April 26 The Far East

Apr 26

We crossed the equator for the third time this trip. We arrived in Singapore at 3pm. The Around The World guests had a special event, a Gala Dinner and show meeting at 5:30pm. Sixteen buses had been hired to take us to the venue, but first we must get off the ship and pass through passport control. The route from the ship to passport control was a long, maze-like route. From there, we inserted our passports into the machine, had our photo taken, and we proceeded into the cruise terminal. We found our guide for bus 8 and waited for the rest of our group to complete passport control.

Once all 36 were accounted for, we walked two blocks inside the parking structure and boarded the bus. We headed to Pasir Panjang Power Station, a 25-minute ride through the city. The power station was decommissioned long ago, gutted, and is now a large concert venue. There are very few places that can hold all 600 Around The World passengers in one event.

We found a seat and then went to explore the attractions, including personalized Chinese calligraphy hand-painted on a fan.

Very nice flower arrangements for either your wrist or your neck, photo opportunities in a bicycle or a home-like setting….each of these was done very nicely. The dinner was served at tables of about 11, and you can imagine how many that would be…by three or four servers who were trained to bring each course and serve it so that everyone was served in a timely fashion.

There was entertainment by high schoolers who played amazing drums and did other amazing things, such as pounding specially made drums with water in them, all lit up, which made a spectacular sight.

It was hot in the venue, even though a long line of air conditioners was running.

There were also girls at each table who freely filled and refilled the glasses of wine until we had to stop them from making us have way too much!!! The entertainment was good, if toooooo loud, and conversations were limited to shouting over extra-wide tables, but about 30 people were dancing and called for more!! A good time was had by most! There are about 600 folks doing the Around The World!!

Singapore has a population of almost 3 million on a small island 31 miles east to west and 17 miles north to south, at the end of Malaysia. It has developed from swampland in 1960, when it became independent from Britain, to an impressive model of a well-developed, well-run city. Much of the city is reclaimed land. The laws are strict, but they have led to a clean, well-organized vertical city that many could learn from. It is now the financial hub for Asia. Many Malaysians cross the causeway to Singapore every day for low-income work. Many Singaporeans frequently travel to Malaysia to buy cheaper food and supplies.

Apr 27 Singapore 2nd day

Today is segment day, meaning many guests are leaving the ship and new guests are arriving for the next segment.

After a late night, we had an early call to meet for our next excursion. We took a 50-minute drive to the northern part of Singapore to Bird Paradise, an almost bird-city home to over 3,500 birds and 400 different species. A bird watcher's paradise.

We started by visiting the penguins' enclosure, a very impressive recreation of the South Pole, with tanks that can show the penguins underwater, swimming on the surface, and walking on a man-made island, all nicely air-conditioned for the penguins and the visitors, very impressive.

Next, we all took the tram to the large amphitheater for the 10:30 show “Predators on Wings”.

After the show, we took the tram back to the park entrance, then the bus back to the ship. We collapsed on our bed, totally exhausted from the heat and humidity. After a short break, we headed for a late lunch and to meet our new travelers.

Then we went back for the 12:30 show, “Wings of the World”. We got to see and learn about many of the world’s most exotic birds. During the show, a heavy downpour began in the amphitheater. The theater has a large canvas roof but has open sides. By the time the show was over, the rain had ended, as if it were all part of the show.

Apr 28

We arrived at the port close to Kuala Lumpur, the Capital of Malaysia. It has a population of 2 million. The total population of Malaysia is 34 million. Part of Malaysia is also located on the island of Borneo.

Our bus took us the 75-minute drive to the city center through rush hour. Malaysia was mostly protected from the 2004 Tsunami and only lost 33 lives. It was another hot and humid day. Our guide told us they are having an unusual heat wave, but remember, we are very close to the equator.

Our first stop was a wonderful butterfly farm that houses over 5,000 butterflies, which live for only about one week. The layout was extremely impressive, with waterfalls and tropical plants throughout. Very relaxing.

Our second stop was KL Bird Park. They say it’s the largest free-flying bird park, and it is huge. That is two bird parks in two days, but it was surprising how different they were.

After the bird park, we had lunch at a local restaurant serving a traditional Malaysian buffet. It was wonderful. It is the same restaurant we went to two years ago when we visited Malaysia.

Next, we had a photo opportunity for the twin towers, which are 452 m, then one hour to shop in the wonderful six-story shopping mall. There was a lot of variety, and everything was clean, well-built, and first-class. We picked up a couple of things we needed (wanted). The place was so clean and tidy, when I saw some paper on the floor, I decided to pick it up, only to find it was a fifty-ringgit note, worth about twelve US dollars. We decided to keep it as a souvenir.

On the way back to the ship, there was more traffic, and we arrived just as they were about to remove the gangway [waiting for us]. No sooner had they cast off than the rain, thunder, and lightning started. Good timing.

Apr 29

We dropped anchor at 1.30 pm at Phuket for an overnight stay. The port provided a nice cameraman tender holding over 200 guests, making the trip ashore quite comfortable.

Aboard the bus, our guide gave us some information. She said today was the hottest day in over a year, with temperatures nearing 100 F and high humidity. Phuket is an island in Thailand, with a size of 26 miles by 13 miles. Thailand has a population of 69 million. Phuket Island’s population is 400,000.

We visited an elephant sanctuary. The Indian elephants, aged 10 to 81, are all female and have been rescued from working and abusive situations. Now they are fed all day by tourists. Age and sex are the mildest dispositions for working with the public. They can eat up to 10% of their body weight and drink up to 250 kg of water. Their weight ranges from 4,000 to 15,000 pounds. Each elephant has its own handler. They are very well cared for.

We visited this sanitary two years ago, and Merry liked it so much that she wanted to return, and she was not disappointed.

On the way home, we stopped at a wholesale market selling mostly tourist souvenirs at very reasonable prices. We bought a wooden elephant as a gift for our wonderful grand dining room maître d' who loves elephants. We bought another one for ourselves. Merry also picked out some items.

We also stopped at Wat Chalong Temple for a short visit.

Our last stop was a cashew factory with plenty of samples. A lady showed how she shells each nut by hand. but we are not convinced, there must be a rapid mechanical way of doing this!!!!

Drive back to the ship, arriving at 8pm for a late dinner.

Apr 30 Phuket day two

Our tour was to a traditional Thai demonstration Farm in northern Phuket.

We had demonstrations in harvesting and processing latex rubber. Sir Henry Wickham, a Brit, brought rubber tree seeds to Thailand in 1874. Rubber trees produce latex from 7 to 34 years old. To make rubber, add water, formic acid and mix for 1/2 hour. Let it sit in a large pan, then roll it thin in a mangle and let it sit.