**Solo to Singapore! Live From the Diamond- January 17, 2017**

[OhioDogLover]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for continuing to post and Happy Birthday.

 

Ohiodoglover

[phabric]

I have enjoyed your review and pictures and looking for more.

 

In July, I will be going on my first solo cruise after my husband passed away.

[Colo Cruiser]

[QueenCharlotte]

Happy belated birthday! Loved reading about KL. Sounds wonderful.

 

 

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[sailorbhoy]

Sounds like KL is well-worth the hassle of getting there.

Your description of lunch was interesting.

We're in KL in a few weeks, and I'd like to visit that restaurant, if you can remember it's name and location.

[Pushka]

Sounds like KL is well-worth the hassle of getting there.

 

Your description of lunch was interesting.

 

We're in KL in a few weeks, and I'd like to visit that restaurant, if you can remember it's name and location.

 

 

I'm returning in April and am interested also.

You must sometime also check out Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

[TracieABD]

January 23, 2017

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Hi friends-

 

I think I left you in the middle of a downpour-- You know- that sideways kind of rain... We made it back on the ship just in time for question 9 in trivia. And I am pretty sure we won- but it is slim pickings on the prizes so I think we are just playing for bragging rights.

 

As soon as we finished playing trivia- I ran upstairs to ready for dinner. Tonight is Italian night- replete with the stripy shirts an all. As I entered the dining room- it hit me- that sweet smell of sautéing garlic-- and you know what that means-- Penne Arrabiatta. So the dinner guesses end there-- prosciutto and melon, a salad with bacon (because bacon makes everything delicious), and the penne. So tasty. Until I got to dessert- I had the semifreddo mochaccino- first off it was freddo-freddo and secondly- it was not so tasty. This is my first food miss on the cruise so I am great!

 

We played two more rounds of trivia- 70's music and Geography and Flags- and soundly lost both. Some of the questions have gotten very, very esoteric- like the flag of Togo. We are now having to actually think a bit- and six days into a cruise is way to long to really think much.

 

I also attended another musical performance in the Princess Theater called "Bravo". It was hands down the best I have ever seen on a Princess ship. It was music (some singing over track) and orchestra- with a combination of show tunes and popular opera arias. They brought on a mezzo-soprano from the Philippines who was amazing. Her rendition of the the aria from the Marriage of Figaro was stunning. Like jaw-dropping stunning. The only weird thing was they sang the aria from Carmen in French. If you get a chance- do it. Seriously, one of the finest hours I have spent on board.

 

For those of you have asked- here is the the bill and the address for the restaurant we ate at yesterday:

 

 

The book is The Heart is the Size of a Fist.

 

My birthday was everything I wanted it to be and thank you for all of the warm wishes.

 

More later!

Tracie-Lynn :)

 

 

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[socaljo]

Hello TracieLynn!

 

So excited to see how well your trip has started! We are just home from the Crown & sailing around Cape Horn a few days, I was so behind! :p

 

What really made me laugh, is that when you were taking ZiCam, it may have been your ears burning! On Jan 18, during lunch, in Valparaiso, Chile, (it was the 17th in the USA) YOU were the subject of conversation at our private disembark tour full of CCers from our roll call! :D CCer SadeBud (also a Tracy) and I were comparing notes on whose reviews & live reports we'd read! Yours were one of our favorites!

 

Glad I'm all caught up now, cuz its been 2 hours and I gotta go, like really go! :D

 

Darn it, I almost forgot, The LOVE BOAT reruns are alive & well on the Crown! :D really, bye, for now!

[sailorbhoy]

Many thanks for going to the trouble of supplying photo of restaurant details in KL.

I hope all that wet stuff runs out before we board on Friday. I reckon we will be getting on just after you get off, but your blog has given me a head start on what to expect.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[Mom33]

January 23, 2017

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

 

I also attended another musical performance in the Princess Theater called "Bravo". It was hands down the best I have ever seen on a Princess ship. It was music (some singing over track) and orchestra- with a combination of show tunes and popular opera arias. They brought on a mezzo-soprano from the Philippines who was amazing. Her rendition of the the aria from the Marriage of Figaro was stunning. Like jaw-dropping stunning. The only weird thing was they sang the aria from Carmen in French. If you get a chance- do it. Seriously, one of the finest hours I have spent on board.

 

 

The book is The Heart is the Size of a Fist.

 

My birthday was everything I wanted it to be and thank you for all of the warm wishes.

 

More later!

Tracie-Lynn :)

 

 

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I so agree that Bravo is well done and my favorite also. We experienced the show on the Regal.

Carmen is supposed to be performed in French as it is an opera written by French compozer Bizet. :)

[sterling2]

Thanks for the book name. Still loving your reports. You are an excellent writer.

[easyboy]

I also attended another musical performance in the Princess Theater called "Bravo". It was hands down the best I have ever seen on a Princess ship. It was music (some singing over track) and orchestra- with a combination of show tunes and popular opera arias. They brought on a mezzo-soprano from the Philippines who was amazing. Her rendition of the the aria from the Marriage of Figaro was stunning. Like jaw-dropping stunning. The only weird thing was they sang the aria from Carmen in French. If you get a chance- do it. Seriously, one of the finest hours I have spent on board.

I have previously seen Bravo and I agree with you that it was an outstanding musical production.

[American_in_York]

Thanks for all the information especially about KL. We have been to KL before but it is a port on our cruise on the Diamond next month. Can you please give me any information about the private tour that you took in KL? Did you book it before hand, how much was it and contact details?

