Far East and Philippines
01-02-2025 to 02-03-2025
Day 1
30th January
Our train, Te Huia, arriving at the station.
Auckland-Singapore
31th January
Taxing to the end of the runway we pass Auckland terminal.
We wait at the end while a plane lands.
Lift off!
And later lunch is served. Seared snapper with green pea puree.
A misty-grey Singapore as we arrive.
Final approach.
Taxying to the terminal at Changi Airport.
A night time view from our room window. There never seems to be a time when somthing is not being built outside a hotel. They were not working at night.
Embarkation
1st February
The roof top garden of our hotel.
The top of Marina Bay Hotel framed by the plants of the roof garden.
A close up of the Skypark on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
In the morning we went on an unsuccessful search for a flower shop. We used this bridge to cross the roads below. It was Saturday morning so there was not much traffic.
Another view from the roof top.
The roof of the Tan Si Chong Su Temple.
And a close up of the figures.
A person swimming in the hotel infinity pool. There is only one person swimming so the body under the water belongs to the head above.
Singapore and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel just before sailaway.
Passengers on the pool deck enjoying the sailaway party.
Sea Day
2nd February
Sunrise on our first Sea Day.
To day I went to an Asian Beer Tasting.
There were just six of us and we had 4 beers to taste.
These are the four beers we tasted.
I did not drink all the beer as we had an Asian dinner booked for the evening.
Below are the three courses we had for our Taste of Tamarind dinner.
Shrimp Tempura. For Colleen.
Shiitake & Tofu Spring Rolls. For Neil.
Panang Red Curry Coconut Chicken. For Neil.
Mongolian Barbeque Lamb Chop. For Colleen.
Selection of Home Made Sorbets. For Colleen.
Yuzu Cheesecake. For Neil.
Sunset on our first Sea Day.
Ko Samui (Thailand)
3rd February
This is our transport to the dock. They are using local transport today.
We might be getting better at selfies.
Our first stop is at a coconut farm. Here is one of the workers removing husks.
A pile for husk removal. A wheel barrow of nuts and a pile of husks.
One of the guides giving a talk on coconut farming.
A shrine on the road outside the coconut farm.
From the farm we were taken to a fishing village and fresh coconuts were opened for us to try.
We chose to share one.
Neil with our coconut.
Our next stop was at Wat Phra Yai. To see the Big Buddha Temple.
A view from up by the Big Buddha.
Our lunch stop was at the Nora Beach Resort.
Our Thai food lunch.
I forgot to take a photo of my lunch.
The Resort where we had lunch.
The ferry to take us back to the ship.
Laem Chabang (Thailand)
4th February
Our excursion today starts with Wat Yansangwararam. It is a large Buddhist temple complex with gardens and lakes.
Below is the Maha Chakri Phiphat Pagoda. Constructed in honour of King Rama I.
The Wat Yansangwararam Temple.
Built in 1976 in honor of Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara.
In the temple complex is the Sala Viharn Sien Pavilion.
It is a museum and shrine designed in the style of a royal Chinese temple.
The gate house from inside.
After lunch we went to see the Buddha Mountain. An outline of Buddha laser carved into the mountain then 24carat gold plated. It is 109m by 70m.
May be we haven't got selfies sorted.
Our final stop was the Gem Gallery where the visit starts with a Theme-Park ride. Tracing the formation of gems in the earth to jewellery making.
A diorama of gem mining on the ride.
Sihanoukville (Cambodia)
6th February
We are on the coach to Kampot. This is a butcher's cart. Meat is hanging from the roof.
A couple of photos from the coach of the countyside.
Colleen with our coach at a toilet stop.
Harvested rice fields.
Kdat fishing village.
A woman de-podding Tamarind seeds.
A Tamarind pod opened to show the seed.
Kdat fishing village as we continue on to Kampot.
Pepper growing at a Kampot pepper farm.
Pepper seeds drying in the sun.
Sorting the pepper before packaging. It is done by hand on this farm.
On the road to the resort for our lunch stop.
The dining area at the River Tree Resort.
Our dining was in the conference room at the back left of the photo.
The Seahorse sculpture on the river bank in Kampot.
Between the port and Kampot there is a 20km section of unmade road.
It took us 1 hour to travel this road each way.
Sunset as we head back to the port.
Sea Day 2
7th February
Today we have the Mariner Society Wine Tasting.
Our four wines were:-
A Chandon Brut from California. A Riesling from Washington. A Solar Viejo Rioja from Spain and A Arboleda Carmenere from Chile.
This is our sommelier, Bernardo. But as this is the afternoon his name is Bernie.