Postcard from Minerva in the Far East - January-March 2011

I flew out to Singapore a little early for my embarkation on Minerva and spent a few days in Singapore to catch up with my nephew Simon and his family. I arrived on the evening of Friday 14 January after a comfortable flight; Simon met me and took me to the Hyatt Hotel and then he and I had a lovely dinner at Jones The Grocer in Dempsey Road. Afterwards it was back to the hotel to hit the sack for a few hours.

In the morning I wandered around the shops for an hour or so and then met up with Simon and his wife, Seetha. We did a bit more shopping before lunching in a delightful little restaurant in Club Street. In the evening I took a taxi across to Simon and Seetha’s very comfortable little home and spent an hour with them and their two delightful little children, over a lovely glass of champers. After that we went to the Fullerton Bay Hotel for a fantastic special cocktail in their bar on the top floor overlooking the Marina Bay Sands – it was a magical experience. The lights were just wonderful and we had a great time up there. We then went next door to the Palm Beach for a Chinese dinner before going back to my hotel. The following morning Simon, Seetha and daughter, Natasha, picked me up at 10.30 and we visited the Commonwealth Graves at Kranji en route to the Wetlands at Sungei Buloh, where we had a quiet walk for about an hour. We then lunched at ‘Bollywood’ a little local restaurant before I returned to my hotel for a quiet afternoon by the pool.

On Monday 17th I spent the morning at the Hyatt pool and then checked out of the hotel and made my way to Jurong Port to embark on Minerva. After unpacking I walked around the ship and met up with Captain Giovanni and Staff Captain Alex for a drink. I was later joined by Barbara, a friend from my last cruise, and she and I dined together. The next morning I managed to get myself out of the Port [not easy!] and spent the day with Seetha and the children and we had a lot of fun. I stayed for lunch and tea before making my way back to the ship. Soon after 8pm that we evening we sailed for Brunei. The next couple of days were spent soaking up the sunshine at sea, interrupted only by a Singles party and a Welcome party!

At 7am on Friday 21 January we arrived in Brunei, and I spent a wonderful day visiting that country. In the morning I went on local boat to explore the Mangrove Swamps – saw quite a lot of wildlife – crocodiles, monitor lizards, monkeys and many birds - it really was a great morning boating around! In the afternoon I did a City Tour of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It was a fascinating afternoon, learning quite a lot about their Sultan. It finished with a cruise along the waterways and then enjoying tea and local cakes at the boatman’s house before returning to the ship to sail for Borneo.

In the very early hours of Saturday 21 January we arrived at Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the State of Sabah in Borneo. A wonderful local band greeted us as we stepped ashore and then I went of an amazing tour of Kota, including an hour or so at a local Cultural Village, which was quite an event! Then back to the ship just in time for sailing at 2pm for our next stop in Sabah, Sandakan. That evening I dined with Cruise Director, Hugh, plus two other friends. We arrived in Sandakan at midday and that afternoon I spent hours in an Orangutan sanctuary watching them and some macaque chimps play and feed – it was absolutely fascinating especially when one rather large one landed in the viewing area just in front of me! From there we went to a Chinese temple for a wonderful ‘Lion’ dance on poles! We sailed for Lahad Datu, our last stop in Borneo, that evening and arrived at midday on Monday 24th. I did a ‘city tour’ of the little town, visiting a temple, a local house and the fresh food market. We were an unusual sight to the locals as cruise ships rarely visit them! In the evening we sailed for the Philippines.

We had a windy but sunny day at sea, and I went to some friends’ suite for drinks in the evening, followed by dinner with my Swan friend, Rutters, and Barbara. The next morning I was invited to the Bridge to watch us arrive in Cebu, which was as fascinating as ever. We were greeted by some beautifully dressed Filipinos, who danced for us for about 30 minutes. After lunch I went on a tour of Cebu City, visiting the majestic Taoist Temple, some Filipino homes and museums, San Pedro Fort, Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica Minor del Santo Nino. Sadly it was a rather dark and damp day but it was fascinating to travel around the city and see their way of life, often in very poor dwellings. Cebu is home for some of the crew so we had quite a few visitors to the ship that day. Late that evening we sailed for Manila.

