COCHIN, INDIA MARCH 26, 2008

Cochin is a city on the west coast of India south of Bombay. As a result of successive wave of migration over the course of several centuries, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of the state of Kerala, India and the world. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities. The city has a diverse, multi\cultural, and secular community consisting of Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists. Surprisingly Christians represent 40% of the population. The population is proud of their harmony and diversity.

We were met at the dock by this wonderfully bedecked elephant.

Our tour took us to St. Francis church that was begun by the Franciscan Friars accompanying the Portuguese in 1507. After the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama landed here in 1502 he was later buried in this church in 1524. Get a load of the "airconditioning system" consisting of fans running up and down the church and a rope pulled by somebody outside.

The Paradesi Synagogue here was begun in 1568. The Jewish population is said to date here to 3000 BC when Jews from Jerusalem migrated here to trade in the spices popular in this coast of India. The clock tower of the synagogue is a prominent part of the skyline.

Fishing is a large part of the culture here. The large fishing nets are called Chinese nets because they were brought from China many centuries ago. They are very primitive in their construction with boulders hanging as counterweights. They are however huge things as you can see by the man walking out toward the net to ad weight to lower the net into the water.

Other fishing is by larger brightly painted boats that go out into the ocean for their catch of larger fish. Here are a couple of them coming in and you can see the open hold filled with silver fish.

CHENNAI, INDIA MARCH 23,2003

CHENNAI, INDIA MARCH 23, 2008

Chennai, formerly know as Madras, it the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai has an estimated population of 7.5 million making it the fourth largest city in India.

Our tour today takes us to the Chettinad Palace. Built in 1902-1912, the palace boasts elaborate use of Italia marbles, limestone and teak. The palace is home to the grandson of the last raja, M.A.M Ramaswamy, a prominent industrialist, who owns the largest stable of racehorses in India. I did not count but there might be from 5000 to 10000 silver cups or awards for every conceivable race 30 to 40 years. Shown are just a few in the extensive collection.

We stopped for tea at the Taj Mahal Connemara Hotel and took a picture of the lovely sky lighted room with urn fountains in the center.

To and from these high level stops we passed thru some of the very poor neighborhoods. The filth and litter abounded and the people seemed to be unaware of it. Before this country becomes a world-class nation something will have to be done about the high level of dirt and garbage.

PENANG, MALAYSIA MARCH 20, 2008

PENANG, MALAYSIA MARCH 20,2008

Penang is a state in Malaysia located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang may be the most famous island in Malaysia. Priceless architecture centers mainly in Georgetown, the capital of the “Pearl of the Orient”. Its endless rows of 100 year-old shop-houses and colonial villas give Georgetown its distinctive atmosphere.

Penang was venue to several blockbuster movies, such as “Anna and the King” (the Jodie Foster version) and the French film “Indochina” (in which Catherine Denuve starred).

Our tour started with a 197-step climb up the Penang hill to the Kek Lok Si or Temple of Paradise. It is the largest Buddhist temple in South East- Asia and dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and reflects the Chinese influence.

The Reclining Buddha Temple features the traditional Thai Buddhist temple.

The Dharmikarama Temple was a stop representing the Burmese style.

It is funny to be visiting all of these temples just a couple of days before we have one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar Easter.

After a lunch where we were entertained by some very talented Malaysian dancers we traveled to the Penang Butterfly Farm. Here, just as with the orchids in Singapore, I had trouble selecting which of the pictures of these beautiful creatures to attach.

At the end of the visit there was an enormous Rhinoceros Beatle that Judy thought it would be nice to have a picture with.

KUALA LAMPUR, MALAYSIA MARCH 19, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA March 19, 2008

Kuala Lumpur entered my consciousness as the home of the twin towers that took the title of the tallest building in the world away from Chicago…unfairly I might add, but that is another story.

The city is the capital and the largest city of Malaysia and commonly referred to as KL. The name Kuala refers to a “confluence” of rivers and the rivers in this town are Klang and Gombak which is where the town is located.

The city is really in a rain forest and there is a hot and humid climate pretty much year round. It is the only city in the world that has a one million year old primary forest within the heart of the city.

As the capital of the country there is the palace of the King of Malaysia, which is a ceremonial position. In the 13 states of the country there are 9 Sultans and these sultans elect one of their number to perform as the king for a 5-year term. Then another one is selected. We visited the palace and got a picture of the guards during the changing.

The country is about 75% Moslem and Islam is the national religion. We visited the national mosque and were allowed to go in with proper head covering and clothing, but with lack of footwear.

I had to take a picture at one intersection of a unique fountain. It was of the carnivorous “pitcher plant” in a huge fountain in the middle of a park intersection. Also observed were the street lights with flowers on them and the lights acting as the stamens.

Finally on the way back to the ship we stopped at a pewter factory Royal Selangor. The metal is hand finished and there craftsman ship is world class. Take a look at www.royalselangor.com.my. We had our picture taken with the Guinness Book of Records holder “Largest Pewter Beer Stein”.

