and so it begins.....RTW16

[cbb]

wow....i'm overwhelmed by all of the birthday wishes!!! Thank you so much!

 

Monday morning we docked in Singapore and quickly got onto a shorex bus. We decided several months ago that our first day here we would take a tour that was about Singapore's role in WWII.

 

Many people don't know that Pearl Harbor and Singapore were attacked on the same day, Dec 7, 1941, or Dec 8, this side of the world.

 

Singapore, an island at the end of the Malay Peninsula was a vital part of the British Empire, was believed to be an impregnable fortress, and in fact, was called the "Gibraltar of the Far East." All of the guns were aimed towards the sea since that is where the enemy would strike from.

 

The Japanese bombed the RAF fields, sank 2 British battleships, and came ashore well inland. Then marching and riding bicycles the Japanese came into the city in 55 days covering 550 miles. It was one of the great losses in British military history--an unconditional surrender by British General Percival whose troops outnumbered the Japanese 3 to 1.

 

We first saw the Wet Market, where "housewives do their daily marketing" (I guess men don't buy food!) and the produce did look lovely. Unfortunately, the weekend is a great shopping time so Monday many of the stalls were closed.

 

Next we visited the Bright Hill Temple and saw a lovely Hindu place of worship. Beautiful colors, gardens, architecture....very cool!

 

We then drove to the Kranji War Memorial which is a WWII military cemetery. Some of the tombstones give birth & death dates as well as regiment, others are "known only to God" which means no one even knows if they were Indian, Malay, Chinese, Australian, or British soldiers. (gives you an idea of what their bodies looked like.) We did see women buried there as well, some were Red Cross, and were volunteers.

 

Many of the 100,000+ POWs died building the Burma-Thailand railroad, others were tortured, starved to death, or died of disease. The local population fared even worse as they were of Chinese origin and were murdered in the streets and in their homes.

 

The Kranji War Memorial is a sacred place to many nations today and the sight of the rows and rows of tombstones is so heartbreaking. Many Australians come here on a pilgrimage to visit a loved one's grave.

 

Our guide told us that today every man in Singapore must serve a minimum of 2 years in the military and then for 10 years afterwards must go to training for 4-6 weeks every year. He said while they have forgiven the Japanese, they will never forget, and will always be prepared to defend their country.

 

We had lunch at the Orchid Beach Country Club and thoroughly enjoyed that. There were 8 of us at a round table and food was delivered to the huge lazy susan in the middle of the table and the tea cup was never allowed to be empty. Approximately 30 people were on the tour.

 

We had a lovely soup that was fish based, but most of us smelled and tasted chicken! We had steamed & sauteed tiny cabbages, a spicy chicken and cashew dish, some deep fried battered fish with a sweet/sour sauce with pineapple and green and red peppers, and a lovely mango chilled dessert. I didn't hear any complaints about lunch!!

 

After lunch we went to the Changi Chapel and museum. The Changi POWs were granted permission to build a chapel but were given no supplies. Eventually they were able to fashion an altar and a cross and rudimentary pews. Photos showed cut logs or planks for seats. Singapore's chapel is a reconstruction since the original was lovingly dismantled, parts numbered, and reassembled close to Canberra, Australia.

 

A cross was made from melted brass shells, hammered out, and years later, the cross was returned here to this Chapel by the son of the man who made it and who survived the POW camp. Japanese school children are brought to this Chapel and bring with them 1000 folded cranes to signify world peace, and hopefully, "never again."

 

Interesting side note: at the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri, standing just behind Gen MacArthur was General Wainwright, who survived a POW camp after his surrender of US troops at Bataan, Corregidor and Manilla and General Percival, who survived the Singapore and Manchuria POW camp. Each of them received a pen used by the Japanese to sign the surrender papers.

 

The war museum is a very well done small museum and tells the story of Singapore's occupation. The photographs can make a person gulp or inhale sharply....all signs that one has been affected.

 

Most of the POW camp has disappeared behind concrete walls and barbed wire because it is a military and a police compound now.

