After the Practice comes the Event!

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New Year’s Eve 2008:

PP:
Well we’ve had the trip you have before the trip starts - now we are at the (original) beginning of the cruise, all shipshape and ready to go. Batten down the hatches!! Raise the anchor!! Set the Jib!! ……Or something like that - buggered if I know - something similarly nautical anyway???!!!

We should leave Singapore sometime this afternoon/evening for Haiphong Roads in North Vietnam. Singapore has been a good stop for us: recovered the lost sea chest, stocked up on rum (and other wines etc. - Cruisin’ Susan doesn’t drink rum). We also managed to get some other small items which the first leg showed us would be useful, like good binoculars. We saw the expensive shopping at Orchard Road, then got our stuff in Chinatown! Found a superb restaurant for Chinese tucker the other night, and some nice steamed dumplings (with cold Tiger Beer) at a stall in Pagoda Street yesterday.

While it’s New Year’s Eve for us, the Chinese New Year is also close, within a fortnight or so - it will be the year of the Ox, and a sign said: “have an Ox-spicious New Year!!” There are little (and not so little) cows all over Chinatown (see the picture). Managed to find some French champagne for the new year - which we may enjoy on the observation (pilot) deck as we cruise out of Singapore.

Thanks to all for the comments on our blog - don’t encourage us too much!!

CS:
This boating stuff has rather got to PP (there are no jibs on a cargo vessel - silly. He actually knows that, of course!) I can but endorse his sentiments. Singapore is familiar to us both so its been largely a reconnoiter the last few days to obtain necessary supplies, not the least being the rum, gin, ozzie wine and French bubbly PP mentioned. One interesting experience involved me seeking to buy a pair of jeans. Having located a couple of pairs in a shop (from the specials rack) I asked the attendant if I could try them on. ‘No’ was the stern reply, no permission forthcoming to try any clothes on special. My plaintive ‘but how will I know if they fit’ met with no softening, I could only use the fitting room if I chose something from deeper into the shop, not on special. Cute idea? I confess I chose a skirt and bullied the young woman into letting me take the jeans into the booth as well, which was just as well since one pair fitted well, the other pair not at all! Well, well!
All your comments have been read and we really appreciate hearing from you. As there is no internet access on the ship when we are at sea we blitz cyberspace in each port, so stay tuned for our next report in a few days. Have a wonderful new year’s eve.

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Photos

The CEO!!
Susan in Oversight Mode

In Port
Taken from our cabin

Busy! Busy! Busy!
Loading & Unloading at Jurong Port

Words of Wisdom!
"Cows" talking to PP

Ghongxi Fa Cai!!
Happy New Year

Pagoda Street
Stalls Galore

Comments

[Tess]

Happy New Year
We are well into 2009 here of course and wish you all the best for the New Year. All well here apart from a leaky roo and a sulky BC because I won't let him go on said roof to investigate.