Traveling the world with me for 119 days with World Cruise 2019 pt.2
Days 60, 61 - 03-04.03.2019 - Western Samoa
Last night, when I received the daily program for the next day, I decided that there was a mistake - the date is March 4, instead of the 3rd /our national holiday/. To my great surprise, it turned out that there is no mistake, and because of the crossing of the zero meridian we are 25 hours ahead in time?!?!?!? and hop - it's March 4th. You see, I didn't even think this could happen to me?!?!? How is it possible for the crossing of this mental line of the globe to cause such a thing - we are back an hour /tonight we will return the clock by 1 hour, and so the difference with Bulgaria becomes 14 hours, and the day is ahead of the one in Sofia by 12 h.?!?!?/ I wonder! I may not understand it correctly, but the facts are as follows. Still, it was good that I thought about it last night, otherwise I would have missed the whole day and I would not have added more impressions of another island. At the reception I received assistance for some administrative procedures and here I am on my way to Apia - the capital of Western Samoa.
The city is slightly closer in my notions of such - a government building, a bank, a hospital, hotels, the Ministry of Social Care, or as it is called there/. You can't even talk about a beach - the shore is very rocky, I didn't even see sand in front of the Sheraton Hotel. The surf is quite deep in the ocean. The houses are again wooden and "pile", apparently in this area it is a practice, with lush greenery, palm trees, shrubs and flowers. Next to them we again find graves of the deceased relatives /local tradition/. Many, many churches, 98% of the population are Christians, but from different currents, Islam and Baha'i complement the religious community. As on other islands, Sunday is the day of the church and family.
We first visited the local Immaculate Conception Cathedral Apia, built in 1875 and in its current form since 2014. The renovation strictly followed the Catholic architectural solutions, but they also added something typical local - the wooden ceiling.
A perfect addition, without contradicting each other, beautiful stained glass windows, wide open doors create such a flow that they can blow you away! There was simply nowhere to hide, but at these high temperatures, that's perfectly understandable.
On the square around the center, the road is being repaired and this requires spraying with a water carrier to raise ash.
Near it is built a cultural complex Samoa Culture Center /whether this is the correct name, I'm not sure/, which practices /whether?/ and demonstrates local crafts /or is only for tourists?/. Here I saw how the women /near them a baby sleeps under a canopy ???/ paint on parchment /canvas or other fabric typical paintings, men tattoo the willing/ much later the Romanian - about whom I told before, shared that he spent all the time to tattoo it and it was especially painful !!! But why did you undergo such a procedure, I ask him, and he answered that he could not experience such a thing anywhere else?!?!? Let him not know both the tradition and the miracle !!! And then, when you get bored, will you endure the pain of removing it again ??? I don't even think to try it, although women do it too. Psychologists claim that tattoos, piercings, as well as other modern ways of "beautification" (excluding local traditions) are a kind of self-aggression and are caused by some personality deficits (sounds scientific, doesn't it?). They showed us again how to prepare their food - the same method we saw in American Samoa, songs and dances of their folklore. The same frugal movements and steps, chants and many, many smiles. At one end of the complex there was a ceremony (probably religious), which we were kindly not allowed to visit. That's right, some things are not an attraction for tourists and require proper behavior!
Apia is located on the northern island of Upolu and here the surf is very strong, the river Vaisigano flows into the ocean. We stopped at a beautiful bay - rocky with a span of sand on it. But the view was good!
The extensive park is delightful, freshly cut grass, lots of shrubs and flowers. The locals loved and respected the writer and therefore kept the museum in perfect condition.
I quickly shopped for my relatives and friends some gifts and took shelter in the coolness of the ship. What a grace after the heat outside, quite exotic, but even this is hard to bear in the heat.
The end of the day took place /as usual/in the theater with the performance of the man-orchestra/ I did not write down his name / - quite an extravagant singer from Chile, whose repertoire is borrowed from T. Jones, E. Presley and other celebrities, but is pleasant to listen to - gentle and melodic. What more could you want?!?!?
Day 62 - March 5, 2019 - in the ocean
Another day to relax from the accumulated impressions and emotions. The ocean is quite stormy and immediately the blue bags in the foyers appeared ...
It seems that the contract between Joe Magic and company has expired, because the preparations for the carnival were made by the entertainment team. For myself I chose to make a crown out of stretch paper /I had forgotten that they are still used today !!!/. It became quite successful, it is a pity that I will not take it as a souvenir, because of the large amount of luggage!?!?!
The educational lecture was on the Kingdom of Tonga, which we are about to visit. Curiously in its history, it has never been someone's colony, which is not typical of the area. To this day, it is ruled by a king who is very, very rich, while ordinary people are poor. The island is often hit by various natural disasters - earthquakes /as a result of which new islands and atolls appear, disappearing, mostly uninhabited/, tsunamis, tropical storms, typhoons. I hope they do not catch up with us on the day of our visit.
Day 63 - March 6, 2019 - Tonga - the capital of Nuku-alofa
As I have shared before, the kingdom has never been someone's colony /so the locals claim, while Google says otherwise?!?!?/, which the locals are very proud of. At the head of the constitutional monarchy is a king, whose succession is inherited. When the king died, the royal family spent a whole year in mourning, and ordinary people - 1 month. Royal Tombs is designated for the deceased king, which is a local landmark, a must-visit for tourists.
Unlike the previous islands, here the terrain is almost flat, in this part we visited. The main part of the population are poor farmers, with a complex ancestral structure of land inheritance. Dill, bananas, coconuts, taro, cassava are grown and exported. The life of ordinary people is difficult, they live in wooden houses on stilts because of the frequent natural disasters. During the rainy season /December-April/ fierce tropical storms, cyclones, typhoons swirl and this explains the special homes.
In February 2018, such a cyclone devastated the island, we saw the damage that has not yet been removed. For a long time after that, students studied in tents, this should also know our spoiled teenagers. Only taller buildings are those of the royal palace, banks and the treasury. A local airport, a ferry to connect with the more remote islands of the archipelago complete the overall picture of the island's infrastructure. Again the local tradition of dying to be buried in the yards struck me.
Many, many churches, schools have been built next to them. I was amazed by the education in the primary grades - in general, in a large room, mixed by children in different age, and in the upper grades the division is into girls and boys. Compulsory education is up to 14 years. I will show the photos taken about the conditions under which the children of their relatives study, to see the conditions and to draw conclusions about our advantages.
Uniforms are mandatory, as on other islands, and no one grumbles when they wear them, on the contrary - they are proud of them. As a rule, only men work /in the school we passed, the teachers were women, ie. every rule has its exceptions/, and women take care of the household and children. And here S unday is set aside for the church and the family, only the police and the health authorities work.
Blowholes is the local landmark, a natural wonder created over the centuries by volcanic rocks shaped like terraces and the ocean waves that have pierced them over time. The oncoming waves fall into these holes, and drain in the form of tall fountains, the locals even call them geysers, sometimes reaching 30 meters in height /especially when there is a high tide/, we were satisfied with only a dozen. What a natural force, what a power, what an amazing view all along this part of the island! This is what I dreamed to see and feel, it was very exciting, I will never stop admiring the greatest artist in the world - nature !!!
On the way to Otuhaka Beach we passed through Kolovai Village, famous mostly for its colony of flying foxes - Flying fox. This is a local endemic mammal, a species of small bat. Like them, they are active at night when hunting for food, and during the day they sleep with their heads hanging from the branches and only make squeaking, screaming sounds like mice. Quite strange, but interesting. The beach is covered with the familiar yellow sand, but the ocean floor is so rocky that even with special shoes it is difficult to bathe. Its length is about 1 km and width is about 20-30 m. While the others were diving and paddling, I went for a walk, took pictures and managed to collect mussels, shells and corals / is it? /.
The curious thing about this tour was our transportation with buses donated by China and used for school transportation /we all know how tall the Chinese are, not to mention their students?!?!?/ - narrow and uncomfortable for Europeans and Americans, especially. My neighbor in a seat (Hungarian) and I commented quite critically on what we saw during the day - the overweight of the locals, folklore and dance, poverty, the shortcomings of the public beach, the bus itself, ie. everything that stung the eyes of the European (later - in India, again found themselves in a similar, much more drastic environment - misery, dirt, cows and other animals on the street, etc.).
Day 64 - March 7, 2019 - in the ocean
nrise, which is the first in the world to be observed from this place !!! Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined what I would encounter during this trip - the Equator, the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, the zero meridian, the Panama Canal, the Grand Canyon !!! And how much is ahead, will my heart withstand these emotions?
The day in the ocean follows the tried and tested order - lessons - singing, and now I plan to start with dancing, educational lecture, there are no deputies of the team for "manual" work /I miss these activities/, kindle, crossword puzzles and of course - a concert.
The tenor's afternoon /I have not yet established the nationality/, unfortunately I did not hear the aria of Cavaradossi from "Tosca", which I was expecting, but this performance also gave me great pleasure. Orchestra man Salvatore Hazard had added drums to the other instruments. I haven't heard any original songs, only those from the repertoire of Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Barry White, but they also do very well /maybe it's profitable .../
Day 65 - March 8, 2019 - Suva /the capital of Fiji/
Suva did not greet us kindly - it was raining like a bucket, nothing could be seen 10 meters ahead, heavy, lead-gray storm clouds. Eerie and stunning view! I filmed the flow of water over the city and the bay. Won't this storm delay our tour?
If I have to be completely honest, and why not, I'm not writing a brochure, I'm puzzled to say the least, not to use a stronger word than the capital. This opinion was formed in me from the islands visited so far from French Polynesia, which are recommended destinations for newlyweds. To cross half the world and time zones, to pay car money for plane tickets, transfers, hotels, to see islands that go around in half a day ??? The only extra is the wonderful nature - lush greenery, enchanting colors, shapes and aromas, diving and spearfishing, surfing, kiting and other sports, and of course - enough money, yes, I agree. I saw so much poverty and misery, mud and dust, that this "exotic" almost brought me severe depression. Good thing I'm far away and for a while! And how do these people live in such conditions, but they have not seen anything else, they do not have internet in the holiday village, and they do not know another life. I felt this later in other places, so the main conclusion of this trip is that there is no better place to live in this world, except Bulgaria and Europe /at least for me!/ !!! Even the local guides kept telling us about the expensiveness in this region, the difficult way of life and the restrictions, in some of them education and healthcare are free, but only to a certain extent. Here especially the monthly salary is 57 dollars?!?!? How do people survive with these funds ??? Most of the locals do not own cars, but on the other hand the public transport is well developed with the already known open-air buses /from which we Europeans are constantly coughing and sneezing due to the strong current/, in this heat this is most acceptable.
The city seemed fragmented to me - neighborhoods /neighborhoods strewn on the hills, I did not see formed streets, not to mention sidewalks - they are only in the center around government buildings, wooden and pile dwellings/ because of the climate and rain, tin roofs, peeled, shabby, full of laundry ropes swing smoothly, puddles or dust depending on the season, etc. From the moisture, everything looks blackened and faded, but with this income, nothing else can be expected. Abandoned and abandoned houses are no exception. Isn't this Greece for you - to paint the houses every year before the season?!?!? Good thing there is lush vegetation that hides part of the unpleasant view! Only the center and the space around the gate look more acceptable /in my eyes/, obviously the tourists should not be very disappointed /like me, for example!/.Only the government and presidential buildings, as well as those of the embassies and the army, look different.
And again, many churches - for different religions - Methodists, Buddhism, Islam, Mormons, Catholics. I noticed some of them and specialized schools.
These pfotos are from government residence and his guard.
I keep failing to point out that the traffic is on the left - as in England, the two main roads in Suva are named after Elizabeth and Philip, who visited the island after their wedding and are thus immortalized in history.
The discoverer of the island is considered to be Abel Tasman in the middle of the 17th century. He was also visited by James Cook, John Blade /who brought the bread tree from Haiti/, Magellan and others sailors at the time of the Great Geographical Discoveries /who is more interested in history, etc. details, you can refer to Wikipedia/.
Many different trees /normally, in this climate!/ - mangrove, mango, banana, bread, cane and its distillation make it a major source of income on the island, coconut palms, from which dill is extracted and exported. The ocean also helps the budget - with lots of fish, their catching and processing. But, of course, the most important thing is tourism, from which many people here make a living. Education starts at the age of 4 and is compulsory until the age of 14. High schools end with 13th grade, those wishing to study medicine and law - pay, the other specialties are free. Many young people continue their education in New Zealand, which is only 1000 km away. distance /one throw space, right?/. Single mothers receive $ 65 a month (whether Fijian or American, I din't understand), for other aspects of the tax and social field, the guide did not mention anything. We passed through Laucala Bay, behind which was built the University of the South Pacific and the stadium to it, where rugby is practiced, the favorite sport among the locals. The shipwrecked man with Tom Hanks and The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio were photographed here. Did they saw the same like my, or did they take them by boat to and from the hotel? Because they couldn't miss them by car?
As some of us were interested in cannibalism, the guide explained that this has been no longer practiced (perhaps by the population of the island from other cultures). This was done after battles, with the locals winning their defeated enemies with the idea of gaining their strength and soul, as was customary on other islands in the region.
The last site to visit for the day was the National Museum. The collection is simple, but eloquent enough for the local way of life and culture over time. Once again, I am convinced that for the average person, survival has always and everywhere required a lot of effort and constant work. That hasn't changed yet!
Do not miss the party on the occasion of March 8, which, like all others, took place on the open deck on the 13th floor. The music of several ensembles /each of them usually played in the different foyers on the floors/, the passengers showed what they learned in the lessons of samba, bachata, salsa and others. There was again a rich buffet /after dinner where do these delicacies fit ???/, one rose for each woman /from stretch paper, of course/, cocktails /I congratulated myself on the holiday with one of them/.
Day 66 - March 9, 2019 - Lautoka / Fiji /
This is the second largest city on the island. I hope there are no unpleasant surprises! There is, but against the background of what I saw in Suva, I am not particularly surprised. The same living conditions, the same houses, the same vegetation, the same people - cheerful, warm-hearted, knows nothing else and does not care /lest there be another solution/. The world is changing, but this is not felt here.
Most impressive was the visit to OrchidGarden, created in 1970 by the private collection of Raymond Burr with over 200 species. Whatever color, shape or size you choose, all of them are beautiful, and so much !!! Abundant moisture /rainy season m.m. 11-04/ and the strong sun make the result impressive. The jungle path leads to various species of tropical trees and shrubs with creepers, familiar and unknown flowers, a pond with water lilies /unfortunately not yet bloomed/, streams /which are heard but not seen by the lush greenery/, romantic bridges, slippery paths - jungle paths. I didn't even think the pineapple belonged to the orchid family.
Local guides work here - they take the group from the bus, accompany it along the entire route of the garden, explain their types and features. As I explained earlier, orchids are lithophytic (parasitic) plants that grow and develop on the bark of other plant species.
A local landmark is the sleeping giant, a huge rock formation, overgrown with lush vegetation and took on a giant shape /no matter how hard I tried my imagination, I could not find it, unfortunately!/. But the lush greenery could not escape me.
It was so hot and humid that I gladly accepted to drink mango, guava, pineapple fruit juice, freshly squeezed and pleasantly refreshing.
This was followed by a visit to Naouaca - a local village consisting of about a hundred houses, where we were greeted with a special kawa-ceremony. On the way we were stopped by a group of young people in traditional clothes and weapons, who stormed the bus with terrible battle cries. It turned out that these were welcoming shouts !!!, and I accepted them as a signal to start a battle and take hostages?!?!? /we are so scared of terrorists that even this friendly welcome stunned us !!!!!/
We were invited to a large living room where various events are held. A kava-ceremony took place in our part /let's not forget that tourism is a major industry here and a large source of income !!!/ for welcome. Six men dressed in traditional clothes, led by the chief (also called the president?), рut on a show we will never forget.