 

When you visit Singapore it is important to ask the guide, or find out ahead of time, what one is allowed to take pictures of. We could take pictures of a large artillery piece that is not original to the war, but its location is; signs discouraged us from taking any other pictures in the area because of the military presence.

 

I saw a tee shirt that summed up Singapore...."Singapore, a fine city." Yes, it is a lovely place, but one can get fined for a wide variety of things, chewing gum, spitting, drinking or eating on mass transit, littering, and not flushing toilets. Yes, there are cameras that evidently record flushing activity!!

 

We lose about 300 on board as this is the end of a segment. Some of them have been with us since Miami, and are finishing their aborted 2015 RTW. Those are the ones I hate to say good bye to --they have been a joy to travel with. I've heard we will welcome aboard more than 400.

 

Farewell to EmmaChisit and her sweetie. We extended best wishes at dinner at Terrace on Monday night but Emma says she hates goodbyes. We hugged and I must say....her sweetie gives good hugs! Safe trip you two, and write when you've arrived home. Remember, there is no one to pick up the towel you dropped in the bathroom--you're on your own now!!!!

 

We also said our goodbyes to Captain Flokos but he reminded us that he will be returning to the ship later....YAY! Safe travels, Captain!

 

(Now, Kathleen & George--how does this compare to your experiences?)

Edited March 15, 2016 by cbb

[cbb]

Today was the end of a cruise segment so we had breakfast early, made our bed and left the ship.

 

We had told our room steward not to do anything to our room since he was going to have many rooms to clean and make ready for the next group of passengers.

 

We also told him not to perform turn-down service tonight either. Hope this small effort helps him.

 

We had to say goodbye yesterday to our beloved Bayu, our room steward, but he's on his way home to his wife--where he definitely needs to be after all they've been through.

 

We did a DIY today. Bought the HOHO bus pass in the cruise terminal which has to be one of the best terminals we've ever been in.

 

Every type of store one might need is there, including a camera store, a pharmacy, grocery store, and a large number of clothing and shoe stores and a money exchange.

 

At 9am, our HOHO bus left the cruise terminal and we rode the red circuit until we got to the Marina Bay stop where we got off to see Gardens at the Bay.

 

This was a great decision and one I encourage you all to think of doing when you're in Singapore. We arrived shortly after it opened so there were few people there yet and it wasn't blazing hot yet.

 

The tree structures were amazing and we were able to take many pictures without tourists or locals in them! I also encourage you to spend the $5USpp to take the elevated walk which is many many feet high in the air...whole different view of the sculptures than from the ground.

 

As we left many, many people were coming in so we were glad we beat the rush!

 

We walked across the street to the Marina Bay and took many pictures of the fantastic architecture on the other side of the bay. Of course, the "Merlion", Singapore's symbol, lives there!

 

We then retraced our steps through the hotel and climbed aboard another HoHo and continued the red circuit which showed us pretty much everything we wanted to see.

 

Nearing lunch we decided to get off and find Raffles which was easy to do since we had seen its location from the HoHo and Mr. Wonderful way pointed it on his GPS. I keep telling you, everyone should travel with a techie. (i've also been known to call him "geezer geek" which he doesn't seem to mind!)

 

Yes, we found Raffles, and yes, we ate peanuts and had a Singapore Sling and I'm proud of it! I loved the British Colonial feel of the Long Bar, thought the fans were awesome, and we had a great time. No lunch mind you....just alcohol. Can't say I've ever done that before!

 

Got a small Raffles-logo china vase for my collection!

 

Walked down Orchard Road but it began to get really hot, the temperature was above 95F by 3 so we decided to call it a day.

 

Instead of getting back on the HOHO we decided to add to the adventure and descended into the metro...jeez, you could perform surgery in the metro cars or stations....it is that clean.

 

The metro station is one of the best we've ever been on and we've traveled throughout Europe. We caught the purple "marina bay" train and 3 stops later, it deposited us into a familar building....the cruise terminal!

 

Seriously, one could live at the cruise terminal--sterile bathrooms, stores, several coffee bars, and the metro! Kudos to the people that designed the system!! (probably techies and geeks!!)

