Cruising Grand on the Amsterdam Asia/Pacific

[arzz]

Our day in Da Nang, Viet Nam was spectacular. Though we had cruised through a tropical depression the night before, once we were safely berthed in the harbor our skies cleared and we enjoyed (or endured as the case may be) sun, heat and humidity.

 

Our private guide (Phu -- pronounced “foo” -- not sure of the spelling) and driver picked up the six of us on the pier and loaded us into their air conditioned Mercedes van for the ride to Hoi An. Phu was a delightful guide with a strong command of English sprinkled with a little “valley girl” as it was not unusual for her to exclaim “Oh my God!”. She was an English major at Da Nang University and she also works as a translator for IBM.

 

We drove through parts of Da Nang and then onto the coast road along China Beach making our way to Hoi An. The common architectural style consists of small one, two and three story town homes (in all states of disrepair and repair) with tall, narrow, front windows in wooden frames. Some of the newer homes display both the traditional look as well as very modern elements. As we drove along the beach we observed several small cemeteries and the construction of many new resorts -- some definitely in the five star category. Phu explained that it was customary to bury the dead along the ocean so that many of the cemeteries were recently relocated in order to open up the ocean front real estate for resorts.

 

The common mode of transportation is the motor bike followed by the bicycle with a few trucks and the very occasional bus or van. Traffic is controlled primarily via traffic circles and it seems that the motor bike and bicycles are not in the habit of stopping for anything. As they buzzed around us like swarms of bees we were quite thankful that we were not driving.

 

Hoi An is a small historically significant agricultural town. Phu explained that her mother’s family came from that area and that her mother had once helped her grandparents there on the family farm. The buildings in town all have historic designations so they must not be torn down but rather carefully restored -- an expensive process. Most of the buildings are now shops as Hoi An has become a popular tourist area. It is typical for the old families to sell their homes for a large amount of money by Viet Nam standards and then buy a large, upscale home elsewhere.

 

The town is a nest of narrow streets, old homes and shops, many of which back on to the local river. We walked through the narrow streets, peering into shops, watching the women walking with poles on their shoulder that sported two large baskets, one hanging from each end of the pole. One of the baskets may have been filled with tea cups, the other with hot tea, or they both may have been covered and filled with some local delicacy. Many locals, including our guide Phu, were wearing the stereotypical conical shaped straw hat -- these hats were for sale everywhere in town. There was no place in town where we did not have to be very alert for the motorbikes and bicycles when crossing or walking in the streets.

 

Our first stop was at a local folkloric show where we were entertained by dancers and singers accompanied by musicians who played local instruments -- drums, flute, variations on a stringed guitar and small harp played in the lap similar to a lyre. The most unique, however, was a single stringed instrument that sat flat in the lap of the musician, and had a tall “antenna” (for lack of a better word) that stuck straight up, about a foot long, with a curve at the top. The musician carefully plucked the one string with her right hand, and fingered (massaged?) the antenna with her other (using her fingers to pull it in different directions and to grasp it differently in different places) in order to produce the sweet tones that we enjoyed.

 

We then visited an old home that had stayed in one family for almost 300 years. We were met with the traditional greeting of good cheer which is to share a cup of fragrant green tea while we sat upon the ancient carved furniture with inlaid mother of pearl, and listened to the family history.

 

We walked across the “temple bridge” an old covered wooden toll bridge that crosses the river in town and contains shrines to the spirits of good fishing and good health. We visited the Buddhist temple in town complete with shrines, gardens, and sporting many large hanging coils of incense lit as offerings for health, happiness or fortune by its visitors.

 

Just about the time that we were totally melted in the excessive humidity we were treated to a cruise down the river on a small wooden boat. We cooled off sitting under the cover of the boat and in the small breeze on the river. We cruised past the back sides of the homes in town, the boats and the buildings where the fishermen process their daily catch, past wooden shacks and lean to's that were barely standing and past upscale homes and five star restaurants and resorts. Along the way there was a local fisherman in a small boat casting his net and showing off his catch.

 

After the cruise we reboarded our air conditioned van for a ride to the local silk factory. There they showed us the baby worms, the larger worms (yes, squirming and quite alive) and the cocoons. They then demonstrated how the cocoons are soaked in hot water before their silk is stretched into thread. And, of course, they showed us how the women do the intricate embroidery on table cloths and silk paintings. It was at the silk factory as we were guided around by the delightful employees all clothed in their lovely teal colored silk dresses that we decided that all Vietnamese women are impossibly thin -- not unhealthy, just very small bones and frames -- even more delicate than the Chinese and Japanese women whom we have met during this trip.

 

The tour concluded with lunch at a local restaurant along the river where we got to continue to enjoy the quiet and the view and then the drive back to Da Nang along China Beach.

 

One observation that I have so far -- before we left home we collected several almost finished rolls of toilet paper with the intent of having this store for use at more primitive ports. The night before each one of these ports the cruise line has left us a packet of “tissue” next to our nightly chocolates on our pillows. We have had very little occasion so far to use any of these supplies. In fact the marble wash rooms at our Hoi An river restaurant were downright luxurious -- with multiple amenities supplied. We do not know if this fortune will continue.

