Category Archives: Travel

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A Day Spent with Buddha’s and Wats

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On day three Sarah and I decided to escape the crowds of Bangkok and catch a train to Ayutthaya, an hour and a half trip.It was at the train station that I experienced my first “squat” toilet, and was surprised when a package of tissues was offered to me for purchase as I entered the stall.  I was grateful when I saw that toilet paper was not commonly used in Thailand. Instead the job was done with a bowl of water for rinsing, which often missed the toilet and accumulated into puddles on the floor!

At Ayutthaya we hired a “tuktuk” for the day and did a tour of the many Buddhist temples (Wats).

tuktuk

Our tuktuk and driver

Wat Suwan Dararam

Wat Suwan Dararam, a modern temple

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam

Ancient Palace Ruins -Ayutthaya

School girls climbing up for a better look at Buddha

schoolclass2

These giggling girls were practising their English. “Hello, you take our picture?” My daughter, Sarah, at back.

Wat Phra Sri Sanphet

Sarah in front of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet

A row of sitting buddhas

A row of sitting Buddhas

Wat Phukhao Thong

Wat Phukhao Thong

Now that I’ve  become a better photographer and more observant traveller, I’d love to do this trip again.  Unfortunately, I didn’t make notes of the temple names.  I’ve managed, I think, to identify some of them from internet pictures, but if anyone cares to help me out with accuracy, it would be appreciated.

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Experiencing a City of Contrasts

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The change in time zones got me confused and I was up out of bed way too early.  While waiting for Sarah and Kendrick to appear, I took in the cityscape from my bedroom window. It was difficult to fathom the contrasting sights that I saw. There were freshly painted large apartment buildings and hotels towering over unpainted and forlorn looking buildings that families called home. Even the two sides of a duplex were different as night and day – one side painted and tidy and boasting new windows, the other very much in need of some TLC. Our day was to be much the same.

After a late breakfast in the hotel dining room, I got my money exchanged and then we went to see the school where Sarah and Kendrick taught. It’s a school for the young children of international dignitaries or wealthy business men, but it’s also an “alternative” school. The classrooms are unstructured – no desks in tidy rows or teachers standing at a black board lecturing.  Instead, the children are encouraged to participate and learn by doing, with the teachers’ guidance. An annual group building project teaches research, logistics, math skills, and craft skills.

Boat House

One project, an outdoor boat house.

Children working together

Children working together

Dragon

Another project – a colourful dragon dominates the school lobby

The children all seem to be happy to learn.  I couldn’t help but think that I might have done better in a school like this! I’m sure many others can relate.

When we left the school, we made our way through the streets that were crowded with street vendors, and into the neighbourhood where Sarah and Kendrick had lived until a few days before. This was an area of small wooden structures, some houses, some shops. We met up with good Thai friends of Sarah and Kendrick, Fatima and Daeng. They lived with their five-year-old daughter in one room in the back of a noodle shop. There older son lived many hours away with Fatima’s parents where he could attend the schooling that could not be afforded in Bangkok. Fortunately Sarah and Kendrick had become quite fluent in Thai during their years there. None of their former neighbours spoke English so I was at a loss to participate in the conversations. Daeng’s only source of income was driving a song thaew, which is the most common type of public transportation in Thailand. Named for the two benches found in the rear passenger area, the song thaew is a pickup truck converted for carrying passengers and some cargo. These vehicles are regulated and licensed by the government.

song thaew

Sarah and Fatima wait in the song thaew for Bea

The four of us drove in it to pick up Bea, Fatima & Daeng’s daughter, from public school and then had lunch at “The Mall”, the first North American style structure I’d seen so far. I ordered “ice milk” expecting plain, cold milk.  What I got was more like a pink milkshake with indiscernible flavours, possibly strawberry and mint.

