Panama Canal

I’m not sure any of us really grasped the scale of the canal itself before we saw it with our own eyes. The locking system that are basically compartments where water levels can be raised to elevate ships or lower them, was dreamed up by brilliant engineers over 100 years ago is amazing. The Panama Canal is a man-made canal which joins the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is 51 miles with a series of 3 locks that raise ships 26 metres to the Gatun Lake. One then just continues south through a channel in the Gatun Lake for 32 miles to Gamboa, where the Culebra Cut begins. The Pedro Miguel locks then lower ships 9.4 metres to a lake which then takes you to the Miraflores Locks which again lowers ships 16 metres to sea level. There are 3 locks in total and the scenery around the Canal is beautiful with enormous palm trees and other tropical vegetation. Saw 2 crocodiles plus loads of birds. A wonderful Panamanian lecturer came on board and gave us a very history of the Canal and she pointed out various points of interest en route. It was a really great day. In the evening we had the Ambassador's Ball which was great fun and it was so nice to see all the students so elegantly dressed. We have a final cocktail party tomorrow night and then disembark on Wednesday after lunch.

Guatemala

Our final destination was Guatemala and we decided to visit Antigua where we stayed for 2 nights. We joined 15 students in a shared taxi which was somewhat hair-raising at times, but drove through pretty countryside with sugar cane fields and coffee plantations. Antigua sits in a valley of Guatemala and is overlooked by 3 spectacular Volcanoes (Agua Volcano is 3,765 meters high). From our hotel bedroom window we could see the other two volcanoes - "Acatenango" and the apparently always smoking, sometimes erupting, "Fuego". Antigua is a lovely well preserved colonial city with its cobbled streets,houses and hotels with huge courtyards. We saw many Mayan people who constitute a diverse range of the Native American people from Southern Mexico and North Central America. They all wear very colorfully costumes and sell their handmade products that honor their traditions. The Mayan women carry their babies in brightly colored papooses, and wear "Huipils" which are weaved blouses that have very complex brocaded patterns in beautiful colors. We visited one of the many markets in Antigua and went to a textile museum where we watched the Mayan women weaving on foot pedaled wooden looms. Our first night we went to a wonderful hotel for dinner. It had a huge courtyard which was filled with wonderful flowering tropical plants. During a great meal we were entertained by a marimba band after which 6 traditional dancers appeared wearing masks, antlers and highly decorated costumes and proceeded to perform the Mayan Holy Deer dance which entailed shaking rattles and very energetic dancing. All the diners were fascinated to see this dancing and I was somewhat aghast when one of the performers pulled me onto the dance floor to join them. The shaking of the rattle wasn't too taxing, but the actual dancing was exhausting but great fun. The following day we explored the town and as we walked towards La Merced which is a mustard colored church on a lively little square we saw a large procession of people celebrating a saint's day with a band, fireworks and a life-size statue of the Virgin Mary carried shoulder high on a platform. It was a fun 2-days in Guatemala and although we had all been warned about possible dangers especially in some of the rural areas, everyone had a great time and felt very safe.



Coffee Beans

Aloha Hawaii !!

To date, the MV Explorer has called at 14 different ports in 11 countries. We have one more stop to go and we will have circumnavigated the globe. Unbelievable!

Having docked in Honolulu we joined a wonderful bus tour around the island. (Hawaii is the most isolated land mass on the planet being 2,500 miles from any other land) Visited Diamond Head Crater where one gets a spectacular view of all the many beaches. Saw two hump-back whales
off the coastline of Makapuu Point. Stopped off at a rain forest at the top of Mt. Tantalus. Saw where Obama was born and where he graduated. Also saw where some of the very wealthy Americans have second homes on the island. Frangipani trees were everywhere. Many of the Hawaiian Leis are made from these wonderfully scented flowers. Glorious weather with the luxury of trade winds to cool things down. In the afternoon we took the local bus to Pearl Harbor where we were initially shown a very interesting film telling the story of the politics, the people and the attack on Pearl Harbor.We then took a short boat ride over to the Memorial. A visit to the USS Arizona Memorial is a very solemn and sobering experience, even for those who were not alive when the attack occurred (Me!). One is literally standing over a grave site where 1177 men lost their lives on December 7th 1941. 2390 men, women and children were killed - half of whom were on board the USS Arizona. This was the greatest loss of life in a single day by any ship in the US naval history. There are more than 900 men still entombed in the hull of the Arizona. One can still see several pieces of debris in the sea from the Arizona. The USS Arizona held approximately 1.5 million gallons of bunker oil. The ship apparently burned for 2½ days and currently the ship still leaks 2 quarts of oil each day. It was all quite eerie to see.

