Dubai, Oman and the Gulf of Aden

March 30, 2015

Today we passed through the Strait of Bab El Mandeb which links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. We were within 3 miles of Yemen on the starboard side and 7 miles of Somalia on the port side. In addition to the razor wire draped around the ship and the strategically-positioned water cannons, the captain cranked up the engines to a speed of 23 knots. Although we could see the outlying islands of Yemen from the ship, the only excitement we experienced was a military helicopter (no one is sure from what country) that flew over the ship in both directions. Now we are in the Red Sea and will soon leave the coast of Yemen and sail along the coast of Saudi Arabia. On April 2^nd we will arrive in Al Aqabah, Jordan.

March 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

Our friend Warren Walker refers to Dubai as “Due Bill” and we now understand why. After 30-years of massive building projects, this emirate (one of 7 in the UAE) is deeply in debt and many of the building projects are either abandoned or on hold. Even its most impressive project – Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building – was only completed because Dubai’s fellow and much richer emirate, Abu Dhabi, provided the money to complete the project. The entire area, while impressive, reminded us of the little rich kid with all the toys.

The first day we toured the “architectural marvels” of the city, including a trip up to the observation deck of the Burj (means tower) Khalifa. Although we were higher than in any other building, we were still 14 floors below the top. Those floors are private apartments. The entrance to the tower is inside the world’s second largest mall – the Mall of Dubai.

We also saw the Burj Al Arab, the infamous sail-shaped hotel located on Palm Jumeirah. We did not go inside because no one without a reservation is allowed in – not even in the lobby.     

Then it was on to the Mall of the Emirates (These folks love to shop!) where we saw Ski Dubai, the world’s only indoor ski dome featuring fresh, real snow year-round. Weird!

The second day we struck out on our own and took a taxi to the Creek District – old Dubai. While riding the water taxi across the river we sat next to a nice British couple who have been working in Dubai on and off since 1973. They steered us to a wonderful Arabic restaurant right on the water where we enjoyed delicious food and watched the water taxis and Dhows. The Dhows were being loaded with goods to take to near-by Iran. Dubai continues to maintain economic relationships with Iran in spite of USA’s economic sanctions. We also strolled through the nearby silk 

souk (market), visited some spice markets, and found an art fair in the Dubai Heritage region.

One thing we did not see either day were regular Dubai citizens. Because every citizen receives a guaranteed annual income, housing, medical and education, the emirate imports the workforce. Of the 8-million residents in Dubai, only 15% are citizens. The other 85% are foreign residents. It is impossible to obtain Dubai citizenship unless one is born there and at least one parent is a citizen. Visas must be renewed every two years and the unemployed are returned to their countries of origin. Workers age 65 must return home with no pension other than personal savings. Those workers also have no health coverage. Seems, in light of Dubai’s current economic problems, this system may be unsustainable.

That was Dubai, then we were on to Oman – a very different experience.   More about that visit tomorrow.

Mumbai – wow!

March 23, 2015

“Don’t panic. Move when I move. Keep to my right.” So said our guide on the first day in Mumbai (3.19) as we prepared to cross four lanes of horn-blowing, non-stop traffic to get to the Victoria Station. We survived this and several other challenging street crossings that day. What an adventure!

Inside Victoria Station

Mumbai traffic. Yes, we crossed this street!

We loved Mumbai – chaos and all. Seeing the waves of people getting off the trains and moving in large groups through the city on their way to their respective workplaces was amazing. BTW, the station itself is beautiful and, surprise, the trains run on very precise schedules. Ticket checking is random and our guide – a 21-year-old recent university grad – managed to ride for free for two and a half years before getting caught. His father would give him money for his pass and he just found other things to spend it on.

The architecture is spectacular – Mumbai University, city hall, etc. – and well maintained. The city is not as dirty as we expected and many of our fellow cruisers who have visited before noted that it is vastly improved re cleanliness.

Mumbai City Hall

A highlight of our first day was our visit to the home of Gandhi. It is now a museum filled with Gandhi memorabilia, his preserved room and few material itemsM, photos and a series of dioramas depicting highlights of his life and assassination. We had not been aware that prior to WW II he wrote to Hitler urging that he reconsider his apparent war plans, and to Roosevelt noting that if necessary the Allies could base troops, at their own expense, in India. Both of those letters are on display.

Then we got to witness the amazing lunch delivery service that transports thousands of lunches daily from people’s homes to their offices. The process is so efficient they were recognized by Forbes as a “six sigma” organization.