Ice milk

Traditional Thai lunch, including “ice milk”

The traffic in the city was crazy. There were way too many cars, very few traffic lights or stop signs. The many motorcycles, sometimes carrying whole families, drove two or three abreast, darted between and around cars and even drove on the sidewalks to get through traffic. Some drivers wore helmets; some didn’t. Courtesy was not practised; it was every driver for himself.

At six o’clock we were once more picked up by Mrs. T’s car and driver, this time to be taken to a very fancy, modern hotel on the Chao Phraya River, for an elegant and delicious dinner. We were also adorned with gifts; a beautiful diamond necklace for Sarah as a thank you gift for the teacher, and a gorgeous piece of pink silk fabric for me!

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Bangkok, Day 1

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By the time I arrived in Bangkok at 3:30 pm, I was really too tired to take it all in.  I looked anxiously around for Sarah and Kendrick, but I seemed to be alone. Just  as a friendly face at an airport kiosk asked me, in English, if I needed help, I saw the smacked-against-the-glass face of Kendrick staring at me from another area, and Sarah’s smiling face appeared over his shoulder. Oh, what joy and relief that brought! Since I had no baggage to collect (at Sarah’s directions, I’d squeezed everything I needed for a month into a large back-pack that I was able to carry-on), I was soon on the other side of the glass, embracing them. I was quickly relieved of my bag by a handsome young Thai, and Sarah explained that the mother of one of her students had insisted on sending them to the airport in her car, with a driver! He delivered us to the Atlanta Hotel, which at one time was “the” hotel in Bangkok, having the only indoor pool to boast about. The lobby was ornately decorated with colourful tiles accenting darkly stained tongue and grooved walls. A large circular red leather (or faux?) bench sat in the middle. The same fabric covered a centre columned back rest, at the top of which sat a brass pot of what appeared to be poinsettias. On either side of the doorway leading to the pool, I could see the spiral staircase that would take us to our rooms.

I dreamed of a nice hot bath or at least a shower, and a cozy bed to rest my weary body after my thirty hours of traveling in the same clothes. I was, however, on a tight budget and worried some about what such luxury might cost.  I needn’t have. It turned out that we had budget rooms, at only 390 baht, the Canadian equivalent of about $18.00, per night.  But, you get what you pay for. Our room was nine floors up, by stairs! It seemed the higher we got, the more narrow the staircases and halls became. When I opened my door and took a look around, all dreams of luxuriating in hot soapy water were dashed. The “bathroom” consisted of a small, floor-to-ceiling, no-longer-white, tiled room off the bedroom, with no door. There was a mirror on the wall, a pedestal sink with a single tap and already opened bar of soap in one corner, and a toilet in the other.  Above the toilet was a shower head and taps, cold water only! No towels or face clothes could be found. Sarah had forgotten to tell me to pack my own. Fortunately she and Kendrick had extras so were able to lend me one. My shower was quick, but refreshing and clean clothes felt good. However, in order to keep my feet clean, at least until I got my sandals on, I had to walk on the towel to get to the bed.  The floors were filthy and the paint was peeling from the bedroom walls. I had a lot of adjusting to do!

We went out to dinner with a couple of friends of Sarah and Kendrick – I have no idea what I ate. I guess I was too tired to write that in my journal. After sending some quick emails at the local Cybercafé, we were all ready to hit the sac. The hard, narrow bed with nothing but a couple of thin white sheets and two firm pillows didn’t look very inviting. The night was hot, but the whirl of the dusty overhead fan purred me to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Tomorrow would be a better day.

 

Notes: When checking online today for the Atlanta Hotel, I found many good reviews and it has been refurbished.

I will include some pictures, but unfortunately at that time I had only an old-fashioned 35 mm film camera, the latch of which eventually broke and had to be taped closed! J

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My First Solo Travel Adventure

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There have been a lot of rather depressing things on my mind lately, things I’ve been going to write about. Maybe I will, another day.  Today, it’s time for some adventure. Since I haven’t been anywhere new lately, I think I’ll travel back in time to a trip I made in 2000.