After a quiet day at sea, we arrived in Manila at 6.30 in the morning and I was up there to watch us come in. Manila has a sort of NY skyline as you approach and you can see the promenade like a pearl necklace. The Filipino crew were all up early and excited as most of them were meeting up with their families for the day. I went on quite a good City Tour, visiting a museum, a church, an old home, a Fort and a handicraft centre, and we then had a bus tour around the Old part of the City which was fascinating but sad too. So many ‘slum’ areas but also we saw such things as flower markets and suckling pigs being cooked on the street. We returned to find the crew and their families being fed and generally looked after on the quayside. Their families were allowed to visit the ship while the passengers were ashore in the morning and afternoon. That evening I dined with friends and then watched us depart at 11pm.

The following day at sea was very sunny but very windy and the seas were beginning to change. At around 4.30pm we left the shelter of the Philippines and headed out to sea towards Hong Kong, and from then on we hit very very rough weather. The winds were around 43 knots, storm force 9, all night, and my bed waltzed, my cupboards and drawers kept opening and shutting, and anything on any top rolled to the floor! It was a crazy night and I don’t think I slept a wink as we were tossed around all night long. The following morning a few of us crept up to the dining room for breakfast [the Veranda buffet up top was closed], and even there china crashed around and people had to be helped to their tables! I spent the day lazing around in my cabin. The Farewell Party was cancelled but the Gala dinner stayed, and as the ship was not jumping around so much, I dressed up and made my way up to dinner. As I walked through the Bar I met Captain Giovanni, so I stopped for a chat, and then we were joined by Colin, Swan MD, and Giovanni’s fiancée Danielle, and in the end we all went into dinner, together with the Hotel Director. So a fun evening even if we were still dancing around a bit. That evening I dropped off to sleep with ease, and woke up to a calm ship! It had been a very very rocky road from Manila to Hong Kong! At 6am on Monday 31st I was up on deck to watch us berth in Hong Kong.

That morning I went up to walk the Dragon’s Back – a very long but exhilarating walk, especially as the sun shone on us, even if there was a chill in the air. We initially had to climb very high, and even after that it is a tough walk across quite rough terraine. It was 8.5 km [5 miles] and you needed to keep up a good pace to complete in about 4 hours. Sadly one gentleman found it too hard going, and had difficulty in getting to the end, so we had a bit of a disastrous finish – the whole excursion took us about 6 hours instead of 4! That evening I met up with my lady boss’s friends who took me to the HK Yacht Club for a lovely dinner overlooking HK Harbour. The following morning I took a trip to HK Island to visit the Upper House Hotel, which is marketed by Pineapple Marketing [one of my jobs]. An amazing place and I had fun there. After that I walked The Lanes and then took a bus to Stanley Market where I spent the afternoon. I stopped for a spritzer and some samosas on the beach but otherwise toured the shops. Then back to the ship, where I watched a laser light show before meeting up with my friends Jack and Jane, with whom I had dinner. The next morning, Wednesday 2 February, I went into Harbour City with my computer to do some updating, and then took a long walk along Nathan Road to the Jade Market. After a light lunch I spent the afternoon on the top deck – it was rather hazy but reasonably warm, and then spent an hour on deck watching us sail out of Hong Kong before dining with friends. We then had a day at sea when there was a Singles party at lunchtime and the Welcome Dinner in the evening when I dined with the Hotel Director and two other friends.

On Friday 4 February we berthed at Haiphong in Vietnam and I went on a day’s excursion to Hanoi. We had a long journey – just over two hours – to Hanoi but there was so much to watch. The local people on every kind of transport, usually a bike or motorbike of some sort, sometimes a family of four on one motorbike plus luggage! There were many rice fields, Vietnamese locals working in them with their buffalo. On arrival in Hanoi we went to an amazing Water Puppet Show, which was very colourful and fun. After lunch in a local hotel, we toured around the city, viewing the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature. After a good day it was another long drive back to the ship. That evening there was a good Classical concert, and we sailed for Halong Bay at midnight.

Early on Saturday 5th, we anchored in Halong Bay. It was long wait to get on the tenders, so I caught up with Giovanni and Cruise Director Paul for a chat. Then I went off on a wonderful cruise around Halong Bay on a local tender for three hours. Not too many of us on each ship, which made it easy to move around and I spent the morning on the top deck viewing the incredible rocks in the Bay. We saw the local fishing village, and then visited the amazing Thien Cung Cave before returning to the ship and I spent a few hours on the sun deck before watching us weigh anchor and continue to cruise around Halong Bay on Minerva for an hour or so. That evening I had a fun dinner with some friends in the Veranda Restaurant.

