Our 2024 Viking World Cruise

A 124-day adventure by CathyJon Read more

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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia
March 18, 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌙 79 °F
We arrived in the early morning at the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, which is located about 90-minutes from the port.

25 or so guests took the coach to the National Museum where Cathy and I studied colonial and modern Malaysia.

Portuguese, Dutch, English and Japan all have occupied Malaysia primarily for its tin resources. The little nation became independent from Great Britain in 1957.

The Muslims govern the country, rigorously pushing the full conversion of the population to Islam by heavily incentivizing the 37 million population to be Muslims.

We coached to the national park where we viewed several monuments. We visited a mosque, train station, War Memorial, and the twin Pedrosa Towers.Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Langkawi, Malaysia
March 19, 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Today, we took the city tour. Our guide was 4th generation Malay; family from India.

We visited the Underwater World and the Lamen Padi Rice Farm and Museum.

The aquarium included little otters, reptiles, birds, eels, fish, and, of course, penguins (so cute!!).

At the rice farm we visited the onsite museum and listened to the local guide who taught us about rice production – the people who do the work, their animals, and the various stages of growing, planting, harvesting. We observed working rice workers, water buffalos and rice paddy fields.Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
George Town, Malaysia
March 20, 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
George Town is a city on Penang Island in northern Malaysia; the population is 70% Chinese. (On Penang Island generally, the population is 42% Malay; 42% Chinese.)

We did a city tour, visiting busy Chinese markets, a truly remarkable bridge/wharf featuring various shops and several small Buddhist temples, and lastly, the “Beverly Hills” of Georgetown where many rich Chinese have homes in the coastal area.

We walked through the beautiful Panang Gardens where we observed beautiful plants, and... monkeys!

We drove by the largest Buddhist temple outside of China, which was perched up on a hill. After lunch, we went to 1st Ave. Mall and JP purchased shorts at H&M - they neglected to pull the security tag-- which a ship mechanic on the Neptune eventually removed (ha!).Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Phuket, Thailand
March 21, 2024, Andaman Sea ⋅ 🌬 81 °F
We arrived in Phuket, Thailand, where we were tendered to Patong Beach, a busy and renowned ‘party area’. From here, we took an excursion in which we drove through more upscale beach areas like Karan Beach.

The excursion took us to Promtemp Park, located in the southernmost point of Phuket where we climbed somewhat ornate white steps to see a beautiful ocean and shore vista. Here, we also observed a Bodhi tree festooned with multicolor ribbons and a unique and beautiful shrine surrounded by dozens of various carved, clay elephants dedicated to the Hindu God Brahma. People come here to offer flowers, sugar cane, incense sticks and prayers.

We then visited the largest and most important Buddhist temple in Phutek, the Wot Chalong Temple, built at the beginning of 19th century - magnificent, breath-taking, and beautiful. We also glimpsed the Big Buddha perched on top of a distant hill.

Next, on our itinerary we visited a family-owned Cashew Nut Factory, where we sampled many delicious flavors and learned about how cashews are farmed and prepared for sale. We ended up purchasing cashews for us and for crew members.

We had a Thai lunch at Rice and Bowl at the Seagull Resort across from the port. Not very spicy...

Finally, we walked along the beach a bit – but it was so hot the sand burned our feet. So, back to the ship!Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
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Two Sea Days, Bay of Bengal
March 22, 2024 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F
In addition to cruising in the Bay of Bengal we celebrated Cathy's Birthday!

We had a party of 12 in the private room at Manfredies. It was so fun! We invited Caroline from Maryland and her husband Arthur; Brian and Jonathan; Steve and Maryann; Stephanie and Keith and Joseph and Marlowe. Some of our original invitees – Rich and Robin, Mark and Barbara and Noreen and Charlie had left the Neptune in Singapore.

PS: We actually lost about 250 people in Singapore. Now the ship's guest count is down to about 590 people.Read more
Traveler Happy Birthday Cathy
3/23/24Reply
TravelerHappy happy!!
3/24/24Reply
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Day 1
March 24, 2024 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F
Today we arrived in the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka at 2:00pm.

