A Wonderful Week on the Sea Crane

Saturday June 5^th, 2010

We get back home again

The early start paid off, after showers, breakfast and packing we headed off for the dock where Sea Crane was to be left. We unloaded all of our stuff, managed to get it all into the car, and at 10:10 we drove off to Idaho.

The drive out of Seattle was very pretty, there was still snow on the mountains, the lakes were full of water and there were some waterfalls, but best of all, we caught a glimpse of Mt Rainier.

After going over the pass we stopped in Cle Elum at the bakery there for great sandwiches. There was no more rain, and we sat in the sun enjoying the fresh air. No rain today!

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and we got to Coeur d’Alene just after 5:00.

It was good to be home, and the cats were very excited to see me. The Cat Genie works!!!!! I sat on the deck watching a beautiful sunset; it really was a perfect trip, rain and all.

Friday, June 4^th, 2010

We sail back to Anacortes

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of rain on the roof. Oh well, the good weather was great while it lasted. It was still raining a bit when I got up and headed for the shower. This time it was $3 a go, but the shower was warm and roomy so it was an OK deal. Back on the boat I tries to sort out the deal with Fed Ex. Brian had e-mailed me that it wasn’t the loo, so that was a relief. Anyway, it turned out to be something from Apple (from China?), and that I could pick it up on Monday at the Fed Ex office. No, Eileen could not sign for it at home. I don’t know why when everything else Apple is perfection, they can’t be more flexible with delivery.

After breakfast we wondered into town, it had stopped raining and was warming up, so it was very pleasant. The downtown area is right near the harbour, so it was very convenient. There are loads of great little boutiques and food places, I do wish we had more time. Jim headed off to but something for the boat, and Judi and I stopped off at a picture gallery where she bought a little print, and then we stopped at a bakery and I bought samosas to nibble when we got on board.

We got back to the dock at the same time as Jim. I was putting my stuff away y in the cabin when I noticed we were moving. By the time I got up on deck, we were on our way out of the harbour. No Mt Baker today, but the rain had stopped and the lighting on the mountains in the interior of Vancouver Island was spectacular.

We ate the samosas, and Judi settled down for a nap, and I sat watching the islands go by, while Jim steered the boat towards the US. It rained on and off, but we still got a great view of the north and east side of Orcas Island. We are quite used to seeing the island from the south and west, so it was a real treat to get another view of Orcas.

We made a perfect approach to the dock in Anacortes, and after clearing customs and immigration (all done by one very pleasant fellow) we walked to the main street in search of dinner. We looked at the menu at an Italian restaurant and were just about to move on in search of a seafood place when a man coming out of the restaurant told us it had great food, so we decided to take his advise and went on in.

The food was indeed wonderful and we had yet another fantastic meal. Jim went for Cioppino again, but this time I decided to go for the clam spaghetti, which was very good. We then walked back to the boat for a last glass of wine, and sat talking for a while. Jim said we should get up at 7:00, so I decided I should get some sleep if we were to have such an early start.

Thursday, June 3^rd, 2010

We leave Victoria behind and head for Sydney

The boat rocked all night, creaking away with each wave that disturbed us, it was fantastic! Then, it was amazing; we woke up to brilliant sunshine! The taxi driver was right; the high wind last night did the trick! I wandered over to the showers and met up with the couple from Bristol/Cardiff who were doing their laundry. We discussed our plans for the day, and how we had spent our respective evenings. They, of course, had been at a pub until 11:00 last night!

We needed to set sail later than originally planned because of the tides, but that gave us more time in Victoria. We wondered around the town and had morning tea at Murchies, great scones! We took our purchases back to the boat, and then went to Old Vic’s for fish and chips as Jim had been told it was very authentic. In deed, it was, soggy chips and hard batter, it was like being back in England. No Liverpool Echo to wrap it in alas! While we were taking a peek at the Empress Hotel Eileen called to say she was doing battle with Fed Ex over a parcel they were trying to deliver. I tried to call them back, but all I could get was the Canadian Fed Ex people, who were not very helpful, and advised me to call again in the morning. They stated it was a parcel from China, but could give no further information. We had ordered a composting toilet for the dock, so I hoped that was not being a challenge for them to deliver.

After exploring the Empress briefly we untied the Sea Crane and made our way out of Victoria Harbor. We had not noticed the houseboats/float homes in the harbor on our way in, so it was fun to see them on our way out. I would still love to live on a houseboat! There were two cruise ships at the cruise terminal – Sea Princess and Rhapsody of the Seas – on their was back to Seattle after Alaskan cruises.

The water was incredibly flat on our way to Sydney, and we made good time, getting in just after 6:30.It was warm enough to open up the flaps of the Bimini, and enjoy the sea breeze.  We ended up docking in the very posh part of the marina, but couldn’t use the electricity there as it was all 50, and we could only do 30. We had quite an audience watching us dock, as it seemed to be sundowner time in the harbor. Jim and Judi did a spectacular job as usual, so even though we were tying up on the port side, we didn’t make a spectacle of ourselves.

After sundowners on our boat, we walked up to the Rum Runner for dinner. Just as we got there, Jim pointed out that we could see Mt Baker, and sure enough there was a perfect view of the mountain. I struggled to take a good photo, as there was an issue with the autofocus, but did manage to get an OK one in the end. From our table in the restaurant we had a great view of the mountain which was a real treat. Cioppino was on the menu, so we all ordered it, and it was fantastic. It would have been a great meal anywhere, but combined with the setting it was absolutely perfection, or as Jim said “quite good”.

After dinner we headed back to the boat, made sure everything was secure, and drifted off to sleep.

Wednesday June 2^nd, 2010

Where we see the beauty of Butchart Gardens

It was only raining a bit when I made the altogether too long a trek to the showers in the morning. These ones are $3 for 3 minutes. When I got to the shower I found out that you needed a code to get inside, and as I didn’t have my phone with me I was faced with having to go back in the rain to find out what it was. Luckily a gentleman was coming out of the showers and let me in, saying I looked like a boat person. I’m not sure it was a complement! I met up with him and his wife later on by the dock and it turned out that he was from Cardiff, and his wife was from Bristol, so we talked for a while about both places. They were well acquainted with the 3 Feathers in Barrow Gurney!

I was able to get in contact with Jennifer and we planned to meet her at Butchart Gardens. We found a taxi driver to take us to the gardens. He was full of useful and useless information, but when we asked him when and if the rain would stop, he told us that there would have to be a very high wind before the rain would go away.

When we got to the gardens it was still raining, so brollies in hand we set off to see the sights. Even in the rain the gardens are spectacular, and a good thing about the rain was that it seemed to be keeping the masses away, and there were very few people there. We wandered around the sunken garden and worked up an appetite, so we headed to the restaurant for lunch. There was a 20-minute wait for a table, so we went to see the totem poles where we saw an eagle, and then wandered back. Just as we were about to get our table Jennifer called to say she was there and so we were able to get a bigger table and she could join us for lunch. It turned out that we had met her on the last westbound crossing on the QE2. They were among the lucky folks who had done a back to back crossing, and had gone back to Southampton on the QM2.  She told us all about her work, and their many travels and we had a fun lunch. The food and wine were great, and by the time we were done with lunch the sun has almost come out, and so we headed off to the Japanese gardens and to see the cove.

