Vietnam

March 22-26, 2009 Vietnam

Xin chao! Hello and welcome to thriving HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City), remembered as Saigon. Waking early, we watched the sun rise as we motored up the Saigon River for two hours into the port area. Boats of all kinds were everywhere! Out in the ocean off Cambodia, we saw tiny basket bowl boats fishing. These coracles are paddled with a figure eight stroke, setting nets, and they are carried out to sea on larger boats. In the river were slim fishing boats dragging a net on two poles behind them, speedboats, junks, hovering ferries, and many scow-like boats with painted red prows and eyes looking forward. There were dozens of huge freighters, and rafts loaded with dirt and sand. Rafts carrying palm fronds looked like moving haystacks! Tugboats, pilot boats, and family boats loaded with watermelons and greens for the market passed by. Several boys jumped off their boat and swam in the river. A dog ran back and forth on the deck, and the father watched as the boys climbed up the anchor rope. We enjoyed watching the river activity and the water hyacinths float up and down with the tide.
The streets were just as interesting. There are four million motorcycles in HCMC, plus cars and buses, bicycles and rickshaw bikes. Helmets are now required by law, and many riders also wear masks. We spent a lot of time in downtown District One of the city, and crossing the streets was an adventure! Look for a slight lull, step deliberately into the street, not pausing, but keeping a steady pace. If you are crossing with others, go in a straight line parallel to the traffic. Look ahead with determination, but be watching traffic at the same time. And, as Wendy says, “Watch your toes!”
The water puppeteers who performed for us actually stand in the pond behind bamboo screens and move the puppets. (I actually had a puppet model at home from Ted & Ginny, so I recognized the characters.) The art originated in the 11th century in rice paddies in northern Vietnam where the art has been perfected.
Thien Hau Pagoda and another Cao Dai temple were colorful. The religion combines all major religions with native Vietnamese spirits, and it is the third largest religion in Vietnam. They believe in one God, the soul, and the use of mediums. In Thien Hau, I lit a spiral incense for Lee’s healing. It will burn for a month.
Ben Thanh and a smaller market were interesting. Lots of vegetables, meats, fruits, clothes, chopstick sets, live fish, coffee, jewelry, and pushy ladies grabbing us to sell blouses and shoes. We also shopped in upscale places, and I had an outfit tailored for me.
I visited Ket Doan Primary School with some university students from the ship. The children were all asking for our autograph, and I realized that I needed to write a sentence for each one so that they could hear me read it and practice speaking. Some of them were shy, and some bravely spoke English to me. During recess, they could go to booths set up in the play courtyard and buy drinks, soup, and toys. They seemed to have money for this. The boys played with a weighted, feathered toy that they kicked like a hacky-sack.
Our favorite day was a trip to the Mekong Delta. We passed rice paddies and fish ponds, but many had been drained and were being developed into modern business buildings and apartments. We traveled on a boat on the Mekong River, and then visited two islands. We rode in canoe boats through the canals, bumping along the narrow waterways in the jungle. We held a python, and Les tried wine with a snake soaking in it.
Now we have two days in the China Sea. We’ll be in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Thailand

