Words Fail Me...

Friday January 31. Moderate temperatures finally.

Today was a 10 hour coach trip into the country to see a reclining Buddha, a Monastery and a War Cemetery. It doesn't sound too exciting but it was the best and cheapest way to get out of the city and see some Burmese Countryside.

We were ashore at 7:30 and away we went. Nice coach, [bus] and only 20 of us. It took 2 1/2 hours to get to our destination. There is no pleasant countryside in Myanmar it seems by our short trip today. It was miles and endless miles of litter-strewn roads, similar or worse to East Africa, Viet Nam and Cambodia. Disappointing it was. 

It is so sad to see youngsters having to play in roadsides that are not vegetation but years of accumulation of building debris, leaf litter and canals or ditches full of floating crap is the word I would use. They live in shacks adjacent to the road and somehow scrape out a living. Naturally not all live in this degree of privation but is says a lot about the country if that many can live like that. There are about 54,000,000 in the country with 135 dialects. Tough country to govern for sure..

It is not a developing country, it is a country stuck in the fourth world because of years and years of crappy government. How they will ever get out of it I do not know. That is my personal opinion.

The monk situation is very interesting. Regardless of the poverty in the country, there is obviously a middle class who have great reverence for Buddha and the monks that abound in this country. I am not an expert by any means but we have seen monks around the world and there is some common denominator I believe.

Firstly, these monks do not make a lifetime commitment to monk-hood. Many families will send or commit a son to the monastery to lighten the load at home by not having to feed him while he grows up. There are some monks as young as six or seven that we saw today.

Each day monks leave the monastery with a bowl and go out to the community and acquire rice and other stuff, offered by people who firmly believe that that is part of their way of life and what Buddha wants them to do. 

The monks in this monastery open their doors to tourists, by the busload, so they are a bit different in how they fill their 'begging bowls', visiting Buddhists bring offerings, supplemented by the cooked rice.

No doubt there are some who make a life long commitment to Buddha. What education they get, who knows. This monastery has a giant kitchen that cooks up a giant cauldron of rice each day, [donated] and hundreds of followers drop goods  into their begging pot as the parade to their giant mess hall and eat what has been offered. 

I find it bizarre and interesting. Buddhism is often said to be  a way of life other than a religion.

We had a great lunch close to the reclining Buddha. That is another story altogether. Apparently this Buddha was built in the 12th century but abandoned and the jungle reclaimed it only to be discovered when the British were building a railway here in the 1800's.

It is spectacular indeed, almost as spectacular as the market in the building that now houses the Reclining Buddha. It makes the Vatican gift shop look like a 15c store in comparison.

We also visited a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery housing some 21,000 Allied personnel from WWII. Mostly British and African nations, two Australians and one Canadian.

Forgive me if I sound cynical, but after looking at miles and miles of letter-strew roads with too many people sitting idle by the same roadside I am not sure of what to make of today. It was a 10 hour trip.

This was sunrise when we got off the ship. 

That my dear friends is pollution.

I guess this will get cleaned up one day. It is possible that this is recycling that us developed countries used to ship to places like Burma. They have since stopped accepting it. It seemed to be endless

A very nice market actually.

Typical local, the smear a wood bark solution on their faces as a sunscreen and to make them more attractive, maybe?

Onions?

Apples or ?

Fish, split and dried.

Spices.

At the Monastery.

Lunch was great. [Rich tourists!]

That is Buddha's foot, the head is 180 feet away.

If the eyes are open, Buddha is alive, if closed, he is dead.

Happy shopkeeper, all made up.

Fish eggs.

Flower market as well. I eventually got a smile from this guy.

'When the Dawn Comes up Like Thunder...'

Thursday January 30. Light mist. Sea day No. 7.

Today started off with a wonderful sunrise, just like the kind that Rudyard Kipling must have been writing about when he wrote the poem, 'Mandalay' in 1890 while hanging out with British troops. 

As the morning progressed I felt unwell. After I had breakfast I just wanted to lie down and let the malaise pass. As a result I spent the morning and most of the afternoon letting my body settle down: which it did. Too much sun, too little to drink, something I ate or maybe corona virus, who knows?

Tomorrow and the next day we are in Burma [now Myanmar]. We are on ship's tours both days, for good or bad. Good because we will be in transport and on a guided tour, bad because we are in a group and on a guided tour! We do like the freedom of independent travel but our efforts to secure something in that line failed. So, early up tomorrow and out for 10 hours, which is a long time.

Tomorrow will very, very likely be another Temple Day. That is what they have here and in many, many other places in the world. I myself do not understand the obsession with temples and Buddhas that seems to prevail. They are interesting and in reality that is about all they have of interest to show visitors from afar. So, in Rome, do as the Romans do: visit temples.

