https://quiltingjan.smugmug.com/Travel/2018-Travel/World-Cruise-on-Amsterdam/
If you are interested in seeing the Safari photos in particular, you can quickly scroll down through all the photos and you'll come across them...enjoy! A trip of a lifetime that was very much worth it!
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
April 12: At Sea
Another Sea Day, one of 5 in a row until we reach Gambia.
Tonight we will cross the Prime Meridian AND the Equator at 11:23 (or something like that)...00.00.00 Latitude and 00.00.00 Longitude. There will be parties...of course. It'll be hard for me to stay up since I finally got the cough that is going around, so I'm getting sleepy taking the cold pills.
We were sorry to not have another day in Cape Town since we really had no time to see the city itself. Our drive to the Cape of Good Hope was lovely and made us want to see more of that area, but it must wait for another day.
Walvis Bay, Namibia was our next stop in Africa. Chris took a 4x4 ride on the incredible sand dunes that go for miles (photos later). Meanwhile I took the shuttle bus into the small town (very small, but neat homes) to a lagoon that held thousands of flamingos. I've never seen so many (white ones, too...even though they eat the same crustaceans.)
After that, more Sea Days until Luanda, Angola which is a very large city, but we were given admonishments if we went ashore to not photo government buildings, guards, guarded buildings, don't use ATMs or credit cards, use only prime condition dollars, go in groups (yes, one group of 4 still had a mugging that was thwarted by police), not to drink the water or eat anything that had come into touch with their water and to not even wash our hands in their water...and don't even buy their bottled water because it may have been "rebottled." Too many "don'ts" to make us want to go ashore much...but we did, just to a local market stall area where we did find several artists selling their wares, so we bought a small painting. (We usually like to collect tiles from places we visit but we have not seen any in Africa at all, so a small painting will have to do.)
Now we have 5 Sea Days in total to Gambia, and the next day's port in Senegal. Unfortunately our internet is down and probably won't be working until Senegal, so there's no hope of posting anything, let alone any photos I'm behind in until after that.
Sent from my iPad
Tonight we will cross the Prime Meridian AND the Equator at 11:23 (or something like that)...00.00.00 Latitude and 00.00.00 Longitude. There will be parties...of course. It'll be hard for me to stay up since I finally got the cough that is going around, so I'm getting sleepy taking the cold pills.
We were sorry to not have another day in Cape Town since we really had no time to see the city itself. Our drive to the Cape of Good Hope was lovely and made us want to see more of that area, but it must wait for another day.
Walvis Bay, Namibia was our next stop in Africa. Chris took a 4x4 ride on the incredible sand dunes that go for miles (photos later). Meanwhile I took the shuttle bus into the small town (very small, but neat homes) to a lagoon that held thousands of flamingos. I've never seen so many (white ones, too...even though they eat the same crustaceans.)
After that, more Sea Days until Luanda, Angola which is a very large city, but we were given admonishments if we went ashore to not photo government buildings, guards, guarded buildings, don't use ATMs or credit cards, use only prime condition dollars, go in groups (yes, one group of 4 still had a mugging that was thwarted by police), not to drink the water or eat anything that had come into touch with their water and to not even wash our hands in their water...and don't even buy their bottled water because it may have been "rebottled." Too many "don'ts" to make us want to go ashore much...but we did, just to a local market stall area where we did find several artists selling their wares, so we bought a small painting. (We usually like to collect tiles from places we visit but we have not seen any in Africa at all, so a small painting will have to do.)
Now we have 5 Sea Days in total to Gambia, and the next day's port in Senegal. Unfortunately our internet is down and probably won't be working until Senegal, so there's no hope of posting anything, let alone any photos I'm behind in until after that.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
April 24, 2018: At Sea in the Sargasso Sea (weed)
Musings while we are sailing amongst the seaweed in the Sargasso Sea...where 4 currents keep a circulation of this seaweed that provides shelter and nutrients for various sea animals.
Tomorrow is our last port of call, San Juan, PR. We are looking forward to a short visit there...hoping to see not much change in Old San Juan after the hurricane.
This afternoon is the "Crew Show" where assorted crew members put on a music and dancing show that showcases their homeland's songs and dances. It's always a full house and a big hit, so we'll go an hour early. Several of our Lido dining staff are in it, so we will go to applaud them.
I've been sitting here thinking about all the questions I had about this cruise (or anyone who took a World Cruise) before we came on, and what I've now found my answers are.
