Live from The Shadow, HK to SNG

16 hour plus nonstop flight from Newark to HK on United. Wonderful staff, comfortable lay flat seats, and horrible, disgusting food in Business Class.

Stayed at The Intercontinental in Kowloon. We got a favorable price and an upgrade to The Club Floor, and considering how tired we were, it was totally worth it. The Club Lounge was spacious, with excellent service, good drinks and a fine buffet breakfast with both Western and Asian dishes. Our two rooms had a fabulous view of the harbor..nothing like it for its WOW factor!

Easy boarding. This was the first time in years when we had to present our Cruise Ticket...must be a new policy, so do take it with you...just in case it’s a permanent policy.

My daughter, niece and 2 old SS friends had a wonderful dinner in the Terrasse. My only complaint was that the portions were huge. I’ll be sure to put more emphasis when asking for smaller portions.

We were told the ship has 320 passengers..feels like fewer, but perhaps people were not out and about because they were tired from traveling.

Kirk is the CD..such a nice guy, and a Trivia Master supreme... Capt Palmieri is at the helm which makes me VERY happy as I haven’t seen him in many years, and he was a favorite captain with whom, for a few years, my late husband and I sailed many times.

Beautiful Sea Day today. I plan on doing as little as possible!

Have a fun and relaxing voyage CP!

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Have a wonderful time, CP. Looking forward to hearing more in due course

Rp

Missed your departure but have taken lots of photos from Victoria peak, Hong Kong Island and the Star Ferry just before you left. I did however capture as a time lapse (I hope) from our hotel suite as you were leaving. Itll be going as fast as a speed boat no doubt. I'd have watched if I'd known what time you were setting off.

Don't sit in the front couple of rows for Kirk's show unless you like audience participation! (I'm sure you are already aware... We wasn't lol!)

Say hi to Kirk from Les on the winning scrambled egg head team! :-)

Enjoy... Wished I was still there.... Will finish my thread once home in a few days... Hope it was helpful.

Tried to zoom in a bit!

From the star ferry. You can see the Piscies just behind in ocean terminal.

Have a fantastic trip. I just got off the Shadow 3 weeks ago and had a fantastic time.

Know you'll have a wonderful cruise Pash! We leave in 15 days for the Muse -- will be watching for your posts prior and en route.

Know you'll have a wonderful cruise Pash! We leave in 15 days for the Muse -- will be watching for your posts prior and en route.

Echo those thoughts!

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Please ask Kirk if he will be on the Shadow this summer in Alaska. Thanks!

Les37B - great pictures, which bring back wonderful memories. Thank you.

Manila yesterday with an excellent guide. I took the Intra-muros tour which covered the fort, an interesting short film about the WW2 fighting, in and around the fort and the horrendous bombing of the city as seen from the fort. Of course it is all now peaceful gardens. Next we went to a “Craft Shop” where very few people actually shopped and the rest of us milled around.The Tour’s highlight was the visit to the St. Augustin church complex. This consisted of the church itself with Parisian crystal chandeliers and an amazing painted ceiling. There were also several, gruesome to me, glass caskets along the side walls, a fascinating museum of vestments, statues and paintings. The museum had a major donor, an architect, who had collected an impressive number of paintings and sculptures depicting the Last Supper and the Cruxifiction, and it was placed in a very large room..a former refectory. Next to this was a room filled with family burial vaults which contained bodies from the late 19th century and apparently it is still in use. A bit creepy, but my tradition is New England stoicism.

In general I felt that the atmosphere was that of any South American city, and I was not surprised to learn that Spain ruled the Philippines thru Mexico’s government.

Back on the ship for a poolside lunch, and a long nap. Actually missed Trivia...first time ever...but my team won again today, so they obviously didn’t miss me a bit.

Dinner at Hot Rocks...they are still trying to train us to call it The Grill!

Manila yesterday with an excellent guide. I took the Intra-muros tour which covered the fort, an interesting short film about the WW2 fighting, in and around the fort and the horrendous bombing of the city as seen from the fort. Of course it is all now peaceful gardens. Next we went to a “Craft Shop” where very few people actually shopped and the rest of us milled around.The Tour’s highlight was the visit to the St. Augustin church complex. This consisted of the church itself with Parisian crystal chandeliers and an amazing painted ceiling. There were also several, gruesome to me, glass caskets along the side walls, a fascinating museum of vestments, statues and paintings. The museum had a major donor, an architect, who had collected an impressive number of paintings and sculptures depicting the Last Supper and the Cruxifiction, and it was placed in a very large room..a former refectory. Next to this was a room filled with family burial vaults which contained bodies from the late 19th century and apparently it is still in use. A bit creepy, but my tradition is New England stoicism.

