Hi everyone! We’re now on our way to DaNang and will arrive tomorrow. We have a fun excursion planned where we actually go out into a countryside village to visit the families, see their rice fields and visit a school to see the children. We’ll also be going to China Beach from the Vietnam War days. I’m hoping for blue skies and warmer weather…the skies were so grey in Hong Kong and Shanghi. We enjoyed Hong Kong though LOVED Shanghi. We went all over the city, went to the top of Victoria Peak, rode in a Sampan, shopped at local markets and did lots of walking. Yesterday Tom and I even took the subway out to a different part of Kowloon and caught a bus back to the ship. We bought a huge suitcase for $26. to get everything home. It’s the largest of any of our suitcases and won’t even come close to sliding under the bed. Apparently there is somewhere we can store it and our darling room stewardess is going to take care of it for us. This should work for getting everything back home (thank goodness Radisson is shipping our many suitcases home for us!)

There were 200 new passengers who got on in Hong Kong. (so I was told). This segment is also sold out. I’ve seen some around but haven’t really met any of them yet. I hope they’re the type that comes to the Voyager lounge since this is where so much nightly activity goes on. We’ll need new gossip….LOL I’ve tried to make the new segment passengers feel welcome since I know how overwhelming it is getting on and not knowing anyone!

Tonight we’re having dinner with Steph, the Food and Beverage Manager. He’s a super nice, fun guy who is very tuned into the passengers and their needs. (he was the one who called our cabin with Sambuca updates that I reported about in an earlier post). It will be an LCT dinner with Paul, Joanna, Tony, Tom and me. I’m looking forward to it.

I’ll post more from Vietnam.I forgot to mention that we had a very nice complimentary excursion in Hong Kong (besides the city Orientation one) that was a nice luncheon at Repulse Bay for the full WC passengers. Lots and lots of food in a very beautiful setting.

Kathy, I didn't buy too much in HK. The deals weren't even close to what we got in Shanghi. Paul bought lots of great things though (more knock-offs). I did buy some things at Stanley market...just litte knicknack type things. Our only big purchase was the huge suitcase we so desperately need. I understand Vietnam is also great for shopping....we'll find out!

What a great day this was! We went on a 3 hour tour that turned into a 5 hour tour. We went to a rural countryside village outside of DaNang where the peasants live. We saw dozens of lush green rice fields with workers, water buffalos pulling plows with the WOMEN working in the fields. We stopped at the local elementary school and saw the most precious children imaginable. They were so cute and they ALL wanted their pictures taken... so I did! After taking their photos I would show it to them on the digital screen and they got the biggest kick out of this. They would just giggle and squeal! They wanted to hold your hand and walk you around and one little girl pulled me down and kissed my cheek. Visiting this school was worth the entire world cruise! Tom was a big hit with the children when he did his “disappearing thumb” trick. They wanted more and more! (photo included). We also visited a local home with a gracious lady who fed us fruit. It was actually very good! Inside their home we saw what they consider their kitchen with a big tub of water and coal stove ( photo included). INSIDE their kitchen they have 2 pens where they keep their pigs!! (photo included). The entire neighborhood showed up to welcome us. We also visited an 11th century temple where the incense about knocked you over! On the way back to the ship we stopped at China Beach (now a big resort) where the American soldiers spent their R & R time during the Vietnam War. (photo included)

This was such a great day….one of those “you have to be here” days. Time has a way of healing all….the Vietnamese people were so warm and loving, no “anti-Americanism” whatsoever. The people we saw have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, yet are probably the happiest people I’ve ever seen. Many of them are barefoot (except the school children did wear shoes or thongs) and they love to smile and wave as the bus would drive by. They seem so fascinated with cameras and blondes! I tried to take as many photos as I could capturing these small peasant villages. There are outdoor markets with ladies selling a pen full of chickens, a pen full of pigs, vegetables, fruits and meats. I didn’t dare ask our guide what kind of meat! We rarely saw cars. The people either walk, ride bicycles or in the city the lucky ones drive motorbikes. The main vehicles you would see are busses or trucks.

Back to the Voyager….we had a wonderful dinner last night with Steph, the Food and Beverage Manager. He is such a nice, sincere person…a real delight to spend an evening with. He lets us pick his brain with question after question. We gave him our feedback and opinions as well. There was a cute couple eating next to us who were celebrating their one year anniversary. It turns out that they had known each other 35 years ago and both were widow/widowers. The irony is that the husband is a judge who actually married his “now” wife to her former/deceased husband! How’s that for a small world!

