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!
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