Singapore

Hi All,

"Curiosity and imagination are deeper sources of learning than education and teaching." Marvel Harrison

We are docked in Singapore harbor. You wonder where some of your toy's , computers etc... get shipped from this is a pretty big port for that. Very clean and pretty "City State" This little Island has a pop. of 5 million.

Oh, that picture is Declan for Halloween , Punk balarina. The girls were belly daners. We had a camera malfuntion , but students took lots of pictures of them I'm sure we can post a few sometime.

They have some unbelievable law's here and are quite strict. Remember the canning back when President Clinton was in office, Singapore. A student spray painted on a car and got a fine, jail time and a Canning (hit six times in the but w/ a stick/cane) Clinton said please don't do it, they said it will do the kid some good --proceed. I have to agree w/ the Singapore folks on that score!

They also have the best drug rehab , 100% cure for heroin addiction . You get caught w/ 2 tablespoons worth of it - death by hanging.

You cant chew gum, spit, smoke in most places, jaywalk, pee in an elevator and you have major problems. Enough of that .

The architecture is very cool - it seems to be a city where expression on that level is encouraged. It is that kind if thinking that brings major $ here. Formula One races through the streets twice a yr. The Sands Casino and resort was built here (6 billion dollars) If you want to gamble you pay $100 to walk in. This is a place Annie :) would love , every store you can imagine in giant mall like places , minimum 4 levels. I'm holding my wallet until 3rd world Vietnam for the bargins. Singapore is pricey.

Traci was at the hospital w/ 2 different cases yesterday. From about 7am to 1:30am. Hope she can hang w/ us today. We went on the "original Duck boat" same as Bean town,

In the pictures you can see the symbol of Singapore, The MerLion. Adopted by the British who also had control of this Island when they chose to. At one time the British controlled 25% of all the land in the world.

Off to Vietnam tonight

Stay well

Best

JD

india odyssey

Hi All,

India is an awakening of the senses. It is filthy, crowed as hell, people have no regard for the “space” issue, its constantly loud , people are everywhere, as are cows, goats , dogs and monkeys and the ever present raven. The food can be so spicy you feel like you just got maced . You have no chance of understanding a lick of what the Indian people are saying and they stare.

These are the reasons I told myself I wouldn’t enjoy it but as it turns out these are the very reasons I did love it too. You can just step out and see things you just won’t see elsewhere , incredible! What is totally bizarre to us is just standard issue chaos for the Indians. I saw a cow in a store and people didn’t give it a second glance. The girls and I walked up to a big goat sleeping on a statue then a bird decided to land on the goat just to hang out. There is all manner of poo everywhere, (human, cow, Ox, horse, elephant, dogs, monkeys ) Now I think I know why Indian people tend to go barefoot,( they have ruined enough shoes) We gave away Laynes shoes for that reason , new flip flops coat $.20

I found the people just let you live as you please w/in their culture. They are so happy to please but can also be "persistant" trying to gain our attention for whatever they want you to buy.

Traci was still point man when it came to negotiating. We would do as much quick research as possible before heading into the fray to get an idea of the cost of things. 750,000,000 people live in poverty in India. $300 US a month is a kings ransom. So it would go something like this of course w/ a crowd of other hucksters chiming in and looking for an advantage :/

T- “how much to get to Mamallapuram?”

Indian- “how long are you staying?” come we go (grabs arm)

T “we just want to go and get dropped off, how much?” note : no meters price has to be settled up front or you will lose and get a migraine

Indian – How long are you staying 3 days? I will drive you for three days and take you back for $300 US )

T – how much to drive us down and drop us off?( Now getting irritated) I hear about 1800 rupees ($17 us)

Indian – no way

T – fine we walk

Indian – still attempting to make a tour out of the fare says 5000 and we see temples.

T- we walk

Indian says 2500

T -we walk

Indian – 2000 , come we go

T -we walk

JD – pulls out 2000 and we are on our way seeing how 200 rupees is $4 and the trip is almost a 2 hr drive!

We smile, calm the kids check our gear and jump in a hunk of metal they call a car for a sweaty ride and check out the sites and sounds of sweet India. Banging into a couple of motorcycles on our merry way with Indian music blasting the whole time.

It really is a cool place and I liked the people a lot. They almost want to help too much which connected w/Traci’s caring nature . I found if I didn’t want something or have a guy attached to my hip while I was walking along a stern “bite me” usually left us in peace and it didn’t cost me another 50 rupees which I was happy to dish out at times , a dollar isn’t much to us but it sure is a lot to a poor uneducated Indian living out doors.

