Tour Cruise - Princess - November 2005

Hong Kong Airport - The Hong Kong international airport is a vast structure with separate levels for arriving and departing passengers. A doorbell sounds followed by computerized announcements in English as well as many Asian languages echoed throughout the airport. Duty free shopping features high end brands in clothing, chocolates, jewelry and liquor. Small luggage carts are abundant and available for free. Each cart can hold a small carryon bag with a basket for a personal item. The airport has one of the largest collections of 747 jumbo jets that I have seen at any one airport. Mountains are close by across the water with high rise apartments along the shoreline. The sunny day has a haze that softens the mountains and gives them a blue gray tint. People movers stretch as far as the eye can see carrying travelers to their gates. Fresh flowers in mass plantings, especially orchids, are spaced throughout the airport and softens the industrial high tech feel. Our eight hour layover was made painless at the Traveler's Lounge at the Hong Kong airport. It provided us a place to stow our luggage, a bed with a quiet place for a short nap, a shower and snack at the buffet. We are ready to continue our trip on into China.
 

We were to begin our tour in the central part of Beijing starting at Tiananmen Square. It was a bright sunny cool morning in late November. Thousands of tourists, mostly Chinese, had already assembled in the square. To the south was the Zedong Memorial Hall where a very long line was already formed to see the embalmed body of Mao Zedong. To the north was the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the entrance to the Forbidden City where Mao‘s portrait is proudly displayed. Young Chinese military honor guards were at attention at strategic posts. Many vendors pestered tourists with their wares. One of the most popular trinket was a Mao watch where his waving arm is in motion with the second hand that displays a red star. James bought a watch for $2.50. Mao’s hand waved for about the next three hours during the tour, then it stopped. Tiananmen Square was a great place to people watch and take photos. We proceeded through the Gate of Heavenly Peace and into the Forbidden City. Beijing has a rich history and culture that overwhelms the visual senses.
 

The street merchants had set up their blankets with treasures for sale from Tibet. James bartered for a necklace and bracelet through an attractive Chinese woman who talked to the Tibet people that seemed to grunt instead of speaking. I bought a religious dagger called a Purba that I saw the night before. After the transaction I was offered the services of the Chinese woman for a massage. I declined.
 

The two and a half hour trip to the Xingang Port was on an Interstate like toll road from Beijing to the sea. Many large nondescript trucks carried load that looked too big and heavy and were covered with tarps. Many trucks were stopped along the way with their drivers attending to what appeared to be tire problems. Small farm plots and tree nurseries covered the landscape for most of the trip. We arrived at the Tianjin port city that was opened to western industry in the late 1970s after Mao died. Today the port area is a HUGE industrial complex with a few thousand companies represented. The surrounding town sprung up to provide for the workforce and industry. The Xingang Port was cluttered with dark silhouettes of monster cranes hovering around dark hulks of ships. The cold damp air in the port was heavy with caustic smells that burned your eyes, nose and chest. The Princess Diamond left port and headed to sea but the smell lingered along with us most of the night.
 

I am watching as I turn into my dad‘s image. I decided that I would not shave during our trip. Now about a week into the beard growth, the itchy part has passed while the mostly gray hairs grow longer. I am becoming distinguished looking, like my father. I tend to sound more like him too. STEPHEN!
 

Concerns about the Norovirus and other communicable diseases are taken very seriously on the cruise ship. An advisory was handed to each passenger on the outset as how to avoid spreading germs. Directives were made to wash hands many times a day for a duration of at least 20 seconds each. Chemical hand sanitation stations are present at the ships entrance, dining halls and other locations where the bugs are known to thrive and spread. We are now cautiously aware of not using the hand rails on stairs and hallways, not being the one to press the elevator buttons and generally avoid any contact with anything living. By the end of the cruise I imagine that I will want to be confined to the isolation of our room letting my fingernails grow.
 

When we were exchanging Yen for Dollars we ran into a fellow at the pursers desk from Cincinnati wearing a sweatshirt that had Negro League on it. He looked at Steve and then at me and said that we had the same eyes. We stated that we are brothers. The fellow said that we DID NOT have the same nose though. Steve jokingly said that I am the elder, since I am grayer and balding. The fellow said “I’d rather be bald than have a big hooked nose”. We all laughed.
 

Another day at sea anticipating our trip to Shanghai on Tuesday. As Monday progressed the seas got rougher with winds whipping at 45 to 50 knots and the seas 12 foot waves being sprayed by the high winds. Our entry into the Shanghai port was scheduled for 4 AM, allowing the Chinese government to process the ships manifest. The captain came on the public address system around 9 PM stating that the rough seas would delay our entry into port and processing would take approximately 3-4 hours after our arrival. The motion of the ocean rocked us to sleep while dreams of Shanghai danced in our heads.
 

