RETRACING OUR WAKE THROUGH ASIA

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April 6th 2013

Published: April 6th 2013

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Kevin and Susan

LADY SELLING FRUIT

This is street sales in HCMC

Upon leaving Beijing we are returning to the same ports we went to in the past month: Shanghai, Hong Kong, HaLong Bay, Saigon and Bangkok. This is a good thing because returning to familiar places is great for exploring on your own. We search out interesting neighborhoods or unique local attractions. We enjoy learning to use the public transit, trying out native cuisine and seeing how the residents live. I call it “guilt-free touring” since we have already been to most of the must see touristic spots, we can now do what the locals do.

In Shanghai we headed off to the French Concession area to check out restaurants and shops. We also made a stop at the Shanghai Museum, one of the best in Asia. Then it was time to hit the Tao Bao center for last minute bargains before retreating to the ship because of heavy rain.

In Hong Kong we again spent time dealing with computer issues so we hung out at the gargantuan Apple store which was packed. For the first time ever we docked on Hong Kong Island. While we didn’t have the beautiful views of Kowloon and Hong Kong, we enjoyed exploring the

CRUISE SPECIALISTS

We had a special night in Prime 7

Kennedy Town area and taking the bus around Honkers and cruising on the Star Ferry over to Kowloon.

We had a one day stop in HaLong Bay this time so we visited the town and strolled the waterfront which overlooks the beautiful monoliths that dot the Gulf of Tonkin. That night the ship had a deck bbq under the stars.

Visiting Ho Chi Minh City is always fun as it is so vibrant and it seems that the sidewalks are where the business of living is conducted. People eat, sleep and shop on these lively byways. It is great to be back in warm weather after all the wintery conditions we encountered in Korea and China.

Bangkok was the end of this cruise segment and there was a huge turnover of passengers. Originally we had planned to disembark here because the ship was sold out. We had checked into getting an apartment for two weeks in Hua Hin, Thailand and then fly up to Mumbai to rejoin the ship. We were all packed and ready to leave, when at the last minute a cabin became available. While we would have enjoyed our time ashore in Thailand, we

SHANGHAI SIGHT SEEING BOAT

were very happy to be able to stay on the ship. Between making all the arrangements for transfers, accommodations, flights, baggage shipping, visas, etc it was much easier to just stay put on the best floating hotel around. We will be visiting some very interesting ports in Sri Lanka and India on the upcoming segment. And it will be extra nice to celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary on the Voyager dining al fresco while cruising the Andaman Sea.

Additional photos below

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