After a quiet day at sea, I was invited to dine with the Captain [the delayed Welcome dinner], which was preceded by an invitation to drinks with my friend Barbara, so that was a fun evening. The next day, Monday 7 February, we arrived in Da Nang, and I went on a lovely tour to Hoi An. It is now a bit more touristy than my last visit eight years ago, but I still enjoyed the morning and bought some lovely silk. The afternoon tour around Rural Da Nang was very poor and I regretted going on it. In the evening I met up with a friend of my lady boss and her husband for drinks and dinner and then danced on deck afterwards. Finally I watched us sail at 23.00 for Nha Trang.

After a quiet day at sea I went to the Crew Show and then had an early night. I was up early on Wednesday 9th February to watch us arrive at the pretty port of Nha Trang. In the morning I went on tour of the City, visiting pagodas, temples and buddhas! Sadly I had a bad bus and a bad guide which rather spoilt the morning for me. The afternoon was spent on the sun deck! In the evening I had dinner with Captain Giovanni and three other friends, and we had a great fun dinner. We spent the next morning cruising up the Saigon River and berthed in Ho Chi Minh City by 12.30, in between two replicas of Minerva II! In the afternoon I went on a City Tour – had done it all before but it was good to see it again. I visited the Reunification Palace, the History Museum, the Post Office that looks like a railway station, and China Town. Sadly we missed a Temple as it closed just before we got there. Then it was back to the ship through the Saigon rush hour which was an incredible experience – you have never seen so many motorbikes, usually with 2-4 people on each bike! I spent the next morning relaxing on the top deck and then watched us sail for Cambodia in the early afternoon. In the evening I dined with my friends Rutters and Barbara.

Saturday 12th was a peaceful day at sea in fabulous weather – almost too hot even for me! In the evening I had drinks in the suite of friends and then dined with four other friends in the Veranda Restaurant. In the morning I watched us arrive at Sihanoukville at the unearthly hour of 6am. Then I went back to bed for while and after breakfast I went to Sokha Resort and spent the morning on the beach and the afternoon by the pool. All very relaxing. In the evening I joined my friends Jack and Jane for dinner on the back deck before watching us sail for Bangkok at 11pm. We then had a quiet but very hot day at sea and the Farewell party in the evening. The party was on deck and then I dined with my Swan friends, Andrew and Andrea.

On Tuesday 15th we arrived in Bangkok two hours early, before I was up! I spent the morning visiting a tailor to get some shorts copied and dresses made up and in the afternoon I visited the largest teak mansion in the world, the Vimanmek Golden Teak Mansion, followed by a visit to the Throne Hall, an amazing place with some quite extraordinary gold exhibits, not to mention some outstanding embroidery pictures. We then had a very long journey back to the trip – made longer by the dreadful Thai traffic jams. After dinner I had a nightcap or two, with my friends Jack and Jane. The next day was change-over day, so the ship was a bit chaotic. However I took myself on a trip to see the Floating Market – this is the new market which I hadn’t visited before, always having gone to the one that was in the centre of Bangkok. It was a long journey, over an hour, but then the cruise on a long boat around the canals was fun, and we finished up in the Floating Market, where I resisted buying anything, just took lots of photos. Then back to the ship for a quick lunch before going back to the tailor for a fitting. After that I went to the MBK Centre in the centre of Bangkok for a wander around the shops for a couple of hours. That evening it was new passengers at the dinner table, after which I had a nightcap with Captain Giovanni. The following day, 17th February, I was meant to spend the morning on the ship and then go on an excursion in the afternoon, however it was all change. I did spend the morning on the top deck and took delivery of my new clothes at lunchtime but we had to depart early so all excursions were cancelled and I spent the afternoon on the sun deck. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Bridge for departure and stayed there while we sailed down the Chao Praya River for a couple of hours.

