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Patricia AlbertPatricia Albert
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traveled in 12 countries Read more Edmonds, Washington
  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    1542
    Day 87

    Mar. 17. Singapore, Tokyo, Edmonds!

    March 17 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 34 °F

    We're heading home today! The spoiled, royal treatment continues for Patricia! As we exited the ship, Mark (from Security) wished me a happy birthday & hug. When we checked in at Ana Airlines, I received a little birthday card from the staff! After my birthday nap in my very nice pod, (down blanket, mattress topper, pillow & slippers) the flight attendant came by with a vegan birthday dessert! Very nice indeed!

    Things we appreciate about the Singapore Airport & Ana: the Crystal Lounge (first/business class) was lovely, quiet & clean! Bathrooms are equipped with bidets and full showers. Once on board, we had champaign service as soon as we sat down in our pod/seats. Bidets in bathroom, face & body wipes, toothbrush/paste & mouthwash, impeccable service.

    Our flights were seemless. Twenty hours later, we arrived home to Edmonds! It's always nice to come home, especially when the temps are in the high 60's, the sun is shining & the Mountain is out! This cruise has been a trip of a liferime for Julie and me. Over the past 3 months, we've had incredible experiences, have been to so many amazing places, and made great friendships. In the end, we've found that people are people. We seek love, safety, acceptance, and community. Our world is small, and we all need one another.    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    5
    11141
    Day 86

    Mar. 16 Singapore Gardens By the Bay

    March 16 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We visited the Gardens by the Bay, which included the Flower Dome Supertree Grove and Cloud Forest. The site is a national garden and horticultural attraction with more than 1 million plants. The Flower Dome is the world’s largest glass, columnless greenhouse. The Supertree Grove, an ecological marvel with vertical metal gardens shaped like trees support a diversity of ferns, orchids and vines. They're maintained with photovoltaic cells, advanced water and air filtration systems and other green technologies.
    The Cloud Forest is home to one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain full of plants from around the world. The entire experience was fantastic! The meticulous attention to detail is out of this world! We loved this place!

    We had planned to join Catherine, Tom, Jason & Fernando at the Lavo rooftop Restaurant, which is located in the iconic Marina Bay Sands (looks like a ship on top of three towers, see pics). But, since Julie and I had to be up at 4 am tomorrow, we decided not to go. We'll miss the great friendships we made on this trip and hope that we'll meet again someday, somewhere. ❤️    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    1
    42
    Day 84

    Mar. 15: Singapore "City in a Garden"

    March 14, Natuna Sea ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    Singapore is one of the world's greenest cities. Even though it's filled with skyscrapers, nearly half of Singapore’s land area is under green cover. I love this the most about Singapore. There are gardens and small trees on rooftops, which helps to keep the buildings cool in the very hot and humid country. The Pickering Hotel is known for its hotel-in-a-garden concept and its four-story cascading vertical garden. Singapore is a very beautiful city; safe, clean and friendly.

    Today we took a city tour where we learned that Singapore is a multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural Asian society. Major religions include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. Although Malays are recognised as the indigenous community, 75% of the citizens are ethnic Chinese, with ethnic Malay and Indians comprising 15.0% and 7.5% respectively.

    Later, we took a tour through the city after dark to view the sights from the Singapore River. The lights and activity in the city were amazing and full of young people have fun in a Friday. We visited the famous Raffles Hotel,
    One of the few remaining great 19th-century hotels in the world. We visited the hotels bar and had a Singapore Sling while eating peanuts (and throwing the shells on the floor)! It was a wonderful day!    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    11
    51
    Day 84

    Mar. 14:

    March 14, South China Sea ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We had a very busy, but fun day at sea today. We have two more days left before we head home, and these days are full! Today started with an East Asian cooking class in the Viking kitchen. We helped prepare Carmelized Tiger Prawns, Hainanese Chicken, & Mango Pomelo Sago. Then we went to a needle felting class to make a Koala Bear. My last class was on our final calligraphy assignment which will be displayed in the Wintergarden tomorrow. We met with Catherine & Tom for dinner and then we met with Patricia & Penny (Calligraphy teachers) for chocolate martinis. Laundry and packing was the final choir of the night. Tomorrow we arrive in Singapore! Our goodbye hugs have started 😪❤️Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    5
    4521
    Day 83

    Mar 13 Best day ever! Koh Samui Thailand

    March 13 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    We tendered to the Island of Koh Samui to the Samui Elephant Kingdom to observe these gentle giants in their natural habitat. The Samui Elephant Kingdom is a safe haven for elephants that were overworked or mistreated in logging and trekking camps. The reserve’s efforts ensure these elephants receive the best living space and provides specialized veterinary care to improve their health and wellbeing. We received a basket of food containing bananas, sugar cane and grasses and walked over a skywalk platform where we could feed any of the 16 elephants at the sanctuary (13 females, 3 males). Jul & I spent our time with Lilly, a 32 year old sweetheart who was rescued from an elephant trekking camp in Chiang Mai. Lilly wasn't a bit shy, and wow, could she eat! She let us touch her trunk while we fed her! My heart grew 10 times bigger today! https://www.elephantkingdomsanctuary.com/Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    2
    42221321
    Day 81–82

