Cambodia & Singapore

Yesterday was a short stop in Cambodia...  There was a shuttle into the nearby town, so we headed out about 1030.  When the bus arrived in the parking lot we were surrounded by the locals with signs held up to the windows trying to get our attention.  They wanted to sell us "tuk-tuk" rides; bracelets; postcards or just outright begging for dollars - as it did not looks as if any of the beggars would "hit" one of B's marked george bills, we declined...lol!  
As we exited the bus, Brian became my fullback and we proceeded to the market...  Once in the market most of harassing ended,except one guy who persistently followed us for 10minutes...  B & he finally agreed on a "tuk-tuk" ride price so we followed him back out of the market.  The ride was about an hour long and was very enjoyable.  We saw some of the beautiful beaches & resorts as well as monkeys along the side of the road.  The contrast between the amazing hotels/construction and the tin roof hovels the locals lived in is unbelievable.  When our tuk-tuk ride ended we braved the market once again.  It is a HUGE covered establishment with a range of items from t-shirts, hair adornments and fabrics to fresh fruits and fish...  The people are incredibly friendly and we truly enjoyed ourselves.  We bought something from 3 ladies and figured to make a couple of balloons - but after making just one it seemed this shop had a never-ending supply of kids and others hiding in the back...LOL!
Lots of folks did not like Cambodia because of the crush of people and the poorness of the area, but B & I liked it well enough to go back again if we cruised here another time.
Oh last night we had dinner with the Captain.  I enjoyed it and the Captain is a great guy.  This dinner was my prize for winning the build-a-ship contest...
Today we are in Singapore and we have been here before for a 5 day stay.  So we are not really exploring just browsing in the mall that is at the terminal.  And of course using the internet at McDonald's...hehe   Singapore is the most expensive country in south-east asia so not much shopping - just some soda...  
Our next port is in Indonesia which will be a new country for us.  Attached here are some photos that cover several diffefrent nights as this was one of the first times I had to upload them...  enjoy

B makes balloons in Cambodia

 

 

 

3 monkeys in Cambodia

tuk-tuk

Cambodian market

 

 

 

Tweedledee and Malice attent Alice in Wonderland Ball

Russian night

 

More Asia

Greetings friends:

Well today is our second day in Thailand - we are docked at Lam Chbang which is the closest port to Bangkok.  As B & I have already been to Bangkok several times, we opted to go to the local beach town, Patayaya.  It was time for a mani-pedi, so we found a spot and asked how much.  "100baht" - about $4!  B went and got a foot massage-200baht for one hour-he said it was so great he went back today for the 4 hour full body massage, which would be about $15!  We did a bit of shopping but mostly for soda and dragon looking...
I think that I mentioned we were in Hong Kong before this & that we also went to Macau.  I was a bit disappointed about Macau, as there was no poker and all the table games cost about $30 to play one hand.  So I played about 4 hands of blackjack, pushed one and lost the rest, then quit.  Brian played a few asian style slot machines then we headed back on the ferry to Hong Kong.  We got a bite to eat and decided to go to the night market.  NOW that was some FUN shopping...  They would give you their price, I cut it in half and we would settle for just a bit more than half...  I bought some kewl stuff but can't tell you about it as it is presents...lol!  I really like Hong Kong with their crazy markets & upscale malls and a lot of English speaking people.  It has that hustle & bustle air of a big city with lots of crowds but you don't feel as crowded as Shanghai...
The next day was a sea day and we headed for Viet Nam...  fortunately Typhoon Megi decided to pick anther route than ours, so we just had a bit of rough seas but nothing drastic...  On board ship that night was The Alice in Wonderland Ball.  Brian dressed up as Tweedledee and I went as Malice in Wonderland.  See the pics below.  We had fun but we did not win the contest even tho we looked the best...  I was bummed...hehe
Arriving in Viet Nam I chose to stay aboard the ship.  B was going to take the shuttle too the front gate just to see what there was to see...  While walking out he met some of his friends-the casino staff-and followed them onto a bus marked shuttle.  After about riding for 45 minutes, he finally asked where they were going - "oh to the nearby beach town"  Oops B was on the wrong bus but ended up having a great time anyways.  I was mildly worried as I had expected him back hours before...lol!  So Jess - I guess getting on the wrong transportation is hereditary...LOL!!!!
Well tonight we are headed for Cambodia, which will be a new country for us...   I understand they have a great market with bargining...yay!  Hope this finds you well....  Jess write please...  hugs GB