March 15-19, 2009 Thailand
Picture us speeding along the river and canals in Bangkok. We rode in a longboat, a narrow craft with a huge V8 engine mounted in the stern and a long shaft hanging behind into the water propelling us forward. We passed temples glittering with gold and gray rot-wood pilings holding up homes with flowers and many chimes in their windows. We saw children jumping into the canal and mothers bathing their babies in big clay pots. Catfish bubbled at the surface beside a temple, and we were given bread to feed their frenzy. A small boat pulled up to ours. A lady in a straw hat had it heaped with souvenirs for sale, and we bought a little model of her boat. Our longboat driver honked at canal corners, turning into another canal with floating lotus flowers. Back on the choppy, boat-busy river, we stopped at Wat Arun and climbed steep steps to the top of its pyramid shape. It was decorated with stone statues, tiles, and pieces of china from a shipment the king had once received damaged.
We stayed at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok for one night. Les and I were on the 38th floor, but Matthew & Aniseh were up on the 61st. Barrett loved the turquoise blue outdoor swimming pool on the 20th floor. We ate at a fruit bar: durian (which smells horrible and tastes delicious), dragon fruit, yellow watermelon, coconuts with straws, marina plums, pomelo, rambutan, mangos, assorted juices and candied fruits and more! Les and Matthew bought suits and shirts that were made to order in one day. We went to Suan Lum Night Market. Different kinds of colored lights for sale enchanted the evening! Our birthday dinner for Matthew was at the fancy Shangri-la, overlooking the river. We were entertained by Thai dancers in glittering costumes of birds, fish, or crowns of gold.
March and April are the summer season in Thailand. The air is steamy. Our port, Laem Chabang, is located away from towns in an industrial area. The port is amazingly neat with huge cranes loading ships efficiently, one container every thirty seconds!
Les and I went to Sriracha Tiger Farm one day. There were circus shows with tigers, crocodiles, and pigs , but it was also a place where the Thais are breeding and saving the tigers. In one room there were at least 20 baby tigers in separate cages. We paid extra to hold a baby tiger briefly. Baby tiger fur defines soft!
Finally we visited Pattaya Elephant Village. Here the Thai people keep some working elephants that are not used for work any more. They also have breeding programs. The elephants come right up to people, and we fed them bunches of bananas. Their trunks have a slightly slimy tip or finger. A dozen of us were allowed to ride the elephants into the water for a bath. The elephants’ heads are whiskery, and their ears are rubbery. It was amazing – I was laughing all the way! Les, Barrett and Wendy also got to ride the elephants. Climbing up on an elephant is somewhat tricky!
Matthew gave a talk at Bangkok University and performed some of his music with a few students. The Thai students participated in the MICE Squeak piece.

India

March 5 – 6, 2009 Chennai, India
Varnakkam! That greeting is in Tamil, the primary language of the Tamil Nadu state in India where we spent our time. Our first and last days we spent in Chennai. Matthew had a concert at SRM University, Engineering College, and there were 400 people in attendance. The rest of us took off with our guide, Bala, for a City Orientation Tour. It was geared for English tourists, so we went to two churches and former British buildings. A Tamil Hindu temple to Shiva was colorful – the religion is complex, and the architecture reflects this with multiple carvings of gods, animals, and stories in many pastel colors. We drove by a long beach where all the small pointed-bow fishing boats were resting. They go out fishing at night and come home to this beach littered with nets and trash. Laundry is also spread on the beach to dry. Their homes are small: some are concrete apartment rooms, and some are grass huts. The best part of the tour was visiting Bala’s home. Her husband and a small granddaughter welcomed us into their quiet, large concrete home shaded by a variety of trees. By then, Barrett was napping on the bus with Les in attendance.
Wendy and I attended a Welcome Reception at night. We were given jasmine necklaces, and our hands were decorated with henna. Some of our students formed friendships with the Indian students present. We sampled Indian food, bought skirts, and watch two enthralling dancers.
The ship’s crew had prepared extensively for the pollution and dirt of the Chennai port: cardboard clad the entrance halls, but carpet at the bottom of the gangway was soon black with grime and if you touched the handrail, your fingers came away black. The deck furniture was all wrapped in plastic. When we went out the second morning, the first thing Barrett did was step in a crack full of greasy tar! Still we walked to the port gate and rode a “tuk-tuk” (a motorcycle driven carriage) into a large shopping center. By then we were all wearing identical black footprint designs on our clothes as we wandered, bought some books, and had a cup of delicious Indian coffee. The “tuk-tuk” ride was the best, but among our swervings, we almost collided with a cow!


