Yin and Yang III

The theme of man made glory vs. natural beauty continues with beaches.  Singaporean beaches are, indeed, man made with sand imported from Cambodia and Myanmar.  The beaches are primarily intended for locals, with such attractions as a Universal Studios theme park.  Living less than 10 miles from the original Universal Studios, we passed.

In lore, Bali beaches have an exotic lure.  The reality is more mundane.  The beaches are nice, but probably not on a par with those of Thailand, nor as inexpensive as those in Cambodia.  For us, it was a 2 night pace stop: No sightseeing, just being.

When Horace Greeley said, "Go west young man," he could have been talking about Kuta.  Kuta on the western shore is party central.  For those looking to drink and hookup. either through their charm, or with their wallet, Kuta is the place.  A street of night clubs, as well as the fledging Bali sex trade, are domiciled there.  Other, less extreme scenes are available in the West, but we went East to Sanur.  The strip of land is narrow, so Sanur is only 8 miles from Kuta.

We chose Tandjung Sari, one of the first boutique hotels in tropical Asia, dating back 50 years.  Our beachfront bungalow had living space on the first floor and a ocean view sitting area on the second floor.  We had a private garden and both indoor and outdoor showers.

We woke to breakfast with a view.

Every evening ended with entertainment.

Our short stay was the perfect antidote to the prior week of sightseeing.

Turkey On A Rope

Blue Mosque

Our Turkey trip is a prime example of the Traveler On a Rope philosophy.  The traveler on a rope expects value, but with a budget, and expectations, that go beyond a shoe string.

The impetus for the trip was a Gate1 heavily discounted offer including airfare and 4 nights in a 4 star Istanbul hotel, upgradeable to a 5 star property.  As with most such offers, multiple dates were available.  Usually you can pick a start date, and then a later return date, based on other tours.  We elected a February 27 start date, but with a March 19 return.  This placed us squarely in off season, but with a good likelihood of reasonable weather.

The traveler on a rope always travels in shoulder or off season.  Ephesus with 100 people spread along the grounds evokes the glory of the Roman Empire.  With 5,000 people, it simulates the hell of Los Angeles rush hour.

Although crowd avoidance is the primary lure of off season, substantial savings is a close second.  Hotels are less expensive, and even the best reviewed, have availability.  When we were shopping for a rug is Selcuk, the owner let us know that the rug we fancied would have the fancy price of 2500 Turkish Lira in summer (just under 500 dollars), before offering the winter price of 1200.  In summer further bargaining would have been hard, with multiple tourists seeking his attention.  In an empty store I negotiated down to 600 lira.

The package, was independent travel only including the hotel and airfare.  One half day walking tour was included free, with others offered for a fee.  We slept in and ignored the free tour, and all others.

The traveler on a rope sets priorities.  Moving at your own pace is one of them.  More to come, but with the current crisis, I wanted to reach back and post from a time of mobility.

For those interested in books in the traveler on a rope series, please check out your favorite source for online books.  The most recent is 4 AMERICANS IN CUBA, A TRAVELER ON A ROPE GUIDEBOOK.  The SOUTHEAST ASIA ON A ROPE  series includes a guide to Thailand and Laos, a book on Cambodia and Myanmar, as well as a shorter book on Bangkok and Chiang Mai.  All are under my name, Larry Stein.

Central Casting

Trump has taken to calling himself a wartime president.  The only wars he has waged are on science and his own government.  In crisis his inadequacies are magnified by the weakness of his cast.  It is like a commercial break at the Oscars, when stand-ins (or rather sit-ins), take the seats of attendees.  But in this administration, when the lights come back on, the substitutes are still in place.

Obama prepared the Trump administration for a respiratory pandemic eerily similar to COVID-19. The exercise paired 30 top Trump appointees, with their Obama counterparts, as they worked through the pandemic response.  Two thirds of those Trump appointees are gone.  Across the government Senate confirmed expertise, and next tier experienced bureaucrats, have been replaced with lackeys or not replaced at all.

For instance, the top level of Homeland Security, so crucial in a crisis looks like this:

Secretary (acting), Chad F. Wolf | Secretary's Corner

• Deputy Secretary (vacant), Ken Cuccinelli, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary
• Chief of Staff (acting), John Gountanis
• Executive Secretary (acting), Juliana Blackwell
• General Counsel (acting), Chad Mizelle
• Military Advisor, Rear Admiral Brendan C. McPherson

Trump has no government experience.  He has crafted an administration in his own image.  His choices come from central casting, and none are long lasting.