tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53089960796126923732024-03-05T19:17:16.475-08:00S/V MOMO<b>An Incomplete and Biased
Guide to Life, Love, and
Maintenance on a Cruising Sailboat</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18352121788020672274noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-49915415536188713262018-04-02T15:14:00.001-07:002018-04-02T15:14:53.161-07:00Namibia: March 2018Our last weeks on the African continent were spent in Namibia. Desert landscapes like we've never seen before. Big spaces and even bigger skies. Here are some photos of places we visited -- all in the southern part of the country.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">Arrival in Lüderitz</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kolmanskop -- once thriving during the diamond mining rush of the early 20th century, now a ghost town covered in sand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Railways built and never used</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert house near on the road from Kolmanskop to Aus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild desert horses near Aus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World War I gun emplacement near Aus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset atop boulders near Aus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Fish River Canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish River Canyon, said to be the second largest canyon after the Grand Canyon in the US</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiver trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overnight at Burgsdorf Guest house -- the rhinos were a surprise!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp0AVoR-3ICILu_uRLI0pq0QaSzmASNcuHuhyJgQpzZKzpKAVMb8z9EMgkHQFtg0AupAOwTlR_XVdMCIpYuVkceCMT8TLt2OMlyz82hgwEyngQYK_-FzRNr2uZhDcIIcpXo_TOGubg4hD/s1600/DSC_2793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEp0AVoR-3ICILu_uRLI0pq0QaSzmASNcuHuhyJgQpzZKzpKAVMb8z9EMgkHQFtg0AupAOwTlR_XVdMCIpYuVkceCMT8TLt2OMlyz82hgwEyngQYK_-FzRNr2uZhDcIIcpXo_TOGubg4hD/s640/DSC_2793.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...as were the cheetahs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU79-6DyDonKUVd9_zNv7HPVPlP-KY4hRhhGkB_V8_VKfA7uij2UgBdaG3lKKkEH_R2bvpw79qMdHMfFqFX49a7wTMJqa7o2DUBXcX6QtVTxVeSRMBpk4sUpOb1t07TKpNiKZB56xSNkqa/s1600/DSC_2809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1200" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU79-6DyDonKUVd9_zNv7HPVPlP-KY4hRhhGkB_V8_VKfA7uij2UgBdaG3lKKkEH_R2bvpw79qMdHMfFqFX49a7wTMJqa7o2DUBXcX6QtVTxVeSRMBpk4sUpOb1t07TKpNiKZB56xSNkqa/s640/DSC_2809.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lola enjoyed the playful kitties -- sisters raised from cubs by the rehabilitation program at Burgsdorf.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oryx in the desert</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacular dunes at Sossusvlei</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphensG9u8FJPPj7O4VOMxAZSTk6DV1YKPl0SpekFmBUnFa48YGXoVlWLg3rg8M3EmzfgLj_7tZnBYBQbpFpcapdTSzhmQtR9S-gSoKer-EHQvvukWLbkvvVLAdBZsNaISyeWaUQjtfFzrKI/s1600/DSC_3009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphensG9u8FJPPj7O4VOMxAZSTk6DV1YKPl0SpekFmBUnFa48YGXoVlWLg3rg8M3EmzfgLj_7tZnBYBQbpFpcapdTSzhmQtR9S-gSoKer-EHQvvukWLbkvvVLAdBZsNaISyeWaUQjtfFzrKI/s640/DSC_3009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jana on Dune 45</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on Dune 45: a perfect wedding photo op!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackal near Diaz Point, near Lüderitz </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diaz Point Lighthouse, near Lüderitz </td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-81970480268359749462018-04-02T15:14:00.000-07:002018-04-02T15:14:34.038-07:00South Africa: December 2017 - March 2018<b>Some photos from scenic South Africa</b><br />
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<h2 style="clear: both;">
<b>Simon's Town and Western Cape Peninsula</b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7BAf8TvJy8ZBnl1WMC7_Ar8l2nD-Bu1aZXCtUXVpcL7uANBLEr3iIC6X9s-FX02d2QeXUxJs0oF9XHsIpwk7zYH0_Hr3SB3MG6Yk1ka-E41vgB7Tt02FHOXwS_Yb8PRnjqxBWDXooxCO/s1600/SImons+Town+arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1200" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7BAf8TvJy8ZBnl1WMC7_Ar8l2nD-Bu1aZXCtUXVpcL7uANBLEr3iIC6X9s-FX02d2QeXUxJs0oF9XHsIpwk7zYH0_Hr3SB3MG6Yk1ka-E41vgB7Tt02FHOXwS_Yb8PRnjqxBWDXooxCO/s640/SImons+Town+arrival.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival in Simon's Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoBIQFXf2ilWVZsyxTKnuebrSovsJGR6NFeDUViSDyeTUC66ORq6oKLFDCgPUY05h3O5Ts_lMOKW2Oyjk4r_ruwKmYGgo9bkOxjmOdQhQjDvGJve4F0tBwBbIafW1lZS5YxeGmmksdQwg/s1600/Cape+of+GH+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoBIQFXf2ilWVZsyxTKnuebrSovsJGR6NFeDUViSDyeTUC66ORq6oKLFDCgPUY05h3O5Ts_lMOKW2Oyjk4r_ruwKmYGgo9bkOxjmOdQhQjDvGJve4F0tBwBbIafW1lZS5YxeGmmksdQwg/s640/Cape+of+GH+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ostriches at the Cape of Good Hope</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6Q-RWmuvivNblqXJKZJ3FwEG6URPFcXFvM1pRmCVghe43fUUy7-pTGxUPa-kkagu5RRwKoq9IZ1-bZZzx1NngAky42wbtFStjMfvknIBIR_DhoI5vU3OBF4NkhDAIhnox8i_xvL5paQH/s1600/03+Simons+Town+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6Q-RWmuvivNblqXJKZJ3FwEG6URPFcXFvM1pRmCVghe43fUUy7-pTGxUPa-kkagu5RRwKoq9IZ1-bZZzx1NngAky42wbtFStjMfvknIBIR_DhoI5vU3OBF4NkhDAIhnox8i_xvL5paQH/s640/03+Simons+Town+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haulout in Simon's Town</td></tr>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0dR3jxzxLyF7OBg4X05QZBRQbxsNHfwVsPmbQgYRd3ymnJCam1n-eCBLcPIPUFItq4zAr-Z0NRuZga1x6aw5U_7yXbj8R30Ir_HTGt5dfjZ1aL57J9YR-c9rK_CMu14fy87-8dOf8XUa/s1600/03+Simons+Town+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0dR3jxzxLyF7OBg4X05QZBRQbxsNHfwVsPmbQgYRd3ymnJCam1n-eCBLcPIPUFItq4zAr-Z0NRuZga1x6aw5U_7yXbj8R30Ir_HTGt5dfjZ1aL57J9YR-c9rK_CMu14fy87-8dOf8XUa/s640/03+Simons+Town+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Cape water shortages, December 2017</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQg8P9EPU1tRn0c885w3p95j_DLyM6xVE3h9K3c1iRRsnCFEsFUYH3wyWlGpypErGs71D_R2ZnBLm7bVUi7DJMLM1fNsV2GcjljP2WFONFusJ7MzAn6b3jvDclTxZjHzqZuMDGl9K2che/s1600/03+Simons+Town+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1200" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQg8P9EPU1tRn0c885w3p95j_DLyM6xVE3h9K3c1iRRsnCFEsFUYH3wyWlGpypErGs71D_R2ZnBLm7bVUi7DJMLM1fNsV2GcjljP2WFONFusJ7MzAn6b3jvDclTxZjHzqZuMDGl9K2che/s640/03+Simons+Town+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon's Town -- view to the anchorage with Momo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPyeqR7PMJboQ9qM3qTdzuDCDgMBDHHYrMwDd74AnokbhNyuqh9hGR8-HuOLdLMtw2LoNcaNLbz1Trz9mANSTXGOIs7CrhexHWek4w-zeewhyS-qDDgwzMhmZDaQ8ZUhc6UmryMHTJ3tb/s1600/04+Cape+town+vinyards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPyeqR7PMJboQ9qM3qTdzuDCDgMBDHHYrMwDd74AnokbhNyuqh9hGR8-HuOLdLMtw2LoNcaNLbz1Trz9mANSTXGOIs7CrhexHWek4w-zeewhyS-qDDgwzMhmZDaQ8ZUhc6UmryMHTJ3tb/s640/04+Cape+town+vinyards.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Cape vineyards -- Stellenbosch and Franschoek road trip</td></tr>
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<h2>
<b>Wildlife in South Africa: Big and Small</b></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CMELvgy3axe-35MID00bldQvATUfCNHFUcx173IUTUztJTwZVjVvyoaQNAxMe9IsA1-AOcm_iYOh4lY1DHo_TlmD01Ii6KVodMTD5vsfAdHNTFQ9yvKmSYyo4uhXSTUkUYaukXc0MLlR/s1600/SA+Animals+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CMELvgy3axe-35MID00bldQvATUfCNHFUcx173IUTUztJTwZVjVvyoaQNAxMe9IsA1-AOcm_iYOh4lY1DHo_TlmD01Ii6KVodMTD5vsfAdHNTFQ9yvKmSYyo4uhXSTUkUYaukXc0MLlR/s640/SA+Animals+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Xmas with Mario!</b></h2>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxCZE3YAqGp8jV5tIgP1-PHjlknHw9MS-Ww01EYT9sY2uf0APUTmXZxRZ2TQZT601YlPfFps8w3mgyvliHABt62RAySDbEsTC7dsjmsvoh_WuxCwkBdyTG0SeNiJvbc-ihpc8KrPyk1lb/s1600/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxCZE3YAqGp8jV5tIgP1-PHjlknHw9MS-Ww01EYT9sY2uf0APUTmXZxRZ2TQZT601YlPfFps8w3mgyvliHABt62RAySDbEsTC7dsjmsvoh_WuxCwkBdyTG0SeNiJvbc-ihpc8KrPyk1lb/s400/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mario with Lola and Jana: December 2017 on Momo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BJCvY-ThxmpsNH1vlVqAiqMj1L0qKmimiiY5uv7OvAfVhscbtyZfurlc9vd-3hmGsdEKmJQ3fjw8pNrXpCrWlsygsJHprien7AmmVf9SJObJlcE2AofQXkXVZjuGliNleF_LU0hcC1My/s1600/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1200" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BJCvY-ThxmpsNH1vlVqAiqMj1L0qKmimiiY5uv7OvAfVhscbtyZfurlc9vd-3hmGsdEKmJQ3fjw8pNrXpCrWlsygsJHprien7AmmVf9SJObJlcE2AofQXkXVZjuGliNleF_LU0hcC1My/s400/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mario with Lola and Jana: 2006 in La Paz, Mexico</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTWnSEHloOnhyO2K2f5cJjGCd6h4N_lZ1myoWwQS5IqrYQhiLj5HaH0DT_mRLrWxgU9eqeMD4p5hblmaQkOYKKKKyVa5ICaDPb99xzZwidemcdHdiRlkZfkcbPaF1i4J16YOmmH01QJxc/s1600/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1200" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTWnSEHloOnhyO2K2f5cJjGCd6h4N_lZ1myoWwQS5IqrYQhiLj5HaH0DT_mRLrWxgU9eqeMD4p5hblmaQkOYKKKKyVa5ICaDPb99xzZwidemcdHdiRlkZfkcbPaF1i4J16YOmmH01QJxc/s640/+01+Xmas+with+MarioRichards+Bay+Mario+Xmas+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Struwwelpeter!</td></tr>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Departing South Africa</b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8OSwVdtkgtZO8cbOuf5-YbvbO16q1QYdYnU6_e4ypd8t6FJ7dtBOZkioUaBYBeChB3v-Qyoo0Y25wXU0R9aJJzLgBkdX3fcWS9H3FT9ORf8ve3Vobe9CCMPMv-waKLKfmEHrDD4oWF4J/s1600/10Simons+Town+departure+%25287a%2529+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8OSwVdtkgtZO8cbOuf5-YbvbO16q1QYdYnU6_e4ypd8t6FJ7dtBOZkioUaBYBeChB3v-Qyoo0Y25wXU0R9aJJzLgBkdX3fcWS9H3FT9ORf8ve3Vobe9CCMPMv-waKLKfmEHrDD4oWF4J/s640/10Simons+Town+departure+%25287a%2529+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last evening in Simon's Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seals in the harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mn42rCf3DMKkS7pUsUkHyrlEcA-OETaWwX1xXPUXuVerdf1_HUKeaT-SCntJJhsYVCrOLr9tOWuq1jMfCQG2MBcCfBRbFW86A_RWpFcZQUATFHoWZeT-QsQm6DnyBgQk2zljFGEpyrY3/s1600/10Simons+Town+departure+%25287a%2529+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mn42rCf3DMKkS7pUsUkHyrlEcA-OETaWwX1xXPUXuVerdf1_HUKeaT-SCntJJhsYVCrOLr9tOWuq1jMfCQG2MBcCfBRbFW86A_RWpFcZQUATFHoWZeT-QsQm6DnyBgQk2zljFGEpyrY3/s640/10Simons+Town+departure+%25287a%2529+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphins escorted us out </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lola and Jana and dolphins all around... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6PI-KaD-7MJrxEXADM3MCv3eJagVfFo8PTXtuOeIpgIVlRtIVAFrQfi1rrhRVqzp6rp4zOS3ua6qy_sO3f0z8zdKxB4cHjQMOBT9I4WQH566wTmrnkzKhzUtGbILTv60umxnAwZ_1RnZ/s1600/LAST+PHOTO+Cape+of+Good+Hope+sailing+round+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6PI-KaD-7MJrxEXADM3MCv3eJagVfFo8PTXtuOeIpgIVlRtIVAFrQfi1rrhRVqzp6rp4zOS3ua6qy_sO3f0z8zdKxB4cHjQMOBT9I4WQH566wTmrnkzKhzUtGbILTv60umxnAwZ_1RnZ/s640/LAST+PHOTO+Cape+of+Good+Hope+sailing+round+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye, South Africa: Sailing around the Cape Point lighthouse with a view to the Cape of Good Hope </td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-80899769359039026832018-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:002018-04-02T15:13:55.894-07:00Looking back: Wildlife in East AfricaSeeing so much vibrant wildlife was an amazing part of being in East Africa for two years. These photos are from Mkomazi, West Kilimanjaro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-11570068514908961912018-04-02T15:11:00.000-07:002018-04-02T15:11:12.908-07:00Looking back: East Africa<h2>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">While approaching Madagascar back in 2015 we decided almost on a whim that, rather than rushing around South Africa and into the Atlantic, we should try to see a little of the African continent, about which we knew almost nothing. So while the rest of the cruising fleet turned south to South Africa, we made a few inquiries and decided to go north to Tanzania. We’re glad we did. Since then, we gained an almost resident status in the small coastal town of Tanga, Tanzania -- where it was very hard to say goodbye. We traveled inland and saw mountains and lakes and wildlife we'd only ever dreamed of. We saw elephants, and more elephants. We also sailed north to Lamu, Kenya and south down the Mozambique coast. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Our last months on this content (Dec 2017 -- April 2018) were spent in South Africa -- between Richards Bay and Cape Town and Namibia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-size: 10pt;">And now, after more than two and a half years in Africa, our time here is coming to an end. Tomorrow we sail west across the Atlantic. Here are a few photos (in four posts) from our our stay in these beautiful places -- impossible to capture but worth trying. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #cccccc;">Lamu, Kenya</b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj0Sc3GIxxS0quzttS6fga4RnImJoyMe3pROfhmYbGEZ1AVnMmESHHZd831YWGJinOMpIpCtTDMefd9Xu-ZHSJ8juNdKwduPFl8_APfoecrIHBPktekP4wngUdW8JTazKW2FyKkyJ0TtE/s1600/01+East+Africa+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj0Sc3GIxxS0quzttS6fga4RnImJoyMe3pROfhmYbGEZ1AVnMmESHHZd831YWGJinOMpIpCtTDMefd9Xu-ZHSJ8juNdKwduPFl8_APfoecrIHBPktekP4wngUdW8JTazKW2FyKkyJ0TtE/s640/01+East+Africa+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">View across Shela rooftops</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Swahili interior, Lamu</span></td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: #cccccc;">Road trip from Tanga to Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Ngorongoro</b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-hLyKqWbynnWHTcXu5z6ohh60km9zjrZNwMHUDGv4CCHbwtbweJYAVW1BkYJ35_6mb0iQ2jEsO66aLCMnKB6ShcTJVeBrm553E_qOKCf2Og_QCNDsnRgOGNjwQ8zAFKFQJgyDllRBhyphenhyphenn/s1600/01+East+Africa+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-hLyKqWbynnWHTcXu5z6ohh60km9zjrZNwMHUDGv4CCHbwtbweJYAVW1BkYJ35_6mb0iQ2jEsO66aLCMnKB6ShcTJVeBrm553E_qOKCf2Og_QCNDsnRgOGNjwQ8zAFKFQJgyDllRBhyphenhyphenn/s320/01+East+Africa+%25286%2529.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Road trip to Moshi</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYkXhVDYkpC-5d6bc18ajdbG3HNLYdHIHQMxTDOuLUiSh_xHCqe3lSxyBt6obk9mFPV1R4OgEdLqmZT8f0DMG40Mv-vijsfTHeb6RsT-jEFDu2ZF3X7ljMov86V72omcQgF3SjH1_lHVZ/s1600/DSC_7151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYkXhVDYkpC-5d6bc18ajdbG3HNLYdHIHQMxTDOuLUiSh_xHCqe3lSxyBt6obk9mFPV1R4OgEdLqmZT8f0DMG40Mv-vijsfTHeb6RsT-jEFDu2ZF3X7ljMov86V72omcQgF3SjH1_lHVZ/s320/DSC_7151.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU-hACRhjpx_kkgNuNUIzV4ce_ZOcsyoadEU6NfsjauGyTPIklX6cNfQo2Vw_mM4g3A3sooJdZfO9NVadkv8AQwvPziTGCm4_amTpUvUqFwuZLBRyFeuUu9qA1KRkt8VwxeFrjd1aaP-H/s1600/DSC_6673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1200" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU-hACRhjpx_kkgNuNUIzV4ce_ZOcsyoadEU6NfsjauGyTPIklX6cNfQo2Vw_mM4g3A3sooJdZfO9NVadkv8AQwvPziTGCm4_amTpUvUqFwuZLBRyFeuUu9qA1KRkt8VwxeFrjd1aaP-H/s640/DSC_6673.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Moshi school girls</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqR2xQrc338b0kq9F_NexmQyaQBZ8CnCgaeDd-z2nD0alaqVs9LDRE7kK6-7cEiOzDIFkx1w4mW_nxcQzpP0EQUo-oK_8IQLX-ki4DlQhdSN7V1z3OFxKgZZT7kT-dIwXrsFz-to6k-vS/s1600/DSC_6754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqR2xQrc338b0kq9F_NexmQyaQBZ8CnCgaeDd-z2nD0alaqVs9LDRE7kK6-7cEiOzDIFkx1w4mW_nxcQzpP0EQUo-oK_8IQLX-ki4DlQhdSN7V1z3OFxKgZZT7kT-dIwXrsFz-to6k-vS/s640/DSC_6754.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">View to Kilimanjaro from our Moshi guest house</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoHiEPH1BCOKatpnh7O71cJHlgiFFgAucsidm0gewH_UzkibQD21Tszqgvb6qfuTskh-nd8dF-6HzwHeNlfd7bcWh0zI8u8dDFO6SHEk6XKrUrKdfk_wOetv4LS2iWB7IEAGq10-zCtRF/s1600/DSC_6790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1200" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoHiEPH1BCOKatpnh7O71cJHlgiFFgAucsidm0gewH_UzkibQD21Tszqgvb6qfuTskh-nd8dF-6HzwHeNlfd7bcWh0zI8u8dDFO6SHEk6XKrUrKdfk_wOetv4LS2iWB7IEAGq10-zCtRF/s320/DSC_6790.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Beer in the shadow of said mountain</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioBqQWCBvhhHJu-3NnM-cVxh51JDaaGuNYTWK0ZePyJa4IvRehYE5YP2QSWjVG7uTPpSD8pzZBTYvABQ27JN-JsAeidVLnRADbB6KKgcWB6OL1A4-DugWolPKqiztdsERkJNFIbRthvZ3/s1600/DSC_7636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioBqQWCBvhhHJu-3NnM-cVxh51JDaaGuNYTWK0ZePyJa4IvRehYE5YP2QSWjVG7uTPpSD8pzZBTYvABQ27JN-JsAeidVLnRADbB6KKgcWB6OL1A4-DugWolPKqiztdsERkJNFIbRthvZ3/s400/DSC_7636.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSja3FPr1AEGIGSTASSmnKv5aij2n6jIZkEwXRZbyOlJm8CWwjVpy2ktYeLmjaYYBep1a_3GDDa78hVG5g2lTyfh6VUDIgWHvE2etd8sU94FZluYtTfkkE2xwh7FYpLQu1_DUYzQC8Jauu/s1600/DSC_7637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1200" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSja3FPr1AEGIGSTASSmnKv5aij2n6jIZkEwXRZbyOlJm8CWwjVpy2ktYeLmjaYYBep1a_3GDDa78hVG5g2lTyfh6VUDIgWHvE2etd8sU94FZluYtTfkkE2xwh7FYpLQu1_DUYzQC8Jauu/s400/DSC_7637.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFsBMK0p2cQ7XgSV7pG-Bb0HwWlz4XijZ5U37jIdLteevsVxUzW41grenozxKhmW21pqZTwsYz7a4vk1D76BJcvzUaECRPxXTmjfCjvPf5eZFiqRnyYICbYnPJRKiX-74hQrSYrKPQ4_e/s1600/DSC_8308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1200" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFsBMK0p2cQ7XgSV7pG-Bb0HwWlz4XijZ5U37jIdLteevsVxUzW41grenozxKhmW21pqZTwsYz7a4vk1D76BJcvzUaECRPxXTmjfCjvPf5eZFiqRnyYICbYnPJRKiX-74hQrSYrKPQ4_e/s640/DSC_8308.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Ngorongoro Crater</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliyi4K1KyVnV0GVU0khuYIBFOW5j-YGylKBN0X1WxGoEmIah29B5cephJqovyV8uSu5jsLcbxByP3N4WiDln9JyYYWXL1_SzuWwMW8_JCT2LtlTSVEnZNK1Usss3EjlUf-iELYbENNVAQ/s1600/DSC_8318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1200" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliyi4K1KyVnV0GVU0khuYIBFOW5j-YGylKBN0X1WxGoEmIah29B5cephJqovyV8uSu5jsLcbxByP3N4WiDln9JyYYWXL1_SzuWwMW8_JCT2LtlTSVEnZNK1Usss3EjlUf-iELYbENNVAQ/s640/DSC_8318.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Ngorongoro Crater</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HY9Sv1wgSA2OjTfc5xEv535sQTdDabk7gMFDAtV4SoI-11kWyx2DVK3ukv8nYJOuTIsFmv-1YQ_vbNVUIoY7PFwzLNJjiNZUCXev14p0f4xrG_meIdT_3BPGK0_m9fAHjIi8vu0wGfos/s1600/DSC_8318-BH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HY9Sv1wgSA2OjTfc5xEv535sQTdDabk7gMFDAtV4SoI-11kWyx2DVK3ukv8nYJOuTIsFmv-1YQ_vbNVUIoY7PFwzLNJjiNZUCXev14p0f4xrG_meIdT_3BPGK0_m9fAHjIi8vu0wGfos/s640/DSC_8318-BH.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Ngorongoro Crater</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWlZcRqTy8DsMopAJXN_57cEQ3UMjo979RQqK-9rrR95pWIYs6LFCfBq03gDKgC0ngZWPtrlsR_D52jERuvb3oqbJSN6LXvuhNQMrdjKimSIXkZmQjIOpsa1fCs6DFq3TfzK78o27hCxX/s1600/DSC_8333--BH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWlZcRqTy8DsMopAJXN_57cEQ3UMjo979RQqK-9rrR95pWIYs6LFCfBq03gDKgC0ngZWPtrlsR_D52jERuvb3oqbJSN6LXvuhNQMrdjKimSIXkZmQjIOpsa1fCs6DFq3TfzK78o27hCxX/s640/DSC_8333--BH.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Ngorongoro Crater</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__McGL9GohMi__bvGpH5xIPdXlPQRcXaNUG35l-0ebiam5hGNJWTj0MF3pgDwKzvcy0GiNaI77-I6yETNR7DxJqOTDVSh1nGuaPFPTfM3DJD-E7_uhRuGxKOo8bqJEh8Pm4zbUQwERMpC/s1600/DSC_9015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__McGL9GohMi__bvGpH5xIPdXlPQRcXaNUG35l-0ebiam5hGNJWTj0MF3pgDwKzvcy0GiNaI77-I6yETNR7DxJqOTDVSh1nGuaPFPTfM3DJD-E7_uhRuGxKOo8bqJEh8Pm4zbUQwERMpC/s640/DSC_9015.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI0qQ-Cfmpnp2kpTMLUAER6ubpVHsxb0C_foqAddS5VH-5o9nx3eIxUYHs4q79JQOPN4fzPaxOuoCFoe0YmuZWaxLgEv8etYV4bKrwrimm6Vq67ImcwgPi8bVPL13OrnVxnySnyLSHJPz/s1600/01+East+Africa+%252818%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI0qQ-Cfmpnp2kpTMLUAER6ubpVHsxb0C_foqAddS5VH-5o9nx3eIxUYHs4q79JQOPN4fzPaxOuoCFoe0YmuZWaxLgEv8etYV4bKrwrimm6Vq67ImcwgPi8bVPL13OrnVxnySnyLSHJPz/s320/01+East+Africa+%252818%2529.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Mtumba in Tanga</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRpcyftMsloEvgvAi-RTqnT-ZYLQaWps4db6iCzC4cyyZjcfGH8cil-NRKlxz1BcoUOA8UvhlbMk96JkHOCeUuf-_WA6k8Ua8i2TUy3BvlZZpN-WdZTWy_R0MmltFO4pp4bbz4ksi5H44/s1600/01+East+Africa+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRpcyftMsloEvgvAi-RTqnT-ZYLQaWps4db6iCzC4cyyZjcfGH8cil-NRKlxz1BcoUOA8UvhlbMk96JkHOCeUuf-_WA6k8Ua8i2TUy3BvlZZpN-WdZTWy_R0MmltFO4pp4bbz4ksi5H44/s400/01+East+Africa+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Gardens at Pamoja Leo</span></td></tr>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DHod1ZcHULJODF0-jCwJWBkHmdI3WwepQN2lRQxRCrdplTQzq8cxR7BIhQWBilrw_gER9Enc8o1efy_-Pdt57qKFcHbdN-zyfT320D3BrKO7AwkURPUiG83-jaLmDk_z4xMd6MDHVeVQ/s1600/01+East+Africa+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DHod1ZcHULJODF0-jCwJWBkHmdI3WwepQN2lRQxRCrdplTQzq8cxR7BIhQWBilrw_gER9Enc8o1efy_-Pdt57qKFcHbdN-zyfT320D3BrKO7AwkURPUiG83-jaLmDk_z4xMd6MDHVeVQ/s640/01+East+Africa+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Farewell to our Tanga friends!</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<b style="background-color: #cccccc; font-size: 12.8px;">Ilha de Mocambique</b></h2>
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</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TJ9QaZDDA2jbW3hZyjx0vTpw4AieGBCM-MdL8BxLTSbKVc-njizYCvjc-lgCoMKL0xOG5qyeFrTnURR5dMUiH8TJs0ciNibSlFH6i6_oiaKuiIYCKvqZAI8tf2Ri4EGQPIsigayQsyEp/s1600/01+East+Africa+%252817%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TJ9QaZDDA2jbW3hZyjx0vTpw4AieGBCM-MdL8BxLTSbKVc-njizYCvjc-lgCoMKL0xOG5qyeFrTnURR5dMUiH8TJs0ciNibSlFH6i6_oiaKuiIYCKvqZAI8tf2Ri4EGQPIsigayQsyEp/s640/01+East+Africa+%252817%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Young artists in Ilha de Mocambique -- note the painting on the left: <b>MOMO </b>out in the anchorage!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNAIkjJ4Uwwg6KETB-Kplp8rtTl_vkwp6oViZwI5tFpXwNIvqszg87jrQA4zO9BqnOaNbOZuouOy2VFYU5Hu4CiOJq6eQo4e_v2sbaK7SOBY9gc_J8EaUXxhqmal7Y813V7i18XOj23Es/s1600/01+East+Africa+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="958" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNAIkjJ4Uwwg6KETB-Kplp8rtTl_vkwp6oViZwI5tFpXwNIvqszg87jrQA4zO9BqnOaNbOZuouOy2VFYU5Hu4CiOJq6eQo4e_v2sbaK7SOBY9gc_J8EaUXxhqmal7Y813V7i18XOj23Es/s400/01+East+Africa+%252810%2529.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7mhyphenhyphenvcL05lC9o3iyZsWF85DsXY0MiJBfBGTNedgZd64yznUeVlpwjow0vO9Nfludl433ZWQ3hNMKqca13Jvrk-EeJ2ocjR-WLLnw1sIIEZzahQPnHyq8GNqepIycgcS4m0K0akHEDjHm/s640/01+East+Africa+%25287%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="610" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Best patchwork sails in East African waters</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-1982631077644017722017-02-12T04:57:00.000-08:002017-02-12T06:47:54.702-08:00A Few Recent Photos -- Tanzania (early 2017)<br />
