John and Diane's LAST Round the World Adventure

[Johnny B]

Thursday, February 26, 2015 - Day 52

Bali - Back Home at last

 

Monkey see, monkey do. We’ve all heard that saying, but today we saw it in person. We had time for one more temple, so Komang didn’t have to pick us up until 12:00, which gave us a whole half day in our little bit of paradise. After breakfast, we spent a great deal of time figuring out the money that we owed for our four days. Now you may think that’s easy, but if you’ve ever dealt with Indonesian rupiah, you know it’s no easy task, since $1.00 American is worth 12,000 rupiah. When John grabbed a beer out of our room’s mini bar, I checked the price list and almost had a coronary when I saw that it cost 72,000 rupiah. . Then I got out my handy computer and found that it was only $6.00. You can imagine how much fun it is in a restaurant. Fortunately, many restaurants drop the last three zeroes, so you just have to divide by 12 rather than 12,000. We had Komang drop us off at an ATM where we had to withdraw two million rupiah to complete what we owed him.

 

After our math lesson, it was time for one last hurrah at the pool. John got himself set up on a lovely lounge at the Ocean Pool, but after I left my watch and jewelry behind, I headed down the beach to the massage ladies. Now, if you are a massage fan, you’re going to be jealous; a four-handed one-hour massage cost me $15.00. You need to realize, however, that it wasn’t a lovely air-conditioned room with soft tinkly music playing; it was in an open tent on the beach, the two ladies working together chatted non-stop for an hour, and Bob Marley music was playing from a nearby cafe. Nevertheless, I loved it.

 

At noon, Komang picked us up and drove the half hour to the Uluwatu Temple, which is beautifully situated on the edge of a cliff, at the top of what must be about a million steps (at least in rupiah). Visitors go there for the temple, but stay for the hundreds of monkeys, and those little devils are always looking for mischief. There is a sign at the entrance telling visitors not to wear sunglasses, hats, jewelry or to carry food. A young woman near us at the temple didn’t read that, I guess, because as she was having her photo taken, a monkey jumped up, grabbed her sunglasses and ran away. She began to go after the glasses, but her boyfriend wisely told her not to - those suckers bite! Next stop: sunglass store. As we were leaving, we watched one of the little gray monsters turn over a trash can - lunch time! Then another one jumped on a lady and her scream could be heard all the way to the parking lot.

 

Then we headed to the Intercontinental Hotel to spend some time and have lunch with our shipboard friends Michael and Susan. We sat at a lovely shaded table next to one of the Intercontinental’s many pools and enjoyed some great Indonesian food. Then it was time to go “home,” so now we’re back in our room and everything is put away. We still haven’t decided what to do tomorrow. My choice would be to treat it like a sea day and hang around the ship doing nothing, but John won’t agree and will want to go somewhere. All I know for sure is that we’ll be out on the aft deck this evening watching Debby Bacon under the stars. It’s good to be back, but we’ll sure miss all that space.

[forwardho]

I have been enjoying your journey. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Johnny B]

Friday, February 27, 2015 - Day 53

Bali, Indonesia

 

After almost a full week here, it’s time to sail away from Bali to our next port, Semarang. We have had such a wonderful time and seen so many interesting things that we want even more time, but HAL has different ideas.

 

Today ended up being a compromise: I wanted a sea day and John wanted an adventure, so we had a fairly leisurely morning and then hired a taxi to take us to Kuta Beach for a couple of hours, returning fairly early with time to take advantage of the extremely fast free internet in the port building.

 

One of the best things about yesterday and today was seeing the Balinese families of our crew members come aboard to see where their husband/wife/son/daughter works. There are cute little kids who are fascinated by the ice cream window and can’t wait to try some. The parents are rather shy, but every passenger I noticed was anxious to make them feel welcome and to tell them how much they appreciate the hard work of their family member. We’ll have the same experience in Semarang and Jakarta, and it really is lovely.

 

Kuta Beach is the favorite destination of Bali-bound Aussies, and it’s a really interesting place. It’s rather like a several-mile-long strip mall, with high-end hotels next to temples next to empty lots next to tattoo parlors next to Starbucks. Whatever you want, you can find it in Kuta. It’s famous because it has a several mile long white beach, but unfortunately, that same beach continually has trash washing up. There are lots of little shells, but we also saw dead fish, plastic wrappers, and even a dirty diaper. It does ruin the ambiance when those things are not only on the beach but in the water when you try to swim. I got up to my ankles in the bathtub-temperature water and then gave up because of the trash.

