Har Par was a business man from Rangoon. He and his brother invented s salve called “Tiger Balm.” I use it myself. In the 1930s they moved to Singapore and were very successful. Har par built a mansion for … Continue reading The Courts of Hell with a Trigger Warning.
This is a continuation of the narration in the post “Good Morning Vietnam.” As I pondered what I was supposed to do in Saigon I looked up and saw it, the Rex Hotel, and I knew. The Rex is where … Continue reading Five O’Clock Follies
Last night at about 9:30 Suzi and I were having a nice chat about the Balkans with a Croatian woman who had just come on in Hong Kong. She was taking over as the leader of the “Road Scholar” group … Continue reading “Chewing the Fat,” a Persecuted Sect and an Unexpected Fire Drill
The last time we wrote the Peak Tram to the heights of Hong Kong there was not such an elaborate structure at the top terminus. Not, after you reach “the top” you go up still higher on a series of … Continue reading Dim Sum at the Top
A lot of crew members were sad to sail out of Manila after their family reunions, but Manila gave us a great send off. There was a brass band with twirlers and majorettes. They played while we lined the promenade … Continue reading Good-by Manila.
This page has some photos that just don’t fit anywhere else. The pics below are of our welcome. The next three I call “signs of faith.” Finally here are some miscellaneous shots. In Manila the pollution is bad enough that … Continue reading Manila Odds and Ends.
The Intramuros is the “old” walled city of Manila. I put the word “old” in quotes because much of this part of the city was flattened when the Americans retook Manila from the Japanese in 1945. Some modern historians have … Continue reading Rescued by a Buggy Whip — Intramuros Manila.
Gustave Eiffel had a major hand in the iconic landmarks in two world cities. He designed the support structure for the Statue of Liberty. He also designed a number of pre-fab iron buildings in Arica Chile including a church, customs … Continue reading Gustave Eiffel in Manila?
I wonder how my grandfather, who was a steward on White Star Line at the turn of the 20th century, would have reacted to relations between crew and passengers on this cruise. While he clearly liked some of the persons … Continue reading Three More Days, Two More Days, One more Day TODAY!!
The narrative for this page of pictures is on the earlier post, click here. That’s the only way you will understand the title of this post. In the event you don’t click above, the Puerto Princesa Underground River is a … Continue reading Sharon Stone and the Virgin Mary – The Puerto Princesa Underground River.
Suzi and I were getting ready to assemble for our tour on the island of Palawan when we heard drumming coming from outside. Casting long shadows is the early morning light a group of majorettes and baton twirlers were doing … Continue reading Palawan Puts on a Big Welcome.
On our way back from Pura Luhur Batukau and the rice terraces we stopped at Pura Taman Ayun. This was an unexpected stop recommended by our guide, Putra. Suzi and I both said we would rather skip lunch and see … Continue reading Pura Tamam Ayun:
“I want to go to Pura Luhur Batukau.” The “destination guide,” Barbara, on the Amsterdam had never heard of it but looked it up and said “Wow, Lonely Planet gave it a star as a top tourist attraction.” “Yep, that’s … Continue reading But Tourists Never Go There — Pura Luhur Batukau
We got back to Fremantle from Perth but still had two mysteries to solve. The first was easy. The night before someone gave us directions and told us to go to Cappuccino Strip and turn right. We wanted to know … Continue reading Yellow Stripes and a Cappuccino Strip.
The main thing we wanted to see in Perth was the Swan Tower and its bells from St. Martin in the Fields (see earlier post.) and by the time we got to the tower I thought post would be titled … Continue reading Perth Post
One of the great joys of living in Sitka is “change bell ringing” from the tower of St. Michael’s Cathedral. Change Ringing is not playing a tune, but the repeat of a mathematical sequence of different bells. The sequence is … Continue reading You Owe Me Five Farthings. (Say the bells of…)
Fremantle, Australia was the last port Pop sailed into before reaching Calcutta and the CBI Theater in World War II. In one of his letters he described an “armada” of allied shipping gathered in this staging area, although, to me, … Continue reading Frebo
Being on a cruise ship is somewhat like living on an island in Alaska. Sometimes you run out of stuff and can’t replace it easily. During much of our kids’ growing up it was difficult to get fresh milk that … Continue reading Why Cruise Ship Life is a Lot Like Living in Southeast Alaska.
Adelaide boasts that its Fringe Festival is the second largest in the world (Edinburgh is first.) But more importantly it’s “The Biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.” Which is code for “Bigger than Sydney’s” and we landed in the middle of … Continue reading Fringe Flash – Adelaide
In Albania the standard greeting is “Mire Dita, Si Jeni?” “Good Day, How are you?” As an American I always answered in the optimistic, “Doing great!” or “I’m well.” Once someone caught me up and asked “Why are you always … Continue reading Doin’ OK in Adelaide
Sometimes things go wrong on a ship. It is a big mechanical conglomeration of parts that is beat around by high winds and seas that rise 30 feet. Parts of it pop out of the water and slam down again … Continue reading It Must Be Raindrops
Each Community Station is unique but somehow we are all the same. This was to be our one shot at seeing Australian Wildlife in the wild. Instead we found a community radio station. Kangaroo Island is an island nearly 100 … Continue reading Community Radio and Kangaroos.
A highlight of the Central Business District (CBD( is the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). It’s one of those Victorian iron and glass structures that followed the first world’s fair at crystal palace. It was an architecture style that was used … Continue reading QVB in the CBD
The Sydney Opera House is one of those iconic structures that define a city, like the Eifel Tower, the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben. But perhaps it is misnamed. It is more an overall performing arts center. The concert … Continue reading Sydney Opera House.