REVISIONIST HISTORY

Did you know that President Johnson didn't run for reelection in 1968 because he wanted to focus all his efforts on bringing peace to Vietnam? That's the story we got from his daughter Lynda the other day when she addressed the shipboard community of Semester at Sea. History apparently lied to us that he bowed out of the race after doing poorly in the New Hampshire primary. Another gem from Lynda's speech: "Don't question other people's motives." She is onboard with her husband, former Governor of Virgina and US Senator, Chuck Robb.

SINGAPORE ZOO PRIMATES

I'm not sure what it is about this trip, but I am really enjoying photographing monkeys. Yesterday Julie and I ventured over to the Singapore Zoo, which is recognized as one of the best zoos in the world. They are particularly well respected for their primates, including many weird exotic ones you can see in the pictures. We only stopped in Singapore for around 8 hours to refuel, so our time was limited. Probably for the best as things were pretty expensive there. We arrive in Vietnam in two days.

INDIA LITE

I was completely prepared for India this time around. Last time I came to Chennai, India, and it overwhelmed me by its smells, its chaos, and its enormity. Boy was I surprised by the laid-back nature of Kerala, just a few hundred miles away on the opposite coast. Kerala was a very easy place to travel. It was quaint and lovely. We rode around the backwaters in a houseboat, stayed in a private beach villa, and shopped in the Jewish quarter. We didn't get hassled or scammed once. Not to mention I had one of the best glasses of wine in my entire life, which happened to be Indian wine.

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