Miaminice

Next was the Thich Quảng Đức Monument. A memorial to the monk who set himself on fire on a busy intersection in 1963 to protest the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam. Photographs of his self-immolation circulated around the world, drawing attention to the policies of the Diệm government.

We continued to the opera house, where many young Vietnamese took photos in traditional dresses.

From there it was just a short walk to Saigon’s City Hall and the famous statue of Ho Chi Minh - or Uncle Ho, as he’s affectionately called - in front of it.

After the ship was cleared, our small group left the ship to meet our guide.

After a short introduction, we drove off to Saigon in a very comfortable van. Along the way our guide Vy made the one and a half hour trip very entertaining by telling us a lot of about Vietnam, living in Saigon and by giving us all kinds of useful information in a very upbeat way, and in very good English.

Since we had been to Saigon before and had already been to the main attractions like the palace etc., we booked a tour that was focusing more on off the beaten track places and local food and coffee culture. 

First stop was the central post office in Saigon. The iconic building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the late 19th century. 

The Notre Dame Basilica just across from the post office is currently undergoing renovations, so we couldn’t visit the church.

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 8 - Saigon

Our alarm went off early in the morning. We didn’t really mind, because we were looking forward to a day of exploring. While having breakfast on the outside deck of the Oceanview Cafe, we watched the sun come up over the industrial port of Phu My.

A few minutes later, we already received an information via WhatsApp, including a photo, telling us that our guide was already waiting for us at the port. Very well organized.

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 7 - At Sea

After the 2 past days of exploring, a day at sea was a welcome chance to relax and to prepare ourselves for the next destinations in Vietnam. 

Of course there’s not much to report. As usual I took a few photos while Birgit got lost in her book, and we both did a whole lot of nothing 😁 

While talking photos around the ship there was one thing I noticed again. Even though we are sailing on a full ship, nice and quiet spots can be found everywhere. 

4 hours ago, MamaFej said:

@Miaminice, how do you feel about your experience with Ann Tours? We will have nearly 3 months in Asia starting next month, and still have several places for which we need to plan. I see that Ann Tours is in many of the countries we will visit. I was also found reading about Ann and her family's history fascinating. Wow!

 

Many thanks, and I hope you fully enjoy your sea day. 

We used Anntours in Vietnam before some years ago. So we were happy to book with them again in Bangkok as well.

Last night we received an email from them. Although the cancellation of Koh Samui came literally last minute and the guide and van were already at the port, they will refund 100 % - although the don’t have to. I think that says a lot. 

In the evening we had a reservation for Murano and ended the day with a delicious dinner.
 

Pattaya Floating Market

Still trying to sort all the impressions of the museum we ordered a Grab car again and drove to The Pattaya Floating Market. Pattaya Floating Market is a riverside attraction showcasing an ancient Thai riverside living community and ways of life. We bought tickets which included a boat ride, a snack and a drink and two photos. We did the boat ride first and were rowed past the shops and restaurants on a little canal.
 

Are these the infamous Pattaya Girls? 😁

Hungry from what we saw from the boat changed $10 to Baht and went to the restaurant part after the boat ride. For the 350 Baht we could have fed a whole family. We tried coconut pancakes, sat down for pineapple rice and minced chili pork with rice.

and couldn’t resist the fresh coconut ice cream which a friendly lady happened to prepare waterside right next to our table. A pleasant coincidence 🙂 on our way out we also had some Mango sticky rice (sooo good) and still had money left.

We drove back to the pier in Laem Chabang happy about how great and relaxed our day had turned out to be.

As we entered the building I swear my heart skipped a beat. It was absolutely breathtaking. Wherever we looked we saw a gazillion of wooden carvings and sculptures of all sizes. It reminded us a little of the Sagrada Familia where Gaudi intended to tell a story with each and every piece of art. Here it was the same.
 

Every little wood carving and every sculpture had a meaning and was part of a bigger picture. The founder‘s intention is to answer life’s basic questions: who are we? Where are we from? How do we live? And what is our life purpose?

By displaying and explaining the “7 Truths of Life” he’s trying to provide some answers and some help in finding your own purpose.

Without going too far into these life philosophies even as a pragmatist - or maybe because of being one - I could say: yes, each and everyone is correct. In a nutshell there’s one message - we come to this earth with nothing and we leave with nothing. All we leave behind is our life’s legacy. A memory of how we lived and who and how we were. A short phrase of our guide spoke from my heart and soul - in a literal and a symbolic meaning. Smile! A smile costs nothing, but it can give and change so much.

As mentioned, just like the Sagrada Familia, the Sanctuary of Truth is unfinished. We saw many craftsmen creating and adding new sculptures.

It is a work in progress. After all the stories and true lessons learned in the hour or so of our visit, we were once more reminded - so are we! 