By that time it was time to take Brian to the airport, and Jennifer kindly offered to take him there, and to drive us back to Victoria. After saying farewell to Brian as he headed off to his meeting, we took the scenic route back to Victoria, driving along the waterfront an passed the cruise terminal where we took a detour to see the Silverseas ship which was in port. Jennifer dropped us off near the boat, and it was then time to head out to dinner.

Jim and Judi had noticed Chandlers the night before, and it turned out to be a perfect choice for the evening. Judi and I had been talking about how we really wanted oysters and trout for dinner, and sure enough, there they were on the menu! The oysters were exceptionally good, probably the beat I have ever had. Small does seem to be better when it comes to oysters. The bad news was that they were out of trout, so I ordered crab legs instead, and they were fantastic, so I was very happy. We were also able to order a bottle of the Mission Hills chardonnay, so all in all it was a great evening, although I did miss Brian.

The wind had picked up a lot by the time we got back to the boat, so Jim decided to use an extra line to secure us. Even though we were in the harbor, we were really rocking a lot, and the boat was creaking away, sounding much like the classic sailing ship that she is!

Tuesday June 1^st, 2010

Where we nearly could’ve run aground

Jim woke us up very excited because he had caught 12 crabs in our trap! Many were too small, or the wrong sex, and we really didn’t have the facilities to cook them, so we let them go. Now we know how to catch them, no crab will ever be safe again around us!

We decided to have an early departure from Pender, so after using the showers we climbed back on board and decided to set sail and have breakfast once we were underway.

Things seemed to go well initially as we left the dock, but once we headed into the bay the engine suddenly died. Jim tinkered with it, but couldn’t get it going again. We were not in a good position to put up the sails, and we were drifting in the harbor, getting quite close to some rocks. We sent out a radio call to the harbor, but they didn’t respond, so we resorted to sending out a general distress call as it became clear that we were going to hit the rocks. In a very speedy manner we were able to lower the dinghy and attach the outboard motor, but by that time we were at the rocks and the boat hook was very ineffective at helping us push off the rocks. To make the situation worse, the engine of the dinghy wasn’t functioning well, so Jim was unable to use the dinghy to pull us away from the rocks. Just when shipwreck was seeming inevitable along came a chap called Rob in his dinghy, and we were able to quickly secure a line to his dinghy, and he pulled us out of danger’s way’

A Coast Guard vessel also showed up, but seeing that we now had the situation well under control didn’t intervene, but did stay in the area until we were safely moored back on the dock in Bedwell Harbor.  Rob did a splendid job of pushing us in to the dock, and certainly saved the day.

The only marine mechanic available was in Sydney, so it looked like we would have to get the engine fixed ourselves. Luckily Jim had a good idea of what the problem was and was able to call the previous owner who gave him instructions on what to do, so some time later we had a functioning engine again, and were able to once more head for Victoria.

We realized that we had missed breakfast, so we made brunch, and then Judi and I napped as we headed for Victoria.

Sailing into Victoria Harbour is quite a challenge as there are many small boats, whale watching boats, ferries, and sea planes all vying for their own little piece of water to move in. With excellent steering as always we were able to get to the dock with a minimum of fuss, and tied up right in front of the Empress Hotel. What a perfect spot to spend the night. The dock office was quite a way away, and we walked there in the rain.

Having checked in Brian and I walked over to the Negin’s apartment to pay a condolence call. It was great seeing them again, but very sad under the circumstances. They have a lovely flat, the building is almost right on the water, and the kitchen is perfection!

We had made reservations at a waterfront restaurant, where the food was great, but we are now getting quite spoiled, it wasn’t fantastic! We went back to the boat and showed Jim and Judi our pictures of Angkor Wat.

Monday May 31^st, 2010

Memorial Day on Pender

It was cold and misty when we woke up, but the harbor looked beautiful. The showers took loonies, no need for tokens in Canada!

Pammy met us at 11:00 and drove us around the island to her home. Even thought it wasn’t a Sunday, she had still prepared a wonderful curry lunch for us all! Conrad had run out of the local brew for the white wine, so Judi and I had to make do with “commercial” wine, but Jim and Brian tried out the local Beer and red wine. We got a tour of the house, and the new sunroom addition. That house has to be my almost absolutely favorite house there is. It is so wonderful; I wish we could’ve stayed longer. But it was time to move on. We stopped at the local supermarket to reprovision for the rest of the trip, and buy some chicken pieces to try out in the new crab trap. We then headed back to the Sea Crane.

We went back and made good use of the hot tub before having sundowners on the boat and going to the pub at Poet’s Cove for dinner. We watched the full sunset from the pub, it was quite spectacular, and the first sunset we had seen the whole trip. Our waitress at dinner was a very charming lass called Marina, from the east side of the Ural Mountains. We had yet another fantastic meal, paired with great wines from the Okanogan. We then made our way down the hill to our little boat for another nightcap before slipping into a deep slumber in our gently rocking Sea Crane.

Sunday May 30^th, 2010

We get to go to Crane Island again

Although it was jolly cold, Judi had brought along down comforters for the bed, so we were quite warm enough – no need for the hot water bottle I had brought along!  It rained constantly through the night.  However, the sound of the rain on the roof of the cabin was very soothing, and it did stop by the morning. Judi and I headed off to the showers as soon as we got up, and there was a bake sale by the Women’s Auxiliary going on on the dock. She bought some fresh, hot cinnamon rolls, an apple tart, and some cookies.

The Everett Yacht Club crowd were up bright and early too, and making quite an impressive breakfast of grilled sausages, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. It all looked quite yummy!

The cinnamon rolls were very tasty, and just perfect for a chilly morning on Orcas.

After breakfast we launched the dinghy and attached the little outboard motor without too much ado. The motor had issues, but we were able to get it going, so we puttered over to Crane Island.

There has been so much rain the island was greener that I have ever seen it. Still we were able to find our way up to the area on our property where we think we will build. We marveled at the view from the building site (toward Deer Harbor and Camel Back Mountain), and then Jim noticed an eagle on one of our trees. It was huge! We watched it for a while, and then it flew off to join another eagle on the property, so it was all quite exciting. After the eagle show we clambered down to the beach. Our neighbor has put in some cement between the stones at the beach access, so it id much easier to get done there now. It was really low tide and the beach really is a decent size. I was quite impressed!

We went up to the proposed building site and measured out where we will put the home, still concerned about the actual feasibility of building there.

After wandering around the property, which I love more each time we go there, we showed Jim and Judi the airfield, and then walked back to the dinghy at the dock.

I had been concerned about contacting Michael about the Buddhist Bell, but when we returned to the ship, there is was tucked inside the Bimini! I was so excited. It is so beautiful. Michael sent me an e-mail to say that the wording on it is “water”. How perfect! The Auxiliary ladies had made baked potatoes for lunch so Judi and I went and bought some, and we had a baked potato feast on the boat – this IS the life.

