Jan 2016 World Cruise live report

[Floridiana]

 

Today’s thought for the day - Travel has a way of stretching the mind.* The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing first-hand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way. - Ralph Crawshaw

 

I wonder how this applies to the couple who complained that they had to eat a Japanese lunch.

[Paulchili]

I wonder how this applies to the couple who complained that they had to eat a Japanese lunch.

 

Apparently someone forgot (failed) to stretch their mind.

Of course it is that other someone's fault, not their own :D

[Waynetor]

Naha is a city on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. Naha is the political, economic and education center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods, it was the commercial center of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

 

Naha is an economic center of Okinawa dominated by tourism, retail and service industries.

 

During the battle of Okinawa in World War II, Naha suffered extensive damage from the fighting. The entire center of the city had to be rebuilt.

 

Naha has a humid, subtropical climate. Like the 2 previous Japanese cities, it rains quite often in April.

 

The city proper has about a third of a million population with the urban area near 1.2 million.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Waynetor

[Waynetor]

We had a very nice slow cruise into port today offering views of this long, verily flat island along with some smaller islands near by.

 

The weather today is one of the best on the voyage so far.* Mostly sunny, light breeze with temp around 27C (80F) - they said there was a 50% chance of rain but we never even had 50% cloud cover.

 

We docked at Naha Tomari port which has its own passenger terminal.* We just had to do a check show of our passports when getting off the ship.* The was a Costa ship across the harbour at the Naha New Port but that was in an industrial area so we had the best berth.

 

Today was another day we left the day open to do own thing touring around Naha.* We looked at going to Shuri Castle, Shikinaen garden or the Peace Memorial Park - all wheelchair accessible but the Peace Park is hilly.* Freda decided she did not feel like doing to much so I checked out the shuttle option.* While the monorail and public buses are accessible for wheelchairs, the shuttle was not, so Freda decided to stay on the ship while I took the 10 minute ride to the city centre. The shuttle stops right by the City Hall, a large modern looking building - there is not much very old here due to damage done in WWII.

 

The main street here was almost all shops and restaurants.* About a 10 minute walk up the street was a very large, mostly indoor market.* A lot of northern Japanese come here for vacations so there are a lot of souvenir shops as well as clothing and stores offering a wide range of sake.* I saw some bottles of sake for around $5 and others up to 250us.* After a while the stores start getting very repetitive.* The main aisle in the market is much wider than other markets we have been to, but many stores and stalls are over crowded so anyone in a wheelchair can only window shop.* The main streets are all wheelchair friendly. I noticed drivers and pedestrians here follow the road rules - I did not see anyone J-walking.* In the sidewalk pavement I saw signs saying in Japanese and English "No smoking on this street". *

 

As a diligent reporter, I felt compelled to checkout the conditions of the facilities at the local McDonald's.* The seat was heated, and there was a arm with various controls for amount of spray desired, music options and others buttons not sure what for - there was a sign showing that you are not to stand on the toilet seat and squat over it and well as another sign indicating not to throw the toilet paper in the waste basket but to put it in the toilet and then flush.

 

A few of the Japanese customs we were told about before arriving here include:

A slight bow is a common greeting-if a Japanese person bows to you, it is proper to at least dip head at a minimum,

Many buildings have a non-negotiable shoe off policy- if there are rows or shelves of foot wear by the door it’s a sign you are expected to take off your shoes,

Don’t play with your chopsticks,

Slurping when eating noodles is standard,

No tipping

Japanese form orderly queues,

Don’t use cell phone while on public transit,

In Buddhist Temples speak quietly,

Shrines have a water source at the front, use the ladle to pour water over your hands to rinse.

 

One follow up on Hiroshima - I talked to a crew member that did a 1 hour mini tour in a taxi - it cost the equivalent of $65us so the estimate of 40+ we got to go to the peace memorial was likely on the high side.

 

Today’s thought for the day - “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

[Floridiana]

We saw Okinawa last night on the TV show International House hunter. :)

By the way, the explanations in the toilet are a sure sign that they have mainland Chinese visitors - maybe from the Costa ship?.

[Waynetor]

Today we are cruising along the edge of the Philippine Sea.* We had some rain overnight but during the day just cloudly with a bit of afternoon sunshine with temps in the mid 20c or high 70'sF.* The sea has some swells but only feel a bit on the ship.*Overnight we got a bonus - we set our clocks back an hour so we got to sleep in - of coarse we will pay for that in the near future.

 

At the noon announcement the captain said we are 200mi from Taiwan and the water depth here is 15,000ft.* He mentioned last nights very brief power outage was due to a breaker issue. The lights were only out about 2 seconds but all elevators were down for about 20 minutes.

 

For anyone doing a similar voyage - 1 thing I forgot about yesterday - the cherry blossom season had ended in Naha by the time we arrived.

 

I want to give a big thanks to the person who ordered the last batch of fruit to be delivered to the ship - for the first time on this voyage the watermelon and orange slices have no or very little seeds in them - I am saving several seconds each of the last few breakfast.

