Depart from Hong Kong
| LINKS
|
| 
Steven rises like Godzilla from Hong Kong Harbor
|
Hong Kong to Singapore
March 28 to April 12 2008
Spring had just begun when we left Baltimore; daffodils and forsythia springing up all
over the place. These wouldn’t hold a candle to the flowers that we would see on our
trip, but after three months of winter they were a welcome site. Easter had been just the
week before, the earliest date possible. The flight to Hong Kong was uneventful, just
very long. A layover in Chicago then a 14 hour flight to China. Our luggage cooperated
and showed up right on schedule. Steven had arranged for a sedan to pick us up at the
airport. They were expecting us on an earlier flight, but no problem, they got us a car
right away.
The initial impression of Hong Kong is of apartment buildings, block after block, mile
after mile of 30 plus story apartments rising up to the sky. You would have to like
apartment living to survive in this city. The Intercontinental Hotel is fabulous, small
men in crisp white uniforms open the doors to a large lobby decorated with plush divans
and oversized artwork in muted earth tones. We check in, wash up in the room, and then
meet the other Steve and Jim in the hotel lounge. The Intercontinental is located across
the harbor from the downtown business district and we have a spectacular view of the
city over the water as we sip cocktails and nibble delicious little tidbits. After cocktails
we wander outside to the waterside walkway. As we leave the cool air-conditioned
hotel the warm air hits us like a wall.
Hong Kong puts on an amazing laser light show at night. Lights on the outside of all the
buildings downtown flash and dance in a sinuous display choreographed to traditional
Chinese folk music. It is a truly amazing display of modern technology melded with the
ancient culture of China; Steven was disappointed that there weren’t fireworks.
After the show we walked along the water to where our ship was docked. Steve was so
excited about going on the cruise; he was practically salivating to find out which cabin
they were staying in. On the way to the ship we passed by a very tacky display of
Olympic mascot lanterns, China is doing the utmost to promote the games. Afterwards
we went for a walk to find an Irish bar, but all restaurants in Hong Kong have smoking
and Steve S could not stand to be in a smoky bar. Instead we found a place with outdoor
seating, had a drink, and went back to the hotel for some long delayed sleep.
|
| 
Freaky Olympic Mascot lanterns
|
| 
|
|
|
Tram Up To The Top Of Mt. Victoria
| 
|
|
The next day we had the morning free to do some sight-seeing. Steven and I took the
Star ferry across the harbor and walked over to a tram station. The railcar goes up
Victoria peak which has an observation platform with a wonderful view of the city.
Despite detailed instructions for the hotel concierge, a map, and street signs in English,
we still managed to get a little lost. By the time we found the station we were both
drenched with sweat. We arrived just in time to get on the next tram up the mountain.
The observatory building is crammed full with multiple floors of tourist shops, think
waving paw cat clocks and happy Buddha paperweights. There is even a Bubba Gump
restaurant. After about 10 minutes on the platform looking at the city we were bored and
ready to go back to the hotel. Back down the mountain and across the water, we lounged
in the hotel until it was time to board the ship.
|
Getting on the ship was quite easy with only 200 passengers. Of course there was the
glass of champagne as we boarded, but also a bottle in our rooms. We each got a picture
ID made and our room keys. After seeing the suites, Steve S was so eager to show us all
his favorite places on the ship; his favorite hot tub; the tiny pool; where they serve tea in
the afternoons; and of course the casino. After the mandatory lifeboat drill, the cruise
began. We all gathered on the top deck for a drink as the boat pulled out of Hong Kong.
That night we had Surf and Turf at the small restaurant, skipping the more formal dinner
below decks.
Our first day on board was at sea. We ate breakfast outside on deck and then lounged for
the rest of the morning. Steven brought his computer and kept up on work email through
wireless internet. I went to the “beginning bridge” class, but the teacher was a pro used
to teaching rich people who really knew how to play, so her ideas of what beginning
meant were vastly different from mine. She was trying to teach a bidding convention,
but even the people who played were confused. She was practically screaming at us the
make a bid, and then totally condescended when the bid wasn’t correct. I left after an
hour to attend the “enrichment” lecture, giving up the idea of learning to play bridge.