March 6 – 9, 2009 Night Train, Nagercoil, Night Train

Les and I left in the late afternoon with two girls and my writing professor for the train depot. We boarded a night train for Nagercoil. Our guide, Prem Kala, met us at the train station and got us situated in the air-cooled sleeper car. Les and I shared a curtained room with a young family: we were on the bottom bunks, and they, on the top. They got off in the middle of the night, and another family moved in.
We understood that Nagercoil was a farming village, but, Incredible India!, the village was 350,000 or more and the farmers were owners of a rubber plantation and cotton factory as well as founders of a K-12 school! Their home was inside a guarded wall with gardens, trees, potted herbs and flowers, and a collection of birds and animals. We all slept in a cool room with a bathroom attached, and we were treated to delicious Indian cooking, sometimes served on banana leaves. We tried to eat the Indian style with our right hand fingers.
Our host family was gracious, true ambassadors. Their elder son is in college in California, and Vikram was home studying for exams before his specialization in the last two years of high school. Kumar took us to visit his rubber plantation and the family cotton mill where they produce thread for fabric manufacturing. We also visited Sri Sarada Ayurvedic Hospital, clinic, herbal garden, and production pharmacy where they concoct healing oils and pills.
Kumar’s wife, Latha, arranged a visit to Pioneer School where the students sang, danced, and designed rangoli (pictured). These are circular designs done with rice flour and then filled in with brilliantly colored flour. We each gave a short introduction. I showed them my photos, and they asked for our autographs.
Latha took us to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of India. Three seas meet there, and you can see waves coming into the beach from all three directions – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. At Gandhi’s memorial there is a hole in the roof where the light shines directly down only on his birthday.
Our guide Prem Kala went with us to a coconut fiber mat factory. At a movie theatre owned by the family, we watched half of a Bollywood movie, “1977” (pictured). Colorful characters danced on the beach. Martial fighting was followed immediately by music video scenes with the stars dancing in multiple sexy costumes. We had three guides accompany us for shopping. Les was going for a shirt, and I smile when I think of him with the seven of us plus seven store employees all observing or fussing around “helping” him try on shirts. One of his “ultimate Indian experiences.” We traipsed around barefoot (all but Les who had another “ultimate Indian experience,”) in a Padmanabhapuram palace filled with intricate wood carvings and mirror-black floors , and a temple for snake worship where milk and turmeric were poured over stone snake heads. (Stink!)
Our hosts sat with us and talked about life in America and India. None of us were ready to get back on the night train because of their kind hospitality.


March 9, 2009 Chennai, India

Wendy and I went out alone on the last day in India. We had some struggles with our “tuk-tuk” drivers. One wanted to keep changing our agreed price, resulting in our having him let us off. The next one stopped on a busy off-ramp and climbed over a wall. His brother ran over and hopped in with him, and then our trouble began because Brother spoke English and wanted to take us places not on our agreed destination. We made it to the City Center mall in a round-about way, not stopping at any of his selected locations. Loaded with groceries, bangles and gifts, we engaged another “tuk-tuk.” At the port gate, we got a bicycle rickshaw with no motor. Laughing and talking, Wendy said, “Do you need some help?” No sooner did I say, “He doesn’t understand,” than he hopped off and offered his seat to Wendy. She pedaled us all the way back to the ship with him walking alongside. We had everyone smiling and waving at the scene that so crazily defied the illegal but lingering caste system.

Crossing the Indian Ocean

February 23-26, 2009 Indian Ocean

Four class days on the Indian Ocean with papers to write, chapters to read, quizzes to take. I was surprised that it will take us almost as long to cross it as it did for the Atlantic. The sailing has been smooth for Les and me. Today the ship slammed down some, and Wendy felt ill. We have had to change our clocks every night, setting them ahead one hour. Barrett is growing – he got new pants and new shoes in South Africa. He’s getting better at potty training, and he’s learning more about other people and their feelings. We have an alphabet Les has been making along the wall of our cabin; it’s already to Pp. Under each letter we put people’s pictures from the ship or from home, a lion, or flying fish, etc. Barrett’s journal is getting plump with experiences.

