Day 76 - Thai Temple

We're having another quiet day at sea, sailing in the South China Sea. It's funny, but the heat of the other day is now welcome as we have the cooling wind accompanying it. The captain told us that the port agent could arrange a tour in Vietnam. Being a little paranoid after the mix-up in Thailand we tentatively agreed but asked for more information. It sounds like it's a two-day trip with an overnight stay. I suspect in the end it will just be the two of us on the tour, which would be okay. An email has been sent to the agent, so hopefully we'll get more information. Just spent the day enjoying the lovely weather. Today's picture is from a temple we visited during our trip to Thailand.

Day 75 - Elephant Show

This morning we found out that we would be leaving about 5pm. The captain asked us to be back on board for 3pm. We talked about it and decided that it left us with too little time to do any real sightseeing. So we decided that we would just take a bit of a walk around the port. Since often they discourage random wandering, for safety reasons, we just walked over to the cantina I was at last night. This would have been a good idea except for the heat. It seemed to be much hotter than it had been yesterday. After we had reached the cantina (in which the air conditioning wasn't keeping up) we decided to just walk back to the ship. It was a nice little stroll, perhaps 45 minutes in all, but it was enough. We were back up on the bridge for sailing out of the harbour, although sailing out was far less complicated than sailing in. When we first came in it was a pretty tight fit and they turned us around before tying up. So for leaving they just had to pull us away from the wharf and after that we sailed out under our own steam.

I couldn't decide between all the pictures I had taken in Thailand, so I'm using one from the elephant show today and will use one from the temple tomorrow.

Day 74 - Tropical Garden

Well, the agent came aboard later last night and we agreed to a tour. The price quoted was far too low as we found out as we approached the first stop. I realised when I saw the entrance fee that the amount quoted couldn't have been correct. I was right, as the agent gave us a different price when we got out of the car. So, we've learned a lesson - make sure what the tour includes. We would still have agreed to the price ($60 total), however, one of the passengers had wavered a lot on coming. Her main priority was to shop, so I doubt she would have come with the higher price.

Anyway, we had a great day. We went to the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, which were incredible. During our time there we also saw an elephant show. I know they are probably questionable, however, the elephants really did seem to enjoy themselves. One in particular was quite the character. After a stop in the orchid garden we headed to a temple that actually combined Thai and Chinese religions to showcase all. A late lunch in an open-air Pattaya restaurant gave us a quick look at the beach town everyone said we should visit. I'm glad it was only a part of the tour as it was a typical tourist beach town. Then we made a shopping stop in a mall. This gave me a chance to use the internet and also let us buy some mix for our Jack Daniels!

We made it back to the ship just before dinnertime. After dinner I went out to a local cantina with one of the other passengers and some of the crew. It was more like a small variety store with a couple of tables and a television playing music videos. Although having said that the staff pulled a few tables together and brought glasses for the beer we bought. The guys added some snacks - handy in the store, and we had a fun evening. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but the karaoke microphone was broken!

Day 73 - More of Singapore

Somewhere in the Indian Ocean I dropped a day! So I need to add a placeholder and will likely fix it once I get home (or while travelling through the US on my way home). I took one more shot of Singapore to use for this 'found' day.

Quick Note

Hello from Xiangang.

Unless I find a machine here with a working USB port I won't be able to update anything today. I just thought I'd put up a post saying that we're still around and both doing well. We have another stop in Qingdao and then back to Shanghai. That's followed by Masan in Korea and two stops in Japan. Right now we're showing as being back in Houston as late as May 17th (for those keeping track).

Day 72 - Map Ta Phut Harbour

When we woke up this morning we were anchored in Map Ta Phut. One of the cranes beside where we are now docked has that spelling, so we'll go with that one. We started our approach to the port just about 2pm and we're along side at the moment waiting for immigration clearance. We were originally anchored to the east of the port, in an area that looked quite nice. Now we're in an area that is purely industrial. You get the impression that this is a planned industrial / port complex. It's actually larger than I first thought. When I heard there were only three berths available I was thinking of a small area. What I think that meant was only three berths available in this section (i.e. where we will unload). Either that or the other ships are at private wharves, which is possible.

