Easter Sunday was mentioned during announcements of the Pride meetup and Ramadan. I guess I feel a little better.
There was an Easter egg hunt on the Lido. There are only 3 children aboard. It wasn’t for them.
Day two in Maldives. The view from the ship is quite spectacular. We decided we would go back over to Male’ and do a complete circle around the island. Doing a quick mathematical equation, we calculated it to be around 4 miles.
It is still blazing hot here. I’m not sure why there are so many motorbikes here. Traveling on this island is easier to do by walking. The farthest distance you can travel on the island is only 1.5 miles. It is possible to go over the bridge that China built and go to the airport. I can’t believe that all of these people are doing that.
the bridge that China built
Lots of traffic again. I don’t understand where all of these people are going on such a tiny island.
The walk took about 90 minutes to complete. We were drenched in sweat and headed back to the ship.
Most of the folks we talked to that did an excursion, did the snorkeling. After many snorkel excursions last year and our snorkel trip on the great barrier reef, we passed. We did here about some that went to a resort for the day. I’ll never understand that.
We spoke with Oscar at dinner. He said from his experience, the Islamic countries have a much later starting time to their day. Things don’t open until mid afternoon and stay open until mid-night.
Team trivia was all about Easter. What color were the first dyed Easter eggs? What did the church decided could not eat the week before Easter? What critter delivers Easter goodies in Westphalia, Germany? Where is the Easter egg museum? Again, we had many questions where we couldn’t even make up an answer.
The evening entertainment was vocalist Jacques Lagesse. Jacques sang classic ballads along with canned recordings. Terri flashed me a two before her nap this time. He started with Sinatra. I thought he really nailed the style of “That’s Life”. As time went on, I enjoyed the show less and less. All of us have electronic devices where we can listen to anything we want at any time. What will bring people here? I like to hear something about the artist. I like a new rendition instead of a direct cover that someone else did. Maybe something about the performer. I didn’t hear any of these. I saw many people walking out. Not a very polite thing to do in a 45 minute show. Jacques turned his back to the audience many times as if he was conducting the band. It wasn’t very effective since no band existed.
He definitely can sing. The show wasn’t something I would return to. I gave the show a 4.…
The Maldives are a former British protectorate. Independence was gained in 1965. Male’ is the capital. The Maldives are a collection of 26 atolls. These are islands that form a ring around an extinct volcano.
We arrived at 8am and were anchored off the port of Male’. From our balcony the area looked beautiful. Male looked like a major city and the other islands had sandy beaches.
I would have never guessed a city this size existed in the middle of the ocean on such a tiny island. Male’ is 1.5 miles by 1 mile. A lot smaller than Grosse Ile.
We ventured out about 9 or so. No tour. Sight seeing on our own. Not sure there is much to see. We do want to have dinner on the island in the evening. I had a difficult time trying to call so we are going to stop by to see if we can make reservations.
The tender ride was about 10 minutes and the water was very calm. The weather was blazing hot. Full sun and humidity. My shirt was already drenched with sweat by the time we arrived.
Male’ is almost entirely Muslim. It is Ramadan so a lot of the stores were closed. We walked around to try to find the hotel first. It was a lot more difficult than one might think. The address didn’t seem to take us to the correct location. We finally spoke to someone on the street and we were pointed in the right direction. The Cloud restaurant was on top of the Sammandgrand Hotel. We went up to see the menu and make reservations. We learned that most restaurants on the islands had a buffet at 6:30 for local residents who wanted to break their fast. We couldn’t make a reservation until 7:30. We decided to pass.
We continued walking around. There were thousands of motorbikes parked along each side of the street and the sidewalks were very narrow. It was very difficult to walk around. There wasn’t going to be much here for us. Sometimes we will just sit an enjoy a beer and wine. Not happening here. Against Islamic practice. No alcoholic drinks on Male’.
The Maldives are very popular with tourists. The many atolls have awesome hotels with rooms built right above the ocean. Most tourists go right from the airport and on to a ferry to the island their resort is on.
HAL only had many tours that put you at one of the resorts. Quite expensive. One was over $900 for a day at a resort where you didn’t even have a room. We passed on that. Snorkeling was an option but we passed on that too.
Male’ is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. There was a park or two that had a bit of grass but most of the island was covered with buildings.
We spent a few hours walking around and went back to the ship. This port was added after the Red Sea forced an itinerary change. I’m not sure why a cruise ship would want to come here.
We are here overnight and have yet decided if we are coming back to the island. There is plenty to do on the ship if we choose to stay.
Team trivia after dinner really made us feel like we walked into the time tunnel and landed into a period of time where we don’t belong. Elton John’s husband’s name? Who is the godmother of their children? Who was the star of the Bond Film Casino Royal? Who did the voice to Disney’s Aladdin? We had five more questions where we couldn’t even guess at the answers. Are we on the right planet?…
One sea day and then we arrive in Maldives. Many islands in the Maldives and we will be tendering to Male’.
I’ve been doing lots of research on our stop to Seychelles. Our plan is to take a ferry after we port in Mahe’ to the island of Praislin and play golf. We will spend the night and then return the following day. I need to plan how we get to the ferry, when it leaves, and when it arrives. I did some research before I booked the hotel but didn’t do much on the ferry. There is one company who handles the ferry. The comments that I have read say that the employees are very rude and inconsiderate. The ride is extremely rough and there are employees that do nothing but collect vomit bags. I read this over and over on the reviews. The only other way is to take a plane. I have looked into that and we may decide to do that or we might also decide to tough it out. Maybe 85 days on a big ship has prepared us.
Tomorrow we have no tour. The island is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It is not very large and we hope to see everything there is to see by walking.