February 27, 2009 Mauritius

We sailed into Port Louis at 7 AM and are now leaving at 9 PM. Les and I went on an adventure trip today. Flic en Flac was our first stop, a soft sand beach on a blue lagoon. First we went to buy some Mauritian rum (sugar cane is grown all over the island), and then I swam in the warm Indian Ocean. Next we drove to Parc Aventure Chamarel in the Savanne Mountains. Flower bushes rimmed the sugar cane fields, pineapples grew, and coffee plantations thrive in this area. Les and I roped up (pictured) and walked over several swinging gap-plank bridges, one without handhold ropes. The vegetation reminded us of Hawaii, and we saw a beautiful fire engine red bird with black wings. The students adventured more strenuously on two-rope bridges and a zip line.
Mauritius was an uninhabited island when the Portuguese first began plying the Indian Ocean. The Dutch settled here, but later abandoned it. (Were they they ones who ate up all the dodo birds? I think.) The French took possession in 1715, losing it to the English in the Napoleonic Wars. The British freed the sugar slaves. At that time some of the slaves were in hiding on a steep mountain. English soldiers went up to tell them they were free, but, fearing capture for more years of slavery, the slaves jumped and plunged to their deaths. The mountain is called Mt. Le Morne (from the English word mourn). Today English is the official language, but French is most common. Our guide speaks five languages. I am in awe of the people of the world and their language skills!

*February 28 – March 3, 2009 Indian Ocean

The sea was orange oil this morning as the sun rose amid mirage cloud-islands. Sunset was almost as amazing. The sea is calm, the pool was filled, and the water did not slosh out in great gallons, raining down on the dining deck. The ship had a crazy Seven Seas Olympics day. The students are divided by deck into seas: Black, Baltic, Red, Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic, and Yellow. The adults, staff, faculty, families were called the Oddie-Cs. The contests were everything from volleyball to mashed potato sculpting to Sudoku. Les did the wheelbarrow race; Matthew was in the three-legged race with Wendy; Barrett tried the limbo; and Wendy & I joined the synchronized swimming contest (pictured).
I watched a red-footed booby resting on the mast. (Les said he’d seen enough boobies on board, thank you.) Another booby flew by in the early morning, and the two went off over the ocean fishing.
There was a Dean’s wine-tasting one night. The Turkish crew-member who led the commentary gave us tips on the ten wines and how to sample them. On Les’s birthday we were invited to Captain Jeremy Kingston’s dinner. His sense of humor and stories were a delight. The black forest cake slice for Les had a single candle, and the crew sang happy birthday. Second biology test, and I think I got a 78, which is my personal best. Our writing class is reading The God of Small Things. What a writer! I have “read” this book before on tape. Now I need to work on my long piece for class. We are beginning to think about travel in India. I can’t keep up with us!! A lady and two girls from India are on board to help prepare us for Chennai and India.