 

As poverty-stricken and trash filled as parts of western and eastern Africa are, Singapore is absolutely the opposite. I watched a young groundskeeper at the Gardens bend down and pick up a white object, literally the size of a pin head.

 

The kids are adorable, and we had a chance to meet some teenagers the day before in the Wet Market when they were conducting polls--part of a school project. They were absolutely wonderful and we all had a great time talking to each other. Two of them wanted to come back to the ship with us and go on our RTW adventure....I said sure, but the cabin was going to be awfully small with 4 of us in there!!

 

There is absolutely no dirt, no litter, no graffiti, (or street art if you prefer!) and weeds are probably forbidden to grow! The people we met are polite, sweet and so helpful.

 

I was so concerned that we would do something wrong that I hid our water bottle inside his backpack, that usually lives in an outside pocket.

Cameras are on buses and in the metro.

 

I flushed twice just to make sure and no one jay-walked even though there were plenty of opportunities to cross the street safely. Money for fines was not part of our cruise budget!!!

 

Singapore is gorgeous and we needed a minimum of 3 days here. Unfortunately, we had only 2. We didn't get to the zoo for the night safari or to have breakfast with the orangutan or ride the Flyer or walk through little India or Chinatown. Maybe next time!

 

Had our life boat drill this afternoon but don't have an opinion about our new companions. Time will tell if more complainers have arrived.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day so I have a chance to meet the new social hostess at 9:30 when I check out the needlepoint kits (finished my little scissors case which will be used to store earrings when I cruise), at 10 is Luke from destination services talking about Bangkok and all sorts of onboard sports and bridge classes occur during the rest of the day.

 

Also at 10 is our Meet and Greet in Horizons!

 

At 11:15 Chef Farid is giving a cooking demonstration & the RTW Quilt project with Tricia is at 1:30. I'm not part of the quilt project but Tricia keeps me updated so i can tell Betsy Horner how it's going.

 

We have an enrichment lecture at 2:30 with Ian Roberts on Ko Samui, our next port, and trivia at 4. Tomorrow at trivia will be fraught since all new groups will have to be formed or merge with others. Personalities will be involved and it can get messy....sigh.

 

At 5:45 we have the Captain's cocktail party where we will meet our new Captain--Maroje Brajcic from Dubrovnik. I'm pretty sure we sailed with his father Jurica Brajcic who recently retired from O.

 

We're looking forward to Chef Farid's dinner buffet tomorrow evening. Hush puppies, mac & cheese, buttermilk fried chicken and "Mississippi Mud Cake" although where I've lived its Mud Pie but in the interest of education and enlightenment it will be necessary to try the "cake"! Be interesting to see the French guy do southern!

 

Might not be a big deal to those at home, but after Carib, Brazilian, African, Indian & Malay food, fried chicken is going to be a big hit for 2 of us!!

 

Bon Voyage, y'all!!

[no fuss travel]

I am so glad to hear that there are no cigarette butts all over the streets in Singapore now. Two years ago, I was so disappointed to see the cigarette butts littered all over.

I know what you mean about the change in Singapore. I preferred it from the first time I ever visited. I liked the historic buildings.

Shame you could not get to Chinatown. We spent over 3 hours there on our last trip. We had already been to the Gardens and the Orchid Garden.

Enjoying your commentary. Brings back lots of pleasant memories. Your pictures help as well.

[2552phxcrzr]

Happy Birthday! Even if it a belated wish, it is sincere. Thank you so much for all the posts ... both here and on the blog. Enjoying the preview of what our RTW will have in store for us.

[cbb]

Thursday evening;

 

I saw Chef Farid tonight in Terrace and complimented him on his southern dinner served last night. He put his fist to his heart and said "Madam, if everyone else disliked it, but you are pleased, then I am happy."

 

I asked him if he was aware of the American saying "you are so full of it" and he lost it!! Yes, indeed, he knows the saying.....

 

Today was a lovely and hot day in Ko Samui, Thailand. There was a lovely breeze but standing in the sun...it was hot! The island of Samui is as you would imagine it would be....lovely beaches, coconut palm trees, gorgeous water and becoming quite the tourist spot.