In a large wooden bowl (they also sell them as souvenirs), the elder poured the contents of 3 paper bags with some dried plant substance - I couldn't see well from a distance, but I guess it was ground coffee. Another man poured 5-6 bottles of water while the boss was stirring with some threads (they looked like tow pipes for water pipes, but for food purposes, maybe), which they also sell as souvenirs? The boss squeezes them 3 times?!?!? and the coffee is ready for consumption.All this time the men were singing and saying some verses ???, they were having a dialogue with each other. Probably casting spells? or greetings ?, unfortunately there was no one to translate them for us to understand what we were talking about. The guide's omission is that the ceremony had to be explained in advance so that we could understand its contents.The elder drank the drink first, followed by other men. Several brave people from our group also drank from it?!?!? There is no earthly force that would make me drink from it - mixed with my hands, from a single cup / what does the kava ceremony look like in the conditions of the current pandemic, I don't think !!! /. Even if I refuse the drink to mean that I haven't been to Fiji, it won't make me try it, for nothing in the world !!!
We toured the village - one-story wooden houses, tin roofs, muddy streets and yards, I was not afraid to look inside. Only the elder's house was different.
The inheritance of the leader is passed only to men, and where is the role of the woman, I never understood !!!
I met many plant species that I have not met before - taro, lemongrass, which is used in rituals, breadfruit, bananas, cassava, tapioca.
There are many churches, mostly Methodists (perhaps this religious movement first set foot in this part of the world) and their societies are numerous, there are also Mormons, Protestants, Buddhists. Sugar plantation workers brought in from India have established their religion here.
Fiji is also called a sugar island because of the many sugar plantations and the homes of those working in them are located next to them.
Fiji is an archipelago with over 340 islands and islets, 1/3 of which are inhabitable. Vitilevu - the big island, where the visited Suva and Lautoka, Levu - the small island, between which there are flights and ferries. I don't think about the conditions of the other smaller inhabited islands. The decision to visit them involves a lot of money, good preparation - in advance on the Internet, transfer airport-resort-airport to 5-7 star hotel, without being burdened by what I saw, for example.
A small compensation for today's impressions of the island is the evening performance at the theater - Carmen. The music, the performance of the orchestra and the singers gave me real pleasure.
Of particular interest was the presentation of a small folk group KiTai dance Group from New Zealand and prepared us for the upcoming visit to the island nation /for me almost a week there/. The ensemble performed several songs and dances typical of the indigenous population - the Maori. Unusual costumes, accessories and make-up, shouts and screams, climbing, horrifying shouts accompanied the show /later in Rotorua I saw a similar show again/.
An unusual competition followed - selection of the sexiest lady on the ship?!?!?, сonsisting of 3 stages, at which time the candidates dropped out one by one. In the end, 3 of them remained - an Englishwoman /of future origin/, a Frenchwoman and a German. The Englishwoman, who demonstrates enviable skills in dancing, seduction and striptease, won. Personally, I was very impressed by the Frenchwoman, not to mention Mimi, who also participated in the race. All this was accompanied by a lot of laughter / to tears), good mood and good music. Many times congratulations to the team !!!
Days 67 and 68 - 10-11.03.2019 - in the ocean
Finally I received the tickets and the description of the tour in New Zealand /NZ/. Departure on 14.03, arrival in Sydney /Australia/ on 18.03 in the early afternoon and I will have the opportunity to visit the opera performance in the world famous building. An unseen miracle, may God make it happen !!!
Today in the ocean is as leisurely as most in the ocean.
We also received our passports, they kept them for more than 2 weeks, it was high time, and there aren't even stamps?!?!?
In my cabin I found a written notice about New Zealand seabirds /seagulls, cormorants, etc./, which are attracted by all kinds of lights. Therefore, we should not leave light sources, windows and doors with curtains and blinds down in the evening, as the birds become aggressive and can cause damage or injure themselves. For the first time I saw live how the nature protection organizations work in this region of the world, which deserves my admiration.
I attended a morning dance lesson - the New Zealand folk group showed us the steps of their dances. Unlike last night, they were not painted, they did not climb, they did not shout, they did not shout their battle cries. Apparently last night's performance was a traditional show.
The educational lecture is dedicated to the upcoming visit to the distant island of NZ - on the other side of the world, which I look forward to. I guess reality will surprise, amaze, puzzle me. What I saw and experienced, however, exceeded all my expectations, I believe you will agree with me when you finish reading for these 7 days.
The afternoon was dedicated to dancing again - this time it was country, a lot of steps, turns, cheerful music and shouts. Fun, but also tiring, especially when you haven't practiced it for years, I'll try again in the next lessons.
The evening concert entitled Athlantis was pleasant to watch and listen to - lavish outfits and different every time. I wonder where they stored these dresses, feathers, helmets, masks fit, because they change them for almost every dance ??? The duration of about 45 minutes, the poor girls and boys have to rest, because there is a second performance. But on the other hand, this is their job and that's why they get their money.
From today we start the change of time - this time with 1 hour ahead. The difference with Sofia is 9 o'clock - when I get up, they go to bed /in Auckland I tried to have a conversation with my children - I called at 5 o'clock local time, and it was 6 o'clock in the morning, very confusing, isn't it ?/. On the other hand, I received photos and videos from Sirni Zagovezni /Pokladi/, I received their forgiveness and I gave them mine. It's good that they are modern technologies and we can communicate in this way so that I don't feel so isolated.
I managed to book and pay for the next tours /to the Maldives inclusive/. Of course, the most attractive ones /e.g. with lunch at the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur/ were sold online. Well, there is no drama /later I was convinced that I did not miss who knows how much/. Where possible, /such as in San Francisco/ I will take the Hop of-Hop on buses and deal with the situation /so I did in Singapore for example/.
I received an apology letter from the tourist office for the tour in Pearl Harbor (I already mentioned it, right?) And we are refunded the amount paid. The failure is obvious and that is why this measure has been taken.
In dance class we practiced cumbia - a kind of Latin dance. At first glance, nothing special as a difficulty, but then I could not recover for almost 1 hour. But this will not stop me and from now on I will be more active and persistent in learning new skills. It is reassuring that the other participants are no different from me, only one Canadian /in my opinion a former ballet dancer/ stood out with posture and movements that are inherent in dance practitioners not only amateur. Later we even partnered on the "open" lesson.
I participated in the Trivia Time quiz - 10 questions /open/ or with 3 possible answers. I did well with a success rate of about 70%, fun, instructive, you can always learn something new /I did not think about the barometer, sorry!/.
In the evening at the theater Diamonds from Australia /a group of 3 girls/ reminded us of some of the eternal hits of Diana Ross, Tina Turner, etc. They themselves young and attractive entertained the audience, which in turn sincerely enjoyed them, especially the New Zealand folk group .
I retired early to prepare for the New Zealand adventure - a week on the other side of the world I know. What awaits me ?????
Day 69 - March 12, 2019 - Bay of Islands / New Zealand /
Surprise - here the summer season is over, ie. now it is the beginning of autumn here and for this reason the temperatures are 15-17 degrees /unlike 2 days ago, when 30 degrees and above them were something common, something similar after Mexico and the USA/. Again, I need to dress warmer so that I don't have to go to the medical center in an emergency.
The resemblance to Scandinavia haunts me throughout our stay here - islands, all kinds of vessels, still a lot of greenery, hilly terrain.
English justice once exiled offenders as a punishment here, creating a new society that was forced to coexist with the indigenous population - the Maori. They have managed to fit in and build a state subject to nature and the law. Well, there have been clashes, there are now and nowadays /where are they?/.
Neat, mostly one-storey, white and neat houses, well-kept gardens with still lush vegetation, 1-2 cars in front of them. Two-storey hotels and apart-complexes, sportsmen, sailboats, paragliders, helicopters constantly circling.
To my surprise, there were no beachgoers or bathers - apparently it is already cold /the peak of the summer season is in January/. Mussels, snails, shells, if I could, I would rob and take home the whole beach.
I noticed the tide in the morning, after the tour there was a low tide, alternating every 6 hours. Calm, clean, tidy, a little sad because of the past summer season.
I have always resented people's lack of self-discipline. Despite the repeated warnings for observance of the fixed hour /we were again transported by tenders to the coast/ we had to go back to pick up late Jose /the Mexican, whom I call Pedro/ and a Scandinavian family!?!?!
We travel to Kawiti Glow Worm Caves, owned by the descendants of the Maori leader Kaviti, who rebelled against the Anglicans in 1846. Light hilly terrain, lush vegetation, lots of water, mangrove vegetation - a natural defense against corrosion, abrasion and sea waves. All the time small settlements /neighborhoods alternate/, I wonder how they receive their mail/bills for payment, since I did not see the name of the streets/detours /they must have adopted some system, but I did not think to ask/.
In the town of Kawakawa, I saw a branch of the local Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, which led me to believe that they were paying social security contributions and/or receiving benefits. I was very struck by the overweight of teenagers, I don't even want to imagine what they will look like in adulthood or in old age !!! I didn't dare take pictures because I don't know what the rules are and I don't want to break them.
We stop at Kawiti Glow Worm Caves, a habitat of specific luminous insects - similar to fireflies, clinging to the ceilings of the cave. They are an endemic species, not found anywhere else in the world. Amazing !!! They are visible only in absolute darkness. Shooting is strictly forbidden, only about 5-7 m before entering the depth in the first section, but even then it is impressive. Dark, damp, cold, slippery, I move in an Indian thread, through a dozen of us with lanterns in hand and firmly holding the railing. The width of the cave is about 5-6 m.with wooden paths in that part of it where tourists are allowed access. Stalactites, stalacmites, stalactons are cream in color and formed millions of years ago. Only the falling drops sound. Underwater rivers and streams are inhabited by pet eel, I did not understand exactly what these pets mean /I guess also a single-species species, adapted to living in eternal darkness and silence/. The Devil's Cave in Palma de Mallorca is many times larger and electrified, but the glowing insects are interesting here.
Next is a visit to the town of Kawakawa, whose landmarks are the vintage Railway Vintage and the public toilet /!?!?!/, built by Hundertwasser in 1999. His works are known around the world for their unusual broken lines and colorful colors. In Vienna, there is a whole district where he built all his homes, as well as the local termal power plant in the city center.
The vintage railway runs only on weekends with a special schedule, ordinary wooden benches and those with leather armchairs - 1st class. Otherwise, the station has everything - a ticket office, waiting room, buffet, lots of vegetation, clean and cozy. Unfortunately, we were on a weekday, otherwise we would have ridden with pleasure.
The concert in the theater tonight is dedicated to the film music, performed by the singers and the orchestra, but unfortunately quite noisy, which prevented me from enjoying it.
Day 70 - March 13, 2019 - Auckland / New Zealand /
Today we are in one of the most remarkable cities of the NZ - Aukland. Before we got off at the port, we were warned several times on the intercom that everything was absolutely forbidden !!! for eating and drinking to be taken out of the ship. I had long read of 2 Japanese girls who ate apples and threw them away; worms emerged from them, and since then worms unseen before have been introduced here. From that moment on, the sanitary measures have become absolutely strict and in this connection, passing through the sanitary authorities, our hand luggage was checked a lot backpacks, absolutely everything. Passport verification does not count.
Today's tour is included in the package price and we will visit the National Museum and the Winter Garden, emblematic for tourists sites.
The city is very big, modern, a lot is being built and renovated, noisy, colorful, with many modern and beautiful fiberglass buildings, many old buildings of public importance, hotels, restaurants, bars, banks, there are probably many others, but I reflect only what I have seen with my own eyes (this applies to everything described so far). We crossed a beautiful bridge connecting Central with East Auckland. In the immediate vicinity of our moored ship is the sea station, from which passenger ships constantly arrive and depart. I had the opportunityto observe the employees returning from work /5 pm local time/, who patiently waited their turn to get on them. Many of them work in the center, but live on the accompanying islands, where life is cheaper /as everywhere the rents for housing in the center are extremely high, which makes it unacceptable to rent them/.
The museum is located in a huge park, with centuries-old trees, vast meadows, where many people sat and pressed - eating, resting, playing, walking strollers /finally to see for a long time modern tools for raising children!/ . The cleanliness is astounding, only falling leaves - autumn is coming here. This made me look at the roofs of the surrounding houses and their chimneys (they strongly remind me of those in England and Scotland). The life of the dominion was transferred by the first settlers /we know from history who they are, not to mention them, right?/. And it is evident from settlers from the architecture, the verandas, the colors of the facades, the gardens and the houses. The local population - the Maori did not surrender their territory voluntarily, there were strong clashes, which led to a rethinking of their coexistence. They are about 10% of the population, they are given to manage objects /e.g. the cave I told you about before, as well as others that we will visit later/.
Going back to the park - an ancient tree attracted my attention with its roots - about 150 years old, its fruits are edible. I asked some people passing by for information, but no one knew more than I did. If you recognize it from the photo, I will be grateful to share it with me.
The museum has at least 4-5 floors, we have seen only the first of them, dedicated to the Maori - history, life, culture. Again, the eternal problem - lack of time. Whether to listen to the explanations, whether to look and take pictures, whether to buy some souvenirs. And again the same reproach to myself - why didn't I bother to find out in advance about the upcoming places to visit so that I could pay more attention to the other. On the other hand - I can always check the Internet for the details that interest me. So, there is no drama.
The emergence of Maori society is rooted in the distant past, original culture and language, traditional livelihoods, struggles for rights, all this is traced and presented in sequence.
Very beautiful and elegant, red-carved houses - in one of them I noticed students who had a history lesson in the house of one of the Maori chiefs in the past. Strange (for me) tools for hunting and fishing - the main livelihood before, weapons and tools, long boats /I think they were called piroga - boat type?/. And many visitors, good organization, I was very impressed by the special paths for wheelchairs.
The built pond is inhabited by ducks, geese and other waterfowl, and around alleys, bridges, visitors, cafes and more places to relax.
Before returning to the ship, I took a walk nearby - the sea ferry, the recreation area with numerous cafes and bars, galleries and shops, a little souvenir shopping. I wanted to see the aquarium, but it was closed.
Days 71, 72, 73, 74 and 75 - 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.03.2019 - from New Zealand
Adventure in adventure !!! While the others sail to Sydney /Australia/ 17 people /and I am the only Bulgarian/ we will tour some landmarks in New Zealand. French, Italians, Dutch family /with two little girls/, Claudia /from the tourist office/ is the group that will see with their own eyes caves, thermal and amusement parks, mountains, lakes and rivers that I have read, heard, watched , I will click, I will moan and I will shiver with excitement.The guide for our entire stay is Pete, the owner of a travel company, an Englishman by birth, who has settled here for many years with his family, and the drivers will change, as the transitions are very long, as it turned out.
We leave the port of Auckland at 8.30 am to Waimoto Glowworme Caves. We travel for about 3 hours on an ideal road in heavy traffic through small towns and farms scattered on the hills. We often encountered muffler walls and often some of them are vegetative. Nature is preserved and preserved very carefully. The houses are one-, rarely two-storey, not counting the public buildings, with typical English-style chimneys - obviously the winters are quite cold.
I couldn't find a place to photograph everything I saw - mountains - overgrown with pinesorother, low vegetation /maybe dwarfs?/, Naked and with scary screes and glaciers, withpatches of snow from last winter; rivers - great for rafting and extreme jet skiing; lakes andponds with crystal clear water, abundant greenery, even in late summer; fields and valleys filled with countless flocks of sheep and cows. And all this after the fog was defeated by the late autumn sun. The last photo is from the shotover river, near which until 10 years ago gold was mined /according to the guide NZ was 7th in the world in gold mining at that time, after Alaska, of course/.
We also went through the Homer Tunnel (which I had read about before), which was dug almost 20 years ago - initially by hand, and after the Second World War - with modern equipment. Work on it was accompanied by many difficulties - landslides, floods and other incidents, but human strength and spirit have won the unequal battle with nature.
This part of the South Island is a place for many extreme and crazy adventures for people from all over the world /i heard a Russian speech at airport/. Wonderful conditions and organization have been created for their smooth implementation, of course for a decent fee. Highly qualified and experienced drivers, equipment and machinery of the highest class, removal of high-risk obstacles - all this costs money, and their investment in these endeavors is never forgotten.
The final /starting point of the tourist boats is located on Milfordsound /I never understood why it was named so, maybe because of the echo that comes from the high shores of the fjord/. It itself starts from the west of the Tasman Sea and ends here - on land, where a modern station was built for cruises on it, as well as a starting point for the numerous treks to conquer the selected peaks, lakes, valleys.
