Copenhagen is the capital city of magical spires! – Can you guess which is the Dragon Spire?

COPENHAGEN (7-DAY)

This stretch was a definite personal highlight of the trip.  Saadou was a lifelong friend of my first wife, Aspasia. After her bereavement in 2008, his email of condolences ignited our friendship leading to a 7-day stay with him and his awesome family.

They’ve pampered me with much love and quality times: delicious home-cooking Danish meals including daily candle-lit breakfasts consisting of herring, local cheese, black breads & aquavit. Abundant local walks, festivals, historic areas, and museums filled our days. We also took a day-trip ferry to Sweden. The whole family was so generous with their time, including Asta and Emma, 2 and 6 year-olds respectively, who were the sweetest of the swarm.

My Awesome Danish Family Folks!  Smiling and proud Saadou between his warm and sweet  daughter, Ida, and Agneta’s father, Christian. 

Loveliest Agneta and her two gifted daughters, Emma and Asta

Saadou’s kind son, Johannes, and his charming wife, Nanna, prepped an amazing cook-out Danish meal. They have a young precocious boy, Christian and a happy baby girl, Agnes

HAMBURG (4-DAY)

As a world history buff, this city has been on my radar for many years.  Using a 3-day Hop-On Hop-Off bus pass, I’ve time-traveled to 1300’s, when it was a place frequented by pirates throughout the centuries; to 1883 in picturesque Speicherstadt district where it is now today’s largest warehouse district in the world, all standing on massive oak timber piles; and to early 1960’s, in Reeperbahn bustling nightlife center where the Beatles began to make their mark on music.

Despite being located astride the River Elbe, some 60 miles from the North Sea, Hamburg is a major port city. The biggest port in Germany – the second-busiest in Europe and the third largest in the world, after London and New York.

Inside its city limits, Hamburg has more bridges than any other city in the world and more canals than Amsterdam and Venice combined. I’ve heard several figures, somewhere around 2,300 to over 2,500.

Köhlbrandbrücke – a bridge with one of the longest cable span; the central cable-stayed part has a span of over a 1000 feet supporting the infrastructure – it was an impressive sight! (Photo credit to Go-Nils)

St. Nicholas Church, the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876. Due to 1943 bombing run, it was irreparably damaged and abandoned.  It is now a monument to the destruction of WWII

In spite of the historical appeal, Hamburg felt “rough”, with sidewalks littered with cigarette butts and litter, and evidence of drug addiction and unemployment. I felt this even more strongly when I then travelled next to Berlin, a thriving, sophisticated city with a huge diversity of foods,  public art, and a fabulous public transportation system.

My trip to Switzerland was a lovely spin to hang out with a family in Geneva, Martigny, and Valais followed by a week-long stay at a 4-star luxury hotel in a Left Bank neighborhood in Paris to celebrate my 63rd birthday.

GENEVA & MARTIGNY, VALAIS (5-DAY)

Hanging out together with a 3-generation Swiss family (Jenelle, Loney, and Stanislas) was so relaxing…thermal hot spring soaks, bike riding, attending cow fighting contests, and just plain old catching up!

Cow Fighting Contests?!  The centuries-old tradition: Combat de Reines (Battle of the Queens) take place regionally and nationally throughout the Valais each spring, where the female Hérens (a small, horned alpine breed of cattle weighing up to a whopping 1300lbs!) fight each other for supremacy.  The territorial cows mostly lock horns and push each other with their foreheads, until one of them turns around and walk away, accepting defeat -no physical harm here.  These queens take part in competitions leading to the Final that we attended in Aproz near Sion (capital of the canton of Valais).

Massive shining black beasts snort, paw the ground, daring challengers to approach, until a pair locks horns. Hand tooled decorative collars dangle a large traditional bell… jangling frantically as they engage. The crowned Queen of the queens will achieve fame in the canton but also across the nation.  Fueled by local wine and raclette, the locals sure know how to have a great time!

JENELLE PETTING ONE OF MANY QUEENS

PARIS (7-DAY)

Alas, on the day of my 63rd birthday, a 3hr TGV high-speed train ride, from Geneva to Paris, was unexpectedly canceled due to a French rail strike.  Alternatively, a nine-hour bus ride delivered me exhausted to the Artus Hôtel…just before midnight.  The ride was surprisingly comfortable and relaxing with wonderful views along rolling French villages and some picturesque rest stops along the way.