 

Our guide told us that the "weather experts" are reporting that starting in April the temperatures in Samui could reach 44C...he was very concerned about that extreme heat. (In American...that translates to 111!)

 

This was a tender port into Nathon Pier and took about 20 minutes from the ship to the dock. The water is definitely tidal at this port but the seas were mostly calm so there was no drama!

 

We saw several "backpacker" and family guest houses, but there were absolutely beautiful higher end hotels, including a Four Seasons and gorgeous homes perched high on hills. Our guide said we could rent a lovely place on the beach for $120US a month! (don't know if that includes a/c!)

 

Having never been in this part of the world, we took a shorex but this time decided to do an Oceania Exclusive, which is advertised as having less people in the group.

 

We've done these with O before and have always been pleased. In this case, there were 6 of us in a modern a/c van with plush leather seats and great windows, a guide and a driver who kept iced bottled water and coke zero in a cooler in the back!

 

We saw the Big Buddha Temple, a ~40' high, gold painted Buddha, and a temple known for its statue of Guanjin, an 18-armed Buddhist "Goddess of Mercy" (our guide's description) that sits in the middle of a lake.

 

We also traveled to Khunaram Temple to see sitting upright in a glass coffin the mummified body of a famous Buddhist monk. He had foreseen his death, and died sitting in meditation, so that is how his family placed him in the coffin.

 

He has not decomposed, but he is wearing sunglasses because the empty eye sockets have proved to be unsettling to viewers. He is to serve as an inspiration to younger generations and many people were there to receive blessings and to pay homage to him.

 

It is so great to travel to other parts of the world and see how others' faith is observed.

 

We were given the opportunity to make photo stops at beaches;they are lovely and some appear to be heavily used.

 

We also saw how every part of coconuts are used, and learned that as many as 2 million coconuts are exported to Thailand every MONTH!

 

We enjoyed our OE excursion and would recommend them highly if you are so inclined.

 

I'm not sure I could DIY Samui if I had never been here before, but you certainly could. We were inundated by cab drivers and tour guides as soon as we stepped off our tender and if you feel comfortable going with one of them they are certainly easy to find!

 

We were warned that many of the taxi drivers do not speak English and taxis do not have meters so be sure that both parties agree on the price before starting your trip.

 

Also note, if you don't feel like doing much, the tender does come right into town and it wouldn't be difficult to simply walk around and do some shopping and then return to the ship and take advantage of having few people on board!

 

On to Bangkok tomorrow where we'll spend 2 days. More Buddhas: emerald, gold, silver & reclining...cool!

[Hunding]

Bought two of the REI long-sleeved shirts - they are sensational! Thanks again.

[cbb]

Hunding....

 

glad you liked the shirts.

 

If you go to places where you are encouraged to use insect repellent, of course, do so, but Mr. Wonderful also took 1 of the "zippy pants", 1 of the travel shirts, and 1 pair of socks for each of us and sprayed them with permethrin.

 

He hung them out on a clothesline (one could hang them from anything OUTSIDE) and sprayed them top to bottom and left them out to dry.

 

After they were dry, we put them in a freezer zip-lock bag. I liked the "freezer" rather than "storage" bag as it feels more heavy-duty.

 

The info says that the clothes can be washed 6-10 times but it is the agitation that breaks down the barrier, not the soap.

 

We've worn the shirts on game drives, through dusty villages, and other places and have washed them out by hand using detergent twice now and they seem to be fine. (yeah, sounds grubby, but i don't have to have clean pants and shirts every single day i'm on a game drive...they get dusty 5 minutes into the ride!)

 

If you want to buy an extra rei shirt and make it your "malaria" shirt that might be a good idea. That's what we did. We'll machine -wash them when we get home and pack them away and then we'll reapply the next time we need them.

 

I tend to get rashes if my skin doesn't like something and i've had no trouble with the permethrin.

 

Mr. Wonderful now knows he can't take malarone so having this barrier and also applying additional bug spray works for us....no skeeter bites.

 

just a thought.......

[cbb]

In Bangkok today and every account you've ever read about the traffic--it is true! Every person in Bangkok must own a car and must be on the road all the time!

