Journey with Bill & Mary Ann on the Amsterdam's 2016 Grand World Voyage - 114 days +

[WCB]

Report # 64 Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China March 4, 2016 Friday Partly sunny & 71 degrees Part # 1 of 2 81 Pictures

 

Our third day in Hong Kong began with overcast skies, although the temperature was still pleasant. Doubt we see much of that promised “partly sunny” prediction in the daily newsletter. At least it is not raining.

 

During breakfast, we spotted our friend Maureen eating with Tom M, our host. They are buddies, both British, and frequent breakfast and lunch companions. All seemed right with the world seeing them together, since they spent a lot of time last year during AM and PM meals.

 

We hung around for a while after breakfast, watching the last of the Republican debates on TV. We hate getting the news reports later on, missing the talks, as they show what they want, not always the way things went down. Doesn’t matter what station you watch, they are selective in their coverage.

 

Around 11am, we left the ship heading in a different direction. We walked to the Star Ferry Pier, which has been in operation since 1898. It appears that not a whole lot has changed with their ferry system in all of those years. We have been on these wooden ferries on past trips, and enjoyed the short rides, although they are not made for comfort. Since they are open-sided, rain can get you drenched if the wind is blowing sideways. That happened on a ride we took to Lantau Island many years ago. We had been given rain ponchos, but the wind was blowing so hard, we could not get them over our heads fast enough. People around us got buried in the plastic as they blew in their faces.

 

This area of the pier is always busy with folks coming and going. Added to the confusion, are dozens of vendors that are pushing tailor services. Need a suit, need a jacket, need a dress? That’s all you hear as they try to push their cards at you. There’s always some political protestors there as well, handing out flyers. They are lost on us, because we don’t speak the language. You can also pick up many flyers here about things to do and see in Hong Kong and the surrounding islands. It was too crowded in that area, so we missed getting the information.

 

We strolled around the Victoria Clock Tower, which dates back to 1915. Today, it is all that remains of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Station. The harbor front promenade begins here, and takes you to the Avenue of the Stars….always a fun place to see. All of the Hong Kong cinema stars have their prints in the sidewalk, with Jackie Chan having the biggest star. Much to our surprise, this entire area has been closed off for re-modeling and major construction. There were still a few Chinese groups milling around, getting their photos taken with the famous harbor in the backround. A bridal party was in the process of posing the bride with her family members. Sure was a pretty scene, despite the gray weather today. Brides always look beautiful no matter what.

 

We crossed Salisbury Road, one of the few stop lights there. That took us right to a mall called 1881 Heritage. You stroll right into a plaza with an elaborate fountain. Escalators going up to two levels of the highest high end shops in town selling duty free items. Some interesting city relics are located up here. One is the Time Ball, a metal globe that was dropped at 1pm daily, and was used by the ships to set their compasses. It was important for them to have correct time in order to navigate their ships accurately. In addition to the time ball, there was a cannon that used to be set off exactly at 1pm. The cannon alerted the ships to the correct time, but with the sound echoing in the massive harbor, it was not that accurate. Thus the Time Ball came into use. It became the “GPS” for the ships.

 

Up on the highest level, we walked around the side of the colonial-style building, and found the stables from the old days. It has been converted to the Stables Restaurant, which has preserved the original barn doors. Although they were not opened for business yet, we did find that they served pizza. Too bad it was too early for lunch.

 

Continuing up the road, we came across the Peninsula Hotel, another oldie, but goody. Walking inside, we found the lower level full of tables and chairs where they were serving breakfast. Even this early, a four piece orchestra was entertaining the diners below. We did go up to the upper level to stroll past the high end jewelry and clothing shops. We learned from Greg and Heo at dinner, that they went with friends to High Tea at the Peninsula. These same tables were used for the tea time, and it set them back about $50. US each. They said that a three-tiered plate came with the tea piled with quarter sandwiches, scones, fruit, clotted cream, pastries, and all the tea they could drink. Very civilized, they said. The construction from colonial times reminded us of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore equally as elegant.

 

Crossing the street here became complicated, because we had to go underground to do it. There is a huge subway system which takes people across roads to different areas of the city. Would not want to be down there during a monsoon rain, as it tends to flood sometimes. Following the signs, we came out at Nathan Road. We had not walked this part of it the last two days, and then we remembered why. Going a different way up Nathan, we missed the beggars, vendors, and “real” Rolex watches and the authentic Prada handbags for sale. The first two blocks were jammed with these people. We just said NO, politely.

 

We ran into the lower end of Kowloon Park, where the Mosque is located. It was very busy with people going there, because it was a Friday, their day of prayer, we believe. Since we had missed this part of the park yesterday, we went back up several flights of steep stairs to the top. Ending up at the Sculpture Park, we saw dozens of red-uniformed children on their lunch break. They were so cute, and must have been around kindergarten age. Although they were supposed to be sitting and eating lunch, many of the little girls were teasing the little boys. We saw a lot of poking and hair-pulling, as kids are the same worldwide.

 

Further into the park, we went towards the ponds with the turtles. Halfway there, we ran into a group of professional photographers, waiting to get a picture of a blue bird in a tree. We stood with them and their cameras and lens on tripods, wondering what they were looking for. One of the fellows came over and showed us his picture of the bird. It looked like a small blue wagtail……nothing really exciting to us, but then birders are a different breed of hobbyists. We can say that their camera equipment was worth $$$$$$. We did not have the patience to wait as long as they did.

 

Going around the lake once again, we decided to take the bridge over Canton Road and back down the elevator of the Royal Pacific Hotel. That was close again to the Harbour City, the largest mall in Hong Kong with 450 stores. It was time for lunch, so this time we headed for another good restaurant called BLT Burger. It was not too crowded when we entered, but before we left, there were no empty tables. The burgers were ample and tasty. Sitting for an hour or so was great. Three days of walking Hong Kong was a workout in itself.

 

After downloading hundreds of pictures, we took a walk on the promenade deck. Many folks were relaxing on the teak lounges, including friends Jack and Shirley. They are excellent walkers, so we asked what they had done for the last three days. They told us that they had purchased the Octopus Cards (Elder), which for a small price, you can use the rapid transit underground, buses, and entries to many venues for super cheap. This allowed them to access Hong Kong Island, where they could get to all of the sites there. They did visit a botanical garden, which may have been the Zoological Gardens, where they saw many animals including an orangutan. We’ll have to look into this pass next year, and expand our territory.

 

We stayed outside until the sun set around 6:30pm. It was not long before the buildings on HK Island began to light up the harbor once again. A strange thing happened to us last night that we forgot to mention. While going outside after dinner for our walk, we stopped to take in the harbor lights, always a delightful site. Something caught our eye overhead, something moved in the sky. It wasn’t a bird, it wasn’t a plane, no it wasn’t Superman. Actually it was a drone with green lights and red lights flashing. It swooped down and made a sweep across the promenade deck, hovered for a few minutes, then took off towards the Convention Center across the harbor. It hovered in front of the windows there. Wonder if there was a camera on it? It was a spooky experience, like something out of a time warp in the future. It’s no wonder that people feel like shooting them down if they are “peeping Toms”.

