February 25th, Chennai, India

Now it's time to bring you up to date again after our stop in Chennai, India, formerly known as Madras.  it is a very dirty city.  Do not laugh if I tell you that we got off and took the ship shuttle to THE MALL.  It is a good way to see the city as you drive through and then you are at a very clean and modern place when you get there.  I would not want to have walked one single step in any of the areas through which we drove.
In the evening, back on the ship, before sailing, they had a show of Indian dancing. It was supposed to be about fifteen minutes long and after about 40 minutes, people (starting with Carl) started to get up and head for the buffet line.  Fortunately, we were sitting pretty much out of the line of sight of the performers, so no diplomatic incidents occurred.
Amy and Ron seem to be getting the hang of life on THE SILVER WHISPER and now enjoy four meals a day and several cocktail hours.  Ron is not following your cocktail of the day strategy, Larry, but is relatively happy with some of the more exotic choices.  He does go back to beer regularly. He and Carl have been testing what is supposedly VASS ALE and a couple of times found it wanting.  Amy and Ron came with me to the Mall but Cal demurred....no surprise.
My tooth is holding .  Or at least my half tooth, but I still want to go to a dentist in Singapore.
About the dancing.  We have had four distinct versions of local dancing.  In Rio it was show girl types and carnival atmosphere and costumes.  In Africa, it was ...O yes.  I didn't see that one.  In Madagascar it had some frenetic dancing accompanied by a drummer and a front male dancer who moved constantly for over an hour.  These groups performed during the tour I took there, and later there was a group at the dock.  They were in motion for over an hour and a half!  The fourth group was the Indian one with all women and beautiful costumes.  Their dance told a story but it was hard to listen to the music for so long.  It was rather piercing after a while.
We are now on our way to the Andaman Islands.  Never heard of them. I gather it used to have a British jail for Indian rebels. 
Now, in a new attempt to blog, I will hope to keep this in draft form (while using the ship's computer, but on AOL) and then go back to the room and add some fine photos for your delight! 
Love and kisses to all,
ME

OK It's later and now I am attaching photos. One is of Amy and me at the mall in front of a shop full of saris and another is of a shrine from the bus window!

February 22, 2012 after the Maldives

Well, the waiting and worrying are over.  We have stopped in the Maldives safely and picked up Amy and Ron.

They had a wonderful four days there awaiting our arrival, which was in doubt until about a day ahead of our actual anchoring.  The riots had made the issue one of deciding once we were getting closer and thankfully, the riots had stopped.  I will leave Amy and Ron to tell you all, eventually, about their idyllic vacation spot.  The main islsand of Male is only 2 kilometers big and crammed to the gills with buildings and people.  As we approacned from the sea, it looked as though it was rising out of the water and as the early morning sun shone on it, it almost looked ethereal!  The reality is far less attractive.
None of the many islands are over a few metres high.  They are all sinking.  The country once considered using the slogan "Come see us now while we're still here." but then thought better of it.
Today is a sea day and then tomorrow we will be in Sri Lanka and have actually planned an off the ship expedition to see elephants.  I will take pictures and promise to send something with photos again soon.
Love to all,
O yes, I broke a tooth and now am about to ask the doctor to find me a dentist in Singapore!!!!
ME

February 15

Now, I am trying to write directly to the blog so that all three of my followers will have something to read and see. Maybe the other post will arrive, but if not, here are a couple of photos.

From Reunion Island February 15, 2012

I actually got off the ship at our last port, Madagascar. We docked at the very southern tip of the island and I went with a small group to visit a Preserve where they had local flora and fauna but which was best known for having three kinds of lemurs. It was kind of amusing the way our guide (who flew down from the center of Madagascar to give our tour and another a few days earlier) would make a signal to a local person who ran ahead to check out just where the lemurs were in the trees and then come back to guide us. I got some photos and will try and include them. The usual caveats….I have no idea what of this will make it to the blog and what will not.

We also saw the great poverty of the people and the countryside where we went had only a rutted road along which they walked with baskets on their heads or long poles with heavy burdens latched on. The huts were thatch roofed and every now and then one was obviously some kind of a store with a few things for sale laid out in front. Whenever we got our of the tour van, we were surrounded by people trying to sell and even in the preserve, there were children who held out long sticks with lizards or chameleons on them to give us a better photo opportunity. When were stopped once, someone stuck one of the long sticks in the open window (no air conditioning but the breeze was nice) and I let oir a yelp! It was a model, but looked very real. They all got a kick out of that!

