Our first visit to a predominantly Moslem country was to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea. Malaysia is called "The Land below the Wind" because it is under the typhoon belt latitude. Its population is comprised of thirty different races or tribes and eighty dialects. About one third of the people are Chinese. Kota Kinabalu is quite a modern city as it was nearly destroyed in World War II and rebuilt.

Granted, as tourists, we were taken to places believed be of interest to visitors. We always had a local English-speaking guide. However, en route from the ship via bus or walking, we always saw the streets and the local people going about their daily lives and business. We kept our eyes and ears, and yes, our noses, open to get the general flavor of the countries in which we traveled.

We happened to arrive at about the time of the Chinese New Year.  We were given little red packets of antique Chinese coins as souvenirs for good luck.  Everywhere we went there were adorable tangerine trees with ripe golden-orange fruit and red velvet ribbons tied to the branches.  The trees were small, three to four feet tall and lent a very festive atmosphere to the city and shops reminiscent of our Christmas decorations.

We did not hear music of any kind while we were in the Moslem countries although I am sure there must be some somewhere. Music is innate in all cultures. The closest I have ever come that I am aware of, is a piano piece by the Russian composer, Mily Balakirev called Islamey - Oriental Fantasy. It is fiendishly difficult! I have heard it played by a pianist and have it on CD. I also have the music that is 25 pages long. I have plowed my way through the first six pages. One of my goals is to learn to play all of it - not necessarily well - but just to see if I can.

In Kota Kinabalu we were taken to the extensive compound of the Heritage House Culture Museum. It featured the large thatch roofed huts of the early indigenous people. Up on the rafters of one were rows of human skulls and an occasional shrunken head. Borneo is not too far removed from headhunters and cannibalism!

Along with the black iron pots and pans hanging from the walls of what must have been the kitchen area of the home was another curious feature. Inside the house was a very large trampoline built into the floor. It may have been for entertainment or exercise for the family of early inhabitants who lived in homes like those.

We visited a shopping mall similar to one you would expect to see in any city. Many of the local people including children were dressed in what we consider western clothing. Some, both men and women, wore the Malaysian traditional long tunic over long pants. All the people were friendly and hospitable.

Next we moved on to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is quite a large city and ultra modern. The Sultan Salahuddin Mosque, also known as the "Blue Mosque" is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, having the largest dome in the world. It is utterly exquisite architecture. In all our travels, we have seen many mosques from the outside, but only one from the inside. I do not know if non-Moslems are allowed within that particular Malaysian mosque.

Some of Kuala Lumpur's architecture reflects the British influence. Other buildings are skyscrapers. The twin towers are the tallest in the world, reputedly some six feet higher than the New York Twin Towers had been. The Centre Square displays manicured lawns and sculpted beds of flowers. There is a Memorial Mosque in the Centre Square and a huge bronze sculpture done by the same sculptor who did the famed Iwo Jima piece for our country. (The U.S. piece depicts soldiers raising the American Flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.) The people we saw going to and fro in the Center Square, both men and women, were generally dressed in business suits, carrying brief cases.

Another time, on the other side of the world, we visited Tangier, Morocco in North Africa. Tangier went through a long history similar to that of Carthage, from Phoenician to Roman to Vandal to Arab to European rule until Moroccan independence from French protectorate status in 1956.

We saw very few women. Those that we did see wore the traditional Moslem chadors or burkas and were heavily veiled. We saw some school children, but Tangier is decidedly a male dominated society. The merchants were extremely aggressive! They love to haggle prices!

After sightseeing, we were followed down the streets all the way to the ship ramp by a number of salesmen carrying their wares, everything from jewelry to clothing. Just before boarding the ship I bought three traditional Moroccan costume dresses for ten American dollars, not each but for all three! The young man had a huge stack of them thrown over one arm.

With each of the three Moslem countries we visited, the closer we came geographically to Mecca, the more orthodox the influence seemed to be on the local people. The voices of the women are rarely heard in those societies. Keeping the women in the traditional roles of over fifteen hundred years ago means that approximately fifty percent of the abilities and talents of their population are not being fully utilized.

As tourists however, the women in our group were not required to wear head coverings. Also at the time, it was not necessary for American tourists to obtain a visa in order to enter the country. Other predominately Moslem countries do require visas.