It's likely we'll be cleared to go ashore by about 5pm. The problem at the moment is we don't really know where we want to go. One of the crew tells us that we should be able to go downtown for about $10. I'm just not sure where downtown is (i.e. Map Ta Phut or another little town). The third officer just brought our passports and told me that the agent who could help with shore excursions should be aboard shortly.

Day 71 - Lory

Since we're spending the day sailing between Singapore and Thailand I thought I'd use another picture from Singapore. The Lory Loft is part of the Jurong Bird Park - a multi-level aviary filled with these gregarious birds. You can even feed them if you so wish. The fellow with the very obviously bandaged hand was a bit of a deterrent. To be fair I don't think he was actually feeding them at the time, as the feed is a nectar tray in which your hand would be under the tray. I suspect he simply forgot that even in an aviary these are wild birds. I also started working on a bit of a slideshow for the trip as well. At the moment it just has pictures of the locations/cities we've visited. Before it's finished it will have a few shots of the ship and some of the ports themselves. It's about 9 minutes so far. The plan to keep it around 20 mins as I think that pushes most people's attention span for home movies!

Day 70 - Leaving Singapore

Well, I was correct. The 8pm departure time was changed to 5am. I actually think it was changed twice, however, we decided that we would have a short sleep and get up at 5am to see us sail out. At 5am the cranes were still down and they were working. We didn’t even bother getting dressed to find out the new departure time. In the late morning I heard it would be 2pm (which it was). So we’re on our way to Thailand now, to a port called Map Ta Puht. Well, that’s the name on the charts. I’ve also seen it spelled Map Ta Puth, as well as completely one word – Maptaputh. No matter which spelling I used the other day on the internet I could get little information. I found out today that it only has three docking facilities and it’s a case of first come first serve. So, we’re heading out full steam ahead, hopefully to be there before another ship heading in the same direction. If not, we will sit at anchor and wait our turn. As passengers, it really doesn’t matter much to us. For the company I suppose every day we’re not ‘working’ is lost money. The new captain is aboard (and seems nice). We sat with him and the new Chief Engineer after dinner for a while (as well as our current captain who will be leaving in Thailand). I don’t think I’m even going to attempt to be up for the pilot in the morning. The last time I was on the bridge the estimated arrival time at the pilot station was about 4:30am on Thursday. I’ll just hope we sail out during the day!

Oh, the picture for today isn’t quite the one I wanted, but I thought after talking about all the greenery it was a fair choice. This was Lafarge Cement – just across the way from where we were docked. You can see there’s an area with palm trees to the left of the ship, as well as some greenery between the parking lot and the boat. This was fairly common at other locations, seen as we were sailing out. Without a doubt it is the most beautiful port area so far. As we were pushing off this afternoon not only were they lifting the pieces of wood from the dock, there were two fellows sweeping up. An impressive city overall.

Day 69 - Singapore Skyline

We were lucky this morning – just before we left we found out that our departure time had changed. So, with not having to be back until 5pm, we changed our plans for the day slightly. We started the day with a heritage tour of the city, which took us through the different areas. Singapore is a city of four cultures – Chinese, Indian, Malay and Eurasian. We walked down past city hall to take a boat tour of the river. I can’t believe how lovely the city is. Even back at the port you see trees planted in the area. The picture for today is just one of the shots I took during the river tour. The domed building on the right is an entertainment centre. The animal spouting water is the merlion (a symbol of the city that is supposed to be have lion and half fish). After a lunch we went out to the Jurong Bird Park, which was close to the ship. It was a hot, humid afternoon and the landscaping style of the park seemed to make it even hotter than yesterday. We were leaving the bird park and I wondered about calling the port agent to see if the departure time had changed (it had). In the end we decided that we’d done enough for the day and just headed back to the ship. The 5pm departure time changed a couple of times during the evening and I suspect we aren’t leaving until tomorrow sometime.

