18. Homeward Bound.

Our last day on board the ship was a sea day so we had to try and fit in as much as we could in terms of facilities and activities.

The day began well when our usual international trivia team won the morning session by two clear points. The prize was a much sought after Princess cruises carabiner clip. Unfortunately we got nowhere in the other quizzes that we took part in that day but nevertheless felt that the team went out as the Morning Champions. As a reward we tried out the ships pizza (first class), hot dog and chips and a cold beer for lunch. The afternoon activities included napkin folding, so providing we can remember the folds, our Christmas dinner table is bound to look a little extra special this year.

We also hit the casino for the one and only time and I'm glad to report that we very quickly made a 75% profit by turning our $20 stake into $35, so that paid for the evenings drinks.

Over the last couple of days of the cruise the ships Christmas decorations were put up so everything was looking very festive. We ended up chatting with the two Kiwi girls whose job it is to erect all the decorations. They have sole responsibility for decorating all the ships in the Asia Pacific region, flying from port to port and ship to ship, all expenses paid just to put up Christmas trees and fairy lights. Please tell me where to apply.

Disembarkation was quick and efficient. Our package included a transfer to Singapore's Changi airport, the road from port to airport being along Marina Drive which includes a tunnel section two miles long and six lanes in each direction. It's mightily impressive. We checked our bags into left luggage and caught the MRT back into the city for our last few hours. As luck would have it, the daily rainstorm arrived as we got to our station so we didn't venture out of the mall so we joined the locals in the national pastime of shopping and eating. Our lunch consisted of coconut rice, ginger and lemon chicken, and mixed vegetables with noodles, all washed down with sour plum and lime fruit juice. Totally delicious. I was also brave enough to try some durian fruit which smells like rotting cabbage in a sewer (in fact it's smell is so pungent that it is illegal to carry on public transport), but has a rather odd, sweet taste which is palatable and with a puréed texture. 

And so our grand Asian adventure is almost at an end. We have had a great time having an introduction to this corner of the world. Without exception, everyone we have spoken to has been hugely impressed with Singapore, as have we. It's a great city, easy to get around, spotlessly clean and safe. It probably does have its problems, but they must be hard to see and if only every city could take Singapore as a role model, the world would be a far better place.

Our favourite ports of call were the two stops in Vietnam. It has had 40 years of development but it still feels like you are entering a totally different world. The jury is out on Brunei, but it was probably the hottest day of the trip and therefore I doubt we saw it in its best light.

In Thailand, Phuket could be compared to any island in the Balearics whilst Bangkok was much larger than I had imagined and would need a good week to do it justice. Koh Samui was less spoiled than Phuket but is obviously a tourist magnet.

Like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur is another big city undergoing tremendous development. Penang has a certain charm but our time ashore that day gave us limited exposure to the area.

Although it was built back in 2004, Sapphire Princess is wearing well and as always, the crew and staff were magnificent. On the downside, we felt that the shows were generally mediocre and the menu rotation in the restaurants seems to have been to reduced to seven days rather than fourteen.

We met some lovely people along the way, especially the Aussies who are always especially friendly. The weather was almost uniformly hot at around 30C with a daily threat of thunderstorms. Seas were, for the most part, flat calm. We managed to fit in a swim most days.

Thus this travel blog now closes as I sit in the departure lounge in Dubai airport with my head telling me it is 5.45am and my watch telling me it is 1.45am, so please excuse all the grammatical errors! I shall hope to catch some fitful sleep during the homeward leg to Gatwick and bid everyone goodbye until next time!

17. Koh Samui, Thailand.

Koh Samui was our last stop before returning to Singapore. The ship anchored some distance from Nathon, the main town and it took some 30 minutes aboard the tender to get ashore.

We did not have any plans other than to have a look around. Nathon is just a small town and after running the gauntlet of taxi offers we reached the main street . There were a couple of points of interest, the first being yet another ornate and colourful temple, so we left shoes at the door, entered and were immediately overwhelmed by the smell of burning incense. 

A little further down the road was the local market, interesting enough in itself but health and safety would have a field day. Weaving between the stalls it was difficult not to put a foot through the rotting floorboards, whilst the birds nest of telephone and electricity wires cackled and spat overhead.

Stepping back off the beaten path to the rear of the market were the local village homes. Although most were extremely basic, constructed of wood, corrugated sheets and tarpaulins, and consisting of just a single room, they all appeared to have a satellite dish on the roof. Talk about extremes of technology! In general, the island is extremely lush with many areas of very dense jungle.

We had a walk along the town beach and paddled, but the best beaches are located on the opposite side of the island and we did not have time to explore further as the ship was due to sail away in the mid afternoon.

