Travel The World with Bill & Mary Ann HAL's Grand World Voyage 2007

[WCB]

Report # 42 3-05-07 Monday Hong Kong

 

The day started out cloudy again, but the threat of rain stayed with us all day. We know that of we pack our umbrellas, the rain will stay away for a while, maybe.............

 

This morning we took a ship's tour for a walk through several markets of Hong Kong. We started with a short ride up to the top of Nathan Road to Bird Street. We could hear the songbirds before we entered the red gates of the market. Our guide told us that since most islanders have small apartments, the most practical pet is a bird or a fish. And this is where they buy them. Canaries, finches, parakeets, mynahs, and parrots were held in ornate bamboo cages. They seemed to be all hand-raised since they were not flighty or nervous around so many tourists. Of course, we were not allowed to buy a bird, so we bought a small carved cage with two colorful fake finches. We can add this to the two Javanese masks, Sydney's singing bird (battery), and the Balinese bird windchime! Our room steward is going to think we are nutty! But then, we are sure he has seen a lot worse!

 

Our next stop was the adjacent Flower Street Market, just a few steps away. Here we saw exotic blooms from all over the world, as well as the usual carnations, mums, lilies, and roses. Most of the spring bulbs were just opening up too. Our favorite of the bulbs are the hyacinths, and they had trays of them. We could not leave here without buying a bouquet of pink lilies for our room.

 

The bus stopped at a small mall, where we had a pit stop. Nearby was a Superstore, where we went shopping for cards and sodas. This is great, because we have the bus ride back with all of our purchases. Actually, there was just enough room for all of us with all of our packages by the end of the tour!

 

The last stop was at the Jade Market. This consisted of two buildings of small stalls with hundreds of artists and vendors selling mostly jade and other jewelry. The Chinese believe that jade has spiritual qualities, and when carved into certain firgures, it represents wealth, good fortune, and power. The jade has several colors besides the many shades of green. There were figurines and stones of white, gold, and lavender, and everything here was reasonably priced. Despite that, the vendors were still willing to negotiate a better price, just for us! We don't think that anyone left here empty handed, including us.

 

We got back to the ship just in time for a quick lunch, then out again for more shopping. We walked the waterfront past the Star Ferry Building to the Avenue of the Stars. This is similar to the walk of stars in Hollywood, except all the stars are famous Chinese names. Lining the harbor walk were several five star hotels such as the Shangri La and the Intercontinental. Beyond them were shopping malls and restaurants for miles. We wondered in and out of them, then made our way back to the ship to get ready for our special dinner.

 

This evening HAL treated the verandah suite guests to a sunset cocktail cruise and dinner at the Aberdeen Marina Club. At 6 pm, around 300 of us lucky passengers boarded eight buses to Hong Kong Island. Once there, four buses took a long drive to the marina, while the other four buses took the Chinese junk boat to the harbor. Apparently, we were a bit too early to enter the restaurant, so our buses had to go in circles for a while. By 8 pm, we entered the prestigious private club, and proceeded to their grand ballroom.

 

This grand ballroom was decorated in red and gold with small lanterns as centerpieces. Large red lanterns hung from the massive crystal chandeliers , which appeared even more brilliant with the surrounded mirrored walls. The tables were covered in red cloths and the chairs draped with white coverings. It looked quite regal.

 

A delicious and interesting Chinese dinner was served...............ten courses, no less! To add to that, wine flowed all too freely. Our glasses were never empty all evening. The servings were done by a Chinese waitress and placed on a round revolving tray. They included BBQ Peking duck, deep fried prawns, soup with mushrooms, goose webs (goose feet), a huge green grouper fish, deep fried chicken, fried rice, prawn wonton soup with noodles, and finally dessert of mango pudding and Chinese petit fours. Needless to say, we were quite full and happy!

 

While we were eating, we watched an acrobatic and Kung Fu show, center stage. The Chinese acrobats performed difficult tricks of contortion, brick juggling, and feats of balance. The Kung Fu performer showed his talent of throwing chopsticks into a wood board and breaking wires tied around his chest. The strange Asian music added to the mystic of the night, even though it was loud at times.

 

We left the restaurant by 10 pm, and the groups that bussed over, including us, got to ride the Chinese junk back. By now, it was lightly raining, but it was not too cold. We rode the bus for a short ride to the pier, and boarded the unusual Chinese boat. There were two decks of chairs, benches, and tables, where we were served veggies and dip, pretzels, and chips. We had the choice of wine, beer, or sodas (like we could eat and drink more??) Well, yes some did, especially drink more! We did see some of the harbor lights as we sailed Victoria Harbor, but we had to do this from inside the upper deck due to driving rain. The boat ride ended at Queen's Pier on the Hong Kong side. Here we re-boarded the buses and drove through the underwater tunnel to Kowloon Island and our ship.

 

Even though we got back past midnight, we all enjoyed the special evening. Waiting at the entrance with many large umbrellas, were the hotel manager, Fekko Ebbens, and his staff greeting us back. Cheers to Holland America!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Flyingfish]

Thanks again for taking me along with you on your fabulous couple of days in Hong Kong. As in all your previous posts, I'm eagerly awaiting and enjoying your remaining posts! Ahhh, maybe someday we'll make this trip...

[DFD1]

Wow ! What A Day!

[candbgirl]

As always, thank you for sharing your adventures. Hong Kong sounds wonderful.

[Aussie Gal]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

I loved reading your descriptions of your days in Hong Kong one of our most favourite cities in the world. We have been there many times and are returning next April again. I enjoyed your description of the Avenue of Stars as we always stay at the lovely Intercontinental Hotel when visiting.