Team trivia. Pigs were used in France to smuggle out which delicacy? What are the two official languages in Finland? Which animal has the longest lifespan? Which product contain “secret merchandise 7x”? Who is the Queen of Soul? What is the official name of the tunnel connecting France and England? What is the name of the second full moon in a month? Which planet has the strongest gravity? Who is the God of Sleep?
Dinner was fast. I made a comment to our new guys the other day about how long it takes to get service. 2 hours. Today they shaved 40 minutes off and we got to lightning trivia 30 minutes early.
Science was the topic. How many elements in the period table? What is created when lightning strikes? What is Oncology? Which organ is involved in diabetes?
The evening entertainment was a second set by Sharene. Just as good as the first set. She really mixed up the styles. Classical, rock and roll. ballads. She can really play! 10…
We arrived in the port of Colombo at 8 am. We are to meet our tour guide at 9 am. The message I received was to look for the sign of the tour company, Kingfisher Tours. This is a working port but there were tour busses right next to the ship. We spent about 15 minutes looking for our guide. No luck. I called him and he said he is waiting outside the port at gate 1A. Take the shuttle bus. We got on the shuttle bus but the driver waited at least 20 mins before leaving for the port gate. We arrived at gate 2. We had no choice. This is where the bus took us. I called our guide. “I will be there in 5 minutes”. I the mean time I had to deal with the many taxi and tuk tuk drivers. “You need a taxi?”. Somehow “no” has no meaning in Sri Lanka. They will continue to pester. I had to get quite angry with them and they finally left us alone.
Aashik arrived 15 minutes later. It was just him, the driver and the two of us. Perfect combination. Our first stop was a jewelry store. Many of the independent and ship tours follow a similar plan. Take them for a “demonstration” while the real goal is to sell them something. We spent over an hour here. Terri found some things she couldn’t live without. The salesmen is always the easiest sell.
We left and I asked about timing of events for the day. It was a long way to Sagiriya, one of the places to see on our agenda. We were told there was plenty of time. I told Aashik that our number one goal was to be back on the ship before 10:30 pm. “Not a problem”, I was told. One of things to see on this trip were elephants. One can “wash” an elephant. I told our guide that this is the first thing to eliminate if timing was an issue.
After an hour or two of driving we stopped at a spice market. The guide there knew timing was an issue so he showed us all of the spices he sold quite quickly. Many had medicinal purposes. We also got a backrub with red oil. Again, many claims of medicinal uses. The back rubs were great.
Back into the car. The traffic was awful. A two lane highway the entire time. Our driver spent most of the time in the passing lane. We alternated between 50 mph and 30 mph. Lots of horn usage. No one gets angry like they do back home. Just a fact of life here. In and out of traffic. Semi heading down the road in the opposite direction? No problem. I think I can make it. Terri kept her head in her phone the entire ride. Probably a good thing.
Next stop was the Elephant place. We did get out but told the folks there that we had no interest. Maybe our guide has a listening problem or thinks we have more time that we do. We got back into the car.
By the time we got close to Sagiriya, it was way past lunch and close to dinner. Dinner we had to pay for but lunch was included. The tour company cut us a break on the dinner cost since we had no lunch. Who has the time? To get to dinner we had to get into a cart that was pulled by an ox. That took us to a lake where we got into some ancient looking, hand paddled boat. Across the lake we went to an ancient village. Here, a few women showed us the ancient ways to prepare a meal. It was a great meal.
It’s now going on 6 pm. Sigiriya is 8 miles away but with traffic it would be about 40 mins. The port is 80 miles. 3 hrs? Sigiriya had 2500 steps to climb. 2 hours needed to do that. We hated ourselves but we opted for the safe route. Head back to the ship. Paddle across the lake and another ox ride? No sir. We had a tuk tuk waiting for us to take us back to the car. I told our tour guide to “haul ass” back to the ship. It was lost in the translation but he was already doing that. More of the same driving back. Back and forth. This time it was getting dark. Our guide was stopped by the police and given a ticket on the way back. Cost of doing business I guess. I would have felt a little better if my seatbelt worked. It reminded me of one of my colleagues at Dearborn High. Seat belt was ripped and disconnected. Instead of having the seat belt fixed she chose to “sew it” back together. Someone will be cursing as they travel through the windshield.
Halfway back we got on an expressway. Who knew? We only went a max of 65 but traffic was much better here as it is a toll road.
Back to Colombo and more traffic. There are tuk tuks, people pushing carts, people everywhere. There is a large population of Muslim’s and it was time to break fast at it is Ramadan. The city was a madhouse with people.
We arrived back at the ship at close to 9 pm. 1.5 hours to spare but going to Sigiriya would have been a mistake.
It was a both fun and stressful days. More of these to come!…
Final sea day before we port in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We have an entire day tour when we arrive. Lots of communication from the tour company about timing and pickup.
We walked on the promenade again today. Hot and humid and looks like we are heading into a storm. Lightning and thunder. A little rain hit us before we finished.
We have lunch each day around the Lido swimming pool. The roof here can be opened and closed. Through most of the cruise, the roof was opened during the day. When we were in rough water, the roof, which opens in two sections from the center, would slide back and forth and pound against the walls. Some days it made us move from this area. During calm days, the roof was fine. There is obviously something that needs to be repaired. The roof hasn’t been opened in weeks even though were are in calm water. Looks like the complainers won again.
Another “block party” was scheduled for the afternoon. This is an opportunity to come out and meet your neighbors. The party is only 45 mins and the staff pours complimentary drinks and serves snacks. The theme of this party was “The Raffles Hotel Bar”. Here they served the famous Singapore Sling (now $36) and peanuts. The shells are discarded on the floor. The entertainments’ staff effort was to create the same atmosphere at this party. Peanuts and Singapore Slings. One of the complainers got wind of this and complained on Facebook (and maybe other social media) that the staff is over worked and they would have to clean it up. (I will buy her a broom)They also mentioned peanut allergies (I doubt if any here that has this allergy complained). Another win for the complainers. No peanuts on the floor. A note was sent around asking those partaking to throw shells in the trash.