By this time the Everett people were still eating, drinking, and playing music, but we noted as we left that they were then plying with Play Doh and making daisy chains. Quite odd.

After lunch we tidied up and set off for Pender. It was very easy going, and Judi and I snoozed as we headed off to the gulf isles, in the rain.

We had to check in with Canadian Customs at Bedwell Harbour, which was very easily done. All you have to do is call in, and it is done. We then called the Poet’s Cove Marina on the radio, and motored over to our slip. After tying up we went ashore to look at the hotel. It really is quite lovely, and by using the marina we got to use the pool and hot tub there. We had sundowners on the boat, and then got all spruced up for dinner at their wonderful restaurant, Aurora. We had a fantastic meal, and a very cute waiter. We also discovered a very good wine, the Mission Hills chardonnay. After dinner everyone was too tired to use the hot tub, and it was raining so we just headed back to the boat for another cozy night on board.

Saturday May 29th, 2010

We head off to the West Side

After a very late night finishing up the packing, the alarm clock rang at 2:45, and we got up and got ready for our drive to the airport. We stopped off to pick some things up from Brian’s office, and got to the airport in good time, as they had suspended the roadwork on I 90 for the Holiday Weekend. We dropped Brian’s car off at the Hilton Garden Inn, and took the shuttle bus to the airport. The flights to Seattle and Bellingham were uneventful, and Jim met us in Bellingham. Our luggage went missing briefly, but was found again so off we set for Anacortes, with a brief stop over at a hardware store.

We finally got to meet “Sea Crane”. She was even more beautiful than Jim and Judi’s description. She was built in the 70s in Burma, so is full of Burmese teak everywhere. Our cabin is right at the front, with it’s own private head and shower.

While Jim took his car to where it would be parked during the time we are away, Brain, Judi, and I walked over to the local Safeway, and loaded up a shopping cart with provisions for our trip. We had just finished putting everything away, and making sure there was wine in the fridge, when Jim came back, and off we went.

It was pouring and rather chilly, but the Bimini is water tight, so we were very cozy sailing across to Deer Harbor. We checked in at Deer Harbor, and Brian bought a sweatshirt (it continued to be jolly cold), and we then had wonderful warm showers, and were ready in time to meet up with Michael Whellams who drove us to East Sound where we had dinner at the Madrona Grill. On our way into the restaurant I saw some beautiful Buddhist bells, and was wondering how on earth we could purchase one and get it back home. Michael was right on top of things, and said he would stop by the store in the morning and deliver it to our boat!

After dinner we returned to Sea Crane, and sat relaxing in the cabin, it was still raining but we were very snug inside.

On the dock when we arrived there was a group of people from the Everett Yacht Club who seemed to be intent on having a good time. When we arrived they had been cooking snacks and drinking, when we headed off to dinner they were cooking dinner and eating and drinking, and when we returned from dinner they were still eating and drinking, and playing good old time music. I had thought that the noise would keep me awake, but the cabin is so cozy, I fell asleep right away!

A Sailing We Will Go!

Well, we are off on a new adventure!

Of course this one also involves riding across the water, but not on the massive QM2, but on Jim and Judi's sail boat. We plan to sail out of Anacortes and head for Canada, with a stop on Orcas Island on the way. The forecast calls for rain, but no vacation would be complete without getting caught in a downpour, so let's hoist up the umbrella and set sail for foreign shores!

Hong Kong and Back Home Again

February 14^th 2010

We head back home again

We had arranged to meet Bob for breakfast as he had an early flight, and then we were going to go up the Peak. On awakening we could see nothing out of our bedroom window due to the dense fog, so we decided to abandon both ideas, and told Bob to stop by our room when he was ready to head out, and we had a few hours extra sleep. Bob came by to say goodbye, reassured us that he had his wallet, camera, passport, and the extra suitcase full of his purchases., and headed off to the airport.

We packed up our stuff and went down to the lobby where they were setting up for the dragon and lion dance, but we had to head to the airport so we missed it. We were very impressed that we were able to fit our 4 suitcases, 2 overnight bags, hand luggage and ourselves in to one taxi!

The flight back home was much shorter than flying to Dubai! The plane was very comfortable and I slept most of the way. Our layover in San Francisco was to have been quite short, but due to fog our plane was delayed for several hours, so we missed our connecting flight in Seattle, and despite my good intentions to have us home early in the evening, yet again we didn’t get home until after midnight. However, all of our luggage arrived, and that was the only delay for the whole trip, so we really had no complaints.

The cats were very happy to see us when we got home. The Cat Genie had not been a success alas, so Eileen had had to use the old litter box. We were happy to be sleeping in our own bed again, but did miss not being able to go to the Commodore Club for a quick drink before turning in. I went to sleep planning our next cruise, the Maiden Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Elizabeth next year. Can’t wait!

February 13^th 2010

They make us get off the ship, but at least I get to have tea at the Peninsular

Disembarking was very easy, no long waiting around for hours in the lounges after vacating your cabin. Our group was scheduled to disembark at 8:00, and we had just got to the Chart Room at 10 to when they announced that we could leave, so off we went. Being in the Container Port has issues for disembarkation. We had to leave the ship and take the shuttle bus to the Expo Center near the airport, going in the opposite direction to where our hotel is. After the half hour ride to the expo center we got off the bus and collected our suitcases. We needed to change more money, but there was no ATM or moneychanger at the Expo Center, which seems like a bit of poor planning. With the 3 of us, and all of our suitcases, we needed 2 taxis, but luckily there were plenty of taxis available. It was about an hour’s drive to the hotel, luckily our rooms were ready, so we could just dump our stuff and head out. The Conrad Hotel isn’t in a great tourist area, but it is a beautiful hotel. Our rooms were on the 51^st floor, our looked toward the peak, and Bob’s looked out over the harbor. Both were really great rooms, a good choice of hotel.

We wandered through the nearby gardens to Statue Square. Bob had wanted to check out the conservatory for 10 minutes, and we planned to meet him at the square. He then went missing for the next hour, but unlike his many missing possessions, we were eventually able to find him again. Both our first and second choice restaurants were closed for the New Year, but we found a fun place nearby, clearly only frequented by locals. They did have Coke in a can with a straw, so I was in good shape, although there was a price differential between cold and warm Coke, which was a new concept for us. I went with cold anyway. The food was delicious, although somewhat strange looking. Bob was ready for a nap, so took a taxi back to the hotel, and we arranged to meet at the Peninsular Hotel at 4:00 for tea. We wondered around and took to commuter escalators up to the top, and meandered down again in the direction of the MTR station at the bottom of the hill. It was an easy train ride to Kowloon and the Peninsular, and we were in the queue for tea by 4:00. No sign of Bob, so we decided to sit down and enjoy our tea anyway. Tea was like a dream come true. The room is so beautiful and elegant, and there was a quartet playing our favorite music. The food was standard teatime fare, but very fresh with a good variety so I was very happy! The cost was a bit over the top, but well worth it in my opinion. Just as we were about to leave, Bob arrived and had a quick cup of tea with us.