Columbo is the largest city and a commercial center of Sri Lanka. Its population is 70% Buddhist. People smile and appear warm and friendly. We skipped the day tour and did a short shopping run outside the ship. Cathy picked up a fun little purse while I purchased a little elephant. From a distance we did see the Lotus Tower, a 1,153 ft tall tower which has been called the symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka. As of 2019, the tower is the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia.

This evening, we took an excursion to a 5-star hotel for dinner and to see traditional Shri Lanka dancing.Read more
TravelerTt
3/24/24Reply
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Day 2
March 25, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
Our excursion today took us to a 1,700 year old Buddhist temple, Pokonuvita Rajamaha Viharaya, where monks from the ages of 9 to 80 live and work. The setting looked and felt very old.

After hiking up to the on-site temple, we observed the giant sleeping Buddha serenely reposing in the company of many large and smaller Buddhas. Truly a magnificent and beautiful wonder to behold.

We then drove to a village Millaniya, where we took a tuk-tuk ride through the farmland/countryside. Our driver pointed out rubber trees, cinnamon trees and so many beautiful fruits.

We arrived at an award-winning farm, Agropark Millaniya, where we were met at the gate by the owner. He gave us a tour of the farm. They grow so many things on the farm: pineapples and 70 varieties of bananas, coconuts, tea plants, coffee trees, rubber trees, cinnamon trees, cannonball trees (with their beautiful flower that is used as an offering to Buddha).

We were shown demonstrations of how cinnamon sticks are made; demos on coconut/coconut milk/coconut oil, rubber/latex and tea, as well; women made rice-flour and other snacks, etc. We watched Ceylon tea being harvested by one of the women who work on the farm.

Our outside lunch was a treat with farm-fresh ingredients and very gracious 'servers'. The countryside was beautiful and lush; so many nice nearby hillside homes.

Cathy purchased two lovely saris; the vendor showed her how to put them on. Another wonderful day!
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PS: There are over 1.2M tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka. These little motorized and often festively decorated carts provide cheap, available & speedy transportation for locals and tourists.

All street signs are in Ceylonese and English, and all the women government workers dress in saris; it’s mandatory.Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Sea Day - Laccadive Sea
March 26, 2024, Laccadive Sea ⋅ 🌬 82 °F
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Kochi (Cochin), India, Day 1
March 27, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
India! Another bucket-list item checked off the list! Fascinating, majestic, hot, sensory-overload, noisy, ancient, big and sprawling, resource-full... a few words that come to mind...

Kochi is in the southern part of India. We took a mostly walking tour which started with St. Francis Church, built in 1503 by the Portuguese, The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried in this church, but after fourteen years his remains were relocated to Lisbon. Today, an empty crypt in the church commemorates the explorer.

Nearby the church, we saw the huge cantilevered Chinese fishing nets that droop toward the beach waters like over-sized hammocks. The Chinese nets, made of teak wood and bamboo poles, work on the principle of balance. Each structure is fixed on the beach and has a cantilever with an attached net that is spread over a large area. Counterweight stones, tied to ropes of different lengths, facilitate the working of the nets. Each fishing net is operated by at least four fishermen. These nets are believed to have been introduced into Kochi by Chinese explorer Zheng He, from the court of the Kubla Khan, between 1350 and 1450 AD.

We also visited Mattencherry Palace, the Jewish synagogue and Jew Town, (home to only 2 Jews now). The synagogue is supported by and visited by Jews from all around the world. We browsed the shops in this quarter. The weather was very hot and humid.

The Mattancherry Palace features Kerala murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi. The palace was built by the Portuguese Empire as a gift to the Kingdom of Cochin to appease the king after they plundered a nearby temple.

In the afternoon, we checked into the Cochin Marriott and immediately paid our retail respects to the adjacent Lulu International Mall, the largest mall in India. Cathy purchased four beautiful Kurtas (one of which Cathy wore to the Taj Mahal).

