Muara and Bander, Brunei

 

In front of the Omar Ali Saiduddien Mosque.   It was named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei and is considered the country’s most recognizable landmark.  

Brunei is a small country on the island of Borneo, with less than a half million citizens.  Thanks to a massive amount of oil and natural gas reserves, it has the distinction of having one of the world’s highest per capita incomes. The incomes appears to be more evenly distributed than in other wealthy countries.  

It’s an Islamic country that doesn’t allow alcohol or tobacco, and has a friendly reminder on the first and last page of its travel document website that drug dealers will be executed.  The head of the ruling family is known as the Sultan.  Obviously a pretty wealthy guy, but also one that seems to understand the importance of taking care of his people.  Education, healthcare and housing seemed to be top priorities.  While it may not be a place we’d want to live, it was a fun place to visit.

Muara is the port town and is located on the South China Sea coast.  The cruise terminal and what we saw of the town was very clean and we received a very nice welcome. 

We had booked a tour called “Brunei on your own” , which was perfect for us.   It simply provided transportation from the ship to the capital city of Bander, which was about 20 miles inland.  We received a nice map of the city center with points of interest highlighted.

Gardens of the Ceremonial Hall. Coronations, royal weddings and formal celebrations are held here.  

Royal Regalia Building-a museum that contains the Royal Chariot (it’s good to be the Sultan), Crown Jewels and other royal items. 

Chinese Temple-although it is an Islamic country, other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity are practiced by a small number of people. 

The city center is relatively small and we enjoyed roaming freely.  It was spotlessly clean and everyone we met was very friendly.  Friendliest among them was the water taxi driver we hired.  He took us on a 45 minute boat tour around and through the water village, where close to 30,000 people live in homes constructed over the Brunei River.   As we went along he was great pointing out highlights (including his house in the water village)  in his broken English.   He would finish every sentence with a huge laugh. He shared with us that he had thirteen children (9 girls and 4 boys) which brought a big smile to his face.

The mosque was open for visitors between prayers. Our timing wasn’t good. Both times we tried to go prayers were taking place. 

We didn’t get his name, but he sure was a great tour guide. 

We passed several schools in the water village….this is a school bus!

If you would have asked me to point to Brunei on a map prior to this adventure, I couldn’t have done it.   It’s nice to know that at least for a short period of time, I can not only find it, but also have some great memories of it!!

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

 

We quickly found out that there was lots to love in KK!

As is often the case, we had no real plan for Kota Kinabalu.  We both thought that we’d simply get off the ship, look around for a bit and head back on board.  After all, this was our nineteenth consecutive day of being in a port.  That’s a lot of touring (and blogging) with little rest in between. 

We were off the ship shortly after our 10:00AM arrival, hoping to beat the heat. We learned quickly that the heat had already arrived and that there was much more to see in Kota Kinabalu (often referred to simply as KK) than we imagined.   

Malaysia is divided into thirteen states.   KK is the state capital of the Sabah state. The city is located along the South China Sea and has a population of just under 500,000.  With beaches, nearby rainforests and as the gateway to Kinabalu National Park it is a popular tourist destination.  By all accounts, the city and the economy are booming.  It’s Malaysia’s fastest growing city, and after spending a few hours there we can see the attraction.  

For a city its size, KK was extremely clean and quiet.  The city center was just a twenty minute walk from the ship.   Our pace for the day was slow and relaxed.  We meandered along the waterfront, visited several outdoor markets and took time to enjoy a nice iced coffee float at a coffee shop called White Coffee.  

Old Man and The Sea!

Along the City Center.  We’ve got to know a nice couple, he’s from Australia, she’s from Malaysia.  They hadn’t been to KK in ten years.   They couldn’t believe how much it has grown and how nice it looks.  She said “none of this main road or buildings were here on their last visit”. 

At a small city park just off the main road through the City Center.  

Coffee Ice Cream Float!