Team Trivia. Who one the Nobel Peace Prize in 1942? Which country allows 600 polar bears to be hunted each other. What is the name of the military newspaper? At what age can a thoroughbred race? Which US President said “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” ? What was the first US sate to outlaw gambling? No drink for us today.
We heard from others that the ship only has 900 passengers. 1900 would be a full ship. It seems empty but makes waiting inline a non-issue.
Evening entertainment were the Zuiderdam singers and dancers. We played cards instead.…
Lot of ships in this area both to our left and to our right. Container ships and tankers. This is vey busy shipping area. I did see an oil drilling platform also.
Seas are calm and it is very hot and humid. We did some walking on the promenade. Not many folks walking or even sitting. No muffins. Why bother?
We received a notice about a $500 a piece credit on our account for visas and excursion changes due to the major change in the itinerary. That goes with the 15% credit we received on our total bill toward another cruise. We decided to do a cruise from Boston to Greenland and Iceland and back in the Summer of 2025. Booking a cruise on the ship always has extras attached to it. Usually on board credit or upgraded room. We chose to do the Lanai room which has a door to the promenade deck. Only a few ships have this option. We will be on the Volendam. One of the smaller ships. The Voyage of the Vikings is the most popular cruise that HAL offers. Stops in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Ireland. 45 days long. We opted for the cruise with the identical itinerary minus Norway and Ireland. We have already done numerous stops in Norway and have been to Ireland 3 times. This cruise is 35 days.
We have been noticing that the ship seems to be empty. We did hear a rumor about people leaving in Hawaii because of the itinerary change. Maybe this is the reason. The Red Sea area and middle east problems won’t be going away in the near future. Future world cruises are scheduled to bypass this area.
Afternoon trivia. Which northeastern state has cities with the names Peru, Mexico, Madrid, Palermo? Which sport did the movie Kansas City Bomber feature? Which nation has the longest school year? Which asian gave up divinity status in 1945? Which Country did SkyLab fall on? Which 2 people are in the Baseball Hall of Fame and have nothing to do with baseball? Which sport are the clean and jerk and squat a part of?
Joe and Ann invited us to dinner in the Pinnacle. It is a nice upgrade to the dining room. A bit more quaint and a few more items on the menu. We shared stories about all of our stops. They are doing the Voyage of the Vikings this year. It is on the same ship we are on.
The evening entertainment was Sharene – “Star of the Pocket Piano”. Sharene is from Malaysia and plays the harmonica. Great musician. She started with an arrangement of simple gifts and then flight of the bumble bee. She played an arrangement of the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel that broke into a rock tune. She did some pop tunes by the Carpenters and then the Turkish March by Mozart. Great show. Great musician. 10!
We are on our way to Sri Lanka and our traveling today between Indonesia and Singapore. Very calm waters. It is quite a hike to our next stop so the ship is going near top speed.
Still finalizing some details on shore excursions. Seychelles requires a travel permit that the hotel told us about. Immigration says we don’t need it if we arrive by cruise ship. Not sure of the logic but I hope there are no hang ups there.
Afternoon trivia. Which Pulp Fiction star went on to make 44 movies in the 1990s? Which state has as many military personnel as tourists on any given day? What was the fusion bomb better known as in 1952? What was the name of the character on Family Ties that would wear a necktie to gym class? What did President Jimmy Carter mistake for a UFO?
It is close to 90 in this part of our travels. I sat on the balcony when it was shady.
We invited Brian and Janet to join us at dinner. We shared stories about China, Vietnam and Singapore. They do almost all HAL excursions. They shared stories about all of the complainers aboard the bus. This is the reason we avoid those tours and only take them when there is not another choice.
Our waiter and assistant left for home during our Singapore stop. We have two new replacements for Ari and Tomi. Franciskis and Francis. We will give them some time but I think they were DEI hires. It reminds me of affirmative policies we used to have and in some cases still have. The placing of people that do not have the qualifications based on some real or perceived wrong of the past does not work. It hurts both parties involved. Putting someone in a college where they did not meet the requirements is wrong. The student will not be able to compete intellectually with the other students and in many cases will fail or drop out. There are so many other colleges where that student could have success competing with those with a similar intellect. Likewise, I have a hard time believing that our new waiters graduated near the top of the HAL training center in Indonesia. They are really struggling with their jobs. 2 hours for dinner is a little much when the food is all waiting to be picked up. I feel sorry for them. They are not ready for this position. More training or a different position would be best.
The evening entertainment was vocalist and comedienne Rebecca Kelly. We saw her on the Africa trip in 2022. She has a beautiful voice and her comedy has improved slightly. She performed similar numbers from a few years ago and covered Adele’s Sky Fall and finished with some Sinatra. It was great. Powerful voice with all the right nuances. As I recommended before, I would dump the comedy act. Her voice could take her through many full sets. 10 on vocals!
Today we discussed three things that we would like to do before all aboard at 4:30. Little India, Haw Par Villa (amusement and theme park) and a 5 store shopping mall jammed with tech stores.
The MTR station was close and it made it easy. Half mile walk and then we were on a subway train. A few interchanges but the subway was clean and cool. Outside it was another hot and humid day in the 90s. The trains operated on time, it was easy to get on and off and except for a few stops, there was plenty of room.
Little India was crowded and became more so as the day went on.