We returned to the hotel and we both had a 120-minute Aruyveda treatment (body scrub and body/face massage with oil). Awesome.Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Kochi, India, Day 2
March 28, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F
We are at the 5-star Kochi Marriot Hotel, Room 1806. Nice view!

We skipped the excursion but took one of our own to the biggest mall in India, the Lulu Mall!

Lunch turned out to be truly a miracle... We asked a store clerk for a nearby restaurant recommendation. He suggested Paragon – which turned out to be 5th-11th best restaurant in the world! We ordered naan, vegetable biryani, chicken tikka masala and paneer tikka for a trifling $12.70 USD. Best Indian food ever!Read more
TravelerDon't miss the Fish mango curry from paragon
3/2/25Reply
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
The Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal
March 30, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Yesterday, we checked out of the Marriot early in the morning and took a flight from Cochin Airport to Delhi and checked into the beautiful Le Meridian Hotel. We were very fortunate to receive a wonderful tour guide who has 36 years' experience – Davinda Singh – who was not only a great guide, but a wonderful teacher of history and the Indian culture.

Today, we began our overland in earnest, checking out of the hotel and traveling by motor coach to Agra, located about 4.5 hours south of Delhi.

We traveled through the city and out to the countryside. The broad, sprawling rural land consisted of vast fields, small towns, and many smokestacks churning out bricks for local construction projects. The expressway was fast and long. We enjoyed seeing the occasional shanty village complete with overcrowded tuk-tuks, mopeds and hundreds of commercial trucks. We have two important destinations today: Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.

After checking into the Jaypee Palace in Agra, we proceeded to the Agra Fort.

Agra Fort, a UNESCO site, is located next to the Yamuna River, adjacent to the even more famous Taj Mahal. Built on 92 acres, this powerful walled city fortress of red sandstone encloses the once imperial city of the Mughal rulers. We entered through the Delhi Gate, considered the grandest of its four gates, and a masterpiece of the time. We enjoyed about two hours here.

We then drove to the Taj Mahal to view one of the world’s most beautiful and iconic structures. It takes your breath away. It is a beautiful white marble structure with a vast number of inlaid semi-precious stones.

After our afternoon visit, we visited to a marble store where descendants of artisans who worked on the Taj continue to make marble pieces using the same techniques and tools of their ancestors. We bought a beautiful plate for our Utah home.

Returning to the hotel, we had dinner and were treated to a Kathak dance performance. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement is harmonized to the music. Kathak dance originated from Uttar Pradesh (U.P) in North India. During the whole dance, the dancers narrate stories through their eyes and expressions.Read more
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The Taj Mahal
March 30, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 99 °F
We visited the Taj in the late afternoon, and JP also made a visit in the early morning of the next day.

The Taj Mahal, an Islamic treasure, was built 900 years ago to commemorate the passing of a queen. This magnificent structure was built by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in approximately 1632 (finished in 1638). The Shah lovingly oversaw its design and construction, as the edifice was in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz, who died after giving birth to their 13th or 14th child.

Taj is set on the banks of the Yamuna river. After our afternoon visit, we went to a marble store where descendants of artisans who worked on the Taj continue to make marble pieces using same techniques and tools of their ancestors. We purchased a beautiful plate to display in our Utah home.

We returned to the Jaypee Palace, had dinner and were treated to a Kathak dance performance. Katha means story, and during the whole dance, the dancers narrate stories through their eyes and expressions. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements; the feet are adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement is harmonized to the music.Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Ghost City
March 31, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
After breakfast, we drove to Fatehpur Sikr, a UNESCO site aka the Ghost City, built by Akbar the 3rd, in the 16th century. This beautiful, quiet, and ghostly site was established as the capital of the Mughal Empire and then abandoned after 8 years (by 1620), probably because of lack of water supply and/or lack of interest of the Mughal.

Almost perfectly preserved red stone buildings include the palace, a wives' domicile, kitchen, concubine harem complex, and buland darwaza (main entrance to the mosque). We also saw the Parchesi game court where instead of game pieces they used concubines.