 

It would also be remiss of me not to make mention of how Viet Nam was a major influence in our lives. Since we are in our late 50’s during our teen and college years, the choices that we made and those that were made for us, were incredibly bound up with the Viet Nam war, the draft, the peace movement and the sixties. Visiting here is certainly an interesting mile stone. One member of our party had been here before in the service of Uncle Sam. Though Viet Nam by name seems exotic and remote -- as I look at our history visiting the sight of former wars and battles is not unusual. Tours to Europe and Japan certainly followed World War II so it should not be unexpected that thirty years later we all visit View Nam.

 

The only athlete to win the Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year award two times was Tiger Woods, the man referred to in the song about the “daring young man on the flying trapeze” actually invented the leotard, Elmo Lincoln was the first to play Tarzan in the movies and juicy fruit was the first flavor of Wrigley’s gum.

 

Today we are at sea cruising the 500 miles or so between Da Nang and Phu My (our port for Ho Chi Minh City) where we visit tomorrow.

[Kween Karen]

Wow! This is wonderful....... I have never considered visiting the parts of the world that you have described so far. You make it sound very interesting and so historical (I too am of that age!) I am traveling in a year on the Amsterdam 67 day Australia/South Pacific. I see that in 2 years your trip is being repeated. Maybe I will have to consider it.

[jayzee99]

Wow! This is wonderful....... I have never considered visiting the parts of the world that you have described so far. You make it sound very interesting and so historical (I too am of that age!) I am traveling in a year on the Amsterdam 67 day Australia/South Pacific. I see that in 2 years your trip is being repeated. Maybe I will have to consider it.

 

The full itinerary for the Pacific Rim cruise in 2010 is posted on Cruise Critic. See the listing under:

 

Amsterdam - (69 day) GRAND ASIA & AUSTRALIA - Sept. 24, 2010

 

We were going to do Australia next year but elected to cancel it and wait for this cruise since we have never been to the Orient and my wife refuses to fly that far. We just received our booking confirmation and cabin assignments today for the 2010 cruise. Now we just have to wait.

What's nice is that the Orient trip stops in five ports for two days so we can get to see the cities day and night without russing back to the ship.

 

Now we can do it in 2010 from Seattle to San Diego WITHOUT the long flight.

 

Steve and Henny Zimmerman

[jig]

Hi,

 

I just found you log and was wondering how many people are on board. We are boarding as you get off in San Diego for 44 days to Rio. We were wondering how the economywas affectingthe cruise.

I have been to many of the places you are sailing to. We did 65 days on a ship 2 years ago It is wonderful.Enjoy.

 

Jeffrey

[arzz]

Dragon Topiary and Monks on Motorcycles

 

Please Note: Today we are at sea making the 644 miles from Phu My, Viet Nam to Laem Chabang, the port of Bangkok. The ship will arrive in Bangkok tomorrow and spend two days in port. Since the port is more than a two hour drive from the city our plans are to overnight in Bangkok and return to the ship on Sunday. We will have no computer with us so reports will be delayed a couple of days. The immediate day after Bangkok we will be at Ko Sumai, Thailand -- three port days in a row!

 

Our tour guide was waiting for us on the pier when we disembarked the Amsterdam yesterday morning. We once again boarded an air conditioned private van -- today with two others -- and settled in for our drive to Saigon (though Ho Chi Minh City may be the politically correct name of this city at present -- it seems everyone still just calls it Saigon). As we began our journey of over two hours into the city our guide explained why the homes that we have seen at both of our Viet Nam ports are narrow and often a tall three stories. After the “American War” the new government gave each family some land. The lots were 5 meters wide and immediately adjoin another family’s 5 meter lot. The homes are traditionally occupied with extended family so that they are often three stories high giving each generation their private space.

 

As a country it is difficult to determine the individual culture of Viet Nam. This country had been ruled for over 300 years by the Chinese dynasties before the French arrived in the mid-1800’s -- so what is Viet Nam, at least in the cities, is heavily Chinese and French also.

 

The road (highway 1) that our van followed from the Port of Phu My (which is located on the Saigon River and technically not part of the MeKong Delta) to Saigon was lined with narrow homes -- almost all had a shop or restaurant facing the highway. According to our guide most people in Viet Nam want to own businesses and do so in their own homes -- therefore the property on the highway is coveted -- there were very few areas along our two hour route where there were any breaks between the homes though we could often see fields in back of the homes that stretched quite a distance. When there were breaks in the endless rows of buildings the spaces were occupied by rice fields or rubber tree plantations. Our guide said that locally grown coffee and textiles (primarily silk) are also important products of this region.

 

As we approached the big city the green space behind the line of homes facing the road began to disappear. Occasionally we passed parks and other special buildings with formal gardens -- we saw many topiary trees often shaped as dragons. The amount of traffic on the road also went from heavy to very heavy.

 

It is necessary for me now to digress a bit to talk of typical road traffic in Viet Nam. There were trucks and occasional buses on the highway but clearly the primary form of transportation in this area is the motor bike. Our guide explained that recently $200 motor bikes have become available from China which are far superior to the $1000 to $10,000 motor bikes from Japan -- so these Chinese bikes have changed the motor landscape because almost everyone can now afford motorized transport. These bikes swarm on the roads with riders who all sport helmets and many sport face masks similar to what you would expect in an operating room at a US hospital though the Vietnamese variety are covered with colorful prints and often cover most of the rider’s face.

