Forgap & Rumor, Singapore-Sydney, Feb. 2-20, 2018--LIVE!

[Travelcat2]

While definitely not a fan of Singapore (perhaps because we have been there too many times and it way too hot for me), I agree that the food there is wonderful (and safe - the one place where you can have water, ice, etc. without worrying about getting sick). However, the positives, IMO, do not outweigh the negatives. Really looking forward to when both of you board the ship and start your cruise. Really interested in the ports that you will be visiting.

 

One last thing....... for those of you that have yet to visit Singapore, do not being fooled by the prices of electronics as they are generally the same prices that you would pay in the U.S. Sometimes there will be a super "special" but if you walk away and come back, the person that offered you the special will be gone and the "special" along with them.

[Bigdogwon]

Jennifer, even though you and Georges may still be dealing with the vestiges of jet lag, you've already in mid-cruise blogging form. Wonderful account of Singapore Day 2. Your photos, as always are terrific! When Ginny and I can settle down together later, I will share your posts with her. Because we'll be flying in the day before and, like last year, will probably have to sleep off a part of the day, your photos may be as close as we get to the Gardens of the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Our main outing was going to be a stroll across the street from the Fairmont to the Raffles for a fling with a couple of Singapore Slings, but that plan was dashed when I learned that the Raffles is closed through at least the first half of this year as it is in the final phase of a "restoration programme." Wahhhh!

 

As we edge closer and closer to our getaway it has been our turn to deal with the seemingly inevitable last minute "wild cards" (your dignified term--we have an earthier way of describing what happens when we're about to take off on a cruise). On late Friday afternoon, we learned from our son and his partner that they just that day entered into a purchase agreement for their first house. We hadn't had a clue that was coming! So, I had to put last minute loose-ends-tying aside to read a raft of real estate documents. Actually it was a pleasure to be of help.

 

What was not a pleasure to behold were the repeated "Your computer is low on memory" messages yesterday morning that appeared on my screen. For most of the day my computer was rendered all but useless as I tried to figure out what had happened (my computer guy didn't respond to my SOS e-mails/calls). Finally last night I had the notion to check out my anti-malware software after receiving the message that my real-time protection had been disabled. That's when I learned that a "malformed" protection update had been eating up customers' RAM and causing computer crashes around the world! I managed to uninstall the program, and, presto, I was back in business.

 

Even with all this last-minute excitement we're in pretty darn good shape for our Tuesday departure and can easily manage the time this afternoon to meet up with Scott and partner and walk the property that they intend to buy. We're excited for them.

 

Rich

 

P.S. Bigdogwon/Larry and Tom, great to hear from you! I'm surprised we haven't run into each other at Trader Joe's or one of our other local haunts--Santa Fe isn't that big. Will definitely connect with you after we return (just located the piece of Regent note paper on which you had written your street and e-mail addresses). Hope your Asia vacation continues to be fab!

Rich, we have met some wonderful people in Santa Fe, perhaps we have met Scott and not have realized that he was your son. What area is your son purchasing in?

 

 

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[forgap]

We transfer to our pre-cruise hotel today. Ironically Regent booked us in the Regent Hotel - no corporate affiliation (I believe) just serendipity. Georges is in charge of getting all our stuff there as I am off to a cooking class today through Food Playground.

 

We had a low key day yesterday. We had a rendez-vous with friends from a previous Regent cruise and went gallery browsing and lunched at Dempsey Hill. Dempsey Hill is a cluster of former British military barracks dating back to the mid 19th century. It is a now a very charming enclave of restaurants, shops, and galleries.

 

Sculpture representing the Lunar New Year:

 

Year of the Dog:

 

We have been lucky with great cab drivers. (By the way, cabs are cheaper than Uber!) Yesterday we had a charming driver who is a retired businessman trying to keep himself busy. We had about a 20 minute ride to get to Dempsey Hill and, in that time, learned so much about the past and future of Singapore, the tax structure, tax benefits to citizens, and immigration practices. We couldn’t ask for a better guide!

 

We are still in beached whale mode due to jet lag (will it ever end?) so we napped until sunset. Our hotel has a wonderful rooftop with an infinity pool and lounging area.