 

After lying on lounges for awhile, we wandered down the beach, looking for a clean stretch outside one of the hotels, but when we arrived at the Sheraton, we found that the beach was still a mess, but not as bad as the rest of the area. The hotel was actually across the street, so we headed over there looking for a pool with a restaurant - no more swim-up bars, I guess. We found exactly what we wanted upstairs, where we shared a panini and a couple of beers. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find nasi goreng or noodles on the menu.

 

After lunch, we wandered down “the strip” toward our meeting point, looking like wide-eyed tourists (which we were) while checking out all the cafes, massage parlors, bars, and whatever. Then it was time to head back to the ship, so we connected with our driver and ended up back at the ship at about 2:30. With all-aboard being 5:30, that gives us lots of time to shop at the port, write blogs, post them for free, and even get a pedicure if I wish (for $10.00).

 

So . . . goodbye to Bali. We really hope to come back and spend even more time in the future.

[Johnny B]

Saturday, February 28, 2015 - Day 54

At Sea en route to Semarang, Java, Indonesia

 

Ahhhhhhh. It’s lovely to be at sea after days and days of wonderful but exhausting sights in Bali. Then tomorrow, we’re pleasure-bent again with a trip to the temple of Borobudur from Semarang with 8 friends. We are meeting in the third floor atrium at 6:00 AM, and should be boarding our vehicle by 6:15, ready for the three-hour drive. Yikes!

 

While most sailaways are on Deck 8 aft, yesterday’s was on Lower Promenade, the outdoor walkway, so that crew members could wave goodbye to family members on the dock. It’s always very moving, knowing that they may not see their families for months, but it’s also nice to see how important family is in this culture.

 

Today’s seemed a little slow around the ship, probably because people went here, there and everywhere in Bali and are just tired. One event that has drawn a lot of passengers is the silent auction for the Smile Foundation in Indonesia. I believe that it’s a charity to benefit children born with cleft palate/lip involvement in Indonesia, and as our granddaughter was born with a cleft palate (without lip involvement), we’re happy to contribute. There is a huge variety of things up for auction, from watercolor students’ efforts to two nights in a 7th floor suite. Since every penny raised goes to the foundation, we hope they sell lots! One of our bids (which I think will win) is for a friend’s painting of a koala. She paints with a 2-bristle brush, so each painting takes a great deal of time, but her final products are almost like photographs. The most interesting thing for me is that she never even painted before she took a class on board an HAL ship and now her paintings sell for $3.00-$5.00 a square inch. I do hope we get the koala.

 

My biggest problem (and it’s a minor one) is that book club has its final meeting on The Bone People today and I haven’t finished the book. Oh no! I have been given two suggestions as to a solution: read the last couple of chapters and pretend I’ve finished or look up the SparkNotes on the book. I think I’ll just sit and read for a few hours and see how far I can get. I’m more than halfway now, so maybe I’ll figure it out.

 

Tonight is Indonesian night in the dining room and when we looked inside to find Presty, we saw such beautiful decorations to celebrate the day. The ship has really gone above and beyond on dining room decorations this year, and almost everyone really seems to be really impressed. We’ve been told that a great deal of money has gone into those decorations this year, and we can certainly see that it’s been worth it.

 

So, off to read and then pretend I’ve actually read it.

[tommui987]

off to read and then pretend I’ve actually read it.

 

When I was a kid, Classic Comics did the trick!

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 1, 2015 - Day 55

Semarang, Java, Indonesia

 

Can anything good ever come of having to get up at 5:00, especially when your phone alarm mistakenly goes off at 4:00? Well, today it did, and we’ve had an action-packed day outside of Semarang. After trying and failing to go back to sleep at 4:00 this morning, we finally got up at 4:50 when we realized that both of us were still awake. After a quick shower, breakfast, and picking up our “stuff,” we headed down to the third floor atrium to meet the other eight members of our group for our excursion to Borobudur.

 

The drive there, once we left the city, took us through miles and miles of beautiful, tropical countryside, where bananas, coffee (Java, you know), rice, and many other agricultural products grow, making the land incredibly green, and giving Bali a run for its money on scenic value.