 

As we observed a couple of days ago in Da Nang, neither the motor bikes or the trucks like to stop for any reason. There were maybe a half dozen traffic signals during the whole two hour ride from the port to the city. There were many traffic circles. The major driving tool used by our driver, and others, was the horn. Our guide even said that in order to qualify to drive in Viet Nam the first thing you have to do is to get a horn. The horn communication between vehicles was virtually constant and once again I chose to sit near the back of the van where I was not forced to look forward and watch our van’s progress through the local traffic.

 

As we snaked our way down the straight roads, in and around hordes of motor bike drivers, we noticed that several were wearing long brown robes as they negotiated their bikes. Our guide identified these riders as monks.

 

In Saigon we first visited the National Museum of the American War. It is occupies what was formerly the U.S Information Agency of Saigon. The museum chronicles, through pictures and captions, the events of the war. The museum ends with pictures drawn by the children of Viet Nam. Just as the pictures that we have seen drawn by child survivors of other ugly wars these pictures are also colorful and full of the messages of peace and hope. Children, it seems, are universal in their feelings and view of the world.

 

Our next stop was to be an art museum but instead it was clearly an art gallery with nice pictures but all with a definite western theme -- nothing that truly speaks of the Viet Nam experience. We also visited the post office -- a building constructed by the French during their occupation, and the Notre Dame Cathedral in the center of town. We drove past the American Embassy, an old palace of previous administrations and many other western buildings. There were some beautiful, large parks but in general we found the city to be dirty, often covered with trash, and not a particularly happy place.

 

We requested that we stop at a restaurant for lunch that serves Pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup. Our guide took us to a narrow building. The first floor area was extremely reminiscent of the Chinese restaurant we ate at near the Stanley Market in Hong Kong -- dim fluorescent lights, tables closely set together, all full of local folk enjoying their noon meals. We could see many steaming bowls of Pho as well as plates full of sliced chilis, bean sprouts, green leafy veggies, sticks of Chinese fry bread, and neat little green boxes constructed of leaves that we understand were filled with rice and bean curd “wedding cakes”.

 

We were led upstairs, past a second floor that was similar to the first, up to a third floor which we entered through large glass doors. This area was more brightly lit and it was air conditioned though just as crowded. We enjoyed large bowls of Pho and Chinese fry bread. Our guide reminded us that the greens though fragrant (they usually consist of basil, mint and a local cilantro) may not be clean enough for us to eat. Our feast for four cost a total of less than $15.00 -- maybe $10. It was billed and we paid in Dong (the name of the local currency) -- though it was clear throughout our visit that the local folks really wanted our dollars and not their own currency.

 

We visited the washrooms at the restaurant. As always, a washroom visit is a cultural experience. The facilities were western style, complete with a sprayer to use as bidet (common in this area) -- there were sinks with running water and soap -- but there was also the large vat of water with a large plastic water scoop in it. We just ignored it and didn’t ask as the toilets seemed to flush on their own.

 

Our last stop was at a local market. The market place covered a full square block of area. Around the perimeter were the “government shops” where, we were told, the prices are set. In the center were endless stalls of merchandise that were owned by locals. We were told we could bargain at the locally owned stalls. Our guide walked us all around the perimeter of the market -- clearly required to do so. Most of what was being sold around the perimeter was clothing and suitcases with a little jewelry. There were plenty of government shop keepers, but no buyers in this area. Then, in the center, we entered the crowded stalls. There was barely room to pass between the shop keepers (who desperately called and often touched us to us to get our attention) and the local shoppers. The merchandise, again, was mostly clothing and produce. We were shown many local fruits that we have never seen before. An interesting experience but since we are not shoppers it was a look see only expedition.

 

The city of Saigon is clearly rapidly expanding and becoming much more modern. There is evidence of a growing middle class -- many of whom occupy apartments in the new high rise buildings. Of note to us -- in Shanghai, Japan and Hong Kong -- everywhere there were apartments there was laundry hanging out to dry near the open windows, on balconies or on outside lines. We saw none of that in Saigon. We asked our guide if possibly, unlike the rest of Asia, it was common to have automatic dryers here -- she explained that the apartments are modern with air conditioning and automatic washers but not dryers. The reason that we did not see the laundry is that in Viet Nam it is considered impolite to hang your laundry to dry where it is visible from the street.

 

This ended our tour of Saigon. We still had to endure the two hour ride back to the port. Our guide slept the whole way. We are glad that we went to Saigon -- it was interesting, but we see no great reason to return.

 

I do need to apologize for the title of today’s report -- as the title seems to promise something much more exotic than our actual account of our day in Saigon -- but like our impressions of Saigon -- reality does not always meet expectation.

 

So long for a few days.

[LandandWater]

Arzz,

So enjoying your descriptions of your adventures. Your writing is so vivid I feel like I am there. Am also reading with D and MA. What a treat and sorry they will be leaving the ship before we board in Sydney.

Had never realized there were blogs and I am hooked. You have become part of my day, have icons for both of you on my iphone.

Many Thanks!

[Kween Karen]

What are the D and MA blogs you are following. Can you put the links here so I can check them out also?

[LandandWater]

Here is the link: http://cruisingtocambodia.blogspot.com/.

You will enjoy his somewhat wry sense of humor and wonderful info.

[MightyQuinn]

What are the D and MA blogs you are following. Can you put the links here so I can check them out also?