While in Shanghai were all provided with a cheat sheet of 14 common phrases both in English and in Chinese characters for local taxi drivers. Items like “Please take me to Julong Handicratfs and Silk Exhibition Hall” were spelled out, all we had to do was get in a cab and point at the destination. Because there were 10 of us shopping in Shanghai we needed three taxis for our return trip to the shuttle bus. The cab drivers were secluded from the passengers by a Plexiglas partition. Handing the cheat sheet to the driver and pointing to #2 was difficult. The first four got into a taxi, pointed to their destination and they were off. Our driver seemed to understand our intentions and within about 20 minutes of a white knuckle ride, much traffic and sightseeing in this fascinating city we arrived at the shuttle bus destination for the trip back to the ship. We did not see our friends in the first cab at the bus location but ran into them on deck the next morning. Apparently their taxi driver did not read Chinese!
 

Salt and pepper shakers are removed from every table in the dining rooms. Individual serving packets will be furnished by the servers. This precaution will eliminate the spread of germs related to contact with the common shakers. A woman at the table next to us at breakfast asked if they were sanitizing the slot machines between gamblers.
 

As quickly as it all started, the virus scare has passed. The spoons in the buffet are turned toward the customers for self service, the coffee and tea stations are again unattended and the salt and pepper shakers are returned to every tabletop. There are still hand sanitizing stations at strategic locations. They must have killed the big germs, now the little ones will take care of themselves.
 

The first thing I heard this morning was the blast of a ships horn. I was awakened from my sleep to quickly realize that it must be the sounds of the Hong Kong harbor. It was like being a kid and waking early on Christmas morning to quickly remember the significance of the day.

James, Steve and I caught a shuttle bus to Kowloon to visit Nathan Street. Claudia stayed behind nursing a cold, not wanting to overdo it before Vietnam. We arrived before the banks opened at 9 AM. Most of the shops were still closed at this early hour since shopping is mainly an afternoon and evening activity. We did make our way to the open market to see the selection of fresh meats and produce available for today’s Hong Kong meals. Dead animal parts rarely seen in Atlanta are on display hanging on hooks in the open air market. Unrecognizable vegetables and dried goods are neatly stacked for sale. Locals bustled around shopping.

In 1987 James and I visited Hong Kong for the first time. We stayed at the Kowloon Hyatt and have fond memories from our visit. We found the hotel, restaurants and shops we remembered from almost 20 years ago. It was lunch time so went to the second story Typhoon Shelter King Crab Restaurant where James and I ate before. We ordered seven items off the dim sum menu including spicy duck tongue, chicken feet with pork ribs, spring rolls and other tasty items. Everything was delicious. Oh by the way, we found out that duck tongues do have a bone in them. I will now look at the AFLAC duck in a new light.

After lunch the people come out in droves. All shops were open and going strong. When shopping, James and I try to talk in riddles and not point or touch anything allowing us time to “shop” without being pestered by the merchants. When we have identified something we are interested in we ask the price. Instead of giving the price for a quick sale we now get the pitch. Oh, very old, white color is sign of good luck, mouth closed shows sign of wisdom and feet apart show strength… Their sales tactics bother me, it is either because I am a guy shopping or just an impatient American. We made many purchases before our return “home”.

When the ship left dock at 6 PM the sun had already set. The captain came on with the afternoon announcement stating that he had obtained permission from the Hong Kong port authority allowing us to sail between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island which would provide for a magnificent view of both skylines. Hong Kong has to be one of the worlds best skylines especially at night from the water.
 

Again we are at sea on our way to Nha Trang, Vietnam, having traveled 2,549 nautical miles since Beijing. The clocks are set back one hour so they show the same time as Atlanta, only 12 hours ahead. We have now condemned our warm clothes to the back of the closet and are wearing shorts from here on (exceptions being formal occasions on board).
 

When we returned to the ship we had dinner with new cruise friends and celebrated James’ birthday one more time before our return to the room to find balloons and more birthday greetings from the ship.
 

Downtown Saigon streets were choked with thousands of motorbikes. Police kept traffic moving around the popular tourist destination, the Rex Hotel. When we arrived we split up, James and Claudia went off power shopping while Steve and I took pictures and were approached by the street vendors. I think my brother Steve was actually a Vietnamese baby that my parents acquired at birth. Steve bought a Vietnamese phrase book, practiced phrases on the local police traffic control officers and then carried on a dialogue with our driver on the return trip to the ship.  Uncanny, speaking the language came natural to him.  They were best friends by the time we got back to the ship 2 hours later.
 