 

Since we’re fans of UNESCO World Heritage, this was our chance to add another to our list that we’ve wanted to see for some time. Borobudur, built in 800 A.D., is one huge building with ten terraces, each higher than the other, which symbolize the path to Nirvana. According to our guide, the creation of this magnificent structure without the use of modern engineering and technology is still a mystery today. It is said to have the best examples of Buddhist reliefs in the world, and at the top is the Great Stupa, towering above the other 72 bell-like stupas and statues. The view from the top kept us up there for quite some time, as it is surrounded by several volcanoes and lush green agricultural fields. One other interesting fact is that the massive temples at Angkor Wat were patterned after Borobudur.

 

Our other activity at the top, in addition to gawking at the beautiful natural surroundings, was walking around the Great Stupa three times, silently, and then at the end making a wish. Of course I can’t tell you what I wished, or it wouldn’t come true. Then it was time to walk down the steps, an even greater accomplishment than walking up, since some of the steps were more than a foot high. Fortunately, there were railings to hang on to, so there were no mishaps.

 

After our visit, it was time for lunch, and the restaurant chosen by our tour company was open-air and built in the Indonesian style, with lots of wood. The “gong” music played while we ate helped create a lovely atmosphere. Our table for ten was groaning with bowls and platters full of rice (of course), beef strips cook in spices, roasted chicken, grilled fish, steamed vegetables and topped off with shrimp crackers and cassava chips, which taste a lot like potato chips. For dessert, there was some excellent fruit.

 

Our two-hour drive back to the ship was a challenge for the driver, because the rain was sheeting down and creating large rivers on each side of the road. He did a good job, though, and got us back to the ship at 2:30, a full hour ahead of all aboard. It was a wonderful day with good friends at a spectacular site. We’ve wanted to see this monument for a long time, and our visit fulfilled all our wishes.

 

Now we just have to wait until all-aboard at 3:30, which is when the sailaway begins on Deck 3, again so that crew members can wave goodbye to the dozens and dozens of family members who came to visit today. As HAL has done on two other sailaways, this one will include not only the usual hot hors d’oeuvres but also complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks. As you can imagine, it is very well attended.

 

Tomorrow is Jakarta, and Presty is putting together a tour for us, but we won’t find out the details until dinner. I guess we’ll just have to trust him.

[LrdNorman]

Do you ever keep the daily programs? Would love to see a few of them. I realize it would be tough while travelling, but maybe when you recover from the wonderful trip, if you wouldn't mind sharing some of them...

 

I'm living vicariously through your travels. Saving up my money for a world cruise as my retirement...

 

Kevin

[ozcruizer]

When we went to Borobudur we did a HAL tour as we wanted to be sure of being back to the ship in good time. There were seven coaches and we had a police escort! It was like Moses parting the Red Sea as we passed by with the locals moving to the sides of the road. Quite amazing.

 

I had wanted to see Borobudur as I remembered doing something on it way back in primary school. What a spectacular sight. Yes, I remember the steps which were a bit perilous for me with a wonky knee but I made it without incident both ways.

 

Thanks for the memories,

Ozcruizer

[Johnny B]

Monday, March 2, 2015 - Day 56

Tanjung Priok, the port for Jakarta, Indonesia

 

While we’ve been to a couple of ports in Indonesia before, we’d never called at Jakarta, so today was pretty interesting. Again, one of the best things about it were the visits of family members to the ship. It’s great to see little kids with dripping ice cream cones running from one side of the Lido deck to the other, while their parents run after them, afraid that the children will annoy the passengers. Actually, it’s just the opposite; most of us love to see the kids, especially when it’s the children of one of the crew members we know.

 

Passengers on board ship are actually a pretty cool group when it comes to the crew. As you walk down the stateroom hallways lately, almost every cabin door has a note attached to it which says something like, “Do not service this room on March 1 or 2 (or February 26 and 27 for Bali). Take the time off to enjoy your family.” Our room hasn’t had any service since day before yesterday, and we’re happy to see it. We know how hard our crew members work, and how much it means to them to be able to see family members in the middle of an 8-10 month contract, and we can’t do enough to support them. One family we saw had a stroller with a 2-month old baby, and her dad said that this was the first time he had seen her. Sometimes I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

 

Since the port is about 20-30 minutes from town, we had a shuttle to take us there, and it dropped us off at a mall where we first took advantage of the free wifi to call home for a weekly check-in with our kids in Davis, CA. Then we just wandered around the mall, buying a few things, including a dozen Dunkin’ Donuts for Paula at the Front Desk. She’s engaged to Manny, our favorite wine steward, and we’ve seen him buying them for her a few times, because she loves them so much and so that she can share them with her Front Desk colleagues.

