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

[jimbri]

No tarantula for me :eek::)

[WCB]

Report # 71 Sihanoukville, Cambodia March 11, 2016 Friday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees Part #1 0f 4 87 Pictures

 

The port of call for today was Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The best beach destination of Cambodia, Sihanoukville is the major fishing port for Cambodia. Located 155 miles from the capital of Phnom Penh, this port was developed as the sole deep water port in 1964. It is a sprawling urban center with white sandy beaches, warm tropical waters, and an abundance of seafood. The city was named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who grew up in this area. He was overthrown in a coup in 1970, with civil war following until as recent as 1997. The USA gave Cambodia 30 million dollars to improve the roads to the capital, which also helped to improve their economy.

 

There are five Buddhist temples around the city with multiple statues and carvings of Buddha. Although a few of the ship’s tours took the folks to some of them, we had different plans. That included taking the complimentary shuttle to the downtown marketplace. The shuttle times were 8am to 5pm. Going outside this morning was almost shocking, since the temperature was already 80 degrees at 9am. The humidity was going to be terrible too. The good news was that there were a total of seven shuttles to take the folks to town. This kind of tells us that not a whole lot of people took ship tours here today.

 

We left around 9:30am, and joined the continuous line to board a bus. It filled up quickly, since some of the crew members were also going to town. The all aboard time was 6:30pm, so we would not need to rush back. Doubt we would be gone that long, because we really did not know what to expect once we got to town.

 

The pier area was less than attractive with littered streets and rubble everywhere. Once we got past the pier gate, the roads opened up into wide streets and more civilized buildings. It was a 20 minute ride uphill all the way to the shuttle stop at the local marketplace. This place was far from being a mall. Just the opposite, it was an open-air “everything under the sun” market.

 

The funny thing that happened once we got close, were the throngs of motorcycle taxi drivers that chased the bus with signs advertising their services. Once the door of the bus opened up, we had to navigate our way through these fellows, with the help of some local policemen. The market was across the road, and the guys followed us all to the entryway. They were not happy to take NO for an answer. They did speak passable English, but NO was not in it. There must be a law that they cannot follow you inside the marketplace, but they did hang around waiting for us to come out later on.

 

The market was divided into sections that carried different items. That included clothing, shoes, toys, produce, and meat departments. Between those vendors, you could find seamstresses, masseuse ladies, hairdressers, barbers, and manicure stations. There were even some semi-precious stones and gold jewelry counters. Electronics and housewares were also part of the scene.

 

The most interesting area was also the most indescribable. Perhaps primitive, bordering unsanitary, uncomfortably crowded, and way too busy could be a few conservative comments. Guess we are used to grocery stores where everything is covered, and the fresh food and meats or fish are not sold off of the floor. A wet, slick floor with stones with holes where the water and whatever can flow outside into gutters was where we walked. It was filled with live, dead, and dried fish, so you can imagine the mix of smells. Pork was being chopped, beef trimmed and hung on hooks, fish were being gutted and scaled, produce being washed. You name it, we saw it. Very few of the tourists ventured into this area, due to the bad smell and uneven cement slippery floor for one thing. We did get good photos, trying not to be too intrusive with the locals shopping for their daily meals.

 

We ran into more than a few friends, including Leslie and Handler, who did not spend a lot of time in this place. Expecting to find some handicraft-type products, we were all disappointed to find none were here. The nicest items being sold, were the flower arrangements. But there were only a few stalls of those.

 

After spending almost an hour here, we considered going back to the ship. However, after running into Greg and Heo, who suggested a side trip, we changed our minds. We brought out the map that we got on the ship last night, and Greg pointed out the nicest places to see. Wanting to find a good venue to eat lunch, Greg and Heo recommended The Sokha Beach Resort, not too far from here, but really not walkable. We were game to give it a try.

 

It just happened that one of the taxi drivers was waiting for us outside the market. He was one of the less aggressive kids, so we made a deal with him to take us past the Golden Lion Traffic Circle, then down to the beach area. The taxi was really a motorcycle attached to a covered four seater cart. It was such a relief to get out of the stifling market, and get some fresh air.

 

So we stopped for photos at the huge golden Lion statues, then on to the Ochheuteal Beach for s short stroll. This stretch of beach had to be the most accessible for swimming. We had enough time to bargain for two tinted seashell mobiles for our room, then we were off to the lovely Sokha Beach Hotel and Resort. This luxury resort is located on the beach and has 58 acres which includes a casino, and one mile of white, sandy beachfront. More than likely, it would be costly to stay here.

 

We entered the Asian-inspired lobby, that led to a bar and restaurant that flanked the large swimming pool. It was there that we took the best seats in the house, right across from the gardens and meandering swimming pool. Ordering two margherita pizzas and two Angkor draught beers, we sat and enjoyed the scenery that looked out over the Sokha Beach and gulf.

 

Eventually Greg, Heo, and spa manager Rene came by on their way to the pool. As long as you buy drinks or have lunch, there would be no charge for using the facilities and pool. We had not worn our suits underneath our clothes today, so we did not intend to go swimming. One thing we know for sure, is that we did not have to spend $105 per person to come here for swimming and the use of a day room with a group for 3 ½ hours with the ship’s tour.

 

Our driver met us promptly at 1pm, where we continued our ride to the next stop, Independence Beach, not as nice as the first two beaches we stopped. Same idea though, with tables, chairs, lounges, cafes and souvenirs in a small beachfront area. Took some quick photos.

 

The best stop was at a dense forest of trees on the coast line, where we got to see a large group of monkeys on the roadside rocks and in the trees. Most of them were big males with about all the females packing babies of all sizes. Now the funny thing was watching some of the little ones trying to get the tops off of water bottles. Using their sharp teeth and dexterous fingers, they eventually managed to get them opened. Then they drank just like people do. Shocking to see how smart these little creatures can be. Of course, some of the younger ones had chewed holes in the bottoms, letting o water leak out.

 

More motorcycles topped as well as cars, where people were feeding the monkeys snacks of bananas and mangoes. The seemed to like the sweeter food. It was amusing watching the group as they begged from the locals, jumping on their bikes, or climbing the cyclone fencing, and swinging from the tree branches. Two goats were also part of this menagerie. As more people began stopping along the roadside, we continued on our journey.

 

Passing some existing resorts and some new properties that were in the beginning stages of building, we ended up back at the pier. We paid our driver and thanked him for a fun time. Just as we entered the pier gate, some crew fellows began dealing with the driver for a ride to town. Hope he picked up another fare, since he was nice.

 

We had to wait for a few minutes for a pier shuttle to take us back to the gangway. As it turned out, we were the only ones on the bus for the two minute ride. And there was still a chance to buy a few more souvenirs before boarding. A table of goodies was set up under a tent, along with some Cambodian girls giving a group of ladies a pedicure and foot massage. Must have been a good deal. Anyway, we got a set of olive picks in a holder and one silk pashmina in pink shades. Just a little keepsake.

 

The air-conditioning on the ship was a life-saver. We cooled off in our room, enjoying ice cold sodas, while downloading what seemed like a million photos. Later in the afternoon, we made our way up to deck nine to watch what there was of the sunset after 6pm. The skies on the horizon seemed to have taken on the smoky smog of the day, successfully blocking the chance of a colorful sunset. The orange-tinted globe disappeared quickly, the it was dark.

 

All aboard was 6:30pm, at which time, two buses arrived with the overland guests that had gone on a three day, 2 night excursion to Angkor Wat. A few of the ship’s officers were there to greet them, along with some crew guys to schlep their luggage back on the ship.

 

On the aft deck eight, we watched the Amsterdam slip out of the harbor while visiting with some of our best buddies. As we got further into the Gulf of Thailand, we joined the hundreds of well-lit fishing boats once again, on their way out for night fishing. The ship’s horn blasted a couple of times, because some of these boats must have cut across our path. If not moving quick enough, they would surely lose, and we would win.

 

Everyone had stories to tell of their day in Sihanoukville, some good, others not so good. As for us, we had an unexpected fun day, trying things we never had before. Everyone has a different level of comfort, like Barb and her friends, who went on the shuttle with the intentions of making their way to the resort we went to. However, once they saw the rush of taxi vendors engulfing the bus, they stayed on the bus, and came directly back to the ship for the rest of the day. Too bad, they surely missed a great lunch.

