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  • Jane Rider

World cruise

Ein 136-Tage Abenteuer von Jane Weiterlesen
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    Mosque in the Moslem area
    Goods for sale in Muslim Quarter.Chinese QuarterMural in Chinese QuarterShops in China Town. Owners lived on the 2nd floor in the past. This is no longer permitted.Murals in China TownShops in Muslim QuarterMuslim area. Mother would love it!Historic Raffles Hotel. Built by the British.

    Singapore History

    16. März 2024 in Singapur ⋅ 🌩️ 33 °C

    Due to its location as an island at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula Singapore escaped the fate of the rest of Malaysia. The Kingdom of Singapore was first established in 1299 and had fairly stable native rule until the Dutch came but because of its lack of natural resources they directed their attention more to the mainland. However the British Governor Stamford Raffles recognized the potential for a major port. He paid the ruling sultan for rights to establish a trading port in 1819. In 1824 an additional Treaty led to the entire island being a British possession. The decision to make it a free port led to its dominance in southeast Asia.

    In WW II the Japanese took over Singapore. When the war was over Britain reclaimed it. By the 1950s Singapore and Malaysia were working toward independence. Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Kew it was finally achieved in 1963 and the confederation of Malaysia was formed with Singapore as one of its states. However disagreements arose and Singapore chose to become its own country in 1965.

    It is a unilateral parliamentary government. While free multiparty elections are held the People's Action Party has governed since it became independent.

    The two major ethnic groups are Chinese and Malay. Pics are of old historic places.    Weiterlesen

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    Indian Crested Porcupine

    Singapore and the Animals

    17. März 2024 in Singapur ⋅ 🌩️ 34 °C

    As part of its green space Singapore has a very extensive zoo. As with most modern zoos they are committed to humane treatment and preservation of rare/endangered species. Many of their animals are indigenous to Asia. We took the night tour which was mercifully cooler than going during the day. A tram took us through the areas with mammals. Then we were able to walk the trails and attend an animal show.Weiterlesen

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    Petronas Twin Towers
    Blue BuildingHistoric Post Office BuildingKlang RiverWorld War II memorial

    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    18. März 2024, Strait of Malacca ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    A bit about the history of Malaysia. There has been evidence of habitation in Malaysia for 40,000 years. Trading ports developed as early as 2000 BC and reflected Chinese and Indian influences. By the 2nd century fairly stable kingdoms (or Sultanates) emerged along with 2 major religions: Islam and Hindu. (Islam is the official religion). In the 1500s the region was conquered by the Portuguese, then the the Dutch and, in 1786, by the English.They continued to rule until Japan conquered the region in WW II. Following the war the British returned but Malaysia began agitating for independence which was achieved in 1967. The economy is supported by large oil reserves.

    The system of government is a constitutional monarchy. The monarchy are the hereditary Sultans of each of the 13 provinces. Each Sultan rotates into the position of King every 6 years. It is unclear to me what his powers are. There is a prime minister and a bicameral legislature.

    The city of Kuala Lumpur, population, 2 million (greater metropolitan area 8 million), is one of the thirteen provinces and contains the capital city. Its economy used to be based on tin production but now it is based on finance, real estate, government and service industry.

    On my tour it was clear that the city is proud of its status. The guide repeatedly pointed to the skyscrapers (the Petronas Twin Towers and the Blue Building-the tallest in the world until recently) as signs of the city's importance and emergence into the modern world.    Weiterlesen

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    The only young passenger on the ship.
    Termite moundRattanPlant that numbs and irritates skinView from the ship

    Langkawa

    19. März 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Malaysia is known for its wild life diversity. So on the island of Langkawa I chose to do the Jungle Trek rated as demanding. Understand that on a Viking cruise the average age must be about 70 so demanding usually means there might be 50 uneven steps and a well maintained dirt path instead of a boardwalk. My first clue that this was different was entering the jungle on a 12 inch wide rocky path covered with leaves and edged with plants brushing your legs. I had worn shorts so I went on instant alert. I managed to avoid stumbling on rocks only to be tripped by vines. There were thigh high logs. Then the guide identified a plant that would numb and irritate your skin if touched. It was all over. And it was hot. About two thirds of the way through one of the women became weak and dizzy so we rested for a while. Worst of all, while we saw plants we didn't see animal life other than termites.

