Cruise to Southeast Asia, Part Two

As I have said to many people since our return, the Southeast Asia cruise was a journey back into recent history, in which we learned the long-term outcomes of what we had lived through when young. During my twenties, the Vietnam War was background noise, something to be opposed to, but I never inquired into the colonial past of Vietnam or the rationale for US involvement, such as it was. On the cruise, a series of four lectures by Major Rod Baldwin, a military historian who had formerly served with the New Zealand army in Vietnam, provided the background for understanding the French and subsequently the American investment in South Vietnam and the horrifying events in Cambodia, fallout from Nixon's bombing of the country. At the same time, I was reading a volume Daniel had given me for Christmas, J. M. Barwise and N. J. White's A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia, which served as a very convenient textbook. Book and lectures in combination became a mini-course preparing me for Ho Chi Minh City and later Cambodia. The other two onboard speakers offered interesting lectures, though they were not directly related to the cultures we would experience. Gavin Roser, a really charming man, talked about naval history and maritime operations. It was probably more interesting to Ron--ships, like automobiles, are to me just transport vehicles, not objects of romance. Eric Sidebottom, a professor of the history of medicine at Oxford,gave a series of talks on the origins of plague and the effects of plagues on history. Since I had dealt with the Antonine Plague in the last chapter of Sexuality, I found his coverage of the Greek and Roman periods absorbing and right on target. On the way to Singapore we crossed the equator; those who had never done so by sea before were initiated (see accompanying photo). Singapore has a bad name among political progressives because of its severe penalties against drugs, not to mention laws against littering and a ban on chewing gum. Nevertheless, it was a marvelous city, particularly impressive because of its futuristic architecture, like the Marina Bay Hotel (below). Our introductory excursion took us to Mt. Faber and Chinatown, fantastically decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year (the Year of the Snake, obviously). One highlight was the botanical gardens--more orchids, and a bounty of other tropical plants thriving in the moist equatorial climate. After the city tour, Ron and I found our way to the National Museum of Singapore, which provided a detailed photographic history of the Japanese occupation. At evening the ship departed the Singapore Cruise Center, the city glowing around us as darkness fell. Another day at sea heading toward Ho Chi Minh City. Days at sea became very boring. I finally resorted to staying in the cabin and working on the Catullus bibliography I'm compiling for Lustrum. Since we had cruised with them previously, the Aegean Odyssey line hads upgraded our quarters at no additional charge. We had an unimpeded outside view, making the cabin bright and fairly comfortable, even though small.

Cruise to Southeast Asia, Part One

On January 20 we set off on our trip to Southeast Asia, most of it spent aboard the Aegean Odyssey again. I was so pleased with the staff and arrangements on our first voyage in May 2012 that I hoped to repeat the experience. There were other differences, though, not just the destination. We were on our own, not traveling with the AIA or some other group, and the greater part of the cruise was spent at sea, with relatively few ports of call. Consequently, our experiences were not the same, neither in quantity nor quality. However, there are still many good things to remember. One memorable event, not at all a happy one, was the plane flight from SFO first to Hong Kong and then Singapore. The flight was delayed three hours, so we didn't take off until well after midnight. We were flying through darkness for most of the seventeen hours aboard, and, though I tried to get some sleep, I really couldn't. Wound up watching a marathon of Nurse Jackie episodes, simply because I was too groggy to read and that was the best entertainment on offer. After landing in Singapore, we had to deal with an additional two-hour flight to Bali and transfer to the Nikko Bali Resort, checking in close to 10:00 p.m. their time. We had no idea how long we had been awake. The first thing that struck me was the contrast between the elegant resort properties and the native settlements. The latter were simply open storefronts with overhanging roofs, facing directly on the highway (no sidewalks) and selling food, clothing, you name it. Juxtaposition of inordinately wealthy and poor took your breath away. Resorts are protected enclaves with guard booths. The luxury was embarrassing; the resort was also not cheap, though prices outside it were very low. On our first full evening there, we ate in the more casual restaurant, by no means a dress-up place. While the food was not terribly expensive, alcohol, except for beer, was through the roof--a circumstance we noticed everywhere in SE Asia. Still trying to get my bearings, and completely unfamiliar with the currency, I ordered what I thought was a nine-dollar bottle of Australian wine (that would have been its price in the US), only to find that in mentally converting I had put the decimal in the wrong place. While on land I drank a lot more beer this trip than I normally do.

Bali is famous for its native dances, though the two we attended were quite obviously scaled down and oriented towards the tourist, as the action on stage did not match the scenes narrated in the libretto. We were also taken on a planned excursion to a jewelry shop and a wood-working establishment--the latter featuring not only statuettes of traditional deities, but representations of anything and everything a tourist might like, including sensual Western-style naked females.

