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Around the World in 180 Days
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli

Around the World in 180 Days

January 14 to July 13, 2023 from San Francisco to San Francisco aboard Oceania Insignia Read more
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  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Lighthouse clock tower
    Colonial remnants1Red mosqueBeautifully restoredHindu temple1Colourful1My coconut smash was epicLotus tower1Handsome1Coronation tea time. Fancy😉

    Colombo, Sri Lanka (Day 2 or 2)

    May 6, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We had an early start to our second day in Colombo. Our friends Doris and Louis had arranged a walking tour at 7:30 am(!?!) and asked us to join them and four other passengers. Given how hot and humid it is here, we thought the earlier the better given it was forecast to go up to 31 degrees today. We met our guide Harold at the port gates and off we went. It was great to get up close to the sites we’d driven past yesterday afternoon.

    Once the tour was over mid morning, we hired a tuktuk to take us to the large Hindu temple, the Lotus Tower and to a barbershop 💈. The temple was one of the most colourful and ornate we’ve ever seen. We learned that you can make a wish/pray for something and then smash a coconut to help it come true. One throw only and the ideal smash is when the coconut breaks cleanly in two. I decided to give it a go and aced it😁

    Next, we visited the Lotus Tower, a smaller CN Tower-like structure, that was built by the Chinese. China’s investments in this country are noteworthy. They’re currently building Port City here, a special economic zone and International Financial Centre located on reclaimed land. The land reclamation work had been completed and can be seen from the Lotus Tower. Many Sri Lankans are concerned about China’s dominance and one person jokingly called the country Chi Lanka.

    We then asked the tuktuk driver to take us somewhere where Brad could get a haircut. Brad hadn’t had a cut since we were in Montevideo on February 27 and was looking pretty wooly. We were taken to a proper salon and Brad got handsome again for $10 US.

    We wandered around for a bit but it was getting way too hot so we grabbed a tuktuk back to the port.

    I wanted to watch the coronation and attend the special coronation tea time with my friend Geraldine. I had found tiaras in town for us to wear for the occasion. We went and had our scones and tea and watched this historic event.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Pat Watt from TorontoIsabella from BCJo Anne from San Francisco (she's 92!)

    At sea

    May 8, 2023, Bay of Bengal ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    On sea days, Oceania sometimes holds special events. Today, there was a fashion show of boutique merchandise modelled by passengers. Hokey but sweet.

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Cellular Jail
    Housed many political prisonersMy favourite jailbirdWaitingOfferingsMarket dayPealing carrots3Woman and goatGhandi statue1

    Port Blair, Andaman Islands (India)

    May 9, 2023 in India ⋅ 🌧 32 °C

    Arrived in Port Blair this morning. We were originally scheduled to leave here at 7 pm but that’s been moved up because there’s a cyclone - Mocha - that’s headed this way and the captain wants to get outta here by 5 pm. It’s one of the ports that replaced those that had been originally scheduled for Myanmar. We’ve never been here but didn’t believe we needed a formal excursion here. We decided the shuttle from the port into the city would be a good starting point for our explorations.

    The most important site in Port Blair is the Cellular Jail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was built by the British from 1893 to 1906 using only prisoners as labour. It was known as the jail to which political activists from mainland India who protested against British rule were sent. It was designed to isolate prisoners and make it next to impossible for them to communicate with each other. That’s where we headed once we reached town.

    It was a hot, humid day with a “feels like” temperature of 37 degrees so we took our time walking there. It was worth the exertion. The site has been beautifully restored and maintained.

    We then walked back into town and wandered around for a while until we just couldn’t take the heat any longer and caught the shuttle back to the ship.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Crew are presented with service awards at the party
    From left: Brad, Thomas, Geraldine, Helmut, Renate and meDance time

    At sea

    May 10, 2023, Andaman Sea ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Each segment, there’s an Oceania Club cocktail party on board. The Oceania Club is the cruise line’s loyalty program. Because there are so many repeat passengers, there are two parties; ours was tonight.

    At each party, Cella, the woman who is the onboard Oceania Club manager gives us some interesting stats about who’s on board. Tonight, she told us there were 545 passengers from 21 countries and 402 crew from 40 different countries. 154 passengers joined us in Dubai of which 68 are cruising with Oceania for the first time.

