Sunday, April 30, 2023 Sail the Laccadive Sea

Today is another sea day for our journey. Recalling our original sailing map we’ve got some water to cover before we reach India tomorrow. So what did we do for our sea day? Leisurely moving in our room, drinking coffee, playing Wordel, 45 minutes of stretching and exercise followed by showers and breakfast in the world cafe. Today my breakfast was shumai and fruit! . At 9:30 we attended a very interesting lecture by the Guest Lecture for our cruise Colonel David King OBE. He is a “MI 10” He worked in secret intelligence and is giving 6 lectures on our cruise. His talks are on code breaking in the WWI, WWII and the Cold War. Today’s is the second of this extremely interesting and informative series titled “Espionage and Treachery in the Cold War Part 2”. Colonel King has given several talks on this cruise. Another talk was “Secret Intelligence: From Room 40 to Bletchley Park”. It is very nice that Viking provides all the talks on tape so that we can watch in our room!

Additionally we have attended several lectures by experts on the history of the countries we are visiting along with Port talks and yesterday an informative lecture on the history of the foods of India.

Following the talk this morning we met Bruce and Sara for a game of Canasta in the atrium lobby. Then we had lunch in the restaurant. Today I had Shrimp Risotto and a Beet and blue cheese “salad”. Following Lunch we met in our stateroom to discuss future travel plans. We have a meeting with the viking travel agent onboard this afternoon. Theoretically today is the last day to book any viking Cruise for a $25 deposit with cruises available till 2025. We booked a cruise for 2024 “Viking Homelands” Norway, Sweden, Germany, Poland, ect…

Later today we attended a lecture on the the port of Murmagao, “Goa” India, our stop tomorrow.

Tonight we will again be dinning in the on-board Italian restaurant Manfred’s. Be ready for more photos, as I am dreaming of Polenta with asparagus! Photos below:

Today we are sailing the extremely humid azure waters between the island nations of Sri Lanka and the Maldives at the tip of India’s southern point. The Laccadive Sea has been a thriving region for pearl fishing for thousands of years. Who knew? Prior to leaving San Jose, I did some research about this region.

Here are 5 interesting facts about the Laccadive sea:

1-Laccadive is an anglicization of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep refers to a Union Territory (UT) of India, located in the Arabian Sea off the Malabar coastline of India. The UT consists of 36 islands situated in the Laccadive Sea and lies close to the Maldives.

2-A rather unique feature of the Laccadive Sea is the relatively stable temperature that is experienced throughout the year. Water temperature peaks from April to July at 26° – 28°, while the winter months experience a small decrease to 25°. This near-constant temperature of the Sea is credited to the ocean circulation currents common in this part of the world.

3-The coral reefs of Lakshadweep are a relatively undisturbed tract of corals and atolls situated to the North of the Laccadive-Chagos underwater ridge.

Based roughly 250 kilometres of the Indian coastline, these corals are gradually gaining interest in the scientific community for their hardiness against adverse ocean currents.

4-The Gulf of Mannar, part of the Laccadive Sea, was a prominent trade route to the Maldives and the South-Western coastline of India. During expansions of the Roman and Greek empires in the early 1st centuries AD and BC (circa. 100 BC to 100 AD), trade commonly passed through this Sea.

5-The Gulf of Mannar is home to 3,600 unique species of flora and fauna including 44 protected species. The region is considered protected and consists of 21 islets spread across the Gulf. Located close to the Tamil Nadu coastline, the Reserve has a high density of species that are indigenous and vulnerable to drastic environmental change. The biosphere consists of a core zone and a 10-km buffer zone to the nearest inhabited islet.

Chocolate donuts?!?!?!

Polenta, Asparagus, mushrooms & parmesan

Cioppino!!

Ricotta cheese cake desert

Beet salad for lunch

Shrimp risotto for Lunch!!

Saturday, April 29, 2023 Colombo, Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, population 1.1 Million. Sri Lanka has population of 22.2 Million people.

Brimming with old-world British charms, Colombo is Sri Lanka’s largest cultural center, where modern skyscrapers rub elbows with historic architecture. Literally from our room on the ship we can see Temples and skyscrapers next to each other!! With its large harbor and strategic location along sea routes, Colombo quickly earned favor among ancient traders. The island was first colonized by the Portuguese, who took control of the cinnamon trade. There is a entire area of the town called “slave island” where all the slave workers lived. The Dutch followed, then the English ruled it as Ceylon until it became independent from Britain in 1972. Still today, evidence of all three of its previous occupying nations is clear, from cuisine and language to architecture. For today’s tour we enjoyed a city tour where we saw: the city’s 19th-century fortress stands the Old Parliament, a neo-baroque treasure from the British colonial era, and the city’s streets were named for former British governors.

