It's all over

Silversea have informed TSH and Diva (and the other passengers) that this cruise will terminate in the next few days in a port in Cambodia or Vietnam, which are the only countries which will take the Silver Spirit. Compensation is generous but still not seen as enough by some. TSH and Diva are OK with it if a few details can be ironed out.

An enjoyable evening at the Captain's table. One of the other guests at the table has been a physicist at Cern and was there when they found the Higgs bosun. Diva was overwhelmed!! There was also discussion about International Women's Day and Diva combined the two by proposing a toast to Lise Meitner. A first on Silversea perhaps.

The mood on the ship is low but guests are trying hard and the crew are trying harder to provide exceptional service. It was perhaps not such a good idea to schedule a lecture 'Introduction to Myanmar', as this was to be a cruise highlight for many people.

As far as is known, everyone on the Silver Spirit is healthy (or at least, as healthy as the age group was when everyone embarked).

No entry

A few minutes before the scheduled departure from Phuket, the captain announced that the Silver Spirit was not leaving because both Myanmar and Sri Lanka have banned cruise ships for the foreseeable future because of the coronavirus. They are far more afraid of us than we are of them!!

Silversea are working on a revised itinerary, which will probably involve Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Phuket did its best to protect itself from travellers - medics to take temperatures , masks supplied (optional - nobody used them. But TSH has 2 masks safely stored in his drawer), antibac spray squirted onto everybody's hands after every stop.

The highlight of the excursion was a temple visit - lighter than most temples TSH and Diva have seen before - where they saw many golden buddhas.

Train spotting in Myanmar

A short visit to Yangon using the Silversea shuttle bus. En route there was a massive election rally, which slowed the traffic down even further. TSH and Diva spotted some ropes suspended from high rise buildings and hanging head high at street level. Some had newspapers clipped to them and the speculation is that this is a creative delivery method for the higher flats.

On the way back to the Silver Shadow, a herd of goats were spread across the road but scattered when the bus sped towards them.

The shuttle bus drop-off point was at the British built railway station, which is well past its glory days. So TSH was able to take photos and spot signs that the original trains ran on steam. Choo choo!

Yangon

The sail into Yangon took the Silver Shadow into a wide muddy river. There were lots of very small fishing boats, of which a few had outboard motors but most were powered by rowing. The flat fields either side were planted with rice. This apparently subsistence-level landscape was punctuated with the occasional gold temple or spire.

The excursion bus, which had around 25 paying passengers, was accompanied by 7 people. There was the Silversea representative, the driver and the guide, as usual. The guide had two male and one female helpers. And then there was the police sergeant. On his motor bike with flashing light riding in front of the bus throughout the tour. This was useful at some intersections, when the bus was waved through the chaotic traffic by the police on duty. But the best bit was when the tour group needed to cross the busy road in order to reach the colonial Strand Hotel. No pedestrian crossing, no breaks in the flow of cars, vans and bikes. He donned his hard hat, blew his whistle and stopped the traffic for as long as it took.

Myanmar is a country in transition. The overall impression was that it is more advanced than most parts of India (more likely to have electricity and a paved road) but not as advanced as, say, Vietnam. The roads, whilst paved with concrete, are not smooth. Many of the people wear Western style dress but there are a significant number of old and young people in more traditional clothes, such as a long skirt for men. The latter could be seen even on a building site but it can be hitched up when required. There are a significant number of Buddhist monks around, in various shades of robes from red to yellow and brown. Many of the women and children have a kind of face powder daubed on their cheeks. This paste is made from water and acacia twigs and serves to moisturise the skin and protect it from the sun. They are very curious about a party which mostly consists of Westerners but return smiles and waves.

There are due to be elections in a few days’ time (Google that one, its complicated) and there are posters everywhere. But no obvious military presence.

The best site was the world-renowned Shwedagon Pagoda. Over 2,500 years old, the pagoda's spire soars 326 feet (99 metres) into the air. Glistening gold plates adorn the structure, whose dome is topped with over 6,500 diamonds, rubies and other precious stones.

Just when the party returned to the ship, there was a torrential downpour, although this time there was no thunder or lightening and it cleared after about an hour.

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.