 

This is as good a time as any to mention passenger behavior.* The success of the cruise is made by one's own attitude, and we're having a great time.* A positive attitude virtually ensures a great cruise, but if you start out negative and keep looking for the negative, you will find your expectations met.* I want to point out 2 things - 1 small and one not so small.* Only a few crew have English as a first language - they have not grown up watching the same movies and TV shows* and don't know the same slang as passengers so don't expect them to understand you when you greet them or ask for some things with your favourite movie line - there is a reason sometimes people get a blank stare back.* On a bigger note -somewhere there is a ex-passenger sitting at home for the last 30 days or so and will be missing the next 75 days because he failed to understand and communicate properly his expectations.* Just like crew can be fired for poor behaviour, passengers can also be fired.* Sometimes if grave enough there is no 1st strike and sometimes there are minor issues that can add up and you end up suddenly on the dock waving goodbye.* If you find everyone one else is having a reasonable good time and you are doing nothing but complaining, it just may not be the crew that is the problem.* *

 

Today is the anniversary (104th) of the sinking of the Titanic in the early morning after striking an iceberg on the evening of the 14th.* So in commemoration I have several ship safety thoughts for today –

Prevention is, as in other aspects of seamanship, better than cure. - Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Fire prevention at sea is better than fire extinguisher!! – Anonymous

Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.- Benjamin Franklin

Any design, whether it's for a ship or an airplane, must be done in anticipation of potential failures. - Henry Petroski

The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.- Faye Wattleton

A collision at sea can ruin your entire day. -Thucydides (5th Century BC)

He who lets the sea lull him into a sense of security is in very grave danger. - Hammond Ines

The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance. - Annie Van De Wiele

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. – John A. Shedd

[Floridiana]

A collision at sea can ruin your entire day. -Thucydides (5th Century BC)

 

Great quotation! I wonder what kind of collision the booted passenger caused.

 

I, too, think that great fruit enhances a cruise. Ours was provided by the ship's chandler in Hong Kong, best pineapple ever.

[Waynetor]

We have now moved into the South China Sea.

 

We are fully back into summer weather - today is full sun, high around 30C (85F) with just slight sea swells.

 

We had another mid cruise muster drill this morning - nice that they decide due to the humidity deck 5 would be a bit slippery so we did not have to go out there.*

 

Since our last port there has been a few officials from the Phillipeans on board preparing for our arrival there.* An hour after the muster drill we handed in health forms, had our temperature done by camera and recieved our landing forms so we are ready to go when we arrive there.*

 

A few days ago the regualr afternoon tea time in horizons featured choclate items* and today the feature was types of cheesecake - With diner tonight in Polo it was hard to resist it all, but as a reporter I felt compeled to try some - graded A+

 

Tomorrow I have another small group tour with 21 fellow passengers.* The full day tour with Arnold Sanchez just cost us each $61us.

The description is: The tour starts with a drive to the Bamboo organ and drive up to the picturesque city of Tagaytay via scenic Roxas Boulevard and country side.

Located on a ridge 686m (2,250ft) above sea level, the city offers panoramic views of Taal Lake and Volcano, the "lake within a volcano within a lake within a volcano".

Enjoy a brief lunch stop at a well-known local restaurant to enjoy some local cuisine and delicacies in an atmosphere designed for panoramic views. Then we start our drive back down to Metro Manila. First stop is the American War Memorial and Cemetery, the largest and most beautiful of American memorials outside the Continental U.S. Have a glimpse of Makati's hustle and bustle as you drive past it on your way to the capital city of Manila. Go to the "Walled City" of Intramuros and passing through Rizal Park (named in memory of the country's national hero). In Intramuros you will see ancient walls, churches and travel through old cobbled streets to San Agustin Church, the oldest stone church in the country. The tours wraps up at Fort Santiago, a Spanish fortress that once watched over the entrance to Pasig River. This is where our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last days and wrote his famous "My Last Farewell."

 

At dinner a woman told us of a recent experience after lunch one day when she entered a room on the promenade deck she recognized a gentleman who was pacing up and down there as the afternoon speaker from his picture posted in the hall.* The woman asked the gentleman what he was doing there.* He replied that “he was about to give a lecture.”* “And do you always get so nervous before you give a talk” she asked, not unreasonably.* “Nervous” he replied. I’m not nervous, in fact I never get nervous.”* “Then what are you doing” queried the women “in the ladies room?”*

 

Today’s thought for the day - "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway." -Henry Boye

[Floridiana]

Officials love the ships because they get great food - I think. In one small port in Costa Rica, the tiny pilot boat brought 5 (!) people on board including wives and girlfriends.

[Not landlubbers]

Had to laugh that as a reporter you had to check out McDonalds!! When we were in South Africa on our way toCapetown we stopped in a small town on the garden route! Everyone went on their way for lunch and off we went to Burger King! We had never been in one before but felt the need after two and a half weeks of traditional wonderful South African fare to chow down on a burger, Love your account of your adventure! It has become a daily ritual!!! Continue to enjoy!

