Ports – commercial and passenger
We have just been in the port in Santos, Brazil, and it reminds me that the ports we encounter are interesting in different ways.
Some ports are designed and used exclusively for passengers on cruise ships. The newest have ramps that connect to the cruise ships like jetways connect to planes, and the terminals are sparkling, with lots of tourism information, shops and dining places within – you barely have to leave the cruise ship to experience some of the local culture. If you look online for images of the Barcelona cruise ship passenger terminal you will see that it looks like a beautiful new shopping mall.
Other ports are primarily commercial shipping ports – big, noisy, gritty, and organized around mountains of containers that carry goods round the world. When a cruise ship docks there, the bright lights and noise of the port can be enjoyed all night by the passengers – not so great for sleep. As a cruise ship passenger, you are bundled off the ship and shuttled by bus around the edges of the port to a safe gateway into the host city.
Attached is a short video from the port in Valparaiso, Chile. There were huge numbers of trucks lined up to catch container after container being mechanically unloaded from enormous cargo ships. I took just about a minute or two for each container to be taken from the cargo ship and deposited onto the waiting truck.
And then there are ports like Santos, Brazil, which hosts both commercial cargo ships and cruise ships carrying passengers, without very clear separate areas for each. These mixed-use ports are fascinating to observe because you are close to the action of the cargo movement, but you are carefully shuttled by bus through the port so that you don’t get hurt by a big truck or container – no walking around is permitted. The passenger shuttle buses weave around the forklifts, the trucks, and the other vehicles – sometimes for miles- getting passengers to the safety of the port exit. You can see the workers and the details that go into the action. Again, a quick online search of Santos, Brazil shipping port will give you aerial shots and others that capture some of the scope of this incredible port.
Santos is the largest port in Latin America when it comes to cargo – it serves as the export gateway for massive amounts of dry goods and liquid goods from Brazil.
Soy beans are the biggest export by far (to China) but sugar, coffee, corn and citric juices are also big business here. Oranges were formerly one of the big exports, but local business owners discovered that they could process the oranges into juice (a value-add) and it was more profitable. This change in the nature of the product flowing through the port generated growth in the surrounding area, so now the city of Santos has more industry (and profit) than before. Most of the orange juice goes to Belgium but that doesn’t mean Belgians drink it all – from its entry there it is distributed throughout Europe.
While docked in Santos we have visited the city, and the large city of São Paulo (about 80 km/ 50 miles away). More about our excursions in Brazil later.
MA
Mary Anne McDonald
Piracy on the High Seas
Pirates!
We recently have learned a few things about pirates in the Atlantic Ocean – yes that’s right, the Atlantic.
Apparently, piracy is big business off the West coast of Africa, as cargo ships with refined petroleum pass through these waters. Several African countries on the West coast are rich in oil, and ship it through the Gulf of Guinea.
Highly organized pirates board these ships, which often have small crews (therefore easy to control). The pirates use weapons to force the crew to stop the ship (or, if the ship is already anchored, to turn over control). Then, the ship turns into an illegal bunkering stop – other ships can obtain the fuel from the pirates for a price much lower than obtaining it legally at a port. Once the fuel vessel is empty, the pirates move on to the next fuel vessel and repeat the process.
In the past, when fuel prices on the legal market dropped, the pirates would ransom crew members instead of selling fuel, as it was more profitable to collect ransom.
Government corruption appears to be heavily involved in this petro-piracy, either through government action/inaction in conjunction with the pirates, or through corruption in general. In this latter instance, the pirates take matters into their own hands to grab “their share” of the wealth.
An excellent article from March 2022 on this issue can be found at:
https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/piracy-gulf-guinea/
As oil production around the world changes in the future, petro-piracy is an issue about which we may hear more.
MA
Photo Safari at Phinda Forest Lodge
Zululand, South Africa
May 8, 2023
When we arrived in South Africa, we immediately went by van to Phinda Forest Lodge for a photo safari (we were part of a group of 8 passengers from the ship). Phinda is one of the many lodges owned by a company called “&Beyond” which promotes sustainable travel in natural places that need to be conserved. It is an interesting company founded by members of the Getty family and South African investors, and the business model includes alliances with local Zulu tribes, local landowners and others.
Over the course of 3 days we went on 5 game drives. Before we even snapped animal pictures, we learned a lot about the area and its history – it is partly a sand forest (rare), partly grasslands, partly woodland and partly wetland. With this diverse ecosystem Phinda has trees, bushes, plants, spiders, birds, orchids, cacti and animals not found anywhere else on the planet. The scenery was stunning. With the help of an extraordinary ranger and tracker team (Dan and Bheki) we explored it all.