Another passenger, who like me was trying to learn, told us later that the instructor
strongly suggested she not come back to future classes.
The lectures were given by a former British ambassador to Vietnam. He was the epitome
of an upper-class Brit, think a shadow undersecretary for silly voices from a Monty
Python sketch. He regaled us with amusing anecdotes about his time in Her Majesty’s
service, dealing with the poor savages in Asia. After the lecture came team trivia at
noon. It was Steve S who came up with our team name, Anita Vacation. We did rather
well. The rest of the day included lunch; a nap; visit to the tiny gym; shower; cocktails;
then dressing for dinner. Days at sea mean formal dress for dinner. This classy boat did
not rent tuxedos, so we had to buy and pack tuxes for the trip. After an excellent dinner
we had more cocktails, Steven lost money in the casino and then we went off to bed.
This was a typical day at sea.
|
CAI LAN, VIETNAM
|
| 
Satellite image of the 2000 plus islands in Halong Bay
|
Cruising Halong Bay By Junk
|
|
| 
|
On Monday April 31st we docked at Cai Lon Vietnam. While many people took the long
excursion to Hanoi, we decided to stay local and cruise Halong bay by junk boat. The
bay is full of approximately 2000 islands, limestone dolomites that rise up out of the sea.
The bay is located in the gulf of Tonkin. The junks that we rode were motorized by
traditionally have sails. These are large, flat bottomed boats with seats and tables below
and a upper deck for viewing. The day was overcast and foggy so the view was not that
great. Our tour group was split amongst three boats. Just as we started out, a small boat
pulled up along side and several local women aggressively tried to sell us fruits, one
even held up her baby to try for the cute factor. After a while they gave up and tried
another boat. We rode across the bay to the gates of heaven. There was a rock
formation there that looks like a dog guarding the gates. Steven couldn’t see it (lack of
imagination). The islands are not inhabited, though a few have light houses. There are
whole communities of houseboats linked together. These people spend their whole lives
on the water and earn a living by fishing. The locals have named about 989 of the islands
based on the shape. The most well known is the fighting (kissing) chickens island. The
junk tour lasted 3 hours, which was an hour and a half too long. The woman who ran the
boat dragged out trays of cheap trinkets she wanted to unload on us. After the tour we
were back on the ship in time for cocktails and dinner.
The next day (April fools) was at
sea. The water was rough and I got rather sea-sick.
|
You buy fruit, you buy fruit NOW!!!
| 
|
| 
|
| 
The Dog Rock At Gate Of Heaven
|
| 
Floating Fishing Village
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
The Fighting Chicken Rocks
|
|
|
| 
|
DA NANG, VIETNAM
|
| Ancient Hoi An
|
We made port at Danang Vietnam on April 2nd. This is the place where China beach is
located and where the radio station broadcast made famous in Good Morning Vietnam
originated. We saw both the beach and the radio tower on our tour, but stopped at
neither. We were driven by bus to the ancient city of Hoi-An which is an ancient
Vietnamese city that was untouched by the war, and has been turned into one tourist
shop after another. The bridge lady was the ships representative on the tour (to make
sure that no one gets lost) so the others in the group got to see how annoying she was.
She just about lost it when our guide disappeared for a while without telling her where
he was going. We went into an ancient house owned by an ancient man and his even
ancestor mother. In this house we saw what ancestor worship is all about; there was a
whole shrine set up to deceased family members. We went into a silk store that in the
US would have been considered a sweat-shop. Young women sit at a table all day long
sewing silk thread into pictures that are incredibly photorealistic. I got to see silkworm
caterpillars and how they spin the material from boiled cocoons into silk thread. This is
where our tour guide left to take one of the passengers back to the bus to get money and
the bridge-lady went apoplectic when she couldn’t find him. The next stop was some
sort of museum that seemed to be mostly communist propaganda, so I didn’t really pay
attention. After that we had about an hour of free time, ostensibly to purchase trinkets,
but we put the time to good use at a bar. I did buy a little lantern to use as an ornament
on our Christmas tree, much to Stevens dismay. “What are we going to do with that?”
was his cry. “We don’t need more stuff” he proclaimed. We had beers at two bars and
then headed back to the bus.