The passengers (1200 or so) ranged from a 1-year-old (staff daughter who was on for almost half the cruise...learned to walk, had about 1200 grandparents to help her and keep her amused) and a 10-year-old boy who was on for the whole cruise with his grandparents (who, yes, provided home schooling for him) to at least one 100-year-old that we know of (might be another one or two). Most were like us, in our mid-70's, retired, and love to cruise. A few were people who were still working and had been able to take some time off...but most were retired. Many are Canadians ("Snowbirds at Sea") and from northern US areas using this as their winter retirement home. Many have done world cruises before (most on HAL) and many have signed up for 2019 and 2020 already, both excellent itineraries. There were several very disabled people on board, confined to wheelchairs, but with attentive spouses who made the voyage possible. I have no idea how they managed, but they seemed to all do fine.
Do you have to be wealthy to do it? It seems that yes, you do have to be able to spend $50-60,000 on a vacation (per couple), but many people have downsized their living to apartments and condos (and even full-time RVers) so that traveling is now their big expense that is budgeted for. Our onboard expenses have run about $3,000 which includes 1400 minutes of internet, several hundred dollars in the medical clinic, and some excursions we had not lined up before. We are not heavy drinkers, so that included an 8-bottle wine package and assorted drinks now and then. Our laundry was free since we are 5* Mariners, and our tips were pre-paid by our travel agency, as was our luggage delivery service. We had lined up a number of private tours in ports ahead of time and prepaid some others. Our greatest expenses were our two overland tours to Angkor Wat (4 days) and the safari in the Kruger (4 nights.) Those had been signed up for and paid a long time ago, so went in "last year's budget." (But they were worth it!)
Did we get bored? Never. I never heard of anyone who was bored, nor did we ever feel that at all...in fact there are too many things going on, so you have to be selective as to what is important to you...classes, lectures, fitness, hobbies, reading, etc. There have been several amazing classes that I wish we had started ...drawing and painting...two separate classes, but amazing what people have learned in them! Beginner Bridge, Mah Jong, Chess...book clubs, knitting groups, chorale, fitness classes for all abilities, swimming, cooking, computers,...never ending! The library has been busy every day...(have read lots of books that have been available) this is one ship that still has a well-stocked library, and since it's a World Cruise, they provided a librarian who was excellent.
Food has been varied and excellent (in the Lido...not as much in the Main Dining Room)...our servers have been outstanding, too.. We've all become part of their family for these 4 months and vice versa. They know us and our preferences and choices. "Mam Jan" and "Mr. Chris." Breakfasts are my favorite with difficult choices...steel cut oatmeal, eggs, omelettes, with raisin toast, sticky buns, or "Ensemadas" (Filipino sweet rolls). Lunch was usually a salad or sandwich (egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad for me)...or sometimes Chinese food or pizza. Dinner was usually a meat, veggie, and starch (potato or rice) which sticks to our home cooking. They had very good lobster tails, and roast beef...desserts were usually not very good (whew!) Chris had ice cream for the most part.
Evening entertainment was hit and miss...some were good, some very poor. We did not often attend since we had other things we preferred to do...work on videos and photos and read.
The ports were varied...some we loved, but some were lessons in world poverty. Many were ports I would not bother to return to for assorted reasons, others were ones we didn't see enough of. We took private tours, our travel agency tours, and Holland America tours...for the most part, they were all very good...only a few were bummers. In large cities (i.e. Manilla) it was good to have a HAL tour since there was a police escort to get us through the massive traffic jams. Some friends did well just getting local cabbies (after getting recommendations for who to use from the shuttle bus driver.)
Favorite ports? Australia and New Zealand hands down. Worst? West Africa countries.
The Polynesian islands were more crowded than we expected, so less interesting for us. Favorite sights? Angkor Wat in Cambodia...well-worth our visit, though very hot and lots of walking. The safari was also a favorite...we found that 4 days (6 game drives) worked out fine...saw The Big 5 and lots of animal interactions one doesn't get to see in a zoo.
The ship was very comfortable (we've sailed on her before) and we are happy that we upgraded our cabin to a verandah (which we used quite a bit)...which also included more space in the cabin itself. We found our little "hang out areas" for different times of day...Crow's Nest and Library were our favorites, but there were a few nooks here and there I found to read or knit in.
Yes, I had to go to the infirmary a few times...assorted reasons, but the medical service was adequate for what I needed. (Minor problems.) They did have several people along the way have to leave for medical reasons, and we heard there were a few deaths, but that's to be expected on a trip like this. Most people say it is a reminder to always carry medical evacuation insurance when sailing in areas like this...I would not have wanted to have to leave the ship to go to a hospital in Angola or some of the outer islands in the Pacific.
Would we go again? Possibly...4 months is a long time to be away from family and friends as we found out. I think we'd prefer to do the little bit shorter trips of 2 months or so. But, we've learned to never say never....after all we said only a few years ago "We'll never do a World Cruise."
