Dubai

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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.



I finished Chaplin , A Life by Weisseman which is about his life in England before he went to the USA at 24, then his early days in movies.



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.



Day 26 Wednesday April 8

At sea across the Bay of Bengal. Slight swell

36c partly cloudy



There wasn't any Zumba so we went to the astronomy lecture which ok, then had a swim and read.



After a light lunch I went to another lecture on navigation this time about how the early European navigators developed methods and instruments to determine their longitude and Gail went to choir. After that a bit more reading then Gail walked het 52 laps which means she is now doing 7kms. She had a swim after her walk then I did my measly 21after which we both went to the stretch class.



We went to the Internet cafe and sent some emails and paid some bills. Unfortunately the coverage in the cabin is not always good enough to do that sort of stuff.



Before dinner we had a drink with a couple we met on Safari in Kenya and sailed with on the Queen Mary. The entertainment was an English singer/comedian who was all right.



I finished Beyond Glory by David Margolink which was about the L

Joe Louis v Max Schmeling world heavyweight championship fights in the second half of the 1930s and concentrated on the implications for racial relations in Germany and the USA and the place the fights had in international politics of the time.



Day 27 Thursday April 9

At Sea west south westerly across the Bay of Bengal, slight swell.

34c light cloud



We did Zumba and did the cruise long short quiz. Then as I was feeling really tired because I didn't sleep well last night I went back to the cabin and had a sleep (3 hours). Gail sat on the deck chairs and read and then listened to the poolside melodies.



I woke up and went to another navigation lecture this one was about time and how clocks, watches and chronometers were developed. Gail was at choir by this time so I went to the library and changed a book then went to listen to them rehearse. When Gail was walking and doing stretch I went back to the cabin and watched the movie, Selma, which was about the civil rights movement in USA.



We had a pre dinner drink in our cabin then went to dinner. The piano player was on again last night and he was good.





Day 28 Friday April 10

At sea south westerly across the Bay of Bengal

33c, bit of a swell, otherwise calm seas



After breakfast we did the cruise long short trivia, we are not doing that well. I went to a talk on winds and currents, it was a bit hard going. Gail read and had a swim. After lunch I went to a talk on eclipses which was pretty interesting while Gail went to choir practice. Then we swam and read a bit, then walked and went to the sunset stretch class.

Before dinner we went to a martini making demonstration. After dinner the show was a production called I've Got the Music which was very good.



Day 29 Saturday April 11

Colombo, Sri Lanka

31c very humid some heavy rain



We were up early and on the bus to Kandy, the old capital before 8.00. It was supposed to be a three and a half hour drive. Wr were on the third bus and we went in convoy with a police escort. There were two police on one motor bike in front and another two behind. They stopped traffic in front and stopped faster traffic getting in front of us. They also let us through traffic lights against the red lights. At times they had us on the wrong side of the road while they stopped the oncoming traffic.



The traffic was really thick and we found out that 1) the high priest of Kandi had died in Singapore where he had gone for an operation and his body had just been returned and he is to be buried tomorrow so people were going up to pay homage, 2) the President of Bhutan was visiting Kandi that day and 3) Monday is their New Year so this was the last shopping day of the long weekend before they party. The guide said he had been a guide for 20 years and had never seen traffic like it before.



Then the bus broke down, half way up a hill on a bend on a single lane road, that was fun. They fixed the bus and we drove to the National Botanical Gardens which were very nice, but it had taken well over 4 hours. The Bhutan President was coming there to plant a tree as have whole heap of other royals and dignitaries. By this time we had caught up with the other buses so went off to the Queen's Hotel for lunch which was pretty good. After lunch we went to the Temple of the Tooth (reputedly Buddha's). They would not let me in because I had shorts on even though they were well below my knees, so I bought a bolt of material that they sell to do the job for $6 and lined up with all the other men. Next thing Gail came out because they would not let her in because even though her skirt came to her ankles it had a slit in it up to just under her knees, not a very visible split as it was a loose skirt. I gave her my covering and went to wait in the bus for them.



The buses had to go to a different entrance and when she came out Gail did not see me in the bus so thought I was lost and got very worried, but I found her so it turned out ok even though I got into trouble for not getting lost.