[Waynetor]

The Republic of the Philippines is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia.* To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan.* West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam.* The Sula Sea to the southwest lies between it and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia.* It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea.* Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons.* The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000sq km (115,830sq mi). Its 36,289km (22,549mi) of coastline makes it the country with the 5th longest coastline in the world.* With a population of more than 98 million people, the Philippines is the 7th most populated Asian country and the 12th most populated country in the world.* An additional 12 million Filipinos live overseas.* On July 4, 1946, the Philippines attained its independence from the US.***

 

Manila is the capital city and the 2nd largest city of the Philippines. Manila is the most densely populated city in the world at over 43,000 people per sq km (16,600 per sq mi).* It is one of the 16 cities that make up the National Capital Region called Metro Manila which has a population of 16 million.* Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the western shores of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines.* The Pasig River bisects the city. The city lies 1,300km (800mi) from mainland Asia.*

 

Manila has its strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport making it the historical, cultural, political, economic and educational center of the Philippines.* With its excellent protected harbour, Manila serves as the countries chief seaport.*

 

Tourism attracts over 1 million tourists each year.Some of the major destinations include the walled city of Intramuros, museums such as the National Museum of the Philippines, Ermita (major commercial, financial, cultural center, Rizal Park and US embassy),the old district Malate, the Santa Cruz area with its Spanish colonial era buildings, the Chinatown area (established in 1594 by the Spanish as a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants), the Manila Zoo and Rizal Park on Manila Bay which is a major tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable icons of the Philippines. The park includes playgrounds, monuments, the Manila Ocean Park(aquarium), a Chinese,a Filipino and Japanese gardens, free performances, a planetarium, museums and other buildings.

 

Average high temperature in April is 33 C (92F).* Although it is humid at this time, April is part of the dry season.

[Waynetor]

We were originally scheduled to arrive at 8 but along the way that got changed to 7 so we had our tour changed to start at 7:30.

 

Today was payback for complaining about the cool temps recently - the high today was 36C (97F) without the humidity factor built in.* While it would have been nice to have Freda on the trip, she would have suffered a lot in the heat.

 

A group from the Dept of Tourism of about 30 dancers plus many musicians greeted us on the shore with bright music and even brighter and colourful traditional costumes.* Later just before departure there were 2 school marching bands playing.* There is no cruise terminal here - we met our guide and driver outside the gate - there were a few other similar but no one just advertising their services.

 

We headed out of Manila to the city of Tagaytay.* It took about a hour to get there.* Just after leaving we passed along Manila Bay and then the 4th largest mall in the world.* In Tagaytay we stopped at a large restaurant that offered buffet meals.* Being Sunday, many families were there early as they had come from Mass services.* The country is now 80% Catholic.* The restaurant was up on top of the volcanic mountains that surround Taal Lake and the volcanoes that had formed within the caldera.***It was a bit hazy to see across this very large lake but still pretty good.* We could see several small villages around the edge and fishing nets laid out in the lake.* The plan was for us to enjoy the view for an hour, 10 minutes and then have lunch at 11am.* We took a quick vote and that idea was unanimously over-ruled.* While the view was worth seeing, nobody wanted to stand around in the sun for that much time and have an early lunch, so we decide to head back to Manila and plan for a later lunch there.* *

 

In the Tagaytay area there are a lot of pineapple grown but not enough for exporting.* There was also a lot of shops set up along the road that sold custom made wood furniture - including tables often made with a single large piece of trunk.* While there was a fair bit of construction going on, we did see some major slum conditions.* The drive both ways was not too bad - on a weekday it would have been slower traffic.***

 

We were back into the CBD by 11:40.* There is a wide range of skyscrapers here including several malls, Bank head offices and 5 star hotels. The main streets have fences along the sidewalk to stop J-walking - the main intersections have underground passageways from one side to the other for pedestrians. Driving on along the Bay, we passed the very large and heavily fortified US Embassy.***

 

They use a vehicle here as a bus that is unique to the Philippines - based on a stretched Willy Jeep, the Jeepney hold 25 - 28 passengers - the open-sided buses are made here.* Each one is custom order so the finishing touches are up to the buyer so some are quite fancy.* Also used as cheap taxis are motorcycles with a side car (tricylce).* Most of the sidecars have a forward facing and a back facing seat, ideally meant for 1 person. I routinely saw 6 people crammed into the seats and sometimes an extra crouched in where the other passengers feet were.* On top of that the driver would have up to 3 people sitting on the back part of his seat.**The vehicle did have some safety bars that would help in a tip over not not much else safety consideration given.

 

We did a quick stop at the National Park in honour of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.* The park has various statues and a gigantic flag pole.* We could see our ship from the street - only about 2 blocks inland from the pier.

