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.

Hong Kong

I went on my own again here in Hong Kong. I purchased a two day pass on the Big Bus that allows you to hop on and hop off. The first day I took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island and did the bus tour to Stanley. I got off first at the Victoria Peak tram and rode up to see the view. From there we went to Stanley and the Stanley Market. It was interesting but I did not buy anything. After that we did a Sampan Ride at Aberdeen. Then the ferry back to Kowloon. I walked around and looked at the shops near the pier. Last night I watched the light show that goes on every night at 8:00 p.m. Hong Kong is night is very pretty. This is a very busy place. Today I took the second route on Kowloon and went to the Ladies Market. Again I did not buy anything. This afternoon I walked down along the bay. Some students stopped me and asked if I would do pan interview. There were practicing their English and there was a lot of laughing. After that I visited the Art Museum. There was an Andy Warhol Exhibit that was special and the regular gallaries with Chinese Art. The calligraphy and illustrations gallery was filled with wonderful art. The Ancient Chinese exhibit had items from as long ago as 2000 B.C. PIctures are off the Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen, the lights at night, the ladies market, outside the Art Museum, the clock tower and the students who did the interviewing and me.

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

The was the biggest welcome and greatest send off we have received at any port.  The photo from deck 9 was the group here for our arrival.  There are pictures of the three groups who preformed to tell us good-by and a picture of some of the people on the dock who were waving good-by to us.  The last picture is of some of the house built out over the bay.  My driver told me he lived in one of the houses built out there.  You can build there for free and he could not afford land so that was where he lived.  Sometimes if the tide was high it came in his house.  There were a lot of houses all along the bay as we sailed out.