Ok, I guess you can tell that we are currently on a sea day and I have the time to write a lot 😉 I will continue with the journal… 

The next tour started soon and equipped with safety helmets we followed our guide Pamela who explained a bit of the fascinating and complex exterior of the museum.
 

We then decided to head outside and see about the best way to get to Pattaya and possibly the Sanctuary of Truth. It wasn’t far and we could always come back. 

A shuttle to the shopping mall was offered for $20 per person. At the taxi information booth they asked for $60 for a ride to the Sanctuary of Truth. We decided to rather go with our Grab App again and ordered a Grab car for around $10. The car could only come to the port entrance, but that wasn’t even 50 meters away. So a few minutes later we enjoyed a comfortable 30 minute ride to the museum. At the ticket booth we got tickets for 500 Thai Baht per person including a tour - which we highly recommend doing. Credit cards were accepted.

When we reached a viewpoint at the entrance and got the first look at the sanctuary, we already knew we had done the right thing. A truly amazing sight!

The structure is a hybrid of castle and temple based on the Ayutthaya period as well as Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. The unfinished museum is the largest wood building in Thailand and only wood is used in the construction. No nails are used to join the pieces of this incredible puzzle. Only traditional methods of joining wood.

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 6 - Laem Chabang/Pattaya

We had actually planned to see Ayutthaya on our second day in Laem Chabang. However, that’s a long drive and unfortunately my back had decided to not agree with  a minimum of 5 hours in a van. So for the first time ever we had decided to forego an excursion. There was so much more to come on the cruise.

So instead of leaving at 7:30am we had a relaxed breakfast at an almost empty Blu - quite a number of people had stayed in Bangkok overnight - and took our time.

Our guide had bought these as present for us at the flower market. So we now have a piece of Bangkok in our stateroom 🌸 

The last stop before the drive back to the port was the Flower Market. It fit right into the feast of colors we had enjoyed all day already. 
 

Back at the ship we obediently followed a Christmas tradition and had roasted turkey at Blu to end a great day.

Info: Private tour booked with Anntours.com

After the visit of the palace we had a very nice lunch in a restaurant by the river. The Pineapple Rice and a Pat Thai noodles were delicious. 
 

A short drive took us to Wat Pho. Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest temples in n Bangkok. It is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the large reclining Buddha images at 46 metres (151 ft) in length.

Our first destination was the Grand Palace. The Palace was built 1782, when King Rama 1 ascended to the throne. To get into the palace we had to pass the security guards. They strictly enforced the dress code. We saw people being turned away for wearing ripped jeans or just a shawl over uncovered shoulders. 

If we had thought we had been prepared for the splendor waiting for us, we were wrong. It was almost overwhelming. From the murals of the gallery surrounding the temples to the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha everything was beautifully decorated and gold was the dominant color.
 

Celebrity Solstice - December 2023 - Thailand & Vietnam - Day 5 - Laem Chabang/Bangkok 1

Since Koh Samui had been cancelled, this was the first day with an excursion. We met our party on board, left the ship and soon found our guide waiting for us at the terminal. So we started our journey to Bangkok in no time. The 1 1/2 hours were filled with explanations of Thailand, the Thai language and interesting background information. 

When we reached Bangkok, we had to make an unscheduled bathroom stop at a small temple. The building and its delicate ornaments acted as a teaser for what was to come.

18 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Thank you for taking time out from your holiday cruise to post

 

oh, I enjoy doing it. It’s also a personal journal for us. 
 

However, I am behind and will post more soon. 

2 hours ago, abbydancer said:

Boarding the Solstice in Singapore in March for our ride to Vancouver, so following.  You do great pictures.

Thank you! We are just on the way back from Bangkok. Another beautiful day!

🎄 Feliz Navidad! 
 

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

Will you be stopping in Nha Trang when you cruise to Vietnam, spent a year of my life there way back in 1968, I understand it’s quite a destination these days.

yes, we will 👍

Good night, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all!
 

We celebrated Christmas Eve with a fabulous dinner in Blu.
 

and then listened to the Christmas Caroling of the Solstice Officers. It was fun and everyone enjoyed the spirit. The kids also loved getting a gift from Santa 🧑‍🎄.

After this joyful event we had a drink at the Ensemble Lounge and listened to Christmas songs played by the acoustic duo. When we went back to our stateroom we stopped by at the theater and watched the Christmas show for a few minutes. I have to say: a really good mix!

Well, what was to be an adventurous day in Thailand now turned out to be a day at sea. So we made the best of it, enjoyed Solstice and relaxed. And yes, had more food 😁 before we took advantage of the Persian Garden. 

2 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

How do you seem to manage to eat so much food but still look so trim? 

Haha, thank you! We only eat that much on vacation. Enjoying and trying different food is part of the experience for us.

The problem is that it took me two or three weeks to get back to my normal weight after a trip when I was younger. Now it’s more like months. 😁