RTW in 90 days

HOME Sweet HOME

pshah13 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:47:00 GMT

Arrived home safe an sound after an incredible 3 month journey. Nice to be back home and to see family and friends again.

I can't help thinking how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to do this trip. The trip was much better than I ever anticipated, imagined or planned and I experienced some incredible and wonderous things - man made and natural. Our creator is truly magnificent for making this beautiful planet with beautiful people.

Gallery: USA - San Francisco

pshah13 — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:53:00 GMT

USA - San Francisco

pshah13 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:46:00 GMT

Did the touristy things in SF like Golden Gate bridge, which I walked over and Alcatraz. Beautful views of SF from GG Bridge. Also visited the Golden Gate Park and the new California Marine Centre which had fantastic sea animals from different coral reefs of the world - it was truly amazing.

Also visited Shams friend, Minnie and her family in Portola Valley, near Palo Alto. Saw her daughter Ruth playing league basketball which was fun. Minnies mum took me on a walk near their house which is backs onto woods, rivers and lakes - it was beautiful and Minnies mum is an amazing person. It was a fun day out.

In the evening, I went to a cafe and met this guy called Brendo who told me about how he helps people and saves lives. One of the things they do is patrol the Golden Gate Bridge (famous for people wanting to take their own life) and talk to people and offer help. They did this on New Years eve when most people want to party.

He asked me: What do you want it to say on your tombstone?' I was flummoxed (partly as we get cremated and don't have tombstones) at the enormity of the question which was basically asking - how and what do you want to be remembered for? What are you going to do in this life that will be remembered? Well this is a question I have been asking myself for a while. I will go home thinking about this and will hopefully have an answer soon.

On that note, I say goodbye to this part of the world and head for home after what has been the most fascinating, beautiful, amazing, surreal and fantastic 3 month journey.

Gallery: Hawaii - Big Island

pshah13 — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:51:00 GMT

USA - Big Island, Hawaii

pshah13 — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:45:00 GMT

Arrived at Kona, Big Island, Hawaii and hired a car as you can't get anywhere without one. Local transport is non existent. Stayed at Mango Sunset B&B - well that is another story!!!!.

Hawaiian Monk Seal:

On the first day, went driving around and stopped at a local beach where to my amazement, a Hawaiian Monk Seal was basking in the sun. There were a group of marine volunteers looking after it. When talking to them I found out that there are appx 1000 monk seals left in the wild so they are virtually extinct due to fishing. This seal just happened to pass by and stay on the shore for the day. They are nocturnal feeders so it probably had a large meal and was resting. They don't usually stay on the beach for a long time especially so close to humans and this was a first. The seal was tagged and they knew it was an 18 month old pup (which was still quite massive). The seal basked in the sun and scratched its nose and moved about a bit and lay on the beach from 9:30 to apx 18:30! I was very lucky to see this beautiful endangered animal so close up.

Christina joined me the next day and we travelled together. we did some fun things like go on a helicopter ride over the island and volcanoes

Volcanoes

Wow this was such an incredible ride. We flew over the mountains Mauna Kea and Mauna Lea whcih were snow capped. We hen flew over the volcanic area of Kilauea which is very active. We could see the lava flows and lava skylights where you could see the glowing lava. We saw the steam vents and the lava flows into the sea which sent up a huge plume of steam. We saw the roads which were blocked by lava flows. We then landed on a road outside a house which is the only one occupied in the area. The owner, Jack, came out to meet us and we had a chat with him about his life there. Jack is the only person living in the highly active lava flow area. He had a great sense of humour (ou need t to stay there). He showed us around the lava flows where there were hot steam vents all around us. The most recent lava flow had been in Oct 2008, 3 months earlier!!! Jack told us how he lives on brown rice and the fruit (mango, guava, jackfruit) and veg that he grows. For me, this was the highlight of the flight.

Seahorses

We visited a seahorse 'farm' where they raise seahorses for research as well as pets/marine centres. It was beautiful to see the way they do this and to actually feel the seahorses around your hand when you get to hold them. We also saw sea dragons which are beautiful elaborate fishes.

