WE ARE STILL HERE AND WELL

Hi out there,

Happy Channukah !!!   We go to a sedar tomorrow night.  Should be interesting.  Let you know about it later.

We have been having some computer problems and some stormy (OK not stormy but rocky) weather.  So, I am behind on our blogging. 

We do have pictures of Halong Bay, Vietnam.  And, I realized, we still haven't posted Saigon, or Ho Chi Min City and Vung Tau, Vietnam either.  Now we are in Hong Kong.  We were here before.  The most interesting thing we found last time was the  light show the city puts on every night at 8.  Actually, last time we though the show was for us.  We had been to Kagoshima, Japan a couple of days before we arrived here, and in Kagoshima they did give us a special greeting and a great drum show.  So, we expected nothing less from Hong Kong.  We thought we got it. 

Actually we may have.  Last night's show was less than inspiring.  Maybe the financial crisis has hit here, too.

Anyway, Hong Kong is a huge city with tons of high end stores.  I saw 2 Tiffany stores within a 4 block area.  This is not the kind of shopping I wanted to do.  So, I didn't.

Instead, since there is free internet access in the shopping mall you enter immediately upon exiting the ship, I have been researching our problem.  And seeing if the prices for new small computers is better here than at home.  Well, the prices here for the same items is higher.  So, never mind.   I am going to try to nurse the computer until we get home.  Wish me luck.  Duane is letting me handle things.  Thanks lots.

So, we are well.  We are going to Shanghai next.  We have been there twice before.  They are having a huge expo there starting May 1.  I have heard that they have made many changes to the old town area in anticipation of the expo.  I hope they still have the bargains they had before.  It seems the places we have revisited have not had as many good bargains as I remember from 2 years ago.

Well, while I still have enough power on the computer to power down I will say bye for now.

Love to all.  Be well and happy.

3 22 Sihanoukville, Cambodia

When we visited here, 2 years ago, we needed to do some blogging and internet work, so we found an internet place.  Notice I did not say internet cafe. 

We had made a mistake, when approached by the tuk-tuk driver and asked if we wanted to take a tuk-tuk tour, we said “no”.  To that he said, “How about later?”  Well, we now know the correct answer is “No.”  We were trying to be polite, and we said “Maybe.”

Well, 2 1/2 hours later he was still waiting outside the internet place even though we kept telling him we weren’t interested.  We felt sorry for him when we were done, and we went for a tour.

It was great.

We saw these lions,

then we went on to this temple

where this monk showed us around.

Did you notice where the water comes from?  Little naked boys  :)

The area was full of these colorful fishing boats.

This time we didn’t need to blog and there was a shuttle bus from the port to the shopping area.  So we went to shopping area.  It was full of little booths under a cover and covered about 1 city block.

Arleen decided to take a chance.  She decided, even though she had cut Duane’s hair, and since Duane couldn’t (or wouldn’t) cut hers, she decided to have it cut in the shopping area.

And for $3, she did.  It was scary but came out well.

 

We noticed, like Singapore, Sihanoukville has grown.  There are multistoried buildings all over now.  There are office buildings being built along with resorts.

But, right outside the port, where our huge cruise ship is docked, is this beautiful fishing village.  It is hard to reconcile the beauty of the village with its lack of affluence.  I hate using the word poverty.  Some people who live without modern conveniences can be happier and even healthier than people with them.  So, not to be judgmental, I will say they have a lack of affluence.

    Having said that, Duane reminds me that due to the former political regime  killing off the educated and professional people in the country, the children do not get educated (90% don’t go to school), there is no public health care and the people are having a hard time.  It was not until 2000 that the government opened the country to outside visitors and investment.  So, little by little, the country is getting more prosperous.  Tourists are discovering the beautiful beaches and small friendly atmosphere of this area. 

It is yet to be seen whether this will be good for the people of the country.  But there are signs of recovery.  And the people are friendly and helpful and very glad we are here.

When we returned to the ship, on the way to our stateroom, we heard music.  We saw a fun show last night.  Catsnjammer, 2 guys playing one piano.  Very funny and very skilled.  Well, they were rehearsing for a later show and we got some pictures and got to enjoy them some more. 