Day 68 - Raffles Courtyard

Well, we did get into Singapore this morning. It is a lovely city, which is evident as you leave the port gate. With very few exceptions, most of the ports we have visited tend to be very industrial for miles and miles. As you get to the port gate you notice the trees and as we started our taxi ride into the city we saw drifts of bougainvillea used as dividers on the highway. It really is a garden city. We spent part of the day on a city tour, visited the botanic gardens, which are gorgeous. After that we made our way to Raffles Hotel to have a Singapore Sling in the bar where it was invented. This was something my mother always wanted to do. While in the courtyard bar there was a short burst of rain, however, we were under cover so we just enjoyed it. The weather is fair hot and humid so when we got back to the ship about 9pm it had been a long day. Tomorrow we’re due to leave at 3pm as the weather has been better and unloading has gone very quickly. We’re still going to do a quick trip into the city in the morning. I haven’t asked (or checked) but I suspect the sailing time to Thailand won’t be very long. We still haven’t decided what we want to do there. The obvious trip is to Pattaya, however, I’m not sure we want to spend what it will probably cost to spend the day in a beach town. We’ll see how long we are there, and if there’s the possibility of just doing some local sightseeing.

Day 67 - Singapore Harbour

I think the one thing I'd recommend to anyone wanting to take a trip like this is - don't plan anything. The daily (even hourly) changes would drive some people nuts. I get the impression that one of our fellow passengers is getting a little frustrated by our current position. It's almost 11pm on Saturday night and we're still anchored out in the harbour. For us this gave us an excuse to sleep in. I spent some time in the shade on the upper deck listening to a book in the afternoon. Tonight after dinner my mother and I sat with the Captain and the new Chief Engineer as well as the one that will be leaving tomorrow. Our call for the pilot is now 5am, so it gave us a chance to have a little wine and conversation with dinner. Singapore will still be there tomorrow. We will set the alarm tomorrow and hopefully be tied up at the wharf. If we're not, we'll see what happens. The nicest thing is that our cabin is just beside the captain's and if things change and he's passing by he'll let us know. Our change from a 9pm sail to a 5am sail came just after dinner while we were sitting around talking. I'm not sure that our other two passengers know about the change yet.

You just can't take any dates/times at face value. As long as you can live with this it's a great way to travel. I know sometimes the crew will ask us if we have any plans for a certain port. As a rule our answer is no. If you haven't made specific plans then you can't be disappointed if you don't get to do something. The only thing that is on the list for Singapore is that my mother would like to have a Singapore Sling in the bar at the Raffles hotel (and I do think that time will permit). So hopefully tomorrow we'll be off to investigate Singapore.


Note - when I was updating these files I didn't notice that some of the 't and 'l converted to a chinese character. Once I noticed I fixed them. If I have time I'll go back to fix the rest (but perhaps not from Singapore)

Day 66 - Singapore Sunset

The approach to Singapore was probably the most interesting so far. I don't think we've even seen so many ships. I should clarify that - so many ships anchored around the port. We went through scores of them anchored outside the breakwater and we ourselves have anchored just inside it. A sister ship is still being loaded at our wharf so we'll wait here until she leaves. Before going to bed last night we heard it will likely be afternoon before we head in to tie up. The good thing though is that Immigration has come aboard already and we're cleared to go. Our new Chief Engineer came aboard yesterday and he seems quite nice. I think we're all waiting to see what the new Captain is like (he will join us in the next port - Map Ta Puht, Thailand).

Day 65 - Strait of Malacca

We're on our final day of sailing before Singapore. Because of where we are the talk turned to pirates. I don't think it's a big deal on the type of ship we're on, but last night and tonight the outside doors are locked. This usually only happens in port. We're running with a few more lights on outside and I think some of the crew walk the decks a bit after dark. I'm not sure how much of it's joking or how much of it is serious. I was up on the bridge today using the binoculars to look at the variety of fishing vessels we were passing. This is actually unusual for us as we normally only see other cargo ships, unless coming into a port. One of the officers made a joke about all the small vessels we were seeing. "In the day they are fisherman, at night they are pirates."

Anyway, we got an update on our arrival in Singapore today. It seems that a sister ship is in the berth we're due to dock at. So tomorrow morning the pilot will take us in to a certain point and we'll drop anchor. It means we won't be in until later on, possibly the evening. The good news is that we'll likely have both Saturday and Sunday to explore Singapore. We originally thought we would only have part of Friday and maybe Saturday. I think I'm at a point where I really need to update the blog. Wireless access in the port would be nice... okay, that's wishful thinking. So far that's only been an option in New Orleans and for future travellers Philadelphia may have it soon (although perhaps not in NJ where we tied up). In Hamburg I managed to get a connection to a network, just not one with internet access. I really can't complain though since (so far) I've generally found access without too much trouble. In a pinch most of the seamen's mission have access, although we've only taken advantage of it in Houston.