Mantas

This trip would not have been complete without the only dive we did in Hawaii. A night dive with the Mantas - report from Hona Konu divers about our dive:

"Preparing for a single tank dive, we learned our sister ship, the Iki, headed south for the manta dive as there have been mantas reported there every night and north has been weak of late. Hmmm, lotsa boats, urchins, surge....someone has to break out, so north we headed and settled in with our fellow adventurers from Big Island.
Had mantas at the back of the boat during the briefing so we got in and set up at the shallow ring. 15 divers and 20 snorkelers enjoyed the slowly building show of Koie, Blain, Big Bertha, Vicky, and Wing Ray with about a 2 on the planktometer. Being such an intimate crowd, the mantas came very close, moved slowly and shared equally between divers and snorks to everyone's joy. One of the nicest encounters I've had in some time. The surge was moderate but nobody tumbled, and there was a light wind from the west. Nice to see Bertha again and always nice to be north. Aloha,Bo Pardau
Kona Honu Divers"

All I can say is that the mantas were HUGE. Big Bertha must have had a 20 foot wingspan! There were 5 mantas and all came very, very, very close to us. One headed straight for me and swam up at the last second. They were the most beautiful, graceful, amazing creatures I have ever seen. We had torches and they attract the plankton whom the mantas come to feed on. When they open their mouths, you can see right through their body! The mantas were swimming in circles and doing somersaults. Two even swam up aganst each other. It was sooo beautiful.

Oh yeahh and we saw a giant lobster on the swim back to the boat and Christina wanted him for dinner.

Whale watching

The adventures continued when we went on a whale watching trip with Captain Dan Sweeny. We spotted hump back whales spouting and then diving so that we could see their tails going into the water. It was a it far but a beautful sight to behold neverthe less. On the way back to shore, we were accompanied by a group of appx 20 Spinner dolphins who were swimming pretty fast and occasionally spinning. It was beautiful.

Gallery: Hawaii - Kauai

pshah13 — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 16:49:00 GMT

USA - Kauai, Hawaii

pshah13 — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:44:00 GMT

Had a day to spend in Kauai (pronounced Kawaii as in Hawaii). Stayed at the Hale O Nanakai B&B run by Sheila. Lovely place overlooking the sea. Hired a car and set off to see the whole island which included Waimea Canyons and the seashore route and waterfalls. Beautiful beaches and shoreline and lovely little towns. Managed to see the whole Island in a day. It is lovely.

Oh and did I mention that I crossed the International Date Line to get to Hawaii and in doing so, added another day to my life?

Gallery: Palau

pshah13 — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:48:00 GMT

Palau

pshah13 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 09:39:00 GMT

Wow wow wow - Can't describe Palau in any other way! One of the best dive spots that I have ever been to and what superb diving! I am now joined by Prabha and also Christina whom I met whilst diving in Lakshadweep. We dived with Nico from Neco Marine who was fantastic and we had some incredible dives. After each dive we would say that it just can't get better than this and the next day it would be even better. Palau didn't disappoint and was full of surprises. We dove in Blue Corner (one of the most famous dive sites in the world) about 6 times and each time it was amazing. There was hardly any current (it is well known for strong currents), and on one dive we would see aproximately 30-40 sharks, 2-3 turtles and loads of different goups of fishes including barracudas. At Blue Corner, we also witnessed sharks hunting some smaller fishes and chasing them against the wall. This was incredible and something you don't see very often. Nico, the divemaster was very thrilled too.

At German Channel we saw mantas really close up which was fantastic.

At Ulong Channel we saw bait balls (huge balls of fish) being chased by sharks. This was incredible to see. The channel also played host to several sharks that were hunting, large (giant?) turtles and huge groups of white snappers, flowing like rivers amongst the coral - again an incredible sight. Even the divemasters who had been diving there for several years were getting excited.

At New Drop Off, I couldn't contain my joy and excitement as a huge Eagle Ray came swimming past and proceeded to feed on the coral around me. Nico and the rest of the divers were doing a safety stop and I quickly checked that I had enough air and stayed down to video the beautiful ray. Christina, dive buddy kept a check on me, while Nico shook her head - thanks Christina & Nico.

We also visited the famous Jellyfish Lake of Palau which hosts several million non stinging jellyfish. It was such a cool and surreal experience swimming with them. They are so soft and fragile and feel beautiful as they swim against you.

Didn't get much time to spend looking at the Palau local culture but it is a fab place to be visited again. Betel nut chewing is part of the culture here but is not as commom or frequent as in Yap.

New Years eve was spent at Krammers where we got to know the friendly staff who plied us with delicious vodka jelly shots. Yum

It was shame to leave Palau but go we must. I'll be back...

Gallery: Micronesia - Yap

pshah13 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:47:00 GMT

Micronesia - Yap

pshah13 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:31:00 GMT

Nondescript diving in Yap except that I saw my first Manta in dark dusty waters and a special dusk mandarin fish dive where we saw mating mandarin fish, active sea cucumbers and a crocodile fish.