Not much to say, but a few photos might be nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVD2jtU86s5QJE7MFDmT8uNipzRp-6x_6vEk1WCmOdlhHRzTVX776HEgSA7MS2QbSBbzSuN8dP1rjvDgUAEee6hZbyjZYCMKqnnzo0KJkX9gRmEXncJ-l7ygoqHOwFEX8MqiivnmESX36Y/s1600/Chicken+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVD2jtU86s5QJE7MFDmT8uNipzRp-6x_6vEk1WCmOdlhHRzTVX776HEgSA7MS2QbSBbzSuN8dP1rjvDgUAEee6hZbyjZYCMKqnnzo0KJkX9gRmEXncJ-l7ygoqHOwFEX8MqiivnmESX36Y/s640/Chicken+man.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allen Iverson spotted in Dar Es Salaam market working as a chicken man.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwih7YZBEfPUhdknMTQR9qBxwmcdDkLZn94vqLpL_eGJr3MUfXPpcFLUoR76EpeiMb8V71HF_ryo_7HfxCfxfmOtLkfsH8Gq3z-6Fq13hzN4-cgZZUG_p32S5f-U_b996gkFHcMKX_nbs/s1600/Bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwih7YZBEfPUhdknMTQR9qBxwmcdDkLZn94vqLpL_eGJr3MUfXPpcFLUoR76EpeiMb8V71HF_ryo_7HfxCfxfmOtLkfsH8Gq3z-6Fq13hzN4-cgZZUG_p32S5f-U_b996gkFHcMKX_nbs/s640/Bus.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insect bus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKndKGRBY3VuCyUFjID3UOSPKTtoGi_QQStSzb_ePDEgJH-S5ikjGoaA4mYIrQsFDMjW8PgFiDbs7UMV23Oxx3qIKYu7mwRIyqURlvNBW3dg7vtyNcnKqmdmA59bG7d182y5mLORaBKHrL/s1600/Motorcycles+and+charcoal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKndKGRBY3VuCyUFjID3UOSPKTtoGi_QQStSzb_ePDEgJH-S5ikjGoaA4mYIrQsFDMjW8PgFiDbs7UMV23Oxx3qIKYu7mwRIyqURlvNBW3dg7vtyNcnKqmdmA59bG7d182y5mLORaBKHrL/s640/Motorcycles+and+charcoal.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charcoal and motorcycles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vsCYMmlp5HeX7_z4wexjmLjtpZpcCHBR6scXZcPeGmBG_ltinrW3BMS2-S_259wd0imNdtrmlv-IsprEC3jhhuSaNeMG-q8JqzEB6KNnkNqFPb7o1ilb9E05Pc1W4GO-HVgjG04gErih/s1600/doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vsCYMmlp5HeX7_z4wexjmLjtpZpcCHBR6scXZcPeGmBG_ltinrW3BMS2-S_259wd0imNdtrmlv-IsprEC3jhhuSaNeMG-q8JqzEB6KNnkNqFPb7o1ilb9E05Pc1W4GO-HVgjG04gErih/s640/doors.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6wA3vvi5qprbgOt_OB11jsf1K3kSW8qwtTeZBvdc3b9tg2fmcNOzbAM94PwS1HNzxkAkN6jxHY8cWtFH0XE_tOqpmBxTIgXjqwCa0foTwmjnWVeIZqWPMJWbUy2sTaGID8RTItKQVqaP/s1600/Jesus+Truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6wA3vvi5qprbgOt_OB11jsf1K3kSW8qwtTeZBvdc3b9tg2fmcNOzbAM94PwS1HNzxkAkN6jxHY8cWtFH0XE_tOqpmBxTIgXjqwCa0foTwmjnWVeIZqWPMJWbUy2sTaGID8RTItKQVqaP/s640/Jesus+Truck.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus loves buses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJVvLJErVsrOgnijVJhFS7nuoskg4M5ajG98TEHTv6b5ZPYkKlaQafUijaNQTnnisVpmrsiMksVE1FIbamHUID5HdDQ9zQTC1ykVkdcx4iTF4nF2IpMEY7p2CZ9sabQ1fYd1vyz6UEbmZ/s1600/Jesus+Truck+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJVvLJErVsrOgnijVJhFS7nuoskg4M5ajG98TEHTv6b5ZPYkKlaQafUijaNQTnnisVpmrsiMksVE1FIbamHUID5HdDQ9zQTC1ykVkdcx4iTF4nF2IpMEY7p2CZ9sabQ1fYd1vyz6UEbmZ/s640/Jesus+Truck+II.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus also loves trucks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemDpNDcHlGlqumAj5H8Ih3-7iTPbfFLATMbpzAAkej5_lKnauXF9PH14O9LuaMGT0gp5wRCYnU1lxOpqf_GNv3hMthHcwl0PLdN1iA4u17ruTOzPXNhpeDQd13bQA0EoiHgzvUycuEHf4/s1600/lightbulb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemDpNDcHlGlqumAj5H8Ih3-7iTPbfFLATMbpzAAkej5_lKnauXF9PH14O9LuaMGT0gp5wRCYnU1lxOpqf_GNv3hMthHcwl0PLdN1iA4u17ruTOzPXNhpeDQd13bQA0EoiHgzvUycuEHf4/s640/lightbulb.jpg" width="404" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4m5A_4jaeuj0KEzA58-bFNa12OAprNmwtUuYFOhlqeAxqgoHfjkrrTSBE6oT16PnnjpJxQcRxUMuvH19gGoNocst5Z98Qm7x-mYZPy1u2uXvOeugHea2ToCyc23UUitMt_2XaUaI5J74/s1600/wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4m5A_4jaeuj0KEzA58-bFNa12OAprNmwtUuYFOhlqeAxqgoHfjkrrTSBE6oT16PnnjpJxQcRxUMuvH19gGoNocst5Z98Qm7x-mYZPy1u2uXvOeugHea2ToCyc23UUitMt_2XaUaI5J74/s640/wall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RTO1IoI2lLh6Mp0XbKd0c2Ssf_Haqz5MAZPfmRfFWCd3yxCLZfdZM6JFDAbphW7tIa5swpCw9eDpvNo913Wzdz1p583vtoK9HGnu_W31nlfmNEHp_s1YE8GymYAt4Qa1YWva5EeNPvu2/s1600/hair+salon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RTO1IoI2lLh6Mp0XbKd0c2Ssf_Haqz5MAZPfmRfFWCd3yxCLZfdZM6JFDAbphW7tIa5swpCw9eDpvNo913Wzdz1p583vtoK9HGnu_W31nlfmNEHp_s1YE8GymYAt4Qa1YWva5EeNPvu2/s640/hair+salon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iz7bHboDxmVYHJxuNZmhlzJl18n942wSQOMpvOMR01ysrBrJUvPoUQgj2kwG-dG-aYNnp0rhfk8sRdn_tP28Mv5gqKTaHHShBdSN-Nkve84cbPjhLl_GY-MycUoMHd0WHm0ndYpsQuZ7/s1600/bricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iz7bHboDxmVYHJxuNZmhlzJl18n942wSQOMpvOMR01ysrBrJUvPoUQgj2kwG-dG-aYNnp0rhfk8sRdn_tP28Mv5gqKTaHHShBdSN-Nkve84cbPjhLl_GY-MycUoMHd0WHm0ndYpsQuZ7/s640/bricks.jpg" width="401" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ymiCdVjO3wOUygojSSaEjoEpiOvmZdoM9atKuy51wZ4k8Nhx3UNZSuMCUzvt0xasKCGPkZTCdpWcXvcbGRY29M6IeXOA1NieUc695-Y1fdtS6-WjrOL9WyhXDIANXn2ZFItj0BYzgDJ4/s1600/View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ymiCdVjO3wOUygojSSaEjoEpiOvmZdoM9atKuy51wZ4k8Nhx3UNZSuMCUzvt0xasKCGPkZTCdpWcXvcbGRY29M6IeXOA1NieUc695-Y1fdtS6-WjrOL9WyhXDIANXn2ZFItj0BYzgDJ4/s640/View.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6tdaw5xim0WlUu-KYvX_r-H3HvqnoYFrKJt1xCUG359MQSrdnzLkkjv3YywizBJLul8uV-NvwtdZaU2LbUmonwC4AKl7n50j-mgyoagvoOM2NzPV_R2CEv4y4ymEVEQALbGCvHxfy70L/s1600/Swing+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6tdaw5xim0WlUu-KYvX_r-H3HvqnoYFrKJt1xCUG359MQSrdnzLkkjv3YywizBJLul8uV-NvwtdZaU2LbUmonwC4AKl7n50j-mgyoagvoOM2NzPV_R2CEv4y4ymEVEQALbGCvHxfy70L/s640/Swing+set.jpg" width="564" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swing set, Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church bell, Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W8rAqsSvRlG4snVZvpNXlPMpN1cfA4gHzf46unO3er9jvY41hlruqwKt_ectQFrBPwV8lqMbKaLXYkbvi9qyiK85X6mWhhBii3L_3JWQX4Ru6kJ1wSQPwKddNmzpe1FetR7cDJG2jCGv/s1600/school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W8rAqsSvRlG4snVZvpNXlPMpN1cfA4gHzf46unO3er9jvY41hlruqwKt_ectQFrBPwV8lqMbKaLXYkbvi9qyiK85X6mWhhBii3L_3JWQX4Ru6kJ1wSQPwKddNmzpe1FetR7cDJG2jCGv/s640/school.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School bell, Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuII-Ua_dGFZWoh8dnTJlj9J4NoejbEfVf-MZ8UWgTpkWhAIYoxtLCaPXLV-PkR-gSMWbUj7u6smrbWScWEo0zcoh4-1-B0oejmYfEsBIFiLao5O24XF0tRod-FF2WAOtYtuVl9YxofHG/s1600/Schoolboys+and+curc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuII-Ua_dGFZWoh8dnTJlj9J4NoejbEfVf-MZ8UWgTpkWhAIYoxtLCaPXLV-PkR-gSMWbUj7u6smrbWScWEo0zcoh4-1-B0oejmYfEsBIFiLao5O24XF0tRod-FF2WAOtYtuVl9YxofHG/s640/Schoolboys+and+curc.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys & church, Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgAQ_YTZrU5oJCcGkLDh03ERZOFvNnJPZ_2A-WubLBZHpf6rtrXOhUQGshlxNK0ZL6nK5z15MTL3po59Mk67Dg7gthilfGXzqU8skAvZ6V5H4prrcbrUH_9bUmn260O0QIuTlDExV-Dat/s1600/woman+and+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgAQ_YTZrU5oJCcGkLDh03ERZOFvNnJPZ_2A-WubLBZHpf6rtrXOhUQGshlxNK0ZL6nK5z15MTL3po59Mk67Dg7gthilfGXzqU8skAvZ6V5H4prrcbrUH_9bUmn260O0QIuTlDExV-Dat/s640/woman+and+trees.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lushoto area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60DNmJopqH7yaNyhu7qyc6P6RxE32MKbrg7WNqkyRoPe4zERalzQzMYT-sEO5eaPqKBqhBXa1mrwSuvwhaZxOakxBapqmLtAKo_pzKS6cOoys2DzoDMKUHZlNFTYOA08gv1luO4g9hQVZ/s1600/Lookout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60DNmJopqH7yaNyhu7qyc6P6RxE32MKbrg7WNqkyRoPe4zERalzQzMYT-sEO5eaPqKBqhBXa1mrwSuvwhaZxOakxBapqmLtAKo_pzKS6cOoys2DzoDMKUHZlNFTYOA08gv1luO4g9hQVZ/s640/Lookout.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretending to think deep thoughts, Lushoto area.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-42251262455112834052017-01-27T01:45:00.001-08:002017-01-27T01:45:24.611-08:00Madagascar article in Cruising WorldVery pleased that my article on Madagascar appears in the January 2017 issue of <i><b>Cruising World</b></i>. I've not seen it but the draft I saw looked great. Thanks to the editors!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Pb-Tuvqoc78aM7e9EVIeR2FXBKfgYcNoRs4vCWaIS51Umw-3ZwQcy5KprSwr1N52ZJvcru5d7OrsogxoDWSBOB4GEg64Y97lPn1Fj3HCVTbxg070M6iccIuyGhX8aRl4NF_wpS2vrgA/s1600/Crater+Bay+waterfront.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Pb-Tuvqoc78aM7e9EVIeR2FXBKfgYcNoRs4vCWaIS51Umw-3ZwQcy5KprSwr1N52ZJvcru5d7OrsogxoDWSBOB4GEg64Y97lPn1Fj3HCVTbxg070M6iccIuyGhX8aRl4NF_wpS2vrgA/s640/Crater+Bay+waterfront.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waterfront scene at Crater Bay, Nosy Be, Madagascar</td></tr>
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The article is based on our first impressions -- we arrived in Madagascar in August 2016, and it was our first encounter in Africa. By now that seems quite a while ago. Since then we've had two outboards stolen (we've wised up now -- we row to shore), become members of the Tanga Yacht Club and encouraged our younger daughter in her weekly commitment to the Youth Sailing Programme of Tanga. We've pent the last year (since December 2016) more or less based in Tanga, Tanzania. We've sailed to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar and Lamu, Kenya; we've visited (via air and land) NgoroNgoro Crater, the Serengeti and Cape Town.<br />
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We've made heaps of friends. We love East Africa in general and Tanga, specifically.<br />
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We'll post more stories from our time in East Africa, but as always life continues and the blogging is, well, not really a point of focus. But we like dropping in here now and again, and we're glad when our paths cross with others who may like to share experiences.<br />
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For now, I'll share a wee story -- fiction -- that was Commended last year in the Bath Flash Fiction Award. It's part of a collection of small stories that draws on the imaginative dreamworlds of the animal kingdom. Thanks for reading!<br />
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<a href="http://bathflashfictionaward.com/2016/10/michelle-elvy-october-2016-commended/" target="_blank"><b>Whale Shark by Michelle Elvy</b></a></div>
Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-60387073877595350622016-07-04T00:20:00.002-07:002016-07-04T00:21:34.036-07:00Tanga, Tanzania to Lamu, Kenya (June/July 2016)It was a fast jaunt from Tanga to Lamu (approx. 200 nautical miles). We stopped first just over the border in Shimoni to check into Kenya. The officials were very friendly but also quite thorough, very much on guard against Al-Shabaab. They checked us out more thoroughly than anywhere we've been since New Zealand, asking questions about safety gear and looking through lockers and under beds. On shore, we asked the immigration officer about the piracy situation, whether it was safe for us to sail to Lamu. He said that the fishing boats go up to Lamu all the time. I asked: <i>And they come back? Yes, they come back</i>, he smiled. Evidently, the trip to Lamu by sea is now safer than by land. After two days in Shimoni, we continued to Lamu, way too fast for my liking, the pleasure of moving at 8 and 9 knots with a moderate following wind and strong favorable current muted by the knowledge that soon we'll have to struggle against this wind and current to make it back to Tanga. So much for living in the moment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEE7rtt2hbDLgMhdVCbn3TwYzhBafQjO29-D98khQthHYHGu5eryBhm-AiNLRZzwrETTw0mVUFPzbhWx-UXVYZbdDXKRdIyTOQRHxM8Iwdr6_sqprtwSK3oLAWsjJnUHE_ofvIOAll__d/s1600/DSC_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEE7rtt2hbDLgMhdVCbn3TwYzhBafQjO29-D98khQthHYHGu5eryBhm-AiNLRZzwrETTw0mVUFPzbhWx-UXVYZbdDXKRdIyTOQRHxM8Iwdr6_sqprtwSK3oLAWsjJnUHE_ofvIOAll__d/s640/DSC_1619.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momo anchored in Shimoni, with Q flag, after an excellent day sail from Tanga (30 miles).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momo's escort to shore; Shimoni officials included the driver, the man in charge (pictured above) who scanned our papers and asked questions, the driver (a nice boy who drove us back to Momo later in the evening) and two more escorts who looked through Momo's lockers -- always with huge smiles. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTxqvmmrLj2eBAX_FsiSKdM7dIHMVCUKXvgMjs9luisIIH9a8Ca27tIWGvljyRMx0vKdaqV_1p_9tOa27_n1Lu6EMrdSEMEyyw1vVyo1g3lhKa082kQqvfQPiJ1yvyBSzdKTG-E0i6E2h/s1600/DSC_1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTxqvmmrLj2eBAX_FsiSKdM7dIHMVCUKXvgMjs9luisIIH9a8Ca27tIWGvljyRMx0vKdaqV_1p_9tOa27_n1Lu6EMrdSEMEyyw1vVyo1g3lhKa082kQqvfQPiJ1yvyBSzdKTG-E0i6E2h/s640/DSC_1626.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast trip to shore for check-in. We had planned to rest at anchor for the evening and then check in, but we were warned that waiting a day to go to immigration would land us in jail. We took the friendly advice and nice ride, and checked in on the evening of our arrival. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOEjytHWG0It_-G5LHX32mZBSIXtzr8mOIfewJUTA97BwyyZzzpeQpU1cstLMLBpGwimAZLiTx3a-wJxnUzZ5CJDjC_XSuC4PMxyoyPjCfvAqhS6IJmqAB57uhc0elDFXyRUOnPC828cN/s1600/DSC_1731+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOEjytHWG0It_-G5LHX32mZBSIXtzr8mOIfewJUTA97BwyyZzzpeQpU1cstLMLBpGwimAZLiTx3a-wJxnUzZ5CJDjC_XSuC4PMxyoyPjCfvAqhS6IJmqAB57uhc0elDFXyRUOnPC828cN/s640/DSC_1731+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamu waterfront: Al Jazeera (the boat).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVzPtwqdJ-nPgaTXlBA5oRDQLmX_JHj8yBZS-NBZ7VAQtfuWjo8HQ6-fhyphenhyphenBtIvlwkCfPHG79ICuHagAOumuikUFN2VUbTay0xaDtza_6Re4mimF0_zYDhCMTOuABPU4BV9o7pvjAQ-6xa/s1600/DSC_1742+%25281024x964%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVzPtwqdJ-nPgaTXlBA5oRDQLmX_JHj8yBZS-NBZ7VAQtfuWjo8HQ6-fhyphenhyphenBtIvlwkCfPHG79ICuHagAOumuikUFN2VUbTay0xaDtza_6Re4mimF0_zYDhCMTOuABPU4BV9o7pvjAQ-6xa/s640/DSC_1742+%25281024x964%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are (virtually) no cars on the island of Lamu. Transport is by donkey. Or by boat (almost all of them powered by two-stroke Yamaha Enduro outboards, by the way, mostly 15 hp).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnxfoLaL17lxeUdmg9OaMFIrDfUAalbUXZr1b6a-HsaMEPR2QVFH63vt4iV9pOpBY1ULhR0RJO5Lhd0v7jJt_c3m8GOdUEA9eekQ-qKxzyop_Eh4J5TOus7N_qGgKWlZhp5M6gwORYoub/s1600/DSC_1748+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnxfoLaL17lxeUdmg9OaMFIrDfUAalbUXZr1b6a-HsaMEPR2QVFH63vt4iV9pOpBY1ULhR0RJO5Lhd0v7jJt_c3m8GOdUEA9eekQ-qKxzyop_Eh4J5TOus7N_qGgKWlZhp5M6gwORYoub/s640/DSC_1748+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old mosque in Lamu town under reconstruction/ repair. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy, donkey, transport boat, sails: typical Lamu waterfront scene. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UOSTh9c5gJxaEvn2mzHaNR8QdgirTxqr2naB3AKp7vdHnmfB1YiYzPeR281eyc8F4zddy6LFkPZ6Qx5hmHOgxqct9tftVcfp6Vy8IF7VBPDS6Qa_vyz0v7yumnZue4xWcGLI7mvkIWJ1/s1600/DSC_1759+%25281024x834%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UOSTh9c5gJxaEvn2mzHaNR8QdgirTxqr2naB3AKp7vdHnmfB1YiYzPeR281eyc8F4zddy6LFkPZ6Qx5hmHOgxqct9tftVcfp6Vy8IF7VBPDS6Qa_vyz0v7yumnZue4xWcGLI7mvkIWJ1/s640/DSC_1759+%25281024x834%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spindly-legged donkeys carry everything, from people to heavy bricks for construction.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBukrOGiDmlPQUaETRQgCFam7JDkaFbZzabFnqF6aOeocUeOn8MlKwWj3Nyvu_T5aIWnUn-UyNPYVihG98prPl0Su2tR-cXzekTi-T5eoL4C4U4zU-P_nhW-ju-HZsa3RwpQBGdi6PNzP/s1600/DSC_1768+%2528789x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBukrOGiDmlPQUaETRQgCFam7JDkaFbZzabFnqF6aOeocUeOn8MlKwWj3Nyvu_T5aIWnUn-UyNPYVihG98prPl0Su2tR-cXzekTi-T5eoL4C4U4zU-P_nhW-ju-HZsa3RwpQBGdi6PNzP/s640/DSC_1768+%2528789x1024%2529.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small dhows in front of old Lamu Town. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfbLa4LIeTfLHTl1ALz5IgCO9chEqAlWEutfEsG7FCpndhROyXYGuLs5SmCFXEm_kI5OjF0dIl5QOV3yc_ORXhBPcKvi06seRdcGOLMrUaY9VAacz-tTAi2gAV0T8I179uuICV5veFNMX/s1600/DSC_1772+%2528678x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfbLa4LIeTfLHTl1ALz5IgCO9chEqAlWEutfEsG7FCpndhROyXYGuLs5SmCFXEm_kI5OjF0dIl5QOV3yc_ORXhBPcKvi06seRdcGOLMrUaY9VAacz-tTAi2gAV0T8I179uuICV5veFNMX/s640/DSC_1772+%2528678x1024%2529.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to waterfront from typical arched doorway. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQu0MU1u4N7z3riOM8pcnX_NLcknNqv4O-XdjWEZpzAMTTU-rDIogsn6TtElmAdaz9IxbyYDnzeQg2osN7nEVbvdn5XmhLpG-R10yT4MiXTFyt2rKNtnokjkcFlLJVIr2GSNIlGgMEKih/s1600/DSC_1776+%2528701x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQu0MU1u4N7z3riOM8pcnX_NLcknNqv4O-XdjWEZpzAMTTU-rDIogsn6TtElmAdaz9IxbyYDnzeQg2osN7nEVbvdn5XmhLpG-R10yT4MiXTFyt2rKNtnokjkcFlLJVIr2GSNIlGgMEKih/s640/DSC_1776+%2528701x1024%2529.jpg" width="438" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Constant care to boats -- we know it; they know it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdO2a5FBSww228G_HmVHD6n1AnvkXimKaYkiImGjFbP42U6tYW1Qzcq6Fo2guSvz-fb220-hkjNFGSVIohmOxN53O-6PG76zsxdhnalMfeXpcYV86_I8B3o3evMG9EIs87kOZsVZS6zc1/s1600/DSC_1779+%2528974x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdO2a5FBSww228G_HmVHD6n1AnvkXimKaYkiImGjFbP42U6tYW1Qzcq6Fo2guSvz-fb220-hkjNFGSVIohmOxN53O-6PG76zsxdhnalMfeXpcYV86_I8B3o3evMG9EIs87kOZsVZS6zc1/s640/DSC_1779+%2528974x1024%2529.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momo's colors, with a message. And a nice outboard. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDWMdpeAyB93UXPIzEfS7-0essAcdfrPXKy_lebg8-pNBsoanmRjKaa5TZ_KtCsWiOonHTMWlrnlvitPre0pRWpJcEMZUwJghyphenhyphenMGu2LB3wkHFPaOK6L0qII2qsKaTWvheIQ6Xic-V9w4k/s1600/DSC_1785+%25281024x951%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDWMdpeAyB93UXPIzEfS7-0essAcdfrPXKy_lebg8-pNBsoanmRjKaa5TZ_KtCsWiOonHTMWlrnlvitPre0pRWpJcEMZUwJghyphenhyphenMGu2LB3wkHFPaOK6L0qII2qsKaTWvheIQ6Xic-V9w4k/s640/DSC_1785+%25281024x951%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids playing Bao, a traditional East African mancala board game</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM23YLzN8GmbBAApNeOQtvXAIveIoJYLAupYeOHT7Rlb1KOMUu7DEcymdKf5E7c0jK0fQyuSZxbVFvjYxgKd-_Hldn4Z1cwmOlXFrQHygro7PD0nBgNnKJiYIRqSBFCfvw_fBvDrMZT6y/s1600/DSC_1786+%2528822x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM23YLzN8GmbBAApNeOQtvXAIveIoJYLAupYeOHT7Rlb1KOMUu7DEcymdKf5E7c0jK0fQyuSZxbVFvjYxgKd-_Hldn4Z1cwmOlXFrQHygro7PD0nBgNnKJiYIRqSBFCfvw_fBvDrMZT6y/s640/DSC_1786+%2528822x1024%2529.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friendly antiques dealer who said that if we used the proper keywords we could find him on Google. But we forgot the keywords, so we can't.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEO0f6OrB8ZPYbMYNnV9iJEGoaC5W9ja-RFeGRGl2bSeeTW1OSwOB9t5lQni22pWs_ht9su0IGPY4nFJwiOojYGUvwuppMebeHlkgPvcSStMJAfjjwNhfJ06XqXNBjtP7uuqtlnJRUpscs/s1600/DSC_1802+%25281024x889%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEO0f6OrB8ZPYbMYNnV9iJEGoaC5W9ja-RFeGRGl2bSeeTW1OSwOB9t5lQni22pWs_ht9su0IGPY4nFJwiOojYGUvwuppMebeHlkgPvcSStMJAfjjwNhfJ06XqXNBjtP7uuqtlnJRUpscs/s640/DSC_1802+%25281024x889%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No cars, but plenty of bicycles in Lamu.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8Jk4qiluOYC6KeXg6Kp_JuOcncwB-zKAt7HZANCLg6myzhpTr5wbvrN53qV8HHm8V4He_O0Tu6WqrDiBVB0zEh5vgWnHm5j3NzoaUfKshgOT-cGHa18DPXWO5tDxKK9_pA5mDGii7fdk/s1600/DSC_1807+%25281024x672%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8Jk4qiluOYC6KeXg6Kp_JuOcncwB-zKAt7HZANCLg6myzhpTr5wbvrN53qV8HHm8V4He_O0Tu6WqrDiBVB0zEh5vgWnHm5j3NzoaUfKshgOT-cGHa18DPXWO5tDxKK9_pA5mDGii7fdk/s640/DSC_1807+%25281024x672%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town tour; looking for a way to access Internet. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cats and doors -- key Lamu scenery.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtTtlv2TYluCOjLkvOteIX8tqV905p9NOYyTHK2QNZLVoOUI9wc6C5jtC4fEN_LQaLIDmE4m5ojCGThyphenhyphenAcrZ83a_v0bys3HVp6jOvYCek5qYp4hoY-EEVuqJOjT6wUQ8ABz1XxnJj8t8l/s1600/DSC_1821+%2528842x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtTtlv2TYluCOjLkvOteIX8tqV905p9NOYyTHK2QNZLVoOUI9wc6C5jtC4fEN_LQaLIDmE4m5ojCGThyphenhyphenAcrZ83a_v0bys3HVp6jOvYCek5qYp4hoY-EEVuqJOjT6wUQ8ABz1XxnJj8t8l/s640/DSC_1821+%2528842x1024%2529.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No shortage of fresh veggies in Lamu. We are eating well. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town square in old Lamu.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL0Z5ArXBuqk-Muvp49ghS8hCB5CD-M7kw8eIMZVg631zQkkc1CHULxMnyq5bMIUL6LvB8luMlQgXX1dyX00My3nYsNzM7_Fh0ewpy35l9w1WZ4Tg-Y2mlztBir6o_DWhEK045zgthn-Y/s1600/DSC_1739+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPL0Z5ArXBuqk-Muvp49ghS8hCB5CD-M7kw8eIMZVg631zQkkc1CHULxMnyq5bMIUL6LvB8luMlQgXX1dyX00My3nYsNzM7_Fh0ewpy35l9w1WZ4Tg-Y2mlztBir6o_DWhEK045zgthn-Y/s640/DSC_1739+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamu town square.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-72312902361748258352016-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:002016-04-19T08:29:18.343-07:00Vignette: Tanzania/ Pangani: On living in the real world<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqkWiiwV34Jpsisw9xUULL8J1mYwRowRbPYFkfQGCZvXTj8QRjTYNsCGD7yektRM6486mO5lDojkKUGwqFYnM3DHUpDb9pZR-Bk4X_T6C0LIzKT0vFRSLLWJ51rLbrI2VEJ-OmA5zd12Z/s1600/IMG_4422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqkWiiwV34Jpsisw9xUULL8J1mYwRowRbPYFkfQGCZvXTj8QRjTYNsCGD7yektRM6486mO5lDojkKUGwqFYnM3DHUpDb9pZR-Bk4X_T6C0LIzKT0vFRSLLWJ51rLbrI2VEJ-OmA5zd12Z/s640/IMG_4422.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisal plantation on the road between Pangani and Tanga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
house went up in flames in a matter of minutes. Once the spark jumped from the
burning field to the nearby palm and then the makuti roof, there was no
stopping it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
couple grabbed what they could and fled. Got out with the most important items
in tow: baby, passports, laptop, iPhone, a few bags of clothes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
meet two days later; I go with them to the market to buy necessary replacement
items; for two days G has been living in pajamas, her clothes turned to ash.
She tells me the details of the fire while we drive: her fear, the moment she
saw the palm tree go, how she knew then it was time to scoop up the baby and leave.