Karen - Here are several blogs of this voyage. Along with the journal by Arzz, they make great reading.

http://cruisingtocambodia.blogspot.com

http://amazingvoyages.blogspot.com

 

Also on the CC Member Blogs forum, there's a blog by the Stansfields, that for some reason, I was unable to copy here. Just as well, perhaps, as you can leave comments for them over there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=820892

 

And thanks again Arzz - you've piqued my interest in a Grand Voyage! :):)

[Kween Karen]

....

[Kween Karen]

Thanks so much.

I have been following the Stansfields and Jeff's Amazing Voyages from the beginning. It is SOO fun to follow along.

It is helping me to know what to expect on the Amsterdam next year when I do the South Pacific/Australia voyage.

[jayzee99]

We got all our confirmations and cabin assignment for the 2010 sailing of the Amsterdam 69 day cruise. Our agent got us LOTS of freebies with the early booking. Free air to and from the ship, free luggage shipping from and to our home before and after the cruise, prepaid gratituities (lots of savings for 2 people on a 69 day cruise), $300 shipboard credit, champagne etc.

 

WOW- WE ARE REALLY EXCITED NOW.

 

Steve and Henny Zimmerman

[arzz]

It was a sunny, hot morning when we arrived at the port of Laem Chabang, our doorway to Bangkok, Thailand. We were met at the port by our driver who would take us on our two hour trek to Bangkok. We were still in sight of the Amsterdam when we had to stop the van for our driver to fiddle with the air conditioning that was refusing to come on. It only took about five minutes and it was all fixed, and it never failed again.

 

We expected horrendous traffic jams from the descriptions of Bangkok traffic in the travel books. Instead, on this Saturday morning, traffic moved swiftly as we sped along the toll ways on our two hour drive into the city. In contrast to Saigon, the area around the port was clean, neatly trimmed and decorated with plush vegetation and colorful blossoms. The toll way we drove was elevated above the ground level, for much of the way into town. Most of the traffic we have encountered in Thailand consists of cars, brightly painted taxis, buses and trucks with only a few of the motor scooters that were ubiquitous in Viet Nam.

 

As we drove towards Bangkok we passed through many rural areas covered with green fields or jungle vegetation. We went through small towns and past many factories. As everywhere in this part of the world we never traveled long without passing a Buddhist temple. We crossed an impressive suspension bridge as we entered the city proper.

 

Our driver dropped us off in front of the Grand Palace where we were met by Ka Te (pronounced with a long a, long e, emphasis on the second syllable), a charming woman who has been guiding tourists for over ten years.

 

What can I say when the most wondrous thing we have seen this trip was our lead event for our two days in Bangkok? The Grand Palace serves as home and place of worship for the King of Thailand. Thailand is currently a constitutional Monarchy so we suspect that the King does very little business there anymore. The Thai people are incredibly proud of their King and the fact that their country has never been under the rule or control of any other governments. The Grand Palace is not one building but many that were built over a period of many years -- unlike so many of the sights that we come to view as we travel -- this complex is still occupied, still used, and maintained as a living, breathing entity.

 

This place is eye candy. It is like seeing Colleen Moore’s Doll Houses complete with all their “gems” and “sparkle”-- (they can be viewed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago) in full size with a definite Thai accent. This group of shining, sparkling buildings with varied Thai roofs are completely covered with gold leaf and small, square, shiny glass tiles in gold, deep blue, red -- intended to mimic the precious stones found in this country. Each building is built up on a pedestal with steps made of shiny marble, hand rails are actually scaled, golden serpents creative and stylized and uniquely different resting upon the stone rails. The buildings are guarded by “angels” who are really various mythical creatures who stand watch at the perimeter of the pedestals with wings, tails, hands and feet plus characteristic attributes that they share with fish, monkeys, lions, and serpents. The door posts are painted or covered with ceramic representations of more of these protective “angels”. Everything sparkles in the sunlight, has been well maintained and is extremely colorful.

 

Inside the only building we were allowed to enter (and only if properly covered and shoeless out of respect for Buddha and the King) we could view one of the three large Jade Buddha’s that reside here. The Buddha is carved out of a single piece of Jade and sits on multiple shiny golden pedestals in a room that is adorned and painted in the same sparkling fairy land detail as the rest of the Palace complex.

 

Before we entered the building that contained the Jade Buddha Ka Te explained to us that to go to a Buddhist temple you need three things -- a flower, a candle (incense?), and an offering. She got a large lotus flower that she dipped into holy water and anointed each of us on the head with it before she brought us into the temple.

 

Each of the separate buildings was built with a particular function, at different times, and some in different styles. The most recent building which is where the current King resides is limestone and rather western in appearance in sharp contrast to the rest of the complex.

 

As we passed through this mystical kingdom we often viewed groups of women dressed in black who had come to pay respect to the dead sister of the current King whose remains lie in state until her planned cremation. She passed away in January. It was necessary, out of respect, to build a special new crematorium for her. It is October now and it will be at least another month or more before the actual cremation will occur.

 

According to Ka Te the King is well liked and well respected here. His picture can be found everywhere -- on bill boards, on “gates” across the highways, and even on the sides of boats and buildings.