We will be sailing away soon for Ho-Chi-Minh City (formerly Saigon) where we arrive day after tomorrow. Although Vietnam is certainly NOT a place I could live in (like Auckland, Sydney or even Hong Kong) today sure touched my heartstrings.

I’ve put together lots of the photos taken today. There’s a LOT so best to view as a slide show. This will give you a taste of how wonderful our day was.
Marcie’s DaNang Photos

Ofoto (Marcie's DaNang photos)
Cruise@yahoo.com
Password: cc

Well, we left Ho Chi Minh City yesterday afternoon. We’re on our way to Bangkok and will be cruising past Cambodia later today. We’re back to warm, beautiful weather…great day for the sun worshipers to be poolside today! BTW, we continue to have some of the BEST lecturers. Jean Michel Cousteau got off but now we have Stansfield Turner (former CIA Director under President Carter)...very interesting!

We had a couple of busy days in Ho Chi Minh City. On Sunday we went on a tour of the city which included visiting a Presidential Palace, a History Museum, a water puppet show and a ride on a rickshaw of sorts called a “pedicab”. Riding in this was really fun but scary on the busy streets. You sit in the rickshaw seat and a man on a bicycle pedals you around. The traffic in HCM City is horrendous. There are motor bikes and bicycles coming at you from every direction.

This tour worked out great because there were only 12 of us on our bus (all our friends) so it was more like a “private tour”. While on the bus there were 2 guys who pulled up next to us on their motor bike. One was driving while the back seat passenger held on to the driver with his knees clutched while he held up one tee-shirt after another. He seemed to really target me and we had real “body dialogue” going on. These guys followed us for many miles. By the time we finally stopped at a temple, I felt like I knew them!! Anyway, of course after building this relationship and with their perseverance, I wasn’t about to buy shirts from anyone else. I bought Tom 2 knock off Ralph Lauren Polo golf shirts and a “Good Morning Vietnam” tee-shirt for me. The local street merchants swarmed us and I also bought a bag full of 6 pieces of misc. lacquerware for $4. We went to a lacquerware factory which had some beautiful pieces but VERY expensive. No one bought anything, such better deals on the street. After the tour 8 of us (we’re like a family) ate at a great restaurant in downtown which came highly recommended. The food was delicious and so plentiful! An excellent local lunch for a ridiculously low price.

Yesterday we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels. A military guide led us around and through some of the underground network used by the Vietnamese during the War. There are many rooms down there such as a kitchen, meeting room, even a hospital. There was quite a bit of crawling and stooping to get through the very narrow passages. There were just a handful of us that actually went through every passage as many felt they were too large to fit or claustrophobic to do it all. It was very interesting, but sad too. Again, our bus was just our friends with several of the entertainers so it was nice! None of us wanted to go visit anymore temples so this idea was “bagged” and instead we went to a huge shopping market near the Rex Hotel where you could buy everything imaginable. Joanna and I bought so many beautiful silk robes. They’re reversible with embroidering on the front and back. Between the two of us I think we bought about 30 of these robes. Tony bought some more shirts and Joanna and I both increased our purse count. I bought 4 more purses and 2 more pairs of shoes. (I think my purse count is up to 12 now). It’s just too hard to resist these prices!

Last night we had dinner planned for 8 of us. There were 6 of us instead as 2 members of our dinner party missed the ship’s 4:00pm sailing. Joanna and I are both sworn to secrecy as to their identity so don’t even ask. Let’s just say that they did make it back to the ship by about 8:30pm via a Pilot boat. We had to leave the river at 4:00pm as planned due to the tides. If we had waited for them, we would have missed the high tide and had to wait another 12 hours to leave HCM City. Our dinner was Joanna, Tony, Tom and me and one of the Peter Grey dancers and her boyfriend Eden, the Casino Manager. They are both so nice! We spend a lot of time in the Casino (duh!) and this Casino Manager, Eden, is probably the best we’ve seen on any of the ships (Radisson or otherwise). He and all the casino staff are so personable and always make the guests feel welcome and always call you by name.

We will arrive early tomorrow morning in Bangkok where all the passengers will do a complimentary overnight at the Shangra La hotel... I’ve been to Bangkok 3 times but it was more than 10 years ago when Tom was working there. I’m so excited to return. We will visit Pat Pong for more “knock off” shopping and have a boat trip planned down the canals the following morning.