 

Today we took an OE shorex that was a tuk tuk ride and visited some other places. We had 11 in our group and there was another OE bus that had similar numbers. I know there is disagreement about OE excursions but we enjoy them and their small numbers. Our guide was wonderful, providing us with small bottles of iced water, bananas, sweets and more water!

 

We walked through the amazing Pak-Klong-Talad, the city's #1 flower market. There were thousands and thousands of marigolds being hand-strung into leis and other wearable art as well as what must have been millions of petals, used, we understand by restaurants for dinner presentations. There were hundreds of other flowers as well but marigolds were the primary flower.

 

The tuk tuks picked us up at the flower garden and delivered us to Wat Po, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which is over 150 feet long and is gold plated. There are also more than 1000 Buddha images here as well.

 

The buildings are wonderful, painted in amazing color combinations and their roof architecture is amazing.

 

We were then taken to a high-end shop where there was silk, jewelry, hand bags and other handicrafts. Initially, I was skeptical knowing that we were being given a chance to buy stuff but I admit i surrendered when I saw the prices of the jewelry.

 

I am the proud owner of a new pair of jade drop earrings, not what one would wear to a cocktail party, but just a simple lovely earring that cost 250 baht or $7.50US and she gave me a 15% discount! sweet!!!

 

Several of us helped the Thai economy at the store and I didn't feel ripped off. We were repeatedly assured the goods came from Thailand and were hand made.

 

Tomorrow is a full day adventure seeing the Grand Palace, several Buddhas, lunch, a cruise on the Chao Phraya and into the klongs (canals) to see teakwood homes built on stilts, and Phra Prang a pagoda decorated with tiles and shards of porcelain.

 

If you visit Bangkok and the shrines and pagodas be prepared for a guard to judge women's appearance. Men could wear shorts but the women had to be covered up. He handed women cotton pants to pull on and shawls to place over their arms. I wore a long sleeve tunic cotton top and long pants and I was fine.

 

The market was very cool and I got face time with the locals. Lovely, patient, and kind people. I took a picture of a small white dog among the flowers and the human mom was smiling at me so i showed her the picture and she started laughing and clapping and said something and here came her husband who reacted the same way....soon I had 5-6 people surrounding me looking at the picture on my camera.

 

Man, i wish i had a way to print off copies of that picture! What a sweet memory...just a bunch of goofy humans enjoying a little dog in the marigolds!

[no fuss travel]

Please post the picture of the dog in the flowers. We found while in Myanmar, while taking pictures of cats, that the locals would laugh as we took the pictures but wanted to see the pictures after they were taken.

[Hunding]

Hunding....

 

glad you liked the shirts.

 

If you go to places where you are encouraged to use insect repellent, of course, do so, but Mr. Wonderful also took 1 of the "zippy pants", 1 of the travel shirts, and 1 pair of socks for each of us and sprayed them with permethrin.

 

He hung them out on a clothesline (one could hang them from anything OUTSIDE) and sprayed them top to bottom and left them out to dry.

 

After they were dry, we put them in a freezer zip-lock bag. I liked the "freezer" rather than "storage" bag as it feels more heavy-duty.

 

The info says that the clothes can be washed 6-10 times but it is the agitation that breaks down the barrier, not the soap.

 

We've worn the shirts on game drives, through dusty villages, and other places and have washed them out by hand using detergent twice now and they seem to be fine. (yeah, sounds grubby, but i don't have to have clean pants and shirts every single day i'm on a game drive...they get dusty 5 minutes into the ride!)

 

If you want to buy an extra rei shirt and make it your "malaria" shirt that might be a good idea. That's what we did. We'll machine -wash them when we get home and pack them away and then we'll reapply the next time we need them.

 

I tend to get rashes if my skin doesn't like something and i've had no trouble with the permethrin.

 

Mr. Wonderful now knows he can't take malarone so having this barrier and also applying additional bug spray works for us....no skeeter bites.

 

just a thought.......