Let's do lunch!

Breathing in Mumbai is a bit problematic the air pollution so bad it’s visible. Our guide noted that breathing in Mumbai is akin to smoking 2 ½ packs of cigarettes per day. Cough, cough, cough…

In the afternoon our city guide, Isree, left us and our driver, Narem, took over for the trip to Bollywood! After a short ride through the Portuguese neighborhood, where we saw the Mt. Carmel Church of Mumbai, and passing several Bollywood stars’ homes, we went to S & J Studio, one of over 30 producing studios in the area generally referred to as Bollywood. This part of the tour had not been of particular interest to us and we were prepared to cut it short, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it, even the performance by four professional Bollywood dancers for an audience of two – us.  

Dancing with the Bollywood stars!

The second day – 3/20 – we started with a walking tour through the Heritage area of Mumbai, passing several of the buildings we had seen on day one and stopping in at the St. Mary Anglican Cathedral. This tour ended at the Gateway to India, across from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and we left the group and struck out on our own. At the hotel, which was the scene of the horrific terrorist attack a few years ago, we indulged in some up-scale shopping and a positively decadent 7-course Japanese lunch, complete with a bottle of wine and a view of the Gateway and all of the attendant activities there – boats coming and going, Hindu and Muslim families enjoying the day – the saris are so colorful and add to the flavor of the city. Our waiter was Ronald deMello – son of parents with ties to Portuguese Goa.

Gateway to India - the view from our table at the restaurant. Note the pigeon feeding area up front - it's an act of goodwill to assure long life for one's loved ones. Coo?

Then we left the hotel and strolled down a near-by shopping street where we found a little linen shop that had been there over 100 years. Now operated by a Mr. Mendes (who had visited Pittsburgh as a young man taking pilot training), the son of the founder who had operated the shop well into her nineties. She had been from Goa, hence the Portuguese name, and had spoken Portuguese. Of course we bought a hand-embroidered tablecloth.

So many ties to the US – our taxi driver back to the ship has four children, two of whom live in the greater Boston area!

Now we are arriving in Dubai. Our journey through the Straits of Hormuse included adding razor wire around the lower promenade deck of the ship, water canons on that same deck, and extra security to guard against potential pirates. Fortunately none has been needed so far but we will be sailing those same waters as we back track to stop in Oman and Jordan before entering the Suez Canal.

Small additional story about Colombo, Sri Lanka – we stopped at an ATM and John withdrew 1000 rupiah. Turns out that amounted to $7.52 USD, but was enough to cover tolls to and from the tea plantation and lunch for our guide. You never know!

Favorite Gandhi quote:

To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman…

If by strength is meant moral power then woman is immeasurably man’s superior… If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman

Colombo, Cochin and St. Patrick

March 18, 2015

Since the last post we have visited Colombo, Sri Lanka, Cochin (Kochi), India and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a ship full of pseudo-Irish and St. Patrick himself, AKA Papa Ku.

March 15: Colombo, Sri Lanka

We had a private tour with guide and driver, neither of whom seemed to know how to get around very well. On our way to a tea plantation we had to stop at least four times to ask for directions. No GPS nor maps in evidence. But it was a nice day anyway. The tea plantation was interesting – involving a rather treacherous ride up a narrow mountain road. We were told by our guide that this was “low land” tea and not considered as high quality as the tea grown in the higher elevations away from the city. But the smells were wonderful and the production process fascinating. After a brief tour of the city and a delicious lunch at the Ministry of Crab (Stay Calm and Crab On), we visited a craft shop where we purchased some high country tea, a wood carved fisherman, and a post card for Uncle Lingan. Of interest was a major beach-front development project that is now in hiatus. Seems the project was begun by Chinese investors during the previous Sri Lankan administration which was considered corrupt. So the current administration has called a halt while the various financing arrangements are scrutinized.  

Tea Plantation

At the Ministry of Crab

March 17: Cochin, India

Cochin is in Kerala – the southernmost state in India. It was one of the earliest settlements because of its abundance of spices. First the Portuguese came and conquered, stayed a few hundred years before being deposed by the Dutch and finally the British. We visited the oldest and second oldest European-built churches in India – both built by the Portuguese. We also visited the Synagogue, built in the 1500s and whose floor is paved with hand-painted tiles from Canton, China. The state is 40% Christian, 30% Hindu, and 30% Muslim. There are exactly seven Jewish people left and when they die the entire Jewish population will be gone. Also interesting are the Chinese-style fishing nets still in use. The picture is a better description than I could make.

