A Window View

Chennai(Madras) is the largest city in Southern India and our first visit to see a country we have heard so much about.   People love it or hate it.  Chennai is the fourth largest city in India with a population of 8 million.  India is 1/3 the size of the US with 3X the population. Crowded. There are 2,000 different ethnic groups, 22 official languages and 1,659 dialects in India. 50% of the population is under the age of 25. 900 million people earn less then $2  a day, and out of this group 800 million earn less then 50 cents a day.  I saw many a watermelon stand along the two lane highway.  I figured 3 watermelons a day would bring in $1. It you make more then 86 cents a day in the city you fall above the poverty level. School is not mandatory.  AND IF you go to school, on a daily basis, 50% of the teachers are no shows.  Only 13% of the sewage is treated.  80% of the population have no bank account.  These are just a few of the statistics we learned today.  Without saying,  I would never dream to think I could go inside the mind of anyone who lives here.  This is what they know and their life.  I could not live here.  I would not survive.

Woo

All the buses lined up to await our arrival in Chennai, India.   "Incredible India!  The Mantra to Woo Tourist!"  I have heard the phrase Incredible! India before... Woo the Tourist?  Well, OK, I am ready, woo me.

New Places / New Friends



Batu  Cave

This part of the World Cruise is a port intensive segment.  We have never been to this part of the world.  We have 7 sea days and 19 port days with an overland trip to see the Taj.  Add intense heat and humidity to tours lasting 5-10 hours in length, we come back to the ship pretty wiped, hit the shower and head to bed.  Good thing our only decision is to dress and go down for dinner or have it delivered, no dishes to wash.  But the fun part is being here, and seeing something new, exciting and different.  Every thing on this side of the planet is very different from life at home.

Krung Thep or Bangkok

We arrived at the Thailand port of Laem Chabang at 10 AM.  We lost about 300 passengers and gained another 300 making for another full ship on this fourth segment of the World Cruise. After lunch we headed for a 2 hour bus trip to Bangkok, the biggest city in Thailand. Our plan was to spend the night at the Shangri-la 5 star Hotel, enjoy the overnight and take in an easy tour. The Prince of Brunei joined us. He waved at me as he passed but I did not have my camera ready.  Talk about security. I watched as the security force inspected all of his cars for bombs then had the dogs do a double check. 

Last year when we were here, the red shirts were demonstrating. We just missed the big clash. On our return, the city was holding a remembrance for the 26 killed a year ago today. During the month after our visit 1,800 were injured in various anti government clashes. Our guide would not talk politics or about the difference in views between the red and the yellow shirts. He was not allowed to. He only said he believed in the yellow shirt view. Elections are coming up soon and things will be resolved he said. This silenced the bus.

I Wonder Why

My new friend...Thank goodness for glass



Tunnels and Radishes

Some ports are more exciting to sail into then others.  It takes a few hours to cruise down the Mekong River to reach the port in Saigon.  As a result I had plenty of time on my balcony to watch life styles go by thay are very different from my own.   First off, I love the sunrise and how the sun danced on the water behind the ship today.  Along the way I watched container ships, fishing boats, house boats, and ferries meander by on these sad to say polluted waters.  It was interesting to people watch as they began their day waking up, going fishing or starting a long journey to deliver cargo.

No Halong Bay today but Hue Tomorrow

We were really looking forward to revisiting Halong Bay and taking the junk boat out for a few hours.  We loved it last year.   From what I understand a junk boat sank last year and people died.  Maybe the cruise line did not want to take the risk.  This year, the ship did not offer a tour of the place that merits a UNESCO World Heritage nod.  Some went out on their own and rented one.  Since it was chilly and foggy we decided to just try the shore excursion, see the countryside this time.  All night long the fog horn blasted.  I woke up early anyway to watch the sail in, hoping for another glimpse of all this natural beauty.  But is was to foggy to see anything.  It is a beautiful site to see all the islands of dolomite and limestone sticking out of the water. If you look on the blog from last year there are pictures.