Loves' 2023 World Cruise

March 29, 2023 Weather:   90+ degrees, humid, smoggy Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, was the first to discover a maritime route from Europe to India around the southern tip of Africa and then land in what is now known as Cochin (or Kochi).   This was important as it gave European countries an alternative to the Silk Road for access to the tea and spices unique to south Asia.   The Ottoman Empire disrupted the trade that had flourished along the Silk Road for centuries, so the maritime route became critically important, and over the centuries the maritime route flourished leading to the colonization of India, Sri Lanka and most of of SE Asia.     We will be in India for several days, which is very hot and humid with air pollution.   One of our lecturers said we should be prepared for sensory overload.   India is a country about 43% the size of the U.S. with a population of 1.4 billion people ( about 4 times that of the U.S.).   In a couple of days we will be in Mumbai (formerly Bo

March 25 - 27, 2023 90+ degrees F, partly cloudy and humid.     Sri Lanka is an independent Island country about the size of West Virginia with a population of about 22 million.   It is just southeast of the southern tip of India.   Mountains inland (highest peak 8200 feet) and large jungles provide diverse climates and ecosystems throughout the country.   There are reputed to be some 8,000 elephants on the island.   Our neighbors on the ship booked a two day/night safari and said they saw elephants, a leopard and monkeys.     Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka and is it’s capital.   Sri Lanka government, having become independent from Britain in 1948 is a democracy, the oldest democracy in Asia.   It has three branches of government and all officials are elected. Sri Lanka has had its share of troubles - a 26 year-old civil war ended in 2009, and in July 2022 they ousted their president. In September 2022 the incoming president declared a financial emergency and the country defa

March 21,  2023 Today we explored Phuket, Thailand’s largest island.   Thais don’t pronounce PH as F like we do (smile).   I t is pronounced pooket with the emphasis on the second syllable.   Phuket is a resort destination island.   It features many beautiful beaches, scuba diving sites, has a year-round temperate climate and has an international airport for access.   Obviously , tourism is their main economy.     We went to a Buddhist shrine at the southern tip of the island, a cashew plantation and the largest and most elaborate Buddhist temple on the island.   We passed many beautiful beaches along the way.     Thailand is an interesting country.   You may remember the play and film,  The King and I.   It was loosely based on the true love story of the then (1860s) King of Siam (the previous name of Thailand) and a British school teacher.   Their king, currently Rama X, is deemed to be head of state but the military seems to have more of the power and the Thai government has suffere

  March 18, 2023 Weather: low 90s, partly cloudy, humid and smoggy Malaysia was constituted in 1965 after they expelled Singapore (too many Chinese on the island).   It now consists of the Malaya peninsula and parts of Northwestern Borneo and Sarawak.   It is a constitutional monarchy with three branches of government similar to ours.   In 1994 the elected King was relegated to figurehead status and the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Legislature became the power centers.   The population is roughly 65% Muslim, 15% Chinese, 10% Indian and 10% everything else.   The people mostly live in high-rise apartments, but there are still some two-story residences mixed in.   The professor who gave us a history lesson on Malaysia named his lecture “Amok” (like running amok).   Over their short history as an independent country they have had to endure a lot of corruption, leadership turnover and infighting.   It’s interesting to compare the recent history of Malaysia (fits and starts) with Singapore (