Cruise stats at 2:30 pm Wednesday afternoon: 2,867 nautical miles since we left port in Dubai and total since Galveston, Texas is 13,373 nautical miles. The end is near.
Today I have just been trying to relish these last few days.
Certainly in this area we have seen more ships than any of the other locations,
just today I counted up to seven freighters at one time.
I haven’t seen any other passenger ships but that is
probably not unusual because of the time of year. I think I heard someone
mention that we are the last cruise ship to come through the area before the
start of the monsoon season, which begins in June.
Although the monsoons can bring a lots of rain and flooding
the water that comes with the downpours are always needed and very welcomed by
the natives.
In less than twenty-four hours, 21 to be exact, our ship
will be docked at Penang, Malaysia for a short 6½-hour visit. My choice for a
tour will be the Kek Lok Si Temple, its better known as the Temple of Ten
Thousand Buddhas, and it is the largest Chinese Buddhist Temple in Malaysia.
Like Goa, the Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to
reach this area in the 16th century in their search for spices. So
it is no wonder that Penangites like to eat, and round the clock it is said and
they like to eat something different everyday.
Roadside stand in Cochin
Certainly if I come across some of the food hawkers on my
way to or from the temple I will have a sample of what this Gourmet paradise
has to offer. I hope for the sake of my photos that the fare is as colorful and
it is purported to be delicious.
It is hard not to feel a little sad knowing that the end is
drawing near. Next stop after Penang will be Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) and our
final destination, Singapore on Saturday.
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