Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[WCB]

Report # 67 March 10, 2009 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

The day started with a chilly temperature of 51 degrees, nippy winds, and very cloudy skies. From the looks of it, there will be no sunbathing around the aft pool until we get closer to Vietnam in a few days.

 

We had two jobs to complete today. One was filling out landing cards for Singapore. The front office staff had already filled in vital information, and we basically had to answer simple question, then sign the forms. What stood out on these forms, was the warning.....DRUG TRAFFICKING IS PUNISHED BY DEATH! OK, no problem understanding that!

 

The other job was to get a new room key, since for the second time on this trip, my key failed to work. Bill's key has been fine, so it's quite possible that the magnetic catches on my purses demagnitize the keycard. Who knows?

 

We received our shore passes for Vietnam, which we must carry with us while onshore. Once we board the ship before departing, we will turn the passes back to the officials. The cost of the visas have not hit our shipboard account yet, but we hope they will not be as expensive as HAL listed before the cruise. If memory serves us correct, the price was $160. each. That is excessive for a one day stop in Nha Trang. We will keep you updated on the cost.

 

Many activities were happening all day. For instance, a new exploration speaker, a biologist Daniel Catt, will give a lecture about whales, dolphins, and turtles of the Asian coast. While Allan Hutchinson will speak about legal conundrums.

 

Barbara, the port lecturer, talked about upcoming ports of Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Kemaman, Malaysia.

 

Watercolor, arts and crafts, and dance classes continued, while the more energetic passengers among us played paddle tennis, volleyball, ping pong, and basketball.

 

We visited the Crow's Nest, the first time in a week, and exchanged tour stories with friends Sandy and Frank and Leslie and Handler. We all went in different directions while in Shanghai, so we had lots to share.

 

Dinner was the best tonight, since we ordered the delicious and ample T-bone steaks. They were as good as it gets!!

 

A multi-instrumental group, Duo Mezzanotte, was the entertainment this evening. We opted for a movie on our stateroom TV instead. That is, if we can stay awake!

 

By the way, today marked the halfway point of our cruise.....64 days!!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 68 March 11, 2009 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

The morning started off much warmer, with the humidity sneaking back ever so slightly. We should reach about 64 degrees, but the skies remain cloudy and foggy.

 

The Captain announced yesterday that instead of sailing south near Taiwan, we are heading southeast, in order to make a drop-off of some technicians that have been working onboard. They will be debarked onto a shore boat near Hong Kong, though not in the actual harbor.

 

There was another kitchen tour this morning, probably for the segment guests who will be leaving us in Singapore.

 

Dance classes were teaching the rhumba again. Must be difficult, because they have repeated this a few times already.

 

Exploration speaker, Daniel Catt, lectured about birds of Asia, and Allan Hutchinson had more legal-eagle talk. Our tablemate, George, finds Allan extremely interesting.

 

There was another Mongolian Cook Out for lunch today in the Lido pool area. The staff really sets the stage for this venue quite well. First, the diners fill their plates with the raw ingredients of their choice. The items were assorted vegetables, chunks of chicken, beef, and pork, and Chinese noodles. From there, they proceed to the line to wait their turn to have the food cooked in a wok with oil and seasonings. You could smell the garlic cooking for a mile away! The line extended to the Lido doors, so we just took pictures, and decided to eat at our regular time of 2 pm.

 

And just as planned, the two technicians were taken off the ship with their four suitcases around 4:30 pm. We could barely see the buildings of Hong Kong in the distance, as the fellows were whisked ashore.

 

We finally caught a movie, "Rescue Dawn", at the start time of 4 pm in our room. This movie involved a true story of captured soldiers during the Vietnam War. Even though this took place in Laos, we question the choice of showing this film, when we are so close to visiting Vietnam. It was rather graphic and disturbing.

 

This evening, we were invited to the Captain's Grand Voyage Dinner. We assembled at the entrance of the small Ambassador's Lounge at 6:30pm. We were formally introduced to Captain Olav by Joanne, the Mariner Society President, who has stayed on the ship since she boarded with Stein Kruse and friends. Drinks of our choice were offered along with cold hors d'oeuvres. The Captain toasted our group of 45 passengers, then we were free to make our way to the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant. We were escorted to a large table, where we had assigned seats with our name tags. We were joined by six other passengers, Joanne, and Captain Olav. Each table had an officer seated with the group.

 

The conversation was pleasant as we dined on the fine cuisine. Starters were malossol caviar, jumbo shrimp, and pate de foie gras. A beef consomme with mushrooms and vegetables was served. Parmesan crusted Dover sole was given to us on a small bed of salad, then the filet mignon was brought. It had the best Madeira reduction gravy with scalloped potatoes and veggies on the side. The grande finale dessert was wonderful. There were five different samplings of dessert specialties. Coffee and petit fours finished the meal. Excellent wines from California, of course, were served.

 

Once our dessert was eaten, the staff brought us each a box with a sterling silver HAL logo key ring. The Captain joked and said it was a nose ring or a belly button ring! Not unless you were the Jolly Green Giant!

 

The meal ended by 9:30 pm, where we said goodbye to the Captain and staff. As we left the room, a personally signed menu was handed to each of us.

 

Showtime featured a London singer, Emma Sinclair. We'll get a report on her tomorrow.

 

Oh yes, we put the clocks back one hour this evening. We love it!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[ger_77]

Wow, you have it all; beautiful world cruise AND dinner with the captain. Life is good, isn't it? Wish we were there.

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[Fairport]

If you want graphic and disturbing you should have been in Vietnam when I was there. It is a beautiful country with wonderful people and is on our list of places to visit in the next few years.

 

Ken

[bcnvcanada]

To MaryAnn and Bill, Thanks so much for keeping us up on your travels. We are really enjoying your trip around the world. It brings back so many memories of our days in China. We lived in the Ching Chiang apts. in the Ching Chiang Hotel complex 59 Mowning Lu on the 15th floor for a year in 1977. We are sure that this must be in JinJiang Hotel you mentioned. It was located in the European district, not far from the great square of the of the people. We know that China was changed greatly, but we have such fond memories of Shanghai and China. again, thanks for your most interesting and informative writing.

[WCB]

Report # 69 March 12, 2009 Thursday Day at Sea

 

It's going to be a lazy day, we hope, as the weather has warmed up nicely. We could do with less humidity, though. There is a plus to the moisture in the air.......it is good for the skin, keeps it from drying out.

 

We forgot to mention yesterday, that the Captain told us some good news about two passengers that had left the ship for medical reasons. The first one was the lady, who had fallen down the stairs in Sydney, and her husband who was having heart problems. They have come back to the ship, as well as the lady who was evacuated to the island of Bali. She had emergency surgery there, and according to a good friend of hers, she reported having excellent care that saved her life. She was close to losing both kidneys. She is back home here on the Rotterdam and doing well.