Friends of mine are now enjoying Thailand, and reading about their adventures, on Face Book, sent me in search of my journal that I wrote when I was there in August/September of 2000. At that time internet access was limited, there was no Face Book, nor did WordPress exist, and I actually travelled without being “connected” most of the time. Trips to Cybercafes, when I was in towns where they were available, were enough to let people back home know where I was and how I was doing.

There’s an inscription in the front of the homemade-paper journal that I used. It reads, “To my wonderful mother, on your 50th birthday. I hope this year provides many good things to write about. Love always, Sarah (March/2000)”

Sarah made the journal. At the time, neither of us knew that later that year she would also provide me with many things to write about. She and her husband were living in Bangkok at that time, teaching in an International School. When their three-year contract was coming to an end at the that August, Sarah generously offered to buy me a ticket to join them in Bangkok and accompany them on their last Thailand tour before they returned to Canada.

My adventure began on Sunday August 27th, 2000 when I boarded a late evening flight from Toronto to Los Angeles. From there I caught my thirteen hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan, and arrived there at 6:30 a.m. on August 29th. The temperature was already 26 degrees Celsius and it was raining.

I’d managed to get some sleep on the plane and filled the rest of the time watching two movies – at that time they were included in the price of the airfare, as were the meals. My travel companions were all Asians and most spoke little or no English. I suddenly knew what it felt like to be a minority. I was amazed by how quiet and well-behaved the many children on-board were, compared to the very uncontrollable child who ran her mother ragged and was constantly underfoot of the attendants on the Toronto-LA flight.

Afraid of venturing too far and not being able to find my way back, unable to speak the language to ask for help, I made my way to the loading gate for my final flight, and then spent the next six hours restlessly alternating between reading my book and playing solitaire (with cards!) while sitting either on the hard plastic chairs or on the floor.  There was not a vending machine to be found. I was alone most of the time, with people occasionally joining me for an hour or two while awaiting their connecting flights. At times I questioned my decision to accept Sarah’s offer.

Over the next few days, I’ll tell you why it was all worthwhile.

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A Unique Dining Experience in Peterborough

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Last week we finally made use of a WagJag coupon that was soon to expire, and went to The Electric City Gardens  for lunch. This was our second visit there and I was still struck by the uniqueness. The first impression is not really a good one. It is located in an old home on Queen Street in downtown Peterborough.The outside looks inviting, but the entrance hall is cluttered with personal belongings, presumably belonging to the owner/chef who lives on the second floor. However, there is comfort in the original wooden stair case and trims. The first room to the left is fairly large and contains a long dining table and chairs at the front end by the windows; the back end leads into the kitchen, and the cooking supplies and recipes seem to have overflowed from there out onto the only other table, the cupboards and the floor.

Straight ahead another doorway and a step down takes you into what would have been originally the sun porch, I’d think. Stepping into it is like stepping into a cafe somewhere in France. The walls are painted pink; the many purple-framed windows are draped with gathered pieces of brightly coloured voile, in reds, blues, greens. The inside wall is uncovered red brick and adorned with brilliantly coloured abstracts. Through the open window a few wooden tables with metal chairs enameled in green, red and blue, can be seen on the garden patio.

Electric City Gardens

Colourful decor

Electric City Gardens

Electric City Gardens

View from the window

Inside, tables with distressed wooden tops and metal bases form a line in groups of one, or two along the windows. Heavy wood and leather chairs sit on the outsides of the tables; a long fuscia velvet-covered bench serves as seating along the window side.

There are no paper menus to peruse, for the menu changes daily. The waitress brings out a small chalk board on which there is written the soup of the day, two or three choices of  entrees and desert. This day classical music was emanating from the stereo, perhaps a little too loudly.

We opted to try the Borscht, followed by the grilled ground lamb patty and  salad. One cook and one waitress means a leisurely lunch, leaving plenty of time for conversation and soaking up the atmosphere. A plate of fresh bread slices and butter helped to keep hunger in check while we waited.