The Artus Hôtel is in in the heart of St Germain, the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was a delightful centralized area filled with bohemian cafes, excellent restaurants and out-of-this-world delectable bakeries – all within enchanting walking distance to murals, statues, and many other artistic installations among many historic landmarks and world-class museums.

 

Hiking View of Aguille du Grépon (12600ft) in Chamonix, France

After marvelous Seville, wonderful Madrid, and the uplifting 200 mile Primitivo Santiago de Compestela hike, I was ready to finish off Spain with a stay in Barcelona followed by hopefully a mellow shoulder season in France: Montipellier, Grenoble, and Chamonix.

BARCELONA (3-DAYS)

In the midst of amazing drifts of fresh hot food smells, easy mass transportation, and great neighborhood walkability, I joined the tourist hordes and walked well beyond what my still blistered toes needed…

GAUDI’S LA SAGRADA FAMILIAGAUDI’S CASA BATLLO

BARRIO GOTICO- A Gothic Quarter neighborhood dates back to Roman and medieval times.

MAGIC FOUNTAIN OF MONTJUÏC – First sprouted, 1929; a spectacular display of color, light and dancing water acrobatics to musical accompaniment.

MONTPELLIER (4-DAYS)

My toes got a break with a deep bath tub and Montpellier was slower and quieter with way fewer tourists. Lots of nice places to relax and get off my feet!

Montipellier folks have a lot of pride in their Gothic Cathedrale Sainte-Pierre, distinguished by conical towers, dating to 1364, and their SIX major academic institutions.  One of the oldest Universities in the world, the University of Montpellier was founded in 1160.  In 1289, when the last Crusader States and the Crusades were defeated, the oldest medical university was founded and is still in operation.

Warm and friendly locals and wonderful meals within the Spanish, Moroccan, Algerian, and Italian communities of Montpellier provided a healing respite for my tired body.

UNIVERSITY OF MONTPELLIER – Ancient surgical instruments with instruction 

GRENOBLE (3-DAYS)

At the foot of the French Alps where two major rivers (the Drac & Isere) merge, there were few tourists allowing me to embrace locals and their favorite local bars and restaurants…and especially appreciated after trail jogging with a few up in the Alps!

CHAMONIX (4-DAYS)

Even fewer tourists were evident here allowing me to hike several times to the Alps and glaciers. Unfortunately, the trolley to Mont Blanc was closed due to the weather on that mountain so I missed a great hiking opportunity. What a sweet ending to languish in a hot tub at the base of the mountains…as the weather lowered AFTER my hike!

Primitivo Camino is the oldest of all the pilgrim Caminos. It started in Oviedo, the capital city of Asturias in 813, when King Alfonso II was informed of the discovery of the tomb of Saint James. He made his way to the site at once, thus becoming the first person to complete a Camino (albeit not on foot) to Santiago de Compostela.

I started on the 9th of April when Old Man Winter was winding down and the weather predictions were of sunny and mild conditions. I hiked the Camino Primitivo, a tough but beautiful 320 kilometers (approx 200 miles) in 12 days. I’ll let my brief stage journal and pictures do the talking.

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Stage 1: Oviedo-Cornellana

Mud, knee deep in places, and lots of rain…thus more mud. Stones became a slippery but welcome respite from sticky mud. Cold beer at the hostel was a just reward for 23 miles (11 hours) of very slow and cautious but steady walking.

Stage 2: Cornellana-Tineo

This leg was slow-going (10hrs) due to boot-sucking mud – and I mean EVERYWHERE!! Swollen waterways were good for demucking boots. An hour of snow flurries was followed by early spring wildflowers.

Stage 3: Tineo-Cambillo

My brief stop at the Casa Herminia Hostel at Campellio instead became an overnight. Herminia was a wonderful hostess with a boisterous and warm personality. Her multi course meals were hot and very sustaining, especially after 3 days of challenging yet magnificent contemplative walking.

Stage 4: Campiello-Berducedo

Oh what a luck! Upon arriving at a fork in the road with good weather predicted (actually every day had good weather predicted, a big fat lie until today) I made a dash for the Mt. Hospitales Route.  It was indeed grueling and yet perhaps the most rewarding of all for views and wild Asturias mares and foals.

At Berducedo, I stayed at the Camino Primitivo Hostel. It offered a bar and a hot & tasty 3-course meal @ 10Euro (local wine included). Another great hostess, Vanessa made me feel welcome.

