Seabourn Cruising the Hainan Strait 7th January

A cruisy day as we cross the Hainan Strait as we head toward Cai Lan and Hanoi. It was also great to orient ourselves with the ship and shipboard life and to experience the personal service that is so unique to Seabourn. We attended our first enrichment lecture conducted by Denise Heywood in the first of her series “Vietnam-Land of Ascending Dragon Part 1 or in layman’s terms exploring the culture and history of Vietnam. For a bit of a laugh following this we entered the team Trivia competition with our iconic team name “Kiwi Fruit” Surprisingly we won Part one of the challenge but…there are 3 sea days to go so watch this space. We also enjoyed a galley tour. All the meat, chicken and frozen goods are flown in from the US. It is very risky buying these goods from Asia as you don’t know where they have been. Incidentally all the lamb and venison is flown in from NZ.
This evening is our one and only official formal night where one dresses in your best bib and tucker. We were hosted at our table by Sarah from Sweden, who deals in future cruise sales. We feasted on Fois Gras and Maine Lobster. Our evening concluded with a piano recital from Classical Chinese Piano Virtuoso Tian Jiang. A big day tomorrow as we retire in readiness for an early morning wakeup call.

Hong Kong to Seabourn 6th January 2011

Today we depart from the Langham Place Hotel, a great place to stay if we decide to return. After our 12 noon checkout we had a 2 hour wander around Kowloon before returning to the hotel for our transfer to the Port. Another limousine which was lovely.
Seabourn Pride is a sleek stylish ship, and fairly easy to navigate round. With only 200 passengers it by no means feels crowded. Embarkation and immigration were done quickly and efficiently and in no time we were shown to our suite. It is 250m2 of open plan living with bed and large lounge area. Bathroom has a bathtub with shower over the bath and double basins. We have a picture window We are on Deck 4. There are 7 decks in total with an 8th floor mezzanine. Afternoon tea was very low key with a piano player tinkling on a white baby grand. The décor is classy but not over the top and the Seabourn service is great. Heaps of nationalities are looking after us and we have discovered quite quickly that they are very warm and genuine. Our stewardess Tanya is lovely .
There are 3 Kiwi couples on the ship including us. Roger and Barbara from Auckland and Greame and Frances from Wellington. I am sure very quickly we will become one big happy family. The officers and top brass mix and mingle with the passengers quite freely which is nice.
Another nice touch is a hosted dinner with a member of the crew/entertainment team. Last night we had dinner with Gill and Connie who are a duo called the “Romantics’’ Gill plays Piano and Connie plays bass and they both sing. Gill is Danish but has totally lost his accent. Connie is Canadian and when they are not entertaining they live in Canada. They had invited 6 of us for dinner and we had a great time of banter and laughter. Sea Day tomorrow as we cruise the Hainan Strait as we head toward Cai Lan In Vietnam (Hanoi)