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
Silk Worm caterpillars feeding on mulberry leaves
| 
Spining silk thread from cocoons in water
|
|
Marble Mountains
| 
|
To and from Hoi-An we saw rice fields and a farmer who
was actually riding a water buffalo. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a place
where they carve marble. Shop after shop crammed full of tacky statuary that no sane
person would dream of displaying, but which must be popular in some places. I don’t
know if they expected us to pay to have a heavy chuck of marble shipped overseas, but
they gave us plenty of time to shop in one of these stores. Steven wanted to buy a small
stone monkey but the price was too high. Jim B determined that he could get a better
deal at a shop down the street and headed off to look. Unfortunately he didn’t tell us or
the bridge-lady where he was going and she had a major hissy when we couldn’t find
him. Steven ended up buying a monkey (so much for his protestation that we didn’t
need more stuff) and Jim B got him another at the other shop. We went back to the ship
and set sail that night.
The next day was at sea: room service breakfast; enrichment
lecture; team trivia; lunch; nap; gym; cocktails; formal dinner; casino; bed.
|
| 
|
| 
|
Our Towel Dog, Thank You Andrea
|
SAIGON / HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
|
| 
|
Cruising Up The Mekong Delta
| 
| The next morning (April 4th) we sailed up the Mekong delta to reach Saigon. The river
was surrounded on both sides by thick jungle as it snakes its way through multiple
channels. There were quite a few men in their 60s up on deck taking pictures. It seems
that many of the passengers on this trip had served in the army during the Vietnam War,
and the fact that they were coming back up this river had special meaning to them.
We docked at Saigon / Ho Chi Min city around 9:00.
|
| 
Walking laps in the Dixie Cup
|
The ship's double helical stairway
| 
|
Always with the squating, these people
| 
|
Shopping With The Chef At Local Market
|
| 
|
We had booked a cooking class but
found out that it had been canceled. Instead we went with a group headed by the ship’s
head-chef to a local produce market. The bus trip to the market gave us our first view
of Saigon traffic. Most people ride motor scooters. Our tour guide told us there are
about 4 million in the city. The ship’s daily newsletter had this warning about
traffic.
Westerners often have a difficult time dealing with traffic in Saigon. Red lights are
considered more of a suggestion and drivers may or may not stop. People may drive
down the wrong side of the street and often park on the sidewalk. Pedestrians should not
wait for a break in the traffic to cross the street because the scooters will not stop. Just
step out into the street and traffic will flow around you, but do not make eye contact with
the drivers. Your best choice is to wait for a local citizen to cross the street and make the
crossing with them. Good luck.
The produce market was quite a sight, every sort of food imaginable including all the
major organs from multiple species. The chef showed us various Asian fruits, but the
conditions were less than hygienic and we passed on eating the ones that he cut into. We
couldn’t hear a word he said, but it was fascinating none-the-less. As we waited for the
bus to go back we were besieged by hordes of people trying to sell us post cards. We got
back to the boat; grabbed a quick lunch; then got right back on the bus for the Saigon
city tour.
|
| 
|
| 
Dragon Fruit. Very Pretty. Tastes Like Kiwi
|
Who wants some entrails?
