Exotic Sri Lanka

Two sea days crossing the Bay of Bengal brought the Silver Wind to Sri Lanka.  Sri Lanka, which means "resplendent island", is a large island off the Southern coast of India.  when I was a child it used to be called Ceylon. After the island obtained independence from Britain the country chose a new name in 1972. Sri Lanka is anther majority Buddhist country. The stupas we had seen in Myanmar were in the elaborate Thai style; Sri Lanka stupas were simpler and not painted gold. The population is mostly Indian with strong influences from East Africa and Southeast Asia as Sri Lanka has been a stop on trade routes from Africa to China for thousands of years. We docked at the capital, Colombo which looked much like the modern Asian cities we had been seeing.

Stupa in the Center of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Michael and I took an all day tour to the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage.  This included a two and a half hour train ride on a venerable tourist train, the Viceroy Service, during which we were served tea in air-conditioned splendor.  The train was more than an hour late arriving at the Colombo station.  As a result we witnessed crowds of people arriving in Colombo from the suburbs or outlying villages.  Michael said the scene of streaming humanity was similar to that at any train station in India only more mellow.  It looked hectic to me. The commuter trains were very old and basic, somewhat like subway cars inside.  Intercity trains had more comfortable seating and were somewhat newer. Our train was a specially chartered luxury train once used by Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, during and after WW II when he had his military headquarters in Ceylon. The train has been lovingly restored and the tea service was elegant even if our china cups held hot water and tea bags. The tea was an excellent local Ceylon tea and was served with English style cake.

Colorfully Clad Commuters Arrive in Colombo

Hundreds of Sri Lankans
Stream out of Rail Cars

Michael and Me on the Viceroy

A Hindu Temple Seen from the Train

Tea is Served

Workers in Rice Paddy Seen from the Train

We Pass a Small Town Shopping Area

The elephant orphanage in the mountains of central Sri Lanka, proved to be primarily a tourist attraction.  Indian Elephants in Sri Lanka and India are an endangered species. Elephants used to be employed in the lumber industry and for other kinds of heavy lifting.  Nowadays the Pinnewala Orphanage takes in baby elephants that have been abandoned  or acquires young elephants orphaned by poaching and loss of habitat.  They cannot be reintroduced to the wild as they are accustomed to human contact and do not know how to survive on their own. The orphanage gets a large portion of its revenues from tourist admissions.  The main attractions are watching the elephants bathe in the nearby river or seeing the babies being fed milk (for an additional fee tourists can hold the bottle), or adults and babies can be fed fruit by the tourists for yet another additional charge. The animals are well cared for and not abused yet it is sad that they must live in essentially a zoo as there is no longer any place for them in the wild.

The Elephants With their Mahouts (Handlers)

Crowd Watching the Elephants Bathe

The Elephants Fill the Street as They are Herded back to the Orphanage

Tourist Feeding Milk to a Baby Elephant
The Milk is Gone in Seconds

Small Child Feeding Fruit to an Elephant

Elephants Lounging

Making Paper From elephant Dung

We had a spectacular lunch of Sri Lankan specialties accompanied by local beer in a restaurant overlooking the river where the elephants were bathing.  On all organized tours, local restaurants offer western style food sometimes with a few local dishes.  Michael and I always opt for the local fare.  How else to appreciate the experience?  However, most of our fellow tourists seem to prefer something familiar to trying something “different”.  We enjoyed several mildly spicy Indian style dishes.

After lunch, our group spent a few hours admiring the elephants.  We took a motor coach back to Colombo and our ship.  We saw a lot of countryside including small towns in various stages of development.  Sections of some towns were extremely poor, where people lived in what looked like tar paper shacks and there were also substantial homes of wealthy people.  Most, however live in simple one story houses with electricity and satellite dishes. For a country whose main income is from agriculture and tourism, Sri Lanka seems to be developing a substantial middle class.

Near Colombo, the bus took what looked like an interstate highway to save some time.  Our tour guide said that the highway had been financed by and built by China.  He said that the Sri Lankan government wasn't happy with the quality of the work or the terms of the loan and would not be financing any more projects with Chinese money. I don't know if the change is because of China or because a new government was just elected in January.

We returned to the ship for a late afternoon departure. Next port: Kochi (Cochin) India.

