Asia

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Day 15 Saturday 28 March

At sea sailing north on the Java Sea with a slight swell.

31c partly cloudy with some rain.



We crossed the equator today and they had a ceremony planned to turn those who had not crossed before, called Pollywogs into shellbacks featuring King Neptune but it had to be cancelled due to the rain.



We both went to a lecture on Navigation at Sea by the Third Officer. Very informative and quite entertaining. I went to a talk on the search for allied troops missing in action after the War in the Pacific. After lunch we went to a presentation of a game show called Liars Club which was fun.



Before dinner we went to a stretch class which was very hard but worthwhile and both walked. Gail had done one before while it was my first but will not be my last.



I finished Stone Cold by David Baldacci

Gail finished The Killing Ground by Jack Higgins



Day 16 Sunday 29 March

At sea sailing due north towards Vietnam through the South China Sea. Seas choppy

32c very windy.



Gail went to Zumba and then we basically watched the Cricket World Cup Final in our cabin all day. The wind meant the reception was patchy so we lost the picture a bit but still managed to follow the game. Great result.



We did go and watch the passengers talent quest which was a bit of a hoot.



Our entertainment, which was the Canberra singer Stephen Fisher King, who was quite good again was on early so we went to dinner, then went up to look at the disco party which they put on but like all their parties it consisted of silly games so we had an early night.





Day 17 Monday 30 March

Ho Chi Minh City??

35c, very humid



We woke up early to hear the Captain say that because the wind had got up from 8 kph to 45kph just as we were about to enter the Mekong River Delta he was not prepared to take the ship up the river, a 55km journey because there were parts of the river that crossed over traffic tunnels where he was restricted to 8 knots and in this wind he was not sure he could maintain the momentum to avoid running aground. As he is Italian he probably had another captain in his thoughts



As he was determined to give us a Vietnamese experience he took the ship into the commercial port, Phu My. He made this decision at about 4.30am and the entertainment staff must have been working hard from then on because when we docked there were 15 coaches lined up to take everybody on the planned excursions even though we were about 70km from the original pick up point.



We had been going to take a shuttle into the city and just wander about on our own but that would now cost US$50 each so we decided against it. They did offer a shuttle to what they described as a market town so we tried it. It was really a collection of mall type shops with some small shops so we wandered around but did not buy anything even though we were offered heaps of sun glasses despite the fact that we were both wearing them. Polo shirts were 4 for $10.



After about an hour we caught the bus back to the ship, about a half hour trip and spent the afternoon around the pool. As we were about to sail at 6.00pm there was some interesting by play between some guys who delivered supplies to the ship and the officer from the ship on the wharf who refused to accept the delivery because it was too late and the gangplanks were already up. It got quite willing but the officer just boarded the ship and closed the door. eBay could see all this from our balcony. Hope it wasn't something important.



The show was another production based on Cher, Neil Diamond and Tom jones. The dancers are really good.



I finished the Killing Ground by Jack Higgins



Day 18 Tuesday 31 March

At sea across the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Seas calm

31c, partly cloudy, slight swell



Gail did Zumba and I watched, have decided to do it on the next leg. We had a swim and watched Downton Abbey.



Gail's choir performed for the other passengers, they had a good crowd and the performance went well although some numbers were better than others. She hasn't decided whether to do it again on the next leg.



Then we went to a lecture on William Dampier. What a fascinating character. We had a swim then had a pre dinner cocktail in the special area for Platinum and Elite passengers. Aren't we the toffs.



The entertainers were a ballroom and Latin dance couple. Very energetic.



Day 19 Wednesday 1 April

Ko Samui, Thailand.

30c very humid and overcast.



Up fairly early and watched all the fishing boats and the ferries coming across to do the shore transfers for us and the Volendam which was also anchored in the bay. We boarded the ferry and it was quite a long tender into shore. We then got into a mini bus and headed off to Chaweng Beach which was about 50 minutes away. It was supposed to be a drive through cane fields and farms but was actually one continuous shopping street.



