigeons so feathers and bird droppings in the courtyard. It was a little weird because I was the ONLY guest! I was a little distressed at first, and wondered why they had routed me to this small town for a shabby stay. Included was a “camel cart” ride to the palace, so the young worker from the hotel Niwas and I rode on the cart the couple of kilometers to the “palace”. Absolutely amazing! He and I were the only two people there and this place is huge, built from the 14th century to the 17th, and every bit as big and wonderful as the Amber Palace of Jaipur, only I am alone instead of with 4-5 hundred other tourists. Niwas explained that because of “government corruption” all the tourist funds go to Jaipur and none to Karauli so they can’t afford to restore the palace and it does not get promoted. This is sad, as it is on the way from Jaipur to Agra, and would be an easy stop for many tourists and would definitely help the economy there. After dinner I had a nice chat with the current Maharaja and Maharani who were very cordial and pleasant.

The next day on to Agra and the Taj Mahal. It truly is a wonder of the world. None of the markings are paint, they are all inlaid stone in Marble. This time of year it is foggy and hazy in most of India, so the views are a bit hazy. I learned more than I care to know about the Mughal emperors and the palace intrigues of the 12th to 18th centuries. Outside of Agra is a place called Fatehpur Sikri which was built by Emperor Akbar in the late 15th century and then was abandoned a few years later when the water mysteriously disappeared. As a result it is in pristine condition and was very fun to see.

Fatehpur Sikri

you really need a caption?

all stone inlay

All over India they save and utilize the cow dung. I was told that it is considered a part of the Sacred cow, and that the goddess Lakshmi is said to be in the dung. They do plaster it on walls, add it to straw for adobe, mix it for flooring and of course burn it for fuel. Passing by all the villages there are stacks of the cow pies drying on the ground and the roofs. I am not in Kansas anymore.

anywhere in India; piles of garbage

After Agra I went to a small town called Orchha. Perhaps 10,000 population and a very nice hotel. I had a nice tour of the old temples and palaces from the 12th – 17th century. I tend to lose track of the fact that 17th century was 500 years ago, you know; the time of the pilgrims. My lunch that day was at a “homestay” location. Just a regular Indian family living in a one room, dirt floor house. The food was very good, and I was amazed to see the wife cooking the chapati (indian flat bread). There was a tiny fire in a clay fire-pit with a rounded clay dome on one end. She would roll out the dough and place it on the dome for 20 seconds, flip it over for 20 seconds and then toss it onto the ash covered coals and it would puff up like a ball and toast. 20 seconds of that and then smack it down on a cloth to flatten it and shake off the ash.

a good man

Another overnight train ride to Varanasi. Again very pleasant and a decent night’s sleep. In the morning my cabin mates got off in Allahabad so the last three hours I was alone. Several stops waiting and finally I thought this must be the station, but out the window was no platform, only mud and water and other tracks. I walked up a car and found everyone else was gone, so I grabbed my stuff and sure enough a car length up the train the platform started.

8th Century temple

Varanasi is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, and perhaps the holiest city in India. Hindus believe that to die in Varanasi (Kashi to them) and have your ashes placed in the Ganges allows the soul salvation. Mother Ganga springs from the head of Shiva in the Nepalese Himalayans and flows on down through India. Sunday, New Year’s day was raining all day and the town was pretty well shut down, so after a morning of walking in the rain and mud I just relaxed the rest of the day. The next morning I visited Sarnath which is the site where Sakyamuni Buddha preached his first sermon. This is a very holy site for Buddhist. Oddly enough, there are very few Buddhists in India. The Hindus declared that Buddha was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu the protector and so is just a part of the Hindu faith, not a separate path. Ain’t religion interesting?