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
These crabs are alive, and boy are they angry
|
Saigon City Tour
|
Thien Hau Temple
| 
|
It was excessively hot that day, but almost nobody in the city wore shorts and
many people had on jackets. Our first stop was the Thien Hau Temple. The building
was stuck in the middle of a city block, next door we could hear the sounds of children
playing at a school. This temple was dedicated to the goddess of the sea. I had a stick
on incense thrust into my hands by the tour guide and he showed us how to pray to the
prosperity idol. Steven didn’t like this at all, but I think that it’s rude not to follow other
people’s customs. We then went to the History museum where we saw the water puppet
show, a bizarre folk in which people behind a screen splash puppets on rods around in
the water. The museum had a number of artifacts ranging from the stone age to modern
times, with plenty of vases and even a mummy. In the courtyard the pedicabs waited for
us. These are bicycles with rickshaw seats in the front. Our tour guide told us that a
dollar tip would be enough, but my driver insisted on two, and Stevens driver told him
that “this is where you give me money.” The ride was fun, being propelled headlong
into a sea of scooters. At one point we were going down the wrong side of the street
with oncoming traffic bearing down on us. The pedicabs let us off at the main post
office. This building and the Catholic church across the street were clear architectural
reminders that this country was once colonized by the French. We went into the church
for a while, where we saw the neon Virgin Mary. Next we headed for the cultural
museum, which is basically just an old government building dedicated to showing relics
from the Vietnam War. We were led through basement bunkers with old radio
equipment and one air conditioned room full of pictures showing smiling politicians
signing something or the other. The highlighted exhibit was the former rulers Mercedes.
The next stop on the tour was a lacquer shop where they had a small exhibit on making
lacquer art and a very large store were we were trapped for about 30 minutes. We were
scheduled to go back to the market that we had been to that morning, but fortunately it
was closed by that time and we got to go back to the boat.
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
History Museum and Water Puppets
| 
|
Really! Puppets, in water. Bizarre folk art tradition
| 
|
| 
Pedicabs. This is where you give me money
|
The Neon Virgin
| Cultural Evening
|
| 
|
After a very quick shower we
were back on the bus for a Cultural Evening in Saigon. They took us to a house that
used to belong to Henry Cabot Lodge during the war. It was a private residence owned
by a young couple with two small sons whom they dressed up in the fancy silk pajamas
and little round hat that you used to see Asian children wearing in old photos. The
evening started with a group of women dancing to traditional music. There were 3
costume changes and it was all very graceful. After the dancing in the courtyard we
moved inside for a traditional meal, mostly rice and vegetables with a very little meat,
while a group of musicians played Vietnamese music. The host couple invited us to
roam the house, which we did. The rooms were tastefully decorated in an Asian sort of
way. One wonders how often these people must host these dinners. On the way back to
the ship, the other Steve and Jim got off the bus to have a drink at the roof bar of the Rex
hotel. They wanted us to come along, but we were both too tired. We were pleasantly
surprised when we got back to the cabin and found that the chef and staff had made up a
plate with all the odd Asian fruits that we had seen at the market, along with a card
naming each type.
|
| 
|
Second Day In Saigon
| 
Beer At The Roof Bar Of The Rex Hotel
|
We had scheduled no excursions on our second day in Saigon, so we decided to walk
around downtown. It was hot, like blast furnace hot, but the natives were still fully
covered. We were told on our tour that this to prevent getting any sort of tan. Dark skin
is considered a sign of being lower class in these societies, so people avoid being
exposed to the sun at all costs. We walked to the Diamond department store, which is
very upscale. By the time we walked the 6 blocks I was soaked in sweat. The store was
very Western, everything was written in English, but none of the workers spoke our
language. Prices were outrageous; one shirt I looked at had a price tag with six figures.
We went to the top floor food court KFC and found a bowling alley / video game room.
We wanted to bowl but the staff was telling us something that we couldn’t understand.