 

All aboard time today was 7pm, even though our departure was scheduled for around 9pm. The Chinese officials had to go through each and every passport. Sometime around 7:30pm, Gene began announcing folks that either were not back on the ship, or their key cards had not registered on the kiosk. There had to be about a dozen folks missing. Until they called or showed up in person with the officials, we would not be leaving on time. Eventually they must have shown up.

 

We did go up to deck nine to watch the last of the buildings light up. The new one on Kowloon had a good laser light show at 7:45pm, with hopping rabbits, trees growing, stormy weather with rain falling, and much more, although if we stayed, we would have been rudely late for dinner.

 

Tonight, we had ten of us at dinner with Greg and Heo joining us once again. This is the first time we have had such a full table, but it was fun. By the time it was 8:30pm, most of the surrounding tables were empty, because we are sitting at the open seating dining. Great for us, because we get good service.

 

Unfortunately, we got out so late last night visiting with new friends, that we missed the local Chinese Dragon Show, which began at 9:30pm. Tonight, the entertainer was Clare Langan, the flautist, performing her encore farewell show. We did, however, pass her in the hallway at 8pm, and we can say she looked beautiful in her blue sequined formal dress.

 

By the way, we got gifts tonight…….two ballistic nylon carry-on travel bags…..quite useful, as we were hoping to get one to use on our overland in Sri Lanka. These bags are foldable and come in a fabric pouch with a drawstring. Easy to stash in a suitcase.

 

Also, today we begin another segment from Hong Kong to Singapore. We have passed the halfway mark of the world cruise now, and are on the way towards Vietnam now, a far different place compared to Hong Kong.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Lizzie68]

Wonderful photos on your blog, and love the captions to each.:)

[WCB]

Report # 65 Sailing Towards Da Nang, Vietnam March 5, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Today was a most welcomed day at sea, a day to kick back and recover from our 3 day adventure in Hong Kong. It sure was sad to leave last night, because it is one of our favorite cities to explore. Three days barely puts a dent in things you want to do. The good news is that, God-willing, we will be back again next year.

 

Another good thing was that we put the clocks back one hour last night, putting us exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern time. The extra hour of sleep was appreciated by everyone we talked to today.

 

Some of the staff has come down with a virus-like illness that attacks the voice. Barbara H has fallen ill with it, and had to cancel her morning talk about Cambodia. In fact, she is absent from her desk on deck five as well. The same thing happened to her last year, so we expect that many of the passengers have this flu too. A good reminder to wash, wash, wash our hands and sanitize with Purell.

 

Two new speakers have joined the ship. Kate Ross focused on Vietnam, while Revell Carr talked about the European quest for Asian riches.

 

As for getting Vietnam currency (dong), it is not being sold at the front desk. The conversion rate is 22,000 to $1 US. Lucky for everyone, the US dollar is widely accepted……gladly taken. Another warning written in the newsletter was that old paper banknotes are now obsolete, having no value. Sometimes, these bills are given in change, so beware.

 

Since we will be arriving in Vietnam tomorrow, here are a few facts. Vietnam is a long, slender nation with a huge population….86,967,524 to be exact. Probably more now, since this is based on a 2013 census. The capital is Hanoi and the area of the country is 127,847 square miles. The official language is Vietnamese. English is spoken in some tourist places also.

 

The north is tight-lipped and zestful, while Ho Chi Minh in the south is “go-go-go”. The north has hill tribe villages and limestone cliffs. The mid country has white sand beaches. The south is favorable for rice paddy fields…..very agricultural.

 

As far as Asia goes, Vietnam is still cheap. Bargains in vacations and products are easily found. You will find push-cart vendors amid fancy sports cars. Business is growing in this country. On the surface, it is a far different place than what we remember from the 1960’s.

 

The best time to visit are the months of March, April, September, October, and November. We can guess that the rest of the year is monsoon season….wet, rainy, flooded, and hot.

 

Things to see are Hanoi, although we are not stopping there on this cruise. Ho Chi Minh will be accessible from the port of Phu My in a few days. Another popular stop is Halong Bay with the dragon-shaped mountains and blue-green waters. Also not a stop on this trip. Too bad.

 

Hue is one of the cities to see out of Da Nang where you can tour the citadel and royal tombs along the Perfume River. The area is also famous for rice fields and traditional homes.

 

Things to do are eat pho (noodle soup), or see a tailor at Hoi An for shirts, suits, and dresses. Taking a boat through the Mekong Delta, getting out of the tourist ghettos is a good way to mix with the locals.

 

What is there to eat? Again, pho noodle soup, steamed rice rolls with minced pork, and summer spring rolls. What is there to drink? Beer, in particular, draught beer.

 

Trademarks are conical hats, cyclos, traditional silk dresses, and scooter gridlocks. A random fact: Hanoi turned 1000 years old in 2000.

 

The ship will be docked in Da Nang for two days, and this is our first time here. Wish we would have known that a complimentary shuttle was going to be available, because we may have chosen to spend one day to see Da Nang, instead of taking two full days touring with a group. Oh well, these tours are with our travel agency and are included in our perks.

 

We finally made our way to the aft pool today, because the sun was mostly out and it was comfortable. It won’t be long before the heat and humidity are back, so may as well enjoy this pleasant weather now. There were not many people back there, or even on the lower promenade today. Perhaps Hong Kong was overwhelming for most.

 

The daily games continued with trivia being the highlight for many. Barb got new partners…..Greg and Heo. Now she will probably win all of the time, instead of most of the time. She always begs us to play, but we find it conflicts with our outdoor schedule. And our experience at playing it was not always fun, as it can turn way too serious. Too competitive.

 

For most of the afternoon, we were sailing within 90 kilometers of the coastline of Vietnam. There were dozens of small ships and loads of fishing boats milling around. By tonight, we expect to see some of those fishing vessels lit up for night fishing. We also passed through some platforms, which Captain Mercer said was part of their oil fields. You would think we would see some fish or even some sea birds, but there was nothing all day.

 

Tonight was Gala Night, with a special theme……Red Lantern Dinner. The dining room was decorated with red banners stretched across the ceiling, and dozens of red lanterns hung from the lights. People were encouraged to wear their Asian wardrobe. Actually it was the head waiters, who were dressed in gold Chinese jackets, and the waiters dressed in black and red jackets with matching hats that stole the show. We had a “full house” with eleven of us at our table. We had two available seats with Bonnie and Paul gone visiting, but we added Maureen, and expected one officer as our host. Instead, we had Eddy and Calista join us once again. Maureen is a close friend of theirs, so we were all happy to spend an evening together with them. In Singapore, they will be leaving the Amsterdam and going to the new ship, the Koningsdam a week later. They are such accomplished florists, they have been given the honor of setting up the new ship for her inaugural sailing in April. Then they will stay on her for their summer runs in Europe. It will be nice for them, because some of the stops may be close to where they live in Holland. They will be missed big time here, but we hope they will be back next year.

