I bet you didn't know you could read the Dutch language! Polyglots pages!

Flag of the Netherlands 

I didn't know I could read Dutch. Until I logged onto a Dutch newspaper article from a link in Wikipedia. I was asked to sign up to read more and recognized these words:

Dutch - English

account - account

automatisch - automatically

digitale - digital

e-mailadres - e-mail address

gratis - free

hier - here

inloggen - login

registreer - register

stopt - stopped

vergeten - forgotten

English - Dutch

account - account

automatically - automatisch

digital - digitale

email address - e-mailadres

forgotten - vergeten

free - gratis

here - hier

login -inloggen

register - registreer

stopped - stopt

Should I check some more words, one by one in Google translate? It would be quicker to grab several off a wikipedia page.

I went to the wikipedia page and found these similar sounding words:

Dutch - English

bakken - to bake

breken - to break

geven - to give 

klimmen - to climb

niet - not

u - you

wegen - to weigh

werken - works

zenden - to send

zitten - to sit

It's like easy German, or English with simplified spelling. This year I am learning Spanish. Next year I could learn Dutch. Not a very common language. But probably a reinforcement for my beginner's German. 

Also it will impress other people to say that I can speak English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch. If I count English as one of my languages, in two years time I could speak six languages, and genuinely call myself a polyglot. 

How about you? Isn't Dutch easy! https://www.facebook.com/Hyperglots/olyglot page

I just logged into Facebook to find the link to my favourite polyglot page, where people ask questions, so handy for me and for you, dear readers. I found another polyglot page, geared to learning languages. 

Why would you want to learn Dutch? Where can you use it? In the Netherlands of course. But why would you go there? To see Anne Frank's house, and the Jewish museum, Rembrandt's house, and the Rijsmuseum with more Rembrandts. Delft pottery, windmills. Tulips. The Wikivoyage page has updates on the Covid situation.

Useful Websites

https://translate.google.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language

https://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/twee-schepen-op-drift-in-windmolenparken/article-news-1836453.html?cookie_check=1645375421

https://www.facebook.com/polyglotclub.world/

https://www.facebook.com/Hyperglots/

Kota Kinabalu, A Mountain To Climb in Malaysia and happy thoughts for non climbers and readers

Kota Kinabalu
Kinabalu
In Malaysia there's a popular climb to the top of Kinabalu. The climb is so popular that you have to go on a waiting list.

Why? Numbers of climbers are limited because of the limited number of guides (obligatory).  Also there's limited accommodation at the top, or rather on the way to the top.

Why do people stay overnight?

An ex pat told me,
"It's a very tall mountain.You can then start the ascent at 3 am in order to be at the top to enjoy the sunrise, standard technique.

"If you are very fit you can s n e a k out (the automatic spell check chose snake out!) once you have claimed your bedroom and go to the top for sunset to take a look and take a photo.

 "I've heard people do it. It's easy to do and your guide would never notice."

I asked, "Have you done it?"

"No. I'm knackered. Also you get altitude sickness. It's a seriously high mountain, higher than anything in Indonesia."

Not such a good idea, then.

"It has a famous c r a t e r called Low's crater, or ravine, where the British army got lost about twenty years ago. They lowered themselves down and got lost and rescued by natives, some time later, I think. Don't take my word for it. Look it up."

I'm going off this idea. I think I'll just look at the picture on my computer.

I'll also put some cream on my split heels. Did I really agree to a holiday with climbers this year? I agreed just to see a new country and a new city.

Walkers and Non-walkers
What if, like me, you are not into climbing Everest?

Go with the flow. I once went on a so called golfing travel press trip to Florida. Despite my golf never having got beyond putting level, and my major interest being everything except golf. In the event traffic to the event was so bad that we never got near it. The tourist board was perfectly happy with travel articles of Florida written by all the journalists nearly (all of whom, like me, were not interested in golf).

As they say: Don't worry. Be Happy.

Cross your bridges when you come to them.

Climb every mountain - in your dreams.

As far as I'm concerned, today's major excursion is popping out for five minutes to buy bananas from a supermarket.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer

Safety At Sea: What To Do When Sinking Like Titanic

After a lesson at a gym I got talking, as usual to a retired policeman I shall call 'Ed'.