On a lighter note, the next day we spent on the beach at Waikiki. The boardwalk is full of very expensive shops and hotels. The beach,although quite narrow, has lovely white sands, crystal clear aquamarine color sea and is overlooked by Diamond Head Crater.We spent the whole day swimming in the sea, people watching, and enjoying seeing the many skillful surfers. We were amused to see one surfer who took his dog on the board with him - at one stage the surfer fell but the dog stayed on the board. Had a wonderful lunch at the Moana Hotel overlooking the ocean.This hotel was built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki. In the center of the Hotel's courtyard there's an enormous Banyan tree. This tree was apparently seven feet tall when planted back in 1904 and now stands 75 feet high and spans 150 feet across the courtyard. There were huge bougainvillea bushes everywhere as well as other tropical plants.

We found the Hawaiian people very friendly with an interesting mix of cultures. Although the written Hawaiian language is based on English letters, there are only 8 consonants and five vowels. Honolulu has an excellent bus service and it's very cheap and easy to get around. Because we only had a 2-day stay in Hawaii we weren't able to get to see Kileaua Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island which has the world's most active volcano. We will have to be content with watching it on the TV Travel Channel.

Gus finished his lectures today and is now working on final exams. So this amazing voyage is nearing the end. Last night with had another "dark night" which is when all the ship's exterior lights are turned off so one gets a spectacular view of the thousands of stars. We arrive in Guatemala on Tuesday and will spend a night in Antigua which apparently is well worth a visit. We leave Guatemala on Thursday and travel through the Panama Canal onto Fort Lauderdale.





















Pearl Harbor

Springtime in Japan

Our Japanese visit began in Kobe which is a very cosmopolitan port city which was rocked by a disastrous earthquake back in 1995 causing over 5100 deaths. It is now a sprawling modern city with skyscrapers, monorails,wonderful shopping arcades and restaurants.

We decided to be adventurous (plus we were somewhat "templed-out" having seen so many shrines and temples) so we decided to explore Mount Rokko (931 meters). We took the cable car to the top. Wonderful view of the city and the plentiful cherry blossoms which were in full bloom.
We then decided to walk down. A possible mistake !! It took us 90 "long" minutes to climb down the mountain clambering over rocks, branches of trees etc. We were amazed to meet 2 mountain bikers en route who were literally flying over the bumpy terrain. Toward the end of our climb
down we met an elderly Japanese man who was watching us gingerly manoever our way down, and very graciously offered me his walking stick. (he was at least 80 but was obviously fitter than I was!) Our next day in Kobe we wandered around the city hoping to loosen our very stiff legs.