 

Continue to enjoy your wonderful cruise.

 

Jennie

[mamaofami]

Bill and Mary Ann,

I've been reading your posts with fasination and envy. How lucky you are to be able to take this wonderful trip.

Just curious. my husband used to be a dentist on HAL but most of the cruises no longer have a dentist. i would imagine that this one does. Am I correct? If so, my husband would like to email him or her or have them email him . If you can do that for him, he'd really appreciate it. His email address is: skpdds17@gmail.com

Thanks and continue to have a great cruise.

[RuthC]

my husband used to be a dentist on HAL but most of the cruises no longer have a dentist. i would imagine that this one does. Am I correct?

I do know for a fact that there is a dentist aboard for this cruise. He has been the dentist on the World Cruise several times.

[WCB]

Report # 43 3-06-07 Tuesday Hong Kong

 

The weather took a turn for the cold this morning. Of course, we did not realize this until we were on the bus for a Hong Kong shopping tour at 8 am. We have gotten so used to wearing shorts, that we never considered the weather would cool off so suddenly. We'll survive!

 

The bus swung onto the freeway, right in the middle of commute traffic. Since our destination is Stanley Market on the Aberdeen side of Hong Kong Island, we knew we had at least an hour to possibly sleep. Boy, we sure aren't used to staying up late at night!!!

 

Once we arrived at Repulse Bay, we encountered a car accident that involved a police car. The guide thought that was funny! That, along with roadside work, delayed our arrival to the market by 30 minutes. We thought that our time would be shortened at Stanley Market, but she gave us an hour and thirty minutes.

 

Stanley Market reminded us of Chinatown in San Francisco. The numerous stalls had clothing, shoes, purses, paintings, luggage, and everything "Chinese" you can imagine. It's a bargain-hunter's dream! It's so much fun to ask about the prices marked on each item. Every time, the sellers will give you a better price, and if you are patient, you can negotiate two for one. Just try that at home! Again, the bags of treasures outnumbered the passengers on the bus.

 

Now, the next two stops were not as much fun, thanks to one particular lady. We stopped at a ceramic and porcelain warehouse near the marketplace. There were three floors of large to small items of pottery and figurines. They were nice, but very difficult to bring home in one piece. Anyway, it should have been a half hour stop. NOT! This one !?!?? lady decided to stay to purchase items, even though we were all waiting on the bus to leave. It took three guides and our escort to get her back to the bus. And this wasn't the worst.

 

At the last stop, we went to a jewelry factory. Again it was supposed to be a half hour visit. NOT! And why? Yes, the rude lady again! We had visited this same factory a few years ago, and we knew it was extremely expensive. A few purchases were made, but for the rest of us, we waited in the bus. Forty five minutes later, the "really rude lady" had to be escorted back to the bus. If we could have taken a vote, we would have left her to take a taxi back! She deserved the "boos" she got when she finally stumbled back on the bus. We will remember her face if we see her again on another tour. We will surely get off that bus!

 

Back at the ship, we ate a late lunch, and decided to walk through the Harbour City Mall and adjoining malls. It would be very easy to get lost in these multi-story buildings. We found our way to a large grocery store, similar to Whole Foods in the states. It is always interesting to see the types of meat and poultry that is being sold, as well as the local fish. We did notice that all lot of items were imported from the good old USA. Nice to see that.

 

The ship left the pier about an hour late at 8 pm. It appeared that there was a problem with missing passports from passengers that went to mainland China for a day visit. We did have a chance to see the sailaway from the dining room as we ate dinner. To add to the evening, we received two more presents tonight..............large rolled baby blue duffel bags with the world cruise logo on them. And that wraps up our three day whirlwind stay here in Hong Kong!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 44 3-07-07 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

We started off the day with an extra hour of much needed sleep with the time change back again last night. The Amsterdam has to cover a distance of 702 nautical miles for us to reach Nha Trang, Vietnam tomorrow. We're averaging 20 knots and the seas are a bit choppy with a fresh breeze. We can feel a temperature change to warm and humid again.

 

We had a busy morning with a 10 am meeting with our CSI host Ellen in regards to our upcoming 4 day 3 night visit to the Taj Mahal. Ellen handed out printed information on the flights, hotels, and itinerary for this excursion. Looks like it will be really nice.

 

There was a Cruise critic meeting planned at 10:30 am, but for the second time, it had to be cancelled due to the life boat drill. We will try again for a meeting on Saturday.

 

At 10:30 am, we had a mandatory life boat muster, since we have started another segment with about 60 newcomers. We thought it might be cancelled like last time because it was raining and windy. But no, this time we had to go. It was quick and painless though.

 

At 6:45, we were invited to an 80th birthday party for Delhis Wolf, given by her sister Zelma Ramery. She had reserved the Rembrandt Lounge, and it was beautifully decorated for the evening's Oriental theme. A side table held an ice carving surrounded by trays of egg rolls, jumbo shrimp, and dim sum to name a few. All the ladies looked so nice in their recently purchased Chinese dresses and jackets. Many wore their just acquired jade jewelry too. Actually, some of the fellows dressed in Chinese jackets as well, including Tom, our host. What a nice way to celebrate the occasion.

 

The dual show tonight was Soul Mystique, a costume change extravaganza, and Scott Wood, a comedian/impersonator. We vwill have to get the feedback from our tablemates tomorrow to find out how they were.