How it all seemed so surreal – <i>you never
really realize it’s happening when it’s actually happening. </i>How they are
still processing the whole event. How, besides what they grabbed in those first
few moments, most things are burnt to black: furniture, clothing, camera, baby
clothes, sentimental stuff, books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
recall a book we lent them last week – a family favorite, a gift from my
mother. I wonder if it survived the flames, but I don’t ask. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">G
says that they’ve had wonderful support, except for the one comment that ruined
her day. Judgmental, condescending. Suggesting parental irresponsibility for
having a baby in Africa in the first place, implying that similar disasters
could be avoided if only these young parents would wise up and get their baby
back to the safety of home shores. That comment began with “I’ll say what
everyone else is thinking…” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
naysayers come out when the going gets tough. The naysayers will tell you the
things you can’t do. We’ve heard plenty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can’t raise a baby on a boat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can’t give birth in Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can’t sail across oceans with children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can’t you can’t you can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
naysayers are good at prescriptive advice. The naysayers fit life into a space
with four predictable corners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
naysayers haven’t tried to live outside the box. They just know they can’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When
our first baby was due, we were told we needed a paediatrician before the baby
was born. We did as suggested; we ‘interviewed’ several potential
paediatricians one month prior to the baby’s birth. Important topics such as
immunization schedules, birth weights and standardized expectations for a
healthy baby dominated the sessions. Books were consulted; charts were
referenced. Only one listened to our story – how we planned to move aboard our
28’ boat, <i>with our baby</i>, as soon as
summer arrived – and said, “Listen. You can raise your children anywhere in the
world.” He was from Egypt. He’d seen a few things before landing his practice
in Baltimore. “Love your baby,” he said, “and she’ll have a good life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lunchtime.
We admire our purchases from the market; G does not have to walk around in her
pajamas anymore. Our friends tell the story of their wedding bands – metal,
plain – and purchased in Malaysia <i>for $2</i>.
We laugh at that, and we laugh again when they tell us they purchased an <i>extra</i> ring, because E knew he’d lose the
first one. We laugh a third time when he tells us the one he’s wearing is the
replacement ring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
baby sits on dad’s lap, blowing bubbles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh!”
says G suddenly. “Your book! I’ve just remembered your book!” This talk of lost
things. G realises now that the book we lent her is destroyed, gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“It
doesn’t matter,” I say quickly. But as soon as I say it I know I’ve misspoken.
The book <i>does</i> matter. Just the like
the wedding bands – the lost one and the replacement. What doesn’t matter is
that the ring was lost, that the book was burnt to bits. But they are still
part of the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
reach to take the baby, to hold him while his parents eat. I put him to my
shoulder and inhale – he smells like he should: fresh, warm, milky soft. He
squirms a bit and almost cries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Try
turning him around,” E says. “He likes to see the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-65032405544419274292016-03-29T04:03:00.001-07:002016-03-29T04:03:25.260-07:00Vignette: Tanzania/ Serengeti -- Endless Plains? (March 2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrW9K-OtpVke-uqHfLETbvMQhASRp_cjB-B_e9bFK-OnTpCdGhTNAF4HQXXLARR2aEYb_mGF3fbfqPo7dwhBefnxFHFYQpFJo4HnxSiJ9WWMdcOWl9taa91rNDMmC5PNAf6hK1BeFTuIwI/s1600/DSC_9883+%25281024x457%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrW9K-OtpVke-uqHfLETbvMQhASRp_cjB-B_e9bFK-OnTpCdGhTNAF4HQXXLARR2aEYb_mGF3fbfqPo7dwhBefnxFHFYQpFJo4HnxSiJ9WWMdcOWl9taa91rNDMmC5PNAf6hK1BeFTuIwI/s640/DSC_9883+%25281024x457%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Southern
Serengeti, mid-March: we are surrounded by thousands of wildebeests on either
side. We’ve stopped our vehicle to watch. We look left and right, forward and
back: they are everywhere, a sea of life across this African plain. Running,
jumping, grazing, nursing. Bucks and youngsters, mothers and babies. We are
here at the end of calving season (500,000 calves are born each year, in a
mostly condensed time frame near the end of February ) and the beginning of their
annual migration (map <a href="https://www.expertafrica.com/tanzania/info/serengeti-wildebeest-migration">here</a>).
They are gathering in the tens of thousands, nursing their young and congregating under trees. When we first see them, the grass is tall and wavy; near the end of our week we see large swaths of short stubble as they set out, following patterns of
rains and grassland. Some 1.5 million wildebeests and 250,000 zebra travel a
nearly 2000-mile clockwise route each year to move south to west to north
(traversing national boundaries into Kenya’s Mara Maarai game reserve as well), and then
back again when the season comes round. Besides wildebeest and zebra, the
migration also includes Grant and Thompson gazelles, impala and eland. We feel
lucky and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">*</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0KTZEjIVFafQd9cZLG0Ov7qJtgZZ5UjTe-nJATQhvdPLvz7VSHdZWqSkHE-95t8owcL-WDjBnK4dzT60DCvoStjS8euRjKzkKbpMYOhyONWQN0lKnfL8uoaHfWWwBvO-NMNEegDhRnxQ/s1600/DSC_9643+%25281024x717%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0KTZEjIVFafQd9cZLG0Ov7qJtgZZ5UjTe-nJATQhvdPLvz7VSHdZWqSkHE-95t8owcL-WDjBnK4dzT60DCvoStjS8euRjKzkKbpMYOhyONWQN0lKnfL8uoaHfWWwBvO-NMNEegDhRnxQ/s400/DSC_9643+%25281024x717%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Serengeti is named from the Maasai language, Maa: ‘serengit’ means ‘endless
plains’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seeing
this migration in the Serengeti takes some doing. You have to travel hundreds of
miles (or thousands, depending on your departure point) just to get here, first
by air and then over rough roads. Our focus was the southern Serengeti and the Seronera
Valley, a grassy expanse of plain with granite kopjes offering shade and
shelter for their own mini-ecosystems with thriving baboon families, snakes, chameleons
and red-headed rock agama. How’d we come to be here, so far from our usual
coastal living? A relative who visits every now and then said at the beginning
of the month that he’d like to go on a safari – and invited us along. So we buttoned
up <i>Momo</i> and flew to Arusha. From
there, we travelled for a week with our binoculars and guide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwzafnm90QX4iniz3BG9VbCEQ2_WmILV3Bq5fraNpLyyBY9sw1-JxMSaqzq9Y08PLIB4SAtqtlZgvOMUgjvJXjrnsdcD5hE446Yv98Far19waPRFl6-F8R4i6uJpg6iWFbCPE7z7IICe7/s1600/DSC_9946+%25281024x602%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwzafnm90QX4iniz3BG9VbCEQ2_WmILV3Bq5fraNpLyyBY9sw1-JxMSaqzq9Y08PLIB4SAtqtlZgvOMUgjvJXjrnsdcD5hE446Yv98Far19waPRFl6-F8R4i6uJpg6iWFbCPE7z7IICe7/s400/DSC_9946+%25281024x602%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
learned more in a week than we’ve ever learned about animals, big and small. We
sat in silence on the side of the road, day after day, awed by the vibrancy of
life around us: elephants bathing, lions mating, giraffes loping, cheetahs
feeding, rhinos grazing, eagles swooping, flamingos flapping, buffalo grunting,
buzzards buzzing, weavers weaving. Even dung beetles pushing their oversized
loads and tortoises sunbathing. We didn’t know what to expect when we said a
spontaneous <i>yes</i> to the offer of a
week in Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. We didn’t even know what The Big Five
were. But we know some things now. We saw The Big Five, yes. We saw The Ugly
Five. We even saw some of The Small Five. In a short week, days stretched from
pre-dawn purples to the deep black of night. We drove and drove and drove. It
made me feel very small, and very fortunate to be alive on this earth. It made
me cry at the unspoilt beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DR6R8C-VjyrHxiJlW1lnRcNVOiofk30QaGpG-Dg5YeKDabiIV-HBNy_x1c_dw9ZDjkFRgx9LJ_6cwIPIX6pJH6S3EDiNcXw17cxD0FW5ewhiGCx9V9KGN9sDDyu1J04v2OPb6To0g-Ox/s1600/DSC_9997+%25281024x561%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DR6R8C-VjyrHxiJlW1lnRcNVOiofk30QaGpG-Dg5YeKDabiIV-HBNy_x1c_dw9ZDjkFRgx9LJ_6cwIPIX6pJH6S3EDiNcXw17cxD0FW5ewhiGCx9V9KGN9sDDyu1J04v2OPb6To0g-Ox/s400/DSC_9997+%25281024x561%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
fly back to <i>Momo</i> after our short
sojourn inland, awe and wonder pushing up in our chests as we looked down at
the expanse of land below us. We usually don’t have this kind of view – not in
such a compressed period of time. We see the world slowly; we follow the
horizon and travel with wind and current. We nourish ourselves with fish and
whatever’s available at local markets. We don’t buy meat anymore – because it’s
too hard to manage, because it’s overpriced, because it’s… Because. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
feel both exhilarated and overwhelmed by the wildlife of the Serengeti – by the
numbers, by the variety, by the tenacity of nature. In 1972, when the United
Nations met to set up World Heritage Sites, the Serengeti topped the list. These days, there's continued talk of building a <a href="http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/03/06/serengeti-wildebeest-migration-highway-poachers" target="_blank">highway </a>straight through the middle
of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-49858299727402072462016-03-13T01:50:00.000-08:002016-03-13T07:26:45.503-07:00Vignette: Tanzania / Tanga -- Impromptu Community (March 2016)<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
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<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What for them is the call to prayer
wakes me up at an hour ungodly and dark; for me, it’s the call to check my
email for work. I translate stuff from German into English (mostly for
lawyers, bankers, and corporations via an agency in New York but sometimes
for academics who care to seek me out), dressed only in my "Soda"-labeled
underwear purchased in Malaysia, extra large but still too small, hence
filling me with confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not long after first light, the day’s
first swimmers appear – two, three, or four dark heads bobbing around the
boat. They swim out from the
bathing club that shares the little bay’s waterfront, flanked on one side by
the yacht club and by the swimming club on the other. Of the three, the
bathing club has the most raucous fun, with loud music and frequent games of
soccer on the beach; the swimming club doesn’t<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>seem to have much fun at all,
but it has a substantial and well-lit building and serves pretty good Indian
food (there's a new chef, I've heard). Most mornings Michelle and I try to
steal a moment for ourselves and have coffee on the bow before the sun really
kicks in. But we sit just in front of Lola’s hatch, and she invariably
pipes in with “what was that?” the moment she hears our voices. Speaking in
German only invites further interrogation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We find ourselves in a remarkably secure anchorage in a
remarkably pleasant impromptu community. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What we have here is a handful of peculiar sailors following very different trajectories and
motivated by very different purposes. Everybody has stories to tell and
experiences to share, but, unlike what we've found in the so-called cruising community, there is no jockeying for position or assertive
need to dispense advice or expertise. Perhaps this is because we are really not a
community at all but just a serendipitous constellation unmanaged by
spreadsheets or radio schedules and without the coherence that comes from
shared agendas, for we will very soon disperse in entirely different
directions. But for now I'm swapping ideas with Josh for making pressure-cooker bread and smoking Stephan's cigarettes in exchange for the occasional beer.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here in Tanga, this handful of sailors intersects with a cluster
of less transient but equally peculiar grounded folks </span>– <span style="font-family: inherit;">builders, farmers, aid
workers, missionaries, restaurant owners, resort owners, peace corp
volunteers </span>– <span style="font-family: inherit;">many of whom are also just passing through, but more slowly. We orbit around a yacht club that was once an Anglo-Saxon colonial
institution but has now become more of cordial multi-ethnic drinking club overrun
by monkeys with sky-blue testicles (only the males, of course; Michelle was
hoping that the females had sky-blue nipples, but they don't) and posting
lots of unenforced rules and boasting a multi-term, ethnically Indian
commodore who doesn’t own a boat. For years now, cruising boats have stayed
away because of the Somali pirates, but perhaps they are coming back. In any
event, there’s a move afoot to shift the club’s focus back to the water,
which has led to the tentative resurrection of three or four Optimists and
sailing lessons for the kids, taught by a heartsick French single-hander who
has sailed around the Horn and by Jana, who hasn't.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-41499045596319141022016-03-06T10:26:00.002-08:002016-03-06T20:50:53.770-08:00Vignette: Tanzania / Tanga -- It's a Crime (March 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQUYvBm5LLEfa7L5esPWn6ILH8za5U8tNrkzEcvbt8OhTZ8XCgZnhAmLdywJY1G0dhnp5lRpEyN8bWPKLSx_dJEtk5mNhXFN6guZzFyev4Gez4FJp5d100AR_ctHmf8JHKawYku3IhdtQ/s1600/IMG_4459+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQUYvBm5LLEfa7L5esPWn6ILH8za5U8tNrkzEcvbt8OhTZ8XCgZnhAmLdywJY1G0dhnp5lRpEyN8bWPKLSx_dJEtk5mNhXFN6guZzFyev4Gez4FJp5d100AR_ctHmf8JHKawYku3IhdtQ/s400/IMG_4459+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(This is not John's place. But it is a place.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the grocery store in Tanga I hear
an older white guy talking to the Indian checkout clerk about how he had been
recently robbed and how somebody else he knows had been shot. She commiserates.
Two months later while we're getting new passports at the Canadian High Commission in
Dar Es Salaam, I see him again, explaining to the woman behind the glass how he
lost his passport and papers, all stolen. We recognize each other. Let’s call
him John. John and his girlfriend have a modest beach resort – we tell him we’ve
actually come across his website. He describes how the small resorts along his
way were robbed one after the other by men with machine guns pretending to be
police and looking for tourists with foreign cash and pretty baubles. The resort’s security guards
all ran away, and John and his girlfriend were badly beaten and robbed;
elsewhere, someone was shot through the leg; elsewhere, someone was shot to
death. Although the police took their sweet time, they eventually tracked down the
thieves, who made the mistake of using stolen cell phones. Turns out that these
guys rented their weapons from the military in a deal brokered by a policeman. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Later, I will tell this story to a Kenyan
fisherman friend, a kind-hearted Muslim bloke who insists with genuine
conviction that we’re all brothers and isn't fussed that I don't believe in God, which doesn't stop him from educating me in things Islam and polygamous. He will laugh and say he’s not surprised because
it happens all the time. The criminals get their guns from the police/military
because regular people can’t have guns and that’s the best place to get them. He doesn’t like the police because they just
take your money. He will explain that they don't normally have police at his village. If you see a policeman, you warn everyone by
cell phone that the Big Snake is coming. Before cell phones they had other methods. So I will
ask: what do you do if you, say, catch somebody stealing. He will say: we beat
him to death or beat him and kick him out of the village and turn him over to
the police, which is worse than death.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
Back at the Canadian High
Commission, as we’re just about to leave, John hands us his card and enthusiastically
invites us to check out his place.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-43360071142590974362016-03-03T11:38:00.000-08:002016-03-03T11:38:30.517-08:00Vignette: Tanzania / Zanzibar -- Beaded things (February 2016)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9oc8d3oQc2jAbs9NVvVxY-YRc8s858Ix9Yhu31_xyV7iQxDcWcwbD58unX5jZzdvS1xcGSvlPhcKEaGQfT9KVgOMsLWyW7pe9wkdTfghwhFCA-H8Qe3ls-WUhA56AUq1J_u0oTYw7lqt/s1600/IMG_4238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9oc8d3oQc2jAbs9NVvVxY-YRc8s858Ix9Yhu31_xyV7iQxDcWcwbD58unX5jZzdvS1xcGSvlPhcKEaGQfT9KVgOMsLWyW7pe9wkdTfghwhFCA-H8Qe3ls-WUhA56AUq1J_u0oTYw7lqt/s320/IMG_4238.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrow Zanzibar street -- Stone Town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My mother
flies to visit. We meet in Zanzibar. We stay in a nice hotel with air
conditioning. We get colds. We walk the narrow streets for hours. We chat with
people in markets and shops. We buy trinkets and beautifully hand-made clothes
in co-ops set up by and for African women. We drink coffee, lick gelato: coconut
and cinnamon, mango and masala. We eat fish and calamari. We eat more fish and
calamari. We meet a woman named S. who invites us to her village at the edge of
town. It’s not really her village, she tells us, it’s the village where she has
a room. We walk to the edge of town with S. and by the time we arrive we are
sticky and hot. We sit on the cool floor of S.’s room. She offers my mother the
seat beside her on the neatly covered mattress. I edge in next to my mother; my
daughters sit on the floor. S. talks about her hotel job, her family. She shows
us photos from home. Her daughter, only six and back in the village. S. is
working in Zanzibar to earn money to send her daughter to school. Her daughter
lives with her sister-in-law. S. had her baby when she was sixteen: raped by an
older village boy. <i>What happened to him?</i>
I ask. <i>He was put in prison</i>, says S.<i> Now he lives in the village, with his wife
and children. And the rest of your family? </i>I ask.<i> Are they there? </i>S. smiles.<i>
My father is, yes. My father has ten wives. I am very good with my father. </i>S.
is Maasai. S. says we should come visit her Maasai village. I have read about
the Maasai. <i>Nat Geo</i>. I want to see
last year’s film, <i>Warriors</i>. Here in
Tanzania, I have seen the Maasai in town markets, in roadside stands. Selling
shoes, belts, beaded things. Websites tell you how to talk to the Maasai, how
to say <i>how much?</i> and <i>too expensive! </i>S. says, <i>when you come to my village, you say </i>takwenya<i> as a greeting to women, means hello. And
you say </i>yko<i>, means hello back. </i>When
we leave, S. gives my mother a Maasai necklace: intricate beads and elephant
hair. She gives us photos of herself in her Maasai dress, jots her email on a
scrap of paper, says <i>Write to me.</i></span> <i style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-58036770922554044862016-03-01T12:13:00.000-08:002016-03-03T11:34:07.202-08:00Vignette: Tanzania / Tanga -- Market (March 2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqQN96Q-plQLX6MmS-ClJnpJzHOBwmhfvOHAZ3yQsQFoW7EWdBUoTP9b5jHXsfNsA8SaNg19XYn4WpcvggDSAVYNQK2myLtfwPBDOKw1EEWFuggi3d_DgNeBA_F0x9Ys77Oc2huBZ5Bw2/s1600/DSC_7488+%2528788x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqQN96Q-plQLX6MmS-ClJnpJzHOBwmhfvOHAZ3yQsQFoW7EWdBUoTP9b5jHXsfNsA8SaNg19XYn4WpcvggDSAVYNQK2myLtfwPBDOKw1EEWFuggi3d_DgNeBA_F0x9Ys77Oc2huBZ5Bw2/s400/DSC_7488+%2528788x1024%2529.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is the market in Tanga near the waterfront.
There’s lots of dirt and smells and plenty of flies. The guy in the photo? We always
go to him first because he’s friendly and funny and always gives us something to
try–an orange, a banana, today it was some strange and tasty knobby little
fruit. He also always ends up giving Michelle a hug. He lets us slide our bags
under his table when it’s time to wander to the other tables. The vendors sit
around on plastic lawn chairs, some of them watching soccer games on TV. You
buy your chickens alive here. They are stacked in cages along a wall, fine feathered
and perky. I don’t know if they kill them for you because we haven’t tried to
buy any. What if they don’t and you end up with a chicken on your boat? I’m
aspiring to be a vegetarian anyway. You buy your meat from butchers operating out
of tiled stalls. It hangs unrefrigerated in big slabs and is not USDA approved.
It’s also not covered with shit and you can watch them cut it up. </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">There are no
price tags. There are no cash registers. Nobody announces specials from
loudspeakers. They don’t take Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. You buy
your stuff directly from this guy, or that guy, or from the other guy over
there. The guys are all, well, guys. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">You pick out your stuff–</span><span style="line-height: 15.3333px;">mangoes</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, ginger,
papaya, carrots, oranges, watermelons, beans, rice, etc. Or the guy picks your
stuff out for you– you ask him for an avocado that will be good today and one
that will be good tomorrow.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwCTQste4O6Xwsw48jltAWzxJUTnje0U80ThWltenqzrjQFFLSx5xUJKNecp3XjYKsDleJ_ViVUdiOIY242SlBEMaXZ5FWcF_9jiqV4m81vdnBTtKdBVjvZETBIv2zXk71djCn6H2NgNj/s1600/IMG_4462+%25281024x909%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwCTQste4O6Xwsw48jltAWzxJUTnje0U80ThWltenqzrjQFFLSx5xUJKNecp3XjYKsDleJ_ViVUdiOIY242SlBEMaXZ5FWcF_9jiqV4m81vdnBTtKdBVjvZETBIv2zXk71djCn6H2NgNj/s200/IMG_4462+%25281024x909%2529.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Some stuff you purchase by the piece (papaya, mangoes, pineapples); other stuff he weighs on an old and dented balance scale
(beans, potatoes). Naturally, you banter about price. Our friend Josh, who
knows how locals do things, seems to pay more than anybody else. His girlfriend,
who makes no such claim and won’t negotiate, pays maybe half of what he does. Go
figure. You give them your money. If
need be, the guys go get change while you wait–they get it from that guy, or
the other guy, or from the store across the street. The money vanishes in
pockets or maybe in a plastic bag that disappears someplace safe. Sometimes you
shake hands, sometimes you don’t.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-57969829068801738532016-02-17T20:22:00.000-08:002016-02-17T20:22:24.788-08:00Tying Stuff Down without using Padeyes, U-Bolts, Eyebolts, etc.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnux7sx-7djBv92I4hvqJSTD-BEcTgvThoEzEjYuQLBEEfg2yp46vzNBWfdFWi4XQ5uUbeg3HDAubFyyL1NdFoj9soe3kh45gAficxbZ-rh2giS1PuT2ttU5UA3G42AKbjJfXDLNMvfH6/s1600/DSC_7464+%2528846x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnux7sx-7djBv92I4hvqJSTD-BEcTgvThoEzEjYuQLBEEfg2yp46vzNBWfdFWi4XQ5uUbeg3HDAubFyyL1NdFoj9soe3kh45gAficxbZ-rh2giS1PuT2ttU5UA3G42AKbjJfXDLNMvfH6/s400/DSC_7464+%2528846x1024%2529.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tie-down at the front of the cabin to help secure the dinghy.</td></tr>
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Last year when it came time to install a few tie-downs on the boat's cabin top we tried something a little different. Instead of resorting to toe-stubbing stainless hardware, we embedded loops of rope into the cabin top using epoxy. The approach has many advantages over the installation of standard fittings. It's quick and cheap and the results are waterproof and plenty strong. The tie-downs are also easy to replace. You just need to drill them out.<br />
<br />
Today I made a few tie-downs to keep our solar panels in place when we go offshore. To make six tie-downs, I used 100 cm (40 inches) of line and 15 ml of epoxy. I could put the tie-downs exactly where I wanted them. And the job was done in an hour. No need to take down interior ceiling panels, seal off bore holes with epoxy, or seal fasteners with caulking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgFDvpl6gIb_VpVjva0KhENrCo-PY3sSZoCcwMVSpGNx-5hrCr32sNSidWlr5z4B4KC5pBnUkPSF_gQELOeouVvmp0VkpcSUz2_c8WvFeu0sKJgFQ_ycGJNP7rZKA640Li0AMllG3pi76/s1600/DSC_7465+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgFDvpl6gIb_VpVjva0KhENrCo-PY3sSZoCcwMVSpGNx-5hrCr32sNSidWlr5z4B4KC5pBnUkPSF_gQELOeouVvmp0VkpcSUz2_c8WvFeu0sKJgFQ_ycGJNP7rZKA640Li0AMllG3pi76/s320/DSC_7465+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li> Drill a hole: the cabin tops and decks of most fiberglass boats have a wooden core. Drill through the top layer of fiberglass and through the wooden core, but make sure to stop when you hit the bottom layer of fiberglass. On the cabin top of the Mason 43, this will leave you with a hole that is 20 mm (3/4 inches) deep.</li>
<li>Insert the loop of line.</li>
<li>Fill the hole with epoxy using a syringe.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Positioning the tie-downs. It's worth noting that the pretty piece of hardware in foreground costs USD 77.00 at West Marine, sans fasteners.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-87292909750537007362016-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:002016-01-18T11:35:14.832-08:00Mason 43 Mast Step Replacement Ensenada 2004 (January 2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This evening I stumbled across a few photos of our mast step replacement project in Ensenada back in 2004, a pleasant surprise because I thought we had lost them all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrD2NvNUtKpK0baRtOwb0HXv9Ll_f1ao_QAZQYXsN_JsLA4QEIoeDO_IyaxyLJC2VU6YDamYAw4jBPZpM0nCgBIwdU9NUUwQgmWqY6Zw0aY9600Ou4zgfg8FWCDanZ-1lxGtlRC71tEBZ/s1600/Old+Mast+Step--Looking+Down.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrD2NvNUtKpK0baRtOwb0HXv9Ll_f1ao_QAZQYXsN_JsLA4QEIoeDO_IyaxyLJC2VU6YDamYAw4jBPZpM0nCgBIwdU9NUUwQgmWqY6Zw0aY9600Ou4zgfg8FWCDanZ-1lxGtlRC71tEBZ/s320/Old+Mast+Step--Looking+Down.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original mast step, looking forward from and into the bilge.<br />
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The mast step on the Mason 43 (at least on ours) was very poorly made. I refrain from saying poorly "designed," for the drawings by the naval architect show something quite different. But the actual construction was remarkably inept, consisting of a pad made of few layers of plywood supported and raised above a drainage channel (and drainage pipe) by thin supports on either side, all encased in fiberglass. Evidently, the idea was to give the boat all the weaknesses of deck-stepped mast and none of the advantages.<br />
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Water had found its way from the mast into the mast step, leading to the delamination of the plywood. We discovered the problem in Ensenada, Mexico when we noticed our slack rigging. Needless to say, we were quite distressed, all the more so because the boat was new to us.<br />