Ed watched a Youtube video of a wealthy couple sailing the world on their two-person yacht. At night the husband sleeps and the wife wanders on deck filming herself, for the entertainment of all, but, Ed says, tutting, without a life jacket, helmet, or the two lines of ropes tied to herself.

'An ancient waiting to happen,' says Ed. I frown, 'But why is it dangerous? Surely a lot of people would do that?'

'Yes, but they shouldn't.' Ed shakes his head. 'She looks over the side, or she's hit by a swinging sail, the boat lurches and she falls off. He wakes up three hours later, miles away. He takes three hours to sail back to where she was - assuming he knows what time she fell and where. How will he find her?

'Look at the ceiling. Imagine falling from their into water, even perfectly calm water. How will she survive? Even falling from more than six feet flat into flat calm, water, it hits you so hard, it knocks you out, so you can hardly breathe, or float, or swim.

'It also depends on the water temperature. In some places you'd only survive half an hour. In others less than ten minutes.'

We ponder. 'So what should she, or you or I, do on a boat?'

'I've told you why you need a life jacket. You need the helmet in case worthing swings and hits you. Of you fall against something. Then you need two ropes. The small one when you are near something like a steering wheel. The bigger one when you want to go to the far side of the boat. The bigger one is longer and stronger, thicker. If you fall overboard, not only does it keep you near the boat so others can help you, you use it to pull yourself back up. It has knots at intervals all the wall up so you can pull yourself up it.'

I object, 'But if the boat is sinking, the rope attaching you to it will pull you down with the boat.'

Ed laughs. "You shouldn't be sinking. You should be on the boat baling out and stopping up any hole.'

'How do you stop up the hole?'

'Anything - even a blanket.'

'But the flow of water pushes it into the boat."

'You get a piece of wood or a couple of pieces like a cross bar to hold it in place?'

'Where do you find the wood. Say, you're on a cruise ship, like the Titanic. You don't have any tools to hack at the wood.'

'You take whatever wood you can find. A deckchair. A dining chair. Anything to hold a piece of canvas or blanket over the hole. The water rises up to the level of the hole and then the pressure of water keeps the blanket in place so no more water can flow in. Meanwhile you are baling out. On a cruise ship you have a thousand passengers. And dozens of crew. Get them all to help you.'

'The ship might still sink.'

'Yes, but, that gives you another three of four or five hours. Meanwhile you can be building lifeboats, floats, anything to throw into the water. You might not save everybody. But you can save some people. It's better than nothing.'

'How do you know all this?'

'When you are on police duty in London, for a big event, you have time off to eat and rest at a central police eatery - eating place. Around the walls are safety instructions. I look at them. Especially the ones about boats and boating because I sail.'

'Thank you for telling me. Now I know what to do.'

Please pass this post on to anybody who might need it or be interested.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, teacher, speaker.

How To Sharing Spectacular Views Without The Effort - Kjerag in Norway

Oh, the joys of armchair travel without the effort. How lucky we are to be able to enjoy the spectacular views which we used to have to pay to see at 3D cinemas, just by looking at Youtube or friendly Facebook. And check the location on wonderful Wiki. And read recent reviews on Tripadvisor.

I was stunned by the sight of somebody standing on a round rock suspended between two cliff faces. Where is it, over what looks like a sheer drop? A helicopter or drone shows the climber or trekker on the rock, then the sheer cliff and the whole valley - it looks like the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon in the USA, but even more spectacular and colourful.

Norway - No way!

It's Kjerag, a mountain in Norway.

I'd love to see it. But not to do it. A friend from Writer's Summer School commented on Facebook: Don't stand near the edge. 

I added my thoughts:

Absolutely right. Several reasons why you and I and most people would not do this: Near the edge; unusually steep drop; no barrier; standing on unsupported rock; remote location far from home, help, lunch food and toilets.

Add the time and expense of trip planning. You need: 

maps; 

a kit including hiking boots. 

Nosigard protective pocketed clothes with anti mosquito and anti sun guard; 

food and drink; 

and first aid kit; 

plus expensive camera equipment, 

For the photos: helicopters, pilot, and drones. 

That trip, like any holiday, can take six months of careful planning and packing. The same applies to a trip to a Writers' School or a Speakers' Contest or a 'simple' weekend away for two or more people in Bologna or Bognor.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjeragbolten

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, writer and speaker.