 

Tomorrow................good morning, Vietnam!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[mamaofami]

Thanks, Ruth. Any idea how to email the dentist or the infirmary on the Amsterdam? My husband would like to communicate with him. If anyone knows how to do that, we would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!:)

[expectGREATthings]

Hi. I really enjoy reading all of your posts. The cruise sounds amazing. :) I was just wondering if you could go to the salon and see if there is a girl by the name of Megan. She used to do my hair here in Wisconsin, and she was the best! I have emailed her, as have others, but there is no response. If shes there, please tell her that Elizabeth (the one who talked about Germany all the time), Ashley, and the rest of us say Hi. Thanks in advance for checking.

 

Elizabeth

[WCB]

Report # 45 3-08-07 Thursday Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the harbor of Nha Trang, Vietnam early this cloudy morning. The air was heavy with humidity, a given in this part of the world. Nha Trang was a sleepy fishing village in the recent past, an extreme opposite of the concrete jungle of Hong Kong. Today, Nha Trang has become a vacation destination offering 5 star hotels, beaches for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. It still looked laid back to us.

 

We watched a dragon show on the pier, while we waited for our landing cards to be delivered to our rooms. We need these to be stamped by the Vietnamese officials as we leave the ship. Then, before leaving Vung Tau tomorrow, we will need to turn them in. If we don't, there will be a fine, we understand.

 

The tour we booked through CSI turned out to be way more than we expected. Our four buses drove along the beachfront full of hotels, parks, and restaurants. We went over a bridge, crossing the Cai River, with dozens of colorful red and blue fishing boats moored in the shallow river. Near the Hindu Temple, the guide led us off the bus to the river. To our surprise, he announced that we were taking a 25 minute boat ride up the river. We think that was a surprise for Ellen, Lucia, and Henk also. This was going to be an adventure!! We carefully boarded these water taxis, eight or ten in each boat, then proceeded up the Cai River. The banks were lined with dilapidated shacks, all buried in the jungle growth. Their laundry was hanging on the porches, while the women were washing dishes in the river.

 

We continued up the green-tinged river until we reached a small restaurant. Here, we gracefully? tried to get off the boat, climb a few slippery stairs, and walked through the riverside cafe. We walked a block up a dirt road to an outdoor pottery factory. We saw the workers creating small hibachis from clay. One man was working the heavy clay with his hands, then he moved it to his bare feet, where he fashioned the clump into a recognizable bowl. It was then handed over to a lady who did the finish work, of course. When these pots are dried for a week, they are then fired in a kiln. At this point, they turn terra- cotta orange, and are ready for use. Our guide said each hibachi cost about $2.00, and they last one year! What a bargain!

 

We re-boarded our boats that were waiting for us at the little cafe. From here, we continued up the river, under a bridge to another small restaurant on the banks. This was our rest stop and refreshment break. The polite Vietnamese girls served us a saran-wrapped plate of assorted fruit, some strange fruits as well as pineapple and bananas. Sodas and waters were free, but we decided to try the cold Tiger beer (just $1.00). It was the first time we had fruit with beer, but it did taste really good. We only had a short time here, because besides our four buses, Holland tours were arriving as well. Bet they sold a lot of beer here today!

 

We got back on the bus, and drove through the village to a kindergarten school. The little kids were just darling as they showed us their school work and sang for us. They even took our hands (only the ladies), and danced in circles. Just too cute! In a small room next to the classroom, half of the children were being served lunch. Each one got a bowl of rice with shrimp in it. No chips, sandwiches, or cookies or candy here. As they ate, some of the little ones flashed us the peace sign.

 

The next stop was at an old- style traditional Vietnamese home and garden. It was very Asian in design, with shrines built into the entryway. The gardens had wooden carved tables and benches with bonsai trees, ponds, and shrines throughout the small area. We exited just as the Holland group was on their way inside.

 

A short distance away was the Rush Mat Village. Here we visited a family home, where the mother and daughter were weaving the brightly-colored straw on a loom. It would probably take a whole day for them to complete a carpet-size mat about 6 foot by 8 foot. And it probably would cost no more than $10! Several of us bought a small panel for wall hanging. The price was just too good!

 

Another unscheduled stop was made at a bread-making building. To say a building is overkill. It was really two small rooms, with a wood fired oven. It was so uncomfortably hot in there, that our visit was brief. And besides that, the bus ahead of us got all the bread that had been baked! Darn, it looked so good, like fresh French bread.

 

We drove on to see the Long Son Pagoda with a huge white Buddha statue on the top. We only had a few minutes to carefully? cross the busy highway. The people driving the motorbikes seemed to aim for us, with no signs of stopping. Our guide finally had to get out there and stop the traffic. We had to run for it!! Anyway, we did get some good photos of the Buddha, and more postcards from the young Vietnamese girls. As soon as they saw the bus stop, they ran with their treasures of t-shirts, postcards, and paintings on silk. We did buy some of the silk paintings, because they were so nice for the money. Yes, we're an easy touch sometimes!!

 

We made our way back to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, the remnants of what remains of the Hindu Temple. Climbing the steps to the top, we saw the many individual shrines with pots of incense burning in front of them. We only had enough time to run around taking pictures as fast as we could before we had to leave once more. Again, the vendors came after us with their treasures. We picked up some neat whistles that we know our granddaughter Julie will love!

 

Our final stop was at an embroidery factory near the beach. By now, the rain had started to fall pretty hard. So we ran inside to find a central garden with a continuous store of silk embroidered items surrounding the square. A couple of young Vietnamese girls were busy at work with needles rapidly stitching silk thread onto a stretched silk fabric. Our guide said it would take as much as 6 months to complete one piece. They are then mounted on frames with stands that can be viewed from both sides. And needless to say, they were quite expensive, but beautiful.