Electric City Gardens

Our yummy lunch

The Borscht was served piping hot in mugs and was delicious. The lamb patty was very thick and braised in a mint sauce — very tasty, but it could have been cooked a little more in the middle, the disadvantage of thick burgers. A large salad of baby mixed greens, cucumber chunks, sweet red pepper strips and fresh tomato halves with a vinaigrette dressing completed the meal and left us too full to try the desert.

All in all it was a good dining experience and one that I would recommend if you’re looking for something different. It even came with a bonus incentive to return; along with the bill was a two-for-one coupon for Sunday brunch.

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Peterborough Pathway of Fame

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What do a Singer, a Keyboarder, a playwright, a painter, life-time volunteers, folk singers and a Professor of English Literature, all have in common? They all hail from Peterborough, Ontario and yesterday morning they were all inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame for the contributions they’ve made to their community.

 
The Peterborough Pathway of Fame had its first Induction Ceremony on July 18th, 1998 in Del Crary Park, after numerous years of meetings and brain-storming among several individuals who felt there was a need to recognize the area’s abundant wealth of talented, community-minded people who have enriched Peterborough and area. Inductees are first nominated by a member of the general public, a friend or a family member. A three member Selection Committee spends many hours perusing the application forms and letters received to eventually make the decision as to who will be accepted. Inductees are not only honoured at the ceremony, but they are featured in the Footprints of Life publication, which is distributed to attendees, and a stone bearing their name and category is placed along the Pathway of Fame, in Del Crary Park. With this latest batch of inductees,  there are now 204 stones on the Pathway.

 
We had the privilege of being invited to the 15th Pathway of Fame Dedication and Induction Ceremony, held at the Showplace Performance Centre. The invitation was given to family members of past recipients, and Jim’s dad, Ernie Victor, received that honour, posthumously in 2001 for his contributions to the Peterborough Entertainment Scene for many years.

Ernie Victor Stone on Pathway of Fame

A stone on the Pathway of Fame

It was truly inspiring to hear the stories of these people, whose passion for what they do and believe in is amazing. We were also thrilled to listen to the Peterborough Pop Ensemble (led by Inductee Barbara Monahan) perform their rendition of the national anthem and entertain us in the lobby before and after the ceremony.

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Wooden Signs and Diabetic Children

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On Wednesday I took delivery of 56 wooden signs, destined for Camp Huronda near Huntsville, Ontario. Since they had to be there before the camp closed on Saturday, what better way to deliver them on a beautiful summer day than by motorcycle?

Thursday morning we had all of the signs and an over-night bag snugly packed into our little cargo trailer that was hitched to our Suzuki Boulevard, and were heading north out of town. This was the first time that we’d pulled a trailer behind this bike, only an 800 cc, but it was incredibly easy going. We made it to Minden in time for lunch and a much needed stretch. By 2:00 we had found the camp, deep in the forest on Waseosa Lake Road.

I knew before we left that Camp Huronda is a camp for  children with Type 1 Diabetes, but we learned a whole lot more from Amanda when she greeted us and helped unload the boxes.

Camp Huronda is a 125 acre camp sponsored entirely by the Canadian Diabetic Association, private donations and geared-to-income fees paid by young campers who spend two weeks during the summer enjoying biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, crafts and, more importantly, making friends with other children who understand the hardships of living with diabetes.

“We always have a highly qualified endocrinologist at camp and the health and blood sugars of every child is closely monitored. Usually insulin dosages can be cut by 20% while children are at camp because of the increased activities and healthy diet,” Amanda told us.

Camp Huronda

Amanda and Jim display one of the signs

Children are also taught how to manage their illness and how to administer their own insulin, sometimes for the first time.

I was impressed.Unlike previous generations of children suffering from this cruel disease, who were misunderstood and often taunted by their peers, these kids will have a much better chance of not only survival, but living happy, fulfilling lives.

