'04 Radisson Grand Voyage-Segment 3

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What is the world’s oldest operating outdoor theater that enjoys nightly viewing from deck chairs and sometimes is flooded by the changing tides? It’s Sun Pictures in Broome, Western Australia. The theater is also in the flight path of the local airport for an extra added thrill to your movie. Broome is about as outback as you can get a cross between red rock formations of Mars and the white sandy beaches of Florida. A fascinating place where risk taking “pearlers” live side by side with the native Aborigines.

Next, we were off to Southeast Asia. Our first stop was Singapore where east meets west. We took a thrilling cable car ride over the ship’s berth to Sentosa Island. That evening we toasted our journey with Singapore slings at the Long Bar in the famous “Raffles Hotel” just before a gala dinner for the Voyager Club members.

Next stop, Bangkok! Because of the two hour trip from the port to the city, the ship invited all passengers for an overnight stay at the Shangri La Hotel. During the day we toured the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, and tons of various pagodas and temples. After dinner we joined three other couples each in our own “Tuk Tuk” and raced through the streets of Bangkok to the infamous “Pat Pon” night market. Tuk Tuk’s are three wheeled motorized taxis, half rickshaw, half golf cart. Very exciting! Next morning we sped along canals in “Long Tail Boats” to the floating market, where everything was for sale by the river.

Next was a country we never imagined we’d ever see, Vietnam! This is an amazing place where half the population is under 25 years old and all of them are on the highways and byways on their motorbikes or bicycles together at the same time in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). We wondered where they (sometimes 4 or 5 on a bike) were going. The bargains were unbelievable $2.00 buys you a t-shirt or a hair cut. The Communist influence was everywhere. We saw a cemetery where 50,000 Viet Cong were reburied from the north to this location. We saw the war rooms at the headquarters building and the so-called re-education center after the war. We even crawled through the notorious Cu Chi Tunnels, feeling very uneasy navigating the small dark spaces. If you checked the latest photo album, yes, that is a giant python around my neck. I couldn’t resist, the snake was hissing my name, even tried to give me a little tongue. EEK!

Special events this segment for the Grand Voyagers included an evening at the famous roof garden at the Rex Hotel in Saigon. A first ever was the international food court put on by the ships officers and crew in the crew bar and dining hall (an area usually off limits to passengers).

This third segment ended with my 57th birthday celebration. Whew, what a party. We had two birthdays and anniversary at the same table of 12 people. At the end of the dinner we were swarmed with dining staff singing and producing three different cakes for the events. A night I won’t soon forget.

Now we are off to Hong Kong to start the fourth segment.

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