    An adventure to remember.    Weiterlesen

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    Mother and baby
    Having funBig daddyPesky monkeyPacific reef heronOriental magpie-robin

    Georgetown Malaysia

    20. März 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in a cage with the animals regarding you? Today we traveled from Georgetown Indonesia to an island orangutan reserve where the animals are free and the visitors are enclosed in wire cages. We had great fun watching the orangutans as they went about their daily activities (or lack thereof) or eyed us.Weiterlesen

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    Buddhist Temple
    Inside the Buddhist templeCashew fruit is yellow; the nut is the small brown attachment.Vendor stalls lining the road.Interesting party boat in harbor

    Phuket, Thailand

    21. März 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Phuket, population 400,000, is an island off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It used to produce tin and rubber but now its economy is based almost entirely on tourism. Sunshine and white beaches are attracting tourists in increasing numbers.

    We visited a cashew production site, a Buddhist temple and viewed the beach. The government just opened up real estate sales to foreigners and housing prices have escalated. Traffic was moderate but as the population continues to grow I suspect it will become a nightmare.

    Next will be a few sea days.    Weiterlesen

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    Tea plant
    Opium plantProfits

    Story of Tea Part One

    22. März 2024, Bay of Bengal ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Sailing through the Andaman Sea. Since today is a sea day I will tell the story of the Chinese, the Brits, tea and opium. As Britain imported tea it rapidly became the beverage of choice even displacing beer. In addition, it improved the health of Britain because they had to boil water to make it. Water in those days was often contaminated and probably tasted pretty bad. However as demand rose Britain began having trouble paying for it and China would not share the plants or the processing information. In fact Britain was paying with silver and it was depleting the treasury. Then Britain discovered they could ship opium from India to China. As Indians became addicted to opium demand went up and soon the trade imbalance disappeared. The Indian government tried to oust the British to stop the opium imports. The Brits prevailed in three wars so not only did the Chinese fail to stop the import of opium but they had to allow the Brits access over multiple new ports and cede Hong Kong to Britain.

    But this is not the end of the story of tea. More in my next posting.    Weiterlesen

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    Robert Fortune
    A little green tea anyone?

    Story of Tea Part Two

    23. März 2024, Bay of Bengal ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We are now in the Bay of Bengal and it is time for part two in the story of tea. The Brits were not satisfied with correcting the trade balance. They wanted to know how to grow and process the tea leaves, secrets closely guarded by the Chinese. So they financed a spy, a renowned horticulturnist Robert Fortune. He was able to locate and gain access to the area growing green tea. He discovered the Chinese were adding gypsum and Prussian Blue (potential poisons) to green tea to make it green because they thought the Brits liked the greener color better. He was also able to smuggle out plants and seeds. None of these survived because an Indian port official left the terrariums carrying the plants open. Meanwhile he was searching for the source of plants for black tea. He discovered it and found out it was the same plant with different processing. This time he labeled the terrariums "Do Not Open." They made it successfully to the fields in India where tea thrived.Weiterlesen

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    Banyan tree in temple represents tree Buddha sat under
    Example of museum like items in templeSolid jade BuddhaInteresting buildingIndependence Hall Memorial 1948Muslim Mosque. Yes it was rainingMajor department store chainGood bye Sri Lanka

    Colombo, Sri Lanka aka Ceylon

    24. März 2024 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Sri Lanka has a history similar to other southeast Asian countries having been colonized by the Portuguese, the Dutch and then the English. Unfortunately its post colonial period has been marked by more civil war and strife but recently it has become more stable and its economy is recovering.
    Main industries are textiles, tea, gems and jewelry (it is the only source of a medium blue colored sapphire) and tourism.

    We visited a popular Buddhist temple (80% of the population is Buddhist). Uncharacteristically it seemed a bit like a museum because it displayed many of the items it had been gifted. It also had a tree that represented the tree Buddha sat under. Apparently a banyan tree is supposed to be included in all Buddhist temples.    Weiterlesen

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    Geoffrey Bawa house
    Geoffrey Bawa house--outside inGeoffrey BawaGeoffrey Bawa housePartial view of Parliament complex

    Modern Architecture in Colombo

    25. März 2024 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    I learned that the founder of Modern Tropical architecture, Geoffrey Bawa, lived in Colombo so of course I wanted to see what this was all about. I visited his home in which he connected and remodeled 4 small bungalows. He skillfully combined the indoors and outdoors, played with light and kept the visuals simple. Wall decorations but no "gee gaws" or designs reminiscent of temples. Very peaceful inside a busy city.