I was impressed by two things--the absolutely ravishing orchids, growing untended, and the widespread animism. While we were told that Buddhism and Islam were the two dominant religions of Indonesia, on Bali there was evidence of animism everywhere--statues of divinities wrapped with checkered cloth for good luck, small shrines with incense, including one on a banyan tree in the middle of a shopping center. I actually saw the clerk from the shop nearby go out and make an offering of food at the shrine before returning to sell souvenirs. Visits to Buddhist temples were problematic, because, like Islam, etiquette requires the removal of shoes in sacred places, and that was something Ron was unable to do. Temples were also located in places difficult of access, like Gunung Kawi atop a high cliff (left). After two days in Bali, we traveled by bus to the port, embarked on the Aegean Odyssey, and sailed the next day to the port of Semarang and a visit to Borobudur. Climbing up the various levels to the top of the temple was unforgettable, as the stonework was extremely impressive and the temple complex well preserved. While on the topmost level, I noticed people leaving offerings of flowers and food at the stupas, or chambers housing Buddha images. As soon as the worshipper left, the guards took the offerings away and trashed them. The guide explained that Borobudur was not a Buddhist shrine but a public monument, so leaving offerings is discouraged, though devout Buddhists do it anyway. It seemed rather a waste. On the way back to the ship, we bought a pound of Java coffee at a local plantation. Unfortunately, we didn't try it beforehand, and Java coffee requires some getting used to. We're blending it with Starbucks' French Roast. Back to the ship and on to Singapore. I was looking forward to the guest lectures on board. In that I was not disappointed.

APA in Seattle

From December 27 through January 7, Ron and I visited Daniel in Austin and then went on to Seattle for the annual American Philological Association meeting. We had a fine time in Austin--saw Daniel's new digs and met his third cat (actually a neighborhood cat who hangs around with Daniel's two--Daniel calls him Third Wheel), saw more movies than we usually see in any three months together, and had a very nice dinner at the home of Daniel's friend and co-worker Steve, who has an astounding art collection. Austin has many terrific restaurants, and it seems like we're always going to new ones. New Year's Eve was quiet, dinner with Daniel and then an hour watching HBO in our own hotel room. Daniel introduced us to a number of television series, Network, which I rather liked, and Breaking Bad. Brief review of the latter: the cinematography of the pilot was impressive, but neither of us cared that much about the main character to watch the rest of the series. (Since then, I've gotten into Homeland, also a show with "flawed protagonists," to use the technical term, but much more appealing ones.) On to the APA. Right off the plane we ran into Mike and Laura Lippman, a sign that I was going to see a lot of U of A people, chiefly archaeologists. Also had excellent get-togethers with Chris van den Berg, Susanna Braund, and Daniel Kiss. I had expected that Ron would drive down to Centralia to stay with his cousin Jim and wife Myrna while I attended the meeting by myself, but it turned out that they were not in town. The weather was chilly and wet, so Ron spent most of the time in the hotel--one brief excursion outside triggered his rheumatism. Luckily, the Sheraton in Seattle has one of the city's best restaurants, the Daily Grill. We had more than one dinner there and enjoyed them greatly. The Vergilian Society Board of Trustees meeting was upbeat, reflecting the organization's newfound prosperity and hopes for the future. The Friday sessions began with a highly enjoyable WCC breakfast and open meeting. The Vergilian Society general meeting and reception were also warm and welcoming. There were a number of very exciting panels, including the WCC panel on "Sexual Labor in the Ancient World". I was so impressed by Sarah Levin-Richardson's "Archaeology of Social Relationships in Pompeii's Brothel" that I immediately afterward nominated it for the Barbara McManus Award. Fittingly, the very last panel I attended, on Sunday afternoon, was one on "Catullan Identities," where I heard a paper by Leah Kronenberg, one of the students in my Catullus course at U Texas in 1991 and now a tenured associate professor at Rutgers. Little did I foresee that a quarter-century later I would be looking back on her work with such pleasure. For the CAMP Staged Reading, Mary Kay Gamel again produced her "Alcestis," with changes that reflected the input she received at F&C VI (Admetus and Phares were not reconciled at the end). I always go to APA meetings dreading what might happen--not recognizing someone I should know, embarrassing all around, or feeling completely isolated for three days straight--and yet I usually leave thinking that I've had a great time. APA meetings are not as intense any more as they were when all my friends were newly minted assistant professors scrabbling for jobs and tenure, but their good moments are highly satisfactory ones.

Thanksgiving in the Bay Area

As usual, Ron and I flew to the Bay Area for our Thanksgiving visit with my sister Jeanne and her husband Norm. On Saturday, after spending two days with them, we drove around the East Bay to some of our favorite haunts--the Eileen Fisher outlet store in San Leonardo, Wente Brothers Winery for a tasting and a gourmet lunch, and later to Berkeley for dinner at Bistro Liaison. While in Berkeley, we tried to see Lincoln, but it was completely sold out; eventually we saw it in Austin with Daniel over New Year's. On Sunday, we took BART into San Francisco for the opera: Tosca, with Angela Gheorghiu and Massimo Giordano. Roberto Frontali was that performance's Scarpia; I would have preferred to hear Mark Delevan, the alternate, but you take what you can get. Gheorghiu had previously not been well, and I thought she was good enough but not electrifying. Giordano's interpretation of Cavaradossi was more nuanced than most, especially in Act III. The common impression is that he goes to his death believing, like Tosca, that the execution is a sham; but this Cavaradossi appeared to realize, just from his facial expression, that Scarpia would never have granted a safe conduct. Nevertheless he does not reveal his doubts to Tosca and plays along, even while suspecting that he is about to die. That would make him much more of a hero than he is usually allowed to be. I liked that idea very much. For my birthday, Daniel gave me a Pashmina shawl, which I wore to the opera--see my profile. We had brilliant weather, and the Bay Area was beautiful, with the grapevines showing their fall colors.