Raina's blogging again. An Asian Expedition - Legend

So …here we go again.

This time it’s an Asian Expedition. Traveling with Dad, who is now 90yo.

We fly to Singapore for three nights then hop onto Legend of the Seas on 10th November for 28 nights – Singapore – Thailand – Cambodia – Vietnam – Hong Kong – Philippines – Malaysia – Indonesia and around the top of Australia from Darwin to Brisbane.

ABOUT ME – I’m Raina, a school teacher from Canberra, Aust. I love to cruise and travel in general. I had gained so much info from reviews and blogs, it’s only fair that I give back. I’ve done a few blogs before and love sharing my adventures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2070839 Ultimate Scandinavia and Russia

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2204074 Vancouver to Sydney

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2204074 Singapore to Istanbul

Some times I travel solo, sometimes with my Dad (Andy) and sometimes with my Daughter (Sarah). Sometimes I’m in an inside room, sometimes in a suite. I do things on the cheap (although when with dad it’s a lot more extravagant) as much as I can …..but also have some splurge activities each trip. I talk more about the ports of call then of the life on the ship. But am more then willing to answer questions and seek info for you.

I’m getting close to finishing work and am using up accumulated leave. YAY. I love photography so there will be many photos.

I have done very little travel in Asia and have only been to one of these port before (Bali). I did a day in Thailand (Phuket) and a day in Malaysia (KL) last trip but that is it. So this will be fun.

Dad had a stop off in Manila on returning from Japan post WW11 – so he may notice a few changes!

This is just for you to put faces to the names. (from last years Transpacific.)

My caveat - There WILL be spelling errors and types. SORRY.

The internet is pretty slow on Legend - and the itinerary is busy, but I'll do my best to keep up to date.

I'll try to remember to keep my entries in large blue print - to help you skip questions etc.

Day 1 – Let the games begin……..I would normally say that I was “up at Sparrow Fart” but it was too early. The Sparrows were not even awake yet. It was a 4.30am wakeup for a 6.30 flight.

Sarah was a legend for getting up so early to take us to the airport.

We flew Canberra to Brisbane then to Singapore. The staff in the Canberra Business Lounge were excellent. And the best fresh squeezed orange juice. The trip was so uneventful compared to Dad’s last trip – where is walker produced a double positive to TNT! Planes held up, police interviews, walk of shame down the aisle of the plane as we were the reason for the hold up….

This trip was great. We flew Business with Qantas and it was great. They looked after us well. The seats were great.

Arrival in Singapore happened so fast – we had booked a people mover for Dad. They turned up with a wheelchair (which he hates), but the man scooped him off and took off like a Formula One driver. I was nearly jogging to keep up. We got through immigration in the express lane then off goes the guy with Dad again. I lost them completely so went and got the luggage – three suitcases, a cabin bag and the walker. Then I searched and searched for Andy. Maybe he had been stolen and sold into the sex trade. I saw the Formula One wheelchair driver who said “through to taxi”. The security guys told me “Yes, He took an old guy in a chair through” – so through I went – past the point of no return point….and no Andy!

I found some lovely people going on our cruise who guarded my mountain of luggage while I went in search. I stepped over THE line and set off the alarms. But then I saw him…dumped over near another luggage carousel – with no chair or walker. He managed to get a trolley and with me standing at THE line calling out each time the heavy glass doors opened, he finally heard me. Yay. Not sold to the sex trade at all!

It was then into a taxi and the drive into town. We arrived just on dusk. And the rains came. There would be no blue skies on this trip.

I was here in Singapore in May and it was hot and sticky. It is now the wet season and it is hotter and stickier! But at least the smoke ha gone from the Indonesian bushfires - deliberately lit to lear land. It is causing massive devastation to wildlife including the endangered Orangutans and to the health of nearby countries. Singapore had a few days of extreme danger last week where all schools and government places were closed down.

Singapore is so pretty and neat. The roads are amazing, with at least three lanes and perfectly manicured gardens. The taxi was only $27. Taxis are great here. Only Singapore born people can get a license and the cars are lovely.

Out Hotel was the Swissotel, Merchant Court, Clarke Quay. A great hotel in a great location. Very luxurious and comfortable. Big rooms, comfy beds and great extras like gowns, slippers, water, chocolates, turn down service etc.

Clarke Quay is wonderful. Very touristy very colourful and lots of food places. Very handy and fun. And super pretty at night.