Stage 5: Berducedo-Granda de Salime

Today was chilly fog, misty fog, and wet fog. Take your pick, weather report still lies!

Stage 6: Granda de Salime-Padron

The sun finally peeked out as I crossed from Asturias to Galacia; the halfway mark!

More happy dogs & that tempting sign!

Yes, lots of muddy, running water, and swampy trails, however it was much dryer than the first two stages. It took some cautious maneuvering to get around it or tread on it…slow going.

Stage 7: Padrón

Past the halfway mark I rewarded myself with a layover day, off the trail in an impressive boutique hotel (Complejo O Pineiral) serving Galician style Spanish meals enjoyed by many local families too. Maybe they come for the coldest 1906 beer in the lovely garden in the serene and quiet countryside.

Just a taste of the navigational indicators on the Camino:

Stage 8: Padrón-O Cadavo

Wow – this was definitely the 2nd most challenging long & steep ascending & descending hike after Mt. Hospitales. As our friend Bronca (the oldest woman to summit Mt. Ranier) says, “Go slow…but Go!”

Two rewards here:
1) Casa Meson @ Paradavella had powerful kickin’ coffee and made me a toasted Godzilla ham & cheese sandwich to go. Two dogs kept checking on me. Thanks for making my day!

2) Porta Santa Hostel in O Cadavo was well worth a stay over. The hostess, Mery, was sweet and kind as I arrived ragged with fatigue. She even washed my clothes – for free. I noticed in my private room’s bathroom two toilets: one was like a bidet and let me fill it with hot water to soak my torn up feet- aaah sweet..!

Stage 9: O Cadavo-Lugo

With unhappy baby toes that seriously needed a break, and as a history buff, I took a 45min bus instead of 6+hr hike, giving myself time to explore Lugo. My goodness, it was worth it!

The Roman Walls of Lugo are a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the finest example of Roman fortification in Europe. A visit there is not completed without a 2KM “leisure” walk around its ramparts, or a jog with the locals… not likely given my blisters!

Stage 10, 11, & 12: Lugo-Santiago de Compostela

Primitivo Camino after Lugo is not the least bit “primitive” in quality as the first eight stages. Before Lugo, I encountered only eight hikers. After Lugo there were more than a hundred.

Many restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and even a few spas had open doors and stands on the streets to serve the clean and well dressed Camino walkers, stopping for wine and tapas on short day walks. This was a way different group from the hikers I met in the first days, all eight of us experiencing long days of fog, rain, and wind, while fighting boot-sucking mud, cascading creeks obliterating the trails, and maneuvering around many fallen trees. I earned my badge of honor, and my grubby body, muddy everything, and blistered toes are proof!

As an avid hiker, this challenging 320km Primitivo Camino journey changed everything and yet, I am reeling with gratefulness to pull this off – it was moving…even if I didn’t do it crawling on all fours as some pilgrims have in the past!

Buen Camino!

SEVILLE

As a “Guire” (foreigner) in Andalusia, I first had to learn the right way to toast others in the bar. “Salud!” (to your health) is the same as in Mexico, except like Scandinavians saying “Skol!”, YOU MUST MAKE MEANINGFUL EYE CONTACT… or be cursed with 7 years of bad sex! At least that’s what the Andalusians promise…

Staying within the quiet part of Seville’s famous old quarter by the Guadaíra River, I had access to cafes, shops, museums, and flamenco dance and music. At the end of Easter week, many locals were attending the sold out flamenco performances or in the streets dressed up in capirote.

Seville offers free walking tours featuring Roman ruins, Moorish minarets, Baroque palaces, and Renaissance churches and the fantastic architecture of Jürgen Mayer-Hermann; the locals fondly call it the “Incarnatíon’s Mushrooms”, like sand castle drippings.

Flamenco is passionate, dramatic, and percussion driven, and Seville is at the vanguard of this vital and precious art; UNESCO listed Flamenco as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. I had a chance to get in a sold-out popular Tablaos; slender sweeping arm movements, syncopated clapping, and rhythmic foot stomping gave me chills. Or was it the stoic expressions and emotions of the dancers, which change many times during a single performance? I wasn’t the only one moved as locals played and danced in the streets into the night.

MADRID

On a free walk tour in Madrid I lucked out and saw the King arriving at the Royal Palace (over 3000 rooms – the largest palace in Western Europe) with the Spanish Royal Guard marching and maneuvering on horseback to the Spanish National Anthem.