Myanmar

Michael found this trip more than nostalgic. So far, every place we visited has greatly changed since he was there twenty odd years ago.  I was interested in his reaction to the changes that have occurred in Burma, now called Myanmar. My first experience of these Asian ports has been to note that the so called "third world" does not exist anymore.  Everyone has cell phones. Everyone wears shoes, if only flip flops.  The roofs of most buildings have satellite dishes. People, no matter how poor, are not isolated from the rest of the world.  This is true even in benevolent dictatorships, which I suppose characterizes Myanmar.

Tour Manager Sylvia Organizing a Tour of Yangon in Antique Buses

Yangon (Rangoon) came close to what I used to think of as a third world city.  Myanmar is only beginning to develop an infrastructure after years of stagnation under a military dictatorship yet there are motor bicycles and autos causing traffic jams on most of the city streets. Tourism and foreign investment are beginning to alter the landscape.  Yangon has a number of new high rise buildings. Construction cranes dot the skyline. Still, the streets are dirty and residents seem to have little civic pride; we saw people throwing trash out of the windows of their vehicles and there was considerable roadside litter. I wonder if that is a consequence of living for many years in a repressive society.

Myanmar Art For Sale at Scott's Market

Myanmar is a mostly Buddhist country.  Beautiful stupas and pagodas are scattered about the city and countryside. Most are covered with gold leaf or gold paint. Monasteries abound. A lot of wealth must be tied up in religeous structures. Some of the older non religeous buildings appear run down.  I was told that during the military dictatorship most historical buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair. They are only now beginning to be restored. As Myanmar has a hot and humid climate, constant maintenance is required to keep the buildings sound and attractive.

On the Way to the Schwedagon Temple

Michael and I visited the Schwedagon temple complex on our own the first day in Yangon. It is not the largest temple complex in the area but it is the most revered. We walked there from the center of the city.  

Exhausted Visitors Rest among the Buddha Images

Pagodas and Stupas

Burmese is Even More Strange than Thai

We took organized tours of a monastery, saw more temples and a number of markets in towns near Yangon during the next two days.. Everyone is required to walk barefoot through the religious sites. The pavements and floors were not all that clean. The bottoms of our feet turned black with dirt. The tour guides gave us moist towelettes to wipe our feet with before we put our shoes back on. You can believe that we cleaned our feet thoroughly each time when we returned to the ship. I couldn't complain, the magnificence of the various temples made it well worth collecting a little dirt on our feet.

Monks have Lunch at the Monastery

The Biggest Stupa in Myanmar

Second Largest Reclining Buddha

Both of our tour guides told us that the military dictatorship is over and Myanmar is embarking on a democratic future.  General Aung San is revered as the father of the country.  He was largely responsible for resisting British rule prior to World War II.  Later he negotiated with Britain to establish a united Burma. General Aung  was assassinated shortly before Burma got its independence from Britain in 1948.  His daughter, Aung  San Suu Kyi, was under house arrest from 1989 until a few years ago. The Myanmar people regard her as the “mother” of the country and would elect her head of state except for the fact that the generals have passed a constitution making it illegal for her to be more than a legislative leader.  Even though Myanmar has the trappings of a democracy and the people can vote in a limited way, the government is still firmly in the hands of the military. The populace appears to have more or less freedom of speech and freedom to make money.

The Strand Hotel - Another Raffles Property
The Military Junta let it Run Down
The Hotel Has Been Restored and is
Again a Luxury Property

On Our way to the Countryside

Economic freedom appears to be the critical factor behind the rapid change taking place in Yangon.  It would be fascinating to visit in a few years and see how much more the city has changed.  Michael tells me that there were no significant high rises in Yangon on his previous visit.  The open sewers he saw back then have been covered over.  He could spot the Schwedagon Temple from anywhere in the city.  Now tall buildings block the view. I understand that China, India and South Korea have invested in Myanmar.  The rest of the world is taking a wait and see attitude.  Chinese money has financed a four-lane highway between Yangon and Mandalay, the first interstate type road in the country.  Most of the principal rural roads have been paved within the past two years according to our tour guides.  Tourism is becoming a big business.  The Scott's Market, a marketplace that dates to British colonial days, has become a place for vendors of jewelry, carvings, small sculpture and clothing aimed squarely at foreign tourists.