Camp Huronda

Providing free delivery of 56 new signs for their camp was the least we could do to help.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the picturesque town of Huntsville and the evening resting up for another enjoyable ride on the twisty roads leading back home.

Huntsville Inn

We stayed at Huntsville Inn, an older but newly renovated motel on Main Street. The rooms are small, but clean and bright and contain all the amenities needed for a short-term stay.

All Saints Anglican Church

A beautiful church, appearing like a castle overlooking the banks of the river.

 

Huntsville Gardens

Jim resting his feet at one of the many mini-gardens on Main Street

 

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If It’s Friday the 13th, It Has to Be Port Dover

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Every other day of the year, Port Dover, Ontario is a quiet little fishing town located on the north shore of Lake Erie, but on any Friday the 13th the population explodes, especially if the 13th falls on a hot summer day! That’s the day that bikers (motorcycle) congregate, arriving from miles away, a tradition that began with a few biker friends in the early 1980s and rapidly caught on. Estimates for visitors that day range from 150,000 to 200,000.

We hadn’t been there for a few years, but after an offer from my uncle to visit him in Kitchener the day before and leave for Dover from there, we decided to make the trip.

The day was already very warm when we left Kitchener at around 9:00 am. Never having approached Port Dover from that direction before, Jim was making use of the GPS, but that’s more difficult on a bike than in the car. At one point, going through Brantford, he pulled into an exit lane at a traffic light before immediately realizing that that wasn’t where he wanted to go.  The traffic was stopped, so he eased back into the driving lane, having to share it with the vehicle that had been in front of us, because the gap had already been closed. Is it unreasonable to believe that the driver of the next vehicle would hesitate just a second when the light turned green, and let us back in? We didn’t think so, but apparently the old girl in the SUV thought we had no right to be there.  She drove straight ahead past us, ignoring us completely! Five minutes later she pulled into the Casino parking lot. Oh, so that explained her urgency! Those slots will wait for no one!

It wasn’t long before the roads began to fill with other bikers and we knew we were on the right path. We drove through the town of Boston, where the church had signs welcoming bikers for lunch.  Although it was still only 10:30 am, many had stopped there for a break.

We were surprised at how quickly we were ushered into Port Dover by the many teams of police officers directing traffic.  On previous visits we usually were slowed to a crawl for over an hour before even catching a glimpse of our destination. Perhaps arriving from the west had it’s advantages. Bikes lined every street; homeowners rented spots on their lawns for anywhere from five to ten dollars for the day, although I suspect that not many stayed put for the whole day.

Paid Parking

How to make a few bucks on Friday the 13th!

We were fortunate enough to find a just-emptied parking spot on the street in the downtown area, and it was right near the port-a-potties so I could slip in to change out of my heavy jeans and shoes and into shorts and sandals. It was hot! After applying a generous dose of sun screen and donning hats and sunglasses, we began our wade through the mass of bikes and people — handle-bar to handle-bar, shoulder to shoulder.

The crowds

The crowds

For the next four hours we toured the streets, seeing strange bikes and awesome bikes, and some weird sights as well.

Skull bike

Someone had a lot of time on his hands!

Purple Paint Job

Nice work!

Nicely dressed Harley

Nicely dressed Harley with trailer

Playboy Bike

Playboy Bike, first in a grip-to-grip row

Burgman Trike

Not an event for only macho bikers! Love their spirit.

Tim Horton's Drive Thru

Tim Horton’s Drive Thru

AIDS Awareness Mascot

AIDS Awareness Mascot

Dover Fashions

Dover Fashions

More Fashions

Bikes, Babes and Tatoos

At lunch time we headed for our favourite restaurant for a feed of Port Dover’s famous Yellow Perch. However, this time the line up was out the door to the street so we thought we’d find something else.  Well every restaurant had an hour wait.  We finally settled for some very good homemade pulled pork on a kaiser served from a street vendor who offered a few tables in a parking lot.  And we drank many bottles of water!