I’m including some of the photos taken the 2 days we were in Ho Chi Minh City. One shows the welcoming committee on the dock when we arrived Sunday morning. Many show typical streets with all the horrendous traffic. Several were taken on our rickshaw ride, some of the underground Cu Chi tunnels, the bartender Garreth modeling one of my silk robes and yesterday’s purchases spread out on the bed. Thank goodness we purchased another HUGE suitcase….we’ll need every bit of it! Anyway, we all really enjoyed the past few days in HCM City….onward we go on this thrilling Radisson adventure we’re on! 

This was our dock welcome in HCM City (the girls released the balloons):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-03.jpg

Folklore Show performed at the Constellation Theater:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-02.jpg

Tom (and part of Tony) beginning the rickshaw ride:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-05.jpg

My “new buddies” trying to sell me shirts on the bus from their motorbike:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-1.jpg

Typical street scenes….motor bikes everywhere and everyday scenes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-07.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-06.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-04.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-10.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-11.jpg

Inside the Cu Chi Tunnels (including an old hospital operating room):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-08.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-09.jpg

Another successful shopping day!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-12.jpg

Doesn’t everyone have their favorite bartender model a silk robe?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-01.jpg


Sailing down the river at sunset….I will miss Vietnam!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/HoChiMinhCity-13.jpg

--------------------
Marcie

We’re back from Bangkok and now on our way to Singapore. As expected, we all had a ball in Bangkok. Tom and I have stayed at some of the finest hotels in the world (Ritz Carltons, Four Seasons, etc.) and the Shangra-La Bangkok is right up there with the best of them! We actually had a large suite with a balcony overlooking the river. We chose to eat all our meals in an Italian Restaurant within the hotel (go figure!). Wednesday afternoon 8 of us took a water taxi around. Wednesday night after dinner, Joanna, Tony, Tom and I went into Pat Pong to check out the night market. It wasn’t nearly as good as I remembered it from my previous trips to Bangkok 10 years ago. It’s located smack in the middle of the red light district which is always entertaining. It seemed more congested and the deals were nothing as good as Shanghi or Vietnam (guess we’ve gotten so spoiled!) We returned to the hotel around 10:30 or so and went into the lounge where there was an excellent trio from the Philippines. They were REALLY REALLY good so we stayed there listening to the American music until about midnight or so.

Yesterday morning we had a 7:30am (ugh!) tour to the Floating Markets. This was about an hour and a half drive from Bangkok so many of us dozed on the bus. Once there, it was a lot of fun seeing all the hustle and bustle going on. They were selling all sorts of fruits, vegetables, trinkets, clothes, carved wooden goods…..anything you’d want. Joanna and I are both so shopped out and we kind of feel like everything is starting to look the same. I would guess that about 75% of the passengers have already bought additional suitcase(s) so most everyone has done some very “serious shopping” during the past couple of segments. We returned to the Shangra-La Hotel for lunch and then caught the 2:00pm bus back to where the Voyager was docked. We were unable to convert our Baht currency back to U.S. dollars at the hotel so we “burned” 900 baht in the large shop at the pier buying more stuff.

Upon returning to the Voyager, the staff did something which was so nice and impressive. The room stewardess were all lined up outside the gangway waving and dancing to great us back onboard while the Voyager Quintet played great songs like “Won’t you come home Bill Bailey”. Even many of the ship’s officers were all outside welcoming us “home”. This was such a nice, unexpected greeting. Once we got up the gangway stairs we were greeted with glasses of champagne and mimosas. What a great touch!! I’m sure the staff loved having all but 67 guests gone (..at least this is the number I heard who opted not to go into Bangkok for the night). Even lots of the crew had excursions while we were gone and some members came into Bangkok with us. It’s great that they get a much deserved break as well. We had a total of something like 337 rooms booked at the Shangra-La.

Last night we ate in Compass Rose at a table for 8 (Joanna & Tony, us, and 2 couples from NY we’ve become very close to since LA and spend lots of time with). All of us were pretty pooped from Bangkok so we hit the Voyager lounge as well as the casino after dinner but were snuggled into bed by midnight. Another nice Radisson touch…..we each received a nice poem about “Slumbertime” on our bed last night with a beautiful pair of Thai Silk pajamas. These are the little extras that make so many of us want to cruise Radisson again and again!

We’ll be in Singapore around noon tomorrow where we’ll overnight. Joanna and Tony are really regretting that they didn’t book the upcoming segment to Dubai. It may be too late now since the segment is sold out and they wouldn’t have a Visa for India. I just can’t imagine that they will actually be disembarking day after tomorrow. We have so much fun together!! I will cry for sure!!