I shall try to post this today and perhaps upload some photos tomorrow in San Juan...otherwise they'll have to wait until we are home this coming weekend.
Thanks for traveling along!
Jan
Sent from my iPad
Tomorrow is our last port of call, San Juan, PR. We are looking forward to a short visit there...hoping to see not much change in Old San Juan after the hurricane.
This afternoon is the "Crew Show" where assorted crew members put on a music and dancing show that showcases their homeland's songs and dances. It's always a full house and a big hit, so we'll go an hour early. Several of our Lido dining staff are in it, so we will go to applaud them.
I've been sitting here thinking about all the questions I had about this cruise (or anyone who took a World Cruise) before we came on, and what I've now found my answers are.
The passengers (1200 or so) ranged from a 1-year-old (staff daughter who was on for almost half the cruise...learned to walk, had about 1200 grandparents to help her and keep her amused) and a 10-year-old boy who was on for the whole cruise with his grandparents (who, yes, provided home schooling for him) to at least one 100-year-old that we know of (might be another one or two). Most were like us, in our mid-70's, retired, and love to cruise. A few were people who were still working and had been able to take some time off...but most were retired. Many are Canadians ("Snowbirds at Sea") and from northern US areas using this as their winter retirement home. Many have done world cruises before (most on HAL) and many have signed up for 2019 and 2020 already, both excellent itineraries. There were several very disabled people on board, confined to wheelchairs, but with attentive spouses who made the voyage possible. I have no idea how they managed, but they seemed to all do fine.
Do you have to be wealthy to do it? It seems that yes, you do have to be able to spend $50-60,000 on a vacation (per couple), but many people have downsized their living to apartments and condos (and even full-time RVers) so that traveling is now their big expense that is budgeted for. Our onboard expenses have run about $3,000 which includes 1400 minutes of internet, several hundred dollars in the medical clinic, and some excursions we had not lined up before. We are not heavy drinkers, so that included an 8-bottle wine package and assorted drinks now and then. Our laundry was free since we are 5* Mariners, and our tips were pre-paid by our travel agency, as was our luggage delivery service. We had lined up a number of private tours in ports ahead of time and prepaid some others. Our greatest expenses were our two overland tours to Angkor Wat (4 days) and the safari in the Kruger (4 nights.) Those had been signed up for and paid a long time ago, so went in "last year's budget." (But they were worth it!)
Did we get bored? Never. I never heard of anyone who was bored, nor did we ever feel that at all...in fact there are too many things going on, so you have to be selective as to what is important to you...classes, lectures, fitness, hobbies, reading, etc. There have been several amazing classes that I wish we had started ...drawing and painting...two separate classes, but amazing what people have learned in them! Beginner Bridge, Mah Jong, Chess...book clubs, knitting groups, chorale, fitness classes for all abilities, swimming, cooking, computers,...never ending! The library has been busy every day...(have read lots of books that have been available) this is one ship that still has a well-stocked library, and since it's a World Cruise, they provided a librarian who was excellent.
Food has been varied and excellent (in the Lido...not as much in the Main Dining Room)...our servers have been outstanding, too.. We've all become part of their family for these 4 months and vice versa. They know us and our preferences and choices. "Mam Jan" and "Mr. Chris." Breakfasts are my favorite with difficult choices...steel cut oatmeal, eggs, omelettes, with raisin toast, sticky buns, or "Ensemadas" (Filipino sweet rolls). Lunch was usually a salad or sandwich (egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad for me)...or sometimes Chinese food or pizza. Dinner was usually a meat, veggie, and starch (potato or rice) which sticks to our home cooking. They had very good lobster tails, and roast beef...desserts were usually not very good (whew!) Chris had ice cream for the most part.
Evening entertainment was hit and miss...some were good, some very poor. We did not often attend since we had other things we preferred to do...work on videos and photos and read.
The ports were varied...some we loved, but some were lessons in world poverty. Many were ports I would not bother to return to for assorted reasons, others were ones we didn't see enough of. We took private tours, our travel agency tours, and Holland America tours...for the most part, they were all very good...only a few were bummers. In large cities (i.e. Manilla) it was good to have a HAL tour since there was a police escort to get us through the massive traffic jams. Some friends did well just getting local cabbies (after getting recommendations for who to use from the shuttle bus driver.)
Favorite ports? Australia and New Zealand hands down. Worst? West Africa countries.
The Polynesian islands were more crowded than we expected, so less interesting for us. Favorite sights? Angkor Wat in Cambodia...well-worth our visit, though very hot and lots of walking. The safari was also a favorite...we found that 4 days (6 game drives) worked out fine...saw The Big 5 and lots of animal interactions one doesn't get to see in a zoo.