At 2:00 pm we decided we’d seen enough. Much to our dismay, it took a whole lot longer to get out of town than it did to get in. Streets were blocked off, forcing everyone to follow a big loop around town before reaching an exit, and then we weren’t on the highway that we wanted so we had to drive a few more extra kilometers before we got heading towards home.

At Haggersville we experienced the usual delay, the one we’d missed on the way to Dover this time. There are three traffic lights on the highway going through the small town of Haggersville, and they aren’t co-ordinated. On a day like Friday the 13th, when the usual traffic probably quadruples, this causes major back-ups of bikes sitting sometimes through three red lights before finally getting through the intersection. The rest of the trip was pretty much the same — stop and go all through the Greater Toronto area. We stopped in Oshawa for some dinner at 7:00 pm and were really glad to pull into our own driveway at 9:00 pm.,  exhausted. It was a fun day.

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“Vacationing” in home town, Peterborough

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(June 30, 2012)

For the last five years we’ve spent the Canada Day long weekend at Bikers Reunion in New Liskeard, Ontario. It’s our favourite bike rally, but this year, with all that has been happening following our recent return from wandering, we decided to stay home.

Home is Peterborough, Ontario – a great place to live and to vacation. This afternoon we enjoyed a swim in the pool and a BBQ with a couple of good friends. After they left, we were relaxing on the patio enjoying the breeze that was beginning to cool down  the hot temperature of the day, when we suddenly remembered that tonight was Opening Night at the Little Lake Musicfest and Jimmy Rankin was performing! We quickly changed our clothes, strapped two lawn chairs onto the back of the bike, and headed downtown.

 

Jimmy Rankin

Jimmy Rankin at Little Lake Musicfest, Peterborough, Ontario

Every Wednesday and Saturday night throughout the summer there is good music to be heard at Del Crary Park, situated in the heart of downtown and on the lake — Little Lake, and the best part of it, it’s always free! One of the fund raisers is a 50/50 draw and tonight the large crowd brought in $3,300 for the lucky winner.

The Musicfest is only one of many things to see and do in Peterborough. The number one tourist attraction, of course, is the Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest hydraulic lift n the world. From May to October many houseboats, yachts and even canoes pass through the numerous locks of the Trent Severn Waterway that passes through Peterborough, and get a chance to view the city from 65 feet up while waiting for the slow descent from the top to the bottom. After the lift lock, one more small lock will take them into Little Lake, where, if it’s a Wednesday or Saturday evening, they can moor off Del Crary Park and watch the show. If you don’t have your own boat, you can hop aboard one of the Lift Lock Cruise boats for a trip around the lake and over the lock and even have dinner if you’d like.

Peterborough Lift Lock

Boats lining up to go up through the Peterborough Lift Lock

Also on Little Lake, just below the Lift Lock, there is a great campground nestled among the trees with a creek running through. Beavermead Campground is easily accessible off of Hwy 115 at Ashburnham drive. It has 46 un-serviced sites and 52 serviced sites to accommodate RVs. It is between Peterborough’s Ecology Park, where organic gardening plants and materials are available, and Beavermead Park which boasts a large beach and play area. All of these beautiful spots are joined by the biking/walking trails that wind their way throughout the city.

Other events that happen in Peterborough during the summer are Ribfest, Wake board Festival, soccer tournament and fabulous Farmer’s Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

During the winter you can skate on the Canal, weather permitting. 🙂

Now that I think of it, there are way too many attractions to cram into a single blog! I think my next blog will be a photo blog of Peterborough.

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Tarpon Springs

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It’s hard to believe that we’ve been home for two weeks and I’ve had no time for any writing. Welcome back to reality! Returning home in late spring, after over a month of travel, meant lots of work to catch up on, especially yard work.  And there were the elderly mother’s who were long overdue for some attention. The passing of my brother-in-law, who we’d just seen in Florida, just three days after we got home, added to the mental mayhem.