Our last few Baht spent, we got the tender back to the ship as the very black thunder clouds loomed ominously over the hills surrounding the town.

16. Bangkok, Thailand.

The ship docked in Laem Chabang which is the main seaport for Bangkok, about 2.5 hours drive from the capital. Thus it was another early start.

The journey in to the suburbs was on a six lane highway and not too difficult. The views along the way were of a rather built up countryside, consisting of light and heavy industry, warehousing, housing and the inevitable shops and stalls along the verge. The closer we got to the city, the more dense this became.

Bangkok is a big city, and when I say big city, I mean a very big city and with a traffic problem to match. The endless skyline is one of tower blocks and skyscrapers which hide most of the narrow streets, apartments, and slums. It is certainly a city of contrasts. Approaching the city and throughout downtown , the motorways become "double or even triple deckers", but this does little to alleviate the congestion. For the pedestrian, there is an overground rail system known as the Skytrain which appears to run efficiently over a wide network. The city centre is therefore a concrete jungle in every sense.

Our main purpose of the city visit was to go to Wat Po, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Now, I am not always a great one for culture but the main temple and its surrounding ones were something to behold. The Buddha is easily 30 metres long and painted with gold leaf. There are also hundreds of smaller icons, also all gold leaf and the towers pointing skyward are incredibly intricate and ornate.

After our visit we then ventured into the city centre proper. Many of the routes were lined with yellow flags, flowers and pictures of the King as it was his birthday just a few days ago. (In Thailand each day of the week has a particular colour). Unfortunately time was short as it was a long drive back to the ship so we only had time to have a brief look around some of the local streets where the vendors and small business owners were hard at work. This being Thailand, we did however want to have time for a bit of lunch and enjoyed a local Thai green curry with rice and pad Thai noodles with chicken. Very tasty indeed! 

To make things a little more comfortable on the return drive, the seats on the coach came with built in back massagers....I expect the nearest thing I will ever come to a Thai massage!

15. Phu My, Vietnam.

Sunday has been another long but exciting day in Vietnam.

In contrast to yesterday, the ship arrived into the port of Phu My in hot sunshine and clear blue skies. It was an early start for us as we were booked on a three hour drive across the country to explore a small  part of the Mekong delta. Phu My is the main seaport for Saigon. (Yes, I know it says Ho Chi Minh city in the atlas but everyone refers to Vietnam's largest city as Saigon.)

The main route from the port to the city is a good one and because Saigon is the regional commercial centre, there is a lot more traffic on the roads, both four wheeled and two wheeled. This increases the fear factor for us passengers tenfold but fortunately in some stretches there is a mopeds only lane and on the expressways, bikes are not permitted at all. Therefore our small group of six, plus guide in our minivan, could make relatively quick progress where the infrastructure allowed. 

As we neared Saigon, the number of bikes grew exponentially. Traffic lights, in many cases, seemed to be for decoration only and anyone attempting to cross the road at a zebra crossing must have some kind of death wish. There also seemed to be a competition as to who could carry the most dangerous and unwieldy load....amongst those spotted were;

A ten foot stepladder....being carried sideways,

Six medium sized gas canisters,

Eight large water containers (it would have been ten, but the driver appeared to have lost a couple a little way down the road),

A load of hay so large that he was having trouble keeping balance, never mind negotiating the traffic,

A family of five...two adults, two children and mum holding a baby,

Three on the bike carrying a 42 inch television screen ( but not in its box).

The financial district of Saigon has a skyline to match any reasonably sized city with a skyscraper or two reaching well over 50 stories. However, the older quarters are a maze of choked streets with, for example, an ornate pagoda sandwiched between a coffee shop and a bike repair shop, people milling everywhere and the usual swarm of mopeds. There is also a fair amount of construction work going on in the suburbs although much of it appears to be the featureless apartment blocks so beloved by communist governments.

Eventually we reached our destination on the Mekong river and we were ferried up and down a stretch of the muddy water, dodging all the other river traffic, both large and small. We passed the fishing fleet, barges carrying everything from sand to coconuts and viewed the ramshackle houses on stilts that lined the riverbank. Across from the boat station we disembarked onto a small island where we first had some of the local tea (made with honey and cinnamon), fresh tropical fruits and a little later, some lunch. Lunch was typically Vietnamese - fish (known as elephants ear fish as that is was said to resemble although after a couple of cans of the local brew it could have looked like anything), rice, prawns, noodle and vegetable soup and a delicious deep fried rice cake of pure stodge.

Before returning to our boat we were taken in groups of three on a small rowing boat along the Mekong backwaters and amongst the dense, watery, jungle foliage. Intrepid explorers indeed!