 

From the Grand Palace we reboarded our van and were driven to the site of the reclining Buddha statue. Buddha is represented in three different ways. Standing up, sitting down, and reclining. When he is reclining it is a representation of Buddha after his death. The reclining Buddha is covered with bright gold leaf and lies in a special building with interior walls that are covered with intricate paintings. Again we walked respectfully without our shoes. His statue is over 130 feet long and his figure is represented in proportion to that size, with very large feet. The bottoms of his feet are divided into 108 different sections with characters written in each. Along one side of the Buddha statue are 108 small black metal pots. It is considered good luck to put a coin into each one of the 108 small pots. Conveniently the temple sells containers of 108 special coins and many of the visitors place one coin in each pot as they pass by the Buddha statue. The pots are each slightly different in size and shape -- and each pot makes a metallic, almost musical sound as one of the coins hits the pot’s bottom -- so this Buddha is constantly surrounded by this musical feast as he lies in state in this temple.

 

It was getting on to 1 pm by the time that we had seen the reclining Buddha so we went to lunch at a restaurant designed for tourists with clean bathrooms and a large buffet of Thai goodies which we thoroughly enjoyed -- including the Thai bananas -- that are as wide as our common banana but are only about 5 or 6 inches long with a much thinner peel -- and they are entirely delicious.

 

After lunch we boarded “long tail” boats for a cruise down part of the city’s river and canal system. A “long tail” boat is a narrow wooden craft that resembles a long canoe or row boat. At the rear is a dismounted automobile engine mounted on a pivot that has a “long tail”. The engines drive train is at least 6 to eight feet long with a propellor at the end -- this is the “long tail” that can be maneuvered from side to side and in and out of the water as the pilot tilts the entire engine on its pivot.

 

Our boat’s pilot took us on a ride that lasted about an hour. We left the busy city and traveled down what resembled residential streets. We passed by homes that front the water, we saw the mail man delivering mail from his long tail boat, and others delivering food and produce from their boats. Children waved at us from their water front porches. A group of boys were seen diving into the river from the top of a railroad bridge. Both sides of the river were lined with utility poles that were planted in the river bottom and sported utility lines above the river -- just like on an old road at home -- except that it is on the water. We also passed a hospital (complete with a water ambulance) and a fire department that had both land vehicles and boats.

 

Our first of three consecutive days in Thailand was nowhere near done, but I will stop now to rest and eat dinner. I will post more tomorrow as we will be at sea and I will have more time and energy to write.

[2bout2c]

WOW, What a wonderful day you had..

[Hutch&Pat]

Congratulations but what direction is this 2010 cruise going? ..... perhaps I'm reading it wrong but it appeared to be doing the east direction '23' hour days rather than the '25' hour days that we're looking for. Are there any grand cruises going west in the next year or two?

Pat

[kruise53]

just read todays installment wonder what will happen now with hal and the policy of tank tops,,,,, keep us posted jeff !!!!!!!!!

[arzz]