The area where the ship docked was a very new terminal built by RIO TINTO which has set up mining for titanium. They allow cruise ships to use it a couple of times a week. Actually, they have to as that was part of the deal when they built the area. The coast line is gorgeous and has beautiful beaches with clear water. A continuation of our tour took us into the town of Fort Dauphin and I don’t think there is anywhere there which matches the beaches in terms of accommodation. The local fruits and vegetables market was filled with some nice looking things but I would not have wanted to get out in the area where it was located. Clothing was also being sold by being put out on the street in piles. I think this is the place they send the tee shirts etc., which are pre-printed in hopes a team will win. Then when they are not CHAMPIONS of whatever, they send them to places like this! But, one guy had a Lakers hat so perhaps he was a traveler.

Today, in Reunion, there has been a truck strike and so they will not allow the tour bus onto the dock area, so all the tours have been cancelled. The only one which was supposed to go was the helicopter tour but I think the clouds may have made that a less than satisfactory trip. Many of the Brits on the ship say we didn’t miss much and the next stop is similar but nicer. They spoke “unkindly” of the French. Reunion is one if the departments of France and the currency is the euro. Supposedly the same kind of purchases are available at better rates at the next port! I have not been shopping that much anyway.

At 6:00 PM, we leave for Mauritius and arrive in the AM. Then we have four days at sea before we anticipate the embarkation of Amy and Ron.
Love and kisses, ME

others from Capetown

OK Here we are getting off the ship at Wavis\Bay in Namibia and then the otherone is of Carl at the rail as we are approaching Capetown.  Finally, the last one is of Kelly and Larry "helping" with the wine tasting in the wine district outside of Capetown.

I have many more photos now and will send more as I get K and L to help me with some of the remaining kinks which need to be worked out.

We leave Capetown tonight and I have enjoyed the city and our touring. It is beautiful of course, with Table Mountain dominating, but we also drove more of the way around the Bay and saw some lovely views of the surrounding mountains.

Kelly and Larry are being taught all the important facets of ship life....the cocktail hour, what to wear when and how many naps you can take each day.

No more for now. Alex, we did NOT go sandboarding in Namibia. Thanks but no thanks for the siuggestion. I will post a photo or two of the dinner in the desert some time when we have nothing new to post.

Love and kisses,

ME

Walvis Bay, Namibia

This photo was shot as we disembarked at Walvis Bay - sorry for the late posting! 

February 9th, Durban, South Africa

Guess what?  I have sent a blog post that never reached you all.  It is somewhere in the ether and now Kelly is trying to help me retrieve it and learn to send more before they leave TOMORROW!!!!!!
Durban is a very large city with a population which is one third Indian,  It does indeed have a large mall and I paid a short visit.  No photos but maybe Kelly can help me find the post from the heavens. (Found and posted below).
Love to all,.
ME

Cape Town, South Africa, February 4th, 2012

We arrived this afternoon. During our walk to Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, we stumbled across Parliament, just behind us in the photo.

after St. Helena

This is yet another test.  I had a lovely long post for you all from St. Helena and was going to try this way of posting directly to the blog (through Kelly's instructions) but I wrote it off line and in aol and now I cannot bring it up on Carl's lap top.  I am using the lap top because it has the few pictures I have FINALLY been able to download.

So here goes.

St. Helena was probably very glad to get Napoleon and there various other prisoners over the years.  There is NOTHING else to do there.  Everybody on the entire island sits outside when a ship comes.  we did see the housd Napoleon used and some big tortoises.  One of them, they claim, is the oldest in the world.  I am surprised her has noit died of boredom!  I am trying to insert a picture of Carl at the entrance to N's house and a view of the ship from up the long winding road which took us there.  To be fair, they had some lovely gardens and wildfdlowers.

Now here goes for the insertl

Love to all,

K and L come on Saturday (we are now at Walvis Bay in Namibia, about to go out for dinner in the desert.

I will have their help to send a report on that.,

ME