SINGAPORE MARCH 18, 2008

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE MARCH 18, 2008

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore is an island city-state, located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 85 miles north of the Equator.

The name Singapore was derived from the Malay words singa (lion) and pura (city). The city-state has a current population of 4.5 million and is working to max at 6 million. Citizenship is difficult to obtain for immigrants, but the government is paying significant incentives for families to grow: S$3000 for first child, S$8000 for second up to S$18,000 for the fourth.

In 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in the Sumatran trading center and claimed it for the British. Under his insightful plan and forward thinking guidance the harbor, strategic position and free port status fueled rapid growth. A remarkable man created this amazing city. Another amazing man was Lee Kuan Yew, first Prime Minister of Singapore, who stepped down from his post in 1990. His guidance unquestionably created an economic marvel from a chaotic post WWII colonial state. Singapore’s laws are tough but clear. Jaywalkers, litterers, and gum chewing are fined on the spot. Drug dealers receive the death penalty. There is no denying the system’s icy effectiveness.

We photographed the Merlion (derived from the name of the country) from the a sampan in the Singapore river.

Visiting the Botanical Gardens we were amazed at the beautiful orchids. The national flower of Singapore is the orchid. We took so many pictures but include just a couple.

On to the Raffles Hotel for high tea in the Tiffin Room. We were greeted by Nasaraj the doorman who reminded us of Punjab. This international landmark and splendid hotel of 103 suites that Somerset Maugham once said of it “the legendary symbol for all the fables of the Exotic East”.

KO SAMUI, THAILAND MARCH 16, 2008

KO SAMUI, THAILAND MARCH 16, 2008

Ko Samui is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand; close the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand’s third largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2.

The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687 under the name Pulo Cornam.

The north coast of the island offers spectacular views and the Ang Thong National Marine Part to the east. On this north part of the island we were escorted to the Four Seasons Hotel for a spectacular gourmet lunch and views from the hotel. It is basically a series of private villas built on an extensive wooded hillside that each has their own pool. Access to and from the central buildings and the beach are by golf cart. Because it was full occupied we were not able to get inside one, but here is a view of one of the pools.

We next stopped at a coconut grove that was manned by teams of monkeys. The monkey master had either trained his monkey himself or sent him to a 6-week school where the monkey learns how to twist the nut on its stem until it twists off and drops to the ground. Of course there is obedience training involved too. The monkeys are hard workers because climbing the trees comes naturally and is kind of fun. They however don’t like to work when it gets too hot so afternoons are usually off. One of your tablemates Linda Russell was brave enough to have the monkey on her shoulder.

Lastly we came to an unbelievable sight. It seems that a monk had predicted the time of his death. On that day he was found deceased in a seated position from his earlier prayers. That was 32 years ago in 1975 and they still have him seated in that position. What is hard to believe is that the body has remained in tact all these years in spite of the excessive humidity. Normally a dry climate is required for mummification. The large number of visitors to see the monk has allowed the pagoda to have enough money available to build this beautiful edifice.

BANGKOK, THAILAND March 15, 2008

BANGKOK, THAILAND March 15, 2008

Laem Chabang, Thailand is the largest port in Thailand. Now get this:
Laem Chabang is a township of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It covers the tambon Bang Lamung of Bang Lamung district, and the complete tambon Bueng, Sura Sak, Thung Su Khla and parts of Nong Kham of Si Racha district. It is 25 kilometes north of Pattaya and south of the city of Chon Buri. In other words our ship docked 2 hours away from Bangkok.

Thailand (formerly know as Siam) has a monarchy, which is the longest running lineage in the world. The current monarch is Rama IX. It is remarkable that during the time of colonialism and during the WWII the country maintained its independence. For example the French were given part of the country for the promise of a hands off policy. During WWII the country declared itself to be neutral and unaligned. This saved the country from the Japanese invasion and take over, but did allow it to have an encampment of Japanese soldiers in the Lumpini Park in the center of Bangkok.

The elephant has become almost a symbol of the country and even use to be displayed on the national flag. The king was upset once that the flag had been flown upside down once, with the 4 legs of the elephant pointing up in the air. He therefore changed the flag to 5 bars of red white and blue; blue in the middle with first white then red on top and bottom. This way they cannot fly it upside down.

Today we visited an elephant village in Pattaya. They demonstrated the talents of the elephants in moving and handling the teak logs once so plentiful in the Thailand forest. Now due to uneconomic forestry, the forests are all but depleted. They are currently being redeveloped but a mature teak tree takes 60 to 70 years to develop.

The master of the elephant (mahoot) spends almost full time with his elephant. The elephant has the intelligence of about a 6 year old human child. It can learn and retain simple tasks and signals from the master. There are only about 2800 in the wild remaining today.

We later stopped at a “Golden Buddha” shrine. Judy confronted a couple of fierce warrior gods protecting the entrance and I got by them to take this nice picture.

SAIGON / HO CHE MINH CITY MARCH 13, 2008