The voyage lasted about 1.5 hours, during which time I ran from one end of the boat to the other in my quest to capture and photograph the incredible views - 100-200 m high steep shores, waterfalls, screes, recumbent seals, floating dolphins, emerald clear water - the upper layer of freshwater, and the lower layer - sea water. The highest waterfall, Lady Bowen Falls, descends from a dizzying height of 162 meters, scattering around its splashes and forming a beautiful rainbow when the sun shines on it.
Lunch took place on board the ship, I could not eat almost anything out of excitement. I hadn't experienced such emotions for a long time - on the other side of the world, fabulous beauties, purity and places I had only read about so far. But when you see them live, you can't stay calm - the adrenaline merges with the height of the surrounding shores and you wonder how you have lived so far without seeing them with your own eyes.
Our return to Queenstand lasted about 45 minutes with a 10-seater plane in excellent weather for this season / according to Pete / - crystal clear skies and bright sun without any wind. The views I share with you from my amateur photos could explain my excitement about the NZ adventure. This flight saved us some more time to take a quick look at the city before saying goodbye to it the next morning. The farewell dinner was in the hotel restaurant and we were already a very close-knit group, staying that way until the end of our trip. Obviously, our common experiences united us with the positive emotions and unforgettable memories from distant New Zealand.
Day 76 - March 19, 2019 - Sydney /Australia/
We leave for Sydney at noon on a flight from Queenstown, a 3-hour flight that went unnoticed as I read through a magazine with details of the NZ landmarks visited in recent days.
Moving from the airport to the gate gave me the opportunity to get some idea of the city. Tall skyscrapers in the center /like Honolulu/, very extravagant architecture, very, very new construction. They call this part of Sydney The Rock because it is built on rock and seeping water.
The terrain is slightly hilly /similar to SF/ and very similar to it, probably these relatively new cities /18-19 century/ have a similar urban planning /moreover, they have a common dominion - England/. Its location on a lot of water has contributed to the increased use of water transport - ships of all sizes, ferry lines, yachts and luxury liners fill the water space. Colorful, noisy, street musicians, flowers colored statues, hurried workers rushing home to the end of the working day.
The berth was taken by another ship and we had to travel to ours by tender. We had to wait for outside visitors (the cruise company works closely with UNESCO), so a large group of young people had to be transported to the ship to get to know it, the crew, the style of work, and perhaps other issues of concern to young people.
Surprise .... Due to our long absence, boarding passes are blocked, solving the problem took time, and we were tired and hungry, and some of us were in a hurry for the opera ...... Everything is fine when it ends well, as he says the saying.
And now it's the turn of the famous Sydney Opera House. Impressive - both outside and inside, as if floating in the water, in the form of windswept sails and looking into the waters of the bay. And the sunrise of the next day paints it in red, pink and gold shades - great !!! Named after the most famous Australian opera singer Joan Sutherland. The interior is also impressive - wide, comfortable, with many stairs, with an amphitheater arrangement of soft red seats divided into sectors. The stage is located low down, and below it is the orchestra.
In 2007 it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. Anyone interested in other details can find them on the Internet. For me, the experience - from entering to leaving the building - filled me with enthusiasm and awe for the building - as architecture and purpose. Just think - more than 17 thousand kilometers from home I step into one of the cult cultural institutions in the world !!! This is not easy to explain, it must be felt and stored in my memory. I can't even believe in my luck!?!?!
The performance itself is the opera "Salome" by Richard Strauss. The music is quite raw, heavy, gloomy /if we start from the biblical plot, it should sound/, only towards the end I feel a slight melody. I did not feel the overture, the duration is 2 hours, without an intermission /I have not watched it at home and I have no basis for comparison/. The director's work and interpretation of the content bothers me a little, and in the end I was shocked.
A banquet hall was built at the bottom of the stage, where Herod invited the Jewish priests to decide the fate of John the Baptist. In front of the stage on a pedestal (something like that, as I liken it) the action of the opera mainly takes place. John, imprisoned, is the object of both ridicule from the clergy and sexual intent from Salome. All this time she sang about his hair and lips, pale face and exam features. In the midst of the feast, a girl began to perform a variety show with ribbons lowered from the ceiling?!?!?
Wonderful acoustics, precise performance of the singers and people, a great performance of Salome /I did not remember the name of the singer/, but my amazement overcame all these virtues. I do not accept such a biblical plot to be presented as vaudeville or a variety show. True, times change, but there are eternal truths that determine the moral foundations of society. I do not agree that classical opera should be reduced to the level of a street performance in order to please those who are not ready to understand and respect the opera art, which has experienced the vicissitudes of time for more than 200 years !!!!!
I shared these thoughts with Maria /the Italian from NZ/, who completely agreed with me. Maybe this is the way for art to come down to the masses, to make them empathize with the classics in music, to gradually incorporate them into this art. Or maybe it's about money?!?!?
Photos, photos, photos of the building against the background of the full moon, Lord, what a miracle happened to me - on the other side of the world, I attended a performance at the Opera, a full moon as a bonus to experiencing my life !!!!!
Leaving the Opera House again a surprise ....... While we were enjoying the show, the ship was moved to the gate, I couldn't believe my eyesight, I could walk to it?!?!? Good thing it's lit up so I can recognize it. And there - again border control, passport control, luggage ... If they hadn't let me through the airport, would they have sent me back to New Zealand?!?!? On top of that, the next day's trip is scheduled for 7.15 am?!?!? The race continues - luggage, tickets, clothes, shower and everything ended at midnight, in the morning - at 5.45
the marathon starts.
We travel to the Blue Mountains and the famous Three Sisters for more than 2 hours, passing through pretty towns, in English - single-storey, painted in gray, white, cream, plant fences and small but well-kept yards; schools and sports grounds, stadiums, golf courses /there are some everywhere/. It is constantly being renovated and built, medical and dental centers, but to my surprise - I rarely met churches.
The Blue Mountains are a well-developed tourist product, including remarkable natural features - rock formations, rainforests, waterfalls, rivers that I heard but did not see; 3 rock blocks /the famous Three Sisters/ of volcanic origin next to each other, overgrown with centuries-old vegetation; a low mist scattering tiny droplets of water that rose in the sunlight.
Information center, lift station with 3 directions, covering some of the most remarkable places to visit; recreation area, many observatories, signposts and warning signs, as a result of humidity - the paths are slightly slippery. One branch is something like a railway with a transparent floor, which reveals a shocking view - ravines, screes, lush greenery. The other 2 branches are cable lines to some more distant points. There are a lot of visitors everywhere, despite the unstable weather - it was constantly drizzling, it is no coincidence that they are called rainforests. At the time allotted for our visit, I managed to touch the richness of the rainforests - the fog was coming down now, the sun was driving it away; for the first time I saw and photographed young eucalyptus trees, beautiful trees, flowers and shrubs, known and unknown to me. Obviously, the peculiarities of the climate favor the richness of plant species, for which, however, man also takes daily care. As everywhere, cleanliness and order are visible to the naked eye, I met many volunteers, always available to visitors for advice and help.
We had lunch in a town near the Blue Mountains, quite quiet at the end of summer.
A very interesting sight was all 8 people at the table in the restaurant - staring at their phones to use his WI-FI network. Humeira and I did not lag behind the French and Italians with whom we were accommodated. Let me remind you that we are in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are the opposite of those in the North. And because the rain was chasing us all the time, we were forced to run from the bus to the restaurant and it prevented us from shopping at least for a while.
Entering my cabin, I was overwhelmed with the accumulated documentation - letters, messages, invitations to events on board and the shrill ringing of the phone sent me to a face-to-face meeting with the Australian authorities. I just wonder how no one wanted to see my Australian visa - neither at the airport nor here !!! It is clear that everything is known to everyone, what I could surprise them with, I'm not entirely sure. But one thing is for sure - if the relevant authorities demand something from you, you must unconditionally fulfill it, otherwise the consequences are unpredictable.
My farewell to Sydney was very emotional - on the 16th deck in the company of Maria, with whom we became very close during the adventure NZ /so I will call it in the future, that's how it was !!!/ we shared our impressions so far, we've been gossiping about common acquaintances, commenting on Salome and our disagreement about updating the play. We came to the same conclusions that I shared earlier. A beautiful sunset, the emotional Time to say goodbyeq that sounded from the intercom every time we left a port, brought me to tears.
Exhausted and tired to the limit, I hurried to relieve the tension and impressions of the last week, the good thing about the next day is that we will sail to Melbourne to be able to recover from the excitement and experiences of recent days. But I was especially happy that God gave me this opportunity to experience all this, to make my childhood dreams come true, to accumulate memories that will warm my heart and soul for a long time !!!!!
Last photos of the Opera and Harbor Bridge /from which since 1932 magnificent fireworks announce the coming of each new year/ against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset, ship's siren and we set off for Melbourne.
Day 77 - March 20, 2019 - in the Tasman Sea to Melbourne
How does it sound to you - the Tasman Sea ??? When did I assume that we would sail across this sea - to the other end of the world known to me so far? And yet it happened, just in time, as much as I needed to rest and recover from the NZ adventure. The captain announced a change in the schedule for the stay in Melbourne - the Australian meteorological services warn of a sharp deterioration of the weather - strong wind and big waves /actually it happened/, so we will be in Melbourne only one day, at the expense of the 2-day stay in Freimantal and Perth.
Day 78 - March 21, 2019 - Melbourne
They call Melbourne the most European city on the continent. There is a reason in my eyes! The buildings on Victoria Street are preserved, bearing the hallmarks of English architecture - Victoria Market has preserved its original appearance with red bricks and white plaster; one-, rarely two-storey houses, with small neat gardens in front, neat boutique hotels and apart-hotels /in many of them animals are not allowed/, galleries, bars and pubs.
In addition, some old traditions are still observed today - e.g. for some clubs women's access is forbidden or to play golf?!?!?; in private schools, students are divided by gender.
The tour started from Southgate Arts and continued along the Yara River through landmarks of the city - we admired the skyscrapers, bridges, pedestrian areas, parks, local attractions centered in the center.
I was very impressed by the Eureka Tower with its height of 300 m, gilded top floor and the golden bee - a symbol of the golden Victorian er.. During the voyage, the captain (acting as a guide) explained details, but I, true to my goal - took pictures, took pictures, took pictures and very much did not pay attention to his speech. I can always open the Internet and fill in my gaps, but I can't see and photograph the places I've been with my own eyes, can I?
This was followed by a visit to Fitzroy Park, small in area but remarkable for Captain Cook's tree (did he really plant it?). The garden is constantly cared for - pruning, watering, planting, there is even a laboratory for scientific activities. I was very impressed by the following detail - many of the trees are wrapped in plastic one-meter strips. They serve as a barrier against the possums that eat their bark, which in turn exhausts them so much that they do not have the strength to reproduce and thus the population decreases.
I notice a brochure about the upcoming Falumggong classes, a Chinese practice for health, meditation and mental health. Around one of the trees in the park, I see 3 people encircling him, exercising, providing what was promised in the teхt.
Moving through the city to the next Shrine of Remembrance I notice the large sports complex, where the famous tennis tournament Australia open, the stadium for national sports - cricket, many sports fields, obviously here the sport is practiced by the population.
The Shrine of Remembrance Memorial was built in 1939 in honor of the fallen Australian and New Zealand victims during the First World War. Again, I was impressed by the presence of students who were obviously teaching a history lesson. He himself is maintained carefully, cleanly, neatly, with the necessary attention and respect for the heroes who fell in the war.
Days 79, 80 and 81 - 22, 23 and 24.03.2019 - in the ocean / the great Australian bay /
Usually the days at sea/ocean do not differ much from each other. After so many sleepless nights, long transitions, emotions /positive, of course/, attempts to finally overcome my inhibitions to communicate with more people without worrying about language barriers, the expected change in weather, I was stressed, but I got away with a headache and more sleep - things fell into place.
Thanks to the change in the schedule I will have 3 days for relaxation and recovery, for the usual activities - educational lectures, needlework, dancing, choir. I will try to make the most of the time to use them in the most rational way. Staying in NZ gave me the opportunity to feel the atmosphere, to enjoy the beautiful nature, to touch the way of life of ordinary people /without saying that I fully got to know them, there are probably many, many, but I am grateful for that . If I had put more effort into preparing for the places I have visited so far, I might have had a better idea of them and looked at them differently. But this is the past, there is no way to fix it, only these notes and photos will remain, which I believe will take me back there again and again for a long time.
In the artcraft classes there is a new pair of Italians who have prepared a plan/by days and hours/ for the production of various objects. Today I made notebooks for t he little ladies to write down their innermost secrets!?!?!
I was finally able to unravel the question that tormented me about the formation of the full moon in the Southern Hemisphere, which is due to its different position on Earth and its rotation relative to the Northern Hemisphere - in our case it fills from right to left, right. Let me laugh at home at my unnecessary curiosity, but as I have said several times - I do not calm down until I clarify something that interests me and I need to understand it !!!
In the evening at the theater, the performance was dedicated to the Phantom of the Opera. I have watched the full version of this story, but the abbreviated version is not inferior in quality. I will not stop marveling at the richness in the repertoire of the music here - singers, instrumentalists, dancers. Music, dancing, costumes - everything is provided so that there is no repetition of any of the many evenings. I haven't counted how many red points the entertainment team in my rankings has earned, but they are not few, and I believe they will increase.
The night was extremely restless, completely in accordance with the weather forecast - very strong wind, 6-7 m high waves /and maybe more ???/, the ship crashes, bends, groans, dives into a wave, I feel lifting and his descent upon them. I could hardly blink, in the morning we all discussed the situation. Even the post-terminal does not work again. I was scared to go out on the open deck to see with my own eyes what a sea storm I had experienced. Impressive, shocking, stunning is how nature shows its power over the common man. After crashing in the bow of the ship, the waves raise their splashes to the 16th floor, they spread like fog and cover everything around with salt. Licking my mouth I felt their salty taste, all the furniture on the open decks - chairs, sunbeds, bar counters are tucked away and tied tightly to protect them from strong gusts of wind. And the stormy lead-gray clouds do not portend the imminent end of the storm, which is why I shortened my observation very quickly.
In the art craft classes this time I made an original locket; follows a dance lesson - today we learned Foro /I never remembered its origin/. At first glance, it is simple with Polynesian motifs - back and forth, sideways - left, right, turning, but in the end I could barely catch my breath. Then I quickly went to another singing lesson - we started learning two new songs Besame Mucho and Time to say Goodbye, both from the repertoire of Andrea Bocelli. I hope I do well that at the end of the trip we will perform on stage and I hope we deserve the applause for the perseverance and diligence.
In the evening in the theater I experienced another wonderful performance of an Italian singer /unfortunately I did not remember her name/, who performed some of the eternal hits of Charles Aznavour. Nice voice, great performance, great vision and a memorable performance. Should I repeat how many red dots were added ???
Today's zumba lesson was my first attempt to learn something new, but a lot of fun - unloading background music, light body warming movements, later they became more intense. I like this form of movement, I have to think about continuing to learn these skills at home.
The storm continues, but gradually subsides, the wind is still quite strong, an element that needs to weaken, salt spray is floating around the daredevils on the open decks. Let's hope that the upcoming days in Freimantal and Perth will be more pleasant. With this in mind, I prepare for the end of our visit to this remote island - Australia.
Days 82 and 83 - March 25-26, 2019 Fremantal / Perth / Australia / - after the storm
Wind with a speed of over 70 km/h, waves - over 6-7 m, salt spray - up to 16 decks, lead gray rain clouds and a ship trying to overcome the storm !!! I've been traveling this way for so many years, but I've never experienced anything like it. All around I meet pale faces, uncertain footsteps on the decks, I hear complaints of general malaise, the blue envelopes are again in the corridors. But gradually this passes and the sun tries to improve the atmosphere. I read that in Western Australia storms are fierce and the wind knows no mercy. Perhaps due to its geographical location in this part of the ocean, the weather here is very variable. We were lucky and will be happy to visit these twin cities, Fremanthal and Perth.