Our 12^th day of cruising and a much needed day-at-sea. Being on vacation is a tough job. The daily temperature is in the 80s, humidity 90+ percent with water temps in the mid 80s. We are on our way to my favorite country, Thailand.  E-mails from home state that winter is in progress in Oregon and Minnesota.
 

Day at sea. Disembarking luggage tags were distributed and instructions on preparation of Singapore were announced. The cruise ship is going into a 10-day dry dock for “spring cleaning” when we arrive so everyone must depart.
 

The captain did in fact find the way to Kemaman, Malaysia (4 degrees north of the equator) early in the morning. The television displayed a readout of distance traveled and distance to go to port. This morning it read -34 miles (yikes, we went too far) to go to Kememen. I guess they need to update their televised port info.

James and I ventured ashore while Steve and Claudia got ready for the trip into town. There were vendor tents set up along the dock with a representative sampling of the regional tourist goods. There were many fabrics that looked like cotton with block prints, bamboo woven baskets, fans and sandals. The region is known for the sea turtles that migrate through the area in mid year and the clear sea water which is excellent for diving. James found a pair of slippers, he asked how much? The merchant said $5, then quickly said $4, and before we could react she was down to $3.50. Another woman at one of the shops wearing her Islamic clothing offered a statue of the Petronas spires in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, she characterized them as “the twin towers”. It rubbed me the wrong way.

The bus ride from the dock to town was about 10 minutes. Our bus hostess who took our fare notified us that the day was Friday and many places are closed for the religious holy day. We were also told that banks were closed and that the best way to get local currency was through the ATMs since most local merchants that were open only traded in the local money. Steve went to an ATM and got the equivalent of about $20. We did not spend it. On the return bus trip Steve tried to pay the bus fare with it, NO they only wanted US dollars.

When the captain said that he had never heard nor been to Kemaman we should have realized it might not be a hot spot. Afterward we wondered why the cruise ship stopped there at all. The town was not ready for us and we were not ready for the town.
 

When we were in Saigon I bought a paperback book about Singapore. It described points of interest, history, walking tours, where to eat and local entertainment. We studied the book prior to our stop in Singapore to plan our visit.

As instructed by the ship, we had our luggage packed and picked up before our Singapore arrival. We vacated our room by 8 AM and camped out in the dining room until our departure color was called for the bus trip to the local terminal. Singapore is another container port, however one visible difference is that it seemed to be more organized and cleaner. Our ship docked next to a barge that contained the delivery of four new monster cranes for the container port. I saw a program on television once that featured the manufacturing and delivery of these monsters. The part that seemed so incredible was that they delivered the cranes essentially fully constructed and welded to the deck of the barge. They were a sight to see.

By 10 AM we said our good-byes to Steve and Claudia who were on their way to the Singapore Changi Airport for a week in Bali. We were off the ship for the last time, thank god. The Singapore terminal processed the cruisers in a somewhat orderly fashion by limiting bus flow. We caught a taxi to the Marriott Hotel at the corner of Orchard Road and Scotts Road. We realized that this is one of the busiest pedestrian corners in Singapore since the area has many restaurants, fantastic shopping, big name hotels and an entry point to MRT, Singapore‘s transit system. A large arch was erected over the intersection decorated with “Merry Christmas” and a big red bow. The sidewalks and storefronts were decorated for the holiday season as well. Christmas music was playing from many different locations. The calendar says Christmas but the tropical weather and locale made it a confusing message for us.

After checking in and getting settled into our 21^st floor room we planned the afternoon. We would figure our how to take MRT to the Raffles Station and go on a walking tour of China Town. Just outside our hotel the Saturday afternoon pedestrian traffic was brisk. Freestanding sidewalk storefronts sold fresh baked cookies, exchanged currency and sold news magazines. People were everywhere, many were young and the average age seemed to be in the early twenties. Cell phone use was common with conversations, text and photos. Major stores had young associates working the crowd, profiling for their best candidates for shopping inside. James and I were never singled out.

We were swallowed up in the crowd that went down the escalator to MRT. We bought a credit card type pass from a ticket office that was good for multiple round trip rides. The pass was electronically read by the turnstile. We stood back away from the crowd and studied the signs for the correct escalator for our trip to the Raffles Station. On the platform the trains were behind a glass wall. When the train arrived doors opened and the crowd pushed in. Several stops later, most of the crowd exited allowing for a more comfortable ride to our destination.

