New Horizons – Alaska to Asia

Mostly recovered from the Peruvian stomach bug… and a quick purchase in Cusco before getting under way – negotiating the purchase of textiles from a friendly and enterprising weaver.

Rapa Nui is almost 2,000 miles from its nearest inhabited neighbor. The approach reveals one of several caldera on the island…

…this one the starting point for the Birdman cult, an annual competition that determined allocation of power in the society… not practiced since the mid-1800s.  Participants had to run from the heights to a mid-point on the cliff, leap into the ocean, swim to the smaller island (seen here just under the aircraft wing), secure an egg from the sooty tern nesting site there, swim back to the main island and scale the cliff with egg intact.

The winner was awarded a virgin and other special rights for the following year.  Quite a feat!

Use of the land our hotel is on has been contested by a group of indigenous residents, who believe that this and several other parts of the island are sacred to ancestral spirits, the presence of tourists and commercial interests violating their sanctity.  For what it’s worth, the hotel folks say they won the legal challenge.  Sorry for those who are still unconsoled.  

The island is made of volcanic rock, with only one teeny little beach conducive to swimming.  Henry found a fine bunch of coconuts there!

Of course, the big attraction here are the moai, statues built between about 1200 and the mid-1700s, representing the ancestors who were thought to protect the people from harm.

Most of the statues were never set upright, or had been toppled by residents (the actual reasons are unclear) or natural disaster.  Almost all of those now seen erect had to be resurrected in massive projects over the last few decades.  The vast majority remains recumbent.

And of course, tourists have to be cautioned….. NOT TO WALK ON THE MOAI!

Local dance troupe.. incredible energy and enthusiasm, fun music…

But this type of performance invariably goes on way too long, requiring constant clapping and manic grinning – culminating with the dreaded recruiting of often elderly and/or overweight tourists from the audience to convulse awkwardly to the music with the tautly-muscled performers.  Yuck.

As someone said, from the ridiculous to the sublime – a sunrise visit to the largest stand of moai, pulled from the messy residue of a 1960 tsunami by a task force in the mid-1990s.  A colossal feat!

A truly fabulous bit of Rapa Nui history was the presence of tablets with hieroglyphic writing on them, making this the ONLY island in the entire Polynesian chain with any sort of history of a written tradition. (Pictured here a replica.). No one seems to know when they were created or what they say.  Another apparent mystery for the ages.

And so, mimicking departures of notable characters past and present, we board the plane for our next destination – Samoa.

 

Just an overnight stop in Samoa…. enough time for some brief impressions.

Like this one of beach sand…. very arty!

An island dinner and festivities, complete with the traditional dancing..

These guys were obviously very good, and did some fire twirling later.  Exhausted, we called it a night before the dreaded tourist group dance at the end.

Henry picked up a friend on the way to breakfast in the morning….

A visit to the home of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island) included this incomprehensible ceremony of welcome.

The Samoans have also been welcoming another group over the last decade or so….

So far, China has helped them build their new airport, a hospital and a museum…. and the friendship is continuing.

The best experience was simply riding along the road and watching people go about their everyday lives, often with a smile for a visitor.

Onward from here to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

As noted, this trip moves quickly…. a new destination every two days; a deep dive into perhaps a single one of its interesting aspects, and then on to the next.

Mother Earth, however, is a constant companion – and rarely fails to impress as we go along.

There is a huge sensitivity to environmental matters as we move from one place to the next, and our plane is regularly fumigated……

Upon arrival in Cairns, Australia – no welcoming leis, no ukuleles strummed at the airport, NO DANCE TROOP after dinner!!!!!  A nice change, actually.  And this lovely creature (not dressed in a sarong!) waiting to greet us.

I swear she looks exactly like some one I used to work with…… anybody recognize the face?

It’s very humid and hot here.  The area that has been plagued by wild fires is much further south, and the good news is that substantial rains have fallen there, helping to relieve the immediate danger.

Our day on the Great Barrier Reef included a fish feeding…

A semi-submersible ride along the reef (which was quite disappointing except for the fly-by of a single turtle)….

And a snorkeling session, which absolutely did not disappoint…  We are dressed in Lycra skins, protection against potentially fatal stings from the box jellyfish, one of dozens of venomous creatures in Australia that are capable of doin’ ya’ in!  (Got to love these skin suits – not only do they shield us from the sun, they hide unsightly jiggly bits and pale, sagging flesh, a blessing for which we were all profoundly grateful.  Few, if any, of those of us on the trip are unafflicted….)

The abundant marine life on the reef was dazzling, and (having snorkeled in many wonderful places before), we were reminded how delicate is the existence of these marvelous structures.  We should never take them for granted.