The ship was very comfortable (we've sailed on her before) and we are happy that we upgraded our cabin to a verandah (which we used quite a bit)...which also included more space in the cabin itself. We found our little "hang out areas" for different times of day...Crow's Nest and Library were our favorites, but there were a few nooks here and there I found to read or knit in.
Yes, I had to go to the infirmary a few times...assorted reasons, but the medical service was adequate for what I needed. (Minor problems.) They did have several people along the way have to leave for medical reasons, and we heard there were a few deaths, but that's to be expected on a trip like this. Most people say it is a reminder to always carry medical evacuation insurance when sailing in areas like this...I would not have wanted to have to leave the ship to go to a hospital in Angola or some of the outer islands in the Pacific.
Would we go again? Possibly...4 months is a long time to be away from family and friends as we found out. I think we'd prefer to do the little bit shorter trips of 2 months or so. But, we've learned to never say never....after all we said only a few years ago "We'll never do a World Cruise."
I shall try to post this today and perhaps upload some photos tomorrow in San Juan...otherwise they'll have to wait until we are home this coming weekend.
Thanks for traveling along!
Jan
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Siem Reap Photos...didn't post...sorry!
Sorry, but I see that my photos didn't post for some of Siem Reap, but we don't have a lot of internet now or in the future, so I'll just have to see what I can do. Hopefully I'll be able to post them within the next week or so...but these west coast of Africa countries are not well-developed.
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
March 12: Siem Reap, Cambodia Photos Day 1 Temple Ta Prohm
I'll post a few photos from the 3 days we visited Siem Reap, Cambodia and some of the major temples in that area, including Angkor Wat, the most famous of them. However, we felt some of the others were also extremely interesting. All of them are about 1000 years old and still show amazing detail in the intricate carvings, not to mention the buildings themselves. Below are photos from our first day's visit to Ta Prohm Temple, the one that most people recognize from the movies. The jungle continues to take over the buildings, but they've found that if they kill the trees/roots, the buildings will collapse and if they leave the trees/roots they will collapse…so it's left as is…for how long, nobody knows. Note the vaulted ceilings they built…that still remain in many cases. Also note the intricate carvings everywhere.
A typical fishing boat in Viet Nam
Thursday, April 5, 2018
April 5, Cape Town, South Africa
Wow...too much to cover! Today we spent the 3rd day in Cape Town driving with a guide to the Cape of Good Hope...beautiful drive! Fog was coming and going the whole time, but it was one of the most beautiful drives we've ever done. We even walked up to the lighthouse at the end, an accomplishment for me.
Two days ago we flew to Cape Town from our safari into the Kruger National Park area of South Africa. We left our ship in Maputo, Mozambique, one of the poorest countries we've visited...and were disappointed to see used clothing that had been donated by charities for the poor being SOLD to the poor by some middlemen who got it first...they are SO poor and apparently have a very corrupt government that doesn't help. Very sad. After about a 3 1/2 hour drive we arrived at our lodge in the park...actually we had passed the gates about 45 minutes before our lodge and began seeing animals from then on. We settled into our room, had lunch, and got prepared for our 4 PM game drive in our park vehicle...7 of us in a 3-row "jeep" kind of vehicle. I rode shotgun since it was a VERY high step to get into them. Without boring you completely, our days continued with game drives from 4-8 in the evenings and 5:30-8:30 ish in the mornings. The middle of the day was free for us to nap, read, visit, go over photos, and enjoy the wilds around us (we saw a giraffe from our back deck pruning some trees). Meals were very good...all buffet...9 AM breakfast, 1 PM lunch, 8 PM dinner. Monkeys were a problem with some of the meals, but they had a man stationed with a sling shot during most of them...that kept them at bay.
Our game drives were very successful...saw all the "Big 5"...including a leopard relaxing in a tree. My favorite things were observing behaviors you don't see in zoos or wild animal parks...favorite was a male elephant (who we had seen each day previously by himself) being happily greeted by his mate who came running to meet up with him and hold each other's trunks! Amazing. Also, young female lions just cuddling up to each other, grooming each other, and just lazing around like a pile of big cats do. We never seemed to bother the animals at all...even when they passed by us within feet of our vehicle. At night, once the sun set, the guides used spotlights to try to find animals, but only once did it really pay off when we saw some female lions on the hunt. The rest of the time we saw them during daylight. Animals seen: Cape Buffalo, White Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Elephant, (all the Big 5), then cheetah with 2 cubs (just walking down the road), a gazillion impalas, Kudu (plus we had their meat one night..delicious!), hyena, wart hogs, jackal, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and heaven knows what i've forgotten. I'm hoping that photos can be posted sometime in the future in one of our last ports in Africa...it's taking awhile to get through them. All I can say, is that it really was quite an adventure. However, we also saw that doing it in a private lodge makes a difference...they have access to their own roads that go into the bush. Whenever we went out on the park roads, there were traffic jams with animals. Also, our vehicles took fewer people. Our accommodations were fine: a large BR with large Bath, including outdoor shower (fun!) and a dressing area and private deck. We had a long walk to our rooms along a raised walkway...sometimes the monkeys would be playing along the way. We had no mosquito problems at all. (We were on the shoulder season between wet and dry.).