When we leave here we head off to Vietnam.  Duane is going on a tour from the ship to visit Viet Cong tunnels.  Arleen will stay in the area of the ship.  Last time after riding up the Mekong River to somewhere near Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon), we took a tour bus to see the city.

This time we will not redo that.  The city, or town, nearest to where we land is Vung Tai. 

So more later.

3 20 A LITTLE MORE OF SINGAPORE

Singapore is growing like crazy.  And when you look at the buildings, crazy is a good word.

In 2008, when we were here, I took this picture.

This was the strangest building we could see.  It is still here, but it isn’t going to be the strangest building for long.  For all we know, it is not the strangest right now.

Look at these pictures of what they are building now.

 

 

Is it my imagination, or are those buildings all curved?  The tower in Pisa should now be considered stylish.

On to Sihanoukville, Cambodia day after tomorrow.

kl PART 4

When we got to the bottom, I bought a bunch of little honey sweet bananas.  We haven’t seen these since our last world cruise and we were in the south Pacific.

Near the caves are other temples.  This monkey faced god was outside one of these other temples.      

 

When we got back to the shopping center where we were to pick up the bus for the return trip to the ship, we went to the food court for some lunch.  Wow!  I could have spent all day watching them prepare foods I have never seen before.  Of course I had no idea how to pronounce what they were, since the writing is nothing like I could understand.  I did a lot of pointing and we got some interesting things.  For example, we had eggs and oysters.  Everything was good.  The only problem was how noisy, crowded and hot it was there.  Too bad, because it sure was interesting.

Outside the shopping center is a bar.  This sign hangs there

In case you can’t read it, it says

“Celebrate Chinese New Year with Mexican Beer”

right here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

3 18 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA PART 3

At the top of the main flight of stairs, you can see the cave entrance.  Temple decorations at the entry.

  They are using the Temples for services.  Notice the child with what looks like ash on his head.  His dad has some on his head, too.  We don’t know what that is for.

Then we got to the second major cave.  More steps, and these were very narrow.  You had to go up diagonally.

Here is why it is so hard not to include, what I’m sure are, too many monkey pictures.

Baby playing with a leaf.

Mommy trying to control baby by holding on to his tail.  Sort of like a leash for a baby.  I bet some of you wish you could do that.;)

Oh, yeah, besides monkeys, this guy supplied a python.  Why, I don’t know.  I guess he was selling rights to take his picture.

Views from the top

  

How would you like his job?  When we got to the bottom, there were at least 12 cases still to be carried up.

KL PART 2

We took the taxi to Batu Caves, about 30 minutes through the heavy traffic. We had the taxi wait, since we didn’t know if there would be taxis there.  I often wish we had more info, so we could plan better.  The truth is, without the info it just costs more. 

The caves have been filled with Hindu Temples.  As with many Hindu Temples we have seen, there are monkeys.  Lots of monkeys.  So prepare yourself for monkey pictures.  (it is really hard not to keep taking cute monkey pictures.  The cutest are still in movie form, but you will have to wait to see them, if you haven’t had enough)

First the caves.  You have to walk up 276 steps to get to them. 

On the way up you are entertained by the monkeys.

Trying to get a picture is difficult, since the buggers are quick.

 

But they make such cute photo subjects.

And they are so shy……

 

And they steal……

3 18 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA PART 1

Today we took the ship’s transportation to Kuala Lumpur.  It took about 1 hour, so we decided not to taxi it there, but use the ships excursion instead.  When we got there, we did take a taxi, with Juby and Tom.  Not, that is not a misspelling.  We have done several things with them now.

On the way from the port in Port Klang, our bus was decorated with curtains.

We drove through tropical landscapes.  The port and the city are not separated by country.  It is developed most of the way.

KL’s, as Kuala Lumpur is known, major attractions are  the KL Tower and the PETRONAS Twin Towers.  These are the tallest twin towers in the world.  Look in the picture and you can see a walkway that connects the 2 buildings.  You can go up there and look at the city.  This city is also full of smog.  I have worked on the pictures so they look clearer.  At least when we are at sea the air is fresh.

 

Notice how modern the towers are.  Stainless steel and shiny.

A neighborhood near the highway.  There are wonderful highways here.  Even the streets are in good repair.