 

Jakarta is such a huge city - the capital and largest one in Indonesia with 13 to 20 million people, depending who you listen to and how far out you include the population. Originally the city was called Batavia and was the capital of the Dutch East Indies, and there are some beautiful colonial buildings in the oldest part of town. One of the bad things about such a huge city is the pollution; there is trash everywhere, including in the port, and there doesn’t seem to be an effort to clean it up.

 

On our way back to the port, we saw two Iranian warships tied up behind the Amsterdam. When I commented that the one in front seemed like it was only ten feet behind us, Karen, the captain’s wife, said it was ten feet, because that’s the space requirement between ships. There are two guns on its deck, but they’re wrapped up in lovely blue plastic which is a good thing, because they’re pointed at our stern!

 

Today was “Dive-In day,” which is the day each week that we splurge and get a freshly grilled hamburger on the Lido deck - but we share it (and the fries that come with it). It just means a few more minutes in the gym tomorrow morning. Speaking of tomorrow, it’s our only sea day before Singapore, so I shall take full advantage - and do as little as possible.

[RuthC]

Were any students from SS Jakarta brought on board for on-the-job training?

 

When I was there some students shadowed Lido stewards at breakfast, then at lunch time they did the jobs (under tutelage). It was such fun to see their enthusiasm.

[SilvertoGold]

Were any students from SS Jakarta brought on board for on-the-job training?

 

When I was there some students shadowed Lido stewards at breakfast, then at lunch time they did the jobs (under tutelage). It was such fun to see their enthusiasm.

 

Yes, we've seen that, too! Ours were a bit afraid of the pax. My DH spoke to them in Bahasa and it was a treat to see their reaction!!

We even ran into a former DR manager who transferred to the school and was on board for the day! He recognized us before we saw him: a nice reunion!

[Folk Singer]

Thanks John for the daily reporting.:):)

[Johnny B]

March 3, 2015 - Day 57

At Sea en route to Singapore

 

Well, here we are at the halfway point; the cruise is 114 days long and it’s day 57. The only question, of course, is “Where has it gone?” It’s been a wonderful 57 days and the next 57 will be just as good, I’m sure, even though 16 of them will be spent off the ship. In a week, we begin our Myanmar/India overland, and then in early April we begin what we laughingly call our “San Francisco overland” when we fly home for our granddaughter’s birthday, rejoining in Rome.

 

If you’ve been on a ship that has crossed the equator, you’ve no doubt enjoyed the “Kiss the Fish” ceremony. We’ve attended on every cruise, but this one was unique.

If you’ve never seen one, it’s really called The King Neptune Ceremony, one which is held on a day when we’re crossing the equator. On the Amsterdam, the ceremony consists of a judge, played by Gene, the cruise director, King Neptune, a mermaid, and various “polywogs,” or crew members who haven’t been across the equator (or at least are willing to pretend). The “charges” are called out against them, they are covered in what used to be fish guts but is now more like colored meringue, and then the top four officers on the ship give them “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” With down, they go “into the drink” (the pool) and with up they sit on the edge of the pool. After getting all that gunk on them, the ones who end up in the pool are the lucky ones.

 

There are about 15 crew members who are “tried” in groups of 2, 3, or 4, and usually at the end, all of them who aren’t put in the pool jump in to get washed off. This year, for the first time in the six times we’ve watched, Gene got the Captain to join the polywogs in the pool (after removing his hat and shoes), and then he was joined by the other three officers, Gene, and King Neptune. It was great fun, and anyone who didn’t think that Captain Jonathan had a sense of humor learned today that he does. I was standing with Karen, the Captain’s wife, and I asked her if she knew he was going to do that. She replied that she didn’t know, and didn’t think that he did either.

 

Although we’ve had a lot of time changes on the cruise so far, today is the first time we’ve had to move the clock forward. I guess it’s because Singapore is one hour ahead of Jakarta, but regardless, at 2:00 this afternoon it will instantly be 3:00. It’s weird, but that’s what will happen. Then at 4:00 is the Grand Dollar Redemption, and since we need the 16G flash drive, I’ll be lined up waiting.

 

Today is the official end of the second segment, and there was an award ceremony and luncheon for those who are disembarking tomorrow. Our friend Hermann was to receive his silver medallion for 300 days, and several other friends who are President’s Club members showed up to congratulate him. You’ll no doubt see photos of the ceremony on Jeff’s blog tomorrow.