We had a couple of Pepsis at the bar and then tried for the bowling again. Luckily at that
time a Vietnamese speaking English woman came with her two children. After speaking
with the staff she told us that Honda was having an event there so that only people with a
pass could play the games. This explained the girls in cheerleader outfits on the bowling
lanes, and the women in skin-tight leather jumpsuits seductively stroking the Honda
motor scooter prominently displayed in the middle of the room. We hightailed it out of
there, clearly we didn’t belong. Back out in the hot sun, we walked over to the cities
main Post Office to write and mail some cards. Next we tried to find a casino that was
shown on the map, but to no avail. Either it was closed or hidden. We then walked back
to the Rex hotel and had a few beers on the elaborate rooftop bar. The other Steve and
Jim met up with us for a few more beers and then we all headed back to the ship.
|
|
|
Selection of Asian fruits from the market
| 
We have an abundance of fruit in our cabin I tell you
|
|
|
The next day was at sea. The enrichment lecture was quite interesting; about how
important the Mekong River is to all of Southeast Asia. The Chinese are building dams
and diverting water, which will be devastating for countries like Cambodia. We also
heard about how these countries blame China for all their problems, and that there is a
great deal of prejudice against ethnic Chinese living in these other countries. Our Trivia
time, Anita Vacation, continued to do well and pick up members.
|
KO KOOD, THAILAND
|
| 
|
April 7th found us pulling into the bay of the island of Ko Kood in the South of Thailand.
This stop was a big deal to the people on board who cruse frequently. The boat staff
goes over first to set everything up. Seabourn maintains a private beach on this island so
there were already chairs and umbrellas, bathrooms and such. We went over in tenders
that are stowed in a big garage below decks on the ship. Steven really wanted a Thai
massage on the beach (Lord knows why). The scuttlebutt around the ship was that the
available slots fill up fast, so he made sure that we went over in the first group so that he
could sign up. We got off the tender and were greeted on the wooden dock by a smiling
native holding a fresh coconut sliced off at the top and with a straw stuck inside to sip
the liquid. I have always wanted to try fresh coconut, but it wasn’t very good. Tasted
like vegetable water. The beach was spectacular; everything you could want from a
tropical island with palm trees and sparkling white sand. You wouldn’t believe how
warm the water was. The tide was low so you could wade out quite far before the water
got too deep. After splashing about for a bit we retired to our lounge chairs and were
served a tasty rum punch. At around 11:45 the bar staff, dressed in their white uniforms,
entered the water with a raft holding champagne. Next a small motor boat with siren
blaring came from the ship bearing caviar. The normally reserved passengers rushed
into the ocean to feed. You would think that these people hadn’t been gorging on
gourmet food for the last week. Lunch on the beach was buffet style. The boat staff had
set up the tables with linens and silverware. The lamb and ribs were excellent. Steven
and Jim B went for massages. Steven said it as like being in a 1950s wrestling match,
with moves like the Boston crab and the Fist of Fury. The experience would have been
extremely traumatic if he hadn’t been paying for it. We all wanted to ride the Banana
Boat, a long yellow tube pulled by a power boat. The group before us fell off and too
forever to get back on. We went out slowly but then picked up speed. The spray from
the ocean splashed in our eyes so that we could barely see. They dragged us back and
forth across the lagoon, as we gripped the handles for dear life. The ride finally ended
when the rope broke and we drifted to a stop. Jim B wanted to go again, but the rest of
us wanted drinks. After downing a Pina Colada I waded out in the bay until the water
was at my chin. I could have just floated there for hours it was so peaceful. The sounds
of water lapping about my ears and gulls crying from the blue sky. The Steves came out
to join me, followed by Jim B when he had finished a second banana boat ride. After
this marvelous day on the beach, we took the tenders back to the ship. That night we ate
outside at the casual restaurant and had a rather loud conversation about politics which I
fear bothered some of our fellow passengers. When we got back to the room we found
that our cabin stewardess had left us a small glass jar filled with sand and a single
seashell. She had written a very nice note saying that she thought we would like this
souvenir of the day at the beach. We really appreciated the extra effort he made during
our stay (did I mention the towel dog?).