Humayan tomb in Delhi

I flew to Delhi and had one day there to run around town seeing the usual tourist sights, which were fine; old palaces, Qutub Complex, Red fort, Gandhi memorial and then flew on to the southwest coast of India, Kerala. Kerala is another different part of India. This is such a huge country that each area has its own geography, history and culture. Kerala is hot and tropical, with palms and rice fields and the famous “backwaters of Kerala”. It is an area of lakes, canals and rivers intertwined over many square miles of area. They have enormous rice fields and live on and with the water. Fort Kochi was occupied by the Portuguese in 1500’s then the Dutch and finally the British. There is a very heavy Christian influence and population in this area. They use “chinese nets” to fish, large nets suspended from a long lever which they lower into the water and then after a time raise up again to see what they have caught. They also have “Kathakali Dancing” which is a style with very heavy makeup and through eye and hand gestures and music tells the mythical stories of ancient India.

raising the net

I had one night at a wonderful rebuilt farm where my room was a rice storage room and the bathroom was outside with an open air shower (but marble floors, and very nice). The next day and night was on a houseboat cruising the water. They have rebuilt old rice barges into houseboats, with coir (coconut fiber) mats and rope, using no nails. It was very relaxing, although I was a little surprised to find I was not one of many passengers on a four bedroom boat, but was by myself on a one bedroom boat. This actually was great, as being much smaller we could go down the smaller canals and I found the time alone quite pleasant. The few days in Kerala were much quieter and calmer than the rest of India, no continual honking and massive crowds. It was good to settle down and regain some calm.

my houseboat

the backwater of Kerala

At the end of the day, having just barely scratched the surface of India it is as everyone says; an incredible experience. Love it or hate it, love it and hate it, India will leave an impression. The struggle of very old and brand new finding a balance, the fabulous wealth mixed right in with the grinding poverty, the food is fire hot or super sweet, medical tourism and rotting garbage in the streets, millions of new cars and drivers and no traffic rules, profound spiritual faith and acceptance of suffering. India is something special.

As one frog said to the other, “time’s fun when you’re having flies.” I have been in India now for nine days and am just about past the shell-shock of the place. I had forgotten the incredible somewhat controlled chaos that is India. I have decided that it is not so much a destination you visit as an experience you have. I arrived in Mumbai late and overnighted near the airport. I should mention that being very short of time without having done any planning for India and it being a high travel season here with school vacations and all, I had a travel agency set me up with “Assisted Independent Travel”. That is to say they booked me planes, trains and automobiles. Also hotels at the places I wanted to go. This was very last minute, and when I arrived in Mumbai I still didn’t have an itinerary or tickets. But all things work out in the end.

Once in Mumbai we went to the Taj Mahal Palace, the five star hotel that had the terrorist attack in 2008. My two star hotel is just around the corner from there. As we took off to go see some sights we were just in time to see the Dabbawallahs leaving the Churchgate train station.This is a unique Mumbai tradition for over a hundred years. People prepare a home cooked meal in the morning and the Dabbawallah comes by on his bicycle and picks it up at 11:15 and takes it to the school for the lunchtime. Each one may carry 40 or so of these packed originally in a tin container called a “tiffin”. It is mainly used for school kids and for business men working downtown. There are some 10,000 of these guys who deliver 200,000 meals each day. Since the people live up the peninsula and work downtown, the Dabbawallahs get the tiffins and put them on a crate and carry it on their head on the train to the station and disperse it there onto bikes, or carts or carrying it on their head. Very incredible and apparently phenomenally effective, rarely miss even a single meal. Forbes magazine gives a six sigma reliability, that is less than one meal lost in 6 million.

Dabbawallah

The next morning I went on a tour of the Dharavi Slum, where they filmed Slumdog Millionaire. In India a “slum” has a different meaning. It is just government owned land that people have built on and live and work in. It is not derelicts, drunks or addicts, just poor people who work day to day jobs. In Dharavi slum they have a huge recycling business, they collect, cut up, melt, reform into pellets and sell plastic. Also old paint cans, cooking oil cans, glass, and so forth. They also have a large fabric dying and leather industry there. Mumbai has the highest population density in the world, and Dharavi slum is 20 times that density. Over a million people in 7 square kilometers (think central park new york).