Chinese-style fishing nets in Cochin

Unlike most of India, Cochin seems to have a lower level of poverty. Our tour guide noted that family planning is popular here, the level of education high, and thus no families have to live on the street. The architecture is lovely and well maintained. The buildings in the old Fort Cochin area are being preserved, some converted into boutique hotels. Fresh fish is abundant and the fish market was a fun visit. 

Shopping for fish in Cochin.

Overall, it is a lovely city. While there we had an interesting conversation with an American woman from Seattle who travels to India and other Asian countries every year by herself.

India has the most onerous entry requirements of any country we have visited. In addition to having had to go through the expense and time-consuming process of obtaining a visa, we also had to complete numerous forms while on board and then have both a photocopy of our passport and an entrance card stamped by an official before we could get off the ship. Consequently all the tours left an hour late. Since we have booked a private tour by a non-Holland America provider for Mumbai, we are a bit concerned about missing our contact there on the 19^th.

St. Patrick’s Day: Although in India, green was the color of the day ship-wide and a party atmosphere prevailed. One passenger – a frequent sailor from Australia nicknamed Papa Ku – was authentically attired as St. Patrick, complete with staff and snake! It added a further note of fun to the evening.     

Now we are on our way to Mumbai. The GI problem continues to worsen, mainly due (according to the captain) to passengers who either ignore their quarantines or fail to report symptoms. If it continues we may have to disembark and wait for the entire ship to be decontaminated. This could result in some missed stops in the itinerary. John has totally recovered from his bout and I have been spared. But we are both still plagued with nagging coughs, residual from our pneumonia and exacerbated by mild colds. 

Myanmar – Enchanting and appalling

March 14, 2015

We left Myanmar on Thursday, March 12, with mixed feelings. It is not a pretty country. Its roads are terrible, as is the traffic. Along every road, even in the cities, are lean-tos and shacks that are both homes and businesses for most of the people. The 30 years of self-imposed isolation were devastating to the economy, and in the twenty-three years since it has rejoined the modern world progress has been very slow.

And yet the people are friendly, seemingly happy and content. They continue to be fascinated by westerners and love to have their pictures taken. Although the filth and living conditions are appalling, we never felt un-safe. To the contrary, everywhere we went and even just riding down the road in our tourist bus, people smiled and waved. The children are darling, if a bit timid, and you just wanted to take them home. They did not look malnourished, although we suspect many are.

The Buddhist faith is evidenced everywhere. Amid all the garbage and debris magnificent pagodas and temples rise up. Buddha is not worshiped as a god, but rather he is a symbol of a belief that the good that one does is rewarded in the next life and faithful Buddhists hope to achieve nirvana at some point. The bowing we see at the shrines and pagodas is a show of reverence for the tenets espoused by Buddha. We visited a number of Buddhas, pagodas (one of which is said to house a hair of Buddha’s), and a monastery. There are twenty different Buddha poses, including two reclining – one relaxing and one pass over.

We were in Myanmar 2 ½ days and two nights. On day-one (March 11) we visited the World War II Cemetery where over 27,000 Allied soldiers who died in the Burma and Assam campaigns are buried. It was very moving. Then it was on to Bago, the ancient Mon capital. The Mon are the oldest of the eight predominant cultures in Myanmar and are thought to have migrated from China in AD 825. There we visited several Buddha sites, the magnificent, 1000-year-old Shwemawdaw Pagoda; the Golden Palace built in the 15^th century (now restored) by King Binya U; and a Mon village where we watched the traditional wrap skirts for men and women being produced on hand looms. I bought one and wore it to the dinner the next night.

Everywhere we went we saw watermelons for sale. All along the road, stand after stand after stand of watermelons. I have never seen so many watermelons in my life not even in Georgia or Arkansas! Fortunately, at the restaurant where we had lunch watermelon was on the menu. Delicious. This is Myanmar’s “summer” season and the rainy season rice crop has been harvested. That’s when the watermelon crop is planted – between the rainy season and summer season rice crops.

The next day we visited a monastery and Thanlyin Village – not a re-creation but a real village – where we interacted with the people, using our only Burmese expression – min ga la ba, meaning “good morning, good afternoon, and good evening – every chance we got. We were then transported to a local market via pony carts, and then transported back to the bus via trishaw – a bicycle with a side saddle seat attached. Note, these seats are made for thinner people, but we managed to squeeze our over-sized American butts in adequately enough. Not everyone in our group was that lucky.

