Sunday, April 30, 2017

April 10, 2017, Monday, At Sea

April10, 2017, Monday, At Sea

This is the day for the “Float Your Boat” race. The task - to design and construct a model ship that will be able to carry six full 12-ounce (330ml) soda cans from one end of the Lido Pool to the other. You can use any materials you can find ashore in various ports or aboard. However you may not use any of Queen Elizabeth’s life-saving or other essential equipment.

I had signed up for the challenge a week before. Our walk about Port Victoria yesterday, was more about finding materials for a boat rather than sightseeing. We purchased a ball of plastic string and a package of bamboo spears. During the walk back to the ship, we passed though a park with a lot of tree branches just waiting to be picked up. On board, we found a number of empty water bottles and an empty Cheerios box. Yesterday afternoon was spent on the balcony constructing a boat.

Today was the contest. The competition was fierce. A group of pirates had built a sailing ship.  Another group had used water bottles to float a mickey Mouse platform. And the kids from the children’s area had their own entry. Finally, my entry inspired by a Polynesian craft. The kids got the Best Design award. The Pirates got the Best Team Theme award. My craft won the Time Trial with the fastest boat to complete the length of the pool.






April 9, 2017, Sunday, Port Victoria, Seychelles Island

April 9, 2017, Sunday, Port Victoria, Seychelles Islands

We are tied up at the pier of another small island in the Indian Ocean on a Sunday morning. This is a very Christian island so very few stores are open. Just a few food and convenience  stores are open. We did not book a ship’s tour, the tour that looked interesting is the same tour we took ten years ago during our last visit to these islands.

We opted to walk from the pier to the center of town, about a half mile. There were several interesting buildings and museums along the way but all were closed. During our excursion, I was looking for materials to make a boat for a contest on board the ship. More in the next episode of this blog.

After an hour and a half of wandering around town and checking out the two clothing stores that were open, the heat and humidity were getting to us. We walked back to the ship for lunch and a shower.

International Conference Center of Seychelles

Liberty Monument

The Yacht Club with our ship in the background

A monument in the middle of the island's roundabout

Clock Tower in the middle of Port Victoria

A Hindu  Temple

Saturday, April 29, 2017

April 5, 2017, Wednesday, Colombo, Sri Lanka

April 5, 2017, Wednesday, Colombo, Sri Lanka

At last we have made it to Colombo. Ten years ago, our ship was diverted from Colombo for security reasons. We are tied to a pier in the harbor, with a large container port operation next door. This is an old part of the port and a shuttle or a tour bus is required to get to the exit.

Our ship’s tour takes us to a number of sites in the city of Colombo. The city is a lot like the many cities in India. Streets very crowded, cars everywhere, tut tuts, ( three-wheeled taxis) fill the empty spots and then there is the random transit or tourist bus. First stop is to the local Cathedral. There was a service in progress and everywhere was crowded. We did get to see a great deal of the interior before heading back to the bus. This tour was a bit different, only about three stops and a lot of city driving with the guide pointing out different sites. European visits to this area started in the late 1490's so there are many old buildings, former palaces and museums. Our guide pointed out one of the Islamic mosques as we passed.

The next stop was at the Independence Memorial Hall that commemorates the granting of local rule to Ceylon by the British. The high point of this stop, there was a toilet near by in another building.

The third stop was to one of the largest to one of the largest Buddhist Temples in Colombo. You can walk all around the temple.  You just have to take off your shoes. Of course the floors are of marble. Beautiful statues, bright paints and everything.

The last stop was to the National Museum with about forty-five minutes of guided tour through the exhibits. Some of the presentations had English subtitles.  Some did not have English. I have added one example of a label on one picture. The island used a great deal of water management in order to feed the population. Many of the exhibits highlighted this activity. 

Back at the ship, we were feeling the effects of high temperatures and high humidity. We took a shower and stayed inside for the rest of the day. Our next destination is the Seychelles Islands off the coast of Africa.