 

From there we went to other restaurant that offered a buffet - we were the only non Filipinos there.* Lots of interesting items - some that you would never see in a regular restaurant back home.

 

After lunch we went into the area with most of the older buildings.* Much of Manila and surrounding area was bombed heavily in WWII - Some of the area around San Agustin Church was saved as the church was used as a hospital and had a giant red cross on its roof.* The first church we looked into was Manila Cathedral - The current church is the 8th on the site - the 7th was destroyed in the war.* There was a wedding going on at the time.* From there we walked over to San Agustin Church which also had a wedding going on and others waiting their turn.* Both of these have wonderful designs, stained glass windows and ceilings.* There were several other nearby buildings of interest.* This included Casa Manila Museum - an upper class home of the 18th century will many rooms, each with full period furniture.

 

From there it was a short walk to Fort Santiago, a Spanish fortress.* We had time to walk through the museum there which gave its history.* This is where in 1896 the Spanish had a flimsy trail finding Dr. Jose Rizal guilty and sentencing him to death the next day.* His footsteps out of his cell as he was marched to what is now the National Park in his honour, are marked in the sidewalk (the footsteps are gold plated impressions - not his real footsteps).

 

There are lots of horse and buggy rides offered in this area - also some street vendors selling hats, belts, wallets and a few other items.* Don't show any interest or they will be hard to get rid of.*

 

After that some wanted to go back to the ship and others to China Town for shopping so the guide took those by taxi while the rest of us went back to the ship around 4pm.

 

A bit unorganized at times, but an enjoyable day.

 

Although the Philippines was under Spanish control for a couple hundred years, Spanish is not spoken here.* The Americans only had control for a short time but English is the second language.* All highway signs are in English only and most business signs have English on them.*

 

US$ was accepted in the prime tourist spots but not everywhere.

 

Freda saw many of the crews family on the ship today, they there were having a great time.

 

Today’s thought for the day - To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries. - Aldous Huxley 1894-1963

[Floridiana]

Was it a privately organized excursion a ship's excursion? We will be in Manila next year on a different cruise.

[Waynetor]

Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315km (196mi) south of Manila and 2km (1.3mi) off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. The island is only about 7km x 1km in size.

 

Tourism only stared to become important here in the early 1970’s.* The island is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan. Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation. It is also emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife.* Leisure activities here include just about anything beach/water related plus golf. Most of the island is surrounded by powered-soft sand, White Beach is the most popular.

In 2012, Boracay was awarded as the best island in the world from the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

 

The island population is only around 10,000.

[Waynetor]

Today is a relatively short stay in port.* We arrived a bit early and started the tender operations at 9:30.****

 

A sunny day and the setting was idyllic. The forecast high was 42C - over a 100F with just some puffy clouds.

 

Our planning for this port took a weird turn.* One of our cc members contacted Tribal Adventure Tours about doing a group tour in August.* Tribal suggested a 3 hour tour they could do for a cruise passenger group.* When it came time to put down the deposit in late Nov., they said they no longer do that tour and had not for some time.* Oh, well one less chance to do snorkeling.

 

I took the 10am tender which took 8 minutes to reach the jetty which is also used for rides to the Panay Island.

 

From the tender I could see some small beaches to the right of the jetty but the big beach area is to the left.* There were people selling round trip shuttle to White Beach for $10.* Using a tricycle would have been even cheaper.* The area immediately to the left is all rock cliff into the water but it did not look to far to get to the beach so I decided to walk in order to see a bit of the local life on the island.* The walk was not too bad, a bit up and down and inland a bit to get around a ravine.* One some maps the beach is broken down by sections - I passed a couple lane-ways that looked like they may head to the beach but was not sure until I saw one with a sign reading 'Section 3'.* Along the route there were some homes that were nothing more that a shack at best while others with a nice sea view were nice solid concrete homes.* Most of the shops along this route were for locals use.***

 

The beach was divided into areas - some had many water activities, while other were for swimming, some were very crowded and others less so.* Off shore there is about 6 floating platforms similar to what is used at the Great Barrier reef - boats take you out to these and you can jet ski or para-sail from there and not sure but I believe this is also where the dive and snorkeling trips go.* For the most part the beach was in good condition but some areas had a bit of string algae in the water.*

 

I got in to the water up to my knees - very warm.* You can go out a fair distance before getting too deep. While it was very t, along the beach there was a bit of a breeze that helped.

 

Along the beach were many small hotels, some with swimming pools, a wide range of restaurants and bars plus souvenir shops.* On the beach you can rent chair, get a temp tattoo, get your hair braided (unless you were like tonight's entertainer who said he participated in a hair replacement program as a donor).* There were also massages - the price for them per hour would be less than the tip for a massage on the ship although they do not offer the same nice table and privacy the ship does. I talked to passengers that had massages and they were very satisfied.* The bar prices were also very good - our diner mate had 4 cocktails and 2 beers for abut $10 and was still feeling the effect so the cocktails were not weak.