 

We took up glasses of wine and were rewarded with an epic sunset over the city.

 

 

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

It’s finally time to cue up Peter, Paul & Mary: Our bags are packed, we’re ready to go. . . ! (“We” includes Stowie, our traveling companion and photobombing imp.)

 

That's the plan!

 

Rich

 

 

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Edited January 30, 2018 by Mr Rumor

[ronrick1943]

Nice, really looking forward to reading more. Look forward to when you get on the ship. Have a great/safe cruise. Thanks for taking the time for writing. Rick

[forgap]

We have arrived at our pre-cruise hotel in Singapore, The Regent (same font on their literature as RSSC!), so our voyage has officially begun! The hotel is vintage 70’s with a soaring atrium with a well appointed vintage elegant look, and completely different from our last hipper hotel.

 

Our room:

 

Our view:

 

We had a busy day and it was hotter by far than previous days. We spent the morning learning to cook peranakan chicken curry at the Food Playground in Chinatown. It was a great morning.

 

Chinatown is all abuzz in preparation for the lunar new year.

 

 

We have a very early departure in the morning (5 am) which is really not a hardship as we are still wide awake at 3:30 am. On check in we learned that only one bus load is going on 5he Chang Mai pre cruise ( about 38 people) while four busloads are going to Angkor Wat. We went to Angkor Wat 3 Years ago so we are delighted to be part of a smaller group.

 

I’ll leave you with a bit of a zen moment from the Buddha Tooth Relic Museum:

[Mr Rumor]

1982CruzStart, Peggy/xrvlcruiser and Rick/ronrick1943, thanks for popping in, and hope you'll enjoy our blog.

 

Bigdogwon, you've got mail! (Go check if you haven't already.)

 

Silkismom, regarding the infamous Mariner "ash cloud" cruise of 2010, I confess that before we had a great time exploring Venice and Padua, we had our "breakdown" moment as well. It occurred almost immediately upon our arrival at the Venice airport when, as we sat in our darkened bus, we were told what we had been fearing: that we would not be flying home that day, and maybe not for some days. Our first sinking thought was of our daughter, who has special needs and whom we'd never been away from for so long. The best purchase we made was for a three-hour five-euro calling card at a convenience store down the block from our hotel, which allowed us to keep in close touch.

 

Well, we've made it safe and sound to the Sunport in Albuquerque. Only three flights and 9558 miles to go! We're due to finally arrive, Singapore local time, on February 1 at 6 a.m. (January 31, we hardly knew ye. . .) We're on American Eagle to L.A., then fly Singapore Air to Seoul (two hour stopover, no plane change) and then on to Singapore. Regent is putting us up once again at the Fairmont. We hope, like last year when we had an early morning arrival, that we won't have to spend too long in the hotel's day room waiting for our room. After all we have an already scheduled date with Ms. Jett Lagg, and I'm expecting our bed to look extremely comfy.

 

Rich

 

 

 

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Last year at this time our flight to L.A. was delayed more than two hours due to torrential SoCal rains, and DW and I were the last two people to board our flight to Singapore. Today we caught a tailwind, arrived 45 minutes early, and have been alternately lunching and relaxing in the Star Alliance Lounge. The cherry on top: A staffer just approached me to let me know our bags have made it onto the plane (I hadn’t even asked her to check). Last year we didn’t see them until Vietnam!

 

The Star Alliance Lounge’s nice salad bar:

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Last year at this time our flight to L.A. was delayed more than two hours due to torrential SoCal rains, and DW and I were the last two people to board our flight to Singapore. Today we caught a tailwind, arrived 45 minutes early, and have been alternately lunching and relaxing in the Star Alliance Lounge. The cherry on top: A staffer just approached me to let me know our bags have made it onto the plane (I hadn’t even asked her to check). Last year we didn’t see them until Vietnam!

 

The Star Alliance Lounge’s nice salad bar:

 

 

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Rich, the last time we flew to Singapore we were delayed due to snow. We arrived at the hotel 1 hour before luggage had to be put outside of the room (no time to rest or shower). Hoping that your flights arrive on time. The Star Alliance Lounge is beautiful and quite surprising for a domestic lounge.