From Mumbai I flew to Udaipur, “The White City” which has five large man made lakes. It was very pretty, and my hotel was right down in the old city by the palace and on the lake. The road into it is crazy narrow and has motorcycles and tuk-tuks parked all around. I thought I had seen narrow streets and tough driving elsewhere, nothing like this. This is Mr. Toad’s wild ride, only for real. While I am thinking of the insanity, what is up with Indian time? It is 1/2 hour off of the rest of the world. The whole country is on the same time although large enough for three time zones and I can be OK with that, but why would you want to be 1/2 hour off of the rest of the world? Don’t let anyone kid you, India is not a clean country. The pervasive smell is one of stale urine as there are very few toilets and you really don’t want to go in there if there is any alternative. And since the cows, goats, pigs, dogs, and camels roam freely in the city it is important to watch where you step. Something about a pig eating the garbage on the doorstep of the food shop doesn’t work so well for me.

But I digress, in Udaipur I saw the usual Palaces and forts and Temples. They are magnificent and very old and amazingly interesting. My one guide Vicram explained a lot of the Hindu mythology and the temple etiquette and structures. The next day I went out of the city to do a “walk” through the villages and in the countryside. When my host asked if 8 kilometers or so was alright I told him it would be fine, but I did not want to go up that mountain over there, 8 kilometers on the flat. He must have not heard me so well. The two of us, my young guide and I set out to visit his village which was very interesting, then we went straight up the shale mountainside one kilometer, over the top and straight down the other side one kilometer, across the river and then straight up and over the next and the next and the next. I alternated between thinking I would Puke, Pass out, or Pass on. I just kept repeating, “this too shall pass.” The next day I saw some temples and coming back the driver took me to his house where we had some Chai (indian style of tea). Just as I finish mine they find out I am a doctor and the wife asks me, “I have lost so much weight in the last six months and have diarrhea all the time, what is it?” As I explain possibilities and what to do, I am thinking “thanks for the homemade tea, is there a restroom nearby?”

Floating Palace

City Palace from my rooftop terrace

up and down five of these

sometimes it is stunning

Then my overnight train ride to Jaipur (the Pink City). It was actually quite nice, a cabin with four of us and we each had our own bed, complete with sheets a pillow and blanket. Slept pretty well considering it is on a noisy moving train. Once into Jaipur I made my way through the madness of the train station and on to my hotel. Jaipur was designed and built in the 17th century and then the people invited to come live there. The palace and bazaar are amazing, crowded bustling and alive. Everyone comes here to buy what they need, not just the poor or close by residents. I didn’t realize that 80% of the worlds gemstones pass through Jaipur and are cut here. I watched a 79 year old man make a casting and pour a silver ring. He has been doing it since he was 12. I went to the “Amber Palace” and had the tourist Elephant ride. (felt kind of stupid I must admit). One incredible place is Jantar Mantar, Maharaja Jai Singh’s Astronomical observatory. It is about two acres of instruments made of marble and stone. The large sun dial (40 meters tall) is accurate to within 2 seconds. Many very cool things for finding star locations, time and directions.

Sundial

Next was a drive on to Ranthambhore the large Tiger Reserve. I went on an early morning and afternoon Safari in an open jeep, but alas did not see any tigers. It was still a wonderful day, and I did see Jungle cats (?ocelots), many deer, boar, crocodile, turtle, antelope, a jackal and a sloth bear which is very rare. It was a fine day and the scenery was striking. Afternoons in the mid 70s and mornings in the low 40s, that open top jeep was brisk I will tell you that.

