The wedding gift was a round-the-world first class airline trip. A pass, of
course. When departure time arrived, we were between the sale of our home and
dealing with the general chaos in the valley from a major earthquake (February
9, 1971), a time limit of 3 weeks in which to make the trip, a partially
completed root canal and a limited budget. Yes, it was a rushed trip but one
that would never again be possible. Bill only took $1000 and I think I had about
$300 with me; no credit cards either. But, remember this was 1971 when prices
were lower; still, it was a challenge.
We had a choice of East to West or visa versa; on the advise of seasoned travellers
we chose to travel West. The rules were that we could not backtrack on the route.
Late in February of 1971, we left LAX on our adventure with our first stop in
Honolulu. We would spend one night there and then depart near midnight on the
next leg to Hong Kong.
We rented a car and drove most of the way around Oahu visiting the Pali, Diamond
Head and Molokai beach area. We also visited an orchid grower (my passion at
the time was growing orchids) and enjoyed walking along the beachfront. Not
a lot of time to do much but, so far, I have not been back to Hawaii.
The trip out of Honolulu to Hong Kong began near midnight. I am always nervous
on plane trips but, being bone tired helped sleep overcome my nerves. Even in
first class, my seat space was not so roomy for a restless sleeper. I awoke
with a start when the captain announced that we were crossing over the Marianas
Trench -- we're so far up here and that is so far down my unreasonable mind
complained. Someplace out there we also lost a day.
There wasn't much we could see from the airport at Guam. The stop was short
but I recall palms, beaches, ocean and wondering how this could be the site
of such a bloody war.
The next stop was Okinawa and it was briefer. Then on to Taipei. It was here that the landscape began to look very eastern. Clouds fingering out on the hillside, hills terraced for efficient farming. But, we could not stay as we had not gotten visas ahead of time and we could not apply once there. It was the only time we wished we had taken the time to get a visa.
The descent into Hong Kong on the old airport was fabled. I, a nervous flyer, had been warned about it. So, with my eyes to my camera and camera to plane window, I began to snap pictures of the final approach. Only when we developed them at home and I saw them did I really become frightened!
Hong Kong was the final destination for the Hawaii leg and we found an inexpensive, but safe, hotel. We had our own bathroom but I believe the hours for showers were limited. And the water was an unusual rusty color. Keep mouth shut, don't drink that water! I think it was late afternoon when we arrived as I recall people -- especially school children -- bustling towards home.
We had several items on our travel itinerary: Chinese food, Chinese food, shop, Chinese food, New Territories, Chinese food. My husband was an unabashed, self-described "chow hound." We found a taxi driver and told him we wanted to go to a good Chinese restaurant for lunch. A Chinese style lunch. He took us to a restaurant that he said was very good. We were, as nearly as I could see, the only non-Orientals in the very huge multi-story restaurant and were put into the capable hands of the waiter who showed us how to order -- it was dim sum and we were in for a wonderful surprise. He stopped a couple of carts and pulled items off for us, so that we could see how it was done and then left us to experiment. Did we have fun; the food was wonderful, but I have no idea what we ate.
Then it was time to shop and I think we were on Nathan Street. Bill wanted a
pair of alligator loafers and I wanted a cashmere beaded cardigan and a new
pair of sunglasses. Getting new glasses was always expensive; it required a
trip to the Optometrist or Ophthalmologist, then being granted a piece of paper
to take to a dispensing optician. Then the DO could not just make a copy of
your prescription unless it was very recent. In Hong Kong, no such problem existed.
They measured my glasses and in less than an hour I had flamboyant sunglasses
which were to service me a decade and then were carried around as a souvenir.
Last year, I think I finally disposed of them.
Bill was thirsty and wanted some beer. We chose a bar, went in and then made
a hasty exit when the bar girls tried to pick him up.