We then had one day of sailing up to Yokohama which is a far more attractive city with numerous parks filled with tulips, very attractive buildings. Early that morning we caught the bullet train up to Toyko where my nephew - Robert - met us. That train journey was amazing not only from the speed of the train, but it is so luxurious and literally glides along the rails. Robert works and lives in Toyko so was able to give us a wonderful tour of the city. We walked around the lovely parks surrounding the Emperior's Imperial Palace. Went to the 52nd floor of
the Mori Tower Building where the view is just spectacular.
We then visited Shibuyi which is like Time Square with highly decorated neon advertisements and giant video screens and thought to be the busiest pedestrian crossing in world - (think of Time Square and multiple the number of people by at least a thousand). There are 5 or 6 roads coming into the Square, all traffic stops at the same time, and pedestrians swarm across like ants! Before going out to dinner we went to Robert's apartment which has 2-bedrooms and a great view of the city. Having been offered a "luxurious" bath I was intrigued to see Robert push a button while sitting in the lounge, enquire what temperature I'd like the bath, then sit back with a drink until we heard the sound of a buzzer which indicated my bath was ready. The huge tub was filled with water and Robert explained that this was a "wet bathroom" which meant all the overflow bath water simply drained away. The adjacent shower was completely open and again the water just drained away from the floor.The separate toilet took some getting used to with 3 buttons offering gentle music, a bidet and a blow-dryer plus a lovely warm seat. Apparently Japan spends thousands of dollars on bathroom/toilet research. They are fastidious about hygiene - even if one orders a drink at a bar, a warm towel to wash one's hands is given out.

In the evening Robert took us to a theme restaurant called "Ninja". The entire restaurant is designed in the image of a ninja house, complete with secret passageways, drawbridges, waterfalls. Food is served by a “ninja” who also performs magic tricks for diners. It was a really fun experience. (Gus's appetizer arrived with a gush of steam created by dry ice on a shrimp filled grapefruit base with a Ninja sword through it.... very different!).Two of Gus's students were at another restaurant in Tokyo and sitting at the next table was John McCain who recognized the US accents and came over and talked to them and was very interested to learn about Semester at Sea. The following morning we took the bullet train back to Yokohama and had final look around before sailing that evening. The very first impression one gets of Japan is the gracious,polite, helpful people. Although one hears little or no English, the people go out of their way to help. We experienced several occasions when people stopped to help us. It's amazing how well one can communicate with one's hands. The other very immediate thing one notices in Japan is how beautifully dressed both men and women are. All the men wear very nice dark suits with white shirts & ties and the ladies wear beautifully tailored suits and high-heeled shoes.

We would have liked to have seen Mount Fuji but there just wasn't enough time - Japan is certainly a country worth visiting for its wonderful culture and gracious people.





Gus, Sue & Robert at restaurant













Gus's steaming grapefruit/shrimp appetizer, complete with sword!

Shanghai, China

People everywhere, endless Rolex Watch sellers and washing/laundry hanging from any and every possible line, pole or even branches of nearby trees - those will certainly be some of the memories of our 2-day visit to Shanghai. On every street corner someone is to trying to sell you a "genuine" (?) Rolex watch. One of the faculty bought 6 watches for $15.00 yesterday. According to our guide they're known as 7-day watches!
We enjoyed a city orientation tour - visited the Yu Gardens which is fully restored classical Chinese garden with lotus ponds, winding paths, canals, arched stone bridges and cobbled lanes. A very interesting, albeit touristy, visit. We then went to the Old Bazaar which is a maze of
curio and souvenier shops plus loads of open-air restaurants. After lunch we took a walk along the historic Shanghai Bund which is a seven mile long boulevard and gives one a fabulous view of all the enormous buildings overlooking the Huangpu river. It was interesting to see the various shapes and decorations on top of all the skycrapers - they ranged from flowers opening, to balls, spikes, and crenellations and are brightly lit up at night.

We then visited the Jade Buddha Temple which is an active temple with 70 resident working monks. We watched, and listened to 4 sets of monks worshipping/chanting. The temple was built between 1911 and 1918 in the style of the Song Dynasty, with symmetrical halls and courtyards,
upturned eaves, and bright yellow walls. Inside the centerpiece is a 1.9-meter-high white jade Buddha. The seated Buddha, encrusted with jewels, is said to weigh about one thousand kilograms.(We both sighed when we heard that we had yet another visit to a temple, but this one was really spectacular). We then did a tour of the Shanghai Museum where there are 120000 precious works of art including bronzes,ceramics, jades, and a wonderful display of Ming and Qing-dynasty furniture. It's divided up into ten sections and you could certainly spend all day looking at everything displayed.