I think I am beginning to get the feel for how the chaos of the streets works. Unlike America where if you get in front of me or crowd me I am angry and will lash out and blare my horn to show my anger, here they share the road. The horns are not in anger, simply “talking” to one another to say, “I’m here, I’m coming around you, move along”. If you need more of the road and I don’t, then I will just move over, and if I need to stop so you can squeeze through that is ok. A big piece of it seems to be “right of way” which is completely different than in the US. At home the right of way is a predetermined thing based on some direction and lane thing. Since there are no real lanes here, and direction on a street is ANY of 360 degrees the right of way is determined by gaining position. If a line of traffic (cars, motorcycles, tuk tuk, carts and people) is unbroken then they keep the right of way and others wait. But if there is a slight break in the line then the side traffic can establish position, cut in and they have the right of way until they have a slight break. To cross the street is an exercise in nerves and spiritual faith. You don’t just step on out or you will be killed. Following the rules for establishing right of way you wait for a slight break in the stream and then walk right out, slow and steady. Do NOT run, do NOT hesitate and jump back. If it gets too thick and you are in the middle just stand still, they will miss you. When necessary utilize the mystical power of India. Extend your arm completely with palm down and slightly wave your hand up and down four times. This will project your spiritual power out of the palm and stop the oncoming vehicle. This does require absolute faith as does any miracle. If you are unsure, hesitant or flinch then prepare to wear a tire tread design. As my guide told me, “If you can cross the street in Mumbai, then you can cross the street anywhere in the world.”

This morning as I was leaving Ranthambhore I found Rudolf the Red Nosed Camel carrying the gifts to the children of the world.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good Morning!

Back from Phuget and I stayed at my $70 per night five star hotel. It is a wonderful place, spacious and high end. At first I was thinking this might have been a bad choice for a place to stay in that it is in the middle of nowhere, near the airport. I asked at the desk about where I could walk to to get some things and they told me there is nowhere near here. So I set off toward the “mall” which is about 3 km away. On the way I realized there are no english signs around here, and found a great bustling Thai cross-street filled with tiny hole in the wall shops and food vendors on the sidewalk. Some of them looked and smelled great, others looked and smelled like I could have scraped it off my shoe. I chose a deep fried chicken and caramelized onions for 2 USD (the tourist price I am sure). People are friendly and nice, though I got a few stares in this neighborhood. It is a half hour cab ride to downtown and the tourist spots, cost me $14 (that is roundtrip!) The first day I saw the Grand Palace and Wat Po Temple, had a Tuk-Tuk ride to several other temples, climbed the golden mount for sunset and ended up walking around the Democracy Monument while there was a large gathering of “red shirts” protesting the government. I totally forgot and wore shorts downtown as it is hot here, but fortunately they have long pants you can borrow for free (with a deposit of course) to meet the dress code for the Palace area. The buildings are spectacular, and the emerald Buddha was very nice to see. At Wat Po I enjoyed seeing the reclining Buddha which I had seen back in 1973. It is 143 feet long and 50 feet high. The bottoms of the feet are covered in Mother of Pearl showing the 108 auspicious symbols of Buddha and beside it are bronze bowls indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha.

Reclining Buddha

The next day I got a driver who took me 100 km out of Bangkok to the Damnoen Saduak which is the original “floating market” of Thailand. It is in an area crisscrossed with canals and they have shallow long boats that they use to sell their wares. Nowadays it is more of a tourist gig than the locals doing market, but it was fun to see and do anyway. Although I am not a shopper, and it gets old with the constant come on to buy trinkets. It is one of those “must see” things they talk about. Back to the city and the afternoon in the History Museum to get a bit of a handle on the Thai people and then Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). Some kind of seriously steep stairs up the side of that one, but a great view of the city.