The weather had been nasty all day, but by the time we left the Peninsular it was pouring and very windy. We were able to walk through an underground passageway to a mall and found the restaurant Bob and I had eaten lunch in when we were in Hong Kong a few years ago. The food had been great, so we wanted to try it again. It was easy to find the restaurant, but when we tried to make a booking we discovered that seeing as it was the eve of the Lunar New Year everyone was eating out, and there were no tables available. Our original plan had been to eat in Kowloon and then watch the laser and music show over the harbor from across the harbor. As it was still pouring and very foggy we decided that we would not see much so we headed back to our hotel to see if we could eat in one of the restaurants there. No luck there either, but it turned out that there was a mall under the hotel. There were several interesting restaurants, and we decided to end up at a great Japanese place. We rushed back to Bob’s harbor view room after dinner to watch the laser light show, but it was too foggy and we didn’t see much as all. In usual style Bob had decorated his room, this time in honor of the New Year. Bob told us that the concierge had informed him that there would be a dragon in the lobby at 11:00, so went down in anticipation of a show, but there was nothing going on, so we decided to head off to sleep.

February 12^th 2010

We arrive in Hong Kong

Having had near perfect weather the whole trip, today dawned foggy and cold. Despite delaying the inevitable, we finally accepted that we had to pack, so we got most of it done in the morning. We were lucky enough to watch us sail into Hong Kong from out balcony, but when we got closer to the harbor we went on deck to watch us dock at the container terminal. We were accompanied by spraying tug fireboats to welcome us in to the harbor, very appropriate to celebrate the arrival of Queen Mary 2. On the dock we were greeted by a troupe of drummers, and 3 performing lions. The lions were very talented, great fun to watch as we were docking!

We disembarked as soon as we could. As we were yet again docked in the container port we had to take the shuttle in to town, but it only took 20 minutes and we were in the center of Kowloon, ready to see more temples! We changed some money and headed for the MTR. There was initially some confusion about how to obtain tickets, but we soon worked out the system and we were off to the nunnery. The underground is fantastic, very clean, bright, and organized. The nunnery was very peaceful, with beautiful ponds and water lilies so we stayed there for a long time, and didn’t then have time to go to the other temple we had wanted to visit.

We took the train back to Nathan Road and jumped on the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island and wandered around there a bit before heading back to Kowloon to shop, and then go back to the ship in order to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was fantastic again, and we said our goodbyes to everyone. We were quite envious of Shirley who is staying on for the whole world cruise.

We had wanted to go back in to town to see the Temple Street Night Market, but packing still needed to be done so we finished it off and went to the Commodore Club for my final Milky Way Martini, and sadly went off to bed, wishing that a miracle would happen and we could stay on board!

Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the sea

February 11^th 2010

At sea

I got up at the crack of dawn to rescue our clothes from the dryer. Our only complaint about the ship is that it is impossible to get your laundry done; the machines are always in use and take far too long!

We decided to skip breakfast and headed up to the terrace on deck 11 where there were plenty of loungers in the shade, and started the hard work of serious relaxation, punctuated by requests for more drinks from the waiters. And dips in the hot tub. The ocean is calm yet again, and a beautiful blue, watching the wake from where we are sitting is mesmerizing. Bob has constantly been asking about going to Todd English for dinner, so I stopped by the Concierge desk and make a reservation for tonight. I am very happy to eat in our restaurant every night, but it does mean that we do at least get to eat with Bob. It is our last formal night, and the senior officers’ party, so it should all be fun

February 10^th 2010

A hot day in Saigon

Brian got up early to sight see, but I decided to sleep in. The ship had been late docking in Phu My, and our tour bus had not been allowed to go up to the ship, so it wasn’t until after noon that our tour group arrived in HCMC, so we had to go straight to lunch at the Rex Hotel. Lunch was good, but Chinese rather than Vietnamese food. There were musicians playing, and dancers, so it was all rather lovely. We then did our tour of the city, but only with very brief stops at the sights due to time constraints, and we didn’t get to the Temple we were hoping to see. We ended up at a great market where we did yet more shopping, and then it was a 2 and a half hour drive back to the ship. We were very impressed with HCMC, which seems to be booming, plenty of real Rolex shops along with the fake ones.

We were unable to go into the harbor on the tour bus, but it was a short walk to the ship. It felt great to be back on board again, and Joseph, our cabin steward, seemed pleased to see us, and hear about all we had done. I dashed to get some laundry done, and then sat and waiting for us to sail. There was the inevitable message over the loud speaker system requesting Mr. and Mrs. so and so from deck such and such, to contact the pursers’ office IMMEDIATELY, yet more people late back to the ship preventing us from having an on time departure. Finally we blew our whistle 3 long times, and off we went on our way down the river and out to sea.

Dinner was excellent as usual. By the time we got to dinner, Eileen had already left to go to the show, but we sat chatting to Shirley and Tony, neither of whom had gone ashore, and told them all about our amazing overland adventure.

February 9^th 2010

We fall in love with Cambodia and Bob tries to burn down a Temple

We got up at 4:45 so we could get to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. It was still pitch black when we got to the West entrance to the Temple and crossed the causeway to get into the grounds. We found a good spot to sit and wait for the sunrise. There were quite a few people there, but nothing like I had thought it would be, and we had a great view. Gradually it got lighter and lighter, and suddenly I could make out the shape of the Temple appearing before us. It was breath taking. I had seen so many pictures, but when you first see it by the morn’s early light, you feel you are watching something out of a beautiful movie. Gradually as the light increased you could see the reflection in the moat in front of us, and make out the profusion of red water lilies everywhere. Alas, there were no spectacular colors this morning, and Bob pointed out that it was the most uncolorful sunrise he had ever seen, but the sight of the Temple and its refection with the sun peeping out behind the building is still one of the world’s most spectacular images.

After sunrise, we headed back to the hotel for a serene breakfast. The dining room at the hotel was as peaceful as the rest of the establishment, and they had as much mango as you could eat. I was very happy!

We checked out of the hotel and headed back to Angkor Wat, this time approaching from the East entrance. All of a sudden the main temple became visible through an opening in one of the outer buildings. It was again breathtaking, and we just wanted to sit and stare at it, and take it all in. We walked all around the complex and climbed up to the upper levels of the Temple from where we had a magnificent view of the whole complex. It was very hot and humid, but that really didn’t matter because it was all so amazing.

After Angkor Wat we drove back into Siem Reap for lunch, and then on to Angkor Thom, which if anything was more amazing than Angkor Wat, and finally we went to Ta Prhrom, otherwise known as the ‘Jungle Temple”. It has been left much as it was when it was ‘discovered’ in the late 19^th Century, with huge roots growing around the buildings. Tomb Raiders was filmed here, and I quite expected Harrison Ford to appear at any minute (no such luck, that was a different movie anyway).