 

Some of the activities today are the Singapore port talk, continued information on Singapore, given by the lecturer, Joseph Daly, and a discussion on African wildlife presented by Daniel Catt. Watercolors art, and arts and crafts will display their projects around the Atrium this morning. And the photo shop is advertising a coffee table hard cover book for $89.95, including shipping, of the highlights of the 2009 world voyage. That is a new idea, and a good one, we think.

 

An amusing article was in the daily newsletter today. It explained that the exchange rate for the Vietnamese dong is 17,000 to 1 US dollar! For that reason, none would be sold onboard! Luckily, if memory serves us right, they gladly accepted US dollars and credit cards.

 

We were invited to the Specialists dinner this evening in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant at 6:30 pm. Our hosts Tom and Ellen have been hosting small groups of full world cruisers every week or so, since leaving Los Angeles. In spite of the fact, we had several friends attending tonight, we were seated with new people. One nice lady, Fran, is the daughter of Julia, who has a gazillion miles with HAL. We had met her briefly at a cocktail party a few weeks ago. The other couple were nice enough, but were vegans, a style of eating that we really were not familiar with. Now, we don't care what people eat, or don't eat, but if you require a special meal, we think it only polite to inform the Pinnacle Grill manager, Kim, ahead of time. From past experiences, we knew the dinner menu would be a set one, with the choice of fish or beef for the entree. Appparently, that was not done until we sat down. The chef did a nice veggie meal, but once their plates were served, they nixed it, and decided to run to the Lido before it closed. And they did just that....run out! We informed Kim, the manager, that we believed they would not return. With that, she was horrifyed that she had done something wrong, and ran to the Lido to see why they left. Don't you think this couple should have given their regrets to our hosts and the staff before fleeing?? And remember, there is always the option of room service. Oh well, we learn something new every day!!

 

We did enjoy the rest of our dinner with Fran, and Tom, who joined us twice during the dinner. We were done early, and full with the dessert of chocolate volcano cake. We decided to visit Barbie and George in the dining room and share our story. We had them laughing for an hour!!

 

We didn't go to the show, but the star tonight was Al Brown, a British comedian.

 

Tomorrow, Nha Trang, Vietnam!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[lagunaman]

Report # 69 March 12, 2009 Thursday Day at Sea

 

It's going to be a lazy day, we hope, as the weather has warmed up nicely. We could do with less humidity, though. There is a plus to the moisture in the air.......it is good for the skin, keeps it from drying out.

 

We forgot to mention yesterday, that the Captain told us some good news about two passengers that had left the ship for medical reasons. The first one was the lady, who had fallen down the stairs in Sydney, and her husband who was having heart problems. They have come back to the ship, as well as the lady who was evacuated to the island of Bali. She had emergency surgery there, and according to a good friend of hers, she reported having excellent care that saved her life. She was close to losing both kidneys. She is back home here on the Rotterdam and doing well.

 

Some of the activities today are the Singapore port talk, continued information on Singapore, given by the lecturer, Joseph Daly, and a discussion on African wildlife presented by Daniel Catt. Watercolors art, and arts and crafts will display their projects around the Atrium this morning. And the photo shop is advertising a coffee table hard cover book for $89.95, including shipping, of the highlights of the 2009 world voyage. That is a new idea, and a good one, we think.

 

An amusing article was in the daily newsletter today. It explained that the exchange rate for the Vietnamese dong is 17,000 to 1 US dollar! For that reason, none would be sold onboard! Luckily, if memory serves us right, they gladly accepted US dollars and credit cards.

 

We were invited to the Specialists dinner this evening in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant at 6:30 pm. Our hosts Tom and Ellen have been hosting small groups of full world cruisers every week or so, since leaving Los Angeles. In spite of the fact, we had several friends attending tonight, we were seated with new people. One nice lady, Fran, is the daughter of Julia, who has a gazillion miles with HAL. We had met her briefly at a cocktail party a few weeks ago. The other couple were nice enough, but were vegans, a style of eating that we really were not familiar with. Now, we don't care what people eat, or don't eat, but if you require a special meal, we think it only polite to inform the Pinnacle Grill manager, Kim, ahead of time. From past experiences, we knew the dinner menu would be a set one, with the choice of fish or beef for the entree. Appparently, that was not done until we sat down. The chef did a nice veggie meal, but once their plates were served, they nixed it, and decided to run to the Lido before it closed. And they did just that....run out! We informed Kim, the manager, that we believed they would not return. With that, she was horrifyed that she had done something wrong, and ran to the Lido to see why they left. Don't you think this couple should have given their regrets to our hosts and the staff before fleeing?? And remember, there is always the option of room service. Oh well, we learn something new every day!!

 

We did enjoy the rest of our dinner with Fran, and Tom, who joined us twice during the dinner. We were done early, and full with the dessert of chocolate volcano cake. We decided to visit Barbie and George in the dining room and share our story. We had them laughing for an hour!!

 

We didn't go to the show, but the star tonight was Al Brown, a British comedian.

 

Tomorrow, Nha Trang, Vietnam!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Another fan of your very interesting travelogue, much appreciated .

 

Just thought I would let you know (not sure if you have been here before) the best sites are the surrounding limestone cliffs in Phang Na Bay --- the James Bond tour with the Muslim Village, also Pi Pi Island and a visit to the beach used in the movie of that name.

 

Phuket itself has pockets of nice scenery and some great beaches, BUT the major portions of the Island are not really reminiscent of its "Pearl of the Andaman" description !

 

However, for residents it has excellent infrastructure and even honky tonk Patong's new Jungceylon Centre with it's dancing fountains is worth a visit and if shops are of interest-- there is also the Central Mall.

 

I was booked on your sailing Dubai thru Cape Town, changed to Azmara Quest sailing from Singapore to Athens, a HAL regular but need to be in Spain and a far shorter flight than from SA.

 

Hope that you have a wonderful day here next week, the weather presently is very sunny---ENJOY :)

[WCB]

Report # 70 March 13, 2009 Friday Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

Ooooh, Friday, the 13th! Hope it's not a bad omen......Perhaps in this part of the world, it is a lucky day......

 

We shared the port of Nha Trang, Vietnam, with Cunard's Queen Victoria, who was anchored in the picturesque harbor near where we were docked. It will definitely be a busy day in the city this fine hot morning!! It was already in the 80's at 7:30 am.

 

In 2007, we visited Nha Trang, but on a cloudy and rainy day. We're taking a similar tour, but we think our photos will come out better this time.

 

We noticed many changes while our bus driver took us on the beachside boulevard. There were several new 5-star venues along the waterfront, offering restaurants and bars under open-air thatch-roofed balconies.

 

We were supposed to have a walk across the Ha Ra Bridge to photograph the numerous colorful fishing boats in the Nha Trang harbor. However, our guide, a man of few words, said, no, there was no time. Our driver just drove at a snail's pace, so we did take some pictures, but they were not the best taking them through the bus windows.

 

Right after leaving the bridge, we stopped at the Po Nagar Cham Towers, built between the 7th and 12th centuries. Chinese and Vietnamese Buddists come here to pray and make offerings. Our guide let us loose to explore on our own. This was fine with us, because there was a native dance performance going on the top level. We climbed up the hillside so we could see and film it. The young girls dancing were dressed in colorful native garb, waving their decorative fans. They were dancing in front of the main towers. Each tower had a shrine in them, and if you wanted to go inside, you had to take off your shoes. It was much easier to zoom inside the temples with our cameras.

