Singapore, what a dream to visit this remarkable destination. I have only ever dreamt of being there since watching a film I loved. Oh how I wanted to visit the Mer-lion and take in the sky line sights at the top of Marina Bay Sands Hotel at night time.Ā Visiting temples, Little China, Little India and all the amazing sights Singapore has to offer, we chose the metro system and managed to suss out how to get around Singapore using our day pass.Ā Felling the achievement of getting to all the places on the bucket list, I can honestly say, I would love to return one day.
I remember once staring at an advertisement of Singapore in a travel magazine, it was of the Gardens by the Bay. I secretly wished I could one day visit that very place. To my amazement,Ā when I learned our ship was visiting here, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I managed to get to that very destination seen in the glossy magazine.
Sabang ! You were a beautiful place to visit. Not commercialized yet ! The ship was welcomed in to port by dancers, music and smiles. The Captain and his officers were treated like royalty, as they sat under a specia canopy erected especially to shade them from the morning sun.
I was lucky enough to get in to a Rickshaw Tour of the Island. We were greeted with smiles from the people of the Island. As we passed, we were shoited out “Welcome to Sabang “.
The tour company had staff everywhere we stopped, and we were greeted.
Sabang is very under touristy, I do hope it never changes. As we sailed away, the music was playing, and the Islands peoples lined the dock side waving us off.
This was Boudicca’s inaugural visit. I hope it returns another time.
Singapore
James Bond Island
W o w ! More than I could have dreamed of. At last, I was making the journey towards the beautiful Islands they call Phang Nga Bay.
Four of us clubbed together to buy a taxi ride for the day. We thought the taxi driver would just drop us off and wait for us, little did we know, our 54$ each, was buying us a 2 hour journey return, a private boat ride, lunch on a private Island and a canoe boat rip meandering through natural curves and arches through the mountainous scenery. We were very fortunate our ship was docked over night for 2 nights, which allowed us the luxury of travelling a distance from the ship.
Taken there by our taxi driver Nam and his wife Fa.
The long boat waiting for is on the dockside after a 2 hour taxi journey through Phucket and then into the mainland.
Our personal driver had organised this amazing boat, which the four of, Driver, his wife and of course the guy steering the boat, just us, we all got in and made our passed idyllic Islands, amazing scenery and dreamy sights only ever seen before in holiday brochures.Ā I had to pinch myself, that I had reached my dream bucket list destination.
The hoards of tourists filled larger cruise style boats, and all docked on one of the Islands. We felt privileged to avoid all of the crowds, as we had our own personal guide in Fa, the drivers wife.
After our journey meandering through the tiny picturesque Islands by boat, we finally docked at a Gypsy village, which was build on Stilts. Awaiting us, was the most amazing home cooked meal. We ate this meal and enjoyed every mouthful, savoring the sights around us of only sea and distant mountains and Island. a truly unforgettable experience I don’t think I will ever forget.
Phucket, Thailand, The Land of Smiles.
5am ! 5am I woke up ! Why so early ? Well, maybe it was on my mind I was going to be visiting a place I had longed to go to since my 20’s. So not to miss the opportunity to see this once in a life time of sailing towards my dream destination, I was up and on deck watching us sail in towards The Land of Smiles, Phucket, Thailand.
ā¢ As we sailed passed Islands and beaches, the view from the ship although a dull sky, ( well, it was only 6am ! ), was beautiful, as we sailed passed numerous small Islands smothered in palm trees and tropical fauna. I couldn’t believe my luck as I witnessed, not only the sailing towards Phuket, but standing on deck, as the ship turned a 360Ā° circle, and very slowly docked at Sea Port Phucket. This was an awesome sight to witness from deck.
Thailand itself was a mixture of Island life, streets dotted with market style pop up restaurants, market food stalls however mixed in with Civilized roads and a mix of temples. After the after math of Port Blair, Phucket was so welcoming.
Grabbing a taxi on that first day meant 4 of us, were taken around two of the famous sites and a nice stop for Elephant pics, all for Ā£13 each. After the haggling with a local cab driver, we went kn a 30 min journey, from the ship to Wat Chalong Temple.