 

Dinner consisted of a tomato bisque soup, some tasty appetizers, rolled turkey breast, a vegetarian Mexican manicotti, and breaded pork steak. All quite good. None of us ventured to the show (too tired) with Annie Gong, an accordionist from China. We are certain her show was good, but we were going to lose an hour on the clocks tonight, going forward, instead of backwards. We don’t like that………

 

Looking forward to a day at sea on our route to Singapore.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Wow, that market sounds bizzare. Thanks for the update.

[durangoscots]

I think that Cambodia has some of the most aggressive vendors and taxi drivers in the world. Having said that, I loved the time I spent there and would love to go again. And, Angkor Wat is one of the most interesting places I have visited. Maybe another year I will get back.

 

I am really enjoying your blog... thanks for the time and effort to keep us stay at homes informed.

 

Susan

[WCB]

Report # 72 Sailing Towards Singapore March 12, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees 19 Pictures

 

The heat and humidity were turned on full blast as we head in a southerly direction from Cambodia to Singapore. The forecast was 88 degrees, but with the humidity, it felt like 108 degrees. The slight breeze blowing across the decks did little to cool people off early this morning. This is normal, because we are heading back down towards the Equator once again.

 

It’s no wonder that the passengers were spending their day inside the ship, probably attending talks. Barbara H gave all the details on Phuket, Thailand. We always catch up on her informative talks on each port, even if we have been there before. Sometimes she has new info that we have not heard before. We shall watch this talk later in hopes that our docking place will be different than planned. We are hoping for the tender port, right in a popular area with shops, swimming, and cafes. At the dock, across town, there is nothing to do.

 

The guest speakers continued their series……one this morning at 11am, and the other at 2pm. Revell Carr spoke about the history of Spain and the early Iberian explorers. Kate Ross lectured on the monuments of Angkor and the Khmer influence with the use of a virtual tour.

 

A silent auction will take place in the Atrium with the passenger’s watercolor art. Select arts and crafts were also on display for the fellow guests to consider for the bidding. All proceeds will go to a suitable charity in Sri Lanka.

 

We spent a few hours lingering over a nice lunch with Barb in the dining room. One of us had a Cubano pulled pork sandwich (excellent), and one of us had a mini-cheeseburger. Also very good, it is more like a slider. Perfect size really. Dessert was one scoop of black cherry frozen yogurt, and one scoop of butter pecan ice cream.

 

Between walks and visiting with good friends, the afternoon disappeared quickly. We popped up to deck nine to watch the sunset, but it was simply OK. The sun was an orange ball once again, disappearing behind heavy dark clouds on the horizon. Even though the sun was mostly out today, Captain Mercer mentioned in his PM talk that we may get some rain tomorrow. Might feel good and clear out this smoggy air. We have begun passing some oil and gas platforms as we get nearer to Singapore, but they were hard to see due to the hazy skies.

 

We will be in Singapore tomorrow, but not until 6pm. At dinner tonight, we all shared our plans for tomorrow. Getting into port that late would not work out for too much exploring. We plan on buying the MRT pass, but we think the office to purchase them may be closed at that time. Going off into the connecting shopping mall would be a good option, although we expect many stores may be closed early because tomorrow is Sunday. We’ll have all day to think about it.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[shemansl]

Thank you for these reports. I have a friend sailing with you -- Lydia, have you met her yet?

[cruzingnut]

I'm so glad I found your blog! Now I get to be jealous along with everyone else! We've done 3 of these WC's; 2010 (what we called the "wrong way world"), 2013 and last year, 2015.

 

I have a question; is there any way you could ask whomever (sp) is the Future Cruise person/people on board when they will release the cruising schedule past May 2017? Why I ask is that there are a lot of us that would LOVE to see the Fall Grand (Asia/Australia...whatever incarnation they come up with) come back. We are waiting with bated breath for this info to come out and, from past experience, we seem to remember it coming out on the WC. I'm also curious about the '18 World.

 

Now, I need to go back to the beginning of your blog and read it all the way through! What fun!

 

Thanks,

Linda

aka cruzingnut

[WCB]

Report # 73 Singapore March 13, 2016 Sunday Day One Chance of rain & 85 degrees 45 Pictures

 

It is very apparent that we are sailing quite near the Equator, as it could not be hotter, humid, or breeze-less as it was even early this morning. No wonder most everyone has chosen to stay inside the ship with the air-conditioning. The system is working at its maximum capacity, we are afraid. The waiters are keeping the drapes closed on both levels of the dining room, as well as in public areas. It does help. Our room has stayed a comfortable 72 degrees with the thermostat set at the very bottom. Thank goodness we asked for a portable oscillating fan, since it has a double purpose. Keeping us cool, as well as our window garden. We have had to be vigilant with our potted plants, because they have been cooking in the window when we get the sun on our side of the ship. A few days ago, we put them all in the tub with water to get them good and soaked. They must have liked it, because the sunflowers have begun to bloom profusely. Our room stewards also are having fun with the garden, because when we come back after breakfast, we find they have turned on the singing bird to greet us when we come inside. They wait, listen, and laugh when they see us open the door. Nice guys…….we will sure miss them when we go home……

 

Anyway, here is a little info on Singapore, one of our most favorite cities in the world. The total area is small, 269 square miles, but the population is 4,657,542 people of many cultures. This means that no matter where you go, you will be guaranteed of crowds. The only other place in Asia that we found incredibly over-crowded was Tokyo. Going into a shopping mall there, we had to shuffle, not walk, due to the throngs of people. Unreal… The official languages of Singapore are Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil. We have never had a problem asking anyone for directions, because their English is very good.

 

No doubt about it, there are strict laws in Singapore. Even in our daily newsletter, we have been forewarned about what is not allowed. This would include chewing gum, chewing tobacco, imitation tobacco products, and pistol or revolver-shaped cigarette lighters. Naturally, controlled drugs or psychotropic substances are forbidden. No endangered species or their by-products (not exactly sure what those are?), firecrackers, obscene articles or videos, or reproductions of copyrighted materials are allowed in the country. Severe fines and/or incarceration will be enforced. Sounds like a plan to us. Oh yeah, illegal drug offenses are punishable by death. Got the message…….loud and clear.

 

The cost of travel here is high in Asian standards. We have had the pleasure of staying here in some of the nicest hotels before joining a cruise. Yes, it was pricey, but oh so nice to get over the jetlag. The shopping and food are blends of Indian, Chinese, and Malay cultures, as well as international cuisine. Although it is harder to find margherita pizza here, we have done it. The only thing that stayed in our minds is the fact that alcohol in any way shape and form is expensive. A Singapore Sling at Raffles, created in 1915, was about 29 Singapore dollars (over $20 US). A Tiger Beer there was not a whole lot less, but then that’s Raffles Hotel, where the sky is the limit.

 

What is the best time to visit? The dry season would be it, February to October. Although, we read that Singapore has 186 days of lightning strikes per year, which equates to a strike once every two days. Two icons have been struck in the past……St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the Merlion Park, both located in high tourist areas.

 

There is plenty to see in Singapore. So much, we certainly don’t have the time to do it all properly. There are world-class museums, historic temples, modern malls, some beyond comparison, and most impressive hotels. A new destination has to be the Marina Bay Sands, the hotel that resembles an ironing board on towers. Never seen anything like it anywhere in the world.

 

You can visit the Sri Mariamman Temple with rainbow colors, many markets, varied by culture, and the Asian Civilizations Museum. You will find exotic animals at the Singapore Zoological gardens, and the equally interesting Night Safari Zoo. We have been there twice, but remember having a hard time seeing the animals in their dark settings. Perhaps the lighting has been improved since then (1998).

 

There are many tourist attractions on nearby Sentosa Island, easily accessible since we are docked directly across from it. Our fondest memory was that of seeing an elderly Indian man, sitting with a covered woven basket. As we passed by, he slowly lifted the lid, and out came a huge cobra. Yikes…..snake! We were so unaware at that point in our travels to these sudden tricks to beg for money. Not really fond of snakes, we steer clear of those suspicious baskets now. In fact, that particular cobra slipped out of his basket, and slithered off under the surrounding bushes. Even worse…. Where did it go? We did not hang around to find out.