We ended our day doing something we don’t do very often.  We went to the mall.  This wasn’t just any mall, it was a mall that still had stores in every space, many of which were very “high end” stores.  It was also full of people with shopping bags full of merchandise.  Neither of us are shoppers, but we enjoyed seeing all the people with their treasures.  

The highlight of the mall was that there was a bridal show going on.   From the looks of things, weddings in Malaysia are like weddings in the US….big deal$.  We really enjoyed the wedding dress fashion show (yes, I enjoyed it as well).   We couldn’t understand everything being said but several of the models were introduced as former Miss Malaysia and Miss Malaysia Universe winners.  

Rice Art!

The gowns were quite extravagant.  Glad I don’t have to pay for one!

We were counting on a couple of hours roaming around.  Five hours after disembarking we headed back to the ship, having had a great day and thankful that after just one more port, we have a relaxing ”sea day”. 

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

Another day, another Tuk-Tuk adventure for the Tuck-Tuckers!

The welcome we received at all our Philippine ports was much appreciated.  At Puerto Princesa it started before we were even docked.  Some official sounding person was reading what seemed to be an official sounding proclamation over a speaker system.  She concluded her comments with “Welcome to Puerto Princesa, where the adventure begins and never ends”!  I’m not sure if the adventure never ends, but it sure was a fun adventure for us.  

We had no real plans when we disembarked, but that quickly changed.  Thanks to Beth’s excellent negotiating skills we soon found ourselves on one of the Filipino style “tuk-tuks” being chauffeured around the island on a four hour tour.  We paid a fraction ($20 each) of what the folks who had booked through the ship paid ($169 each), for a tour that was longer and included more highlights.  

Our guide for the adventure was named Ernie.  He was super friendly and always smiling.   He told us that he was born in Puerto Princesa, so we felt confident he knew his way around.  

There are quite a few cars in Puerto Princesa, but they are significantly outnumbered by the Filipino Tuk-Tuks.  Ernie’s tuk-tuk was typical to all the rest.  A motorcycle with a homemade sidecar.  From the looks and sounds of it, the motorcycle had been making its way around Puerto Princesa for quite a few years. It coughed, sputtered, spit and even stalled a few times, but it got us where we needed to be.  

The Tuk-Tuks are popular with tourists as well as locals.  I saw one Tuk-Tuk going along that was packed.  I counted three adults and five children.  There could have been a few more in there that I couldn’t see. 

Our tour hit several points of interest both within the city and out in the tropical countryside.  Before we left the ship we saw a popular area attraction was a crocodile farm.  Beth said “I don’t need to go to a crocodile farm”.  After a brief stop at the large Catholic Church our next stop was…..the crocodile farm.  Our visit was fairly short but informative.  

Like a cattle ranch, crocodiles are bred, raised and then sold for their meat and hide.  They had both fresh water and saltwater crocs.  One interesting fact we learned was that the sex of the crocodiles can be manipulated by the temperature of the nest.  If the nest temperature is less than 89.6 the babies will be female. Above that temperature and you’ve got a bunch of boys!

There were numerous other stops along the journey.  Our favorite was a butterfly garden and aboriginal tribal village that were really fun and interesting.  

The butterfly garden had plenty of butterflies to enjoy…… 

plus a few more animals like this bearcat that was taking a siesta…..

a “walking stick” bug (can you find it?)

Fire making demo in the aboriginal village.  He’d destroy the contestants on Survivor.   We were told fire making is taught to both males and females at the age of five. 

Baker’s Hill was a mixture of a playground and garden with nice landscaping, fun fantasy characters and of course a gift shop!

There was also a really big snake….

….and an opportunity to hold a vicious crocodile!

Our four hour tour with Ernie was fun and passed quickly, just like our four days in the Philippines!

Boracay, Philippines .

Roy was a great tour guide.  He drove us over much of the seven mile long, one mile wide island.  He told us there were two types of weather on Boracay……hot,  and hot and rainy…..we would have enjoyed a bit of rain to cool things down. 