 

Now it’s off to try to finish a book; with five port days in a row coming up, there won’t be much time for reading.

 

P. S. No, there weren't any trainees on the ship this time, but we have seen them in the past. BTW, this is Diane - John does his blog on Facebook with photos -

DianeandJohn St John

[Oahucruiser]

Would you be willing to write the correct url for your Facebook page? No matter how I type it in it is not correct. I got it last year but not this time. Thank you.

 

https://facebook.com?????????????

[Oahucruiser]

After trials and errors I found your FB page after all. It's a delight! Have it bookmarked now so I won't lose it again.

[RuthC]

P. S. No, there weren't any trainees on the ship this time, but we have seen them in the past.

Thanks for answering. It was fun to see them when they were aboard; so glad they came on when I was there.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 2015

Days 58 and 59

Singapore

 

There is just WAY too much to do in Singapore. If you’ve been here, you know that, and if you have yet to visit, please take my word for it. That’s why there’s one post for two days, and I’m still exhausted.

 

Yesterday, we got off the ship about 10:30 after some beauty salon delays, and we were gone until 9:30 last night - followed almost immediately by bedtime. Our first stop, which turned out to last almost three hours, was to the Emirates office downtown to make a couple of changes to our flights home in April. We thought it would be easy and uncomplicated; obvious we were wrong. The building in which Emirates is located is probably the most modern office building we’ve ever visited. You check in at security, showing them your passport, which we were required to carry everywhere in Singapore, including exiting and entering the ship terminal. They ask you which office you’re going to, and then you’re given a little electronic card, which you use to get through the entry gates - much like getting onto the tube in London or the Metro in Paris. The biggest difference is that once you enter your card, a screen lights up and tells you which elevator to take. When you enter that elevator, your floor has been pre-selected and you shoot right up there. It really is incredible.

 

After taking care of business, we wanted to visit the top floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, so we hopped back onto the MRT (subway) and came out there. We were able to take the elevator up to the roof on the 57th floor, but had we wanted to use the pool, we would need to scan our room key - which we didn’t have. The hotel consists of three towers, each 57 stories high, with a slab-like roof across the top containing the pool, a couple of restaurants and bars, and some viewing platforms. In profile, it resembles an Egyptian monument. Because we arrived at 3:00, we were too late for lunch, but we could order from the bar menu, with a minimum of $30 per person, or about $22.50 US. Because of the prices, that was no problem. John had spicy barbecued Australian ribs and I had a noodle bowl with a couple of pieces of wagu beef - very tender.

 

It’s quite wonderful sitting up in the sky like that, being able to see all of Singapore, even though it was a bit hazy. On one side was the Gardens by the Bay, consisting of 250 acres and two huge dome-shaped hothouses that we visited last year, one with a Mediterranean climate and plants and the other with a “cloud forest” and tropical plants.

On the other side of the roof the view was over the city and its various beautiful waterways.

 

Afterwards, we headed to Brad and Gloria’s room, since they were spending the night. They booked a suite, and it was amazing, probably about 1500 square feet. It consisted of an entry hall (about 8 x 12), a living room, and a bedroom with a large sitting area. They said it was nothing compared to their suite last year when they were upgraded: 2500 square feet with a grand piano. That’s certainly above our pay grade!

 

By the time we wandered through the Gardens by the Bay, it was almost 6:00, so we continued our MRT journey to Clarke Quay, where we like to eat dinner on overnight calls here. Last night’s choice was a Vietnamese restaurant, with fried rice for John and and fried noodles for me, along with local beer (Happy Hour continued until 8:00 with half-price beverages). It’s lovely sitting next to the river as daylight turns to dusk turns to dark, watching the riverboats (filled with tour groups) sail from near us, their lights going on as night falls on Singapore. By the time we finally returned to the ship, it was 9:30 and I was bone tired.

 

This morning we decided to do something different: travel to Sentosa Island, just across the bay from our ship. Sentosa is an amazing place, and there are four ways to get there. You can drive across the bridge, walk across the pedestrian bridge, take the monorail, or “fly” across the harbor in a cable car. The entire island is a huge amusement park, but like the rest of Singapore, there isn’t a bit of trash - not a gum wrapper (gum is illegal in Singapore), not a bit of anything - I’m amazed that the trees have the nerve to drop leaves on the ground! Actually, it’s pretty nice to have a place be so clean, especially after Jakarta.