In the evening we went to the Shanghai Center Theater and watched an amazing acrobat show. It was incredible. We have seen acrobatic shows before but this was the best. The show has been performed all over the world - it's a combination of traditional Chinese acrobatics with
modern performance techniques and great dancing.

What we didn't witness were the millions of Chinese in the sweat shops and struggling to survive in the rural areas. However, there was a lot of evidence of amazing growth and development and our brief trip to Shanghai was very interesting and enjoyable. There was certainly a drop in temperatures after steamy Saigon but it was great to be able to walk around comfortably. We are now en route to Kobe (Japan). Before we arrive in each country we have very interesting talks from inter-port lecturers. The 2 Japanese lecturers this morning wore wonderful colored kimonos and gave us very useful info and tips on the very different culture we will find in Japan.




Anyone for lunch ?

Pictured at a sidewalk restaurant

Fabulous Hong Kong !

Hong Kong itself is divided into four main areas – Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories plus the Outlying Islands. We arrived in Kowloon in glorious sunshine and after a walk along the famous Nathan Road which is packed with little shops, we took the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island. The Star Ferry service operates four lines across Victoria Harbour and has been in operation for over 120 years, providing a panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline for its 53,000 daily passengers. It's incredibly cheap and a fun way to travel. There are also loads of tunnels and overhead passes and the traffic, albeit plentiful, runs very smoothly. Amazing selection of cars (Maserati's, Mercedes, BMW's) most of which are chauffeured driven. People in the business areas are very well dressed in suits and ties and the women wear very expensive looking oufits.

The height of some of the skyscrapers is just amazing (the International Finance Center is 88 storeys high - 1,362 ft tall) We took a walk around three of the lower floors which are filled with very upmarket restaurants and shops, plus enormous water features and flowering plants) Helicopters are continuously flying over the bay dropping off businessmen at their various offices.

Our SA friends collected us and we firstly went to Aberdeen which is on the south shore of Hong Kong where we had tea at the Boat Club. I had been in Aberdeen over 30 years ago and remembered it to full of boat people living and working on junks. These have since been flushed
out and very luxurious yachts and motorboats are there now. There's also a floating seafood restaurant which is very popular.Our friends then took us for a lovely drive around the area - fabulous views of the many various bays and islands (as well as the Kowloon peninsula there are over 236 islands surrounding Hong Kong which are very popular and easily accessible) We then went to their lovely townhouse in the New Territories area which is more of a peaceful rural area in Hong Kong, as opposed to the incredibly hectic area of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula.
The New Territories is a very picturesque with loads of trees and certainly a much slower pace of life. It's very easily accessible to get down to a very nice little beach. In the evening we all went down to the local village of Sai Kung which has a number of restaurants and bars. The blocks of apartments in some areas are amazing - just thousand upon thousand of enormous blocks. I think the first impression one gets of Hong Kong is the number of people - they're just like "ants" - everywhere. The streets are packed and most have brightly colored advertising signs strung across the roads.We were dropped off at the Stanley Market the following morning.This market was great fun - full of small stalls selling anything from goldfish to flowers to every article of clothing one could imagine. It attracts all the locals who buy
their daily fresh fruits and vegetables. After a good look around we returned to Kowloon on the top of a double decker bus which was a very interesting 30 minute ride through spectacular scenery.

Hong Kong's education system roughly follows the system in England, although at the higher education levels, both English and American systems exist. The medium of instruction is mainly spoken Cantonese, written Chinese and English. The city's transit system, MTR, has 150
stations and serves 3.4 million people a day. We discovered it to be amazing - very fast and clean and relatively easy to understand.

Our last evening we found a wonderful restaurant overlooking the harbor after which we walked up to the The Peninsula Hotel which is rated as "one of the world's legendary grand hotels". Gosh, it was like stepping into another world - wonderful furnishings, high very ornate ceilings, fabulous, enormous flower arrangements. We sat in the lounge beneath the neo-classical arches and had coffee while listening to a great string quartet who were performing in the minstrels gallery. The hotel has a fleet of signature Rolls-Royces, which can be hired by guests plus a helipad for those arriving by helicopter. (We walked !!) All too soon it was time to leave Hong Kong - we could have spent much longer as it is a fascinating very vibrant place to visit. We are now en route to Shanghai.