Inside the Cathedral

Outside the Cathedral

Mosque

Statue

Independence Memorial Hall

Statue

Buddhist Temple

Buddhist Temple

Caption in the Museum


Tuesday, April 25, 2017

April 2, 2017, Sunday, Penang, Malaysia

April 2, 2017, Sunday, Penang, Malaysia

This is another port on the Straits of Malacca on the island of Penang. It was founded by the British as a trading center for tea and opium. The main city is Georgetown, named in honor of George III and is the site of Fort Cornwallis, named after the general that lost at Yorktown in the American Revolution. The city looks like any of a thousand other Asian cities that were created in colonial times by any of ten different European countries. This city just never had the resources to become a Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Our ship’s tour takes us to Penang Hill, a 2000 foot hill which dominates the city. We reach the summit of the hill via a funicular railroad which speeds us to the top in less than 15 minutes. Our view from the top includes, Georgetown, the harbor between the city and the mainland, the container port on the mainland and the bridge across to the mainland. The bridge is the reason our ship had to circle around the north end of the island to reach Georgetown. The top of the hill also included a botanical garden with a number of fancy birds, an upscale hotel and an amusement park. We were up there for about an hour before our guide rounded us up for the trip down the hill.

The next stop on the tour was to Kek Lok Si Temple with its spectacular Pagoda of the 10,000 Buddhas. To visit this temple, you approach via a set of stairs lined with shops and restaurants. Sandra and I started up this set of stairs, but Sandra’s legs gave out. I went a bit further up to a courtyard before my legs gave out. From the courtyard, I could see the rest of our group further up the stairs. I turned around and went back to where Sandra was waiting. We then finished the walk down to the bus. We spent additional time walking around the bottom of the temple and viewed a pond of turtles. I am not sure of the significance of the turtles. Still waiting for the rest of the group to come down, we shared a beer at a local open air restaurant.

Our group finally arrived back at the bus. Some were exhausted from the climb. There was some sort of small train at the top of the stairs to take people to the very top of the pagoda. However, the trained required a ticket that did not come with the tour. Some folks did not have any local currency, so did not reach the end of the journey. We returned to the ship without seeing much more of the city. By the way, this was a Sunday and most shops and venues were closed.

Our next destination is the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Kek Lok Si Temple

Cruise Pier at Penang

Kek Lok Si Temple

Funicular up Penang Hill

At the top of Penang Hill

The fort at Penang

Fancy Bird

Funicular Line up the hill

From the top of the hill



Tuesday, April 18, 2017

April 1, 2017, Saturday, Port Kelang, Malaysia

April1, 2017, Saturday, Port Kelang, Malaysia

We are tied up at Boustead Cruise Center, Port Kelang. Port Kelang is located on the Straits of Malacca which run between Indonesia and Malaysia. Port Kelang services the major city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and the administrative capital of Putrajaya. Both cities are about 40 miles from the port. We picked a ship’s tour to the City of Putrajaya for our day’s outing.
The Cruise Center is very new and well outfitted. It has a large number of small shops, cash exchange, etc. Best of all, it has free WIFI in one of its halls. The roads are good, the bus is new and our guide is a retired oil executive who speaks excellent English.

He tells us that Putrajaya is a new city, constructed on an old coffee plantation in the last twenty years. The reason for a new city? To reduce the time to get to work for all the government workers. The government buildings are located around a large lake or lagoon, which had to be dug out to create the lake. It had the feel of Disney World just without all the people. It is Saturday, no one working, and most families were off at other entertainment spots. There is an amusement park beside the lake with a number of rides and a helium balloon to take people a couple of hundred feet up in the air.

Our first stop was to see some of the government buildings, the Justice Department, the Parliament Building, the executive offices, and the Office of the Prime Minister. Next to the executive offices is a large red mosque. The largest company in Malaysia is an oil company and guess who donated the money for the mosque. The lake is crossed by a number of bridges, some with two levels, road and light rail. Another bridge is completed except it is not connected to land on either end. It is for the light rail system which has not been built since there are not yet enough people living in the city to make it cost effective.