On a positive note, I was able to use my girlfriend Lynn’s cell phone on the bus going to Bangkok. We called daughter Jill and everything at home is good and the pets are doing well. It was so reassuring to us hearing her voice!!

Today is absolutely gorgeous…..blue skies, calm seas and perfect warm temperature! Tonight we 4 have a special order in for meat loaf with brown gravy and mashed potatoes. Sometimes you just want something simple and far away from such exotic food as they often serve.

and now for some photos…..

Our suite at the Shangra-La Hotel in Bangkok:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok2-1.jpg

The river view from our balcony:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok-1-1.jpg

Waiting for river taxi with our good NY friends:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok-2.jpg

A typical shanty home on the river (built on stilts):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok-1.jpg

Lucky Elephant outside the hotel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok-4.jpg

The floating market:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok-5.jpg

The Voyager Quintet playing as we returned to the Voyager (Room Stewardess and many Officers were there as well)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Bangkok2-1-1.jpg
 

Well....this morning was sad for us. Joanna and Tony got off and will stay a couple of days in Singapore before returning to LA for a few days, then on Friday they fly back to Florida. We had a nice "good-bye breakfast", hugged good-bye and as I knew I would....cried! They considered staying on for the next segment (to Dubai) since there was availability/cancellation but would have had to change cabins, obtain an India Visa, change their airline flights completely around, plus pay top dollar for the next segment. It was just becoming too big a hassle for another 11 days so they gave up on this idea. Anyway, we 4 did have a wonderful 34 days together…they both said they’ve never had 34 days fly by so quickly!

Last night Tom and I went to the Singapore Night Safari. This was magnificent! The animals are not in cages but in their natural habitat (as much as possible) with lots of free space. The tram travels very slowly with just enough light that it appears more like "moonlight" to the animals. 85% of these Safari animals are nocturnal so other than the primates who sleep at night, they were all out and active. We saw giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, water buffalo, hyenas, birds, gazelle, you name it....we saw it!! You are so close to the animalame it....we saw it!! You are so close to the animalame it....we saw it!! You are so close to the animalame it....we saw it!! You are so close to the animals,e it....we saw it!! You are so close to the animals, you feel like you can almost touch them from the tram. We were warned that although tempting, DO NOT touch any of the animals. They are wild! We REALLY LOVED this Night Safari. Unfortunately no flashes were allowed so I didn't even attempt to take any photos. The only two photos we took (without flash) were me with a sweet young African wildcat and me with a white python around my neck near the entrance!! (photos below) As much as I'd highly recommend the "Night Safari" to anyone visiting Singapore, the tour itself left a lot to be desired. There was so much wasted time and disorganization upon arriving and departing. There were 107 people who went on this very popular tour on 3 busses. At the end, each group was to ride back on the same bus they came on. The problem was finding the busses. In fact Bus #1 was no where to be found and guests were wandering around a huge parking log looking for their bus. Apparently the bus driver left and was not there when time to leave the park. He eventually returned and everyone made it back safely to the Voyager but there was a lot of complaints about the disorganization (rightfully so). If we had it to do over we would have taken a taxi there and back and done this on our own. It really is a fantastic place to visit and I'd highly recommend it.

There are 150 passengers getting off today and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. ay and 150 "newbie’s" boarding. This is always fun meeting so many new guests. Thank goodness we have made so many friends. It will help ease our "miso many new guests. Thank goodness we have made so many friends. It will help ease our "miso many new guests. Thank goodness we have made so many friends. It will help ease our "missing Joanna and Tony" withdrawals. Doug and Lynn Burns board today so I'm looking forward ting Joanna and Tony" withdrawals. Doug and Lynn Burns board today so I'm looking forward ting Joanna and Tony" withdrawals. Doug and Lynn Burns board today so I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. We sail away at 5:00 today and will be in PeNang, Malaysia tomorrow. (I'm getting all these "Nangs" mixed up....we've been to MaDang, DaNang and now tomorrow PaNang!)

We're off to take the shuttle into Singapore for the day!

Upcoming: 2 nights ago Paul did a "striptease" act on a table top in the Voyager Lounge (he had a tux on). It was so funny (but really good....he could be a professional!). A lady who disembarked today took photos and promised to email them to me. I will post when I get them! He was really the HIT of the evening!

Lousy photos taken last night (without flash):
Me with a white python: Me with a white python:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Singapore-2.jpg

Me with a young African wildcat:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Singapore-1.jpg