Phuket

The best feature of the excursion was the visit to the big Buddha. As he was positioned on the top of a hill and could only be reached by steep winding roads, the tour was split into small groups and each assigned to a minibus. Although clean and modern, they were nowhere near as comfortable as the buses being used on this trip.

The rest of the excursion consisted of driving round the streets of old Phuket town, with a final stop at a jewellery store. One of the US women described Diva as ‘not a shopper’. Well, Diva is a very good and prolific shopper but prefers to do this in places where she can afford to buy some of the goods. Some US people still seem to assume that the duty of a woman is to shop. Very 1950s America.

Documentation for Myanmar, including an extensive health questionnaire, needed to be filled in. It is obvious why they are interested in possible Ebola contact. But asking about headaches? On a ship with almost 400 passengers with access to unlimited alcohol? Some people inevitably have headaches some of the time (although there is little evidence of over-indulgence). Diva has no idea why they are asking about hiccups or what serious disease this might be a symptom of.