Seconds

At the reunion dinner for the land tour to Angkor Wat (bonding happens quickly on cruise excursions), TSH and one of the US men ordered the same pasta starter. They both ate quickly and remarked that they must have has less food than anyone else as they had finished first. Without anyone else being aware, they spoke  quietly to a waiter and asked for more. So the rest of the party had to wait until TSH and his new friend ate large plates of pasta before all the main courses arrived.

A tropical storm

The day started with the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightening. That part of things died down but the torrential rain continued during transfer to the tender, whose driver was not happy because the roof above him was leaking. Only slightly, but there was a tremendous amount of water around and it was not clear how he could see where he was heading to. TSH pointed out that the lightweight disposable ponchos had been left at home because Diva said ‘they were not suitable for Silversea’. Well, everyone else wore some version of them but fortunately the tour guide handed some out.  It was not clear what the people whose tour took them to the beach were going to do.

Ko Samui (still in Thailand) is a small holiday island, where the lives of the inhabitants still seem to be very basic, judging by the condition of most of the houses. But there are over fifty 7-11 convenience stores and a Tesco, so there is some modernity. The main source of external income is tourism, together with coconuts, which grow everywhere. TSH was photographed using a straw to sip the liquid from a coconut which still had the green outer shell covering the more familiar hairy brown.

The tour included temples which were much less grand than the ones seen over the last few days but still very brightly coloured and exotic by British standards. There was also a giant Buddha.

Diva was not impressed with the performing elephants, which seemed to her to be exhibiting obsessive behaviour, although they were very popular with other guests. A couple of people lay down so that the elephant could give a ‘massage’, including resting a foot on the person’s back. Slightly more authentic were the tethered pig-tailed macaque monkeys which were sent up trees to pick the coconuts.

The domestic chickens also look very exotic to British eyes and there were also water buffalo – used for fighting – in several places. The guide said that people also have fighting fish but that was more difficult to visualise.

Diva’s bling heaven

The main event in the Bangkok excursion was the visit to the royal temples and residence. The king is not living there at the moment because he is in his late eighties, frail and needs to be very close to his doctors. He is the longest reigning monarch in the world – slightly longer than the UK’s Queen Elizabeth.  There seems to be a real cult of monarchy in Thailand. The king and queen’s birthdays are both public holidays and there are massive pictures of them strung across the road in many places, Especially the queen. Her picture is from at least forty years ago, so she is ever youthful. Good idea.

The palace and temple complex is large and there are many buildings and structures. Diva likes shine and glitter and bright colours and she was in heaven. Every building is covered in gold or mother of pearl or mosaic made from stones and glass. It is a fantasy idea of what a royal residence should be. The group did not go into many buildings but an impressive one was the temple of the emerald Buddha. The Buddha itself is tiny but it sits on top of a massive edifice of gold carvings. This is as impressive as tourism gets, anywhere in the world. TSH and Diva wondered if the Beijing Forbidden City was like this when it was in use, as it has many similar structures.

The journey back to the ship was on the overhead expressway, giving excellent views of the city, including impressive new buildings (Eastern and Western style) and old buildings, many of which are crowded together and in need of renovation.  

Ayutthaya

Diva and TSH were up at 6am to witness the sail up the river to Bangkok, passing under magnificent bridges and observing many splendid temples in villages surrounded by dense vegetation.

Diva thought that the excursion to Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site, was the best excursion she has been on for ages. Angkor Watt was excellent but this was even better. The tour started at the royal summer palace, which is still used by the Thai royal family. Its splendour matches that of some of the Russian czar’s palaces but it is still in use and immaculately maintained. Travel around the large grounds and water features was by golf buggy, to be self-driven. Fortunately, Diva remembered that the couple from Solihull play golf and they were prepared to take TSH and Diva as passengers.

There was also a visit to a working temple, where local people were praying and taking selfies. This was a truly magnificent place, with a giant Buddha and much red and gold painted wood. A monk threw water over TSH and Diva, presumably in blessing and hopefully clean.

Two old temple compounds were also huge, with many stone towers and structures.

Along the roadside, it was possible to see many traditional stilt houses, in various states of modernisation and repair. Also, there were many modern temples – large and small – covered in gold and shiny decoration. More exotic than anything Diva has ever seen anywhere else.

Diva was very embarrassed when she struck up a conversation with a young man in a white t-shirt and assumed he was a member of the shore concierge staff. He looked too young to be a passenger (but he was) and she missed the fact that there was no Silversea logo on the white top. He took it well. A minor panic at the quayside when TSH couldn’t find his ship entry card. He returned to the bus and found it on the seat. On return to the suite, the butler had arranged scented bubble bath, with candles and rose petals. He really is very good.

2017 is booked. HK in the spring followed by Japan (cherry blossom), the Bering Sea and Alaska.

White storks, large fish. turtles

Ho Chi Minh city

Shuttle bus into the centre of the city, after which Diva was terrified by the traffic. The traffic consists of vans, cars, many motor bikes and many scooters. The riders of the latter two often wear full face masks and goggles because of the smog. They do not stop at red lights, they drive around people on zebra crossings and the bikes and scooters sometimes avoid the jams by riding fast along the pavements. The Vietnamese people are trying to solve the problem by building a metro, apparently with help and assistance from Japan. This is an example of the foreign assistance which seems prevalent in South East Asia.

The city has many smart hotels but also many poorer looking areas. The whole region seems to be thriving, with a lot of building work going on everywhere. Many of the materials are transported along the Saigon river, which there was plenty of time to observe during the four hour sail out.

Although the menus on board have been changed, perhaps for the first time in several years, the quality has probably improved.

TSH had a beer at 11:30. AM.

Two firsts

On arrival at Siem Reap airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh city, the guides presented the Silversea rep with a birthday cake and all sang ‘Happy Birthday’. Then exquisitely decorated small cakes for each member of the party were produced. Nobody wanted them immediately and they were packed in a large cake box. There was talk during the queuing that they could be taken back to the ship for the crew. But Diva pointed out that this was a package given to us by others and that for everybody’s safety it was not going on the plane. People looked puzzled, then the penny dropped. So after going through security (with the cake box), the group occupied an unused security table. This is the first time TSH and Diva have eaten beautiful cake from disposable plates with plastic forks in the security area of an airport. Probably not allowed at Manchester or Heathrow. Surplus cakes were handed to a passing group of Australians but forks had run out. They coped.

On arrival at HCM city, the immigration official was not satisfied with the visa situation. This is definitely the first time that TSH and Diva have been refused entry to a country and turned back from the immigration barrier. The Silversea rep was summoned, officials were called and everybody frowned. Eventually someone senior escorted them through. Presumably TSH and Diva did not look likely to cause trouble or try to stay indefinitely. The root of the problem was the visa rules. US citizens need to pay for visas and are issued with multi-entry ones. UK citizens receive a single entry visa free of charge. But TSH and Diva had used that one and had paid for an additional one. But the paperwork for that one was not quite right – or maybe the officials didn’t understand it. This was not a nice experience.

The plan for the afternoon was to take a short trip into HCM city but the stair rod rain caused a change of mind. Dinner at La Terrazza with new US friends.

Cambodia

The people were very pleasant and eager to please and it is easy to forget that until the late 1990s they had experienced many years of war and difficulty. The local guide, probably in his late 30s or early 40s remembered as a child seeing dead bodies left by the side of the road after the fighting. He also had malaria twice.

The evening dance performance (private for Silversea), which took place in the hotel garden, was excellent. It was different from most others in that each dance had a narrative, which was explained to the audience. One of them was quite dark – the monkey ran off with the princess.