The game drives were great, and each lasted a lot longer than expected, because we found so many animals – lions (and lionesses), elephants (alone and in a big herd) , giraffes (ditto), zebras, white rhino, hippos, leopards, a cheetah, Cape buffalo, antelope, nyalas, wildebeests, warthogs, suni (tiny deer), monkeys, lizards, turtles, spiders, birds, etc. And we saw lots of babies (lion cubs, elephant and giraffe calves, etc.), too.
Phinda Forest Lodge was great – 16 large glass-walled cabins, lovely staff members, beautiful outdoor dining areas where we enjoyed incredible candle-lit dinners near roaring fires (it was cool and dark by 6:30 pm), and guides to get you from dinner back to your cabin after dark, as animals roam freely throughout the area.
Joe took a lot of pictures, and tried to capture the feeling of being in Africa, in the bush. It was an incredible experience, and we would go on another safari in a heartbeat!
Now, off to check out the West coast of Africa, starting down in Namibia, with the world’s oldest dessert.
Best wishes to all,
Joe and MA
More Pics Below
India — Overall Impressions
India – there aren’t enough words to describe it. Some impressions.
In the course of 6 days in India, we saw only a small part of this country, and yet enough to fascinate us and make us want to see more. Since there are not enough words to adequately describe our experience, and we cannot possibly share all the pictures we have, here are some general reflections.
Before heading inland, we spent a few hours touring the Latin Quarter of Goa, India’s smallest state. It is a charming old area where the buildings have the colonial charm you might find in a Caribbean island vacation spot, with colorful small coffee and tea shops, bakeries, restaurants, art galleries, guesthouses and residences.
We headed from the Mumbai sea port to the airport, expecting crowds. Along the way we passed massive slums, in which there are markets, banks, school systems and residents who work, sorting recycling or working at other jobs. A guide told us that these slums do not carry the stigma that is generally associated with them elsewhere, they are just small places to live in an area where housing is not affordable for many people.
Mumbai has one of the cleanest airports we have ever seen, with lovely art displays throughout. Because the airport is so large, nothing seemed crowded, and we boarded our flight to Delhi. Similarly, the Delhi airport was large and spotless, and crowded.
Leaving the Delhi area and heading to Agra, we passed through greater Delhi, where traffic has to be seen to be believed.
Imagine you are in your car on a fairly busy 4 lane road. Add in very large trucks, bundled high and wide with produce or other goods, add in public buses, add in private tour buses, add in tractors that go slowly and trucks carrying live animals like chickens, add in motorcycles and scooters. Add in pedestrians (yes, on the roadway). Notice all the horn honking to signal when a vehicle is near, and the signs on almost every truck saying “please horn.” Now observe, every now and then, how the traffic opens up and flows around a herd of cattle, walking down the center of the road, in either direction (with traffic or against it). Sometimes it is just one cow, sometimes a herd with a person guiding them, sometimes goats or horses as well. Amazing.
As we left greater Delhi we passed miles and miles of fields, where mustard and other crops are grown, often by farmers and their families. There were many images of an individual person tending a large field without machines to assist. And as dusk fell, we saw more and more children helping out before night came. The scenery was beautiful.
Agra is a busy city, home to the Taj Mahal, a great fort, and other sights to see. Close to the tourist areas the streets are lines with shops and the atmosphere is congested and chaotic. Just a mile or so away, we stayed at a lovely hotel, very luxurious, which seemed to be from another world.
We moved on to Jaipur after Agra. Again we saw incredible luxury next to widespread poverty.
Jaipur is known for its block textiles, and there is no end to the shops selling materials. They line several streets, interspersed with markets for fruit and produce, as well as products of all kinds.
The city Palace in Jaipur sits amidst this mass of markets, elegant and serene. Similarly, the Royal Observatory provides a fairly quiet place to see the 19 astronomical instruments built by the founder of Jaipur in the early 1700s, an incredible way to see the placement of planets etc with the naked eye.
We attended a Hindu Aarti ceremony, which is a morning ritual. Again, a pleasure to participate in a crowded experience where people did not seem to be bothered by the throng, just took it in stride. As in other places, every smile from us was met with a return smile. For us, it felt very comfortable to be here.