We hired a cab to take us on a tour of the New Territories. Bill especially wanted to see the boatyard where the Lapworth 50 was built, but we did not find that. We did go to one of the traditional Chinese villages and, paying money, were able to take pictures of a few of the old ladies in traditional dress. That close to the Red China border made us both nervous; I'm sure it was mostly because of the rampant US propaganda rather than any actual immediate threat to us personally.
It was long ago when we were in Hong Kong but I remember the tram ride, the gaudy Tiger Balm Garden and the night we took a water taxi out to the floating restaurant in the Harbor. I remember determinedly using chopsticks and thinking "OK, when your hand cramps, it is time to stop eating." We both admired the traditional junks in the harbor; they have a majesty about them. Bill particularly admired how they fit so well the type of work they were designed for but how it was impractical for the coastal waters near us.
We went back to the multi-storied restaurant for another lunch. Again, we were the only non-Orientals there. This time, Bill ordered Peking Duck as well as the dim sum service.Finally, at night we left for Bangkok. We were in a 707, a plane I dearly loved despite my terror of flying (I really disliked 727s). There was little to see at night except the village lights, however, our flight path took us over the DMZ. This was in 1971 and the Vietnam war raged relentlessly more than 30,000 feet below us. The pilot pointed out the ground fire, clearly observable from the plane. Someone nervously asked "Do they know we are her?" Yes, was the reply, we are on a known flight path and they seldom take shots at us. It was time for another drink.
Bangkok was changing. The war years brought GI's for R and R and with them a
huge change in the culture of Bangkok. It may have been inevitable, but was
visually painful. The elegance of native Thai design was going International.
Of all the stops on the trip, Bangkok was my favorite.
Bangkok
Orchids - the market with breathtaking ascosendas, Vanadas and Dendrobiums.
Buying orchids to send home. I had a permit.
Temple of Emerald Buddha - the most beautiful building I've been in
Food - the Thai style dinner and show. An elegant dinner.
Jim Thompson's home http://www.silk-king.com/thehouse.html
Searching for a Princess ring for myself and a friend.
Lizards on the hotel ceiling.
Trying to get to Chang-Mai
I remember the sea of lights below me after so little visible ground light across the Indian subcontinent, so it was evening when we arrived in Bombay. My hopes were to go to Delhi to view the Taj Mahal and I knew that we would need to find alternative transportation to travel there. Also, Bill wanted to see if it was possible to travel to Ceylon. I do not remember now how we got our hotel but we were sternly warned that it could be for one night only as it was completely booked after that. We were also advised that rooms in Bombay were full. The problem, as we understood it, was that there were upcoming elections and voters had to vote in their home location, so travel across the country was solidly booked.
As we explored the travel situation further, it seemed that Delhi was not possible. To await a suitable train, and we were advised not to travel below second class, would be a three day wait. To hire a driver was impossibly expensive as it seemed we could not hire a car and drive ourselves. Bill's Ceylon trip was also not possible. The flights were once a week. We would need to make the best of our visit in Bombay in one day and then leave for Tel Aviv at midnight.
Bill upset
Crawford's market
Liquor License
towers of silence
elegant lunch
Resident
The flight from Bombay to Tel Aviv was at night so most of us slept. We were
awakened when the Captain announced that we were approaching Tel Aviv via Cyprus.
Unthinkingly, most of us grabbed for our maps before realizing that the airline,
landing at Tel Aviv, could not cross over Arab airspace. We arrived at Tel Aviv
about 6 am. Because the flight from Tel Aviv to Athens was nearly completely
filled, we had to clear Israeli customs and wait to see when we could depart.
We were desperately hungry but there seemed to be little food available at that
hour and there was no way that we could have bacon and eggs. Finally we found
something to nibble on while we waited. Advised that it was a long trip into
the city, we opted to wait at the airport; our planned departure was about 9
am.
Then, we noticed that the airport security was becoming very tight. The President of Israel was departing on an El Al flight and we were able to glimpse his plane, but not him. This was before the Lod Airport bombings, security is tighter now.