|
| 
|
Taking out the Champagne
| 
The bar staff looks worried
|
Like sharks sensing blood in the water,
the cruisers make their move
| 
The feeding frenzy in full swing
|
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
BANGKOK, THAILAND
|
| River Kwai and Elephant Ride
|
| 
|
The morning of April 8th found us pulling into Bangkok Thailand. The city is
unbelievably huge. The group going to Angkor Wat got right off the boat and headed for
the airport. We took the River Kwai tour because Steven really wanted to ride an
elephant. Traffic in Bangkok is terrible; it took an hour just to get out of the city. The
first stop on the tour was a recreation of a Japanese POW camp, where war atrocities
were illustrated in graphic detail throughout the length of a long wooden hut. We were
then herded into small boats and taken downriver to the Bridge Over The River Kwai.
Japan forced POWs to build a railroad system through Southeast Asia and this bridge
was part of that effort. We walked over the bridge and back, then went into a flea
-market with vendors selling designer knock-offs and tourist trinkets. Steven bought a
pair of Oakley sunglasses for 3 dollars US. Somewhere along the line they took our
pictures because as we were leaving people approached us to sell commemorative
ashtrays with our photos glued in the bottom. We got back onto the bus and it was onto
the Death Railway Museum. Here once again the atrocities of WWII and the abuses of
POWs were shown in very graphic terms including a life-sized statue of two malaria
victims supporting a man with cholera. There was also an exhibit of a prisoner’s leg
being amputated. After the museum we went outside and walked about the POW
graveyard across the street until it was time to leave. What a depressing morning.
Next the tour moved onto the lovely River Kwai Resort and Conference Center for a
traditional lunch: a salad with light Asian dressing; chicken and leek soup; spring rolls;
and a number of dishes that featured chicken, beef, pork, fried fish, and copious amounts
of rice. Dessert was just fresh fruit.
|
| 
The Storied Bridge Over The River Kwai
|
How I learned to love the bomb
|
|
| 
|
Lunch at the lovely River Kwai Resort and Conference Center
| 
And onto the Elephants
|
After lunch and another hour bus ride we reached
the elephant camp. After arriving we immediately lined up to get on the animals. They
had attached a wooden bench for 2 to the back of each elephant. The handler rode on the
neck of beast. We rode single file along a well-trod path. After a while the handler
turned around and made a camera motion. I give him our camera and he jump down to
start taking pictures. He must have taken at least 20 pictures of us over the next 30 min,
though only 1 or 2 were any good. He really did try though, taking pictures through
azalea bushes and from all angles. After the tour we tipped our elephant handler
generously for his picture taking enthusiasm. Next we purchased bananas to feed the
elephants. They took our picture holding the tusks of a very old bull elephant; they said
he was over 90 years. The elephants grabbed the fruit from our hands with their noses
and crammed it into their mouths. Feeding the elephants was great fun but their noses
are quite slimy and we really had to scrub our hands to get the elephant mucus off.
Thank goodness they had a wash station with plenty of soap and paper towels. We had a
three hour bus ride back to the ship, and once there we really didn’t feel like going back
out again. We really wanted to hit the Bangkok bars that night, but after a hard day of
riding in a bus and visiting museums we were just too tired. Instead we got a DVD from
the ships library, ordered room service for dinner, and called it a night. We are truly
pathetic old men.