The first day in Fremantle and Perth was a tour is included in the package price of the cruise, therefore - the most important thing to visit. Tomorrow I will manage on my own?!?!? Will I be able to find the park with the kangaroos, at least take a picture of them, if not ride them, or - to fit in Mom Kanga's bag ???? /joke, of course/
The two cities are separated by several ocean bays, the Swan River, a number of bridges - some older, others newer, with a traditional or futuristic shape. I lost the number of historical monuments, a mixture of different architectural styles of buildings - typical colonial buildings, those with balconies, surrounded by wrought iron railings and resembling filigree lace, friezes, reddish bricks /e.g. The post office in Fremantal/ and white masonry, again neat one- and two-storey houses with the small gardens in front of them. Many parks, I was especially intrigued by the Botanical Garden /for her - later / and of course the skyscrapers in the center / I can not miss them, right?/. I was impressed by the mass construction. Public transport (land and water) is well developed, given that the population of both cities is nearly 3 million. I forgot to ask about the subway, because locals move daily for all reasons - work, study, sports. And as I mentioned sports - to note that the bike lanes are constantly loaded with cyclists, the weather today is sunny, warm, with a light breeze /at the expense of the past stormy days/ and probably now catch up with their missed workouts. Let's not forget the free 4 bus lines in the city - red, blue, yellow and green, with which the local government regulates the use of private cars in order to reduce their harmful emissions and clean air for the population.
I forgot to mention that the territory of Australia is inhabited mainly around the coast - on all sides /let's not forget that this is a whole continent/, the conditions inside are deadly /and here I think of "Mother Australia" by Aaron Fletcher, an amazing story about nature, life and survival in extremely harsh conditions in which the characters are forced to survive/. I can boast that I resisted the offer to visit the famous Uluru - the sacred Aboriginal scale. This would have completely finished me - 5 days in the interior of the country, unimaginable temperatures, insects, to admit I'm sorry for the missed opportunity/ even more that since the beginning of this year the access of foreigners to the rock is absolutely forbidden and I will never see it with my own eyes, but I bought a big poster with her image/. I have to be realistic - the visit would not be possible for me, it is an experience for young and trained people. So, be positive and enjoy everything else.
The Australian Union (federation) unites six colonies, whose form of government is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, headed by Elizabeth II. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that the distances between the big cities are between 2500-3500 km, which makes getting around now easier by plane, compared to the past, when horse-drawn carriages and wagons were used for this purpose. Just remember "Birds Die Alone", other historical films and novels.
I promised to pay more attention to the Botanical Garden due to:
1. The guide /for today/ claims that it is the largest in the world - to be checked; I was not completely convinced by the data in Wikipedia, but to accept the statement as true;
2. There are tree species from all over the world - even a grassy tree that I failed to photograph;
3. In front of each tree or bush there is a sign with its Latin or popular name. The eucalyptus planted by Elizabeth II in the 1960s took its rightful place among all others;
4. Countless flowering and non-flowering shrubs /even in early autumn/ with unimaginable shapes, sizes and aromas;
5. Perfectly maintained lawns;
6. Numerous monuments, incl. that of those killed in World War II.
Mount Eliza offers an extremely beautiful view of the two cities - Perth to the east and Fremantal to the west. Is it weird why I didn't hear and remember details from the guide's story, I was busy taking pictures, taking pictures, taking pictures ...
The care of the government and the society for protection and preservation of the environment is visible to the naked eye, not only here, but everywhere along the route. I do not believe that this is just a show tour, I think it is right that this is the way to put into practice the care of nature with our daily actions, so that there is for those after us. Don't we want to part with the world with remorse that we haven't done what is necessary for our heirs? Unfortunately, I did not encounter this later in my journey, which I will talk about later.
We stopped at the largest casino, in front of which the famous black swans with red beaks swim in a small pond. These are the most popular birds here, the river separating the twin cities bears their name. Pelicans and seagulls kept them company, and you can get tired of bird sounds - they are so strong and piercing. In the Burswoodpark there are many lakes and ponds, fountains - different in size, romantic gazebos, bridges and alleys, with the idea of providing a place to relax and unwind after a busy day.
And here is the moment to share how I was finally exposed by the leader of the Bulgarian group. There was no way I could get out of the situation, as she asked me in plain text where I was from. Then I spoke in Bulgarian, and she asked why we continue in English, to which I replied: "To practice", maybe I should have added - so as not to forget it /there is no way, still more than a month to travel/. Thus, after almost 3 months, the missing 11th member of the Bulgarian group finally appeared. As a result of the comic incident, I missed a lot of the guide's explanations, but I can always get them from the Internet.
In the evening we had a very interesting and unusual program - the performance of the very popular here Western Australia Police Pipe Band. The band was founded in 1966 and is extremely attractive with bagpipes and drums, which I think are borrowed from Scottish folklore. They are champions of Australia and the South Pacific in their category. The specifics of this type of performance can not be mistaken for anyone else, but whether they are all police officers - I did not understand. I admit that I was fascinated and surprised, especially by the dances of the two girls, which remind me a lot of the show of Lord of the dance and the legendary Michael Flatley, which I had watched before in Sofia.
Today is the birthday of my great granddaughter Elinor, in honor of which I ordered my favorite mojito. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the original Puerto Rican mojito at Bacardi's distillery. So much they can, so much they do, let me wish my little princess a happy and carefree childhood, but above all to be alive and healthy, and to have luck in life. Only God knows the rest!
The second day here I organized myself, it turned out to be not so difficult. From the shuttle bus gate I moved to the center and calmly enjoyed my walk. Many of the sights are located right here - Cappuccino Street, which Italian migrants have conquered with the famous drink and established its name over the years; the Presbyterian Scottish Church of St. Patrick /did they paint the river green on March 17?, when is the feast of this saint/, unfortunately closed on this day; the post office, the stock exchange, the picturesque buildings on the shopping street, sculptures, all kinds of flowers.
By chance I came across a small gelateria, where I enjoyed a fragrant cappuccino and my favorite yogurt-ice cream. My luck worked because I was able to use the WI-FI network and when I started surfing the Internet, there was no end - Instagram, Picolage, sending photos and messages to Bulgaria, it's a pity that the time was not suitable for calling home, otherwise I would took away the quarrel. I shopped moderately, given the amount of luggage I had to carry, I got rid of the Australian dollars - with the last money I bought wall calendars for 2020. We all know what happened through it to the whole world, but the nice pictures will remind me of this amazing journey.
The building of the Maritime Museum is a landmark that should not be missed, unfortunately I did not work today and I could not visit it. The sculptures around it are original with different, mainly sea, plots, of course. To my surprise, they were freshly painted, not like the ones I talked about earlier. An interesting frigate is anchored in the immediate vicinity /that's how I likened it/, with the rigging /I think that's the name of the sum of the ropes for the sails/. There was no one to ask just an attraction or it is active, I will turn to the Internet.
As the heat progressed, I hurried back to the ship, where I rested after a busy day in Australia. With a little sadness I will leave this part of the world, where I experienced everything, learned and saw such things, which even in my most developed imagination I did not allow possible. I will take home not only gifts, but also memories that will remind me of this adventure for a long time. Often after that, coming across books and movies in which the action takes place in these latitudes and longitudes, I will return, remembering this, so far away part of my country and home. Will I ever come back? I think this is unrealistic, but there is the Internet, books and magazines, even my photos, and now the blog. How does it sound to you?
Days 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88 - 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31.03.2019 in the Indian Ocean
The last 5 consecutive days in the ocean are coming, this time in the Indian, but the schedule remains the same: art-crafts, educational lectures, lessons - dancing and singing, concerts, filling in entrance and exit cards for the next destinations, preparing photos for entry visas for a Thai visa, getting acquainted with the local restrictions in Singapore, carefully following the deadlines for the necessary documents, which requires strict compliance with the requirements. I had relaxed so much from the tension of the previous days that I had missed noting that we had returned our watches 1 hour later, which I did not find until the third day.
I have to arm myself with more patience in making the individual products, now with a new team - Elda and Roberto, - e.g. kitchen apron and gloves, glasses/phone case, tiaras for girls. Will my relatives and friends appreciate my patience and desire to make them happy with handmade things? Absolutely!
The singing lessons continue, at the end of the month we will perform on the stage in the theater, yes, but I will not catch "stage" fever and it will refuse me to participate. I already know the lyrics - Maria translated the Italian ones for me, and a Mexican helped me with the Spanish song. Now that I know my content, it is much easier to remember them, my attitude has always been to understand the essence in order to understand what it is about.
And dance lessons are real very, very fun. We study cha-cha and merengue. In the latter there is a great dynamic - Maria /all women under this name/ and Pedro /all men under this name/ constantly change places - Maria changes Pedro, Pedro hugs Maria with constant rotation, respectively big misunderstandings. Some of the participants are having fun, others are angry, others are trying so hard that they are downright funny. I wholeheartedly enjoy Latin music, my inexperienced movements, the wrong directions. Japanese, Canadians, Italians are my partners for these activities, with the Canadian we later participate in our very fun presentation of the dance school /I forgot the names of our teachers - a very attractive couple, elegant as a figure, always smiling and positive/, infinitely patient to all of us - far from middle age, clumsy, with stiff movements, on the other hand - very diligent and executive!?!?!
My socialization after NZ continues - I became friends with Swiss, Norwegians, French, Italians /again I avoid my compatriots, I heard the outpourings of one of them and I was ashamed of her words, obviously she have no idea about the life of the ship from years ago and can not to make a comparison, but it sounded like she was in heaven !!!, and maybe for her this is the idea of heaven?/. I wonder why the men of my new acquaintances get very nervous when their wives communicate with me, whether because their English is not good enough /mine is by no means a philologist !!!/ to have a simple conversation, or do female topics bore them ??? Maria told me that her husband could not swallow the fact that his wife would teach him English ..... And why not, would it be more pleasant to be nervous when women are talking and you are in a hurry for something else or do you miss ??? I don't understand men and their big ego !!!, won't it strangle them ???
The lecturer for the last cycle of educational lectures is Armira, a wonderful Italian, very fine in appearance and quite well-read, speaks intelligible English and presents the content of the topics very attractively - Singapore, Phuket, Taj Mahal, Aqaba and Petra, Crete and Messina. We will visit them in the last month of this great journey, all famous places, attractive in one way or another, which I have read, watched or heard about, and now I will see and feel them with my own eyes and soul.
I was invited to attend a private party?!?!? for the presentation of jewelry and watches. So far I have not participated in such events and I was very intrigued. Two beautiful girls presented gold jewelry /I only wear white gold jewelry/, related to the current cruise and watches, on which I did not even remember the brand. I show no interest in such products, no matter how beautiful they may be. I'm very simple, and I don't even look at what I don't need (in the case of a watch). But on the other hand, the presence of the captain himself gave special significance to the event and I must respect him as well.
The evening performances in the theater again pleasantly surprised me - the participation of the band Music and Mascara was more than diverse /instrumental performances, especially by Michele - the conductor, who for me is a virtuoso on the violin/; a very attractive duet of summer skates; acrobats, dancers, costumes, captivating music; Anna Vicci from Italy reminded us a lot of the repertoire of Ella Fitzgerald and other singers; the abbreviated version of "The Barber of Seville" brought me to tears of laughter by shouting at a man from the audience /probably a proxy/, who was shaved live !!! Well, it already deserves a very big bravo and a big red dot !!!!!
I still did not understand when we passed through one of the straits of Indonesia, near /relative, of course/ to Java /I think it was the largest of all over 17 thousand islands/. I heard the captain's explanation for Krakatoa, but fascinated by the meringue, I could not remember the details. As I mentioned more than once, every day at noon we received an intercom report on the weather, ship speed, water depth, and other interesting details, in addition to those published in the daily bulletin, not to forget the captain's corner on the 6th floor.
And now I pay special attention to the shocking /for me/ restrictions that we must observe during our stay in Singapore:
- it is obligatory to carry an international passport and a residence card;
- no cigarettes;
- no chewing gum;
- no drugs and narcotics;
- personal medicines - only with a prescription;
- no alcohol;
- declaring amounts over 20 thousand Singapore dollars;
- no eating in vehicles;
- the prohibition is the use of writing on mobile means when crossing;
- no garbage disposal;
- the ban is the crossing of streets where there is no pedestrian path;
- the ban is spitting and spitting on the streets;
- smoking in public places is prohibited;
- Gathering more than 4 people on the street.
I just couldn't believe what I just read, probably the cleanliness and hygiene of this island-state were in a nightmarish state before these harsh measures were introduced. Let's not forget that the population lives on a small area, almost as much as the whole of Bulgaria !!! Heat and humidity favor the putrefactive processes of household waste and probably affect the living conditions as a whole, which is why compliance with these restrictions regulates the behavior of its inhabitants.
Days 89 and 90 - 01-02.04.2019 - Singapore and its restrictions
Singapore welcomes us with torrential rain and temperatures above 30 degrees, sticky humidity, fog, thunder, nothing very hospitable weather?!?!? But the tour will still take place /the package price is included, there is no way to miss it, right?/. The other offers are for evening tours, including the one I look forward to - Marina Bay Hotel and the world famous rooftop pool, the famous light and sound show in the lake in front of him.
My first impressions are of a young and dynamic city-state, more precisely a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, located on a small area - about 720 thousand square kilometers and nearly 6 million inhabitants, which explains skyscrapers both in its business and and municipal housing for the population with 30-40 floors. The guide claims that about 85% of the inhabitants live in them, as it is cheaper to live in them. Construction is ubiquitous, and the renovation of existing buildings is also in full swing. Skyscrapers rise in bizarre shapes and unusual to the eye architectural solutions /given the international architectural offices that have built and continue to build it, this is easy to explain, right?/. Some of the landmarks - e.g. Raffles Hotel and Merlion (the symbol of Singapore - the lion from whose mouth constantly gushes a strong stream of water) are under reconstruction, so they are off the list to visit. Throughout the tour we are accompanied by lots and lots of greenery and flowers /natural and artificial, e.g.the area around the port, which was recaptured from the sea on specially filled soil?/, nightmarish traffic /I still could not imagine what awaits me in Kuala Lumpur, for him later/. Chinatown /where without it?/, Little India /geographical proximity explains its presence/, the Arab quarter /there is no getting rid of them !!!/. The colonial buildings of the recent past are maintained in perfect condition as part of the history of the republic, which is valued by the government and the population, and preserved properly.
We started the tour from the Botanical Garden, which amazes me with its huge size and I must say that we saw a very small part of it, but even that is enough to admire the countless species of flowers, shrubs and trees. Such plant species, which we grow at home in pots, grow freely here with such sizes, shapes, aromas, incomparable in every respect - orchids they say that there are more than 3000 species in the world, I have not counted these here, but they are probably approaching to this number, strelitzia, palms, etc. There is a separate ginger park, a palm valley, the black orchid made me doubt my vision.
For a brief moment I saw hummingbirds, but by the time I realized it, it flew away without being photographed, very unfortunate, I will never have that opportunity again, but ref my lexes were clearly not fast enough to outrun even the smallest bird in the world. Proper care (I noticed workers scraping the overgrown grass from the tiles) is taken to maintain this wealth of plants, I observed during our stay here everywhere and in general here they take great care of natural resources /obviously in this small area and huge population, people need to have a way to take a breath/. I was very impressed that mostly men work both in the garden and in the other sites we visited later.
The rain in the morning and the high temperatures later contribute to sticky moisture, breathing becomes very difficult, the glasses sweat and make those who are not used to these conditions feel uncomfortable.
The next site to visit is the former parliament - currently the National Museum, surrounded by several foreign embassies /Australian, American/, the National Library, hospitals, schools, banks, hotels, restaurants. Now there is a theater, art gallery, and nearby is the famous (currently under reconstruction) hotel Raffles known for the exoticism of the recent past and a favorite place of many writers who include it in their works /Somerset Moam, for example/. Singapore's symbol, the white lion Merlion, is also closed for renovation, so the list of local attractions is shrinking, not that there are no others, but for this short time of our stay here it is unthinkable to claim a full visit to the cultural heritage.
And here I saw students conducting a history lesson at the National Museum, probably for a closer connection with the past and easy learning of the material in this setting.
We also went through the traditional neighborhoods - China town, Little India and the Arab quarter, such a mixture of nationalities, customs and traditions of such a small space is a great challenge, especially for a peaceful existence. At noon, different smells come from everywhere, plus the high humidity, countless shops with different goods, crowds of people - locals and tourists, there is no such noise and commotion, sellers shout to praise the goods and attract customers ...
Colorful, exotic and unforgettable experience.