                                            Striker, the Piano Man with Malice & Tweedledee

                                              Hong Kong Night Market

China

Xingang, China is the closted port city for Beijing, which is about 3 hours away.  Since B & I have been to China before, we opted not to travel into Beijing and instead "toured" Xingang.  There was a free shuttle bus provided so we headed off the ship to explore.  We stood in line waiting for the shuttle for almost 45 minutes before not one but 3 buses show up.  We arrived in Xingang after a harrowi8ng bus rid, as the driver must be part Italian...lol! They dropped us off in the Starbuck's parking lot...  We asked several returing passengers what's to see/do and they all responded not much...  But being the adventures we are, we turned up the first side street we came too and found a shop whre I purchased a leather dragon.  We too photos, checked out fruit stands and read shop signs which said things like spa, massage, Texas BBQ Bar & Music, KFC, and lots of Chinese restaurants.  We found a park with some lovely topiary and a plaza shopping center.  The plaza had a bakery, hair salons and shops upstairs.  We rode the outdoor escalator up and found mostly spa-massage centers.  But there was one large sign (movie poster size) that was gaming/grapics so we poker our head in hoping for internet.  When I mimed computer they pointed upstairs: the second floor was a group video game in a circular setting, sort of like the large Wheel of Fortune slots; and the third floor had individual hanging macnines that might have been plinko/pachinko...  It also had a western toilet for which I was grateful...lol!   I took photos and returned to the ground floor – we bought a soda, made the lady a poodle and I gave them an American dollar that was “georged”-someone may get a strange hit…lol!
We were tiring so we headed back to the bus but stopped in Tesa, a large department store, sort of…  The ground floor held small shops and kiosks that surrounded a large electronics store.  Upstairs was a huge grocery store.  B & I split up for 30 minutes and explored on our own.   I found a great dragon ring, but B said he would have to return to the grocery store the next day for a longer visit.  As we were in Xingang for two days that is what he did.  On the second day, he explored the market for several house and I stayed on board relaxing by the pool and participating in shipboard activities.
department store, sort of…  The ground floor held small shops and kiosks that surrounded a large electronics store.  Upstairs was a huge grocery store.  B & I split up for 30 minutes and explored on our own.
And speaking of on board activities, the future Cruise folks sponsored a 4 day event which included a trivia questionnaire, a scavenger hunt, a build-a-ship contest and a crazy game show.  We were allowed a team of 6, but I was the only one who actually participated in all 4 events.  My girlfriend, Lynn, helped me with trivia-which we came in fourth; & the game show-which we came in first…  My ship was also the BEST looking one of the 4 entries and I won a medal for that.  The overall prize was dinner with the Captain, which I also won and will be allowed to invite Lynn & her husband as well as Brian too…  I am looking forward to it as in all our cruising, we have never had dinner with the Captain…
Brian & I are also collecting many “grand dollars”, which are the prize for participating in all the on-board activities.  We probably have over 40 so far & at the end of the voyage we will be able to redeem them for “dam” t-shirts, hats and other “dam” crap…lol!  I refer you back to my original saying:  “it’s not the prize; it’s the winning that counts!”  I have been just about even in the casino lately, but today folded my way to second place in the poker tournament and then tripled my money on the cash table!  Which is great as we are going to Macau tomorrow & I can play there on my winnings…  Brian is still just playing slots and “washing” his George money through them…  He did win a small jackpot yesterday – yeah!  BTW on sea days I continue to walk a mile and figure on shore days we walk at least a mile – have not been as successful at going to the gym but have gone to stretch class one or two times per week.