 

Although there was no caviar or escargots, the entrees were fine. One of us had the rack of lamb, while the other had the cobb salad. The surf and turf was tenderloin steak slices with large shrimp. OK, but not exactly filet mignon and lobster.

 

The show was Soul Mystique, world renowned quick change artists. This is a unique show where outfits are changed like magic. Still cannot figure out how this is done, even though we have seen it more than once.

 

Tomorrow will be a long day, so it’s time to close.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 66 Da Nang, Vietnam March 6, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 73 degrees

 

For the very first time this cruise, we had an organized tour this morning with our travel agency. Since we have never been here before, we always feel that taking a tour is the best way to get the lay of the land. And doing it with a friendly group and our hosts should be fun.

 

So we met with everyone in the Ocean Bar around 8:15am. The ship had not been cleared yet, in fact, the gangway was still being lowered from the bow while we watched from deck three. Until we were connected to the pier, we would not be cleared by the local officials until they could board. A few days ago, we had been issued landing cards with our names and a number on it. These will be used in each port in Vietnam, until we leave in Phu My, where they will have to be turned in.

 

The weather was weird this morning, with a low fog hovering overhead. You could still feel some heat from the sun that we knew was there somewhere, just not showing itself yet. This haze feels more like a smog fog, if there is such a thing. Besides adding humidity, it did help keep the temperature down.

 

It was closer to 9am before we were let off the ship. At least a dozen buses were waiting on the working pier. We knew ours would be separate from the HAL coaches, and also smaller for 35 guests only. We think we mentioned that there were complimentary shuttles to downtown Da Nang, a 30 minute ride each way. They would run from 8am to 10:30pm, and again on Monday from 8am to 3:30pm.

 

Getting to the bus first, gave us the chance to choose good seats, or least two where we could stretch our legs. That turned out to be the back of the bus. The coaches in Vietnam happen to be made for shorter people than us. With a bad back, those tight spaces can be torture for a longer ride, such as today. Over 2 hours to drive to Hue, would have been tough if not for the back seats. By the time both buses loaded up, we were one hour late in leaving. We would either be an hour late in coming back, or some of the stops would have to be shortened. This was scheduled to be a 10 hour tour, so we expected the tour would be adjusted.

 

The drive from the pier took us around the bay and past the long stretch of My Khe Beach, or China beach as the American soldiers called it back during the Vietnam War. It is over 20 miles long, and this morning was full of fellows fishing in boats of all kinds. The road eventually began climbing into the mountains, where we entered the Hai Van Tunnels, which cost billions of dollars to build. Once out of the tunnels that went on and on, we came out at a fishing village. The scenery had gone from beach, to jungle-like mountains, to fields of rice paddys, and water buffalo.

 

Even though the ride was over two hours to Hue, it was never boring. So much to see with city life to country living. Our only complaint was that our local guide had a very bad microphone, and most all of us could not hear him at the back of the bus. The assistant did attempt to adjust the speakers, but it did not help the fact that our guide simply did not speak English extremely well. We got enough of his monologue to get an idea of what he was saying. If we wanted exact info repeated, many folks asked questions….lots of questions.

 

Our first stop was a rest stop about halfway to Hue. It was brief, and we had to move along quickly, since many other buses were doing the same thing. It was close to noon by the time we approached the outskirts of Hue, the former capital on the Perfume River. Our guide said that 460,000 people live there, if we heard correctly. And the aroma most folks smell in the air is the smell of ginseng.

 

Our next stop was at Tu Duc Tomb, who was the longest reigning emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. Surrounded by his wife and over 100 concubines and as many children, the emperor used this property in the wooded mountains for recreation and hunting while he was alive. When he died, it became his final resting place. The complex resembled a miniature palace with a pavilion that overlooked a peaceful lake, ornate buildings topped with dragons, fragrant gardens, and hunting grounds. By the way, our guide mentioned that he hunted rabbits, and when they were not around, he hunted his concubines. The only persons to interact with the concubines were unichs (sp?). Concubines were chosen for the emperor, and they had no say in the matter. Once they were “purchased” from the families, they would never return back to their families. In essence, they were prisoners of the emperor, even though it was a supreme honor to be among the chosen. We had a vigorous walk on this complex, climbing steep stairs, touring the hillside ruins, and hiking around the lake and pagoda.

 

A sad reminder of the Vietnam War were the bullet holes left in the walls of the main tombs. The war had taken its toll in Hue with much damage, even to these historical sites. Our guide mentioned that since this part of Vietnam is centrally-located in the country, it was a very dangerous place to be. Many of the local farmers by day, turned out to be enemies at night. With the war taking place between the North and the South, many battles took place here in these mountains.

 

By now, most everyone was hungry and thirsty (and had to use rest rooms, of course). Lunch was next at a restaurant called Moc Vien, suitable to feed large tour groups. It was very close to the tomb complex. Although HAL was not there, many other tour bus groups were already inside eating lunch. We had hoped for a more Vietnamese menu, but it turned out to be a buffet of international dishes, like spaghetti, rice with veggies, assorted steamed veggies, several fish items, and crispy fried chicken. That was the best. Two soups were offered as well as assorted fresh-sliced fruit. We had a choice of bottled water, soda, or a beer. We had ice cold beers. This stop was shortened a bit, so we did not linger at all. We asked for a couple of bananas, expecting a couple of whole bananas. The girl took off on a run, and came back with a dish of sliced bananas. We ate it on the run, thanking her as we ran out the door.

 

We drove a short distance to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a revered Buddhist shrine. This particular shrine is the tallest religious building in Vietnam. The steps up to the top were quite steep, so only one of us went up there. One of us did not trust coming down the steep steps after polishing off the entire bottle of beer at lunch. It was built in 1601 in an octagonal shape. The grounds of the pagoda continued much deeper than what could be seen from the street level. Many monks were visiting there today too. There was an entire corner of souvenirs being sold at this complex, but there was no time to look or buy anything. In fact, our guide mistakenly told us not to buy anything here, and wait until the next shopping stop. He was wrong.

 

The most historical site was next on the list. It was to the Imperial Citadel, built by Emperor Gia Long in 1804. Originally made of earthen walls, they were eventually replaced with stone walls 2 meters thick (over 6 feet). Unfortunately, due to damage from the war, only 10 of the original 160 buildings remain today. The outside moat is two kilometers around, then another mini-citadel is in the middle of this complex. The inner-walled fortress was called the “Purple Forbidden City”, housing an ornate pavilion topped with nine dragons. No photos were allowed. We had a long walk to exit this complex, since there was one way in, and one way out, but going all the way around.