Sri Lanka’s rich culture, colonial history and stunning setting merge along the mile-long Galle Face Green, nestled between the ocean and the business district. We noticed yesterday and again today all of the light poles with Pelicans on them!! On this welcoming lawn kissed by sea breezes, young men play cricket, couples stroll and children fly kites. Food vendors tempted passersby with isso wade—deep-fried shrimp cakes—and other treats that surround the lawn and lake.

⁃ there are 58 characters in the Sri Lankan alphabet

For our excursion today we chose a An Exhilarating Tuk-Tuk Journey through the streets of Colombo in a three-wheeled vehicle as we took in the sights of Sri Lanka’s capital. Our drivers name is Razah Tuk-Tuk #43.

We marveled at the driver’s ability as he weaves through the horrific traffic. Imagine the days of old Ceylon, Sri Lanka’s former name under British rule, as we passed colonial treasures in the Cinnamon Gardens district, including the Old Parliament Building and the Colombo National Museum. Yesterday We admired the eclectic mix of Asian architecture at the Gangaramaya Temple, Sri Lanka’s most influential center for Buddhist worship and religious learning. Today the Temple was included on our tour, but the temple was closed. So we had decided to go on a mission to find a monk at the Temple! We saw many banyan trees. We noticed and there are Hindu signs- because the Buddhist kings married the Hindu women and thus they needed signs in several languages.

We observe the hive of activity at Pettah Market and immersed ourselves in its multicultural flair as we witnessed the colors, scents and sounds of its Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim mix of ethnicities. At the stop at the park we saw a; cobra, monk, and yellow golden shower tree. We even saw an UBER TUK-Tuk! We stopped at the park across from the monument/museum where we stopped yesterday. Here we saw a monkey named Michael that Sara held on her lap! A cobra dancing, and a local man with a cobra and a Monkey! We sat sweltering at the cricket field and watched in the “shade” of a tree.

Pictures below are sights we saw while riding in our Tuk Tuk.

A popular mode of transportation amidst the chaos of the business capital of Colombo, Renowned as the ‘Tuk Tuk’, Sri Lanka has a massive fleet of these tiny vehicles all over enabling people to travel from one destination to another by paying the driver a relevant fare which is mainly metered. Tuk tuks are readily available for quick transfers from point A to B while many of the locals are seen making use of this generous little auto-mobile. However, as of late, tourists too have embraced this method of transportation due to its convenience and availability.

Pelicans on top of the light poles

Lovers in front of a canyon tree in the park!

The Tuk-Tuk’s

In the Tuk-Tuk

We found a monk!!

Golden shower tree

Sara and “Michael”

Friday, April 28, 2023 Colombo, Sri Lanka

Really?? Are we here. Hopefully if we completed our VISA forms correctly we will be allowed off the ship in Sri Lanka.

Oh my goodness; sailing into port today was quite interesting with the plethora of container ships! Brimming with old-world charm, Colombo is Sri Lanka’s largest cultural center. With its large harbor and strategic seaside location, Colombo quickly earned favor among ancient traders. The island was first colonized by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, then the English, who ruled until the country gained independence in 1948. Still today, evidence of all three nations is clear in the cuisine, language and architecture. All of the signs in the city are written in three languages: Sinhalese, Tamil and finally English. Within the city’s 19th-century fortress stands the neobaroque Old Parliament Building, and the city’s streets carry the names of former British governors.

We attended lectures on the history of Sri Lanka – we learned that the original language was written on leaves. As it is difficult to write straight lines on leaves- semi-circles are the bases of their written language as it was easier to write on a leaf.

-Ceylon was one of the original names of this island that was conquered many times

-The term “when things go from bad to worse” originally was like saying trading the ginger spice for Chili

-The temple of the sacred tooth of the original Buda is held in the temple of Kandy in the inland town.