 

Fun places to see are Little India and Chinatown, both accessible by the MRT. Little India has a street-full of shops that sell the most beautiful fabrics for a reasonable price. The best part……they are negotiable. In Chinatown, among other things, you will see the ubiquitous gold plastic waving cat (battery operated). Always wanted one of those as they represent good luck.

 

What’s to eat? Hainese chicken rice and fried flat bread with a curry dipping sauce. What’s to drink? Tiger beer of course. It’s the national brew. Or you can try teh tarik a strong tea with condensed sweet milk.

 

Trademarks of Singapore are economics – as Singapore is referred to as the “Asian Tiger”. Raffles Hotel, “no durians” signs everywhere, fines for littering and spitting are all associated with Singapore.

 

Random facts: Singapore is the largest exporter of exotic aquarium fish….who knew?

 

Well, the business of the day included picking up our passports with the landing cards inside. It is required for us to carry our passports with us when going ashore. Photocopies are not accepted. We will turn them back in at the front desk on Tuesday, well before the ship leaves at 8pm. We also needed to get some Singapore dollars to use while we are here. We could get it in the cruise terminal, but would rather not waste the time to save a few pennies.

 

Since the ship was not due to dock at Singapore until 6pm, it was a day at sea as usual. Guests speakers continued their talks, while the guest chef, Pranee Halvorsen gave a cooking demo in the Wajang Theater. She is a friend of Martha’s, who joins her on tours and even for dinner in the Canaletto occasionally. She has joined us for dinner on past cruises, but since we have a full house, there is no room this time.

 

We found out that 71 passengers are leaving tomorrow, and only 20 are joining. From here on, our numbers will continue to drop somewhat.

 

Finally, we made it to the aft deck for some sun. We certainly got a good dose of it, because you could have fried an egg on the decking back there. Today was the first time on this cruise that we actually went into the pool to cool off. We lasted until 1:30pm, and decided to quit. There was barely a breeze, because we were moving rather slowly. It was interesting watching the dozens of ships either anchored in the waters, or passing by us. Captain Mercer mentioned in his PM talk that many of these container ships are sitting idle in the water due to declining shipping recently.

 

We went for custom-made sandwiches in the Lido, surprising the sandwich man. It has been weeks since he waited on us, so he must have thought we left the ship. One of us had a tuna sandwich, and the other had roast beef, which was tender and juicy. Bet his was yesterday’s tenderloin at dinnertime.

 

By 4:30pm, we had approached the Singapore Strait, when Barbara H was supposed to start her commentary on the outside decks. We had noticed that it was getting darker when we were downloading photos in our room. But we sure did not expect to see the down-pouring of rain that happened. And we mean REAL rain, heavy showers that blocked the scenery. Her talk began when we approached Sentosa Island, very close to our berth at Harbour Front. Already in a slip in the harbor was the Crystal Serenity, a 5 star vessel at 68,870 gross tons……larger than the Amsterdam. She holds up to 1210 passengers (full berths), and since 2012, has become all-inclusive with paid gratuities, wines with lunch and dinner, and all bar drinks, including bottled water and soda. Only shore excursions are not included. One nice thing about this ship, is that they are “announcement-free”. Wish we could say the same for the Amsterdam. We did, however, hear the call for their muster drill, which was obviously held inside the ship as opposed to holding it on the lower promenade deck. Their promenade deck was naked without any teak lounges, and their lifeboats were one deck under.

 

The rain had not stopped, so that probably changed some folks minds about going off of the ship tonight. We did not get cleared until well after 6pm. And there were two tours going off the ship. One was a trip to the Night Safari Zoo for 4 hours at $100 per person. The other excursion was a night out to ride the Singapore flyer, go to Bugis Market, take a trishaw ride at Clarke Quay, and finally sail on the Singapore River to see the night lights. That cost about $130.

 

We have done both, more than once, so we were happy to stay onboard and meet Barb and Martha for dinner. The fellows were off to dinner on shore, and Bonnie and Paul were going exploring. A little rain would not slow them down. Handler joined us without Leslie, because she was not feeling well, probably coming down with a cold. Seems to be a lot of that going around. We had a very nice dinner with great service, because the room was almost empty by 8pm. Of course, deck four is anytime dining, and obviously most people ate early. Our entrees were good with one New York strip steak and one glazed duck dinner with sweet and sour noodles.

 

There was one show in the Queens Lounge, featuring Annie Frances, who voice echoed all the way to deck three. She is one powerful singer, and professional with her performance. We have never been disappointed with her shows.

 

Tomorrow should be a really fun-filled day with heaps of walking and site-seeing for us……hopefully with little or no rain.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruzingnut]

I finally made my way thru your blog this afternoon into this evening. Great blog! I did see where the Grand Asia... 2017 was being reinstated. Now, to change our WC booking to that one when it becomes available!

---------------------------------

I'm so glad I found your blog! Now I get to be jealous along with everyone else! We've done 3 of these WC's; 2010 (what we called the "wrong way world"), 2013 and last year, 2015.

 

I have a question; is there any way you could ask whomever (sp) is the Future Cruise person/people on board when they will release the cruising schedule past May 2017? Why I ask is that there are a lot of us that would LOVE to see the Fall Grand (Asia/Australia...whatever incarnation they come up with) come back. We are waiting with bated breath for this info to come out and, from past experience, we seem to remember it coming out on the WC. I'm also curious about the '18 World.

 

Now, I need to go back to the beginning of your blog and read it all the way through! What fun!

 

Thanks,

Linda

aka cruzingnut

[WaveSplasher]

Hi! Welcome back to Singapore! There is so much to do here so enjoy yourself and sorry the rain isn't helping much.

 

Here's the video I took of your arrival into Singapore. Hope You like it :)

 

 

On another note, about the container ships. Lived here all this while and I thought they were waiting outside because there were not enough berth spots for all of them..

Edited March 14, 2016 by WaveSplasher

[WCB]

Report # 74 Singapore March 14, 2016 Monday Day Two Partly cloudy (rain) & 95 degrees Part # 1

 

We had the best day ever in Singapore. It was exciting, busy, on-the-run, and exhausting, but very, very good. The morning started with a healthy breakfast in the dining room. As we ate, another ship, Oceania’s Insignia, pulled into the slip left vacant from the Crystal Serenity. She is enroute from her world cruise, which is about 6 months we understand. We would find out a bit later, that we knew some folks onboard that ship.

 

Going off with our passports, landing cards, umbrellas, and usual bag of stuff, we headed for the long walk connecting the ship to the terminal at Harbour Front Center. Once there, we had to go through the immigrations inspection with our passports. Felt like a Disneyland ride with the line that zig-zagged, taking 20 minutes at least. While we turned the corners, a couple way in back of us asked if we were on the Amsterdam. They were from the Insignia, but remembered us from the 2014 world cruise. They said their trip was OK, but sure missed the staff on the HAL ship. It said it all when they promised they would be back on next year’s HAL world cruise.

 

Then again, as we exited the immigration check and the xray screening, we ran into another gal we recognized from previous world cruises. She was also on the Insignia, and said she did not care for the staff on her ship. She missed our Indonesian and Filipino crew, as well as the officers that are usually onboard for this trip. She is also signed up for the 2017 grand voyage. Anyway, it is a small world.

 

Our first stop was at a quality watch store in the terminal. Barb had recommended this shop, and she was right on. They had the special battery to fix my good watch, and it was done in less than 5 minutes. Even though we had purchased this watch on the ship last year, the store manager did not sell batteries for it now. Just as well, since we are sure the price was way better on shore.

 

The next stop was at the MRT counter to purchase the 2 day Singapore Tourist Pass to ride the MRT and LRT as much as we wanted for two full days. It cost $26 S ($18.84 US), and when we turn the cards back in tomorrow when we are done using them, we will get a $10 S refund. It is a wonderful value, and we are certain to ride more than the card is really worth.