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Moreover, Ensenada lacked any good options for pulling the mast. Fortunately we had become friends with crew on<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> <i><a href="http://www.infinityexpedition.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Infinity</span></a></i>,</span> a 120' ferro-cement ketch whose skipper/owner was busy gutting and rebuilding his boat while at anchor in the Ensenada harbor. He not only offered us space on his boat to build a new mast step but also convinced us that we could lift the mast using his mizzen. He also had all the materials I needed for the job (if I recall correctly, in exchange I built an instrument panel for his engine). The lifting operation seemed a little dicey to me, but we decided to give it go. Over the next while, I built our new and much improved mast step. Then, after choosing a proper weather window, we rafted up to <i>Infinity </i>and raised the mast just enough so that we could set it on the cabin sole. We moved our little family (me, two-year-old Lola, and pregnant Michelle) aboard <i>Infinity</i>. Then after we sealed off all the cupboards and lockers, I ground out the old mast step and epoxied the new mast step into place. For us it was a major victory over a potentially major problem. And it was fun, demonstrating what one could accomplish with a few friends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAS02QLblKJ98kA20C3fXRxUPdHl0I2giHAuortFtmgT2GrtDkkrptxTF_072T7Mo6GGbliYVhBeSw0ZWMfVV31-QWhm2kJ47G1UPx2ogFVRwEJ1pCEhmRtW_xiOWazMLiA1Iv4ohFAwx/s1600/Old+Mast+Step--Looking+Aft.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAS02QLblKJ98kA20C3fXRxUPdHl0I2giHAuortFtmgT2GrtDkkrptxTF_072T7Mo6GGbliYVhBeSw0ZWMfVV31-QWhm2kJ47G1UPx2ogFVRwEJ1pCEhmRtW_xiOWazMLiA1Iv4ohFAwx/s640/Old+Mast+Step--Looking+Aft.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original mast step, looking aft.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0fRIAzekB806JOe1w-kVMly7tm_HFXXokx3J1dBPrjiSibj2oYAFBTkaeIdjg5lIPrccQMx14uDajTkx5-Injr9lxkB5NtBKbPtBxA-g-v0xdwtRIM7L3XnaYI0A-LF6-lBPgzL7FnZW/s1600/Old+Mast+Step-Looking+Forward.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0fRIAzekB806JOe1w-kVMly7tm_HFXXokx3J1dBPrjiSibj2oYAFBTkaeIdjg5lIPrccQMx14uDajTkx5-Injr9lxkB5NtBKbPtBxA-g-v0xdwtRIM7L3XnaYI0A-LF6-lBPgzL7FnZW/s640/Old+Mast+Step-Looking+Forward.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original mast step, looking forward. That's a water tank on the right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KlyRXFPBC9YHDP1VmqKjf9HBGQki7HAWjmuAk-Yj9j_hiEjM_ueEfN3AZjJOLGJmxPLav9U_JTHR1HaTRpGZrZPNbLixcWRYSnzb5Bnoz50t_GvpMxe8dGKa96Ma34wqjH-76LH4iHaN/s1600/Colin+shows+off+the+new+Mast+Step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KlyRXFPBC9YHDP1VmqKjf9HBGQki7HAWjmuAk-Yj9j_hiEjM_ueEfN3AZjJOLGJmxPLav9U_JTHR1HaTRpGZrZPNbLixcWRYSnzb5Bnoz50t_GvpMxe8dGKa96Ma34wqjH-76LH4iHaN/s640/Colin+shows+off+the+new+Mast+Step.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colin (where the hell are you? Why don't you write) showing off the new mast step.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRPK7CJElBcUnibUaL8IXbgw4QqcmlCSGJAVXhWGUcqP2N7e4DFDZPnSesNd7zqoZ2DQIu5Ze2wuwCmhKK2BILtZfvNEMJDAbdRudICm84o0Gh3LEcSg7n1crV4JnZl_AhpdgX7yi4_X3/s1600/Momo+alongside+Infinity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRPK7CJElBcUnibUaL8IXbgw4QqcmlCSGJAVXhWGUcqP2N7e4DFDZPnSesNd7zqoZ2DQIu5Ze2wuwCmhKK2BILtZfvNEMJDAbdRudICm84o0Gh3LEcSg7n1crV4JnZl_AhpdgX7yi4_X3/s640/Momo+alongside+Infinity.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momo rafted alongside Infinity (that's a teepee on Infinity's foredeck)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3vZYMKKBKR8tXjyn4EXmfDCvZ3SqCRnH4llqzPus2MLphcqLGRVL10EQYlLbScKbXQ7zAY3Q1jbUVMgQ2fyCxBD-V5e8aQfmyXFc68H92W5JbJGle70lNSx5hVV4UttrjzD0TBnpOH6D/s1600/Setting+the+Pole+to+Lift+the+Mast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3vZYMKKBKR8tXjyn4EXmfDCvZ3SqCRnH4llqzPus2MLphcqLGRVL10EQYlLbScKbXQ7zAY3Q1jbUVMgQ2fyCxBD-V5e8aQfmyXFc68H92W5JbJGle70lNSx5hVV4UttrjzD0TBnpOH6D/s640/Setting+the+Pole+to+Lift+the+Mast.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me setting Momo's spinnaker pole for the lifting operation.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRzQnwoWGcKErzoTn30isqkgMOGVECNcEcuiQpwiYYxnsq91i28BLTA0ezY-JMOKyUFI5F_HUNMUPc6NihlWRnBZkSUeeeZPV3yfnHArVFgEJ5U5K2nJ8YkiQ5qm8JoqkbEZqA28gH6ZP/s1600/Raising+the+Mast-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRzQnwoWGcKErzoTn30isqkgMOGVECNcEcuiQpwiYYxnsq91i28BLTA0ezY-JMOKyUFI5F_HUNMUPc6NihlWRnBZkSUeeeZPV3yfnHArVFgEJ5U5K2nJ8YkiQ5qm8JoqkbEZqA28gH6ZP/s640/Raising+the+Mast-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raising the mast -- Skipper Clemens at the winch on the mizzen mast, Colin guiding the mast on Momo's cabin top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting the mast on the cabin sole.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the grinding.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the new mast step (looking aft).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New mast step installed (looking aft). Jonas did the nice job on the stainless & aluminum.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-61791594437192330852015-11-24T08:56:00.000-08:002016-01-01T03:55:41.750-08:00Madagascar: Big Skies -- and a Waterspout in Sumatra (November 2015)We are in our last days in Madagascar, and we have a lot more to say about it, much more beyond those first impressions from our other posts -- but in this post we're just going to share the big sky that we wake up and go to sleep to every day.<br />
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When we arrived in late August, the sky was big and blue. As the season has worn on, it is weighted some days with graphite grey, and rain threatens to loose itself on the anchorages and shorelines. Sometimes the clouds open up and drop a barrage of large droplets -- once with what sounded like hail on our cabintop. But often they hover, low and hulking over the mainland, threatening to come our way but staying just beyond our northwestern island anchorages.<br />
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And then evenings bring soft pinks and golds. <br />
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The best morning skies we've seen have been in the early dawn hours as the sun starting to show, before the heat presses in. I usually don't have my camera if I'm out on deck at that time of day. And on two of those occasions we were outside chasing down a stolen dinghy -- stealthily cut from our stern in the night and recovered in the peaceful pre-dawn of an almost-perfect anchorage. But that's another story and part of the next post. For now, nothing but sky...<br />
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<b>Blue Skies -- a lot of days in September and October looked like this:</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon on Nosy Be<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshAAotAJWqtw-flheWPbHOMqpQyOJXIgu6_UUqPi1V_0JT8u-dTQMPguD5FoTkTqCUJWsdiT3sQWLMJvutOPtZR32N_E1Kl-YUWf-2QVACs_kB7O1wW4OLalLJIGCBIiOwpDCoVLIgP-f/s1600/1011+honey+R+%25284%2529+%2528800x427%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshAAotAJWqtw-flheWPbHOMqpQyOJXIgu6_UUqPi1V_0JT8u-dTQMPguD5FoTkTqCUJWsdiT3sQWLMJvutOPtZR32N_E1Kl-YUWf-2QVACs_kB7O1wW4OLalLJIGCBIiOwpDCoVLIgP-f/s640/1011+honey+R+%25284%2529+%2528800x427%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue skies and waters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1VuEJHLe_7UEAMnV9G-FU4wlPMxAcyEhIXT9zxdIWHrlaReoodX1GcPxoOtKG3ZhjFrCywXw2DQOklx0v-HnPJ_C-YE8O_Plssm4NrDbSJZUIOi7EXHE6r4LOEOhkdFkNUR8tPMXekzu/s1600/1011+honey+R+%25288%2529+%2528800x458%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1VuEJHLe_7UEAMnV9G-FU4wlPMxAcyEhIXT9zxdIWHrlaReoodX1GcPxoOtKG3ZhjFrCywXw2DQOklx0v-HnPJ_C-YE8O_Plssm4NrDbSJZUIOi7EXHE6r4LOEOhkdFkNUR8tPMXekzu/s640/1011+honey+R+%25288%2529+%2528800x458%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud flats and sunny skies up Honey River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical clouds over the mainland, looking west </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shades of blue at the Russian Bay pass, looking out from the anchorage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_pHCYVZjaXjaIyf67dEa6sh4BxX0Qtnc9k8U6XhyphenhyphentLpaR3ocMDJ1S-n8TlL1zEjZI1I4ncS2qZp7bMbhQaZzZThAKBhZNDM1NYrHcy1Djd-dplYNBkiqjoOJwIwradUwV5ICFIApEMNr/s1600/Sept+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_pHCYVZjaXjaIyf67dEa6sh4BxX0Qtnc9k8U6XhyphenhyphentLpaR3ocMDJ1S-n8TlL1zEjZI1I4ncS2qZp7bMbhQaZzZThAKBhZNDM1NYrHcy1Djd-dplYNBkiqjoOJwIwradUwV5ICFIApEMNr/s640/Sept+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy skies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunshine over Nosy Be and Nosy Komba</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWL3_0MmPtaiqySifJEs9RSEhVHT6SmxKi44rf9_jraAFv-Qp4hyxIwgVoeJg5WJYYAqQbO5I9dW7rG30xCFikFh0MMJ-d6CCEK7Dxq0XdleU9a8Tgo8n2h-MBxFjTBs13Q_zDRS-yWVl/s1600/Sept+around+Nosy+Be+%25284%2529+%2528800x502%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWL3_0MmPtaiqySifJEs9RSEhVHT6SmxKi44rf9_jraAFv-Qp4hyxIwgVoeJg5WJYYAqQbO5I9dW7rG30xCFikFh0MMJ-d6CCEK7Dxq0XdleU9a8Tgo8n2h-MBxFjTBs13Q_zDRS-yWVl/s640/Sept+around+Nosy+Be+%25284%2529+%2528800x502%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beachside resort, west coast of Nosy Be</td></tr>
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<b>Days begin pink and purple:</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lop To in Honey River, September, just before sunrise</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdrb1Pafl6cnca0-kPL9ACJax1nG41gsSxSs62jfSOCz0ZzVJ_-NLQiMjKHm9tpRxZvmUhlufJ0Lbc6bCvsbMSO63-irznixvizHnStcZSGmj56vptRwOgJ2JS7hk4pj01262jT5YtoB1/s1600/Honey+R+1011+%252816%2529+%2528800x443%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdrb1Pafl6cnca0-kPL9ACJax1nG41gsSxSs62jfSOCz0ZzVJ_-NLQiMjKHm9tpRxZvmUhlufJ0Lbc6bCvsbMSO63-irznixvizHnStcZSGmj56vptRwOgJ2JS7hk4pj01262jT5YtoB1/s640/Honey+R+1011+%252816%2529+%2528800x443%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west to the entrance of Honey River in the early morning light</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkD03N509rb_p3l-hKezbxj86QVfIROXmEVYAuUuQKEGi_8hwoyZtedvxx71KI2uNc2yFXfXkwh2aZ5b5JryS0795AbSQG_8XMV80gIdvwfhsohv_rAnZLKe6g-13mnws3Omeof907U_2/s1600/Honey+R+1011+%252817%2529+%2528800x427%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkD03N509rb_p3l-hKezbxj86QVfIROXmEVYAuUuQKEGi_8hwoyZtedvxx71KI2uNc2yFXfXkwh2aZ5b5JryS0795AbSQG_8XMV80gIdvwfhsohv_rAnZLKe6g-13mnws3Omeof907U_2/s640/Honey+R+1011+%252817%2529+%2528800x427%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lop To, just off Momo's bow - and here comes the sun</td></tr>
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<b>And sunsets look like this:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmkY5lliSp1j79uxC2NV0AOXic92MVqDkLZjfZEmhuyMqkCfLsaXLtBCZqrLqAx_DvAfaF0iXbR4BicGVj-W-g7oSR8ZjdHJelFH9lPM5dsXzqPa8RPnnodob11nxWPvsenHa5iqWoCZI/s1600/1121+sky+%25283%2529+%2528800x526%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmkY5lliSp1j79uxC2NV0AOXic92MVqDkLZjfZEmhuyMqkCfLsaXLtBCZqrLqAx_DvAfaF0iXbR4BicGVj-W-g7oSR8ZjdHJelFH9lPM5dsXzqPa8RPnnodob11nxWPvsenHa5iqWoCZI/s640/1121+sky+%25283%2529+%2528800x526%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>And then there are the crazy storms that blow in more regularly now that we're in the shifting seasonal month of November. This sky is from November 4, Crater Bay, and we watched the clouds roil and creep toward us for an hour, with one lone dhow coming into the anchorage just in front of the threatening steely line:</b><br />
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<b>And just the other day, they clouds gathered again and rolled toward Momo:</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking south, out of Crater Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking east, where the weather formed over the mainland </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then brought rain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfmOUYNMZiiuEArykVYkQ7TRX6no-Opl_vUfz8QqS0d8NetdkjzitvZCFKzM1vf1LpCYqE9FGtTyw_q0GKRwuz6wAqLC3TjgzWJaetcw4XnpqCOAlvuaP5Y0GMja5sRZynQAfky1YpJlv/s1600/DSC_0128+%2528800x526%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfmOUYNMZiiuEArykVYkQ7TRX6no-Opl_vUfz8QqS0d8NetdkjzitvZCFKzM1vf1LpCYqE9FGtTyw_q0GKRwuz6wAqLC3TjgzWJaetcw4XnpqCOAlvuaP5Y0GMja5sRZynQAfky1YpJlv/s640/DSC_0128+%2528800x526%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whiteout at coming our way, but I snapped this just as the drops starting hitting us</td></tr>
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<b>Some mornings we wake to it being so grey the photo looks almost black-and-white:</b><br />
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<b>But many days Momo is anchored against the backdrop of blue skies:</b><br />
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<b>...which is a lot better than watching an approaching waterspout. We saw this form one afternoon in July, back in the Straits of Malacca, heading from Langkawi, Malaysia, to Sumatra. In the span of a few minutes, we watched -- with growing worry -- as this first formed then gained strength and speed, and headed directly our way; then, as quickly as it had formed and a little too close to Momo for comfort (we dropped our light-wind sails and turned on the motor to get away from it -- and instructed our children to head inside and <i>hold on</i>), it dissipated and was gone. Hard to capture on camera but here's what we saw: </b><br />
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-70315777048793527352015-11-06T05:53:00.000-08:002016-01-01T03:59:27.282-08:00Wind-Vane Self-Steering on Momo: Balancing the Machine<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2R0430q0YeoPmzQ4sUenNVy6IQfYlV9EMoHYKjky5LxE1Undq8SOvj3e0sI52fB2xHjJj0A-jk_-CjeIfwB_JoFHWBfq2FpP_wiFJTk_Tf4EYV7wbMIyaFJPd3mBKtrEd8mu1uzOf6ch/s1600/Dewi+Saraswati.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2R0430q0YeoPmzQ4sUenNVy6IQfYlV9EMoHYKjky5LxE1Undq8SOvj3e0sI52fB2xHjJj0A-jk_-CjeIfwB_JoFHWBfq2FpP_wiFJTk_Tf4EYV7wbMIyaFJPd3mBKtrEd8mu1uzOf6ch/s640/Dewi+Saraswati.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I began writing this description of
how we set up the wind-vane self-steering gear on our boat primarily as a response
to somebody from the Mason Sailboat Owners group. But I figure it might be
worth sharing more broadly. In the perennial debate regarding the virtues of
autopilots versus those of wind-vane self-steering units (ours is a
servo-pendulum device), we find ourselves firmly on the side of wind-vanes, at
least for boats more or less like ours – not too fast, moderate size, aft
cockpit, tiller or cable steering, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnzyE73FAqRC5P_LK-MpyE6ttDU_fdfZlrgz_8HucroNu22S4we4ficRtB0cWhHamoz0uWGESPgk-DR41-9rpuUOgimTSYt0axIsXO4yF1CJtWQ0_oVqLUM7S7sjxCAMVrWf4-mA5xCgM/s1600/Wind-Vane+How+It+Works.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Obvious advantages of wind-vane
servo-pendulums over autopilots include that they are robust, relatively simple
and easy to repair, and require no power and thus do not depend on the boat’s
electrical/charging system. Moreover, should your steering cables fail, you can easily hook up the wind-vane servo-pendulum to your emergency tiller.The disadvantages include … well, I don’t really
know.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3BCbCXlLf5vAW8_816gfgvjp36vsV2-e2KbvrbwvdmWVxj7NoBS_2m9DYxTvStM_I6PDGA9yb0Ny51URhKyScXptqjcKhZhvjf9-AzOTc2QSHzCTEN0U0h_rweMW0U5MV375KcxbIhnN/s1600/DSC_0001+%25282%2529+%2528765x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3BCbCXlLf5vAW8_816gfgvjp36vsV2-e2KbvrbwvdmWVxj7NoBS_2m9DYxTvStM_I6PDGA9yb0Ny51URhKyScXptqjcKhZhvjf9-AzOTc2QSHzCTEN0U0h_rweMW0U5MV375KcxbIhnN/s320/DSC_0001+%25282%2529+%2528765x1024%2529.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using the tiller pilot to operate<br />
the servo-pendulum while motoring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our own preference is for units that
use the boat’s own rudder to steer the boat (as opposed to ones that
incorporate an auxiliary rudder). Under normal circumstances, it seems to make
sense to use the rudder that was designed for the boat instead of a one-size-fits-all
auxiliary rudder. Arguments
touting the safety factor of having an auxiliary rudder just in case the main
rudder fails become less persuasive when you consider that the main rudder must
surely be far sturdier than any auxiliary rudder, especially compared to the
keel-hung rudder on a boat like ours. But, of course, situations exist where
the use of an auxiliary rudder is more appropriate (hydraulic steering, for
example, or poorly designed main rudders).<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Certain specific
features of a boat – hydraulic steering, center cockpits, dinghy davits – can conspire to make wind-vane servo-pendulums
less attractive (although not necessarily prohibitive, and there are wind-vane
alternatives to servo-pendulums). But they don’t play a role for boats like
ours. Performance has never been an issue. We’re aware of various reports about
the poor performance of wind-vanes on certain points of sail or in light air,
but that hasn’t been our experience and we wonder sometimes whether there’s
more to the story. An acquaintance, for example, who had sailed all the way
across the Pacific to New Zealand, complained about the inadequate performance
of his Monitor wind-vane, but when we reconfigured the blocks and lines to double
the length of line travel this made all the difference in the world. Our
wind-vane unit works well in light wind and on all points of sail, while in
really nasty conditions -- conditions in which we’ve seen autopilots pushed to the point of failure -- it really shines. Meanwhile, the argument that one needs an autopilot when motoring
holds no water because, instead of using wind, you can also operate the
wind-vane servo-pendulum with an inexpensive, low-energy tiller pilot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To be sure, setting the wind-vane
self-steering device involves a little more thought and effort than punching a
compass heading into an electronic device. Basically, you need to understand
the wind-vane device as part of a much larger mechanical system that includes
the rudder, keel, and sails. This system needs to be balanced as a whole, and
the nature of this balance depends very much on the speed and constancy of the
wind, as well as the conditions of sea. This takes a little practice, but for us also
forms much of the challenge and pleasure of sailing. We get our kicks not so much from
going fast (although speed is good) or pushing the boat to its limits (which
for cruising just seems stupid) but from balancing between the shifting forces
of the wind and waves a machine that draws its energy entirely from the wind
and water. That said, it’s not as if we’re constantly fiddling with the
self-steering gear. In fact, the boat practically sails itself.
Once the gear is properly set, we just keep an eye on things and monitor the
balance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2p3miqB63ah4RkaVdWsxfEaCiF8oflIOL2GLZvuQW2cLBfo3SDllGaPx95AWj-vFhn11cOqH4nwqTzassB80rIk3nRo6_kiPLtjexHmSpuSDSiSrRUmfM78mIgl65HhyEalIyCG9qKHk/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2p3miqB63ah4RkaVdWsxfEaCiF8oflIOL2GLZvuQW2cLBfo3SDllGaPx95AWj-vFhn11cOqH4nwqTzassB80rIk3nRo6_kiPLtjexHmSpuSDSiSrRUmfM78mIgl65HhyEalIyCG9qKHk/s1600/imgres.jpg" /></a>Commercially available wind-vane
self-steering devices are admittedly expensive, but their upkeep is minimal and
you can usually fix them yourself using self-fashioned parts, if necessary. We’re
talking here about a basic mechanical device rather than hi-tech engineering
and electrical components. Indeed, you can also build wind-vane self-steering
units yourself. If you can get your hands on it, Bill Belcher’s <i>Wind-Vane Self-Steering: How to Plan and
Make your Own</i> will tell you everything you need to know in order to make a
number of different kinds of wind-vane self-steering devices, with and without
auxiliary rudders, with and without servo-pendulums. Years ago, I used his book
with some success to build a wind-vane servo-pendulum for our 28’ Pearson Triton
out of various bits of wood, epoxy, aluminum, and plumbing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtokGP129PXxgryOQCehnvG9olcF-YfLhn4EIOtjGk3cGEHhHPrlDtOhKabO3ArtHs7RUoUwk5ksRqB170pTyARDKibMiQKWFmiZ_7LxmPTrK_p_Ej4iDCX5OR6uh9bgWu0nND3qItAeE/s1600/101_0102_r1+%2528767x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtokGP129PXxgryOQCehnvG9olcF-YfLhn4EIOtjGk3cGEHhHPrlDtOhKabO3ArtHs7RUoUwk5ksRqB170pTyARDKibMiQKWFmiZ_7LxmPTrK_p_Ej4iDCX5OR6uh9bgWu0nND3qItAeE/s320/101_0102_r1+%2528767x1024%2529.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The home-made self-steering gear on</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> our Triton consisted of two parts: the wind-vane<br />component mounted on the rail and the<br />servo-pendulum component mounted on the transom<br />The design drew its geometry from Belcher's book.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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Which brings me to the original point of this post, namely, to show in (perhaps excruciating) detail how we've set up the Sailomat 601 self-steering gear on Momo. In certain respects, our approach deviates from the manufacturer's recommendations. But the system
has worked very well for us, and it might give people some ideas when setting
up similar equipment on their own vessels.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Mounting the Sailomat 601 on a Mason 43</span></b><br />
<br />
Because of the angle of the Mason's transom, the base of Sailomat 601 cannot be attached directly to the transom. The aluminum mounting brackets do not allow the base to be sufficiently adjusted. So we mounted these bracket on two angled pads of teak. The pads are glued to the transom directly below the toe rail and, together with the aluminum brackets, through-bolted to the transom.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Niggling Issues</span></b><br />
<br />
The Sailomat has been good to us these past twelve years, but we've also encounter a few niggling problems along the way, which we might as well mention here. For one thing, we discovered that the<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlScZu42sKIPsjif-mU1hPYzZYwS3uDyxE0NmAKPtui3_NdfjwPJsf15n72CKiQDmpYW6nNziBUOcppaCnnQk4zHRsqaB4785h77RimGkiv3f2N3RSrfBN84pEC7SNYDzSUSyZYlTjG32/s1600/Transom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlScZu42sKIPsjif-mU1hPYzZYwS3uDyxE0NmAKPtui3_NdfjwPJsf15n72CKiQDmpYW6nNziBUOcppaCnnQk4zHRsqaB4785h77RimGkiv3f2N3RSrfBN84pEC7SNYDzSUSyZYlTjG32/s400/Transom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
blue powder coat on the cast aluminum
parts (no longer found on the newest models) did more harm than good because it encouraged fierce
and destructive corrosion. We stripped it all off using paint remover back in
2009 and left the castings bare. Another annoying problem on our unit was the fact that the steering oar
was held in place on the cradle by a single set screw, which tended to work its
way loose. Twice we’ve had the oar slip out of the cradle completely (thankfully,
we had it tied on), which also damaged the little tiller arm bearing. Once this
also badly bent the 12mm stainless steel axle for the tiller arm, which we
replaced in a remote anchorage with a piece of a fishing rod. The set screw is
now pinned in place; we’ve added a second set screw, and we also filled the
space between the oar and the cradle with epoxy in order to eliminate the free
play that has developed over the years. Early on, we also had problems with the main
pendulum bearing, which for some reason became seized after being in the stored position for a few months. For a long time I simply made new bearings from epoxy and
fiberglass cloth until we eventually bought a new shaft and bearing from the
manufacturer.<br />
<br />
The point here is not so much that wind-vane self-steering units
don’t break but that when they do you can often fix them yourself with materials on hand.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLbRMj8UfzWV9oK3ckD1YzmyB3n5Nc7inWiWVf5uAsMLbC2rYPM1yGk743DlMY1CS17YVroo5Ez9zsf1s1DzdXGg0vzHnTIy6cUwqHMOc27hpffb6t3KrBAAYomf80bAT15HOU9J0TLpF/s1600/DSC_0003+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLbRMj8UfzWV9oK3ckD1YzmyB3n5Nc7inWiWVf5uAsMLbC2rYPM1yGk743DlMY1CS17YVroo5Ez9zsf1s1DzdXGg0vzHnTIy6cUwqHMOc27hpffb6t3KrBAAYomf80bAT15HOU9J0TLpF/s400/DSC_0003+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Line Configuration</span></b><br />
<br />
The Sailomat comes without blocks or
sheaves (unlike the Monitor, for example). You need to configure and install
them yourself. But we found this to be a good thing, because it allows you to
set up the blocks and lines in a manner that suits your boat. We utilized the entire width of the Mason
43’s (rather narrow) transom, installing angled brackets that extend from each
corner of the transom. The line of travel from the top of the pendulum cradle
to the blocks on either side should run straight across the boat. The brackets
need to be strongly braced because the ends that attach to the toe rail are otherwise
subjected to a lot of leveraged force (a physics lesson we learned from
experience early on when one of the brackets tore out of the toe rail and fell
into the drink). We’ve run the lines in a way that largely keeps the cockpit
clear. The Mason 43 has a starboard side entrance, so it makes sense to have
the lines cross to the wheel from the port side. Apart from this crossing point, the
lines are kept outside the coaming, which makes for more seating space. While
it might be aesthetically appealing to have the lines and blocks hidden away,
as with the Cape Horn servo-pendulum gear, it seems far more prudent to have
them completely accessible for when things go wrong. Which they will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Adjusting the Lines</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVD1UQG7P4rcWxUfPxlwUIMinjrJhBKfkr6HVfO_-mTXxLMdSZ-pVa3FKr3iX5PILRdf3jNsH0GYmXv5fgSa769YOOp5RqOdvtd6EujmQQnuSuj6eIqQFnOfWTzeTQitD6PdyZESMHmfb7/s1600/DSC_0007+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVD1UQG7P4rcWxUfPxlwUIMinjrJhBKfkr6HVfO_-mTXxLMdSZ-pVa3FKr3iX5PILRdf3jNsH0GYmXv5fgSa769YOOp5RqOdvtd6EujmQQnuSuj6eIqQFnOfWTzeTQitD6PdyZESMHmfb7/s400/DSC_0007+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a>The wind-vane self-steering unit is
balanced by adjusting the lines at the cam cleats on the aft coaming. Adjusting
the lines changes the “neutral” position of the wheel, thereby setting the rudder’s
initial on-course position in a way that compensates for weather helm and other
balancing issues. Even minor line adjustments of an inch or so can make a
significant difference to performance. In principle, the idea is to set the
lines so that the boat is balanced with the wind-vane in a neutral position. But
this does not always achieve the best results. Sometimes it is better to set
the gear so that it is always working a little bit. In so doing, you’re
adjusting for the fact that in most situations the boat tends to go off course
more in one direction than the other.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfa6APU4SgGu0Sf3_RWOIseQ8cy8zgVHoymYlJZDdqDsnOMa0d8LstM49os8ffpHr-jqC-EztdEukFp0l9uLGUr86JwbDG2aDKcP8VDBeP-SX7SZvvrIV8zIjsdBnH_Esgl7gpQhjqNg7/s1600/DSC_0004+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfa6APU4SgGu0Sf3_RWOIseQ8cy8zgVHoymYlJZDdqDsnOMa0d8LstM49os8ffpHr-jqC-EztdEukFp0l9uLGUr86JwbDG2aDKcP8VDBeP-SX7SZvvrIV8zIjsdBnH_Esgl7gpQhjqNg7/s320/DSC_0004+%2528680x1024%2529.jpg" width="211" /></a><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Pulleys</span></b><br />
<br />
Note the one pulley mounted on the
pushpit stanchion (and stop looking at the rust on the stanchion base). Because it is situated in the corner of the pushpit, this
stanchion is very solid and does not move. But I would not otherwise recommend
attaching blocks to stanchions or rails because they will work back and forth
and no doubt eventually break.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We originally ran the lines through
blocks, but later we moved to fixed pulleys mounted on 1/2” inch studs, a
solution that we found not only more pragmatic but also less expensive than
blocks. The pulleys are also easily cleaned and lubricated, and we keep a
number of spares. Larger pulleys are easier on the lines and accommodate more
line deflection. Incidentally, the Sailomat manufacturer recommends ball-bearing
blocks, but they don’t last as long as plain-bearing blocks. Our worst
experience was with some heavy-duty Garhauer bearing blocks we originally
bought for our main sheet -- they were destroyed during the course of a
200-mile passage. In any event, the power generated by the servo-pendulum is
far more than enough to overcome any increased friction from plain-bearing blocks.
As far the lines themselves, we use standard double-braid polyester lines. We’ve
tried Spectra, but found that it slipped through the cam cleats. I also think
that line creep may be more of an issue than line stretch in wind-vane
applications. I don’t think that the stretch of double-braid polyester has any
significant impact on performance. At the same time, this stretch provides a
safety factor in the event of shock loads and overloading. This is all the
more important because our system does not incorporate “fuses” to prevent
overloading (the manufacturer recommends at least one block attachment with a
breaking strength of 170 - 225 lbs, but we found that these attachments fatigued
and broke very quickly).<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnY8lW-JpKoj-ffqylSIRxJQaFjBKQc0WwdrscJcOk8AyLRvmLarLji2zN4Qfu_O3HU4KPLPxTBsXpVVTmvPyye3brZxaGwcdMF5dvi_b9ViyI_0D1CqHFiWAc18Iwtj7SdVGcyl3jwnd/s1600/DSC_0011+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnY8lW-JpKoj-ffqylSIRxJQaFjBKQc0WwdrscJcOk8AyLRvmLarLji2zN4Qfu_O3HU4KPLPxTBsXpVVTmvPyye3brZxaGwcdMF5dvi_b9ViyI_0D1CqHFiWAc18Iwtj7SdVGcyl3jwnd/s320/DSC_0011+%25281024x680%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwNI20JjWsuB6QNzbRDQjIyFi4QjgOaN0XE0pkdbEiaL0G1RqKz50tj5O-JCbsZkjaQtb3F8s8H7kR3EURw2zX5P7JlIPw0IQj10FAv7sxNn4MUZdSIy6dQ8euF0f8O18k24NdI8lMQx_/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwNI20JjWsuB6QNzbRDQjIyFi4QjgOaN0XE0pkdbEiaL0G1RqKz50tj5O-JCbsZkjaQtb3F8s8H7kR3EURw2zX5P7JlIPw0IQj10FAv7sxNn4MUZdSIy6dQ8euF0f8O18k24NdI8lMQx_/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Blocks on the Pendulum Cradle</span><br />
<br />
Instead of attaching the lines
directly to the pendulum cradle, we run them through blocks mounted on the
cradle. This doubles the amount of line travel -- the distance travelled by the
line is effectively twice that of the distance travelled by the pendulum. This,
of course, translates into increased wheel movement. Servo-pendulums deliver plenty of power to the wheel. But without sufficient line travel, the gear will not steer the boat very well. The fact that the blocks
are mounted slightly higher than the positions on the pendulum cradle also
increases line travel a little bit. From the pulley on the pendulum cradle, one
end of the line leads via pulleys to the wheel; the other end leads first to
the 1/2” stainless bolt and from there to the cam cleat. This bolt functions
better than a pulley or block because this is a fixed point -- the line does
not move at this position (except when you’re making adjustments). In situations where the steering gear is
working especially hard, the lines eventually creep a little through the cam
cleats, introducing slack. This can be prevented by taking a few turns around
the bolt before taking it through the cam cleat.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">In Conclusion: A Thirty-Second Video</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span>
Here's a not-enough-time-for-popcorn-long clip of Momo on the Indian Ocean.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzOUElpIZ1jrhjuEQW8ghtsugXqI5NQnv_8lAtsl49hySiJSoQxX03qQIAtL--L6qc24OuS4gCjtTq3kQI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-17343565216416484792015-10-26T06:39:00.000-07:002016-01-01T01:50:58.861-08:00Bernard's First Log Entry on Momo, 28 February 2004<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcbTV7dggQfet0-lKpsuvVN1urELw3ezfL5g4OFZUiGrLpg8QXXweapfA1JGnb9wFcWWGRH4I6BOHCPFo18fhehyphenhyphenfThT-q5oij0leXYpo7kEPmCr4g9M3QEwk5HDdb1EDcKCi7t4wcx_m/s1600/100_3075_r1+%2528731x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcbTV7dggQfet0-lKpsuvVN1urELw3ezfL5g4OFZUiGrLpg8QXXweapfA1JGnb9wFcWWGRH4I6BOHCPFo18fhehyphenhyphenfThT-q5oij0leXYpo7kEPmCr4g9M3QEwk5HDdb1EDcKCi7t4wcx_m/s320/100_3075_r1+%2528731x1024%2529.jpg" width="228" /></a><br />
On 28 February 2004, after having spent around two months getting our new-to-us boat ready for offshore sailing, we left Redondo Beach and sailed to Catalina Island, some 20 nautical miles away. Here's my (Bernie's) first log entry (I recognize the handwriting):<br />
<br />
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<i>"Took us while to get control of
things. Tried to raise our main with a reef in it but got something (??) hung.