-Sri Lanka was once a huge coffee industry – collapsed by a leaf disease

-Sir Thomas Lipton modernized tea production, making tea the number 1 crop

-Sri Lanka is currently the 4th largest tea producer in the world

-British rule has a huge influence on Sri Lanka

-1956 they dictated that “Sinhalese” be the only official language

-after an insurrection and Civil War that was known as “Black July” in the county was then known as Sri Lanka

-Colombo was the Capitol in 1815

-the lighthouse clock tower erected in 1907

-Sri Lankan food can have up to 18 different curry’s

-Sri Lanka currently produces 80% of the worlds cinnamon

-Sri Lanka is still attempting to recover from a recent devastating tsunami

-Sri Lanka has monsoons- but only one season- hot summer

Today we chose to participate in the Viking included tour of Colombo. We went on a bus ride to witness the old-world British charms of Sri Lanka’s largest cultural center.

Here, skyscrapers mingle with historic buildings. We met our guide for a drive past the British fort and the Old Parliament Building, a neobaroque treasure bee then drove past the red mosque- quite beautiful!! Built during the British period—an influence. First woman prime minister in the world was from Sri Lanka, her husband was assassinated. We passed through the affluent residential district of Cinnamon Gardens and saw the University of Colombo and prestigious Royal College before arriving at Independence Square. This square was built after the island gained independence from the British in 1948. We also passed the Galle Face Hotel, another British-era landmark, and stop to explore Gangaramaya Temple, the largest in Colombo and a Buddhist learning center. We admired its holy bodhi tree and inspiring interior before we returned to our ship.

Other opportunities that were offered by Viking in Colombo included a visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Visiting the Galle Fort and Old Town, Learning about the Architecture of Geoffrey Bawa, Participating in a lake dinner cruise, learning about the Traditional Dances of Sri Lanka, Taking a city Tour by Tuk-Tuk, and Learning about how Ceylon Tea is grown, harvested and made into tea in Ingiriya. However, as we have learned you can’t do everything! As much as we would have liked to participate in some of these activities- We have to pace ourselves because tomorrow we are going on the Tuk-Tuk and both Mumbai and Egypt are in our future!

Thursday, April 27, 2023 Scenic Sailing: The Bay of Bengal

Last night Manfred’s did not disappoint!

Prior to dinner we attended was a cocktail party in the atrium of the ship hosted by the Captain. He provided all of the obligatory statistics for the cruise. One interesting fact is we learned that over 500,000 people travel with Viking last year. This year they will be launching 10 new ocean vessels from the port in Ancona Italy. This is where my lifelong friend from high school, Elena, along with her husband, Riccardo, and daughter Elisa has lived for many decades.

Bellow I have posted most of the menu and photos from our dinner last night.

This is an interesting story about the first woman to circle the globe.

Jeanne Baret: The First Woman to Circle the Globe In 1766, at the French port of Rochefort, Jeanne Baret

(1740-1807) inconspicuously stepped on board the expedition ship toile. Mme. Baret was on a mission to look after her sickly husband Philibert Commerson, a respected botanist invited by Admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville to accompany him and catalog the plants of the world. But because the law forbade women from sailing on navy ships, she embarked disguised as a man. She could not have known that she would become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.

Commerson introduced Baret, also a learned botanist, as his personal valet and assistant. Because their vocation required a lot of equipment, the ship’s captain sacrificed his cabin for them, which gave her much-needed privacy. The Étoile arrived first at Montevideo, Uruguay, where they collected samples from lush mountains and valleys. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, they discovered a flowering vine and named it Bougainvillea for the admiral. Botany expeditions among Patagonia’s rugged terrain helped secure Baret’s reputation as a strong and bold explorer. It is unclear at what point in time her gender was finally discovered. By one account, the islanders of Tahiti cried out her true identity to the crew.

On the island of Mauritius, an important French trading post, Bart and Commerson stayed behind to spend time with an old botanist friend. The arrangement may have been encouraged by Bougainville to erase his culpability in illegally sailing with a woman. They continued their studies on Madagascar and other islands until Commerson’s death in 1773. Bart later returned to France to live her final days, completing her circumnavigation.

And speaking of circumnavigation. Tom and I are looking at a Viking cruise for 2025 that will circumvent Australia, along with visits to Komodo and Bali, in Indonesia. Would anyone like to join us???

Bruce wanted angel Hair pasta- breadbasket in foreground!

My first course- mussels with crab sauce!

Sara’s New York steak

My Pasta of the day “tortellini with Parmesan sauce”

Tom’s fish of the day Sea Bass

Amazing chocolate desert!