 

forgap - loving your photos - particularly the one of Buddha. There is something about his image that brings peace and calmness (not meant as a religious comment - just enjoy the philosophy).

[RachelG]

Forgap, all our taxi drivers in Singapore last year were outstanding. They were quite proud of their city, as they should be, and went out of their way to provide commentary and point out sights. It was like taking a mini tour.

[Bigdogwon]

Last year at this time our flight to L.A. was delayed more than two hours due to torrential SoCal rains, and DW and I were the last two people to board our flight to Singapore. Today we caught a tailwind, arrived 45 minutes early, and have been alternately lunching and relaxing in the Star Alliance Lounge. The cherry on top: A staffer just approached me to let me know our bags have made it onto the plane (I hadn’t even asked her to check). Last year we didn’t see them until Vietnam!

 

The Star Alliance Lounge’s nice salad bar:

 

 

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Rich, received your email. We are on our way home will pass you in the sky. As you know long journey. Phuket, Taipei, LAX, ABQ. On EVA great airline. Looking forward to reading about your trip. Regards to Ginny.

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Taking advantage of the Seoul airport’s free 2.4G wi-fi as we wait at Gate 15 to reboard our plane for the 6.5 hour flight to Singapore.

 

Singapore Air may be No. 2 in some rankings but they’re now No. 1 in my book. Didn’t think I’d ever describe a 13 hour flight as delightful, but our L.A. to Seoul leg was just that thanks to the terrific smiling service (food was fresh and delish, too). I was especially taken by the kind attention that inflight manager Michael and his team lavished on our neighbor, a blind passenger traveling alone, including the kinds of free-flowing conversations about life we might have with fellow Regent cruisers (I couldn’t help but tune in a little).

 

To show our thanks for a job so well done by Singapore Air, Gin woke Stowie up for a meet and greet with our stewardesses.

 

 

 

 

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[Johnthesailor]

John & Jan here. Getting ready to go to airport in a few hours. Flight to SFO (from Texas) where we join Scott & Jan (coming from Colorado) and then tonight UA Polaris flight to SIN where we taxi to the ship. See you onboard (we will have to meet up somewhere since we do not have a formal meet and greet. Looking forward to a great trip.

 

Best,

John

[forgap]

What a long day! We were up very early for our 5:15 am departure from Changi Airport to Chang Mai. Since it’s a bit like hearding cats, they padded our time frame by several hours so we had significant waiting around in the airport. The flight itself was 3 hours.

 

We finally made it to the Shangri-La Hotel in time for lunch then back onto the bus to traverse the town on our way to the Wat Doi Suthep Temple which is located in the mountains overlooking Chang Mai.

 

We hit major traffic back to the hotel which gave us about an hour to check in, freshen up, then re-group for a traditional Thai dinner and dance performance. I think we were all too exhausted to really enjoy this. And, the whole thing was a bit touristy for my tastes.

 

Off to bed now as we have an early wake up for a full day of elephant camp and the long neck tribe!

 

 

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[Mudhen]

Hi Rich and Forgap,

I'm just back from Newport (pet sitting for our daughter and son in law) and I'm catching up on your adventures. So very happy that you're taking us all along . Photos have been lovely, but giggled seeing "Stowie" and all of those gorgeous stewardesses! What a cute photo!

Rich, special note....I'm having a fresh squeezed orange juice Screwdriver that John made me in a ....wait for it....RVL etched old fashioned glass! Almost anything tastes wonderful in a beautiful glass....giggle!

Linda

[Mr Rumor]

Safe travels, John. Will be interested in your review of United’s new Polaris Business Class. We could have sampled it ourselves on that same late night flight, but, as mentioned, the tight connection scared us over to Singapore Air out of LAX.

 

Linda, I know it’s not our imagination that every drink tastes better when served in a Royal Viking Line glass, etched or not!

 

We’ve made it to Singapore, bags and all! Arriving at the Fairmont just before 7 a.m. I was braced for a wait for a room like last year, but Claudia at the front desk surprised me by informing she would be pleased to extend us a courtesy early check-in. Great, I enthused, before she cautioned that there wasn’t much of a choice of rooms at this early hour and our view wouldn’t be the best.

 

We saw what she meant.

 

But then we noted that views can be had when we looked a little to the right. . .