Sheeted the jib sheets wrong. Wrestled with the main sheet because the way it’s
set up really sucks. The dodger also gets in the way of the jib winch. Dragged
a dockline through the water all the way to Catalina. The prop freewheeled the
whole way even though it supposedly feathers. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<i>We made good time -- 7 to 8
knots. The thin 'safety' lines holding the blocks to the Sailomat [windvane
self-steering gear] chafed through right away. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<i>White Cove we found plugged with
mooring balls. Tried anchoring in 40’ of water. First time we did not set. The
bow roller -- the axle came apart while pulling the chain back up. The second
time the anchor did not set. Bow roller malfunctioned again. And we pulled up a
huge piece of sheet metal -- remnant of some Japanese submarine no doubt. So we
picked up a mooring. To keep us from bouncing on the mooring ball we tried to
set a stern anchor. Pointless. We need a stern roller. Our present arrangement
sucks. But things are good. Things are beautiful."<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-91429322147371068272015-10-21T05:26:00.000-07:002016-01-01T04:02:38.080-08:00Madagascar Early Impressions: Harnessing the Wind (October 2015)<div style="text-align: left;">
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So we settled into our early weeks in Madagascar, and the second thing we noticed -- along with the<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://svmomo.blogspot.com/2015/09/madagascar-first-impressions-music.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">cacophony from the music festival blaring off our bow and the gyrating rhythms of Nosy Be</span></a> </span>-- was that this is a <i>sailing place</i>.<br />
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In Crater Bay, in Russian Bay, in Honey River, in Sakatia, we follow the rhythm of this watery life, as boats sail by our bow or our stern morning, noon and night. It's busy in Crater Bay, as this, along with Hell Ville, forms the hub of Nosy Be's trading center. Sailing dhows of all sizes glide in and out, leaving in the early dawn, transporting their cargoes using the reliable afternoon breeze and returning after dark. And they really do <i>glide </i>-- they hoist their sails and go, even in the lightest of breezes. Sometimes they ghost by at midnight, propelled by a single oar to get them into waters shallow enough to drop anchor. Sometimes they sail all the way in, inching along before stopping deep in the bay. And the helmsmen expertly manage their craft, which pass so close to <i>Momo</i>'s bow that we can almost reach out and clasp hands.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close encounters with local outrigger and her quick crew</td></tr>
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Sometimes, they're a little too close. Just now, as I was loading photos for this post, we heard a large clang, and for a brief moment thought something had gone wrong with our anchor. Coral clanking? No, impossible: we are anchored in mud. Chain paying out unexpectedly? That happened recently, just as we were sailing into Honey River, forcing us to anchor just a few meters earlier than we'd planned. No, the chain was not feeding out. We flew out the companionway to see what all the noise was about just as Lola said with relative calm from her view in the forepeak, "Oh! A boat's caught on our anchor!" Sure enough, a dhow had sailed by so close that its starboard outrigger snagged our anchor chain, bringing the boat boat to a screaming halt. By the time I got there, the helmsman was already trying to free himself, and by the time we were all assembled on the bow, he was gone. We waved, chuckling at the irony of this occurrence. Bernie grabbed the camera and snapped this photo (note the nearly stacked wood being delivered -- these boats represent the equivalency of the trucking industry in mainland commerce). And our new friends sailed away.<br />
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Large or small, the boats are made of rough-hewn wooden planks held together by galvanized nails and caulked with a mixture of tree resin and old motor oil. We've seen them being built on the shore, the first stage of construction taking place just above the tide line, the second on the tidal flats where repeated inundation swells the wood and seals the joints. Forget high mass fiber weaves; forget Kevlar or carbon. Forget name-brand sails. Here, sails are made from materials on hand, from potato sacks to recycled awnings, and patched with strips of clothing. Held up by bamboo or wooden spars supported by low-tech ropes, the sails move the vessels in and out of harbors, across bays, along coast lines and on estuary waterways. The toy ships, too, are carefully made from on-hand materials -- even plastic grocery bags will do for a sail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thai tour boats, w/ great big car engines. Ko Phangan, Gulf of Thailand.</td></tr>
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Seldom is there the<i> </i>puttering sound of an outboard. Where SE Asia coastal sailing was often a test of one's patience -- drifting in light-wind whispers, weaving through fish stakes, dodging large diesel vessels stringing nets between them -- sailing in Northwest Madagascar is by a far more subdued activity. The shoreline is a blend of browns and reds, earthen tones of boats and cargo, compared to the colorfully painted longtails of SE Asia, picturesquely parked in formation at the edge of beachside resorts, Sure, there can be a rush of activity here, as commerce drives the flow. And in the larger town of Majajanga, friends of ours noted what they called the morning 'rush-hour' just off their bows. But even there, the boats are <i>sailing</i>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outrigger whizzing by Momo one fine afternoon</td></tr>
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And these boats are <i>fast</i>. On light-air days we might maintain a steady 4 knots, and as the breeze builds we reach a satisfying 6. But the boats on these waters pick up and fly, unencumbered by a full keel and heavy displacement hull, lifting and leaning into the wind, their crews hiking out as needed to maintain balance and speed. One such vessel, much smaller than <i>Momo </i>(see photo, left), passed us one afternoon as we approached Crater Bay. Piloted by its deft helmsman, the boat sailed past with ease, picking up momentary bursts of speed by surfing on the little waves.<br />
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We're not the only ones to notice the speed and craft of these vessels. Bernie recently came across <a href="http://www.theadventurists.com/adventure-9-the-what/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Adventurists' Adventure #9</span></a> and the short <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSvVQ18_NkQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">video </span></a>that introduces viewers to a dhow sailing adventure off the coast of Tanzania -- a race that, to us, is far more interesting than the big-money-corporate-sponsored sailboat racing that we're all more familiar with. From the website:<br />
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A tree, a bedsheet and some string -- what could go wrong?<br />
Yachts are for wankers, old men and tanning. You will be sailing in an Ngalawa, a native-style boat still used by fishermen on the coast of Zanzibar and Tanzania.<br />
It's rustic as fuck: the hull is a mango tree scraped out by hand and the outriggers are tied on with string. </blockquote>
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I can think of a few lower-budget Wednesday-night racers, from Newport, RI to Opua, NZ, who'd jump at the chance to get wet in this kind of wild ride. A 500-km race in and around the waters of Zanzibar. More about the Tanzanian ngalawas (the boats) can be found on the website, <a href="http://www.theadventurists.com/adventure-9-the-ngalawa/" target="_blank">here</a>. Note how with a mere 30-40 m2 of sail area, they go up to 10 knots. On a 6m open boat out on the big ocean, that's <i>fast</i>. Just watch the video and you'll see what I mean. <i>Momo </i>wouldn't stand a chance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishermen just off Momo in Crater Bay</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, in the quiet bays around Nosy Be, fishermen row their boats just beyond the anchorage in the pre-dawn grey, and we wake to see them silently pulling in their nets just off our stern. Voices carry in the light air. They say hello, they wave, they go back to fishing.<br />
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Madagascar is, in contrast to other places we've been, a blissfully quiet experience thus far. Plenty of noise happens in town, of course: the markets are bustling, the pubs are bulging. The tuk-tuks are a lively yellow. and the music is frenetic and uplifting. Incidents of petty theft occur on every corner, and we sense there is an edge of danger here. Even Honey River, with its serene-sounding name, was not so serene for us (more coming soon: No Honey in Honey River). But the anchorages are <i>quiet </i>as boats come and go with the breeze.<br />
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Below are some photos from the watery edges of the area in and around Nosy Be, Madagascar; Sept-Oct 2015.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is the first photo we took of a sailing dhow as we came in through the pass between Nosy Komba and Nosy Be in August</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving in Hell-Ville</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing in the lightest wind</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_4fTg32byeS2R1V5xtejwofxDTpvFPdH8JL7F_i6VxxuYFn9pwgN5InekT7NH4kCFVTJzeubqa5ZBAGl_Q4bEBslR0wDx_U7P_H88iTiHRPU00opwoQpRpVbb-f0X6E_32lEc8dQC-do/s1600/DSC_0048+%2528800x508%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_4fTg32byeS2R1V5xtejwofxDTpvFPdH8JL7F_i6VxxuYFn9pwgN5InekT7NH4kCFVTJzeubqa5ZBAGl_Q4bEBslR0wDx_U7P_H88iTiHRPU00opwoQpRpVbb-f0X6E_32lEc8dQC-do/s640/DSC_0048+%2528800x508%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tear in the luff won't stop these sailors</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patchwork plastic</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good morning, sailors!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two narrow spars hold up the sail to keep this boat moving</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNLJoXqjjs4IQXP6p7rcM59HM6dsPniS7XHIfl0ilH_-wl6s-LwdnQ_0YTUUS8VtQJzDbmJ2r5jX6v0SgBMusEESKSJXos0AIuZfkO3jrzQfY39qK5tM86OOXscefLDhKAsL8eGvyA9Ys/s1600/DSC_0057+%2528800x409%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNLJoXqjjs4IQXP6p7rcM59HM6dsPniS7XHIfl0ilH_-wl6s-LwdnQ_0YTUUS8VtQJzDbmJ2r5jX6v0SgBMusEESKSJXos0AIuZfkO3jrzQfY39qK5tM86OOXscefLDhKAsL8eGvyA9Ys/s640/DSC_0057+%2528800x409%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing into a crowded anchorage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y9Nr3QexCxMglCC78N5ZAG4uwgAoA9cn2z4OF1TvdOZaIiqbAdVDtFnmOM9JtE8GgKHvf6FYRigU96oWZJFKo18fvFmybwMKzEy1Z2Puj-c72ciWUws3Fln0oOq6bqNuhM912Ed9HZiO/s1600/DSC_0073+%2528800x515%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y9Nr3QexCxMglCC78N5ZAG4uwgAoA9cn2z4OF1TvdOZaIiqbAdVDtFnmOM9JtE8GgKHvf6FYRigU96oWZJFKo18fvFmybwMKzEy1Z2Puj-c72ciWUws3Fln0oOq6bqNuhM912Ed9HZiO/s640/DSC_0073+%2528800x515%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning fishing activity off Momo's stern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZmTZT2GNYWBZhldOHzOB6yhHcs6VVtlDG1lf9TG7DEjCItljw1SPRxeAXuuQsVBHuEfxidOhKEJby7uMHs1gAy7qxSuRopD-YQg3gSra1wy1MBmp8c9t1uXinDbVM_r3M-3WARxoPL7-/s1600/DSC_0066+%2528800x516%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZmTZT2GNYWBZhldOHzOB6yhHcs6VVtlDG1lf9TG7DEjCItljw1SPRxeAXuuQsVBHuEfxidOhKEJby7uMHs1gAy7qxSuRopD-YQg3gSra1wy1MBmp8c9t1uXinDbVM_r3M-3WARxoPL7-/s640/DSC_0066+%2528800x516%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boats cross Momo's bow as we sail to Nosy Komba in distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA58kzUCrHgNkwmBKEQFO4KKGvxYICdtLYCWemU7SxOrjKy9LikDb43OFXKlgnKUUs3XoBLAg6QkmpfkGGEnvRNlrf3UfOu80DPeackmjhXIt4oKuONgrHlFh3h8KQBMVGB7tJnwkvcJn3/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA58kzUCrHgNkwmBKEQFO4KKGvxYICdtLYCWemU7SxOrjKy9LikDb43OFXKlgnKUUs3XoBLAg6QkmpfkGGEnvRNlrf3UfOu80DPeackmjhXIt4oKuONgrHlFh3h8KQBMVGB7tJnwkvcJn3/s640/DSC_0071.JPG" width="568" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing in light air --note the sail material and the fridge balancing near the oarsman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfxqXHjTcBuIfTcGqibjmVS1crQb_NKbgTjGwW7juL5DH-AvS2CCJnNdn4CKc6IOIZzIj61Y6TCR9hbcjvXoeMLxFfBQOoeUarml0zbtKR0Ywa3GJZTqOVg7uUG7baRaK4RAvDmD8_zO9/s1600/boys+fishing+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfxqXHjTcBuIfTcGqibjmVS1crQb_NKbgTjGwW7juL5DH-AvS2CCJnNdn4CKc6IOIZzIj61Y6TCR9hbcjvXoeMLxFfBQOoeUarml0zbtKR0Ywa3GJZTqOVg7uUG7baRaK4RAvDmD8_zO9/s640/boys+fishing+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids fishing on a calm afternoon, with rolled sails in background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMuSZzj3PX7FT-eWTt0Paz72OQ5DXQvj3VJgM89ywAMLxXsKnrF09RD5BuDvsBemORMTVs1saC_e8kMZDnLvO0vwVK03QBr2EfAZKPVSkOl5ckjckzZyLYe3LHHtsuNA7RhGnLPYv3gu6/s1600/Crater+Bay+waterfront+%25281%2529+%2528800x482%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMuSZzj3PX7FT-eWTt0Paz72OQ5DXQvj3VJgM89ywAMLxXsKnrF09RD5BuDvsBemORMTVs1saC_e8kMZDnLvO0vwVK03QBr2EfAZKPVSkOl5ckjckzZyLYe3LHHtsuNA7RhGnLPYv3gu6/s640/Crater+Bay+waterfront+%25281%2529+%2528800x482%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out with nets -- these guys will pull in their catch just off Momo's stern as the sun sets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDPI8sM3WxzMM817sccrocpcdDsaTzTrSscGwPDuSiimFxJO1tE_3xdL-X1fm4k13JdoXC5e0dUSSnWxzkVeFdCXcrwD-YQ-eAhy-WgXLJAp0VcbjE0bDjZTEjhbC9EklPhL_jnePoCxG/s1600/Crater+Bay+waterfront.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDPI8sM3WxzMM817sccrocpcdDsaTzTrSscGwPDuSiimFxJO1tE_3xdL-X1fm4k13JdoXC5e0dUSSnWxzkVeFdCXcrwD-YQ-eAhy-WgXLJAp0VcbjE0bDjZTEjhbC9EklPhL_jnePoCxG/s640/Crater+Bay+waterfront.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crater Bay waterfront</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlkSHIRVzrG02_q9M0f0PlMQzuYcjj-uil_JJdpTZpVKwdFMMPoVo6f4fwpelZOF6OARKB_J24-atEhe52vBlq8dwqT_bhGsTjFneYK1rhC-8dpb2K0t16lmaF7J4RMicOB-KGSKXqrZY/s1600/DSC_0029+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlkSHIRVzrG02_q9M0f0PlMQzuYcjj-uil_JJdpTZpVKwdFMMPoVo6f4fwpelZOF6OARKB_J24-atEhe52vBlq8dwqT_bhGsTjFneYK1rhC-8dpb2K0t16lmaF7J4RMicOB-KGSKXqrZY/s640/DSC_0029+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light wind sailing -- like us, with makeshift shade cloth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG_QxMFiKMC5WYmiw2NuyNZYD4dT2uekoaoiZ6RfIZONuOuSDFd0kvQmOGzJgm9SRozJkEfhDz6RxQzyl0F6MeClqbDjOAONQP0tDKBmXeHxgTrIL2y33SI8IK4A42V3tPdPM8kuko8p9/s1600/DSC_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG_QxMFiKMC5WYmiw2NuyNZYD4dT2uekoaoiZ6RfIZONuOuSDFd0kvQmOGzJgm9SRozJkEfhDz6RxQzyl0F6MeClqbDjOAONQP0tDKBmXeHxgTrIL2y33SI8IK4A42V3tPdPM8kuko8p9/s640/DSC_0079.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downwind across the bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_C0rwaqajyGcxCgdkiNskLeat_X8qwBucYqoBX7dq292oHByfVCq-1AlFn0aTj2TR5UWdPKCrAMIsDHkkX03cjZBnjNE1-3k-FOEzpZAEmHa7OD0IEWcBaG5xoCc8T4i7P7MzZysCH-Q/s1600/DSC_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_C0rwaqajyGcxCgdkiNskLeat_X8qwBucYqoBX7dq292oHByfVCq-1AlFn0aTj2TR5UWdPKCrAMIsDHkkX03cjZBnjNE1-3k-FOEzpZAEmHa7OD0IEWcBaG5xoCc8T4i7P7MzZysCH-Q/s640/DSC_0080.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from wooden boats to the fiberglass dotting the bay -- Crater Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpPT56NZk08oVFLm40RRiSPF9kevlYCsjO4Qf4n5QTaoTs-99Do74IdvNjG_Mn-hmX0QjSAiFQVbO3yMsnxIv7MMjBoj00B5GhK-qzY1kmgh9Kh2ua5FxMZJK191emtgEN8dsjPrZ6spb/s1600/DSC_0093+%2528800x524%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpPT56NZk08oVFLm40RRiSPF9kevlYCsjO4Qf4n5QTaoTs-99Do74IdvNjG_Mn-hmX0QjSAiFQVbO3yMsnxIv7MMjBoj00B5GhK-qzY1kmgh9Kh2ua5FxMZJK191emtgEN8dsjPrZ6spb/s640/DSC_0093+%2528800x524%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This boat just drifted past us this morning -- no wind, no sails, but silently gliding along</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKh2gYVMm7-oxIvG_1_SnjpP59WjRsKs7I7oI5noG0laNSl0b_Sgh-tVQNTzO9FjdHzMBaAvI7938ms59ia7oQdu-XLLqORbDtipTzkSne5rt23mLsrDES2cFF2DMG9zgfaz1QNgvqA_7/s1600/DSC_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKh2gYVMm7-oxIvG_1_SnjpP59WjRsKs7I7oI5noG0laNSl0b_Sgh-tVQNTzO9FjdHzMBaAvI7938ms59ia7oQdu-XLLqORbDtipTzkSne5rt23mLsrDES2cFF2DMG9zgfaz1QNgvqA_7/s640/DSC_0094.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sails rolled away, and unloading at the water's edge, Crater Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0WNrgcvpqxJxFIbR_-bzQwXn0naYDgVH4i1Oxol3c2iuKO4WU64qC9KwbiAXiSc0YwKcDtV7eRCQPha0p3Ruh4zge28i_GPFSIbRPTjCGJEXZswMzqvoDovMxYIrG-HLp8FmXxooWZBD/s1600/DSC_0096+%2528519x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0WNrgcvpqxJxFIbR_-bzQwXn0naYDgVH4i1Oxol3c2iuKO4WU64qC9KwbiAXiSc0YwKcDtV7eRCQPha0p3Ruh4zge28i_GPFSIbRPTjCGJEXZswMzqvoDovMxYIrG-HLp8FmXxooWZBD/s640/DSC_0096+%2528519x800%2529.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghosting away and out, where they'll pick up the breeze later in the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqtp0pBGVTePwdoUpAQVdUQUQIeMiN3DoFsbPt4kXW8OSpKLUks_M9vS-pJn1E460RavGATupG6ArfxgtSTC7puBW6wheeaLzKte2mGDCe_R_FQNdJFeLxTGYnS5PcpNxPKdlYkvavvjp/s1600/DSC_0106+%2528800x620%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqtp0pBGVTePwdoUpAQVdUQUQIeMiN3DoFsbPt4kXW8OSpKLUks_M9vS-pJn1E460RavGATupG6ArfxgtSTC7puBW6wheeaLzKte2mGDCe_R_FQNdJFeLxTGYnS5PcpNxPKdlYkvavvjp/s640/DSC_0106+%2528800x620%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving smooth under patchwork sail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuCKwTTbDe54yNPyN1kLygLRe-qUtTpNQvflvAyiaF4F52tVABc_B2RIBtU1Xmn8qPhx1g-IVFFTaDCrvQ-HREUZt2PEgMVM_m16t7u5e6siY4R7ju9cfwdSXhFJFCXhKKk1rNuDIyt01/s1600/DSC_0107+%2528490x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuCKwTTbDe54yNPyN1kLygLRe-qUtTpNQvflvAyiaF4F52tVABc_B2RIBtU1Xmn8qPhx1g-IVFFTaDCrvQ-HREUZt2PEgMVM_m16t7u5e6siY4R7ju9cfwdSXhFJFCXhKKk1rNuDIyt01/s640/DSC_0107+%2528490x800%2529.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to fishing boat under Momo's drifter (note our patches)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84UKR7GxpVo1fvL59f_vazTmUCkPKsB6on_dGAx3EFtk92G4-A0GYZXblyv-BNqbDHGfIkIkG-vDFSEZJcs24GChhF5vxVC1MEjUYWOos6RaiovzIaOW_XBXRCfv6WwsAQfgzFD61UttO/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84UKR7GxpVo1fvL59f_vazTmUCkPKsB6on_dGAx3EFtk92G4-A0GYZXblyv-BNqbDHGfIkIkG-vDFSEZJcs24GChhF5vxVC1MEjUYWOos6RaiovzIaOW_XBXRCfv6WwsAQfgzFD61UttO/s640/DSC_0109.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing on a quiet afternoon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoDbiMK9emzMRySM8l6BJBMHntrFdnQ2e7NuqutNBlrfVULnBIHq9akrpfRyig1WxHrcmLL99GnNJjdpXVWjEFGBzY6rH8KuAMckj9lwSfqPY3d4quxhPj_Fw5guvSEft8SiiQAE_S8WE/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoDbiMK9emzMRySM8l6BJBMHntrFdnQ2e7NuqutNBlrfVULnBIHq9akrpfRyig1WxHrcmLL99GnNJjdpXVWjEFGBzY6rH8KuAMckj9lwSfqPY3d4quxhPj_Fw5guvSEft8SiiQAE_S8WE/s640/DSC_0132.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy loading of the fleet, Crater Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up look at sails, spars and ropes holding it all together</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful sailboat in Crater Bay -- a larger tour and delivery boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patched and dirty, but still moving</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outrigger dug-out picking up speed on the waves -- and passing Momo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, finally, in contrast: Momo's modern (though admittedly very old) drifter blew out with one fine afternoon breeze; time to get some local help to patch her up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernie and Jana pull the drifter down, so we can sail on toward Russian Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic bag sail (a little deflated here, but it really does work!) takes this wee skiff along the Honey River </td></tr>
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-6519340998691881662015-09-21T11:38:00.002-07:002016-01-01T04:03:36.644-08:00Madagascar First Impressions: Music Festival of Nosy Be (and a Little about Sex) (September 2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Madagascar is a country that makes a big first impression. Just east of Mozambique, it's the fourth largest island in the world, and a convergence of Europe, Africa and the Middle East -- as evidenced by the gourmet French meals and baked goods, the combination of French and local Malagasy language, the melange of rum drinks and vibrant materials for both traditional and modern dress, and the fleet of sailing dhows that are scattered every day up and down the coastline, with their triangular sails set against the rising and setting sun, reminiscent of traditional Arab sailing vessels.<br />
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This is the land of lemurs and ylang ylang, distilled rum and vanilla, dancing and late-night revelry (the party <i>starts</i> at midnight, as far as we can tell), lazy mornings and lavish lunches.<br />
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We arrived in late August, just as a music festival was starting up in Nosy Be, the administrative check-in center for vessels arriving on the northwest side of Madagascar.<br />
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Below are some photos from our first days here in Hell-Ville and the music festival that filled the streets and even our cockpit day and night. We can't photograph the underlying cultural rhythms and tones -- poverty that begets petty crime and sometimes more dramatic instances of violence, or the clash of cultures that inevitably comes from the intersection of a thriving local culture and a strong expat community (which seem to exist, for the most part, in relative peace).<br />
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Nor can we capture the pervasive sensuality of Nosy Be, but we have the unavoidable sense that sex is neither a nasty three-letter word in the traditional Victorian Values sense, nor merely a means to procreate. We haven't been here long enough to understand the relationship between sex <i>as pleasure </i>and sex <i>as business </i>-- but they are both a deep part of this culture. Clearly, solicitation is a pervasive issue here and is at least at the official level discouraged (see t-shirt photo, below). Others <a href="https://fimizore.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/classes-of-prostitutes-on-nosy-be/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">have written on the topic of prostitution</span></a> and the meaning of sex/life -- and how it differs from the well documented sex trade in Thailand and the dangerous and frightening <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/asia-is-not-alone-sex-tourism-in-mombasa/?apage=2" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">child sex industry in places like Mombasa</span></a>. </span>Clearly, from our peripheral vantage point, we have little way of understanding exactly what's going on here. Even as it makes an impression.<br />
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But so do the forests and sailing dhows, the chameleons and lemurs, the embroidery and carvings, and the music and outwardly colorful culture -- and we <i>can</i> photograph that. Once we stay longer in this mysterious and welcoming country, we may be able to say more about complex cultural undercurrents and countercurrents. For now, we'll stick with some first impressions, beginning with the music festival that raged for four days when we first arrived in Hell-Ville.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">The Parade / Music Festival of Nosy Be</span></b><br />
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-4878782571037735142015-09-03T03:00:00.000-07:002016-01-01T04:05:00.338-08:003000 Miles of Waves and Sky -- Indian Ocean Crossing 2015Just before leaving Malaysia, I was put in touch with an artist working on a painting project in which he was trying to capture a sense of the ocean's waves. He was looking for offshore photos of the deep blue. I told him our own attempts at photographing the ocean -- many years of it -- are never very successful, as it's nearly impossible to capture the depth and breadth in a camera lens. We have no perspective other than our sea-level view, and there is no comparative element. We also can never capture the movement of the waves: how they come at you with great speed at times, lift you, push and pull you. The movement of the boat is what defines our existence at sea -- up and over waves, one moment after another. Patterns of holding on and letting go, of balancing on one foot or the other, become second nature to an offshore sailor. But those can't be captured either. The kinetic energy of life afloat is wholly elusive when it comes to a digital capture. I'm sure professional photographers do a much better job of it, with better equipment and a better sense of the <i>how to </i>of it.<br />
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But I liked thinking of this artist with his white and blue and grey canvas. Indeed, I thought of him all the way across the Indian Ocean, wishing I could contribute something of the variety of the ocean for his 'research'. So we tried with our own modest Nikon to capture the sea state, taking hundreds of photos of blue and more blue. We experienced real variety, too: at first a very calm sea, then building with increasing wind and then very steep seas as we made our way further south and got into the heavy tradewinds. But we don't venture outside with the camera when the seas are especially nasty; you'll not find any photos of those days when waves the size of two-storey houses were breaking over <i>Momo.</i><br />
