Friday, December 21, 2018 – embarkation – Sapphire Princess in Singapore
Saturday, December 22 – at sea
Sunday, December 23 – the island of Ko Samui, Thailand
Our tour included several activities at the Island Safari Cultural Theme Park (or Na Muang Safari Park. We watched a Thai cooking demonstration, learned about how rubber trees are tapped and processed, watched monkeys as they harvested the coconuts, saw the elephants play and perform and took a small hike out to the Na Muang waterfalls.
Monday, December 24 – Bangkok, Thailand
On our tour, we visited the Temple of the Golden Buddha, which houses one of the world’s largest statues of the Buddha, carved from solid gold in the Sukothai style. Across the street was the temple Wat Phra Kaeo, also known as the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha, carved out of one solid piece of jade. Our walk took us through the Grand Palace courtyards which is considered the city’s most spectacular landmark (an interesting note – the palace was a copy of Buckingham Palace with a noticeable difference – a Thai roof on top to show superiority). We then boarded a riverboat to the Chao Phraya River for a scenic cruise, and a lovely buffet lunch with many local dishes. On our way back to the ship we stopped at a huge jewelry store where we got to watch the craftsmen making the settings. (Très expensive – so no shopping!) Traffic was dense and most fascinating were the hundreds of motorcycles and scooters, and what they were able to pack on their bikes was phenomenal!
Tuesday, December 25 – Christmas at sea – lots of activities on the ship including Santa finding his way out in the middle of nowhere! But yes, we did have a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including plum pudding and a gingerbread soufflé!
Wednesday, December 26 – Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam
A bit of a bus ride into the city to visit Reunification Hall, the National History Museum and to see a performance of Vietnamese water puppets – so fun! Quick views of the Botanical and Zoological Gardens, City Hall, Ho Chi Minh Park and the Rex Hotel. The Notre Dame Cathedral was being renovated as you can see, but had a beautiful view of the French Colonial Post Office before heading to the Palace Hotel for a wonderful buffet lunch of local cuisine. During lunch, we had a fabulous show of local music and dancers. Then on to Minh Phuong Lacquer Factory to watch a demonstration of this ancient craft.
Thursday, December 27 – at sea
Friday, December 29 – at sea
No comments:
Post a Comment