Singapore to Mombasa...plus
Malaysia to Malaysia
Sandakan, Malaysia
Bit of a whistle-stop here -- half day visit with most passengers (including us) off to an orangutan sanctuary. There were hundreds of us on tour plus a few other tourists. We were packed onto viewing platforms -- not particularly comfortable, but it was interesting to observe the orangutans and some monkeys (the species doesn't come immediately to mind)
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Another short day, we both got chosen as escorts for the "City and Tribal Village" tour. The city part was unremarkable. For the village tour, we expected a look at a sheltered traditional village, but what we got was a sort of Disneyland-ish theme park. It was tastefully done and a convincing display but was a bit contrived.
Sultinate of Brunei
Whirlwind tour – Royal Palace, boat tour, nice lunch at the country's only western hotel (Sheraton). Brunei did not strike us as a place we'd care to spend a lot of time in. Clean and modern, fun for a day though.
Singapore
Ah Singapore. A city Scott loves and hates. When working in telecom, Scott was in Singapore perhaps 10 times/year. It's a great city for a lot of things: diverse, cheap, ubiquitous food, first-class transit system, easy access to a variety of cultures. It's a little "overdone" however; in their attempt to "preserve" their culture, they tend to "Disney-ify" everything. Storefronts with that look of too-modern antiquity...
We had two days in Singapore, and some utlitarian things to do -- shopping, laundry... A highlight was getting together with an old colleague ("JJ") (actually he's a young colleage but one Scott'd not seen in 10 years, and Kathy'd not met). We connected at a food centre near the port, feasted and drank a few beers. It was a delightful change of pace from the tour "circuit". After dinner, he walked us though a newly constructed Buddhist temple, which was lovely and abuzz with Chinese early-celebrants of the coming Chinese New Year.
Kuala Lumpur
Full day tour. Very hot, scenic. Nice day. City sights. “Garden city” tour. Scott escorted & Kathy went as a paid-passenger. Large groups (30 passengers each) which made the escorting job a bit wearing.
Penang, Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year. Last minute request for Scott as Escort for half-day trishaw tour. Already had the day planned out (“Boy’s Day in” vs. “Girl’s Night Out”) but the tour was good fun anyway. Ended up at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel where we’d gotten engaged 18 years earlier but “not romantically enough”. Scott down on one knee… figures: that was the one photo that our guide failed to capture. "Imagine if you will..."
Phuket, Thailand
Lovely, tacky tropical beach resort town. At least, if we’d arrived anywhere near the “city” (Phuket Town). Unfortunately we’re parked about 25km away, and the taxis are demanding $10/head one way. It’s outrageous but we’re more or less captive. It’s not the ten bucks so much as the price-performance. We pass on the opportunity.
We’re only here for an extended half day (around 8a to 2p) and what we’d really like is a decent Thai massage at a fair price. We walk into the local town – just about 15 minutes but in incredible heat and humidity. Scott’s dripping in sweat and feeling slimy from the now-dripping sunblock. Not feeling particularly massage-minded.
We found a nice condo/hotel just at the beginning of the town and found they had a spa. What luck! Chinese New Year, special 35% off! “Off what price?”, Scott thought to himself. In Bangkok we paid about $6 per hour at a 4 star hotel. Here they want $50. The negotiation begins; the Spa Manager is a hard bargainer. We finally settle on 800 baht each for two hours – about $27. Oooookay. “Can you come back around 2:00?”. “No, our ship leaves at 2:00”. “Well, we only have one masseuse now”.
Kathy is clearly more keen on getting a massage; needs to be kneaded you might say. We part, Scott goes a wondering around town (such as it was) and returns back to the ship. Stopping briefly (he intended) at a shop/restaurant about 5 minutes from where the ship was docked. It was packed with crew members letting their hair down. They’re all ordering fried rice (<it>khao phat</it>) and fried whole fish and prawns. A slice of home. Scott happens on a fellow passenger, a jolly, somewhat rotund Brit who is drinking a large beer. It’s only about 10:30 but the idea of a tall cold beer has significant appeal. The Brit’s paid 100 baht (about US$3)… Scott thinks he can get a better price, and asks the price in Thai. <it>bairt-sip</it> -- 80 baht. A 20% discount for 3 words in Thai. Scott lives for this.
Well, the first beer was great. The second excellent. Seems like there was a third and ultimately a fourth. These are 350ml bottles...
An Officer from the ship came by and had me score a discount brew for her. Kathy returns from the massage, laid-back-and-mellow. More chat, more beer. Hunger ensued; khao phat gai sai kai dow. Fried rice with chicken and fried egg. A pricey 40 baht – over a dollar for lunch!
We got back to the ship about a half hour before we needed to be on board. Scott slept off the beer and in the afternoon it was back to usual life on board.
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