Friday 18th we were at sea all day and in the evening it was the Welcome Party and so wore one of my new dresses! Discovered that my old De La Rue friend, Diana Coghill, was on board with her husband, which was a nice surprise. I dined at my friend Rutters’ table, which was fun. Seem to have picked up a bit of a cold so had a couple of rums before hitting the sack! Thankfully the next day was another day at sea so I relaxed on the top deck with my streaming cold and cough. Listened to Hannah Gordon at the evening show, had a large rum for my voice and then retired to bed! The following morning I watched us arrive in Singapore, and then went off to meet with nephew Simon who took me to their apartment and I spent the day with him, his wife Seetha and his young family. We had a wonderful dinner party with Seetha’s sister and her husband and I returned to the ship by 10.45 pm. In the morning I made a brief shopping trip to Orchard Road in central Singapore and by 1.15pm we had sailed for Port Kelang where we arrived early on the morning of Tuesday 22nd. Most people went off to Kuala Lumpur that morning but having been there I did an excursion to Klang. We visited a local Malay home and then had photo stops at the Blue Mosque, the Alam Shah Palace and a short walk around Little India. Not the most inspiring of excursions! We sailed a little late at 7pm and that evening I went to an excellent piano concert.

On the morning of Wednesday 23rd we arrived at Georgetown, Penang, and after lunch I went on an excursion to the amazing Kek Lok Si Temple. It is just a little way outside Georgetown and we were a very small group of us. We walked up about 100 steps to the first part of this unbelievable temple – the largest Chinese Buddha Temple in Malaysia. It was all so colourful that you could hardly believe it. You have to take a small tram up to the Buddha at the very top but it was well worth the effort. You also got a great view of Georgetown from the top. It was a very hot afternoon, but a most enjoyable one. In the evening I took myself to the back deck for a sundowner and met up with my De La Rue friend, Diana. In the end she and I and her husband Peter all stayed outside and had our dinner there. Later that evening we sailed for Langkawi.

Early on Thursday we arrived in Langkawi and the Captain had a very tricky arrival with both wind and currents, not to mention many fishing boats with no lights just noisy engines! That morning I did an excursion around the island, of which the highlight was a cable car to the top of Machincang Mountain. The views across the island were incredible in spite of the mist. We then went on to visit some rice gardens before returning to the ship. We sailed from Langkawi at 3 o’clock during a brief rain storm which soon cleared and I was then able to spend an hour or so on the top deck. That evening was the Crew Show, again! After which I had a nightcap with friends. The following day we were at sea in the most gorgeous weather – blue skies and a slight breeze, so spent the whole day on the top deck. Made some nice new friends at dinner in the evening and had a nightcap with them before retiring.

On Saturday 26th we sailed into Port Blair in the Andaman Islands at 7am. I took a tuk-tuk into town in the morning, having been there before, but decided it wasn’t worth the visit so went straight back to the ship and relaxed there. In the afternoon, I went on a very good stroll around Ross Island where the British once had their administrative offices. It was very warm, and we were glad of a slight cloud cover for some of the time! After dinner that night was another ‘Evening with Hannah Gordon’ which was very good. The next two days were at sea, which I spent on the top deck, with the Farewell party on the first night and another Hannah Gordon evening on the second night.

Early on Tuesday 1 March we arrived in the rather tatty port of Chennai [Madras]. The security was very tight indeed and it took us an hour to get off the ship, on to our bus and through the port, but eventually we set off on a City Tour, visiting amongst other things the Mylapore Temple, San Thome Cathedral and Fort George, then back to the ship for an hour before setting off again in the afternoon on a Heritage Walk which was absolutely wonderful. After an hour long journey to the West of Chennai City we arrived at Koiyambedu Market, one of Asia’s largest fresh food markets. We spent half an hour there wondering in amongst the locals who loved having their photos taken! Then, after a brief photostop at the National Museum, we visited Egmore Railway Station and mixed with locals there. From there we drove to the Georgetown area of Chennai, and once again we spent half an hour walking in amongst the locals until we got to the Armenian Church, one of the oldest churches in India. Our walks amongst the locals was truly incredible, seeing life in India in the raw. That evening most of the passengers left for London, so it was relatively quiet. I cleaned up the library for the staff as it was in such a mess, before retiring to my cot.