After our day of Temple Viewing we then took a tuk tuk around the older part of town, ending up at a Buddhist Temple. There our guide showed us the right way to offer up incense. Brian lit his 5 sticks of incense without any problems and embarked on his task of meditating. I had great difficulty lighting mine, putting out most of the candles that were there for you to light the incense from in the process. Luckily our guide took pity on me, and gave me his. I started to embark on my pathway to meditation, but there was a strange smell. Looking around I noticed that Bob had set the carpet alight with his incense and was attempting to extinguish the flames with some currency notes he took out of the offering bowl. This was not working, as the money now also seemed to be getting involved in the conflagration. Luckily an innocent bystander rushed over and put out the fire, and Bob was able to embark on his meditation. After this we were showered in Holy Water by a bunch of chanting monks. This was all meant to bring us good luck on our travels, and must be working, as Bob hasn’t lost anything recently!

By now, we were very hot and sweaty, so we went back to the hotel for a quick shower, and then alas it was time to say goodbye and head to the airport. Our plane was at 9:25 so we thought we would have supper and a drink before we boarded. At the bar they only sold wine by the bottle, not the glass. We ordered a bottle, but then had to request that they opened it, and we also had to ask for glasses. This was a bar, not the duty free shop! All very strange. They boarded the plane earlier than we had expected, and seeing as everyone was there, we left 45 minutes early. I can’t see that happening at O’Hare.

We all felt sad to be leaving Cambodia. We had been in the country for less than 24 hours but it had an almost magical effect on us. Everyone we met was so welcoming and helpful. It was hard to imagine what the country had been through, it was all so incredibly peaceful now.

Our arrival in Viet Nam was uneventful, and although we were there almost an hour early, there was someone to meet us and take us to the hotel. We stayed at the Caravelle Hotel, which was where many journalists had stayed during the war. The roof top bar had been a popular hang out with them, so we had to check it out. It was a great bar; we sat outside and enjoyed the evening breeze. The hotel was the tallest building in Saigon for many years, so used to have a wonderful view, but the view is now partially obscured by the surrounding high rises.

February 8^th 2010

A perfect day in Bangkok, we arrive in Cambodia, Bob doesn’t lose anything

I must admit, I was a bit reluctant to leave our beautiful ship, but the magical temples of Angkor Wat beckoned so as soon as we could get our passports from the Pursers’ Office we headed ashore where Kim, our guide was already waiting for us. It was quite a long drive from Laem Chabang, where we had docked, to get to Bangkok, but Kim was very chatty and kept us informed along the way. Although it was not on our itinerary, Kim wanted to show us the produce market, so we got out of the van and wandered around the fruit and vegetable stands, where she explained to us what everything was, and we got to sample some of the fruit. We also went to the flower market, and Kim bought me a bracelet made of orchids, and Bob bought 3 bunches of Orchids which he carried around with him until we returned to the boat.

After the market we took a Tuk Tuk ride to the Royal Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple. After lunch we took a long tailed boat ride to the Royal Barge Museum, and then to Reclining Buddha Temple and Wat Arun. Alas, it was then time to head to the airport, with a quick stop at a mall on the way fro Brian and Bob to buy battery chargers for their cameras.

Going through security at Bangkok Airport I was most put out that I had to give up my bottle of sunscreen. I really don’t think the plane was in any danger from a spray of Coppertone SPF 30, but the security man told me he was just being careful. However, he did comment that I should be using more sunscreen, as I do look very red! Fortunately there was a Boots the other side of security so we were able to stock up with sunscreen again.

It was only an hour’s flight to Siem Reap, and as we got off the plane we were met by an immigration officer who personally escorted us through immigration, very classy! Our guide and driver then met us, and it was a short drive to our hotel, La Residence d’Angkor. The hotel was amazing, like something out of a fancy magazine! Everyone was so pleasant and helpful, and the room so beautiful, we began to regret that we were only staying for one night! After dumping our bags in our rooms, we headed to the bar and sat there listening to great music. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

4 Ports in 4 Days, thank goodness for sea days!

February 7^th 2010

Another wonderful sea day, where Bob only lost his guidebook

We had an extra hour of sleep today as we turned the clocks back for a change. I decided to miss breakfast and lie in bed watching the waves for a while, and then in a burst of energy headed up to the deck 11 sun terrace and established myself in the shade, not too far from the hot tub. I spent the whole day there, only moving to get in and out of the hot tub, or to motion to the waiter that I needed another drink. Brian joined me later, and went up to the Boardwalk Café to bring us lunch. The hot tub was perfect, and laying there the only choices I had to make were whether to order a cider or a Pina Colada, The water has been very calm again, and there is still no motion on the boat. The only excitement of the afternoon was at the pool on deck 8. I had been sitting in the hot tub listening to Vibz playing there, when all of a sudden one of the passengers got up and sang a very untuneful rendition of La Bamba, and at the end both she and the keyboard player jumped into the pool. Everyone seemed to be quite stunned by the episode, not the usual thing that happens on board. Eventually late in the afternoon I went to the Pursers’ desk to get our passports, so we can fly to Cambodia tomorrow. I heard one of the Pursers saying to a guest that he was very sorry but no one had turned the book in yet, and I looked around, and there was Bob in search of his lost guidebook! Yes, a day has not gone by without something going astray! It was another formal evening tonight, and for the most part everyone looked great. No one in a kilt thought which was disappointing. The show tonight was an Elton John impersonator who did a fabulous job, and even had everyone up and dancing on the stage, and we really are a ship of old fuddy duddies so that was quite impressive!

I am looking forward to our trip to Cambodia tomorrow, but I must admit I do hate the thought of leaving the ship, even for just 2 nights!

February 6^th, 2010

The day I had a Singapore Sling at Raffles, and saw more Temples, and Bob lost his wallet

The view from our cabin this morning was of hundreds and hundreds of cars parked on the dock at the container port in Singapore. Queen Mary2 is too big to dock at the cruise terminal, so we had to take a free shuttle bus from the ship to the terminal. The port is so huge, that it was a half hour drive to get to the cruise terminal, it was amazing. There were stacks and stacks of containers being loaded and off loaded from the huge container ships, and even though it was Saturday, the port was very busy. There was great shopping mall at the terminal, and Bob was able to buy a camera. There was also a small supermarket and pharmacy there, very convenient if we had needed to stock up on groceries. Bob wanted to spend some time at the Botanic Garden, and we wanted to go to China Town, so we headed our separate ways. We took the underground train to China Town and had a great time wandering around the market there, which was very brightly decorated for the New Year. We did some shopping and then stopped in at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. The monks were chanting away when we got there, so it was ll very moving. The actual relic is in a very ornate set up on the 4^th floor. You cannot actually see the tooth in the case, but it is projected on a TV screen, Brian pointed out that it didn’t look much like a human tooth, but that doesn’t really matter, I believe that it is. We then wandered into the Jamae Chulia Mosque, where we were stopped by a gentleman who seemed compelled to explain the tenets of Islam to us. He was very pleasant, and after quite a long discussion we continued on our way to the Hindu Temple, which was being renovated, so we couldn’t see much, and then we ended up at the Thian Hock Keng Temple, the oldest in Singapore. It was another wonderful temple, but we couldn’t linger too long as we were meeting up with Bob and his friend from the past, Kee Leng, at the Long Bar at Raffles. Well we were there on time, and so was Kee Leng, but Bob arrived an hour late. We had a wonderful time sitting there drinking Singapore Slings and enjoying the ambience of the hotel. Bob was hungry so we went to the Empire Café at the hotel where we had delicious Peranakan cuisine. It was there that Bob realized that he had lost his wallet, and we returned to the bar, but it was nowhere to be found. We just had time for a quick stop on the waterfront, and got to see the Merlion Statue/fountain, before Kee Leng took us back to the Cruise Terminal, where we caught the last bus back to the ship. Our departure was delayed as a couple of people didn’t turn their passports into the pursers desk, so we only sailed at night, so missed a good view of Singapore as we left. Dinner was superb as usual – and our three tablemates were still on dessert when we got there so we got to chat with them, and update them on Bob’s daily loss.