 

If coming here and you don't want a beach day or golf, it is easy to get to Panay Island - it is several hundred times the size and would likely offer other options.

 

Just like in Manila the tricycle, a motorcycle with side car are used as taxis and are the primary mode of transportation on the island with many families also using them.

 

There are a lot of dogs on the loose here - In Manila we saw one that had a crushed back paw, here I saw one that had injured both back legs and was pushing itself around on its back knees - very sad as it is hard to tell if anyone cares for these dogs.

 

We witnessed an amusing situation at breakfast this morning.

The majority of the wait staff seem to be in their 20’s or early 30’s but there is one that would fit right in with most of the passengers on board.* We saw him taking an elderly passengers order in the buffet area.* "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" The waiter says,* "Sure." She ask "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" He says, "No, I can remember that!" She then says,* "Well, I'd like some strawberries on top. You'd better write it down." He says, "I can remember that! You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." She adds, "I'd also like whipped cream. Now I'm certain you'll forget that, so you'd better write it down." Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down! I can remember that! Ice cream with strawberries! And whipped cream!" He then grumbles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes the old waiter returns from the kitchen and hands the guest a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says, "Where's my toast?"

 

Today’s thought for the day - What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. - William Least Heat Moon

[Waynetor]

We are now cruising the Sulu Sea (this is a new name to me) on our way to Malaysia.

 

A gorgeous day with blue sky, around 35C (95F) high, slight breeze, low humidity for this area with just slight sea swells. Great to sit back and gaze at the endless blue water.

 

We have had a new Executive Chef for about a week - he did his first cooking demo today - he brought along a whole yellow fin tuna -295kg (650lb) - that turned into the main dish for tonight in the buffet.

 

Tomorrow I have another small group tour. The tour with Amazing Borneo Tours was to cost $110US each including lunch and High Tea for the 8 of us on the tour. We had to pre pay half for this tour. We had a few extra join so the cost came down a bit.

 

The itinerary was:

We will be met at the port and then proceed to tour the City of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the State of Sabah. The tour will include a photo stop at Sabah State Mosque with its gold inlaid onion dome, the largest dome of its type in Malaysia. Then we will visit the Chinese Buddhist Temple where a huge statue of “Kuan Yin”, the goddess of mercy who welcomes and blesses all who visit the temple.

Next, we go to the tallest building in Kota Kinabalu, Yayasan Sabah Tower, officially known as Menara Tun Mustapha (Sabah Foundation Building). Built in 1977, this magnificent 30-story circular glass sculpture that reaches 122m (400ft) high is one of the few hanging structure type of buildings in the world. We also will make a heritage educational visit to Sabah Museum to learn more about its unique culture and history.

 

We will drive pass Kampung Likas and the Likas Wetland, which is a natural bird sanctuary. At a brief stop at Signal Hill, we will enjoy a beautiful bird's eye view of the city skyline and nearby islands, before arriving at Filipino Market where we can pick up unique handicrafts, souvenirs and foodstuffs.

 

After lunch at local restaurant, we will go to Mari Mari Cultural Village, located 25 minutes away from the city. Upon arrival at the entrance of the village, we will go back to the times of ancient Borneo through the magical display of unique ingenious architecture, simulated lives and ritualistic ceremonies. We will be ushered in to the warmth of different homes of the ethnic groups of Sabah to get acquainted with each village tribe and experience their rich culture. Each home was built by descendants of the tribes they represent and offer you a truly genuine experience seeing everything in and around the village. Check out the little demonstration huts in the village where daily routines of traditional Sabahan life come alive. Grab the chance to see blowpipe-making demonstration, fire-starting demonstration using bamboo, tattoo-making demonstration, and get an in-depth look at the mystical symbolism's behind them. Get to see the demonstration of cutting tree harks into making a vest and a chance to dance and jump for “prize” on a built-in Lansaran, a traditional trampoline-like floor. Also, we will get a chance to sample Sabahan traditional delicacies from each ethnic group such as the Montoku (rice wine) and witness bamboo cooking. Then before returning to the port, we will enjoy the cultural show performance by the tribes.

 

Today we got to trivia just as it was starting so the 2 of us just played as a couple. Someone in a group of 8 looks our way and says “You should have a team of 8”. I said “It’s OK, we both have multiple personalities.” It’s interesting the faces some people can make.

 

Today’s thought for the day - When I lost my rifle, the Army charged me 85 dollars. That is why in the Navy, the Captain goes down with the ship.- Dick Gregory

Edited April 19, 2016 by Waynetor

[Waynetor]

I did not organize the tour in Manila but it was done through Tourist Driver Manila, the contact was Arnold Sanchez.

[Floridiana]

Very funny Wayne.:)

 

Thanks for the information.

[verycurlygirl]

Hi Wayne,

 

Your writings are extremely helpful, as we are deciding whether to do the same cruise in 2018.