 

This was also a great spot to photograph the busy harbor below us. When we got back to the bus parking lot, we were inundated with street hawkers selling treasures. But first, we wanted to check out the nearby stalls by the temple complex. We are now owners of a bottle of rice wine with a small cobra coiled inside of it, with a large scorpion in the snake's mouth, Yuch......no one will ever want to visit our room! The label on this bottle says the liquid is medicinal for "sweating of the limbs", and it supposed to be sipped twice a day. Nope, not in this lifetime!!

 

We balanced that purchase with a desktop pencil holder with two songbirds on it that sing and move, activated by a loud noise. Our room stewards will like this, or maybe they'll like the wine bottle better.

 

Back at the bus, vendors were selling postcards, Oriental jackets and robes, hats, fans, and beaded purses. These small purses were too good to pass by, so we bought three for $10. The gals on our bus liked them so much, they bailed off of the bus to buy some too! Boy, was that vendor happy! Remember, the rule of smart shopping is to buy at the first opportunity, since you may not see these again. One lady waited until we got back to the pier, but found that there were none like these at all.

 

We continued on, making the fellows on the bus quite happy. The top shelf of the bus was already full of packages. We noticed the throngs of motorcycle riders passing us on the right and left. Most of the young girls wore masks, which made them look ill. But we later remembered that they used the masks to cover their faces to block the sun. They prefer fairer skin.

 

Our next stop was at the Long Son Pagoda, built in the late 19th century. Sadly, it became famous when some monks lit themselves on fire protesting the Vietnam War 30 years ago. The last time we were here, we could not see the Buddha. He was covered with fog. But not so today. We, or should I say, one of us, climbed the 152 stone steps leading to the giant Buddha seated on a lotus blossom. The entire pagoda complex on the way up was decorated with mosaic dragons made of glass and ceramic tiles. A newly built reclining Buddha was off to the left of the stairs.

 

Bill walked up the final flight of stairs to the White Buddha. While he was snapping pictures, a very young child, maybe 2 years old, proceeded to untie his shoes. Bill was afraid that he was going to tie his shoes together, so he walked away from him saying no. Later on, Frank said the same thing happened to him, but there was a reason. It was to make it easier to take off your shoes before entering the temple behind the Buddha. And the catcher is, the same child will tie your shoes when you get back outside. And, of course, these kids get tips. So smart.

 

While waiting for our bus and guide at the entrance gate, we were mobbed once again by vendors. And they made some quick sales selling robes, jackets, paintings, and t-shirts. These kids bargain gladly, knowing many more buses were on the way.

 

Next, we visited the XQ Hanoi Silk Embroidery Shop, where we saw many young girls demonstrating the intricate and tedious skills of embroidery. Their large projects were stunning, and expensive if you opted to buy the framed art pieces. Some of the larger pieces of art were thousands of dollars, or millions of Vietnam dong!

 

The embroidery gift shop was so crowded, we had to squeeze in sideways. We did not last long in there! We spent the rest of the time chatting with friends and watching the pretty Vietnamese girls serving small cups of tea to the passengers from both ships.

 

Our guide surprised us with a delightful visit to a beachside restaurant, The Four SeasonsTourist Center. We were served coconut juice with a straw right in the coconut shell. A spoon was added so we could eat the coconut meat. What a nice place to sit in the shade while enjoying the activies on this South China Sea beach. The more aggressive street sellers were not shy in approaching us at the railing, tempting us with their flashy jewelry. We took a short walk on the beach, with the same gals following us in hopes of selling something. These two were the only ones all day that did not take, no thanks, seriously. For the most part, we found the locals to be friendly, and most respectful. They know that treating visitors well will bring more people here, and that's how the travel industry grows.

 

Our tour had just flown by, and it was time to go back to the ship. There was at least a quarter of a mile of tents set up on the pier with more souveniers than you could possibly count! But first, we needed to eat lunch, since we had skipped breakfast. But more importantly, we had to drink gallons of water. Dehydration is a factor you want to avoid in this part of the world. No wonder beer sales are through the roof here!

 

After eating and cooling down, we headed back off of the ship to the many make-shift tables of artwork, jewelry,specifically pearls, watches, designer handbags, silk clothing, and laquer boxes and trays. Passengers from both ships were having fun haggling for everything. Obviously, they were successful, as we saw many people carrying huge packages back to the gangplank. Us included! The fashion watches must have been the best buy of the day, because the crew were buying them by the dozen. Our waiter friend, Herry, said his Ferrari watch was 75% real! These fellows have a great sense of humor once you get to know them well. We all think that they are the best in the business of cruising!

 

Well, it was time to turn in our shore passes to the officials seated by the gangplank. Once we did that, we could not return to shore.

We rested on our the verandah, trying to re-charge our "batteries"! This oppressive heat takes everything out of you. While we were watching the harbor traffic, a man in a small round boat, came alongside our ship. We could see a fishing net in the bottom of the boat. He did look a bit suspicious with a hooded ski mask on his head, rowing too close to us. Actually, he was harmless, but we were surprised he was able to get so close.

 

At 4:30pm, we went up to the aft deck to join friends at the sailaway party. The band played music, as we munched on snacks of crispy chicken tenders, veggie pot stickers, and dim sum. A few of us girls sat on the pool edge, cooling our feet off in the tepid water for two hours. Before we knew it, the sun was going down, treating us to a beautiful sunset.

 

Ellen and Martha came to our table for dinner tonight. The menu featured several Asian items, but we opted for a traditional turkey dinner. It was really tasty, and we complimented Chef Bernie and manager, Tom, on their fine cuisine, while they visited us doing their rounds.

 

And the good news of the day was the fact that our visa costs were $35., not the $160. we had been prepared for. Good deal.

 

We did attend showtime at 10pm this evening to see Black Tie. But we only lasted 20 minutes, because we were totally exhausted.

 

Boy, are we glad we have a sea day tomorrow! And as the day ended, it turned out to be a good "Friday the 13th"!!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 71 March 14, 2009 Saturday Day at Sea

 

The clocks were set forward one hour last night. And to make matters worse, Captain Olav came on the hallway speakers at 5:30am to announce a stop for a medical evacuation of a seriously ill passenger. Since we were too far from shore, they could not use a helicopter, so during the night, we swung close to shore, and a boat picked up the passenger. Believe us, no one would have noticed that the ship had slowed down at that time of the morning. Even the waiters at breakfast never heard the announcement.

 

We spent the majority of the day working on pictures and reports, and walking while visiting with friends. It started raining hard, off and on all afternoon. So it was a good time to watch movies in our room. We saw Eagle Eye and Leatherheads. Both were entertaining.

 

The big job of the day was filling out arrival and departure cards for Phuket, Thailand. One thing nice about visiting Thailand is that we don't need to buy visas for there. Speaking of Phuket, Barbara gave a port talk on that area this morning.

