Nosy Be, Madagascar

We arrived here this morning and will be leaving in about an hour. This is very different from other countries. It is Saturday and the town was full. Everywhere you looked there were people selling different things. Everyone was very polite. Unlike some previous stops where we were surrounded by people trying to sell us something they only approached if we asked and if we said no they left. I did not take pictures in town. The two I am posting are of some of the boats that came out to the ship. We could not dock and were tendered in. They all had something to sell but there was not way we could buy. We were to high above the water.

Victoria Seyhelles

Beau Vallon Beach on Mahe Island in the Seyhelles is rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is 6 miles from Victoria where we docked. Two of us from the ship hired a cab to take us over. We were dropped at one of the hotels where we walked through on to the beach. The water was great and the beach beautiful. It is not entirely built up. There were no high-rises. All the hotels were one or two story. I have posted a few pictures of the beach. One is of me, one is of a private home, one is of the hotel lobby and two are of the beach. I would love to came back here and stay a week.

Cooking Class

So far there have been 3 hands on cooking classes. Denise Vivaldo, Naomi Kakiuchi, and George Geary were the guest chefs who conducted the classes. Each chef is on board for just a short time and does demonstrations which anyone can attend and cooking classes that are limited to 15. You have to pay for those classes Today we did the class with George Geary.

Our menu consisted of salads. We did a Waldorf Salad, a Cold Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts, and a Chinese Chicken Salad. We divided into groups of 5 each and each group made one of the salads. My group made the Chinese Chicken Salad. There is a picture of each of our finished salads. We are not allowed to eat what we make but we do go into the Pinnacle Grill for lunch. There we are served the same salads prepared by the chefs on board. There is also a glass of wine and a small desert. Between the food and the company it is a wonderful meal.

All three were very good. My plate was clean except for the pasta I picked out of the Cold Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts. There was not that much pasta. Everything was served over a bed of greens so with the walnuts and blue cheese it was still a complete salad.

Rigged for Pirate Protection

WHile we were in dock in Sri Lanka the ship was rigged for pirate protection. There is barbed wire and high pressure hoses on the outside of the ship on the promenade deck (the only one that they could try to climb up on. There will also be a letter and a drill telling us what to do in case of attack. There is not much danger now as the area is being patrolled but better safe than sorry. Photo is of wire and one of the high pressure hoses.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

We arrived here wary this morning. There is a picture of the dancers who were on the dock where we arrived. There was also an elephant all dressed in red out to meet us. Our dock was changed because an Iranian Navy ship was docked where we were suppose to be. As a result we ended up a long way out from anything. I hired a taxi driver to take me on a tour. I wanted to go to a Buddhist Temple (I had not visited one anywhere else). Sri Lanka is 80% Buddhist and I went to two different temples. One was open air out on a lake. The other was a large temple with a lot of history. My driver took me around the temple and explained everything. We are here on Sunday and the children were in the temple for weekly lessons about the religion. There was an elephant in the temple and I had several pictures taken while I visited and offered food that was accepted. Notice my bare feet. No shoes and no hats in the temple. I also visited one of the old hotels that is still in operation. Like Raffles it is very old world and very nice.

Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia

This is the second time to post this. I don't know what happened to the first one. I guess it is out there wandering in the ether somewhere. I can't find it anywhere.

Langkawi is an island off the Malaysian mainland and is a big resort destination. We had been told that there would be no shuttle. The pier here is very long and I expected a long walk to where I could get a taxi to the beach. Instead there were shuttle buses that dropped us off where we could shop, go to Underwater World or take a very short walk to the beach. And what a beach. This is what I expected tropical beaches to look like. I loved it and shopping and Underwater World lost out big time. There is great sand, shade to sit in and just enjoy the scenery, and great water. I did not feel the heat while I was there. I spend about an hour in the water (that is almost the maximum I can stay in the sun without burning even when I wear sun block). More time just sitting in the shade and enjoying the beach. This is a big resort area and there were people on vacation from all around this area. I visited with a few who were local and a few who were doing the same thing I was. I wish it were not so far away from where I live. I would love to come back for a week or so.

This is also one of the most scenic ports we have sail into. There are little islands all around and very few building in view. One other thing. On the shuttle on the way back I was standing because I was still wet from swimming. As we left the buildings behind and neared the port there was a small monkey along the side of the road. This was the first time I had seen one out in nature. I would have missed him if I had not been standing.

The photos are of the beach, the port and dock, some of the small islands (you can see the humidity), and one of the cottages along the beach.