Passing through Little India, I came across a Buddhist temple and entered out of pure curiosity. For the first time I found myself in such a situation and I was amazed by the richness and extravagance of colors, flowers, many statues of Buddha in different sizes and poses, crowds of worshipers, incense sticks, oriental chants, in other words exotics of the purest kind. The proximity of the subcontinent explains the presence of the vast majority of Indian physiognomies, their religious temples, diversity and other communities explains the presence of synagogues, mosques, I noticed and Christian cathedrals. In the distance I saw the famous hotel Marina bay with a rooftop pool /where we will return tonight to the light show/, and from China town I got a few souvenirs /Chinese production, of course/ for souvenirs and gifts.
The evening tour started at dusk from the gate, through the business center with its skyscrapers and flashing lights, first stopping at the Food market area. Located in the square of the financial center with countless banks of world famous brands and offers food for all tastes - Asian specialties of fried or breaded vegetables, spaghetti /their noodles/, seafood /arranged on crushed ice/, ceiling fans spread different flavors of prepared food served in plastic containers. According to the guide, this is how the locals eat en masse and for about 10 euros you can eat well. Probably the municipal housing we saw in the morning, does not cook and for this reason this industry has many fans. In the evening, the streets in this section are closed to traffic, tables and chairs are taken out and the business works while there are customers, and they do not stop late at night. Young girls and boys strive to take care of the maximum number of customers of the countless wok pans, serve people quickly and accurately, and those who want to eat quickly and deliciously have no end.
We arrive at Marina bay sands, passing through the lobby of the hotel, its shopping area, dozens of escalators and elevators, boutiques and shops from world fashion chains, accessories, etc., until we settle on the promenade by the lake /in times bigger than his brethren/ in anticipation of the light show. It is borrowed from those in Las Vegas and Dubai, but is much more lavish and breathtaking - especially with the duration /nearly 15 minutes/, the richness of colors, shapes of figures painted with water, musical layout and unimaginable lighting effects. Dozens of tourist boats sail in the lake all the time, from where I guess the view is very impressive. I was all sprayed /well, there was no strong wind/, but it does not occur to me to complain, because I was central and had excellent visibility for photos of Singapore at night.
Locals and foreign tourists admired the show, which will leave unforgettable memories of the experience, accompanied by dozens of photos and videos as proof of a wonderful evening. For our group, she continued to climb with an incredibly fast elevator to the 56th floor /unfortunately our tickets did not include a visit to the pool, but I managed to get close enough and tried to take pictures, but the photos did not become good enough , but I am also grateful for that/.
I spent the second day of our stay in Singapore visiting the famous Marina bay gardens, which left me breathless. They are not Indian, silver and all such separate corners, a special playground with water sprinklers for today's 32 degrees and high humidity are refreshing and invigorating not only for children but also for their parents and relatives. Ponds, water lilies, different types of orchids, palms, cacti in different sizes and shapes, metal sculptures of birds, bees, butterflies, a live lizard/iguana passed nearby at high speed, I could not distinguish it in the speed of movement, giant boababs, bamboo, grasses, carnivorous plant species and what not. In the evening there is also a light show here, part of it I watched last night from the terraces of the hotel, but I was busy eating sorbet and for this reason my hands could not take pictures, and in the meantime the show ended !!! Well, it's like you can't have everything, I'm grateful for what I touched and felt with all my heart and soul, and I'll never forget it.
I end the day with the final rehearsals for the cha-cha dance, which we will present to the audience tonight. A big concern, everyone is gripped by a stage fever, as if heads will "fly" if we confuse the steps. But our worries turned out to be in vain, we had great success - a blessed audience that clapped, shouted and filmed our performance. On a relatively small dance floor 9 couples, led by Patricia and Leonardo /our coaches/ did great. For 6 days these young people tried to make us something tolerable for viewers. The night ended on the 13th deck with a themed evening dedicated to Singapore - its symbol is the lion Merlion of ice, several dozen types of sushi, seafood, carvings. I will not stop marveling at the mastery of the chefs and confectioners, who always try to surpass themselves. My evaluation of their performance is extremely high and they deserve my admiration and admiration !!!
Day 91 - April 3, 2019 - Port Klang / Malaysia / - Kuala Lumpur
There is no way to describe this day, except in one word - racing!!!!! From Port Klang at 9 am to our return at 7 pm - a race against time with the sole goal of not miss every single landmark on the list of Kuala Lumpur, the most populous city in Malaysia and its capital. We happened upon a local guide who was trying to do his job in the best way and to fill our slow movement in the nightmarish traffic. I counted 5 lanes in both directions, plus 2 side lanes in addition for the motorcyclists, 14 checkpoints at the TOLL POINT, I only watched such a thing in the movies, and today we actively got involved.
The state, public and administrative leadership of the country does not differ significantly from those in Singapore, with the only difference - the royal person or sultan, as he is called here. The British colonial system has left its mark here as well - especially in the center, public buildings, sports grounds /mostly for cricket/, a senate with two chambers, symbols and rituals reminiscent of the past. Of course, the present is visible to the naked eye - the urbanization with its skyscrapers, electric trains /trolleys/ I could not formulate them most accurately, but in my eyes so I define them/ and the line along which they move in the city, using electromagnetic devices - viaducts, overpasses, traffic lights, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles - countless, people, crowds, queues.
The good thing in this case was that we were warned what to expect - Asian traffic, heat, humidity, air conditioners, fans, drafts, how not to sneeze and cough after that?!?! The guide tried to fill the time with explanations for various aspects of life in this country - government policy, social system, housing, population preferences, health and education, care for the youngest and the oldest, agriculture and in particular - the main export product - palm oil. And all this against the background of a speed of about 45-50 km/h, non-stop traffic, horns, meandering from one lane to another and the constant change of landscape.
For a start, we stopped at the National Museum. I open a large bracket to explain about education here, which is state policy and a lot is done - state and municipal schools, private, religious, colleges, universities, language /mostly English/, again I saw history lessons in the museum.
The museum itself is not large - only on 2 floors, with many exhibits covering periods from prehistoric times to the present day. Unfortunately, the short time we gave him did not allow us to give him the attention he deserved, but that is enough.
The next object to visit is the royal palace /the king is in it, so of course the yellow flag raised above one of the gilded domes, it is a pity that we will not visit it for an audience due to lack of time, hahaha/.Orientally patterned, gilded, the fence, in my opinion, strongly resembles that of Buckingham Palace, perfectly maintained green areas /outside and inside/, fountains, honor guard - guards and soldiers on horseback, we witnessed the change of guard. And here crowds, regardless of the working day, do not even dare to think what is on the weekends /according to Islamic traditions - Friday and Saturday/, not to mention the religious holidays, and they are very dependent on religion - Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism, I didn't ask about others ... Is it a joke or the truth, but the guide shared that they work here for about 10 months a year, the rest were holidays ...
And now, on the run to Independence Square, won in 1957, a fresh lawn is in the foreground - it turned out to be a cricket field left over from the English colonial period, which is preserved as a symbol of that time /I didn't know if it was used, but looking at how intact it is, they hardly play sports here/. The national flag has been raised on a high pedestal, some buildings surrounding the place have been preserved and are used for public needs, religious buildings, skyscrapers surround the area. Around it is booming (as by the way everywhere in this region), sidewalks, gardens, dust and noise, but on the other hand there is a policeman who regulates the road and gives priority to people. In the multimillion capital, special care is taken of lawns, given the climate and the need for a breath of fresh air for the population. Against the background of massive high-rise construction, represented mainly by skyscrapers in the center, and not only there, their height of 30-40 meters and more, the abundance of glass and steel, bizarre architectural solutions, swimming pools on their roofs, moisture has left its mark on many of the other buildings. Outside the center, wealthy Malaysians live in apartment complexes, similar to houses in England, with fences, access, barriers.
In the immediate vicinity of Independence Square, the two rivers meet /I think their name is quite exaggerated, for me they are canals, but this is only in my eyes, maybe during the rainy season they really form into rivers/ - Klang and Gombak, who also gave the name of the city - a place where two rivers meet is the name of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysian.
Back on the bus and the traffic jam for the other landmark Petronas Twin Towers.
Unfortunately for the guide, they are no longer the tallest in the world with their 451 meters and that is why their name has been changed to twins. They are really very impressive - a combination of glass and metal (like most in the world), I wonder if mold attacks it like ordinary buildings, and how do they clean it if that happens? From the guide's explanations, I learned that the state oil company Petronas also owns the country's telecommunications system. Crowds, peddlers, noise, dust, heat, humidity and again many photos for memory and proof.
Again on the run for lunch at the Concord Hotel, where those of the passengers who paid for lunch in the twin towers also had lunch, but unlike us were admitted to some of their floors /perhaps to the skybridge, but I never understood exactly, so I do not regret the missed opportunity to brag about lunch in the towers, obviously the routes were almost the same/.
Lunch itself was one of my "favorites" - elbows and knees resting on each other, buffet - to see and choose the food - salads, rice /how without it here/, desserts and much more, alcohol /although Islam forbids it/, is offered to tourists in hotels, and all this within 45 minutes?!?!? Eating, drinking, taking pictures or something else, my food is strung like a skewer in the esophagus, it's good that I don't change the assortment, otherwise I don't know what would have happened to my stomach?!?!
And finally - on the way to KLTower - the TV tower, built on the site where 100 years ago stretched the jungle. One tree from that time is still preserved today - JelutongTree. The tower itself is the 7th tallest in the world with its 421 meters, well-organized and managed tourist product, queues for tickets to the observatory desk, surprisingly only 2 pcs. high-speed elevators to and from it, from where you can see the city in the palm of your hand. We didn't have access to the restaurant (and we had lunch), but they say that it was remarkable for its panoramic rotating structure. To my surprise, the terrain of the city is hilly /I was left with the impression so far of a plain/, with increasing attention I followed the course of the storm, the torrents pouring from the sky, at the opposite end of the city the sun was shining brightly. They say that in clear weather, the visibility from here is 50 km, we could not check today for many reasons, one of which is the storm. I repeatedly photographed the views of the city from different points, the information boards comparing it and others like it in the world, the visitors, the souvenir shops, but unfortunately we had to return to the ship. This went on for so long that we would have missed the departure of the ship /where without us/, but if you are not in a group you can be a free radical and look for a way to catch up with the ship to the next destination /there have been such cases, rumor has it tells about them/. The journey lasted so long in the insane traffic jam that it completely exhausted me and I didn't even have the strength to get angry, but are the locals used to this rhythm? Surely, there is simply no other way out, and this is repeated every day, and we were only for a while and traveled far away .....
Days 92 and 93 - 04-05-04.2019 - Phuket /Thailand/
To describe my experiences from Phuket I can express in just two words - shock and horror !!!
Once again I was convinced that the advertising materials / brochures, leaflets ..... / with their breathtaking photos, romantic plots, tanned young people and all in that order, promise unforgettable experiences, if you have a lot of money, free time to cross several time zones and change 2-3-4-5 flights, etc. The reality / in my eyes / is completely different, I emphasize again - this only applies to what I touched and saw personally:
1. Colonies of huge jellyfish - no surprise at temperatures of 35-38 degrees .....
3. I will not comment on the climate - high 30-35 degree temperatures, sticky humidity, to add noise and dirt, as if here are something completely in order.
4. The hotels swept away by the tsunami in 2004 have been rebuilt, but traces of mold can be seen on the facades and give them a dilapidated look. Unlike here, in Greece every year at the beginning of the season the accommodation places of all kinds are painted, even its proximity to Bulgaria is an exceptional advantage for the Europeans, and is not inferior to the local exotics / not to mention the food that has their fans /. Hotels and hotels on 2-3 floors, with very narrow facades, due to the steep terrain, and construction continues at a furious pace and in unthinkable places. What happens during the rainy season /m.m. 05-10 / and whether landslides / landslides are formed - the guide did not say a word.
5. On the streets of the island / we toured it almost all / and on both sides hang clusters of cables / according to the guide's explanation they are not dangerous / - only for TV, internet, mobile operators, without electricity, whether to trust him completely ? They would take them underground in 5 years, should I trust them, not that I would come again?!?!?
6. At the end of the bridge after our descent from the tender, to the main promenade, they wait for young people with suggestions for all kinds of transport to local attractions - remote beaches and smaller islands, to the famous James Bond Island - representing the sea. limestone rock and took part in one of the episodes of the unforgettable magician and detective. They are so insistent that they are even worried, I don't even think I trust them / I heard the guide advise some of the Bulgarian group not to undertake such experiments, but I did not understand in more detail to understand the reasons for this /.
7. The dirt is monstrous - in black bags all kinds of waste are collected, which at the end of the day smell disgusting and flow ... The locals do not pay any attention to this detail and lie in hammocks, occupied chairs, deck chairs and more. such, try to escape the heat under the loose branches of trees and shrubs. From strollers - manual, portable and stationary, food, drinks, fruits, juices are offered, and dare to taste something?!?!? I noticed sellers with masks, the pandemic was not yet raging, apparently in this way they are trying to protect themselves, from what ...... ?????
8. Usually the houses, shops, offices are gloomy (because of the heat, maybe) rooms directly on the street, above them is the residential parts, probably narrow facades due to lack of enough space, or not?!?! The guide shared that 70% of the country's territory is hilly, only 30% - flat, so the terracing is widely used, both for agriculture / mainly rice / and for construction.
9. The main vehicle is the motorcycle, everyone - young, old, boys, girls use it every minute. The usual view is the following - the father / mother drives, the older child is in front, everyone else follows ..... At the front of the handlebars is a shopping basket, there are often some on the side, helmets are mandatory, but there are also such without them. The traffic lights are no more than 10-15, where I saw them, the roads are being repaired everywhere, and around them - construction waste. I did not notice much work enthusiasm, but at these temperatures and nothing else is expected, it is good that there are still those who work.
10. 70% of the population professes Buddhism, 20% - Hinduism and the remaining 10% - for all other religions. For this reason, Buddhist temples predominate here, which I will talk about later.
11. The king is held in high esteem, his portraits are everywhere, and his life is a public secret. Rumor has it that a few years ago he married a former kiss (30 years younger than him) from the Soviet republics, who changed his religion because of it.
12. Along the roads there are shops / traps, where everything is sold - strung bags, colorful packages, various inflatable toys and what not, and, of course, food and drinks. Should I risk buying something ???, it doesn't even cross my mind. And again - striking dirt, but the locals do not pay any attention to it, they probably ignore it to live in harmony with it?!?!?
The afternoon / evening tour is the attraction today and is the only thing that impressed me for several reasons and they are:
- we visited SIAM NIRAMIT, it strongly reminds me of the open-air ethnographic museum Etara near Veliko Tarnovo. It is a complex combining several attractions - Thai Village Holiday Village, shopping and restaurant, an impressive theater hall, outdoor areas for performances and sports, and all surrounded by a pond.
- The holiday village tells about the life and way of life of the Thais in the past - typical crafts such as agriculture and animal husbandry, making umbrellas and pottery, terraced / because of the hilly terrain, of course / growing the main agricultural culture - rice, outdoor cooking - very interesting to prepare eggs on the eye on a palm leaf, I was even afraid to try the rice pudding / to my surprise it was delicious and did not hurt me at all /. Birds, who are not afraid of people at all, announced the village in the evening, I noticed tiny fish in the pond, but the water lilies fascinated me more than anything.
- Before heading to the restaurant and the show, we were pleasantly surprised by an outdoor performance, the main attraction of which were a pair of elephants. In the past, they were the main fighting unit in the relentless battles of the locals / both with each other and with external enemies /.
- And now the culmination of the evening - the show in the theater!