    What was really interesting was when she shared age data. Brad and I have always called ourselves the “young old” on board and at 61 and 66 we’re right. The average age on board is 70 and the mean is 72. That average is lowered by the three 19-year-olds on board. 😉    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1Beautiful scenery
    A homePrettySchool recess timeThe marketMotorcycles and scootersStreet food1Backyard1Mom plus two, no helmets

    Sabang, Indonesia

    May 11, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Arrived in Sabang this morning. It’s another port replacing The Myanmar ports that were cancelled. It’s a small place so even though we’ve never been here before we didn’t feel the need to take an excursion. It’s situated on the northeastern coast of We Island, off the northern tip of Sumatra and has a population of around 30,000.

    It was another hot day - “feels like” temperature of 37 - so we took our time wandering around the town. It was quaint and the people were incredibly friendly. Lots of smiles and waves. Motorcycles and scooters prevail with families riding together, often without helmets 😩    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Heading uo
    Climbing3Glass floor2Kissy kissy3The Sky Bridge1Skybridge viewBrad on the bridge1Bat caveIn the mangrove forestLush1Eagle

    Langkawi, Malaysia

    May 13, 2023, Strait of Malacca ⋅ 🌙 31 °C

    Langkawi was another port replacing those in Myanmar. We’d never been here. When we researched it we decided we wanted to ride the cable car and walk the Skybridge. We didn’t feel we needed a formal excursion to do that so went ahead and booked our own private Sky Cab ride for six, complete with a glass floor. Our friends Geraldine, Thomas, Diane and Tom accompanied us.

    It is a tender port so we hopped on the tender boat and got ashore to find a taxi van that could take us across the island to the site. Thomas negotiated for us to go to the cable car as well as to the mangrove forest, a UNESCO Global Geopark.

    The cable car ride is 2150 metres long and climbs 680 metres, with magnificent views high above the treetops of dense rain forest. And, with a glass floor, it was even more spectacular. Once at the top, the views are breathtaking. You can then opt to purchase another ticket to walk the Skybridge - 700 metres above sea level - which we did. The views were among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

    We then proceeded to the mangroves and got into a speed boat that took us to a number of sites including a bat cave. We also saw numerous eagles soaring above us. It was another scorcher of a day so it was a perfect to be out on the water.

    We found Langkawi to be lovely and would consider returning here some day to escape the winter months.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Chalong Buddhist temple
    The third floor lookout floor was soooo hotThe sign says not to hug the statue 🤣Big Buddha in the backgroundGold leaf2The firecracker furnace...made me jump🤣Another templeShrine to Brahma where people leave elephants1Among the elephantsA working lighthouseBeach view

    Phuket, Thailand (Day 1 of 2)

    May 13, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The last time we were in Thailand was in 1992! And we didn’t visit Phuket then. We’re here overnight because a day was added here to replace a port in Myanmar. We took a ship “highlights” excursion this morning to see key sites and orient us to the island so we can freestyle tomorrow. The tour took us to two temples, a scenic drive through colonial Old Phuket and to Phromthep Cape, the island’s southern-most point.

    The second Buddhist temple, Chalong, was especially interesting. It was park-like and had multiple buildings on the site. Before entering the buildings, you remove your shoes and most people have bare feet. On a scorcher like today, it’s a mad dash to and from the entrance because the stairs and paths are so hot. On terraces, we dashed from one shady spot to another.

    At this temple there a special furnace and attendant to help set off fireworks within it. People buy them on site and set them off to honour the gods and/or make a wish. We heard them throughout our visit. Another offering is to buy a small sheet of gold leaf and rub it on a Buddha statue for good luck.

    We then visited Phromthep Cape which is a lookout with a stunning working lighthouse and a shrine to Brahma at which people leave elephant figurines. Both were interesting.

