Feb 7 – At Sea, Indian Ocean. Ah, at last a day at sea to rest up. We got some bad news today. Port Blair, our next port, has very strict rules about when you can arrive and when you can leave. The stop after than Myanmar has even stricter rules for port operations as it has been under military control until recently. The short story is that if we stop at Port Blair we will not be allowed to leave on time to make our call at Myanmar. Since Myanmar is not often visited the choice of which one to cancel was easy, Port Blair. So we will have an extra day at sea and arrive for our 2 day stay in Myanmar a day early. When you travel, you have to be flexible. This is our second itinerary change since we boarded. The other was going through the Suez Canal at night. Quite a few people were disappointed by that.
Our entertainer this evening was supposed to be Joe West a musician. Unfortunately he did not get aboard yesterday so another person will have to substitute, a comedian whose name I can't remember but who was very funny. His shtick was to say his baggage was lost on the way to the ship so he has to perform in tux pants and formal shirt from the rental on board. He says that the jacket should show up soon. Then he goes behind the curtain and comes back wit the pull handle, frame with two wheels on it from a roll-on bag. He says that that's all that came out on the conveyer and he laughed until he realized it was his. It was a creative and very funny routine. I've got to get his name.
Feb 8 – At Sea, Indian Ocean-Bay of Bengal. The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world. The captain just made an announcement that we will be going to Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands after all. The port there has relented on their requirements and this means that the Shorex staff will have to reinstate all the tours for that port and the itinerary goes back to the original schedule. Lots of work for them.
Regular sea day except that it's formal/sari night at dinner. Diana brought the sari she bought 10 years ago on Sri Lanka to wear. Now if we could just remember how to put it on. After much discussion and several false starts we finally wound up with a presentable job. I doubt anyone will know. It's really a pretty fabric. The first 8 feet or so is fuchsia the last 4 feet is teal and it's made of silk with gold brocade. It may be the prettiest sari I've ever seen.
Our entertainers tonight were Cesar and Melanie in a show called Imagine. They met while they were performing 'Love' by Cirque du Soleil. They fell in love and after 3 years decided to strike out on their own. It was a creative show. Melanie performed on a large ring suspended from the ceiling. Cesar worked with a large metal rod cube that he spun and performed various tricks. He juggled some, she danced some. They performed together on a large ring probably 8 feet in diameter. He would start it spinning on the floor and she would assume various positions inside the ring. Then they both got in the ring and spun it while they struck poses. It's hard to explain but it was very interesting and creative. People, including Diana and I seemed to like it.
Feb 9 – At Sea, Bay of Bengal-Andaman Sea. Another smooth day of sailing. We have been very fortunate with the weather so far on this cruise.
One of the speakers, John Bradford, gave a presentation on Admiral Zheng He that filled in some gaps in my knowledge of the Ming Dynasty in China. We have been to the Ming Tombs outside Beijing twice, once in 2002 and again in 2012. In 2002 I was not carrying a laptop (didn't have one until 2005) so I didn't keep a journal. However, I did get my first digital camera for that trip and have over 2,000 pictures to help me reconstruct that journey. Both times we visited the Ming Tombs, one tomb we saw in depth was that that of Emperor Yongle. An emperor, like a sumo wrestler, has several names during his lifetime. In this case Emperor Yongle is also known as Zhu Di and then three names as Emperor, Yongle (his temple name, Chengzu (his temple title) and Wen (his posthumous titie). These three names are always preceded by the title Emperor, Zhu Di is not. He was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He lived from 1360 to 1424.
When Zhu Di was young he was given a eunuch, Zheng He, who was taken from an Islamic area and was about his same age. They grew up together and became very close friends. When Zhu Di became Emperor Yongle he put Zheng He in charge of all the royal eunuchs. Eunuchs served a valuable function for the emperor. In addition to being in charge of all the emperor's wives and concubines, they performed palace functions. Since neither the emperor nor his family was allowed to leave the palace they were isolated from the society in general. However, the eunuchs could go out and thus they served as a link between the emperor and the Mandarins (something akin to a parliament), and also the outside world. Zheng He proved to be a trustworthy, capable man in that capacity.
Yongle decided he wanted to reestablish contact with the outside world. Before the Ming Dynasty, a Mongol Dynasty had ruled China for a few hundred years. During that time the foreign states that had paid tribute to China quit paying because the Mongol Emperors didn't care about affairs outside China. Yongle wanted the yearly tribute payments restarted and decided to send a large fleet into those areas to get things going again. He chose Zheng He to head the project so in the West we call him Admiral.
They formed a fleet of 300 ships, 100 of which were very large. At about 520 feet they were twice as large as any wooden ship ever built in Europe and this was in the late 1300s. They had an aft rudder and were compartmentalized below decks, two things only found in Europe much later. Some naval experts are skeptical that such a ship could be constructed but a huge rudder unearthed recently was an appropriate size for just such a vessel. The fleet has been nicknamed the Treasure Fleet. Admiral Zheng He set about his task. On 7 voyages he reestablished relationships with the tribute states and restarted the system of yearly tribute to China. He also went further, into the Middle East and then to Africa. These were new territories in which he established relationships by exchanging gifts. One of the gifts he was given in Africa was a giraffe. When he returned to China with the giraffe it was a source of wonder. It was finally determined that it was a Kirin, same as the name of the Japanese beer. If you've seen the label it has a mythical creature on it. Well the Chinese had such a mythical animal in their stories. The key is that it was said to inhabit the earth only when the Emperor was totally in tune with heaven.
When we were at the Ming Tombs we learned that Yougle has started the construction of the palace now known as the Forbidden City when he moved the capital to Beijing. What we didn't know was that he had the idea to move the capital and start the new palace because he took the giraffe to be a Kirin and a sign that he was in perfect harmony with heaven.
Sorry to get so carried away with that rambling story but I just enjoy it so much when a story comes together after 13 years.
Out entertainers this evening was Opera Familia in a performance they titled O Sole Mio! It's a family act, father, mother and daughter. They all have very nice voices and the show was 90% Arias. This had some people leaving early but that's to be expected. Most of the audience was very pleased with the performance and gave them a standing ovation. I wouldn't want opera every day, but once and awhile it's actually great. Tomorrow we're on land again. Another first port for us.
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