The shops were jammed with people and everything seemed to be at a bargain. Tons of watches, smart watches, athletic watches. Costume jewelry was very cheap. Not so much for gold or diamonds. We spent a few hours looking at stuff we knew we couldn’t live without. The heat was taking its toll on us and when we got on the subway we decided to go back to the ship and have lunch and call it a day.
We enjoyed lunch and went back to our room.
We enjoyed the view from our balcony.
Oscar spoke with at dinner and talked about how safe Singapore is. You can walk the streets at night and not feel afraid. He also said that you must follow the rules or suffer the consequences. One of his staff members was caught bringing in cigarettes. $200 fine. It was all caught on camera.
The fine for chewing gum is even higher. $500. Someone accuse you of “Outrage of Modesty” Jail, fine, and caning!” There is at least a limit on the number of whips you will get on your bare bottom. I’m not sure what the fine for jaywalking is. We weren’t arrested. Many locals hesitated when we crossed without the “Green Man”.
A nice country but I am fearful of the government.
Singapore is both city and state. It is an island with about 3.5 million. Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian make up the majority of the population. English is widely spoken. Beautiful and very modern infrastructure.
Since we have visited all of the “must see” locations on our first visit to Singapore, we decided to go visit Danny at Tony’s fashions. I had two suits a tux and some shirts made here on our last visit. We both want to buy some more clothes.
We decided to walk the 3.5 miles. It was a nice walk but very warm When we reached Tony’s place in ChinaTown, my shirt was full of sweat. We spent some time here getting measured and choosing fabric. We decided to have some lunch and then take the subway back to the ship, get some rest, hide from the heat and then head back out.
Danny wanted us at 5 pm for a fitting. We went back to Chinatown by subway. The subway now uses apple pay. No purchasing tickets or cards or anything else. Your phone is all you need. Phone to get in, phone on your way out. Easy.
We saw Danny again and then walked to Clarke Quay. It was about 6:30 and the evening was just beginning. This is very popular place in Singapore. Lot’s or restaurants and other happenings. We thought “When in Singapore, why not get Mexican?”.
We sat and enjoyed dinner. The restaurant was right on the Singapore river. Lots of people in this area.
We started a walk back to the metro station and found a shop that sold coffee. Not easy to find in Singapore. I think tea is the preferred drink.
We hopped on the metro, transferred twice and walked back to the ship.
Nice to be back on the ship for a recovery day. One day at sea and then 2 days in Singapore.
I think that HAL or maybe it is just this ship is making passengers do more of the immigration work when we get into port. We had to apply for landing cards for both Singapore and Sri Lanka. I don’t every remember doing this before. When I looked in my passport I had a landing card for Japan stuck on one of the pages. This is something the ship usually does. One needs an internet connection to do this. I know that many did not purchase the internet package. I guess those people have to wait until we get into port. Not having internet connection all of the time would be equivalent to a household not having a land line when I was a kid. How would anything get done?
I continue to notice that there are employees on the ship that are unable to do their job. We signed up for a cruise that begins in Mozambique and goes to Johannesburg and then to Capetown. I called down to the EXC desk that handles the HAL excursions. “Do I need a VISA for this trip?”. The answer was no, you have a USA passport, no visa needed. Ok, I thought. A few days later, I remembered that I still had a Mozambique Visa in my passport from last year. It expired but if I needed one last year, wouldn’t I need one this year? This time I went to talk to the gentlemen I spoke to on the phone in person. I asked him again and he said no. I told him that I had a Mozambique passport from last year. “Let me check”, he said. He came back a few minutes later and said, “yes, you need a Visa for Mozambique”.
I expected more. That’s my problem.
Singapore it quite a difficult place to get in to from what I remember. We shall see tomorrow.
Group trivia. Who created a look alike contest for himself and only came in third place? What is the largest country in Africa? Where is Gouda from? Who did the voice in the female lead in the Lion King? Which country was originally know as New France? What chain of mountains is the Aconcagua in? Which Australian Company is the largest retailer of Surf Wear? What do Pandas eat?
We were close to the top but not the winners.
We had to pick up passports today for entrance into Singapore. I remember a sign in the immigration area that said “Death to Drug Dealers”. They also do not allow gum in to the country.
We did group trivia after dinner. The theme was route 66. Route 66 starts in Chicago, where does it end? How many states does it go through? Which John Steinbeck novel featured a family driving along route 66? Who designed route 66? What is the nickname of Route 66? What Art Deco masterpiece is found along route 66 in Shamrock, Texas. Hope you said the U-Drop-Inn. 8 out of 17 for us. One team scored 16.
Evening entertainment was a second set by Annie Gong. She did classic movie music. It was a great show. Annie has a great sense of humor but her English is not very good and it is tough for her to make jokes effective. Jokes aside, I give her a 10.…
We arrived in Saigon at 6am today. The city was renamed as Ho Chi Minh City after 1975 but many still use the old name of Saigon.
Our tour guide was to pick us up at 7am. It was a long drive to our first stop and all aboard was 5:30pm. Eric, our guide was waiting for us outside the port at 6:30am. We waited for the cruise director to make the announcement that we were cleared to go and the gang plank is located on deck such and such on the port or starboard side. No such announcement was made. I called down to guest services and they responded with a “yes, you can go ashore”. The announcement finally came as we were getting off the ship. Another lack of communication incident.
We met Eric and driver David just outside the port gate. Our first stop, the CuChi tunnels were about a 2.5 hour drive. Distance wasn’t the issue, the roads and traffic were. Eric shared with us a comment that we heard in Shanghai. The government here is communist, the economy is capitalist. It was obvious that capitalism was at work here as we passed business after business after business.
These kinds of one story businesses lined both sides of the road almost the entire time as we traveled.
A development we passed along the way.
The roads were ok but the closer we got to Saigon the more traffic we saw. Lots of cars but even more scooters and motorcycles.