 

Allan Hutchinson gave another legal lecture, and Beverly Myhal had more pilot stories to share.

 

During his afternoon talk, Captain Olav apologized for the early annoucement that woke us all up. He told us that the passenger was transferred to a boat, and taken to a hospital in Ho Chi Mihn City. And his condition had stabilized once he got there. The staff will not give us any more information than that. Hope he will be OK.

 

Since we are coming to the end of another segment, a $10,000 snowball jackpot bingo had to be won today. Bet a lot of people went to that game!

 

The dress code for this evening was informal, or a jacket for the fellows. This has been the second one that we remember having since we boarded the ship on January 5th!! Want to bet this dress code gets eliminated in the future?

 

Jeff Bradley, a top variety of comedian, was the showtime star tonight. We have an early morning tour tomorrow, so it's off to bed for us!

 

Our port of call tomorrow...........Kemaman, Malaysia!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 72 March 15, 2009 Sunday Kemaman, Malaysia

 

Our port of call today was Kemaman, Malaysia, a maiden call for the Rotterdam. However, all that was here was basically an industrial town built on the lucrative petroleum and oil business. Migrant workers from all over Asia have populated this area since the discovery of oil in the 1980's. Kemaman has the deepest Malaysian seaport and a liquidfied petroleum gas export terminal managed by Petronas. This natural oil corporation is the owner of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. It was the tallest building in the world a few years back. A turtle sanctuary is also located on the beaches here, in order to preserve the dwindling species.

 

Now, on with our tour. We left the ship by 9 am. The skies were getting darker, and we knew rain was imminent. It started about five minutes after we left the pier. Oh well, it did cool the air off.

 

On the hour plus ride to Kuantan, 65 kilometers away, we saw mangrove forests where the lumber is harvested for charcoal used for cooking. Timber from many species of local trees is sold to Japan. The other main industry is fishing, as it has been in the past.

 

The predominant religion is Islam, but they are free to choose to be Protestant or Catholic, etc. We passed by several ornate mosques along the way. With today being a Sunday, we thought many businesses would be closed. However, they work on Sunday, and take off Friday for prayer day.

 

Our guide pointed out the typical Malay houses built on stilts with metal or thatch roofs. She said these houses are literally moved when a person sells their property. Several men pack them, pure muscle-power, to another lot, then install the house on stilts once again. She had a picture to prove it. She said you could tell the age of the houses by the amount and size of the coconut trees the owners planted.

 

The rain started in earnest on the way to the fishing village in Kuantan. We just happen to be visiting this part of the world during the monsoon season. They get over 100 inches of rain a year. It looks like half of that amount has already fallen today! Our guide said this was better than coming here in the summertime, when the humidity of 60 to 80% is unbearable.

 

We drove past the Regent and Chief Ministries lavious residences in the "Beverly Hills" district of Kuantan. The area was filled with swimming pools, golf courses, baseball fields, and tennis courts.

 

Our first stop was at the Tanjung Api fishing jetty. The local fishermen bring in anchovies, grouper, sea bass, squid, golden snapper, tuna, and mackeral in simple chicken wire traps. All kinds of shellfish were laying on the cutting tables in the fish market. It was interesting watching the butchers cut up the large fish with machete-like knives hammered with mallets. Dozens of local people were eating from the nearby stalls. We could not identify the dishes they were eating.

 

Near the fish market, was a bridge where we looked into the boat harbor. The boats appeared in need of repair, since they were pretty old and battered. We did see a few sea eagles flying overhead.

 

Our next stop was at the Teluk Cempedak beach market. Many stalls sold handicratfs and beach toys for kids. At the far end of the beautiful beach was the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The most scenic views were from a waterfront boardwalk, which led us above the rocky shoreline. A forest of trees hid several long-tailed monkeys, or macaques, as they call them here. Three of them posed for a few minutes before scampering off into the treetops. We had been warned not to feed them, or have anything on you that was loose that they could grab. Smart littles critters!

 

The boardwalk led to three different covered huts along the way to a nice secluded sandy beach. Many families with young children were coming to this area for swimming and picnics. Most of the Muslim women went into the warm surf fully clothed. Some sat on the beach, holding umbrellas because of the rain, while enjoying the water flowing over them and their little ones.

 

The rain did lighten up for the hour that we were there. It gave us plenty of time to photograph the large group of macaques romping on the grassy slopes of the nearby creek. They were comical as they frolicked in the rain puddles, or chased each other like little children. The babies were the cutest,as they clung onto their mothers. Occassionally, a baby monkey would pick up a leaf and play with it like a toy. A local family started to feed them snacks. Our guide discouraged this practice, because she claims that in the off season, the monkeys starve, because they have lost the ability to hunt for themselves. It was obvious that they really liked the snack food.

 

We did see a few colorful butterflies, and one large monitor lizard laying on a branch. Our guide said the locals eat the lizards, considering them a delicacy. That was all we saw. We're sure that more animal life came out of hiding after we left.

 

We arrived back to the pier by 2 pm, just in time for monsoonal rain to downpour. The vendors under the leaky tents were loading their wares into their cars as fast as they could. At least six buses came back at the same time, but no one got out, because they would be soaked to the bone. Some of us courageous passengers dashed under the dripping tents to try to buy some souveniers before the vendors left. There were very few good buys compared to Vietnam. And they were not willing to bargain much. All we purchased was a locally made woven bag to hold magazines and newsletters in our room. It was a good deal for $7.

 

Once most of the passengers were back onboard, we got back on the ship with no waiting.

 

The ship left at 5 pm, but we could hardly see the shoreline as we sailed away because of the extremely heavy showers. The sailaway party on the aft deck was cancelled, or moved to the Crows Nest.

 

Dinner was pleasant as alway and we finished early. With only four of us, the waiters take care of us well. Tomorrow is the end of another segment, so we should be getting more people onboard. We sort of hope that we keep our table as it is.

 

Showtime tonight featured comedian Al Brown, and Emma Sinclair, an excellent singer, we heard. "Sweeny Todd" was the evening movie in the Wajang Theater.

 

Tomorrow, we arrive in Singapore, a favorite city of ours!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Bocaken3]

I hope things clear up - we will be joining you in Dubai. Also you might want to have your freinds check their Mozambique Visa. If they already have one it might say April 16 vs April 15. Itinerary change when dropping Comoro Islands.

 

March 16, 2009

The State Department warns U. S. citizens of the risks of traveling to Madagascar, and recommends against all but essential travel to Madagascar because of escalating civil unrest. This replaces the Madagascar Travel Warning of March 9, 2009, to warn against non-essential travel to Madagascar, and inform Americans that the Peace Corps program in Madagascar has been suspended temporarily.

 

 

 

Thanks for the commentary.

 

 

 

Regards,

Ken Head

[WCB]

Report # 73 March 16, 2009 Monday Singapore, Republic of Singapore

 

The Rotterdam slipped into the port of Singapore, Keppel Harbor, near the World Trade Center very early this morning. Once a Malaysian fishing village, Singapore has earned the distinction of having the highest standard of living of any city in Asia.

