April 20, 2023 – Day 120
At dinner last night we got to talking about being home in 20 days and missing family, friends and animals. Then we started reminiscing about the animals, cats and dogs especially, that we’ve seen during our travels. Jeff thought he’d like to document these memories… so, today’s blog is written by Jeff. Photo comments are mine.
Puppy at a stop in Aqaba, Jordon making friends with Jeff.
As most of you know, I am softy when it comes to our pets. While I have never lost sight of how much each of you mean to Donna and I, and how much we miss you while we’ve been on this adventure… I miss our pets too. Our dogs, our cat, but also our koi; Shadow, Mugs, Barcode, Groucho, Carrottop, Mickey, Rose, Joe and all the others. We’re blessed to have house sitter extraordinaire Amanda, who loves our animals and fortunately, they love her too. Our Guide Dog puppy is in the excellent care of our raising partner, so all are well taken care of. Yet, missing all of them, it tugs at my heart when we come across dogs and cats on our journey.
Elephant companion dog having a break in Thailand.
Neighborhood cat in Rhodes, Greece.
It seems that each port we come to has one or more port dogs. Not sure if they belong to anyone and they don’t always look like anyone provides them any shelter or feeds them, but they do seem to be happy and mostly healthy.
A couple of dogs at a dock in Cochin, India.
Most of the dogs we have come across are content to lay in the sun, enjoy a pet or two from people walking by or just playing with other port dogs. We’ve seen port dogs in Tahiti, Viet Nam, Australia, Egypt, India, Greece, and today in Turkey.
Dogs resting in Luxor, Egypt.
Dogs in America have certainly won the lottery when it comes to good living. We Americans probably spend more on medical care for our pets than what people in some of these countries spend on their own healthcare. People in many parts of the world probably think Americans are nuts to spend so much on our pets without expecting them to work for their living.
Today Donna and I are in Turkey visiting the ruins of Ephesus. Among the ruins were several dogs and cats. While these dogs and cats weren’t anyone’s pets, the people of Turkey took care to feed them, and they all looked content to hang around the locals and tourists.
We step off the bus in Ephesus and a cat runs up to rub on Jeff’s leg!
This dog had been following the tourists through the ruins of Ephesus and decided it was time for a break. Belly rubs happily accepted.
The cats we’ve found are all working cats. Kept to help reduce the population of rats and mice down. Most of the cats we’ve seen must be doing a good job since they all look well fed. Most of the cats we’ve come across are not all that friendly.
Very focused working cat at the market in Mumbai.
Today in Ephesus we saw over twenty cats that would mostly follow you looking to be petted. It was all I could do to not pick up one or two, put them into our backpack and bring them home. Donna, I’m sure, was watching me closely knowing what a soft spot I have for animals. (Editorial note from Donna: these cats liked me too, unlike a certain grumpy boy that lives in our house. I will tell him I found his replacement if he doesn’t change his attitude – just kidding – sort of!)
This regal fellow was at the entrance to the Grand Theater in Ephesus
Cat in Ephesus running up to Donna to say hi.
While it has been a luxury to have a whole bed to ourselves, I am looking forward to fighting for my share of our bed with our two retrievers and cat. It will be great knowing that the koi are outside waiting to greet me each morning; even though they are also looking to be fed.
Two of the three that may not be happy to have us back in their bed!
We have less than three weeks remaining of our cruise. While I am having a great time, I didn’t realize how much I’d miss our family and friends while being gone so long. It will be so good to see each of you again!
We are on our way to Istanbul, arriving early this evening. Donna is working on the pictures and accounts of our last several ports, trying to catch up with our adventures, but things really speed up from here on out. We have a port almost every day, so our ‘leisurely’ sea days are coming to an end.
See you soon!