 

. . . and to the left.

 

And then we looked at the inviting shower with the rainforest shower head, and the comfy looking bed and agreed it would do just fine!

 

Rich

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

So glad that you arrived safely and on time. Still looking forward to the adventures that you have ahead of you:D

[JAG2003]

Looking forward to you being on board.... Been on since January 17 Singapore-Singapore. All excellent.

[forgap]

We had a wonderful day today in Chiang Mai. Bright and early we were on the bus to travel to the Mae Sa elephant camp which is about an hour outside the city in the hills overlooking Chiang Mai. Asian elephants had been used extensively as work animals in the timber business. Now there is a significant conservation effort but they still are used in tourist attractions like this camp.

 

As we entered the camp, we bought bunches of bananas and sugarcane for our meet and greet with these magnificent animals.

 

You must not make the mistake Georges made when he carried his bunch of bananas with him when posing for a picture. Whoosh! Out came the trunk, grabbed the bananas and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth in a split second. Georges still let him kiss and make up!

 

The Mahouts then rode the elephants to the river for a bath which they seemed to enjoy immensely.

 

The last part of the visit was a demonstration of all the amazing things the elephants know how to do, including painting and playing soccer.

 

Our final stop before lunch was at the Hill tribe village. This is a real village with real tribal people but not really authentic as the tribal people are imported from their native habitat and resettled here as a way for visitors to experience the traditions and handicrafts of the various hill tribes. It was very interesting as you could take pictures without having to be a stealth photographer, observe weaving and other crafts, and buy interesting things for very little money.

 

This was a picture of a woman and her little daughter in the Long-neck Karen tribe. Wearing neck rings and knee rings start at age 7 and as a woman reaches middle age the rings can weigh 20-25 pounds.

 

These are some scarves I bought from a young woman. Her loom was there at the covered stand and she and her sister stopped long enough to pose for a picture and take my money!

 

 

 

 

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[crusin7]

Wow what great memories you will have. The expression on both your faces with the elephants is priceless. I'm loving your posts. Thank you for taking the time.

[forgap]

Thank you, Crisy, you are too kind! I like to write in real time as it is a good memory jog as I later write my travel blog on the journey. We can’t wait to board Voyager tomorrow and meet my co-blogger, Rich, who I have followed for years. We seem to have some other contributors as well so I hope they chime in with their impressions.

[Mr Rumor]

Jennifer, ditto to everything that Crisy wrote. Our day in Singapore was humdrum by comparison!

 

We had only ventured a few yards from the hotel today when we met up with these guys. I call them Singapore’s puparazzi.

 

Lunch was about a 15-minute walk away at Fatty’s, recommended by our concierge and highly rated by TripAdvisor. The atmosphere. . . well there was no atmosphere. But the Asian dishes we had were very good, and the manager was happy to accommodate my wife’s vegetarian wishes.

 

After lunch we strolled through a couple of bustling markets. I was tempted at one to have this gent tell me if my life was good or not, but then decided to hold on to my Singapore dollars.

 

We also visited a traditional Chinese temple crowded with worshippers before returning to our hotel to walk the Raffles City Marketplace downstairs, where I was reminded by the many stands peddling dessert treats (including the meringue madness below) that Singaporeans must have a fearsome collective sweet tooth.

 

A visit with our favorite hotel greeter, the sweet spirit named Ismail, capped our outing. He’s looking good in his new outfit!

 

Total steps taken for the day: 14,753. Not bad for a couple who had just flown more than 9,000 miles and who are probably more jet lagged than they realize. Now time to go beddy bye!

 

Rich

 

 

 

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Edited February 1, 2018 by Mr Rumor

[xrvlcruiser]

I know this will be a wonderful thread! Loving it already.

Thank you Jennifer and Rich!

 

Peggy

[Mudhen]

Most fabulous elephant photos! Scarves were also beautiful.....not so sure about the long neck thing, but hey, that's their culture!

Ready for you guys to get on the ship.....(not so) patiently waiting! (giggle!)

[liptastic]

What wonderful photos you have all been posting for all to enjoy, your pre cruise stays have been so enjoyable for everyone at home.

Enjoy your stay and Bon Voyage for Voyager when you board. Jean.