Thursday March 24th, 2011 Arabian Sea- West of Karachi Latitude 22 degrees 10 minutes’ north- Longitude 62 degrees 30 minutes’ east We are now cruising in “pirate waters”. Security personnel are on 24 hour watch and they have hooked up fire hoses on both sides of the ship to repel boarders. I am told we are also equipped with special sonic blasters that emit a sound that is painful to human ears. Most of the pirates are based out of Somalia which is several hundred miles to our west. It is unlikely that they would be interested in us since they prefer cargo ships with less crew onboard where it is easier to take control. But, never the less, we must be on alert. We had a pirate drill with all crew and passengers so everyone ... read more

Monday March 21st, 2011 Off the West Coast of India- Arabian Sea Latitude 14 degrees 37 minutes’ north- Longitude 73 degrees 53 minutes’ east We had an excellent day yesterday in the Port of Cochin. We drove about an hour into the countryside surrounding the bustling city of Cochin. India has 28 states and we ventured out into the state of Kerala. This part of India has a tremendous amount of waterfront. The Periyar River has been dammed and controlled to create many lakes and islands throughout the region. We made several stops along the way, one of which was to visit a textile mill where workers were making cotton sheets for the hospital. All done by hand on wooden looms the work was obviously long and tedious. Another stop was at a factory where they ... read more

Friday March 18th, 2011 Bay of Bengal- Off the Coast of Sri Lanka Latitude 6 degrees 43 minutes’ north- Longitude 82 degrees 55minutes’ east. It has been storming the last couple of days. Rain and wind has been our constant companion. Landfall in the Andaman Islands was very wet. The rain started as soon as we pulled into the harbor of Port Blair and did not let up until just before we left. The promised filth and poverty never materialized. What we did see was a town that has made tremendous progress rebuilding from the terrible tsunami of 2004. The lovely people were friendly and wanted to show us around their island and seemed pleased that we were willing to brave the rain. The island has a terrible history as a British Penal Colony and the ... read more

Monday March 14th, 2011 Strait of Malacca- off the Coast of Malaysia Latitude 2 degrees 59 minutes’ north- Longitude 101 degrees 20 minutes’ east Yesterday we were in the booming metropolis which is Singapore. The busiest port in the world, Singapore is a modern, independent city which is also its own country. Singapore was a marvel to behold. The architecture was very high tech and bold, but there were some very well preserved historical buildings as well. We went to the Raffles Hotel to have a genuine Singapore Sling at the famous Long Bar. Built by the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles, it was originally built on the waterfront. They have filled in so much area since the 1800s that it is now over a mile inland. Perfectly preserved and thriving the hotel is now ... read more

Thursday March 10th, 2011 Bangkok, Thailand Today we opted for the total tourist bus experience. Our ship was docked in Laem Chabang, a very busy port city in Thailand. Lots of container ships and freighters attest to the strong economy here. It was a two and a half hour drive into Bangkok from the coast, thru lots of heavy traffic and crazy drivers. The city is crowded, exotic and obviously very alive. We went to the Royal Palace and the opulence was over the top. You could see why the former King just about bankrupted the country building the place. Several Temples were filled with people making offerings to Buddha with flowers and incense. Then, we enjoyed a scenic river boat cruise weaving between a multitude of barges, motorboats and ferries. The river was dirty and ... read more

Sunday March 6th, 2011 Java Sea Latitude 5 degrees 15 minutes’ south- Longitude 112 degrees 28 minutes’ south I am struck by the complete paradox that is the Indonesian Island of Lombok. Much less developed than the neighboring island of Bali, Lombok is still rural and primitive. A lot of the people there live in abject poverty. Some don’t even have or use money; they simply trade the rice they grow for what they need. Simple grass huts with mud floors are grouped together in family compounds surrounded by trash. The ditches are full of all the benefits of modern society like plastic bottles and all sorts of other rubbish. When it rains hard it all flows out to the sea. It is as if they are still living the old way where there was no ... read more