Wat Arun

The next day I flew to Siem Reap in Cambodia. That is the location of Angkor Wat (city temple). That is the name for one of the temples found covered by the jungle and in ruins in the area. The much larger and I thought prettier site nearby is Angkor Thom (Great City) for the next two and a half days I toured the temples with a wonderful guide Rida who filled my head with names and dates, stories and legends, the religious and the mundane of the place. I also had my own driver Mr. Juk, so we were able to cover a lot of ground. The whole experience was tremendous. The early temples were built in the 10th century and are over a thousand years old! They are mostly made in brick, with sandstone for lintels and carvings. The later temples built by King Jayavarman VII in the 13th century were mostly stone. Lava stone for foundations and sandstone for the building walls, roof and bridges. Hauled from the mountains 50 km away by elephant. Estimates are that Angkor Thom had close to a million people living there in the 12th century. The Khmer (Cambodian) people created a huge reservoir and channeling canal system to control the water from the monsoons. This way they had less flooding in heavy rains and water available during droughts, and that meant good crops all the time. They had to feed a huge number of workers to build the places.

eye to eye with the Buddha

The temples are enormous and have carvings all over them. Some of the statues and reliefs are giant and some are extremely tiny and delicate. Over the years the temples went from Hindu to Buddhist and the carvings reflect that. Many of the temples have both Hindu stories and Statues of Buddha. They have been for a long time and will continue for a long time to renovate and repair the temples. Between the ages of time, the trees and plants prying the stones apart and various enemies and looters trashing the place, many temples are in pretty rough shape. They number the stones, and take them down and rebuild the walls, roofs, and walkways with the correct stones. Where they have collapsed it is one insane jigsaw puzzle.

photo of the repair work

Definitely one of the Bucket List places. It is a wonderful insight into the nature of people and what can be accomplished with time and effort. Not only the original building of it, but the reconstruction as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour to Siem Reap, the people and the food and the sights. I booked through a Thai company, so they put me in their usual spots for lunch and dinner and such. Turned out they were a little crowded, around 200 tourists at what was a great buffet lunch. You could find me though, I was THE white guy. A few of the dishes had labels and some of those were even in english, but mostly it was take some and try it. It was all very good and not too spicy for my delicate american insides. Another day living the dream!

Out of Bali I flew on to Singapore. Quite the change of pace from Indonesia. The place is spotlessly clean, and wealthy. Flying in I could appreciate the huge number of cargo ships passing through the port. Singapore is a shipping center and has made huge money on it. They gave up some individual freedoms to build the infrastructure and now they have money. Not really my cup of tea, I was on Orchard Road (think Rodeo Drive) every store is Gucci, Versace, Cartier and then the really expensive ones as well. To cross the main intersections they have underpasses. The escalators take you down which is to the top level of the mall. It goes maybe 5 floors down and large, shops everywhere. The first time I ended up coming up the same place I went down 15 minutes later. Finally I got my bearings and could cross the street. The Christmas decorations were in full swing, loads of blue lighting all over and trees and Santas. In this Muslim/Hindu/Taoist nation they will cater to the dollars of tourists.

From the Tsunami?

the Police Station

Fortunately I only had a day and a half in Singapore and then on to Bangkok. Once there I was able to make the payments for my diving live aboard and Cambodia trip and some inquiries about where to go and what to see in India. All is working out and I jumped down to Phuket (Poo-get not Fuckit) and had one day before my pickup to get on the dive boat. Padong Beach is a typical tourist beach town in a poor country. A pretty nice beach with roads of bars, restaurants, massage parlors and dive shops. Almost a carnival atmosphere with lots of “hey mister…”. A little sad to see all in all.