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Below are some samples from our 25 days between Sumatra and Madagascar -- some 3000+ miles (you can see our track <a href="http://services.wlw.winlink.org/maps/PositionReports.aspx?callsign=KB3LWV&title=Position%20Reports%20for%20KB3LWV" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>). Even if you can't get a sense of the height or depth or frequency of the waves from these views, you can at least see the infinite blue.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99k7II-fpSpfDUwqL-wN0Bv49xfwONB5YwOgo7o4WekbzjhrNTYLWFpiyxQUPBu2vCu5KdCF79Ahyclw9KUyGyHicCceVYcEQmPNyLp9LBufObc4eCxEEVif7-DmfVFBFlsft-T3gS6it/s1600/Momo20150801Departure+Day+from+Sumatra+%252820%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99k7II-fpSpfDUwqL-wN0Bv49xfwONB5YwOgo7o4WekbzjhrNTYLWFpiyxQUPBu2vCu5KdCF79Ahyclw9KUyGyHicCceVYcEQmPNyLp9LBufObc4eCxEEVif7-DmfVFBFlsft-T3gS6it/s640/Momo20150801Departure+Day+from+Sumatra+%252820%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Departure day, August 1<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU9zJmbu2akSjMPyg9BXpZwOwBM_eC90jkuuPfIB2S7VKlAKuW-BFQmsve4HCN79aJ-l5o2hl3SstpTvKsQBXr-WPv5GCD-BrnGFQNnFSlNCRVjQIurZzhEOAc1OINO1Bk5l5y7AUPkop/s1600/Momo20150804+%252816%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU9zJmbu2akSjMPyg9BXpZwOwBM_eC90jkuuPfIB2S7VKlAKuW-BFQmsve4HCN79aJ-l5o2hl3SstpTvKsQBXr-WPv5GCD-BrnGFQNnFSlNCRVjQIurZzhEOAc1OINO1Bk5l5y7AUPkop/s640/Momo20150804+%252816%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing into the sunset, first days out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRf5NFq7CwcwZrmn20yuhrsCEJaCVQuMgEOd-naVaZdtwjE6KwCWRenKGznsgis_kFfTOEFTOkdUnmDVcZ2MxV7pTOw42cRkB9dHWVrNm0bI8Hp_TFONFoI-r5Yq04oU-m6ElqO3rx2ka/s1600/Momo20150808+%25281%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRf5NFq7CwcwZrmn20yuhrsCEJaCVQuMgEOd-naVaZdtwjE6KwCWRenKGznsgis_kFfTOEFTOkdUnmDVcZ2MxV7pTOw42cRkB9dHWVrNm0bI8Hp_TFONFoI-r5Yq04oU-m6ElqO3rx2ka/s640/Momo20150808+%25281%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 8, wind increasing and waves building </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35P_-l7J9Se-jdLtClb9O9s0uBMVYUIb31ah93wfctBgbqOq1AgmTAv3_JpTZOq9yxvs3YwTO7pudLU8LeWj19aCw2nj4Kbxvy9AE3QO31ZY4Zx6SfKToJDyahpREGoL8AMKy3TFKwWkZ/s1600/Momo20150808+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35P_-l7J9Se-jdLtClb9O9s0uBMVYUIb31ah93wfctBgbqOq1AgmTAv3_JpTZOq9yxvs3YwTO7pudLU8LeWj19aCw2nj4Kbxvy9AE3QO31ZY4Zx6SfKToJDyahpREGoL8AMKy3TFKwWkZ/s640/Momo20150808+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 8 -- the day the first wave swamped Bernie and me in our cockpit. No capture of that wave.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZsdFS5aTHqyKYRDrOeH5fHS7RilkDWcrdM35Uv7PNxIVhvPxaeUcDzEycFcLsH8jIr9-YOeTyuD4aOiJcQNtS9CU4sO4V0b9ZtZC0NfKLQVWiEKfAKz0g_LHqOEoHrV42aE-xPodsUxr/s1600/Momo20150808+%25288%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZsdFS5aTHqyKYRDrOeH5fHS7RilkDWcrdM35Uv7PNxIVhvPxaeUcDzEycFcLsH8jIr9-YOeTyuD4aOiJcQNtS9CU4sO4V0b9ZtZC0NfKLQVWiEKfAKz0g_LHqOEoHrV42aE-xPodsUxr/s640/Momo20150808+%25288%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More from <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">August </span>8. Wind was 25 knots the night prior, but lessened at dawn. The seas were still quite boisterous, however. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iSU8cp6pXW8AW9rDo4ygrYkWcKjBi9PrBSDjKtRMRoOTQnkwLt2YDs4AoScSGjohxV6O9TyEMskghMbJHKYk7JvlUNjpkEqITcQf5VPsnttvjQIvwKg6OWM0CoQNF5roVzqsqbck_C-U/s1600/Momo20150808+%252823%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iSU8cp6pXW8AW9rDo4ygrYkWcKjBi9PrBSDjKtRMRoOTQnkwLt2YDs4AoScSGjohxV6O9TyEMskghMbJHKYk7JvlUNjpkEqITcQf5VPsnttvjQIvwKg6OWM0CoQNF5roVzqsqbck_C-U/s640/Momo20150808+%252823%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More from <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">August </span> 8</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8W3YiWiUm5hStirpU4e4QlMmYrPzYaN_2h57Qxuos-RUsY3r9bk-bdZt_z6n4ZTki8lFWtGa-6NOE4tCnB5eKRRATIWIO2kEUzlZouK13y9VyKxqgmTcuimJ94MxEtQHSbcrwcCvCxtd/s1600/Momo20150808+%252824%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8W3YiWiUm5hStirpU4e4QlMmYrPzYaN_2h57Qxuos-RUsY3r9bk-bdZt_z6n4ZTki8lFWtGa-6NOE4tCnB5eKRRATIWIO2kEUzlZouK13y9VyKxqgmTcuimJ94MxEtQHSbcrwcCvCxtd/s640/Momo20150808+%252824%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View along the starboard side -- we were on a port tack most of the way to Madagascar.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLFWabDz1APhShXqRXmXAVDp_gCW_5NYC-nJomR_r2BLhxvf9gLY3xn80fuG5_pXmxpDm7mGgF1sjiNPOJQQ0PD2Moyi1T7L5lHGQtlKLLQN06UCKFbDDI4bwO-0cxh44k5D30ttVmWkx/s1600/Momo20150811+%25282%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLFWabDz1APhShXqRXmXAVDp_gCW_5NYC-nJomR_r2BLhxvf9gLY3xn80fuG5_pXmxpDm7mGgF1sjiNPOJQQ0PD2Moyi1T7L5lHGQtlKLLQN06UCKFbDDI4bwO-0cxh44k5D30ttVmWkx/s640/Momo20150811+%25282%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 10-11 we had waves breaking over us fairly regularly. They don't have to be monstrous to be dangerous. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcItE4FD_X8VhqQL7pTGXqNK8ILykvDIoAmNVGTghTvmzRiIUdLX_JjPdRbTYNKm5v3i_OUb1ewfiUPRu4fNLllv2uc9c2ppHqC8cykoXlvRRXJ83pTedBKK9xDDSerh8-kYXDgffXD2gt/s1600/Momo20150811+%25283%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcItE4FD_X8VhqQL7pTGXqNK8ILykvDIoAmNVGTghTvmzRiIUdLX_JjPdRbTYNKm5v3i_OUb1ewfiUPRu4fNLllv2uc9c2ppHqC8cykoXlvRRXJ83pTedBKK9xDDSerh8-kYXDgffXD2gt/s640/Momo20150811+%25283%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 11 -- wave coming up the stern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GVhH7TgtlZ-p1env67xKw6K1dQQoX-MwJT9WMKWqHbnq2-AHGNuYcduG7Y-AmiDoDDSBEJzC5HDtdhApISpN4bSu9HTEU2rWhLOVpjylOmAc3cOfqyYy8d3d5y8N6YlcVIeWh7QMzgZw/s1600/Momo20150811+%25285%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GVhH7TgtlZ-p1env67xKw6K1dQQoX-MwJT9WMKWqHbnq2-AHGNuYcduG7Y-AmiDoDDSBEJzC5HDtdhApISpN4bSu9HTEU2rWhLOVpjylOmAc3cOfqyYy8d3d5y8N6YlcVIeWh7QMzgZw/s640/Momo20150811+%25285%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More from August 11</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPs4tV-MPN83OOv9sZBbVFKrjHTTDIvvO3NGXxDUoxB8Tu88Trpcrcq6KpGYhX7UTTLvwfhiKOvikM9gkQovxUkYikapN_cARGCK5oJdx5415_60PT-afLgIVq098cSbNpEYIFpMC-yiO/s1600/Momo20150811+%252815%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPs4tV-MPN83OOv9sZBbVFKrjHTTDIvvO3NGXxDUoxB8Tu88Trpcrcq6KpGYhX7UTTLvwfhiKOvikM9gkQovxUkYikapN_cARGCK5oJdx5415_60PT-afLgIVq098cSbNpEYIFpMC-yiO/s640/Momo20150811+%252815%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frothy seas, August 11</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCT2PDlgXaz1q5yHbdJS4J6LncZ84MCzc3AUvWVkKv_OZMwgwWxuCLuS1NEz_-5YXpJ1bjT8F1K9ObEQVZ_zKkM0aODbjYX1QCZR7tZVjxNh9Q-g_tbUCbGfJXf8pKNqc7MiNuI4OJUq/s1600/Momo20150811+%252817%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCT2PDlgXaz1q5yHbdJS4J6LncZ84MCzc3AUvWVkKv_OZMwgwWxuCLuS1NEz_-5YXpJ1bjT8F1K9ObEQVZ_zKkM0aODbjYX1QCZR7tZVjxNh9Q-g_tbUCbGfJXf8pKNqc7MiNuI4OJUq/s640/Momo20150811+%252817%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to capture the constancy of the breaking seas -- and the size.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxkBASnUOJHZrbbU8TJaMTJKZAIA8CHSef7VHN2CYpZmOsazfk6KShgKHKIdjJbmc9kbRU79r2tcjTRvQrjKs5yVkymrmOFoDHwExG0MIxYXywxGVtaj0sEzlbI2FSvhy0Dx-NuyPo4OC/s1600/Momo20150816+%25284%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxkBASnUOJHZrbbU8TJaMTJKZAIA8CHSef7VHN2CYpZmOsazfk6KShgKHKIdjJbmc9kbRU79r2tcjTRvQrjKs5yVkymrmOFoDHwExG0MIxYXywxGVtaj0sEzlbI2FSvhy0Dx-NuyPo4OC/s640/Momo20150816+%25284%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My birthday, August 16, and a rainbow ever so briefly </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgorpQkO5IKx6XEdxRax4hVGBWMfbBfj-Jn0P4U9-9oH5tMZ6mYpRZwfOai36Kv3PJXse6vyeJEOZD7cJVdXQKaf4FFsHP_Vj0X6sFXi64I6eGdOXQ0L2YVBguMTFPyX7mgYRC2zaRj6e_/s1600/Momo20150818+%25285%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgorpQkO5IKx6XEdxRax4hVGBWMfbBfj-Jn0P4U9-9oH5tMZ6mYpRZwfOai36Kv3PJXse6vyeJEOZD7cJVdXQKaf4FFsHP_Vj0X6sFXi64I6eGdOXQ0L2YVBguMTFPyX7mgYRC2zaRj6e_/s640/Momo20150818+%25285%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 18 -- rollicking seas, still under grey skies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VUz3qvwx7aNsSHY0V3HZXlbWz8es0m7CqpQS4L0LHwvUyql51APKaPA3K5EsZU9BtQpA0zVgcEpViJ0KJkf_Q7wnR9Mi47DQWNDhcKqSMNzwB4TNlVU4eV2_Ui_a5qdJVuX6uTYDNG5j/s1600/Momo20150818+%252825%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VUz3qvwx7aNsSHY0V3HZXlbWz8es0m7CqpQS4L0LHwvUyql51APKaPA3K5EsZU9BtQpA0zVgcEpViJ0KJkf_Q7wnR9Mi47DQWNDhcKqSMNzwB4TNlVU4eV2_Ui_a5qdJVuX6uTYDNG5j/s640/Momo20150818+%252825%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 17 -- and then, it was suddenly sunny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs8PFn9Bwp-9ttyqFkRPbJozVnR6PVnSt5pojuxHsEbPapfT_EaH7Em7Qq6zXAqSsP3eksNY7pgecmYIAEPqruZg4K9nyH1f_vUxt_j8frAbFhjUaz1ovmsbn8XTov3gmYUAVPnMMVYWf/s1600/Momo20150822+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs8PFn9Bwp-9ttyqFkRPbJozVnR6PVnSt5pojuxHsEbPapfT_EaH7Em7Qq6zXAqSsP3eksNY7pgecmYIAEPqruZg4K9nyH1f_vUxt_j8frAbFhjUaz1ovmsbn8XTov3gmYUAVPnMMVYWf/s640/Momo20150822+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and warm enough to try to dry some of our sopping sarongs and towels that we used to mop up saltwater that found its way through our ports and hatches during the preceding week of wet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8LXgRDd0NuqaXq3wqQpdxOEU2PmkpI4WrnvdfsHMgJ3_3tmRQt3ozHuTUtdmTDigrtLCSBr9iDrMKTcR5kI_s_OZx29Pe4bm-l3Mm7pv9OVF8p1EP8XRyP8rDb22wPDRd1sy9DnxAzDG/s1600/Momo20150823+%25281%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8LXgRDd0NuqaXq3wqQpdxOEU2PmkpI4WrnvdfsHMgJ3_3tmRQt3ozHuTUtdmTDigrtLCSBr9iDrMKTcR5kI_s_OZx29Pe4bm-l3Mm7pv9OVF8p1EP8XRyP8rDb22wPDRd1sy9DnxAzDG/s640/Momo20150823+%25281%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23 -- approaching Madagascar and the day we spotted land for the first time. But this is looking aft at the frothy seas behind us. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjZOqrZcEc2V5AFlRBX9aqxmB8G_R0kAJasIIHnobLVaQLS8u1KEiXFEtRvX8Qxkxsp7kzOqvv0oVXMYORCDexbv_QFjpiQDL_HFtkP4o7A923cXp4NiTSyquFR3TWY8kRiB4Vk4dClJg/s1600/Momo20150823+%25284%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjZOqrZcEc2V5AFlRBX9aqxmB8G_R0kAJasIIHnobLVaQLS8u1KEiXFEtRvX8Qxkxsp7kzOqvv0oVXMYORCDexbv_QFjpiQDL_HFtkP4o7A923cXp4NiTSyquFR3TWY8kRiB4Vk4dClJg/s640/Momo20150823+%25284%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, 25 miles from Cape D'Ambre, and the seas are still kicking up under bright skies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfFRidUfPbAcoQNjLKxltEF9IidqU5qq95Im8G9O25ktV61iZcv3qiBkrvD0V2m5XXdlWKV9nRt3wlW9iWsx_b_nYZaGN7LMw040V5VDQMnsp2QItviW2fiINDFb6Itzezm8iSagFEEQV/s1600/Momo20150823+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfFRidUfPbAcoQNjLKxltEF9IidqU5qq95Im8G9O25ktV61iZcv3qiBkrvD0V2m5XXdlWKV9nRt3wlW9iWsx_b_nYZaGN7LMw040V5VDQMnsp2QItviW2fiINDFb6Itzezm8iSagFEEQV/s640/Momo20150823+%25286%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, view over the port side</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTFixL_cpMDWOgPD4DJLnG-PK1g3BvTRiLLpfB1DdOnqZ_rUZPhFOx92vh6WqQVvtWmUwzT7ZfTD4y3Hncl0-z1uibXID8byQtB_PC0572EhdDxvIPrj_5CcUOmlSGVX6CFHNnXtSzHBk/s1600/Momo20150823+%25289%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTFixL_cpMDWOgPD4DJLnG-PK1g3BvTRiLLpfB1DdOnqZ_rUZPhFOx92vh6WqQVvtWmUwzT7ZfTD4y3Hncl0-z1uibXID8byQtB_PC0572EhdDxvIPrj_5CcUOmlSGVX6CFHNnXtSzHBk/s640/Momo20150823+%25289%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of the same bright blue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GxP1pXlS48VKfXH9NWsSrx9J0qIewNvyRKT1RIB1zVHgITebZBi9Vt93hPWFOEJSOI3zsq0uSbG0UvwAnF2cswtRvvppNjPkLkMdLqXtv5dYISlXODJ9EjIHVR-gHd6hosLnpka27pTX/s1600/Momo20150823+%252812%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GxP1pXlS48VKfXH9NWsSrx9J0qIewNvyRKT1RIB1zVHgITebZBi9Vt93hPWFOEJSOI3zsq0uSbG0UvwAnF2cswtRvvppNjPkLkMdLqXtv5dYISlXODJ9EjIHVR-gHd6hosLnpka27pTX/s640/Momo20150823+%252812%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, frothy seas all around Momo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxvL0u9CbxOdLS5P_6VAHShr8keE48XcROcv49hxGisOD7yImPnOFdEFcWrMO7pARGJzjC0dZ4AZkLEvVIYRejfRmSeA1KB9SGkQ_nwhUftJUn82s_G05dZTj9xu2WQGE8BYr7YAOuZBC/s1600/Momo20150823+%252814%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxvL0u9CbxOdLS5P_6VAHShr8keE48XcROcv49hxGisOD7yImPnOFdEFcWrMO7pARGJzjC0dZ4AZkLEvVIYRejfRmSeA1KB9SGkQ_nwhUftJUn82s_G05dZTj9xu2WQGE8BYr7YAOuZBC/s640/Momo20150823+%252814%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23 -- the foam of a crashing wave just to port</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQUwJfA2S0adQ4QP83px8a0bL7gAADnpYXU8WyI9CJmRHVnBOw1LJcZDdB03FBflAOPoMIPD3mg75HOv9OQv1v_9Lo3kpgmXM3SK4Ouvuq2JHaCRvnSMVnytWpx18oxA8DVNNNy6Skwzr/s1600/Momo20150823+%252821%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQUwJfA2S0adQ4QP83px8a0bL7gAADnpYXU8WyI9CJmRHVnBOw1LJcZDdB03FBflAOPoMIPD3mg75HOv9OQv1v_9Lo3kpgmXM3SK4Ouvuq2JHaCRvnSMVnytWpx18oxA8DVNNNy6Skwzr/s640/Momo20150823+%252821%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23 -- sometimes even the smaller seas race right at you with force</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP3UxVKJisaOUbCl-5GYx8B-BgXkFMcrzBJ49wOPhUYCeIAPkx66VfmikJCd65JF3pgpq01HmA57CcEYonfltj-ituZlin4jqQ_Ek7hjtNiv4Yjc5HTqeYveid09lQVlomhvOE8hAFUBC/s1600/Momo20150823+%252822%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP3UxVKJisaOUbCl-5GYx8B-BgXkFMcrzBJ49wOPhUYCeIAPkx66VfmikJCd65JF3pgpq01HmA57CcEYonfltj-ituZlin4jqQ_Ek7hjtNiv4Yjc5HTqeYveid09lQVlomhvOE8hAFUBC/s640/Momo20150823+%252822%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23 -- view out over the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGg0VmOzYIqKXjKfMGF6I9poZZOGcMLUsuXG6s8WEzUPaZcGZ8t98__awH0lQEWyHF1eeYky_qynY8NDshDg7jMjk4-4Cx0BXJPzjxOvm2QO5v3UEQ149Uy4ODlTBhxxbfE6I6pgNunwW/s1600/Momo20150823+%252827%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGg0VmOzYIqKXjKfMGF6I9poZZOGcMLUsuXG6s8WEzUPaZcGZ8t98__awH0lQEWyHF1eeYky_qynY8NDshDg7jMjk4-4Cx0BXJPzjxOvm2QO5v3UEQ149Uy4ODlTBhxxbfE6I6pgNunwW/s640/Momo20150823+%252827%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23 -- seas up our stern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a2AcfqZWk_Cu_Qsw8pfN4RcVKnG8WV0ddNVM0V6f0TrIEL0hXIjgMy0Pkd-qrkvuxd6QGnwljC9Oj_2nIjVHgxcPajDQ_DHZhZAcaLiKOA2ZVdpiWNwyOUxOEZ3bYw_4-IE1LgXcZuGh/s1600/Momo20150823+%252833%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a2AcfqZWk_Cu_Qsw8pfN4RcVKnG8WV0ddNVM0V6f0TrIEL0hXIjgMy0Pkd-qrkvuxd6QGnwljC9Oj_2nIjVHgxcPajDQ_DHZhZAcaLiKOA2ZVdpiWNwyOUxOEZ3bYw_4-IE1LgXcZuGh/s640/Momo20150823+%252833%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding a wave, then another wave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN390PvweiL2SdejiESeVyPAdhutdl8r8ZAq0zwSxSXC4WAO1_AJ-ZptpQI5EfG0QfpC7bBFUdUvi0xwwysEPqxahnp7q7DcPY-SNEIakOfMdCkARbUnTCqRGBWAALYPPBmVaGeLklGYG/s1600/Momo20150823+%252849%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN390PvweiL2SdejiESeVyPAdhutdl8r8ZAq0zwSxSXC4WAO1_AJ-ZptpQI5EfG0QfpC7bBFUdUvi0xwwysEPqxahnp7q7DcPY-SNEIakOfMdCkARbUnTCqRGBWAALYPPBmVaGeLklGYG/s640/Momo20150823+%252849%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome committee just off Madagascar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxsd7zFUZnckYn99lkBtBMhe_bBfRkhsJ-ja45dCouHN3yVLPhtIjIiCg2qqWRY8Cj3OLbnuyfZ2lZ4JyiIGsfeqhb0zFGsBLiz3G9ytGfqJe9d1sbArYYE-4Z2Cnw_cyD_eNrUIJC6vl/s1600/Momo20150823+%252851%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxsd7zFUZnckYn99lkBtBMhe_bBfRkhsJ-ja45dCouHN3yVLPhtIjIiCg2qqWRY8Cj3OLbnuyfZ2lZ4JyiIGsfeqhb0zFGsBLiz3G9ytGfqJe9d1sbArYYE-4Z2Cnw_cyD_eNrUIJC6vl/s640/Momo20150823+%252851%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frothy greetings from the seas as they get shallower, approaching the coast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_kFraKsw54-P2M9R7FkcXQZGtY1jMJZqpR2OBALpvwip8Qth5UkLh-wwI6wYNTlEZpwQcd0AsmMkpEk_GK-S7FjPRpO2ElyYeDWr1CA5XvYAM3elvaAwk3MbuInKOnNvOLWo3hGOT9bd/s1600/Momo20150823+%252854%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_kFraKsw54-P2M9R7FkcXQZGtY1jMJZqpR2OBALpvwip8Qth5UkLh-wwI6wYNTlEZpwQcd0AsmMkpEk_GK-S7FjPRpO2ElyYeDWr1CA5XvYAM3elvaAwk3MbuInKOnNvOLWo3hGOT9bd/s640/Momo20150823+%252854%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More froth and foam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJ1EA9C6_9PTMrRqHFBVDQkt-1ixFKLC4WJp_Vex96nr4kgNf9ounwFVcdAyVx_5E80mKaN6D-AfCph95WUqjrrA5IEbwOl-X32TG_r7H8zteHu7e8NN7-Ak5eCqrEwXYo15pMpoIZJux/s1600/Momo20150823+%252856%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJ1EA9C6_9PTMrRqHFBVDQkt-1ixFKLC4WJp_Vex96nr4kgNf9ounwFVcdAyVx_5E80mKaN6D-AfCph95WUqjrrA5IEbwOl-X32TG_r7H8zteHu7e8NN7-Ak5eCqrEwXYo15pMpoIZJux/s640/Momo20150823+%252856%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And more, with Momo racing down some of the waves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCuW_tunWkQRinRld9B5Ooxj3bysfk2GfZUlvZiV9kIZw0RMbjYJz9d3nPW8bzO7aRzMv4T7Acik0VCFozWGJGZjgTtGMmxLU8EvLL_pfQxwhrBtltAtvbR8Uzisflq9ocanZYwuXFIGY/s1600/Momo20150823+%252860%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCuW_tunWkQRinRld9B5Ooxj3bysfk2GfZUlvZiV9kIZw0RMbjYJz9d3nPW8bzO7aRzMv4T7Acik0VCFozWGJGZjgTtGMmxLU8EvLL_pfQxwhrBtltAtvbR8Uzisflq9ocanZYwuXFIGY/s640/Momo20150823+%252860%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing waves to port</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUWreqxzfTbRJDpAtTtI5urW_GkavGwTbLubL4n0YOTZ0X0FRLdDGqCL7d7LOZEW3_hWcKz_VmeY3jbrAxUVFhtUBb8ILaOd7yuwHSVkZlG9l9sLKp8JRolt-jgAbElJFGVBCZqrRJMOj/s1600/Momo20150823+%252868%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUWreqxzfTbRJDpAtTtI5urW_GkavGwTbLubL4n0YOTZ0X0FRLdDGqCL7d7LOZEW3_hWcKz_VmeY3jbrAxUVFhtUBb8ILaOd7yuwHSVkZlG9l9sLKp8JRolt-jgAbElJFGVBCZqrRJMOj/s640/Momo20150823+%252868%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, we have hundreds of photos like this</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WtiH8HDxnH81EVv-faHvvR_tILckbcsL_f3ikNSxSetxzW-Dv9V3KcTTi2sddKQIxVHN5yjOz9Zmf5R6p4u4lQu5rg5tOsn-mlozErmCPaZcKC3H2g7cS1C-MiGirMIysf6KIIbKAJL1/s1600/Momo20150823+%252874%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WtiH8HDxnH81EVv-faHvvR_tILckbcsL_f3ikNSxSetxzW-Dv9V3KcTTi2sddKQIxVHN5yjOz9Zmf5R6p4u4lQu5rg5tOsn-mlozErmCPaZcKC3H2g7cS1C-MiGirMIysf6KIIbKAJL1/s640/Momo20150823+%252874%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding a wave, view to starboard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaGyUJsycXGUQEGB5XlDEuIcCf-WCsbuIv-KGdoxhsaSfgV9N3em121ORCLoerwtm0s-WB1JCVGeT9dkmJeo-H-Dga6e9qlLMJKOZBZ2jSItmXBtsnqwvzPKZp32LLAdpQXOPMZ7MkieX/s1600/DSC_0002+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaGyUJsycXGUQEGB5XlDEuIcCf-WCsbuIv-KGdoxhsaSfgV9N3em121ORCLoerwtm0s-WB1JCVGeT9dkmJeo-H-Dga6e9qlLMJKOZBZ2jSItmXBtsnqwvzPKZp32LLAdpQXOPMZ7MkieX/s640/DSC_0002+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, late afternoon view of Cape D'Ambre -- we did not capture the whales who breached on our bow and wandered on down our port side. But what an amazing thing to see just off the coast! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq19Z0Fv3JK1tIcGxWvRbwejr46bUSBu-KhRFbChRwHvgTvIusHUUbBSXnY6SGe0B_kDTmVZcZBDPnxK1OISBOZgBEMOOuxJh8MFr98CscdW7Mz1Pg0hveyUlyhg8ylcRdJd7ZjDwscGD/s1600/DSC_0007+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq19Z0Fv3JK1tIcGxWvRbwejr46bUSBu-KhRFbChRwHvgTvIusHUUbBSXnY6SGe0B_kDTmVZcZBDPnxK1OISBOZgBEMOOuxJh8MFr98CscdW7Mz1Pg0hveyUlyhg8ylcRdJd7ZjDwscGD/s640/DSC_0007+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, late afternoon, coming into more protected waters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib07_IZ73fKkvluDltHQfDpZmV8jlTfX5Cd8EeIoUMtkALz6NTzHFNFVV7iS7IyLNv3sj5XYuS14TMywGM-n0_5tiOHqSvdMIYu5qcOufSAAHWCKp7SaFq7dSQOWxTEyKERDgyByzvmwUl/s1600/DSC_0011+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib07_IZ73fKkvluDltHQfDpZmV8jlTfX5Cd8EeIoUMtkALz6NTzHFNFVV7iS7IyLNv3sj5XYuS14TMywGM-n0_5tiOHqSvdMIYu5qcOufSAAHWCKp7SaFq7dSQOWxTEyKERDgyByzvmwUl/s640/DSC_0011+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, Choppy seas off of Cape D'Ambre, with the lighthouse now to the south of us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHCVa83lKCECcQ81mCKYcOfYtaXvpJq0ezPySJxvRRtBGCgYPRPN89T6aHXJPPVerkyXuhCDSqbAYWp5XAmyo4JKJT48YC257W9UQoVMMOlHrS-ih4Bo2M51WfwfHlxXgouStk3qBfsUx/s1600/DSC_0016+%2528800x522%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHCVa83lKCECcQ81mCKYcOfYtaXvpJq0ezPySJxvRRtBGCgYPRPN89T6aHXJPPVerkyXuhCDSqbAYWp5XAmyo4JKJT48YC257W9UQoVMMOlHrS-ih4Bo2M51WfwfHlxXgouStk3qBfsUx/s640/DSC_0016+%2528800x522%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, Cape D'Ambre rounding: swells are down but chop is up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmidnrlMfzREQhqjSdb4C4IF4w0pILXSW330IpflxijgzXizLSn7kqz-gN3Y01Wx73EAkldmurYFv-fXPMvk-XmW-bDKtG0lERpFIbgpvzLRuFI8lYXAJrk6CX4z68XUDRNZ7GwPLta3Q/s1600/DSC_0018+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmidnrlMfzREQhqjSdb4C4IF4w0pILXSW330IpflxijgzXizLSn7kqz-gN3Y01Wx73EAkldmurYFv-fXPMvk-XmW-bDKtG0lERpFIbgpvzLRuFI8lYXAJrk6CX4z68XUDRNZ7GwPLta3Q/s640/DSC_0018+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, one more view of the lighthouse at Cape D'Ambre, Madagascar. You can't hear us dancing, but we are. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmijIzHyNHy8U0MHsoQD1F5umy3hyphenhyphenmZ3HkQWmijEZ0vlVWgmxZXwsI5wK4dOapJ0z2UNdVAC96hsgrd7Ar-2eVcYbgCJ-GyCC-pktM-xkwElbIpJNvMdkvPSJGb25hmPyj9ffNKm-3DKe3/s1600/DSC_0042+%2528800x530%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmijIzHyNHy8U0MHsoQD1F5umy3hyphenhyphenmZ3HkQWmijEZ0vlVWgmxZXwsI5wK4dOapJ0z2UNdVAC96hsgrd7Ar-2eVcYbgCJ-GyCC-pktM-xkwElbIpJNvMdkvPSJGb25hmPyj9ffNKm-3DKe3/s640/DSC_0042+%2528800x530%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at the lighthouse. View from astern is pretty nice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh2j9ymkWQ_IvGcImgDnoZC1CS5ovXcbKGsaKJoXVj9kjJBHbXFzSq-K3WVeIIVfSgoUCq4oFzcJVmBut9IGAkaZBLxYHW4ou15ccG1VPbjBcZfIEaPFpooJtImlUUVsHYN-Pnb541dW2/s1600/DSC_0029+%2528800x522%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh2j9ymkWQ_IvGcImgDnoZC1CS5ovXcbKGsaKJoXVj9kjJBHbXFzSq-K3WVeIIVfSgoUCq4oFzcJVmBut9IGAkaZBLxYHW4ou15ccG1VPbjBcZfIEaPFpooJtImlUUVsHYN-Pnb541dW2/s640/DSC_0029+%2528800x522%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 23, sailing into the sunset at the top of Madagascar. Protected waters and smooth sailing all the way to midnight -- when we lost our breeze and drifted till dawn; we then picked up the breeze at daybreak and landed three fish on Aug 24, Jana's 11th birthday. A grand arrival. </td></tr>
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-40688780649689838832015-07-08T19:44:00.000-07:002016-01-01T07:26:43.344-08:00SE Asia Impressions: Wild Things -- 2013-2014 (July 2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You can't spend two years in SE Asia without encountering something of the wild side. We're not extreme adventurers; we are basically homebodies who like to travel with our kids. But here in SE Asia, we've come into contact with some pretty amazing critters, so I'm looking back on our time here and reminiscing a little about how easy it is to get close to nature here in Asia.<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">SNAKES ON A BOAT!</span></b><br />
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We begin with our newest passenger -- an uninvited guest who somehow stowed away in Phuket, Thailand, and hitched a ride to Langkawi, Malaysia. By all accounts he appears to be a <a href="http://www.thailandsnakes.com/tag/thailand-pit-viper/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: lime;">pit viper </span></b></a>-- based o his behavior and coloring/ markings. Not the kind of guest you want onboard. Because of him, we got in touch with a couple snake experts, first in Thailand but as we were sailing south they were out of reach and unable to help first-hand (though they did hold our hands metaphorically, and we were grateful for that), then with a local snake expert in Langkawi.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbVse3A5h0OSdRuqj3ea_ndIN2Er39Rru79T1m8gEfeqWTxdSsoFUWu-hfXOQEMkmhqIdGN7eUo6cPMndnLE47eFsvZVYN-QY2mSb3_uL8X0IDDaFZIUenU0VsIS43e-9LA8_pIonMWK1/s1600/Othman+Rimbawi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbVse3A5h0OSdRuqj3ea_ndIN2Er39Rru79T1m8gEfeqWTxdSsoFUWu-hfXOQEMkmhqIdGN7eUo6cPMndnLE47eFsvZVYN-QY2mSb3_uL8X0IDDaFZIUenU0VsIS43e-9LA8_pIonMWK1/s400/Othman+Rimbawi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Othman clarifying a few things about snakes.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.rimbawi-langkawi.com/aboutrimbawi.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Othman </span></a>Ayeb</span> </span></b>came to <i>Momo </i>for an afternoon last week and talked all about his own experiences with snakes plus the likelihood of whether our stowaway was still with us -- and also how to care for a bite in case we were to startle Mr Viper and get one. We are now armed with tobacco and vinegar and also know how to use a sharp razor to bleed a bite in case it comes to that. We understand the different kinds of anti-venoms but also that they won't really help when we are offshore. But we are not nearly as fretful as we were upon first seeing the snake fall out of our mainsail and onto the deck. Something about Othman's calm manner helped us feel more at ease with the idea of this stowaway. Lola even resumed sleeping in the forepeak (we had assumed he could be up there since our last sighting saw him come down the rig and slither forward, up under the dinghy on the foredeck).<br />
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We were all smiles by the time Othman left <i>Momo </i>that afternoon.<br />
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We then went to his house for a visit with his family and his pet King Cobras. All quite fascinating -- and we'll write more about that later. But for now, here are some photos of Othman and some of his pets (the common cobra and the king cobra). He's a man of great energy and passion and shared many stories about the wildlife of Langkawi.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Othman's King Cobra -- 3.5 meters in length. We watched a video of this snake eating a monitor lizard. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUaZjZJGWv86RnfQUX35k6ZvRRJjgLQ259-6hGEkH52MQH80DB1cg3K0yGK3rESnvJjdBkvcXpCvJgtG3q1KKSI0_4bgMxF7HLOiygKT8-r7qDgI5c4ao-1MBx4albyNy8ZdmM-joB2GB/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUaZjZJGWv86RnfQUX35k6ZvRRJjgLQ259-6hGEkH52MQH80DB1cg3K0yGK3rESnvJjdBkvcXpCvJgtG3q1KKSI0_4bgMxF7HLOiygKT8-r7qDgI5c4ao-1MBx4albyNy8ZdmM-joB2GB/s640/DSC_0024.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Othman demonstrating the common cobra's warning response. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing a little love -- the common cobra enjoys this kind of stroking on the back of his head.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Othman is at ease with the cobra as he talks to us for a long while with the cobra right at his fingertips. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the 'warning' reflex of the cobra -- unlike the viper, who will strike with no warning. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5OwG2eY_FJStNF6_kxCaXnmWWXVjOvEv7zno_aZU3A0_NrWU-OzLnbCVDbkNOR9cf_6MD0qwej7qqHcNkUn4_sQ3t59LCD8PNNLGuvE8pjQBKusHwoxyGzoBEFVnDam_AFEcEp_adew2/s1600/DSC_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5OwG2eY_FJStNF6_kxCaXnmWWXVjOvEv7zno_aZU3A0_NrWU-OzLnbCVDbkNOR9cf_6MD0qwej7qqHcNkUn4_sQ3t59LCD8PNNLGuvE8pjQBKusHwoxyGzoBEFVnDam_AFEcEp_adew2/s640/DSC_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some reading materials Othman shared -- including his page in the 1999 Guiness Book of World Records. We had seen one of these gliders in Thailnad but did not capture it on camera. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Python in the Langkawi Wildlife Park -- this fellow is 7 meters and was first seen by Othman some six years back. He helped release him into a wild area where he'd be farther away from populations, but he encountered him once more when he received a call from a friend whose dog was being eaten by a very large python. Othman arrived on the scene to help capture the snake and discovered it was in fact the very same one from many years back. "is that you, my old friend," he recalled saying to creature. So he helped contain it and get it to the facility where it could live out its years in a place where it's no threat to any other creatures -- except the road kill that it feasts on each month.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red;">KOMODO DRAGONS AT CHRISTMAS</span></b><br />
