Next up..........checking off the final continent!

 

22 Days-Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires by way of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands

Since we returned from Singapore just before Thanksgiving, we've enjoyed our time on Anna Maria Island. We're so grateful that we've been able to spend so much of the time with family and friends.  Thanksgiving was a blast and Christmas Day was wonderful, but our Christmas celebration isn't quite over yet.  

We managed to have a fun and laughter filled "Gator Boy" reunion.  Six of the eight of us, along with wives or significant others were able to attend. 

Debbie (Beth's Sister), Beth and NaNa on their way to the Saturday Market in Downtown Bradenton,

Merry Christmas from me, Allie, Ben and Beth

We have an early flight to California on Friday morning.  Because he's working remotely at this time of year, Ben will be traveling with us.  We'll celebrate Christmas with the Martin Family on Saturday and continue the celebration into Sunday, when me and my "Birthday Buddy" Emma will be celebrating our birthdays.  It'll be Emma's 4th and a few more for me.........66 to be exact.

We'll have a week in California enjoying time together before the party ends.  Ben will head eastward back toward Florida, while Beth and I head southward......way southward.  We'll be flying to Santiago, Chilie (by way of Panama City, Panama).  From there we'll hop on the Holland America Oosterdam for an adventure that will take us to Antarctica.  This will be our seventh and final continent to visit, although we certainly hope there are many more adventures in the future.

Due to limited connectivity, along with the size and weight of my prehistoric laptop, it's being left behind.  I'll try to post a few pictures and short posts when I can, and then do a bigger post(s) when we return in late January.

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2024!    

Two Days In Singapore……

 

Singapore…….it changes you!

After 39 days, eight countries, a few typhoons, making new friends and creating special memories,  it finally happened.  It was time to leave the Norwegian Jewel and get back on dry land.  If you’re going to get booted off the ship, Singapore is a pretty nice landing spot.  

We were off the ship by 7:30 am and took the very nice, user-friendly metro for a one stop ride that gave us just a short walk to the hotel.  We had been to Singapore once before, but we think it was about 18 years ago.  The hotel (Westin Singapore-using a certificate) is in a business district that didn’t exist on our last visit. It’s also just a short walk to the Marina Bay Area, which is where we spent our time both days.  

Singapore!  That's the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the background.  The top of the hotel looks like a ship.

Although it was early to check in, our room was ready.  So, we were able to drop off our bags and enjoy a little time in the club lounge before heading out.  Our destination was the Gardens By The Bay, which is listed as one of Asia’s premier gardens.  The 130 acre gardens is visited by close to 8 million people per year.  We ended up spending the majority of our twelve-hour day there…We became instant fans!

Floating Baby in the Gardens by the Bay.  It's over 30 feet long and 10 feet high.........

Still floating twelve hours later!

The great majority of the gardens are free, but there are several “paid attractions” that are absolute musts if you visit. At the risk of starting to sound like a broken record, it was hot and humid……really hot and humid.  The two attractions we enjoyed the most were the Plant Dome and the Cloud Forest.  They were both indoors and air conditioned, so we would have enjoyed them even if they were just empty rooms, which of course they weren’t!  The plant dome featured gardens and trees from around the world.  Right now, they are featuring chrysanthemums. This show runs through November 13.  If I had to venture a guess, next up will be a Christmas theme.  The outdoor Christmas decorations are already going up. 

Love-The Last March is a 629-foot-long bronze sculpture featuring 62 of the worlds most endangered animals.

The Super Grove of Trees are a collection of 12 steel structures (covered with plants on the trunks).  They reach heights of up to 160 feet.  There is an observation tower at the top of the tallest tree and a skywalk that connects some of the other trees.  There is a small fee to go up to the observation deck and another small fee for the skywalk (no combination tickets).  We did the skywalk and really enjoyed it.

From the sky walk...........great views of the gardens and surrounding area!

Here's a few views from inside the Plant Dome.........more to come in another blog

Next to the Plant Dome is the Cloud Forest, which is more tropical rainforest themed, and even includes a waterfall that is over 110 feet high and is listed as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.   There are also hundreds of types of orchids including some miniature ones that you need a magnifying glass to see the details.  Throughout 2023 there is an Avatar feature going on.   We’re not big Avatar fans, but at least now we know what we’d look like if we were Avatars……

A few shots from inside the Cloud Forest

Chihuly Glass in the Cloud Forest

Beth took so many great pictures in the Plant Dome and Cloud Forest buildings, that although I’ve put a few pictures in here I’m going to do a “pictures only” blog later on.

