February 2015: If I am counting correctly, this is my fourteenth visit to India, starting the first time in 1971, again in 1982 & 1983, again in 2002, and finally practically every years since 2005 on tour with Mynta. It is very gratifying to have made so many great friends here, that my social calendar is filled with trying to connect with everybody. . .
Rice is a staple of the Japanese diet. Japanese-grown rice costs twice as much in Japan as the same rice sold in other countries. This is because of a convoluted system of distribution and middlemen, which raises the price far beyond the actual and reasonably expected price of rice.
The price of healthcare in America is similarly inflated. . .
I’ll never forget a conversation that occurred in Norway some years ago as Susan and I met retired hospital architect, Knut Bergsland, to tour his hospital in Trondheim, Norway. Knut said, “Welcome to Norway. You should know that as long as you are in Norway, if you have any medical problem, you can go straight to the hospital, where you will be treated without charge. We don’t care if you’re Norwegian or a foreigner, with or without a visa, all will receive treatments free of charge.”
Susan and I were privileged to spend ten days in Bali. Several days were spent traveling several hours from Ubud, our home base, to famous temples popular with tourists like us. We didn't see all of Bali. But the places we were able to visit yielded many interesting photos.
INDIA VISIT OVERVIEW
Susan and I have completed one month of our seven-week visit to Mumbai, India. This is the longest time that Susan will have ever spent in India. In my approximately fifteen visits to India over the years, I generally stayed for around a month and twice for two months. As a result of these many visits, we have many friends here, most of whom are musicians or music lovers. Our goal for this seven-week stay was to enjoy our friends and the great food while playing as much music as possible.
Our third Viking port of call was Puntarenas, Costa Rica. As usual, several excursion choices were offered. We chose one entitled “Walk in the Clouds.” We boarded a bus for an hour’s drive from the coast up to the highlands of the central valley running through the country. Our Costa Rican tour guide spoke for the whole hour as we traveled, providing many details about his country. I remain very interested in Costa Rica, having heard that it is a popular destination for retired Americans wishing to relocate to a foreign country less expensive than the US and having a great climate. I’m happy to continue to live in Reno, but we might want to visit Costa Rica again for a more in-depth visit...
Until today’s port visit, Cadiz was just a name I had encountered sometime in the past. I didn’t know anything at all about it. Now at the end of the day, I feel enriched by learning about this city, as well as having visited an historic village named Vejer de la Frontera.
This blog will describe Southern Chile: Puerto Montt, two impressive glaciers, Punta Arenas, and our transit around Cape Horn, the southernmost part of Tierra Del Fuego, South America.