That evening we had dinner at Le Planteur Restaurant & Bar, a world-class French restaurant housed in the former Australian Embassy. We dined at tables set up next to a lovely lake and were entertained by traditional Myanmar dances. The food and ambiance were excellent and we easily forgot where we were until we left the restaurant and walked down the long, pot-holed, driveway to our bus for the 1 ½ hour ride back to the ship. Across the lake is the home in which Aung San Su Kyi was held in house arrest for 26 years.  We passed her house on the way to the restaurant.

Although we were supposed to have left in the early morning hours on the 12^th, due to tides and other considerations we were unable to sail away until 4:00 that afternoon. Now we are in our second sea day traveling at maximum speed (22 knots) in order to reach our next port – Colombo, Sri Lanka – on schedule. 

Phuket, Thailand: The Tourists

March 9, 2015

We’re at sea today heading toward Thilawa, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma). Yesterday in Phuket, Thailand, we opted for a bus transfer into Old Phuket where we were dropped off to wander around on our own. And what did we do? We were the consummate tourists. We shopped.

No sirree! No culture for us. We wandered around a bit and dipped into the shopping malls (not ethnic markets) for good deals on clothing (John bought two pair of light-weight cargo pants to wear in Myanmar, and two shirts). And that was just the beginning. 

Waiting for the bus in Phuket

Downtown Phuket

After our return to the port we shopped the “pop-up” markets on the pier. Thai silk shirts and robes, a swim-suit cover-up, more shirts and a few gifts. Oh, and the hat, of course. John is trying to get a ball cap from each port that has the name of the port on it. Yesterday’s purchase was funny. The first hat vendor wanted $8 US for the cap. John offered $4 and was refused. So we moved on. The next hat vendor had a better-looking hat and his asking price was only $3! No negotiations needed – we bought.

As we sailed away last night it looked like an Interstate highway after dark with all the brightly-lit shrimp and squid fishing boats – one after the next as far as we could see.

Phuket Harbor fishing boar

By the way, Phuket is pronounced Pu-KET and not the way one might think otherwise. ;-)

On a less pleasant note, the ship is on Code Red due to the widespread GI among the passengers. They have changed serving procedures and are literally scrubbing every square inch of the ship.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to visit the ancient Mon capital near Thilawa. The temperature is supposed to reach 98 degrees and the country is not quite ready for prime time tourism, so we don’t expect much relief from the heat. Plus, we are expected to dress conservatively – knees, shoulders, and mid-drifts covered. Phew!

Malaysia and the dreaded GIS

March 7, 2015

Sometime during our tour of Singapore John began to feel ill. Turns out it was a full-blown case of GIS (gastrointestinal something) that, we discovered later, is going around the ship. So extra precautions have been implemented. These new procedures are regulation for Celebrity ships, so we are surprised they haven’t been SOP on this line all along, especially given the parent company Carnival’s history with this issue.  So, John has pretty much been confined to the cabin. I went on the tour of Kuala Lumpur yesterday by myself. We both skipped today’s tour of Penang, but did go out for a while this afternoon to walk around the dock area.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is not as exotic as its name. But it is a very large city. The National Museum had nice exhibits on the history of Malaysia, including the Portuguese who occupied until driven out by the Dutch. Next it was the King’s Palace. Although Malaysia has a Prime Minister and elected government, it also has a king – a ceremonial position that lasts five years. The kings come from a group of sultans who take turns living in the palace and performing ceremonial duties. An added benefit, while we were gathered outside the gates taking photos the royal entourage arrived. Talk about lucky timing. Note my great picture. ;-p

After lunch and a brief sampling of Malayan chocolate, we went to the Central Market – a center of arts and crafts. I bought a long skirt embroidered with flowers – don’t ask me why or if I’ll ever wear it, but it seemed a good idea at the time.

Finally we visited the site of Malaysian independence from Britain – a negotiated settlement – where the British flag was lowered and the new Malaysian flag raised at midnight 50 years ago. Interestingly, the Malaysian flag is just like the US flag, only with a Muslim moon and star in the blue field instead of our 50 stars.