Yesterday Archbishop Desmond Tutu came on board and received an honor, but we weren't able to see him (VERY crowded)...people said he didn't really speak, but seemed like he still had an active sense of humor.
It's still very foggy around the area, so I don't know what Sailaway is going to be like tonight...might be very nice...or not.
Another Sea Day tomorrow and then Wallis Bay, Namibia the following day...no plans at this time.
We are now, we feel, on the way home...just about 3 weeks remaining. What a trip it has been! Hopefully some photos to follow in a few days.
Sent from my iPad
Two days ago we flew to Cape Town from our safari into the Kruger National Park area of South Africa. We left our ship in Maputo, Mozambique, one of the poorest countries we've visited...and were disappointed to see used clothing that had been donated by charities for the poor being SOLD to the poor by some middlemen who got it first...they are SO poor and apparently have a very corrupt government that doesn't help. Very sad. After about a 3 1/2 hour drive we arrived at our lodge in the park...actually we had passed the gates about 45 minutes before our lodge and began seeing animals from then on. We settled into our room, had lunch, and got prepared for our 4 PM game drive in our park vehicle...7 of us in a 3-row "jeep" kind of vehicle. I rode shotgun since it was a VERY high step to get into them. Without boring you completely, our days continued with game drives from 4-8 in the evenings and 5:30-8:30 ish in the mornings. The middle of the day was free for us to nap, read, visit, go over photos, and enjoy the wilds around us (we saw a giraffe from our back deck pruning some trees). Meals were very good...all buffet...9 AM breakfast, 1 PM lunch, 8 PM dinner. Monkeys were a problem with some of the meals, but they had a man stationed with a sling shot during most of them...that kept them at bay.
Our game drives were very successful...saw all the "Big 5"...including a leopard relaxing in a tree. My favorite things were observing behaviors you don't see in zoos or wild animal parks...favorite was a male elephant (who we had seen each day previously by himself) being happily greeted by his mate who came running to meet up with him and hold each other's trunks! Amazing. Also, young female lions just cuddling up to each other, grooming each other, and just lazing around like a pile of big cats do. We never seemed to bother the animals at all...even when they passed by us within feet of our vehicle. At night, once the sun set, the guides used spotlights to try to find animals, but only once did it really pay off when we saw some female lions on the hunt. The rest of the time we saw them during daylight. Animals seen: Cape Buffalo, White Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Elephant, (all the Big 5), then cheetah with 2 cubs (just walking down the road), a gazillion impalas, Kudu (plus we had their meat one night..delicious!), hyena, wart hogs, jackal, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and heaven knows what i've forgotten. I'm hoping that photos can be posted sometime in the future in one of our last ports in Africa...it's taking awhile to get through them. All I can say, is that it really was quite an adventure. However, we also saw that doing it in a private lodge makes a difference...they have access to their own roads that go into the bush. Whenever we went out on the park roads, there were traffic jams with animals. Also, our vehicles took fewer people. Our accommodations were fine: a large BR with large Bath, including outdoor shower (fun!) and a dressing area and private deck. We had a long walk to our rooms along a raised walkway...sometimes the monkeys would be playing along the way. We had no mosquito problems at all. (We were on the shoulder season between wet and dry.).
Yesterday Archbishop Desmond Tutu came on board and received an honor, but we weren't able to see him (VERY crowded)...people said he didn't really speak, but seemed like he still had an active sense of humor.
It's still very foggy around the area, so I don't know what Sailaway is going to be like tonight...might be very nice...or not.
Another Sea Day tomorrow and then Wallis Bay, Namibia the following day...no plans at this time.
We are now, we feel, on the way home...just about 3 weeks remaining. What a trip it has been! Hopefully some photos to follow in a few days.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, March 24, 2018
March 14: Siem Reap Day 3, Bakong and Bayon Temples
Our last day in Siem Reap was busy with visits to 2 temples as well as to a well/pump we provided for a small village about 45 minutes from Siem Reap. We were able to visit the nearby school (150 students) and meet the elder of the group of homes that will benefit from the ease of having a well and pump nearby. Otherwise, they were getting all their water from a nearby pond. The young girl at the entrance to the schoolroom was too young to go to school, but her sibling was in that class so she frequently stayed by the door. One of my favorite temples was Bayon in the Angkor Thom complex…you can see the overview with all the many faces on the towers…still beautiful!