 

Sentosa Island contains all kinds of attractions: the only Universal Studios in Asia, a large casino, three pristine beaches, a couple of hotels, all kinds of eateries, from McDonalds to Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon (each with two Michelin stars), a massive aquarium, a maritime museum, and tropical landscaping that is out of this world. We loved our visit, but since it was over 90 degrees today, we opted for a small, air-conditioned cafe for lunch. We had walked over, which took about 30 minutes, but opted for the monorail for our return a few hours later. It brings passengers right into the Vivo Mall which adjoins the Harbour City mall, which houses the passenger terminal. We picked up a few last minute necessities (like smoked, salted almonds), and headed back to the ship, only stopping in the long hallway leading up to the ship for that wonder of wonders - fast, free internet. The hallway was packed!

 

All aboard time today is 3:00, but the sailaway isn’t until 4:30, and we’ll be out there on the aft deck saying goodbye to a lovely city and one of our favorites.

[SilvertoGold]

What a varied day!

 

Love your report! You make it feel as if we are back in Singapore with you.

[cruz chic]

Sounds like a great day.

[Johnny B]

Friday, March 6, 2015 - Day 60

Port Klang for Kuala Lumpur

 

Kuala Lumpur, or KL, as the natives call it, is a vibrant, busy city with the tallest twin towers in the world. Port Klang is a full hour and a half from the city, which requires passengers to make one of several choices. We can take a taxi, take the free ship shuttle to a shopping mall halfway to the city, or pay for a ship’s excursion which just takes you into the middle of the city and brings you back. We opted for choice #3, so that we could see even more of the city than we did in 2008, when we were here before.

 

As we walked toward the port building, we could see that the water was clean and there was little or no littering, either in the water or on the ground. As we drove into the city, we appreciated the greenery lining both sides of the freeway as well as the lovely condos where a lot of KL’s citizens live.

 

The city is populated by about 1.5 million people, although it seems like more because

the buildings spread so far. We were dropped off at a shopping mall called Sungei Wang, and because we thought we’d forget the name, we took a photo of the exterior of the building. Our friends Rich and Ginny were also on the transfer into the city, so the four of us decided to go to the Petronas Towers, two towers that, for awhile, were the tallest buildings in the world. Like other “tallest” buildings, these were quickly surpassed, and now the Burj Khalifa in Dubai holds that honor. The Towers, however, retain their claim to be the tallest “twin towers” in the world.

 

Since we didn’t book in advance, we waited in the queue and when we got there, at about 11:10, we found that the first tour with space for four was at 12:15, so we signed up. The senior rate, 50% of the basic rate, convinced us that this was the way to go.

First, we took the elevator to the bridge level, where we got out and could see from one tower to the other as well as around the area. After 10 or 15 minutes, we got back into another elevator and flew straight to the top, 1,483 feet above the ground. As someone who doesn’t do well with heights, I had to hold onto the bar whenever I moved near the windows looking down that far. It was fascinating, but pretty darned scary.

 

Then it was time to come down, which seemed to take a lot less time than going up, but we descended quickly and - shockingly enough - found ourselves in the gift shop! The extent of our purchases was one postcard and a stamp to send to our granddaughter, and then it was time to find lunch.

 

It was hot and humid outside, so our main goal was air conditioning and cold beer. After those necessities had been addressed, we could head back to the meeting site for the bus and take the hour and a quarter ride back to the ship.

 

Arriving back at the ship, we found a letter from the captain telling us that, because of security concerns, all three Egyptian ports have been cancelled and replaced with two ports in Israel, Ashdod for Jerusalem and Haifa for Tel Aviv. We know that there are passengers who are extremely unhappy about this change, but HAL’s concern is with the safety of the passengers, so we can’t be too sorry. Since we had been scheduled to fly out of Cairo to San Francisco for our granddaughter’s birthday (returning to Rome), we had to make some changes, but that was easily done, and now our schedule is to fly out of Tel Aviv via Frankfurt to San Francisco, which is an even better routing.

 

Tomorrow is Penang, and we haven’t even recovered from KL yet. We’re hoping for a tour by bicycle rickshaw, but who knows. We just know that we’re looking forward to a new port and new adventures.

[rafinmd]

Has your proximity to Malaysia heightened coverage of the Anniversary of Flight 370?