 

Finally, we were back to the ship with a wonderful tour to remember from our first visit to Vietnam. But the fun wasn't over yet. Back at the pier, there were dozens of vendors set up under tents. We decided to eat a quick lunch at the Terrace Grill. This was our first cheeseburger we tried and it was great!! Will have to do this again.

 

Then we went back down on the pier to negotiate terrific prices for "stuff"! The best time to do this was around 4:30, when the ship wanted us back onboard. We bet the prices came down a lot!! We had to cut our time short because Bill had a haircut appointment.

 

The ship left at 5 pm, on time for a change. And later this evening, we got two more presents..............Delft tiles with the second segment of the 2007 world cruise. They are spoiling us!!

 

Tomorrow..............Ho Chi Minh City!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 46 3-09-07 Friday Phu My for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

 

Since leaving Nha Trang, we sailed 263 nautical miles to the seaside resort of Vung Tau. We had been scheduled to drop anchor and tender ashore here, but things changed for the better, because we got to dock at Phu My, 50 minutes closer to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Even at 6 am, we could tell that the day was going to be hot and sticky. This is the dry season - November through May, where temperatures can reach 120 degrees in northern Vietnam. The south part of the country has better weather for growing crops, especially rice. But their 6 month rainy season measures in feet, not inches.

 

We chose to take a tour with CSI, and again, we had a total of four buses. We left at 8 am for the 70 mile, 1 and 1/2 hour drive to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, though some still call it that today. We got lucky and had a super guide, who spoke excellent English, and delivered an informative history lesson of Vietnam. He started with the facts and statistics of his country. Vietnam has a population of 82 million, with over 8.2 million living in the metropolitan area of Ho Chi Minh City. The capital of the country, Hanoi, is in the north. Their government is Communist, and operates totally different from democracy in the USA. Surprising facts were that Vietnam has no compulsory school for children at any level, there is no health care or social welfare system. If the parents have little money, then the kids are bound to become farm workers. The retired elders live with their extended families, as there are no retirement homes. Actually, workers get no retirement salaries here. People must save their entire lives in order to survive when they retire. Most of these people keep their money at home (some in the form of gold), because they remember the days past when their economy collapsed, and their banked money was gone.

 

Over the centuries, Vietnam has had a troubled past involving war. Cambodia, China, Russia, France, and Japan invaded at one time or another. And the most memorable conflict we remember vividly was the civil war, the Vietnam War. Having lost 58,000 US soldiers in this war, with 3 million casualties on the Vietnam side, we wondered what type of reception we would get from the people. When asked this sensitive question, our guide thought a moment, and explained that the older people understood that the Americans were there to help keep Communism from infiltrating the south. The attempt failed, and the people are subject to Communism now. But they do not blame the US for that. Our guide, who was around 35, said people his age are accustomed to the government and accept it. And with the boom of the tourist trade, their economy is growing rapidly. And we have to admit, that we were treated well here, no problems.

 

Industry here includes rice production. They are # 2 in Asia, with Thailand being the 1st. A rice farmer can earn about $250. a month. Seafood, oil, and car assembly are the next big industries. Religions include Buddhist, Christian, Atheist, and Hindu.

 

The ride to the city was on a four lane road with lots of traffic. We passed through small towns, rice fields, orchards, brick and wood shops, and road garbage, unfortunately. Water buffalo were pulling carts full of bricks and wood. Cows roamed freely behind the road guards. And as for motorbikes? We saw millions! Everyone must have one. One must be 16 years old to get a license to drive one, but younger kids ride them anyway. If a traffic policeman stops him or her, they have to pay a fine. The fine is usually enough to buy coffee, so the police are called "coffee police"! The girls and women that drive motorbikes, were all wearing hats with face masks, and gloves. Our guide said that they do not want to sunburn and get darker. Tanned skin in their culture means that they work outside in the rice paddies, while the wealthy people are fair-skinned. Funny, it's opposite in our country! We thought the masks were for smog, which was thick in the air. And few people wore helmets.

 

Our first stop was at the Water Puppet Theater. This was located in the History Museum. The performance was done in a pool of water with a curtain in the back to hide the puppetiers. Their puppets were farmers with ducks, with a fox chasing them, and eventually dragons chasing all of them. The show lasted only 15 minutes, but was really cute. It did not matter if we were old or young, all enjoyed it.

 

We had a few moments to walk through the museum to see examples of French heritage and the communist struggle for power. A huge bust of Ho Chi Minh stood in the foyer. Decorative chopstick boxes seem to be a thing of the past, as well as heavy wooden ornamental furniture. It looked so uncomfortable!

 

Right across the road from the museum was the City Zoo and Botanical Gardens. We had a whopping 15 minutes to take pictures, and see some of the animals. The monkeys were more amused with us as they watched us run by. And the elephants were dancing to beg for chunks of sugarcane that was being sold by the vendors. They were so close that we could hand them the cane, and they grabbed it with their trunk! Would have loved to stay longer, but we had just 5 minutes left to see the bonsai garden. This place was a nice spot to get away from the bustling city traffic and noise.

 

We drove on to the Presidential Palace, now known as the Reunification Hall since 1975. We climbed two flights of stairs to see the many rooms of the palace including the meeting room, dining room, conference hall, reception rooms, presenting room, and the president's private quarters and garden. Outside, we photographed army tanks and planes, remnants of the civil war.