The woman dressed with the helmets and face coverings were called “ninjas” according to Eric. They can barely see what is going on around them and weave in and out of traffic.
We arrived at our first destination at 9:30 am. We were set to see the tunnel system that the Vietcong used to attack American forces and then retreat to hide. A very elaborate 3 level system with its own water system and ventilation system. There were living quarters, cooking facilities, meeting rooms, uniform production rooms, weapons production rooms.
There were a lot of tourists and it was very warm.
I did go into one of the entrances. Quite a small opening but the Vietcong were malnourished and very small. Inside this space I saw a tunnel moving down into the earth. Eric said that the VC would create several passages inside an opening like this. If “GIJoe” followed a VC into a tunnel, he would not know which way to go. Booby traps were common. A tunnel may lead to a den of scorpions or snakes.
Eric used the term “GIJoe” when referring to American soldiers. Eric is 29. Too young to remember Saigon before communism.diggings toolstunnel entrancetermite hive over ventilation holes.
250 km of tunnels were all dug by hand. The small hoe and basket were the tools used. Ventilation was achieved by using bamboo tubes pushed through the ground to the tunnel. The tubes were camouflaged with termite hives. We were able to crawl through a 100m tunnel. Not tall enough to stand up so one had to move through bent over.
The passage contained other passage connections but all traffic went one way.
There was a video at the beginning of the tour. I’m sure it was very anti-american. Eric suggested we don’t waste time with it.
The tunnels were incredible. The next displays were many different traps set by the VietCong to kill GIJoe.
The North Vietnamese was no match for the might of the USA. No air force and no navy. The USA had complete control of the skies and the seas. The VietCong could not match the weaponry the USA had. What they could do was hide amongst the people in South Vietnam and develop effective traps with items they could easy get. Aluminum from American aircraft was melted down to make new weapons. Unexploded ordinances were cut open to retrieve the explosive power to make new explosive devices. They could easily ambush American soldiers on patrol and then hide in the tunnels. They could not win out in the open. They needed to deceive and create fear. I can understand why this took a mental toll on GIs.
Ho Chi Minh shoesmaking the shoes out of US tiresgrenades made from aircraft aluminum
There were kitchens and meeting rooms. Thatch roofs were added after this became a tourist attraction. They were originally covered with earth.
air filter for kitchen stove
We learned about the VietCong diet. They add the cassava plant. A root similar to a carrot or potato. Two small pieces per day was the diet. Not much food.
We spent about two hours here. Our time was limited by the distance to the port. We left the tunnels and back to Saigon for lunch.
Here we were served shaved beef, onions, rice noodles, peppers, garlic and other vegetables. The waiter each brought us a good sized bowl of boiling water and we put our meat in and watched it cook. Noodles next and then veggies. Chopsticks were a must because of the heat. Delicious. We also each had a smoothie to go with it. Chopsticks force people to put their head into the plate. It is just the way it is.
Next stop was the War Remnants Museum. Eric already tried to prepare us for what we were going to see. All anti USA propaganda. No wrongs committed by the Vietnamese. Outside there was a large collection of things the USA left behind.
Maybe Nixon followed the Biden method of withdrawal. Inside the museum started with what the French did before the Americans got involved.
Whenever there is French history, the guillotine is always there. The American involvement started after the French. Some famous pictures. Kids running down the street after napalming, students shot at Kent State. A lot of photos of how the world was protesting what the USA was doing in Vietnam. Our friend Castro in Cuba and our buddy Brezhnev in the Soviet Union had prominent pictures.
On the second floor was a display of how agent orange was used in Vietnam. This was developed by Dow Chemical in Michigan as a defoliant. It contained large quantities …
Another recovery day after a long tour. It is getting very warm tomorrow will be 98 in Saigon.
We walked on the promenade instead of going to the gym. Beautiful day as we cruised about 20 miles off of the Vietnam coast. We attended a lecture about the Viet Cong. Info was pretty interesting but the lecturer just read her notes. I’d rather read than listen to someone reading.
The front desk asked for our Sri Lanka visas. I’m glad I did these before we left in January.
Our trivia team was the winner after lunch. What soft drink originally was called “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda”? Which poet had an epithet that read “called back”? Who made the buns of steel video? What did Alex Tribeck do for the first time in 2001? What tool is Smokey the Bear holding? Longest serving news anchor?
Our tour guide was assigned for Saigon. Eric. I asked if we could do the CuChi tunnels and the museum. We will make an attempt. Timing is the issue. Priority one is getting back to the ship by 5:30. He will pick us up at 7 am.
We finished the evening playing cards outside on the Lido. …
This a country that I never imagined I would be visiting. I was too young to serve. The US pulled out of Vietnam when I was 13. South Vietnam fell in 1975 when I was 15. I did meet many veterans as I grew up and all had changed immensely when they came home. They all seemed to share the same damage to their mental state. I can only imagine what it was like to be forcefully called up by the draft and then forgotten about after service.
Politicians are the ones that should have been spat upon. Not veterans.
We arrived at 8 am. Were there shuttles out of the working port? Were we updated as Kimberley promised? No update. As we walked off the ship we were told that there were no shuttles out of the port. It was a very large container port. I was chatting with our tour guide, Tom, and he told us to get on the electric cart. Was there a cart? Yes, not far from the ship. We hopped aboard and were driven to the port gate. We met Tom and our driver David at the gate. At least someone knows what happens at this port. Of course the names Tom and David are for us. The Vietnamese names are difficult to pronounce. It reminded me of hood by the rake. Japanese for wood by the lake. Difficult to pronounce sounds you don’t have in your native tongue.
Our tour guide. Tom.
Tom looked about 12 but he was 30 years old. He tried to make us feel better by telling us his mother was born in 1975. That didn’t help us. He did ask what is the first thing we think about when coming to Vietnam. The war, was our answer.