 

We got a handy pocket map of the transit system, then went down the escalator to find the correct color for the way we wanted to go. There are five colors of routes, with most of them intersecting. It is not unusual to go down two levels, then walk across and go up one level making your way north or west or east. The signage is so good, it is hard to get really lost. It does involve a lot of walking, but that’s good for us. (Might not think that way by 7pm tonight……)

 

Our first stop was at Chinatown. There we walked through the food market with dozens of vendors cooking for the noontime crowd. Typical Chinese cuisine is cooked there and the folks can eat at tables outside the shops. One vendor was carefully dicing up durian fruit, then placing the coated seeds in small bowls. As long as he did not slice into the seed pods, there was no odor. Guess we can compare it to the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur smell. Only tenfold in the aroma department. Nearby, a corner stand was selling durian candies, cakes, cookies, and even durian ice cream or yogurt. We took a pass on that one.

 

We did go inside one of the major malls, but the majority of the shops were not open yet. No treasures were found here. What we did find, and forgot to mention, was the fact that it was sweltering today with temperatures heading into the high 90’s, and the humidity equally as high. No wonder most folks go underground, or stay completely inside these massive malls. The oppressive heat is a killer.

 

Back on the MRT, we went off at Little India next. There are many fabric shops that line these streets that sell the most beautiful silks and sari bolts of fabric for a pittance. It was easy to find a most unusual design, actually called a Japanese sari. The price came to $12 (Singapore), and although it might not be used as a traditional sari, it will be nice for a blouse and a matching shell. On the way back, we found some neat earrings for formal nights, also a good deal. Also picked up one light blue sequined top for gala night. Little India had it all.

 

Continuing on, we made our way to the Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This fabulous garden is always on our list, a must-see no matter what. Bringing an umbrella was a wise move for one of us. Not for the rain, which did come later, but for the unrelenting sun. Until we were able to get in the shade of the mature trees, it really did help. A highlight of the garden is the National Orchid Garden within the park. For the price of $1 (senior), we saw 1000 species and 2000 hybrids of orchids. Guarantee we have photos of each and every one. A most welcome exhibit here is the Cool House, an isolated closed-in tropical forest displaying a realistic representation of a high elevation site of the tropics. Like its name suggests, it is cool, with water falls, and exotic ferns and plants that eat bugs. Full descriptions are posted near all the varieties of foliage, ferns, and orchids. Some are parasitic, while others just hitch a ride. By the way, with over 4 million visitors a year, this garden has the distinction of being the most visited one in the world. Well-deserved.

 

We could have spent much more time here, but it looked like it could rain at any second, so we decided to make our way back to the MRT, and navigate our way to the Orchard stop for lunch. That meant finding another line to transfer, taking a little more time. We kept our fingers crossed that the Hard Rock Café would still be serving lunch at 3pm. This MRT stop takes you into a huge shopping mall with high end stores. Following the signs once again, we found Wheelock Place and the right way out. Secretly, we do take photos along the way, so we can find our way back, just in case. Sort of like leaving a trail of bread crumbs. We had decided that if the HRC was not opened, we go find wood-fired pizza at a nice place very close.

 

Lucky for us, they were opened, still serving lunch. Splitting a cobb salad, and plenty of unlimited soda, we enjoyed resting up for an hour or so. It was getting darker outside by the second, so when the waitress said to be careful with the slippery sidewalks, we knew the rain must have begun. And when it comes here in Singapore, you know it. A few scattered drops, led to a sudden deluge. Good thing we brought our umbrellas, because even with the short walk back to Wheelock Place, we would have been soaked.

 

This mall in the Orchard shopping district was really crowded, busy with thousands of people spending their day and plenty of their money. Nothing is cheap here. In fact, we are sure it contributes to the fact that Singapore is the most expensive city to live in the world. It is also the safest and most clean place we have had the pleasure of visiting.

 

Still having time to explore, we headed for the City Hall station to find our way to legendary Raffles Hotel, famous for the cocktail, the Singapore Sling. It’s like stepping back to the colonial days, reflecting the architecture of the British rule that lasted from 1819 to 1963. This is one place you need to be properly dressed (long pants, and suitable shoes), or you cannot go to any restaurant, let alone the lobby. It is well-enforced. There is no problem gong to the famous Long Bar, although it was closed on Mondays, or having drinks at the outside courtyard bar and café. And obviously, you are free to shop in their signature shops. We came away with nothing but photos.

 

A funny thing, was that it had not rained here yet. But it sure felt like it was coming. Heading back into Raffles City shopping complex, we needed to find the right connection to take us back to Clarke Quay on the Singapore River. It was the center of trade back in the colonial days, but now is a hot spot for dining, drinking, and taking boat rides up and down the riverfront. It’s also a good place to find ice cream, followed by ½ price beers across the foot bridge. One café after another lines one side of the river here, so we found a good spot to linger over some German draught beers. You can sit outside the cafes without getting wet, with the help of gigantic clear umbrella-like overhangs. By now it was 6pm, and beginning to get dark.

 

Time to head back, we got on the purple line to Harbor Front, noticing that the trains heading north were jammed with commuters going home to the outlying areas in Punggol. Sure was nice to get back to the air-conditioned ship, although the system was not working well everywhere on the ship. At our 8pm dinnertime in the dining room, it must have been 80 degrees, despite the fact it was mostly empty of guests by then. Only four of us were there, which was nice. Except Handler came alone once again, since Leslie is still under the weather. We ordered a mostly Mexican dinner, which was much appreciated by us.

 

Tomorrow, we will have another day of exploring, so need to get a good night’s sleep. No problem, since we must have put on at least 100 miles today with the MRT rides and walking the major sites.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Theredofshaw]

Singapore has one of the best public transit systems I've seen. Extremely easy to get around. When I was in Singapore years ago, I stumbled across an umbrella vending machine...Me being a mere 20 years old and it had been my 2nd foreign country ever, it was the craziest thing ever...20 minutes later it started raining...and I wished I had bought one lol

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Loved the description of your Singapore adventures. Can't wait for tomorrow's post.

[WCB]

Report # 75 Singapore March 15, 2016 Tuesday Day Three Chance of rain & 86 degrees

 

Guess what? We had another great day in Singapore, like that’s a surprise. However, before the day got started, we ran into a little “bump” in the road with our upcoming safari in Sri Lanka. Seems that the officials there don’t always share their visa plans ahead of time with their requirements. In other words, they can change their minds regarding anyone spending more than three days in their country. Usually their blanket group visa is sufficient. However, we found out through our travel agent that we need to have a longer visa, since we will be flying out of Colombo 7 days after we arrive in Hambantota, our first port in Sri Lanka. Yes, we could have done this before we left home, but at that time, it wasn’t required. The good news is that our travel agent can get it online, and forward it to us. At least that is the plan as of this morning. Sure hope it works.

 

We headed off of the ship by 11am, and back onto the MRT. Today our destination was Raffles Place, reached by the purple line to Dhoby Ghat, then transferring to the green line to One Raffles Place. We have attempted this stop before, but got turned around, lost in the high rise skyscrapers. We were looking for a way to cross the road, which is not always easy in Singapore. You either have to go over or under in this city, as there are few stop lights. So this time, we followed a crowd of folks that seem to know where they were going. It led to covered walkway across the road to The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. We entered into the lobby with a massive crystal chandelier and a central restaurant under a vaulted ceiling. It was beyond elegant, where a few guests were enjoying tea and sandwiches. Even though they offered to seat us when we checked out the menu, we felt we were not properly dressed, so we said no thanks.

 

This hotel, as well as others, sits on the Marina Reservoir, where the Singapore River ends. Walking out of the hotel, we ended up at Merlion Park, where the famous Merlion sits, spewing water from his mouth from the river into the reservoir. This famous statue represents the Singapore symbol of welcome. It is a mythical creature with the head of a lion, and the body of a fish. As well as a mascot, it is the national symbol of Singapore. And as you might expect, the Merlion is a favorite statue for photographing. We took several pictures, before walking across the Jubilee Bridge, dedicated to 50 years of Singapore’s independence. That took us across the Singapore River, where we first planned on heading back to the MRT. But it seemed like we were halfway to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel already, so why walk back to the train? Well, one of us could think of a few reasons…..it was another incredibly hot and humid day, and walking in this heat was not easy. Few folks were doing it.

