As if by Magic - The Bay of Bengal

As Robin left Myanmar he sent two further pictures.
The first is of this rather beautiful lady and her child. She explained that the face paint was made from wood pulp and worn mainly by the women and children. It's function is not only decorative, but also, to help protect from the vicious sun.



Secondly, an image of a lovely flower:



But now, Crystal Symphony is back at sea, crossing the Bay of Bengal on its way to India.
Robin left home so long ago that his return flight tickets weren't yet available.
I had to pass on a message that I found rather amusing.
When he arrived on board Symphony he had to find the magician, who was bringing out Robin's flight details and tickets, and as if by magic, he would be able to return home.
As it turned out, the magician, Brett, found him, and they immediately got on very well. They have enjoyed many evenings discussing music and found they have very similar tastes.
Robin has also been amazed by some late night, private viewing, of some spectacular card tricks.
His guitar practice will be stepping up a gear now as his second concert is on Thursday.

Robin Hill in Yangon

For those of you who still enjoy listening to cassette tapes, then, you need to start looking after the player. As Harry Wallop reports, many of the large electronic retailers in Britain are to stop selling cassette tapes, and, Christmas will be the last time hi-fi systems will have tape decks included.

We have hundreds, if not thousands, of tapes around the house. Most we don't listen to very often, but, are the result of a lifetimes devotion to music. Home recorded tracks of Robin as a young boy performing in bands, musical ideas and phrases, recorded, and often used, at a later date, etc.
So we will have to start treating our cassette player with a little more respect. At least until we get around to putting them all into digital format.

Meanwhile, over in Myanmar, Robin did leave his guitar practice and took a trip inland. He has found it one of the most different and interesting places that he has visited.

On an hour long journey into town they passed many of these temples:



A typical market stall:



Does anyone know what fruit this is?

Yangon, Myanmar - Where's That...

Yesterday Robin did his first concert on board Crystal Symphony, which I assume went well, as I read a post on a cruise board that said they had, 'seen the classical guitar player who was wonderful'. That's OK then.
I can also report that the pianist made it off his elephant, and back on board, as he dined with Robin last night.
Today they are heading for Myanmar, (if like me, you are unsure where that is, then it used to be called Burma.)
This looks like an interesting place.
If you go to the tourist sites for Myanmar, there are lovely pictures, as you would imagine.
He is actually docking in Yangon, and again, that looks and sounds great.
However, if you check out 'Lonely Planet World Guide', then it appears that some caution is needed.
As Robin will be there for a few days, he will be able to assess it for himself.
After more than 30 years of travelling the globe, and many strange, and often rather frightening experiences, I'm sure that he'll handle this without any problems, and just enjoy the experience.

Frustratingly, a new microphone arrived yesterday, ready for testing. I'm sure the travel worn musician will be delighted to put it through its paces on his return.