February 5^th 2010

A hot day in KL where Bob lost his camera

We had decided to do a tour of Kuala Lumpur with Richard and Sandra and a bunch of other Cruise Critic people. We all met by the piano on deck 2 and disembarked by the B stairwell as directed. Half of our group disembarked, and then the Costa Allegra arrived on the other side of the dock, so we were asked to wait a few minutes while they secured her. Well, half an hour later we were told that we would have to all get on board again, and leave by another stairwell. By this time there were queues of people trying to get off so it took another 45 minutes by the time we could finally join our group. Our first stop was the Batu Caves. It was really, really hot, and very crowded, so the 272 steps up to the caves was quite a challenge, as was avoiding the macaque monkeys, who Bob was convinced were mesmerizing him. Next we went to the Petronas Towers, and then to the Thean Hou Temple, where Bob seems to have lost his camera. We stopped by the Masjid Negara Mosque and Independence Square, and after a bit of shopping at a night market we headed back to the ship, getting back in good time, despite everyone’s concerns that we were running late.

February 4^th, 2010

Penang, where Bob lost his money

It was another very hot and steamy day, so we decided to minimize our walking and found ourselves a taxi driver soon after leaving the ship, and he was happy to drive us around all day. Our first stop had to be the Kek Lok Si Temple. I remember it from our last trip to Penang, and it was as wonderful as I remembered it, but even better in many ways as they were decorating the whole temple area in preparation for the Chinese New Year, so there was a profusion of red everywhere, and loads and loads of flowers. We wandered down between the little shops back to the car, and headed to the Botanic Gardens. As it was so hot, Brian and I decided to take the tram tour around the gardens, leaving Bob shopping in the conservatory. On returning from our tram ride we were greeted by Bob who had lost his envelope containing $100, so we searched the cab, but it was nowhere to be found. He did manage to buy a whole bunch of plants, which are now gracing our balcony as he has an inside cabin, and I am expecting them to blow overboard at any minute. We also visited a Thai and a Burmese Temple; the Thai one had a huge reclining Buddha, the first reclining Buddha of the trip. We finished off at one of the Chinese Clan Houses, which was also fascinating, and headed back to the ship for fluid replacement, and watched us sail away from the peace and quiet of our balcony.

February 3^rd, 2010

Phuket for the day, where our tender got stuck so I thought we might have to stay there.

Phuket was a tender stop, and I thought it would take us hours to get ashore as the people on tours were getting off first, but with not too much of a wait, we were soon on our way ashore. We were greeted by scores of taxi drivers, which was all quite overwhelming, but picked one at random, who turned out to be a good choice, and off we set to explore the island. Our first stop had to be the Temple with a bit of Buddha bone relic in it. It was exciting enough to see the relic, but the Temple itself was also very beautiful. We then drove to Phuket Town and our driver showed us around and then took us up the hill so we could get a good view of the island. There was a little restaurant on the top of the hill, so as it was lunchtime we took a break and relaxed, and had a wonderful meal overlooking the view. We then headed off to see the half buried Buddha on the north of the island, and back to Patong where we were anchored. After doing a bit of shopping, we caught the almost last tender back to the boat. We were pleased to get seats on the top and settled in to take some great photos of the ship in the evening light, when we snagged something with our propeller, and spent the next hour bobbing around in the ever-increasing darkness whilst everyone seemed to have an opinion as to how to rectify the situation. Eventually they were able to cleat the propeller, and we chugged back to the ship, and once we were on board, we set sail for Penang.

February 2^nd 2010

A wonderful day at sea where I try out the hot tub and get very sunburned

The constant time change is getting to be a problem First we lost an hour when we left Dubai, then we lost another half hour, followed by yet another half hour, and then another hour again last night. I now have no idea where we are in space and time. When you are at sea it really doesn’t matter. I can see how it could be a problem in port if you get an hour off and then miss the boat. Today I think I am on the right time tho’.

I decided to miss breakfast, and headed to the library to check my e-mail. Previously we had been at the front of the ship, so it was very convenient for the library and Commodore Club. This time we are right near the back, and although it certainly is a hike to the library (and launderette), I think I prefer it. First we are not looking over a lifeboat, and can see directly down to the Promenade Deck and the water. Next, I have discovered the C stairwell. We had always used A, B and D, so C has been an exciting find. There are no problems getting a lift as soon as you push the button, and the paintings inside the lifts of the ships (especially Queen Elizabeth and QE2) are fantastic. I just love being there! We are also right near the D stairwell, so that is convenient for dinner, and the hot tub on deck 11.

E-mail seemed to be working a bit better today, and I was finally able to upload the QM2/QE2 video to You Tube. I converted the movie to an m4v, whatever that is, but it seems to have uploaded;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0oyBE-tCMQ

. I listened to the movie again – I do love that sound of the QE2, there is nothing else like her!

Then I lay in the sun and in the hot tub on deck 11, and got quite sunburned alas! Still, watching the wake from the hot tub is an amazing experience, and I was having a good time. We met Bob in the Golden Lion for lunch (Strongbow and fish and chips) and I went to the Platinum wine tasting, meeting up with Cruise Critic friends there. There were no buckets to spit the wine out into, so 6 glasses later I retired back to the cabin for a nap.

The food at dinner was spectacular again, and the service superb. The restaurant itself is growing on me, although I am still not sure I enjoy staring out onto the Promenade Deck, the PG restaurants on the QE2 and Queen Victoria are just so much nicer.

Another Update!

February 1^st 2010

Emma’s Birthday!

Another sea day! The problem with this itinerary is that we have all of these wonderful sea days at the start of our trip, and once we reach Phuket we will constantly be going ashore. Apparently there was a storm overnight, but unfortunately we slept through it. We are yet to see any motion at all, quite disappointing. Bob was very late for breakfast, and then we arranged to meet him in the Winter Garden as we wanted to check e-mails and the reception isn’t great in our cabin, but he never showed up. Brian saw a whale, so there was a lot of excitement, and poor Bob missed that too. We stopped by the Concierge to find out about booking dinner one night at the Chef’s Galley, and found out that it was fully booked until Hong Kong, so the lesson learned is book as soon as you board!