On Wednesday I took it easy. Just a coach trip into the Taj Hotel in central Chennai in the morning to use the Taj’s WiFi system to update my computer, and then relaxed on the top deck in the afternoon. In the evening I relaxed with a drink on the back deck before and after dinner. In the morning I made the long journey to Mahabalipuram to see the amazing historic monuments carved out single bits of granite, as well as the Shore Temple nearby. It was extraordinary to see an elephant out of a single piece of granite. All absolutely fascinating. The afternoon was spent on the top deck, and in the evening I had the privilege of watching us depart Chennai from the Bridge. Then two quiet days at sea spent on the top deck, interspersed with a Singles party, a Welcome party and a performance by Absolutely Opera.

Early on Sunday 6 March we arrived in Tuticorin – a very commercial man-made port with coal and salt and containers all around us! I took an excursion to Pallayamkottai and Tirunelveli to visit a Temple and two lovely churches. In the second church we attended a lovely mass which was held especially for us. It was a long journey to and fro but it was fascinating to drive through Southern India – people washing in the river, buffalo soaking in the river and generally watching Indian life on the streets. Then back to the ship and an afternoon on the top deck, and a jolly table at dinner in the evening. Next morning we arrived at Kochi at midday where the temperature was 92 degrees in the shade! That afternoon I set off on an excursion to the Allepey Backwaters. It was a long journey out there but then we had an hour and a half cruising the backwaters and watching life and wildlife as we cruised. It was a peaceful and fascinating afternoon, and then our driver – a real Stirling Moss – drove us back to the ship at breakneck speed. That evening I dined with some of the Swan team. The following morning I went to Kumbalangj Village by tuk-tuk. There we were given refreshments, shown a lot of locals at work before taking a canoe ride back. A very good, if very warm, morning. That afternoon we had our first piracy drill as we are now just getting into pirate waters.

Just after 7am on Wednesday 9 March we arrived in Mangalore – a little late thanks to a late pilot! I did a City Tour as I haven’t been to Mangalore before, and it was very good, visiting a chapel, a temple and a cashew nut factory, all made a lot more interesting by a very good guide. The afternoon was spent on the top deck and in the evening I was invited to dine with the Hotel Director and Staff Captain, which was fun. Next morning we arrived at Marmagao – a really dreadful port covered in coal and iron ore, so absolutely filthy. Most passengers went to visit Old Goa, but having been there before I went to the beach for the morning which was wonderful. Had three good swims in the pool as the red flag was flying on the beach and soaked up the sunshine with a light breeze! That evening I had a delightful dinner with Captain Giovanni and some old friends – it was really good fun as there were just the four of us, and afterwards it was the Crew Show – the fourth time for me!

Around 10.30 on Friday 11 March we sailed into Mumbai. Having been there many times before I decided to relax on board for the day, and at one stage watched the antics on the quayside as the powers-that-be decided to put new fenders in between the quayside and the ship. In the evening I joined Giovanni, his radio officer Ravi and Ravi’s friend Joseph for a wonderful curry dinner in Mumbai, after which we stopped at the Gateway of India before returning to the ship. The next morning I took myself off to the Taj Mahal Hotel to try and use their WiFi system, but failed, but I went around the corner to the Apollo Hotel and succeeded there. I then met my Indian girlfriend, Geeta, for an iced coffee in the Sea Lounge of the Taj Hotel, before going to a money changer to get rid of my rupees after which Geeta dropped me off back at the port entrance. That afternoon I was lucky enough to be on the Bridge to watch us depart Mumbai for Muscat, after which we had a Piracy Drill, and that evening I dined with my De La Rue friend, Diana, and went to a concert by Absolutely Opera.

We then had two days at sea sailing along pirate alley in glorious sunshine. Giovanni had set in motion all sorts of anti-piracy measures which I will not elaborate on in case any pirate reads this!!! Both days were spent on the top deck, finishing with the Farewell Party on day one and a short visit to the Bridge at the end of day two. We finally arrived in Oman at 7am on Tuesday 15 March. That day I went on a day trip to Nizwa and Jabrin. The Nizwa Fort was incredible after which we visited the Souk and then went to a local hotel for an excellent lunch, although it was slightly spoilt by an influx of passengers off the Costa ship that was in port. The same group rather spoilt our visit to Jabrin Castle in the afternoon. When we got back into Muscat we were taken for a brief photo stop at the Sultan’s Palace. Once back on the ship I showered and packed up swiftly, and then joined Captain Giovanni for a glass or two of bubbles before leaving for the airport for my midnight flight home, and so I came to the end of a wonderful nine week holiday.