Vietnam

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon) we visited the History Museum which documents the evolution of Vietnam's various cultures which was very interesting. We then watched a water puppet performance which dates back to the 11th century. The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers to control them. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water. It was fun and very different. Apparently when the rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play. Ho Chi Minh is much more cosmopolitan than the rest of the country, with 5-star hotels and very expensive shops and lovely parks. The sidewalks and streets are full of people and vendors selling and making all sorts of things. The two very first impressions one gets is the tremendous heat and humidity - perspiration literally drips off one. The second is the number of motorcycles (4 million of them ! The average cost of a motorcycle is $3000 so a relatively cheap means of transport). It's very common to see a family of 4 on one bike. They wear smog masks over their mouths, usually wear sunglasses and then their helmets - very strange when first seen. We had been warned about trying to cross a road among the sea of motorcylists. It's really
one of those things which you have to experience to understand. As mentioned, there are 4 million motorcylces in Saigon and one sees very few cars and buses. There are very few traffic lights so the key to cross a road is to walk slowly and consistently so the motorcycles can weave
around you. Quite a hair-raising experience at first. There are literally thousands of tailors who can make a made-to-measure outfit in 24 hours or less. One of our staff members here had her silk wedding dress made within a 24 hour period. I had a dress made but was slightly aghast when being measured to be told I was "XL" size. However the fully lined dress is great and cost $25.

We spent the following day in the Mekong Delta which is the region in Southeast Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of tributaries. The canal network was built for the cultivation of rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts and tobacco. It was a very interesting 2-hour drive and having been taken to the other side of the river by boat we visited a traditional farmer's home and fruit orchard where we sampled some of the exotic tropical fruits. We were then taken for a ride in a wooden canoe - not much in the way of birdlife but a fun ride.

Many faculty and students flew to Cambodia where they visited the Killing Fields and saw the mass graves of more than 17000 men, women and children. Their only crime being that they were educated. Photographs of these genocidal events line the walls of former school rooms. All
very gruesome and depressing. We visited the War Atrocities Museum where there were tanks, helicopters, planes and arms on display. It is certainly not for the feint hearted. The full horrors of armed conflict are there on the walls for everyone to see. I don't think any of us were aware as to just how barbaric it actually was. Agent Orange was the nickname given to the herbicide used by the Americans to clear the forestation that provided cover to the the Viet Cong fighters. Containing Dioxin, one of the the deadliest chemicals known to man, the herbicide caused untold suffering to the hundreds of thousands of people that came into contact with it. Nearly 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed on North Vietnam during the conflict. Many died of cancer, many were born with deformities. Really horrific!

We visited several excellent restaurants. Vietnamese food is bland in comparison to Thai and Indian food. The first restaurant we visited was on the 14th floor of a hotel which gave us a wonderful view of the city. When our meal arrived the waitress demonstrated how we should eat - e.g. firstly place lettuce onto a sheet of rice paper, followed by the noodles, followed by the meat or fish. This is then wrapped up and ends up looking like a spring roll. Finally one can dip this into various sauces (soy etc.)

Our visit to Vietnam was certainly incredibly interesting. We were just amazed at what a modern prosperous city Saigon is. There are new buildings, enormous new bridges all being erected everywhere. It is a very clean city despite the number of people. We didn't see any beggars and everyone was friendly and helpful. When we first arrived there were traditional Vietnamese dressed ladies dancing for us holding a large banner welcoming "Semester at Sea".


Modern electricity distribution ?