In addition to the gardens, we enjoyed walking the Marina Barrage.  This was apparently the brainchild of a former and very beloved Prime Minister (Lee Kuan Yew).  He saw the growth taking place in Singapore and took the lead in the creation of a reservoir that keeps saltwater intrusion from occurring in the river.  This provides more readily available drinking water and helps control flooding at the same time.  We enjoyed walking across the barrage (I think it’s a fancy word for a dam) and taking in the full view of the Singapore skyline. 

The Marina Barrage.  Freshwater is on the left side and salt water is on the right side.

 Alongside the barrage is a nice museum explaining the process of building the barrage and its importance to Singapore’s future.  A unexpected surprise was the rooftop park of the building.  As we were walking around, we could see people up there flying kites.   When we got up there, we were shocked to see hundreds of groups of people, young and old enjoying picnics, conversation and the Singapore sunset.

Solar Park.  People, puppies and picnics on the ground..............

Kites in the sky!

Once the sun goes down we’re usually on our way to the hotel shortly thereafter. This night was just getting started.  A very helpful young lady at the hotel strongly encouraged us to see the Garden Rhapsody light show in the Marina Bay Gardens and the Spectra Laser show at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  Although we were pretty pooped and drenched in sweat, we took her up on her suggestions and thoroughly enjoyed both shows.  The Garden Rhapsody show was a little more unique and the Spectra Laser Light Show was somewhat similar to the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.  By the time we got back to the hotel it was closing in on 11:00 PM……Party Animals!

The Super Grove of Trees starting to light up the night!

The show is about fifteen minutes long and is currently taking place twice a night.  

A couple of more night views from around the gardens

Spectra is currently taking place three times a night.  It's in the lagoon area in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

That's the Apple Store on the lagoon.........it's listed as one of the "must see" Apple Stores.

Our second (and last) day in Singapore was pretty laid back.  We took a nice slow stroll around the Marina Bay Lagoon, and enjoyed seeing all the picnics in the park that were taking place.  We also admired the ingenious groups that figured out how to beat the heat by setting up their picnics in the spacious tunnel underpass……the ground was hard but the air conditioning was cool!

A Sunday Singapore Walkabout............Singapore is a very multicultural country (they have four "Official Languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil) of around 5 million people.  The Singapore economy is described as free, innovative, business friendly and dynamic.  It is one of only twelve countries that hold a AAA Credit Rating.

City views!

The Singapore Flyer on the left and the Art Science Museum on the right.

The Famous Merlion Statue is currently undergoing a facelift.  Baby Merlion is looking good.

Still exploring…..

As an added bonus........the Asian Canoe Polo Championships were taking place in the lagoon.  Never knew there was such a sport, it looked tough!

We had a nice taxi driver take us to the airport.  As he drove along we kept telling him how beautiful the city was and how much we enjoyed our brief visit.  He shared with us his pride of Singapore and admiration to the courageous and visionary Prime Minister Yew. He chuckled when he told us that thanks to his beautification efforts, Singapore has over two million more trees than it does people.  Well done Mr. Prime Minister…..

I was trying to get this blog posted before we left Singapore, however, I ran out of time.  After a fifteen hour flight from Singapore to Los Angeles, a twelve hour layover in LAX (we had an airport hotel), a five hour flight from LAX to Tampa and a one hour Uber ride, we're back on Anna Maria Island.  You gotta do, what you've gotta do!  

We haven't finalized our holiday plans yet, but we're looking forward to some time with family and friends.   

Thanks for following along on our adventures!

🤞

Phu My and Vung Tau, Vietnam…

Vietnam Day 2-Vung Tau

 We woke up early today (as usual), but we’re in a state of  disbelief.  We are making our way towards the final port of this 39 day cruise. It’s been an amazing adventure all along the way. 

Our last port of call was Phu My. It is a huge industrial port, that while it wasn’t terribly scenic it was interesting.  There were massive cargo ships being loaded with containers on both sides of the channel.  Vietnam has a huge clothing and shoe manufacturing business.  While I’m not sure, I’d be willing to bet a lot of those containers were filled with these items.  

For cruise passengers there were two main options for adventures.  Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City), which is about a two hour drive away and Vung Tau, which is a beach resort town about an hour away.  The majority of folks headed toward Saigon, however, we opted for Vung Tau.  We had spent a few days in Saigon a few years ago, and really enjoyed it, but wanted something new and more laid back for the day. 

We didn’t book a tour, just transportation to and from Vung Tau.  There was a “guide” on the bus. His job was to see that we got there and got back, but he did offer some information and tips as we made our way. 

We were dropped off along the beach front, with a designated time to meet there six hours later for the return trip to the ship.  Vung Tau is located on a narrow peninsula so there’s not one, but two beaches.  They’re cleverly named Front Beach and Back Beach. We were on Front Beach. 