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Snakes are new to us, but we've seen plenty of monitor lizards since we've been in SE Asia: they amble across roads, they sit lazily in fields, they climb trees. One even slithered near us at a resort pool and climbed in, swam to the other side and proceeded to carry on his way down toward the beach! But besides monitor lizards, we also had the immense pleasure of seeing the mighty Komodo Dragon -- something we've been curious about ever since we first encountered <i>Last Chance to See</i>. And something entirely different from the more docile monitor lizard. We spent Christmas Eve 2013 with these creatures on Rinca Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia. With them and a guide, that is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Komodo dragon, Rinca Island, Indonesia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water buffalo heads -- the only thing komodo dragons don't eat, as they can't digest the skulls So the rangers nail them up around the park -- effectively sobering decor. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty big guy ambling by... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You don't really hear them as they quietly breathe in and sense their surroundings. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQnJv5JWBEfu5LvssMO0tzqa1JMi9qRIYr2VNZfsz3m0YdshQVxrpg3Y1Z7EFo7zZsX2SirBo0WbPs5df9ASWN0Y_Eacs4_HrfWhcQAplSbVg9qELTBJzBhxkFidW5KRKPSRan0YKkp64/s1600/1510636_3726866506601_944163463_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQnJv5JWBEfu5LvssMO0tzqa1JMi9qRIYr2VNZfsz3m0YdshQVxrpg3Y1Z7EFo7zZsX2SirBo0WbPs5df9ASWN0Y_Eacs4_HrfWhcQAplSbVg9qELTBJzBhxkFidW5KRKPSRan0YKkp64/s640/1510636_3726866506601_944163463_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Komodos lounging near the ranger station. Benie and the kids with our guide Arif near the ranger station on Rinca Island. The dragons look slow and relaxed, yes -- but they can take off at remarkable speeds. They feast on water buffalo and are known to attack humans. We didn't go any nearer than this -- and only here at the ranger station. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They look laze and slow -- but that's deceptive. One of them has been spray painted on his back (not pictured here) so the guards know him and keep a greater distance; he is the one who has attacked people. When we visited, our guide told of various people who had been killed in recent years: a Swiss tourist and a local child from a nearby village. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide Arif sharing stories -- and always with his long stick. </td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">BIRDS, BEAUTIFUL BIRDS</span></b><br />
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More colorful than the Komodos are the many birds of SE Asia. Too many to count and name but all enchanting. We encountered birds in Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Everywhere we went, really. I spent a day in Kuala Lumpur's Bird Park with Jana, plus other bird parks around the area: you can't go very far without encountering a park for local and exotic bird species. We also visited the Wildlife Park in Langkawi, where they have a great many creatures large and small -- including the 7-meter python pictured above, who was rescued and cared for by our friend Othman.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up in Bali.</td></tr>
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Birds are part of the everyday fabric of life in this part of the world: they hang prettily in their cared-for cages in shops, in restaurants, in homes. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pet in the petrol shop in Ambon, Indonesia.</td></tr>
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You're not exactly in the 'wild' in the bird parks,but they do let you get up close and personal -- and they are usually trying to educate you about bird behavior, habitat and survival.<br />
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The hornbills are spectacular. We took a video of the call of one once -- amazing throaty sound. They tend to swoop in at the end of the day; you can see them all over Langkawi. You <i>hear </i>them before you see them, a great whomp-whomp of the wings. We met a local man who told us to watch for them in the evenings -- to sit quietly and look in the trees at the water's edge, or in the lower sections of Gunung Raya, Langkawi's highest peak. Sure enough, that very evening we saw (and heard) hornbills -- and then grew accustomed to seeing them in the trees.<br />
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But we like the smaller birds, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Budgies! We love budgies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Kuala Lumpur</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many peacocks strutting around the KL Bird Park.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langkawi Wildlife Park</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">NON-VENOMOUS VISITORS ON <i>MOMO</i></span></b><br />
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Sometimes birds come visit <i>Momo</i>, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At anchor in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crow takes flight -- in Komodo National Park. </td></tr>
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Sometimes we get other hitchhikers.<br />
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And once we had a wee swallow arrive on <i>Momo</i>, en route from Bali to Malaysia. First, he hitched a ride on Jerome, our windvane.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then he moved to the netting. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And stayed here for some time... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lola and Jana tried to entice him to eat, since he stayed with us so long. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTAqVUMGYrYiv50rqKeY5A7gwgGpD0JvlXdZV_vT_FL-CFsihALYps-sQbcUCzSFvON8cKPQyQG9w_tHK0ih2TxigSZKMYn6JHjuhM1iSCxDFgrjSJl4Hc-oLxI0QWdBoHbEx0uLlHEK7/s1600/DSC_4946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTAqVUMGYrYiv50rqKeY5A7gwgGpD0JvlXdZV_vT_FL-CFsihALYps-sQbcUCzSFvON8cKPQyQG9w_tHK0ih2TxigSZKMYn6JHjuhM1iSCxDFgrjSJl4Hc-oLxI0QWdBoHbEx0uLlHEK7/s640/DSC_4946.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but he was not very hungry...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs16ghyAJqKLZWrDDgJ-qxlIv1pdKLIM05qq6S5h-GOckRbEEaBOEQCMiWpbDow4eaQgCUT0utdCYEZEAmWoXyLhXC44dYbEVRIwUN1b2T-IK_mDHjcTWyKAjt5R5AqRb69r9PCDCd8XTd/s1600/DSC_4955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs16ghyAJqKLZWrDDgJ-qxlIv1pdKLIM05qq6S5h-GOckRbEEaBOEQCMiWpbDow4eaQgCUT0utdCYEZEAmWoXyLhXC44dYbEVRIwUN1b2T-IK_mDHjcTWyKAjt5R5AqRb69r9PCDCd8XTd/s400/DSC_4955.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and he flew from one place to the other... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW4v5_SWQmR07-LQNcJ_frrJWkXDH_3d-gxbyaNqK6Ahx_tPeXZDV5WmLTYoxFE8i03KdoiDJiV6mt9SyCzROxjhUv-3qqYSvmEQn2YlCEoygLZOJw1CGeYbx5564EZYJ69a1oyFgisJU/s1600/DSC_4965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW4v5_SWQmR07-LQNcJ_frrJWkXDH_3d-gxbyaNqK6Ahx_tPeXZDV5WmLTYoxFE8i03KdoiDJiV6mt9SyCzROxjhUv-3qqYSvmEQn2YlCEoygLZOJw1CGeYbx5564EZYJ69a1oyFgisJU/s640/DSC_4965.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...landed on Bernie's hand... </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EHLGStogniGVpGE-VbF-6IhcXdEyL_akvs95xtgqXZn46awxp34-HN1et7qDVmc3C-P0WJltY9iXa8sSF6DH0kKP3aPnntClFkaE7JS37l_UJABTwgy1SKvl30aVdEpvflJF5G5ftnOf/s1600/DSC_4979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EHLGStogniGVpGE-VbF-6IhcXdEyL_akvs95xtgqXZn46awxp34-HN1et7qDVmc3C-P0WJltY9iXa8sSF6DH0kKP3aPnntClFkaE7JS37l_UJABTwgy1SKvl30aVdEpvflJF5G5ftnOf/s640/DSC_4979.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and visited with Jana. </td></tr>
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That little sparrow died in the night on our back deck. I kept watch over him while he slowed and then breathed rapidly, his tiny chest beating fast, before expiring. Jana said her goodbyes in the morning.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">*</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>GIANTS AND ANTS</b></span><br />
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Not all our encounters are with animals. One of the wildest encounters we had was with tree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNK2EzLumEGPpxhX9NiNvzUa8wkUCqKZN1N1azJ8jwm4wiad07YsI3ksDmR0W1uziN_SKMOyCJ8FZEFuWubitdtEQMYKNDXXvmxbsYRkR2DhVt7OkjMKTLrWQIWFDHXcNOXDBpq_u2Ic2K/s1600/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNK2EzLumEGPpxhX9NiNvzUa8wkUCqKZN1N1azJ8jwm4wiad07YsI3ksDmR0W1uziN_SKMOyCJ8FZEFuWubitdtEQMYKNDXXvmxbsYRkR2DhVt7OkjMKTLrWQIWFDHXcNOXDBpq_u2Ic2K/s640/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25288%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Actually, the close encounter was Bernie's, in Singapore. Seems he got a little too close despite the warning. And next thing we knew, his elbow, which was punctured by one of these spines, ballooned with alarming liquidy content.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oh7Roh9j2Gl21lsP28E3AWF9sGdlQa3xb2uPY2QmaQueq2BCJHbihlr7-J0gjcHDJ0qUKvHZUdYh1zhHX_OUJ7_2mnt9zQy87Nh8jbwihJ5G9hcHzKhnQ5weyPvpKNBFoLeiKgmYW7q7/s1600/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oh7Roh9j2Gl21lsP28E3AWF9sGdlQa3xb2uPY2QmaQueq2BCJHbihlr7-J0gjcHDJ0qUKvHZUdYh1zhHX_OUJ7_2mnt9zQy87Nh8jbwihJ5G9hcHzKhnQ5weyPvpKNBFoLeiKgmYW7q7/s640/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25283%2529.JPG" width="355" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvilQ6r-IawoD348btrmoxqSr8bvLrUW75uD6ZHpefKJFOlP-UH_-3eL6j678JI1er5ivgsSz_1cls84-yv3P6utGPf5ZYN5Ix1XlVZ-Z4HVYKT_WBSQqHtEK5kTqUrtD_s3i5mJbM1U_e/s1600/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvilQ6r-IawoD348btrmoxqSr8bvLrUW75uD6ZHpefKJFOlP-UH_-3eL6j678JI1er5ivgsSz_1cls84-yv3P6utGPf5ZYN5Ix1XlVZ-Z4HVYKT_WBSQqHtEK5kTqUrtD_s3i5mJbM1U_e/s640/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25287%2529.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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Other tree adventures included mighty roots in great forests, nutmeg and almond plantations of the Spice Islands, the Botanic Garden of Penang, Malaysia and the tropical forest of the Salt Crater Lake on<b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <a href="http://www.topindonesiaholidays.com/blog/?p=2612" target="_blank">Pulau Satonda</a></span></b>, Indonesia.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAfgBZ69aBNd8BMB_oBYCzSSTBY5PVDWKlKjRyJH4SgYpWgqKSLnUBTHF_SGkl8lcFEcycyuWktCuvIXi55qeKzX-n_Ie1zZ9SoenYrlnu2VHy_YosCcjNjmV2cZ_9PzK_8oe_UAhPz96/s1600/DSC_7091+%2528800x531%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAfgBZ69aBNd8BMB_oBYCzSSTBY5PVDWKlKjRyJH4SgYpWgqKSLnUBTHF_SGkl8lcFEcycyuWktCuvIXi55qeKzX-n_Ie1zZ9SoenYrlnu2VHy_YosCcjNjmV2cZ_9PzK_8oe_UAhPz96/s640/DSC_7091+%2528800x531%2529+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ants and beautiful flowers in the Botanic Gardens, Penang, Malaysia. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lBIWEQaZCxl_JckWvmgKOKJYEpxqbVUOSV6HmtMzPoop6pEEk_PgZSaACy8i4-TlOnpkYuMpRmcFnhckCfv4t9dl6utKA4GxaOSgh7pSjl-GkJtC1LOX2S_DUhl4Nl5LpyFzHfzbYwDZ/s1600/Kom+West+Salt+Crater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lBIWEQaZCxl_JckWvmgKOKJYEpxqbVUOSV6HmtMzPoop6pEEk_PgZSaACy8i4-TlOnpkYuMpRmcFnhckCfv4t9dl6utKA4GxaOSgh7pSjl-GkJtC1LOX2S_DUhl4Nl5LpyFzHfzbYwDZ/s640/Kom+West+Salt+Crater.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Salt Crater, Pulau Satonda, Indonesia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7itAiV1haEUCw8prtFQfHrEY5vCQ1lGsWxHT0pSjR2_rQNMYxw87RfjT2Klf_D5M9_cvyfUgrPeefgsNUG8LnKpYKZ0pJXdopDUr0VTFlibIYQAbND2LhsOvjZeB5PZTw_mMYTgCRhZZ/s1600/Komodo+West+Salt+Crater+Jan+2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7itAiV1haEUCw8prtFQfHrEY5vCQ1lGsWxHT0pSjR2_rQNMYxw87RfjT2Klf_D5M9_cvyfUgrPeefgsNUG8LnKpYKZ0pJXdopDUr0VTFlibIYQAbND2LhsOvjZeB5PZTw_mMYTgCRhZZ/s640/Komodo+West+Salt+Crater+Jan+2014.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More ants -- Pulau Satonda, Indonesia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E5DRksNDNQ7d_uugzuea6R-oI6hQY1kBgqAiIYQKBtwlYNHeXY-nLEQwb6MOI4vxM2kAqz0BQMRdtBQABNaGF1V1W60AMfrTICmX5JspIkwtsfjDQSAisUuu9_SFjkX5QKV6hiwPi0XO/s1600/Komodo+West+Salt+Crater.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E5DRksNDNQ7d_uugzuea6R-oI6hQY1kBgqAiIYQKBtwlYNHeXY-nLEQwb6MOI4vxM2kAqz0BQMRdtBQABNaGF1V1W60AMfrTICmX5JspIkwtsfjDQSAisUuu9_SFjkX5QKV6hiwPi0XO/s400/Komodo+West+Salt+Crater.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seaweed offering from the salt lake in Satonda.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcqKDMCQbZiKaaIZkcDVY8Ku-oLRQBTufbqL0DWmdehHSodDIM1dXMUfdrjx0eq3pq13Z9XGz9dxxJTHIfJEiIXnqSlEQKcvxamwSaasUuyNPIf5MaCz9eQlmiEZsys4cI11I_cgQyXSs/s1600/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcqKDMCQbZiKaaIZkcDVY8Ku-oLRQBTufbqL0DWmdehHSodDIM1dXMUfdrjx0eq3pq13Z9XGz9dxxJTHIfJEiIXnqSlEQKcvxamwSaasUuyNPIf5MaCz9eQlmiEZsys4cI11I_cgQyXSs/s640/Singapore+cotton+tree+%25285%2529.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We never tire of the peaceful lilyponds all over SE Asia, too. This one in Singapore. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUL34DlS4i5AiQP4K72Yg_yitmiCXd_mVgaFBC756IFmwX4JVFSRSgEu5_bIxCGZfD34s8q4qnTpsR0R0BF_1Rb4dEsiMdctDcJmexPipAs4pBK-oEUqiqgDl4xDaOBrUHvvs7O5kC8Di/s1600/Tioman+Aug+2014+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUL34DlS4i5AiQP4K72Yg_yitmiCXd_mVgaFBC756IFmwX4JVFSRSgEu5_bIxCGZfD34s8q4qnTpsR0R0BF_1Rb4dEsiMdctDcJmexPipAs4pBK-oEUqiqgDl4xDaOBrUHvvs7O5kC8Di/s640/Tioman+Aug+2014+%25282%2529.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree in Tioman Island, Malaysia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1di-ynnV_K7pufR67X4reEgJbVUBEQebqtTLerbY_jIcu5Ckmb2bpbty5JMFVDP-7qOBBUAqsOpTArd4od94D002A9Gu9p9jGAj1RRishBNSS3fmomSXIS6eyS5miPUBOAgVBMMTKnNeg/s1600/DSC_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1di-ynnV_K7pufR67X4reEgJbVUBEQebqtTLerbY_jIcu5Ckmb2bpbty5JMFVDP-7qOBBUAqsOpTArd4od94D002A9Gu9p9jGAj1RRishBNSS3fmomSXIS6eyS5miPUBOAgVBMMTKnNeg/s640/DSC_0147.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bamboo forest, Langkawi, Malaysia -- there's something about this wild and fast-growing stuff that I really love. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: red;">*</span></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: #e06666;">CHEEKY MONKEYS!</span></b><br />
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Then there are the other primates: the common macaque monkeys, the proboscis monkeys, the endangered orangutans and gibbons. We can't help but be fascinated by them -- on the side of the road in Langkawi, in Bali's Monkey Forest, in Thailand's <a href="http://www.gibbonproject.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Gibbon Rehabilitation Project</span></b></a>, in Malaysia's <a href="http://www.orangutanisland.org.my/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Orangutan Island</span></b></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NdlK50xwSSb0bxDH5IYEli4Mbmb5W0uCDVjTihynVSTP4uU_zpS-l1bdovuFjpyR9nhm_nAGnAY3zHv1xdx52CYJU8lj2g3iTEMU9XWzgbGYs_mqmzGrUrPwnA3ZPVgp2u5zTBOU4kju/s1600/IMG_3565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NdlK50xwSSb0bxDH5IYEli4Mbmb5W0uCDVjTihynVSTP4uU_zpS-l1bdovuFjpyR9nhm_nAGnAY3zHv1xdx52CYJU8lj2g3iTEMU9XWzgbGYs_mqmzGrUrPwnA3ZPVgp2u5zTBOU4kju/s400/IMG_3565.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We saw monkeys in many places but the first time we really got close to them was in Bali's Monkey Forest. Still, you have to be careful; they'll steal your glasses or food, if you have any in your pockets. They are accustomed to humans, so they aren't shy. The babies are most curious and adorable. The big ones will climb on you just as quickly, though. You learn not to make eye contact and a few other ways to be respectful. In most places we did not just stroll up and handle monkeys -- not advisable. But in the Monkey Forest there are guides posted around to monitor monkey (and human) behaviors. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRxj6oZh8ZZhKA4XMTC72yysiB1Dvid_v7EHd9iTeiQIDNFbuYc82bnT9ku7XoiD3tF64fcLnsBGbXfimoEqb5buer05KHku70YJK_5bB2oBv8K_ATpGtu0OTpK-YL9KS84Ug7-CJwMlS/s1600/Bali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRxj6oZh8ZZhKA4XMTC72yysiB1Dvid_v7EHd9iTeiQIDNFbuYc82bnT9ku7XoiD3tF64fcLnsBGbXfimoEqb5buer05KHku70YJK_5bB2oBv8K_ATpGtu0OTpK-YL9KS84Ug7-CJwMlS/s640/Bali.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slightly blurry but I just loved this little family. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX8dmigbuZN79nCJTUWqNwwS-x8quiqQG8VVRuEKnIVrmnKmqe43l-BOTmusqBZCdtsIpQM9FpIC_kWv8mNl7xS3ZW7iwVpSNv0OzoDEwEtWNQ7ifFsig0Gz3eXSDcpllJNkbukO0Xzob/s1600/Maiden+Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX8dmigbuZN79nCJTUWqNwwS-x8quiqQG8VVRuEKnIVrmnKmqe43l-BOTmusqBZCdtsIpQM9FpIC_kWv8mNl7xS3ZW7iwVpSNv0OzoDEwEtWNQ7ifFsig0Gz3eXSDcpllJNkbukO0Xzob/s640/Maiden+Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" width="570" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWM2o_Ad4Q-8dK60L-a7V9pa738MTahamS4fz98jTmAXOIHGPNEnx47nMHngMjw_LOsCcLUgXiE5xbPIU4ZBlgWyowycs-6Pkno-aZNRxOth5mFLyOZY3M2Nj-QzWWeoBhOxGBElU5y6y/s1600/DSC_0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWM2o_Ad4Q-8dK60L-a7V9pa738MTahamS4fz98jTmAXOIHGPNEnx47nMHngMjw_LOsCcLUgXiE5xbPIU4ZBlgWyowycs-6Pkno-aZNRxOth5mFLyOZY3M2Nj-QzWWeoBhOxGBElU5y6y/s640/DSC_0486.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical shoreside monkeys -- in Rinca, Indonesia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbFL2S7kVYcnDKbqwmXlDUvs0MSCHnbhL6LFDQa6XsiWP5qs3vBdAMV_sTvXasQpiJX58f_zoiJTm5V7ljpjbHnGi_nVr0yc4hDEZDF7bDatDvCk9r7LocPsvRD7al1Hsk62rYyA798vw/s1600/DSC_0497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbFL2S7kVYcnDKbqwmXlDUvs0MSCHnbhL6LFDQa6XsiWP5qs3vBdAMV_sTvXasQpiJX58f_zoiJTm5V7ljpjbHnGi_nVr0yc4hDEZDF7bDatDvCk9r7LocPsvRD7al1Hsk62rYyA798vw/s640/DSC_0497.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camouflaged! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxC9NTSr1Y7NlzkTsu5yax63hmYPChxAJwsa7PNPg7_B2xX8IIa7039kkVrPn614kSrMEUYvmjB63bloaqngJkou0ZW5GIyMEpXUyhQFUeniuQAiTNHzWyw9VGZOuK0oYAVBs7NbnpAXw/s1600/DSC_7080+%2528800x498%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxC9NTSr1Y7NlzkTsu5yax63hmYPChxAJwsa7PNPg7_B2xX8IIa7039kkVrPn614kSrMEUYvmjB63bloaqngJkou0ZW5GIyMEpXUyhQFUeniuQAiTNHzWyw9VGZOuK0oYAVBs7NbnpAXw/s640/DSC_7080+%2528800x498%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little chocolate monkey in the trees, Penang Botanical Garden. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA-xy-ipLrlccsrWKjCRaasx4AiQTKYim-J2qnz6OOHHCewef3Bh1ovryN7hVDfXWexzbM6-CWhNdHzhCwsbguDO89cTB1jDUIuYGYkdFvGRQfazwnj6TYhTL3BOg_VVmHn-ta5vZPYcE/s1600/DSC_7099+%2528422x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA-xy-ipLrlccsrWKjCRaasx4AiQTKYim-J2qnz6OOHHCewef3Bh1ovryN7hVDfXWexzbM6-CWhNdHzhCwsbguDO89cTB1jDUIuYGYkdFvGRQfazwnj6TYhTL3BOg_VVmHn-ta5vZPYcE/s640/DSC_7099+%2528422x800%2529.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They can scurry up light poles just as fast as they do up tree trunks. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMOkWzTQyw1LogEM9KPBz5e1_BPmkD4BYj-LPBwd1QTMarDhejA0P3YqAaYGDBM6onBdpYIm26lo_cI7N4ID7EIDMim1rIjJzT9ZtGlLn2O_F-o03YzbxGJUsxKV0a-rAgShS0PkjiPV1/s1600/DSC_7107+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMOkWzTQyw1LogEM9KPBz5e1_BPmkD4BYj-LPBwd1QTMarDhejA0P3YqAaYGDBM6onBdpYIm26lo_cI7N4ID7EIDMim1rIjJzT9ZtGlLn2O_F-o03YzbxGJUsxKV0a-rAgShS0PkjiPV1/s640/DSC_7107+%2528800x531%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Penang Botanical Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR1IX65Tn8ST2QZHCE0ZI6tMQicDkFNZSlwVtdo6-3tWu7dZddvLNLp8NVSRz2zxnOQeAqWEzbwMPzgNcvxpEc7vqGQdEgIeuLVxcpUs647T2pZ1bOloYpalDtgFjQ7ngy_foAKzIoVKH/s1600/DSC_7112+%2528800x504%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR1IX65Tn8ST2QZHCE0ZI6tMQicDkFNZSlwVtdo6-3tWu7dZddvLNLp8NVSRz2zxnOQeAqWEzbwMPzgNcvxpEc7vqGQdEgIeuLVxcpUs647T2pZ1bOloYpalDtgFjQ7ngy_foAKzIoVKH/s640/DSC_7112+%2528800x504%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Penang Botanical Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50D747so0B9WvJaGimrIfQmWxSPDgqEzyC5HRFvNc_WD9QcrcqUEMGr17ZwEUkF5k4EWx4wDxjSTbsaANF0BKKRDs91TIS_ktaiBoWDUJS186bDqum_qGOcGCxVaf0tiT8GzvdsYu8RI7/s1600/DSC_7128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50D747so0B9WvJaGimrIfQmWxSPDgqEzyC5HRFvNc_WD9QcrcqUEMGr17ZwEUkF5k4EWx4wDxjSTbsaANF0BKKRDs91TIS_ktaiBoWDUJS186bDqum_qGOcGCxVaf0tiT8GzvdsYu8RI7/s640/DSC_7128.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheeky monkey!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GZcP-4MqedJg26g1fCd0TQ8EaRMd10U4UitWobtzZxuOVbcVsyAwlq_DXoSvBex89dQEfqwjyjP-YPpBsxsrQsCUFJYNtMxDA5aBK_4k9a-WwPw5RVzRTUXrD67A9WZsxI_ZNuTCmG1e/s1600/Maid+Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GZcP-4MqedJg26g1fCd0TQ8EaRMd10U4UitWobtzZxuOVbcVsyAwlq_DXoSvBex89dQEfqwjyjP-YPpBsxsrQsCUFJYNtMxDA5aBK_4k9a-WwPw5RVzRTUXrD67A9WZsxI_ZNuTCmG1e/s640/Maid+Lake+%25281%2529.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shy guy in the tree -- Langkawi, Dayang Bunting, Lake of the Pregnant Maiden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF91zcnc2DCnkijlR38KNReza0lbPiqDGai4zkuH7X3vq2DSUUwPWSTm6wDTmPXP2WRXqJCCfph9t_mTw8ozrmBLKcFBj5R0l1Uz6mQZjCUHlhXYa9BSPSxf2cAVhGWUijtX5Y3BgA-joO/s1600/Maid+Lake+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF91zcnc2DCnkijlR38KNReza0lbPiqDGai4zkuH7X3vq2DSUUwPWSTm6wDTmPXP2WRXqJCCfph9t_mTw8ozrmBLKcFBj5R0l1Uz6mQZjCUHlhXYa9BSPSxf2cAVhGWUijtX5Y3BgA-joO/s640/Maid+Lake+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You have to look close but there were lots of these fellows frolicking in these trees. Langkawi.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77uSiyb_xnKXlZLrLeolmaNAM2SWo8NNv230AKkU2QhUXcw79HPjlUppCJIRk4QiPv04e9y73y9oBS-X8tepiMP0-WKazpz9AlrVMIMsxNUFXNw3jLNC2JExqHd8dYqGipBWurdtSrHvT/s1600/Maid+Lake+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77uSiyb_xnKXlZLrLeolmaNAM2SWo8NNv230AKkU2QhUXcw79HPjlUppCJIRk4QiPv04e9y73y9oBS-X8tepiMP0-WKazpz9AlrVMIMsxNUFXNw3jLNC2JExqHd8dYqGipBWurdtSrHvT/s640/Maid+Lake+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmq21565BoS0ZvozKr-QKlgWDAE5FF3Qfj_DG9WCWcwK_fKHI0QZHXbR-5krrm6IiE-2qkGtE_5U1YKdSrU5-Nma-6Su0nd20TuyFydhlK4vUXumw13BWn78qSKNClJl4l1Hi0Fu4l31Q/s1600/Maid+Lake+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmq21565BoS0ZvozKr-QKlgWDAE5FF3Qfj_DG9WCWcwK_fKHI0QZHXbR-5krrm6IiE-2qkGtE_5U1YKdSrU5-Nma-6Su0nd20TuyFydhlK4vUXumw13BWn78qSKNClJl4l1Hi0Fu4l31Q/s640/Maid+Lake+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langkawi -- Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. These guys are not shy and you have to walk down this walkway past all of them to get to the swim area at the end of the lake. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLZS-wQpSVyqdPriGWqkXbkd49NPjjQ-vZk_OLfiN5dd8DW_JdnKDmk1TOHl8wqy2AmleCJ7-9A8QJ5eaJS5QIt1NkoHHrBLlgRnK9RbUMG7QPkxZRzFJJb_JaxIDz4dZCWT5sjFDEV5G/s1600/Uluwatu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLZS-wQpSVyqdPriGWqkXbkd49NPjjQ-vZk_OLfiN5dd8DW_JdnKDmk1TOHl8wqy2AmleCJ7-9A8QJ5eaJS5QIt1NkoHHrBLlgRnK9RbUMG7QPkxZRzFJJb_JaxIDz4dZCWT5sjFDEV5G/s400/Uluwatu.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uluwatu Temple, Bali -- temple monkey</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>ENDANGERED PRIMATES: GIBBONS AND ORANGUTANS</b></span><br />
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One of the last things we did in Phuket before leaving last month was visit the <span style="color: orange;"><b><a href="http://www.gibbonproject.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Gibbon Rehabilitation Project</span></a> </b></span>-- GRP, which for us has always stood for fiberglass but now holds more meaning.<br />
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The project was started in 1992. At that time they were almost completely wiped out -- extinct! -- due to poaching. The project collects injured animals from the wild, saves them from abusive owners and monitors the populations, ensuring families are released together for better chances of survival. The population is now making a comeback.<br />
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Why do gibbons suffer still? There is a huge tourism trade for photos with gibbons -- the cute, fuzzy baby ones. The babies are collected from their parents and used -- photo with a baby gibbon? -- and then, as they grow older, they are set aside or even worse outright physically and emotionally abused. We heard from our guide of several cases of gibbons that they've taken in who are recovering from beatings -- and we saw one who had lost one hand and one foot from abuse by her owner. She will not be released into the wild but cared for here for the rest of her life. The main goal, however, is to nurture families and set them free.<br />
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<b>From the GRP page: </b><span style="color: orange;"><b>Don't have your photograph taken with a gibbon or use the bars they are kept in. Report poaching to the National Park Headquarters or the <a href="http://forest.police.go.th/" target="_blank">Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division</a> or the <a href="http://www.dnp.go.th/" target="_blank">Department of National Parks: Wildlife and Plants</a>. </b></span><br />
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The GRP Facebook page is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GibbonRehabilitationProject" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a>. Go on, Like it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two are always together -- friends for life and inseparable.</td></tr>
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Earlier in the year, we visited Malaysia's <b><span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.orangutanisland.org.my/" target="_blank">Orangutan Island</a></span></b>, a similarly organized facility where orangutans are protected, nurtured and rehabilitated, with the goal being to release them back into the jungles of Borneo. Orangutan Island is larger than the gibbon sanctuary -- a whole island in the middle of an strangely defunct-feeling Disney-like theme park (very odd) -- but these creatures need room to move. The thing about this facility that really struck us was the way<i> the visitors are the ones enclosed</i>, not the wild animals. We walked through portions of the island (only a small portion is open to viewers) and we were the ones caged: an enclosure around us on both sides and up over our heads kept us a considerable distance from the orangutans, while they were free to roam about in their natural habitat. Hence, my caged photos with blocked views. But I really like how the only way to view these creatures is through this distance; even the guides only ever enter the territory if an orangutan is sick or in need of routine medical care.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BFFs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is lovely. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Daddy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through with our guide. You can see how the enclosure works, keeping us in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The humans' enclosure goes up overhead, too, so you can see the animals in the trees.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young one on the move.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping to say hello.</td></tr>
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Orangutan Island also has a medical facility, of course. Some of the animals need serious care when they are rescued (babies without parents, for example), and some need continuing care as they grow and change. There are educational brochures and plenty of places to inform yourself further.<br />
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When we were there, two young ones were in the hospital facility for blood tests. They were wild and woolly and interacted with us quite a lot through their windowed enclosure. One made a game of passing a leafy branch back and forth over the top -- where it was barred and open -- to a girl who was also there visiting with her family. It was quite something to see the way this animal played with her; there was a sense of play and insisting on 'my turn, your turn' that was fascinating to watch. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small girl and orangutan -- equally curious about the other. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jana making contact. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jana could connect her hand here through the glass to the hand/ foot of the animal. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhMzzcFw22-0u1U2TlA2uWglRo8CeGJdx0j_zsN52tZ2w6DQXWnP_Os_HiyXcP8S6XThwCOiVmmbVDudMm5T3YLqFAfxvCraDV4XZvw3TrIfqmHxXc5BDW9xIAUBuLWaV17ZwJi3xXMqV/s1600/DSC_7320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhMzzcFw22-0u1U2TlA2uWglRo8CeGJdx0j_zsN52tZ2w6DQXWnP_Os_HiyXcP8S6XThwCOiVmmbVDudMm5T3YLqFAfxvCraDV4XZvw3TrIfqmHxXc5BDW9xIAUBuLWaV17ZwJi3xXMqV/s320/DSC_7320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
