Thailand

Thailand

Nathan, Koh Samui, Thailand              February 16, 2017

What a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh (Island) Samui is known for it's white sand beaches, towering coconut trees, azure waters and lush tropical vegetation.  Our adventure began with a tender boat taking us ashore to the town of Nathan.

We walked into the bustling town past a lot of local cab drivers and tour guides.

About three blocks into the town we found a place to rent a scooter for under $7.00 for 24 hours. What a bargain!

Larry and I jumped on the bike and took off driving on the left side of the road to the island's famous waterfall that was about 20 minutes down the road.

Once we arrived we walked down a path of local vendors to the falls….gorgeous, cool and refreshing….climbed over the rocks and had a little lunch.

Tourism is the main source of income for the inhabitants…with five star resorts and upscale restaurants.

                       Some of the  tourist were taking elephant rides up to the falls.  The last time that we rode an elephant was in northern Thailand several years ago....it was a fantastic experience!

The island boasts an average temperature of 82 degrees year round....today was closer to 90 degrees.

We were fortunate to completely circumnavigate the whole island before returning the scooter back to the shop.  What a fabulous ride! The main road was actually not completed around the island until the 1970’s. It was completely built up with businesses most of the trip around.

The area had lots of Hindu religious temples.

                             We found nice beaches on the northern side of the island.

It was a quick visit with our ship pulling anchor at 3:00pm.

                                                   So long to  Koh Samui !

Laem Chabang, Thailand                             February 17, 2017

The ship docked in Laem Chabang, a very industrial port with lots of container ships loading and unloading its cargo. It was impossible to walk out of the port because it was so busy. Laem Chabang is the gateway to  Bangkok...a three hour bus ride.

We decided to pass on the long bus ride and took a local shuttle ($12.00) into the beach town of Pattaya, a 45 minute drive.

Traffic galore.... Motorbikes, Tuk-tuks, and Scooters….we were informed that it was dangerous to ride a scooter in the area.  The shuttle dropped us off at Mike’s Mall where we scooted through a somewhat modern shopping mall and walked out on to the gorgious beach.

Here we spotted dozens of para-sailers being pulled around the bay….so dangerous looking because there were so many in such a small area.  Fishing boats, jet skis, and tour boats were puttering amongst them as well.

We walked the beach and several streets to watch the locals cook their lunch right on the sidewalk. This town was loaded with numerous expats and foreign vacationers.

We passed several temples and pictures of the local governing official proudly displayed in many places. .

A typical side street in Pattaya.... tattoo parlors, message parlors and bars....lots to look at.

We enjoyed stopping for some cool air in a couple of western spots….McDonald’s, and Hooters. The local restaurants and bars were wide open to the heat outside and  had no air conditioning.







Upon returning to the ship we certainly felt spoiled to have such a cool comfortable room.

During the evening we enjoyed a show of the old Thailand traditional music and dance.  We will never be able to figure out how the lady dancers were able to bend their hands back to their whist while they were dancing.

Holland America Southeast Asia Cruise on the Vollendam

Holland America Volendam        South East Asia       February 14-28, 2017

 The Volendam will be visiting Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and  Hong Kong on this trip.

                                                               Built in 1999....  She can accommodate 1440 passengers and 620 crew members.  With ten decks and 12 passenger elevators, she is a medium sized ship.      

Pool on the back of the ship.... 

Many of the ports that we docked in during this trip were not scenic at all....they were mostly commercial ports with lots of container ships and lots of containers.

                                                                        Midship pool

Fantastic floral arrangements are found throughout the ship.

Many have asked....what do you do for clean clothes.... laundry service is also available on the ship.

                                                   Grabbing a break from our daily walk.

                         The deck where we get a few miles walking in while at sea

                                                  Lounge for passing the time while at sea.

The tender boat takes us to shore when the ship can not dock in port....this trip had two tenders into port.

Pool side dining

One of my favorite  parts of cruising is....

watching the fabulous sunsets with my man!

Next entry......Thailand

Singapore Sights

Singapore                                              Friday, February 3- Tuesday. February 14, 2017

Singapore is one of three cities in the world that is its own country....the other two are Monte Carlo and Vatican City....Larry and I are fortunate to have been able to visit all three. This is our third visit to Singapore and we were lucky to have a friend, Joan from the UK who let us have her three bedroom three bath condo for our stay. The place is called the Daffodil.

It is a very secure building with an electronic key to enter the garage and the front gate.

It has a lovely swimming pool and a little workout room.

Our first few days were days of regrouping.....laundry, shopping, and figuring out the  city transportation system.

      We chose to go to the local open air market before going to the normal modern supermarket.

Chickens are cooked differently....with the heads on.

This looks like a lot of bananas....but there are 6 million people living here.

One US $1.00 was equal to 1.40 Singapore Dollar.

Singapore has a vast busing  and metro system. Why? Because the government places a high tax on owning a car to help keep traffic to a minimum....Guess what? It works. In this city of mega skyscrapers and  apartment buildings there were no traffic jams.

Citizens must apply to own a car as well. The government does offer another option of owning a car  by using your car only between 7:00pm and 7:00am Monday-Friday and all day Saturdays and Sundays.

Anyway, Larry and I used the bus and metro and both were extremely clean and efficient.

Oh the sights we saw as we ventured out each day.

                                                           Singapore Sports Dome...is massive.

                                 Students putting on a show on the street with costumes and music.

                                             Indian Celebrations....the dress was beautiful!

                                                             World War II Memorial

                                     Once the tallest building in the world...no longer the record holder.

                                                                       Marina Bay Sands

                             Once the world's largest ferris wheel...no longer the record holder

                                                        Home delivery from McDonald's

                                                                     The theater

                                                          An unusual rig for a vendor

                                                          
                                             Science Museum...what unusual architecture

British influences still remain....driving is on the opposite side of the road.

                       Sentosa Island....a resort with lots of amusement activities and the beach

                                                                 Unusual art display

After a fine breakfast we headed out each day not knowing what lie ahead.

Singapore is known as the garden city....it was truly a city of vast greenery and blooming flowers.

The most remarkable thing about Singapore is the shopping malls.....there are so many that we could never visit them all if we wanted to. The first we came across was the Vivo Mall

Vivo Mall had a gorgeous walkway along the waterfront

.......Another Mall

                       Thank goodness for the escalators in these tremendous shopping malls.

Another day we visited Orchard Road....Land of Mega Malls......about 10 floors of multiple malls line Orchard Road....with high end retailers. Singaporeans certainly like to shop.

We caught the MRT to the Marina Bay Sands.

What a swanky hotel, casino, convention center, restaurants, shopping mall, etc.

Inside riverboat ride!

We enjoyed a trip to the top of the Marina Bay Sands.....from this view....

we got to see why Singapore's

the third largest port in the world....Container ships were numerous out in the bay

Fullerton Hotel.....one of the oldest in Singapore.

Remaining decorations of  Chinese New Year

                                          Took a bus in the evening to see the lights of Singapore.

                                                Fullerton Hotel at night....fabulous lighting!

Our next stop......Thailand.