It was a remarkable if not exhausting experience to spend 4 hours in each of the world famous Museo del Prado and Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

The elegant Prado is the most celebrated, and one of the largest museums in Spain featuring Spanish, Italian, and Flemish styles of art. Some of the famous masterpieces I enjoyed were Velazquez’s “Las Meninas,” Goya’s “The Third of May 1808,” Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” and Dürer’s “Self Portrait.”

At the Reina Sophia, besides Picasso’s “Guernica,” arguably Spain’s most famous artwork and the best anti-war art ever produced, is a premier collection of contemporary art.  Here are a few artworks that perhaps you might recognize:

With businesses and museums closed for Siesta all afternoon, what is one to do but…nap, preparing for dinner and performances and lively streets, starting after 10 PM.

A lifelong dream is coming true.  Instead of years of business traveling in Europe, it is my intention to visit again, at a leisurely pace.

PORTO

It’s now a wet and windy Holy Week but it  certainly has not dampened the  throngs of tourists visiting this holiday; I was surprised and now have a clue to what busy summer travel can be like in Europe.  A visiting Brit and his family explained the burst in tourism; it’s common now to take the two hour flight as the cheapest and quickest transportation mode on one of the many small airlines that compete for European pleasure travelers seeking quick getaways.After walking central Porto I took a rewarding stop in the world renowned architectural beauty, Casa du Musica, for a delicious local favorite:  a duo of a cappuccino and hot pastel de nata – a Portuguese tart with a rich eggy custard in shatteringly crispy pastry.  It was even better sipping a glass of the local port to warm me up!  

This fascinating minimalistic yet multifunctional asymmetrical polyhedron 9-story building by famous architect, Rem Koolhass (below). It includes a huge restaurant, 2 main auditoriums, and a charming cafe.  I had to snap a shot of that red hand outside while sipping more of the local fabulous port!

LISBON

Lisbon and her massive tourists & local folks were sleeping in till around 10-ish this Easter weekend morning. With no-lines, I jumped on Lisbon’s famous rickety 3Euro tram (similar to old San Francisco trolleys) to view famous local landmarks and an easy rt 5Euro speedy train to Sintra.

The bright colorful Pena Palace higher above the Castle of the Moor (the surrounding ramparts were steep and narrow) and in the village way below, the Palace of Sintra were all worth the efforts.

 

On to the next island, this one uniquely Hindu, on our “Java & Bali: Indonesia’s Mystical Islands”, tour by Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). An hour flight from Java, Bali welcomes tourists with a thoroughly modern airport in the capital city of Denpasar, yet sits very close to villages, rice paddies, and dense forests rich in cultural traditions, like gamelan orchestras, intricate costuming and make-up, dramatically choreographed dance, and shadow puppet theatre.  The locals are quick to draw you into their practices.

Ubud, in the Central Highlands is famous as an arts and crafts hub with many workshops and galleries in town and nearby villages designed to teach the details of these beautiful arts.  On a luxury tour during very high heat, we appreciated our boutique hotel with outdoor swimming pools for cooling off!

Early in the morning we crossed the very calm lake Batur in small boats arriving 1/2 hour later at the remote and isolated traditional Bali village of Trunyan. Squeezed tightly between the lake and the outer rim of Batur, an almighty ancient Kintamani volcano, the views were outstanding in every direction.  The Trunyanese lead a conservative, pre-Hindu way of life with ancient, neolithic customs and a very definite avoidance of outside influences (photo below is credited to Lee Makela).

Later, our boats took us further up the shore to the local cemetery where the Trunyanese custom is to lay out the deceased in bamboo cages to decompose; strangely there is no stench.  A macabre collection of skulls and bones were on the stone platform and in the surrounding areas. Perhaps the strong perfumed scents from a nearby enormous Taru Menyan tree was masking the scent of decomposing bodies?

Walking distance from our Ubud hotel is the famed Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, a world of shadow and dense forest with hundreds of cheeky monkeys. Keep hold of your dark glasses!  (Long-Tailed Macaque – above roaming wild and free). The magnificent forest also contains many temples sacred to the Balinese and essential to maintaining a spiritual connection between nature and people.  Below is a colossal Banyon Tree attempting to engulf the ancient Dragon Bridge and even tourists crossing the gorge.

The next day, we visited Lake Bratan, to explore the famous Ulun Danu Bratan Temple complex.  So elegant, you can see why this temple is depicted on the 50,000-rupiah banknote.