I learned about the draft when I was 8 years old. My clarinet teacher, Mr. Okon, told me “When Uncle Sam calls you up for the draft you wouldn’t have to fight. You can play in the band”. I really wasn’t ready to hear this. I asked my father what the the draft was. I started watching the newspaper for my birthdate and draft number. Great thing for an 8 year old to be doing.
Tom said that GIs that came here couldn’t even find Vietnam on a map. I know he was right about that.
Our first stop today was through the city of Da Nang and up a mountain.
The Hai Van Gate was an important defensive position. It was used by the US in the war. You could view two cities from this site. We were in the clouds but we could still make out the cities.
Our next stop was back down the mountain toward Hue, the old capital of Vietnam. On the way we stopped at a small village. Here we learned how to catch oysters. Bicycle tires. Bicycle tires were laid on the bed of the bay. Here the oysters attached themselves to the tires and were scrapped off into baskets. This was done daily. Massive amounts of oysters harvested here.
Back breaking work.
Next stop was the tomb of Khai Din.
Khai DinhKhai Dinh coming to America
Interesting tomb that survived the war. It looks very old but was built around 1921.
Lunch was next. A very nice place that served local food. Most of the businesses we passed so far are places we would never think of stopping. This restaurant was obviously built for tourists.
The food was very good. The meal was included and pre-ordered for us. We paid only for drinks. 3 beers and a bottled water. $6 USD
We stopped a Pagoda that was built by one of the Kings for his mother. 7 floors was significant in Buddhism.
Our next stopped was the Imperial City Citadel. This was a walled city built in 1803 by Emperor Gia Long. Everyone lived inside the walls of this city.
Lots of history. Tom recited everything he knew about Vietnam, Hue, and Buddhism. It was a long day. Still 2 or more hours back to Da Nang. Downtown looked nice from a distance but it was obvious that people here are poor. Tom told us about the house he grew up in. Built of bamboo sticks and thatch. The houses along the road seemed to be part business and part home. Things were very dirty and the people put up with it. I don’t know what Da Nang was like before the war but communism doesn’t seem to be doing what the people though it would do. Here we tried to stop communism and failed. Are we failing to stop it in our own country?
It was about 8:30 when we got back to the ship. Another ride on the electric cart to the ship from the port gate and we were home.…
Today was a day of recovery and planning for two stops in Vietnam. A woman from the tour company has been in touch for months on whatsapp. We are stopping first in Da Nang and then Saigon.
Lynn asked for a copy of our passport and visa. Easy to do. I asked if the guide would pick us up at the port. Certainly for $40 USD. I asked her if I could let her know as often times there would be a free shuttle. She was ok with that. Unfortunately the HAL folks are not so organized. “Is there going to be a ship shuttle?”, I asked. We don’t know was the response. How can you not know? I thought.
The tour company for the Saigon tour hasn’t asked for anything. I’m not try sure why.
We have noticed that DEI director has had a big influence in hiring. From the cruise director on down we have noticed that hiring is not based upon job qualifications but whether you swing a certain way. Lot’s of inappropriate comments from certain staff members and many do not do their job well.
Group trivia was extremely difficult. Most went right by us. We tried again after dinner. The theme was Alaska. Capital of Alaska? Which gem is Alaska noted for? When did Alaska become a state? What state number is it? We felt much better after this one.
The evening entertainment was accordionist Annie Gong. Wow. A set of classical music. Incredible sound. A very accomplished musician. She did Mozart, Shostakovich, Grieg. What a performance. 10!
We sept in today. A short day today as all aboard is 3 PM.
We decide that another trip to the Stanley Market is in order. The free shuttle bus left at 10:30 AM. We did not want to wait around. We took the green mini bus. There are three bus lines and they are privately owned. All use the Octopus card. It took two hours to get to the Stanley Market. The Market is located in the town of Stanley. It is an arcade full of shops. Some bartering is possible but not like mainland China. It was 11:30 AM and that left little time to shop before we had to head back. 2 hours to get back but who knows how traffic will be. By 12:10 we were ready to go.
Terri ducked into a deli and grabbed some lunch. We waited for Green mini-bus no.40. Several passed us. They only hold 19 passengers. One was full, one went to refuel. Finally we boarded at 12:40 or so. Cutting it too close I thought. There are many stops on this route on Hong Kong Island but the bus blew by most of them. No retail north of Stanley until we get closer to Kowloon. 15 stops later we were in Kowloon. We transferred to another bus company. These were all double decker busses. 17 stops in Kowloon and we hit every one. It would have been easier on the metro but it was Sunday and I didn’t want to take any chances. We were back near a shopping mall were we took one more GMB to the port. 2:15 PM and we were aboard. 45 mins to spare.
We saw Joe and Ann at the market and decided to join them for the Hong Kong sail away on the Lido deck at 3 PM. Lots of appetizers and I took advantage of them. The house band played. They tried to make every tune Irish as it was St. Patrick’s Day but it really didn’t work. Tequila? How is that Irish?
A woman approached me as we sat and enjoyed the party. “Excuse me, you look like someone I went to High School with. Is your name Mark?” I said it was doubtful that we went to school together as I went to an all male High School. She showed me photos on her phone. All I could say was “wow, what a handsome guy!”. He did look like me but I said “that is not me”. She said, “Too bad. He is a famous Hollywood producer now”.
The ship left late because of missing passengers and we kept wondering if our table partners made it back to port. They were mysteriously absent at dinner.
Team trivia was about St. Patrick’s Day. What is the tag line for Lucky Charms cereal? What animal did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland? Was the first St. Patrick’s Day parade held in Dublin? What was the fabled Leprechaun’s job? What do you find at the end of a rainbow? Which breakfast cereal featured “Lucky the Leprechaun?”. What do the three leaves of a clover stand for in Ireland?