 

Our last stop was at the Dong Ba Market, the largest market in Hue. “Bustling” is an understatement. This place was a zoo, with narrow aisles, crowded stalls, dark and dingy stands with souvenirs, and so much stuff, you couldn’t see it all. Keeping a tight line as our guide led us through the maze of high-pressure vendors, we ended up in the produce and meat end of this marketplace. It was not the cleanest in the world, but had to be the most crowded with locals buying everything. We did not dare stop more than a few seconds to take photos, or we would have been lost. Oh well, there were no souvenirs for us on this tour today, not that we really needed any more things. We do like the cards that are handmade, so maybe we will look tomorrow in Hoi An.

 

Time to head back to the ship. It was 5pm, and if the traffic isn’t heavy, we should make it back in plenty of time for our 8pm dinner. Why is it going back seems faster than going? It took about 2 hours 15 minutes, exactly what our guide had promised. The sun had gone down without a sunset, because the skies had remained overcast for the most part, all day. The majority of the drive was in the dark, and the folks took advantage of that by sleeping. It was very quiet, as the guide also took a break. Before we got to the long tunnel through the mountain, multi-colored lights came on in the coach, and some couples woke up thinking they were in disco…..singing. Rather funny actually.

 

We had enough time to change our clothes, and show up for dinner. All ten of us were back, and it was really nice to have a full table. The conversations were lively as we all shared our highlights of the day in Da Nang and outlying areas. All of us were so tired, no one even considered going to see the big screen movie, Age of Heroes, in the Queens Lounge. It should be repeated on the TV eventually.

 

Taking a quick walk on the promenade deck after dinner, we ran into friends we did not know were coming…..Yvonne and Johnny from Amsterdam. They joined with the new group in Hong Kong and will be staying on for three weeks. They are so much fun, and we look forward to sharing time at the aft pool on future sea days.

 

Tomorrow will be another long one for us, as we are taking an 8 hour tour to Hoi An, a one hour ride south of Da Nang.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the updates.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the update, reminds me how much work these cruises are!

[RuthC]

This was an interesting report tonight.

[Lizzie68]

I do so enjoy your reports and this one made especially good reading. Thank you.

[jig]

That's why we do it privately. When we were in da bang and went to hoi an we had a nice car, driver and guide for about what the ship charged. And a beautiful Vietnamese lunch. One day, maybe we'll see hue.

[chefestelle]

Bill and Mary Ann I don't want to presume too much but I sensed a lack of enthusiasm in this report. Would you give this excursion a miss if you were to do the port again? And would you suggest the sights for people doing a diy land vacation instead?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[WCB]

Report # 67 Da Nang, Vietnam March 7, 2016 Monday Day Two Partly cloudy & 74 degrees

 

Day two began with another tour with our travel agency. Our destination this morning was a drive to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The good news was that we did not have as far to travel as we did yesterday, as this tranquil place is located south of Da Nang. Our group loaded up in two buses, and were on the road by 8:10am. Since this tour was about 8 hours, we would need to be back onboard by 4pm at the latest.

 

We happened to get the same bus, driver, and guide as we had yesterday. He did speak slower than yesterday, but we still had problems understanding him, as we sat in the back of the bus again. We would have to be satisfied with the info we had been given on the ship for this port.

 

We drove to the part of China Beach that had the fishing boats, both the traditional blue and red vessels and also the “bowl” boats. Dozens of these were in the water, all fishing in one way or another. This was simply a photo stop from the bus. Continuing on, we drove all the way along the beach to a huge marble shop and factory. Surprised that we turned into the driveway, this was not a scheduled stop on our itinerary. And although we used it as a pit stop, we assume that the profit made from the sales made there was shared with the guide and his buddies or the tour company they work for. As you know, this happens often. Located right at the base of the Marble Mountains, which consist of five limestone mountains with tunnels and sacred sites, this factory had some fantastic statues and shrines. In the back of the property, was a carving area where workers were busy creating these huge pieces. And of course, they had a large shop that offered every shade of jade carvings and marble items that exist. We were curious as to how much the big items cost, but if you showed an interest, the sales girls stuck to you like glue. It did work for some folks, because we saw many of them packing plastic bags from the shop. They told us repeatedly that they could ship anything to our home, no matter how big it was. These carvings look great here, but maybe not so much where we live.

 

On the way to the town, we passed the swanky section of My Khe Beach or China Beach. This was the pretty part of town, with white, sandy beach on one side, and restaurants, bars, cafes, and hotels on the other side. It’s obvious that this place lights up at night, just like it did back in the 60’s when the beach area was full of American GI’s looking for rest and relaxation.

 

On the seaside, we saw one high end hotel after another. The Crown Plaza was a huge complex resort and had a popular casino. A little further down the road, we passed new construction for more resort hotels. Two golf courses were across the road as well. It was not too far from here that we entered the town of Hoi An. This city is Vietnam’s best-reserved buildings, over 1000 years old, built from the riches of the former spice trade.

 

We debarked the coaches, and waited until tickets were purchased for our group by our guides. Although Hoi An is not a big place, it would have been quite helpful to have a map of the layout. In fact, it was supposed to be given to us by our guide. From what we could see, it would be easy to get lost in here. All the streets and alleyways kind of looked alike to us. We visited three ancient buildings first. The main and most important building was that of Quan Kong Temple. It was built in the early 1600’s for a famous general of the Chin Dynasty. The second place we toured was the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, built in 1697. The third stop was at an ancient home called Tan Ky Ancient House. We’ll let the photos give the story on each of these stops.

 

Lunch was served at a restaurant in the town by the name of Vy’s Market Restaurant and Cooking School. Traditional Vietnamese dishes were being prepared in separate stalls while we watched. The menu included a clam soup (one of us had vegetable soup by request), a beef dish with grilled rice crackers, little spring rolls, stuffed calamari, a sweet and sour shrimp platter, a chicken dish, assorted veggies, sticky rice, a red snapper, and finally a dessert of frozen yogurt with diced local fruit. All the food went well with the beer or soda. We preferred this style of service, since the platters of food were split between only four people at each table. We sat with a nice couple we did not know, from Illinois/Florida by the names of Wayne and Jackie. We shared a lot of information, giving each other tips about touring.

 

After spending an hour for dining, an HAL group entered and filled the rest of the tables. So this restaurant must be the designated one to take care of large groups, as the other eateries in this complex are relatively small. We were given about 1 ½ hours to roam the village on our own, shopping, site-seeing, or simply finding a shady spot to relax and watch the activities on the river. We have to admit, it became tiresome saying “no thanks” to the many vendors selling souvenirs in the streets and alleyways. However, some of their items were nice such as the three-dimensional cards, little flying kites, nylon-woven hammocks, and bookmarks. Some of the more interesting shots came from groups of young ladies crouching over cooking fires and making lunch for the folks on the streets. Elderly women carried fresh veggies, and cooking utensils over their shoulders in baskets. Think their things weighed more than they did.