A Weaving Demonstration in a Country Village

A Market in a Town South of Yangon

Detail of a Pagoda

Shrine in a Lake
Michael and I Chose to Stay on Shore
Rather than Walk in the Muddy Water
to Climb in the Boat

Monk at yet Another Temple

Our veranda faced the river so we were able to enjoy watching the river traffic while we were aboard the ship.  Regular ferries and small boats took crowds of workers across the Yangon River to the city in the morning and back to the countryside in the evening. 

Yangon River As We Departed the Pier

While it was fascinating to see Yangon and a little bit of the interior of Myanmar, three days was more than enough for a first visit.

A Hint of Thailand

The next day we visited Phuket, Thailand.  Michael and I rented a taxi for a few hours and visited the Big Buddha, under construction on a (relatively) high mountain..  Phuket is a resort island off the southern coast of Thailand.  Twenty years ago, it was remote with pristine beaches frequented by mostly Australian tourists.  Today there are resort hotels and condominiums all along the west coast.  The streets are lined with open-air restaurants and souvenir shops.  There are hordes of Chinese tourists.  The Thai population is almost all Buddhist leading to a mellow pace of life, although our driver did insist we visit the high priced jewelry store that gave him a kickback for providing shoppers.  He was honest about it so we agreed. We stayed five minutes.  Michael reported that it had a clean, Western style restroom.

Phuket Town

Silver Wind’s stop at Phuket was short, from 7 Am to 2 PM.  It was too early to enjoy the beach as Michael did on his two previous visits.  We explored a bit of the interior of the island instead. All the signs in Thai looked to me like random squiggles. It was strange not to understand anything. At least Malay uses the Roman alphabet and one can figure out the words for exit and toilet.  Thai writing is a total mystery.

 

Tourists Going on an Elephant Ride

 We saw elephant rides at various spots on our drive into the mountains.  I felt sorry for the poor beasts kept in captivity, not an attitude shared by the locals or even by ship’s passengers who had opted for elephant rides as a half day excursion..  The Big Buddha was really big.  It was difficult to get the whole statue into one picture.  We admired the associated small Buddhas and statues of Buddhist sages that were around the base of the Big Buddha. Michael and I looked out over the bay at the east end of the island.  It was too hazy to see much in the distance.  The Big Buddha has a ways to go before it becomes a “must see” tourist attraction but the builders are working on it.

A Different Buddha Pose for Each Day of the Week

The Big Buddha Himself

We drove through southern Phuket Town and south along the shore to a scenic overlook, crowded with Chinese tourists taking selfies. On the way back, we drove by a beach with long tailed boats that were very picturesque.  The driver told us that they were ferries to a nearby islet. He said that the beach was not as clean as the tourist beaches.

Long Tailed Boats

 

Scenic Overlook With Elephant Shrine and Lighthouse

Silver Wind had arrived at Phuket Town before dawn so Michael and I appreciated the scenic mid afternoon departure. 

 

Tourists taking Selfies at Suburb View

From the Taxi on Our Return to Silver Wind

About all I can conclude about Thailand from seeing this beach resort is that the writing is very weird and the people we met are warm and friendly. The Thai natives on the island didn’t appear to be wealthy.  Pickup trucks and motor bikes seemed to be the principal means of transportation.  I imagine most people work in the service industry or other tourism related occupations. The local homes seemed to be one and two story simple buildings.  As we did not visit the beaches, we didn’t see the condominium complexes or the high end hotels that most tourists wee when they visit Phuket.

Captain Palmieri, Master of the Silver Wind

Crack Line Handler- Notice his
Hard Hat and Safety Shoes

Leaving Phuket

Michael and I had been looking forward to a warm weather cruise, especially since this past Colorado winter was exceptionally cold and snowy.  The outside temperature, since we arrived in Singapore was above ninety degrees Fahrenheit every day.  Every once in a while we looked at each other and one of us said, “Well, we wanted this!”

Malaysia

Our first stop following embarkation in Singapore was at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or more particularly at Port Klang on the seacoast twenty miles from Kuala Lumpur.   This was my first visit to Malaysia.  I found the orientation tour we took most interesting.  KL, as the place is called to by locals and travelers alike, is a modern city.  High rises are under construction everywhere.  It appears that China and the Emirates are investing heavily in this ethnically diverse country.  Malaysia is a Muslim majority country.  Most citizens are Malay with about 25 percent ethnic Chinese and 7 percent of Indian extraction.  As a result, Malaysia has a relatively laid-back brand of Islam and generally practices religious tolerance.  The country has its own (subsidized) auto industry and  a large oil company that is partially government owned. The government is trying to preserve the remnants of British Colonial architecture that still stand amid the rush to erect glass and steel buildings and huge shopping malls.