One group got all but one right. Not so much for us.
No live evening entertainment on stage. Typical of a port day. We played cards outside for the first time in a few weeks. It is getting warm again. We don’t miss the snow in Japan and China.
Today we arrived in Hong Kong. Our pier is very close to downtown Kowloon. The pier is large. 1.5 miles just to get off of the pier. We left about 8:30 am. Our first goal is to get our tickets printed for the concert. We can print them tonight at the venue but have been warned of huge crowds at the venue.
Our walk was past miles of construction. Lots of noise. Workers at full steam building away. We arrived at the building that contained the CityLine ticket machine. It was a huge office buildings with loads of stored. A man at the concierge desk help us find the machine. I entered the ticket number and password and two tickets printed. We were good. to go.
Our next goal was the Stanley Market place which is on the southern part of Hong Kong Island. The app I downloaded worked well in created all of the connections. Busses, trains, subway. The ride down to the market was uneventful but it did take over an hour to get there.
The market and surrounding area can be seen in these photos. We did some shopping and decided to have some lunch. We sat outside and enjoyed some Chinese food and a drink.
We sat for a while, and then decided that with the remaining time before the show tonight, it would be best to plan a route to dinner that we had booked at the Marriott Hotel right next to the AsiaWorld venue. We originally thought we would go back to the ship first but with the remaining time it didn’t make sense.
The Asia-World Expo center is on an island that contains the airport. We took a bus and then got on the subway. From the subway we took the airport express train. Estimated time to get there was 70 minutes but we got there much sooner than that. We were able to walk from the train station, through the expo center and to the Marriott without going outside. Everything was connected. The Expo center was massive.
We got to the Marriott and decided to rest up before happy hour. We then sat at the bar and had a drink. At 6 pm we decided to cancel the reservations we had at the Sky City Bistro and go upstairs to the Velocity Bar. We sat at the bar and had some great bar food. We also had a chance to play a game of pool.
At 7:15, we walked back over to the venue. 10 minute walk. We found our seats and waited for the concert to begin. People just kept coming in. By the time the show started, every seat was filled.
When Tom Jones came on stage, he walked like an 83 year old man. The crowd cheered.
He stood at the front of the stage and began with a number where he sings about getting old. It was quite moving. I have attached a video.
The second number was another tune with a similar story. By the third tune he was playing his hits from the 1960s. His voice was as good as ever. No cracking of notes. Good range. The only thing I could detect was an inability to hold onto notes for a long period of time. The endings were sudden drop offs and the band carried on.
The band was outstanding. I expected more instrumental solos but this was not the case. There were solos but fewer than I expected. He talked about his age, his friends are all gone. He is still recording and had a number one album last year. Towards the end of the night he played another tune called the Tower of Song. Another very moving piece about age.
People were dancing in the isles and having a great time. He did one encore set. Three tunes and he finished with Johnnie B. Goode. Before he did this, he told the story of how Elvis Presley invited him to see some “cat” named Chuck Berry. Elvis called him the “real” king of rock and roll. The band did an excellent job with this tune. I don’t think the Tom Jones vocal version is great. Just an opinion. The concert was a blast!
We took the train back to Kowloon station and then took a cab back to the pier. We were back in the room at about 11:30 pm. Long day.…
Another day preparing for Hong Kong. We will be using the Octopus card for public transportation so there is no need for HK dollars. They have made an app just for visitors and it is valid in many other establishments besides the MTR or subway.
I have mapped out a route to the building that contains a CityLine machine that will print our tickets for the show on Saturday night. We will walk there and then take busses to the Stanley Market. Group Trivia went very well. We were the highest scoring group and Thomas bought the team a drink. We knew that Montreal was the largest city to speak French outside of France. We missed the name of Peter Pan’s dog. (Only question we missed). We knew which ocean was about half the size of the Pacific. Which organ in the human body is transplanted most often? Which institution has the largest library?
The evening entertainment was a Chinese pianist. Tian Jiang. He did a wide range of music, some with the house band. He was born in Shanghai and was invited to study in Manhattan by Isaac Stern. He studied there for years and then his visa was cancelled and he had to go back to China. A few months later he was invited to study at the Juilliard School of Music. He traveled back to the USA and was able to escape from China. He promises to let us know how at his next show. The grand piano had microphones turned up way too loud and destroyed the natural timbre of the instrument. His playing was definitely a 10. …
Our days at sea follow a predictable routine. Breakfast at 6:30, abdominal class near the pool, back to the room to shower, then a trip to the gym. By the time we are finished it is usually lunch time.
We spent a lot of the day planning our two days in Hong Kong. Handy information like “are there shuttle busses?, where is the port?”, are never available until the last minute. The evening before a port we get an informational sheet. Since we have already been to Hong Kong, we decided to do something very different. Tom Jones is performing on Saturday night. Hong Kong is one of his stops on his “ages and stages tour”. Yes he is still kickin’ it at 83 years old. We bought some tickets and will have to go pick them up as a physical ticket is needed to get in to the venue.
Every city operates is subway system differently. I did ride the train from downtown to the hotel before but not the subway. The issue is always timing. The venue is not far but how long will it take to get there? There are busses, taxi’s and Uber also. We will decide the means of transportation on Saturday morning. We definitely plan to go to the Stanley Market. Flea market kind of shopping.
Team trivia. What year was Canada founded? What is the periodic table symbol for gold? What is the ancient language of India. The two oldest poems? What is the syrup make out of pomegranate? Thomas is having too much fun making these. Which month do Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving? Which country is named for the latitude it is in?
Formal night for dinner. Some of the guests have on their best jeans. What gives?