We continued back to New Delhi by coach where we observed the Presidential Palace, embassies and bungalows whose residents are senior officials and sell for millions.Read more
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Delhi, Qutub Minar, Mahatma Ghandi
April 1, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Today we took an excursion which included a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi, the narrow, noisy, and bumpy streets of the Chandni Chowk – one of the oldest and busiest marketplaces in Old Delhi.

Lining the narrow alleys, we saw many little rickety shops of food, spices, clothing, fabrics, electronics, books, decorations, etc. Ubiquitous monkeys perched, crawled, and bounded amongst the crazy spagetti-fied electrical wiring above our heads. Crazy traffic... An unforgettable experience and a cultural explosion to this somewhat serene and orderly American twosome...

Later, we passed Red Fort, but did not have time to visit. We toured Qutab Minar - a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot. The surfaces of both towers are elaborately decorated with inscriptions and geometric patterns.

We finished the excursion visiting Gandhi’s Tomb - a beautiful and solemn experience.

Next morning, we got up super-early to catch the Air Mauritius flight to Mauritius to re-embark the Neptune.

We loved that we got to visit India and do this wonderful overland tour!Read more
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Flight from New Delhi to Mauritius
April 2, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F
It's time to rejoin the Neptune!

Early morning flight of seven and a half hours to Port Louis, Mauretius. Ugh!

Since we didn’t get in until late in the day, all we saw of this port was what we could see from our bus from airport to ship. Our driver gave us some information about this beautiful, upscale island where many British and French people visit or retire.

Mary Ann said that their visit to the mall indicated that there is wealth on the island – many upscale shops – and lots of French people. (People on the island do speak French.)Read more
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Indian Ocean, 3 Sea Days
April 3, 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ 🌬 79 °F
There is something about being on the open sea, with a mild breeze, and 75 degrees that stirs the soul...

Every day since Mauretius, we've had perfect weather, though the seas did get a might rough from time to time..Read more
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Richards Bay & Durban become a Sea Day
April 7, 2024, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Today, we were scheduled to land in Richard's Bay. However, due to the dangerous local currents, we headed south a hundred miles to Durban.

And... we were unable to enter Durban because of high winds and limited visibility. We were going to leave Durban for our Victoria Falls / Safari overland excursion, but alas, our planned trip to Victoria Falls was canceled.

So we are off to Port Elizabeth, where we are scheduled for a day safari, Kariega.Read more
TravelerOh no!
4/7/24Reply
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Port Elizabeth, "Kariega" South Africa
Apr 8–12, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We finally entered a port today - Port Elizabeth.

We took a day-safari to the Kariega Animal Preserve. We joined 9 fellow travelers in an open-air Range Rover to see the countryside that was filled with wild animals in their natural world against a backdrop of wide-open plains lit by a bright blue sky.

We were driven by a young fellow by the name of Wes, who masterfully steered the ruddy auto over the muddy dirt valleys, ruts, and climbs.

The weather started a little misty/rain, but blue skies would color the day from about 10am onward.

We saw zebras, impala, nyala, ostrich, lions, giant elan, cape buffalo, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffes, and more. We got up close with buffalo, lions, and zebras.

Following our three-hour bush adventure, we had a sumptuous lunch and returned to the ship via coach; one and a half hours ride back.Read more
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Cape Town, Table Mountain, South Africa
April 10, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
We arrived at Cape Town at 6am. Today's agenda: a Table Mountain excursion followed by lunch and shopping.

Table Mountain was shrouded in clouds in the morning and throughout the day. We still made the trek by coach up to the base of the mountain where we then rode the funicular the rest of the way up to the mountain-top where we were greeted by blustery, cold weather. We stayed in the coffee shop with 50 other shivering visitors and stayed warm, drinking hot Java.

After lunch on the ship, we visited the world-famous Silo Hotel and drank glasses of Pinot Noirs while enjoying spectacular 360-degree views from the 11th floor. Next, we walked 10 minutes to the Victoria and Albert Plaza waterfront and shops. This sprawling, white shopping center featured many exceptional restaurants and upscale shops.