 

Singapore was colonized by the United Kingdom in the 1800's, occupied by the Japanese during World War Two, then eventually acquired independence. The ecomony was built on exports of electronics and manufacturing, making it the 22nd wealthiest country in the world.

 

Three million people of 14 major nationalities live on the big island, even though it is only 38 square miles! And the government is strict, prohibiting for instance, chewing gum, chewing tobacco, controlled drugs, illegal drugs, endangered species, firecrackers, and obscene materials. You will be fined and/or jailed if found guilty. The only offense today would have been the chewing gum I keep in my bag for flying in planes. Whew, good thing I knew ahead of time!

 

We have been lucky to have been to Singapore five times in the past 11 years. We have taken every ship tour and tours out of the hotels, too. So today, we decided to go exploring on our own.

 

It was more complicated getting off of the ship than any other city we have visited so far. Passports were required as we had to be checked by officials in the terminal. Then our bags and cameras had to go through the xray machines, just like entering an airport. This took some extra time, since the ship, the Fred Olsen Balmoral was in port as well. It is possible that this is the ship that recently encountered pirate activity on their way here.Maybe we will have a chance to talk to some of her passengers later. Once again, the terminal is connected to a multi-story mall called HarbourFront. It's not as massive as the mall in Hong Kong, but well marked so you can find your way out. Many taxi drivers approached us as we left the checkpoint, but didn't bother us when we said we were headed to the MRT.

 

We were finally free to make our way to the underground transit system called the MRT (mass rapid transit). We could have used coins to get from one station to another, or purchase the new one day pass. The only problem was that we had to wait a half hour for the office to open at 10 am. It was worth the wait, as we had a chance to visit with friends Sandy and Frank, who were going to do the same thing as us. The ticket cost was $18 Singapore dollars ($1.50 Singapore to $1. US). It can be used on the LRT, light rail train, and connected buses. After using it all day, making several exits, we could return the card for a $10. refund. What a super deal. You just tap the card on the entrance gate, and walk into the station, tap it on the way out of each station. Now, we are going to have a great adventure!

 

Armed with a good map of the city, and a map of the four-color train system, we charted our destination that should take all day, getting us back to the ship before dinnertime.

 

Our first stop was at Little India. When we popped up out of the station, we could smell the aroma of the curry dishes being cooked at the sidewalk stalls. It was just like stepping into the streets of Mumbai, just not as crowded! The main reason for this stop was to search for silk fabric. Finding what I liked in the second store was convenient. Most of their fabrics are saris, some with simple designs, and others beaded and glamourous. The prices varied from reasonable to quite expensive. Silk fabrics were few and limited, making my choices simple and easy. I found a reversible yellow and white bamboo print silk fabric that should be suitable for something formal.

 

As we walked down the narrow streets, many hawkers from the nearby tailor shops were trying to lure us inside to just take a look. We've been there, done that before! These fellows can have you measured up and selling you all kinds of clothing in 10 minutes flat!

 

We headed back towards the MRT, a short distance away. It was a good thing it was close, because it started to rain lightly. In this part of the world, lightly means shortly it will be downpouring! So it was best for us to go underground again.

 

This time, we changed to the red train at the Dhoby Ghaut station, and went off at Orchard Road. Shopping here reminded us of the high end stores in downtown San Francisco before malls became popular. Many restaurants are also on this road, one of which was the Hard Rock Cafe. We stopped there to pick up a t-shirt, of course. Lunch would have been nice there too, but we were too early. We walked further up the road, and found a wood-fired pizza place, but they were not opened until noon. Darn! So we ended up at Black Angus, and enjoyed delicious chicken salads and cokes.

 

Now the rain really began pouring hard. Singapore is located 90 miles north of the Equator, so rainy days are a fact of life here. Even though we had umbrellas, we waited under the store eves for the worst to pass over us. The streets and sidewalks flooded immediately. Maybe that's why so many girls and women wear the old-fashioned flip-flops. They just continued walking in the river of water, not bothered by it at all.

 

We ran for the entrance of the MRT station, and took the several escalators back down to the bottom. We can say for a fact, that we have never ridden on so many ecalators in one given day as we did today. But it sure beats taking stairs!! Anyway, we boarded the train for City Hall, the closest stop for the famous hotel, Raffles. The rain had let up a bit, so we figured it was a good time to stop and take a breather. Tiger beer sounded like just the right pick-me-up at the Raffles outdoor bar. Many other people ordered their signature drink, the Singapore Sling. They are good, but very sweet. And expensive, we may add. One drink was about $18. US dollars! Even our beer was $13. US for one glass. Of course, everything is more expensive here, we think.

 

We walked through the stores around the bottom of the hotel, and ended up buying a Raffles t-shirt, reasonably priced at $20. US. This was the first time we saw these being sold. And it was nice that most of these places were taking US dollars as well as Singapore dollars, though the rate was probably better using their currency.

 

It was time to leave, so we decided to navigate the underground passageways to SunTec City. These passageways are malls themselves. We rode so many escalators, walked through hallways that went under streets, and climbed stairs to finally reach the familiar SunTec mall. When we stayed at the Ritz Carlton a couple of times years ago, we walked this area and got to know it well. It was no problem finding the Fountain of Wealth, the largest fountain of its kind in the world. Walking around the fountain three times with our hands in the water should insure a safe trip forward!

 

Now the challenge was finding our way back to the MRT! Maybe we should have left a trail of crumbs! The good thing was the signage we could follow. So we went back down, feeling like a pair of gophers, and took the train to Chinatown. We walked to the Food Street and the several connecting shops and outdoor restaurants. People were eating and shopping frantically here. You could tell their prices were much lower due to the volume of shoppers.

 

Time was running out, so we backtracked on the train to Clarke Quay on the Singapore River. The several boats that take tourists on rides were winding down for the day. We walked the waterfront, took some pictures, and once again, went down to the train. It was getting late, and we were afraid the commuters would clog the trains. It was time to head home. Darn!

 

We successfully made our way back to Harbourfront station by 6:30 pm totally exhausted, well at least one of us was! There was a long line to go through the passport checkpoint and xray. We turned our passports in to the front desk girl before entering the ship.

 

Dinner was spotty tonight because many people went out to dinner. The ship left quietly at 11pm. What a great day!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[DFD1]

What a treat to read your reports. I open my computer and look for your thread first thing in the morning.

 

Great fun to read about your day in Singapore. Thanks again.

[RuthC]

Whew! I'm exhausted just reading of your day in Singapore. No wonder you never make the evening shows.

Thanks again for taking us along on your adventure.

[candbgirl]

Your day in Singapore sounds like so much fun. You must be excited to know you made it around town and back to the ship by yourself. Quite an accomplishment. Thanks again for taking the time to do your blog. It is so much fun to read.

[Kween Karen]

Amazing! What brave adventurous travelers you are!!