Gus & 2 waitresses














Vietnamese Street Vendor

Bangkok and Hua Hin, Thailand

Sue and 2 Buddhas






Having docked in the habour we took a 2 hour bus trip up to Bangkok and stayed in a recommended bed & breakfast which was so convenient for the sky train. It was owned by an Englishman who was incredibly helpful advising us on what to do and where to go. The traffic in Bangkok is horrendous - unlike India no hooting but just continuous traffic jams. When the traffic came to a complete standstill the bus driver suggested all 40 passengers should collect their luggage and get off the bus,as we were nearing the bus station.It was certainly far quicker. That evening we looked around one of the many night markets where one can literally buy anything. I was in Bangkok 32 years ago and would certainly never recognize the city now with its enormous skyscrapers,awful smog and huge shopping malls featuring all the US & UK shops (McDonald, Starbucks, Boots, Marks & Spencer etc.) Early the next morning we took the sky train down to the river and went on a tour up the river to see some of the many palaces. At least on a boat it was a little cooler with temps. in the upper 90's with 100% humidity. The 5-hour tour was incredibly cheap, even more so when we discovered we had our own personal tour guide who made the tour so interesting.
The one temple featured the "Reclining Buddha" which is 46-meter long and 15-meter wide - it was spectacular with so much intricate carvings. The Grand Palace complex, of which the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a major part, consists of over 100 buildings, representing more than 200 years of royal history and architecture. One sees Buddhas in various stages of life, Buddhas in meditation, Buddhas standing, crowned and uncrowned, fierce or soothing, Buddhas in stone, in stucco, in bronze, in wood. The golden Buddha stands at 3 metres tall and weighs 5.5
tons. Apparently it was undiscovered until the 1950s, but then an outer layer of plaster began to peel away, exposing solid gold icon beneath! Apparently, after this discovery, lots of other Buddha icons had their outer layers peeled away, but no others were found to be hiding solid gold figures. After the tour we jumped back onto our junk and had a fabulous lunch in the Mandarin Orient Hotel which stands beside Chao Phraya River. It's rated to be one of the top hotels in the world (the hotel is very proud to show off the pictures of Prince Charles and Di when they stayed there several years ago) We sat outside, had a great lunch and enjoyed watching the constant stream of boats and junks winding up and down the river.
The following morning we took a minibus down to Hua Hin which is on the Gulf coast 3 hours south west of Bangkok where we stayed at another recommended bed and breakfast called "Bee & B". The first thing one notices in Thailand is the incredible respect and hospitality.The Thai
people are so very gracious and courteous. They bow to greet you and always have a smile on their faces. This was even more pronounced when we arrived at Bee & B. Not only did we have a very luxurious room but Bee walked down to the beach with us the first time carrying our towels
and water to make sure we found a suitable umbrella and were well looked after by the local cafe owner. When we walked back from the beach having spent the whole afternoon in the wonderfully warm sea, we were greeted with cold face towels plus a very cold beer.It was like
being in someone's home. We walked downtown for dinner on the first night and found a very good Thai restaurant where again we were so well looked after by very elegant gracious waitresses.(they even sprayed one's legs with insect repellent) One thing that is very noticeable is the number of overweight bald-headed European men with petite pretty "very young" Thai women some of whom they've married.
Thailand now has a population of 65.49 million and again it is a country of extreme contrast. Whereas there are loads of 5-star hotels, beautiful homes, there are still thousands of people living in tin-roofed shacks. These are particularly seen around the many rivers and canals. Bangkok is a very clean, well-run city and the Thai people are extremely helpful and friendly. Spirit houses are common throughout Thailand, and can be found outside almost every house and building. The doll house-sized homes are set atop a pedestal and placed in an auspicious location, which allows residents, workers and others to offer prayers and small gifts to appease spirits, believed to be dwelling in the land and mountains. Spirit houses in Thailand usually include doll-sized human figures, and a small figurine of Buddha. The Shrines are places of worship where you'd go to pay respect to sacred religious icons in Buddhism and Hinduism, who in turn could grant you love, happiness, good fortune, success, luck or even fertility. People place garlands of bright yellow marigolds around the particular Buddha - they're always very colorful.The drive down to Hua Hin was very interesting. We saw workers in the many rice fields, hundreds of palm tree plantations and several beautiful garden shops as well as hundreds of stalls selling fruit by the roadside.
Flowers are seen everywhere in Thailand - frangipani, bourganvillia and orchids seem to be very plentiful and are used to decorate everything from food dishes and drinks to beach towels. We are now en route to Vietnam where we will be spending 5 days.


