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Grand Voyage 2014

January - April 2014
A 111-day adventure by Peteranderica Read more
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  • 36footprints
  • 25countries
  • 111days
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  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 67

    Nha Trang, Vietnam

    March 11, 2014 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    This was an unexpected delight. 25C with a blue and sunny sky and expected to rise to 32C. Beautiful views of Nha Trang and the countryside from the ship. We took the tender to the mainland and then the shuttle bus to the centre. The view of the bay was fantastic and so was the beach. We passed a long promenade with wide gardens containing all manner of shrubs and trees. There were large and architecturally impressive hotels lining the road. Our drop off point was a large cafe and from here we walked to Dam Market and this was located in a much poorer area but we enjoyed looking round the stalls. Crossing the road was an art form. There were pedestrian crossings and traffic lights but traffic did not obey them. We then negotiated a taxi ride to the Po Nagar Cham Towers for a price of US$20 between the four of us. The entrance fee was US$3 each. What an impressive site. The exterior of the main temple is covered in intricate rock carvings and inside the main chamber was a black stone statue of the goddess Uma with her ten arms. From the site there were wonderful views of the Cai river. We had a local beer for US$1 each. We then decided to visit the Long Son Pagoda on the other side of town. This site contains a huge, white seated Buddha, reached by climbing 152 steps. Very impressive. We then headed back to town by taxi and we strolled along the promenade alongside the beach.

    Nha Trang had exceeded all our expectations. The scenery was beautiful, the beach splendid and the promenade and gardens were attractive and well kept and the people were very friendly.    Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 69

    Phu My and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    March 13, 2014 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    29C and clear skies. The ship docked in Phu My but we had arranged a ship's excursion to Ho Chi Minh City, but the locals still refer to it as Saigon. The coach journey was one and a half to two hours. The traffic was manic. There were no rules on the road and there was certainly no stopping at junctions or roundabouts. On arrival in Saigon, we were taken to a water puppet show, which was actually quite interesting and then we visited the city museum, which reflects the history of the country from prehistoric times throughout he various dynasties which ruled the country. Our guide referred to the Vietnam war frequently, although the Vietnamese refer to it as the war against America. The war still plays on their psyche. We visited a lacquer factory. The prices of the goods were pretty expensive but of high quality. We were shown the site of the previous American Embassy and the iconic CIA building and then the Rex Hotel, where the world's press had their headquarters during the war. We passed the Opera House and then stopped at the Majestic Hotel for lunch, an impressive building. We had a buffet Vietnamese lunch and were entertained by musicians playing traditional music, which was very enjoyable. We then drove along the Saigon river and stopped at a Tao temple before heading back to the ship, tired but very happy.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 71

    Laem Chabang and Bangkok, Thailand

    March 15, 2014 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The ship arrived in Laem Chabang, basically a large container port, but we had booked a coach tour to Bangkok and by 8am we were sitting on the coach about to depart. The weather was already hot and humid, about 32C. The journey to Bangkok would take about two hours. We were to visit two main sites, the Golden Buddha Temple and the Grand Palace. The temple contained a Buddha, not surprisingly, made out of gold and stands fifteen feet high. The temple itself was stunning, mainly white and gold. We had to take off our shoes to see the Buddha itself. Our first sight of the Grand Palace took our breath away. It looked like a fairy tale come to life or something from the 'King and I', only more so. Many of the buildings are painted with gold dust, covered in mosaics and coloured glass or covered in painted pottery. We had a guide, who was excellent in explaining the significance of what we were viewing. We stopped to see the Emerald Buddha, actually made of jade. It was difficult to decide what to photograph as there was so much of interest. We stopped for lunch at the Bangkok Hotel 'G', a modern and stylish hotel with a very nice restaurant. It was a Thai buffet lunch with a good choice of Thai and European food. On our way back to the ship we stopped at a jewellery factory and bought one or two small items. All round it was a wonderful day.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 74

    Singapore

    March 18, 2014 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We arrived at 7.30am. The weather was already hot and humid at 28C and destined to rise to 31C. We intended to tour the city independently and four of us headed immediately to Raffles Hotel. We were not allowed to enter the reception area but a very stylishly dressed doorman directed us to the public areas. What struck me was the way the tropical trees and plants had been allowed to flourish in all the courtyards and open spaces, which gave the appearance of a hotel surrounded by forest. We spent some time wandering around and just enjoying the peace. We then walked to 'Little India', where the streets were narrow and the houses brightly painted. We then took the metro to Orchard Road, the preeminent shopping area, where the road and pavements were bordered by more tropical plants and greenery. Very pleasant.We took the metro again, this time to the harbour to view the hotel, on the roof of which was constructed a very long boat. We then strolled back to the ship for afternoon tea and air conditioning! There is so much to see in Singapore but we did not have enough time.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 75