 

Roy

[Johnny B]

Saturday, March 7, 2015 - Day 61

Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

 

I think we’ve all seen rickshaws in old movies, but today we got to go for an hour’s ride in a “trishaw,” which is the name for the same type of conveyance propelled by a bicycle. John and I squished into the seat (too many visits to the Lido, I guess), and a tiny little man pedaled the bicycle which took us for a sightseeing trip around the city of Georgetown. We saw all kinds of things in this delightfully multi-cultural city, including the part occupied by those of Indian descent as well as Chinatown, and then into another part of the city where most of the women wore hijab, the Muslim hair covering, and no matter the temperature (about 90 degrees and equal humidity), they cover their arms down to the wrists and legs down to their ankles.

 

A friend told us we had to bargain, but John hates to do that, so when the driver told us that it would cost 40 ringgitts, or about 11 dollars, he said that was fine. After our hour was up, when John handed him a 50, he said that the 40 was only for one, so we owed him 80. Then John gave him two 50’s, and he kept pointing at John’s wallet while we kept asking for change. We’re still not sure what he meant by his pointing, but after we kept up a bit, he gave us 20 back and we were all on our way. I guess it’s important to be very clear about things from the very beginning, although since an hour’s ride cost about $22.00 US, we thought that was quite a good deal.

 

After our ride, we headed over to buy a postcard to send to our granddaughter, and found one with a lovely photo of a trishaw on the front. The little convenience store sold us the postcard and a stamp, but it was quite an adventure actually finding a place to post it. We had directions from four different people, each one more specific, until we finally, finally found the post office with a slot outside for overseas mail.

 

Then we crossed the street and went to Fort Cornwallis, named for the commander you may remember from your American history classes. It’s a large, star-shaped structure which held off potential enemies after England took possession of the island in the late 1700’s. I guess since they lost the American colonies, they felt better gaining a lovely tropical island instead.

 

We had about 50 ringgitts left, or $25.00 US, and while I wanted to just find a money changer before we headed back to the ship, John thought we should find something for Jessica. I agreed, and we looked and looked, but there were really no shops - at least none open on a Saturday - which had things that might be enjoyed by an 8-year old. The other option was the Seven-Eleven mini-mart, where we were happy to spend our money on all the necessary food groups: chips, miscellaneous munchies, and a can of Tiger beer.

 

The captain had announced yesterday that the dock was taken by two ships already, so that we’d have to tender in. However, one ship was to sail at 2:00, so then he’d sail on over to the dock and we could get on the ship that way. When we got to the dock to look for a tender at 1:00, we saw our ship moving up to the dock, so we got to watch docking from a different direction than we usually do. We finally got on the ship shortly after 1:30, just in time for some lunch, a Diet Coke, and that Tiger beer. This afternoon has been pretty lazy; we find that the heat and humidity just take it out of us. Sailaway is from 4:30 to 5:30, so we’ll have to be done with our naps by then. A sad life we have here, don’t you think?

 

P. S. It's ironic that we're in Malaysia for the first anniversary of the disappearance of their plane, but we've heard no mention of it except among a few passengers. Such a mystery.

[Johnny B]

Sunday, March 8, 2015 - Day 62

Phuket, Thailand

 

We’ve been to Phuket twice before, and of our now three visits, each time we’ve arrived in a different place. On our first visit, in 2012, we arrived here after a 10-day Thailand overland, spending our last three days in Phuket. When the ship arrived and docked off Patong Beach, we just pulled our little suitcases down the hill from our hotel, walked out onto the dock and boarded the ship. Last year, in 2014, we tendered off the same beach and spent the day very enjoyably wandering the town behind it.

 

This year, however, our ship docked about as far as possible from Patong Beach as possible, somewhere on the other side of the island. There was absolutely nothing around except for a temporary market set up by local people. Of course there were the requisite taxi drivers, who were willing to take us to Patong Bay, a 45-minute drive one way, for $50 round trip - after some bargaining. Instead, we opted for a $10.00 drive to a nearby beach, sharing a taxi with friends Jai, a dance host, and Barbara. Our driver took us to a small beach with a few cafes. There was clear, pleasantly warm water and lovely clean sand. Since we had forgotten to pick up beach towels, a lady selling some kind of snacks was kind enough to loan us two beach mats.