Before him, all on our feet, we listened to the national anthem of the country in honor of the king and with wishes for a long life. This is the tradition here and we had to respect it. Filming the show is absolutely forbidden, we have been informed about it several times, and it is completely understandable why. Some moments of the show were explained in several languages - Thai, Chinese, Hindi, English, and surprise - Russian / in the city I often saw inscriptions in Russian, why ??? /. The historical past of the country, way of life and culture, the ruling dynasties over the years, incl. and the Khmers, hell and heaven in the religious notions of the locals, the struggles for independence, the folk festivities and festivals. And all this very colorful, colorful, unusual for the eye and ear of tourists. Part of the show included a performance in a water environment / something resembling the Cirque De Soleil /, but there was also a surprise - the power went out / according to the announcer for technical reasons / for more than 15-20 minutes. The good thing in this case was that the hall was spacious and cool, with comfortable plush red armchairs. What was my surprise when in the course of the performance, a couple of artists stood in front of me / it is impressive that they only dance barefoot?!?!? / The boy was carrying a bowl of water and poured my right hand. The girl was carrying a bowl of flowers and told me something. I was so shocked that I didn't know if he spoke to me in Thai or English! I asked the guide after the show about the significance of what happened and he explained that they thanked me for attending the show !!! I don't remember another time part of the troupe of artists, and I have attended many performances at home and around the world, to thank me for respecting his work! This shook me and decorated my stay here, at the expense of all the other disappointments of the island. After the show, all the artists / about 100 people / were divided into groups for photos with the interested spectators, which was very nice, especially since the show itself lasted more than 2 hours and they took their time to give us another opportunity. to rejoice in them.
The second day of Phuket was filled with new visits - the Puket Thai Hua Museum, a cashew production workshop, the Wat Chalong Hindu temple complex and the obligatory Promthep Cape.
The National Museum is housed in a renovated Chinese school building, freshly painted and well-designed as an exhibit. We only had 30 minutes for it, of course it is not enough just to read the titles of the individual sections, let alone understand the explanations to them, but this is enough to understand that the independence struggles over the years are mainly traced. In a nutshell (at least that's how I saw it) the way of life and crafts of the locals are reflected, there wasn't even a souvenir shop?!?!?
On the run through Chinatown, enough to make sure once again that my place is not there for future travel, except for Japan and possibly Vietnam?!?!? We will see, we will judge, we will decide, there is enough time / without guessing what the next few months will bring us with the Covid pandemic?!?!? / It was interesting to visit our cashew production workshop. I realized that the wood itself was brought from Brazil and found its place here because of the climate and its production has become a good export product. The tree and the fruit, some of the production phases until its packaging were documented in photos, I tried some types and bought one package only / don't forget though that I have two hands that have to deal with the large amount of luggage, right?!? !? /.
The interesting thing is ahead in the temple complex and a functioning monastery / if this is the correct definition of the Thai language /. It consists of several pagodas, another - under construction, in the distance you can see the Big Buddha / 45-meter marble statue, erected in gratitude by the population for saving the island from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2004 /.
The pagodas are richly decorated, with lots of greenery and flowers, scented candles and many worshipers. And no one looks at the curious tourists, everyone is immersed in prayers and rituals. Suddenly there are thunders / I, maybe others like me were scared with the most disturbing thoughts in our heads !!! /, it turned out to be a ritual in special furnaces, where grateful / or praying for support and help locals throw special mixtures, with which they pay homage to their deities. Here, too, the lack of time is crucial so that you do not get to know in detail everything around us, but even this is enough to get a general idea of religious traditions and customs.
I must say that I leave here with mixed feelings - after all, this part of Thailand is a world-famous tourist destination, nature has poured a lot of goods and locals use them most rationally, tourists are not missing for many reasons - year-round warm climate, richness of fresh produce, turbulent historical past, religious heritage. I would not say that the locals live easily, not at all, but for
on the other hand, they are very friendly, they are satisfied with what they have, they work hard, which deserves my respect. If only it was cleaner and tidier!?!?!
Days 94 and 95 - 06-07.04.2019 in the sea / Andaman /
After the frantic race of the last 5 days / Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand /, the two days at sea are a breath of fresh air for me before the adventure of India and the Taj Mahal. And yet there is no room for boredom - filling out the entrance card to enter Sri Lanka, dance lessons / this time something completely new - foxtrot / something like a waltz, but two steps faster /, merengue / I had almost forgotten the steps except the names of the couple - Maria and Pedro /, art workshop / I made a cute bag for notes /.Armida's educational lecture was about Colombo / the capital of Sri Lanka /, but I will miss getting to know the city because of the Taj Mahal. I am almost mentally prepared for the misery that awaits me in India, collecting impressions from the islands, I will only add the cows and I am ready / I realized how much I overestimated myself immediately when I set foot on the subcontinent !!! /.
The evening performance at the theater was the opera "Bohemia" by Giacomo Puccini. I will be very interested in the interpretation after reading the background of the work from the book I have just read about the composer. I will not stop admiring the musicians - very good scenography, the most important moments of the opera were presented in an elegant way by all the singers, a brilliant performance of the orchestra. How to save the enthusiasm and applause in this production?!?!? I finally got everything I needed for India, I'm so excited to visit one of the world's biggest landmarks - the Taj Mahal. From Santos / the hairdresser / I learned that many Indians, including himself, had never visited him, so I consider myself lucky to have a planned visit there.
The captain announced on the intercom about the upcoming passage through the Suez Canal, which will be carried out under escort by patrolling warships !!!
This is done in order to avoid any risks associated with pirates or terrorist attacks, which are not excluded in this part of the world / later something similar happened, but with a successful end, which I will talk about later /. It was not clear to me just how to distinguish the individual colors relating to the relevant precautions by the crew. I hope I do not have to witness something like that, but I will certainly strictly follow any instructions on board, God protect us !!!
What was the second day on the ship - I managed to walk 10,000 steps?!?!?, Without understanding how it happened - from class to class, with a 10-minute stay in the library only?!?!? - 9 am - art workshop - making slippers with applique;
- 11.30 am - dance lesson - polka - not to see his pace, easy steps, small figures for dancing, but very fast, obviously I'm not for this dance !!!;
- 1 pm - educational lecture about the Maldives / I will not stop marveling at the statement of many compatriots that their island is their dream for a vacation?!?!?; It turns out that the Maldives has the highest altitude - only 1.5-2 meters above sea level, with a tendency to fall even more in the near future; 22 million inhabitants, over 200 inhabited islands, and many more uninhabited, forming the country. The famous and extremely expensive resorts are in some of the inhabited ones, while in the capital Male - there is not one / and there is a reason /. 100% Islam, veils, religious taboos, a mixture of traditions and here and there innovations of today. I will add my impressions after my return from India and I will have only 1 day to complete my education, but obviously in order to get here, you have to have a lot of money, free time and a good reason.
- 3 pm - recital of people, but this time I hesitated to get involved, there is still time for reflection before the last performance;
- 5 pm - dance lesson - cha-cha, great effort with it, the speed and the frequent change of steps confuse me, but I will try, really !!!;
- reception - tourist office, and vice versa. I must confirm my participation in the captain's cocktail on the occasion of the presentation of the honorary plaque from Singapore. These plaques are presented to the ship's management in gratitude for mooring at their port. This is the tradition - from each port - the captain receives a plaque, which is installed in a special section on the 7th floor and on this occasion he invites guests - from different countries represented on the ship. Today is the turn of the Bulgarian group.
Final preparations for the adventure India - passport, visa, photos and more. similar, without which I can not enter the country. The luggage must be ready, as our departure is announced early in the morning, and the program is so busy that I doubt if I will be able to take a breath at all / I did not predict how long we will travel from Delhi to Agra, where we arrived very late in the night, even ... but I will stop at that later, when the time comes /.
- the evening performance in the theater was completely suitable for what I will encounter directly in India - Bollywood, completely in their genre - Indian rhythms, colorful clothes, acrobatics of the most plastic kind, is not my favorite kind of show , but it happens as an initial attitude.
Days 96, 97 and 98 - 08-10.04.2019 - the adventure of India and the Taj Mahal
That it was an adventure, I can't blame my soul. Indeed, no matter how much I thought I was mentally prepared for what awaited me on the subcontinent, everything turned out to be beyond my imagination, although I had listened, watched, read, it must be seen with my own eyes in order to perceive adequately. What is seen and experienced is beyond the world I know, orders and traditions are in complete conflict with our culture and way of life, even just the appearance of people speaks of their origin, their clothing and behavior clearly show their place in the social ladder, despite the fact that we live in the 21st century, many things from the past have not been overcome here and I think that very difficult, even never, will not be overcome.
I continue with a description of the adventure of India and the Taj Mahal /TM/, the thoughts remain for later.
We had a slight false start on our departure - they showed us a bus, which turned out to be for the day tour in Colombo, instead of the one for the airport for our flight to Delhi /or Deli, as it is called here/. The misunderstanding was quickly resolved and at 9 o'clock at 30 degrees we set off for it, passing, to my joy and surprise, through the city and visited some landmarks - the Buddhist temple complex Gangaramaya Temple and the Independence Memorial.
My first impressions are related to the huge construction - a new one is being built near the existing port /note - with Chinese investments/, hotels /I saw one from the Hyatt chain/, roads are being widened or new ones are being built, there are probably other projects, but I only saw this. I think that in this way many jobs are created and incomes are provided to the huge masses of people who, as everywhere in the world, come to the big city with the hope of a livelihood and a way to survive.
Buddhism is the religion practiced by the majority of the population, and for this reason temples are given due importance - cleanly maintained /against the background of the general dirt/, with many flowers and bushes, waterfowl in the ponds, lavishly decorated pagodas /due to the early hour we were not allowed inside/, but we secured many photos.
This is followed by the Independence Memorial won by England in 1948. Let me remind you that today's Sri Lanka was named Ceylon, hence the famous Ceylon tea, which the British consumed during the TeaTime ritual, a major export product and its presence is noticeable everywhere. The complex is built in an architectural form, in accordance with the local climate - dominated by open spaces, many columns, lawns.
Here before the English were dominated by Portuguese, Danes for a longer or shorter time. The longest was the English presence, which left a mark visible after so many years - buildings, traditions, cricket, parliamentary structure.
Noisy, dusty, congestion /on Monday morning/, regulators - with face masks /and the covid-pandemic has not been announced yet/ because of the vapors/ wonder how they breathe with them all day ?????/, here and there traffic lights /somewhere they shone only in yellow/. It was a striking discovery to see a museum of Yuri Gagarin, but there is one, so many years after his space flight, obviously there is a reason, don't you agree with me?
Arriving at the airport long before the flight provided us with the necessary peace of mind regarding the preparation of documents and all subsequent actions - with the "fast" pace of processing boarding passes, baggage checking, customs and passport control, and nothing could lead to the release of the aircraft. The airport in Colobmo is under renovation /in operation since 1969/, but the ground staff does not try to shorten the queues as soon as possible - with one finger on the keyboard the necessary data from the electronic tickets are entered into the computer, we manually put our luggage for measuring its weight, while at the same time by the luggage lane /at the same time two young strong men are obviously bored with their phones without bothering to help us with something?!?!?/. The passport check is delayed for no reason (in my opinion), the clerk is obviously bored because he overwhelmed me with questions about the ship (he told me that he also traveled with another cruise company), showed me photos from that trip, and finally forgot to go further. after satisfying his curiosity.
The new part of the airport is much more modern, glamorous shop windows and stands, dominated by packets of Ceylon tea in its various varieties, cashews, works of local craftsmen - umbrellas, bags, souvenirs, scarves, all kinds of travel accessories, etc. so called I used the free network most rationally to communicate with my relatives.
I was surprised by the practice of admission to the seats on the plane /after a thorough inspection, again, they even made me take off my shoes/ - first the passengers from the back rows got on, then - those from the front, and finally - those in the middle /obviously this is done in order to avoid the accumulation of the crowd and the accommodation of hand luggage and the passengers themselves in places/.
The flight went relatively smoothly, with only 2-3 slight turbulences. I used the time to watch The Hazelnut Crusher /film version of the famous ballet from 2018/, which is a great pleasure - at 10,000 above the ground, at more than - 50 degrees and a speed of over 700 km/h to enjoy one of Tchaikovsky's most famous works.
The descent to Delhi Airport was quite curious to me - a lot of smog makes visibility extremely low, and after we left the airport a specific pungent odor was added. The airport itself is huge, on my return I was even more convinced of its size, but later I will introduce you to the reasons why my impressions were confirmed.
We were greeted by the owner of the travel company, who would accompany us throughout our stay here with garlands of fresh flowers, which was unexpected and a very nice gesture of attention. A total of 40-45 people were the passengers of the ship - one bus /English-speaking/, one bus /French- and Italian-speaking/, one bus /German- and Spanish-speaking/. In the English bus I found Shopping /the Romanian I mentioned several times from Hawaii onwards, and I never asked his name, but on the other hand, every time we met I addressed him only in this way/.
Crowds, cars, horns, heavy traffic, luggage - suitcases, bags, sacks, packages, decks and all other forms of transportation of goods, all this accompanied us from the airport to our departure from Delhi. In the dark I did not notice the sacred cows, but in the following days I met them many times everywhere /later I will present them to you in photos/. Our trip to Agra lasted until 11 o'clock late in the evening. We stayed in the former Radisson Hotel, of which only his name remains /even it turned out to be changed, along with the property/ - shiny at first glance, but at second glance it is obvious how worn out, very, very service staff /mainly men/; I will return to this topic later.
Baggage inspection /according to the safety procedure /, accommodation, late dinner /although in the bus we ate all kinds of junk food - chips, juices, only bananas turned out to be healthy/, packages of chips, corn and rice snacks, jelly candies in various shapes and colors, full of chemical juices, the ship's staff bought them from every port with huge bags /then we wonder why they are so thick?!?!/. My dinner consisted of fruit and yogurt, after which I tried to sleep. Quite unsuccessful, given the late hour and the upcoming early rise - at 5.30 we had to be at sunrise on the Taj Mahal, when the sun gives a wonderful shade to the domes of the mausoleum and surrounding buildings, and it is not so hot and there are not many people.
Our movement to TM was very exotic - in front of the hotel were lined 15-
20 rickshaws/driven by bicycles, not by people, as in the recent past, we were accommodated in pairs, and the driver, weak as a stick and baked like salt, rode the pedals in a row one by one the rickshaw went to the complex. It turned out that he was very close, ie. we could move on foot, but since the locals had to make a living, they fulfilled their obligation to transport us. I was convinced quite clearly that a job that can be done by 1 person /and elsewhere in the world by a machine gun !!!/, here is done by 2-3 /all men !!!/, just to provide some employment and pay for these people /as we know the population of India is more than 1 billion !!!/, how such a large mass is managed, fed, organized - it is a mystery to me. In our bus, in addition to the owner of the company and the driver, there was another young boy, a relative of the boss, probably passed on the craft to him and here arose the association with combining the positions of driver and guide in one /2 in 1/ on the islands. the difference is obvious and the conclusions are logical. Not to mention the monstrous gap between the individual castes - today only 4, and in the past - 33, with the doom never to leave any of them, if you were unlucky enough to be born in one of the lowest, the so-called the untouchables / ie those that those of the higher caste dare not touch, not to be confused with those for whom there is no law in other societies - e.g. the rich. But this is another topic.
I recently read Shantaram by Gregory Roberts, where the action takes place in India. Closing my eyes, I moved from Mumbai, the narrative scene in the book, to Agra. There is no significant difference in the appearance of the cities, the same living conditions, the sacred cows and other animals, the misery, the dust and the misery of the people of the lowest castes are the same. I repeat once again - I tell only about what my eyes have seen and my soul has felt, there may be other realities, but I have encountered this.
The photos that illustrate our visit are proof of the beauty and impact of this place on the eyes, heart and soul, at least mine. The sun gradually illuminated the buildings, and the marble of the mavloze gradually turned from red through pink to golden and white as it appeared fully in the sky.
The light illuminated everything - trees, the park, the bushes, the flowers, the ponds, the people around the temple. The good thing about getting up early was the tolerable heat, which later became unbearable, and to it was added some odor that I could not determine, but in any case it was not the scent of flowers or ritual sticks. Perhaps the presence of many animals, besides the sacred cows, I counted goats, dogs, pigs, donkeys /which are the main pack animals/, the fumes from cars, motorcycles, the decomposition of household waste from black sacks, form this indefinite smell. To add that I didn't feel any gusts of wind that might blow her away and bring a little coolness. But we should be thankful that we are not yet in the hottest period - May-June, when temperatures exceed 40 degrees in the shade, followed by the monsoons - the rainy season here is in our summer - July-September.
I couldn't explain why we had to pass women and men separately at the checkpoint /and here two men checked our entrance tickets/, when the main religion in India and Hinduism?!?!? Without being considered sacred, the insolent monkeys roam the complex unhindered, I have heard thunder several times with the guards trying to chase them away, and this is repeated at least 3-4 times during our stay.