 

We are not shoppers and don't want to eat off the ship very often. We are interested in nature and history. I am making preliminary inquiries about small group tours. Are many passengers finding private tours to be worthwhile? Is the onboard gym well equipped? What legitimate complaints do you hear most often from passengers? I would greatly appreciate your comments.

[Waynetor]

The capital of the east Malaysian state of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu (also referred to as 'KK'). It is one of the bigger cities of Malaysia, with Kota Kinabalu proper having a population of 452,058, while the larger urban area, which includes the Penampang district, has an estimated population of 628,725.* It faces the South China Sea to the north.* The city offers magnificent views to the east of the Crocker Range, where the highest mountain is Mount Kinabula.* Kinabalu Park National Park which lies 90km (50mi) to its west was designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of the most important biological sites in the world with more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 bird and around 100 mammal species.* Kota Kinabalu has quickly become a modern city with modern shopping malls with many western shops inside.*

[Waynetor]

Today was very hot, 35C (95F) and sunny with puffy white clouds on the horizon with no chance of rain.

 

Again today we received a necklace as we came down the gangplank and were nicely greeted by a band and very colourful dancers - as long as your balcony cabin is not on that side and you are trying to sleep in. I did not see any taxi or vans offering tours at the port. Our group of 12 met our guide just off the ship right on time. From the ship we drove along the waterfront - there is a nice promenade there all the way to our 1st stop. This waterfront area is used a lot for dragon boat racing but none while we were there. .

 

Our first photo op stop was the Menara Tun Mustapha Tower, a real eye catcher - an unique 72-sided glass polygon, the whole building is supported by a single stand in the center. This building is mainly a government building. There used to be on the 18th floor a revolving restaurant but it is now closed. It had been the tallest building on the island but next to it is a new 42 story administration building that is nearly complete.

 

Our next photo op was the beautiful Sabah State Mosque (Masjid Bandaraya). It is across the road from the sea-side promenade, not too far from the port. We could walk around but not go in. It can handle up to 9,000 worshipers at a time.

 

Next we spent about 15 minutes at the Chinese Buddhist Temple with its nice colourful trees and shrubs. There are several buildings in this elaborate complex which is on a bit of a hill offering views of the city and sea.

 

Next was the Sabah Museum. We spent an hour there - no indoor pictures allowed. The 1st thing you see as you enter is a 18.6m long skeleton of a Bryde's Whale. There are interesting sections on culture including musical instruments, farming tools, basket weaving, and hats, as well as a head hunting exhibit, ancient culture including burial process and bird nest hunting, modern history - especially the period of WWII, a ceramic gallery, a wildlife section showing a Sumatran Rhino (only 10 known alive in the world), lots of rain-forest birds, clouded leopard - endangered, a small bear, deer, macaque, reticulated python, saltwater crocodile, monitor lizard and others including sea life.* Our tour guide did the museum tour and said he prefers to spend 2 hours there but due to our schedule one hour would have to do.*

 

Next we went to the local market - there was a lot of stalls unused and open space - the guide said in the evening many of them are used for cooking fresh meals just at that time of day. There was an area of fruit and veg but the largest area was for items like jewelry, clothing. There was also a few men with sowing machines that would fix anything you brought them. It used to be called the Filipino market as it is an area they originally came to and started selling their goods but to stop racial profiling it is now called the handicraft market.

 

Next we had lunch at a local restaurant - we had about 8 platters of food for each of our 2 tables - a very nice mix of meat and veg. with spicy and sweet and sour.

 

Next was the 40 minute drive to Mari-Mari (come-come) Cultural Village. The drive took us out of the city, up into the hilly countryside. The village is made up of 5 houses representing the 5 tribes in the area. The 1st was the Dusun house. Like those to follow, it was made mostly of bamboo. We sampled rice wine and had a cooking demo. Then the Rungus Longhouse - it has one room per family in the village - they gave a demo on collecting honey and we got a sample of fresh honey. The was followed by the Lundayeh and Bajau house - both one family per house and included other demos. The last was the Murat Longhouse - it was similar to the other longhouse but they were originally head hunters and the chief used the built-in Lansaran, a traditional trampoline-like floor with an award hanging from the ceiling.

 

Next we were off to the Performance Hall - we were lucky to be there for the afternoon show - there was our small group and another similar group from the ship and other small groups - 63 people total - with 5 large Oceania buses in the morning there was over 200 at the show then. The half hour show included 2 dance routines followed by a performance of the very fast bamboo dance - volunteers could try it later. There was some local food available at the end - then we were off for our return to the ship at 5:00.

 

A few extra points from our guide and my own observations-

While Muslim is the largest religion, Christianity is also a major religion followed by Buddhist. Everyone gets along and is very tolerant of each other in these matters.

Sabah has the highest alcohol consumption per capita than any other S/E Asia place and is the highest per capita consumer of Guinness beer. in the world.

Many exotic fruits are grown here, the strawberries are not sweet and are usually eaten with chocolate.

There are 60 KFC restaurants in Sabah - they love chicken here.