 

Lunch was at the Blue Ginger Restaurant, a short distance from the palace. We had a buffet of Vietnamese dishes that included rice, shrimp, egg rolls, soup, pork, crab-stuffed prawns, and an assortment of fresh fruit. We had a choice of soda or beer to drink. Most people made several passes through the line, because our plates were dessert size! But we noticed as we looked at the locals, we saw no heavy Vietnamese people. The only "fast food" place we saw was KFC ( was that Kentucky Fried Chicken or Cat?). No McDonalds yet. Lunch was over by 1:30, and that gave us some time to look at souveniers outside the restaurant. The young girls carried trays of dollar store things, as well as lacquerwood items. We picked up a few trinkets here!

 

The next stop was at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, where two wedding parties were having photos taken. We had 20 minutes to walk the halls to see artifacts from the past. Many people stayed on the bus, since it was so hot.

 

We were supposed to go inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral, but it was closed for special events. It is a landmark of the city which was built in the late 1800's with bricks transported from France. It is a classic example of French architecture, and impressive, even though we could not see the inside.

 

Directly across the street was the Post Office. It was worth a trip inside to see the high arched ceiling with white fans to cool people off. A small store was selling items made by disabled children. It was nice to see how many people, including us, that were buying unique items here. Outside, our bus was waiting to take us back to the ship, but not until many of us bartered for silk cards, paintings, hats, little bananas and sunglasses. Where else can you buy "designer" Ray-Bans for $2.00??? Much fun was had by all.

 

Back at the pier, a small stand was set up with souveniers, but the vendors were not willing to bargain, so we didn't! We relaxed on our verandah, while watching a Vietnamese couple on their boat, chopping sticks with hackets. They were making cooking chips to sell. They did this for two hours, none stop, and were still at it when the ship left. By 6:15, the buses were still coming back from their 10 hour tours, and the ship left by 6:30. And that ended our two day exhausting visit to Vietnam!

 

A day at sea tomorrow, and Singapore Sunday!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 47 3-11-07 Sunday Singapore, Republic of Singapore

 

Last night, we found two more gifts on our bed after dinner.........wrap-around cotton velvet kimonos. These will be useful, since two years ago, we got heavy-lined terry robes, and 5 years ago we got two woven robes from the Asia-Pacific trip. We are set in the robe department now!!

 

Around 6 am, we were awakened by the blast of the ship's horn, announcing our arrival to Singapore. And it was hot already!

 

Located just 90 miles from the Equator, Singapore's climate is tropical, hot, and steamy. The large island of Singapore is 38 square miles, with more than 3 million people of Singaporean, Chinese, and Indian descent, to name a few. The Republic of Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia, and is ranked 11th in the world. It is what we call "quite civilized" here. And their rules are tough. No littering, smoking, jaywalking, gum chewing, or graffiti in this city. Drug peddlers get the death sentence. You can walk safely, day or night, and be safe. We've done it and agree that it is probably the safest city in the world.

 

Since we have been here several times over the last 9 years, we have been lucky to have gone on all of the tours. So today was a good opportunity to call home, go to lunch, and window shop with the hordes of shoppers.

 

We left the ship after picking up our passports in the Hudson Room. It was required that we carry our passports with us at all times while ashore. Then, we had to put our bags through the exray machine, and proceed to the passport checkpoint, where they were recorded.

Then we entered the Harbourfront Mall, where we navigated our way to the city's transit system, the MRT. This was our first attempt at riding this, so we happened to meet a very nice young lady who offered to help us. Two Filipino waiters from the ship also tagged along, since we were all going the same way. The girl, Chris, assisted us in buying our tickets ($2.30 Singapore dollars), then led us down escalators to the train. Lucky for us, she was going that way too. After a short ride to the Dhoby Ghaut stop, we all transferred to the City Hall Station. We all thanked Chris as she went on her way.

 

Now it got pretty interesting. We had to navigate our way out of the station with hallways and escalators going in all directions. We knew that we could stay underground and follow the malls to the major hotels. But we went outside just to get our bearings. Well, it was so hot outside, that barely a soul was around! Finding our way to the Marina Mall, we followed signs to the Ritz Carlton Hotel, also with the help of another helpful lady. It is so nice that people talk English in Singapore, and are so very friendly.

 

After finding a 7 Eleven store and buying a phone card, we went to the Ritz and made several calls home for 78 minutes. All was well, and with most calls completed, we made our way towards the Raffles Hotel. Passing the huge copper Fountain of Wealth, we walked the circle three times, hands in the water, for good luck. By now, it was 11 am, and the city was coming alive. It appeared that about all 3 million people were out on this Sunday morning for a day of fun. Some malls were so crowded, we could hardly move! No kidding!!

 

Even the Raffles Hotel was bustling with more people than we have ever seen here. Sitting at the patio bar, we enjoyed ice cold Tiger beers. At least it wasn't raining today, like 2 years ago. When it rains here, it is torrential. So we got lucky today.

 

From here, we back-tracked to Tony Roma's for delicious mushroom burgers, fries, BBQ baked beans, and cokes. The restaurant was filled with families out for the day. They were enjoying the BBQ ribs and sticky round cakes that we have never seen before. The little kids were amused watching the koi carp outside the restaurant's windows while the parents ate lunch.

 

It was a bit easier finding our way back to the MRT, but by now, the malls were packed like sardines. It seemed that most people were heading in the opposite direction , so that was good for us. We made our connections quickly and found our way back to the Harbourfront Station with no problem. Each time we left the station, we put our MRT cards back into the machine and got $1.00 back. So the entire round trip cost us a total of $5.20 Singapore dollars. That was the best bargain of the day, and we had an adventure doing it! Most everything in Singapore is very expensive, so no trinkets were purchased today.

 

With a pocketful of change, we went shopping at the Harbourfront Mall until we were down to 5 cents! Then after going through exray and passport checkpoints, we made our way back to the ship. This city had to have the best security protection so far on this trip.