 

Bikes and cyclos, those two-seaters man-powered bike transports were allowed in this village. You had to watch where you walked, or you would easily get run over. The bikers stop for no one, unless they are selling something.

 

Our meeting place was at the famous Japanese Bridge, Lai Vien Kieu. This ancient wooden-covered bridge separated the town, with one side being Japanese and the other, Chinese. Inside this bridge is a mini-temple with a shrine dedicated to a god who is believed to control the weather. This structure is also well guarded by officials, and a point where they checked for tickets to this complex. We simply showed our tour stickers, saying we were with a paying group, as we had not been issued a ticket. It was fine.

 

After the hour plus of strolling through the hundreds of shops, we came away with a bag full of treasures. Most of the fun was in the bargaining, which the vendors gladly did. By the way, they happily accepted US dollars, as well as the Vietnamese dong which was worth 22,000 to one US dollar. Some folks had exchanged some US for the local money at a money changer, but we don’t think they dealt any better.

 

By 2pm, most everyone was back waiting for the buses. The afternoon had gotten much hotter, and shade was hard to find. The guides summoned the coaches, and we walked out one of the main gates. Sure was nice to board the air-conditioned buses for the 45 minute ride back to the ship. We did make two photo stops along the way at China Beach…….first at the resort area, then at the aromatic (fishy smell) section where the fishing fleet was stretching nets over the surf.

 

We were back around 3:30pm, tired, but not enough to miss the required passenger safety drill at 4:15pm. It did go rather quickly, and we have to say that all of the cabins are checked by the room stewards. No one is allowed to hide out in their rooms, as the stewards check each and every one. While we lined up in our assigned spots with friends, we could watch the boat traffic around the ship. In addition, one of the Star Ferry ships had arrived in the slip across from us early this morning.

 

Sail away was at the aft deck, and well attended until a strong wind came up once we left the pier. Since the harbor was a very small one in comparison to other ports, we did not need a local pilot onboard. His small vessel did follow us closely as we left the bulkhead. The warm foggy haze had descended from the mountains, probably shrouding the city once again. By the morning, we bet the visibility will be near zero, like it was when we arrived two days ago. There was no sunset once again due to the fog, but the delicious crispy fried pork spring rolls in a tangy sauce the waiters served made up for it. Konnie joined us for the sail away, and since she knows many of the Lido waiters, they will go out of their way to bring her (and us) all of the special treats. Proving that what goes around, comes around, especially if you are nice.

 

We made a pass through the Lido where an Asian buffet was offered. The waiters were wearing white silk Chinese jackets with the pointy Chinese hats. Most of the food items were the same as what we ate in town today. Our menu in the dining room had some Asian appetizers, but we ordered the meatloaf and meat sauce spaghetti, always welcomed entrees for us. Most all of us had two very active, full days in port, and were done in. Doubt if anyone was going to the show, Tempei, a Japanese juggler who performed at the World Championship of Circus Artists held in Paris. We are sure his performance was unique from the usual suspects, so we may check him out at the next show, if he comes back to the stage.

 

We will have a most welcomed at at sea tomorrow as we head towards Phu My (pronounced foo-me) for the city of Ho Chi Minh.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[erewhon]

Thank you for your interesting reports.

[Louise sail]

I have been following your reports daily,thank you for doing them after very busy days they are much appreciated.Wishing you continued good health and happy days.

 

Heather

[Lialovestotravel]

Thank you for taking time to write this! I'm reading along on your blog, I like the pictures 😉. I'd love to do this one day, although it will have to wait 20-25 years until we retire, unless I could convince them to hire me as the ship nurse and at the same time convince my hospital to give me a leave of absence. It's clear I've thought about this too much isn't it?!?

 

Enjoy! And thank you!

[WCB]

Report # 68 Sailing Towards Phu My, Vietnam March 8, 2016 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 84 degrees

 

Ah, finally a day at sea to catch up on two full days of photography and reports. We noticed that the dining room was not too full this morning, as we suspect many folks are sleeping in later than usual. It’s not only the touring, but the heat and humidity that takes its toll on the folks. Unless you are used to that climate, it really zaps the energy.

 

After a leisurely breakfast, we took our usual morning walk only to find that lots of work was in progress on the lower promenade deck. And we mean noisy work, overhead across from one of the tender boats. Hammering, scraping, knocking off rust and old paint. In our early days of cruising, we always felt like a ship was being spruced up for future trips, but now we know that it is a continuous process to keep the ships operational and rust-free. The longer the trip, the more maintenance you will see. When the work gets heavy-duty, the crew will block the path, and we have to flip-flop our hike. Of course, we could always go to deck nine, and be in the open air and sun. Many of the cruise ships these days only have the upper deck to do a continuous walk or jog. So we don’t complain.

 

Ship and boat traffic was abundant as we are sailing close to the coastline of Vietnam. Fishing is such a huge industry, it is done day and night. Our room has been lit up with the florescent lights on the small vessels. We believe that these lights attract the fish they catch. In many countries, that might not be legal, but here, it is customary. The bad thing is that we are seeing increasing garbage, like plastic bottles, shredded paper, and plastic bags continuously floating by. Must be coming from riverbanks that wash this trash out to sea. We have seen worse somewhere in Malaysia, but this is not good. Things made of Styrofoam never dissolve, staying forever in the sea.

 

We met Barb and Maureen for lunch in the dining room. Maureen has been the arts and crafts teacher on many of our world cruises. We got to know her much better last year, as she joined our table for dinner, while sailing as a passenger instead of instructor. She also lives in the SF bay area like us, and we have met her for lunch locally. She had decided to try the early dining for a change, but will come to our table when there is room, And perhaps some nights, join us for dessert and coffee. Anyway, at lunchtime, we have a table for four, so the conversation is much more personal. We ended up being the last to leave.

 

It took hours, like the rest of the afternoon, to sort through the huge amount of photos we took in two days. Many of these were taken from a moving bus that was bouncing due to the potholes in the roads. Good thing we have the option of deleting. If this had been 35mm film, it would have cost a fortune to develop. It is mind-boggling to us how fast photography has advanced from when we were young back in the 1950’s.

 

We never made it to the pool, although it did look like a warm, pleasant day outside. It was a perfect time to gather information on the upcoming countries of Cambodia and Singapore. Personally, we can’t wait for Singapore, one of our most favorite places in the world.

 

Life onboard continued with a talk from Kate Ross on the early history of the Khmer Empire and the ascent to modern day Cambodia. The other guest speaker was Revell Carr, who spoke about trade with Europe and the US with China, a very controversial subject these days.