After the temple we got back in the bus for the trip back. If anything the traffic was worse and it was night. We still had the police escort thank goodness or we might still be in Sri Lanka. One of the other buses broke down, then somehow or other we lost our escort. We were supposed to be back on board at 7.00 and the ship was to sail at 7.30. We got back at 8.20, but they had waited of course because we were on an official ship excursion. The trip both ways was basically accelerator and brake with heaps of sudden stops because the motor bikes and tuk tuks just cross whenever they feel like it. Our shoulders were sore from hanging on to the seat in front, no seat belts of course.



Dinner had already started so we went to the Bistro and got ourselves some snacks, cheese and a bottle of red and went back to our cabin where we watched Still Alice on the movie channel. As it was about a woman who gets early onset Alzheimer's it seemed the logical way to end the day. We did see some fascinating features of Sri Lankan life and got a lot of information about Sri Lanka from the guide who had plenty of time to talk to us.



Day 29 Sunday April 12

At sea through the Lakshadweep Sea then up the West coast of India. Seas slight.

31c, some cloud.



Gail got up early and walked then we had breakfast did the Zumba class and the quiz. Gail did some washing then we read for a while on deck. I went to another talk on weather patterns and navigation and another later on about the solar system. Gail went to choir then we had a swim, I walked then we went to the stretch class.



After dinner we went to the show which was the English singer Michelle Montouri. She was very entertaining.



Gail finished Room by Emma Donohue and I finished Fiddlers by Ed McBaine





Day 30 Monday April 13

Cochin India, which was an important 14C port for the spice trade.

35c with some cloud



We were up early because the whole ship had to go through an on board face to face inspection with Indian immigration officials, even those who were not going ashore, which we have not had to do in any other country. This took a while.



After that we boarded a bus, having changed $50A into 4,400 rupees. Our first stop was at Santa Cruz Basilica which was a built by the Portuguese a and was the first European church built in India. It had a wooden roof and a sail type arrangement for ventilation. From there we went to St Francis church which was also built by the Portuguese. Vasco da Gama is buried inside the church. We walked along the harbour edge and looked at the Chinese fishing nets which are tall wooden triangular structures are set up on the waters edge that swing out into the current. Evidently they only catch fish in the monsoon season and the rest of the year are used to catch tourists, or so our guide said.



Our next stop was Mattancherry Palace built by the Portuguese and then remodelled by the Dutch in the 15C. It had some impressive murals and a collection of clothing worn by the Rajas of Cochin. From there we walked through the narrow streets of shops and the battery of hawkers to the Paradesi Synagogue which we were told was the oldest, still operating synagogue in the British Commonwealth. It had hand painted floor tiles and coper plaques dating back to 1568.



We walked down to spice market which was a cooperative operated by a group of

women which was quite interesting. They had diversified and we bought a couple of things including a pill box for me because I left mine at home. The guide, who was very good told us some interesting things about Indian society and kept saying" please do not ask me to explain the logic behind this because there is none".



We went back to the ship and relaxed for a while then walked and did the stretch class. The night's entertainment was an English magician, Phillip Hichcock, whose tricks were clever but his patter so so.



Day 31 Tuesday April 14

At sea up the west coast of India, seas slight

30c slight cloud



We did the short quiz then Gail went to a seminar on Eat More To Weigh Less and I went to one on the great minds of astronomy. After lunch I went to a talk on the French explorers in the Pacific which was good. After lunch we read, swam, walked and did the stretch class. When I say swam, 6 strikes takes you from one end of the pool to the other.



It was a formal night and we had an early show before dinner so it was a bit of a rush to get our glad rags on. The show was a ventriloquist and we don't like them that much. He was ok but I have never figured out why putting a dummy on your arm gives you a licence to be rude. We were going to go dancing after dinner and went up to the Tahitian Lounge where they had Rock n Roll but Gail hurt her leg getting up from the table so just watched for a while then went to bed.



Day 32 Wednesday April 15

Mumbai or Bombay, they do seem to use both

30c very hazy



We had to do another on board face to face with Indian immigration but did not take as long this time.



We got on a bus that took us out of the port and into the city to a place on the harbour called the Gateway to India which is an arch built to commemorate the visit of King George V in 1911. We boarded a boat/ferry from some steps just behind the arch by boarding one boat and walking through it onto another one.



We then went across Mumbai Harbour for an hour past naval vessels and their bulk oil uploading facility to Elephanta Island. When we got off the boat we got on a little train type thing that took us a kilometre down the jetty to a group of shops and a toilet. We walked up what we had been promised was 120 steps but it seemed easier than that. There were stalls all along the way but most of them were not open yet as I think we may have been earlier that most tourists. At the top of the stairway were the Elephanta Caves which are 6th century UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hindu deities carved into the walls of three caves. Most of the images were of Shiva who fought evil so there were some images of the cobra because like another religion I know of the snake represents evil. There were also images of Vishnu and Brahmin and one complete wall about 18 ft high and 30 ft long telling the story of creation.