All too soon we were back at the boat station and had a few minutes to hunt for souvenirs. I found a nice t-shirt and had no option but to put my hand in my pocket and get out my Dong. (The Dong is the Vietnamese unit of currency you smutty people).

The long drive back to the ship was no less interesting and no less hair raising. We passed a local wedding party with the bride all dressed in red (as red is considered to be a lucky colour in the country) and the views of the locals toiling in the rice paddies were iconic. Interestingly, many paddy fields contain gravestones which look very out of place. However it seems that local custom says that if you are a landowner then you can be buried anywhere you like within your property.

We returned to the ship around 5.30pm and the sun was already setting, so after a shower and a change and watching the sailaway from the top deck we were armed with many stories to swap with our fellow travellers over dinner.

14. Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Of all the places that we were to visit on this trip I was looking forward to Vietnam the most and it definitely exceeded expectations. Upon our early morning arrival into Nha Trang bay we were greeted by the inevitable thunderstorm and the rain was on and off for most of the day, but it failed to dampen our enjoyment of this fascinating country. It is also a photographers dream.

For those of us of a certain age, we can remember the times in the late 60's and early 70's when every news headline seemed to mention the terrible conflicts affecting the region. So upon stepping ashore it is immediately obvious that this is a poor country. (We later learned that earning around US$200 per month is good going.) Most people are unable to afford a car and mopeds outnumber other vehicles by a hundred to one. Indeed, only thirty years ago, bicycles were the main means of transport.

We booked ourselves onto an excursion which was to take us off the beaten track and into the countryside in order to experience just a little of village life. Nha Trang is a relatively large city and is building up its tourism industry but once we left the main road, it was like stepping back in time. It was difficult to establish where one village ended and another one began as the roadside was one continuous line of huts and shacks, one man businesses and workshops as the locals eked out a living. People, bicycles and especially mopeds and scooters were everywhere, with many scooters loaded precariously with produce or building materials. On more than one occasion we saw expressions of panic on the drivers faces as they weaved in and out somehow managing to avoid our bus, other road users and livestock.

We stopped many times in order experience village life close up. The first of these stops was at a local temple and orphanage where we watched the youngsters attending their lessons. We gave a handful of after dinner sweets, secretly garnered from the ships restaurants, to the children and saw their faces light up. We then moved on to the local market which was packed and contained all kinds of colours and smells and noise as the villagers bartered for the best deals. The stalls held all kinds of fruit and vegetables, some recognisable and many not, nuts, eggs of various kinds, meats and clothes. The stall holders were happy for us to take photographs of them and their children beamed back.

We ventured onward into a slightly more rural area and stopped to watch the farm workers in the rice paddy fields. Like us, they were not put off by the incessant rain as they toiled ankle deep in water. Alongside, the water buffalo chewed their cud and watched us watching them.

We stopped at a typical village house with its bare wooden walls and roof, sparse furniture and open stove cooking facilities. All houses contain their own miniature temple in ornate reds and golds and the Buddhist icons are easily the most valuable objects in the house.

Our final stop was for some refreshing coconut and tropical fruit at a small hotel alongside the river. The coconut milk and flesh was the sweetest I have ever tasted and among the new fruits we tried was jackfruit....absolutely delicious!

All too soon it was time to return to the ship but not before we had a chance to look through one or two of the simple souvenir stalls on the quayside and had a go at haggling for a traditional Vietnamese coolie hat, a bargain at just one dollar!

13. Bits and pieces.

Today, Friday, is a sea day. We have just finished the morning trivia (and our team lost the tie break again). I am sitting right at the top of the ship the Skywalkers lounge looking out over a mostly cloudy sky and no doubt the daily thunderstorms are brewing somewhere over the horizon. The seas so far have been very smooth with just a low swell but today there is just a touch more wind as there are more ripples on the surface. A large freighter is passing on our starboard side but unlike the Malacca Straits there has been very little shipping in view here in the South China Sea.

It seems that there is no majority age group on this trip....thee are just as many 20's and 30's as 60's and 70's. However most of the passangers are Chinese (probably 70%), with Australians about 20%, a few Americans, a few Brits and a smattering of just about every other nationality you can think of. Indeed, last night we had dinner with a couple from Khazakstan. Unfortunately they could speak very little English but we established that he was the coach to the Khazakstan 2012 London Olympics modern pentathlon team. Now, if that isn't a claim to fame, I don't know what is.

As always, the staff and crew are unfailingly helpful, efficient and polite. Many of them are Chinese also, which, given the itinerary and clientele makes good sense. We have done all the jokes about the waitress being called Wei Too Yung and wondering if Ping Pong is a good entertainer. (No offence intended!). 