Well, here we are at sea -- and we are having a 23 hour day! My biological clock sure needs to be flexible this trip! As I write this we are cruising the South China Sea about 36 miles off the coast of Malaysia on our way to Singapore. We have cruised 8935 nautical miles since leaving Seattle and are about 305 nautical miles from Singapore. Back to our first day in Bangkok. After the river cruise Ka Te brought us to visit another Buddha -- this one was standing up so it completed our viewing of the three types of Buddha’s -- our first Buddha, the magnificent Jade Buddha at the Grand Palace was sitting down. We then visited the very large reclining Buddha. This standing Buddha is huge and covered with gold leaf as he stands in the open sun. Worshippers bring with them small squares of gold leaf which they add to his very large feet as they worship. This temple, as we visited, was being prepared for a special ceremony -- it could have been a wedding or a funeral -- and the monks (strong young men in orange robes and shaved heads) were quickly reconfiguring an indoor space for the upcoming event. They were rearranging furniture, vacuuming the carpets, and sweeping the floors -- actually I could use one or two of these fellows to help out at home .... To become a monk you have to first study and pass a test and then you essentially sign on for a month or two or maybe a year. After that, if you wish, you can stay forever in service to the temple. The monks are supported by donations and they, in turn, support the temple. This temple had a healthy population of cats hanging out in the general vicinity. It seems that local people bring unwanted cats to the temples knowing that the monks will take care of them. At this temple we viewed a line of 8 smaller golden Buddhas each situated a little different from the others. Each one represents a day of the week (Wednesday, for some reason has two statues) -- and people come to worship and give offerings to the Buddha that represents the week day of their birth. Wednesday has a standing Buddha for morning births and a sitting Buddha for afternoon births. Ka Te still had other sights on her day long itinerary for us to enjoy but it was after 3:30 pm by this time and we still looked forward to an evening dinner cruise along the river so we requested that we be taken to our Bangkok hotel. We had arranged to stay at the Bangkok Marriot Resort and were not disappointed. We enjoyed large rooms that faced the river, our beds were turned down by staff who left orchids on our pillows -- we were greeted on arrival with a glass of a spicy tea made from local “apples”, and there were fresh flowers and oranges in our room. As we walked through the hotel corridors whenever we were met by hotel employees they stopped to greet us with the traditional Thai greeting by putting their hands across their chest in a “praying” position and offering a quick bow. At 5:45 pm we met our driver for the evening in the lobby and he drove us to the meeting point for our river cruise. We drove through Bangkok neighborhoods past local shops and restaurants that were full of late Saturday afternoon shoppers -- as we approached the River Center Mall (not entirely sure I have the name correct) where we were to meet the river boat the stores we passed became increasingly upscale until we reached the mall itself which was filled with very upscale shops selling all manner of local goods and art works. We browsed the mall for a few minutes while waiting for our river boat. Our boat was a covered but open wooden vessel that had tables set up to serve about 100 people. There was a set Thai menu that was served in many courses while we were entertained by a lovely woman in traditional golden Thai dress who played a local instrument that was a type of harp that she plucked as it sat on a table in front of her. Her face was expressionless as she played throughout the meal. As dessert and tea were served the entertainment passed on to its second venue -- traditional Thai dancers. We were treated to three women dancers who moved back and forth between the tables doing traditional dances in traditional costumes. These are the folks who turn their fingers backwards in beautiful, delicate curls that seem impossible to accomplish. There were several dances presented -- one by a young man costumed in a mask and tail who pursued a classically dressed young woman around the dance floor, as well as other dances performed by the three Thai women in various traditional dress. At the conclusion of the meal and entertainment we continued up and down the river for a while, passing the Grand Palace that we had so enjoyed in the morning -- this time its roofs were all lit up to enjoy against the night sky. As we left the boat we were given fragrant strings of local flowers (sort of like Hawaiian Leis but only long enough to wear around our wrists, if worn at all). They were topped with a bunch of extremely fragrant jasmine and strung with hearty white flowers (their name is the Thai word for luck) that look like fluer di lis with five sides and each sported a few red roses. I saved them and they are slowly drying out and still fragrant today (today Tuesday, we received them on Saturday). Tired but happy we returned to the hotel for a quick night’s sleep before day two in Bangkok. Plans to enjoy our breakfast out on the balcony and overlooking the river were quashed by a huge rain storm complete with thunder and lightening. This was our first rain on a port day -- we have been so lucky. Promptly at 7:30 am we were met in the hotel lobby by Ka Te and our van driver for the one hour drive south to the floating market. Along the way we stopped at a tourist shop set up to demonstrate the classical Thai technique for producing sugar and oil from coconut milk and coconut meat. The process has several steps and is not unlike the boiling processes for producing maple syrup from sap. We were treated to samples of the warm, brown, coconut sugar -- by far the best sugar that we have ever tasted. Coconut sugar and oil were for sale here but we passed. We drove on. Our next stop was at a pier so that we could board more long tail boats to cruise the local canals and the floating market place. It was still raining heavily. The men chose the boats, the women wimped out and were driven to the market where we were free to browse, and purchase, until our husbands returned. We walked around and visited the market stalls as well as watched the boats move through the crowded canals lined with shops that open on to the water to sell to the passing boats -- as well as boats full of produce and hot foods that were for sale to the tourists and locals in their boats as they floated by. We sat and watched the street vendors prepare what we decided to call “Thai tacos” which were thin pancakes filled with a white cream and all manner of other goodies. They smelled terrific but we decided that it might not be wise to partake of the street food. When the men appeared, purchases were finalized and then our guide sat us down at a canal side table. We purchased cokes (otherwise known as the “safe drink of the gods”) and our guide asked us to wait. She kept appearing with plates of local foods that she had purchased from vendors whom she knew and foods that were safe for us to eat. We got to enjoy some tasty Thai tacos as well as fried bananas (also a great treat) and some sticky rice with mangoes (the clear winner in the taste department). The rice was warm and sticky from coconut milk and the mangoes were ripe, sweet, and flavored superior to any that we have experienced before. It was a sweet and delicious meal. From here we went to see the monkey show and to ride the elephants. The monkey show was a disappointment -- the monkeys were wearing clothes and trained to do lots of things that monkeys should not be doing -- it screamed of exploitation which we did not appreciate. The men chose to take an elephant ride while the women watched this silly land somewhat unpleasant show. From here we drove back to Bangkok where our delightful guide Ka Te left us and we were then driven the two hours back to Laem Chabang and our ship. Along the way we got to cross one of the suspension bridges that seem to be constructed to reflect the traditional Thai sense of design and to view a huge black statue of an elephant with three heads. We welcomed the Amsterdam and it welcomed us. We enjoyed a good rest before our last day in Thailand at Ko Sumai.

[arzz]

Day three in Thailand was spent at Ko Sumai -- an island resort community. Our guide picked us up at the tender pier. Our first stop was at a local temple with a large Buddha perched high atop a hill at the summit of a long staircase. The Buddha’s presence on this island can be seen glittering in the sun atop the hill from many island vantage points. The temperatures in the bright sun were intense. Those who chose to climb up to the Buddha and enjoy the view returned happy with the views but well spent from the heat. Our van was air conditioned and the iced water and cold cloths provided by our guide were more than welcome.

 

This island was lush with green tropical vegetation and as we drove around it resembled many Caribbean locations in many ways. There were several high end resorts with beautiful grounds on the ocean as well as upscale private homes and resort properties for sale. There were the more modest accommodations occupied by locals with the same mix of have and have nots apparent in the shops and restaurants. We were surprised at the large number of familiar American restaurant chains present on this small island. Clearly this resort area attracts visitors from all over the world. Shops advertised that they speak German, and a large number of nationalities were represented in local restaurants and bars. If it were not for the air fare thing we could easily wish to return here for an island vacation.