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 Scenic Sailing: The Bay of Bengal

The history-rich waters of the Bay of Bengal are considered sacred by many Hindus. In ancient Hindu lore, the bay is called Mahodadhi, meaning “great water receptacle.” Still today, the devout perform a daily aarti, a religious ritual in which they place fire offerings into the surf and let the tides carry them away. During the early 1600s, Britain’s East India Company sailed along the coast, settled throughout India and established a trading body; soon after, half of the world’s maritime commerce of goods such as cotton, silk and tea were traded exclusively through them.

Interesting Facts:

-The surface area of the Bay of Bengal is 839,000 square miles

-Countries with coastlines on the Bay of Bengal Include Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.

-Several rivers flow in towards the Bay of Bengal. They include The Ganges, Meghna, Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, Mehndi, Irrawaddy, Jamuna and Padma

-Several islands are located in the Bay of Bengal. They include the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, the Cheduba Islands , which are volcanic

-Volcanic activity in Myanmar is attributed to causing the seismic shifting of the tectonic plates on which the Bay was formed. The plates in question are known collectively as the ‘Indo-Australian Plate’

-The Bay of Bengal has been home to some devastating events. Tragedy struck in 2004, for example, when a Tsunami followed an earthquake stemming from tectonic stress in the Bay. 280,000 people were killed, and 14 countries were affected

-In 1970, approximately 500,000 people died as a direct result of a cyclone originating in the Bay of Bengal.

-Fishing takes place on a huge scale in the Bay of Bengal. An astounding six million tons of fish are taken annually from the Bay. The Bay of Bengal produces in excess of 7% of the world’s fishing activity annually! And Poor Tom here is sits on a ship sailing thru the bay – no fishing rod to be seen!

-The Bay of Bengal Gateway was set up in 2013 to help improve communications between multiple countries – taking place via submarine; the project helped to provide better connections between Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, and the United Arab Emirates. The cable is more than 8,000km, or almost 5,000 miles long!

Nautical term today: Pipe Down

A request or command to be quiet. Ship crews received a variety of signals from the boatswain’s pipe. One signal was “piping down the hammocks,” which instructed the crew to go below

Tonight we will again be dinning at the amazing on board Italian restaurant. while there is not an Italian to be found in the restaurant, the food is amazing!! After our less than desirable experience at the Chefs table- we will not be returning there.

Last night I dined on: an appetizer mouth watering of steak tar tar, main dish of Lobster Au Gratin, and chocolate desert. What they lack I description of desert they by far make up for in taste!! And OMG the red Italian wine!!! I will try to take photos tonight! Please enjoy these from last night.

I forgot to take a photo of the tar tar- here is Sara’s Octopus carpaccio – it was divine!

Lobster Au Gratin – literally to die for!!

Chocolate Amarone Cremoso al Cioccolato it had; amaretti cookies, maraschino cherries, and marshmallows!!

Manfredi’s famous “Bistecca FIORENTINA” rib eye- Tom and Bruce both enjoyed them!

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 Scenic Sailing: Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea ( Pacific Ocean ). Per historical texts, the port was named after the Malacca Sultanate, which controlled the region and the Strait from the 14th century to the early 15th century. This passage was a major route for early traders shipping glassware, precious stones, camphor, ivory and sandalwood. Today, it is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Every year over 94,000 vessels travel through the strait, making it the world’s busiest strait, transporting up to 25% of the world’s traded goods, including crude, Chinese manufactured goods, coal, palm oil, and Indonesian coffee. Along this historic waterway, the lush shores of Sumatra grace the horizon to the south, stretching out to lowlands, mangroves and swamps. The more urban skylines of Malaysia—George Town and Kuala Lumpur among them—shimmer in the distance to the north.

This morning we had an interesting very loud visitor. There was a local fishing boat they were in desperate need of new muffler as we could hear it from a mile away!! For a half of a second I thought they could be pirates as they were all dressed in black!!! Then they started waving at us!!!

For sea days on our cruise, the cruise director has formed a “Baggo Tournament”. This is playing what we call “cornhole” – in the three story atrium on the ship. This is a friendly competition between the Viking Mars officers and guests. You stand at the top of the stairs and toss down the bean bag in any manner or fashion you like! It is very loud and fun! Today the officers won!