 

We were required to be back on the ship by 5:30 pm, even though the ship was not scheduled to leave until 8 pm. There was also a warning that a fine would be levied if our passports were not turned in by 6 pm. As of 6:15 pm, five passports were still missing. Glad it wasn't ours!!

 

Tomorrow, another busy day with a stop for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Grumpy1]

Ahhhh, fond memories of Singapore and their transit system. Thanks for keeping us updated on your adventures. The local passport examiner must have wanted to go home at 6:00:) I wonder how much the fines were for the ones that were late returning their passports.

[Aussie Gal]

We love Singapore, it is like a second home to us as between the two cities of Hong Kong and Singapore, we always have a stopover on our way home from Europe.

 

It will be Singapore again at the end of September this year, and we will be staying in our favourite hotel once more, the lovely Ritz Carlton which is so handy to everything.

 

The MRT must be the easiest to use in the world. We love the cleaniness and ease of movement on the trains and as you mentioned it is very reasonable to use.

 

I can remember when a ticket to anywhere only cost $1.

 

Jennie

[whm]

Thanks for the memories! I had a wonderful 35 year career as an airline captain flying to Asia. Your vivid descriptions of Hong Kong and Singapore take me back to great times and great people. What a wonderful part of the world!

As usual, I tuned in late to the narratives and have been playing catch up. Good job keeping us all abrest of the everyday "doings" of the cruise.

Some posts ago you wondered about the statute mile equivalent of a certain number of nm. nm x 1.15 = sm. Thanks again.

[Grumpy1]

....

[tomko2]

Thanks for the wonderful reports. We spent a week in Singapore in the mid-90s -- my favourite food was chili crabs from the street vendors in a little park down by the harbour. Also loved the Singapore Zoo which is truly the finest zoo we have ever visited. Glad you didn't have any rain for your day on shore.

[ldog]

What? You didn't have a Singapore Sling at Raffles? :rolleyes:

 

I love the city it's such a bustling active place.

 

Keep up your fantastic reports.

 

thanks

[WCB]

Report # 48 3-12-07 Monday Port Kelang ( Kuala Lumpur ), Malaysia

 

The distance from Singapore to Port Kelang is just 211 nautical miles, approximately 243 statute miles (thanks to a fellow Cruise Critic friend), so we were able to dock early at 7 am in Port Kelang. The main port of Malaysia, Port Kelang is the 7th busiest port in the world. And because it is a working port and not much more, our destination is the city of Kuala Lumpur, an hour or so drive inland.

 

It's going to be another hot and muggy day, since the temperature at 9 am was already a whopping 90 degrees! Clouds on the horizon suggest that an afternoon shower may help cool things down a bit. We'll see.

 

After leaving the gangplank of the ship, we had a long walk over a decorative covered bridge in order to reach the Star Ferry Terminal. One of their ships, the Gemini, was also docked near us. Star Cruise Lines have several ships that are used for gambling cruises that sail the South China Seas regularly. At least a dozen buses were lined up for the all day tours to KL, as they call Kuala Lumpur.

 

We joined bus # 12, and had the best lady guide who spoke perfect English. As we drove the four lane toll highway, our guide gave us an interesting talk about her country. And we'll try to keep it in a "nutshell".

 

This area, the State of Selangor, produces palm oil for cooking, chocolates, cocoa butter, and soaps, to mention a few. In 2001, we visited here and enjoyed the ride with palm tree estates lining the highway all the way to KL. We were surprised to see that all the palms were gone, and replaced with housing tracts, factories, and industrial parks. It seemed like we were driving on the freeways of California with the housing boom! Our guide said that since many factories were re-locating in Malaysia, housing was more important than palm oil trees. And more lucrative too, since new homes were selling for $230,000 ringgits (about $60,000 US). The palm tree estates have been replanted inland.

Other industries here are petroleum, rubber, cocoa ( #4 in the world), tin, electronics, clothes factories, and car assembly. We passed factories like Avon Cosmetics, Guinness, Sara Lee, Motorola, Ford, and other imported car factories from Asia. Malaysia is in strong competition with neighboring Vietnam, Thailand, and China.

 

Speaking of cars and fuel, regular gas costs $1.98 Ringgits a liter, and $1.51 Ringgits for diesel a liter. The conversion to the US dollar is 3.4 to $1.US. All fuel is government subsidized in order to keep it affordable. The USA was helpful to the Malaysians but helping them find their offshore oil fields by using satellite technology. Amazing! A small national car is available to anyone who can pay a downpayment of 500 ringgits, with a small monthly payment for several years. So therefore, there is a LOT of traffic!

 

The population of Malaysia is 25 million, with 3 million living in Selangor State. The main nationalities making up these numbers are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesians, Thai, and Burmese. Many of these people are Muslim (Sunni faction), and the main religions are Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian.

 

School is compulsory from age 7 to 18, and is free until university. College only happens for four out of ten students who pass the entrance exams and can afford the tuition. All others go straight to work or technical school. The average salary is around $4,000 (US) a year.

 

And finally, our first stop was at the Blue Dome Mosque in Shah Alam. The minarets are the tallest in the world at 420 feet, and the dome is one of the largest of its kind. We weren't allowed to enter the mosque, because it was prayer time ( one of the five calls to prayer every day ). Only men are allowed to enter under the dome, while women wait outside.

 

As we entered the city of Kuala Lumpur, we passed the National Museum and the Old Railway Station in Moorish design. We could only take pictures from the bus.