 

Oh well, we didn’t want to wimp out, so we continued on, using an umbrella for shade. We strolled the Marina Promenade, passing the Esplanade Theaters on the Bay, some restaurants, the seating gallery with the Float at Marina Bay, and finally to the Youth Olympic Park. If we had kept walking, we would have ended up at the bottom of the Singapore Flyer, the world’s tallest observation wheel. It is 541 feet high, 90 feet taller than the London Eye. We read somewhere tht it takes 30 minutes for it to make one revolution.

 

Taking the Helix Bridge, we entered near the Artscience Museum, which is shaped like a giant lotus blossom. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands begins here. This is luxury shopping plus in our book, with several floors of boutiques, restaurants, cafes, an ice skating rink (not real ice), and a canal that runs on the lowest level (complete with gondolas like those in Venice). A casino is also part of the complex along with multiple theaters.

 

We would come back here for lunch, but for now, we wanted to stroll through the Gardens by the Bay. This wonderful complex takes gardening beyond the typical expectations…….. a garden of the future, leaning towards education about conservation. Gardens by the Bay can be accessed in a few ways, one of which is by taking the MRT to Bayfront Station. If you are already at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, you can walk across the Lions Bridge on level 6. Or, you can walk from the Helix Bridge, and follow the footpath along the waterfront, like we did.

 

Coming in at the West Gate, we made our way to the Silver Garden, which has three of the “living” trees. The trunks of these metal tree structures are planted with grasses, orchids, bromiliads, and vines, which are dripped or misted with gravity-fed water. Full descriptions are included with each and every attraction here, explaining how all of it works with nature. We made our way to the two massive domes that house the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The tourist fee to access both is $28 Singapore. The Flower Dome is filled with Mediterranean and subtropical trees and plants. We have seen this attraction on past trips. The Cloud Forest is filled with cool and moist tropical species, enhanced by a 35 meter manmade mountain and waterfall.

 

The other big attraction is the Supertrees Grove, a much more dense collection of “living” trees. One of them is large enough at the top to house a dining venue. Connecting these structures is the 22 meter high OCBC Skyway, a dramatic walkway that cost $5 Singapore to stroll between the trees to get the birds eye view. Would be a treat to see and hear the spectacular light and sound show at the Supertrees at 7:45 and 8:45pm nightly.

 

The surrounding garden displays were equally educational with Colonial, Indian, Chinese, and Malay plantings. The display that described traditional plants used for medicinal purposes was interesting. Completing the circle, were the cactus, palms, and even a children’s garden.

 

There are ten different restaurants and cafes scattered throughout the complex, including McDonalds. The kids love it.

 

Since our time was getting away from us, and also due to the fact it was blistering hot, we made our way out of the complex via the Dragonfly Bridge, which crosses over the Dragonfly Lake. This manmade lake plays a role in supporting the ecosystem by storing and filtering the park’s watering system. It also has a 440 meter boardwalk to enjoy.

 

Finding the Lions Bridge, we went to the massive one-of-a-kind Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which resembles an ironing board on top of three huge towers of hotel rooms. From the top of an interior walkway, we could view the lobby of all three towers far below us. Our first visit here, we navigated the ride up the tower that went to the top with a restaurant and a most beautiful infinity pool. Although viewed from a gated area to give the paying guests privacy, it is still quite a stunning view of the city below.

 

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands connects to the hotel with a series of escalators taking you down to the top floors. Looking down from the top is dizzying.

 

It was time for lunch and a much-needed rest to cool down. One café we know serves a good pizza is Mozza Pizzeria. They even have a wood-fired oven for a thin crispy crust. Of course, we ordered the margherita with some extra onions. Cokes were $6 Singapore each, no refills here. In fact, we figured we could have gone to Raffles Hotel outdoor bar and café and had the same lunch for the same price. Oh well, when in Rome……….etc. Singapore lives up to its reputation of being the most expensive city in the world.

 

We joined the MRT at the Bayfront Station by following the signs in the mall. Here we had the choice of two MRT lines to take, but with some help, we found the blue line to Chinatown would take us to the purple line, and finally back to Harbour Front. For the third time, we crossed paths with Martha, Pam, and Maureen who happened to take close to the same route we did today. The odds are astronomical with so many people riding this system, that we would run into each other at the same train at the same time and same entrance. Maybe it’s time to try our luck at the casino onboard??? Probably not…………

 

Before we left the MRT station, we went to the ticket window and got the $20 Singapore refund back to spend in the stores for necessities. That included a few items at Watson’s pharmacy and the local supermarket for snacks. We did well, ending up with 35 cents. Once through the xray and immigrations check, we walked the long hallway to a table set up by the gangway. There we dropped off our passports for safe-keeping. It was about 5pm, and there was plenty of time for folks to make it back by the 8pm all aboard time. The Insignia was getting ready to drop her lines as we came back. They have 3 ½ months more to go on their eastbound world cruise. Whew……

 

Sure was nice cooling off in our room while downloading millions of photos, or it seemed like millions. At dinner, only eight of us were present. Leslie was still out sick, and Heo has come down with something. Seems this nasty cold is traveling swiftly, which we hate to see. There wasn’t a whole lot of enticing entrees on the menu, with the exceptions of the Dutch pea soup, lamb chops, and the alternate sirloin steak.

 

We did not attend the show of a virtuoso pianist Filip W, and we forgot to mention that the folkloric show the previous night had been cancelled. Even worse, this group had broken their contract, not showing up at all. A newly-released movie was shown instead.

 

Around 9pm, Gene began announcing names and room numbers of folks that had not turned in their passports. We could not leave until that was done. Going out on the lower promenade after dinner, he was still calling names around 10pm. Finally, the ship left the port after 10:30pm, sailing quietly into the darkness of night.

 

We are now headed towards Thailand, and the port of Phuket. Be there in two days. So sorry to be leaving Singapore as it had been a blast as always.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[teamflames]

Glad you had such a great time in Singapore. I lived there for 2 years and it was an easy place to live but I prefer seasons rather than constant heat my DW disagrees.

I was surprised to read you think it is so expensive?

I always thought taxi's and public transport tobe very reasonable. Food in hawker centres are unbelievable quality at 3rd world prices. Tourist attractions tend to be reasonable.

Alcohol can be crazy of course.

Interesting, I would find any of Europe major cities, Tokyo, Sydney etc to be much worse.

What things did you find so prohibitive cost wise?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[ger_77]

Do either of you wear a pedometer or fit-bit to determine how far you walk each day? From your wonderful descriptions, I would say you walk 5 to 10 miles (sometimes more!) per port day. Thank you for keeping us so well informed!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[WCB]

Report # 76 Sailing Towards Phuket, Thailand March 16, 2016 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 89 degrees 7 Photos

 

Forgot to mention that the clocks were set back one hour last night. Frankly, we were so tired we barely remember our heads hitting the pillows. The extra hour was very much appreciated.

 

We have ended yet another segment of the world cruise. It went from Hong Kong to Singapore and was for 10 days. Total miles for that segment was 2322 miles. Total miles so far since Ft. Lauderdale is 22,907 statute miles as of 10pm this evening. That’s a lot, with more to come.

 

It was so darned hot outside today, we had to take our daily walks in short spurts on the lower promenade deck. The side that was in the sun was empty of customers. The opposite side was full of folks sleeping or reading. Don’t blame them. We stayed cool in our room while working on photos. The longest break we took was for lunch in the dining room. Today, Maureen joined Barb and us for a nice visit and equally as good meal. They had the best almond-crusted chicken tenders, which we could have made a meal of by itself. One of us had soup and a tasty hero sandwich, while everyone else had salads. Dessert was ice cream.

 

Our 7 day overland trip in Sri Lanka is coming up soon, so we had to concentrate on getting ready for it. We made lists of the minimum items we will need, although the good thing is we will be driving to Yala National Park, and not flying. The only flight will be from Colombo to Dubai on Emirates Air. They are generous with their weight limit, and we shouldn’t come anywhere near it.