You can read about the care program and the facilities at the island, as well as their release program, <a href="https://redapes.org/orangutan-island-has-new-residents/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a>. The challenge is making sure the animals are ready for release (they use an interim pre-release island to observe and carry out the release in stages) and ensuring there is suitable forest for the orangutans to enter or re-enter. More about the release process is <span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://redapes.org/projects-partners/nyaru-menteng/release/" target="_blank">here</a></span>; and video of a release can be viewed <a href="https://redapes.org/release/media" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">CIVETS AND COFFEE: TO BLING OR NOT TO BLING</span></b><br />
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Another case of humans interacting with the wild...<br />
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In Bali, we were introduced to the famous <b>cat-poo coffee</b>, more formally known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: orange;">Kopi Luwak</span></b></a> and made from the beans of coffee beans ingested by civet cats and then expelled, cleaned, roasted and ground. Said to be the 'blingest' coffee in the world, this coffee is, yes, expensive. We paid $5 for a small cup, and did not dare purchase any more. The taste was smooth, yeah, and I admit to being intrigued by the whole idea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle's mother sniffing the civet coffee beans</td></tr>
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But you spend enough time in these parts, you start to see past the initial intrigue. Trauma and drama hide behind this tourism 'seller' which brings people by the busload to small coffee 'plantations' and even sees a lucrative export trade. Kopi Luwak was first exported to western countries by <b><span style="color: orange;">Toni Wild</span></b> in 1991. But Tony has since recanted his devotion to this coffee and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/13/civet-coffee-cut-the-crap" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">speaks out passionately</span></a> about the practices of keeping the wild civet cat in captivity for coffee production and export. In the last couple years, he's launched a worldwide campaign to stop what calls a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/sep/19/civet-cat-coffee-worlds-most-expensive-brew-made-sustainably-kopi-luwak" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">'cruel, fraudulent trade'</span></a>. He's now looking for a way to produce sustainable coffee. His Facebook campaign -- <b><span style="color: orange;">Kopi Luwak: Cut the Crap</span></b> -- can be found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kopiluwakcutthecrap?fref=ts" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">WILD THINGS UNDERSEA</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbIR5jg8p8KKy87Z6AUTbbTY2LZ3iCRRqwegwbMUxUtm2kBydOoQCjUdxNx7wF2pZhQb1FKqZTHlmHDIRjId6FiewxuHssBbNpgxXTJqRP4Ik_XOrMRLZFdC8doaxGwosuw-nxJDoIkGv/s1600/turtle+coloradjusted+%2528800x600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbIR5jg8p8KKy87Z6AUTbbTY2LZ3iCRRqwegwbMUxUtm2kBydOoQCjUdxNx7wF2pZhQb1FKqZTHlmHDIRjId6FiewxuHssBbNpgxXTJqRP4Ik_XOrMRLZFdC8doaxGwosuw-nxJDoIkGv/s400/turtle+coloradjusted+%2528800x600%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, it's not possible to talk about SE Asia without looking under the surface. We are always mesmerized underwater -- by corals, fishies, dolphins and sea turtles, Jana wrote up a school report about the turtle sanctuary of Tioman Island, where we had a tour of their rescue and egg care facility, and we swam one afternoon in the waters of Redang Island with these graceful creatures. Like with dolphin or whale, I never get tired of this kind of thing. We first swam with turtles and dolphins in Hawaii in 2005, and I'm never any less enchanted when I get in the water with one of these amazing beings -- who are also surprisingly quick in the water. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tioman Island, Malaysia, Turtle Sanctuary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting an introduction to the Tioman turtles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jana at Tioman Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Jo, the blind turtle who is cared for at Tioman </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protecting turtle eggs at Tioman</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creeping along the bottom at Redang Island </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Wild Thing - Jana, in Redang Island, Malaysia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Tree Worms in Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Tree Worms -- Spriobranchus giganteus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corals in the Gulf of Thailand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle and Jana in Redang</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: cyan;">WILD LUMINSCENCE</span></b><br />
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Lastly, a brief mention of the oddest wild encounter of all: the case of <b><span style="color: cyan;">bioluminescence</span></b> we experienced in the Gulf of Thailand one night in 2014 -- mystical and strange and impossible to describe. A pulsing thing that lasted hours and was unlike any other bioluminescence we'd ever seen -- fish zigzagging through the water or the dinghy creating a glowing bow wake, for example. Turns out, it was a rare experience and we were luckier than a scientist who's been tracking this phenomenon his whole life, trying to get a glimpse. We wrote it up in a blog entry <a href="http://svmomo.blogspot.com/search/label/Wild%20Phosphorescence%20%28Ko%20Phaluai%20Thailand%20--%20Sept.%202014%29" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;"><b>here</b></span></a>. </div>
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Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-51908299757200919822015-07-01T14:37:00.000-07:002016-01-01T07:27:37.596-08:00SE Asia Impressions: Bali Nyepi -- March 2014 (July 2015)Continuing with our look back at our time in SE Asia, here are some photos from <b>Nyepi</b>.<br />
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Nyepi is a celebration of the new year, according to the Balinese calendar, and fell in March in both 2014 and 2015. It is a many-day celebration that includes various rituals, parades and colorful costumes. In preparation, villages and streets are cleaned, and offerings are made to gods and ancestors. Rice is used frequently and abundantly -- placed on alters, on faces, in the streets. Women carry tall baskets of food and fresh fruit on their heads; children don their village uniforms and play a central role, too. On the day of Nyepi, all of Bali turns out for solemn prayer at temples and parades to chase away demon spirits -- usually lurking at crossroads. Huge effigies of great monsters and demons are made of paper mache, flax and other materials and decorated lavishly; then, they are displayed on large floats made of bamboo scaffolding and supports, carried at dusk through the streets. This was our favorite part of the whole celebration: like Mardi Gras, Balinese style. A spectacular sight to behold, and a celebration with good cheer and powerful vibes.<br />
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We were in Ubud for Nyepi, and we took a day of rest, like the rest of Bali, from our engine work. We left Serangan Harbour and ensconced ourselves in a small guest house and enjoyed being in the heart of the celebration. A day ahead of time, we ordered food from a local restaurant, whose cooks put together gorgeous packets of fresh foods wrapped in banana leaves and placed neatly in hand-woven baskets (below). The food must be ordered ahead of time, as once nightfall comes no cooking or any work of any kind may be performed. On the night of Nyepi, the power is cut, and Bali spends 24 hrs in silence. No one uses any appliances. No one speaks. All energy is focused inward,while the silence also encourages the demons flying overhead to miss Bali and fly on to another island. A pleasant way to welcome the new year: a day of quiet, spiritual cleansing, with the happy knowledge that the evil spirits will be going someplace else for the remainder of the year.<br />
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Hotels make accommodations for guests, of course -- we <i>did </i>have power in our hotel, but we were warned not to leave the premises and go onto the streets. The only people on the streets are a few occasional village 'guardians' who look over the village and ensure no one is breaking the rules. We became friends with a taxi driver during our time in Bali, and Kitud was one of these guards for his small village; it was fascinating hearing how he had not slept the whole night when we saw him the next day, how he spent his night on duty. Below are some memorable floats and people from Nyepi 2014,<br />
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-9731716704573389322015-06-30T19:22:00.000-07:002016-01-01T08:32:28.406-08:00SE Asia Impressions: Bali Street Scenes March 2014We've been in SE Asia since November 2013 and now that we're looking at saying goodbye to this part of the world, it's high time we post some updates. A different world that we stepped into when we arrived in eastern Indonesia (see earlier posts about our the <a href="http://svmomo.blogspot.com/2014/08/paper-dance-from-mexican-cha-cha-to.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">paperwork shuffle</span></a> upon arrival in Tual, Indonesia and <a href="https://michelleelvy.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/tuesday-poem-in-the-corner-of-my-mind-a-boy-by-frankie-mcmillan/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Ambon</span></a>, Indonesia). From Tual, we traveled through the Spice Islands, Ambon, Komodo, Lombok and Bali over nine months. From Bali, we sailed north to Malaysia, and we've been in Malaysia and Thailand since July 2014, spending time on the peninsular east coast (up into the Gulf of Thailand) last year, and on the peninsular west coast since Christmas. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a brief look back at Bali, where we spent too many months with engine repairs but also managed to settle into a life there that we grew to really love. These photos are various street scenes from around the time of Nyepi, the particularly Balinese Hindu 'Day of Silence' holiday that celebrates the new year according to the Balinese calendar (it fell in March in 2014 and 2015). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next post will include a closer look at Nyepi. </span><br />
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<br />Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308996079612692373.post-84119489066504761522014-10-20T23:12:00.003-07:002016-01-01T08:32:48.667-08:00Cross-legged: A Reflection on the Bonding Nature of Cultural Difference -- Fiji 2009 (October 2014)<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
(a version of this essay was published in <em style="border: none;"><b><a href="http://www.takahe.org.nz/contents/contents82.htm" target="_blank">Takahe 82</a></b></em>, August 2014)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chief Watsoni of Makongai, with lunch</td></tr>
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<b>Fiji, 2009. </b>I am sitting cross-legged on a mat woven from <em style="border: none;">voivoi</em> leaves with Watsoni, the village chief of Makogai Island in eastern Fiji, eating a Sunday lunch of crab, cassava and coconut cream. The cream is so good that it's not enough to dip my crab legs and cassava into it. I want <em style="border: none;">more</em>. So I reach for a spoon in the middle of the mat — halfway between the chief's daughter and me — dip it into my bowl and bring the rich white cream to my lips. As soon as I do it, I feel eyes on me. The daughter throws an inquisitive look across the mat. “I love the coconut cream,” I offer, but it's not an adequate explanation for my breech of luncheon etiquette. Her eyes grow brighter, and her mouth forms a wide grin, as if to say: “You silly <em style="border: none;">kaivalagi</em>! Why are you using a spoon when it's easier to drink right from your bowl?”<br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
We have lived on our boat for nearly a decade. We’ve been exploring the Pacific for several years, making our way first to Mexico (where our second daughter was born), then to Hawaii, British Columbia, Alaska and finally back down to Mexico again and across the Pacific to New Zealand. This year, we set sail for Fiji, arriving in early June and expecting to spend the whole season exploring this island country. It’s now halfway through the season, and we've spent the last three months in the eastern part of the country. Makogai is the fifth Fijian village we've become acquainted with, and our simple but sumptuous meal with Chief Watsoni is at least my twentieth meal sitting cross-legged on a <em style="border: none;">voivoi</em> mat. By now, I feel somewhat acclimated to life in Fiji. I've become enchanted with the friendly people of these islands. I know how to wrap my <em style="border: none;">sulu</em> modestly around me before entering the village boundaries. I have learned how to grate coconut and make <em style="border: none;">lolo</em>. I am a connoisseur of <em style="border: none;">kava</em>. Even my children have come to crave the taro-leaf-coconut-cream standard meal in these parts. But no matter how much we embrace the culture, I am acutely aware in the moment I bring that spoon to my lips that there's still no getting around the basic fact that <em style="border: none;">we are different</em>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalesi and Louise preparing a meal</td></tr>
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I've sat with women on the floors of houses all across the South Pacific and prepared meals. The typical tool is a dull but strong knife which they employ as can opener, carver and shucker. A machete is more common than a butter knife, and more essential. Silverware is non-essential, as I've seen demonstrated time and again. A few weeks ago when three women from Koro Island's Nabuna Village spent a day on our boat fishing, they insisted at lunchtime that they prepare the meal. They had carefully packed taro root and cassava from home, already cooked and ready to eat. The only thing they required for the meal was a large pot, in which they boiled the fish whole with chili pepper and lime. When the meal was ready, I reached for bowls for individual servings, but they shook their heads: <em style="border: none;">No,we don't need those.</em> They fished out the largest specimens from their catch of the day, a dozen or so small reef fish averaging about five inches, placed them carefully into four bowls for us and poured the chili-lime broth over top. I gingerly picked at the paltry specimen looking up at me from my bowl, trying to pull the miniscule bits of meat from the fragile skeleton <em style="border: none;">(with a fork).</em>Meanwhile, my husband and daughters took their cue from our Fijian friends, who settled themselves comfortably into our cockpit and proceeded to devour their share with their hands from one large bowl, sucking and slurping at the bodies, heads, fins, tails and bones till there was nothing left but the juicy broth. This they consumed by passing the bowl around and sipping loudly, each in turn. Clean-up was simple that afternoon.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chief visits Momo</td></tr>
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On another occasion, a group from Nabuna Village came to our boat to spend an evening. We drank grog and rum and told stories long into the night. They insisted on providing the entertainment, too, in the form of Fijian Music. We were looking forward to this: I had visions of ukuleles and drums and rhythmic handclapping. Instead, one of them produced a CD from a stained, sandy bag and asked me to put it into our player. I could barely tell which side was up, so mutilated was the once shiny disc. In no time, however, our new friends were swaying and beating their hands to the reggae-like music, wholly unaware of the scratches, pauses and skips in the line-up. Our new friends were happily humming along to “their” music — which ranged from UB40 to a local band who had recorded their music in Koro Island's recording studio — and they were proud to be sharing with us.</div>
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This led me to reflect on the pragmatism of these islanders. Everything they do is supremely practical. The make grog bowls out of old mooring balls and recycle large squares of wrapping paper for interior wall decorations. They have no use for shoes — Chief Watsoni of Makogai told us that he moved back to his island from the city of Levuka (a town of about 3000 residents) because, among other things, he was tired of wearing shoes (he tossed aside his watch, too). They even reuse old DVDs and CDs, making them into shiny adornments on their trees. Furniture is deemed unnecessary; all major activities happen on the mat, either inside or outside, as evidenced by the permanently bruised, swollen, and calloused talus: a tell-tale sign of a lifetime of sitting cross-legged, and a clear indication that we are from a different world.</div>
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Indeed, everything about the way these islanders move sets us apart. They seem deliberately slow in speech and contemplative to a degree that tries even the most patient of souls, but can climb a coconut palm before you can even utter the short syllables, “yes, please.” We notice that even our children, who have grown up on a boat and are fairly adept at swinging, swimming and scaling vertical things, look ponderous and awkward in the presence of Fijian children.</div>
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But I do not mean to paint a single-sided, romantic picture of the “simple island life”, and our typical First World-Third World dichotomy would be misleading. Fijians<strong> </strong>have whatever 21st century technology they can get their hands on: cell phones, radios, televisions. They eagerly accept any movies we pass along. They rely on diesel-powered generators until 9 o'clock at night, after which the cell phone becomes even more important because of its accessory flashlight. Yet even though we come from a technologically advanced place, it is not <em style="border: none;">our</em> <em style="border: none;">technology</em> that draws them to us. What interests them about us is that we are <em style="border: none;">culturally and socially different</em>. And they welcome us into their lives precisely because of that difference.</div>
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I find myself reflecting on Robert Dean Frisbie's letters to his friend James Norman Hall, written in the early 1940s.[1] Frisbie lived during the 1920s as the only white man on the island of Puka-Puka in the Cook Islands for many years, having married an islander and raised a family there. He spoke the native language, swam on the backs of turtles and understood the strange and complicated ceremonies constructed around island beliefs. He was immersed in island culture. And yet he understood that he was not one of them, and that he should not try to be, for the special nature of his relationship to Puka Pukans was defined by his very difference. “A white man in these islands must not go native”, wrote Frisbie:</div>
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<i>It is a pleasant thought to dally with in civilization, a disastrous one to put into practice. When a white man goes native, the people brand him as being no better than themselves. Now, probably, he <span style="border: none;">is</span> no better; but if he goes native he will not be as good, and he will soon find that the natives look down on him. Why shouldn't they? He cannot compete with them in their own culture. He cannot catch fish as well as they, climb coconut palms, plant taro, catch a great turtle in the open sea — he can perform none of their tasks as well as they do. If he tries to do these things he makes himself ridiculous. Plainly, he is inferior to the natives.</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalesi and her fish, about to become lunch</td></tr>
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I can relate to that. When it comes to reef fishing, tree climbing or even just hiking around the island, we get sorely beaten every time (even with our rubberized protective footwear). We are not bendy like they are. We have a great big spear gun, but they catch more fish. We <em style="border: none;">feel</em> ridiculous quite often, even in the most modest challenges. We haven't even attempted to ride a great turtle.</div>
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But even as we might feel awkward or ridiculous on their turf, we also sense a mutual respect, something Frisbie observed, too:</div>
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<i>Natives want to be proud of “their” white man, as they call an epicurean like myself. They are disappointed if their white man does not live up to expectations. They want to admire him, brag about him, serve him in the grand manner.</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mele at the helm</td></tr>
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Now this doesn't mean that we have to flaunt our “western” ways — they are revealed<strong> </strong>even without us trying. But it's true that islanders are just as curious about our ways as we are about theirs. We “brag” about our encounters to our friends back home, and they do the same. We noticed the gleam in the eye when, one after another, our new friends took turns at the helm when we sailed to a nearby anchorage together. Later during our visit, Mele confided that they usually do not board the visiting yachts in their bay, that we are the first people who stayed long enough to get to know them and invite them to our home. I can understand why this was special for them; just as we like visiting their homes and seeing their lives up close and personal, they were given the chance to peer into ours, too. We opened our home to them, which broke down one barrier between us. But at the same time, I'm sure we nevertheless “lived up to expectations” in our <em style="border: none;">kaivalagi</em> ways. I liked the reciprocity here, and our extended visits with each other allowed them and us to view the “otherness” of our lives first-hand.</div>
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Frisbie chronicled the colourful differences between his own heritage and the native culture he adopted as his own. But he also wrote about the <em style="border: none;">meaning</em> in the exchanges across cultures. He pointed out that islanders' pride in “their” white man is a reflection on their own self-worth:</div>
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<i>…it is of the utmost importance that a white man never ridicule the natives; never sneer at them or in any way humiliate them. If he does this, he is lost. He must remember that, in the last analysis, they are not glorifying him but glorifying in themselves.</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jana's new woven sunhat, on another visit to Fiji in 2013</td></tr>
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I feel an immense sense of wellbeing from our encounters in South Pacific villages, and I wonder if it's because I sense on a rather basic level that we are each seeing the other culture, extending our respect, while also recognising the good in our own. Our time in Fiji has been a cultural<em style="border: none;"> exchange</em> in the best sense of the word. We are all a little richer from these interactions. Our close proximity to each other has laid open a path to appreciating another culture while at the same time honouring our own.</div>
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Frisbie's writing is of course dated, and our brief encounters with island culture do not compare with his nearly native existence. But I like the overall sentiment here, and I think about it every time I crumple myself awkwardly on the floor or instinctively reach for a spoon when I'm meant to drink from the bowl. I feel silly and inwardly admonish myself for my cultural clumsiness. I am constantly aware of my “privileged” heritage and tread lightly on what I perceive to be fragile Fijian turf. I often find the sharing of western wealth around these parts distasteful, dripping in a kind of cultural imperialism and superiority that I try my best not to perpetuate. I even shy away from the typical <em style="border: none;">kaivalagi</em>'s predilection for colourful <em style="border: none;">sulus</em> and tattoos and flowers behind the ear — I recognise it's an attractive and easy way to express appreciation for something beautiful, but I also perceive it as a kind of cute fetishisation that makes me wary. I don't want to see island life as a novelty for me to wrap up and take home.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids and kava, back in 2009 -- all part of the cultural exchange</td></tr>
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But then I think that perhaps what Frisbie was saying was this: that just as these encounters are special to us (and we proudly proclaim it with our flowers and <em style="border: none;">sulus</em> and tattoos), they are special to the islanders too. Because we are <em style="border: none;">different</em>. Because I ask them about their history and they ask me about my family. Because we wonder about the Good Friday Coup and they don’t wonder about leaders beyond their village boundaries. Because we can't remember all their children's names and they say, a little sadly, when they meet our daughters: “only two?” Because we ask to hear Fijian radio and they turn it on and play Michael Jackson. Because my five-year-old asks why they are brown and they in turn want to pinch her soft pink cheeks and stroke her straw-blonde hair. Because they think it's a pity we don't have cassava and taro where we come from, and I realise I favour a life filled with books over all the taro fields in Fiji. Because I regret that I can't climb a coconut tree yet still prefer using a spoon to sip my soup. And because they boil bananas and I fry them. There’s no escaping Louisa's good-natured guffaw<strong> </strong>as she passes the plate of fried banana fritters on to Manini, and then Kalesi, and then Liti. Each time they pass the plate, they tell about the crazy <em style="border: none;">kaivalagi </em>cooking up the bananas in a pan, and they laugh a little harder.</div>
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I don't admit that I eat those with a spoon, too.</div>
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[1] All quotations from Robert Dean Frisbie's letters taken from James Norman Hall, <em style="border: none;">The Forgotten One and Other True Tales of the South Seas</em> (1952: Little, Brown).</div>
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Michelle Elvyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503119577895402738noreply@blogger.com