This was a fantastic day!
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Due to weather conditions, strong winds and currents, our ship was not allowed to set sail today. We were stuck in Cape Town, which would have been okay except that Immigration would not allow us to leave the ship.Read more
TravelerLooks amazing!
4/10/24Reply
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Our 2024 Viking World Cruise Traveler
Our In-Port Sea Day at Cape Town
April 11, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 64 °F
The Wind God's (Anemoi) haven't permitted us to exit the port today, so we're prisoners of Cape Town and the Neptune!

Our next port, Luderitz, also had to be cancelled.
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Atlantic Ocean, 2 Sea Days
April 12, 2024, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 61 °F
We escaped Cape Town early morning heading north.
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Walvis Bay, Namibia
April 13, 2024 in Namibia ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
We docked in Walvis Bay today. This looks to be an industrial port, which is surrounded by a roughly 2-mile-deep strip of land occupied by a population of 102,000 people who live next to the arid Namib Desert. The desert stretches for more than 1,000 miles along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa.

Following this 8-hour layover port, we will be 7 days at sea, proceeding up the West African Atlantic Ocean coast until we reach Dakar, Senegal.Read more
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7 Sea Days, Atlantic Ocean
April 14, 2024, World ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
We are at sea for 7 days and, for the most part, have enjoyed the downtime.

On our first night, we enjoyed Gordana Kostic, opera singer extraordinaire!

The days have become gradually warmer and humid.

Wednesday evening, Viking treated us to a poolside surf and turf meal.

During the late afternoon, we reached the 0 degree latitude /longitude point, 'Null Island'. The ship sent a tender just off the ship, and we blew the ship's horn a few times to mark the moment. Fun stuff on the ship because the Captain was looking for a buoy that marked the spot...never found it. Later, we came to find out that there was no buoy there at the time.

Last night, in the Star Theater, we were privileged to listen in to Jeremy Sassoon, fabulous singer and piano player.

All good fun!Read more
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Dakar, Senegal, Africa
April 21, 2024 in Senegal ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
We docked at the capital of Senegal, Dakar, at about 7am after 7 days at sea. We are ready for land!

Senegal is a poor country of some 18M; Dakar, 3M population. A dominant Muslim country, ‘they tolerate the 5-10% of Catholics who live there’.

We took a 30-minute ferry to start our 4-hour excursion of the island of Goree. This island is said to be the gateway for the slave trade to Brazil, the West Indies, and to America. Over 300 years, as many as 15M slaves passed through the "Door of No Return". This experience reminded me of how ignorance, greed, and avarice can grip the minds of men. Such enormous pain created here.

Our primary focus for the tour was to visit the Maison de Enslaves, (House of Slaves) and Door of No Return – museum/memorial dedicated to the victims. This house was constructed in 1776 as a holding place for slaves who were to be exported to various destinations in the New World. Conditions were horrible. 15-20 enslaved people were put in single, small dark cells, only allowed to go outside 1x a day to relieve themselves. They were usually held for 3 days to 3 months before they exited the “Door of No Return”. Families were separated – men, women and children kept in separate cells. Many people died from disease. There is controversy over how many slaves actually passed through here – some historians say as low as 26,000; others say over 15M.

After the tour, we passed local people living life – tending to their goats and donkeys pulling carts. We saw happy young boys playing soccer in the ‘park’ of broken concrete and dirt, and young girls frolicking on the beach enjoying themselves in the beautiful island sun. Both the men and women here in Dakar dress in very colorful garb.

It was Sunday and we happened upon a Catholic church with service underway. We also stopped by an art workshop where men were working on sand art. We stopped at a restaurant for a drink and were treated to some African music.

Goree Island is actually a pretty place with colorful pastel colonial houses and buildings. The island itself is a paradise -- in sharp contrast to the history of the island under the European colonials.Read more
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Atlantic Ocean, 2 Sea Days
April 22, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
Today, we are taking it easy: playing Bridge, eating, more Bridge, and then participating in a happy hour gathering with fellow Sofitel guests.
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