We arrived at the beach and went for a walk all the way along past all the resorts and bars. Then we found a spot on the sand and went for a swim. I went back to the street to a bank and changed $50A into Thai Baht. We went to a bar and had a drink and talked to a couple from the Gold Coast.



When we got back to the ship we went for a all through the township and Gail bought a nice singlet top. Back on board we went to a presentation by the entertainment staff on how they got into cruise performing, what their life is like on board and then did a tour of the backstage area. Not quite sure how they do all the quick changes in the small amount of room they have. It was really interesting. On the big ships the entertainment crew are different to the dancers but on this smaller ship they do the lot.



I did 17 laps today, Gail is doing 29.



It was a formal night so went to the Captains farewell. The show was an Irish comedian, George Casey who had some good stories but his act is pretty tired.



Day 20 Thursday 2 April

At sea, in the Gulf of Thailand along the coast of Malaysia.

29c cloudy, calm seas.



Gail went to Zumba and then we went to a talk on Matthew Flinders. Very interesting.



Some of the passengers had built boats and they had the sea trials in the pool which was good fun. They had made some pretty impressive craft.



The crew put on a show where some of the room staff, laundry staff etc sang and danced. It was very good. The entertainment staff did a number If I Was Not at Sea which was quite funny.



We went up and had a swim then Gail walked and I did 18 laps which we followed up with a stretch class.



The show was a Jamaican singer, Monique Dehaney, who was very good, blues and reggae. We didn't go to the dining room for dinner but had it out on the rear deck of the. Buffet in the moonlight. We had a bottle of wine which we didn't finish so we took it and some cheese back to our cabin, went to the show and then came back and finished the wine on our balcony.



Day 21 Friday April 3

Singapore

29c overcast and very humid



After breakfast we went ashore and caught the hop on hop off bus. We did a tour of the main parts of the city and got off at the Botanical Gardens where we spent an hour walking around the gardens then got back on the bus and completed the circuit. We stayed on the bus and went back to the Bay Sands Hotel which is the huge with the three towers and the garden across the top. We walked through it to the Gardens by the Bay which have been developed on reclaimed land.



They were quite spectacular with artificial trees built quite high and then plants grown all up the sides. There is a tree walk that we did across these trees about 30 metres high. Then we went up to the Flower Dome and the Cloud Dome which we had bought tickets for as part of the bus deal, only to discover that we had to exchange our voucher for the actual tickets . It was a mad dash through the gardens,grab a taxi back to the bus centre and then wait for the correct bus to come to get our tickets then catch that bus back to the gardens.



We lost about an hour but we still had time to see the domes which were pretty spectacular. We waited for the bus to take us back to the ship but it did not arrive in time so we caught a taxi which are quite cheap.



We had dinner but didn't go to the show as it was an introduction for the people who had embarked in Singapore. We think about a third of the passengers got off in Singapore and probably more got on.



Day 22 Saturday April 4

At sea through the Singapore Strait and then up the Andaman Sea along the coast of Malaysia. Seas slight.

29c hazy



Gail was up early and did 40 plus laps then we had breakfast out on the deck and went to Zumba. I went to a talk on how the Polynesians navigated before instruments. Gail read her book.



After lunch we swam and read then I walked 19 laps then we both went to the 30 minute stretch session. After that we had a shower, put on our formal gear and went to the Captains cocktail party. He is new and comes from Norway. It seems there are only 160 of us left that were on board before Singapore. The Australians outnumbered the Americans 3 to 1 then but now there are over 600 passengers and the Americans outnumber us 2 to 1. Dinner was good but the comedian, an American named Dave Heenan was not.



Day 23 Sunday April 5

Phuket, Thailand

32c and very humid



We went on a trip to what they call James Bond Island. The bus trip was over an hour and went mostly through rubber plantations. They tres do not produce until they are 7 years led and stop producing after 35 so they cut them down. Some of them were being milked.



