The South Pacific includes 10 island groups

The South Pacific which is synonymous with "paradise" for many, includes 10 island groups as follows: New Caledonia, The Cook Islands, French Polynesia (118 total) that includes Tahiti and Bora-Bora, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Easter Island, Vanuatu, and Tonga.

 

Included on my trip will be a stop in the Cook Islands which is part of New Zealand, French Polynesia including Tahiti, Moorea, and a stop in the Marquesas islands. This part of the world is known for its beautiful white sand beaches, remote escapes, diving and snorkeling, archaeology and history, hiking/caves and volcanoes, luxurious retreats, hospitable residents, and traditional cuisine dance and music.

I am mainly an indoor girl so I will go out of my comfort zone and explore the great outdoors in these beautiful locations.

Kota Kintabalu-Sabah-Borneo

Today, I took a shore excursion in Kota Kintabalu, Malaysia, otherwise known as the state of North Borneo.  There are 32 ethnic groups living on this island. Malay, Chinese and Indian are the largest groups and English and Malay are spoken. 65% are Muslim and 30% are Roman Catholic. First, we visited the Mari Mari village. There, we toured replicas of five different major ethnic groups. We saw their bamboo huts, how they prepared meals, how they made clothing, how they make fire, how they celebrated a new marriage and even how the ruthless headhunter tribes thrive. Up until 60 years ago, hunters hunted heads. Next, we drove by a few modern areas and saw the newest mosque. The rain and humidity made for some challenging moments.

Please forgive the typos I wrote this using Siri on my iPhone. I will make corrections when I turned home.

Tomorrow, we will visit Brunei.

World Cruise-The First Segment: Florida to Sydney

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I will cruise on the first third of a 115-day world-cruise – – the segment that sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Sydney, Australia.  Leaving in early 2016, the journey will last 36 days.

After departing from Fort Lauderdale, the ship (HAL Amsterdam) will make stops in Costa Rica and Panama; transit the Panama Canal; then make stops in several South Pacific islands including French Polynesia; then make stops in New Zealand and Australia ports; and finally I will disembark in Sydney. 

Cruising

On this sailing, I will explore 14 ports of call and I will relish 21 activity-filled sea days, including crossing-the-equator and passing the international dateline ceremonies.

I  look forward to some of my favorite activities on a cruise such as relishing sunsets at sea, savoring 24-hour gourmet dining options, enjoying a variety of entertainment venues including musicians galore and Las Vegas-style revues, appreciating a good book poolside, winning trivia and other contests, luxuriating at gala events, enriching my mind and body with lectures and dance classes, and delighting in making new friends from all over the world.

 

Traveling

Literary giants such as Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, W. Somerset Maugham, and James Michener wrote volumes about some of their experiences in these majestic locations with their blue lagoons, colorful reefs, mountain valleys, and hospitable residents.

I especially look forward to re-experiencing a guided tour as we transit the Panama Canal, learning about the traditional Maori culture in New Zealand, experiencing the rugged beauty and the endless sky in the French Polynesian and Cook Islands, enjoying the bustling, cosmopolitan cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and bonding with a new group of world explorers.

By the end of this cruise, this world traveler will have visited 90 nations on six continents. 

Our ship will set sail in one week!!

I will bring you along.

 

 

 

Puerto Princesa, Philippines wonderful day!

Palawan, Pilippines

Today I visited Puerto Princesa in Palawan, a beautiful archipelago in the Philippines, southwest of Manila. Until the Japanese occupied it in 1942, it was unspoiled by the outside world. Due to its strategic location, it played in important role for the Japanese and the allies during World War II. It is infamous for the massacre of 150 American prisoners of war after they were ordered to enter shelters where they were eventually burned alive.

Patrick from London and I took a lovely tour of the island on a motorized tricycle cab with a friendly driver (whose wife works in Rydia, Saudi Arabia to help support the family). 

As I was roaming around with no plan, and I heard someone call out my name. I have been considering taking a spontaneous tour with one of the drivers but was hesitant because they were so aggressive. I looked up and saw it was Patrick and decided to join him. He had already begun a tour with a motorized tricycle driver. Although it was a tight squeeze, there was room for two of us. 

Our first stop was the cathedral near the port. Next to the cathedral was a World War II monument to those massacred at the hands of the Japanese. It was situated in a beautiful waterfront Park. I found the memorial to be very moving. 

Next, we took a very long ride up Rizal Avenue passing by busy markets, restaurants, residences, and more in the somewhat chaotic traffic. Our next stop,  was a private World War II museum. There we saw an impressive collection of artifacts from all the major nations who participated in World War II. Included uniforms, gas masks, helmets, bayonets, guns, and even a US jeep. Somewhat unrelated, was a pair of bright red pumps owned by Emelda Marcos. The museum owners were very gracious.  We took corny photos outside. The admission price cost less than a dollar per person.

 

Our driver said our next stop would be the crocodile farm. I told them I preferred that we go to the butterfly Garden and tribal Village. The park was simply beautiful with lots of greenery and colorful flowers, some insects on display such as the stick insect, and finally of course butterflies. Patrick let the Millipede crawl on his hands. 

Included in the park was a tribal village where a narrator introduced us to a centuries old Palawan tribe. They are descendants of original inhabitants for many generations ago. They demonstrated such activities as fire making, hunting by blowing a bamboo stick out of a long tube, and music making. I took photos of some of the most beautiful happy children. The admission price was about one dollar US.

Next, our driver suggested that we visit a meditation center known best for it's underground caves and swimming pool.

 

The name of this place is Kuyba Almoneca. It even included a walking tour for our modest admission price of about two dollars. Our lovely tour guide, Giselle, took us down to the three underground caves and showed us the interesting stalagmite and stalactite formations, carvings that look like Jesus, fountains, and there is even an underground swimming pool. The steep narrow staircases were probably the trickiest I have descended in a very long time.