 

We just hung out there for a couple of hours before deciding it was time to have some lunch. We headed to the first little cafe we saw which sat in the open air overlooking the beach and the lovely bay. Our simple cafe lunch turned out to be one of the best Thai meals I’ve ever had, with everyone ordering something different and then sharing plates around. John had fried rice, I had pad thai, Jai had a spicy beef dish, and Barbara ordered a green curry which came in the form of a soup - and was pretty darned spicy but perfect on rice. Some Thai beer topped off our meal and we just ate and chatted and enjoyed life for an hour or so.

 

Then it was time to return to the ship and check out the market. We looked and looked, and ended up with a thin white cotton shirt for John and a long, loose Asian dress for me. We bought them with our Myanmar/India overland in mind, looking for clothes as cool as possible.

 

We received a letter from the Captain when we returned to our cabin explaining that there had been a spike in gastrointestinal illness on the ship and telling us of the measures that would be taken to curb it. The crew is sanitizing every possible part of the ship, food in the Lido must be served to us, dance hosts may socialize with people around the dance floors but may not dance, and so on. We hope it gets better soon.

 

I know it seems silly, but these five port days in a row, in temperatures in excess of 90 degrees, just make us exhausted, so when we re-entered the air-conditioned bliss of the ship, we headed right to our cabin for a well-deserved nap. Afterwards it was sailaway on the back deck, where we joined Jeff and Gene, the Cruise Director, to chat and watch the ship pull away from the dock. I don’t care how many cruises we’ve been on, watching the ship head to sea still remains a thrill. We were then joined by Ann, Cathy, Bill and Jane, and we just sat around talking about what we’d done all day and listening to the Amsterdam Orchestra play good dance tunes.

 

Tonight we do one of those weird half-hour time changes - back, thankfully, so that we’ll be on the correct time for Yangon day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is a sea day and I don’t know anyone who isn’t pleased about that. We’ll rest up, hand-wash some last-minute clothes for our overland (since the passenger laundry is closed until everyone gets well), and pack for our trip. Can’t wait to sleep in!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Such a lot of sightseeing in those five days. Have enjoyed reading about it. Sorry to be a nag, but do you have the title of the next book for the book club?

Thanks.

[Johnny B]

Monday, March 9, 2015 - Day 62

At sea en route to Yangon (formerly Rangoon) Myanmar (formerly Burma)

 

Wow, now that I have all of that renaming covered, I can simply write about everyone’s enjoyment of a sea day - at last. It’s very quiet around the ship, as many people are taking advantage of the day to sleep in and just plain take it easy. Today is our day for packing and covering all the necessary details of our overland.

 

Tomorrow we will be collected at the dock at Thilawar port at 7:30 and driven into Yangon, about an hour and a half away. Arriving at about 9:00, most of the things we will see will be open by then and we’ll see all kinds of things. We were originally going to spend the night on board ship, but when we learned that it was 90 minutes away, we decided that we’d stay in the city, where with any luck I can get a pedicure!

 

The next day we fly to Bagan, home of some of the most amazing temples in Southeast Asia. Visiting them will be great, but even better will be the next morning, when we are picked up at 5:30 AM (yikes) for our Balloon over Bagan adventure. Sailing over temples for an hour sounds wonderful, even if we do have to sign our lives away on a form which we’ll turn in tomorrow.

 

On the 13th, we fly to Heho (I love that name) for a stay at Inle Lake, which is not only historical but beautiful. The next day we sail across the lake by long-tailed boat to see even more, and then in the late afternoon it’s time to fly back to Yangon for an overnight before we fly out to India the next day. All of it will be wonderful, but I’m exhausted just writing about it.

 

Although the five recent port days were wonderful (and exhausting), we enjoyed a couple of the evening shows - when we could stay awake. The best, by far, was the Amsterdam singers and dancers presenting a show called “Dance.” It was amazing, and the amount of energy those kids have just blows me away. They waltzed, danced the tango, leaped and showed off some great six-packs. The singers were wonderful also, but this time they pretty much took the secondary role. As you can tell, we really, really enjoyed the show.

 

Now I have to get to a meeting of Jeff, Ann, Cathy and us to decide what we want to see in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We’ll be in Jerusalem on Easter, which should be absolutely wonderful - but incredibly crowded. Even though John and I will return in the fall for a tour of Israel, we’re really looking forward to these two unexpected days, even though many people are very unhappy about missing Egypt. It’s one of those situations where you have to roll with the punches, since ships try to get to certain ports but are never sure that it will be possible.

 

Now it’s off to the meeting and then to finish packing.

 

P. S. No new book title yet - sorry!