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.