 Boracay is a small island in the central part of the Philippines Archipelago.   It is almost identical in size to Anna Maria Island (7 miles long and about 1 mile wide).   It’s famous for its white sand beaches and crystal clear water, both of which were spectacular!  Also spectacular was the greeting we received as we disembarked the ship.   There was more drumming, dancing and the presentation of a necklace to passengers.   

We love the welcomes we’ve been getting!

Similar to our first Philippines stop of Curimao, this was a port that required the use of tenders.   It seemed as if the tendering operations were much smoother today, and we were off the ship quickly.    

We hired a young man named Roy to show us around the island for a couple of hours. Roy’s vehicle was the most common type of transportation around the island, a large motorized tricycle that was actually designed to accommodate up to six adults.  

We enjoyed our time touring with Roy and were able to see a majority of the “very tropical” island.  At the end of our two hours Roy dropped us off at White Beach which is approximately 2 1/2 miles long and quite popular.  

Puka Beach…….a small beach on the north end of the island.  It was mostly being enjoyed by local families.  

Another picture from Puka Beach.  Beth tells me my hair is growing out nicely.  It’s been about 10-12 days since it was cut.  It’s about the length she cuts it to.  

Hole in the Rock!

More of the Hole in the Rock….none of us!

“Very tropical” means very hot!  It felt like we were back in Florida during the middle of the summer.  Both the temperature and humidity were in the 90’s.  We were both glistening (actually drenched) with sweat.  We found a bit of relief at Jonah’s Fruit Shake Shack, which has been cooling off hot tourists and locals since 1983.

Even if it was only temporary, Jonah’s provided some much needed relief from the heat!

Feeling somewhat revitalized by the fruit shakes and some time sitting under one of the huge trees along the beach front, we enjoyed walking the length of the beach back to the ship.  The pictures below were all taken along White Beach on our walk back.

Amazing water!

It was a bit cooler in the shade!

Very white sand and very wide beach

Stopped for refreshments along the walk

Looking back at White Beach  

How hot and humid was it?   I had to empty the backpack and put it on the balcony to let the sweat it had absorbed dry out.   Now that’s hot, hot, hot! 

Manila, Philippines

 

A warm welcome to Manila!

Day 2 of our Philippine adventure was spent in, and around the capital city of Manila.  As with the previous day, we were enthusiastically greeted at the port by dancers and drummers who seemed genuinely happy to see us.  Manila is huge, so we decided that a guided tour would be our best option.   

We selected a tour that would give us a glimpse of the city as well as some time outside the city.  We first stopped at the monument dedicated to the Philippines National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.  

In front of the Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial in Manila.  I sent a picture of it to my good friend Dr. Fred Angeles who is Filipino.  He knew immediately where I was and even used the words “Our National Hero”.  He also told me that in a round about way, and through a marriage,  that he is almost distantly related.   Dr. Angeles is not only a great surgeon, he’s a celebrity!

Dr. Rizal, who was an ophthalmologist, was the inspirational leader in the Philippines attempts to breakaway from Spanish rule in the 1890’s.  While the movement was ultimately successful, Dr. Rizal did not live to see his dream come true.  He was executed near the spot of the monument in 1896 at the age of 35.  Our tour guide gave us a good analogy when he told us that Dr. Rizal is to the Filipino people what George Washington is to Americans.   

The November 1 national holiday actually spills over to November 2, so as we made our way out of the city we once again dealt with traffic that we were told was “heavier than normal”. Our destination was the resort area of Tagaytay Ridge.  The ridge is perched high up above an active volcano, that sits inside another volcano, which is surrounded by a very large lake.  To the best of our recollection, this is the first time we’ve ever seen a volcano inside a volcano, surrounded by a lake.  Although it was somewhat cloudy, we enjoyed the view and a nice lunch at one of the resort hotels.  As we made our way back to the ship we felt somewhat like celebrities.  We had a bus caravan with a police escort.  The escort wasn’t for security purposes, but to assist the bus drivers as they navigated the holiday traffic. 