Overall, we experienced an assault on the senses, but a great one. Smells (spices, flowers and everything else), sounds ( horns, languages, birds), tastes and sights of every type, all at once, it seemed. We saw clothing of every type imaginable, which varies among the regions, and changes over time. For example, saris are now being supplemented in some places in the North by head and face coverings, influenced by Muslim dress.
So how do 1.4 billion people live together in this dynamic yet traditional country of haves and have-nots?
Is it the belief of the Hindu population that reincarnation will reward their kindness to all living things? We don’t know why things are the way they are, but we would like to return and learn more.
Some websites that might be of interest to you:
https://www.britannica.com/place/India
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taj-Mahal
https://www.gadventures.com/blog/behind-hindu-aarti-ceremony/
Mary Anne McDonald
Visiting Penang, Malaysia
Penang, Malaysia
April 1, 2023
During a visit to Penang, Malaysia we spent some time in the city of Georgetown, the capital. Georgetown is a city established about 150 years ago by British colonizers. It is home to many different ethnicities including Chinese, Indian, Arabian, Burmese and Malay people as well as expats from Eurasia, Thailand and elsewhere.
Beautiful gracious buildings built during British rule are located next to ornate temples and other colorful architectural masterpieces. Some of the temples reflect a mix of Buddhism and Confucianism. In addition to stops at several of these temples, we visited a water village located on one of several long jetties in the Straits of Malacca, located between mainland Malaysia and the island of Penang. We also visited a Clan house.
The water villages were established because buildings on land were taxed, while buildings over the water were not. We visited Chew Jetty, named after the captain of the ship that brought Chinese immigrants to Penang. It was common practice for immigrants with no connection to their new home to adopt as a group the surname of their boat captain. One of the boats that carried immigrants to Penang was captained by Captain Chew, a surname that many of the Chinese immigrants adopted. Hence the name Chew Jetty to describe the area.
As Penang developed, a group Clan houses, or (“kongsi”) were established in Penang by wealthy Chinese immigrants. The goal was to provide temples, housing and assistance to newcomers. The Khoo Clanhouse, which we visited, is one of the largest. You enter the compound through a large walkway, which brings you away from the busy street and into a compound with an ornate temple, a registration office for the newcomers, and apartments for them. Newcomers received help obtaining work, housing, food, etc. until they could stand on their own two feet.
The Khoo Clanhouse was founded in 1835. Three areas make up the inside of the temple. There is a center area to worship of the god of prosperity. A small area to its right is for the worship of ancestors. It contains many replicas of gravestones from China where the ancestors were buried. Since the immigrants could not easily return to China, this area fulfilled a need for a local place to worship ancestors.
A small area to the left is a “hall of fame” with plaques to show the accomplishments of the Khoo family, and to inspire others. The plaques shown in the image below denote one surveyor, a recipient of the Bachelor of Science degree, and two barristers. There are hundreds of plaques in this area. Once a “hall of famer” dies, his plaque is moved to the ancestral worship temple.
All in all a very interesting city.
MAM
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver, BC, Canada May 3, 2016
We spent a wonderful day in Vancouver, a city we hadn’t seen before, a city that impressed us tremendously. A vibrant cosmopolitan city (developed only about 100 years ago), with a diverse population (1/3 Chinese, with many residents from other parts of Asia), beautiful parks and gardens, a busy port, and lovely suburbs -this is definitely a place we’d love to see again, in greater detail.
The morning we arrived we hiked through an old growth forest in Lighthouse Park, and saw some very tall and old trees. As you might imagine, this climate (we’re still in the temperate rain forest in Vancouver) allows for some incredible plants and flowers, not only in the forest but also in the many gardens and parks in town.
And to make the day very special, we enjoyed a wonderful visit with Bob and Barbara, who trekked up 3 hours from Seattle to say hello – we appreciated the chance to spend time with them, as always.
So now that the USA Presidential race seems to have come down to a smaller field of contenders, our visit to Vancouver was timely; it could possibly be just the place to go if things don’t improve on the homefront!
We will be in San Francisco tomorrow, and back to NJ on Saturday. We’re looking forward to seeing you and catching up!
Best,
MA
a few last pix from Alaska from MA
Our time in Alaska
Alaska May 1, 2016
We have spent this past week visiting several places in Alaska and enjoying the beautiful scenery and the nice local folks. This is a giant state, and our visit only covered a bit of the Aleutian Islands and some of the towns/cities in the southeast part of the state. Alaska’s big business is fishing, but tourism is high on the list, followed by government.