I was reading up on the do's and dont's regarding monks and Buddhas. Do you know that we should not stand higher than a monk, nor step on his shadow? The list goes on...

After we sail from Burma in two days hence, we then cross the Bay of Bengal to Old Ceylon, [Sri Lanka]  then to India. India and it's several stops will end the cruise part of our travels and after one Night in Dubai we start our land tour of Morocco. The cruise is going faster than I imagined.

I understand some people at home who wonder why we do this 'Travel Thing'. We too sometimes wonder that to tell you the truth. In reality it is not easy gallivanting around the world, but it sure has it's high points and can be very rewarding. You meet some very interesting folks along the way that add to your comprehension of what is going on in the real world, not our cozy sanitized version of it at home.

Nowadays I find that Sea Days are an absolute necessity for me to 'recover' from Shore Excursions. I believe Fellette is the same but has more stamina that I have in that regard it seems.

It was a Formal Night tonight, that means champagne for breakfast for those who want it, cherries for lunch and on it goes...

I wonder if this sort of sunrise inspired Rudyard Kipling's poem 

'Mandalay?'  

65 years ago we used to sing several verses of that ballad when we were bouncing along in the back of army trucks. There was generally somebody on board who knew most of the poem and then we all joined in the chorus! Good memories.

We had another bottle of Cava, a Spanish Champagne tonight before we went down to separate tables for dinner. [I caught Jim off guard as he had just had a nibble of the canapés they give us every night.]

Fellette and I practising selfies. The bow tie is one I wore tonight in memory of my old time friend Ron Penhall who always wore bow ties. His wife gave away his collection at his Celebration of Life service some years ago. This was the first time I wore it. It is a parade of ducks!

Phuket, Thailand...

Wednesday January 29. Very warm.

We arrived around the time we awoke: 7:20 am. Gad, we slept in.

Breakfast with Jim and Gail and walked off in search of a beach at 9:10. At 9:15 we were off in a cab to a 'nice beach'. This was not our choice but beggars can't be choosy. The cabbie talked us into him taking us to a very nice beach about 3/4 hour away and staying with us all day and driving us back for $80.00 total. We agreed. We also agreed to go to a shop that he gets credit for bringing tourists to visit. We agreed to that, for him. 

We went into this giant jewelry shop that was full of Japanese on a Banzai Buying Binge, we were in out in 10 minutes or less. Besides not being our thing, it seemed that we were the only ones without a face mask on!

Soon we were at a lovely beach full of basking Europeans in skimpy bathing suits of all descriptions. We were by now committed and Jim secured some Thai money for umbrellas and recliners and we settled in.

The water was absolutely delightful: cool, white sand and reasonable and refreshing waves splashing over my parched body felt wonderful. Jim reminded me if I was going to have a massage I should get at it, so I did.

I opted for the back and shoulder treatment, one hour for about $18.00. Oh boy was that painful for the first 25 minutes as the woman attacked every knotted muscle in my back, neck, legs, shoulders and arms. At first I thought that I could not take the full hour treatment but as the tightened muscles relaxed it was a whole different world for me.

Later we had a hamburger lunch and cool drinks. Soon enough we were back on the ship after a brief shopping frenzy at the shops by the ship.

Fellette and I had quick showers and for dinner opted for a quick light dinner, not in the dining room.

Good day, a bit tiring for me with the massage treatment, but good.

On the way to the beach.

Le Beach. Full of Europeans.

Much like Maui in regards to sand and surf.

Big Mama working on those darn shoulders.

It was a good pain, working out the knots in there.

 [Photos by Jim.]

Jim and Fellette playing in the surf.

We chatted with this young man while Jim was converting money.

Some tents appeared for the passengers to pick up some simple gifts.

This is a muslim town, nice people.

Back on the ship and into the showers!

Lazy, No-Good Layabout...

Tuesday January 28. Misty, some showers.

We are cruising between Indonesia and The Malay Peninsula in the Malacca Straits. It sound romantic but the sea mist, or light fog rather dampens that image and it is just another hazy day at sea passing through oil rigs and container ships.

I am the Lazy Layabout that I refer to... That walk yesterday was harder on me than working for an entire day 10-hour day at home or in the shop. The heat is an unseen factor in fatigue plus the fact that I had my boots on instead of running shoes. They are tighter fitting than they should be and I underestimated the amount of walking that we would do.

We were in bed by 8:00 last night and slept till 6:00. 10 hours!!!  My day consisted of two talks, one on Myanmar and one on The Honourable East India Company, three meals, an evening performance, some reading and napping. And I have not one ounce of regret or shame!

Fellette swam again for a while this AM and had choir practice in the afternoon. Of course she is much younger than I am. I am going to leave the Cutler's out of the equation inasmuch as they have some very strange genes when it comes to walking.