There are 38 movie cinemas in the city - going to the movies is very cheap - only around $1.25US equivalent.

About 2 hour drive away from the city is the highest mountain - 4,095M - the mountain takes up more space than the whole country of Singapore. There are some hot springs in the area and it is an excellent area for bird watching. The lowest recorded temp at the top is -1C (30F).

There is a beach about 10 minutes outside of the city - good for swimming but not snorkeling.

The city seemed very clean. Unlike many recent cities there were not many motorcycles.

The last few ports would get a 0 on a 1-10 scale for wheelchair accessibility - here not much better.

 

This wonderful tour gave us the experience to immerse ourselves in the local culture and lifestyle.

 

Our tour guide did a fantastic job. He spoke English very well and didn't over nor under talk and kept us on schedule. All of this adds to the enjoyment of the tour. We also were fortunate that everyone was good at getting to the bus at the appointed times. He reminded us a couple times that they are available for longer tours for those with extra time.

 

With all the poverty around here,we asked our guide how he had managed to save enough to have a nice vehicle. He told us it was a combination of misfortune being turned into lemonade.

He told us he once bought a donkey for a $100 to work his small lot. The next day he went to get the donkey and the seller said, “Sorry son, but I have some bad news. The donkey died”. So our guide replied, “Well just give me my money back then”. The seller replied, “Sorry but I’ve already spent it”. So our guide just asked him to bring over the dead donkey to his farm. “But why” asked the seller. Our guide said “I’m going to raffle him off” and that is what he did. He told us he sold a 1,000 raffle tickets at $5 each. I cut in and asked “But didn’t anyone complain”. The guide said, “Just the guy who won, so I gave him his $5 back”.

 

Today’s quote for the day – Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.- Epictetus

Edited April 21, 2016 by Waynetor

[Waynetor]

Brunei (pronounce 'broo-nye') – the official name is Sultanate of Brunei is an Absolute Monarchy.* Brunei is located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo.* It is bound by the South China Sea to the north and the Malaysian state of Sarawak surrounds its land mass.* The country is divided into two separate enclaves by Sarawak with the main part to the west containing the Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Belait districts while the east contains the Temburong district.* The official religion is Islam with around 67% of the population.*

Due to oil wealth Bruneians do not pay income tax; they enjoy free education, medical care and old-age pensions.

Brunei-Muara is the northern-most district in Brunei.* It is the smallest of Brunei's four districts in term of area but by far the most populous, with over half the country's population.* The town of Muara (translate estuary) is located on the easternmost tip of West Brunei where the South China Sea, turns south into Brunei Bay.

 

Muara Beach along South China Sea is about 1.6km (1mi) long and consists of clear white sand.* Beach amenities here include a picnic area, a children’s playground, changing and toilet facilities, as well as weekend food and drink stalls.*

Bandar Seri Begawan is the county’s largest city and is located about 27 km (17mi) away on a river.* Istana NurulIman the Official residence of the sultan is situated several km (few miles) upriver from the capital, its twin gold cupolas clearly visible from the river. It is the largest residential palace in the world and surely one of the most extravagant. Beneath the curving Minangkabau-style roofs lie a staggering 1,778 rooms (including 257 toilets), which makes the Istana bigger than the Vatican and on a par with Versailles. The banquet hall seats 5,000 and there's an underground car park to house the sultan's extensive collection of cars (which runs into three figures).* For the best views, catch a water taxi from Bandar Seri Begawan.

 

Located close to the equator,Muara enjoys moderate equatorial climate throughout the year with regular temperatures ranging between 23C and 32C (73 - 90F). Although there is not a distinguishable wet or dry seasons, rainfalls occur heaviest in September to January and May to July with March and April being the warmest months of the year; humidity is considered high throughout the year (estimated at 79%).

[Waynetor]

Another hot one today - 34C (94F) - sunny in the morning and mostly cloudy in the afternoon.* Just as it was getting dark around 6:30 we had a dry lightning storm that lasted several hours - around 9:00 the sky finally opened up and we had a downpour.

 

Popular sites here include Muara’s beautiful mosques with their glittering domes and minarets, as well as the spectacular Sultan’s palace.

Originally we were to be part of a small tour group but that was cancelled.*

 

The on board tourist rep spoke excellent English and had nicely detailed maps - only problem was no scale, so hard to tell how far apart the places would be.* The city is about a half hour drive away by bus.* They were using deck 3 for disembarking today and the shuttle bus only had 2 steps - tempting for Freda to go but we did not know what to expect at the other end so I went alone.*

 

There were no taxis looking for business when I got off the ship. The shuttle ride was very good - got to see some very nice homes and other buildings as well as some countryside - there is not much to see if just wanting to walk around the port area.* It is about 28 km or 17 mi to town. The best place to see on the way was a massive complex that I thought was a mosque with its elegant blue topped dome - it turned out to be a place the Sultan would hold meetings. Also passed the embassy for Saudia Arabia and Qatar - not small. There were using 4 mini buses - going into the city we just had the driver but coming back there was an extra person who acted as a guide and provided lots of info and answered any questions that passengers had - a nice bonus.