    We had hoped to venture out tonight after dinner but it’s election day tomorrow so there are no alcohol sales today or tomorrow. That means things are quite low key and the night market won’t be bustling. We’ll spend a quiet night on board.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    We're in the middle
    2The beachThe promenadeStreet meet2Mermaid 🤣Windmills made from used water bottlesOfferingsIt's a dry election day4The shop owner said it was too hot for pants🤣MuralsSobering reminder of the 2004 tsunami

    Phuket, Thailand (Day 2 of 2)

    May 14, 2023, Strait of Malacca ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Headed to Patong Beach today with our friends Geraldine and Thomas. The fore cast was for it to go up to about 35 Celsius so we didn’t know how long we’d last out there.

    Patong Beach is the most popular beach resort town in Phuket, with a 3 kilometre-long beach and hotels, restaurants and shops. It’s known as having a lively nightlife. It reminded us of Waikiki and Acapulco, a pretty typical big beach strip. Unique to Thailand were the countless massage service options, from mat beds on the beach to hotel spa offers.

    We were pleasantly surprised to find the beach promenade was shaded by trees and there was a terrific breeze coming from the Andaman Sea. We strolled the strip and I went for a mani-pedi while Brad went walking and Thomas and Geraldine went for coffee. We met up again and walked some more and found a place for a bite to eat. Before we knew it, we needed to get back to the ship for the “all aboard” deadline.

    It was a wonderful, relaxing way to mark day 120 of 180. We’ve now completed two-thirds of our trip and can’t believe we have only 60 days left.😩 Time has flown!

    We video chatted with Dylan and Ryan last night and I received their good wishes for Mother’s Day. Brad presented me with truffles he’d bought at a chocolatier in Dubai❤️. He’s informed me Dylan and Ryan have asked we have champagne at dinner tonight. 🥂 Who am I to argue?    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1There's a unique charm to Ernest Zacharevic's murals
    Title: The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do ThisSee the boy bottom left1Real swings are part of this oneThis one includes an actual motorcycleOther artist's work2

    Street art in George Town, Penang

    May 15, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    The street art in George Town is legendary and it’s hidden everywhere. But it’s Ernest Zacharevic’s street art that Brad and I were most interested in finding. Armed with a map of the art’s locations , we set off.

    The story is Ernest came to George Town in 2011 as a tourist to celebrate Chinese New Year with some college friends. He’d been doing street art in his native Vilnius, Lithuania where it was illegal and his murals were always immediately painted over. He started painting small pieces in George Town and was surprised that people would stop and thank him as he painted.

    Wikipedia: “In 2012, Zacharevic received worldwide recognition after creating a series of six street art murals for the George Town Festival in Penang, Malaysia, with the BBC calling him Malaysia's answer to Banksy. These images depict scenes of everyday Malaysian life using local people as the models. The two most popular are Children on Bicycle and Boy on Motorcycle; a combination of installation and painting allows the outside community to interact with the works. These murals now stand as cultural landmarks in George Town, complete with plaques and frequent queues of people waiting to have their photographs taken with the works.”

    Here are photos of the ones we found.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Bumese Buddhist temple
    Alms for the monks2Standing BuddhaThai Buddhist templeReclining BuddhaThe mansionInterior1Dining roomClan house1Ornate

    Penang, Malaysia (George Town)

    May 15, 2023, Strait of Malacca ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Penang is a new place for us so we took a ship excursion to two temples, a mansion and the Khoo Kongsi clan temple. Penang is a province with a population of around 1.7 million. It’s capital, George Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s where we spent our time today.

    We started at a Burmese Buddhist temple and as we arrived, the monks were receiving alms. The temple itself featured a huge standing Buddha. The next temple was a Thai Buddhist temple directly across the street and its centrepiece was a reclining Buddha. We then visited Chung Kent Kooi mansion/museum, originally a townhouse built in the 1890's by Chung Keng Kooi, a tin miner who was also said to have been involved in the opium trade. Next up was the Khoo Kongsi clan temple, a clan house for members of the Khoo family. It was built in 1906 and is considered the oldest in south east Asia.