    He designed muliple buildings, the most famous of which is the Parliament building. We were only allowed to see the outside. His buildings are characterized by how they fit into their natural surroundings. He was quite a pioneer!    Weiterlesen

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    Going to Cochin

    27. März 2024, Laccadive Sea ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Leaving Sri Lanka and headed to Cochin, India. This will be our only stop in India giving us a tiny glimpse into a vast and diverse continent. We would have had several stops in India before the route changed due to problems on the Red Sea.

    I heard the news about the container vessel colliding into the Baltimore Bridge. Ironically it was headed to Colombo, Sri Lanka our previous port. I didn't comment on the port, but it was huge and quite busy. I think its business has increased because of the Red Sea pirates. It is a convenient port with access to multiple countries after sailing around the Horn of Africa.

    Sadly, I took no pictures of the port but will attach a few of the city that show it is moving into the modern world. One picture taken at night shows the dock. Best I can do.    Weiterlesen

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    Houseboats on the Backwater
    Seen on the way to the backwaterRice fields bordering the backwaterWash dayPrimary care clinic

    Cochin

    27. März 2024 in Indien ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Cochin ( population of greater urban area 2.1 million) is a busy port in southern India on the Laccadive Sea. Instead of touring the city we chose to go to the backwaters that run through the rice fields. It gave us a contrast to the urban areas. There were very poor dwellings with people bathing and washing their clothes in the muddy river juxtaposed with developing luxury resorts.

    A few extras: I was also able to see some new birds and learned this is where Darjeeling tea grows. The tea experts say that tea bags contain "dust tea"-- the tiny crumbs of tea leaves left over from processing--definitely inferior.    Weiterlesen

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    VOC & British East India Co.

    28. März 2024, Arabian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    A first of several sea days on our way to Mauritius. One of today's enrichment lectures was about the Dutch East India company (the VOC) and the British East India company. Both of them were integral to the exploration and colonization of the world. Not only did they have charters to do trade but they were granted police power, no liability and occasional military back up. The speaker likened this to granting Amazon a monopoly with American support, ability to raise and use an army and navy, and power to negotiate with foreign governments. Move over UPS and DHL. Walmart and other retailers better market through Amazon or we will put you out of business. If Mexico has some businesses that don't want to comply we will send the US military. (Sounds a bit like United Fruit doesn't it?) Maybe we will let Amazon run the Mexican government. Capitalism at its best!Weiterlesen

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    1

    Wildlife on Wildlife Watch!

    29. März 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Another sea day. Wildlife watch is at 7:15 AM each morning. We gather in the Explorers Lounge on the 7th floor sometimes on the deck and sometimes inside behind the glass. We usually see only waves and clouds but for the last few days there have been a lot of flying fish and dolfins: common dolphins, pantropical spotted whale, Indopacific spotted dolphin. I have not been able to catch them on camera so I will post what we usually see.Weiterlesen

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    Our neighbors, Pat and Bob
    French Onion SoupI don't know what it was but it tasted goodMystery food that tasted great

    Formal Dinner

    30. März 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We continue towards Africa on the Indian Ocean. Tonight was formal night. Fortunately formal means no jeans and men must wear a shirt with a collar. Everyone on the ship was served a a 5 course dinner complete with wine for each course. With my wine tolerance of 2 tablespoons it was overwhelming. I didn't recognize most of the food but it all tasted wonderful.

    Nautical term: To know the ropes. There were miles and miles of cordage in the rigging of a square rigged vessel. The only way of keeping track and knowing the function of all these lines was to know where they were located. It took an experienced seaman to "know the ropes."    Weiterlesen

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    Easter bunny came to our room.
    Thunderstorms ahead

    Easter

    1. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    A quiet day at sea. Still in the Indian Ocean headed to the island nation of Mauritius. No wildlife sightings. The sea is a bit more turbulent as we head into thunderstorms.

    The ship celebrated Easter by placing chocolate Easter Bunnies in our staterooms, having an Easter Egg hunt and having an Easter service. Definitely low key.