Our next and last port of call in a predominately Moslem country was Tunis, Tunisia also in North Africa. It is a few miles from the site of the ancient city of Carthage. The original inhabitants of Tunis were Berbers who had been there from prehistoric times. Carthage itself was founded by the Phoenicians from Tyre in the ninth century BC. The Roman poet Virgil immortalized the city in his epic poem, the Aeneid, the heroic tale of the love and adventures of Dido and Aeneas.

At one time, Carthage was the mercantile capital of the Western Mediterranean, an extremely wealthy city with a population of over 700,000. It had a grisly history of infant sacrifice in religious rites to their god, Baal. Countless cinerary urns have been unearthed in ancient ruins. Even after the destruction of the city, this religious practice continued well into the first century AD.

Carthage is unique in that two major ancient cities flourished on the same site, each for some seven hundred years. It was utterly destroyed in 146 BC by the Romans after the third Punic War. The ruins of present day Carthage are that of the Romans who rebuilt it. The Vandals and then the Byzantines followed the Romans in conquering the city. Carthage was important in the early Christian Church. Remember St. Augustine? The Arabs totally destroyed the city again in 698 AD. It was not rebuilt.

Our guide in Tunis was a tall, spare man who spoke excellent English and was well versed in the history of the area. We first visited the Bardo National Museum where exquisite Roman mosaics have been carefully displayed. Many of them are of enormous size. Even the dome ceilings of some of the rooms were mosaics.

Next we tramped around the Carthaginian ruins for several hours. There I committed a major cultural faux pas. I was so caught up in the history of Carthage that I forgot myself. I approached the guide and asked him a direct question that could have been answered by a simple "yes" or "no". He drew himself up to his full height and replied with great disdain, "All of your questions will be answered in good time, Madam." A woman decidedly does not, under any circumstances, approach and speak to a man who is not a relative!

We had lunch at a resort hotel outside Tunis along the seashore. A few people in our party wanted wine. After much delay a bottle was brought in - the price, $10.00 a glass. While we were lunching, out the broad windows we saw two men riding camels - talking on cell phones!

The next stop was the celebrated souk, or casbah, or bazaar in Tunis. It is a huge maze of narrow alleys going every which-a-way with little shops selling every imaginable ware from junk to quality merchandise. Our guide strode rapidly through the maze for probably twenty minutes, up some stairs onto a roof and then down into a fairly large windowless room filled with carpets.

We were seated around the room, given small cups of a very strong hot tea and a discourse on how the rugs are made. We were then invited to buy some. The carpets were exquisite but also very expensive, in the thousands of American dollars. No bargains there. Some in our group felt we were obliged to buy though, or perhaps the guide would leave us on our own to find our way out of that place!

Our last stop in Tunisia was the town of Sidi Bou Said. It was a lovely place. Most of the houses looked like they were freshly painted white. The window frames, trim and doors were painted a bright sea blue. This was the obligatory opportunity for us to spend our money as all good tourists do for the benefit of the local economy.

This souk was much smaller than the one in Tunis and we felt free to roam about doing our own shopping. I was accustomed to bring back a small, carved animal for a friend who collects them. One caught my eye and I asked the salesman how much. He said, "$75.00, it is pure onyx." I walked away. He ran around the counter with it and followed me telling me, that it was not plastic, who carved it, etc. I kept walking. He finally said, "How much would you give me for it?" I said, "Five American dollars" and kept walking. He said, "Sold". So I bought it.

It is my habit not to carry my purse on shore excursions. All I have is a cigarette case with a few bills of local currency in it. If I want to buy something more expensive, I get my husband to break out a credit card.

Another young man, probably about 16 or 17, started walking beside me, wanting to sell me some "sterling silver" earrings and necklaces. I was on my way to the bus and kept walking, saying I didn't have any more money, that my husband had all the money and was already on the bus. He kept showing me the jewelry and trying to tempt me. Finally at the door of the bus, he said he would give me the earrings for one American cigarette. I laughed and said, "Okay". I gave him one, he put it behind his ear and danced away backwards, laughing and keeping his earrings. I was laughing too. His bartering skills won the day after all!