Tomorrow we are in Phuket, Thailand where we four are in search of a beach day. That means a bathing suit, towel, water, hats and sun screen. Once again we are in a sentimental search of recreating a wonderful day we had here a few years ago. That is really not a good thing, [to have high expectations] on a day ashore when travelling because things always work out different than expected, however us four will make it a memorable day no matter what happens, I can guarantee that.

Coming up soon, two days after Phuket, is Myanmar. [Old Burma.] The speaker this morning on Myanmar presented us with a rather bleak outlook. Apparently it is one of the poorest countries in SE Asia: corrupt, poor infrastructure, rife with oppression of a minority and the complete opposite of where we just left: Singapore.

The speaker this morning also mentioned the reason for a lack of people out celebrating the end of Chinese New Year yesterday in Singapore. He indicated that this new virus in China has popped up around the world, including Singapore. It is not unusual to see Asians wearing masks, even in Vancouver. But yesterday we saw white folks, visitors obviously, wearing masks. I remember seeing two back-packers with masks and two white middle-aged folks wearing the same. I thought to myself, 'If it comes to that, why the hell are they sticking around sightseeing?' I likely should not have written that, but I did!

As of today we are 39% of the way through our vacation. It does not seem anyway near that to me, it seems like we have just started!

A tough day at sea in the Straits of Malacca.

Singapore Walkathon...

Monday January 27. Warm, then torrents late afternoon.

As we all have been here a few times before, we decided to forget about tours and just go to Chinatown, have lunch by the river then walk to the lovely gardens that we enjoyed so much before a few years ago.

Guess what, we did all that. We took the super clean, super efficient, super cheap subway to Chinatown. China town has changed somewhat in that it is cleaner than before. This city is amongst the most modern, clean, architecturally beautiful cites in the world. Litter does not seem exist.

The subway cars are spotless, although the passengers are as diverse as you would expect here. There are muslims, some whites but a variety of brown skinned people ranging in colour from light, light chocolate to 85% dark chocolate. I hope you do not mind my comparisons but I don't know how else to describe the people otherwise. Everybody seems to speak some English.

We sat down a few times to catch our breath, ending up in the gardens which was our intended final spot for the day. It then began to sprinkle, then a bit heavier then, later, torrents. By then we had decided to call it a day and were back in the ship's terminal where we indulged in a hamburger before getting aboard and cleaned up and then, early to bed. About 16,000 steps today according to Jim and Gail. A good sleep tonight I think.

Early AM.

On the subway to Chinatown.

Now this is a clean subway car...

Outside in Chinatown.

Street scene.

Everything looks like it was just painted.

Ditto.

Ditto.

Gatewy to Chinatown.

Lunch by the river.

Hotel area by the river.

These bronze naked boys are to memorialize the youngsters that lived in this area about 150 years ago who did just that, jumped off the banks and swam in the Singapore river.

The Merlion, symbol of Singapore at Merlion Park.

The group rested near the Merlion, our destination is at the foot of that giant hotel with a top that looks like a ship on it.

It started to sprinkle about now, the time was 3:30. We had been on the go since 9:30 so we were about ready to call it quits, [me at least] so it gave us a chance to call it a day with dignity.

Our destination was these giant columns of concrete, covered in tubing, then live vines and plants growing on the metal frame.

The last picture of the day for us. Do we look a little tired?

Sea Day 6...

Sunday January 26. Cooler, still warm though.

Oh dear, I have to write something interesting today for my dear few who follow this drivel that I write!

It was a vey relaxed crowd at breakfast today, not sure if Burn's Night was too much or they are just a bunch of lazy people. 

We four had breakfast around 8:00 and chatted too long then headed for various spots, Fellette to swim, me to the gym, Jim and Gail to walk. My trip to the gym was not successful inasmuch there is no one there that can offer me help in doing arm-muscle strengthening exercises. I have to join a class.

So, back to the cabin and look up on the internet and Presto-Magico, all done. I figure if I get in the habit the next month it will become part of my daily routine at home. Methinks I am going to proceed with shoulder replacements as most other body parts are working at least to 65% capacity.  About as well as can be expected for an 84 year old carcass.

Today I am going to offer my comments on the Cruise Line and ship we are sailing on...

The Cruise Line is Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. A Scandinavian line using four similar small ships, 750-1350 passengers, ours has 750, catering to elderly British Passengers. At least that is the way I see it. 

This ship was built in the 1970's, has been cut in half, lengthened and 'upgraded' several times. The ship is lovely and very well maintained, the service is excellent. A very happy crew of many Pilipinos, Indonesians and other SE Asian countries.