A building outer walls covered in glorious colours and Thai designs, contrasted the gold statues of Buddhas that were situated inside.
Of course, the obligatory photographs were taken, a few silent moments to appreciate the beauty and splendor of where we were, then it was back inside the cab to make the hillside drive towards the Big Buddha.
Wow ! Breathtaking. Big Buddha, a concrete statue covered in marble, sits proud over looking Phucket on its mountain top. The sight, a religious place for Buddhists and monks, made sure all tourists were covered up to respect the religions rules.
Suffice to say, another amazing sight and experience which exceeded expectations. Thailand, so far so good.
After a stop at a nearby elephant sanctuary, a quick pic with a baby elephant placed nearby a road side had to be done ! It isn’t every day one passes crowds of elephants all kitted out for tourists to ride on. After politely declining, we took a quick picture and had a drink overlooking the beautiful bays of Phucket, before making way to Old Town Phuket.
Here I would have a spot of local shopping, eat a Thai noodle lunch ( Ā£4 ! ) and of course, treat myself to a Thai shoulder and back massage. Bargain of the year, at only Ā£9 for the whole hour !
Port Blair, India
Well, interesting is a word I have been describing my 2 days in Port Blair. Would I return again, I do not think the opportunity would happen again, and if it did, this would be a port I would stay on the ship for !
Greeted by crowds of men as we climb off the ships arranged shuttle bus. ” You want a tuck tuck ? ” tuck tuck ! Tuck tuck ! Only a dollar. !
This saying was to follow me everywhere. Run walking the roads as we try to cross, dodging the cars, motor bikes and tuck tucks. Smoke fumes, the heat, the colours and smells of Port Blair were beginning to merge into some kind of colorful piece of memorable art I could capture as a photograph never to be forgotten.
Cows can be grazing along the side of the roads, goats walking along and surprising you.
The heat felt as if someone had turned the central heating up high. But learning to join the atmospheres and listening to the beeping sounds of constant horns, was rather stressful and unwelcoming to us British visitors.
The buying of local souvenirs..a shell, a pair of wooden Andaman wood salad servers, a coconut to drink the juice, which was expertly chopped with a rather large knife on a side of a road by a local business man, along with a few long caftan style dresses for my mum…. and of course, my picture taking so I can etch this memory into my mind, all make up my 2 day experience of the Andaman Islands governed by India.
Thank you Boudicca, for proudly waiting for our arrival back to the ship. Where there was familiarity, comfort, air conditiong…..and no tuck tucks.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
As taster days go on cruise visits, I think we manged to get an excellent idea and experience the culture and gain insight into traditions in Sri Lanka. I was lucky enough to be chosen to tour escort the day trip to the Tea Plantation. I was slightly disappointed I wouldn’t see Colombo City life, and experience the busy over fumed tuck tuck rides, but I decided I could always sample this in India, which was to be our next stop.
The comfortable coach, only a 15 seater, was waiting for us on the dock side. 13 passengers, myself, the driver and the tour guide, took off along the busy roads before joining the motorway. At least I got to see the tuck tucks following us, which I managed to take a few pics.
Once we left the motorway, to my delight, we drove an hour along windy roads, passed through small cities and towns, and witnessed day to day Sri Lankan busy life along it’s high streets and main streets. The tuck tucks and local buses were everywhere. Local people going about day to day business among-st hustle and bustle of fumes, clutter and sunshine.
After a 2 hour drive, we reached the Tea Plantation. Such lush, green, beautiful natural surroundings. Trees up and down mountain sides, tropical flowers and a very small windy road on the way into the plantation.
Once there, I was surprised to see how old and archaic the process of the tea making still was. From baskets and baskets of picked leaves, to the drying and curing of the leaves in the factory, which sadly we wern’t allowed to take a picture of, the end product of the tea, the dryness of the leaves and the beautiful aroma filled the rooms.
We were treated to tea and cake, in the tropical gardens of the managers house. Served in pristine white cups on saucers, with an atmosphere that one can only equal to colonial days gone by. Truly a memorable experience of Sri Lanka.
Not what I imagined. This certainly was not how it looks in the glossy holiday brochures. The Maldives are a group of Islands surrounded by rings of Coral. So we are lead to believe.