Avian observations: In Singapore we noticed the absence of both pigeons and sea gulls. This we attributed to Singapore obsession with cleanliness. However we saw neither pigeons nor sea gulls in Malaysia, either. And they are not obsessed with cleanliness. The closest thing to gulls were the crows we saw in the harbor area of Penang.

BTW, John is almost all better and we will probably be able to take our tour tomorrow in Phuket, Thailand.

Scenic Singapore

March 5, 2015

We arrived in Singapore before dawn yesterday, but even in the dark it was evident we were in a very different port from Jakarta. First of all, it’s clean – very clean – and obviously built for cruise ships. Although Singapore is the busiest industrial port in South East Asia due to its location and its tax-free status, its industrial port is away from the local and international travel area. This port area is a hub for cruise, ferry, train, and gondola passengers. It is also attached to a giant mall.

This is by far the most security-conscious port we have visited. We are required to carry our passports everywhere with a stamped “visit pass” card enclosed. Every time we leave or re-enter the ship the passport is scanned just like we were entering a country for the first time. BTW, the visit card includes, in all caps and red letters, this warning: “DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS UNDER SINGAPORE LAW.”

We are also advised that Singapore Customs regulations prohibit chewing gum, chewing tobacco or imitation tobacco products – among other things – to be brought ashore. The city itself is as clean as we had been told, with rather light traffic for such a large city. Then we learned why. There is a 30% tax on cars which makes them prohibitively expensive. Traffic problems solved. Public transportation is abundant and efficient.  

Our tour yesterday began with the one thing I had really wanted to see in person – the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Its three buildings are topped with a large boat replica 650 feet above sea level and includes an observation deck and infinity pool. It did not disappoint both from the ground and from the deck.

The next stop was a huge and thrilling surprise – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Dome of the Gardens by the Bay complex. The Flower Dome is the world’s largest glass greenhouse. It features 9 different gardens from 5 continents. (Actually 6 continents as there were gardens representing both North and South America.) 

The Cloud Dome has the world’s tallest in-door waterfall. We walked on cat-walks through the mist-filled Cloud Walk and Tree Top Walk.   

After lunch we visited the famed Raffles Hotel – named after Sir Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore for Britain. It was in the Long Bar at this hotel that the Singapore Sling was invented in 1915. OF course, we all sampled.

Next we took a river boat to the Merlion Fountain near the mouth of the Singapore River. Of interest to us is the dam that separates the river from the bay. Using Dutch technology, they have managed to convert the river from salt to freshwater by years of pumping out the salt from the bottom while the river is re-filled with rain water. Singapore currently gets its water from Malaysia but that contract expires in a few years and relations between the two countries are strained (Singapore was once part of Malaysia), so the idea is to make Singapore water independent.

View of Marina Sands from Merlion Fountain

All of Singapore is part of a grand master plan, and the planning continues as we saw during our visit to the City Gallery. We had thought, from the name, that this might be an art gallery but no, it’s a gallery devoted to Singapore’s master plan for growth. We saw two different sizes of three-dimensional Singapore-scapes. Rather impressive. The gallery also included one piece of art. On one wall is an ink drawing of Singapore done by an autistic savant who completed it from memory after a few hours flying over the city.

We were scheduled to do another tour today but John wasn’t feeling well and the temperature was predicted to be 95 degrees, so we slept in and had a leisurely day of short excursions and a little shopping. John bought a new camera at the mall – one with both an old-fashioned view-finder as well as the screen.  

We had to be on board early today – 3:00 p.m., a full two hours before sailing – in order to turn in our passports for inspection by Singapore officials. Then we’re off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Java, sea snakes and sweat

 March 3, 2015

We are at sea today after two interesting days of amazing sights and lots of very hot weather.  Between Bali and Semarang we saw several snakes swimming in the ocean. We knew they were not eels because eels don’t swim on top of the water like these were. Perhaps they were salt-water moccasins. ;-)

March 1: We arrived at the Port of Semarang to a welcome of giant puppets and dragons, even at 5:00 a.m. Semarang is the capital of Central Java – one of three provinces of the island of Java – the largest of the over 17,000 islands that comprise Indonesia. It was in Semarang that the youth of the city defended themselves for 5 days in 1945 against a battalion of the occupying Japanese, thus leading to Indonesia’s independence and establishment of the country. The port itself is surrounded by lots of industrial sites and lacks the charm of Bali.