One of the speakers on this ship gave a presentation on Alaska’s vital importance in terms of global relations, given its proximity to Russia and the West Coast of the continental USA. Since we had tried to visit Petroplavask, Russia before we got to Alaska, and learned that this is the hub for Russia’s buildup of marine power, the role of Alaska may be something to keep an eye on.
We learned how life in Alaska is so different from what we expect in other parts of the USA – the terrain is rugged, the areas we visited are rainy (part of a rain forest, actually), and there are relatively few roads; a lot of the travel and transport is done by water (seaplanes, ships, etc.) and air (one out of six residents in Alaska has a pilot’s license). Transport of goods is often scheduled during the cold months, so that the frozen rivers can carry heavy loads with relative ease. The communities we visited are relatively small (Dutch Harbor has about 4300 residents, while Anchorage – a large town – has about 300,000), but there is a great sense of community here and people love being outdoors even if the weather is tough.
During the May-September period, tourists pour into Alaska for all sorts of recreation – fishing, hiking, biking, camping, etc. Despite the large number of tourists, it seems that it doesn’t get crowded because there’s so much land, so many bodies of water, etc. A very large part of Alaskan property is protected from development in various ways, including federally owned property and national parks (both land and water/glacier).
We learned a bit about the history of Alaska; its native people (who have a status similar to Native Americans in the lower 48 states, but who don’t live on reservations); how Russian traditions live on even though the US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867; the 1897 Klondike gold rush; and Alaska’s role in World War II (Fort Abercrobmie Park in Kodiak had bunkers, cannon and other military installations to defend the US).
The gold rush stories are fascinating – people from all walks of life and professions headed north when word hit Seattle that gold had been discovered. Entrepreneurs located harbors and built town centers with access to the main roads up to the Klondike. One of these towns, built on a deep harbor (Skagway) is still a thriving area, despite the fact that its road to the Klondike was horrible (a picture of the start of the trail is attached). Another town, built on a shallow harbor but having a better trail road to Klondike (Dyea) is now just a ghost town.
People who wanted to mine gold needed to make a commitment that they’d bring enough with them to survive one year – this meant about 600 lbs of flour, hundreds of pounds of cured meat such as bacon, mining tools, tools to build houses, etc. The National Parks Service information says that the miners needed to lug 1 ton of goods from their starting point in Alaska (which they would reach after travelling from San Francisco or Seattle, for example), up the narrow, steep trail into the Yukon, and then cross the Yukon River before reaching the gold fields. And, if a miner wanted to use a horse, mule, dogsled, etc. he’d need provisions for that animal, and might schedule travel during the winter in the case of dogsleds (which are easier to move over ice and snow than over mud and dirt). Skagway grew into a large town as the miners came, with all the vices that are present with desperate, hungry, lonely men; we heard many stories about the con men and others who took advantage of the situation, and how local heroes rid the town of its bad actors.
We also spent several days checking out glaciers (frozen packs of ice that can be miles long and wide, and come in all types, depending on the land masses near them). Joe has some great pictures of this, as well as the various parks where we hiked on beautifully maintained trails and enjoyed the scenery, whether we had rain or sun. On Glacier Bay, we saw 2 tidewater glaciers, rare because glaciers don’t often reach the sea; tidewater glaciers are found only in Scandanavia, Chile and Alaska. Hubbard Glacier, which we visited on a nice sunny day, is 75 miles long, 300 feet high on its face, and covers 1350 square miles in area.
National Park Service rangers boarded the boat for a day and gave us a nice education about the forests, glaciers, tides (high and low tides in this area vary about 25 feet most days) and wildlife. We had the chance to use all this knowledge in the past week, and we saw some whales, harbor seals, sea lions, eagles and even bear (from a nice distance).
And last but not least, we learned how vital the dogs and dogsleds have been to life in Alaska over the years. It’s not just the Iditarod 1150 mile race (which, by the way, women seem to win a lot), but it’s also the story of Balto. In 1925 a diphtheria epidemic threated Nome, Alaska. Medicine was sent from Seattle to Anchorage, and then had to get north to Nome. Sled dogs were harnassed to make that trip of 674 miles and they completed the trek in an epic 127 hours. Balto, who was 6 years old at the time, led the team during its final leg of the trip, withstanding weather of -23F degrees and near whiteout conditions.
So Alaska is everything we hoped it would be, and more. Just beautiful, with room for many more visits, I hope!
Hope you are all well, and looking forward to seeing you soon – we’ll be back in a week!
Best,
MA