The history of the construction of the mavlose is known, it was unknown to me that the design of Shah Jahan provided for the construction of another one, beyond the Yamuna River, but of black marble for itself. But fate, in this case his son, decided otherwise - he arrested him, declared him insane and responsible for the money spent on construction, imprisoned him in the Red Fort, where he died. Sad end to a great love, but when was life fair?!?!? I was very impressed by the river itself - slowly, not to say completely, it moves, obviously we are in an absolute plain, where there is no slope, so the river almost seems to drain /and the climate acts lazily on it, right ???/.
Before entering the pavilion itself /built in the 17th century !!!/, after waiting a long time, we put on stockings to protect the marble. Given that the place is visited by thousands of tourists, locals and foreigners, this is perfectly fine. Photographs inside are absolutely forbidden, and there is nothing to see so much - two marble sarcophagi, but surrounded by ethereally carved figures in marble, which give romance and mystique to the place, evoke deep emotions /at least for me it was like that, I remembered the details around the mausoleum/.
I had read that the Taj Mahal has been declared the 8th wonder of the world, so I was proud of my visit here, which was accompanied by other experiences and emotions, but I will share more about them.
Leaving the complex happened much later, but now the shops were open and everywhere sellers did not invite us to see and buy souvenirs. I did not see if Shopping responded, but the night before coming from Delhi he took a turban typical of the Maharajas. I just wonder where he will take it home??? We took an electric train to the hotel for breakfast, rickshaws were already carrying other tourists.
Last night I did not notice some details about hotels and residential complexes. All are surrounded by concrete or iron fences, closed with metal doors and padlocks and special uniform porters, who list all vehicles. Surely these are safety measures that are more than mandatory for crowded crowds.
The city fortress is the next must-see site. Getting off the bus we were "attacked" by men and boys who were trying to sell us all sorts of things - magnets, cards, belts, glasses and what not. They did not take into account the reluctance to buy anything, they became even more fierce in bragging about the product and their desire to win a rupee or a dollar/euro or another currency. Typically, everyone struggles to survive, right!!! The intervention of the guide freed us from their presence and we were able to pay due attention to this fortification. The fortress itself is a historic site built of area-specific reddish-colored stone. The guide explained in detail the architectural solutions of the various aspects of Hindu, Arabic, Greek and other cultures, which reflected in the appearance of the buildings. The fortress, in addition to defensive purposes, was used by the Shah for religious ceremonies, and often for personal use. Eg the bedroom could be filled with water to a certain level for coolness on hot days. Here the heat occurs in May, when temperatures above 40 degrees are common, then comes the rainy season - from June to October. The famous Louis Bromfield and his novel "Rains" describe in detail this season and its impact on people and nature, which is just a fairy tale about this distant and still unknown country, ie. subcontinent.
Next stop is the palace complex of Fort Agra, an impressive building, to be more precise, a collection of buildings, again, for military and domestic purposes. The interiors are beautifully worked in marble, the Shah's and his family's palaces overlook the Yamuna River and the Taj Mahal. Here Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life, imprisoned by his son, rarely visited by other family members. The Taj Mahal across the street probably reminded him of the glorious days gone by, the great love for Mumtaz, the majestic expression of which is the building, due to its construction he is accused of wasting huge funds and imprisoned for life.
And here the guide convinced me of his knowledge of the history of the city, introducing us to such details that reflect the meaning of creation - e.g. the pavement from the entrance to the interior is covered with cut stones and with such calculated acoustics, the purpose of which is to betray the approach of horsemen, not always with good intentions. 4 are built in the complex indoor gardens, according to Islamic traditions, which bring a breath of fresh air into the otherwise hot stones. Colonnades, countless windows /one of them e.g. it is seemingly closed, but inside it has a slope on which various things can be handed over to the people imprisoned inside/. I was very impressed by the mastery in the individual elements of the marble floors, doors, windows - as if I were looking through lace!!! How much work and skills did it cost the builders to create this for generations, we will never know?!?!? I remember a few figures about TM - 22 years for construction, 22 thousand workers, over 30 million rupees, there are probably other details, but I remember the most important of them.
After lunch at the hotel we visited a local marble manufactory. After lunch at the hotel we visited a local marble manufactory. We observed the work of several men / again /, who sat directly on the floor in "Turkish" hand-processing the valuable material using ancient technology. Very fine arts - only with different sized chisels all cut, glue, polish the marble to obtain the final product. We were invited to see the so-called showroom, we were initially blinded by the exhibits - tables, chairs and stools, even a throne, mirrors and frames and many others, quite large in volume goods. Of course, considering how much luggage I've accumulated, I can't even imagine buying anything, no matter how beautiful they are. After exhausting our patience for these bulky products, the owner showed us others - much more acceptable small souvenirs. I could not resist the temptation and got a few of them, at least to remind me of something beautiful against the background of my general impression of India.
In the late afternoon on the road again - back to Delhi. I was very impressed by the flat terrain, and for this reason their rivers are "lazy", there is no slope, I did not see any hills rising in the surrounding area. Countless people sting in the field, as we are in the season of harvesting the rice crop - everything is done manually, I remind myself again that the country's population is over 1 billion and it must be provided with some employment. The smoking chimneys betray the firing of bricks, the smoke from which dripped low due to the low atmospheric pressure and formed something like a fog, more precisely smog, due to which I constantly smelled something, but not quite pleasant. Our return to the capital is again accompanied by nightmarish traffic, horns, crowds. The cleanest place in India is, according to the guide, is the area around the Presidential and Government Palace, foreign embassies, the National Library, and from there - the abodes of sacred cows, motorcycles, rickshaws .....
Again in the late evening we finally settled in the Wellcomehotel, quite worn out from use /towels, pillows, sheets .../, not to mention ....
You know the saying "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans"? And I thought that the flight to Male would not be associated with any tension, yes ..... however, the airport authorities did not think so. It turned out that I put a mobile charger in my luggage, which is not allowed to be carried in this way. As Maria and I chatted casually, they announced my name on the radio, who would hear it?! ?? And then Philip (from the tourist office and in charge of the English group) and the owner of the travel company, who accompanied us all the time, looked for me to fix the problem. And a crazy race started, it's good that there was an electric truck available - as I wrote earlier the airport is huge - elevators, escalators, doors, stairs, until we find ourselves in the room where luggage is inspected before loading it on the plane. My hands trembled with anxiety before I was able to open the suitcase - for one device 10-15 cm, this commotion was necessary and vice versa - again on the run to the plane /yes, yes, it will not take off without me, of course/. It's good that Maria took care of the gift bag, well, you can't do without a little action and high adrenaline, right?!?!?
Late in the evening we got to the ship, which hosted a folk group from Male, I have no vivid memory of it, only again I have confirmed the belief in the uniqueness of Bulgarian costumes, people, rhythms ....
Day 99 - April 11, 2019 - Male /the capital of the Maldives/
Why didn't I feel anything exciting from the praised Maldives - only the sand and water match the ads - almost white, clean sand, clean, transparent and very warm water! The heat - deadly /over 35 degrees/, in Male there is not even a port, and we were transported by tenders to and from the ship. With a boat /speedboats/ we traveled for about 40 minutes to the island designated for our visit /from over 200 inhabited ones, here on this one there was nothing to say that it was inhabited?!?!?/, where we stayed for 2.5-3 hours. Yes, it's beautiful, sandy hair, shallow, algae, different colored corals /finall /, colorful fish - one of them took me for food, touching my leg!?!?!; pieces of coral /as a souvenir/, the temperature of the water - somewhere over 30 degrees, you walk, you walk - the water reaches all the way to the ankles, ideal for diving /if you are a fan, of course/.
I saw live for the first time in my life the onset of the tide, probably by the time we set sail it would have swallowed the sandy hair of this uninhabited, for me, island. In fact, it is these shoals and the algae on them that give the water its light color. The coral reef surrounds the islands and is stopped by ocean waves. I have not heard of a tsunami reaching here, at the highest altitude of 1.5-2 m they would completely destroy Male, but apparently the reef is an excellent barrier against high waves.
From what I've seen, my ads seem completely unreal. Again, once again I explain that I only describe what I have met face to face, I do not comment on everything else. If you have a lot of money, motivation, free time, you can travel continents and oceans, take you from the airport to the island chosen by the brochure, where you can spend a few days in paradise, but only here, without stepping into 100% Muslim capital. As they say, everyone decides for himself and bears the responsibility!
Days 100, 101 and 102 - 12, 13 and 14.04.2019 - in the Indian Ocean
As usual, the days at sea/ocean take place in the same way - "manual labor", dancing, educational talks, choir, concerts /in the afternoon on the baritone, in the evening in the theater/. Not that I'm bragging, but I should note that I'm mastering the 7 dances more and more successfully - cumbia, foxtrot, mazurka, polka, merengue, cha-cha, bachata, I only wonder one thing - where will I demonstrate them, or simpler - I will bet on zumba /without even suspecting what restrictions the covid-pandemic 2020 will impose on us?!?!?/.
The first day in the Arabian Sea was very calm - the sea is like a pan, the second - light waves, but on the third there was such a strong thunderstorm, torrential rain, and temperatures dropped significantly /after the heat of the Maldives you could breathe fully breasts/.
The captain warned of a serious danger of pirate attacks, but assured us that all precautions had been taken to prevent this from happening. I can't even imagine it - with this age group of passengers, what kind of trouble such a situation can lead to!!! God protect us!!! Wouldn't the newspaper articles that a military convoy is sailing in this part of the world be real?!?!?
Days 103 and 104 - April 15-16, 2019 - Dubai
I was here 3 years ago and have not recorded any tours, except for the evening show La Perle by Dragone at Al Hab too City Hotel Dubai.
I will not stop wondering how an ordinary fishing village 60 years ago has become a cosmopolitan city!!! Here's what oil money does?!?!? And what will happen after the depletion of oil reserves, and as experts say - this will not be very far in the future?!?!? During my previous visit here, I was dumbfounded by my encounter with the huge skyscrapers and mass construction on the first day of the tour, and on the second day - I wondered how to live in this city - heat, dust, nightmarish traffic. And now the construction continues in full force, I noticed more and more cranes, roads, subways lined with ceramic tiles in Islamic traditional ornamentation. In 2020, a world exhibition will be held here and this is probably the reason for this construction scale /however, no one could predict what will happen worldwide from the coronavirus!!!/
I was very impressed by the clinics for children with various anomalies, as it turned out later - this is due to the closed marriages of the locals, so as not to lose family wealth and privileges /this strongly reminds me of dynastic marriages during the years when many disabled children were born - it is enough to return to the historical chronicles to prove this thesis/.
I used my free time in the most rational way to go shopping at the sea station, and it is air-conditioned, with many open stands, advertising corners, but for me the campaign was successful with the free network - photos, videos, Instagram posts, I even took pictures of a youth a choir /male, notice/, which greets us with typical songs. A modern version of Bai Ganyo in Europe, but this time I played his role in Dubai, will someone Aleko Konstantinov immortalize me in his feuilleton?!?!? I spent the rest of the day on the open deck on the 13th floor, for the first time since the start of the trip, but there was no wind or current, so I could afford it.
In the evening there was a powerful party /maybe farewell/, with an extremely rich buffet and plenty of carving masterpieces. The captain had built the entire free crew, I counted with high hats more than 25 chefs, all directions were equipped with flags and parade uniforms, sang with a full throat /the next day there were many sneezing and coughing thanks to the cool evening, but they are young and will cope quickly, quickly .... /
As I mentioned at the beginning, I attended the evening show La perle by Dragon at City Hotel Dubai, a huge chic hotel with a wonderful lounge for this proper performance. Its author is one of the screenwriters of the Cirque de Soleil - Jayan Mathew. Much like that of Las Vegas, but enriched with many lighting effects, water flows from the ceiling and balconies, rising from the floor in all forms. My seat was in the front row and I was finally slightly wet from the falling water splashes. They even let snow /probably some foam/, a lot of acrobatics, a little love tease, songs and dances - in water and not only, I was very impressed by a field with 5 bikers in it, who continued to rotate inside, even when they opened the lower hatch.
I was quite surprised by the behavior of the married couple next to me - the husband drank his beer calmly, the mother filmed the show, the child ate junk food, obviously the bans on Islam and the show do not apply to everyone, but if a foreigner - what? is it written to him?!?!?
Day 105 - April 17, 2019 - Abu Dhabi
Describing the day in Abu Dhabi is easy. I was here 3 years ago, so I will not join any tour, I will just take advantage of the shuttles that will take me from the gate to their mall in 15 minutes, just out of curiosity and comparison with the one in Dubai.
It is inferior in size and attractions, but all world-famous brands are always present, the visitors were more tourists than locals. I walked into the playroom and realized why today's children are so nervous and screaming - noise, the humming of various horns, whistles, intrusive melodies from the controls of electronic games, colorful lights that flash constantly.
I didn't last more than 5 minutes and I ran away from there and I won't stop wondering how young parents manage to calm their children down from this noise, and at what price do they ensure their peace of mind ??? Good thing my kids are big !!!
And here there is a rapid construction, probably for Expo 2020, will it still not take place ??? /then no one still guessed what 2020 will bring us?!?!?/
New buildings, renovations, road arteries - again cranes and construction equipment, in over 30-degree heat, I keep wondering how the locals cope with the climate ???
Later I learned about the fire in Notre Dame in Paris, which the captain informed us on the intercom, and for this reason the program at the theater in the evening was dedicated to French chanson.
Day 106 - April 18, 2019 - Kasab /Oman/
They call Kasab Arab Norway. I would strongly dispute this statement. It has nothing to do with me, except for the rocks and the water in the land. I met the beauty of Norway in New Zealand, but I have already told about it.
The northernmost city in the Emirates offers great views of the Strait of Hormuda and the Arabian Gulf. Population of 20 thousand people /slightly larger than the average city in Bulgaria/, a fishing village before and even now. Only men on the streets, no women, they are locked behind high fences in new and older houses.
There are no traffic lights, and there is not so much traffic, a single footpath /heavily faded/ in front of the Royal Mosque, sidewalks only in front of some houses, hotels?!?!?, As if everything is randomly scattered - houses, mosques, government ???? ? buildings. The distance from here to India is only 50 km. by sea, which makes it a very important starting point for commercial transport, as well as for smuggling /according to the local guide/. I watched from the open decks the loaded ships - so high bales and decks in height, incl. and vessels of water that I expected at any moment to turn into water At one point, more than 20 boats rushed to the sea to supply the villages along the coast and into the fjord. In my opinion, the huts, sparse vegetation, goats and dogs scattered on the hills are difficult to call settlements, but even there people are forced to live and survive in these unfavorable conditions.
In the middle of the 19th century, British troops laid an underwater and ground telegraph cable to facilitate connections between India and Europe, and on the island of Telegrafen built a post where troops stayed in this area for only 6 months, due to the deadly climate and severe living conditions. Only the dolphins swimming in the warm waters of the fjord refresh the landscape and diversify the monotonous appearance of the surrounding rocky peaks and screes.
Day 107 - April 19, 2019 - Muscat /the capital of Oman/
I was planning a leisurely stay in Muscat at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Finally I found myself in a place where I always wanted to be - to be comfortable, to feel like a white person, not to wonder where to hang my clothes, to rinse with clean water and change clothes!!! The hotel is a 5-star hotel with eastern extravagance, many swimming pools and sunbeds, umbrellas and running clear water.
We traveled from the gate to the hotel for about 15-20 minutes. Since my previous arrival here, the city, in my opinion, has grown in a typical Arabic style of buildings - government institutions, banks, hotels, many clinics and medical centers /wonder why ???/, wide and comfortable roads, I am curious how they fight with the rocks around them?!?!?, the bigger world famous car brands have representations and services. As it was their day off /Friday/ the traffic was loose, so I didn't see what kind of cars were moving on the beautiful roads.
We spent 3 hours in my favorite luxury setting. I chose to stay on the lawn near the beach - on the shores of the Persian Gulf!!! I collected mussels, pebbles and sand for my collection, swam in the waters of the bay, not as clean and warm as in the Maldives, but instead washed with clean, running water and prepared for lunch, which did not surprise me at all with the variety you are. Here they had to come from the Bulgarian group to see for themselves what abundance means - salads, seafood, cheese, meat, sauces, vegetables, sweets, chocolate fountain and what not!!!