Our walking tour took us past the oldest Chinese temple in Singapore. Large cone shaped incense hanging from yellow ropes burned in the courtyard while many Chinese made their way into the temple. What a great setting for photos. In addition to this temple we saw Hindu temples, Mosques, thieves market and the old rickshaw station in a neighborhood setting that has not significantly changed for over a hundred years. James and I did take a break and stopped in one of the food court buildings and got a Big Mac at the miniature McDonalds.

Our next tour was to go through the adjacent area, the Colonial District. This is Singapore’s central business district which is located along the river walkways. Whimsical statues are displayed in a park-like setting. We observer several wedding parties celebrations during our tours. The Esplanade Theatre is a recognizable landmark with its roof that looks like the local Durian fruit.

That evening James and I were in search of a cold beer and conversation with locals about their Singapore. We ended up in a Karaoke Pub near Chinatown where a hostess seated us at the bar and offered the special, a bucket of Heineken. Eve introduced herself and talked with us as we enjoyed the cold beverage.
 

Sunday morning after a good nights sleep in a real land-based bed we were ready for another walking tour of Singapore. Today would be the botanical and orchid gardens. From time to time we would comment about still feeling the ship’s movements. We still had sea legs and sea inner ear.

Our walk down Orchard Road started after a hearty breakfast at the hotel. At 1 degree north of the equator Singapore is tropical. The humidity was high since it had rained during the night and still sprinkled lightly during the morning. A block away from our hotel the Singapore Environment Council had a sidewalk photo gallery that featured beautiful photographs with an aerial perspective. France sponsored the gallery and of course had a political bend that bashed the USA. We enjoyed the free photo viewing, drew our own conclusions and reinforced our opinions of France.

When in a foreign country it is recommended that you carry your passport on your person. I had mine with my cash in a pouch that hung around my neck. On our walk we made a wrong turn and realized the mistake after we had gone a mile or so out of our way. The walk was interesting so we didn’t mind it too much. Since the humidity was high and the light rain came and went both of us were getting drenched. My passport and money got soaked, the individual ink stamps bled and blurred between pages.

The botanical gardens were impressive with gazebos for picnics, ponds with fish, plants and turtles, a island structure for the symphony to entertain, and specimen plants everywhere. One notable plant was the Talipot palm tree that was 80 years old. It was in bloom and seeding for the first and only time in its life cycle. The main feature of the botanical gardens is the National Orchid Gardens of Singapore. James and I spent a couple of hours enjoying the amazing display.

That evening we had our farewell meal at the Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant at the hotel which features Cantonese cuisine.
 

The Changi Singapore Airport is a remarkable place. We had read that it is one of the favorite airports among travelers. Now we know why. Included on the concourse is an extensive shopping mall with plants and fountains. It is the only airport that I have been in that includes amenities like pool tables in lounge areas, small seating areas around flat screen televisions for personal viewing and smoking areas that include both inside and outside seating.

We are now ready to start our return trip to Atlanta. Like our beginning day-long flights without sunshine to start our vacation, our return flights included TWO Monday night red-eye flights at 11:30 PM. The first 11:30 PM red-eye flight was Hong Kong to LAX, the second 11:30 PM red-eye flight was the LAX Delta flight to ATL, both on the same day!
 

There are many nationalities represented by the ships crew. It seemed that there were many Romanians, primarily in food service and housekeeping jobs. Our cabin steward introduced himself as “Diamond“. I asked if it this was a nickname name he changed as he worked on different ships, since this was the Princess “Diamond“. We met Clod and Georgeta in Churchill’s Lounge who were both from Romania. We asked if they knew Diamond. Clod said “Diamond that is not Romanian name“. Georgeta asked if he was a Filipino since Diamond was a common Filipino nickname.

When traveling from sea port to sea port we observed many very busy container ports. We all marveled at the shear magnitude of the operations and wondered at logistics and inventory control in what appeared to be chaos.

One of our ship routines was to visit Churchill’s Lounge around happy hour. On an early stop we were exposed to the sports trivia. On one of these nights James and I won the International sports trivia contest.

We exchanged greetings with a fellow American passenger a few times during our cruise. We first noticed him in Churchill’s lounge smoking cigars during happy hour but more notable in the mornings he always had a bucket of beer with a cigar on the aft deck. We overheard him tell another passenger that he was currently living in Iraq and had bought a hammock that he planned to string between two palm trees he would plant when he returned to Iraq.

We also met Patrick and Brian from Vancouver that had gone on over 70 cruises each. If we were to go on three trips a year, every year, for the next 20 years we would still not catch up with these pros.

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