South Africa

February 18-22, 2009 South Africa

Ah, South Africa: Cape Town in transition, Kariega Game Reserve, and Khayelisha! Cape Town is in a bowl like Anchorage, with Table Mountain and Signal Hill as a backdrop. They are preparing for the 2010 World Cup, so construction of a stadium and infrastructure work are in progress. On our first day, we explored the Alfred and Victoria Waterfront area near the ship, upscale shopping and dining. We tried boerewors rolls, a spicy hot dog with chutney and chips. There’s music everywhere, marimba, flute, Dixie bands. Matthew’s class had a concert in the Amphitheatre, so those present heard a different kind of music. In the evening, Matthew, Wendy and I went to Long Street to sample some foods and drinks. We tried African pancake, African bread filled with goat cheese & spinach, stuffed butternut squash, and crocodile with peanut sauce. Drinks were “hard tack” or “soft tack,” and we had both. Places say “Right of admission reserved.” It was a little “shabine” (sketchy/dodgy) at night, so we left early.
Our safari to Kariega Game Reserve left early the next morning. We had 38 in the group. We flew to Port Elizabeth and then took a bus to Kariega in the Eastern Cape area. The game drives bounced us along tracks where we got close to lions, blue wildebeest, buffalo, Burchells zebras, giraffes, white rhinos, elephants, water bucks and impala, duikers, kudus, bush bucks, elands, and nyalas. We saw warthogs run with tails up and lions take chase. At night we saw a hippo out foraging. Vervet monkeys were in the thorn trees by our cabin, and black backed jackals pounced on prey. We took a riverboat ride and heard birds welcome the day. Secretary birds high-stepped. Ostrich and fish eagles, hoopoes, ibis, and kingfisher flew nearby. One of the male lions has a big black front, looks like a bib of fur.
Today I took a trip out to a black neighborhood called Khayelitsha while Les did a harbor tour. Matthew, Wendy and Barrett went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. My time in Khayelitsha was special. There are 4.5 million people on the fringes of Cape Town in these places they still call Townships. They all have to ride van-taxis into town for work, although many are still unemployed. We did not go into the poorest areas, but into parts where people have little businesses and some new concrete-block houses are under construction. Still, many homes are created out of scraps of corrugated tin and wood. The water is obtained from community spigots, and there are rows of outhouses. It was wash day today, and sparkling clean clothes were hanging everywhere. We visited two B&Bs owned by beautiful traditionally built African women. We went to a building with locally made crafts spread on tables for sale. Across the street was the Saint Michael and All Angels Harare Church. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes of their service spoken mostly in Khosa with some English. Many ladies wore purple at that church. There was a large wooded cross with a big figure of a black Jesus in front of it. A woman took notes on a large pad of paper as the preacher spoke, I suppose so the people could see important points as well as hear them. Singing of the Nicene Creed filled the room and spilled into the neighborhood. At the end of our visit, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Everybody was hurrying to a political rally for ANC candidate Zuma. We walked by the stadium where it was to be held, and the energy and high spirits reminded me somewhat of the Obama rally in Springfield, MO. Recently there has been a breakaway group from the ANC, and the strong one-party system may be challenged. A young man asked me how many political parties we have in the USA, wondering how it works for us. Then we drove back to the city proper, away from Honey House Take Away, God Is Great Hair Salon, and Vicky’s B&B South Africa’s Smallest Hotel. We left behind a place with no garbage collection, where people make flowers out of pop cans, where smiles and greetings are given out freely.

Namibia

February 10, 11, 12, & 13 At sea off Africa

Weather is warming, and we have about 12 hours of daylight now. Since the pool is filled with sea water, it is now warm at 82 degrees. The sea is flat calm, so the pool has been full. I exercise in there mornings, and Barrett and I get in with all the other kids about four in the afternoon.
Our entertainment has been watching for flying fishes. Our Dean’s Memo says, “The ship’s passage startles these fish that live near the surface, and they take to the air to escape this big ‘predator’, the MV Explorer. Flying fishes are fish with very large pectoral fins. These fins allow flying fish to glide for long distances (up to several hundred yards), using their outstretched pectoral fins as wings. They become airborne through rapid vibrations of their tail, and they can remain airborne for up to 30 seconds and achieve speeds up to about 40 mph, skimming just above the waves. As they glide, their pectoral fins are kept rigid, without any flapping motions. When flying fish are swimming in the water, these pectoral fins are held flat against the body. Flying fishes primarily live in the open ocean, feeding on plankton. There are about 65 species of flying fish, and they are found in all warm seas. The ones around here are rather small, less than 10 inches long.”

February 14, 15, & 16 Namibia!