The ball theme tonight is ‘A night of the Raj’, I had thought of buying some sari material in Cochin, but in our rush to get back to the ship, didn’t do so, so as usual I’ll be there in one of my usual black dresses! We decided that I could go as a Colonial. I sort of look like one already.

We met Bob in the chart room for drinks before dinner, as I had wanted to listen to the harpist, and have an early dinner so we could eat with our tablemates. Sitting in the chart room was fantastic. Everyone was in their formal clothes, and looked very elegant – I was in my element. We headed off to dinner and got there before Shirley who had delayed her arrival at dinner due to the electrical storm. The menu tonight was fantastic – choice of chateaubriand, grilled lobster, duck flamed in Cointreau, or Thai shrimp curry. For old time’s sake I chose the chateaubriand, which was as good as any I have eaten. Our tablemates turned out to be wonderful company, and we had a great time with them. I just wish they would get into the habit of eating later! We worked on photos of Cochin in the cabin after dinner, waiting for Bob to finish his dinner, He finally arrived, and pointed out to us that we had missed the Cunard World Club party. In all my years of sailing I have never missed one so I was mortified. Then I realized that instead of drinking Pol Acker, I was sitting in the Chart Room drinking the real thing, that it was a wise choice to miss it!

We watched the end of the Raj Ball, and headed to G32, which was almost deserted. We sat and listened to the music for a while, and danced, and gradually people trickled in, but even by the time we left at 12:30 there were very few people there. Still it was fun dancing (they played whiter Shade of Pale and Ferry Cross the Mersey, so I was in my element), and people watching. There were very interesting interchanges going on, but as Brian had to send some e-mails we retreated to the cabin. The internet was still not working, so we headed to the back of the ship, looking for phosphorescence in the wake, and watching the full moon, and finally got to bed at 2:00.

Happy Birthday Emma! Wish you were with us!

January 31^st 2010

A Day in Cochin

We got up at 6 to watch us sail into Cochin. We had planned to disembark at 8:30, but due to the usual delays in getting everyone organized, we only got ashore at 9:15. It was 95 degrees and very humid, so we decided to forgo our original plan of taking a taxi to Fort Cochin and then walking around the old city for the rest of the day, and we decided to hire a taxi for the whole day. We had initially wanted to get a Tuk Tuk, but they said they could only seat 2 people, so we were left with a regular taxi, and a wonderful driver, who spoke no English. Through much gesticulation we were able to let him know that Brian wanted to but a shirt. The shop he took us to was actually a tailor; so Brian ordered 2 shirts to be made, and off we set to sight see! We started at the Palace, which gave a fascinating insight into the Cochin Royal Family, and then we saw the Basilica of Santa Cruz, St Francis Church (where Vasco da Gama was buried for a few years, he died in Cochin), the Dutch Cemetery, and then spent a lot of time watching the Chinese Fishing nets in action. We decided to stop for lunch was at the Brunton Boatyard hotel where we sat out by the water having the most wonderful curry meal (curried prawns for me!), watching dolphins in the water in front of us. In the afternoon we went to the Paradesi Synagogue, and picked up Brian’s shirts, with a lot of shopping interspersed of course. Bob finally found his perfect ruby earring from India, and we got back to the ship only a few minutes after we were meant to be on board.

We headed straight to the Terrace Bar for fluid replacement and I tried again to upload my You Tube video, thinking that the internet would work better in port, but again it failed to upload alas. I will have to wait for Hong Kong. We watched us sail out of Cochin from our balcony, and it was an amazing sight. The shoreline was filled with people waving and shouting, and we gave a lot of whistle blows, which were a huge crowd pleaser, both on ship and on shore.

As usual, when we got to dinner our table mates were just finishing dessert. They stayed a while to chat with us, and had interesting stories to tell. Two of our table mates have been on several world cruises on the QM2 and QE2, so unlike our segment being something we have saved up for and planned for years, the world voyage seems to be an annual outing for them. I could handle a lifestyle like that!

Dinner was excellent as usual – snails, sole, and crepes Suzette!

January 30^th 2010

3^rd Sea Day in a Row – What a Treat!

We seem to be developing a nice routine. Brian has been banned from the gym because they didn’t like his shoes, so he is waiting in the cabin in the mornings until I eventually wake up, and then we head to the King’s Court for breakfast, where we meet up with Bob. Then somehow the rest of the morning vanishes, and it is lunchtime. So we head to the pub, and then because the boys are still hungry, go to the Boardwalk Café for fries. After that it’s back to the cabin to read/sleep on the balcony after checking out what’s new at the gift shop. There are several enrichment talks going on, but we keep on missing them, and we haven’t even got to tea yet.

The ship is as beautiful as ever, and the service wonderful. I am feeling very pampered! There is an interesting mix of passengers, a lot of Europeans and Japanese, but I have heard that there are quite a few South Africans on board too although we haven’t met any yet. The dress code has been a bit lax; some rather revealing outfits during the day, and even on formal nights there are several people in jeans and shorts around the ship. Our table in the dining room looks out onto the Promenade Deck, so we get a constant passing show of what is being worn, or in some cases, what not to wear. There have been many gentlemen in white dinner jackets, which does seem appropriate as we are in the tropics. Not very many kilts though, which is a shame!

January 29^th 2010

Another perfect day at sea.

The sea continues to be very flat, it’s hard to realize that we are on a ship at all, there is no motion. Bob made it to breakfast, and then we took him on a tour of the ship, the bridge-viewing window was open so we watched the bridge goings on for a while. When we got to the pool, Bob decided he needed a drink, so we had one, and then continued with the tour. We later interrupted the tour to hear the Priest on the ship do a talk, which also wasn’t very good, but he is very funny and I enjoyed it anyway. We finished off the tour at the Boardwalk Café, had something to eat, and returned to our cabin where Bob fell asleep on the balcony, and on awakening declared that he was hungry, so Brian and he headed off to the King’s Court for more food.

We went to the show this evening, the first one we have actually been to. It was a singer/comedian named David Copperfield (not the REAL one!), who was OK, but not a good as the comedian on our last trip. When we got to dinner our tablemates were on dessert, but were quite chatty and Tony was telling tales of living near London during the war, which was very interesting. We had a great time. I had had an exhausting day doing nothing, so retired to bed after dinner.

An Update!

