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Go ahead…

@@randalllarson3323 Do you want to do SEO?

What even is that?

Ah, well. That actually makes a fair amount of sense; after all, I come from a country that has a history of vigilante justice on cattle rustlers. Still, that’s not what my guide seemed to be talking about, but in the noise and confusion I may have missed something. I don’t claim to be an expert here, as I’m just a tourist.

​@@randalllarson3323Your guide will not be able to give details. Obviously I don't expect you to know about the minute details. It is the cow & bull meat which is illegal in most stares of India but that to has a nuance. Even in states where Beef is illegal - the ban is only on killing of cows but there's no restriction on eating it. The lynchings are a law and order situation rather than a religious problem. What does happen is that 90% of cattle thieves are Muslims.Non Muslim or Hindu cattle thieves have also been lynched. Problem is that a Hindu being lynched is not news.

Uh… whatever…?

I confess, I've no idea what you're referring to. I realize I'm not sufficiently familiar with Mumbai to identify where I am, etc., so I get that the title and description may not be correct. However, I've no idea what an SEO or a rank tag is. I'm doing this for my own benefit, and to keep my friends and family appraised as to how things are going on my trip; it's not like I have any thoughts of monetizing my content or anything like that, so I don't see where it matters. I mean, it'd be nice if other people saw it, sure, but I can't make them do anything they don't want to, so… it is what it is.

Hello.

Thanks so much, my friend. I'm afraid we left Indonesia over a month ago, having only stopped in Lombok and Bali late in March. And while the Serenade of the Seas is going to be stopping in Luanda within the next month, I will have disembarked in Dubai and returned home. My apologies, but I hope you've been enjoying the journey all the same.

Good question. I had to look it up, as it had been a while since I booked the excursion. It cost $169 for the seven-hour trip; as trips go, not a bad deal. And let's not forget there's this whole "I'm never going to get the chance to come here and do this" vibe going on; rendering the whole thing 'priceless,' as the old MasterCard slogan used to go…

​@@randalllarson3323 An interesting way of looking at it. Though the boat could have been better.

Oh, I'm sure it could have. Of course, I have no basis of comparison (apart from the others we were "racing" along the way that seemed fairly similar…

Oh, okay. The excursion copy used the term 'trishaw,' so that's what I went with. I'll admit, I always thought of rickshaws as being two-wheeled vehicles that were hand-carried by a runner, rather than pedaled, so I assumed this was a different (if similar in purpose and use) kind of vehicle.

@randalllarson3323 trishaw is also used by us. The difference between melaka and penang are the driver is beside or behind a passenger in the two towns (city).

Thanks; I'm sorry that today wasn't nearly as eventful as I would have hoped. Perhaps tomorrow in Colombo, or the next day in Cochin, I'll have more to report back on.

Hey, thanks! I do try to make this as comprehensive as I can, since I know there are a lot of these places I'm never going to get to again in my life. Plus, this is literally a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for bearing with the fact that I've no script and no training when it comes to filming and editing; this is as "as it happens" as they come.

You know, I couldn't sense much of the wind from my balcony, but I couldn't get over how many lightning strikes there were, and all basically in the same place in the sky! I guess it must have been fairly distant, but still, it was a sight to see, wasn't it?

Well, I've tried it. There are others I wish I had time (and opportunity) to check out. It's certainly reasonable for the price, no argument, especially when converted into dollars. Even in downtown Tokyo, those are cheap eats.

Glad you're enjoying it.

Thanks; glad you're enjoying my trip

True enough; and although the preparation is reasonably speedy, a place like this had a surprisingly long wait time to get in. Sign of a good place, I suppose, although I'm certainly not used to that out in the 'burbs.

Well, maybe when I get home, the gang needs to get together for some. We've got a long list of restaurants to hit up, once I decide to do the whole "tourist in my hometown" schtick.

You're welcome. Yes, I did see the sign about the Confucian museum, but only after I'd walked away from it That's what happens when I record my reactions in the moment; I tend to discover things after the fact, and I've already said my piece about them (or they're otherwise in my rear-view mirror, so to speak). It's a shame, but that's how travel works, sometimes. Glad you could enjoy a few obscure glimpses of the city.