There is a bar about 100m from the hotel door that does a happy hour – and trust me you need a happy hour. Alcohol is so expensive here. Happy hour was two for one, so two Mojitos for $18 was great.

Finally. A reason to hang out on the RCL board...... fond memories of Singapore.... have a super time!! x

Day 2

Had a good sleep in then went for a tour. The concierge said a taxi would be minimum three hours at $55 an hour, so I decided to just ask a taxi myself. We drove around for about 90 minutes on the meter with a few photo stops. It cost $35 with a tip.

We saw heaps of the city including many of the iconic Singapore sites - Marina Bay Sands hotel, the Singapore Flyer, Orchard Road etc. There is some stunning architecture.

Little India was decorated for a festival on Tuesday. Beautiful.

Singapore is so very tidy and lovely. People cleaning everywhere.

Raffles was a stunning building, dripping in history.

Dad told a story of one of his airforce buddies. He was in Singapore in February 1942. He was a low rank and ran into the bar at Raffles and ordered a beer. An officer started yelling an trying to chase him out. Raffles had been made an officers bar. His mate said "I'm here with my gun, and a few thousand Japanese troops are 500 yards away, and I will bloody well have a beer before I am captured!". Cool story. (His mate did survive Changi.)

Singapore is one of only two major cities to be built in a rainforest. So amazing greenery everywhere.

I was recommended by a (very) ex student (who is now a Qantas pilot) to eat at a place called Wing Seong Fatty’s. He said there was a story and he would tell me later. Which he did…..

“Folklore had it that in WW11 the RAAF airmen found a great kid who sold them chicken skewers. When they were overrun by the Japanese and sent to Changi prison guess who turned up at the fence and passed them food? Once the war finished, many ex RAAF pilots joined Qantas and on the way to Europe and London they tracked him down again. His roadside store soon became a restaurant. Fatty died mid 2000’s. A sad day for Qantas pilots, but his sons run the place now. One of them is called Skinny. The other Kelvin. Not a day goes by that a Qantas crew doesn't show up at the door hungry and thirsty.”

How cool is that. And it was great food. Worth the visit.

Side note – there are stickers everywhere in the taxis telling you to check for your phone when you get out. 50% of all things left in taxis are phones ……yadda yadda yadda. I always check before getting out that I haven’t left anything. I lost a favorite scarf in Seattle once.

So, we found Fatty’s, sat down and ordered. I pulled out my phone and took some photos. Then a phone started ringing – really loudly. It was coming from my bag! Shock horror. There was another black, iPhone 6S, in a black leather flip case in my bag!

After a moment of panic I answered it.

“Hello, who is this, why you have my wife’s phone”.

“I am so sorry, I have picked it up by accident, how can I get it back to you”

“What, Lyn in accident, Lyn in accident?”

“No, No, No accident – I stole her phone by mistake!”

Etc, etc, At least I got the name of the company from him.

I was able to ring the taxi company and organise for her to be contacted and to organise for her to collect it from the hotel.

I was worried – you get fined for chewing gum and for jay walking, and people get public caning for other crimes, what would they do to a phone thief?

Oh dear. She did get it back. That evening. At least she got a really good tip!

I then left Dad to sleep and went for a Bumboat ride. Costs $25 and was a one hour trip. Lovely and very informative. A bumboat is "an authentic Singapore old charm style, blended with modern, environmentally friendly engineering, carefully crafted for a nostalgic experience reminiscing a bygone era of old Singapore."

It was then time for drinks. We met up with JD and Kyle also from Canberra, on the cruise and on Cruise Critic for a drink at our happy hour bar. This time I had the Virgin Mojito. Silly me. It wasn’t on the 2-1 list. So my soft drink cost me $14. They all laughter at me.

We then headed off to ‘Gardens by the Bay’. One of the big attractions here are the metal ‘trees’. They are vertical garden structures and home to a great light show.

We were eating at the restaurant at the top of the tallest “tree”. A restaurant called Indo Chine. Beautiful, fantastic food, amazing view (from the bar on the top)but very expensive with mediocre service.

There was a minimum charge of $80 each. We had no trouble racking that up. We didn’t drink wine. One bottle of McGuigan’s Red (that at home is under $15) was $130. It was a lovely night but I probably would not recommend this experience. The food was great but I think you could get a better fine dinning experience with a better view at another place for that amount of money.

The light show – is brilliant. It goes for about 15 minutes and is choreographed to Disney music. But it was not so good from above. We watched the 7.45 show from above and the 8.45 from below. This is a free show that happens every night.