We docked in Male, the capital of the area. We were greeted by high rise buildings, sky scrapers and motor bike after motor bike along fumed busy areas ! Almost a tropical version of a New York sky line, but crammed into a circle surrounded by sea.
We were in search of wifi, which we found in a rather expensive coffee shop which equaled to anything we could have found at home in Manchester ! Still, they had wifi, so a catch up was worth the coffee price !
After taking pictures outside the monument to remember those who died in the terrorist bombings of 1988, and a quick stop outside their famous mosque, we hopped on a local ferry to a neighboring Island.
Sadly, in search of the beach with stilted wooden houses and tropical gardens wasn’t to be found! But we did meet a lot of local activity along the way as we walked towards the public beach. Not allowed to swim in swim suits due to religion ruling, a swim in the Indian Ocean was out of the question. So it was a paddle instead !Ā We sat under a tree and shaded ourselves from the heat of the day. Only to be cooled off by a tropical rain storm !
Sampling the experience of the Maldives was not on my list of favorites, so not really sure I shall be stopping by again !
Another ferry ride back to the main land and the comfort of joining the ship’s tender was a welcoming thought.
Thank you Maldives. It was very nice to experience you for 7 hours !
Day 3, Praslin Island, The Seychelles
After a ride on the ships tender, myself and Helen, the ship’s Caricaturist, stepped onto the jetty that led towards taxi’s, tour buses and cars. Still being tired from the flight yesterday, all we wanted was ease and a taxi into town. We soon learnt a taxi would cost 35 euros there, and we would be dropped off in the town. Just as well I decided that was a humongous amount to pay for a taxi ride, as I soon spotted the local bus, that would cost 7 rupees! ( 50p ). Feeling a sense of achievement, we got onto the bus and had an interesting ride around the Island, passing bays of white sandy beaches, palm trees, houses and the odd pop up ” shop ” here and there. Just as well we didn’t get a taxi to the so called town, as we later learnt, it comprised of 6 shops near to a beautiful white sands beach.
WiFi was a difficulty to find, no bar, however beautiful and exotically themed they were decorated, WiFi seemed a rare thing to find. So Helen and I walked along a beach till we found a beach bar, which was the back to a beautiful but small hotel. Luckily, they had WiFi. A local beer for Helen and a welcomed diet coke for me was the order of the day. However, we were pleased to bump into Simon and Tom, who, themselves were on a WiFi hunt.
The afternoon then turned into a relaxing couple of hours, enjoying the facility’s of the restaurant and enjoying the view of what I can describe as Paradise.
Soon time to make our way back to the ship. The booked taxi we thought was picking us up, failed to arrive, so back to the bus it was. This turned out to be an experience with the locals, so to speak. They wern,t phased by the turning and speed the bus driver was zooming along the windy yet quiet road! Maybe this was something they experienced daily as I noticed local school children walking along and Island inhabitants going about their daily business.
Thank heavens the bus driver knew the roads well. Our F1 bus experience dropped us off safe and sound back at the jetty. We happily boarded the ships tender, and made our way back to our floating home.
Day 2 Nov 14th
Mahe, Victoria in The Seychelles
After another 4 and a half hour flight, and not realizing some more entertainers and lecturers were on this segment, we all got off in the beautiful larger Island of Mahe, Victoria. Our first stop in The Seychelles.
13 of us boarded this tiny yet compact bus, which also fitted all our cases in the first 3 rows. I am not too sure this would have been accepted as part of health safety rules in the UK.
We were driven the 20 minute journey from the airport to the port, to find the Boudecca ship awaiting our arrival.
We were welcomed with a cold drink at the gangway, most needed after a night and half a day of flying.
Sadly, it wasn’t possible to explore the Island, as time didn’t allow. As we were needed for boat drill and the incoming entertainers meeting.
However, after dinner, myself, Helen the Caricaturist, Tom the Magician and Simon the comedian, managed to visit a local bar not too far from the docks.
Comforted by the fact I had found WiFi, spoken to my hubby and had a nice walk back to the ship. It was unpack, dinner and then bed ! Needed to be refreshed for the next port of call, Praslin Island, The Seychelles.
Lazarus Travels & Adventure 