    When the tour ended around noon, Brad and I chose to stay in the historic area rather than return to the ship and explore further on our own. Despite the heat (it was 33 degrees Celsius) we wandered around, had lunch at The Jetty food court and went searching for George Town’s famous street art. Because this app only allows 10 photos per footprint, I’m going to do a subsequent footprint solely about the street art. It was that incredible.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1Botanical Gardens 🐞
    Lipstick palmView of the pink mosque from the gardens1FigsA tunnelWild petunia1Pink mosque1Covered up1Mosque2Lookout viewPanoramic view

    Port Klang, Malaysia

    May 16, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Arrived in Port Klang this morning. It’s purely a port area - nothing to see here. This is the port that the gateway to other cities, namely Kuala Lumpur (KL). We spent almost a week in KL a few years ago so didn’t feel the need to head there. Instead, we booked a ship excursion to Putrajaya, about an hour and a bit from the port. Our tour took us to the the botanical gardens, the Putra square where there’s a pink Putra mosque (97 per cent of people in Putrajaya are Muslim), as well as a scenic drive past the buildings with interesting architecture.

    Putrajaya is a planned city that was the brainchild of a former prime minister. The goal was to centralize federal government administration outside of KL, though KL remains the capital of Malaysia and where parliament sits. It’s about an hour’s drive from KL.

    It was planned as a garden city and intelligent city, with about 40 per cent of the area assigned to green spaces. Construction began in 1995, including housing for government employees as well as administrative buildings, lakes and parks. Today, its population is around 100,000 and is thriving.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    At the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
    2Marina Bay Sands Hotel1"Shop houses" are a Singaporean thingWaiting for the subway to head to ChinatownChinatown1A selfie coffee😂Temple timeMonks chantingArab quarterVienna and Scooter

    Singapore, Singapore - Day 1, day

    May 17, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Singapore! Brad and I were last here in 1992😳 We certainly didn’t expect it to look the same or to remember our way around. Fortunately, we had a personal, private tour guide to show us around - my friend Amy Morin who moved here from Toronto in September. It was an absolutely joyous reunion.

    Singapore is a bustling high density island city-state of about six million people. It’s known as a safe , clean place with incredible architecture and delicious food. We managed to pack in a ton in our two days thanks to Amy.

    We arrived at 1 pm and Amy was waiting at the terminal and ordered a Grab (Singapore’s Uber) to take us to the famous Marina Bay Sands. Spectacular. From there, Amy had transit cards ready for us and we hopped on the subway to Chinatown. Then on to Haji Lane in the Arab Quarter. From there, we stopped off at Amy’s home to change into dinner clothes. Her teenagers Jackson and Scarlet were polite but not particularly interested in the old folk visitors. Vienna, the youngest, visited with us the whole time as did Scooter their dog.

    More about our evening in the next footprint.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1Candlenut restaurant
    Matt, Amy, Brad and meSuper tree light show1The viewCheers!

    Singapore, Singapore - Day 1, evening

    May 17, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Our evening began with dinner at Candlenut on Dempsey Hill, which became the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant in 2016. Peranakan cuisine blends Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian ingredients and cooking techniques. We were delighted Amy’s husband Matt was able to join us for dinner.

    After dinner, Amy, Brad and I headed to the Supertree Light-show and then cocktails at a rooftop patio bar to admire the city at night. Magical.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Orchard Road
    Marina Bay Sands Hotel from merlion ParkThe Merlion1Hydrating1At Raffles Hotel1A round of Singapore Slings1The Long BarCoriander Leaf restaurant3Duck😋

    Singapore, Singapore - Day 2 of 2

    May 18, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Another day to explore Singapore and hang out with Amy. Today, we started out at Orchard Road, Singapore’s shopping area akin to 5th Avenue in New York City. From there, we took a Grab to Merlion Park and walked around.

    “Merlion Park is a famous Singapore landmark and a major tourist attraction, located at One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District. The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Wikipedia”

    We then walked over to loop Raffles Hotel to have Singapore Slings at the Long Bar. The cocktail was first created at the bar in 1915. Story goes that women weren’t to drink liquor back then so the bartender created the drink to look like fruit juice so the women could enjoy some booze too. We were then ready for lunch and went to Coriander Leaf in the Chijmes complex. Located across the street from Raffles, Chijmes was built in the 1840s as a convent and now houses numerous restaurants. Following lunch we said goodbye to Amy and went back to the port.