We were accommodated on the terrace, probably the reservations inside the restaurant were made a long time ago, but I spent a long time taking pictures inside - I even drank a typical Arabic coffee with cardamom, which only in color resembles my usual morning coffee. In the children's corner they had placed in cages several rabbits of different colors, with which the children of the guests had fun. Probably not only local but also foreign guests come here, I saw only 2-3 Arab women with their typical black clothes, I wonder how they eat?!?!?, While in the pools they also see women in bikinis?!?!?
Today is the Catholic Good Friday and on this occasion there was an organized liturgy of Holy Mass. The presenter was a Catholic priest, an Indian by birth, with whom we later had interesting conversations. I was very impressed by the active participation of those present at the service - getting up, bowing, kneeling, singing, answering some questions at certain moments. This convinced me once again that these people regularly go to church and participate in the church life of their community. Obviously, this has its origins in childhood, which was forbidden to us by the previous socialist system.
In the evening, amateur artists performed in the theater - from the staff and guests, it was fun, the participants showed what they learned and mastered during the trip.
Days 108, 109, 110, 111 and 112 - 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.04.1029 in the Red Sea on the way to Aqaba /Jordan/ and Petra !!!!!!!!
Did you know (for example, I learned here) that specific red corals gave the name of this sea, not that I was able to meet them, but still this is the reason why it is called so. The last 5 days of the ship were full of so many activities that I wonder where I found the strength to visit them, to actively participate in them, to learn so many things, to enrich myself with new knowledge and skills. New dances, a new song, wonderful surprises, the celebration of Catholic Easter, we watched the sunrises of the dolphins that accompanied us, theatrical and opera performances, concerts, recent handmade souvenirs, educational lectures on herbs as a bargaining chip in antiquity, the place of women in the male world, the islands in the Mediterranean, and of course the Suez Canal.
On top of that, an attempt to pirate the ship in the Gulf of Aden, which in honor of the guards /remember that these are people from Mossad/ was prevented. I don't think about the consequences if it was successful ...... As in other cases, the topic is not discussed anymore, so as not to cause panic in the passengers, some did not even understand what happened, and more.
The Masses for Good Friday, as well as Holy Saturday, Easter, Good Monday and the remaining days were duly celebrated - decorations, painted eggs, psalms printed in the main languages, and to my surprise - an Indian priest /Padreto studied at the Seminary in Rome, this is what world globalization looks like, right?!?!?/, Serving all rituals. Again and again I was impressed by the mass participation of the passengers /especially the Hungarian group/ in all stages - they sang, recited, got up and sat down, worshiped when required, cheerful, calm, confident and very united.
To the dances studied so far I tried to learn a new Rueda de Casino, we added a polka and a mazurka, where do I get my breath to dance them properly?!?!? Not to mention when and how I will practice them /without anticipating, then who could expect a global pandemic and quarantine ?????/.
Armida's educational lectures are becoming more and more interesting - the Greek islands - Rhodes, Delphi, Santorini; Petra and Vadirum and the pink desert /Jordan/, which we are going to visit; The Suez Canal - the construction of which began during the Egyptian dynasties, using the existing Small, Big and Bitter Lakes clogging with ships and occurred during the 6-day war in 1967 and in 2021. ,, as we all know from the press; herbs in antiquity as a bargaining chip; women in the male world - Nefertiti, Cleopatra, Amensuchept. Armida (in my opinion) has some scientific degree in the history of antiquity, her lectures are so detailed and interesting that you can listen to her for hours, adding that her English is understandable, which makes it easier for me.
The last song we studied - People of the Jews Leaving Egypt (based on texts from the Bible) by Aida, an opera written especially by Verdi on the occasion of the opening of the Suez Canal (1869), always made me shiver with the power of music and the content of the libretto. Its first presentation was in 1871.
I received as a compliment from the reception strawberries in chocolate and a bottle of champagne, even at first I thought there was a mistake, but it turned out that this is a tradition for Easter /whether there was such a gesture for other passengers I did not ask/, but I told him I was very happy and with pleasure I drank and ate from the unexpected gift for a few days.
As the end of this adventure approaches, along with the Passion Week (for the Orthodox), I turn in my memory all the details of it and still do not find the reason for all this to happen to me, but on the other hand I think I deserved it, I hope it ends well. Only 7 days until my return home, may God be with me, as he has been so far!!!
Day 113 - April 25, 2019 - Petra / Jordan /
It is so difficult to describe Petra's experience! All this beauty - natural and human - are different and I am very hesitant about what to emphasize.
The journey from the Gulf of Aqaba to Petra took us through rocky, sandy and waterless areas /Shara is the name of the mountain range/, valleys /nearby is the famous Wadi Rum - high valley/, with empty riverbeds /which, as I found out later, in winter season are filled with lush waters, sliding from the surrounding hills/, here and there dotted with emerald-colored areas /apparently irrigated fields with some cultivated plants/,bare hills, rocks and sandstones, sparse vegetation, scorching sun in summer and stiff frost in winter, a relentless wind that carries dust particles and obscures the view. Let's not forget that more than 2,000 years ago the climate was different, ie. climate change is not from yesterday.
Petra is located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, over 100 km. to the north, in the heart of the Jordan Desert. For more than 1,000 years, this remarkable monument was forgotten, until in 1812 it was discovered by chance by Johann Burkhard, a Swiss man.
According to the Bible, the book of books, living conditions were very different from the present, fertile plains, lush greenery, lush pastures and countless animals. So, at least in my mind, I can restore nature from antiquity, to answer the question: what did the individual kingdoms of that time fight for.
Today was given to us with the pleasant 28 degrees, light breeze, in the sik /path of Arabic/ - even cool, it is a narrow gorge or canyon. For hundreds of years, nature has tried to sculpt the rocks in incredible colors, shapes, sizes, in which earthquakes, rains, snow, heat and deadly summer temperatures have contributed to the creation of incredible formations that have impressed me the most.
I do not undertake to describe the countless tourists /only on this day 3 tourist ships stopped at the port of Aqaba?!?!?/. The locals, offering various types of transport - horses, donkeys, carts and electric carts, shouted in search of customers and dressed /in my opinion/ as for a harsh winter /and we in the summer/, goats, dogs, cries, dirt and animals odors, sweepers along the 4 km long road in one direction, that day I counted 15 thousand steps?!?!?
In order to see all the buildings of the complex it takes at least 17 hours /according to the guide/, which makes not less than 3 days stay, where do you spend so much time ????? He himself, asked to be called Mike, comes 3 times a week with different groups, very well prepared, constantly told about Jordan, the history of the Nabataean kingdom, which settled here in the 3rd century BC - built the whole complex and specialized in sculpture and sculpture, to which the characteristic structure of the rocks also contributed. Hydro-building facilities, ensuring the storage of water from melting and infrequent rains, were the main concern of the ancients.
In 1985, UNESCO declared Petra a World Heritage Site, the Jordanian government is making incredible efforts to attract tourists and is carefully preparing its guides to be useful to visitors and share their emotions from history, preserved values and they direct them to other noteworthy landmarks /summer and winter resorts, in the plans and by the sea/. In this regard, I return to our guide for the day - Mike, who tried to convince us that the country is calm /wonder why I saw several times military posts?/
At the end of the 19th century, the British government built a 200 km long railway line parallel to the main road, which would shorten the route of the pilgrims to Mecca during their hajj (hence the hajj). To my surprise /I have never had to know it before/, the distance from Aqaba to Mecca is only 20 km !!!
In conclusion, to share my excitement from today - unforgettable views, intense physical activity and deep reflections on the vicissitudes of time, assessment of the historical past /in my imagination/, again a clash of culture and traditions, rethinking our ingrained beliefs. Once again, I am convinced that no matter how much they tell you, it is good to see and appreciate, according to your attitude, everything that you have observed, felt and stored in yourself. Invest in experiences and memories, put your heart and soul into getting to know the world around you, the rest is vanity!!!
Days 114, 115 and 116 - 26, 27 and 28.04.2019 - crossing the Suez Canal
Just imagine how many people /more than 2200 people/ from 45 nationalities have been present on the ship for almost 4 months /not to mention the countries themselves/, but my mind does not fit how they (like me) got here - participate in various events every day - coastal excursions, sports and cultural activities /incl. and a photography course?!?!?/, in the theater, at the pools and bars. I made friends with very few people in order to avoid the noise, unnecessary chatter, to burden myself with all sorts of whims and moods. From 5 o'clock in the morning to 16 o'clock in the afternoon on 27.04.2019 we pass through the Suez Canal - through the two bitter lakes, under escort on both sides of the ship /quite scary!/, The ships are waiting their turn. The canal passes through the Sinai Desert, I keep asking myself /is it a road I repeat?/ What was the meaning of the constant battles for this piece of land - without water, without vegetation, until oil was discovered in the 19th century ???
We ended with a recital at the dance school of Patricia and Leonardo /I think that my participation in the dances helped me a lot to cope with the march to Petra, for which I should be very grateful/, I did not make many mistakes and I hope I succeeded worthy.
After our performance once again there was a competition - women against men, of course women won, bravoooooo !!! I laughed with tears at the attempts of some of the men with the help of other men to cope with the challenges, but the female power proved to be more productive and they could congratulate themselves on the victory.
Today - April 28, 2019 is our Easter, this year the Catholic and Orthodox Easter coincide, which is relatively rare and therefore more valuable for us. We congratulated some of the Bulgarian group for the holiday, well, there were those who pretended not to see us, yes, yes, we are pins, right?!?!? In such cases, I always say that there is someone to take everyone into account for their actions and I do not bother with such manifestations. I only wish them to be alive and healthy, the rest God decides !!!
In the evening in the Amethyst-bar took place the farewell cocktail of the captain, which had many guests, incl. and the whole Bulgarian group. The captain's speech was very exciting, accompanied by video material for the past almost 4 months. Wondering how much effort such a large-scale cruise (at least in my imagination), perfect organization and preparation costs the company. For me the rating is more than excellent, I hope the other passengers will share it.
Day 117 - April 29, 2019 - Heraklion / Crete /
Another time I was on the island, but I had not visited the palace of Knossos. Almost 30 buses took us there, almost 1000 people !!!, which led to long queues and 15-20 minutes of waiting.
But it was worth it, because it is from the Minoan era, built on the ruins of Neolithic settlements, many, many years before Christ. There were more than 1,300 rooms, bathrooms, homes for the emperor and his family, religious premises, outbuildings. After a devastating earthquake 800 years ago, it was rebuilt on an area of 2000 square meters. In 1900, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans rediscovered it to the world and began its restoration, which continues to this day. The main building material was alabaster, the flashes of which can be seen everywhere today. The frescoes on the walls are copies, while the originals are in various museums in Greece and around the world. Here is something I never knew - the word labyrinth comes from the double ax and was intended to punish the guilty soldiers, their desire to hide and escape their sentence. Maria /today's guide/ told the legends about the Minotaur, Ariadne, Hercules, the ball of yarn and its deliverance. Most of us know the Greek legends and myths, but it is completely different to hear them on the spot and imagine them as a scene of action here after so many years!!!
We had some free time in the city, which I took to enjoy my remaining days just for myself, to watch the crowded streets, restaurants, light a candle in the Orthodox Church "St. Titus" /disciple of Christ, who came to the island to preach his teaching/. There was a baptism, with many guests and solemnity, gifts for the little girls, flowers and the scent of incense.
Devil tree on the main street caught my attention with its fluffy pink flowers and reminded me of the beautiful spring that awaits me at home very soon, in just 2 days.
A little further on I saw a colorful confectionery Hansel and Gretel, right on the sidewalk I was greeted by figures of fairy-tale characters from the tales of the Brothers Grimm, I laughed for a long time (internally) at the countless suitcases that went to the ships to collect the accumulated gifts and souvenirs during these months, intended for our families and loved ones. I dealt with the problem in Hawaii, now I look forward to coming home, again and again (probably a lifetime !!!) to return to the memories, photos and souvenirs I have accumulated from this trip.
From the two Norwegians I learned about the island of Spinolonga - the island of lepers, functioned until the middle of the 20th century, when funds were found to treat the disease. Since then, the island has built its tourist image to meet the growing interest of many celebrities to visit it and enjoy its natural beauty, the long summer season, the wonderful Mediterranean cuisine and hospitality of the Greeks /and they know how to make the industry very profitable!!!/.
Day 118 - April 30, 2019 - in the Mediterranean Sea on the way to Messina, the last stop on our long cruise
The whole day was devoted to everything for the last time - with regret for the approaching end of this incredible adventure, but also with the sober thought that every beginning has its end, as it should be for everything in life - Armida's last educational lecture, last dance lesson, survey about the impressions from the cruise, recording of the video from the visited sights during the 4 months, last "Greek" already with a lot of humor and mood.
The last concert in the theater was fantastic, as a farewell and filled me with such strong emotions, almost to tears. Songs, dances, confetti, banners, captain, crew, passengers all together with a full throat we sang "It's time to say goodbye", "Conte partiro", almost our entire repertoire of people. Unforgettable, touching, exciting!!!
And now, when I write these lines, I'm all goosebumps, I'm watching the videos from that moment and I don't stop getting excited.
Day 119 - May 1, 2019 - Messina / Sicily-Italy /
Last round - tour of Messina. Churches, the city cathedral, government buildings, schools, open markets on Labor Day - May 1. Unemployed, destined for tourists mainly - only souvenir shops, cafes and pastry shops are open, there is almost no traffic, which speeds up our movement.
We visited the lakes near the town for growing cultivated mussels, which are only 3 km away distance from mainland Italy, in clear weather you can see the opposite shore. Today's guide - a young woman named Nicoletta, tells the story of the city in an artistic voice. In 1908, Messina was hit by a strong earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that devastated it. Its restoration is due to the efforts of local residents, as well as with the help of American and Russian troops from warships located near the city. In 1943, during World War II, bombing caused extensive damage to the city. Once again, the locals are actively involved in dealing with the devastation, as evidenced by the amazing icon located in the Museum of the city cathedral, built from donations of women in the city - gold and silver jewelry - rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets.
Today, Messina is a famous tourist destination, visited annually by thousands of guests from around the world.
An interesting landmark is the city Cathedral Duomo - built in the 12th century and repeatedly restored after earthquakes, bombings and more reasons, with its clock tower. Every day, at exactly 12 o'clock, for 15 minutes against the background of Ave Maria, biblical figures perform their dance - figures of saints - patrons of the city, many spectators and mass applause. In the Museum there is a valuable collection of gold and silver church utensils, remarkable icons.
We finished the tour in a local pastry shop with cannelloni and lemon sorbet, we all know the quality of Italian food, but their desserts are unsurpassed !!!
The last, but really last, night at the theater was so exciting that even now I shudder at the memory of it - full of passengers and staff, there were even people sitting on the aisles. Representatives from all directions of the crew were built on the stage - management, reception, stewards, restaurants, bars, kitchen, all these people took care of our amenities and trouble-free stay on the ship, for which I am personally infinitely grateful and grateful! !!!!!!
Against the background of dim light, the performance of both violins and the flute began the first bars of the song based on verses by Robert Burns "Old Love" / Auld Lang Syne /, the verses alternated in the main languages and all present again sang it with their whole throats. Staff and passengers hugged, applauded in sympathy at the moment. I could barely stop my tears, such an emotion came over me that I wanted to cry out of pity. This is not easily forgotten !!!
HERE, THIS WAS, THE END, REALLY THE END OF MY WORLD TOUR, AMAZING, UNFORGETTABLE AND EXCITING ADVENTURE !!!!!!!!!!
Thank you to all of you who were with me during these 119 days, I hope you had fun with the impressions, emotions and descriptions of all these days, to learn unknown geographical, historical and other details related to the places visited, to feel the atmosphere of the ship, the commitment of the crew and the care for our passengers, our moods and excitement.
THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IN THIS LIFE, BUT THE MEMORIES NO ONE WILL TAKE AWAY FROM ME, THE PHOTOS, THE VIDEOS ARE PROOF OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SHARED. I WISH ALL OF YOU TO EXPERIENCE TRAVELS LIKE ME AND SHARE THEM WITH THE COUNTLESS AUDIENCE OF THE INTERNET. BE HEALTHY, HAPPY AND LUCKY !!!
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