 After we left Xingang our next port of call was Shanghai – this is our second time there also & I liked it even better this time.  In fact it is probably my favorite city in China.  The architecture is amazing and futuristic and the people are fantastically friendly.  On our first day there we went to the Shanghai World Expo which is a World’s Fair.  We wore crazy American hats and brought over 200 flag pins to distribute.  We were a bit disappointed in the exhibits themselves – each country sponsored one but if you’ve been to Disney’s Epcot Center, you’ve seen better.  It was estimated that over a half-a-million people were there and it took 30 minutes or more in lines to see the displays which were movies & slides about the specific country.  We went to the USA one, Croatia, Austria & one other…  BUT we truly enjoyed ourselves because the Chinese people could not take our picture too many times.  At first, B & I would just pop into a pose (like at RenFest) and they would laugh and take more pictures.  But once one group started, we would have to pose for dozens of photos.  We would finally say “ok just one more” which would end up being 10 more, before we would continue walking.  Usually then someone would chase us down and say “please” or “scuse” and mime a photo – if we agreed, we would be surrounded again with photo takers and Chinese who wanted us to hold their baby or kiss their grandma or….  At one point B was having his picture taken with a lady on his left while I had a guy on my right who was with a different group.  We would swing them out and others would pop in to take their place.  We met several adorable Chinese girls & tried to ask if they would like “American boyfriend” but we just got giggles in response…lol!  Finally we decided we were hungry and took off our hats so we could make our way across the grounds to get some lunch.  We still had our photo taken a couple of times but we were not interrupted while eating…  We could have sold tons of our $1.00 hats if we had them with us – in fact they all asked where we got them and I showed one man the label in mine – it said “made in china”!  LOL!  It was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed the whole day but we were pooped after walking so much.  As we were leaving I traded my hat for a Chinese bucket hat for Jess and we caught a cab back to the ship.  
The Port of Shanghai and the skyline are beautiful and all the buildings are lit up at night.  Also small tour boats travel the harbor and they are lit up as well.  It was a gorgeous sight from the ship.
The next day in Shanghai was Saturday and we decided to do a bit of shopping, along with a million other people…  Shanghai seems to be the “big” city for tourists from everywhere but particularly other Chinese from rural areas.  The shops on the main street were literally jammed with people shoulder to shoulder – if I saw something of interest I would say to B “I am gonna dive in here” and just start elbowing my way in…  These people are not rude, they just do not have the sense of personal space that Americans have.  Occasionally if I was shoved I would just shove back but I tried to remember that it wasn’t personal… We bought a few things and shuttled back to the ship.  Brian decided to walk to a grocery store and took his camera along to shoot the sites.  I went to the Jacuzzi and soaked…  That evening Lynn & I played “Name that Tune” & won – after we went to her “la-de-dah” suite and watched the sail away oohing and ahhing over the pretty lights and beautiful bridge.  As we left the fantastic harbor I commented again on how much I like Shanghai – I hope to visit here again some day.
We have been sailing for 2 days now and will arrive in Hong Kong on Tuesday 19 Oct.  Remember we are almost a day ahead of you…  So far the tropical storm that is heading for the Philippines has only affected us by rocky seas.  The Captain assures us we will arrive in Hong Kong without any difficulties and we are to stay there for 2 full days.  Hopefully the storm will have decreased some by then or we may not have a port in Viet Nam to call…  Hope this finds you all well – will someone please check on my dogs and Sarah and let us know all is well? Thanks – oh and Jess, write…lol!