Saturday, March 17, 2018
March 12-14: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat...WOW!
We left the ship at 8 AM once we arrived in Phu My, Viet Nam and headed to the airport about 2 hours away. The drive took us through Saigon which was as busy as everyone had said. The airport was, as usual with so many airports nowadays, very busy...took us 2 hours to check in, go through immigration and passport check, then security check which was one of those where they check everything...cameras, Ipads, phones, watches, shoes off, jackets off, belts off, etc....since Chris and I always set off the alarms we always have to go through the body pat, too....so we got to the gate as the plane was loading, so no time for snacks or drinks...it was now 12:15. (Hey, we're on a cruise and used to being fed every 4 hours!) The ride was short, only 45 minutes, so we were met at the very nice Siem Reap airport by our guide and driver for the 3 days, Pech and Lao. They transported us to the magnificent old Raffles Hotel where we immediately were served an excellent lunch...3 courses...I only ate the wonderful mango salad course. We then quickly went to our rooms to gather our things for the afternoon's tour of Ta Prohm, one of the top 3 temples to see (this is the Temple of Doom one)...loaded up the bus and off we went. It was nice to do this temple at the end of the day when most tourists are gone...indeed we were the last ones through, so it was very nice. Our guide, Pech, was outstanding. We were happy to have this basic introduction to the area, as well as to sample the heat and humidity so we would be prepared for the next day. We had only an hour once we returned to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes before they drove us (there were 13 of us) to a nearby restaurant that was beautiful...Chantery Tree. Again, too much food, and some of which I didn't care for, but those that like the real Asian food, said it was excellent. It was certainly presented beautifully. We managed to stay awake for an hour back in our room to take advantage of some good wifi to download books and movies, but our 6 am wake up call would come quickly.
The hotel breakfast buffet was one of the best I've had...but our 8 am van arrived on time, so off we went for one of the busiest days of my life. We saw Angkor Wat first thing...the famous temple one sees every time Cambodia is mentioned. HUGE complex with lots of stairs, but I powered through knowing it would be worth it. Following that, we had lunch in a nearby restaurant (again, too much food!), after which we visited 2 more temples. We were late returning to our hotel, so had only 45 minutes to shower and change before our dinner and show on the terrace at the hotel. Wonderful local dancers (Aspara dancers) and lovely food, but the heat and humidity had taken their toll...we were all exhausted...so quickly to bed before another 6 am wake up call. Our final day, another excellent breakfast buffet before we were off to another temple, followed by a drive north to a rural area where our group of 13 had funded a well/pump for a small village to provide easy, clean water to the locals. We visited the nearby school where all the students were very busy with their studies...not a sound from any of the classes (no, they did not know we were coming!)...at the door of the 1st grade class, a small girl stood longingly at the door. She had a sibling in the class and she really wanted to join it, but she was too young for school yet. School is from 1-12 grades for free other than the cost of uniforms. The classrooms were simple with very few resources that i saw...few books, etc. These are the children of the families that will benefit from the well we helped provide. They used to have to bring their water from a nearby pond about 1/4 mile down the road.
After seeing the well, it was back to the hotel to check out and have lunch...again too much food, so we left it early to finish packing. One more temple before the trip to the airport. At least this airport was easier to get around in...and...it had a DQ!!!! (And a Burger King!) So, we were able to grab a snack before our 2-hour flight to Singapore to meet the ship. By the time we reached the ship it was after 11 PM, so our cabin was very much welcomed...quick shower and to bed!
Alas, the food or "bug" has gotten Chris, so the next day in Singapore and yesterday (Sea Day) and today he's laid low. We had no plans for Phuket, so we are enjoying an empty ship and getting some work done on the many, many photos and videos we took in Siem Reap.