 

We overbought (I'm guessing) permethrin - will begin spraying shirts, jeans, shorts and socks tomorrow (Saturday the 19th), they can dry Sunday, and we can start dedicated packing on Monday, for a Tuesday late-night departure.

 

Thanks again for your excellent suggestions/advice.

[Emma Chisit]

If you visit Bangkok and the shrines and pagodas be prepared for a guard to judge women's appearance. Men could wear shorts but the women had to be covered up. He handed women cotton pants to pull on and shawls to place over their arms. I wore a long sleeve tunic cotton top and long pants and I was fine.

 

Hi there. Glad you are enjoying Thailand and passed the clothing police examination. I fell foul of it many years ago at the Grand Palace in Bangkok………when I was wearing backless walking clogs and was denied entry. (I always wear long sleeves and trousers – but had no idea beforehand about the “shoe rule”.) When I pointed out that local citizens were allowed in wearing flip-flops the policeman explained that they were “Thai people”. Their country, their rules. They did offer to lend me some shoes, which had clearly been on many scruffy backpacker feet, so I passed on the opportunity and sulked outside while “Sweetie” went in and had a look around. (I would definitely not have described him as “Sweetie” at that point!) Eventually I did see the beautiful site some years later, with my feet appropriately shod. (However I think that the shoe rules at least are more relaxed nowadays.)

 

By the way, there is life after cruising, although when I leave my dirty clothes on the bed, they stay there - instead of magically re-appearing the next day on hangers beautifully ironed or wrapped in tissue paper.

Sigh…..

[cbb]

emmachisit....so glad you and "sweetie" got home safely! The Grand Palace folks have figured out a way to take care of that whole shoe thing....we have to remove them! I think i'm holding you personally responsible for that decision!

 

we miss you like crazy. I caught myself looking around Terrace at your usual spot for dinner...you weren't there!

 

Not a big fan of some of the people who are now on board and miss our discussions as we stood and observed people in Terrace. I have no one to share eye rolls with!

 

good luck with that whole laundry thing!

 

It is going to be hard to return home after this adventure. Today is Day 76....fortunately i can be like Scarlet and think "after all....tomorrow is another day" and know I face no adult responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, oil changes, etc!!

[cbb]

Today was our last day in Bangkok. We had a shorex that was about 6 hrs and we started about 7:30; sail-away was 4:00.

 

Bangkok is a complex city going through interesting times. Our guides were not fans of the current military-controlled government, preferring and hoping for democracy.

 

Their King is not in good health and there is a struggle between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess for power. China is also a force to be reckoned with in the area.

 

We visited the Golden Buddha Temple which was very cool. The statue is over 10 feet high and is over 700 years old. Many years ago the Thais feared the Burmese invaders would take the Golden Buddha so it was covered in plaster to protect it and to hide its golden surface.

 

Years passed, and the secret under the plaster was lost until the 1950s when it was being moved to another location, was dropped, and some of the plaster was chipped off....guess what showed!! It was quickly restored to its former glory!!

 

Then we saw the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple. I wish I could tell you how cool the place was...initially I thought it was amazing and looked forward to seeing the Emerald Buddha, a small Buddha carved from one piece of emerald colored jasper. The architecture, mosaics, carvings are all wonderful.

 

Unfortunately, we arrived exactly when the gates opened, which is normally a very good thing but other tour groups had the same idea and it seemed that the vast majority of them were from mainland China.

 

Most of us have learned to queue, wait our turn, be patient, apologize if we accidentally bump into each other--tourist skills that the Chinese don't have.

 

I was pushed, hard, twice and one time almost went to the ground. The other time I was caught by one of our guys who set me upright. Of course, I apologized to him, but he said someone had just run into him.

 

I don't get upset easily, don't have panic attacks, don't have problems in crowds, but I guess I became visibly upset because Mr. Wonderful fought his way to my side to ask about me.

 

I am just not used to people who push and shove to move ahead....and there was no space to move, but they continued to shove anyway.

 

I continued up the steps to see the emerald Buddha, but did not linger and only took a few pictures. It was not the peaceful and contemplative place the Buddha desired for us.