    Nautical term: Start Over With A Clean Slate. A slate tablet was kept near the helm to record speeds, distances, headings and tacks during the watch. If no problems occurred during the watch, the slate would be wiped clean so the new watch keeper could "start over with a clean slate."    Weiterlesen

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    Warder (rook), Bishop, pawn, King, Knight
    One chess set without the pawnsThe Queens who look worriedQueens' poses similar to Virgin MaryThe man who persuaded the British MuseumPath of the pieces?Is she the carver?

    Lewis Chess Pieces Part I

    1. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    The last sea day before Mauritius.

    Viking is a Norwegian flagged ship and has Scandinavian design elements. One that I overlooked was some chess pieces on display in the atrium. Turns out they are replicas of historic Lewis Chess Pieces and today one of the speakers described their history.

    The real chess pieces (93 of them) were found buried in Uig on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland by Calum nan Sprot, a peasant, either in a box or a bag in 1831. They were sold to Roderick Ririe who sold them to TA Forest who later offered them to the Scottish museum who turned them down. The Assistant Manager of Manuscripts at the British Museum, Sir Frederick Madden, was a chess aficionado and recognized them as valuable historic chess pieces so he persuaded the museum to purchase them for $15,000 even though the museum was only collecting Greek and Roman pieces. But 11 were also sold to a private collector. Later these pieces were donated to the Scottish Museum who, realizing their previous mistake, gratefully accepted them. In total the British museum has 82, the Scottish museum has 11 so there are 5 missing. Recently one was discovered tucked away in a drawer and auctioned for
    $950,000.

    They were made from walrus tusk and sperm whale tooth ivory that was available in Scandinavia and Iceland. The designs date them from between 1150 and 1200.

    So how did they get to the coast of Scotland? It is speculated that they were being shipped to a rich merchant in Clonard, Ireland. Either through a shipwreck or deserting sailor they made it to Scotland where a local thief either found or stole them. But they were too distinctive to sell without being noticed (like gold or silver coins) so he buried them where they were dug up 200 years later.

    Where were they made? The best accepted theory is Norway where there were craftsman well known to have the necessary skills. However I like the theory that they were made by Margaret the Adroit in Iceland and sent to Scandanavia and later sent to Ireland.

    There are still 5 missing so check your drawers and attics.

    And look forward to Part II after Mauritius.    Weiterlesen

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    AIdabra tortoiseMauritius fruit batPink pigeonMadagascar fodo

    Mauritius

    2. April 2024 in Mauritius ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    What? You have never heard of Mauritius? Well, neither had I until I saw it on our destination list. It is an island nation (4 islands) in the Indian Ocean about 2000 miles east of the east coast of Africa. It may be best known as the home of the now extinct dodo bird. It has the usual history of nations in this area. Colonized first by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the French, then a troubled path to independence. It has attained stability and is ranked as one of the most stable African nations. Infrastructure looks fairly good and it is the largest port on the Indian Ocean. Economy is based on textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tourism (rapidly expanding), sugar and financial services. Population is 1.2 million.

    While Bill took a tour of the island I chose to go to a tiny reef island that had been cleared of invasive species to prevent endemic species from going extinct (like the dodo). We saw giant tortoises, skinks and new birds. No dodo though!

    Onward towards Africa.    Weiterlesen

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    Warders in the Lewis Chess Pieces
    FerociousBiting their ShieldsLewis warder biting his shield

    Lewis Chess Pieces part 2

    3. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    A sea day on our way to Africa. But on to the story. Did you notice that some of the Lewis Chess Pieces depicted the Warders biting the tops of their shields? What's with this? There was a group of Viking soldiers called the Berserkars who were fierce, fearless and some would say crazy. Before battle they would work themselves into a frenzy (some say drug induced) and would literally do anything--definitely the most feared soldiers. They were often depicted biting the tops of their shields. And guess what English word comes from their name?Weiterlesen