 

This is a Catholic meditation center but it was not offensively religious. I found it to be very spiritual exuding peace and stillness. All of the major prayers were strategically positioned on placards throughout the beautiful site. There were several coves with temples such as an area with a beautiful statue of St. Francis holding doves with his prayer posted on a screen next to him. There was even a lovely chapel with beautifully carved wooden benches. At the end, a real treat was to to find nestled inside this serene space, a fish spa located there. We sat down, rolled up our pants and stuck our feet in the pool. The hungry (starving) fish feverishly ate away at our dead skin. I have done this once before two years ago in Greece and laughed the whole time. I laughed again this time. It is such a funny feeling and it tickles wildly.  There is no doubt that I will have smooth fresh smelling feet for at least two months just like before!! Our guide, Gisele showed us an adjacent area where you can have a full body treatment with the fish. Yes you can strip naked and step into this large tank where the fish will remove the dead skin from all over your body. That is NOT on my bucket list!!!!!

Our final stop was to a big market where we purchased souvenirs.  I bought five beautiful necklaces and a bracelet for $15 US. 

I could not have experienced a more enjoyable day if I had planned it myself.

Patrick and I were completely spontaneous and went with the flow the whole day. Each adventure was enriching, beautiful, fun, and thought-provoking.

It was a splendid 4.5 hour day. Patrick paid our driver a nice sum and also tipped him.

 

Also, I will add more photos later.

In Brunei, all that glitters is gold!!!!

"In Brunei, all that glitters is gold."

This contains A description of my day in Brunei and some facts I learned from my tour guide.

Brunei is a small country sandwiched in between two sections of Malaysia having recently gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. Before that, it was a British protectorate for a century. It is a Malay, Islamist, monarchy governed by sharia law. Known for its vast wealth derived from the oil reserves, the country ranks as the fifth richest nation in the world. The sultan's net worth is $20 billion. In the  royal family's 2015 wedding, The bride carried a Bouquet not of flowers but of gemstones. They live in the world's largest residential palace containing 1788 rooms.

Sharia law which was instituted in 2014, ensures that this closed and restricted society imposes harsh and barbaric punishments for such things as adultery, homosexuality, alcohol consumption, and any defamation of the profit, blasphemy, or denial of Islam.  Death by stoning is common practice for those convicted of such crimes.

Despite its religiosity, The royal family is infamous for a hedonistic lifestyle that includes opulent orgies and an obsession with wealthy, American celebrities. 

It's currency is interchangeable with the Singapore dollar. The people learn 3 languages in school and learn 2-4 other languages in order to communicate with multi-ethnic friends and neighbors. Every family has 2-3 vehicles including a mini-van. The crime rate is virtually zero here and residents rarely lock their doors. Censorship is high. If a photo of a scantily clad woman is discovered, her arms or cleave get manually blacked out by the authorities. I imagine there is a long line of men holding black out markers applying for that censor job!!

The largest prison population consists of those who overstayed their visa. Incomes are high and there is no income tax.

I took a ship shore excursion today that included three key activities:

1) We suited up in orange life jackets and took a relaxing ride along the river where where the "water village" is home to 20,000 people with 19 schools. Many of the homes are wooden and some are built on stilts. We visited the home of our boat driver where his family served tea and traditional cakes. 

2) Next stop: Royal Regalia museum provides a history of the sultans Brunei.  It is filled with opulent artifacts from the current royal family including 19k gold throne, ceremonial armor, jeweled crowns, and golden hand that held up the sultan's head as he wore his heavy coronation crown. The golden chariot used to carry the newly appointed sultan is on display in the lobby. I heard it is ONLY made of 19k gold.

Impressively, when the sultan was a prince, he was trained in all 3 branches of military. Because of his air force training, he serves as his own pilot when he travels.

Before entering the museum, we required to remove our footwear. Before leaving the first level, we had to surrender all backpacks, purses, cameras, another recording devices. They kept a large separate tub to hold all of our goods from our tour bus number 19.  Admission is free to the public.

Here is a blog post from another tourist that gives a good description of the museum:

http://blog.asiahotels.com/opulent-treasures-of-brunei-at-the-royal-regalia-museum/

3) Next, we visited the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (from the outside)---both sides of the street are lined with gold and it is surrounded by fountains and beautifully landscaped gardens. Built in 1992, it holds 5000 people and is topped with 29 gold domes to signify His Majesty the Sultan as the 29th ruler of Brunei. Gold dripped from every gate.

Poor in Brunei is defined as "not having a car." Cars are cheap. Gas (petrol) costs less than water. Families take care of each other, so, less than than 10 people live in nursing homes--yes, ten. The government subsidizes housing. You can buy a house for $40,000 US. The house is yours for life. If you cannot afford it, Papa Sultan will assist. Importantly, there are no homeless people. A doctors or dentist visit cost $1. If you need specialized medical treatment overseas, the government will fund your care and provide accommodation (for you and a family member).

Our tour guide seemed really enamored with the Sulton and the royal family for taking care of his people. She said he even throws parties for the people and allows the public into his Royal Polo club. He is quite accessible and anyone who wants to meet him at regular events has access to him.

Our tour guide was evasive when I questioned why the Sultan enacted sharia law just last year, especially if the crime rate is so low. She said it's just to prevent people from committing religious crimes. She minimized the whole idea. She said "if a person is caught stealing you are supposed to cut off their hand. You have not heard of anyone's hand being cut off since the new laws were enacted last year." Well, there you have it the party line.

Please forgive the typos as I wrote this on my iphone and will make corrections when I return home.

Also, I will post more photos later.