[My1stc]

I read in Jeff's blog of ash on deck he mentioned they thought it from the stacks ,I wonder if they know about an undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga, shooting smoke, steam and ash high into the sky above the South Pacific ocean. I think this is near where the Rotterdam is at present.

I come here daily to read Mary Ann & Bill's posts and hoping my cruise will be as good.

[DFD1]

That eruption turned into a 7.9 earthquake today. That's a big one and many islands in the area are at risk.

[WCB]

Report # 74 March 17, 2009 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

After leaving Singapore last night, the ship headed north to the Malacca Strait. This narrow stretch of water is situated between Malaysia and Indonesian Sumatra. It is the main shipping channel between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, linking major Asian economies like India, China, Japan, and South Korea. More than 50,000 ships pass through this strait every year. And it must be dangerous. During our morning walk, we spotted four fire hoses stretched the length of the starboard and port sides of the promenade deck. They were full and ready to be used by the four security guards that manned them all day and night. We're sure that the LRADS, long range acoustical devices, were positioned on the navigation deck as well. Hopefully, we will remain "pirate-free"!!

 

Well, today turned out to be sunny and hot. Finally, we got to enjoy the aft deck and pool for the afternoon. We noticed that a lot of new passengers , in fact 165 we heard, had boarded the ship in Singapore. Only 86 had left the ship, six of whom were taken off due to illness. It's too bad to have to go to the hospital or fly home, but it seems to be happening at many ports now.

 

Oh, by the way, Happy St. Patrick's Day!! The suggested dress code for this evening is "formal optional". What exactly does that mean? This was new to us, so we called the front desk girls who said it meant that gentlemen should at least wear a jacket and tie, or a tuxedo. They were welcome to dress in green for the occassion. This should be interesting tonight.

 

New exploration speakers have joined us. Bill Deane, a retired news broadcaster, spoke about Edward R. Murrow's career and other modern day TV news celebrities. And Shreeyash Palshikar lectured on threats to South Asian stability. Heavy subject for today.

 

We attended another Cruise Critic meeting this morning to greet one couple who boarded in Singapore. Henk, the hotel manager, paid us a visit once again. We inquired about the confusing dress code, and he informed us that so many passengers are going to the casual Lido restaurant at night, that eventually all of the informal nights will be gone, even on the Grand Voyages. There will probably be fewer formal nights, we expect. Oh well, packing should be easier.

 

We all shared travel tips for the upcoming ports of Phuket, Cochin, Mumbai, and Dubai. Between the 34 of us, we do have a wealth of information and experiences.

 

Bruce, our cruise director, slipped in briefly, and gave us an update on the new entertainers to be performing in the next segment. He was asked why the Gifts of Love program was dropped this year. He said it was too bad , but dealing with charitable organizations was very complicated. Some countries make it very difficult to disperse handmade items, having to account for each and every gift. In the past, thousands of items were crocheted or knitted by the guests. Who would have guessed that red tape could get in the way?

 

Dinnertime was fun, since the restaurant was decorated in green streamers, balloons, and shamrocks everywhere. The chief electrician and his lovely wife joined us for dinner. Barb must have accepted an invitation elsewhere, because she never showed up. Too bad, we had excellent wines with our meal! The waiters were dressed with big green-sequined bowties and vests. Their green sparkly hats made them look like lephrecans!! And as for the confusing dress code, only our tablemate, George, showed up dressed in a polo shirt. He immediately donned the lei of green shamrocks that were at each place setting. Guess he thought we wouldn't notice!

 

The entertainment tonight featured the new group of Rotterdam singers and dancers, that just boarded, along with Richard Gauntlett, an actor/comedian. Since we had to get up very early, we passed on the show, and went straight to bed. Yeah, we're party poopers!

 

Tomorrow........Phuket, Thailand!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Kiwi Kruzer]

After leaving Singapore last night, the ship headed north to the Malacca Strait. This narrow stretch of water is situated between Malaysia and Indonesian Sumatra. It is the main shipping channel between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, linking major Asian economies like India, China, Japan, and South Korea. More than 50,000 ships pass through this strait every year. And it must be dangerous. During our morning walk, we spotted four fire hoses stretched the length of the starboard and port sides of the promenade deck. They were full and ready to be used by the four security guards that manned them all day and night. We're sure that the LRADS, long range acoustical devices, were positioned on the navigation deck as well. Hopefully, we will remain "pirate-free"!!

 

All the best for "Pirate Alley":eek:

Have you noticed the presence of any extra security staff on board?

[velcarl1]

Bill and Mary Ann, my husband, Ernie; brother-in-law, Richard; his wife, Mary and myself, Vel will be joining you on April 21 for the trip back to Ft. Lauderdale. We will be in Cape town from April 16 till then. Hope to see you on board.

[jig]

When we were on the Amsterdam at Christmas, Christmas Eve was Formal opt. We too did not know what that meant but most people dressed up somewhat. We did have many people on board that did not dress at all for dinner. There were a lot of Russians that did hot even come with a jacket.

Enjoying reading about your trip. I have been to most of where you have been to .

 

Jeffrey

[WCB]

Report # 75 March 18, 2009 Wednesday Phuket, Thailand

 

Our port of call today was the beautiful island of Phuket, Thailand, a wonderful country we enjoy visiting. The ship came into Phuket Bay just as the sun was rising. It was already 80 degrees at 6 am, and extremely humid.

 

Phuket is Thailand's largest island, located on the west coast on the Andaman Sea. It was easy to see why it is dubbed the "Pearl of the South" by the volume of tourists they have grace their resorts.

 

This was our second visit here, and we booked the same tour we took four years ago. Hope it is just as good as it was then. We're heading north to Phang Nga Bay for an 8 1/2 hour tour. Phang Nga is pronounced Fang Na, for our future reference in case we return again someday.

 

We boarded the comfortable pink lace-curtained coach by 8 am. We had a nice fellow, Chai, for our guide. He told us that 65 million people live in Thailand, and 95% of them are Buddhist. The average temperature in the summer, November through April, is in the high 90's with 90% humidity. Oh, that's why we were "melting" in the heat today!

 

Thailand is the world's # 1 producer of rice, with fishing, tin mining, and coconut and rubber plantations following. The biggest industry here in Phuket? Yep, tourism, with 4 million visitors a year, far outnumbering the 300,000 natives that live here.

 

Our slow-moving bus passed many rubber tree plantations and coconut groves along the 2 hour ride to mainland Thailand. Chai said the plantation workers use trained monkeys to harvest the ripe coconuts. And the monkeys do it for the price of a few bananas. He claimed that these monkeys put a lot of people out of work, because they work far too cheaply. And the best part is that they never talk back!

 

The rubber trees were originally brought here from the Amazon in Brazil. Six to eight year old trees are tapped for their sap. When turned into rubber, it is used for many items such as shoes and tires. The trees produce for thirty years, then are cut for lumber, which is used for furniture. Then, young saplings are replanted for a new crop in six or more years.