Our ship is docked at the Walvis Bay Port (pronounced more like Valfish) with an oil rig off our stern. No, they do not drill for oil here. The rig has been transported here from Northern Africa for repairs and cleaning. Men go up and down in a little cage attached to a crane! Meanwhile, lazy catamarans cruse by, pelicans fly, and little seals roll into doughnut shapes in the water. In front of our ship is a big cruise ship called the Mona Lisa. As we walk through the port area to town, we pass a huge pile of salt, railroad cars, containers, and men waiting for work by the port gate. Outside the gate are vendors selling African goods.
Namibia rates second after Mongolia for lowest population density. Their young independent government has set aside 14% of the land for parks, and eco-tourism is growing. Since 1990, the official language is English, but Afrikaans and German are still widely spoken by the white population. About half of Namibians speak Oshiwambo. Among other native languages are two click languages in which three different clicks precede other words. Barrett can name one prickly plant in click language. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem, and the population is young. Namibia has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world yet literacy level is high. Many rural people farm for subsistence. Main exports are diamonds and minerals.
When we arrived, a group of young Namibian girls were on the dock singing and dancing to welcome us. They enjoyed a ship tour and lunch with some of the students, and they kept on singing for four hours. Beautiful children. I’m sending a little movie clip.
We took Barrett on a two-day camping trip in the Namib-Naukluft Park. We were pretty much just plopped down in a slot canyon in the desert with a long row of army-type tents. Highlights were the rock formations, a group of young Namibian men who came for singing and drumming, and watching Barrett climb rocks and play for hours in the hyper-arid gravel soil. The heat kept us drinking from our water bottles. Our “hosts” (Afrikaans speakers who also knew English) did not greet us nor give us any information – they were not happy campers! However, the students were wonderful, climbing around, playing and laughing together. At dark some birds trilled loudly from the high cliffs, and a young astronomer arrived with a telescope, but unusual clouds covered the southern sky. A couple of times a star peeked through, and I could tell that they would be brilliant under the right conditions. No southern cross yet!
Today we walked to town and spent over an hour trying to change dollars into South African rand. (The Namibian dollar is pegged to the rand, and both can be used here.) Right after we changed our money, the computer system went down. We went to the grocery store for crackers, South African wine, biltong, and little gifts for our shipboard family. Then we went out to the gigantic sand dunes (pictures). Earlier, while we were camping, Matthew’s class had a concert on a dune. They had microphones buried in the sand, and when the audience joined to dance, their feet added music. Matthew also got to play rocks in the Namib desert – they were iron rocks and rang like bells!
We went to “The Raft,” a restaurant out on a pier. There were white flamingos with black trim and terns feeding on little crabs. Matthew, Les, and I ordered kudu, ostrich, and oryx and traded around. We also ate banana/white asparagus/bacon pizza here. I tried a succulent used for survival while out on the desert– dollar plant – sour and bitter but moist. I got an ostrich eggshell necklace for Zoey.
Les has a cold, and I’ve learned to say Eseekee’sha (phonetic spelling) in Oshiwambo. That’s what they say when someone sneezes.
In the dark tonight, heading south, Matthew, Les and I went out on deck, and, voila!, we saw the Southern Cross and the False Cross.
“When you see the Southern Cross
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way…” (Crosby Stills, & Nash)
Tomorrow is South Africa study day, and then we’ll be there for five days.

Crossing the Equator

February 6, 7, 8, 9, 2009 At sea off Africa

We are clipping along at 24-26 knots down the coast of Africa. Yesterday we stopped in Dakar, Senegal for bunkering. Nobody was allowed to get off the ship, but we took some pictures, and we thought and talked of Janet all day.
Our Burtner Shipboard family gathered for dinner. We have nine students in our family, three boys and six girls. Les & I had purchased little gifts for them all in Morocco. We will get together again tomorrow night for a cookie party in Matthew & Aniseh’s room. They are excited to see one of the big rooms.
I’ve had my first biology test and got back my first creative writing paper. Matthew is busy preparing for his classes, and his MICE group have a concert today in honor of crossing the equator.
Wendy and I are now Shellbacks! Today we had the ceremony for the equator. (We actually cross tomorrow, the 10th.) The captain dressed up as Neptune, painting himself all green. He had a queen and other attendants. First we went to a shallow pool where they poured green goo over our heads. Then we kissed a fish, bowed to the king and kissed his ring, and prostrated ourselves in front of the queen. Then we jumped in the pool, climbed out, kissed another fish, and were knighted with a big sword. We did all this holding hands as we were both a little cautious. Later Matthew followed us, carrying Barrett. Many of the students are then having their heads shaved as part of the ceremony. I have threatened to do this so I can look like Les, but I think we’ve decided I won’t. I do not want to scare my Japanese friends when we get there!