The MV Giamani is not the five-star that I had on the Barrier Reef, more like a 2-3 star boat. Food is simple Thai but tasty and lots of it. I am on a two day trip to Koh Phi Phi (pee-pee Island) followed by a four day trip north to the Similan Islands. For the first two days I was in the “deluxe” cabin with Paul and our own “en-suite” toilet for a bit more money, but that was sold out for the 4 day portion, so I am in the “standard” cabin which shares a toilet for 4 guests. It is so much better! The “deluxe” cabin is downstairs next to the kitchen and the A/C didn’t work right. It would drip water on my bed and not cool the room, so we left the door open. The kitchen cupboard one meter away kept banging all night long. The kitchen emits some interesting smells as the Thai crew cooks and eats different food than the guests. And the “en-suite” is not necessarily a good thing. With a Naval Marine Head one does not put the paper in the bowl, but in the basket and the flush is more of a vacuum than a water flush. That aroma mingled nicely with the kitchen spices. To get to the “deluxe” cabin I would have to come up the ladder from the dive deck to the main sitting area/eating area/living area and then around the outer walkway of the boat to the front (in the rain if it was) and then down the ladder in the front and back along the walkway to my cabin. In the cheaper “standard” cabin the temperature is fine, there is no smell, I enter from a small hallway right off the living area and the layout is such that it is easier to store my gear than in the deluxe cabin. Since I only go into the cabin to get something or to sleep it is much better. Especially since I was fast on the draw and took the larger lower bunk and left the narrow upper for my roommate.

The diving has been great. It is different than the South Pacific but very good. Some limestone Karst formations in the south at the Phi Phi Islands and mostly huge granite boulders up here in the Similan Islands. Some very nice corals here and there, but a couple of years ago they had a very hot spell with late rains and El Nino currents. It “bleached” or killed the coral above about 14 meters (30 feet). So there are large areas of dead coral. It is actually good to see some of the regeneration process happening, but coral grows very slowly so it will be a while before it is good again. Not much for sharks and haven’t seen any Manta Rays and am still fingers crossed for a Whale Shark. They do have lots of Eels, and smaller things; special Seahorses and Pipefish, Scorpion fish, Shrimp, cleaner Shrimp and Barracuda, Tuna, Jacks, Napoleon Wrasse, Banded Water Snakes, even a “Decorator Crab”. Even with my old weak eyes I am enjoying settling in and looking for the little things in the rocks and coral. Almost 90 dives now and I am beginning to be comfortable underwater. Pretty relaxed on a night dive with 1-2 meter visibility on a wreck with sharp edges and literally covered in hundreds of Lion fish and Scorpion fish (both venomous) in a moderate current.

Next up is back to Bangkok for a few days and a short side trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

After Poe went home I drove over to the eastern coast of the North Island and spent a couple of days. Then another long travel day. I checked out of the hotel at noon and drove back across the island to Auckland where I got to wait at the airport for my 1:10 in the morning flight to Singapore. Then clear customs and get to my flight from Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia. Then clear customs again, after getting the visa on arrival. Then on through security to get my domestic flight to Bali. It always gives me such a reassuring sense of safety when the metal detector doesn’t ring with the couple pounds of metal in my hip. Nor did they care about the liter of Jim Beam (could have been gasoline) in my carryon bag. But the plane was too full to be able to reach anything even if I wanted to. My ride picked me up at the airport and took me to the hotel. School had just let out and the motorbikes on the road looked like a swarm of locust. At least 4 rows of bikes, two of cars/trucks and all in 12 feet of asphalt. I was impressed that nobody died they all just sort of do this incredible dance of death weaving in and out at will. The island is pretty dirty, lots of litter and stuff floating in the canals. I stayed a couple of days in Sanur, the tourist area for “older” tourists and families, not Kuta where the young, hip partiers go. As my driver told me, “drugs and crime.” My very nice hotel/resort is full of Aussies and Europeans, mostly old and seriously obese. If I put on 20 kilograms and wore a speedo I would fit right in. They did check under the car with a mirror when we passed the security gate to the resort.

gita statue anyone?

lobby demon

protecting me

overhangs my balcony

Friday morning, after a couple of days there I got my two and a half hour ride up to Tulamben on the north shore of Bali to go diving on the Liberty Wreck. Two lanes with motorcycles and cars and trucks in a sort of free for all. I was only scared once, when the gasoline tanker passed the pickup full of propane tanks around the blind corner uphill right in front of us.