    Port Kelang and Kuala Lumpur

    March 19, 2014 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It was 26C at 6.30hrs and was forecast to rise to 32C. We were on a coach at 8.30hrs for the one and a half hour journey to Kuala Lumpur. Our first stop was at the city museum, which reflected all of Malaysian history, including the colonial period, which particularly interested me. We then stopped at the UNESCO site of the old railway station, built by a Brit and then the city mosque, also built by a Brit. We passed Independence Square, where, in 1957 Malaysia became independent and then arrived at KL tower for a panoramic view of the city. From the top we had a magnificent view, including that of the Petronas twin towers. We then headed off to the Central Market, a centre for Malaysian handicrafts. The products on sale were actually good quality and fairly priced.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 76

    Langkawi, Malaysia

    March 20, 2014 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    27C and expected to rise to 32C and sunny. We wanted to spend the day on the beach and to do very little after a busy few days touring cities. We boarded the shuttle bus which took us to the nearby beach resort of Pantai Cenang, a journey of only ten minutes. It is a beautiful beach, wide sand, fringed with palm and other trees. The backdrop were high mountains on which the rain forest was situated. The beach is popular with the locals who were out in small numbers with their families. While Erica went into the sea for a swim, I wandered along the beach. It took some time to reach the end and walk back and when I did I discovered that Erica had been stung by a jellyfish. Fortunately, it was not dangerous and after about twenty minutes the pain had subsided and all was well. The temp and humidity was slowly increasing and after a few hours we decided to stroll around the small town for a while before returning to the ship. We had had a lovely few hours.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 79

    Colombo, Sri Lanka

    March 23, 2014 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    28C at 9am and due to rise to 34C. As we left the ship, a group of musicians and dancers were performing for us. They looked very colourful in their costumes. We started with a tour of parts of the city which was run down but very lively. Most of the shops were closed as it was a Sunday but all the local markets were open. We stopped for photographs at some of the more important buildings and then stopped for a tour of the city museum, which contained ancient statues of Buddha, discovered in various parts of the country and items belonging to the last King of Ceylon. We then drove to Independence Square for more photographs and then to a Buddha temple. We stopped for refreshments before continuing along the seafront and promenade, passing some very modern and old hotels and some interesting colonial buildings.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 84

    Port Louis, Mauritius

    March 28, 2014 in Mauritius ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We arrived in Port Louis at 6am. 29C and sunny. From the ship we had a good view of Port Louis with a backdrop of volcanic peaks and ridges. We wanted to spend some time relaxing so we had booked a tour to a resort called Les Iles aux Cerfs, on an island on the east coast of Mauritius called Paradise Island. Our coach journey, lasting about an hour took us right across the country passing fields of sugar cane and numerous Tamil temples. We arrived at Trou D'Eau Douce, a small village where we boarded a speed boat to take us to the resort. It was a fabulous ride with beautiful views of the island and passing through large areas of mangroves. We arrived at the resort and the magnificent beach, protected by the third largest reef in the world. We spent a lot of our time just swimming in the warm sea and wandering along the beach. We had a very good buffet lunch of Mauritian curry. After we had returned to the ship, we took the shuttle bus into Port Louis and wandered around the town and had a beer. A very pleasant town. We enjoyed our day on the island immensely.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 85

    St Gilles Les Bains, Reunion

    March 29, 2014 in Réunion ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We arrives in Reunion at 8am. 28C and partly sunny. From the ship, the island was mountainous and rugged but also green and luxuriant. The shuttle bus took us to St Gilles Les Bains, a small resort on the coast. It was pleasant but not particularly photogenic. The island is a French dependency so the currency is the Euro. The town was full of cafes and restaurants. We walked to the beach and there were signs advising people not to enter the water because of the presence of sharks. After a while we returned to the ship and sat on the deck enjoying the views.Read more

  • TravelerGrand Voyage 2014
    Day 90

    Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    April 3, 2014 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    After a stormy night, we arrived in South Africa. 16C and only expected to rise to 21C. Initially, there was rain and a heavy mist but the forecast was for sunny weather later. We had booked a trip to Addo Elephant Park, the third largest game reserve in South Africa. Our coach trip lasted about an hour and our trip around the reserve lasted about three hours. We saw jackals, antelope, ostriches, warthogs, lions and zebra but the elephants were elusive until we had almost reached the end of our trip when suddenly two appeared very close to the coach. Magnificent. After returning to the ship we took the shuttle bus to the 'Boardwalk' area of Port Elizabeth. This appeared to be fairly new development of restaurants, bars and shops surrounding a large lake and a very safe area to walk in. We also walked to the beach and along the seafront before returning. A very good day.Read more

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