Finally, we were able to board the flight we had hoped. But, as it was a last
minute boarding, we were very rushed. Bill and I split up our luggage and I
headed for the area where departing female passengers were "frisked".
The security policewomen were suspicious of my Nikonos camera and I had to remove
the lens and then shoot a frame for them before they passed it. Next was the
codeine and antibiotic prescriptions I carried with me in case my partially
completed root canal acted up. We both were passed and just in time to board.
This was a year prior to the massacre at Lod.
It had been a cold winter and there was snow on the hills around Athens. We
arrived at our room and Bill declared that he was going to sleep for a few hours.
I was annoyed; we hadn't traveled this far to sleep. I looked out the window
at the city, so western and familiar and I wanted desperately to go out now
and explore. But, I decided that going by myself might not be a good idea and
so, reluctantly, I, too, took a nap. We awoke in time to go to a restaurant
near the hotel and have a wonderful time. The food was good, not gourmet but
the dancing made it memorable. Sadly, I could not get Bill to dance and so I
was relegated to watching (I've gotten over that hump now)
Corinthian canal
Anemones on Agamemnon's tomb
Boats at harbor
Parthenon
Rome. I looked forward to it for so long. I cannot now recall why I wanted to
visit Rome and not Paris. However, that is how I felt as I left the airport.
Perhaps I expected too much. We found a small pension near Via Vinetta; we had
breakfast there and maybe lunch. It was a good chance to meet fellow travelers.
One couple had been in Africa and he was sporting his prize, a leopard coat.
Even in 1971 I found that shocking. Maybe that alone set the wrong tone for
Rome. Added to that was my reaction to all of the gold and jeweled items displayed
in the Vatican. Yes, they were historic; but, displayed with such ostentation
seemed, well, tasteless. Especially after viewing the poverty in Bombay.
I was amazed, however, at St. Peter's Basilica. It was designed to impress and
it did not fail to do that. The bronze elaborate Baldacchino was especially
impressive -- soaring toward the dome. My reaction to "Do you want to visit the Coliseum?" was "No.
I do not want to visit the Flavian Amphitheater. Driving by it will suffice." Art History again! And, still stung that a reader would mark as incorrect the
proper name. I did want to see the Pantheon, but it was closed as the attendants
were on strike for more pay. That was a disappointment. Rome was cold and snowy;
I had a light coat which had seemed silly in Bangkok but inadequate now. I also
had open-toed shoes and I remember the disbelieving stares I received. I coped with
the chill factor by purchsing a long, black knitted wool scarf and going into
every enclosed sidewalk cafe I could for espresso, coffee or brandy.
I don't recall any dinners in Rome, we were conserving our dwindling cash for
a feast in Paris. I do, however, remember that we both suddenly had a craving
for a Big Mac. And, there was a MacDonalds handy; we winced at the prices, bought
two hamburgers and then realized that they were nothing like we had in California.
And they were expensive.
Paris I had not been exceptionally anxious to see, but that all changed once I was there. It was wonderful and memorable. I enjoyed the sidewalk cafes and the stalls along the Left Bank (where I bought an orchid print). Notre Dame and St. Chapelle were beyond my expectations. While Bill was puzzled at my lack of desire to see the Eiffel Tower (I could see it from our hotel but now regret not having gone there), I did want to see the Louvre. We didn't have a lot of time to spend in Paris, so the trip to the Louvre was rushed. Having recently graduated with a degree in Art History, I was fussy about what I wanted to see -- none of the usual! I was totally mesmerized by Venetian glass and the room of Fabrege objects.
Then we went for a very memorable dinner at the Tour D'argent. What an elegant and wonderful restaurant. Somewhere, I still have the menu for that dinner.
Then it was time to head home. Paris to NY to LAX. The landing in NY was spectacular but with a several hour layover, it was not sufficient time to do anything else. Besides, we were worn out.