On the northwestern coast we stayed at a cozy beach hotel that gave us an opportunity to experience small village life the following day; up the hill at the Tiga Wasa Village set on lush hilly farmland, we visited the local village school where many young children were actively learning; there we participated in a class with giggly children learning math.  It was quite refreshing to see the local government and the OAT’s charity arm, Grand Circle Foundation, working together to enhance the students’ quality of life with the installation of a new fresh water system and a new library to ensure healthy and intellectually challenging futures for these bright young scholars.

Below is Tegallalang Rice Terraces, famous for its undulating beauty:

Our final hotel stay was in Sanur, located by a beach near Denpasar in southeast Bali. The Balinese revere water as a symbol of life and purification; we visited a famous holy water temple, Tirta Sudamala, deep in grove of upland trees in the center of Bebalang Village, to tickle our spiritual side and purify mind, body and soul.

I must admit that I felt somewhat enlightened as I walked inside, surrounded by the greens of the jungle and the growing moss on the temple stones. Chants and prayers were echoing all around me, mixing with the sound of water trickling from the walls (photo below). Wading into these cleansing holy waters was a soothing and cleansing ritual regardless of your religious or spiritual leaning. The water then proceeds down to the village to become the primary source of drinking water, providing internal spiritual cleansing as well.

Our last OAT stop was the Uluwatu Temple, a Balinese sea temple, one of six key temples believed to be Bali’s spiritual pillars; it is renowned for its magnificent location, perched on top of a steep cliff 200 feet above sea level.

The final leg of my very hot and humid two-month Asian travel was a well planned and luxurious cultural tour, “Java & Bali: Indonesia’s Mystical Islands”, with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT).  A separate blog on Bali will follow. As usual with OAT, the tour was extremely comfortable with amazing meals and accommodations and a thoughtful and generous guide, Manik, educating and herding me and the delightful 10 ladies and 3 gentlemen on our tour.

Java, an Indonesian island, is the most populous island on Earth with over 150 million residents; it is also the most populous Muslim majority country in the world encouraging both conservative and modernist religious practices. Indonesia, situated in Southeast Asia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, is the largest island country and contains the most volcanoes in the world. With more than thirteen thousand islands and a total population of over 260 million people, it is the world’s fourth most populous country!  The Indonesian Constitution recognizes 6 religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.  Today, compared to most places in the world – it’s a harmonious melting pot of diverse communities, religions and cultures.  Furthermore, I can honestly say that the locals that I met here in Indonesia were the nicest people I have ever met.

Our OAT tour first started in Jakarta, the country’s capital, located on the northwest coast of Java; it is the country’s financial, political, and industrial center.

As this was a return trip for me, I ditched my tour group to explore neighborhoods with solo fast-walking.  Heavy traffic with loud honking cars, fleets of motorcycles weaving through traffic like a tapestry with no pattern, and a multitude of suicidal yet calm jaywalkers are daunting to North American pedestrians.  Because of this wonderfully unrehearsed dance of man and machines, it appeared impossible to cross any road, side street and even alleyway – without first telling your family you love them.  However, without many traffic lights, I joined the Jakartan way of life, and dashed and dodged with the best of them.

The key is The Hand.  Don’t underestimate The Hand, it has the power of Moses parting the Red Sea.  I raised out The Hand to the oncoming traffic, puffed up my chest and just started walking. Somehow, these cars of all sizes and motorcycles miraculously deftly swerved around me. Jaywalking, I admit, took guts and skill, but most of all, The Hand.  Without it, motorists will just assume you have a death wish, instead of the drivers’ interpretation of the gesture as a polite way of saying “Excuse me, Kind Sir, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t smush me.”

Next, we flew an hour east in Java to Yogyakarta (pronounced ‘Jog-jakarta’ and called ‘Jog-ja’ for short).  It is renowned as a center of education including a world-class university; and classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, dance, drama, music, poetry and puppet shows. Visiting important archaeological sites like Borobudur, Prambanan, and Sambisari Temples presents an overwhelming amount of sculpture and masonry to teach the history and its ways of life of the area.  We also walked 12km around the active Mount Merapi, visited the local arts and crafts producing neighborhoods, met with a number of kind Indonesian veterans, and dutifully shopped like good Americans at a gorgeous batik production site.