 

Our first stop was at Wat Tham Suwan Kuha, a cave temple over 200 years old. Inside the spacious caves were many ornate Buddhist statues . The most impressive one was the golden reclining Buddha, the largest we have ever seen. Further into the dark, damp caves thousands of bats were hanging from the vaulted ceilings. The strong smell of bat guano was quite unpleasant. Needless to say, we did not linger too long in here.

 

But the most amusing part of this stop, were the dozens of monkeys that filled the inside caves and outside grounds. The tourists were buying the tiny bananas to feed them. Our guide had warned us not to take food or purses with us, since the monkeys are known to grab anything they can steal. We got some really good photos of the females protecting their babies, and the larger, meaner-looking males chasing the females. They were stuffing the bananas in their mouths as fast as they could.

 

At the nearby bathrooms, mostly non-western style, one lady was opening up a moist handy wipe to clean her hands. Suddenly, a small monkey climbed right up her pant leg to grab it, scaring her half to death! It makes sense, because the plastic bag looked like food. Who would of thought of that? We will store that incident for future use.....

 

After a 20 minute visit, it was time to continue on. We passed Phuket's International Airport, then proceeded to leave the island by crossing the Sarasin Bridge connecting to the mainland of Thailand. A short distance away was Phang Nga Bay, where we all climbed into covered tour boats from floating pontoons.......not an easy task for most. Bill climbed up the ladder to the rooftop for the ride. It was the optimal place to get the best pictures.

 

"Unparallel scenery" was written in this tour description. And it was not an exaggeration! The boat soon passed brown, red, and gold limestone outcroppings. These mounds were created by erosion from the seawater. The many monolithes rose out of the bay like huge mushrooms! Most of them were covered in green growth, especially near the shoreline.

 

Despite the intense heat, we were comfortable when the boat sped up, creating a very welcome breeze. It must have been extremely hot sitting on the roof though!

 

Many other watercraft were in the bay, such as small yachts, speed boats, old and new, and kayakers. They were all headed in the same direction as we were.......Khao Ping Gun or more commonly known as James Bond Island. This is the location where the movie "The Man With The Golden Gun" was filmed back in 1974. Despite its small size, there were many tourists exploring its beaches and caves. Our boat driver took us around the island twice, so all of us could take good pictures.

 

At this point, our driver turned around to head back. He sped towards a huge limestone outcropping with a low tunnel naturally carved through it. Our guide jokingly said he hoped the fellows on the flat-topped roof didn't get swept off as we floated through the cave-like tunnel. Except today the tide was lower, because Bill told us he could stand up while we went through. The last time the guys had to lay down flat, and barely clearing the rocks.

 

A short stop was made at an interesting water village called Koh Panyi. Four hundred houses are built on stilts over the water, connected by wooden walkways. We exited the boat, most ungracefully, through the open sides of the long boat. We carefully walked up the wooden pontoons to an open-air restaurant. There were several of these cafes on the water side of the village. Behind the restaurants were numerous souvenier shops selling costume jewelry, clothing, postcards, and carvings.

 

We followed our guide, walking to the school area in the back. Nearby, was the village's gold-domed mosque. It was funny to see a large satellite dish mounted on a roof back here. At least they do keep up with the modernday world.

 

It was hard to believe that over 1000 people live here, removed from the rest of society. We saw mostly women and children. The men and boys must have either been at the mosque or fishing, which is their livlihood. Their houses were mostly hidden within the mazes of the wooden walkways. We have no idea what the sanitation system was here, and we didn't want to ask.

 

On our way out, Bill bought a t-shirt. Most of the vendors were busy eating lunch, and were not too eager to sell their wares. Actually, our guide discouraged us from buying here. He wanted us to save our money for the "real" thing at a jewelry store, we think.

 

Speaking of lunch, it was getting close to our turn to eat. As we left the water village, we were handed an ice cold bottle of water. It was much appreciated! The boats sped towards the pier where we had started our journey earlier. We stumbled out, once again, and followed our guide up the street. Lunch was at the Phang Nga Bay Resort, right on the water. We were seated in the open-air restaurant facing the mangrove. The waiters brought us more bottles of water, while we waited in line for sodas or beers. The local beer is called Singha, which we both had. They never tasted so good!

 

A buffet table was set up with a pans of rice, steamed vegetables in an oyster sauce, beef stew, and sweet and sour fish. But the best item was the tempura shrimp. It was the tastiest we have eaten so far on this trip. Bowls of a typical Thai hot relish were offered, and a bowl of tasty plum sauce accompanied the shrimp. It was so good, that we all had seconds. I was concerned about the oyster sauce in the vegetables, since I am allergic. So our guide requested veggies steamed without the sauce. He brought them to our table in less than 2 minutes. Very nice, I thought.

 

We left the restaurant by 2:15 pm, making our way back back towards the pier. Halfway back while on the bus, it started to rain hard. Thinking we would be in another wet boarding, we were surprised when the rain stopped after 15 minutes. Must have been one good passing cloud. There was way more traffic now that it was later in the day. It was slow-going, with all of the traffic lights in town.

 

We did have one last stop at the Gems Galory, its sign boasting the world's biggest jewelry shop. We vaguely remembered being here before. Once entering the front doors, we followed the salesgirls to the working stalls of the cutters and polishers. Some were setting the stones in jewelry pieces. From there, we entered a very large showroom of guaranteed quality jewelry. Andaman pearls, diamonds, and semi-precious stones were set in scores of rings, earrings, pendants, and bracelets. Since we were not in the market for such jewelry, most of us continued on into the adjoining rooms. There we saw Thai silk, jade carvings, purses, and arts and crafts. With the shopping tents at the pier, we thought we would have better bargains there. Only four passengers chose to stay here to shop, while the rest of us were eager to get back to the ship. Instead of getting cooler in he afternoon, it seemed to be getting even hotter.

 

We were disappointed with the quality of the merchandise under the many pier tents. It took us only 10 minutes of scanning the tables before we went back on the ship. Besides it was so hot, all of our bargaining energy was gone! It was interesting watching the Thai ladies cooking some local food on the pier. Several of the ship's crew were there buying the spicy dishes.

 

At dinner this evening, Barb told us that the taxi drivers wanted $40 a piece to drive her and her friend 12 miles to the Patang Resort area of Phuket. None were willing to negotiate, so they stayed here in town. We heard that trying to get a taxi ride back to the ship from the resort area could cost you double! What a shame to be held hostage that way! They know that risking missing the ship means extra dollars for them. Too bad.

 

Dinner was good tonight. We ordered the veal scallopini with noodles covered with a marsala gravy. Dessert was even better. The fried wonton-wrapped bananas were delicious. Thank goodness the servings are small!

 

We are looking forward to three relaxing days at sea on our way to India!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 76 March 19, 2009 Thursday Day at Sea

 

It was hot again early this morning. During our walk before breakfast, we noticed that the sea looked like satin blowing in the breeze. The blue skies had scattered clouds, but we saw no rain anywhere. That was a good thing.

 

We spent the morning working on reports, which was time well spent. To go up to the pool deck too early would equate to sunburn for sure! As it was, we did about 2 hours of pooltime, until we couldn't take the heat anymore. Unfortunately, the pool had sooty particles floating in it, compliments of the smoke from burning of paper and plastic. That smoke billows from the stack everyday around noontime. The black soot soils the decks and will stain clothing if one is not careful to avoid it. Anyway, there was no swimming for us today!