 

Nearby, we stopped at Independence Square in the colonial district. The square was surrounded by the Royal Selangor Club, St.Mary's Anglican Church, and the Sultan Abdul Samed Building, which is currently the seat of the Supreme and High Courts. Actually, the most impressive structure here is the gigantic flag pole, which happens to be the tallest one in the world. They seem to have the corner on the "largest" in Malaysia!!

 

We headed towards the Lake Gardens, a 225 acre park surrounding a manmade lake. Our first stop here was at the Malaysian National Monument, with one of the world's largest free-standing bronze sculptures. It is a monument dedicated to all those who died in World War Two and the violent Communist insurgency in the 1950's. It was created by the same man, Felix de Weldon, who designed the Iwo Jima Monument in Washington, DC.

 

The next stop was at the Butterfly Garden with more than 6000 butterflies inside the netted outdoor structure.. The garden was tiered in several levels with flowering trees, shrubs, and vines interwoven around fountains and ponds. Koi carp along with large frogs completed the serene setting. We had only 30 minutes here, and had to run through the exit rooms full of beetle, spider, and scorpion displays. These could give you serious nightmares, but we just had to look anyway!

 

A little further into the park, we went to the Bird Park. Now this is right up our alley! We saw eagles, owls, parrots, storks, ducks, pheasants, peacocks, and exotic pigeons. Flamingos, herons, egrets, and ibis were walking in the green ponds. A few uninvited rats were eating out of the bird feeders. Yuck! Most of these birds were free-flying, except for the raptors. We were supposed to have time to see the Orchard gardens across the road, but we only had time to thoroughly explore the Bird Park. Several ladies on our bus had bought some orchid plants, but they may not look as pretty when the fellows on the ship spray them with insecticide before they are allowed on the ship.

 

It was finally time for lunch, and we headed to a restaurant called Seri Melayu. It was more like a banquet hall with a stage. The extensive buffet included Malay dishes with names we were not familiar with. Luckily, every dish was labeled in English. There was soup, salad fixings, beef and chicken stew, fish, and two types of rice ( one was served in a half of a roasted pig). The best was fried beef strips and crispy coated fried potatoes. There were jars and bowls of mostly unknown foods and sauces....hot and spicy we suspected. The dessert table had small cakes, fruit, and jellies. Coffee and tea were included, but sodas or beer were not. Glasses of water were set at each place setting, but most of us did not drink it. Better safe than sorry! We were serenaded by a one-man band with a synthesizer singing Frank Sinatra songs. He was pretty good.

 

After an hour lunch, we drove to a street corner where we took pictures of the famous Petronas Twin Towers. These towers are 1,483 feet high, with 88 floors! They were the world's tallest buildings until 2004, when Taiwan's Taipei 101 Tower surpassed them in height. You may recall the movie, Entrapment, with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones. It was filmed at the Petronas Twin Towers a few years ago, where the stars were dangling from the air bridge that links the two towers. Good flic!

 

And that was our final stop. We climbed onboard the bus, and enjoyed a quiet bus ride back to the ship. The afternoon showers started just after we left the city, and it did cool the air off a bit. Good timing!

 

Back at the Star Ferry Terminal, we strolled through the few souvenier stores, purchasing a pewter shotglass, and two neat aluminum wire creations.....a dragon and a scorpion made right there by a disabled man. What talent!

 

And that ended our long day in this part of Malaysia.

 

Tomorrow....Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia!

 

Bill and Mary Ann

[juliang]

What a gift that seems to keep on giving!!!

 

Your writing, both style and content, is exquisite.

 

Thank you for taking us along.

[RuthC]

Thank you for this brief glimpse into this exotic part of the world. I would love to see it for myself someday, but doubt I could take that heat/humidity. Posts like yours make me think about it, though.

[WCB]

Report # 49 3-13-07 Tuesday Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

 

A short distance from Port Kelang and Kuala Lumpur, is the small island of Penang, Malaysia. Just 110 square miles, Penang has a history mixed with Sultans, the Dutch, and the British East India Company. Tales of wars with the Siamese and Burmese armies in the 1700's, prompted the Sultan to involve the British for military help. Eventually, the British East India Company acquired Penang from the Sultan in 1786. And this is why the island has such a feeling of British architecture and ambience today.

 

This morning the Amsterdam dropped anchor in the vicinity of Georgetown, the capital of Penang. We could barely see the Penang Bridge, 8.25 miles long, and the 5th longest bridge in the world, that connects the island to mainland Malaysia. Brightly colored ferries also make the connection.

 

Tendering early for the Penang Insights tour, we noticed Georgetown's narrow, congested streets, and busy waterfront. Colonial mansions lined the roads, some having been renovated for restaurants and businesses (one's a KFC). Many of them sadly remain in ruins. This was a completely different Malaysia than what we saw in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. It was like stepping back hundreds of years in time.

 

And guess what? It's another hot and sticky day.................but even more so than yesterday. The humidity hung in the air, with hardly a breeze. We don't know if we could ever become accustomed to this weather. We can say for a fact, that all the other passengers feel the same way!

 

We boarded our bus, and drove through Chinatown. There was a lot of activity, because the women do all the shopping and errands early in the morning to escape the heat in the middle of the day. We passed several small Hindu temples mixed in between Chinese shops and cafes. Chinese shops were decorated with red lanterns with Chinese figures on the roofs.

