Sunday 22/3/3015 Day 75 Laem Chabang to Pattaya in Thailand and back.

What a fine day we have just enjoyed in Pattaya.  Even though it’s a growing resort with Hilton, Marriott, Holiday Inns, Starbucks and McD’s, as well as smaller local hotels and bars, (not to mention the darker side of sex tourism) it’s still also very much old Thailand too with its street sellers of hot and cold Thai food and fruits, market stalls thriving on the bartering effect and a very clear culture of great service.

We arrived early a.m. in a complimentary shuttle bus, which had a guide who quite unexpectedly gave us all maps and talked us through all the high spots, including recommendations for Thai massage.  I expertly managed to avoid the supermarket wine hunt by having an hour of Thai massage whilst that hunt took place.  That meant that the more gratifying activities (wandering through Pattaya Night Market, finding some sun wear and seeking out an excellent location for us to eat Pad Thai and Chicken, Cashews and Rice) were mine.  Just like the rest of our cruise so far, today went very quickly and by 3 before we knew it we were back on the shuttle bus, by 4 in the jaccuzzi stretching and listening to music, and then it was time to get ready for dinner.

At our dinner table all 6 of us seem to have started to limit the intake a little bit, skipping a starter, a buttered roll, or a pudding here and there, or going for melon and sorbet rather than death by Belgian chocolate filled chocolate pudding, for example, and being a bit more realistic about our expectations of how much we thought we could get away with in the fat stakes!  Not too much though, there’s still lots of choice, and advice from the waiters ;)

It’s Sunday, and it would appear that Manchester United are playing Liverpool, kicking off here at 8:30 p.m.  Needless to say I was walking solo round the Promenade deck, not only without Khachik, but there was a distinct absence of walkers in general – Liverpool and Man U supporters.  So I did 8 laps.  It’s warm out there again tonight – it’s air conditioned inside so as you step outside the hot air hits you and warms your clothes up, similar to opening an airing cupboard.  Today was 32C and it feels about the same tonight on the deck. I seem to have developed a distinct liking for all things hot!  I do love the smell, feel and taste of the tropical sea air.  And I do love Thailand, the resorts, the cities, the villages, the tourist spots, the history, the temples and the more obscure hidden gems.  Thankfully in 4 days we will be coming back, but first we have days in Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia, and one sea day.

For now we are sailing southwards in the Gulf of Thailand overnight to Cambodia, arriving at 8 a.m. and setting off on a morning excursion the Contrasts of Sihanoukville.  Bye for now.  Back tomorrow! x

Saturday 21/3/2015 Day 74 A drawing and painting day heading for Laem Chabang, Thailand

After such a long and busy excursion yesterday in Vietnam it seemed only right that today was a bit more “yin” style, leisurely breakfast, resting time drinking coffee on deck 9, avoiding the sun, then retreating to the shade for a day of drawing and painting, and brain games.  Soon I will “get” eyes, but in the meanwhile Khachik has to be my model and I have painted and drawn his eyes from every angle and direction, always getting something slightly wrong, but not always the same thing, so a long way to go, but hey ho, it’s fun trying.

Here are our souvenirs from Vietnam

The trip to Ho Chi Minh Ciry

Vietnamese coffee and coffee maker

Vietnamese wine

We had guests for pre-dinner drinks, our table mates Jim, Judy, Phil and Deb, and a fabulous 5 courser.  Then a charismatic young Ukrainian violinist entertained us in the Palladium after dinner with a round the world selection of folk music.  She is very very good, I found her style really engaging, a dramatic look and inviting smile here and there, an anecdote, an enticing bit of autobiography and some beautiful stage and lighting effects.  Cheers came from the audience after each rendition from Moldova, western USA, Ireland, including jazz and classical styles.  Still in my mind.

Tomorrow Laem Chabang.  Back again soon xxx

Friday 20/3/3015 Day 73 “Good Morning Vietnam”

Ha! I have always wanted to say that. Big love to the late great Robin Williams.

We arrived in our Vietnamese port of Phu My before breakfast and were on our coach heading to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) by 9 a.m. for a really well thought out highlights tour.  We like ti here.  We had a really knowledgeable and experienced guide with a lovely sense of humour, who never stopped filling our minds with fascinating information about everything Vietnamese, Buddhist and Cambodian. 

The drive from Phu My to Ho Chi Minh City took around 1.5 hours and our first stop was to an absolutely mesmerising museum of Vietnam’s culture and history, we were here for about an hour, and were able to take as many photos as we wanted (these are already on Facebook courtesy of the Grand Hotel’s wi-fi).  The next stop was a lacquer factory where we watched a demonstration of wood being inlaid with particles of duck egg shells and mother of pearl, then smoothed and re-varnished over and over again (17 times, no more no less, we were advised) using finer and finer grade sand paper until it was like a mirror.  It was here that Khachik’s only went and bought a T-shirt with “Good Morning Vietnam” on it, not only because it was $3 (US), of course not.

Next came lunch at the very grand Grand Hotel.  An appropriately grand and diverse buffet with that gelatinous chicken and sweetcorn soup and several choices of rice and noodle dishes with fresh chillis and sweet sauces that also pleasantly warm the pallet (and forehead).  Thanks to  free wi-fi here 40 photos are up on Facebook, this was followed by shopping at the Butterfly.  One of the nuggets of information our guide gave us was about Vietnamese coffee and step by step how to make good coffee.  Who knew Vietnam grew excellent coffee (and grapes)?  In the Butterfly shopping centre we found both coffee and the tiny yet magical filtering device.  I can’t wait to make Vietnamese coffee with this.  I mentioned grapes because one of Khachik’s port rituals is to look at the availability, quality and price of the wine, especially if it has had to be imported, obviously not expecting to find Vietnamese red (only $5 (US)).  Just as an aside I am beginning to prepare Khachik for the middle east, when his practice might have to take a respectful break.