 

The guest speakers are still onboard delivering their series once again. Revell Carr spoke about the Dutch influence in the far east, while Kate Ross dealt with the Indian Ocean trade network. We are sorely missing these lectures on our room TV. Not happy about that change.

 

Barbara H and Shore Ex manager, Nyron, gave talks on the ports from Phuket, Thailand to Salalah, Oman. Speaking of tours, even on port days, many of their tours are offered to be sold up to that very morning. Wonder if they are having difficulties filling the coaches? We do know that some excursions have been cancelled due to no interest. That is unusual.

 

Way too hot to sit at the aft pool, we did our visiting on the promenade deck this afternoon. Also checked out the sunset on deck nine, only to find that the orange sun was going behind strange gray overcast on the horizon. The humidity was so heavy this morning, you could see it. Many cargo ships and container vessels passed us coming or going, as this is a very busy waterway.

 

We had reservations for an 8pm dinner in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. Beginning with Caesar salad, custom-made with our choice of light, medium, or heavy dressing, we also chose to have no anchovy. Our entrees were steaks….one New York strip and one filet mignon, the smaller cut of 7 ounces. We shared a bowl of well-seasoned mushrooms with two stacks of skinny fries, instead of the baked potato. They were excellent for a change. Dessert was two bowls of rocky road ice cream, along with several little biscotti cookies they make special for this venue.

 

The entertainer this evening was a funny magician by the name of Mel Mellers. Our dinner ran overtime, so we missed most of his show. He will surely be on the stage again.

 

Tomorrow’s port is in Phuket, but as of now, we are scheduled to dock, which is located far from everywhere. We like the tender port much better, where we anchor and ride to Patong Beach. Everything is there instead. Darn.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 77 Phuket, Thailand March 17, 2016 Thursday Partly cloudy & 90 degrees 46 Pictures Part #1 of 2

 

We had made no specific plans for today, because the Amsterdam docked in a port where very little is accessible except by taxi or van. Everyone who has been to Phuket before, remembers the tender landing at Patong Beach. Some did not like the floating pontoon that bounced us to shore, but the beach area had everything you could want in the way of shopping, dining, and sun and swimming. Yes, maybe touristy, but better than being parked where we are.

 

Anyway, here is some info on the country of Thailand. It has a population of 65,905,410 of Thai-speaking people living in a square mile area of 198,064. The capital is Bangkok, and it has been a long time since this wonderful city has been part of the world cruise. We’re overdue. According to Lonely Planet, Thailand has everything……perfect beaches, dense jungles, ruined cities, exotic islands, golden monasteries, and coral reefs. It has cities that are laid back or fast and furious cities with rice terraces, Buddhist temples, steamy tropical weather, and hot blistering cuisine. There are 5 star hotels and resorts…..indulgence on a shoestring, more or less.

 

The best time to visit is November through April when there is less rain. What is there to see? Try Buddhism in its glory, or take in the ruins of the old capital. A visit to the palace grounds of the King of Siam is a must, although the movie, The King and I is not totally accepted here. The rainforests are full of wildlife at Khao Yai National Park. You can check out the relics of the Thailand-Burma Railway. What is there to do? Try snorkeling or diving at some of the remote islands, like Bonnie and Paul did today.

 

How about food? Tom yang kung is hot and sour prawns in a lemongrass soup. Satay sticks with every kind of meat or fish are sold everywhere. So is their favorite drink….Singha beer. One of the first times we had visited Bangkok, we were introduced to street vendors selling the most unusual food items. That included grasshoppers, beetles, grubs. Good grief. The only thing to offset that sight, were the streets full of young and old ladies creating flower wreathes and necklaces with bright golden and orange marigolds. More than likely, offerings for the temples. Trademarks are golden stupas, floating markets (food sold from a long boat), curries, monks with bowls. Thai silk, elephant rides, and back packer beach parties are all part of the atmosphere of Thailand.

 

Now, on to Phuket, a very different type of town. It is full of white sandy beaches such as in Patong, Kamala, and Surin….all party central these days. What made this place what it is, was the tin trade. It had been colonized by the Portuguese, French, and the British by the 16th century. Today, the biggest industry is tourism. There are Buddhist temples, monks, national parks, elephants, and even lemurs. Some famous spots happen to be accessed by some of the ship’s tours. Phang Nga Bay is a tour that takes you to limestone caves and grottos, and James Bond Island, made famous by the movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. James Bond, at his best back in 1974. We have done this tour twice, having a great lunch, and a visit to a floating village. The price was $125 for 8 ½ hours.

 

Another fun tour was a not-so-nice boat ride to Phi Phi Island. Another famous movie was filmed here, The Beach. Almost hard to recognize the beach, since so many boats take tons of tourists there. The boat ride was in a speedboat that had steep sides and no windows. You rode for two hours, either inside a dark sweltering boat, or sat near the back, and got fumigated by the motors. Once was enough for us. Price…. $160 for 8 hours.

 

An elephant safari for 6 hours gave the folks a chance to learn about the beasts and have a 30 minute ride on one. Lunch was included, like on the other longer tours, for the price of $160.

 

Shorter tours provided sight-seeing of the major sights in town and started at $35 to $100.

 

We do not remember the weather being as hot and sticky as it was today. Not ever. Had to be close to 150 degrees in the hot sun. Not really, but it sure felt like it. Our plans this morning took us in a different direction. We had to deal with procuring visas for Sri Lanka. We had sent our travel agent the necessary information, and she was hopefully able to process the requests. When we tried going online very early this morning, the internet was not working. It was off for most of the morning…..not a good thing when we are dealing with limited time to get this done. To complicate matters, we were dealing with a big time change from here to Pacific time. Morning here is nighttime there.

 

We did find out that the requests were granted, but it took our agent two days to complete it. She had problems with the Sri Lanka site shutting down on her. It would have been 10 times harder for us to do this from here with the slow speed we have. All the proper paperwork was delivered to us, then we sent it to Peter, the purser, who printed it out for us. Nice to know people in high places. Actually, he needed this information as well to get our passports stamped and approved once we get to Hambantota in Sri Lanka on Sunday. We are now cleared to pick up our passports after the officials clear the ship early next Sunday morning. All good news. We supplied them with a copy of our 7 day itinerary so they know exactly where we are.

 

It wasn’t until noon, that we left the ship to check out a possible ride to Patong Beach, and to look over the many souvenir stands on the pier. Most of the taxi and van drivers had made their deals with groups of passengers already, so the few remaining should have been willing to deal. But no. The one taxi driver we asked about a ride to the beach with a two hour stop for lunch began his price at $65 dollars. Don’t think so. He had dropped to $50, but we knew that was still too high. Later, we found out that Barb and her buddies had negotiated a price for the day much less than that by going outside the gate to get a driver. It is possible that the ones that get into the pier area, pay a price to do so. It was probably the extreme heat that changed our minds about the beach, or the fact that one of us may be coming down with the weird cold that is being shared onboard by passengers and crew alike. Sure don’t need this now, since we will be going away in a few days.

 

So, we said no thanks, and went directly to the tented stalls. We found a few things we could not live without, such as a HRC t-shirt, and some silky tops. Later on, we picked up an elephant beach bag….all fun and inexpensive items. At the far end, some food items were being cooked for lunch. All Thai food, hot and spicy for sure. Cheap too. The crew were heading back there all day long.

 

We did not last long outside. It seemed like our shoes were melting into the pavement it was so hot. Time to go back for lunch, which was sandwiches in the Lido. The dining room was closed for lunch today. We asked Pandi why, and he said it was based on the number of guests that take shore excursions. If that number is high enough, the dining room closes for lunch. The Pinnacle Grill was also closed, leaving only the Lido opened for all. We had sandwiches with a side of pizza. Not a bad combo.

 

When we headed back down to our room, we passed a fellow in the hall, just coming back onboard, with a wet washcloth over his head. Couldn’t help but laugh when we asked if it was really that bad outside? He said yes, it was that bad, even worse. He was not laughing as he limped down the hallway to his cool room. We did the same by watching a movie until it was time for sail away after 5:30pm.