The entertainment has been good, without being exceptional. Last nights show was a magician who was okay but didn't do any tricks that we hadn't seen before. There is a classical duo (violin and Spanish guitar), who are very good and the house band is British. They play the usual standards well although the girl playing lead guitar would look more at home in a library than fronting a rock band. The cruise director's staff are great....but then, that's their job.

As always, it tends to be a bit of a bun fight in the Horizon Court buffet at breakfast and lunchtimes. The worst offenders are the Chinese grandmothers who are four foot nothing and with elbows as sharp as knives. However, in chatting with a couple from Hong Kong, they explained that because places like HK are so crowded, the only way you can walk the streets is by elbowing people out of the way, so it's a perfectly acceptable practice!

12. Brunei.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a sea day and so we had ample time just to sit and relax...if you can ever call a sea day relaxing. We took part in two rounds of trivia and took the runners up spot both times, we attended a talk about cyber crime which was mind numbingly boring, we had a swim, had ice cream, watched the champagne fountain being poured, listened to the captain's introduction speech and ended the evening up in the nightclub for a little bop. Needless to say we didn't get to bed until after midnight.

Today, Thursday, we have been in Brunei. It's a bit of a strange place.

The drive from the port into Bander Seri Begawan, the capital, did not take too long and the scene from the roadside is pretty much of impenetrable jungle. The city itself is not particularly large or busy and its main streets are wide with little traffic. However, for what is a reasonably wealthy country, and  with a mega wealthy Sultan, there is certainly a gap between the haves and the have nots.

We passed some very smart looking gated properties, we passed some very large and bleak looking housing estates (which looked empty), and we saw some pretty squalid shanty town areas.

Most days this trip, the temperature has been around 30c, but today it seemed a lot more and the heat and humidity were oppressive. Even the Aussies on board said they found it hot. Because of this, we did not explore too much in the city but we did take in the golden domed Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, saw the Royal Regaila museum, crossed the Brunei river to wander through a village built on stilts and managed a bit of souvenir shopping.

It is clear, to me anyway, that Brunei is not really geared up for tourism. But perhaps that is no bad thing. The coach journey organisation into the city and back was rather chaotic. There are very few taxis or shops catering for tourists, the main mosques and museums have limited opening times (especially for non-Moslems), and restaurants are closed between noon and 2pm for lunchtime prayers.

We got back to the ship before melting completely and went straight for a dip in the pool. Having then cooled down it was off to the Trident grill for a hot dog and chips and a cold beer. That's what holidays are all about! By then it was sunset and as darkness fell the lighting flashes were becoming ever more ominous on the horizon.

11. Singapore again.

Monday was a sea day and the first day where we have had time to relax and do nothing since leaving home. The day started well when we attempted the morning trivia and without teaming up with anyone we tied for first place. Unfortunately we lost the tie break though....you can't win 'em all.

The afternoon highlight was attending an origami class, conducted by a very flamboyant member of the cruise staff whom we have named Gok Wan due to his height, dark rimmed glasses and gangly manner. (His name is actually, Matt). We all made paper swans of varying standards although your correspondent's looked more like an ugly duckling.

Many of our fellow passangers have commented upon how much shipping there is in the Malacca Straits. Indeed, at one point whilst looking out over the port side we counted 35 vessels in view. The other comment made is just how much rubbish there is floating on the surface of the sea. We have seen flotsam and jetsam in other areas of the ocean, but these Straits are far and away the worst for plastics, polystyrene and whatever else that we have witnessed.

So today, Tuesday, we have been back in Singapore as more than half of the passengers have opted to only complete the five day segment of the cruise rather than the full fifteen days. This has given us an opportunity to have a further day exploring another part of this vibrant, cosmopolitan city.

We disembarked, jumped on to the MRT, and headed up to the Ion mall on Orchard Road. There was a certain irony in stepping from the 30 degree heat outside into the mall where the background music was "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" and "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow". Just browsing the stores and seeing the huge mixture of products from all over the world condensed into one small area is quite amazing. My particular favourite was a SGD2 "pound world" selling everything under the sun from Japan. As an aside it's interesting to see notices on the MRT warning that the carrying of durian fruit carries just as a severe penalty as smoking.

Lunch was taken in the food court and consisted of a huge bowl of rice noodles and chicken. The accompanying fruit drink was nothing I have ever heard of before and it tasted like liquid turkish delight.  Rather delicious! Having recharged our batteries we then decided to head to the Chinatown district. This was another part of the city which easily stimulated the senses (although having just eaten we had to pass by all the food stalls) and before long we found ourselves looking around an incredibly ornate and beautiful Buddhist temple.