Onward from here to Siem Reap, Cambodia……

 

Siem Reap is the site of Angkor Wat, a huge temple that was the centerpiece the Khmer culture about 1,000 years ago. Ancient buildings include not only the main temple, but also palaces and lesser sacred spaces scattered about the area.

Across from our lovely colonial-era hotel is a public park.

Still celebrating the new year….

A group of Korean music teachers presented a music and dance program for hundreds of public school children.

The visit to Angkor Wat started with a reminder of the tragic civil war that devastated the country for years, killing and maiming many citizens.  Millions of live land mines remain in sparsely-populated areas.

Often dreamed of, only a part of the complex was open…..

A pretty Japanese visitor….

Negotiations with a local urchin and a nun….

A boat ride to a village on one of southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lakes showed a sad resident population doomed by the degradation of the lake’s environment…

Exploiting a child, begging for dollars with a gentle but still enormous snake ….

And again on the flip side, a gorgeous finale at another ancient temple..

 Hard to pass up a goofy photo op…

And now we’re going to Kathmandu!  Can anyone in our generation hear that without also hearing the beat of the Bob Seger song?

Not sure why Bob Seger was so excited about getting here.   Nepal certainly must have some peaceful and beautiful natural settings, but Kathmandu could give Madagascar some competition if they gave out prizes for filth, squalor, and apparent waste of human life.

But our stay was only a single day, the initial impression is no doubt an unfair judgement, so we will concentrate instead on the colorful and spiritual side of things.

A street scene shows a city that looks like many others…..

A visit to an historic area brought out “entrepreneurs” and beggars, who singled Henry out as an easy touch right away…

This young woman claimed to need money for a school book, but her eyes kept cutting away, a clue that someone else was directing her activity.   Too bad, as she was articulate, engaging and spoke excellent English.  Could have been a great tour guide, but something else was clearly going on.

Another lucky vendor got some of our business.

Most national flags are rectangular, but Nepal’s consists of two separate triangular pieces, which makes for a unique style.

A group of spiritual characters greeted us at the hotel.

The one on the right looks like he’s having a cup of Joe, but he is actually blowing a shell horn of some sort.

The main temple along the river is the spot where families bring the corpses of loved ones for cremation.  First they bathe the bodies in river water, then incinerate them on the platform, and finally sweep the ashes into the aforementioned river.

Cremation sets the soul free from the body so it may be reborn.  It is a sacred and loving rite – in the Hindu form a little too elemental for Western sensitivity – but truly hands-on and intimate.

A few more vivid impressions from the street…

A lot to see in a single day!  From here we make a short hop to Paro, Bhutan.

Bhutan is a startling contrast to Nepal.  A small country near the Himalaya mountains, it is most famously known for pioneering the concept of Gross National Happiness as its most treasured value.

Sparsely populated, Bhutan is a craggy, peaceful place, with glacially cold, crystalline rivers….

The airport appears to be brand-new, with a replica of its historic monastery and the beaming faces of its royal family welcoming visitors.

The political structure is a constitutional monarchy, with both king and legislative body  dedicated to avoiding the rapid growth that could potentially over-tax their resources.  How refreshing!

Most people are Buddhists and many monasteries and temples dot the landscape.

A favorite theme is that of the Four Friends – an elephant, monkey, rabbit and bird who work together to grow trees so they may all enjoy the fruit.  A typical Buddhist lesson about the importance of cooperation among different types of beings……

Monks at one of the monasteries participate in lively debate, while their colleagues look on….

The people are almost uniformly kind, but with a playful sense of humor.  They also have a form of traditional dance.

And yes, members of our group were invited to join in the dancing, an experience we unfortunately missed as we had some pressing business elsewhere…..

Nowhere have we seen such a rich and colorful variety of prayer flags, so we had to have some.  We were cautioned, however, that they must be consecrated by the Buddhist clergy.  Fortunately, a guide knew a shop owner whose brother is the abbott of the local monastery, where we could buy prayer flags that were pre-blessed!

There is a lot to love about Bhutan.  This is a place we would have enjoyed exploring on our own, but National Geographic waits on no one, and we boarded the plane for our next destination – Agra, India.

You will be spared many of our photos of clamorous street scenes in Agra – but here’s a sample nonetheless.

It’s primarily a tourist destination, so likely kept much tidier than other cities of its size in India.  Suffice to say – lively, noisy, stinky, and full of people, cows, scruffy dogs and more than a few monkeys.

The main attraction here is the Taj Mahal, and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Lots of local pilgrims here. 

For many, it’s a singular visit to India’s most prized possession.  Ironic – the Taj is a Muslim monument, covered in Arabic script with Islamic decorations and quotes from the Koran……. yet many of the local visitors are Hindu.  And most of the ladies really dress up for the occasion.