 

In general I felt that the atmosphere was that of any South American city, and I was not surprised to learn that Spain ruled the Philippines thru Mexico’s government.

 

Back on the ship for a poolside lunch, and a long nap. Actually missed Trivia...first time ever...but my team won again today, so they obviously didn’t miss me a bit.

 

Dinner at Hot Rocks...they are still trying to train us to call it The Grill!

We did the same tour last year when on the Whisper and were also impressed. The photographs of the destruction of the city were shocking and the sheer barbaric treatment of prisoners defied understanding.

Pash -- keep up this excellent reporting and we won't have to bother booking this itinerary:D

Following along.

Thanks for your reports.

Keith

Some like it Hot! For those folks, I would like to introduce them to “The Great Apes” excursion in Borneo...it was extremely hot and oppressively humid on this excursion. We drove inland about 35 minutes to a government run Sanctuary where there is a huge forest area for very young Orangutans, and a bigger separate area for the older ones who were being taught...by each other with controlled assistance by human caregivers, to live independently in the wild. The Preserve is enormous, and the only reason we were able to see these fabulous animals was by being there at set feeding times...which are at 10:00am and 3:00pm. We were there for the morning feeding which, regrettably only two youngsters attended. They swang in on long ropes hung between the enormous jungle trees. They put on quite a show of somersaults and one hand pull ups while waiting for the feeder, in mask and vinyl gloves, to arrive. I was very impressed by both the antics and by the extremely serious way the entire rehabilitation project is being handled. We also saw two more Orangutans...one a teenager and one about 10....both of these were in the totally unfenced areas of the forest. I had hoped we would have more interactions, but I obviously misunderstood the program. We were quiet viewers, essentially being educated on very long walks into the forest. Amazingly the way in...a good ten minutes, was by well kept boardwalks with a large deck viewing platform at the feeding station. One thing, among many facts I learned, was that the food offering was essentially bananas...day after day, bananas. An intentionally boring diet so the apes would WANT to forage for themselves for variety.

It really felt like the government was focused on both preserving the Orangutans and on spreading the word by providing an excellent facility, setting aside 6,000 hectares of forest and by providing a comprehensive educational experience.

Hot as H...but I’d go again in a minute.

It’s been a busy few days. I’ll try to catch up. Two days ago we were in Kuching where we chose an excursion called “The Colors of Borneo. This consisted of a drive of about 40 minutes, a boat ride across a pretty mangrove lined river, a Batik painting opportunity, a hammock “ time out” on the shores of the ocean. The excursion included snacks, but I didn’t bother to take a look at what was put out. There were a lot of complaints about how this excursion had been planned. I thought the chance to learn about and to make a batik picture was lots of fun. My only comment was that the excursion was too long....otherwise, i enjoyed it. We were partially refunded! $83 instead of $119.

We were in Maura, Brunei Darussalam, yesterday. Aside from many truly beautiful mosques, almost all built recently, the well kept parks, and an okay very modern museum (which glorified the enormously popular Sultan), Brunei is pretty much of a snooze, a check off the list kind of place.

Right now i’m In Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. My daughter, niece and I decided to skip touring, and decided to just take a round trip shuttle bus ride. Good call. It’s a big city, with two beautiful Chinese Temples, a 5 Star Hilton Hotel...not 5 Star in my book, but maybe the inside is better than the unappealing exterior. The outskirts has MANY modern buildings..some of which are very well designed and interesting. I got the feeling that Kuching is growing and vibrant. The port is really big and busy for what feels pretty remote.

As to the Shadow; she looks fine, but a refurbishment would be a nice idea. I just pray the owner won’t use the Muse’s no color, kind of depressing (to me) decor. The crew, as always, is bending over backwards to make us all happy. The other night, coincidently, on my birthday, there was a rousing dance party with a chocolate buffet, out on deck. Six of us were dining at Hot Rocks, so for us, the evening was a continuous celebration...best of all no one sang “Happy Birthday”!

One thing, among many facts I learned, was that the food offering was essentially bananas...day after day, bananas. An intentionally boring diet so the apes would WANT to forage for themselves for variety.

Just a note to say I'm enjoying your trip reports. This tidbit of information is especially interesting! It makes sense, when you think about it.

Pash- still cruising with you vicariously......great work!