By 6:30 a.m. we were off on our 56-mile tour to Borobudur – a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest Buddhist temple in the world. As we traveled through the city we saw examples of extreme poverty as well as extreme wealth. As Jakarta gets more crowed, new business and citizens are migrating to Semarang. A mansion on a hillside overlooking the city runs about 600 million rupiah, or $50,000 USD.

After leaving the city we passed rice paddy after rice paddy after rice paddy – acres and acres all planted and harvested by hand. Workers were still wearing the Chinese-style hats and they weren’t posing for the tourists.

On the way up the mountain we stopped for coffee in a jungle-like area. Coffee and bananas – all locally grown, this is Java after all – were delicious. Thanks to a police escort both ways we were able to make pretty good time in spite of the traffic.

Borobudur is considered one of the most incredible sights in South East Asia, and it did not disappoint us! It was built in the 9^th century and its creation without modern equipment and engineering remains a mystery to this day. For over 1,000 years the site was not used and was taken over by the jungle until 1814 when Sir Stamford Raffles discovered it and cleared it. Although many of the Buddhas’ heads are missing due to an earthquake and vandalism, the intricate carvings on every wall and the sheer size of the place are awe-inspiring. It has ten levels symbolizing the path to Nirvana. I am embarrassed to say that I only climbed to the first level – intimidated by the extreme heat, my still recovering stamina since my bout with pneumonia, my slight phobia about going down stairs, and the sight when we first arrived of a young woman being removed via stretcher and taken away in a rather suspect-looking ambulance. Later, as I watched much older people, some with canes and one man with a portable oxygen supply, descending I felt rather sheepish. On the positive side, we circumnavigated the temple and enjoyed the amazing carvings.

The amazing temple notwithstanding, a highlight of this tour was the trip home. Our karma was good because the rains that had been threatening all day held off until we were safely in the bus. But then the deluge began – the kind of rain that would cause us to take shelter under an overpass if we were driving through it in the US. We were part of a four-bus “convoy” with police escorts down the winding mountain roads, but that did not assure that every driver knew to stay out of our way or to stop, if we happened to be in the wrong lane. Our bus driver, like the driver on Bali, drove that bus as if it were a sports car and the many seeming near misses provided great entertainment for us and many of our fellow travelers.    

When we returned to the ship we shared bitter-sweet moments as many crew members said goodbye to their families after a short, one-day reunion. It’s one thing to consider a career at sea as a grand adventure, and another to realize it’s not a lifestyle these young men would have chosen – 10 months a year away from home – had they had other options. Not always, of course. Our head server, Tomo, from Bali, is engaged to a young woman who also works on the ship. But some, like our favorite bartender, Jerry, and our cabin steward Bagus, have wives and children at home.

March 2: Next up was Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. At the port we were the only cruise ship. It is a big, ugly industrial port. If we had wanted to do something on our own – not advised – we might have been hard-pressed getting to the port entrance – a mile from the ship. We were on a tour of Jakarta all day (again with a police escort to make sure we could stick to the schedule and get back to the ship on time) and not once was I able to find a post card to send.

First stop was the Taman Mini Idonesia Indah – a theme park that features life-size replicas of traditional architecture from each of the 27 provinces. We were able to visit two, one of which was Sumatra. Then it was on to the Monas National Monument – picture a slightly smaller version of the Washington Monument with a huge gold flame (think Olympic torch) on top. The flame is coated with 77 pounds of gold.

We then visited the Taman Fatahillah Square & Museum where we met “Java man.” Some of the early Dutch settlers are buried there. Indonesia was Dutch East India until the Japanese invaded in 1942.

After a delicious Indonesian lunch in the beautiful hotel, Mercure, in downtown Jakarta we went to what became our favorite stop of the day – the Museum Wayang – the puppet museum. It is housed in an old church building built in 1640. The original building was destroyed by an earthquake, and it became a museum in 1939. It is located in the Batavia section of Jakarta. In addition to the displays, the museum houses performance space where puppet plays and other cultural exhibitions are presented daily.

Finally we were taken to the old port of Sunda Kelapa where we saw the fleet of Phinisi schooners – lined up for over a kilometer  – wooden ships that still move goods between the islands. Across the river was a fishing village from which the small fishing boats sail every night.

The traffic in Jakarta is world-renowned for its impossibility. Our tour guide, Asep, noted that in order to help reduce the congestion at rush hours, the work days of government workers and private sector workers are staggered. In Jakarta, “driving is believing,” he said.      

Tomorrow we’ll be in Singapore. I suspect we will find it far different than Indonesia.