Winning Sailboat and the above is Shanghai at night

Japan-4 Ports

Two days ago we left Japanese waters and we are headed for China.  We thoroughly enjoyed Japan – we have visited one other port before but this was our first time to see more of the country.
Our first port was Sendai and the only place we had booked a tour.  Brian & I and 14 others went to a Japanese mineral bath.  When we arrived in Sendai there was a drum band “entertaining” us with a Japanese welcome at 7am! UGH!!!  Luckily the customs authorities needed to see everyone but they took forever to clear the ship for debarkation.  They wanted us to have our passports (which we had to get back from HAL), take our fingerprints and have a face-face with a customs officer.  As there are over 1100 passengers you can imagine how long this took.  They started serving juice and cookies while we stood in line waiting and the Captain even bought drinks that evening.  I was concerned that our bath would be cut short, but when we finally left the ship we were only an hour late…  We headed to a mountainous region about 40 minutes away – we stopped at the hotel first for all the “old” folks to use a western toilet then off to a local arts & crafts stop.  There was a very famous, tiny, old Japanese artist who taught us about India dye and fabric weaving. We got to try our hand at dyeing handkerchiefs using rubber bands – basically our version of tye-dye…  It was fun but hard on the knees as we had to squat/kneel down to reach the dye vat and stay like that for over 3 minutes.  Brian made a balloon poodle for the lady and she was delighted.  We then boarded the bus and headed back to the spa/hotel for our traditional Japanese lunch and bath.  The lunch was a bento box and it looked beautiful – for B & I, it only tasted so-so…lol!  There was a small piece of cooked salmon and raw tuna that we ate and pretty much left the rest.  The other passengers said it was all terrific but…  After that the guides showed us how to put on cotton kimonos – we asked if they had sumo wrestler size for Brian, but they just laughed.  The ladies changed in one area and the men in another…  Brian came out wearing 2 kimonos – one the correct way and one like a hospital gown: back to front…LOL!!!  We then went down to the lower level and experienced out baths.  For this tour we were segregated, men and women, which was a bit disappointing for B & me as we wanted to enjoy together…  for the bath part we washed/showered first so we were clean then got to try any of the 10 different mineral baths that were available.  There were a variety of sizes and temperatures but the best was an outside natural looking one with a waterfall and rocks for seats.  It was a wonderful experience and we definitely napped on the way back to the bus…lol!
Our second port was Yokohama with access into Tokyo.  We opted to just visit Yokohama & took the free shuttle into the train station, where there was an underground shopping mall.  It was very clean and beautiful but VERY expensive…  I looked at UG boots that run about $120 in Australia and US, which were $500 in Japan!  A whole cake from a fancy bakery was over $100!!  Luckily we didn’t need to buy anything but just enjoyed looking.  I tried on a couple of kimonos but they were all too small – or I was too big??  Not sure which…lol!
Our next stop was Shimizu which is the viewing city for Mt Fuji – unfortunately the mountain was fogged in for the whole day so we only got a sense of where it was.  But otherwise it was a beautiful day and we were able to just walk off the ship and explore the city.  We went to the 125yen store – the equivalent of our dollar store and bought some silly things.  The unusual thing so far is that none of these ports had typical souvenirs of Japan – no hats, t-shirts or junk… sort of strange…  This was the first time a large cruise ship had docked in Shimizu so it appeared that the whole town had taken a long break to visit the port…  Kids from 3-83 were fascinated with the large white ship and the large white Americans…LOL!  We enjoyed this port because we could explore it by walking right off the ship into the city…  They had geisha dancing, tuna carving and other music for us to enjoy just at the dock.
Kobe was our last port of call in Japan and probably my favorite.  It is a beautiful city and we took a local bus tour around it – which once we got a seat on the bus was fun… As it was a hop-on/hop-off bus we picked up people at every stop.  They did not seem to care how many they crammed into the bus and at one time a little Japanese lady fell right into my lap…  We opted not to get off as we were afraid we might not get a seat the next bus that came along – but we enjoyed the sights and then got off after circling the city.  Kobe has some amazing shopping plazas and the people are terrific.  So B & I walked around and explored the shops.  The prices were a bit better and we also found an internet café.  For my son it would have been paradise:  it was a third floor filled with computers and manga-Japanese comic books.  We checked email etc and had fun trying to use the keyboard and not type in Japanese…Kobe is the city I would revisit given the opportunity…  There were actual souvenir shops at the port in Kobe – I finally found a kimono that fit me and bought some other items as gifts.
We have been enjoying our sea days also.  The hardest part has been moving the clock back one hour almost every night.  We have been adjusting our sleep but just barely…  I am usually up by 930am, which is early for me…lol!  Last night was formal night but also kimono night.  So I wore my new turquoise kimono and B was a Samurai warrior. We looked great.  After my recent victories at poker and blackjack, I am back to losing and will actually have to play on my own money when I play again.  We have continued to participate in the sporting events and they have been giving out “grand dollars” to the winners.  We will eventually get to spend these on HAL crap-I mean souvenirs…lol!  Today was the first day the weather has been sunny enough to lay by the pool.  I did not as I was playing too many games – I am in first place so far in a shipboard competition to have dinner with the Captain…  The next activity we have to build a ship, so we will look for stuff in China to make a pretty boat.  Our next couple of ports will be in China: Xigang for Beijing; Shanghai & Hong Kong. 
Hope this blog finds you all well-would love to hear from some of you: just leave a comment or send an email or write on Facebook, but stay in touch.  I think that means you Jess…LOL! 
See you next in China - GB

                                                B in 2 kimonos (frontwards & backwards) at Bath

beautiful Japanese bath in Sendai

Japan Preview

We are in Kobe which is our last stop in Japan. We have found an internet here but it is challenging to type on this keyboard.  We like Japan but it is very expensive.  A piece of cake/pie costs $10 and the whole thing is $100!  B found a betty crocker cake mix in store and it was $8... 
I will write more about our Japanese experience in the next day or two. 