How does the US dollar come to be unofficial but widespread currency all over the world?  How does it work? How does it affect the economies of all the countries from the Caribbean to the far east?  In the absence of an on-board world economics training course, these are questions I need to ask the internet when it’s more freely available. 

Anyway, back to the highlights of Ho Chi Minh City. Our next photostop was the Rex Hotel to photograph the rooftop gardens, the Opera House, a very yellow Post Office, a very French Notre Dame Cathedral with a statue of the Virgin Mary before our final stop in a very Chinese China Town and a visit to the Chinese Temple. We were able to go in and managed to see through the fog created by the practice of burning incense and take as many photos as we wanted, and still we are  learning so much.

Back to our ship by 6 p.m. for another banquet and an after dinner stroll around the deck as we sailed off again out of the Saigon river into the sea.  Tomorrow is a sea day on the way to Thailand, and then it’s Laem Chabang, where we will be spending a relaxing day in Pattaya, using the shuttle service.  Laem Chabang is the official port for the cruise, but not our only visit.  We will be sailing on to Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia before we take a week out in Bangkok, so we are not going to Bangkok on this port stop, having a beach day instead.  Back again tomorrow, Bye for now. xx

Thursday 19/3/2015 Day 72 Far Eastern Sea Day Joy heading for Phu My in southern Vietnam.

Today’s Sea Day was a full day moving between doing what we enjoy and nothing at all.  Tropical weather here to stay for the next 10 days, so a slow pace again to enjoy the heat. The deck walking feels very good.  Nine laps today.  The Vietnam immigration procedures are all in place, and a surprise delivery arrived with our landing cards and instructions for tomorrow.  I love it when “post” arrives – even if it’s just an offer in the shops or spa, or an invitation for a coffee with fellow passengers and the Captain.   I also love reading every word of our Horizon and finding out what time the favourite classes are happening, and to see who the new visiting speakers and entertainers are.

 There’s been quite a shift away from internet and especially Facebook and Twitter. It is a good thing to be limited to a few minutes actually on-line each day, and to know that life goes on!

Our captain’s nautical explanation today was of the expression “Over a barrel” – again enlightening!  Apparently when someone had fallen overboard and was in danger of drowning, rather than receiving artificial respiration / CPR, the casualty was rescued and placed over a barrel and rolled backwards and forwards to get rid of water in the lungs.  I am not sure of the success of the method but I also heard that it was preferable to having mouth to mouth from a dirty, possibly smelly, drunken and scurvy affected ship mate!

Art today was to copy an oil painting (but in water colour) by our art teacher Easa of the countryside near Alderley Edge.  A good effort by us both ;), maybe mine was a bit strong, but a good lesson learned.  The new technique today was to create the impression of mist in the distance by washing the area with a pale grey and then darkening it in layers coming forwards.  For a first time it came out ok, but I would like to have another go soon.

Our entertainment in the theatre tonight was the 4 tunes singing all sorts (Cry me a river, Bohemian Rhapsody, Bring Him Home, and also a very special New Zealand opera singer Ben Makisi.  An uplifting hour. Happy Birthday to Josef Allott - 32 today.

Bye for now.  Back after Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. xx

Wednesday 18/3/2015 Day 71 A day in and around Sanya on China’s tropical Hainan Island

Today in Sanya we were berthed next to a synthetic island attached by a causeway, with 4 massive almost oval shaped skyscrapers one of which holds a 7 star hotel. The views were gorgeous from the ship, hills, bays, beaches, full range of water fun.  Sanya’s main part is over this causeway, and seems to be a very attractive holiday resort for people from mainland China and from Russia. Every sign in town translated into Russian first.  It seems quite unusual to see this.

Our captain has since explained that it’s a difficult place for a large cruise ship to access, and it’s only because of the Arcadia’s Asimuth Pods, propellers on pods that rotate, therefore no rudder required,  that make its turning circle so tight, that allows it in to such a narrow dredged channel approaching Sanya.

We thought we would be arriving at 8 a.m. and leaving the ship at 9 a.m. for our excursion, but even though we arrived on time, there were a few delays with immigration this morning so it was nearer 10 when we got going.   We all had to have a face to face interview this morning, the outcome complicated because some passengers only had single entry visas, some had multiple, those people who had single entry were allowed in twice but only if they did a p and o excursion.  A bit confusing, but all was well in the end. 

The temperature reached around 28C today, and the coach was air conditioned, all in all very comfortable, with plenty of water and a lot of   Our trip made me think of  “Perfect Day” (drink tamarind in the sun)  taking us to a beautiful, utterly unspoiled beach and stunning coastline, (bonus moment: lush swimsuit purchased for a fiver) a cultural park, complete with “deer looking backwards” statue, “beware of snakes”  “away from the monkeys” notices, monkey sightings (no snakes though J), uphill and downhill walks, several panoramic viewpoints over the island, a pearl museum,  “and then home”, accompanied by a very humble, sensitive and beautiful young tour guide, who in spite of her struggle with English and her nerves did a fabulous job.

We then had a late lunch and a lazy few hours. Our afternoon ended in the hot tub, stretching everything out before dinner, sailing away for a day on Thursday 19/3/2015 reaching Phu My in Vietnam and taking a full day trip to Ho Chi Minh City on Friday 20/3/2015.

Bye for now. x