Beach Towels decorated with flowers















The head of the Reclining Buddha














The Grand Palace

Indescribable India

It has to be experienced to be believed! Such contrasts, wealth and poverty, beauty and filth, palaces and slums and people everywhere. India is overwhelmingly diverse with its population of approximately 1.2 billion people which, unlike China, is still growing. (The average family have 5 children) 80.5% of the Indians are Hindus, with 13.4% of the population Muslim, the remaining 7% are Sikhs, Jains and Christians making India the most diverse country in the world. There are 18 major languages spoken in India and over 1600 regional dialects. We flew from Chennai to New Delhi where we had a tour of the old and new city. The number of people everywhere is amazing. Cows, camels, goats and dogs roam everywhere. The Government buildings designed by the British are very attractive with lovely grounds. We visited Qutab Minar which was a Muslim Mosque built in the 11th century with stones from the original Hindu and Jain temples of which only remnants now remain. We then did a tour of Old Delhi and saw the Red Fort which was built in the 17th century by the Muslims and is enormous. That evening we spent the night in a 5-star hotel in Delhi. We were greeted with garlands of flowers and welcome red "dots" on our foreheads.The next morning we drove to Jaipur (the "pink city") capital of Rajasthan where we visited Chandra Mahal (the city palace) built by the Maharajah in the 18th century. It's a mixture of Hindi and Mughal (Muslim) style. We also went to the an outdoor Observatory built by the same Maharajah which has sundials giving the time to within 20 seconds accuracy. That evening we visited a market which was packed with small shops hundreds of motorbikes, rickshaws, cows and thousands of people.The following day we went to the Amber Fort where access to the Fort involves an elephant ride which was different! We then drove to Agra stopping en route an enormous Moghul Palace built of red sandstone. The Moghul Emperor had 3 wives one Muslim, one Hindi and one Christian as well as 180 concubines (what a way to go !!) Driving into Agra that evening would have made Gus's hair stand on end ..... if he had any! The roads are shared by trucks, buses, cars, tractors, motorbikes,rickshaws, bicyles, camel carts, horse carts and elephants as well as pedestrians. We even saw a family of four - yes 4 - riding on a motorscooter - Mom sitting on the back side saddle in a beautiful sari talking on her cellphone. Meanwhile Dad is winding in and out of choatic traffic! Early the next morning we visited the Taj Mahal which is quite breathtaking. It was built by 2000 workers over a 22 year period and is constructed almost entirely white marble brought from Jaipur (200 miles away) in convoys of 50 camels everyday.The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan starting in 1631 in memory of his wife Mumtaz who died while delivery their 14th child. The Taj symbolizes their eternal love for each other - it's truly exquisite with a mixture of both Hindi and Islamic design. The surrounding gardens and reflecting pools are magnificent. We had an interesting experience driving north to Delhi when we drove into a traffic jam on a 4-lane highway. Undeterred the locals opened a 5th lane on the left shoulder but when this proved inadequate they opened a 4th lane by driving over the median and continuing northwards in one of the south bound lanes. This also proved inadequate so northbound traffic then took over the second southbound lane. Sooooooo we had 5 lanes going north and southbound traffic was relegated to the left shoulder. In the meantime there is a constant blaring of hooters which seems to be the norm wherever you travel plus regular lane changing without any signals. It's amazing. We found the Indian people very friendly and the Indian women extremely elegant in wonderful colourful saris. Astrology still plays a very important role in their lives especially when arranged marriages are being scheduled. Sunday newspapers feature 6 full-page columns of adverts. with parents seeking marriage partners for
their sons or daughters. There are beggars everywhere especially in the tourist areas, plus loads hawkers but one gets used to them and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in India. It's just so completely different to anywhere in the world we've ever visited.