I asked a local to take me fishing because the fishing and danger are also just par for the course. The car engines they strap to the transom w/ a long shaft and prop are downright scary. Pushing the boat into the surf was dicey to say the least. The first thing I thought was don’t get hit by the prop ( engaged- no clutch) then push like mad to get past the surf break. We did it then caught colorful fish and reef fish - think large aquarium.

We sail to Singapore through the Malaca strights

Latitude 09’ 57.5 N

Longitude 087’ 44.1 E

Course 115’

Sea’s calm

Signing off

jd

Namestay!

I LOVE India! I love the people. I love the food. I love the vibrance and the chaos. I love the beautiful silk saris and fabric. I love the bizarreness of it all. I love the culture. I love the rickshaw taxis. I love the cows wandering in the middle of the street. I love the calmness of the people...

We spent the first two days in Chennai. It is like a three ring circus on STEROIDS!Chennai is a very industrial southern Indian coastal city, located in the region of Tamil Nadu. It has an extremely rich culture and very proud people. 60% of this region is Hindu; 30% are Muslim; 10% are Christian. The people are SO friendly, gracious, and hospitable - it is unbelievable! Like most cities, it is full of hustlers, shysters, and wheeler dealers too! No sooner do we leave the safe haven of the ship when we are descended upon by hordes of these people clamoring for our attention to ride in their rickshaws or taxis, or to buy a toy drum or get fitted for a suit...! Some of them are downright belligerent, others endearing. Now try and imagine these men wearing giant depends! On top of all that, imagine the pungent smells of rotting trash, wandering cows and dogs, and 105 degree heat! Somehow, we are taking it all in stride and finding it quite amusing!

Our first adventure in Chennai was late in the afternoon on the first day. We went out to dinner with our favorite two students from the ship - both Juniors at Boston University! We headed out as the sun was setting in two rickshaw taxis - can't believe these haven't hit NYC! Our family of five fit just perfectly! Its engine is about as big as Ty's riding mower! But oh does it have gumption! I don't even know how to describe the chaos of the traffic -- entire families on mopeds, extended families crammed in rickshaws, buses overflowing with people, taxis, luxury cars, women riding side saddle on 80s era motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians all vying for their space...it is truly remarkable! The kids LOVED the rickshaws -- who wouldn't?! It's like demolition derby! I am trying my best to see the folly of it all rather than be absolutely petrified for our safety!

One of the things I hadn't anticipated was the challenge of avoiding nuts in the foods - something I am very allergic to! Unfortunately I found out the hard way... our first night out, my eyes were almost entirely swollen shut because of some peanut likely hidden in the aloo mutter we were eating! Fortunately I am well stocked with epi-pens so a full blown reaction was averted. However 3 days later, my eyes were still slightly swollen! AAAAGGGH!!!

Our second day in Chennai we went to a "mall," Spencer's Plaza - is it like Target the kids want to know?! The remainder of the afternoon/evening I spent unfortunately visiting one of our students who is in the private hospital in Chennai. She is an unbelievable young person who has a severe case of malaria. I will tell more about her in later posts - say a prayer for her speedy recovery. She is still in the ICU, showing improvement, but slowly. It is every parent's worst nightmare... She is in excellent hands with the hospital physicians and nurses and our team's nurse Stephanie who is beyond amazing! Last week was absolutely crazy with work related issues that I'm not able to write about at this time. John and I and the kids were all in desperate need of a break, though I felt so guilty leaving this patient in Chennai.

Stay tuned for more tales from India tomorrow... Mahallapuram is unlike any place I've ever been. My dear friend Deborah described this region as "the Wild West" when she and her husband and daughter visited several years ago - now I know what she's talking about!

Keep your posted comments coming -- we all look forward to reading them each day! Know that we are all happy and healthy. Layne tells me that India is her "favorite place we've visited so far...!" Jury's out still for Anna. Dec is in his "Tex-bad boy phase" as of late -- maybe he's just amped up on all of this crazy Indian energy! Johnnie is heading out tomorrow am for some fishing, and I look forward to more chaos!

Sending our love from many miles away -- Love, Traci

Sea Olympics and Port Chennai India

Hi all,

We arrived early this morning in Chennai India which is in the south. It appears to be a big and busy port. We are waiting for the ship to clear immigration. Traci is also been busy as she can get. We are in need of a little break . We are heading to Mammelllapiuraum in two days which is where we will post up at a beach resort for two nights and three days.