 

We stopped to view the ocean from many different and stunning vantage points and we also stopped to view a set of waterside rock formations (called Grandfather Rock) that at first were reminiscent of the Baths in the Virgin Islands .... but upon rounding the turn we were instead presented with the sight of a very large natural vertical rock that closely resembles a portion of the male anatomy which I cannot mention here. Let me just say that many fertility gods would be proud as punch to be so well endowed. There was also a Grandmother rock, but it was somehow much less impressive, but maybe that is just my bias based on personal preferences.

 

Our last stop was at another monkey show. This time instead of an announcer presenting costumed monkeys mimicking humans -- what we were shown here was very simple -- a monkey that has been trained to pick coconuts from the coconut palms. Apparently they do use monkeys here to help harvest coconuts. On cue our demonstration monkey climbed a coconut palm and picked several coconuts -- dropping each one in turn to the ground, but only after checking to be sure that no one was standing underneath. After the demonstration we were treated to fresh coconut milk served in a newly opened coconut with a hole at the top and a straw.

 

Our last touring stop of the day was at a small waterfall in the jungle. Lush green vegetation with a cascade of water -- there were young boys jumping off a large boulder at the base of the falls into a pool at the bottom. Though there was definitely water falling according to our guide this is still the dry season and next month there will be a lot more water.

 

Before returning to the ship we lunched at a local Thai restaurant. We then boarded a “tender” to return to the Amsterdam. Our tender this trip was a local double decker ferry boat. As we were boarding the ferry boat we could see a set of very low and dark clouds moving in from one side of the horizon. Soon we could see lightening. We boarded the tender on the top deck. The women, thinking that we were smart, went inside and took seats next to the open windows hoping to capture the breeze as we returned to the ship. The men decided to enjoy the seats that were available on the open sections of the top deck. Do I have to say it? It did not take long before it was absolutely pouring outside -- and, somehow, inside also. The ferry’s windows could be closed but there was no way that we could hide from the “yellow tinted rain water” that came dripping in through the various cracks in this old wooden boat. At least it was sea worthy enough to safely return us to our ship. The men arrived soaking wet, the women arrived just damp and yellow.

 

Tomorrow we get to spend the day in Singapore as well as meet fellow cruise critic member Foxpaw who has our absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential election. The plan is to deliver our ballots to the American Embassy before we begin our touring for the day. Will let you know tomorrow how that goes.

[MightyQuinn]

Arzz, I've just got caught up with your journal again. Sounds like you had quite a time in Thailand, yellow-tinted rain water notwithstanding. :p:p I'm happy that your excursions with private guides are going so well. A well-earned pay-off for all the research you did beforehand.

[jayzee99]

Thank you so much for your wonderful travel log. When you finish your trip, I was hoping to get a list of the private tour guides you used for your trip. We are booked on the September, 2010 voyage of the Amsterdam which is essentially the same cruise you are now doing.

 

I hope you will post this when you have time to rest up after your cruise.

 

Thanks again for the wonderful log of the trip (and of course the TRIVEA questions).

 

Steve and Henny Zimmerman

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks again for the wonderful log of the trip (and of course the TRIVEA questions).

Not to mention the trivia ANSWERS! :D:D

[arzz]

Rain Can Be Very Fattening

or

We Do Know Jack

 

We are now at sea steaming the almost 1000 miles between Singapore and Padang Bai, Indonesia (our port for Bali). We crossed the equator at about 6:00 am this morning -- this means that we will now be moving away from the hottest portion of the globe -- as we also will begin the series of 23 hour days necessary to ultimately get us back to the US. This pretty much marks the midpoint of our cruise. The 23 hour day we enjoyed day before yesterday was the first that we will experience (or is it endure) as we undo the string of 25 hour days that we sailed through on our way to Japan.

 

We have now sailed over 9500 nautical miles since we left Seattle. Many members of our crew are from Bali and as we approach this port the excitement is evident as they anticipate the opportunity to see their families. Our assistant waiter is from Jakarta and he flew his family the 90 minutes from Jakarta to Singapore and got to spend the day with them yesterday while we were in port. He was beaming with happiness (or was it pleasure) when we saw him at dinner.

 

Wednesday was Singapore. We arose very early (it was still dark out) -- we had to collect our passports after they were cleared by Singapore Immigration but before leaving the ship as it is necessary for US citizens to have their passports in their possession while touring in this port.

 

This was our day to cast our absentee ballots in the presidential election. Fellow cruise critic member Foxpaw had volunteered to receive our ballots (which would not be mailed by our election commission until October -- long past the commencement of our voyage) at his home in Virginia and hand carry them with him to Singapore where he joined us on board. In order to maximize our port time we and cruise critic members Aussieoz were to meet Foxpaw at his Singapore hotel.

 

When we arrived at Foxpaw’s suite at the Shangri La our ballots were laid out for us and we were able to mark them in luxurious comfort while enjoying his 21st story views of the city. Foxpaw we cannot thank you enough!

 

From there we went to the US Embassy. This was my first chance to enter one of our embassy's abroad. Not surprisingly security was very tight. Only two of us were allowed to enter security at a time. Our belongings were x-rayed and searched visually. Ed’s camera bag and camera were detained while we were allowed in. Depositing our ballots for inclusion in the embassy’s diplomatic pouch to the US was quick (and rather exciting). We exited and Ed then rejoined his camera and belongings. I doubt that we will ever again vote in such an unusual manner. Voting is such a wonderful privilege of our democracy and it was exciting to see how our government participates in expediting the process for citizens abroad.