 

Since sunset was around 5:54pm, we went to deck nine to see if we could get some photos. Never even took one picture, because the sun simply disappeared in the grey haze. We have yet to capture anything close to the fabulous Bali sunset. We did, however, speak to a new passenger who happens to hear us talk about safaris during our last sail away. He shared his many experiences on Indian and African safaris, and was very interested in our upcoming trip to Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. Come to think of it, we need to start organizing our things to take with us soon. We have brought malarial meds, which will need to be taken a few days before we leave. We will leave March 20th, which is coming sooner than we think. Hope the leopard sightings are as good as the tiger encounters in India last year.

 

Dinner found all of us back to share happenings of the day. All of us managed to do something different between going to the gym, trivia, attending talks, reading, walking, dance lessons, and arts and crafts or painting. We don’t notice much gambling during the day, but at night it may be different. Some of our tablemates took the time to watch an old movie on TV….Indochine, almost 3 hours of dubbed subtitles. Gosh, it’s hard enough watching subtitles on a big screen, let alone the small room TV’s that need to be replaced. A better bet would be to go to the Wajang Theater and watch A Ballerina’s Tale in comfort.

 

The menu was better this evening with many good choices. We ordered great appetizers of shrimp cocktail and soup, with the entrees of veal cordon bleu. When our plates arrived, it looked more like wienerschintzel, but wasn’t. Obviously not a frozen product like we think it is sometimes, this was created from scratch in the kitchen. Speaking of kitchen, we had an invite to a special President’s Club Galley Social on March 10th at 11am. Looking forward to it, because if it is the same as last year’s tour, we had a blast. This will be our first official President’s Club gathering of the cruise so far.

 

And the final news is that the dry cleaning facilities are back up and running. Not that we missed it, it’s nice to know it is fixed.

 

Tomorrow’s port will be up the river at Phu My, Vietnam. For us, it will be a sea day since we have been to Ho Chi Minh four different times and also to Vung Tau once. We noticed that tours were still available to the city, two or more hours drive away from the pier. They will even be available as stand-by tomorrow morning from 6:30 to 8am, telling us that not as many folks are booking with shore excursions as in the past. We wonder why??

 

By the way, if any of you have noticed a slight lack of enthusiasm, it is probably due to the fact that most all of these reports are written well into the wee hours of the late night. It’s a small miracle that the facts and sentences make sense sometimes as fatigue sets in. And keep in mind that we don’t always see things through rose-colored glasses….tell it like it is….that’s our mission.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Lizzie68]

Another excellent report - and I appreciate you telling it like it is.;)

[MMDown Under]

Have you taken the ship's shuttle to Phu My?

 

We had intended to use Phu My as a stop off point to the beach, but enjoyed the town so much we just stayed there, people watching.

 

From memory, highlights were watching an elderly lady being slowly escorted by a young girl across the middle of a round about full of traffic, which, much to our amazement, just drove around them.

 

Being invited to join a table of English speakers to share their meal. When they left for an engagement, they said to stay and finish off the delicious plates of food in the middle of the table.

 

The Catholic Church had impressive stations of the cross statues in the yard (also a handy toilet in the school).

 

We also went to the local market.

[WCB]

Report # 69 Phu My (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam March 9, 2016 Wednesday Sunny & 95 degrees 32 Pictures Part #1 of 2

 

Well, here we are in the exciting port of Phu My, Vietnam. OK, it’s not exciting because there really is nothing here to see except perhaps a working pier, a muddy river, and hot and muggy weather. It is not totally sunny, nor is it 95 degrees. But it is smog-like muggy and pretty hot. If it wasn’t for a slight breeze, it would be uncomfortable. We ran into Don M, our longtime world cruise buddy, who said we are docked in a different area than we usually are. It beats us, because we have never paid much attention to this port, because we always left it. He was disappointed because we are normally across from a bank on the other side of the river, where a prison is located. He said part of his day would be spent watching the activity of the prison grounds, such as when the guards take out groups of prisoners for their daily exercise and smoking break. See what we have missed?

 

No luck to see such sights today, because we are docked between container and river ships, with a few factories that line the road. We know this because we took a walk after breakfast to see what was behind all of the containers. The dock area is massive here, with many trucks and containers being loaded on local river ships. All that we could see at the gate, was the road that led out of here. We remember driving through empty fields with a few rubber trees and possibly some rice fields on the long ride to Ho Chi Minh. Lining the road this morning, were several taxis waiting for folks to hire them. Barbara H said that if you hired a taxi driver here, you should plan to keep them for the day, especially if you have the big city in mind. Many of these drivers live in Vung Tau, and drive the one hour ride to transport folks for the day in Ho Chi Minh. So if you plan a transfer to the city, they will expect to be hired for the day, or they don’t want your business. We are sure the fares are reasonably cheap, although have never done a private transfer.

 

A weird thing happened with picture –taking on the pier this morning. Photos taken near the ship came out crystal clear, while the rest of the photos were blurred, unusable. Was this something deliberate, done for mysterious reasons for security for instance? The camera is new, and the settings were the same. It’s not like there is anything sensitive to security in these river ports, but something changed the quality of every single photo taken from the ship to the road near the gate. Maybe it is something we will never know.

 

Anyway, Phu My is the gateway to Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, one of the grand cities of Asia. Located 22 miles up the river, the Amsterdam docked here in a very active port. Four of the ship’s tours were for Ho Chi Minh. Two of the 8 hour tours drove for two hours, minimum, to reach the famous Post Office, City Museum, Bitexaco Financial Tower, the Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Presidential Palace. Add time for a Vietnamese lunch, and these tours ran from $135 to $150 per person.

 

Another different type of all day excursion went to the big city, but was a cooking tour. Passengers would be taken on a shopping spree for fresh produce, then continue to the Vietnam Culinary Cooking Center for a demo of local cooking. You can learn how to use chopsticks, proper dining etiquette, and enjoy the delicious cuisine. This would set you back $140 per person.

 

The fourth all day trip was a 3 hour ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels for $115 per person. Here you would see underground mazes and tunnels, accessed by incredibly tight holes where the Viet Cong soldiers hid like moles during the Vietnam war in the 1960’s. We have good friends that have taken this tour, and said it was all too graphic, claustrophobic, and surreal. Lunch was also included with this tour. It came with a stern warning however: Expect the portrayal given by the guides and printed materials to be at odds with American sentiment. The toll on lives on both sides was horrendous, so if you would be bothered (understatement), DON’T GO. That’s enough for us, as we did experience the same feeling while touring the Reunification Hall in Ho Chi Minh many years ago. At that time, we had not be forewarned, and were taken by surprise, although we should have known what was coming. The photos in the museum on the bottom floor were shocking to say the least. Although all sides suffered, only the effects on the locals were displayed. In this case, you hope that history never repeats itself in this country. Other places in the world, it continues….