We had cake w/ the TuTu's yesterday (pictures) We also had the sea Olympics which include hula hoop (Anna) Limbo (Layne and Dec) Tug -o-War (Capt ron) Jeopardy (Traci) We were team No Mer-sea . We all did well but only Mama Traci ' s team won their event.

Times are good , All we know about India is to watch your wallet, don't drink water at all, watch what you eat and good luck w/ transportation. Should be interesting.

We will keep you posted

Best JD

Location

Latitude - 13' 5.6N

Longitude - 080' 17.7 E

Docked

Action in Mauritius

Hi ,

Here are a few more fishing pictures -since I took the camera that day. The two fish shown are the Mahi-Mahi also known as Dorado or dolphin. The other is a yellow fin tuna. Both are prized game fish especially prized for someone who fishes in New England water. They tend to like warmer water temps like in the gulf stream and down in Baja Mexico or So Cal.

The next fishing entry likely won't be until Viet-Nam when we will spend 3 days aboard a house boat travelling on the Mekong delta. We will stop at small villages and floating markets, I think it sound be fascinating. I hear they have catfish as big as a man in those waters and the water looks like chocolate milk.

Current position:

Latitude- 0' 09N - (we are now back in the Northern Hemishere)

Longitude - 074' 48 E

course 41'

Wind 20 knots

sea swell 7 ft

sea condition 5 ft

ocean temp 84' air temp 82'

sea depth 16171 feet!

Distance to nearest land 345 Nautical miles Maldives

On to Chennai, India and parts there abouts. We are making a get away to a hotel for 3 days and 2 nights . I think we are all ready for a break from the ship board community for a little bit. It is special in so many ways but also can take away from a sense of personal space. Yesterday people (mostly tweens) would not stop holding, trying to hold, tickling , pulling , generally being a pain in the ass w/ Mr. D. I was ready to harm one of these lovely kids ... kidding, but you know, step on their foot by accident or something,.. :) I know its because he's cute and the perfect age to cuddle but the kid isn't up for that all day long especially w/ 20 different people every day.

Enough of my rant- its all good.

"As long as we're travelling toward the unknown, we're on the right track." Rory Nugent

jd

Sailing On

The days are passing so quickly out at sea… we are officially at the half way point in our voyage which is so hard to believe! John and I and the kids have really started to develop a routine on sailing days. We’ve even managed to both exercise in the gym every day while at sea! It’s going to be quite an adjustment for all of us when we return home and try to settle back into our former lives…! I’m quite amazed how we’ve adjusted to the very small spaces we live in and the limited amount of possessions we have! It’s hard to believe that our entire living space is about the size of John and I’s bathroom!
As we travel through Asia, our stints at sea will be much shorter. Most often, we will sail for two days between countries until we leave Japan and have to travel ten days to Hawaii, and then another six days until we arrive in San Diego! First things first, we arrive in India in five days. I am really excited to experience India. We will spend the first few days in Chennai and then head about 90 minutes south to Mahallapuram, a small seaside town known for its amazing temples. We will spend three nights there and hopefully have lots of R&R!
Mauritius was a beautiful island albeit we only saw a limited amount of it. The kids and I took a bus to a beach town in the northern part of the island which was quite interesting. Johnnie doesn’t travel public transportation at home so you can imagine his regard for it in the developing world! I on the other hand think it is one of the best ways to get to know a place and its people. The bus we rode in was like a deluxe Mercedes compared to the kandongas in which I used to travel in Guinea-Bissau! The kids loved it and we spent a really nice morning at a little beach while Johnnie was fishing. I was on call the entire two days in Mauritius: the first day I lucked out without even a call before 2am! The second day as expected, the “issues” were nonstop as the students began to literally limp back to the ship with a whole host of ailments and crises! As to be expected, a number of students were stung by jelly fish or unexpectedly encountered a sea urchin in their hand or foot! Others enjoyed the night life a little too much! Par for the course in my mind for 600+ college students!
Professionally this has been a great learning experience for me! It seems every day I am learning something new. I’m realizing just how much we refer out of our office to specialists in the area. On the ship, we have to deal with everything! I’ve also had the great fortune to be able to lecture in a number of classes. Most recently I gave a brief talk in a class called “The Economics of Poverty.” I spoke in the lecture about “Infrastructure.” I talked about my experiences in Guinea-Bissau, a country with literally no infrastructure. I have also been asked to speak in a Biology class and hopefully a class called “Disease and Healing” where I will speak about working with an animist population and their approach to traditional medicine and healing.
We had apple pie tonight for dessert and I couldn’t help thinking about fall in New England…! A small part of me will miss our annual apple picking trip and the delicious apple pies that Johnnie bakes! Instead, I’m looking forward to savory, spicy Indian curries, sweet Chai teas, and all of the delicious delicacies that India has to offer…! Here’s hoping the prophylactic doses of pepto bismol keep us all healthy!
Thank you so much for following our blog and writing comments – we love reading them!
Missing you all!
Love, Traci