This would be my #1 Must Do in Singapore.

Early morning view from my window.

Day 3

I got up early and headed off to the Singapore Zoo. I do not like Zoos. I have been to some of the best in the world – like Sydney, San Diego. I went to Anchorage Zoo as I wanted to see many of the Ice Age animals there. We were so disgusted we left after 30 minutes.

So I spent a lot of brain power trying to decide if I should go…..I did lots of research and found that this zoo is highly regarded for its animal welfare and environmental issues, so I did go.

To Breakfast with the Orangutans.

I was going to public transport to the zoo – three trains, then two buses – about an hour, but decided to be extravagant and to taxi. It ended up only costing me $25 with a commentary, so I was happy with that.

Local transport.

Enjoying your expedition on Legend Raina. This is one destination that is our our bucket list. Your pictures are outstanding.

I got a table right at the front, near the platform the Orangutans sit on.

It is connected to their enclosure by rope walkways. They must open some kind of gate and down they all came. Mostly young ones and they were wonderful. The way they move is amazing. At the worst I was only 3 meters from them. At the best, about 500mm. Awesome.

It was really worth the $33 (plus $25 zoo entry).

Breakfast was a buffet with most things including ‘beef bacon’ and ‘chicken ham’.

I went and had a quick look at the Wolverines and the Raccoon Dogs as I had never seen them before. Both very cool animals with very strong jaws.

There encluosure was huge and stimulating. It over hung the paths in many places offering great viewing for both humans and the Orangutan's.

During my trip back we hit a tropical rain storm. It was amazing the amount of water that fell from the sky. Motor bikes all stop under bridges. Traffic slows down to a crawl.

When I got back to the hotel I decided to go for a walk and look at the shops.

And here is a tip - When going out for a walk...If the Concierge says "would you like an umbrella? And then says "are you sure?”, maybe you should take the hint.

Part way down the road it started the spit. Within seconds it went from spitting to fire hose rain. I was drenched. So wet I took off my watch and my iPod to put them in my bag for protection. But it was beautiful rain. So warm. I embraced it and enjoyed it. It was great. And I’m sure Singapore is used to smiling tourists wandering down the road, soaking wet with their arms stretched out to enjoy the rain even more. I could not have got any wetter. Or so I thought.

Another tip - when in a tropical downpour - don't wait close to the road at the traffic lights. As the road is a river - you will get drenched as the bus roars past you. And then don't stand there laughing so hard that you don't see the second bus, that will drench you even more. My shoes had pourable water in them. I got "Chicago-ed".

I loved that warm delicious rain!

I went back to get Dad to go out for our Black Pepper Crab feast– a signature dish of Singapore. It was fantastic. Messy but fantastic.

Tonight’s activity was a Bumboat ride to see the laser show at the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

The cruise down the river was about 20 minutes each way and was great with the city lights.

The laser show was great. Massive lasers, huge fountains and even bursts of flame. All to music.

It was great. The cruise cost $30 and took an hour. Great. This would be my #2 Must do activity.

Raina - looking forward to your blog. I enjoyed speaking with you on the Rhapsody and hope our cruising paths will soon cross.

Have a safe trip

Marci

what a great trip so far, and one in my bucket list, I really look forward to it.

Thanks so much for taking us along, Raina! Hope you and your dad have a fantastic cruise. Can't wait to read the rest of your review. :)

Wonderful pictures!! Thanks for sharing with us.

Great stories and photos! I think your Dad is lucky to have you as a traveling companion.

Debbie

Raina,

I am so looking forward to following along with you on your cruises. The itineraries are crazy good, I am so jealous. :p

Have fun.

Thank you for your review so far. We are doing Sydney to Singapore next year so your comments on Singapore were greatly appreciated. Will be following the rest of your review.

Subscribing :D

I'll be cruising on the second part of your B2B from Hong Kong to Brisbane, but in reverse next April. Very interested to read and see your cruise review of Legend of the Seas!

I'm subscribing too.

I'm on the Legend in April next year ... Bring it on!

we're on the Legend in 17 for a NZ trip, and am looking for any info I can find. So looking forward to your views and insights.

I love your spirit. I am my mothers travel companion, she's 75 next May. We've both lost our husbands, and she wasn't about to slow down, so, I'm now her side-kick. I love that your Dad is still going strong. (( he doesn't look like he's even close to 90! ))

I'd have been enjoying that rain as well, glad you didn't let it spoil your adventures.

WELCOME to Singapore and hope you have a great time and cruise :)