Borobudur (above & below) and Prambanan, are 9th-century Buddhist and Hindu temples, respectively, and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Centers.  Both were built some 300 years before Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  Also, the close proximity of the two temples tells me that on Java, Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully together, or felt no need to destroy the other religious icons when one became more dominant.

The magnificent Borobudur temple is the world’s biggest Buddhist monument, an ancient site widely considered to be one of the world’s seven wonders.  It is built from over two million stone blocks in the form of a massive symmetrical stupa, literally wrapped around a small hill. The nine-level monument is massive; imagine an 11-story building on less than 3 square city blocks. The six layers at the bottom, represent the everyday world; the top three layers represent enlightenment.  At the base layer, there were series of bas-reliefs representing the world dominated by passion and desire, where the good are rewarded by reincarnation as higher forms of life as you ascend, while the evil are punished with a lower life form reincarnation.  There were richly decorated narrative panels (below) carving out a virtual textbook of Buddhist doctrines as well as many aspects of Javanese life 1000 years ago.  Plus some 500+ serene-faced Buddha images staring out from open chambers, as well as inside many latticed stupas on the top three tiers.  Once a year, Borobudur is used for pilgrimage; and today, Borobudur is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction.

At the apex, we watched smoke emerging from the nearby Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia that erupted in 2014.

As the largest Hindu temple complex (above) in Southeast Asia, the beautiful and graceful temple of Prambanan is a magnificent spectacle. The height of a 14-story building, the highest Hindu temple in the world is dedicated to Shiva – the destroyer, and the two smaller ones are dedicated to Brahma – the creator, and Wisnhu – the sustainer. More temples nearby are dedicated to the animals (below) who served them.  This temple complex is surrounded by some 200 ‘Guardian Towers’ all crumbled except two, recently restored.

A lifetime opportunity appeared in the form of a scuba dive safari to a World Heritage dive site on a liveaboard ship in the Sulu Sea. Although it was challenging traveling from Bangkok to the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, it was worth it.

First by air, from Bangkok to Manila, the Capital of the Philippines, then to the port city of Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island where the ship awaited. 10-hours away at sea (~93 nautical mi), east to the middle of the Sulu Sea, is the Tubbataha Reefs. Arriving there at the crack of dawn was rewarding and breathtaking.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is Philippine’s first national marine park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the heart of Coral Triangle. It’s recognized as a center of marine biodiversity due to the astonishing density and diversity of the sealife; 75% of the described coral species and 40% of the world’s reef fish are represented here. In sum, lots of gorgeous tropical fish and friendly sharks, manta  rays, and sea turtles and healthy coral life – everywhere!

By law, these dive sites are only available from mid-March to mid-June. It is protected and pristine, one of the best dive sites in the world.

MV Stella Maris Explorer, our liveaboard ship, is a spacious 36 meter pleasure cruise yacht with an open-air top deck – perfect for observing the dramatic sunrises and sunsets.

On this scuba trip, I enjoyed frolicking above and below water with all of the 20 guests aboard: a group of 15 close-knit Israelis (many of them have been diving together for over 10 years), two lovely couples (American and Japanese) and an elderly British East Indian gentleman with over 500 dives under his belt; he was a lovely roommate in a deluxe room with icy AC, a full bath with hot shower (the benefits of a big diesel engine!) and an espresso-maker. Nice! Our Dive Masters, Nori and Bond (below) provided outstanding professional service. They don’t call these liveaboard diving trips, “Float and Bloat” for nothing; the entire staff was attentive and friendly, service  was efficient and top notch, and especially the cook/kitchen staff provided plentiful and tasty food. Excellent job folks!

On most days, we had a maximum of 3 dives and 1 night dive at 12 different sites; the weather was very hot (average 97F) and yet balmy; and sea conditions were mostly at their calmest and clearest ever.

Unfortunately, after the fourth day of diving, I and few others suddenly got quite sick: feverish, hacking up phlegm, and with eye infections. Luckily, we were all well pampered and slept a lot in our beds and up on the open-air top deck. Once back on land, I immediately went to medical professionals and got treated as my generic travel antibiotics were ineffective. I am on the mend.

Although we missed some of the dives due to illness, we were all very pleased to witness another world: amazing sea creatures from gregarious white-tipped sharks and playful mantis rays to tight swarming schools of Giant Trevally, and most amazing of all…. a calm and very large whale shark. Whew!

Today, I am a PADI certified Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox certified as well (an air tank with higher oxygen and lower nitrogen content allowing divers more bottom time).

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Sulu Sea, Philippines