 

Our guide said that it has gotten so bad that Thais, who are allowed to discriminate, are actively discouraging mainland Chinese from shopping in their stores and dining in restaurants.

 

Perhaps as they begin to travel outside their country, the mainland Chinese will see examples of how to share places with others...we can only hope it will be soon!

 

We had a Chao Phraya river cruise, fed giant catfish, saw teakwood homes on stilts, and were delivered to an international hotel for luncheon buffet which was a blend of western and Thai food. Yum!!

 

Tomorrow several of us are leaving the ship for 3 days/2 nights overland to Angkor Wat. We're all very excited to see another wonderful historical site. So far, O destination services has done a great job of getting us all safely from the ship, on to airplanes and off, on to buses, and into hotels!

 

Thoughts on today: Again, I wish people would read the descriptions of the tours they are taking and not blame the tour guides for the condition of the streets, the difficulty of getting in and out of boats, tuk tuks, etc.

 

I understand their desire to see places and participate in tours but if their physical condition prevents them from doing so safely then they need to find another tour. If the description of the tour indicates one will walk for an hour or climb steps, then don't complain if you have to walk for an hour, or climb steps.

 

I hope Thailand gets their wish for democracy. The Thai people are so lovely and gentle, their history is rich, and the amount of natural resources outstanding. They should be a force in Southeast Asia....here's to hope!

[2552phxcrzr]

Sorry to hear your experience at the temple was marred by all the shoving and pushing. I can sympathize. I almost got dumped into the freezing waters of the Arctic on one expedition voyage due to a similar experience.

[buggins0402]

Based on our experience many years ago in China, the Chinese definition of a line is a semi circle.

[TenerifeSharon]

Based on our experience many years ago in China, the Chinese definition of a line is a semi circle.

 

YES!! Where's the "like" button?

[no fuss travel]

Our tour guide last February in Bangkok told us that the Thai people do not like mainland China visitors because of their aggressiveness. The Egyptians are not happy with them as they have written graffiti on the Great Pyramids. The Australians are not happy with as visitors either. We saw billboards last March talking about using polite manners somewhere around Beijing, but the billboards do not appear to be working. We have seen several articles in the newspapers here at home where mainland Chinese government are trying to preach to their citizens the value of good manners. They will learn eventually, but it will take time. All nationalities have our "ugly" citizens that make one cringe at times. Some of the worst critics I have heard of mainland Chinese citizens are those who have immigrated here from mainland China, and they openly tell the mainland China visitors how rude they are. They then turn around and tell locals around them what they have said. We have several friends from mainland China, and we tell them that they can say that, but we can't as we would be accused of being racist. If you run into anymore, put your elbows out and protect yourself that way. That is what we were told to do, and yes, it did help some.

[osandomir]

You will be amazed by Angkor Wat and other sites of Siem Reap. We flew there last year after we finished our cruise in Bangkok. One of the top experiences of all our travels. It was like going back in time there. Be prepare for very hot weather, long walks and a lot of stairs.

 

Have a great trip.

[Floridiana]

Your description of getting into the Grand Palace area reminded me of my visit last month. In my experience 2 years ago in mainland China it really helps to jut out your elbows. The older Chinese generation had to survive very difficult economic times and only now has the money to travel. In crowds their old survival instinct kicks in. It's still unpleasant for everybody else.

 

About clothing: Capris that cover your knees and sleeved shirts (not scarves that cover your arms!) get you into all temples except the Grand Palace complex. It's long sleeves and long pants/skirts there. Sandals are fine. You need to take your shoes off to walk inside any temple there and anywhere else.

 

Lots of women did not follow these cover-up rules. They must have squeezed inside the Grand Palace complex while a crowd was pushing and the guards were overwhelmed.

[Bowie MeMe]

Hi there. Glad you are enjoying Thailand and passed the clothing police examination. I fell foul of it many years ago at the Grand Palace in Bangkok………when I was wearing backless walking clogs and was denied entry. (I always wear long sleeves and trousers – but had no idea beforehand about the “shoe rule”.) When I pointed out that local citizens were allowed in wearing flip-flops the policeman explained that they were “Thai people”. Their country, their rules. They did offer to lend me some shoes, which had clearly been on many scruffy backpacker feet, so I passed on the opportunity and sulked outside while “Sweetie” went in and had a look around. (I would definitely not have described him as “Sweetie” at that point!) Eventually I did see the beautiful site some years later, with my feet appropriately shod. (However I think that the shoe rules at least are more relaxed nowadays.)