Our thoughts on Siem Reap: Cambodia is a very poor country. The murders of the whole intellectual class by Pol Pot destroyed those that could have built up the country, so it still flounders with rampant corruption. People have a very poor standard of living, but they are trying hard and are appreciative of any help. Once outside Siem Reap, they are just now beginning to bring in electricity, but even that will only run one light bulb and perhaps a small refrigerator. Most people get around on motorbikes, cars are prohibitively expensive. Houses are on stilts with the living area the shaded area below (with hammocks everywhere) and the upper level room is for sleeping. The few cows we saw are used as beast of burden in the rice paddies, etc. Never for milk. They were just skin and bones. In the city of Siem Reap there were stalls after stalls selling fruits and vegetables, gasoline (in recycled liter bottles), and a few extras...not much. They shop for their food supplies every day. The heat was definitely some of the worst I've experienced because of the humidity and our activity level. We went through bottles and bottles of water each day. My research had shown that sweatbands would be good and they were...we wore them under our hats, and also had buffs that were made of that "snap to make cold" fabric...they were nice. Long pants, long-sleeve shirts were needed too. The mosquitoes weren't bad at all since they are still in their dry season, but we still saw a few, so we did use Picaridin on our exposed necks, hands, and faces. This was a Bucket List item for us and we're happy we were able to do it now while I still can. The steps were a challenge, but I knew I had plenty of days after to recover, which I am doing now. The temple complexes are absolutely amazing considering they are over 1000 years old and were pretty much built within 50 years of each other. Amazing art work on the walls. I'll be posting the photos separately in a few days. We have an all-day tour coming up in Sri Lanka, so I know we won't have time to find internet there.
We're now docket in Phuket, Thailand with beautiful small islands surrounding us. It's a perfect day...warm, but not hot in the shade. I'm taking advantage of it by sitting on the Promenade Deck watching sailboats, longboats, fishing boats, etc. go by. Beautiful! They are busy maintaining all our verandahs so our verandah can't be used today...they have all the doors open to them so they can put the final coat of paint on the areas that had had the rust taken off, primed,and now painted.
Sri Lanka, then the Seychelles as we make our way towards Africa...still a lot to see.
Sent from my iPad
The hotel breakfast buffet was one of the best I've had...but our 8 am van arrived on time, so off we went for one of the busiest days of my life. We saw Angkor Wat first thing...the famous temple one sees every time Cambodia is mentioned. HUGE complex with lots of stairs, but I powered through knowing it would be worth it. Following that, we had lunch in a nearby restaurant (again, too much food!), after which we visited 2 more temples. We were late returning to our hotel, so had only 45 minutes to shower and change before our dinner and show on the terrace at the hotel. Wonderful local dancers (Aspara dancers) and lovely food, but the heat and humidity had taken their toll...we were all exhausted...so quickly to bed before another 6 am wake up call. Our final day, another excellent breakfast buffet before we were off to another temple, followed by a drive north to a rural area where our group of 13 had funded a well/pump for a small village to provide easy, clean water to the locals. We visited the nearby school where all the students were very busy with their studies...not a sound from any of the classes (no, they did not know we were coming!)...at the door of the 1st grade class, a small girl stood longingly at the door. She had a sibling in the class and she really wanted to join it, but she was too young for school yet. School is from 1-12 grades for free other than the cost of uniforms. The classrooms were simple with very few resources that i saw...few books, etc. These are the children of the families that will benefit from the well we helped provide. They used to have to bring their water from a nearby pond about 1/4 mile down the road.
After seeing the well, it was back to the hotel to check out and have lunch...again too much food, so we left it early to finish packing. One more temple before the trip to the airport. At least this airport was easier to get around in...and...it had a DQ!!!! (And a Burger King!) So, we were able to grab a snack before our 2-hour flight to Singapore to meet the ship. By the time we reached the ship it was after 11 PM, so our cabin was very much welcomed...quick shower and to bed!
Alas, the food or "bug" has gotten Chris, so the next day in Singapore and yesterday (Sea Day) and today he's laid low. We had no plans for Phuket, so we are enjoying an empty ship and getting some work done on the many, many photos and videos we took in Siem Reap.
Our thoughts on Siem Reap: Cambodia is a very poor country. The murders of the whole intellectual class by Pol Pot destroyed those that could have built up the country, so it still flounders with rampant corruption. People have a very poor standard of living, but they are trying hard and are appreciative of any help. Once outside Siem Reap, they are just now beginning to bring in electricity, but even that will only run one light bulb and perhaps a small refrigerator. Most people get around on motorbikes, cars are prohibitively expensive. Houses are on stilts with the living area the shaded area below (with hammocks everywhere) and the upper level room is for sleeping. The few cows we saw are used as beast of burden in the rice paddies, etc. Never for milk. They were just skin and bones. In the city of Siem Reap there were stalls after stalls selling fruits and vegetables, gasoline (in recycled liter bottles), and a few extras...not much. They shop for their food supplies every day. The heat was definitely some of the worst I've experienced because of the humidity and our activity level. We went through bottles and bottles of water each day. My research had shown that sweatbands would be good and they were...we wore them under our hats, and also had buffs that were made of that "snap to make cold" fabric...they were nice. Long pants, long-sleeve shirts were needed too. The mosquitoes weren't bad at all since they are still in their dry season, but we still saw a few, so we did use Picaridin on our exposed necks, hands, and faces. This was a Bucket List item for us and we're happy we were able to do it now while I still can. The steps were a challenge, but I knew I had plenty of days after to recover, which I am doing now. The temple complexes are absolutely amazing considering they are over 1000 years old and were pretty much built within 50 years of each other. Amazing art work on the walls. I'll be posting the photos separately in a few days. We have an all-day tour coming up in Sri Lanka, so I know we won't have time to find internet there.