The only culture we experienced was the stone money on the river banks and betel nuts which were eaten by Yapese men and women every few minutes. Raw green betel nuts are prised open, a sprinkling of lime powder added together with a piece of peppermint leaf. This is then put whole in the mouth (about the size of a huge gobstopper). They chew this and it produces a red juice which they then spit. The red juice colours the mouth, lips and teeth. All Yapese people had red mouths and red discoloured teeth. All Yapese people carry handbags with the betel nut ingredients. All gas stations and supermarkets sell the betel nuts and peppermint leaves at the front of the store. It was fun to watch but won't be kissing a Yapese in a hurry!!

Gallery: Guam - Xmas day

pshah13 — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:46:00 GMT

Guam

pshah13 — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Enjoyed a stopover day of sunshine and white sandy beach in Guam

Gallery: Philippines - Tagaytay

pshah13 — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:44:00 GMT

Gallery: Philippines - Anilao

pshah13 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:10:00 GMT

Philippines - Anilao

pshah13 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Reached Anilao after a 3 hour journey by car from Manila through beautiful countryside and farms Spotted many different types of fruits/plants on the way. Arrived in Anilao around sunset and soon after a whale shark was spotted on the beach only a few meters outside the resort. We spotted the tail and dorsal fin and it looked like a juvenile fish.

Some divers swam with the Whale Shark and manta rays on the 18th Dec - lucky people. No such luck for us.

Started the diving which has been incredible and the variety and condition of the coral is the best I have seen anywhere. Spotted new critters that I haven't seen before like flambouyant cuttlefish, frogfishes, pygmy seahorse (well camouflaged against a gorgonian fan), ribbon eels. On one dive site alone (Secret Bay) we spotted sea snake, leaf fish, mimic octopus, dragon fish, sea horse, shrimps and unusual nudibranches.

Been for 21 dives and getting used to the bouyancy etc. Reduced weight from 7 Kg to 4 Kg which I wish was true in real life too!!!

Prabha is here too and enjoying the diving.

Diving and coral is excellent. Met a Taiwanese couple, one of whom used to take photos for Asia Divers. Their underwater video was incredible with the most fantastic photography and underwater animal life that I have ever seen. They had even managed to capture nudibranches mating, shrimps shrugging off their old shells, unusual pipefish and nudibranches, fish with a ball of eggs in their mouth and also clownfish eggs with huge eye. All this was shot in Anilao.

From Anilao, we went to Tagaytay, a highland town on a volcanic crater which has a lake in the middle and a smaller volcano (Taal) rising out of it. It is supposed to be the worlds smallest volcano and looks amazing.

Next destination Guam then Yap.

Merry Christmas to all.

Laos - Luang Prabang

pshah13 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:19:00 GMT

Spent 3 days here with the group and 2 days extra by myself. This is monk city and I saw lots of monks and witnessed Tak Bat which is the alms giving to the monks. This takes place very early in the morning (6:00) and hundreds of monks come out from all the local temples. They walk in straight lines on streets. The streets are lined with local women and tourists who sit or kneeling on the pavement (women have to be below the monks head). As the monks pass, they offer sticky rice, bananas, milk, sweets or even money to the monks. People shouldn't cross in front of the monks when they are passing. Most of the monks have a sombre expression and they don't laugh or smile. They are probably just annoyed by the number of tourists flashing cameras into their faces.

I was witnessing the alms giving when a local woman said something to an elderly monk who burst out laughing. That was beautiful.

Also visited waterfalls, bear sanctuary. Hired a bike to get around the small town.

After all that, I have to express and opnion and say that I am not very convinced or impressed with the way the buddhist religion is followed and practised here. I have to say that true Jainism is far superior in many ways.

Alll males have to live in the temple for a period of time from 3 years to lifetime if they wish. They live moderately liberally and they have mobiles, visit internet cafes etc. However, some of them rebel or freak out completely when they leave the temple. The monks smoke and drinking and meat eating is normal behaviour. There seem to be very few 'true' buddhist monks who follow the religion in a pure way. There is a lot of 'Buddha' worship rather than following or practising the spiritual message of Buddha. The people here literally eat anything that moves (bats, mice, rats, insects, ants eggs, frogs, birds) and this is apparantly because nowhere does it say that they (buddhists) can't eat meat.

I think I'll stick to being a Jain and a vegetarian!. Just need more practice.

Gallery: Laos - Luang Prabang

pshah13 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:31:00 GMT

Laos - Vientienne

pshah13 — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 23:18:00 GMT

Only 1 day in Vientiane but Laos is slow and small compared to Vietnam and even Cambodia. Saw lots of temples. Had a great meal at restaurant called Makphet which aims to help street children. The food was superb.

Also had a traditional Baci ceremony (pronounced Bassi) at the house of aa local family. This ceremony is done to celebrate all good occasions.

Gallery: Laos - Vientiane

pshah13 — Sun, 7 Dec 2008 12:31:00 GMT