 

The drop off point was a shopping mall (part of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah comples) in the centre of downtown.* Like virtually everything in the downtown, the mall was very modern - Just about everything looked to have been built in the last 20 or so years - There are no motorcycles, no mass public transit, few taxis, and very few pedestrians - everyone has a car.* Traffic was light except around noon when there was a lot of traffic trying to get to 1 place - I believe its was a school.

 

Near the mall was the gold topped Sultan Omar Ali Saifudin Mosque - built in 1990's to celebrate his reign of 25 years.* Not sure how big but it would likely hold many thousand. It was on Brunei River front facing the water village.* It has 4 minarets and 29 golden domes. Taking water taxis over to the village is a common way to go but there is also 2 foot bridges that can to used to reach part of it.**I only went as far as the foot bridge -another passenger told me he saw 5 otters in the river. *Over 30,000 people live in homes built on stilts sitting over the water with sidewalks on stilts connecting the homes - everything they need is there including mosque and schools.* Some of the homes looked nice but some were on the poor side.* Most citizens here can easily get government assistance for a nice, cheap home so I imagine either people like it there or they are not citizens.*

 

There was a very large field in town - along one side was seating stands including a royal box and along the other side a massive picture of the sultan - It looked like a sports filed but i was told it was used on each Feb 23 a national holiday for parades.

 

I went into the History gallery - no photos allowed - each display had a paragraph in English saying what it was about but no details - much of it was about the Sultan and his families history and relations with Borneo, Sarawak and Britain.* There was lots of displays of old documents and maps.

 

Along the waterfront facing parts of the water village are some Embassies and high commission offices of various countries. There were several other special buildings in town worth taking a look at.

 

There is an area set aside as an open market - small by some of standard of others we have seen but a range of items available - no souvenirs - if fact I did not see any store outside the main mall that would cater to tourist.

 

I did not see any sign of other religions other than Islam. The women here had jobs and drove vehicles by themselves - all wore head covers but did not see any with full face cover.

 

I did not make it to the Istna Nurul Iman (Palace) as it was a couple more miles out of the city. The Sultans home cost over $400 million and has nearly 1,800 rooms including 257 bathrooms and a 5,000 seat banquet hall - it is only open 1 day per year to the public.

 

I found my way to the Takek Lame recreation park - this park is is nice place for a quite walk along the paved path - a small stream goes through the center - lots of nice trees, but not much flowers. Going into the park I walked up the street on the right side and did not notice anything special - coming out I was on the other side and just out the gate I saw about 12 -15 monkeys (Spider monkeys I believe) . After taking several photos I walked on a 100m or so and there was another similar group including some young ones. Seeing them made the hour or so detour worthwhile.

 

the city was generally quite clean except the waterways which had lots of plastic bottles floating in them. From a wheelchair use perspective I would give Muara a 5 out of 10 - It was generally flat so easy to get around and the sidewalks were in good condition but only about half the intersections had ramps built into the sidewalk.

 

I did not go into the terminal but was told it had free wi-fi, a currency exchange and some souvenirs.

 

Coming out of the port, the city is to the left, if you walk about 15 minutes to the right, our shuttle guide said there is a nice beach.

 

Today’s quote for the day - “There are no foreign lands.* It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

[Waynetor]

We are now back to sailing the South China Sea.

 

A very nice day - not quite as hot and a mix of sun and cloud. Temp was more comfortable 32C (88F).* At the noon update the captain said the water depth here is only around 50m (165ft).*

 

We sailed by several oil drilling platforms - the first one I noticed was a fair way off but I could clearly see flames and a lot of black smoke - I had to use my zoom lens to get a good view - it appeared to the naked eye to be a ship on fire (I'm sure if it was, we would have done something to help).

 

There is a special service tonight for Jewish Passover which begins sunset tonight (Friday, April 22) and ends nightfall of Saturday, April 23 (celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt).

 

Tonight's entertainer was the masterful ventriloquist, Don Bryon, he and his couple friends once again did a great show. It is gratifying to see he is reading my travelogue - he told 3 stories that were near identical to the stories I have posted and the bottom of my post.

 

The highlight from tonight’s dinner was when we were all in the middle of our main course, the lady across from us in a loud whisper said to her husband “I’ve just let out a silent fart, what should I do?”* He replied “Put a new battery in your hearing-aid.”

 

Today is Earth Day so in its honour here are several related quotes -

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world”. - John Muir

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” - John Muir

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” - Native American Proverb

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” - John James Audubon

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” - Cree Indian Proverb

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.”- Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948

“The good man is the friend of all living things.” - Gandhi

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” - David Attenborough

“The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.” - Barry Commoner

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

“When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick.”- George Burns

[Waynetor]

I had a busy day today - I will respond to your question on the 24th or 25th when we are at sea again.