Happy New Year 2016

We wish everyone a healthy,happy,and a new year filled with adventure.My resolution this year is to keep this blog up and lose some weight.
This blog is about our 2015 year in review.
Janurary
We started our year in Florida and spent New Years in Thousand Trails at Peace River.We visited some friends and did some sightseeing. Went to the Ringling Museum,saw the Manatees,spent some time in Orlando,and stayed at the skp park in Alabama.In mid Janurary we moved over to La. and spent a month at Betty’s Rv Park in Abbeville.
Feburary
Staying at Betty’s is a blast.She is great and took us around to all the sights.We ate lots of Cajun food,had happy hours nightly,went to Martin’s Accordian,The oldest oil rig platform,and had a great Mardi Gras adventure.The Mardi Gras parades so much fun and we came away with 60 lbs of beads.Betty also rented a hall and a band and we had a genuine mardi gras ball.Everyone was dressed up in ball gowns and men had crazy shirts ,ties and sport coats.Everything was gotten at the thrift shops.What a blast.Betty’s is a one of a kind and truly a great experience.
March
Now it’s March and we got back in Benson just in time to Checkin and get some things done before we head up to Tucson for the Escapade.Had a great time at Escapade and saw lots of old and new friends.
April
On the first of April we headed up to Park Sierra for Stagecoach Days and had lots of fun and also caught up on lot cleanup.We only stayed a couple of weeks as we had a big cruise coming up.We flew out of SfO on the the 30th heading to Singapore.After arriving we had 3 days before our ship left on the 3rd.Singapore is a beautiful clean city and we loved it there.The only drawback was it was very hot and humid.Definately would go back there.
May
This month would take us on a40 day cruise starting in Singapore and ending in Istanbul.It was going to be our 50th Anniversary trip.Although our anniversary wasn’t till July.We had met several people on Cruise Critic before our cruise so several of us met for dinner one night and got to know one another.Our cruise critic group got together for the sailway and the fun started. We started off in Singapore with stops in Puket,Kulau Lumpur,Sri Lanka,India,andDubai.The next leg of the trip went from Dubai,Oman,Suez canal,Israel,Santorina,Athens and Istanbul.Istanbul was a fantastic city.We loved it and will be back.The 3rd leg of the cruise went from Istanbul to Bodrum,Ephesus,Santorina,Mykonos,Athens,Rhodes,
Crete and back to Istanbul.The greek Isles were wonderful and we would definately go back.Our trip ended in mid June and left us wanting to see more.
June
After getting back from our cruise we stayed at my sisters in Petaluma for awhile and then headed to Chimacum Wa.
In July and Aug. we stayed on our lot in washington participating in 4th of Juy activities and Co HO days.
September
We left Chimacum after Labor Day and went down to Seaside for a couple weeks.Sam had a class reunion and I had to fly to Calif. as my good friend had passed and they were having a celebration of life.After his reunion he came back to Calif. and picked me up at our son’s and we headed to Coarsegold.
October
We spent October in Coarsegold at Park of the Sierras.Had our annual meeting and enjoyed our time there.We left Oct.27 headed for Benson Where we would be staying the winter.We flew out of Tucson on the 31st for Ft. Lauderdale.We would be getting on a cruise Nov. 2.
November
We took a 12 day cruise out of Fla. to the Southern Carribean.There was a small group of us,all Escapees.We enjoyed all private excursionsand had a great time.We went to Aruba,Bonaire,Barbados,Antigua,Grenada and St Lucia.Warm weather and beautiful beaches.We got back to Benson and had Thanksgiving at the Skp park.We had a great meal with lots of food and friends.
December
Well here it is December and we’re wondering where the year went.It seems to go faster every year.All in all it’s been a pretty good year.We spent all of Dec. in Benson and went to Tucson to my nieces for Christmas dinner.On the 30th we will venture up to Quartzsite for the month of January. We have managed to stay pretty healthy this year and hope it continues.CWe wish all of you a very Happy,Healthly and your dreams come true in the New Year.

Trying Open Live Writer

I’m trying to see if I can get OPW  to work.Trying to post photo.

May 3-17 Singapore-Dubai Cruise Part1

This will be the first part of 3 legs of our 40 day cruise.We arrived in Singapore on the 30th April to begin our adventure. On May 3rd we set sail on Rhapsody of the Seas to our first port of call, Kulau Lumpur.

Our ship Rhapsody of the Seas

Our first stop was Kulua Lumpur. Since we didn't have a private tour we ended taking a shore excursion a big mistake. The only thing we saw was the Petronas Towers and since it was a national holiday we couldn't go up in the tower.

                         Petronas Towers

The next stop was Phuket,Thailand.Phuket is the largest island in Thailand and is known for their beaches.We took a tour of the island and stopped at Patong beach,a cashew factory and a Buddist Temple.The cashews are grown on a tree and look like a pear with the nuts growing on the outside.It was interesting watching the process and sampling all the wonderful flavors of the cashews.

                      

                    
                          Patong Beach
                                
                           

    
                    

Our next stop was to see Phuket's largest and most important Buddist Temple.Wat Chalong is a complex of buildings and temples. Many tourist come here to pray and feel the serenity of the area. Here are some of the temples.

Wat Chalong Temple

We returned back to the ship after a hot day. Our view of Phuket was saw it did it but wasn't overly excited. Next stop Sri Lanka.