It is, in fact, unexpectedly striking and hauntingly beautiful.  Our hotel had wonderful views….

Our visit also included one of the“summer palaces” of the ruler, which had to be abandoned in the 1600s after only 11 years of residency because of water scarcity.  So history repeats….

Of course, National Geographic made sure we had exposure to some of the local culture, including (no surprise) dancing!

A few purchases from local vendors.

And Henry found a fellow member of the “clean plate” club in one of our traveling companions!

An intriguing and colorful place – not sure if a return trip to India is on our radar, but we won’t rule it completely out.

Next we turn to another continent….. Africa.

The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania is the largest intact caldera in the world, an oval about 10 to 12 miles across that is a welcoming environment for most of the popular African wildlife.

It is lush and green at this time of year.  Animals who inhabit this area live with an abundance of water and food, and they thrive.

Rhino, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and more inhabit the crater, although the strict restrictions on the movement of vehicle traffic prevented us from getting close to them.  Not the case with the baboons….

 

Lots of baby critters were around; below a mother zebra watches closely while her young ‘un takes a nap.

Fabulous bird life, including a marabou stork and a fluffy coucal…..

Lots of lion were around….. they are well fed and content.  This fellow’s sister was still working over the carcass of a zebra nearby, while he cleaned up from his feast.

One lousy day just does not seem to be enough in a place so rich with natural life and adventure.  But we were able to cram a lot into the time allowed…. enough to make us anxious to return before too much time passes.  A lot of the credit goes to our guide, Henry (the younger), who knows his turf very well, and is a delightful companion in the bargain.

Of course, we had a dance demonstration…. this time by the Masai people…. a striking display.

So reluctantly we bid farewell to the African bush…. heading to our next destination, the ancient Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan.

The city of Petra was enthralling, a community carved into the mountains of Jordan by the Nabateans over 2,100 years ago.  The name Nabatean actually means “people who carve cities from rock” in the ancient language.

Aqaba was our point of entry into the country, Jordan’s only ocean port.

The setting and architecture of Petra are incredible…

But far more compelling to us was the fact that it is not a sterile relic, but an environment that is full of life…..  People and animals actually live here, and their welfare and identity are inextricably tied to this intriguing place…..

Horses….

Dogs….

Donkeys (and donkey boys)…..

Camels…..

And, of course, sellers of goods.  Up until a dozen years ago, many people made their homes in the caves of Petra.  As it gained popularity as a tourist site, the government arranged to move the residents to a nearby village, and in exchange, they are entitled to engage in commerce in the old city.

A sand artist demonstrates his skill…..

The “I have Frankincense” vendor sells aromatic natural substances….

And yes, there are multi-lingual urchins approaching tourists to hawk old coins, postcards and pieces of currency that are not commonly exchanged in this country.

This guy (the father of the little seller of postcards in the last photo) was quite a glib and ambitious purveyor of local crafts.

To give him credit, after selling us some items for outrageously high prices, he invited us to his home for dinner.  On a tight schedule, we politely declined.  So he gave us some “free” refrigerator magnets instead, which we were happy to share with members of the National Geographic jet flight crew from Iceland that just happened to wander by at the time.

Some of our fellow travelers took the opportunity for camel rides back to the city.

 

We took extra time to enjoy the views, including an overhead shot that looked a lot like our home state…..

And a final homage to this hauntingly beautiful and lively place.

Now we are on our way to our last stop before returning home – Marrakesh, Morocco.

 

Still another stunning landscape from the air somewhere over North Africa.

The splendid historic colonial hotel called La Mamounia is owned by Morocco’s king, who spent 7 years (and lots of dinars!) renovating it.  The tile work is just wonderful. From there, Marrakesh was an exciting waypoint, with its 12th century mosque commanding the skyline of the old city.

The Majorelle Garden also traces its roots to the French colonial era; it was resurrected after many years of neglect by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner.

The Jemaa el Fna is the central square that draws all kinds of commerce…..

….. including musicians, water carriers, story tellers, artists….. and snake charmers.

Occasionally charming were the sellers in the enormous market, with an unimaginable variety of objects to tempt the innocent visitor….

An actual craftsman shows off his wood-turning skills…..

We are bad bargainers – I don’t do it at all, and Henry does it poorly.  That’s why these guys are smiling!

Vibrant street scenes, exhilarating to walk through….

A donkey “parked” in a garage, watching the passers-by….

This is another place, as many of them have been, where we would have liked to spend more time.  A parting shot, image from the golden age of Morocco (from La Mamounia’s art collection)…

But, alas, our whirlwind trip is coming to a close.  Next we return to our official starting point, Washington, DC.