Barbed wire story: Note when we got to our room tonight this note was on our bed:

Dear Viking Travelers,

I trust you are enjoying your time onboard on Viking Mars thus far.

As we sail Southwest, you will see some changes around the ship as we prepare for our transit through the Gulf of Aden. This region has long been known for piratical activity and although this has been declining for some years now, we will be taking some precautions to   ensure your safety.

To prevent boarders, we will be fixing razor wire to the guardrails around deck 2. Do please take care when walking on the open deck to avoid injuring yourself. We will also be boarding armed guards for a number of days, which has proven to be an extremely effective deterrent. There are other measures in place, but I trust you understand that in the interests of security, we do not divulge all measures we are taking.

Cordially,

Atle Häkon Knutsen

Master, Viking Mars

Viking Cruises

Are they Pirates ??!!!

Baggo Tournament

Officers won!!

Monday, April 24, 2023 George Town, Malaysia

Capital of the Islamic Malaysian island of Penang, George Town has long been a crossroad. Named after King George the third in 1760. Once an important Straits of Malacca trading hub, the city is known for its British colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses and mosques. Today, it is a glorious celebration of culture, one of Asia’s most colorful corners. Malays, Indians and Chinese all share a past here, as a ride around town via a pedaled trishaw would have shown. George Town’s unique cityscape features shops from colonial days, Buddhist and Taoist temples, and kongsi, brightly painted clanhouses that traditionally open their doors to all who share a surname. The town’s rich literary past includes residents such as Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Noël Coward.

Today we chose for our shore excursion what Viking touted as “Penang in a Day” – A Richly Layered Tropical Canvas

Our tour guide today is “David” not his real name – but most of Viking passengers can’t say his Chinese given name.

We were hopeful to witness the cultural and natural splendor of Penang on one wide-ranging excursion all day excursion. Initially we drove into the hills, where we visited Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia 137 years old. From this setting, we enjoyed a commanding view of George Town. Next we stepped into the colorful Buddhist temple to view the world’s fourth largest Reclining Buddha, measuring 108 feet long. Each Buddha seems to be famous for SOMETHING!! Across the way, we saw the Burmese Buddhist Temple, a hint of Penang’s cultural diversity. We continued to the Batu Ferringhi region of Penang in the north. At the Penang Butterfly Farm, touted to be the biggest in the world! We entered a magnificent glass enclosure to admire many tropical butterfly species taking wing. This was super fun and put the butterfly farm in Vancouver Canada to shame! Next, we continued to the countryside, where paddy fields and Malay villages dot an emerald landscape of softly rolling hills. After time at a local fruit and spice stall, we visited with Mr Wong who grows nutmeg and Dorian. He provided a visual and fragrant feast of colors and scents, before we returned to our ship. Some of our fellow guests may or may not have fallen dead asleep on on the bus ride!!!

-Jimmy Chu (shoes) was born here

-nutmeg and other spices are popular here

-20% Chinese in Penang

-basis of Buddhism is that each person has to create/make their own happiness

-goddess of Mercy is a princess, lived in the Temple- helped the poor of the town- has many arms to help all the people

-Today is Muslim holiday New Years Day- a public holiday

-need – greed- fear- three avoided pillars in Buddhism

-50cents a liter for gas, subsidized by government

-reclining (just before death)Buddha 33 Meters long Thai Buddha

-Bernese Temple Across the street

– Penang Island has 1.3 million people

-Penang has 1.5 million motorcycles

-CHIAK=eat

-Ho=good

-butterflies do not grow in size over time.

-we drove thru the Dorian fruit (awful stinky fruit) groves. We learned that the trees only bloom at night because Bats are the pollinators

-average salary in Penang is 400-500US dollars a month

-starting engineer makes $7,000 a year

-Intel is The largest electronics employer on the island

-BYD- build your dreams- local electric car company

Outside the temple

Prayer ribbons

Round window at the Temple

Reclining buddhas

Dragons guarding the Buddah

Our lunch spot

Viper

Malayan Horned Frog

Butterfly on my sandal

At the butterfly farm

Iguana

Durian fruit

Fresh nutmeg

Street food on the Pier

Sunday, April 23, 2023 Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia

I’ll never forget the Friday December morning in 2009 I was eating breakfast at the El Camino Hospital cafeteria with my co-workers. I received a call from Joseph who was supposed to be returning to Cal Poly following Christmas break. He wanted to know where his passport was. He was planning on traveling to Malaysia in a few hours. MALAYSIA??? Joseph was interning with a company whose main production plant was in Malaysia. A critical part of a machine broke, apparently it was more cost effective to send the intern to Malaysia than to ship the part!! 8 hours later my blond haired, blue eyed son was on a plane with the needed part in his backpack!!! And Tuesday morning he was back at SLO. What an amazing adventure- and my introduction to learning about this country.