After the bus trip we boarded a boat, interesting craft and went up into Phang Nga Bay which has been the setting for two James Bond movies, Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan and The Man With the Golden Gun with Roger Moore which was where we went. All over the bay there were limestone outcrops that just rose several hundred metres straight up out of the water. They are riddled with caves and craggy peaks, very spectacular.



The boat ride was pleasant because the breeze off the water cooled us down. We didn't go onto the island but sailed around it and took photos. Then we went back to a village, Kohpanyee, that we had passed on the way out. It is built at the base of one of the outcrops that came out of the water. Although Thailand is a Buddhist country, this was a Muslim village and the mosque was at the base of the hill and there was about 10 metres of land in front of it so the rest of the village was built on piles and connected by walkways. There was a small floating football field and a school that we visited but as it was a holiday for Easter, which really makes sense, the school was not operating. There were shops and restaurants and houses all packed in very close together.



After the village we went back to the pier and to a hotel for lunch which was a nice Thai meal.



The sail away from Phuket was nice. We sat out on our balcony had a before dinner drink and watched a most spectacular sunset. To cap off a fantastic day, the show was another full cast production, Do You Wanna Dance, which was the best show since we came on board.



Day 24 Monday April 6

At sea north, north westerly through the Andaman Sea.

34c partly cloudy



This is the area, along with Phuket that was damaged by the Tsunami in 2004.



After breakfast we went to Zumba again then to a continuation of the talks on ancient Polynesian navigation. We had a pub lunch which is a special they do at times. Gail had fish n chips and cider and I had bangers n mash and a Bass Ale. Then we went to a movie, the Rewrite, with Hugh Grant. Easy watching.





After a swim and a read Gail did 44 laps and I did 20 and then we went to stretch class. We had another pre dinner drink in our cabin ( we bought a bottle of gin and some tonic and I get a lemon drink) then went to dinner. Italian night tonight. As the entertainment was the " comedian" from the other night we had an early night assisted by a 30 minute turn back of the clock.



Day 25 Tuesday April 7

Yangon or Rangoon, Myanmar or Burma (they use both names)

37c and humid



We boarded the bus about 8.00am for the hour drive from the port to Yangon. The traffic was very thick and disorganised but luckily we had a police escort that cleared a way through it all. They have created a special Tourist Police unit to assist tourists since they have opened the country to more visitors



Lots of rice paddies and heaps of motor bikes but no helmets or any other protective equipment. However there were very few in the actual city because one of the Generals didn't like them so he banned them in the city.



We went to the Shwedagon Pagoda which was quite remarkable. Rather than being a single building it was a huge area with many temples and shrines and Buddhas. We poured water over the Buddhas on the Tuesday corner as that is both our birth days and. It is supposed to bring you luck even if you are not Buddhist. Each day has an animal and Tuesdays is the lion (of course).



After an hour at the Pagoda we went to the BogyokeAung San Market which was very crowded. There were an unbelievable number of very small clothing shops and many many jewellers lots of them selling jade which the Americans are not allowed to buy because of trade sanctions. We bought some small stuff. Then back to the bus and the ship including a drive around the city to look at the colonial buildings which are in a pretty sad state of repair.



Our tourist guide was a bit of a rebel and did not think much of the government or the generals. He kept referring to Aung Sun Su Chi as "our leader" and gave us a young persons view of life in Myanmar. He said the country is rich but the people are poor except for the Generals.



Back on the ship we had a late lunch, swim and a read and went to see a movie "Elsa and Fred" that was made in 2014 starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer. It wasn't bad.



The ship sailed out of the narrow Yangon River across the bar at the mouth which can only be crossed at high tide, then past the mouths of the Irrawaddie River and into the open sea



We had a pre dinner drink in our room dinner and then watched a show by a pianist, Ryan Ahern which was pretty good.

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