|
| 
|
|
|
|
A beautiful selection of orchads in our suite that night
| 
Spirit House With Offerings of Soda and Fruit
|
Imperial Treasures of Bangkok
| 
|
The next morning we embarked on the Imperial Treasures of Bangkok excursion. They
took us to the Imperial Palace and Shrine. The complex is incredibly ornate; every
surface is covered with some sort of decoration. There are a series of temples each
decorated in a different style. There is also a scale model of Angkor Wat. Tourguide
told us that when the ruins were discovered, the King of Siam ordered 200 men to bring
the whole of Angkor Wat back to Bangkok. They went, saw that it would be impossible
to move, then came right back. At that point the King had this model made as the next
best thing. We went to the temple of the Jade Buddha, long pants and no shoes were
required. The Buddha sits atop a large shrine, the ceiling is painted in the Asian style,
and there are pictures hung about the room, probably of the royal family. Every bit of
the large room was decorated either with painting or tile. After sitting on the floor for 10
min we continued on. We were shown to the building inhabited by the royal family, and
saw the King’s throne. One thing that was very interesting is how the King an his family
are practically worshiped as Gods. There are pictures of the King everywhere; small
pictures like the one in the front of our bus, and large billboard size pictures on the side
of the road. The sister of the king had recently died of cancer and I think that our tour
guide was talking about an 18 month long funeral. We saw the field where she was to be
cremated. Another interesting aspect of Thai religion is the spirits. There are spirits for
everything and every place, and people build elaborate spirit houses to tempt the right
spirits into staying. Every house, business and hotel has a spirit house prominently
displayed. Devout people make daily offerings of flowers and food at the spirit houses
to make the spirits happy. Flowers play an important part of Thai life. There are
flowering trees and bushes everywhere. We passed an area in downtown where for
block after block they do nothing but arrange flowers into wreaths and baskets. All of
this makes Thailand a very pretty place.
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
Replica of Angkor Wat made after the King of Siam
was told he couldn't move the temple to Bangkok
|
| 
|
| 
Temple of the Jade Buddah
|
| 
|
After our tour of the palace we returned to the ship. Because it was so hot I changed into
shorts, but Steven kept on long pants (remember that very few locals wear shorts). We
took the shuttle bus back downtown (about 40 min ride) then asked the guide how to get
to the State Tower, which we had been told by a crewman was the highest building in
Bangkok with a great view and nice bar. We took a cab to the tower (another 30 min of
sitting in traffic) and then up to the top floor. We were met by a woman dressed in
traditional attire who told us that shorts and open toed shoes were not appropriate attire
for the venue, and suggested that we go down to the restaurant on the 4th floor. She did
allow us to go to the window to look out, but accompanied us to make sure we didn’t try
to make a break for it. Steven was so angry with me for having worn shorts and sandals,
he wouldn’t speak to me for ten minutes (in my own defense, remember that it was
excessively hot). We did go to the restaurant without a view and each had Pad Thai, our
favorite Thai dish. After lunch we hired a cab to take us right back to the ship rather
than sitting in traffic to get back to the shuttle stop. The driver took us on the elevated
expressway which made the trip much faster.
|
| 
|
Final Days At Sea
Team Trivia Was Intense
| 
|
That evening we all gathered on the top
deck to watch the ship depart. It was a lovely evening, clouds piled up on the horizon,
with the city highlighted against the setting sun. The bar staff circulated with
champagne and trays of canapés. And so we began the last leg of our trip.
We had two days at sea as we sailed to Singapore. Our trivia team won the competition
and we were rewarded with coffee travel-mugs. On the second day our cabin stewardess
pulled our luggage out and left it sitting on the beds, reminding us that it was time to
pack and get out. I guess that for elderly travelers this was a good thing but for us it
seemed a bit of a slap in the face. We had to be out of the cabin by 8:00 the next
morning and off the ship by 9:00. Vacation over, don’t let the door hit you on the way
out. The ship’s captain was at the exit and shook everyone’s hand as we left.
|
| 
|
| Gally Lunch
|
Oliver Welcomes Us With Vodka Shots
| 
|
| 
The Very Charming Wait Staff
|
|
| 
|
SINGAPORE
|
| 
|
We got a cab from the dock
to the Intercontinental Hotel and the driver gave us a running commentary about the
city. Interestingly, the neighborhood where our hotel sat used to be where the
transvestites plied their trade. We went to the lounge for a second breakfast and lounged
for a bit. We were ready to start exploring Singapore by about 11:30, just when the
monsoon rainstorm started. We walked around the hotel-adjacent shopping mall for a bit
and had a round of Tiger beers while we waited for the rain to stop. It didn’t (stop), so
we decided to take the subway to Chinatown. Why Singapore, a Chinese country, needs
a Chinatown is a mystery to me. The subway was clean and easy to navigate.