 

After lunch, we watched "Bridge Over the River Kwai". Gosh, that is an oldie, but goodie. We know this is a petty gripe, but whoever programs the TV movies and the few other stations, needs to realize that over 600 of us are full world cruise passengers. We really do notice when the programs are repeated over and over again. We do like movies such as "Jerry McGuire" or "Pretty Woman", but not every segment. With thousands of good movies available, shouldn't there be enough never to rerun anything? This seems to be a problem on every world cruise we have taken with HAL. We guess that those comment cards we fill out are never read.

 

The speakers today were Shreeyash Palshikar, who lectured on India's history. Firooz Zadeh spoke about the story of a middle eastern immigrant. We understand that he and his wife may be joining us for dinner in a few days. We'll make sure we catch his lectures on TV!!

 

Dance class consisted of learning the fox trot, while arts and crafts and watercolors continued working on their projects.

 

The Crow's Nest was closed for a private party this evening for a private party. We can't complain, because our travel agency has done the same thing many times for our parties. This gathering was for the Captain and his officers greeting the new passengers that boarded in Singapore.

 

Our job for tonight was to fill out arrival and departure cards for Cochin, India. The visa for India, like the visas for China, had to be purchased prior to us leaving the United States. We had opted for a ten year visa, just in case we come back again anytime soon.

 

At dinner this evening, Barb informed us that we had been included in the Crow's Nest party by special invitation from Henk, the hotel manager. Too bad we had missed head bartender Ness's call in our room. Don't know why he did not leave a message. Drinks were "on the house" for the frequent visitors! Darn.

 

A hammer dulcimer master, Pingxin Xu from China, was the entertainer tonight. We believe we saw his fabulous performance on a Regent trip a few years ago.

 

The clocks were set back 1/2 hour tonight, but we never knew it because our room steward forgot to turn down our room. Usually, a card with the time change is put on the bed so we know to set our clocks. It was a good thing we weren't in a port with an early morning tour tomorrow! We would have missed the bus!

 

Two more days at sea until India!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 77 March 20, 2009 Friday Day at Sea

 

The Rotterdam is now sailing on a westerly course in the Bay of Bengal. It is in this area that the devastating cyclones can occur in the spring and autumn. With the forecast of partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 80's, we think we will remain cyclone free, we hope.

 

We were invited to a private tour (just 4 of us) of the engine room this morning at 11 am, thanks to the Chief Electrician, Peter. A very nice young officer escorted us down to deck A, where he showed us the main control room. He handed us each a pair of earplugs to use when going down to the bowel of the ship. We were free to take as many photos as we wished.

 

Following the officer, the four of us climbed down narrow stairs and ladders, viewing each level on the way. Detailed explanations were given by the officer, although, it was extremely difficult to hear him over the unbelievable engine noises.

 

The first level housed the large workshop where all parts of the ship's equipment can be made or fixed. Several men were working in here, despite the oppressive heat, on four hour shifts.

 

On the next level, we saw the massive engines that power the ship. The temperature in here must have been 120 degrees, no kidding! Gigantic fans were bringing outside air into here to cool the engines, while the exhaust was steaming out of the ship's funnels. You could almost smell the oil in the air. The exhaust fans were coated with the grimy grease on their grids.

 

Normally, only two engines are used to maintain a speed of 18 knots, while four engine are needed to crank up the speed to 25 knots, which is the maximum. Their fifth engine was off, due to maintenance problems. There were five 6600 volt electric motors working in conjunction with the five diesel engines. These also generate the power for the infrastructure of the ship. And this takes tons of fuel to accomplish.

 

Next we saw the ship's desalination system. This was fascinating. A huge tank was boiling with the seawater. The evaporated water was being transferred to holding tanks, where it was further treated by checking the PH and the chlorination. It is perfectly suitable for drinking water and for kitchen and bath use. The salt that is extracted goes back into the sea. The taste of this water is probably better than what we get in bottled water!

 

We passed quickly through the sewage treatment room, where we saw three huge holding tanks. The officer explained that the sewage water is treated with bacteria in three stages, until it is safe to jettison, while far out at sea.

 

Next, was the stabilizer room, where we saw the panels that control the "wings" that extend when needed during rough weather. The side thrusters were also interesting as to how they worked. Only one side thruster can be deployed at a time.

 

Continuing on, we passed the fuel pumps, where technicians, including one lady, were working on the fuel separators. The officer mentioned that many more women were being hired in all fields of crew work. In fact, he said a woman was his boss on this ship, and he was comfortable with that.

 

The officer pointed out a water tight door (one of many), that can be used to isolate each room from flooding. It brought the movie, "The Poseidon Adventure", to mind, when the ship turned upside down while sinking! Oh boy, we don't want to go there!

 

We saw the electric motors and the shafts that turn the propellars. At that point, we had descended to the very bottom of the ship and all the way to the back of the aft wall of the ship.

 

By now, we had all we could take of the heat and the noise, so were happy to be going back up. Along the way, we saw the garbage separator room, where the crew was busy separating paper, plastic, and cardboard, glass and aluminum, and food waste. The officer explained that the paper, plastic, and cardboard were incinerated. The glass and aluminum were crushed and crated for shoreside disposal, and the food waste was ground fine to be jettisoned for fish food. The ship had to comply with local governments as to what kind of food could be dispersed, and to the distance off shore required for dumping. Every country has different rules.

 

And so ended our very comprehensive tour! Sure glad we took it!

 

The rest of the afternoon, we took in some sun by the back pool. During his 1pm talk, the Captain said he wanted to clear up the rumors spreading concerning the Balmoral and the pirate stories. He firmly said that the so-called attack was not true. It had been a false alarm, having mistaken local fishing boats with pirate boats. He claims that he spoke directly to the Balmoral's Captain to get the full account. Period. End of story!

 

We did have a few sightings of dolphins jumping in the ship's wake. When we travel this body of water, we are always on lookout for the spinner dolphins we saw in 2001. At that time, many large dolphins flew out of the water, spinning in the air, then landed with huge splashes. There was no time to run and get our cameras, because they were gone as fast as they appeared. Hope we get lucky and see them again.

 

At formal dinner tonight, we had company. Ellen, our host, joined us, and the ship's dentist arrived also. He seemed to enjoy our company, but once the meal was ended, he curiously received a pager ring. Funny, the pager was in his hand prior to the ring. So, we think he used that as an excuse to part company with us! Oh well, we continued enjoying the wine, while playing our fork-corking game. It was much more fun after he left, because we were tired of acting like adults!! Even George, our self-proclaimed "geezer" agreed with us!

 

A young opera singer, Penny Mathisen, entertained the passengers with many styles of music tonight.

 

Gifts were waiting for us once more when we entered our room. This time we had been given two Grand World Voyage lapel pins.

 

One more day to India!

 

Mary Ann & Bill