The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur was built by Chinese tin prospectors in the mid-1800s. Since then, the city of KL, as the locals call it, has grown into a stunning mix of colonial, Moorish, Tudor, neo-Gothic and Grecian-Spanish architecture. The two-story shophouses of Old Market Square, with storefronts below and residences above, reveal the lives of merchants. The magnificent 451m-tall Petronas Towers with Islamic motifs are the centerpiece of this fascinating city; the side-by-side twin spires resemble a pair of rockets, connected by a two-story sky bridge that spans the 41st and 42nd floors. The city is also home to British colonial-era landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

Currency exchange: Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) . MYR 4.43 to 1 USD.

Today we enjoyed the Viking included excursion to tour the heart of Malaysia touted as one of the most vibrant metropolises in Asia. Our first stop was the Batu caves which has a huge gold statue a tribute to the Hindu gods it is the worlds tallest MURUGAN statue. Today is a Muslim holiday and completely packed with tourists. We touched the 267 stairs as we were already drenched with sweat- we did not climb them. Many of our fellow bus mates did climb them. Sara and I went into the temple at the base of the caves where one nice man decided to put a PUTU /Pottu on our foreheads.

We next visited the National Monument, monument built in tribute to the valiant soldiers who gave their lives during the Communist Insurgency of the 1950s.

We enjoyed photo stops at the elegant, historic 1910 Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the National Mosque of Malaysia. In Merdeka Square (Independence Square), and the British-style Sultan Abdul Samad Building. We drove through the Golden Triangle, the city’s entertainment district, before stopping to gaze up at the soaring Petronas Towers that I mentioned earlier. This architectural wonder is the pride of Malaysia. Enjoy the photos!

Interesting facts about KL:

-the local people want to be called “The KLites”

-it is considered rude to point with your index fingers

-national religion Islam

-there are 4 Sultans in Malaysia

-national flower is hibiscus

-twin tower 88 stories high

-employs 22,000 people

-mangrove trees remove salt from the water so that plants can grow

-mangrove trees protect small fish from being eaten by large fish

-2004 there was a tsunami, people had cut the mangrove trees for fuel which made the tsunami worse.

-there is the south east Aida warehouse for IKEA near the port here

Worlds tallest Muragan Statue

Skyline

National Monument

Petronas Towers

Hindu temple

Saturday, April 22, 2023 Singapore, Singapore

In March 2019 we visited Singapore before we cruised from Singapore to Tokyo. During this visit we we able to spend three days touring and discovering the Singapore highlights. So for this trip we were able to choose free panoramic excursion provided by Viking.

Singapore AKA- “Disneyland with the death penalty” Don’t break the rules!!

Current Singapore exchange rate is 1USD=1.34 SGD

During our panoramic today Wendy was our guide along the banks of the Singapore River, we admired the old British-flavored residences. We also passed through Little India, where Indians developed their own unique community of trading houses and homes during British rule. Today, the bright colors and sounds echo those of the subcontinent that we will soon visit. On Arab Street, we saw a rich Muslim influence, where shops sell textiles and Persian carpets. Our first stop was on Orchard Road- historically was orchards. Today, the Arab Quarter is home to Malays, Sumatrans, Indonesians and Yemeni. Today, major shipping areas. Its gold-domed centerpiece is the elegant Sultan Mosque. When we arrived in Chinatown we were treated to ice cold drinks. I tried the water chestnut juice and Sara tried the Clamansi juice, a local citrus. We also saw the diverse streets of Chinatown, brimming with markets and restaurants representing many different regions of China. We spent about a hour in Chinatown, strolling thru the wet and dry markets. We also visited the Mosques, Hindu and Buddhist temple.

We really enjoyed our time. Although it was sweltering hot we managed to enjoy this vibrant pocket of Singapore.

Historically Singapore is the world’s only island city-state. Established in 1819 for the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles, after whom the famed hotel is named (home of the Singapore sling), it grew from a secluded backwater into a shabby port city before transforming itself into a sophisticated metropolis. The technology and economy are highly advanced here, yet the islands host plentiful green parks with tree-lined footpaths and the stunning National Orchid Garden that we visited in 2019.