The Captains Ball was in the Crow’s Nest. Lot’s of emphasis on the Captain. He is leaving after Hong Kong. A new Captain is coming aboard. Way too much emphasis on this. It was almost like a wedding party as staff “couples” were introduced. I think this staff forgot who they are working for.…
Posts with lots of pictures and videos may have to be loaded multiple times. No way around that.
Today we are continuing our journey south toward Hong Kong. 3 Days will give us time to recover from the port days and continue to plan excursions on the African stops.
We were lucky in that the Kruger Shalati tour through HAL has opened some additional spots. We are booked on this excursion. It leaves from Maputo in Mozambique and we will do game drives through the Kruger National Park. We will be staying on a train that is permanently parked on a bridge overlooking the park. We will take a flight to Cape Town and meet the ship after we are finished. We have golf booked in Cape Town but it is not going to work with this excursion.
We learned through others that 5 busses on their way to the great wall were detained by the same inspectors that we passed through. The officials demanded passports that no one had. They were delayed over an hour. The Captain spoke about how the officials in Tianjin and Beijing operate very differently than those in Shanghai.
We did two rounds of team trivia today. What did the chewy M&M candy become? Where is Acadia National Park? The name of the dinosaur on the Flintstones? Which television show featured New Jersey mob members? Which type of rock holds fossils? Who played guitar on Michael Jackson’s Beat It? What is a fish with no eyes? (you won’t find this one. It’s FSH) What is a Bear with no teeth? Who was Barbie’s younger sister? Hope you did well. We were in the top third.
Today Demi picked us up at 8 am. We owed her some money for expenses. PayPal was easy to do in the car. Tiananmen Square was first. This the picture from 1989 that I remember.
A lone demonstrator stands down a column of tanks June 5, 1989 at the entrance to Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The incident took place on the morning after Chinese troops fired upon pro-democracy students who had been protesting in the square since April 15, 1989.
I asked Demi about. She was just a child but could provide the Chinese peoples’ take on it. A large group of college students protested in the square. They sought more freedom. At the time only 5% of the Chinese population were college educated. These people were considered the intellectual elite and common people backed them.
The square today.
Entrance to the Forbidden City Parliament Tomb of Mao Zedong
Tiananmen Square now has a gate and guards surrounding it. There have been several self immolation incidences here since 1989. Everyone must go through security to enter the square. Hundreds of cameras monitor this place. People on the street feel very safe because everything is being recorded.
The Forbidden City is where the Emperor of China and his servants, administrators, and concubines lived. It was called the Forbidden City because ordinary people were forbidden to enter. Construction began during the Ming Dynasty in 1406 and was completed in 1420. The last Emperor, Qing, was here until 1912. After 1912, China began to use it as a museum. Things here remain the same as they were in 1912. During its’ period of usage, fires destroyed some of the buildings and they were replaced. The intricate detailed painting is continually being repainted. It takes 30 years to complete and then is started again. One can see the brilliance of freshly painted detail on the buildings and the dullness of those that need to be repainted.
mythical creatures protect the buildingsa bedroom. Maybe one of the many concubines
The Forbidden City is very large. We walked all the way through and took in what we could. Our next stop was the Temple of Heaven. Originally it was the Temple of Heaven and Earth but it was thought that heaven and earth should be separated. Items representing earth were moved to a different park. Heavenly buildings had a round top and earthly building had a square top. The Emperor we go here to pray each spring to the different god’s to ask for water or a bountiful harvest or other things depending on which god prayer was directed to.
people praying on this rockfolks arrived in traditional costumes to have a picture taken herethe god of water is here
The rock pictured with people praying on it was an area that had mathematical significance. 9 steps up to each landing. Each landing had 9 x9 stones. Around the center stone that people were praying had rings of stones. First ring was 9 stones, second ring 18, then 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 71, 78. There were short posts that can be seen in the picture. There were 360 of those going around the plaza.
There was no more time left to see the temple of earth. We finished here and went to lunch.
Demi ordered the food for us. The dumplings had beef in them. Very difficult to eat with chop sticks. Tomato soup, cucumbers with tofu and potatoes. Cabbage with peppers. All very delicious. Yanjing Beer. Yanjing is the old name of Beijing.
Demi asked if we needed her to come with us to the port. It is a 2 hour drive. I asked if the driver spoke any English. She said no. Just text me. We agreed and said goodbye here. Demi grabbed the subway and our driver took us back to the ship.
From the information given to us by both of our Chinese guides, Communism was a good thing for China. Hyperinflation was destroying the country. People loved Mao and the people believed he cared for them. Our experience is that China has more of a market economy than we are led to believe. The people here seem generally happy. The military and police are everywhere. Cameras monitor every move. I imagined myself on hundreds of screens with my name floating over the top of me while we visited.
We arrived back about 4:30 and prepared for dinner.
Team trivia was extremely difficult. All of the questions had to do with Kings and Queens. We can’t even remember any of the questions. Henry was a good answer for most of the King questions and Catherine for the Queens name. One team claimed to have all but one right. Thomas enjoys making these trivia questions too much.
The evening entertainment was vocalist Tim Tamashiro. A Canadian that is known for weaving stories into his performances. His show tonight was about the Rat Pack. He started with Sinatra and told a story about his birth and early years. Fascinating. He would then sing a number that was related to that time period. He started to include the other members one by one. Very interesting info on each one of the members. He did many Sinatra tunes and covered “That’s Amore” as Dean Martin and “The Candyman” as Sammy Davis Jr. He finished with “My Way” as Sinatra. I was fascinated by the story telling. The vocals were good but not a 10 in my opinion. A gave him a 9 and I would enjoy seeing a second set. Terri flashed me a 2. Not sure if she will be at the next one.…