 

After completing the voting we proceeded to Mount Faber Park and at the suggestion of Foxpaw we purchased cable car tickets to the island across from the port. We paid the small extra surcharge to ride in a totally glass car -- the normal cars have a metal base and the windows cover only about two- thirds of the walls, the bottom third of the walls, as well as the floors, are metal. In the glass cars all four walls and the floor are made of clear glass. The trip takes about 15 minutes over two large patches of forest/jungle, across the water, over the harbor and over our ship, to the island. Once we recovered our stomachs after we left the first cable car station we were able to admit that the trip was stunning. In addition to the forest and city views we were able to view our ship from the top down -- our car rode directly over the ship’s stacks -- definitely a unique cruise ship view.

 

The island itself was full of opportunities to separate the tourist from their money -- none seemed worthwhile to us so after looking around a bit we hopped back on and cabled to the mainland.

 

We lunched at a restaurant perched on a scenic view next to old growth trees that are currently growing right through the restaurant building.

 

From there our goal was to stop in the shopping district to feed the voracious appetite of Ed’s camera for batteries and then proceed to China town. As we arrived at the shopping malls (huge indoor venues with stores and restaurants that never seem to end -- mostly Western establishments -- much like Hong Kong -- almost any possible thing that you could want is available there) the sky opened up to dump huge amounts of water -- an activity consistent with monsoon season. The intense sun of the morning -- totally gone.

 

With walking out of the question for the time being we reentered the mall and immediately ran into Bra1nchild and his wife! We had traveled and toured with them for 32 days. They completed their cruise in Singapore, just hours earlier. We had said our good-byes the night before -- yet, in this very large, heavily populated metropolitan city, here they were and there we were. We shared a Starbuck’s moment while we waited for the rain to clear.

 

Singapore is a city is beautiful. It is clean as a whistle, well manicured and filled with lush parks, brightly colored blossoms, and tree lined highways. It is also full of high rise apartment buildings. As one of our taxi drivers drove us past a group of what looked like very upscale, large new apartment high rises our driver pointed out that these buildings were government housing. He then pointed out some older government buildings that were only somewhat less upscale in appearance and told us that the government improves the housing every five years.

 

Singapore is possibly the wealthiest country in the world -- it is small and a very large percentage of its citizens are very wealthy. It is an extremely safe place to be -- but that comes with a price tag in terms of personal freedoms. We found ourselves being very careful about everything that we did (no crossing against the light, etc) as we have no idea what actions might be against the law or a fineable offense. I still ponder guilt as we left our table at Starbucks without throwing out our latte glasses. Did someone get fined for this? Ooops.

 

Tomorrow we are again at sea -- a welcome change of pace. We have truly enjoyed our touring but in these hot climes -- we, who hail from more moderate temperatures, are finding that we appreciate our sea day breaks.

 

At lido lunch they have been serving us local tropical fruits that are not avialable at home. After our port in Viet Nam there was dragon fruit on the lido line -- for those, like us, to whom this fruit is new -- a dragon fruit looks like a red melon with barbs on the outside. Its meat is white and dotted with small black seeds. It has a texture like a dry watermelon and is delicately sweet.

 

Today there was a serving bin of what looked like skinned, seeded, par boiled yellow peppers - but it actually is Jack Fruit which we are told by the crew is local to Indonesia. It has a taste that speaks of both banana and peaches and is quite unique. Yes, the name brings up all sorts of opportunity to make comments, most of which I cannot share in this forum, so lets leave it with “You don’t know Jack, but we do”.

[arzz]

We are cruising the Java sea today. The seas are so flat one could suspect that they served albatross for dinner last night. The skies are sunny and the temperatures are reminiscent of the equator that we crossed yesterday.

 

The only disturbance that we have encountered today was a brief, but total, interruption of ship’s power. The good news is that it was out for only about a half hour, our seas are flat so we were just quietly gliding on the water (sort of like being on a 1300 passenger sail boat), and all is now well -- the air conditioning is reestablishing our proper interior environment and even early dinner was only delayed by about 5 minutes during the time that there was no power at all.

 

Our sea borne cocoon cruises on. So lets get on to what is truly important -- some trivia.

 

The Philippines is home to the largest number of Shakey’s Pizza Parlors in the world.

 

The Avocado has the highest fiber content of any fruit.

 

The soprano that Mozart married was Constanza Weber.

 

A cordwainer makes shoes.

 

Julie Andrews starred in the live 1957 TV version of Cinderella.

 

Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to live in Buckingham Palace.

 

Gatorade was first developed for the University of Florida football team in 1965.

 

The evergreen shrub from which we get capers is the caper bush.

 

The interesting trait that a chicken must have to lay brown eggs is red ear lobes.

 

The shrew is the world’s smallest terrestrial mammal.

 

The Game Beano developed into the popular game of chance Bingo.

 

Batman and the Incredible Hulk share the first name “Bruce”.

 

Ho, hum ... I am about to go partake of another five course meal. Tomorrow is Bali.

[eldercruser]

Enjoyed your Singapore comments. It has been 45 years since I was there. Your report indicates that it has changed immensely from what I remember.

[Williebill]

There is just nothing like a grand cruise!!!