 

As expected, the participation at the sail out of the harbor was light. No one would have expected that a strong breeze had appeared, helping to make it tolerable to stay outside for any length of time. Earlier in the afternoon, we had made a quick walk back here, finding the area empty of sunbathers. And mysteriously, the pool was full, but netted off. Unusual, unless they had to dump the water for unknown reasons, treat it, then wait until the chemicals did their job. Eventually, a few more people came to the aft area, including the Stein Kruse family (without Stein). The ladies have been going off on overland adventures, and we think that the son has joined the group now.

 

For a change, we were glad to leave here. Hope to escape the worst of that heat and humidity as we head in a westerly direction towards Sri Lanka. The best treat about leaving, was the sighting of a swooping fish eagle, who chose to hover over the ship. There was only one bird, so he got all of the photographer’s undivided attention. We have seen these eagles diving for chunks chicken fat on a previous tour in Langawi, Malaysia a few years ago. Impressive birds.

 

By the way, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone. In order to celebrate this “green” holiday, all of the bars had been decorated for parties later on tonight. A drink special was being promoted at the sail away for a pub crawl, although we don’t remember seeing the promotion. Also did not see any takers. Be surprised if the majority of folks recover that quickly from today’s oppressive heat, but who knows?

 

Eight of us were present at dinner, all sharing adventures of the day, as we all did something different. The menu choices were not that great, but the conversation was. Some of our dinner mates had gone to the 7:30pm Call My Bluff gameshow in the Queens Lounge, saying it was hilarious. Joe West, a multi-instrumentalist and singer was the 10pm entertainer. We were so backed up with photo sorting, we knew we would not attend.

 

By the way, we had been given another Zika warning, since this mosquito-borne disease has been reported in Thailand and probably more places we are to set foot. Insect repellant and wearing protective clothing is recommended. On the positive side, we were given another hour back on the clock tonight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS We have had a few questions on CC, that we can address. We believe that the statistics on housing, property ownership, and even owning and driving a car in Singapore contributes to the country’s reputation of the most expensive city in the world.

We have never considered using pedometers or the new gadgets to measure our walking distances. We simply go and enjoy , walking as much as we can……doing it while we still can.

[MMDown Under]

"It wasn’t until noon, that we left the ship to check out a possible ride to Patong Beach, and to look over the many souvenir stands on the pier. Most of the taxi and van drivers had made their deals with groups of passengers already, so the few remaining should have been willing to deal. But no. The one taxi driver we asked about a ride to the beach with a two hour stop for lunch began his price at $65 dollars. Don’t think so. He had dropped to $50, but we knew that was still too high. Later, we found out that Barb and her buddies had negotiated a price for the day much less than that by going outside the gate to get a driver. It is possible that the ones that get into the pier area, pay a price to do so."

 

Yes, we learnt that in Lombok. We were warned to not go outside the gate, however that was where the less expensive fares for the whole day were. Fortunately, many Aussies holiday in Lombok, so they know the correct fare. I agree the ones inside the pier area probably have to pay to be there.

 

Happy St Patrick's Day.

Edited March 18, 2016 by MMDown Under

[WCB]

Report # 78 Sailing Towards Hambantota, Sri Lanka March 18, 2016 Friday Partly cloudy & 91 degrees

 

Well, we are now on our way, crossing the Andaman Sea, sailing in a westerly direction to the island of Sri Lanka. Even though the predicted temperature was 91 degrees, we feel that with a strong breeze, it is not that hot. Much better than yesterday for sure.

 

We have noticed that the La Fontaine Dining Room has been uncomfortably warm, especially at night during the meal service. Apparently, after we left Hong Kong, something went wrong with the air-conditioning. We learned from Pandi that 30 workers have been brought onboard for repairs around the ship. Things being fixed in places that we don’t necessarily see. Repairing the air-conditioning would be a good start. Never seems to fail, when we enter hot and humid areas, there are always problems keeping the ship evenly cool. When questioned, the answer is……we are working on it. We can deal with it, except for tonight, when the dress code is Gala. Jackets for the fellows will be way too warm. At least the ladies have some options, such as sleeveless, or removable shawls.

 

We ran into a buddy, Jack, who was removed from his room on deck one for a few nights. They needed to cut a hole in his floor, where a support column was put through it down to the A deck. While this work is being done, he moved temporarily to a vacant veranda room on deck six. He admits it is pretty nice to sit outside in privacy, instead of relaxing on the promenade deck. He may not want to move too soon, but he is sure that once the work is completed and the carpet is re-laid, they will move him back down. It should be worth some shipboard credit for the inconvenience, since all of his stuff is still in the Dolphin deck room. In the meantime, he intends to relax on the veranda, and not answer his phone. Maybe they might forget about him…..

 

This is probably as good a time as any to talk about the island of Sri Lanka. The capital is Colombo, a port we will visit again soon. The population is 21,324,791 people, and the area is 25,326 square miles. The official language is Sinhalese, Tamil, and some English. Hard to believe that this is such a Buddhist island, but has been involved with political turmoil with the Tamil Tigers being in the news many times over the past years.

 

In sharp contrast, Sri Lanka is a country of sand and cinnamon. It is a tear-drop of an island off the southern tip of India. It is known for its beaches, steamy tropical air, tea and cinnamon plantations, and historic cities. You can sip fresh coconut milk, scour the jungle for leopards, or see the monumental statues of Buddha everywhere.

 

The best time to visit is from December to March to avoid the southwest monsoons. Having been to many villages up high in the central part of the country, we can see why these monsoons can cause so much damage. And if you remember the tsunami of 2004, many areas had been devastated with a huge loss of life.

 

The top things to see are the dozens of museums and monuments in colonial Colombo, the frenetic capital of the country. See the ruined palaces, and experience the Dutch colonial past in historic Galle. We intend to do just that. See the elaborate gardens and fortresses, as well as kick back on the sparkling sands of Sri Lanka’s southern beaches. Searching for leopards and elephants will be right up our alley since we will be going to the most concentrated leopard populations in the world at Yala National Park. Taking a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Tooth in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in Kandy. We have been there and done that many years ago. It was heck of a long train ride and bus trip to Kandy, but well worth it. However, we were expecting to at least see the famous tooth of the Buddha, but it was “on tour”, and not in the temple where it should have been. The best memory from that tour was seeing the elephants at the sanctuary at Pinnawela. And the most exciting part of the tour was the bus ride back, going full speed ahead, down the center of the two lane road in the dark with lightning and thunder followed by driving rain all the way back. A miracle that we made it back in one piece, although we were really, really late, missing dinner that night. We were met with a row of waiters, holding umbrellas to keep us dry as we walked the long way from the buses to the gangway. Some things you never forget. This was one of them.

 

So, what is there to eat? Ever heard of Hoppers (appa), which are delicious pancakes made from fermented rice and coconut milk. And the local drink? Toddy, a local wine made from fermented palm sap, or arrack, the same drink, but distilled and bottled into a powerful elixir.

 

The trademark slogan: May you live long. Hmmm, seems we have heard that before, like on Star Trek?

 

Random fact: Sri Lanka gave the world cinnamon, trading the spice since 2000BC. Impressive and we so thank you for that favorite spice we have come to love. And Ceylon tea also comes to mind, as this country was formerly named Ceylon. Much more seductive name we think.

 

Here is a rundown of today’s activities. Talks continued starting with Barbara H, who discussed Hambantota (a first stop for the Amsterdam, we believe), and Colombo. The guest speakers continued their series about the Mughal rule and the Taj Mahal. Going there back in 2007 was a wonderful experience also. Some folks will be going there, leaving from Colombo, on an overland tour, even though we have no other stops in India this year. The other speech was about the British competing with the Dutch, and finally the English in many parts of the world.

 

We spent some of the morning gathering our supplies and clothing for our overland. Don’t want to forget anything, as there will be no place to buy anything. Seemed like a good day to have lunch in the dining room, because if it was anywhere near as hot today as yesterday, going to the aft pool was not a good idea.