 

Shorter tours included a stop at Ba Ria to see Buddhist temples, a 100 year old Vietnamese home, a rice paper and rice wine factory. This may have been OK, since it was only 3 ½ hours. Maybe next time. The fee was $50 per person.

 

Vung Tau tour is a 4 hour excursion to see the seaside village resort with a popular beach. We have been there several years ago, and found it to be similar to the sites we saw in Da Nang, only on a smaller scale. Their claim to fame is a 100 foot statue of Jesus, reminding us of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. There are more red and blue fishing boats there, as well as the woven wicker boats. And as you might expect, there are dozens of souvenirs shops, cafes, and a white villa to visit on the hillside. Not a bad way to spend a half day, and the price was reasonable at $60 pp.

 

For those that only needed a bus ride to Ho Chi Minh, they offered a transfer for $60 per person that gave you about 4 hours in town, with a round trip ride for 4 to 5 hours. Barb and Martha took advantage of this ride so they could go out to lunch, get free wifi, and probably do some fun shopping. Bet they have fun, and will be “talked out” by the time they get back.

 

Our four times into Ho Chi Minh rekindled a few memories. First and foremost in our minds was the long drive. Our very first trip we took was the best, since we were blessed with a wonderful, young guide who spoke wonderful English, and was wise beyond his years. He spoke all about the history of his country, explaining Communism, and what it was like living here. He had us riveted from the port all the way to the “Pearl of the Far East” as Saigon was described. Some of what we learned was that the official name of the city Saigon, was changed to Ho Chi Minh in 1976. Over half of the 8 million city folk are younger than 35, and most all of them drive motorcycles. You take your life in your hands trying to cross an eight lane road in town.

 

We remember our stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was closed to the public that day due to weddings taking place. In fact, every time we have been there, we have seen one bridal party after another taking photos outside the impressive Catholic cathedral. Directly across the street is the Post Office, designed and built by Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, among other buildings. We bought the nicest handmade cards right through the window of our waiting bus, bargaining the whole time. People in the bus handed us their dollars as we continued to buy more and more. Sure made the vendors happy, and where else can you find painted cards and envelopes five for one dollar or less?

 

We were not too thrilled with the fish soup for lunch, seeing bones floating between the fish heads with their eyes looking at us. Little too exotic for us. That time, we shared with a couple of folks that ate most everything we didn’t, including more.

 

The water puppet show was a hoot. We crowded into tiny chairs and bench seats made for small people, and watched a comical performance with a shallow pond as the setting for the water puppets. Fellows behind a curtain manipulated the puppets of dragons, fishes, water fairies, and farmers as they told a story familiar to the locals. Our travel agency had the same 9 hour tour available today.

 

One overland tour group left the ship today also. It was the 3 day, 2 night trip to Anghor Wat, Saigon, and Phnom Penh Adventure. This trip was a bit more expensive, since it cost $2900 per person to go. These folks will be back to the ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

 

Back on the ship, we went to lunch at 12:30pm, finding the dining room full of folks. Guess we were not alone in staying home today. Our biggest job was turning in the landing cards we received a few days ago. They had been stamped in both Vietnamese stops. Even though we simply walked the pier, the guard stamped these cards in his little shed near the gangway. And since we were not going to be leaving the ship again, we dropped them off at the front desk by 4pm.

 

All aboard was at 5:30pm, and we were already outside on deck nine, watching the steady flow of buses arriving back from their tours. Most all of the people looked exhausted. We heard that it had been wicked hot in town. At least, on the river, we had a constant breeze blowing. It was fascinating watching the containers being loaded on the riverboats. Hard to believe, but each long boat held forty-eight containers. These boats must be home to the captains that drive them, because we spotted clothing drying in the aft of the boat, along with several potted plants on the back deck. We were joined by several friends as the ship dropped the ropes, and headed back down the river. The sun had set by then, and darkness fell upon us quickly. All we would see now, were the lights of the shoreline and the river boats until we got to the sea once again.

 

All of us were present at dinner. Barb and Martha had taken the transfer to Ho Chi Minh, as well as Greg and Heo, who met a friend that lives there. Bonnie and Paul made their way to the city and visited every major site, while Leslie and Handler had stayed on the ship like we did. We had different entrees, which were the rack of pork and the Yankee pot roast, which was great with a baked potato. One of us had crème brulee and the other, sugar-free jello. Both were just fine.

 

The show tonight was new to us…..the MacDonald Brothers, who sang and played Scottish music with multi-instrumental instruments. Much different from the everyday performers.

 

We got a letter today warning us that the water in our cabin would not be available from midnight to 6am tomorrow morning. Routinely, they have to shut down a portion of the system for service and maintenance. Every section gets a turn. It is always done once on a long voyage such as this one. The time span is usually much shorter than they advertise. We just need to remember to run the faucet for one minute to make sure the discoloration is gone. You bet we will.

 

One more day at sea tomorrow as we head towards Cambodia.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 70 Sailing Towards Sihanoukville, Cambodia March 10, 2016 Thursday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees 72 Pictures

 

We are now heading towards a country that we have not visited since 2001…..Cambodia. An emerging nation, Cambodia has an area of 69,880 square miles with 14,494,293 people. The capital is Phnom Penh and the language is Khmer. The legacy of leader Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge is forever imprinted on the landscape and in people’s minds. Knowing the tragic history that was associated with the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot still sends shivers up our spines, as we remember the news at the time the atrocities took place. Once again, you can only hope that history does not repeat itself in this nation.

 

With that in mind, Cambodia is slowly being rehabilitated as a key destination in Asia. The most famous attraction in Cambodia has to be the awe-inspiring temples and ruins of Angor Wat, the largest Buddhist complex in the world. That is one UNESCO World Heritage Site that we have not seen yet. Don’t plan a visit there this trip.

 

Other sites are the yellow waters of the Mekong River, monks in golden robes, and gorgeous beaches of the Gulf of Thailand. It is not usual to see monks on bikes in the capital of Phnom Penh, and crazy chaotic markets. If you are brave, you can grab a helmet and ride a motorcycle with the thousands of other locals. But don’t buy illegal drugs, sold in alleyways, as the penalties are severe, such as death. Yep, that works.

 

The best time to visit is during the dryer season between November and January. We had toured here at the same time of year as now, and we can remember extreme heat and humidity while we toured the many temples and palaces in Phnom Penh. Sort of reminded us of the Buddhist temples and grounds of Bangkok, Thailand, except not on quite a large scale. Disturbing memories at the time were the number of very young girls, 12 or 13 years old, lugging newborn babies to use them for begging from the tourists. Our guide called them “rent-a-baby”, and the girls were not the mothers as they wanted you to think. We were warned not to give them anything, in order to stop the practice. Hard to imagine a mother allowing her tiny baby to be used for begging in that oppressive heat, but then, this is a poor country for the most part.