We're now docket in Phuket, Thailand with beautiful small islands surrounding us. It's a perfect day...warm, but not hot in the shade. I'm taking advantage of it by sitting on the Promenade Deck watching sailboats, longboats, fishing boats, etc. go by. Beautiful! They are busy maintaining all our verandahs so our verandah can't be used today...they have all the doors open to them so they can put the final coat of paint on the areas that had had the rust taken off, primed,and now painted.
Sri Lanka, then the Seychelles as we make our way towards Africa...still a lot to see.
Sent from my iPad
Friday, March 9, 2018
Feb. 28 to March 9: Sea Days, The Philippines, and Hong Kong...Catch Up!
March 10: It's been awhile since I was able to update the blog…sorry. It's been busy! 
I also came down with a GI bug after Bali, so my Sea Days were Cabin-Bound…not too sick, but just didn't want to be out and possibly infecting the ship. Once we were in Puerto Princesa, the Philippines, the weather was hot, humid, and rainy, so I had no incentive to go ashore…nor did Chris. We remained on the ship. Another Sea Day after Puerto Princesa until we reached Manila where we were docked for 2 days. Many of the ship personnel come from the Philippines, so this was an opportunity for them to have family and friends come on board the ship, so we had 1200 people visit each day! We took a tour the first day that went out of Manila to Tagatay, which is a resort area at a higher elevation, so it's a bit cooler. The drive was interesting…we needed a police escort for our bus the whole way due to Manila's DREADFUL traffic! It was awful…I've never seen so many modes of transportation…mostly at a standstill. The resort we arrived at was a lovely place overlooking a lake with the "worlds smallest volcano" at it's center…really a volcano within a volcano. However, the overwhelming feeling the entire tour was one of seeing endless poverty…the worst we've seen…in amongst the new high-rises and casinos being built. Everyone felt the same way after our various days ashore…hopefully the new buildings that the Chinese are putting up will increase the employment, but the local guides said they doubted it.
The other thing that struck us was the abundance of Tuk Tuks and "Jeepneys" that provided cheap transportation for the locals…and anyone else daring to ride in them. The Jeepneys were all different…totally customized by the owners and very cheap to ride short distances. In addition there were horse and buggies in areas.
Tagatay with the volcano within the volcano...
After a hot day touring, we stayed on the ship for the second day and enjoyed meeting some of the family and friends of our stewards. Our wine steward's father had been a pastry chef of this same ship!
Another Sea Day before we arrived in Hong Kong on a drizzly, cold morning…alas, no great fanfare of entering Victoria Harbor with the rain…most of us watched it from the windows in the Lido at breakfast. We had a tour of Hong Kong planned for the day so we met, as scheduled at 8:15 in the forward theater…2 hours later, the ship had still not been "cleared" by authorities, so we asked and were allowed to exchange our tickets for the same tour the next day (yesterday)…great move, since it rained all that first day, but yesterday was brilliant sun all day, so we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the highlights of Hong Kong. I'll post those photos separately. Hong Kong is a beautiful "vertical" city…not much empty space, so people live in teeny apartments in huge mega-story buildings. From our guide's information, most families seem to live in less square feet than we had in our motorhome! We enjoyed the day with a great guide (he herded cats well)…saw highlights of the city via a bus, the tram to Victoria Peak, a sampan ride through Aberdeen, the old fishing village (nothing there anymore…big disappointment…just mega yachts), and an hour to shop in Stanley Market (success!) We made it back to the ship to find 2 pieces of carryon luggage that are quite nice and a size that is perfect for our upcoming 2-night trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. (It will also hold some of the other items we have been given by the captain and crew and travel agency: a windbreaker, messenger bag, tulip vase, monopoly game (geared to our cruise), metal credit card holder, assorted hats, travel electric adapter, etc…I've lost track of some of the items! All of it we need to ship home!)
Three of our friends left the ship in Hong Kong (as did several crew) but we keep meeting others…latest was finding another full-time RVer this morning…very nice…and was showing an interest in hearing about why we chose our Sun City in Georgetown, TX…they are trying to find a place to land in!
Now to get ready today and tomorrow for our trip to Siem Reap the next day…a two-hour drive to Saigon's airport , hour flight, then our hectic 2-day trip begins!
More later with photos of Hong Kong.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
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