Currency Exchange

Every country we go to we have to deal in a different currency. I find it interesting to see the different rates of exchange. We just did Hong Kong and Singapore and here are how they exchanged. I went to a bank ATM in Hong Kong and withdrew 750 Hong Kong Dollars. For that withdrawal my bank withdrew $100 US. When I got to Singapore I had 400 Hong Kong dollars left. I exchanged them for Singapore dollars and got 62.20. I needed more money so I withdrew 100 Singapore dollars at a bank ATM. 80 US dollars were withdrawn from my bank account. I can exchange on the ship but get a better rate from a bank ATM or from one of the many money exchange stories in port. I have 60 Singapore dollars left and I will exchange those in South Africa.

In some ports the ship will not exchange local current and tell us that US Dollars are widely accepted. I suspect that those currencies are inflated and the ship does not want to be stuck with them. We do get a currency conversion card at each port. It has the currency conversion and information on getting back to the ship if we need it.

A hint if you every need it. I use my bank debit card to make purchases where credit cards are accepted and get the best rate of currency exchange without the surcharge that credit cards charge. I sat down with someone in my bank and they entered the entire schedule with dates and ports before I left. That way when my card is used they can check the date and port to make sure it is one where I am supposed to be.

Maylaysia

We are in Porto, Langkawi, Malaysia today. This is a resort island off the main land and it it really pretty. It is one of the most beautiful sail in so far. The beach is what I think a tropical beach should look like. The shuttle bus took us to with 100 ft of the beach and I spent the morning there. There was plenty of shade and the water was wonderful. The beach is lined with with small cabins and I saw people from all over the world enjoying their time here. The town around the beach is just like any beach town. It is full of shops and everything is duty free. I did not do much looking and did not buy anything. I was wet and while I was not really ready to get back to the ship I knew I needed to get off the beach before I started to burn. I am just a little pink so I timed it just about right. Photos are of the beach, one of the cottages, the dock area, and some of the islands int he harbor. I would love to come back some day.

SIngapore

I loved Singapore but it is a port that really wiped me out. Located near the Equator it was very hot land humid. Even with me being from the South (in the US) where we are noted for heat and humidity this was by far the worse I have been in. I had a tourist pass on the Metro (a great way to get around) I made some places I wanted to see by by late afternoon I went back to the ship without seeing everything I wanted to visit. This is a place I would love to came back too. Like Hong Kong this is a place dedicated to shopping but it has a lot more to see. I did visit Raffles Hotel. You cannot go in the lobby unless you are a registered guest but you can go the their shops, bars and restaurants. I visited the Long Bar home of the original Singapore Sling. I had my favorite a gin and tonic that cost $23.00 Singapore. You do pay for the privilege of being there. There is a picture of me with that very pricey drink. There is also a photo of the Merlion Stature, unique to Singapore . I visited Chinatown and the Hindu Temple located there. It is the first I found that encouraged photos. They did charge to take them, $2.00 Singapore. I also went to Little India where I took a picture of one of the many flower stalls and the gentleman making one of the flower hangings. Those are used in the temple and almost all of the shops had some type of flower arrangement. There is a picture of the outside of another Hindu Temple. This one is in Little India and unlike the first one was filled with worshipers. No pictures in there.

There is also a picture of the courtyard at Raffles and one of the famous building that look like they are leaning. They are not it is a optical illusion.

I am spending today recovering from yesterday. Tomorrow is Malaysia and the day after is Thailand. No rest for a few days.

World's Busiest Shipping Lane

The Captain said that we would be traveling the world's busiest shipping lane on the way to Singapore. We have seen other ships as we travel across the ocean but they are only one at a time. Most of the time it is just us moving across the ocean. No true today. Right now I see 7 ships from my cabin window. Earlier I took a picture out the window with three ship in it. This is a very busy place. We get to Singapore at 2:00 p.m. today, March 17th.

You need to click and enlarge the picture to see all three.

Nha Trang

The beaches here are lovely and the roads filled with motor scooters. This is not a port I would want to come back too. The picture was taken out of the shuttle bus window and it had film half way down. It shows in the photo.

Theme Night, Formal Night

We have 17 formal nights on the ship and some have themes. The latest one was Oriental Night and the Dining Room was decorated to match. I took my camera to dinner for pictures. Everything was done up in red. There is always an ice sculptor in the doorway and the waiters are dressed to match the theme.

Kowloon Park

The last day in Hong Kong I went to Kaloon Park in the heart of the city. I was lovely. All the photos are of the park which takes up a large area. One is of the sculpture in the middle of the amphitheater. I took it because it reminded me of the amphitheater on the University of Arkansas campus. At the middle of the pard is a hint of the west. There is a small MacDonalds ready to serve you a meal. Another is of a group taking Tai Chi lessons while a second is of a group doing Tai Chi. I would like to go back to Hong Kong some day. By day three was so tired that I did not go everywhere I had planned.