Ships were lost during these dark voyages, and said to have had a life-changing impact. As their ships were so large, it was no longer practical to keep a skeleton crew on board, and the main task of the seamen was to take turns at being on watch, usually four hours at a time, to feed the fires and perform other daily maintenance tasks. They sometimes received a ration of meat, salted fish or vegetables. Over a six-month period, they survived on an average of half a pound of food per day. During the winter, the men ate salted food, and often only bread, but the seamen were given a daily ration of rice or barley in the summertime. It was not enough to live on, and the men were weakened as the months went by. The food was usually mixed with a little water to make it more palatable. Often, there would be a piece of dried fish or a handful of ship’s biscuit to fill the bellies of the crew. It was not uncommon for the crews to resort to cannibalism, with older crew members eating the bodies of others who died on the ship. Sinking Most of the long and dangerous voyages occurred between 1600 and 1800. The number of deaths was devastating, and many ships were lost over the years. On average, 14% of sailors died on the long trips, making the whole enterprise a very risky venture. According to the Royal Australian Historical Society, in the 18th century, about a third of ships on the England-East Indies route were lost each year. In the 1790s, Britain operated a regular commercial service from London to the Bengal Subcontinent, with ships using the Cape of Good Hope as an intermediate point. Even during calm seas and sailing conditions, the ships were highly hazardous, with even experienced sailors likely to lose their lives. An 1807 survey of ships going to the China Seas reported that nine in 10 were lost, and two in 10 damaged and forced to return home. These voyages usually lasted for seven to eight months, but there were ships that never made it back. Some ships lost with no survivors, such as the Vittoria in 1810, that struck a rock on its way to China and was smashed to pieces, killing all 130 aboard. In 1819, a British ship, the Earl of Buckingham, set off from Calcutta in India to China, but vanished. The crew gave up their search after five years. However, in 1829, wreckage was discovered in Calcutta that, after further investigation, led to the ship, which carried only a cargo of rice. The crew had been found by some Indian sailors in Calcutta in 1820. They had also been treated well by the local Indian villagers and given a boat to return to their homeland. The wreck of the Vittoria was discovered in 1984, and had been embedded in a reef at the bottom of the harbor of Bengkaluta, in Indonesia. The shipwreck was a key discovery in the East Indies in the 19th century, as the Vittoria was the main source of information about the history of the ship, including the cargo and personal effects. The wreck was discovered by the director of the State Museum of Jakarta, Professor Bambang Irawan, on a trip to find a shipwreck on the island of Sulawesi. According to the Vittoria Project, the crew had set sail with more than 2,000 sacks of rice. However, on their way to China in November 1819, the crew sent back a message to England about the extreme shortage of food, due to a lack of fresh water and the difficulties of survival in that area of the globe. In the winter months, water became scarce on board, and they were struggling to survive. As the ship made its way to the West Indies for supplies, in January 1820, the crew came to the horrific realization that there were insufficient rations for the journey. By the time they arrived, there was only enough for a few of the crew members to eat. However, the crew members who died were all removed from the boat by the time they reached the area for supplies. The death toll was enormous, and there were many bodies stacked high. On his return to London, John Dundas Cochrane wrote a letter to his father about the trip, in which he wrote: “We have had the misfortune to lose nine men, which has caused much fatigue to the officers and a serious loss to the country. “Two of our best men also went ashore at Java on that island, in consequence of which I should advise your Honor not to give any credence to the report of the loss of a vessel which has been reported by the ships here. We have lost the Vittoria, with all on board, as far as I am informed.” Even now, the sea routes to and from Southeast Asia and the East Indies are still hazardous, and the journey is risky. In 2018, an estimated 70 ships were lost at sea in the area. In Southeast Asia, the Sea has been the birthplace of many cultures. The most famous of which are the kingdom of Champa, the Malaya, the empire of Srivijaya and the great civilization of Indonesia. The early Vietnamese believed that the kingdom of Champa originated in the sea. The Champa had three capitals – Ha Tien, Phan Rang and Tho Quan, which were believed to have been named in honor of the three main islands of the region: Ha Long, Phan Rang and Tien Tu. This belief is still reflected in the names of the country’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Mekong Delta region. The Malaya was an ancient civilization established on the banks of the Mekong, extending from Luang Phrabang in Laos to the Malaysian province of Kedah. After the collapse of the Champa Empire and the Srivijaya Empire in the 11th century, the rulers of Kedah became the only regional power in the region. Kedah produced great rulers such as Anang Inang Ripit, who became the first king to rule over all of Kedah, Perlis and Penang Island. The ancient Malaya also produced some amazing pirates, who became synonymous with the region. The Hindu temple on the Penang coast was named the Temple of Shiva Kambal, which shows just how important and sacred the country was to its inhabitants. The people of the archipelago were highly skilled artisans, which is reflected in the region’s wealth of artistic achievements. The Indonesian archipelago is known for its artistry in many areas of the world, from Batik textiles to batik printing, brass printing and silver handicrafts. Even the country’s first president, Sukarno, was known as the ‘Father of Batik’. The Indonesian archipelago is known for its craftsmanship, which developed from the rich cultural heritage and the deep understanding of life on the archipelago. It became known as the ‘living museum of Indonesian heritage’. The people of the archipelago have an innate ability to excel in all kinds of business in the fields of handicrafts, arts and writing. For generations, the Indonesians are proud to excel at handicrafts, especially craftsmanship in textiles, printing, weaving and metal. Many traditional handicrafts have long been recognized as the country’s treasures. Indonesia has been known as the country with some of the finest handicrafts, which is perhaps the main reason that it’s popular with tourists. One of the island’s most important attractions is the batik tradition. The batik is a traditional material woven on cloth using wax, with dyes to show the colors. The dye or paint is known in Indonesia as batik, a term used in various forms for various types of wax-based dyes, applied as a decorative design. Wax dyes were historically made from tree products like fruits and flowers; in some areas they continue to be made using traditional processes. Batik is known for its vibrant colors, the fine thread work and its durability. When used in clothing, for example for the kebaya (traditional Malay costume), it symbolizes cleanliness and modesty, as it represents body lines. The beautiful textiles were developed for the purpose of decoration and, at the same time, as a type of wall decoration, and, later, for use in making clothing. Batik was probably first used as a form of cloth decoration at the beginning of the Indonesian colonial period in the second half of the 19th century. Although Batik has been a traditional activity for hundreds of years, it has not always been used traditionally. In the colonial period, European tastes affected the techniques used in making the cotton dye. In the postwar period, when Batik became popular again, artisans used the traditional designs to make more modern clothing, taking the form used in Europe as a starting point, and making some changes and innovating. Batik is woven on plain, weft-faced textiles. As a part of that work, patterns are made using wax dyes, which are applied to the cloth using a technique called waxing. The waxing itself is divided into several categories, each one having an important role in the final product. Each of the categories creates a