Mauritius Island, Indian Ocean

Hi All,

"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly,go into the world and do good." (minor Myers Jr)

The pictures tell the story in Mauritius. It is visually beautiful. The people are mostly Hindu and mixed. Our stop was brief . We hit the beach the 1st day then I got my chance to fish. I chartered a boat . The boat was a Mauritius designed hull. 42' I figured it was my chance to catch a Marlin. We were a month early which didn't mean we didn't have a shot at a blue or Black Marlin. Mauritius held the world record for the blue marlin from 1966' until 1984 ---(1420lbs)

No luck on the Marlin , we caught 6 bonito and used them for live bait, we had the water column pretty well covered using down riggers w/ 2 baits and running a 3rd just on the surface w/ a slow troll . The set up and the water looked good but no dice.

We then changed out the tackle for Yellow Fin Tuna and Dorado. I was lucky to hook and land my 1st Dorado (Mahi- Mahi) gorgeous fish . I then landed 2 Yellow fin Tuna. So it was a good day. I wasn't able to paint them :( .

Traci had her work cut out for her after the 2nd day - did you know college students love to party!! With that comes along all kinds of drunken injuries. "Been there done that as they say :)"

We are now off to India! We are heading NE for 2600 Nautical miles.

Our current position :

Latitude -13' 56.4S

Longitude - 063' 25.0E

Course 41'

sea depth - 10954 feet

wind 21 knots ENE

seas 3-5 feet

We are just about half way through our voyage w/ many short stops after India.

Everyone is doing well . It is quite a special thing to be doing for our family and we don't forget it. It is certainly a busy way to live in tight quarters w/ so many people I'd say the thing we miss the most is private family time but we work to achieve that in the different ports .

Take care and thanks for the nice comments it's good to hear from you. Keep me posted on how the Pats are doing

jd

Indian Ocean

'Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S Eliot

Hi

The pictures of Traci and Anna freaking out are when we were feeding ostrich- big scary birds!! It was hilarious! no one was pecked but they did get a hold of Laynes fingers - ouch!
The weather was a bit "unsettled " on the way from the Atlantic Ocean into the Indian Ocean, we went through a thunder and lightning storm one night that brought 9 ft seas and some incredible lightning strikes directly into the ocean which is something to see. The ship handled the waves well because we were heading into the sea (waves) but on occasion it was loud and reverberated through the hull. It spooked the kids a bit but sleep over came them.
Anna and her friend did a babysitting job for a a set of twin 2 yr old w/ a college student as "Backup" they were very pleased w/ themselves :)
Traci and I were invited to a Captains dinner this week. We sat at a table next to the chief engineer which was cool. He has invited me sometime to see the engine room which will be fascinating.
We arrive in Port Louis tomorrow AM . It will be nice to have a beach day then a fishing day for me. The weather is looking primo !!
We will be off to India right after - back to the rockin' diarrhea X10 nurse Trixi will have her hands full so to speak....

signing off for now Capt. Ron
Hope to have a fishing story for you soon :)

Latitude 22' 16.6S

Longitude 054' 7.3E

sea depth 14,764 feet

distance to the nearest land 60 NM - none other than Madagascar

course - 64'


keepin' it real on the deep blue...

Sun Sets on Capetown

Hi All,

We weighed anchor from Capetown and will travel 2337 NM to the Small Island of Mauritius
. Another complicated history of development . Discovered by the Dutch but seeded to the French shortly after. Then it was taken by the British when they had a kick ass Navy and desire to spread the crown far and wide. In 1968 Mauritius became an independent Commonwealth. The main crop is sugar cane which means to me it's warm :) . It's 714 sq mi. and has a population of roughly 1.2 million.

I have a charter boat set up there as it also boasts a fishing industry that does well. The target species are the Big Guns - Marlin, Tuna, Sailfish, Sharks, Mahi to name a few. Can not wait!!!

The photo above is of Anna and her shipmate friend Kyle another 3rd grader from Boulder Co. They have a blast together and are very good to Layne and Declan.

All's well, we miss you .

Capt j

31'45.4S Latitude

029' 37.1E Longitude

Course 43'

speed 19.4 knots

hugging the southern coast of Africa before making the run into the Indian Ocean , except for leaving CT harbor the sea has been mellow so far.