 

More sites to see are Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River, and Bokor National Park with the mist-covered ruins of the French hill station. If you are looking for some excitement, try a ride on a motorcycle taxi – the back seat is the ride. Or watch racing boat crews during the annual water festival. A nicer trip would be taking a ferry up the Mekong, watching river life of the locals. You can go to the jungles of Virachay National Park or visit a beach in Sihanoukville, where we will be docking.

 

What is there to eat? Hot and sour beef salad with rice noodle soup. That sounds all right, but biting into a deep-fried tarantula is not up our alley.

 

Tours here include one 7 ½ hour excursion, with a drive to a nearby village with a lunch for $140. The other tours are shorter with 3 ½ hours to a drive to Sihanoukville and surrounding area for $90. Culinary Cambodia is all about the food with a demonstration on cooking followed by a meal for $200. Beach getaways for a short stay at a resort or right on a beach run $104 and $40. Since the ship is docked from 6am to 7pm, there is not enough time to have a tour to the capital, Phnom Penh. We do remember it was quite a long ride on bumpy roads. Back in 2001, it was not the most safe road to drive, as we had police escort front and rear, with armed guards on each bus. Much the same as we had in Egypt on the way to Cairo in the same year. Anyway, one of our buses literally caught on fire, the engine was burning black, thick smoke, causing them to pull over in the darkness. The police stayed, but our driver passed right by them, saying he was not allowed to stop for any reason. Sure glad we were not on that bus. Eventually, a replacement coach picked them up, and they got back to the ship by midnight. That was a one-time trip for us. Happy to have seen it, but would not return. Just too far.

 

Right after breakfast, Bill got a haircut with a cute Japanese hairdresser in the spa. She did an excellent job, which was a relief. With new hair cutters, you never know what you are going to get. The other hairdresser was a fellow from Sri Lanka ,but he will be leaving the ship at the end of his contract. The passengers seem to like him very much too.

 

The highlight of our day began at 11am this morning. We had been invited to a special event by the culinary department called President’s Club Galley Social. The description was tour, mingle, snack in our galley’s various active preparation and service areas with beverage for cooking. Well, the beverage was Moet Champagne, which was handed to us as we entered the lower dining room. There were eighteen President’s Club members that attended. We were taken into the galley in two groups. We had head chef, Petr as our guide, and even though we have been in this kitchen at least twice before, we never toured it in this depth.

 

He proudly explained how the computerized ovens worked, the over-size soup pots, grills, and ranges. Some cooks were in the process of preparing lunch, which would begin at noon. They even interacted with us, happily showing off their specialties. We did not see the actual preparation areas, such as the fruit and veggie prep kitchens, as they are down on deck A. We saw those places last year. But one of the cooks told us how the peeled and cubed potatoes are delivered to him, where he adds them to a giant cooking pot with salt and water. They are boiled until tender, then the bowl actually tips over with the push of a button, and is drained into a grate through the floor. Pasta is cooked this way as well. We often wondered if some of the food was dried or frozen, but they told us nothing was pre-packaged, such as instant mashed potatoes. And special ordered cakes or pies are made from scratch, as we expected.

 

We continued to see the soups cooking, a soufflé being whipped up, and chicken wings cooking in the special oven that does everything. They looked delicious, and yes, they were for us later. Sauces were simmering, and plates of food were beginning to be put together. Soon, the waiters would be coming in to serve the food.

 

Petr led us to the dishwashing area, and showed us how one massive machine was loaded. From there we saw the bread area, which was done for the day. Most all of the bakers work early morning hours, like 4 or 5am. Truthfully, we think there is a crew working 24 hours around the clock, on different shifts. We did see one fellow making the chocolate candies for the Pinnacle Grill. Never knew there was so much work creating these treats.

 

After seeing the actual kitchen of the Pinnacle Grill, we went to the fish prep room, which is kept separate from everything else to prevent cross-contamination. Plastic tubs of baking items were on the shelves in the pantry, although the major supply of the staples and meats and fish are kept on deck A.

 

They had high tables set for us near the back end of the galley. We continued to sip champagne or wine at this point. Then the food began to arrive. There were small plates of the glazed chicken wings, grilled shrimps, small shrimp in a sauce, skewered sesame beef, veggie egg rolls, crab cakes on a stick, and Barb’s favorite……..caviar, the good stuff, served on boiled egg slices. She and Sandra were in caviar heaven. Since we don’t eat it, we passed ours to the ladies. Presty brought them even more. Our glasses never went empty. Finally, we were served a chocolate-filled pastry, rolled in powdered sugar. With all this food and champagne, we were done for the rest of the afternoon.

 

We were the last to leave, but not done with our conversations with Allan, Sandra, and Barb. We took a table in the dining room, and continued to enjoy our champagne and wine until 2pm or later. No more lunch for us this afternoon.

 

It was a good time to download the kitchen tour photos, and take a walk later on the deck. Gosh, it was so hot and humid, we didn’t last too long. Even with the extreme heat, some of the crew guys were painting on the promenade deck. The fumes were powerfully strong, because there was no breeze to clear it out. So we went back inside.

 

We did make it back out for the sunset, which wasn’t spectacular, but did have some color. What was more interesting were the sighting of many fishing boats and marked nets in the water. The ship was actually going over these markers, but did not get tangled in lines at all. The closer we were getting to Cambodia, the more boats we saw.

 

There were eight of us for dinner, with Heo and Greg attending Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill. All of us are doing something different tomorrow, except for Leslie, Handler, and Barb and us. If we can take the heat, we will be taking the free shuttle to downtown and the market.

 

Last night, the water had been shut off from midnight to 6am. When the water came back on, we ran the sink and tub to find it was discolored. Eventually it cleared up, and all worked fine. However, we got another letter tonight, saying that it will be turned off again tonight from 11pm to 5am. Would love to know the reason behind this, but we are being told it is routine maintenance. We are being told that the work cannot be postponed, so we just have to live with it. And don’t drink a whole lot of coffee tonight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Deep fried tarantula :D. I'd pass on that too. Interesting update.

[Lizzie68]

Great photos on your blog, and that sure looks like a tasty lunch in the galley!:)

[scluvsrain]

A few years ago, when in Sihounkville, a small group of us visited Don Pedro's school. It was really a wonderful thing to see. He trains local young men and women to work in the hotel resorts. They learn English, cooking, housekeeping and food service skills. Our tour also included a beautiful lunch prepared and served by the students.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[scluvsrain]

Oops. I meant Don Bosco.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KirkNC]

Deep fried tarantula :D. I'd pass on that too. Interesting update.

 

I am pretty adventurous but not sure I could eat that. Maybe I could just eat a leg:p.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Glad to see that Tina is still Pinnacle Grill Manager. She is the best.