    Mar 11-12: Sailing the South China Sea

    March 11, South China Sea ⋅ 🌬 81 °F

    We've had two great days, sailing the South China Sea, heading to Thailand. Last night, we celebrated Jane & Andy's 50th wedding anniversary at the Chefs Table. We love these two ❤️ Today we spent time packing for our departure on Sunday. It's going to be very hard to say goodbye to all the friends we've made 😪 Tonight, the LGBT group had a special gathering to celebrate one another. Many of our group will be exiting the ship in Singapore.

    Tomorrow, we dock in Thailand where Elephant kissing will be happening!🥰    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    424261
    Day 80

    Mar. 10. On the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

    March 10, South China Sea ⋅ 🌬 81 °F

    Our day began at 7 am and ended back at our ship at 7 pm. It was long, exciting, surprising, but most of all, educational. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of south-western Vietnam of over 15,600 sq mi). The size of the area covered by water depends on the season. Its wet coastal geography makes it an important source of agriculture and aquaculture for the country. It would be hard to find any harder working people who make their home and living on the MeKong.

    Our guide explained that the Mekong River's water levels in the lower basin, including in Thailand, are now very unstable, being heavily affected both by climate change and hydropower dams upstream that are mostly powered by China.

    Agriculture is a primary source of livelihood in the Mekong Delta, where roughly half of the total amount of food in Vietnam is produced. More than one million people may need to relocate from or within the Mekong Delta because of sea-level rise by the year 2050.

    We felt very humbled by what we saw and the people we met. We can learn much from their kindness, patience and tenacity.    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    2
    12514
    Day 79

    Mar. 9: Saigon, Vietnam

    March 9, South China Sea ⋅ 🌬 81 °F

    We spent the day in the city of Saigon. From our ship, the drive took us 1 1/2 hours to travel 12 miles! The traffic is CRAZY! Luckily, most of the vehicles are scooters. We can't imagine what the traffic would be like if the scooters were replaced by cars!

    Our first visit was to an old Buddhist Temple. This was very crowded, but everyone was respectful and patient. Our tour also included stopping at a small lacquer workshop. We visited the historic Saigon Central Post Office, whose building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the late 19th century, between 1886 and 1891, and is now a tourist attraction.

    We drove past the Pittman Apartments. The rooftop of the Pittman Building is the subject of one of the 20th century’s most famous photographs. War photographer Hugh Van Es took a picture of a US helicopter precariously perched on the roof of the Pittman complex to evacuate US officials and Vietnamese.

    Like Indonesia, the traffic in Saigon is a great example of organized chaos! We've never witnessed road rage. In fact, folks yield to others on the road peacefully and seamlessly. It all just seems to work.    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    2
    23
    Day 78

    Mar. 8 Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    March 8 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Founded as a small fishing village, Saigon is now Vietnam's largest city. The city is a mix of history & youthful energy, where pagodas & French colonial grandeur mingle with bustling old world market places and modern skyscrapers, all against a constant buzz of motor scooters and bicycle bells!

    Tonight, we enjoyed a live performance on the ship of The Phu Dong Ensemble, a family founded traditional Vietnamese musical group. Terrific!!

    As today is International Women's Day, our Cruise Director honored the 105 women crew members on board the Viking Neptune (video)! Cheers indeed!!

    Tomorrow we tour Ho Chi Minh City!    Read more

  • TravelerViking World Cruise 2023-2024
    31
    Day 77

    Mar. 7 New Itinerary

    March 7, South China Sea ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    After waiting for weeks & weeks, we finally received our new itinerary from Viking. It's been confirmed that we won't be going through the Red Sea, which is what we already predicted and is understandable due to the Iranian-backed terrorist group, Houthis. We'll miss visiting Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, Italy, Istanbul & Monti Carlo. It also means that we'll have fewer days in Sri Lanka & India. Instead, the ship will go around Africa and will be sailing at a faster clip with fewer stops since they need to make up time to get us to the Mediterranean. The Africa piece is going to be fast with very limited stops & LOTS of sea days. Because of this, Julie and I have decided to exit the ship in Singapore. We fly back home on March 17th.

    We've gone back and forth about our decision. The sea days were a breaking point. We're very disappointed. We've made such great friendships, but this was not the trip that Julie and I planned for the past 2 1/2 years. Over 200 people will be exiting the ship. We feel good about our decision, but sad too. We don't regret a minute of the time we've spent on this beautiful ship and the experiences we've shared. ❤️ We'll fly from Singapore to Tokyo to Seattle via Nippon Air.    Read more

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