The Captain is Finnish and the other officers are from the UK or Europe. Our room stewardess is also Pilipino as most others are. Our room is spotless and the restaurant staff are professional.

So what is the problem Doug. The problem is that we, [the Royal we] have had so may other wonderful voyages on such lovely ships, often in suites, that we are spoiled rotten. 

In the 1970s things were different and this ship was likely state of the art. But this is 2020. 95% of the passengers have sailed with Fred Olsen before. The price of this cruise, per day, is somewhat less than other more upscale lines today. That fact alone is a big factor in the repeat passengers, I think! 

Also, the age thing. Elderly people feel comfortable in familiar circumstances. One can become very attached to the sedentary life aboard a comfy old cruise ship, familiar British food and lots of it. Modest priced drinks and lots of them as well.

There is fixed seating in the restaurants aboard, except in a small buffet area, fixed seating is almost a thing of the past nowadays. However, elderly people like predictable circumstances and the same seat at the same table with the same waiter certainly fills the predictability bill nicely.

Maybe some day when we too may become elderly and we will just fit nicely into the Fred Olsen category, but not for a while.

These are observations, not complaints remember. We four are adventurers and have spent more than 550 days at sea together so I feel reasonably comfortable in my statements. Fellette, Gail and Jim will no doubt have somewhat different views than I do.

However... We Four are in full agreement that we are having a great time aboard 'Budicca'!

Singapore tomorrow!

Sea Day 5...

Burns' Day. January 25. Warm, scattered showers.

What is life like aboard on a sea Day? I will  try and give you some idea today...

At home, we are early to bed and early to rise. 9:00 PM is bedtime. That does make life aboard a wee bit complicated, for me in particular as I seem to need more sleep than Fellette.

Regardless...

So, here, we are again generally awake and ready for coffee around 5:30 to 6:00 AM. We enjoy the leisurely wake-up time and often sit on the deck outside our cabin before dressing for breakfast that usually takes place before 8:00 AM, mostly with Jim and Gail. On sea days we stick to cereals and healthy breakfasts with fruit as well.

We then try and get some deck-walking time in before taking in a talk or two on items of interest. Today Fellette went for a swim and did laps for about 1/2 hour. I try and do some exercises to strengthen my arms. Before you know it lunch time rolls around. I try and stick to fresh salads with some small amount of protein, knowing that dinner will be my main meal.

After lunch there is not a lot to do that interests me on this cruise as the speakers and activities do not interest me too much. Fellette will have Choir Practice. Reading fills the time nicely for both of us now that I seem to have caught up with sleep.

This afternoon Jim and I spent some time together trying to book a tour in Myanmar [old Burma] where we arrive in a week and have two days there. Oh yes, I got my haircut today as well.

We start thinking about getting ready for dinner around 4:30 or 5:00. They deliver us a small plate of canapés around 5:15 which we nibble at as we shower and get dressed for dinner. During cruises this is a special time for us as we have great memories of some wonderful trips when the day ended with a wee drink before sitting at a table discussing the days events.

We lay our dinner clothes out some time before, just because there is so much leisure time. The journey is what we enjoy, the shore side trips are a bonus and round out the experience.

A few days ago somebody asked what we liked best about cruising [I dislike the word cruising as it sounds so damn useless!] We did not give a real answer to that question at the time. However, we later thought about it and came to the conclusion that what we like about cruising is the fact that "It stops us from working!' The travel, adventure, luxury and camaraderie are bonuses!

The foregoing may sound like absolute rubbish, and maybe it is, but after a day in port at high temperatures and humidity with all the hustle bustle we really do need some downtime. Sea Days are our rest time, we do not feel the least bit guilty about doing absolutely nothing.!

On this trip there are 15 sea days and 24  ports, which is just about right for us. On one trip years ago when we came up through the Suez into the Mediterranean there were eight port days in a row! That was completely devastating as we could not take that much high intensity touring and it lessened the total experience. Moderation in all things is good advice.

Tonight was Robbie Burns Night. Piped in Haggis and an address to the Haggis and all that goes with it. Great day at sea!

Fellette checking my computer earlier today.

Any news from home is like a breath of fresh air to us.

Fellette doing laps this morning.

Fellette's attire laid out on the bed for Burns' Night tonight. Sutherland Tartan.

Mine will be my black tux and MacKenzie Tartan bow tie.

We are moving to the left at approximately one half inch a day when sailing on Craig's map. Today we are under the 'D' in Indonesia.

Just dressed and down to the Captain's Reception, held for those 200 who boarded at Bali and open to all. As I said, new haircut today. I asked the barber to take 30 years off!

We walked  with Jim and Gail to the reception.

Sharp tie that got some attention I will tell you. It changed colour. 

Us four tonight. 

We have spent about 550 days at sea together, amazing.