Port Klang in the Morning Mist

The Independence Monument - Every Tour Starts Here
By the Sculptor who did the lag Raising at Iwo Jima
Any Resemblance is Intentional

Old and New in Kuala Lumpur

The Malaysians were eager for independence from more than a hundred years of British rule and at first saw the Japanese as liberators.  After WW II and independence, they now despise the Japanese and give the British credit for building an infrastructure that let the country modernize rapidly.

Our Tour Group Viewing the Former British Cricket Grounds
Surrounded by British Built Government Buildings in
a Strange Moorish Style

KL Street Scene

View from 1200 Foot Radio Tower
The Haze is Due to  Air Pollution

Our ethnically Chinese guide gave a version of Malay culture and history uniquely slanted toward her “outsider” status and highly insensitive to Western ideas of fairness and political correctness. It was fascinating to see Malaysia from her point of view:

 The prime minister must be a Muslim by constitutional law. The country has been under one party rule since Independence.  Our guide brushed off the bloody war between Singapore and Malaysia  in the 1960’s as a “small difference of opinion.” In her version, Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew decided that it was better for Singapore to go its own way rather than remain in a federation of Malaya, Brunei  and Singapore.  Our guide didn’t have much use for politicians and said that Malaysians generally try to avoid paying taxes.  She characterized the Chinese citizens as hard working business people but discriminated against, the Malays as lazy, and but nice people, the Indians as those who do the heavy work that no one else will. She deplored the end of rent control because now most ordinary people cannot afford to live in the city center anymore. A building boom is producing high-end apartments and condominiums that are being purchased by foreigners.  She was proud of the Malaysian auto industry although she said that the cars aren't very good and most people buy Japanese cars.

Petronas Towers - Headquarters of the State Oil Company

We toured the sights and marveled at the Petronas towers that were, for a few years, the tallest buildings in the world.  

Entrance to Shopping Mall at Petronas Towers

The next day we visited Penang, Malaysia.  Penang an island north of Kuala Lumpur that has become a popular resort area.  Penang was seized by the British who established a settlement here in the early nineteenth century, primarily for tin mining and the cultivation of rubber. Many Chinese were brought in by the British to mine and run local businesses.  Michael had told me to expect Penang to be more Chinese than Chinatowns anywhere, even Hong Kong.  It’s true, most of the inhabitants are still ethnically Chinese, but in the twenty years since Michael last visited Penang, it has become a tourist destination with lots of oriental restaurants and shops selling tee shirts and souvenirs. The old Chinatown is mostly a tourist destination. We walked through the Chinatown area and dodged traffic while looking at the older buildings and enjoying the scent of wonderful foods at the hawker stands and food courts.

Tugboat Escorting Silver Wind to the Dock.

We went to see the Eastern and Oriental Hotel.  Michael remembered the hotel having a big veranda with fans lazily circulating the air and an atmosphere that made one expect to spot Sidney Greenstreet sitting at a table playing solitaire.  There were some echoes of the British Colonial past but the hotel is now modern, air-conditioned and the veranda has been replaced with a swimming pool and an outdoor cafe shaded by a wrought iron and glass canopy.  A new twelve-story addition has been added.  The lobby, the cannon out back and the Farquhar Bar are about the only things that were essentially the same.  It is still a wonderful hotel but time has moved on.

Food Court with mostly Chinese Specialties
Most of the tourists were from India

Mural in Chinatown - We Saw Many Cats on the Streets

In the afternoon Michael and I rode the ship chartered shuttle bus to the modern downtown shopping area.  Outside of Chinatown, where the ship was docked, Penang has modern shopping malls and high rise condominiums.  Beautify beaches are not far away.  The Chinatown and the old British buildings give this resort area a kind of romantic charm even though old men no longer play mahjong  on the street.

Chinese Temple

,

Men Preparing an Offering of Imitation
Money that will be burned as an Offering to the Gods

The Eastern and Oriental Hotel

The Farquhar Bar at the Hotel
Too Bad the Ceiling Fans are Gone

I am beginning to see that South East Asia is far more dynamic and embracing of twenty first century technology than I had realized.