    Having a “local” show you around is golden. Thank you for two memorable days, Amy!    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1The next segment ends in Bangkok
    La Goi BayBeautiful beach1Quiet1Mural1At the pierFestive arrival and send-off

    Bintan, Indonesia

    May 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We left Singapore last night and started a new segment to Bangkok. Today, we arrived at Bintan Island, a resort spot that the Indonesian government is hyping as the next Bali. It’s a tender port so we grabbed a tender boat and then the shuttle to the La Goi Bay beach area.

    Not much there but a beautiful beach. The more developed and populated area of the island is about an hour away and we weren’t interested in being panicked to make it back for an unusually early all aboard at 1:30 p.m. It was also hot - a “feels like” temperature of 33 degrees Celsius. We wandered around for an hour and headed back to the ship to rest and relax after having spent seven consecutive days in ports. Tonight, it’s the Captain’s traditional cocktail party to start the segment and we have a dinner reservation at the Italian specialty restaurant Toscana.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Streetscape
    The Sultan/prime Minister's office. Hes also the minister of finance and defenceThe royal crestThe museum has the original carriage from the 25th anniversary of his rule celebrationsGold doorway24 carat gold 😳A gold thread suit the sultan wore at the celebration and has never worn againThe mosque he built in his nameIt has 29 gold domes because he's the 29th sultanWe weren't allowed inside. This is in the entryway

    Muara, Brunei

    May 21, 2023 in Brunei ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Arrived in Brunei late morning. While we’ve visited the island of Borneo before, we were only in the Malaysian piece of the island. We were scheduled for a brief stay so took a ship excursion to take us to see major landmarks in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan as well as to visit a “water village.”

    Brunei is a sultanate with a Sultan known for his extravagance. It’s also a state that introduced Syariah law for Muslims, which supersedes the British common law system in areas such as family and property law. It’s actually a place we felt quite torn about whether to visit. You can read why here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/22/bruneis-per…

    Much of the landmarks are the Sultan’s vanity projects including his office, a museum about the dynasty and the mosque named after him. Surprisingly, the citizens are quite content with his rule. They have free education and healthcare, as well as financial support for buying a home. Because Brunei is an oil-producing country, gas is cheaper than water. A 500 ml bottle of water is one dollar; the same bottle of gasoline is 53 cents. Hence, each citizen owns two cars on average, taxis are few and public transportation is almost nonexistent.

    It is a dry country, meaning that no alcohol whatsoever is served in Brunei, at restaurants and it is not available in any stores. It is possible to buy booze in Malaysia and bring it in. Non-Muslims who live here have an allowance of two bottles of liquor and 10 cans of beer every 48 hours. They can drink at private functions or at home. People getting married have their friends go back-and-forth to Malaysia for months to amass liquor to serve at the festivities.

    One of the vanity landmarks we visited was The Royal Regalia Museum. It mainly houses the regalia of the Sultan and the royalty, as well as exhibits related to the commemorations of the Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's rule of Brunei. Over. The. Top.

    I will do a separate footprint about the water village.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    En route to the village
    The villageFire stationTea and snacksLocal nibblesThe groupThe boardwalk is pretty primitiveHanging outLaundry day

    Water Village, Brunei

    May 21, 2023, South China Sea ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    In stark contrast to the Sultan’s opulence, the water village we visited was far from luxurious. Kampong Ayer, in the heart of Brunei's capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan, is the world's largest settlement on stilts. Literally translated as “Water Village” in Malay, Kampong Ayer is a cluster of around 40 small villages connected by a 38-kilometer (23-mile) boardwalk. It dates back more than 600 years. There used to be about 16,000 people living there. Today there are 10,000. We were welcomed into one of the homes for tea and snacks and walked the boardwalks. Fascinating.Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    The seaplane
    Happy passengerTaking off2One of the most beautiful places I've ever beenPictures can't capture it12Video gives you a better sense of the vastnessAt Ha Long MarketOystersCatnap timeHomeward bound

    Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - day

    May 24, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We arrived in Ha Long Bay this morning through mist but that couldn’t hide the natural beauty of this UNESCO site. There are about “1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.” - UNESCO

    It’s a popular resort area, with hundreds of hotels and resorts in Ha Long. The population is about 150,000. We’ve never been here before or to any part of Vietnam. Someone we know who’d recently been here recommended we forgo the traditional “junk tour” of the bay and take a seaplane over it instead. That sounded interesting to us so we booked two seats a few days ago and grabbed a taxi to the marina terminal as soon as the ship was cleared this morning. The plane was a 12-seater and the other passengers were all from a tour group from The Netherlands.