We enjoyed some time in the large beachfront park and along the boardwalk, however it was hot……really hot…..and really humid.  We had walked over eleven miles the previous day in Nha Trang and not interested in a repeat.   We quickly turned our attention in another direction, a nice massage in an air conditioned building.   

A few shots from along the Vung Tau Front Beach waterfront….. 

We found what sounded like nirvana just a short walk away at the Maia Spa in the Fusion Suites Hotel.   When we arrived at the spa we were told they had an opening for a couples massage at 1:00, which we quickly booked.  This gave us a bit of time to explore and grab a bite to eat before our pampering, and what a pampering it was!

Covering their bases…….Jesus on one mountain overlooking the city…

Buddha on another mountain overlooking the city!

Spring rolls with shrimp!

We opted for the whole enchilada (I’m sure there was a fancier name), which included a salt scrub, body massage and face massage.  One hundred and ten minutes of goodness!   Unlike our torturous foot massage in Taiwan,  (graphically documented in the Novo2 blog) this was heavenly.  The time passed quickly and we both would have gladly laid there longer, but we had a bus to catch!

Getting ready to be pampered!

I’ve mentioned how much we love the food in Vietnam.  We also love the massages and the prices.  The total cost for both of us for this wonderful experience, ninety four dollars!

We didn’t see a lot of Vung Tau, but what we did see was impressive…..what we felt with our eyes closed was even more impressive!

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Good Morning from Nha Trang!

Between Brunei and Nha Trang we were very grateful to have a “sea day” .  It wasn’t just any old “sea day”.  It happened to be November 7……Beth’s Birthday!   I won’t say how old, but she’s now eligible for Social Security!

A birthday surprise for Beth, compliments of our Cabin Steward and NCL.  

We enjoyed spending about a month in Vietnam four years ago.  We loved it, and while this time we would only have two days we were looking forward to our return visit.  The people are friendly, the scenery is great and the food is amazing (an inexpensive)!

Nha Trang is a beach resort town located on the South Central Coast. It was a port that required tendering, but it went pretty smoothly and we were off the ship early and with a plan…..go where our feet take us.  They ended up taking us on a great journey!

The first mile or so was through a traditional local community where the shops were opening and the local restaurants were doing a brisk breakfast business. We then reached the start of what has made Nha Trang so popular, the beach.  A really long beach. Just over four miles in length. 

Our kind of beach,
a great path, lots of shade and plenty of benches.  

The exercise stations along the path stayed busy all day   

This beach is a long one!!

Not just for decorations, also for sale!

It wasn’t too long on our walking journey into town that we made a detour into a beachfront bar and restaurant.  Our intentions were to get Vietnamese Coffee, which is a powerful potion of really strong coffee and sweet condensed milk. Although it was still early it was already plenty hot, so we ended up with a couple of nice Mocha Frappuccino’s.  After seeing the table next to ours get a couple of bowls of Pho, we quickly gave into temptation and ordered our own.  As I mentioned earlier, the Vietnamese food is fantastic….it was a nice start to the day!

Hot and Delicious Pho!  Two Mocha Frappuccino’s, Pho and Fresh Limeade…..eleven dollars! All at a gorgeous beachfront location. 

The beach had a nice boardwalk with plenty of benches and shade trees……a perfect combination!  At one of our rest stops two nice young ladies from the local university asked us if we would do a five minute tourist survey.  Now how they figured out we were tourists is beyond me, but we were happy to help them out.  At the end we asked them for a recommendation for lunch.  They suggested grilled meat roll.   Because of the work they were doing they could not recommend a specific place, however thanks to TripAdvisor and Google Maps we were soon on the trail.  

Resort hotels, shops and restaurants along the waterfront

The beachfront monument plaza was quiet when we were there.  We understand it’s a popular gathering spot in the evening.  

Nice decorations….they looked real from a distance 

When we arrived at our chosen lunch restaurant it was packed with what appeared to be locals.  We had a little trouble communicating, but with a little help from a nice couple we finally figured out they didn’t take credit cards or US dollars (many places accept both).  Disappointed, we headed for the door to try to find a place to exchange some money.  As we walked away, the gentleman who had been our interpreter told us to come on back in, that lunch was on them.  We couldn’t believe the kind gesture and certainly didn’t turn it down.  As it turns out, they were from Vietnam but currently live in Oregon.  This was their first time back.   We enjoyed visiting with them while eating a delicious meal.  Their kindness was appreciated and it will certainly be paid forward.

After lunch we slowly started making our way back to the ship, following the same tree lined waterfront path.  Our feet had taken us on a memorable journey around Nha Trang.  When it was all said and done we had put in a little over eleven miles.  When we got back on the Norwegian Jewel we were a little sweaty and a little tired…..we sure could use a massage!