Evidently originally there was a huge statue of an elephant outside which the Portuguese used for target practice. It seems they did not destroy the carvings inside because some of the carvings were of this trinity of gods and they recognised the symbolism of the Trinity along with the symbols of good and evil as perhaps somehow linked to the symbolism of Christianity or certainly the catholic version the Portuguese followed.



We spent a good hour or so in the caves then walked back down the steps. Most of the stalls were open by now so it was a bit of a gauntlet. We sailed back across the harbour and got some good views of Mumbai as we got near. This time we pulled up against another boat but before we could get down to get off another one pulled up along side us so there were two boatloads of people trying to exit through a third boat. It was a bit of a schemozzle not helped by the fact that there was a bit of a swell and you had to jump from the moving boat on to a step, some of the people in our group and on the other boat were quite elderly and not all that mobile and the Indians don't have much idea of queuing.



We made it back to the bus and then to the ship. We had some lunch, read and then went out to watch the sail away. We watched the end of it from our balcony and watched the pilot get off which is always interesting. They do it just under our balcony.



The numbers with regards to population in India are confronting; 1.15 billion. As an example, Indian rail is the single largest employer in the world with 1.1 million.



Gail had just finished the Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks and the movie of the book was the evening movie so she had dinner in the cabin and watched it. She was disappointed because they changed the story, there's a surprise. I went to dinner then we both went to the show which was a multi instrumentalist, Mark Donoghue who was quite good.



Day 33 Thursday April 16

At sea across the Arabian Sea , seas smooth, very slight swell

30c, light winds



As Gail's leg was sore we didn't go to Zumba and went up too late to do the quiz which was a pity because we listened and knew most of the answers. I caught the end of the astronomy talk and realised that the reason we can't always see the constellations clearly is because they were recognised and named by the ancient astronomers in the northern hemisphere so we see them upside down, not really an earth shattering observation.



After that I went to the first of two talks on Charles Darwin, which covered the early part of his voyage aboard the beagle and was very informative. Gail did some washing. After lunch we sat by the pool, had a swim and read, this is a really tough life.



Later, while Gail went to choir, I wrote up the blog because I was a couple of days behind then walked 26 laps or 2 nautical miles which was my target now I will concentrate on getting the time I take down. Gail didn't walk because of her leg and is frustrated, but it is improving. After walking I did the stretch then we had a pre dinner drink and went to dinner. The show was another production by the dancers and singers called Motor City which s based on Motown music not our favourite genre but the show was brilliant. These kids are great performers.



I finished "Fair Game" by Valerie Plame Wilson who was the CIA agent outed by Dick Cheney's office in an attempt to destroy the credibility of her husband, a private citizen, who wrote articles debunking the WMD justification for the war on Iraq based on a fact finding mission the CIA had asked him to undertake on their behalf.



Now that we are leaving Asia and heading for the Middle East, my lasting overall impression of Asia is of the rubbish. India was probably the worst, and Thailand the cleanest, or least messy. Otherwise, it was great. Apart from the pedlars the people were polite, seemed happy and proud of their country and keen to show it to you. Again the pedlars in Thailand were the least intrusive.



Another observation is that there seems to be a small but significant Muslim presence in all these countries and it appears to be increasing.



Day 34 Friday April 17

At sea across the Arabian Sea and into the Gulf of Oman. Slight swell

30c, quite a strong breeze



I went to Zumba while Gail watched because her leg is still a bit sore. After Zumba we did the quick quiz then I went to the second talk on Charles Darwin, this time about his travels in New Zealand and Australia. Seems he didn't like either place all that much.



We had some lunch then read for a while before Gail went to choir. We had a late swim then I walked 26 laps again this time trying to do it a bit faster. Then we did the stretch class with Gail doing a limited set of exercises.



We had a before dinner drink in our cabin rather than on the balcony because of the wind then went to dinner. The entertainment was the ventriloquist again so we didn't go but went upstairs to the western night. It was good. But Gail couldn't dance because of her leg.



We have had 34 days from Sydney almost al the way to Dubai and apart from one day have had fine weather at sea, there has not been a day where the ship has rocked or swayed. You lie in your bed and it is so calm that there is absolutely no sensation that you are actually moving.

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