    What a rush! We’d never been on a seaplane before. And, we’re flying over one of the most incredible natural sites in the world. Indescribable.

    Once we finished our flight, we took a cab to explore Ha Long market. It was huge and included sellers of everything from fish and seafood to hardware items and jewelry. Few people spoke English so we used Google Translate to communicate.

    We returned to the ship for a quick late lunch and then got ourselves ready for an Around the World Special Event this evening. I’ll be posting a separate footprint about that.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Lion dance greetingGreetersEntranceCocktails4Cheers!Hot and cold buffet included sushiWonderful performances1Entrance to dinner1Even Brad danced1The exit🥲

    Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - evening

    May 25, 2023, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Oceania held yet another extravagant event for us Around the World passengers tonight. This time, we were taken to a cave for a candlelight dinner, a folkloric show and dancing. The venue was jaw-dropping. We’ve never had an experience quite like tonight’s before. We didn’t think Oceania could trump the previous three events they’ve had for us but they didRead more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    The drive there showed us how ingenious people are
    2Ladders?!?Toys2Canal viewLanterns in trees❤️Countless lantern shops1Lantern-making workshop3The canal after dark1There was a Buddha birthday celebration

    Hoi An, Vietnam (Chan May port)

    May 25, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    Arrived at Chan May at 3:30 pm and we’d decided to freestyle it with our friends Geraldine and Thomas yet again. There’s NOTHING in the port area so we knew it would be a field trip to get us to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its lanterns. We negotiated with a taxi driver and he agreed to drive us the 90ish minutes there and wait for us to take us back to the ship.

    The drive there was entertaining. There were more motorcycles than cars and they were darting from lane to lane. It was fascinating to see what people could transport on a motorbike with a little ingenuity.

    Once we arrived in Hoi An we were amazed at how lively and big it was. And the lanterns! It was early evening and we couldn’t wait for it to get dark to see them in all their glory. Lantern-making has been a prominent industry in the city for about 400 years. We wandered around, had dinner, and wandered around some more. Our taxi was waiting at the designated spot at the agreed upon time and we headed back to the ship. It was a wonderful field trip!    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Cella shares stats with us
    The Chief Engineer

    At sea

    May 27, 2023, South China Sea ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Had a typical sea day and the Oceania Club loyalty program cocktail party this evening. Cella, the onboard Oceania Club representative, shared some interesting stats with us about the current passenger group and we had a surprise electric guitar performance from the Chief Engineer.

    Cella told us 150 passengers joined us in Singapore, 57 of whom are first-timers. She also said our average age dropped from 70 to 68 this segment with younger people having embarked in Singapore. And when it comes to the most common passenger first names, there are 15 Davids and 8 each of Barbaras and Marys on board.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Cocktails at The Rex rooftop
    Spring rollsDuckCinnamon pork ribs...my favouriteRice in lotus leafBethsabe opening her giftsVietnamese cardA necklace from Ha Long Bay1A tiara from Sri Lanka

    Ho Chi Minh City, Day 1, evening

    May 28, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌩️ 29 °C

    For our evening adventure, we headed out with our friends Bethsabe and Deiter for drinks and dinner. It was birthday eve for Bethsabe so we were feeling festive.

    For drinks, we visited the rooftop bar at The Rex Hotel. “During the Vietnam War, the hotel was the site of the United States military command's daily press conference, derisively named Five O'Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. The daily event was hosted by Barry Zorthian, chief spokesperson for the U. S. government in Saigon from 1964-68. Its rooftop bar was a well-known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents.” Wikipedia we couldn’t imagine a visit to the city without having a cocktail at the legendary spot.

    From there, we walked to a Vietnamese restaurant called Mandarine that had been recommended by our guide. It was beautiful and the food was delicious. And Bethsabe was appropriately feted. 🎈🎁    Read more

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