Thanks so much. Glad you are having a wonderful time. We are starting to get very excited about the Diamond.

[suncrab]

Thanks for your updates from your cruise on the Diamond, we are on her later this year.

[Pushka]

Thankyou for the restaurant name.

[TracieABD]

January 24, 2017

Penang, Malaysia

 

Hi Friends-

Of all of the shore excursions that I was looking forward to, I was looking forward to this one the most. I had scheduled a day of riding bicycles through rice paddies with Matahari Cycle Tours (http://www.cyclematahari.com). First off, this is the most responsive company I have ever dealt with. You email. They email right back. I am pretty sure they never sleep.

 

Once we ported in Penang- and could finally get off of the ship- we were told to meet the driver, Din, by the clock tower. You could not miss him. He drove the X-Terra with bicycles on top. He took us to pick up another rider and the guide. My deepest apologies to the guide, but I never could get the pronunciation of her name- but it sounded a little like Princess (Whom I shall now refer to as P).

 

Once we were loaded into the vehicle- we drove for about an hour into the country. We reached a small village- and began our ride. Every single thing was provided- except sunscreen- but I had plenty of that. The day was overcast- so we escaped what could have been blistering hot sun. When I asked how long the ride would be P told us it would be about 33 KM, or just shy of 20 miles. Most of the ride was very flat- through farms, hamlets, mango groves, mangroves, fish and shrimp farms, herds of cows, packs of gentle dogs, chickens, and even monkeys (who thankfully kept their distance).

 

Our first stop was to a Chinese goat farm. They had lots of the cutest little goats- with the sweetest little faces.

 

We had some goat milk ice cream- which was surprisingly delicious. The bathrooms were clean, and our hosts were very gracious.

 

Our next stop was to a Chinese fishing village. We had a little tea ceremony and ate some sesame biscuits which were both sweet and savory. We did get to enter a work area- and we watched a fisherman and his wife pull fish from his nets.

 

Then we began the long ride. It was amazingly flat- and with the exception of having not been on a bike in some months- it was not terribly challenging- but for the distance. We stopped at a palapa type area (really it was a platform raised on stilts in the middle of a rice paddy).

There Din laid out a traditional lunch of rice noodles with local herbs (mint, cilantro, basil), pineapple, and red onions. Then they poured a fish broth over it. I asked for just a little broth- with no fish- and after the first bite- you could not taste the fish at all.

 

They also brought chicken wings (I think) and vegetarian spring rolls. I eat a lot of Vietnamese food at home- and this was in the same vein. It was delicious, and I did not leave a scrap.They also served nutmeg juice- but I was not a fan. However, I was grateful to try it.

 

As we were riding out, I were able to see one of the big tractors harvesting the rice.

 

With still 12 KM to go- P judged us on our fitness- and she decided we could ride up the big hill. And we did- well, they did. And I almost did. I hit a very steep curve that was pretty up hill and I did have to walk the bike for about 10 meters. But overall, I did a lot more riding than walking. Admittedly, I was the slowest and the weakest of the three riders- also the oldest by a decade and a half- so P stayed with me and encouraged me the whole way. When we reached the top, we got to ride down hill- WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Which was the best part! We also got to eat fried bananas and cheese on this beautiful beach! (As Din and P loaded the bikes onto the X-Terra).

 

And then we headed back to Georgetown where the ship was docked. The only snag in the whole day was the traffic through their Chinatown, as the Chinese New Year is very close- and people were out shopping.

 

We made it back to the ship in time to play trivia- and we won! And then it was off to shower- as tonight was TBGCS!!! To you novices- that would be Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé! I had broth, a salad and my TBGCS as the main. It was delicious, as always. I had about a 1/3 of the chocolate lovers dessert- as I don't really love chocolate- but wanted the hazelnut semifreddo- which was still more freddo than semi.

 

We gathered for a round of science trivia- but cam in second place- and then went to see the comedy show- where the table-mates gathered. It was so silly. Kind of a combination of mime, physical comedy, and stuff only an 8 year old boy could love. All in all, it was great fun.

 

I am not even sure how long it took me to get back to the room, into jammies, and into bed- but I would guess under 5 minutes. I was exhausted!

 

More later from Phuket, Thailand- the last stop on this amazing cruise-

 

Thank you for not making fun of my cycling skills!!!

 

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

 

 

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[lovevacadays]

Can't wait to read about your Thailand experience. :):):)

[sunsetbeachgal]

I am so enjoying following along on this absolutely once in a lifetime adventure! Thank you!

 

 

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[Cairn Mom]

Amazing trip. I'm glad I got to tag along.

 

 

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[Pushka]

Given our experience with Thailand and the port authorities at the last minute not allowing the ship to use its own tenders, it will be interesting to see what happens this trip. The Captain was very unhappy but the local tenders were huge and effective - I suspect the issue was the cost of using them.

[sawtooth]

Great way to celebrate a birthday.

We loved the Diamond on our SE Asia cruise.

Did you try the sushi restaurant?

A favorite for us.

[easyboy]

Very interesting Malaysian trip.

[emmak8]

That bicycle trip was amazing!!

[AF-1]

I bet your last stop will be the prettiest of all.

[Pushka]

I bet your last stop will be the prettiest of all.

 

 

Phuket isn't all that pretty anymore. It's over run with throngs of people and jet skis that see the ship in the middle of the bay and run at it full bore and try to get as close as possible to it. There is one small boat - dinghy - with a guy with a red flag who tries valiantly to stop them.