Everything was in English and it was all very high-tech. It was still raining when we got
to the Chinatown station, so we wandered about another shopping mall for a while.
Singapore has a lot of malls. The rain stopped and we went outside to visit the street
vendors. The hotel concierge had recommended visiting these local stalls to get lunch,
assuring us that they were safe for Westerners. His exact words were that everything in
Singapore is clean. We found a small shop to have more beer and try a few local dishes.
One was fried shrimp, but the heads and shells were still on so that it was difficult to eat.
We then wandered about the stalls for a while before taking a cab to the Singapore Flyer,
a gigantic Ferris wheel with great views of the city. One revolution takes about 40
minutes, which was a little long but we did get to see the city in all its glory. Probably
one of the most interesting things we saw there was in the shopping mall below the
wheel. Fish massage; people put their bare feet and legs into tanks of water and hordes
of little black fish nibble at the dead skin cells. It is truly freaky and quite frankly looks
like a good way to transmit disease. After the wheel, for some unknown reason, Steven
decided he needed to have Popeye’s fried chicken so we stopped and had more food.
|
| 
Singapore Flyer observation wheel, just opened
30 m higher than the London Eye
|
| 
|
| 
|
| 
Singapore Slings at the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel
|
Spicy Crab At Newton's Circus Hawkers Market
| 
|
Next we walked to Raffles Hotel to have Singapore Slings at the Long Bar. This is
where the drink originated and it is one of the things you need to do just once to say
you’ve done it. The slings tasted a bit like Hawaiian Punch with a little bit of rum, and
they were quite expensive. As we sat in the bar, Steve S reminisced about shopping
with his mother in Philadelphia and then having Singapore Slings in an Italian
restaurant.
We returned to our hotel to wash up and prepare to go out for dinner. Steve S had read
that spicy crab was the must have dish when visiting Singapore. One of our fellow
passengers knew just the place and arranged to meet us there that night. When the
government of Singapore decided to clean the city up (remember there are canings for
even slight infractions) they forced the street vendors to get off the street. Newton
Circus is the place where they made them go so that everything is neat and tidy. Now
there are health inspections of the food stalls and it is all highly regulated. The shops
surround a large area full of plastic picnic tables and the place was packed. We found a
good spot towards the back and placed our order. The shop proprietress told us her name
was Whinny, like Whinny the Pooh. The food was certainly fresh, we watched her pull
the live crabs out of a tank. The dish was very tasty, the sauce just a little spicy. The
only way to eat this was with both hands. Whinny came around and pinned paper
napkins to each of us, but by the end of the meal we were all covered in sauce. Don’t
wear nice cloths to eat spicy crab. We said our final goodbyes to our fellow passengers
and took a cab back to the hotel.
|
Our proprietress Whinny, and the guest of honor
| 
|
Spicy Crab, THE dish to have in Singapore
| 
|
| 
|
Joseph gets down and dirty
| 
|
| 
|
Steve S really wanted to go to McDonalds and
convinced us all to come with him. There were quite a lot of young people there (11:00
on a Saturday night) many with school books doing homework. This McDonalds was
much more high-tech than the American version. There were computer kiosks for
ordering, and a flat-screen TV scrolling text messages that the customers send in via
their mobile phones. There is nothing like grease soaked French fries and a milk
-product-like McFlurry to end a vacation.
We said goodbye to the other Steve and Jim and went to bed. Our flight was at 7:00 the
next morning, so we had to get up at 4:00. Everything went smoothly on the trip home.
Singapore to Hong Kong, then onto Chicago O’Hare and finally 24 hours later we were
back home in Baltimore. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and were back at work the
next day. It seemed like we were gone for much longer than 2 weeks, but on the other
hand the time just flew. It was nice having people wait on us hand and foot during
our cruise, but as Dorothy Gale says…
|
Our last meal is at a traditional
Singapore eating establishment
|
|