Yeah, I know; but the name drew me in. I did walk by a few places offering more authentically Korean stuff, but when EVERYTHING is written it hangul, I can neither order it, nor know what I’m ordering. So… yeah.

Good for them (you?) for being able to set such grievances aside and work toward a better future.

Thanks for these insights, Jeffrey. I try to study a bit about every one of these destinations before I get here, but it's usually only enough for me to be wrong that much more confidently (kind of like ChatGPT). Since I'm aware that I have a tendency to pontificate on camera, I have to throw in the disclaimer that I realize the insights I'm having in the moment could be terribly mistaken; my sensibilities are not that of a local's, whose been steeped in the history and culture of the place I'm only visiting. That being said, it's nice to know my conclusions seem to be reasonably close to the truth - although I sort of assumed that this wouldn't have been built until after his death, I know his authoritarianism lasted for the lifetime of his son, who ruled after him. In retrospect, it makes sense that such monuments would be built in spite of popular opinion; the great square of Pyongyang honors a family dynasty that, if the people of the DPRK know any better, would absolutely despise (not that I'm comparing Taiwan to North Korea, by any measure) For what it's worth, I'm been enjoying myself immensely - I honestly could have stood to have that much more time in Taipei, as I barely got to three or four places via the metro, when I know there's so much more to see - and I wish you and yours continued good fortune and prosperity, as well as continued steadfastness in the current geopolitical climate. You're quite right, the R.O.C. is a model of democratic and economic freedom, and needs to stand and be supported against certain… threats. Cheers!

They’re not actually defunct, Pearson they’ve simply moved to Elgin. You can find them on Randall Road, ironically enough.

@randalllarson3323 Alas, the Elgin location closed on September 30, 2023. I had a link from the Chicago Tribune, but YT didn't like it. I grabbed burgers for the family that day, and I snagged one of the few buttons with one of the original mascots.

Aw, seriously? I know it's been a while since I'd been out there (no point in going so far, now that Daniel's graduated from Judson and all that), but I'd no idea it had given up the ghost - again. That's a shame. Still, I understand that the old Sam's Club at Golf and Algonquin is set to be turned into an Asian-themed mini-mall; here's hoping something like that shows up there…

Sure thing, and I'm happy to do it. I'm not quite so intimidated by the lines (although the limited time I had might have made it so) as I am by the fact that I have to make a choice somewhere, somehow. Having that many options just causes me to lock up a bit, especially when I feel like I ought to select something a little more local flavor and all that.

Thank you po. Sorry I can't stay longer, especially given that I'd no idea what to expect.

Had a lovely time, actually. Could have used a bit more, but... you take (and enjoy) what you're given.

??

Thanks; it certainly has its moments.

You know, that's a fair question. I think I may be on this trip long enough for it to happen again, and if it does, we guests will get another notification about it (so as not to alarm us when we run into the crew in our rooms, among other things). I'll follow up if and when that happens.

As promised, I just got a notification that they will be doing another round of maintenance tomorrow; so evidently it's approximately every three weeks. Either that, or that's how long it takes for them to go around through all the cabins and get back to where they started.

Thank you so much! I'd hoped to do more like this, but I've gotten sidetracked since then, as you can probably tell. I really do need to practice more with After Effects like that, as my skills (such as they are/were) have gotten rusty. But I think of this as an incredibly meaningful song (as well as one that explains each part of the passage in perfect detail); I'll be hard-pressed to find a song with a similar level of beauty and meaning as this one.

YW! As an art critic/critique-er with experience in computer art, I'd say you made it look easy. Yes, I also cannot think of another song like you described and without too much repetition of lyrics. Well, I know more about art than works of music.@@randalllarson3323

Yeah... it's why I was surprised (and maybe slightly disappointed) that what swimming we were promised ended up being at the hotel. I can swim at a hotel ANY time...

Thank you, Josie; I'll do my best to make it as interesting as I know how.

Sure, I don’t see why not. Enjoy