Petropavlovsk, Russia

I know u　have read this but i wanted to post it here...

It turns out that this city is a fishing port of Siberia!  I was very glad to have packed sweatshirts, jackets, hats and gloves – even tho B gave me a “is that really necessary” look…  It is also one of the few tender ports on this cruise.  We dropped anchor about a half mile from the shore around 7am.  Organized tours were allowed off first and finally about 12noon the Russian customs were willing to clear independent passengers.  So we got all our cold weather gear together and headed for the Queen’s Lounge, where we received our passport and a tender ticket #15.  They had just called #’s 9 & 10.  There was a long delay and finally the cruise director announced that where there had been 3 Russians checking passports, 2 had decided they needed a coffee break…  Finally they called our number and we boarded the tender-which is a small 40 passenger boat, for those that have never been cruising.  It was about a 10 minute ride and we finally put our feet on Siberian terra firma…  The weather was cold, about 40*, and drizzly.  There was a small table of souvenirs set up in the port hangar but we opted to walk the half mile into to town to see what was there.  We walked past the statue of Lenin and into the first store which was a tiny version of a Best Buy.  We wandered the store and found the prices high and we were pretty much ignored by the clerks.  We continued down the street and noticed another street above us.  At the corner there was a beautiful church made of logs that I photographed.  It was pouring by this time so we did not explore around it.  We were still in search of a grocery store, as B loves to explore foreign markets on our travels.  I stopped a young couple and asked if they spoke English.  The young girl did and told me there was a market farther down the street-but we opted to climb the stairs to the street above and found a shop with several stores/counters in it.  We walked in dripping wet and I had to wait 5 minutes before my glasses unfogged.    This shop was sort of a mini-mall, only about half the size of a gym but with different kiosks and counters of merchandise.  There was jewelry, baby clothes, toys, shoes, kitchen ware and ladies clothes.  Brian and I carried American flag pins and balloons.  The jewelry clerk was very friendly so I gave her a pin – she then gave me a calendar.  While I was looking at the clothes, B made a balloon animal for a young girl while half the store watched.  I made one for a young boy and then we left those shops.  We were still in search of a food store and somewhere to buy the chotskys I wanted.   The rain had stopped and we walked a few stores down where we found a tiny store with snacks.  We bought some very Russian looking chocolate bars and made balloon poodles for the 2 ladies.  They gave us another chocolate bar…  We were enjoying ourselves immensely & so were the Russians we were meeting.  Walking a few blocks more, I has just about given up finding items in town when we saw a building with English signs proclaiming Russian souvenirs, postcards etc.  Hurray!  We found hat pins, lacquer boxes, nesting dolls and postcards.  And they even took my Visa!  The young clerks were delightful and we made more poodles and gave out more American flag pins.  One of the girls had a t-shirt on for Jess:  it read “will you be my boyfriend?  Check box: yes-no-maybe”.  Jess, she was not Japanese, but what do you think about Russian?  LOL!

It was still cold, but now the sun was shining as we headed back to the ship.  The hills were gorgeous- covered with trees in fall colors and brightly painted houses dotting the landscape.  The dreary weather and fog of the earlier hour had faded away to reveal pretty scenery and snowcapped mountains.  Brian & I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Russia.  

When we got back to the ship we grabbed a snack and a nap then attired ourselves in Russian costumes for Russian theme night.   We were about the only passengers appropriately attired, but we looked great and enjoyed the attention of the whole crew and fellow cruisers.

Since Russia we have been two days at sea participating in badminton, golf, basketball free throw shooting, quoits, hockey slap shots and more.  B & I usually win these events so we have accrued a vast collection of crappy prizes, but I refer you back to my philosophy about winning…lol!  I have also managed to walk a mile each morning even in the cold weather.  I am still up in the casino and we established a core group of about 15 poker players, so there is a bit of play there too.  

We are headed for Japan and will have 4 consecutive port stops there – see the map in blog 2.  However we just found out that the internet aboard ship will be blocked while we are in Japan.  So while I will try to keep track of our Japanese travels, I will be unable to post anything until the 9 of Oct – we will look for an internet café on shore but we’ll have to see.  We are looking forward to our visits to Japan – Sayonara