However there was one further place of worship, the Thian Hock Keng temple, which the guide books told us we should make an effort to see. Just as we found the back entrance to this cultural icon, the heavens opened. It was the start of an absolute deluge and made the storm we had experienced in the city the previous week seem like a light shower. Within minutes the streets were flooded and although we were well sheltered under a covered walkway by some shops, we were pretty much trapped. And we needed to get back to the ship as our time before sail away was rapidly diminishing. 

Abandoning our plans for visiting the temple and after some minutes of strategic planning, (but with umbrellas at the ready) we managed to get back to the MRT station without getting too wet and without having to wade through too many flooded streets. Once we exited the station for the ship, it was still raining but thankfully there was a covered walkway along the edge of the park to the terminal. As we walked we heard a very strange mooing sound, rather like a herd of cows. Somewhat puzzled we eventually discovered that it was the noise being made by hundreds of frogs which had come to life in the very soggy conditions. Quite bizarre! 

So we did make it back to the ship in time and we are now heading out to sea in an easterly direction towards Brunei.

10. Phuket, Thailand.

On Sunday our port of call was Phuket in Thailand and a very long day it turned out to be!

We were up early in order to get the tender ashore into Patong Beach and join the coach for a trip to Phang Nga Bay. This involved driving most of the length of Phuket island and across the bridge to the mainland. The drive itself was interesting as we passed all manner of roadside shops, stalls, houses old and new, rubber plantations and thick jungle, and spotting Thai names such as Bumthongbang road never failed to raise a smile. But eventually we reached our stopping point and transferred from coach to motorboat for our excursion around the bay.

The bay itself contains a number of fascinating limestone islands, many hundreds of feet high with sheer cliffs. Indeed the most famous island is now known as James Bond island as it featured in the movie The Man With The Golden Gun. Although it was possible to go ashore on this island, we just viewed from the motorboat, no doubt not to disturb the arch villain in his headquarters hidden below the surface.

On the return leg we stopped at a local Moslem village which is built on stilts over the sea. It was a maze of small dark passages and alleyways with the residents, both old and young, eager to sell the tourists their wares. 

Once back on dry land it was time for a very tasty Thai lunch of noodles, battered crab balls, tempura prawns and vegetables, rice, chicken and cashews. Absolutely fabulous. The restaurant was situated on the waterfront overlooking the bay and a more tranquil and picturesque spot would be hard to find.

Following the inevitable stop for souvenirs we eventually got back to Patong Beach and had time for a quick look around. The narrow and incredibly busy streets were crowded with tourists and locals and every bar and restaurant owner, every street vendor, every massage girl and every tailor was doing their best to drum up business. It was quite an experience, and although a hassle, was never threatening. 

On the other side of the road, the beach was also still busy with swimmers, watersport enthusiasts and those just sitting and watching the world go by and it looked wonderfully tropical. 

By the time we were ready to return to the ship it was already dark and a refreshing shower was most welcome before heading to the bar for our pre-dinner drink.

Although we only saw a small part of Thailand (we will return later on the trip), we did enjoy the experience. Yes, it is busy and frenetic at times, but there is a wonderful mixture of new and traditional. 

Penang, Malaysia.

Rumour has it that because the tides are wrong and there is not enough depth under th keel in the approach channel, we have had to delay our arrival into Penang until late morning. Consequently, this gave us the opportunity to compete in our first trivia challenge of the trip. We joined up with elderly couples from Australia and the USA and our combined efforts won the day. To be fair though, there wasn't very much competition.

Once alongside we decided to have an early lunch before proceeding ashore...we had no excursions booked so just decided to have a look around Penang's main town, Georgetown (which incidentally is a UNESCO world heritage site).

There is a huge cultural mix here in Penang, of Malay, Thai, Indian and Chinese. The streets are full of small businesses, little shops, street food, temples, cars, mopeds, bicycles and people. The stall holders and shop owners are welcoming, a genuine welcome and not one just because we are tourists and they can spot a potential sale. So we had a good meander round, took many pictures of the street scenes and purchased a couple of souvenirs. Being a tourist resort the entire waterfront and coastline is gradually being taken up with high rise hotel blocks and already the place is far more built up and developed than I had imagined.

Inevitably we had to take shelter once or twice from the afternoon downpours, but they have not been quite as heavy today. Before reboarding the ship we also stopped for some coconut icecream which was wonderfully refreshing.

After our exertions in the heat, a dip in the pool was called for. We opted for one of the two smaller pools at the back of the ship, the water was pleasantly warm, and we spent a half hour or so swimming in the rain.

8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

As a footnote to yesterday, I am pleased to report that a full Thanksgving dinner was served in the restaurants last night. The roast turkey and pumpkin pie were both delicious!