 

By the way, there is life after cruising, although when I leave my dirty clothes on the bed, they stay there - instead of magically re-appearing the next day on hangers beautifully ironed or wrapped in tissue paper.

Sigh…..

 

Does O have an unlimited laundry plan for those of us in the cheaper seats ? Only my 3rd O cruise but my 30th cruise. Just learned on my 18 day HAL cruise that they do have laundry service for about $7 a day. This is a thing that I am really looking forward to. I do know that O has laundry room but since there are so few machines (even for the small size of ship) it gets to be a hassle to get the laundry done -- especially on a jam packed itinerary.

I hope their is a prepay laundry service or can use OBC.

[Floridiana]

Love your blog, reading both here and there. :-)

[Hunding]

So far as I know, there is no pre-pay laundry service on board any of the ships. You can, of course, use your OBC for any and all laundry services. And, periodically, during the course of longer voyages, there will be special offers for, I think, any ten items for $20 or $25, I've forgotten exactly.

[Bowie MeMe]

Our tour guide last February in Bangkok told us that the Thai people do not like mainland China visitors because of their aggressiveness. The Egyptians are not happy with them as they have written graffiti on the Great Pyramids. The Australians are not happy with as visitors either. We saw billboards last March talking about using polite manners somewhere around Beijing, but the billboards do not appear to be working. We have seen several articles in the newspapers here at home where mainland Chinese government are trying to preach to their citizens the value of good manners. They will learn eventually, but it will take time. All nationalities have our "ugly" citizens that make one cringe at times. Some of the worst critics I have heard of mainland Chinese citizens are those who have immigrated here from mainland China, and they openly tell the mainland China visitors how rude they are. They then turn around and tell locals around them what they have said. We have several friends from mainland China, and we tell them that they can say that, but we can't as we would be accused of being racist. If you run into anymore, put your elbows out and protect yourself that way. That is what we were told to do, and yes, it did help some.

 

Add Taiwan's guides to that list of people who actively tell Chinese people to mind their manners. Our guide by passed many Chinese groups to show us the museums -- commenting --full of rude Chinese. Guards seem to agree and let us through special gates.

 

Unfortunately the Chinese are not alone in their insulting behaviors when traveling. We American citizens need to especially clean up our manners and lower our voices and show patience in other countries. "The Ugly American" is unfortunately true in many cases and does damage the image of our country and makes it more difficult for visitors who follow us to have a good relationship with citizens of other countries.

 

So yes elbows out but NOT too much. You are a guest and you need to act in a civil way -- most countries and cultures do not understand the American culture and think loud, flashy, drama filled people laughing loudly and drawing attention to themselves while dressed in clothing that does not cover as much as it should are shocking and not well mannered. Don't change just try to tone it down and not annoy.

[Floridiana]

... as to the elbows, they are a survival means in a crowd that might push you to fall down. Yes, do not hit anybody with your elbows, but don't make yourself small. That's my experience in a huge mainland Chinese train station.

[LHT28]

Does O have an unlimited laundry plan for those of us in the cheaper seats ? Only my 3rd O cruise but my 30th cruise. Just learned on my 18 day HAL cruise that they do have laundry service for about $7 a day. This is a thing that I am really looking forward to. I do know that O has laundry room but since there are so few machines (even for the small size of ship) it gets to be a hassle to get the laundry done -- especially on a jam packed itinerary.

I hope their is a prepay laundry service or can use OBC.

They may have free laundry on some of the RTW cruise segments but as a general rule it is per piece pricing

sometimes they have a bag price $24.99 per bag 20 pieces per bag I think it was last trip

Yes you can use the OBC for laundry services as well as getting tokens for the machines if you decide to DIY

Edited March 20, 2016 by LHT28