Nine days until blast off for us.....:cool:

Hugs from Dusa

Sorry I’ve left such a gap, but I have had little to report. I stayed on the Shadow for both days in Singapore. The first day I greatly enjoyed relaxing, reading and not touring....I have been to Singapore many times and have taken almost all of the excursions offered. ( I have zero interest in an excursion to Marina Bay.) The only thing I regret not doing was returning to The Asian Civilization Museum...it is a gem. As we overnighted, and my daughter and niece were disembarking very early the next day, we three had a special, wine soaked last dinner in the Terrasse. The following day we received the new passengers..only 11 of us are staying on. One couple has several segments to go...all the way to Vancouver! Forgot to mention that there were 320 on the first segment. Lots of first timers. Top number of days was 799, next was in the low 600s, then around 300 days. I am surprised as I thought this rather off beat itinerary would attract a lot of SS people who have been everywhere else. Also forgot to mention how my really fun team did at Trivia...intentionally!

Bangkok tomorrow. I’ll try to keep up.

Dear CP,

Your commentary on the cruise from HK to 'Spore, revived so many happy memories of when I did the reverse sailing in March 2017.

Continued calm seas and fair skies and top marks at Trivia!!

Kindest regards

Master Echo

Now in rain soaked Bangkok...what a day we had! A friend and I took the Flower Market, River, Royal Barge and temple tour. We were rushed the Flower Market..too quick to absorb much of anything or to even look around. It was crowded and the tile floors were wet and very slippery. I’d visited before and had loved the experience..must have been disappointing for my friend. After the Market we boarded a boat and went up the river past the wonderful Royal Palace, and into a main canal. This wide side canal had several large temple complexes, a mosque, monastery, and best of all peoples’ houses so you got a feeling of life on the water..albeit a somewhat touristic view. We went past the Royal Barge Museum. Regrettably we couldn’t visit as planned as today was a holiday and it was closed. No biggie.

There were 26 of us...and half way thru the River Cruise, there was a downpour. Even with the semi clear sides hastily rolled down, we all got soaked. Crashing thunder, scary lightning, wet passengers, and NO ONE complained...not a peep. This cheerful attitude has pretty much always been a hallmark of SS travelers and is one of the reasons I keep coming back.

In the continual heavy rain, now with wind gusts added, we left the boat and visited the tall, gorgeous Temple of Dawn. It is a beautiful Bangkok landmark and unlike any other temple I’ve ever seen. I’ve been there 2x before, but this was the first time it was without some scaffolding. Our guide, about 70 and very conscientious, told us that the restoration was now about 90% completed. Standing there awed, and by now completely wet, I could have done a happy dance...and I would have had partners. The Temple of Dawn is a wonder!

Next we were taken back across the river to meet the bus and were driven to see a fifteen foot 24kt Buddha in a temple whose name I don’t remember. This was not a great experience as three of us didn’t want to climb the 30 steps necessary to view this Buddha. We were directed, by our guide, to an elevator on the building’s ground floor. We went in to find and ride it, and were met by man who came rushing towards us screaming “No shoes!” We, of course, complied immediately. Next, this ferocious man started yelling “Ticket”, which only our Tour Guide possessed. Then he roughly motioned us to get OUT! Back into the pouring rain we went. Our SS ship’s shepherd, a young girl entertainer, was very shaken. My pal and I weren’t happy, but we decided to walk back to the bus..kind of puddle jump our way back. As an aside, the Thai people are generally known for their hospitality and gentleness.

Very fortunately the Terrasse was held open late and I noticed that my new friends were ordering lots of hot soup and wine. All and all, it was an interesting 4 1/2 hours....on many levels!

Wonderfully descriptive post Pash. You didn't mention, but I'll bet it was very humid too.

Humid? Didn’t notice..too busy trying not to drown in the downpours!

Today, bright, sunny and not really too hot, I took the Jim Thompson House tour. This house, actually more of a compound, was built by the man who revitalized the Thai silk industry. He was an American expat, a Princeton graduate in architecture. One day, while visiting a friend in Malasia, he took a walk and simply disappeared. His body was never found and the mystery continues to this day.

I’ve been trying to think of any better historical house tour...it was not only beautifully conceived, it was superbly preserved. Run by a foundation instituted by a nephew, the house, the collections, decor and small walled gardens are all exquisite. There is a very tasteful shop adjoining the property and also a restaurant which we didn’t see. If I ever go back, I will definitely try the restaurant. I am now having “Non-Buyers” remorse that I didn’t make any purchases. Everything was beautiful and also very, very expensive. Considering what this b2b is costing, it was ridiculous that I didn’t make even a small purchase!

We are really enjoying your posts, Pash. Hope we can cruise with you (and Dusababy) again. We board the Cloud next week, hope to post from there.

All the best,

D&D

Same sentiment from me Wellseasoned.

We board Muse on Friday -- and I've been told it is a sold out voyage to Dublin. Imagining they are taking on a load of Irish in New York.....:rolleyes:

Dusababy