Day 37 ~ A Passage to Singapore

“Surely some of the carriages rolling by are headed for the docks. And perhaps a fortunate few of the passengers will board ships, bound for far off Zanzibar or Madagascar or . . . or some other exotic place that ends in –ar.”
~ Lady Caroline Lovell, from my upcoming Mia Marlowe novel,
The Singular Mr. Sinclair

Sunrise on the Indian Ocean

I’m feeling a bit like my wander-lusting heroine today, except that I’m actually living out Lady Caroline’s dream. We’re sailing through a narrow straight (the Sunder Straight, I think) between the islands of Sumatra and Java. Borneo is dead ahead. I’ve heard of these beguiling and mysterious places for years, and now I’m almost near enough to touch them.

But not quite.

The island of Java is about the size of the state of North Carolina.

The DH heard one lady complaining that we were missing Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and a city she adores, by such a few miles it was positively maddening. She advocated staging a mutiny and forcing the captain to take us there. The DH found a reason to leave her conversation circle pretty quickly. Even in jest, I don’t think the captain would appreciate talk of mutiny.

Besides the bridge crew has its hands full with this narrow passage. It’s rife with sand bars and shifting currents, oil platforms and other ships. The last thing they need to deal with is a passenger revolt.

On March 2^nd, we’ll be in Singapore—an Asian powerhouse of a city. It’s reportedly modern and pristine and extremely strict. Here are just a few of the things on our not-to-do list while we’re a guest there:

And for fines we’re not talking a slap on the wrist. The penalties are hefty—in the hundreds of dollars. Caning is still meted out for some offenses. And if that doesn’t get your attention, take a look at the friendly warning on our disembarkation cards.

Granted, we weren’t planning to smuggle any drugs into the country, but this has made me decide not to even carry a cough drop in my pocket.

We will be expected to conform to a modest style of dress, too. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. When we visit a Hindu temple we will be expected to leave our shoes at the entrance and go barefoot.

With such strict laws and stiff penalties, I’m not a bit worried that they won’t be there when we get back! 

In recent years, a number of Americans have run afoul of local laws in foreign countries. We may find those laws oppressive, but sovereign nations are allowed to regulate their societies as they see fit. Travelers have a duty not to offend their hosts. We’re going to do our best not to flaunt local custom. When we’re abroad, we need to be respectful Americans, not ugly ones.

Me & Oscar, our Maitre D

In other news, we had our second Cruise Critic luncheon today. (In case you haven’t discovered Cruise Critic, it’s a message board style website where cruisers can meet to discuss their travel experiences or join a roll call to become acquainted with their fellow passengers prior to a trip.) Oscar and the Main Dining Room staff did a terrific job of making us feel special, but then they always do!

P.S. Time for a historical note. 75 years ago to the day, two allied vessels, the USS Houston and the Australian HMS Perth, faced a Japanese force of five ships in this very strait we just traversed. After three days of intense fighting, both allied ships were sunk with a loss of over 600 American and 300 Australian sailors, including the captains of both ships. The American captain was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his valor in the action. The Japanese lost three ships—two to friendly fire.

We passed through these narrows in safety and peace. They went through hell in the same spot. A moment of silence please, for all the souls—on both sides of the battle—who left this world through the entrance to the Java Sea all those years ago.