note the truck to road ratio

NOT a one way street

The USAT Liberty was a WWII transport ship that was torpedoed and grounded on the beach until 1963 when the eruption of Mt. Agung caused an earthquake that rolled it over onto its side into 90 feet deep water. Now it is a premier dive site. My dive guide Ngoman walked me to the beach where we gear up and walk into the water. A 30 meter swim puts me 5 meters deep at the stern of the 123 meter long wreck covered with corals and a crazy amount of fish and other marine life. We make our way along the seaward side (the deck of the ship) to the bow in about 30 meters of water and back through the wreck itself. Pretty amazing for my first wreck dive! It is impressive how much the sea has claimed the framework of the ship to grow life. Not only are there lots of corals and bunches of fish, but the place teems with Nudibranchs (look it up), sea horses, starfish and fish from the tiny frog fish (1 cm.) to potato cod (50 kg.).

Mt. Agung from my back balcony

The past few days have been little down, those times when I wonder what the hell I am doing half way round the world eating my dinners alone. Sometimes I would like to just click my heels together three times and be home. But as I told the kids growing up, “this too will pass”.

And now it is two days later and it has passed, life is good again. Looking this over I see that I put, “walked to the beach and walked into the water.” while true, that does not exactly do the experience justice. First we check the tank/BCD so a porter can take them to the beach for us two at a time (often a woman). Then we put on our wetsuits, booties, weight belt and carry our fins and mask. Walk out of the back of the shop and cross the road (definitely look both ways, this is the only road). Then about 100 meters through the field, the cement tiny soccer pitch with the teens playing and past the parking lot for busses and the “convenience store” shack/table. A few stairs and the dirt path through the field with two cows. It is too brown and short to support them, but they try for the bits of green here and there. Once at the beach we put on the BCD and walk into the water. I say it easy enough, but it is not. The top of the slope is shifting tiny rock that your feet sink through on the slope. Then comes the larger, round “river rock” about tennis ball to grapefruit size on top of the tiny gravel that has been washed down, so these larger rocks besides hurting the soles of the feet will shift and sink randomly. Once into the water the rocks are a mix of the mid size and larger, basketball size covered in slick algae. Staggering and stumbling I make it out twenty feet or so to almost waist deep and fall into the water, float with the BCD and put on my fins. Then roll over, dump air and swim down and out to the wreck, maybe 30 meters across the silt and rock. The going out is easier than the return. Coming back I am tired and once I get the fins off, have to clamber back uphill over the slick rocks with my feet occasionally sinking and slipping. My feet ache from heel to toe, and I have lost skin on the tops of my toes from the booties/fins. I like boat diving!

a small prayer offering for Bali

Six dives in Tulamben and now I am back at the south of the Island getting ready to fly on to Singapore and then Thailand. I have been trying to make the arrangements for some side trips and a live aboard in Thailand but am unable to get it done. Something about trying to book a trip from Thailand to Cambodia on an American credit card online from Indonesia just screams “FRAUD, FRAUD.” I will hopefully get it all done once there, or not and do something else.

Final thoughts on Bali: Shrines and decorating them is a big thing on a personal family level. The “offerings” in tiny baskets made of leaves on the sidewalk. The traffic is quite a ballet. Everything on the ubiquitous motorbike, from family of three with the toddler hanging on, to sidesaddle mothers to major loads beside-behind-above the driver. The Balinese headgear and “Sarong” (which is not the technically correct term) are very common. It is a poor country and needs employment, I don’t feel laziness here, only lack of opportunity. The ones lucky enough to have jobs work hard. They sift and load the road gravel and asphalt by shovel, hours at a time. Lots of smiling. I am a little weirded at being the rich white guy, but I guess better they get my money than somewhere else. Women walking with large loads balanced on their heads using one hand to balance or smaller loads with no hands, just strolling along chatting.