Day 64 - Where Are We Now

It was another warm sunny day in the Arabian Sea. That's probably the most interesting thing - that in the last few days we've swum in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and now the Indian Ocean. Although the Arabian Sea is an arm of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden in an arm of the Arabian Sea - confusing. Unlike country maps there are no dotted lines delineating the borders on the water (although I'm sure they exist). For the daily picture I've used an updated map showing our location at noon today. We're headed into the Straight of Malacca (probably by the morning), and should be in Singapore the next morning. I suppose that tomorrow will be the last lazy summer day we'll have. Ports will be busy and I'm not sure we'll have as many long sails between them anymore. I think I'll kind of miss that part of the trip.

The one thing I noticed is that I haven't been putting any dates on the posts. Blogger will default to the date uploaded only. I think this is partly because the days/dates seem to blend together. Just to keep everything in line though - today is February 28th, 2007.

Day 63 - Another Great Night

This was the official night of the party. With the various time changes we've been through it meant that tonight it was actually light out when we started. It gave me a good opportunity to take a longer shot of the set-up on deck. I made a point to not let anyone know I was taking the picture so they didn't feel they had to turn around and smile! It was pretty much the same as the evening for my mother's birthday. Okay, without the whole roasted pig. The same good food, drink, and music combined with great company. I stayed up far too late chatting with the guys. The plan seems to be to teach me some Tagalog so I'll visit the Philippines in the future. Of course this mostly seems to start when I've had one too many beers. I'm not sure I'm that good a student!

Day 62 - Birthday Party

Again, we slipped into the daily routine of enjoying the nice weather. There is actually a birthday party for two of the crew tomorrow night so I'm going to put a few shots from it together with a few from the other night. The top two shots are of the early preparation - getting the alcohol and soft drinks put on ice, and the two 'chefs' of the evening start the cooking. The bottom two pictures are just the passengers and crew enjoying the evening. They were from the birthday party so I took a lot of shots that night. I agreed not to post any of the karaoke or dancing shots. The crew on board are exceptionally friendly and we've always invited to their birthday parties. I think it's a case of work hard / play hard, as they seem to love these evenings as much as we do.

Day 61 - Indian Ocean Sunset

I've seen so many beautiful sunsets on this trip. I'm not so good at catching the sunrises though. This was taken off the stern of the ship just as the sun was about to dip below the horizon. It was actually taken on the evening of the second grill party (the 27th of Feb). I had pictures from two days earlier; however, I just liked this one the best. The sail through the Arabian Sea / Indian Ocean is just quiet. This leads to sleeping in, sitting in deck chairs in the early afternoon, followed by a swim. Such a tough life!

Day 60 - BBQ Party on Deck

As we're out in the middle of the ocean again today I picked another picture from last night's celebration. The genial fellow on the right is our captain. He's been such a welcoming, well; host is the best term I can think of. He's due to leave the ship in Singapore (although I hear now it's likely going to be the next port in Thailand). Taking pictures of people has never been my strong suit but I thought it was important to include this one.

Day 59 - BBQ Preparation

Today was the big birthday celebration. The Chief Officer made a birthday card with all the crews?names and signatures on it. It was a good excuse to have a BBQ so the grill was started up and a whole suckling pig was cooked over the coals. Later in the afternoon the crew set up tables and benches outside and we had dinner under the stars. As well, the karaoke set-up came outside and there was singing and later on even dancing. It was a wonderful meal and evening and I think all had a lot of fun.

Day 58 - Belgian Beer

The plan for today was to have a BBQ party for my mother's birthday. Her birthday isn't until tomorrow, however, the weather didn't cooperate anyway. The captain thinks that perhaps she caused the high winds, as she didn't want to celebrate a day earlier!

So as to not spoil the plans completely we met upstairs for a drink before dinner. The Captain had bought special glasses (and beer) in Belgium so it was time to try them out. The bar on the ship is lovely but has neither heating or air conditioning so I don't think it gets the use it could. It was pretty warm upstairs but we braved it in order to try the new beer! We had a nice time before dinner and afterwards we went back upstairs to have an after dinner drink. Either it cooled down later in the evening or we just got used to the heat. Anyway, it was a great pre-birthday celebration.