Today, we have been in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia and it was an early start as the capital is some 90 minutes drive from the port. There is not much of interest along the route in although it is clear how much Malaysia is developing as a country as there are many huge apartment blocks and housing estates being built whilst the poorer neighbourhoods are being flattened. I suppose that it is the price of progress but I thought that the apartment blocks looked reminiscent of those of sixties Eastern Europe, albeit with a little more style.

The main attraction for us in Kuala Lumpur was the twin towers of the Petronas building. We had to pre-book tickets as visitor numbers are strictly controlled and have to align with the timing of daily prayers. Once through security, we were taken to the skybridge which links the two towers some 500 feet above street level. Following this photo opportunity we were then escorted up to the observation deck on the 86th floor. There were only about 40 people in the group so there was ample space and time to take in the views and height above street level, from every direction.

Following our descent we had time to have look around the shopping mall which is contained within the first few stories of Tower 2. Like the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the mall has all the high end and designer label outlets, but also contains other well known high street names such as Marks & Spencer and Body Shop. A home from home!

The afternoon then included stops at Independence Square (which was a cricket pitch during British rule), and the National Monument, a war memorial.

Overall, Kuala Lumpur is a busy and traffic choked city which is undergoing considerable change. But it was clean and much thought has been put into the redeveloped areas so that the many smartly dressed office workers have modern facilities and plenty of choice when it comes to food outlets and places to relax outside.

Thankfully the regular daily thunderstorm held off until we were on the coach on the way back to the ship. Ever watchful we spotted a small troop of monkeys by the roadside and also an extremely large lizard emerging from the swamps. Then safely back on board it was time for a coffee and an icecream.

Tonight has been the first formal night of the cruise and we were joined at dinner by a very friendly and chatty couple from Yorkshire. But then again, everyone from Yorkshire is friendly and chatty.

After dinner we decided to brave the show in the main theatre.....which proved to be, shall we say, interesting. On stage was a girl from China, of Mongolian parentage and who was brought up in Australia. She sang a number of standards but interspersed with jokes and anecdotes in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Although she had a very good vocal range, we think she had been on some sort of Chinese herbal remedy as she was rather hyper.

7. Embarkation day.

First of all, a very happy Thanksgiving Day to any American traders of this little travel journal.

We only had an hour or two first thing this morning before our transport was due to arrive to take us to the ship. As it also seemed very hot, we just took a walk along the riverside in order to view the Raffles landing site and some of the older colonial buildings such as the National Gallery and City Hall.

As expected, the entire check in process was smooth and efficient and from leaving the hotel to arriving into our stateroom took just under an hour.

The emergency drill took place mid-afternoon and shortly thereafter we were letting go the ropes and setting off whilst the inevitable thunderstorm raged all around. As I write we are now heading northward up the Straits of Malacca and winding our way past several hundred other ships of various shapes and sizes towards tomorrow's port of call, Port Kelang, Malaysia. 

6. Singapore.......brilliant!!

Singapore is an incredible, amazing place and if any place on earth were to be named as the epitome of a 21st century city, then Singapore must be in with a shout. It is spotlessly clean and totally safe. Having spent the last 12 hours fitting in as much as we could, we have barely scratched the surface. I will try and summarise what I can!

We both slept extremely well and following breakfast set out executing the first part of the plan for the day. A short walk from the hotel is Clark Quay from where we picked up a bumboat (no sniggering at the back please), for a cruise along the Singapore River and around Marina Bay. This proved to be highly enjoyable and also gave us a chance to get our bearings and judge distances between various amenities and sights.  Along the way we passed the mythical Merlion statue, the symbol of Singapore.

Next up was th hop on hop off bus tour. Again, this was interesting and informative as the route took us out into (what passes as) countryside, where we could see some fabulous modern properties and old colonial style homes...probably owned by wealthy Chinese shipping tycoons. Further in towards the city itself, there is a huge amount of building work going on, including new high rise apartment blocks, offices and an extension to the underground rail network (the MRT). It is such a busy, bustling, fast paced city. One of the major roads, Orchard Road, has 22 shopping malls alone.

We hopped off the bus down near the river mouth next to the Singapore Flyer, a huge observation wheel larger than the London Eye and then crossed part of the Formula 1race circuit and the pedestrian bridge to get access into the Marina Bay Sands complex. Part of this facility is yet another shopping mall consisting mainly of every high end designer name you can think of. However, we just opted to find a drink and a sandwich and took a few minutes to sit and recharge our batteries. 