 

Our first stop was at a flea market called the "Thieves Market". Eighty stalls were set up with anything and everything! We saw old household items, new electronic gadgets, CD's and DVD's, clothing, shoes (some used and all small), car accessories, jewelry, lotions, and perfumes. There were collector coins, old magazines, and designer watches. Food stalls lined one side of the square. There was a stand with colorful plastic jars of sweet drinks made from sugar cane. The vendor was squeezing the canes right there in a press. Anyway, we had an hour here to test our bargaining skills with the Malay, Indian, and Chinese vendors. Prices were so low already, not much bargaining was needed. Where else can you buy 3 pairs of dress socks for 5 ringgits?? That is about 75 cents US a piece! Wonder what will happen to them when they are washed???? The hour went by fast here, and our guide gathered everyone up to go to the next stop.

 

And that next stop was really an adventure, the Kek Lok Si Temple, located high on a mountainside overlooking the city. Built in 1886, it is one of the largest and grandest Buddhist temples in southeast Asia. The adventurous part was hiking up the hundreds of steps to this temple. Lining the steps and terraces on both sides, were Chinese shops all the way to the top. Completely covered with a makeshift roof, this winding stairway was claustrophobic to say the least. And we had to "run the gauntlet" with vendors fighting for our attention . Now the funny thing was that our stern guide said, "NO shopping!", on our way to the temple. Oh yeah, sure! Once he was out of sight, we all checked out the treasures, and promised to stop on the way back. Actually many of us had a hard time climbing these steep steps so quickly. To make matters worse, it was so unbelievably hot in there, you could hardly breathe. So we had no choice but to slow down, right?

 

Once we were clear of the shops, the temple complex presented itself. The first thing we saw a green, slimy pond filled with large turtles. The smell was disgusting, since it appeared that no fresh water flowed into this pond. Here and there, were dead fish, floating upside down. We hurried up to the next level where there was a room full of small Buddhas, with monks dressed in sacred orange robes selling things. We chose not to go inside the room, because we did not want to take our shoes off. Heaven knows if they would be there when we got out! And the place wasn't exactly clean either.

 

We continued to climb the stairs and took photos of the pagodas with fountains and more small Buddhas in a temple. After this strenuous climb, we discovered that we could not reach the top to see the large Buddha. Our guide, who was nowhere to be seen, failed to tell us that it was closed to the public. Truthfully, it was so darn hot, that we were glad to go back down.

 

And this was the fun part. We picked up some hand painted bamboo fans, t-shirts, a tiger figurine, and a tiger eye bracelet. All of this in about 15 minutes! Some of the vendors were aggressive, grabbing our arms again. We sure didn't like that, and when they saw that, they let go quickly. It's the young women that do this, not the men. And they don't seem to bother the elderly folks much.

 

We boarded the air-conditioned bus for a short ride to the Bayview Hotel, with a revolving restaurant on the top. It was similar to the Sydney revolving restaurant, only smaller. The buffet was set on counters in the center. The Malaysian food included soup, rolls,and salads to start. Then the hot dishes were chicken and beef stew with sticky rice, and spaghetti with a tuna marinara sauce. It sounded strange, but it was very good. The desserts were similar to the ship's dishes, like cakes, puddings, custards, and fresh fruit. Bottled water was at each place setting, and coffee and tea were also available.

 

Right after lunch, we were dropped off at a modern seven story shopping mall called Plaza Gurney, facing the ocean. The best thing in here was the air conditioning! None of us really wanted to spend two hours here, and many said they would not have taken the tour knowing we would be stranded here for so long. Oh well, at least we had the chance to do some walking. On the bottom floor was a market, fast food counters (yes, McDonalds was there), and kiddieland. We saw two little kids riding large stuffed animals that were battery operated. They got five minutes for 3 ringgits. Their tired moms just kept paying the money, since the kids were quite amused. In another section, little girls were doing sand art with sticky paper designs. They were doing a good job too.

 

All the other floors had various stores that you can find in any mall across the US. The clothes fashions were the same as ours at home, only the prices were in ringgits and not dollars. And most of the sizes were small and smaller. The Malay people, for the most part are slight-built and thin, with little feet! And their clothes size does not correspond to the US sizing.

 

We made our way back to the bus, which was parked in the front. To our surprise, many people never left the bus, and most of the others were back early. Taking the extreme uncomfortable heat into account, most of us were exhausted at this point. We had one stop left, and that was to the Pinang Peronakan Mansion, a typical home of a rich person over 100 years ago. The home was filled with Chinese carved wood panels, heavy dark furniture, English floor tiles, and Scottish iron works supporting the structure. Large dining rooms were set with porcelain place settings from the 19th century. Huge gaudy chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Overly ornate is the word for the entire home. Watching the wooden staircase shudder as the people climbed to the second story, we decided to stay downstairs. Besides that, it must have been 100 degrees in there! The central open-air patio did little to cool the house off, even though rain had started to fall while we were there.

 

We would have liked to see the resort hotels and sandy beaches that are home to the amusing long-tailed monkeys, but they were located on another side of the island. We understand that this area attracts many vacationers from all over the world.

 

We spent the last of our ringgits at the pier before boarding the last tender back. We did have a problem here. Once filled, the tenderboat sat for too long before leaving. This was torture, since we were literally melting sitting on the inside with no breeze to help cool us off. Apparently, another tenderboat was coming from the ship with an ill lady they were disembarking on a stretcher. Looks like we lost another one to the hospital here. Later, we found out that we have had four more people leave the ship due to stealing. How sad! This was not a rumor, but a statement from one of the officers who joined us for dinner.

 

On a happy note, we had three presents tonight..............two darling stuffed elephants, and another hour back on the clock!! Works for us!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Aussie Gal]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

What a pity you didn't get to see the lovely beaches and resorts of Penang and the hills where the spices are grown. The other side of Penang is beautiful, away from the city and the built up area.

 

We spent a couple of vacations in Penang with our children when they were young and have fond memories of the island.

 

Jennie