The final event of the day was a boat ride around the lake so we could get a different view of all the things we had seen from the bus. This last part was also in the rain. Luckily, the boat was enclosed and we all arrived back at the dock, dry. The ride back to the port was quiet with our guide answering questions as they came up.

Back at the Cruise Center both Sandra and I did some serious shopping. I even bought a pair of tan short. Also, while Sandra shopped, I was on the internet with the free WIFI. Walking back to the ship, we say another couple working on a tablet. We asked where they were getting the signal.  There was a small high end cruise ship tied up next to ours. It had an unrestricted WIFI signal. We went onto the QE to our cabin. I then logged onto the small ship from our balcony using my laptop computer. Got a bunch of stuff updated in a very short period of time. 

I AM HAVING SOME DIFFICULTY LOADING PHOTOS WHILE AT SEA. BE PATIENT. THANK YOU.  Allen













Cruise Terminal, Port Kelang

Justice Building, Putrajaya

Justice Building

Main Plaza with Government Buildings

Arch between two Government Buildings

Amusement Balloon Ride

Balloon almost down

Executive Building

Red Mosque

Convention Center, Putrajaya

Office Buildings
Older Residence


Red Mosque and Excutive Building

March 31, 2017, Friday, Singapore

March 31, 2017, Friday, Singapore

We awoke this morning tied to a beautiful terminal on the island of Singapore. This is all new to us. The last time we were here, ten years ago, we tied up in the container port among a large number of cargo ships. We have a ship’s tour of Singapore, unfortunately, Sandra is not feeling well and decides to stay in the cabin for the day. She sent me out to see the city. I drop by the tour office with her ticket and Mathew believes he can sell it.
The tour starts a bit late due to a holdup in immigration but after working through that process, the tour gets on the bus.

We work our way through the city seeing some of the newer building set among the old buildings. At the point where the North Bridge Road crosses the Singapore River, we get off the bus and onto a twakow (bumboat) for a cruise through the city. The Singapore River was the original dock area for the old sailing ships. It has retained a great many of the old buildings, all restored. There is a bronze statue of boys swimming that juts out from the stone retaining wall. You see all of these old builds in front with all of the ultra modern building behind.

The river flows into the Marina Bay, the heart of the waterfront area. The river originally flowed into the sea. In the last fifteen years, they have built an island out in the bay, placed a dam across the outlet to the sea and made the Bay into a fresh water lake/reservoir.  Beside the lake is a statue of a Merlion, a mythical beast said to be half lion, half fish. It is the symbol of Singapore. After an hours tour on the water, we were back in the bus for a drive past Chinatown, the old parliament building and The Raffles Hotel. Sandra and I had high tea at the Raffles, ten years ago. The next stop was the Singapore Flyer, a very large Ferris wheel, much like the London Eye. Before getting on the wheel, we were given enough time to get a bite to eat. There were a number of eating spots but most of our group went to the local Subway sandwich shop.

The pods on the Singapore Flyer are very large. Our whole bus load was stuffed into one pod. From the top, the view included the whole waterfront, the cruise terminal, the marina lake, the Singapore River, the hotel with the boat on top and botanical gardens on the island. As we were getting off the Flyer, we could hear thunder in the distance. Our guide said, “Not to worry, they stop putting people on the wheel when there is a chance of lightening.” Five minutes later came the announcement that they were stopping passenger loading. It was good to be on the ground.

When I got back to the ship, Sandra was feeling better and wanted to go off the ship. There were a couple of convenience stores in the terminal. So, we went through customs and did a bit of shopping. I did find a new case for my iPhone, one that would not slide off my belt. At six P. M. the ship slipped her lines and we were off for Port Kelang, Malaysia.

The area near the boat dock

One of the boats on the Singapore River

The old Singapore waterfront

Statue of boys playing in the water

Hotel with the swimming pool on top

The Merlion  Statue

Victoria Clock Tower

Raffles Hotel

Pod on the Singapore Flyer

Island and hotel from the Singapore Flyer

Botanical Gardens from the Singapore Flyer

Marina area from the Singapore Flyer

Singapore from the Island

The Hotel

Pod on the Singapore Flyer