 

So lunch it was, and it was good. Both Barb and Maureen showed up after trivia, and we ordered mini hamburgers and one sweet and sour pork dish. All was perfect. So was the conversation as always. Maureen told us about an incident involving elephants on one of the tours yesterday in Phuket. Seems that a trainer was attempting to help a baby elephant, when one of the adult males attacked him. He reportedly held onto another elephant’s leg so as not to get trampled. Scary, but these things do happen.

 

Around 5pm, we went to deck five to listen to the band in the Ocean Bar. When they left, we could hear music coming from the Queens Lounge. It sounded good, so we peeked inside, and listened for quite a while as the group, Graffiti Classics, practiced for their performance this evening. They were a group of two young ladies, who played violins, and two fellows playing other string instruments. They were advertised as 16 strings (each one must play four different instruments), 8 dancing feet, and 4 voices. Glad we stopped by, because now we don’t need to go to the real show tonight. We will miss the costumes, but we sure liked the music and singing.

 

At 7pm, we were invited to a cocktail party in the Explorer’s Lounge, hosted by our travel hosts. It was their second party of the evening, with the first one beginning at 4:30pm for the early seating guests in our group. Long night for the hosts, although they are pros at it by now. Since the majority of us already know each other, their job is easy. We had drinks of our choice within minutes of arriving and appetizers too. Bill and Leta joined us for a fun hour before the dinner bell was rung at 8pm.

 

Gala night brought a good menu with many nice choices. We both ordered the veal chop dinner and they were done to perfection. To end a good meal, we had the cappuchino bombe, chocolate-coated ice cream, floated in a raspberry sauce.

 

Most everyone was still feeling the exhaustion from yesterday’s port, so we think most everyone was turning in early tonight. One more day at sea, and we will be in Sri Lanka.

 

Oh yeah, good news….the clocks went back ½ hour tonight. One of those odd places in the world that we do the ½ hour thing.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Lizzie68]

Three great reports in a row - thank you. Too funny about your friend hiding out on the promenade deck - I sure hope he gets to keep his verandah cabin.:D Looking forward to reports of your land trip.

[WCB]

Report # 79 Sailing Towards Hambantota, Sri Lanka March 19, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Life onboard remains busy as we continue our journey towards Sri Lanka. Having two days at sea has been nice, giving everyone a chance to recover and relax. At least every other person on the lower promenade deck was snoozing all afternoon on the comfortable teaks lounges. With the temperature dropping slightly, and the breeze blowing, it is the perfect place to read or listen to tunes with earphones.

 

Since we will be gone for seven days, we needed to tend to the garden plants. The pots of sunflowers needed a good soaking, and also needed some cleaning up, leaf-trimming, etc. Some of the other pots are bulbs that have bloomed already, and are now simply greens. They have no drainage, so need little or no water. Today, we separated the pots, putting only the sunflowers on the windowsill. The bulbs are on the little coffee table. Our room steward, Denny, has offered to water the plants for us, and now we made it easy for him. Will probably have to water them twice during the week. Some of the Asian lily blooms are about to open, and will probably do so when we are gone. Bet we are greeted with a fine aroma when we return.

 

We listened to Barbara H’s talk on the port of Hambantota. She has never been there, which is almost unbelievable, since she has been everywhere. In fact, the Rotterdam recently stopped there for the first time. From what we understand, this port is all about the national parks, although there are some other sites to take in.

 

We were more concerned about the access to our car and driver, who will be picking us up tomorrow. Barbara informed us that it may be a mile to the port gate, but they have ordered three shuttles to take the passengers there to get taxis to town. Apparently, it is a 6 ½ mile drive to the center of town, but no free shuttle bus to take us that far. The taxi “union” is too powerful in Sri Lanka, so they cannot procure anything free. And she won’t know until tomorrow if the tour buses or other private vehicles will be allowed past the pier gates.

 

Anyway, speaking of tours, there are a few offered here. One is a trip to a temple and painted caves….seven of them to be exact. They date back to 130BC and rise up 676 feet tall. This tour does come with a warning about the steep climb, and costs $90 per person. The shore excursion staff often tell the guests to really access their capabilities before booking these rigorous tours. They cannot say no to some folks, but they strongly advice against some tours for those with mobility limitations.

 

Then the tours are all about the parks……with Elephants of Udawalawe for 7 ½ hours. This is a 4 x 4 vehicle ride to see a variety of animal life, concentrating on a group of 40 elephants in a transit home. These are rescued orphans that are rehabilitated to be returned to the wild. This fun tour runs $165 per person and includes lunch at a hotel.

 

The second park is Bundala National Park, which is home to 149 different species of resident and migratory birds. The large flock of greater flamingos migrate here, as many as 2000 of them. This is a 4 hour tour for $120.

 

Yala National Park is one of the oldest and most famous National Park in Sri Lanka. It is located one hour from Hambantota, and is also where we will be spending five days at a safari camp on our own. Thirty-two species of animal reside there, but the most famous of them is the elusive leopard. This particular tour is 5 hours either by bus, or in a 4 x 4 vehicle. The bus costs $150 and the 4wheel drive is $135. Once again, these tours come with warnings for folks with back and neck problems.

 

Another HAL overnight tour is offered to this area with a drive back to Colombo via the city of Galle. That runs $849 per person, but may not operate, since they only have 7 takers at this point. They are looking for three more people in order to keep the tour. Martha, our tablemate, is booked on that, and will be so disappointed if it is cancelled.

 

Besides the lectures happening today, the biggest event appeared to be the Mongolian Stir Fry on the Lido deck. Not our cup of tea, we met Barb and Maureen for lunch again in the dining room. Our waiters are so nice in there, as we also have them at breakfast time every day. We ordered appetizers, salads, a mini-hamburger, and a panini with French fries. At 2pm, Barb was off to another World Wine Guys Wine Tasting in the Wajang Theater. These two fellows, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, are travel writers, educators, and television presenters. We recognized them when they boarded, because they were also on the Tales of the South Pacific cruise last fall. Today they are featuring wines from the Old World. We hope they are better than yesterday’s choices, because Barb did not care for them.

 

Between walks outside, we watched a movie, Aloha, with several good actors. Last night, we watched No Escape, really good about sudden violence in a foreign country involving traveling Americans. Sort of gave one of us nightmares, it was so real. That was how we felt while watching the movie about the tsunami that hit this area back in 2004. Evidence of that damage will be seen by some guests on a few of the tours.

 

The ship posted a “stay healthy & travel well” notice on the front page of the paper today, emphasizing the importance of hand washing with soap, and using the hand sanitizers. Hope this is just precautionary. Whatever the reason, more mini bottles of Purell were available for the asking at the front desk. We took two to have extra while we are away. Also picked up the port info in Dubai, and the contact numbers for the Amsterdam……just in case.

 

Most everything we liked was on the menu tonight. One of us had the turkey dinner, complete with dressing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. And someone, like me, had spaghetti and meatballs, always available in the Lido for lunch, but seldom at dinner. The Asian-style ribs looked really good, so we will have to try them the next time they re-appear on the menu. We are going to miss our dinners with our buddies, but they should have lots of things to share with us when we get back.

 

OK, so here’s the plan for the following week for us. We drive to Yala National Park from Hambantota, and get settled in the lodge. Lunch will be served, then we will be ready for the late afternoon game drive. That should last until dark, when dinner will be served. The following day, we repeat the game drive in the early morning, followed by breakfast. There is free time until lunch, then off we go again on the PM drive. Dinner follows after the drive. We will repeat that for four days. Our main objective is to see the leopards, but there will be many more animals and birds to photograph as well.

 

The rest of the trip will take us from the lodge to the city of Galle, where we have a two night stay with tours both days. We will drive to Colombo, seeing some of the major sites there, then off to a hotel by the airport for one night. On Sunday, we will fly from Sri Lanka to Dubai, and join the ship on her first day there. Hope we have lots of adventures to share with everyone by then.

 

In case you don’t hear from us for seven days, that means we did not bring the computer. We are not sure what kind of amenities the safari camp will have in the way of available internet, so we are undecided about bringing it. We promise that we will be back.

 

Stay tuned……..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Mr. Boston]

I can't wait for your reports on your upcoming adventures. Safe travels!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[cruz chic]

Thx for the updates.

[KirkNC]

Your excursion sounds great, hope you see a leopard!