We arrived in Columbo,which is the capital of Sri Lanka and had a private tour with 6 of us.Columbo has been ruled by the Portugese ,Dutch and British and gained their independence in 1948. Sri Lanka is the major center for Budistism in the world. It is believed that Buddah was born under a tree somewhere in Sri Lanka. People get around in Tuk Tuks and you see them everywhere.

Tuk Tuks

After getting in our van we went by Viharamahadevi Park,Columbo's largest park.At the entrance to the park is a large Buddah statue.Across the street is the town hall also named the White House.

Our next stop was Independence Square.When we arrived there were lots of tour buses but what was really scary was a man playing his flute for the cobra.

Our next stop was along the water to see the fishing boats and the stilted fisherman.In days gone by the fisherman would sit on stilts and fish from there sitting. Now it's just for show for the tourists.

Later our guide took us to a nice place for lunch.

Sam,Alan,Margaret,Ray,  Sharon

Our next stop was the Galle Fort.The fort is a Unesco site and was built by the Portugese in 1620 and fortified in 1667 by the Dutch.It has a long seawall in which you can walk along. 

Lighthouse

Sam and I

Fort

Clocktower

Our last stop today was a boat ride to Cinnamon Island. They harvest a lot of cinnamon for exporting. On the boat ride there are lots of mangrove trees and we went in a small ways to see the mangroves and we were surprised to see a monkey.

Here is a woman preparing the cinnamon

Passing Bird Island

That ends our time in Sri Lanka. Although it was very hot we enjoyed the day and liked Sri Lanka.Our next 4 ports will be in India.Should be interesting. 

Cochin India

Cochin is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea right on the spice route. Ft. Cochin was the first European colonial settlement in India and joined the Indian Union in 1947. One of the churches we visited was St. Francis. Vasco De Gama died here and was buried in this church although later his body was taken back to Portugal.

Another church we visited was Santa Cruz Basilica one of the oldest in India and only 1 of 8 Basilica in India. Pope John Paul 11 raised the status of the cathedral to Basilica on Dec.19,1984.

Our next stop was to see the Chinese fishing nets and the fish markets along the river.They just lay the fish out for those who come to buy.The chinese fishing nets are fixed along the shore for fishing.Nets are set up on teak and bamboo poles and held horizontally by a large mechanism which lowers them into the sea.They look like hammocks and are counter weighed by large stones tied to ropes. The nets are only left in the water 4 to 5 minutes and then raised. Their catch is small and they sell the fish to passerbys.

Some vendors selling their wares.

One man trying to sell a flute to Sam

Goa

Goa was ruled by the Portugese for 450 years after that in 1961 the Indian army came in and overthrew the Portugese. Goa is known for their beaches and trading of spices and other goods. We visited the Church of Born Jesus which contains the body of St.  Francis Xavier.We walked through the heritage district of Fontainhas an old residential district and went to a large market selling all kinds of vegetables.

Basilia of Born Jesus

Next port Mangalore

When we got to Mangalore we went to a very large Hindu temple named Kadri Manjunath Temple.This is a ancient historic spot dating back to 1068 AD with 9 tanks,a square  temple at the foot of the highest hill. 

These pools are used 

for clensing the spirit.They go mostly fully dressed.

There are many rituals that the Hindus practice.

Our next stop was the Jain Temple known for their 1000 pillars. It was built in the 15th century and and each pillar is made from one piece of stone.

There's also a statue at the end of the temple made entirely of gold.

Beautiful tile floors

Hundreds of marriages take place everyday. The cars are all decorated. You see them everywhere.

Our next port of call is Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai was originally named Bombay and there are millions of people that live here. When we arrived we immediately went on a private tour to see the Gateway to India and Elephant Island.The Gateway to India was built to honor King George V and Queen Mary when they landed in 1911.
                                                    
                                                  

From here we got on a boat and was transported to Elephant Island.

The island is a Unesco World Heritage Site with large caves and is believed to between the 5th and 6th century old.There are many carvings depicting Hindu God Shiva.When we arrived on the island they had a small train we got on to go a short distance. Along the way there were many vendors selling wares, monkeys, and a lot of steps to get to the caves.

After leaving the island we got back to Mumbai and went to the Taj Hotel. 

The Taj is beautiful inside as well and lots of important people have stayed here.

The beautiful Victoria Station built while British were in power.

One other place we stopped was the Dhobi Ghats. The laundry is done in stone cubicles where they wash and use the stone for flogging the laundry. It his hung to dry using no clothespins.

Some other photos of Mumbai

India has been a cultural experience seeing how other people live.It's always a adventure going to places we've never been.

We're off to Dubai

When we arrived in Dubai it was hot and very hazy due to the reflection of the sun on the sand.Dubai is booming and is fairly new. There are skyscrapers everywhere and huge malls with ski slopes among other things.Everything here is high end.We went to the Burj Kalifa,a 162 story building the largest in the world.We went to the 125th floor for the views although it was so hazy we couldn't get good photos. We also went on the hop on hop off bus and saw lots of the sights.As I said it was very hot so we stayed mostly on the bus and went to the largest mall in the world.Here's some photos of Dubai.

Some of our cruise mates had a party in their balcony for several of us and we had a great time. One couple was leaving and we said goodbye to Curt and Camilla and Fiona.

 Steve,Me,Valerie,Camilla, Sam, Curt,Ian and Fiona

Goodby Dubai and friends