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On the way to Tagaytay Ridge we made a couple of stops. This is a historic pipe organ in a Catholic Church (80% of Filipinos identify as Catholic) What makes the organ unique is that the 900+ pipes are bamboo

The church alter. There was an organist playing the organ.  The acoustics in the church made it sound great. 

The fresh fruit at the fruit and flower stand was very colorful and inviting. 

Smoke rising from the volcano that’s inside a volcano and surrounded by a lake. 

We were framed on Tagaytay Ridge!

There are thousands of these old converted military vehicles in Manila that are packed with folks trying to get from point A to Point B

Manila was interesting to see.  It’s a combination of everything, from extreme prosperity to extreme poverty living side by side.  Approximately 40% of all Filipino citizens are living below the “poverty line”.  We were reminded of how fortunate we are, and the opportunities we have to make the world a little better for those less fortunate. 

Curimao & Vigan City, Philippines

 

The Philippines……Day one of four!

After our three days in Taiwan, we set sail (or at least the captain set sail) for the Philippines.  The Philippines are made up over over 7,000 islands and have a population of around 118 million.  The capital city of Manila is the largest city with just under fifteen million residents.  

We will be spending four days in the Philippines, visiting four different islands.  I guess we’ll have to make another trip or two to check off the remaining islands.  

Our first port of call was Curimao.  It’s a relatively small municipality (pop. 12,215), but they gave us a big time welcome with drummers, dancers and souvenir necklaces as we stepped off the ship.   We’ve since learned that we are one of the first ships arriving this cruise season, and sometimes the very first ship of the season. So we have been greeted enthusiastically at every port.  

Curimao is the gateway port to Vigan City, which is about 80 minutes away by bus.  At the last minute we booked a ship tour to Vigan City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It earned this designation because it’s the most intact example, in Asia, of a Spanish Colonial town (it was founded in the 1600’s by Spanish Conquistadors.).

Heading out on the tour bus.  I wasn’t sure if I should be comforted or concerned by the “Oh Lord Bless Us!” sign.  

As it turned out it was kind of a “hurry up and wait” day.   First , Curimao is a port where it is necessary to take a tender to reach the dock.  The tenders were slow to get started and it was about a 20 minute ride once they finally got going.  

Next, we learned that it was a National Holiday called “All Saints Day”.  Which is similar to Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”.   Families were gathered in cemetery’s along the roadside, many sharing meals, lighting candles and remembering those who had left this earth. I assume Vigan City was busier than normal because of the holiday,  and the roads were packed both ways.

Our tour was called “Vigan City On Your Own”.   We got a little information on the area on the bus, but it was mainly just transportation.   We made a somewhat feeble attempt to tour a bit on a form of a tuk-tuk (motorcycle with a SMALL side car).  The side car could have semi comfortably accommodated two 3-5 year olds, not two full sized adults.  After the first stop we paid the driver for his time and spent the rest of the time roaming around the historic settlement on foot.

Our grandkids, James and Emma are 7 and 3.  It would have been somewhat crowded for them in that sidecar.  It just wasn’t going to work for us!

They were so happy to see us, they were dancing in the streets! 

Wonderful old Spanish Architecture!

The horse drawn carriages added to the ambiance.  

We had worked up an appetite roaming around.  Our guide had shared with us that Empanadas are a traditional food for this region. Casa Jardin was doing a brisk business so we moseyed on in.  

The empanada was made to order and fried, not baked. 

It was huge and delicious!  For the record we spilt it.

After a fun few hours we made our way back to the bus.  We arrived back at the dock only to find the tenders back to the ship were moving slowly.  

This was really no big deal.  It gave us time to reminisce on the day’s adventure.  Besides, we really had no place we needed to be!

Beth took the two great sunset pictures from the tender. The first one is a cargo ship that was docked in the harbor.  The second one is the Norwegian Jewel.