Hong Kong 5th January 2011

And you thought you were safe? Not in New Zealand, according to the South China Morning Post's front page as sharks anticipating their next meal at Matarangi prowl in the shallows.Read all about it.The sun has come out filtering through the haze. After a leisurely breakfast we booked an afternoon excursion to Hong Kong Island, but decided first that Bill needed a dose of culture. The hotel boasts a rather large collection of Chinese contemporary art in paint and sculpture. A complimentary self-guided tour is offered with you connected to an IPod. Takes about 40 minutes which takes you through the entire collection from the Street level to the top of the hotel. Very informative and also makes us look cultured and learned, which we all need at times.Our afternoon excursion was fun. We were a party of 20 including a lively group of aussies, and a great Chinese tour guide called Terri, who called herself “Angelina Terri” (the trademark pouty lips were a virtual feature) The tour was called Hong Kong Island Orientation and was about 5 hours long allowing for the traffic .Hong Kong Island is the main business district so most Hong Kongians work there. Victoria Peak was our first stop and is supposed to offer one of the best views in the world… when the sky is clear. It was not a clear day and the smog was not about to leave for our enjoyment. An American we met who visits HK regularly on business said you need a decent storm to blow the smog away to appreciate the view. He informs us sadly that it has gotten worse in the last 15 years. So much for the Kyoto initiative.Victoria Peak has a funicular style tram which can take you to the top. The queues are legendary so we were not even going there. The peak is much commercialized with a mall perched on the top at tourist trap prices.A snapshot of us compliments of the tour photographer, proved we had done the peak along with trusty travel companions Buzz and Woody. This has now been immortalized for eternity on a Hong Kong porcelain plate. Anybody who laughs gets to keep it so watch yourselves.Our next stop was the Aberdeen Fishing village. This is the area where the famous “Jumbo” floating restaurant is located. From here we had a Sampan ride to view the floating community of Fishermen who live on their boats. It is mainly elderly people now so in time this community will die out. The Aberdeen fishermen still supply 25% of the Hong Kong seafood.The tour also included a gem factory visit with an opportunity of course to purchase the merchandise. We had researched gem and gold prices in NZ before arriving in Hong Kong so were well versed in prices and what was considered value for money. We discovered quickly that the prices were overinflated by about 50%. We purchased nothing despite the intense efforts of a very pushy sales assistant. Unfortunately they let themselves down by not letting you have a decent browse and constantly interrupt you, so her fate was sealed for some other unwary victim (from amongst the next busload entering as we were leaving).Our final destination was Stanley, the site of a former navy garrison and charming fishing village, and the site of yet another famous market. On the way we travelled through Repulse Bay which has great views over the South China Sea and I would imagine the place to live if you can afford it. One apartment block has a gigantic hole in the middle of it. The reason being is that the dragon’s breath can reach the sea. Great Feng Chui if you are a devout Taoist. The perfect mix supposedly of Yin and Yang if you are into that stuff. Stanley market is quite charming and we had only 40 minutes to explore it but were able to spend the last of our limited stash of Hong Kong Dollars.After battling the appalling traffic and after being dropped off at our hotel we decided to return to the Ming Court Cantonese restaurant for a second visit. Our last night in Hong Kong. This is the restaurant with the Michelin 2 rating and well deserved. The food is wonderful, beautifully prepared with fantastic service and from now on we will compare all Chinese restaurants to this one. Hong Kong is a place you have to visit just to experience the culture. We only scratched the surface of this culturally diverse place, and our strong NZ dollar was great price wise too.

Hong Kong January 4th 2011

Feeling well rested and human again with a decent night’s sleep and a leisurely breakfast behind us, it was time to go shopping. Today is very cold and we had prepared for life in the tropics. This is not the balmy weather we had been expecting. Mind you, would we ever see the sun here? Could it cut through the smog layer? Bill deemed it necessary to purchase a light jacket. Armani no less.On that subject Hong Kong is quite a contrast as far as many goods are concerned. Bill’s jacket was not as bad as you would think and a decent jacket, no label in NZ would be a similar price. However, fine watches are exorbitant. My Rado watch bought it NZ, expect a 66% markup. Sunglasses however, are 50% cheaper on the fine labels. Bought a pair of Prada sunglasses for 2/3 price you would pay in NZ. Today we fossicked in the famous ‘Ladies Market’. Didn’t buy anything but enjoyed the atmosphere and ambiance. A very dodgy guy approached Bill and spoke in a low voice about a “very good deal” in Replica watches. This is highly illegal in Hong Kong. We just walked away . After the adventure in the Ladies Market we wandered down Nathan Road, Kowloon’s main drag, commercial and gem district.Have really enjoyed the interaction and quirky ways of the Asian young people. One of the big fashion statements amongst the young men is the wearing of glasses frames with no lenses. The ultimate fashion accessory with your Iphone and your Ipod. As one who has always avoided wearing glasses I found this very puzzling. Bill thinks they are trying to look thoughtful and studious to attract the right sort of prospect.Footsore and weary we arrived back at the hotel .Bill drew me a bath and I luxuriated till my toes went wrinkly. The evening was spent sampling Cantonese cuisine at a Michelin Two restaurant. A great end to a long day.

Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong 3rd January

We now head towards unknown territory. This leg of the journey starts early with a leisurely breakfast in the Business Class Lounge finished with Hazelnut and Toffee Nut Lattes to ease the stress of our jet lagged bodies. Both of us have not slept well in the last 24 hours. One big surprise on our arrival in Hong Kong is the temperature. 11 degrees but didn’t feel like It, but then it is winter. We were one of the first off the plane and our transfer was at a different arrival gate but went to the Plan B location which was right next to the Langham Place Hotel desk who was able to contact our driver. We were treated to a Mercedes Limousine with a great driver who was able to regale the sights and features of Hong Kong. One of the things that was a put off was the continual haze. Our driver said it was weather which was a bit of a porky. It is serious air pollution. According to today’s newspaper. Last year there were 4500 hours where the pollution index exceeded 100. That means it is unsafe to be outside if you have heart or respiratory disease. Thank goodness we are here for only 3 days. We will survive but may consider wearing a mask and also 1 in 4 Hong Kongians are considering leaving because of the air pollution.Putting that lesson aside our 30 minute car trip got us to Kowloon, one of the most heavily populated areas in the world. We have never seen such tall apartment blocks and many of them are only 15 years old according to the driver. I was amused with the washing hanging out the windows at 60 storeys and would wonder if a gust of wind would rush up the building causing your smalls and other unmentionables to fall to the ground like leaves. The contrasts here are amazing with old Kowloon mixed with futuristic buildings. The property prices in Hong Kong are sky high. With a 500m2 apartment selling for 3 million Hong Kong Dollars and even then it may not have an elevator. Photos on that one tomorrow. Conversion wise we are looking at $1 New Zealand to $6 Hong Kong approximately. Do the Maths. Our amazing hotel is at the other end of the spectrum with no expense spared. The Langham Place Hotel was voted in the top 5 of Hong Kong’s 5 star hotels. Our room was not ready when we arrived so spent the next hour and a half exploring the 15 storey mall that is connected to the hotel by a covered bridge. This is all wow as the photos show. The top part of the Langham Place mall is called the Spiral which you can walk up. We did. To get down you head down a massive escalator. By this time the jetlag is settling back in so time to check into our room. We have treated ourselves to a wonderful executive room with a King Sized bed and a cool bathroom with a large bathtub. It is on the 23rd floor. Smaller than what we envisaged but lovely and very quiet. The lack of sleep over the last 24 hours is starting to take its toll, We stuck to the Hotel restaurant and crashed in our luxurious bed not soon after.

Auckland to Kuala Lumpur 2nd January

Our epic Asian adventure has begun. We made good time to Auckland and left our car in the undercover carpark. There is more construction happening at Auckland airport with a new Novatel being constructed across from the departure gates. Good for all the Accor members amongst us. On checking in we were asked to collect an extra voucher from the Malaysian airlines desk. It was thought at the time that the Pan Pacific in Kuala Lumpur and been very efficient and we had been allocated a room twice, so commending them for booking us twice rather than not at all, we cancelled one scratching our heads ( we find out the reason later) After a serene lunch in the Qantas lounge we boarded and 11 hours and 4 movies later and feeling a bit tired we arrived in Kuala Lumpur. We have always being impressed with the efficiency of the airport even with the airport train being up for reconstruction. This work was started on the 1 November and will be completed end of March. The train service has been replaced with a fleet of shuttle buses which moves everybody between terminals and immigration. No wait time. There has been a lot of construction completed since our visit in 2009 so things were a little different but we got there.Our arrival at the Pan Pacific and the room double book then became obvious on checking in. Some breakdown from the Pan Pacific’s end had decided that Bill and I required a room each. This was quickly sorted so no worries there. The room was identical to last time but the bed was very hard and neither of us slept well. Mind you with the 5 hour time difference I did have one of Business class’ superb coffees that may have kept me awake all night. Oh dear I shouldn’t have

BillnFran Asian Adventure 2011

Hi Everybody.Many of you enjoyed our European Experience.It has been 16 months since our last holiday and now we are about to embark on our Asian Adventure. Our Adventure will start on the 2nd January where we fly out of Auckland with a One night stop over in Kuala Lumpur then 3 days in Hong Kong. Bill and I are first time visitors to Hong Kong. You will meet some old friends from Europe who we met in the VIP section on the MSC Spendida. Jacky and Kaka were on their Honeymoon then and will be meeting up with us on the 4th. They are expecting their first baby and will be having dinner with them. On the 6th of January we will be boarding a Yachts of Seabourn Ship called the Pride which we will be on for 12 days. We finish in Bangkok then board a plane to stay in Singapore for 4 days. We leave Singapore on the 23rd January then its back to New Zealand.This time we take 2 travelling companions with us. Buzz Orville F Fairhurst who needs no introduction as he has travelled with us before. Buzz prefers 5 star accommodation, has his own following on Facebook, has been all over the world,and is a bit of a poser .Our second travelling companion is Woody. Buzz' BFF . Woody is used to Back Packers and he is pretty basic. Woody's traveling experince involves stints in Wellington and Rotorua that we know about. Travelling with Buzz could ruin his innocence. He is rumoured to be a bit of a drinker, but his managers Tamu and Marjo deny this.Woody also enjoys Line dancing which we hope to actively discourage.
So fasten your seat belts,pack the Immodium,slather on some Bushmans and wait for the first instalment. Have a great Christmas and we will see you in the New Year