January 25^th 2010

Where we reach our final destination with all of our luggage

Finally in Dubai! If the cruise is half as fun as getting to Dubai, we are in for a great time. I am not usually a huge fan of flying, but I must say Cathay Pacific is rather nice. All the staff are dressed very elegantly and are amazingly gracious, making us feel very special. Getting us in training for Mary! On our flight to Hong Kong we were on the upper level of a jumbo, and the seats are those great lie flat ones, which are angled so that when you lie down you can look out the window and see the stars as you drift off to sleep rocked by the plane’s motion. They served abalone for breakfast, but luckily there was a goat’s cheese omelet and mimosas available too! We landed in Hong Kong and were off the plane and through immigration by 7:10, and ready to explore! We decided to revisit the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. We took a taxi to the pretty fishing village of Tai O, and then carried on up to the Buddha and Monastery, We wandered around the monastery, and climbed the steps up to the Buddha. It was very misty which gave the setting a very magical feel, but totally obscured the view. We took the cable car back down again, and caught a taxi at the bottom and were back at the airport in time to have a wonderful long shower before boarding our plane to Dubai, via Mumbai. I was quite upset when our itinerary on the cruise was changed so we miss Mumbai, but at least we got a good look at the airport from the plane! The entertainment on the plane was great – plenty of episodes of 30 Rock, and even a documentary on Queen Mary 2 on the Discovery Channel, not to mention an episode of Deadliest Catch. I felt right at home. There was also an endless supply of champagne, not as good as VC, but at least not the dreaded Pol Acker, which will no doubt be waiting in our cabin when we board on Wednesday – only 2 days away yeah!!!!!! When we arrived in the hotel in Dubai, they asked if we wanted to be upgraded to a suite, which was fantastic! Then the biggest co-incidence happened – Bob was in the room next to our suite, and there was an inter leading door! We were thrilled to see that he had actually arrived in Dubai, although he had missed his flight from Chicago to New York so things weren’t entirely uneventful for him.

January 26^th 2010

Where we get to see the QE2 and go up a very tall building

We got up bright an early and were able to obtain a driver for the day as we thought this would be the easiest way to see Dubai in the short time we have here. First stop was the Burj Khalifa, and after wandering around the Mall at the bottom of the building for a while we found the ticket office for tickets to the Top. Of course, all of the advanced purchase tickets were sold out, but for a mere $100 each we could get immediate entry tickets. There were some grumblings from a certain member of the party, but hey, we are only in Dubai once, so I bought the tickets and up we went! The building is amazing, with the sand storms around us, it looked like something out of a science fiction movie. The view is spectacular, although there is limited visibility due to the sand haze. The best part was I could just make out the QE2 in port! I was very excited. After having breakfast in the Mall we found our driver again and he drove us around to see the Burj Al Arab, and The Palm, which had Atlantis at the very end. All of the buildings are quite amazing! We then drove to the older part of town and had lunch in the courtyard of the Basta Art Café in the old Bastakiya neighborhood, and then spent the afternoon in the very well done Dubai Museum. We drove back to the hotel along Dubai Creek. I had thought that it would be very romantic to do an evening dhow cruise, like the one we did in Lamu, so I went and booked one. Well, this did not turn out as planned at all. We were picked up by the van to take us to the dhow, but the van went to several other hotels, and we only got to the Dhow an hour later. The boat was huge, and not at all romantic, and it was long past sunset by then, but we did have a great meal and got to see the QE2 again, so it was all-worthwhile!

January 27^th 2010

Where we get to see the 2 Queens

We spent the morning along the Creek, watching the dhows at work and wandering around the souks. Then it was time to check out of the hotel and head off to the ship! Bob had already lost his camera and his guidebook, but by some pieces of good fortune these were found again, and off we went. Well boarding in Dubai is not at all like it is in Brooklyn or Southampton! We got to the port at 1:00 and here was already a huge disorganized queue and no sign of a Grills or Platinum check in desk. We waited in the queue for about an hour, when someone asked if we were Gold members or higher, and then pointed us in the direction of another queue, which really wasn’t much help at all, and we still had to wait for another half hour or so. We finally got our key cards, and horrors, instead of mine being Platinum, it was the dreaded red one! I tried to point out that a terrible mistake had been made, but the lady from the pursers office informed me very bluntly that Cunard had no history of me having travelled with them before, and I would have to give my cruise history to the World Club desk when we got on board. I was most put out, but there didn’t seem to be any options, and I was glad to finally be getting onboard. Boarding was on deck one, not a very auspicious welcome to the greatest liner in the world, no beautiful lobby with a harpist playing, but it was good enough for me! I handed in my card at the top of the gangway, and noticed that the picture on the card looked nothing like me at all, but the security person didn’t see this as being a problem, and when I protested that that wasn’t me, she just shrugged and told me to get on board. A quick visit to the pursers’ office clarified the error in the card, so now I have a Platinum one, with MY picture, so all is well with the world.

Our cabin (stateroom? suite?) is absolutely beautiful, and in perfect condition, so we opened the Pol Acker and settled in quickly. The only problem is that the Internet doesn’t work there. We have never had that problem before.

We were berthed right near the QE2 so we took some photos from the deck 11 observation area, and then noticing that people seemed to be walking right up to her, we disembarked again and walked over to the QE2 to get some close up shots. They had a gangway down, and a very pleasant man was guarding it. He had been warned that some very determined people would be there to try to board her and that he had to fend them off at all costs. I didn’t want to get him into trouble, but I did persuade him to let me walk up to the top of the gang way and step on board for a minute! We took loads of photos and then had to rush back to Mary as we thought we were about to set sail. As usual there were people who were late, so we had to delay our departure, and it was quite dark by the time we finally set off. Commodore Warner told us that he was going to be able to pull along side the QE2 as we leaving the harbor, so we got a fantastic close up view (although it was very dark by then) and heard that wonderful QE2 horn again. I posted the video on You Tube.

We went down for dinner at 8:00 and the Maitre D’ told us that his plans for our table had ‘fallen through’ but he had found a great table for us. It turned out that our table mates consist of 2 elderly American ladies and one elderly British gentleman who are perfectly nice people, but were finishing dinner as we arrived, and stated that they always dined early, so I doubt that we will see much of them which is a huge pity. One of the joys of travel is meeting interesting tablemates. Still the food was wonderful – a Pacific Northwest seafood cocktail, tenderloin cooked to perfection, and a Grand Marnier crème Brule, with a South African wine to compliment it, so I was quite happy! After dinner we headed up to the Commodore Club for a Milky Way Martini and to meet up with Bob, and then because the boys were tired we headed off to bed.

January 28^th 2010

Where I realize that I would be quite happy if all we have are sea days

I can lie in bed and watch the sea go by. This is how life is meant to be. If I have the energy, I can move from the bed to the lounger on the balcony and lie in the sun and watch the sea go by. The fridge has 2 bottles on champagne in it. All is well with the world. The starboard side is the sunny side of the ship, so I have decided that now there is air conditioning, SOPH is the new POSH. We had planned to meet Bob in the King’s Court for breakfast, but he never showed up having fallen asleep again. We then went to the Cruise Critic meet and greet, did some shopping and it was time for lunch. We got a table in the pub and I had my Ploughman’s and a Strongbow, so I was in a good mood! We did some more shopping, and went to a talk on Vasco Da Gama, which wasn’t very good. An Iraqi plane flew over us this morning, and then this afternoon an F15 flew by to check us out, I guess everyone wants to see the Queen Mary 2! She is quite a sight. I lay on the balcony in the sun for a while, and then somehow it was time to get ready for dinner. Who knows where the day went!