About to ride on elephant








A beautiful Indian lady in a beaded sari


















Gus is the one in the middle!!
The other 2 were doormen at our hotel in Delhi.

One day in Mauritius

Is it a giant whale ........... No it's Gus !!!!

Below Gus totally stressed out!






We docked at Port Louis Mauritius at 8 am and after the immigrations formalties were completed (in each port the Immigrations Officials come on board and check passports etc. which are normally processed very quickly) we took a taxi to Trou aux Biches - a beach resort that had been recommended to us. We had a delightful taxi driver who pointed out all the places of interest and told us about his life.
What spectacular beaches we discovered - miles of powdery white sands and aquamarine color sea. After a very refreshing swim we took a walk and found a very luxurious hotel (see pics above) for lunch. We had drinks overlooking the pool and sea, and then were shown down to a lovely little thatched roof area for a delicious lunch - the sea was literally lapping under our table - just gorgeous! We then spent the rest of the afternoon in the sea which was so warm (the air temperature was in the upper 80's as was the sea temperature). All too soon it was time to return to the ship and instead of using a taxi we decided to catch a local bus. The schools were just coming out and loads of children boarded the bus and were fascinated to see non-Mauritians aboard - they kept peering at us as if we'd come from outer space! It was a very interesting ride, albeit somewhat bumpy as we hit the numerous potholes in the road! The Mauritian people comprise 52% Hindu, 28% Christian, 17% Muslim and 3% other. We found everyone to be incredibly helpful and friendly. They have over a million tourists each year most of whom come from South Africa, Italy & France. They are very proud of their Dodo bird heritage and there are replicas in all the shops.The Dodo,(Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird, a native of the island of Mauritius discovered in 1598,and extinct by 1681. It was apparently related to pigeons and doves and stood about a meter tall, weighing about 20 kilograms (44 lb). Mauritius is only 2,095 square kilometers (809 square miles) and has world class beaches and hotels - certainly an island I could recommend.

The Beautiful Cape

Table Mountain & Harbor







(Left)Sailing into Cape Town facing Table
Mountain

(Below) View from the ship's deck




Buitenverwachting vineyard








Our wonderful 4-day visit to Cape Town is now over and we're en route to Mauritius. Anthony (son) collected us from the ship and the next few days were fantastic meeting up with old friends, shopping, dining and enjoying a rugby match.(Anthony's company has a box so it was a luxurious way to watch S. Africa beat an Australian team)
We had a fantastic lunch out at Buitenverwachting vineyard one day. It has a glorious setting overlooking a panorama of vines and mountain slopes. It's just spectacular and the restaurant is
rated as one of the best in South Africa.
Cape Town's working harbor is situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain and the surrounding Waterfront has become South Africa's most visited destination. As well as
loads of very upmarket restaurants there are over 400 shops. There are several outdoor arenas where visitors are entertained with singers, dancers, acrobats - it's a really
vibrant great place to visit. Cape Town is hosting the Soccer World Cup next year so there are several enormous stadiums being built, plus even more hotels. Everyone on the ship raved about their Cape Town stay and several students are already planning their next trip. Some of the excursions offered from the ship included "Extreme Sports" and over 80 students bunji-jumped, did some cliff-gliding off Table Mountain and "swam with the sharks" (in cages!) A large number of people did safaris and were thrilled to see so many animals in their natural surroundings. Our visit to Cape Town was so enjoyable - even though we've been to the Cape many times, the scenery is still overwhelming spectacular and one can quite see why it's rated as one of the top destinations in the world to visit.

Some pictures from Namibia

Seal aboard our boat gobbling down a fish!














A friendly Seal















Welwitschia Mirablis Plant














African ladies













Feeding some pelicans at a refuge for injured
pelicans
















Students attempting to climb
Dune 7













Gus "pretending" he'd just climbed the
sand-dune!