Once rested we found our way into the hotel part of the development and bought our tickets to get up to the observation deck of the 56 story building. The hotel is probably the most iconic modern building in the city. If, dear reader, you see pictures of the cityscape, the Marina Bay Sands hotel is the one consisting of three towers with a boat shaped design at the top upon which sits a huge infinity swimming pool and leisure facilities. It's the one that looks like a huge ironing board. Unfortunately, the pool can only be used by hotel residents, but the viewing platform affords a 360 degree panorama of the city. And what a panorama it is!

Pictures taken, we descended the express lift and made the short walk across to the Gardens in the Bay, another new development which helps provide a green lung for the city. The plan was to ascend one of the giant, tall, artificial trees and take the walkway 100 feet above the ground across part of the Gardens before descending a second giant, tall, artificial tree. But not everything goes to plan. Just as we were making our way to the entrance, we felt a few drops of rain. This was the signal that everyone had less than a minute to seek shelter before the heavens opened. We took cover under a huge fern, which, together with our umbrella proved to be just about successful in keeping us dry. We stood where we were for an hour. The storm raged, the pathways flooded in minutes, the lightning flashed all around, and the thunder was the loudest we had ever heard but we dared not move otherwise we would have been beyond drenched.

Eventually, the rain began to ease so we abandoned all thoughts if the walkway and made a hasty exit to the closest MRT station, the idea being to at least start getting our way back towards the city centre. This gave us the perfect excuse to exit the train next to Raffles Hotel.

If the Merlion is the symbol of moden Singapore, the Raffles is undoubtedly the symbol of old Singapore and nobody can visit this famous and fabulous old hotel without heading to the Long Bar. So not to break with tradition, we joined the crowd of colonial ex-pats and sipped on our refreshing Singapore Slings whilst throwing our peanut shells over the floor. Simply marvellous! 

By now it was after 7pm and time to find something to eat. We crossed the road into yet another mall and headed to the food court, found a restaurant specialising in simple and straightforward Asian cuisine and tucked in. Here in Singapore, everyone eats out and as shopping is the national pastime, the mall was absolutely packed. A great place for people watching as we dined.

Before heading back to the hotel we had a quick look around one of the local supermarkets. This is always a fun thing to do and we were heartened to see tins of Waitrose broad beans amongst the rows of Chinese and Japanese imports and unrecognisable fruit and vegetables. 

Thus our extremely busy day ended and we returned to the hotel ready to get ourselves organised prior to boarding the ship the next morning.

5. Welcome to hot and humid Singapore.

The connection in Dubai went very smoothly although I would hate to see what the airport is like on a busy day because at 2.30am it was absolutely heaving.

The flight was not particularly busy and after seven hours of very fitful sleep we arrived in Singapore. Customs and immigration cleared, bags collected, our designated driver found and shortly thereafter we were checking in at our hotel in the Colonial district of the city.

Having showered and feeling clean once again, the nex step was to venture out for a quick look around the local area. As fate would have it we ended up being persuaded into a rather smart Chinese restaurant. The menu wasn't that extensive and there was no real English translation although we did establish that the house speciality was something called "hairy crab". That didn't sound too appetising, so we ordered the set meal for two and hoped for the best. Peanuts and seaweed arrived as "nibbles", followed by barbecue style pork bits and some sort of fish soup. I'm not sure what sort of fish it was, but despite its rather fearsome teeth, it actually tasted quite good. The main course followed...this was mainly noodles but containing bits and pieces of everything from cockles (including shells), to bacon strips and pak choi. Once again, it tasted better than it sounds. Dessert consisted of pomeron (a kind of giant grapefruit) and some fungus berries. Lush! 

Hopefully we did the meal justice, if not in terms of great enthusiasm but in terms of expert chop stick handling.

And so, bed is calling. Even though our bodies are still on UK time, ie. 8 hours ahead of the UK, I sense that we should sleep well after all our travelling.

4. Because I can.

...or at least because I think I can.

Emirates have very kindly given me 10MB of free data that I can use from aboard the flight. Hence, if this note is not too large I am blogging live from 41,000 feet somewhere over Central Europe. If it doesn't work it will be posted the next time I get a free wifi link!

The morning has been totally stress free as there was no queue at check in, the flight was called early, there was no waiting at the gate and we went straight to our seats, and pushback was exactly on schedule. We are aboard an Emirates A 380 (A6-EEZ for any spotters put there), seated very close to the front on the lower deck and it is exceptionally quiet. There are 1,500 entertainment channels (1,501 if you count looking out of the window) and there are cameras to view in the nose, underside and in the tip of the tail. There is noticeably more space and legroom than in the average economy cabin.

The welcome aboard message from the flight deck (given in a very reassuring Home Counties accent) announced that the flight time to our connection in Dubai is down to a little over 6 hours (instead of 7) as we have a strong tail wind.