Singapore facts:

-Singapore is known as The Melting Pot at the Tip of of rhe Malay Peninsula

-Singapore 730 square kilometers

-Shipping is a main business

-Population 5.64 Million, Chinese is main population

-Originally/Historically, 1 KG of Cloves = 1 KG of gold

-90% of Singapore people live in public housing. Live in flats=

-Official language is English – second language is that of your historical background

-Democratic system following Westminster system

-Today is a public holiday- following one month of religious fasting- they can start eating today!! The town is wild!

-All people in Singapore have one common dish – curry

-There is electronic road pricing- they charge people to drive in the city based on how many cars on the road. The more cars the higher price to drive

-There are both public and private hospitals . Generally the older you are the less you pay for insurance

-6 years of free education, secondary educational nominal fee 4years- 2 years pre-university, followed by either 2 or 4 years of university.

-Singapore became independent in 1965

-We drove by the Raffles hotel- the Singapore sling was concocted here

-There are over 7 million planted trees in Singapore

Singapore harbor

Temple

Mosque

The Raffles hotel

The Dorian fruit building

Our unique cool drink for the sweltering day

The Sands Hotel

The Chinatown market

The “Dry” portion of the market

Dorian fruit (Do not eat this stuff!!)

Walking the streets of Chinatown!!

Buddhist Temple

In the temple

Buddhist temple

Friday, April 21,2023 Scenic Sailing: Gulf of Thailand

The Gulf of Thailand, (in the Pacific Ocean) the massive sea basin bordered by Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, is still known as the Gulf of Siam to the Malay and Khmer people. Long stretches of sandy beach, low-lying emerald hills and soaring mountains surround this oval-shaped gulf. The lush hills of Botum Sakor National Park unfold north of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Along Thailand’s shores, several beach-ringed islands point the way to Laem Chabang port. Interesting to note: we really never saw any land today- just Ocean!

This morning we worked on our electronic visas to enter Singapore and share different trips and trips with each other on our phones! Viking uses their app pretty heavily, and so we have found that learning how to navigate their app is very beneficial! We played canasta with Sara and Bruce – the Boys won🥲 Next we took a walking tour of the ship and found some of the areas we did not find originally. For instance, the infinity pool. As the dining options are very different than our previous Cruises, we spent some time learning about how the different restaurants work.

Fun facts about the Gulf:

-The water has low salinity- the shallow waters (average depth 191 ft) and slow process getting to the South China Sea . The water influx from the rivers getting to the gulf add to the low salinity.

-Strong Cyclones frequently hit the gulf

-Rich marine life is in the bay including: live banded sea snakes, long-finned bannerfish, batfish, porcupine fish, triggerfish, whale sharks, hermit crabs, giant grouper and yellowtail barracuda

-The gulf covers 123,553 square miles

-Irrawaddy dolphins and Chinese white dolphins are found in the Gulf

-2010 the Reef experienced significant coral bleaching

Idioms from the sea;

-As the crow flies. When as ship was lost in coastal waters, the captain released a caged crow, knowing it would fly toward land. An appointed sailor watched the bird’s progress from the tallest lookout on the ship, which came to be known as the crow’s nest.

—To know the ropes. Miles and miles of cordage wove through the rigging of a ship. Those who kept track of which rope hoisted or lowered which mast were said to “know the ropes.

-Three sheets to the wind. A sheet is a rope line which controls the tension on the downwind side of a square sail. If, on a three-masted ship, the sheets are loose, the sails will flap and flutter, leaving the ship to stagger and wander aimlessly, much like a drunken person.

-The bitter end. The end of an anchor cable is fastened to the vet at the ships bow. Once the entire cable has unraveled you have come to the bitter end.

-Start over with a clean slate. On a slate tablet, kept near the helm the watchmen recorded the speeds, distances, headings and tracks of the ship. If they were no problems during his watch, he wiped the slate clean for his replacement.

NAUTICAL TERM

– of the day –

By and Large

Meaning “in all cases” or “in any case,” this term has nautical origins: “by” means “into the wind” and “large” means “with the wind,” as in, “By and large the ship handled very well.”

Lobster pad tai for dinner last night!

We did not see these interesting animals said to be in the waters near here😢

The infinity pool