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    Telfair's Skink

    Telfair's Skink

    4. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Off towards Africa with the first of 2 sea days so there is time to reflect on Mauritius. On my trip to Ile aux Aigrettes I saw several animals that are found only in Mauritius. One of them is Telfair's Skink (a type of lizard that can grow up to 36 inches long). It was once numerous on Mauritius and offshore islands. Due to habitat destruction  and introduced species like goats, black rats, and rabbits, it has been limited to Round Island in Mauritius since the middle of the 19th century. When Gerald Durrell visited Round Island in the 1970s he recorded only 5,000 specimens. He took some specimens to the Jersey Zoo ( in England)  to build up a captive breeding program. Since the eradication of the goats and rabbits on Round Island, the skink population has increased to the point that some could be relocated to other islands such as the predator free Île aux Aigrettes. However, in 2020 a major oil spill sent copious amounts of oil to the beaches of the islands. The oil is toxic to these reptiles as they go to the beaches and could have eradicated them. Once again the Durell Foundation stepped in. Volunteers collected the skinks and they were sent to the Jersey Zoo for a few years until they could be safely returned to Mauritius. They are still listed as threatened.

    References    Weiterlesen

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    My photo of the Pink Pigeon

    Pink Pigeon

    5. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Another day at sea as we head toward Port Richards so time for the Pink Pigeon, one more vulnerable species found exclusively in Mauritius. It nearly became extinct in the 1970s when only 10 birds remained but due to the efforts of the Durell Wildlife trust its numbers increased to 500 by 2011 and more by now. It has been downloaded from critically endangered to endangered and now to vulnerable.Weiterlesen

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    Pilot coming aboard!
    Rough SeasCape of Storms

    Durban, South Africa

    6. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We were supposed to arrive in Ft Richards, South Africa this morning but weather conditions made entering the Port and docking hazardous. The Port sent the pilot out by helicopter--I guess it was too rough for a boat. He and the Viking Captain Richards decided that entering the port was "no go." So we headed to the next port, Durban, about 50 miles away. Unfortunately the same weather followed us. So no safari today and on to Port Elizabeth.

    The weather situation is quite interesting. You may have heard that the Cape of Good Hope (originally known as the Cape of Storms) is well known for bad weather. The reason is that it is where the Indian Ocean meets the Pacific Ocean and more specifically where the warm Agulhas Current meets the cold Benguela current. This creates eddys that have taken down many a ship. Our situation is compounded by 15 to 30 knot winds gusting up to 50 knots.    Weiterlesen

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    Cape Buffalo
    Checking us out!Grazing peacefully with ostriches.

    Port Elisabeth (Gqeberba)

    8. April 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Well, we made it! In port at last and off on Safaris. I went to Sulanid Reserve and Bill went to Schotia Reserve. New animals and new birds. As we have numerous sea days after Namibia I will fill those days with posts of safari sights and limit today to just a few.

    The Cape Buffalo is one of the most unpredictable and ferocious animals. They have never been domesticated. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to as a "boss". There are 5 subspecies. Western cattle egrets mix with the Buffalo.    Weiterlesen

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    Plain zebras
    Adolescents play fighting

    Cape town

    10. April 2024 in Südafrika ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Off on another Safari, this time to Aquila, a 2.5 hour ride from Cape Town. The countryside changed from urban to agricultural. There were acres of vineyards. Then into low mountains and valleys. The animal preserve looked like Big Bend-- high desert, scrub brush, rocks and low mountains.

    I saw plains zebras in both Aquila and Sibuya. There are 3 different subspecies of zebras: plains, Grevys and mountain. Coloration is black with white stripes, not vice versa. Also the plains zebras have faint orange- brown on hind quarters. Why do zebras have stripes? Current theory is that it is for temperature and insect control. The different colors create temperature differences between the stripes and generate air circulation. This cools the animal and also makes it more difficult for small insects to land.

    Our guide told us there were many Aloe Vera plants. Pictured is a big one.    Weiterlesen

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    Can't close without a bird

    Still in Cape Town

    11. April 2024 in Südafrika ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We were due to sail on to Luderitz, Namibia, but the infamous Cape of Good Hope weather kept us docked in Cape Town. An extra day to explore Cape Town--not so bad you might think, but there was a problem. Immigration had processed us as departing and would not come back to the port to reprocess us as re-entering. So we stayed on the ship.

    One positive: harbor seals having fun right by the boat!

    The South African politics and economy are a mess. Unemployment is at 32%. They have vast natural resources (gold, diamonds,manganese, tin, lithium, etc) which seems to have created corruption and mismanagement rather than prosperity. Elections will be next month. Predictions are that there will be some murders. If your opponent looks like he might win you try to have him murdered.

    I'll be following the news.    Weiterlesen

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