Now things have settled down somewhat, so I’m finally going to tell you about our visit to Tarpon Springs.

We arrived at Tarpon Springs Florida mid-afternoon — an easy day-trip from Punta Gorda. The route we chose took us straight to the historic area, which had the atmosphere of  a quaint little Greek “fishing” village with numerous old wooden boats squeaking against the docks where they were tied. We were at first concerned about finding a place to park the RV, since the streets were quite narrow, but we saw a large parking lot with a fee of $5.00 for the day.  A nod to the man at the gate and his ten finger reply told us that we could park there for $10.00.

The boats  aren’t really fishing boats, but sponging boats. A sign over one of the many gift shops claims Tarpon Springs, Florida to be the Sponge Capital of the World.There were certainly a multitude of sponges of various sizes, shapes and quality available in nearly every little shop along the street.

Sponging Boats, Tarpon Springs, Florida

Sponging Boats, Tarpon Springs, Florida

 

 

 

 

 

Sponge Capital of the World

This sign says it all

One shop in particular caught our interest because of the variety, and it sold very little else besides sponges.  We had a chat with the owner. He assured us that all of his sponges were authentic, harvested from the port of Tarpon Springs. He owns some of the boats sitting at dock.  They are in dock because he can’t find enough people who are willing to take on the hard work of sponge harvesting. The money is good, but the work strenuous and if the weather is good, the boats could be out for a week or two straight, until the boat is filled with sponges. His family has been in the business for three generations.

Sponge Shop

Sponge Shop, showing some of the larger, quality sponges available

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sponge Shop

More varieties of sponges

 

 

 

 

 

We wondered how the sponges could continually be harvested without eventually being completely depleted. He explained to us that the sponges are never pulled out from where they are rooted, but cut off a few inches above the base. From that bit left, the sponges rejuvenate themselves, thus never growing too big and too old and eventually dying. That is why there is a never ending supply. The best quality sponges are found 150 feet down. Harvesters wear wet suits and masks, but unlike in the old days, they don’t wear oxygen tanks. Instead, they wear weights to take them to the bottom and they are attached by hoses to  large oxygen tanks aboard the boats. They walk the bottom looking for sponges, which are usually spread out. It is a rare treasure to find a full ridge of them.

In his Tarpon Springs Sketchbook, Michel G. Emmanuel, a native of Tarpon Springs and whose Greek born father had been a sponge broker, tells us:

“The sponge in its natural form is one of the lowest and most ancient forms of marine life.  It is composed of many animal cells and attaches itself to a rock or coral reef.  In it natural state the sponge is hard and covered with a tenacious black skin.  The tiny sponge cells are filled with a gelatinous matter called ‘gurry’. When the sponge is taken from the sea bottom, its animal matter is allowed to decompose under controlled conditions and then the gurry is removed by scraping and squeezing.  This leaves the skeleton of the sponge which is the gray, porous product of commerce.  Sponges are frequently bleached to give them a lighter, more attractive colour. The common types of Florida sponges are sheepswool, yellow, grass and wire.”

By the time we got to Tarpon Springs, we were feeling that our budget for souvenirs was about depleted,  so we didn’t purchase any sponges, which sold from about $3.00 for very small, harder ones, to $50.00 for large, good quality ones. Nor did we follow the aromas wafting from the many Greek restaurants to sample the cuisine. It was time to get back on the road, but we learned some amazing things about sponges during the two hour diversion.

When I later did a Google search for Tarpon Springs, I was surprised to learn from the website that it isn’t a village at all, but a city of over 23,000 inhabitants.  Apparently we could have spent many more hours there, being fed and entertained, had we had the time. Perhaps next time we’ll plan to stay longer. 🙂
We did find a Walmart where we replenished our supply of groceries, but RVers take note: it is not one with a large enough parking lot to accommodate over-night parking.