In which Diva chooses the easy option.

In Penang, she rejected the one with the trishaw (fast and scary), the one with the snake temple (wild and scary) and the one with the lunch on shore (expensive and scary).

So they went to Penang Hill and Temple. The temple, which was on a scale they had never seen before was still in the process of being built, so it was difficult to perceive the temple complex as a whole. Getting around the site involved a return trip on two inclined elevators, which were crammed with people to Asian standards (scary). And a buggy ride between the two (fast and scary). There was a tortoise pool with many many tortoises (wild but not too scary).

The hill required a return funicular ride (scary but expected). At the top was a skywalk (scary) and lots of monkeys (wild). Diva misunderstood the instructions for the return ride. She thought that the guide meant that sitting in the lowest level of the funicular would be less dramatic on the fast and steep parts. What he actually meant was that this position was the most like a roller coaster and necessitated standing up with arms in air and screaming (fast and terrifying).

It was 34 degrees and humid.

On return, the butlers were lined up outside the Silver Spirit with their 'Welcome Home' banner. The butler manager greeted Diva by name and gave her a cheery wave. La Terrazza is booked for later.

TSH and Diva were thrilled one night to see stars and planets on a scale not possible in light-polluted Cheshire. They couldn't identify them all even with a sky map. One was moving in a very strange fashion so they have now both definitely seen a UFO.

The end of the first leg

The visit to Coquimbo was not the best. Summarising the advertised programme, the microphone on the bus wasn’t great, the lighthouse was invisible due to an event structure around it, the churches were all locked up, the craft markets were full of Chinese imports, the museum was mostly closed for renovation and the Easter Island statue probably never existed. A great curiosity of the town was the mosque which sat on one of the many hills, dominating the skyline. There are few muslims in Coquimbo and the building was said to be the result of a ‘cultural exchange’ with Morocco. Diva wondered cynically how much money was involved in the ‘cultural exchange’.

But …. TSH and Diva saw their first actual live llama.

TSH and Diva are not late night people. They are normally early to bed, early to rise and first into breakfast. But they made two exceptions. One night they attended what is for Silversea a different kind of show. This one was all about country music and featured songs by Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash et al.

The second late night, which also worked very well, was dinner in the Stars supper club. Taster menu of five courses with three taster dishes in each, so no choice. TSH ate the black pudding, frog’s legs and prawn, none of which would be his usual choice. Diva only nibbled at the frog’s leg and left the foie gras and quail’s egg. The jazz singer and pianist completed the atmosphere.

Throughout the voyage, there have been regular flypasts of many pelicans and regular sightings from the Silver Spirit of marine animals such as whales, dolphins and sealions. One night the sea was a little rougher but there were no problems for TSH and Diva.