The luncheon service has just been completed (prawn cocktail, a tasty beef stew, orange/vanilla sponge, seeded roll, cheese and crackers), and was served with proper metal cutlery. Overall, I am very impressed thus far....the only slightly disconcerting thing is that at a little over two hours after our 1.30pm departure, darkness is rapidly descending!

We will have a wait for a couple of hours in Dubai before our connection to Singapore. Hopefully our bags will make the connection too!

3. Brighton (but without the rock).

Today, Sunday, we took the train down to Brighton on the south coast. Once again an ancestral link was to the fore as the paternal side of my family hails from the city although I have only visited once before back in the early seventies.

There was only a limited amount of time in which to have a look around two or three of the main attractions. The first of these was Brighton Pavillion which, it has to be said, looks rather out of place in an English seaside town. It being only a few weeks until Christmas, the entire front area of the Pavillion grounds had been taken over by an ice rink. This meant that photo opportunities were few and far between but we watched the busy rink for a while and winced in sympathy with the many fallers.

Next stop was Brighton Pier (or Palace Pier as it was known when I was last here). We joined the throngs of people walking the wooden boards and resisted the pull of the penny arcades, fortune tellers and candy floss stalls. However, the afternoon was bright and sunny and the waterfront and pebble beach looked very pleasant in the cold November air.

Lastly we spent some time exploring the numerous tiny shops and winding narrow streets of The Lanes, Brighton's famed old commercial district. Perhaps it was the dry weather or maybe because of the dwindling number of shopping days until Christmas but everywhere was packed. 

Not wishing to wear ourselves out too much before tomorrow's long flight to Singapore we re-energised with a coffee and a home made cupcake in one of the little cafes before catching the train back to our hotel. 

2. The journey begins, and about time!

A smooth landing, despite strong crosswinds, brought us into Gatwick on schedule. 

Having checked in to our hotel, our plan for the day was to head up to London and then across the city to Greenwich. The first thing to see after exiting the station is the majestic tea clipper, Cutty Sark, which is on display in a raised dry dock alongside the Thames. It is possible to step aboard and explore the vessel but unfortunately we did not really have time as the main purpose of our visit was to get to the Royal Observatory. 

The Observatory itself is set atop a small but steep hill in an area of extensive parkland. At the top of the hill greeting visitors is a statue of General James Wolfe, he who laid siege to Quebec. This was a particularly poignant moment as legend has it that Wolfe is indeed a distant family relative! The views " our ancestor" has across the park towards Canary Wharf and the City of London are quite spectacular.

Next, in the Observatory courtyard is one of the most famous objects Greenwich is known for, namely the Greenwich Meridian line. All visitors have to take photographs with one foot in the Western Hemisphere and one in the Eastern, and I have to confess that we were no exception. I switched on the GPS app in my phone to check the latitude and longitude co-ordinates only to discover that the Meridian is several seconds of a degree out. I understand that given the era in which the Meridian was officially defined, the accuracy was as good as it gets (as satellite navigation was still 250 years in the future) and rather unromantically the true meridian actually runs through the Observatory's bin storage area.

Inside the Observatory building itself is a museum dedicated to all manner of things astronomical. Included in the collection are many important artefacts such as William Herschel's telescope but, for me, the highlight is the four timepieces built by John Harrison as he attempted to solve the mariners age old navigational problem of an accurate longitudinal fix. Each timepiece becomes more intricate and more accurate and more ornate and more miniaturised and the final version is indeed a masterful piece of 18th century engineering. Arguably it is the most important timepiece ever made. (For further reading I highly recommend Dava Sobel's book, Longitude).

There is much to explore in Greenwich and a couple of hours is not nearly long enough. Another time we will spend a day looking at all the area has to offer.

By now darkness was falling so we headed back to Covent Garden for a brief look around, both of the shops and of this years Christmas lights. We then finished up with a nice meal (Italian, pizza and pasta) before returning back to the hotel after a tiring, but educational, day!

1. Looking forward.

Over the last few years we have travelled north (Svalbard), south (Cape Horn), and west (San Francisco) so now we thought it about time to cast our eyes to the east and see what adventures that part of the world can provide.

Thus, toward the end of November we will fly to South East Asia and embark the Sapphire Princess for a cruise taking in the countryside and capitals of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam.

Before embarking the ship we shall have some time in London and also the best part of two days in Singapore itself.

Thus we will have lots to explore and lots to look forward to! We know that it will be hot, it will be busy, it will be humid, it will be different and it will be exciting!

The Sapphire Princess bridge cam can be found using the link below:

http://www.princess.com/bridgecams/

...but remember that the local time will be 7 hours ahead of GMT (so the cam might look rather dark) and any blog postings are subject to the fickleness of wifi connections!