I arrived in Hong Kong to begin a 28 day cruise through South East Asia. I expected a big city but did know the beauty and greenery I would find. I only had one full day here and took the tram to Victoria Peak with incredible views of the city, harbour and islands. The following day I was on the ship by early afternoon with a lovely view of the Hong Kong waterfront. In the evening there was a laser light show, ‘A Symphony of Lights’ (presented every night) before our late sail away at 11 pm. As we slowly sailed out into the South China Sea, we passed large residential towers and it was hard to comprehend how many people actually live here. The amount of land is limited but they’ve built up ever higher and it’s an amazing sight to see.
Our first three ports were in Vietnam, a very welcoming country with beautiful scenery. The Vietnam war was often in my thoughts and I learned that the Vietnamese refer to it as the American war. We arrived before sunrise to Halong Bay (Bay of the Descending Dragon). As were anchored in the bay, I took a tender boat to the Bam Boo Cafe on shore and enjoyed a nice cup of green tea for $2. In the afternoon, I had a 2 hour cruise among the limestone islands. It was a cloudy and misty day but still a spectacular sight. Part of the cruise was a visit to Thien Cung Cave (Heavenly Palace) with beautiful stalagmites and stalactites lit in colored lights. After dark, from the ship, we could see the laser light show on the Bai Chai Bridge partly covered in mist before we sailed away.
After a day at sea, we arrived in Da Nang and I had to make a choice between seeing Hue or Hoi An. This is the unfortunate side to only having one day here as they were both of interest to me. I chose the ancient city of Hoi An, over 1000 years old, to explore on my own for a few hours. The city was spared damage during the Vietnam War and has retained the architecture and charm of its trading days from the 15th to 19th centuries. It was also known for making suits in one day. A few of my fellow passengers were measured, selected their material, and it was delivered to the ship before we left that evening. I crossed the well known Japanese Bridge built in the 18th century and wandered around the village of shops, cafes and museums. On the way back to the ship, we rode past beautiful My Khe Beach (China Beach), where American soldiers came to rest and relax during the Vietnam War.
Another day at sea brought us to Nha Trang. I took a shuttle to the beach with opportunities to walk and explore the sights. I found a rickshaw driver that provided a one hour tour to Long So’n Pagoda and Po Nagar Cham Towers. The Long So’n Pagoda has a sleeping Buddha and a large white Buddha seated on a lotus blossom with views of the city as a reward for climbing over 150 steps. Continuing the rickshaw ride through the city we came to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, 4 of the original 7 or 8 are still standing, and built between the 7th and 12th centuries by the ancient Cham civilization. Buddhists still come here to make offerings and there are lovely views of Nha Trang harbor and city. Upon returning to the beach, I had a disagreement with the rickshaw driver on the fare and found out later that it is best to get an agreed upon price in writing as a verbal agreement is often challenged at the end of the ride. He would not take my money, so I left the agreed upon amount plus a tip on the seat and walked away. He did not follow me and nothing more was said.
The next day we arrived at the port of Phu My, a two hour drive to Ho Chi Minh City. HCMC and Saigon are also commonly used names by locals. I walked to the French built church of Notre Dame with the post office across the street designed by Gustave Eiffel. A couple blocks away was the Reunification Palace (formerly Independence Palace), which I found fascinating. This is the infamous palace where the North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gate on 30 April 1975. The palace had an underground bunker with operations and communications used during the Vietnam War. The Bunker took 3 months to build and the command centre is protected by concrete walls capable of resisting a 500 kg blast. Viewing the technical equipment from 1975 was an interesting experience. The president of Vietnam lived here and had a room in the bunker for himself and his family. The palace had formal meeting rooms for heads of state and rooms for the president’s family as well. I walked through the streets of Saigon back to Bitexco Financial Tower which was our drop off and pick up point. On the 49th floor is the Saigon Skydeck with great views of the city and Saigon River. I had a drink, enjoyed the views, wifi and AC!
Another day at sea brought us to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, known for white sand beaches and a holiday destination for many from Phnom Penh about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast. We only had one day here and did not feel I got a full picture of the country. I took the shuttle into town but did not find much there after walking through the local market and streets. I decided that the view from where we were docked was much nicer and returned to the ship. There was a welcoming sea breeze on the back deck and view of the sleek Techo Morakot Bridge built in 2011 for $31million dollars.
Arriving at the port of Laem Chabang in Thailand the next day, we would have 2 days here or one night in Bangkok. The quiet and peacefulness of Thailand (even in the city) was a welcome change. It was a 2 hour drive into Bangkok and I took a tour to the Royal Grand Palace. A beautiful temple complex with manicured grounds. The most prized possession here is the Emerald Buddha, created from a single block of jade. You could not take pictures inside the temple but there was an opening to the outside terrace and photos with a good telephoto were possible.
Before heading back to the ship, we were able to walk through the Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad). It was relatively quiet in the afternoon but is open 24 hours and we were told it’s most lively after midnight when fresh cut flowers are brought in to stock venders for the retailers that arrive in the early morning hours.
The second day, I chose an excursion to the Sanctuary of Truth, made entirely of wood (no metal nails) and has been under construction for over 20 years. Incredible artisan work with the skill of wooden construction from ancient Siam and a beautiful location at Cape Ratchawat. We also had a stop at Pattaya Lookout with a nice view of Pattaya Bay.
Our final port was Nathon, on the island of Koh Samui where we anchored in the Gulf of Thailand and took tender boats to shore. I walked along the waterfront in the quiet town and went to the recommended ‘Lucky Restaurant’. I had a watermelon smoothie that was incredibly refreshing. On our sail away, an amazing sunset was our farewell as we headed south to Singapore to change passengers and begin our Far East Adventure.
