Thailand and Singapore

 April 18

We arrived in the center of Bangkok at 11 a.m. after a four-hour journey up the river. Only small ships can make this trip, so we are very lucky. Thailand used to be called Siam until 1939. It was changed by order of the King. King number 10 is currently in power and is the wealthiest Monarch in the world. He owns much of Bangkok. 

We had an early lunch and headed out at 1 pm to tour the city.  A bus took us about 30 minutes to a pier where we boarded a smaller wooden boat for a 30-minute ride on the river Chao Phraya to the Grand Palace.    

 

We walked a few blocks in the sweltering 100-degree weather and entered the expansive palace complex.

The current king is the tenth in Thailand’s history and is called King Number Ten as his name like his predecessors is too complicated to say or remember.   He has no political power like the UK.  He does not live at the Palace anymore but he does commute everyday the 30 miles from his more modest home.  By the way. Bangkok is only a nickname for the city.  The full legal name is. 

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

To enter the palace, shoes, sunglasses and hats had to be removed and shorts or shirt skirts were prohibited.   We were given the opportunity to by long pants or a wrap for $5 or less.   

 

The property reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

After the palace, we traveled a short distance to the temple of the largest gold Buddha (in the world).  Wat Trimit (Golden Buddha Temple)

 

Again, it's not its real name but what most call it.   Due to the sweltering heat, Merry and I stayed on the air-conditioned bus during the short visit.   

We ended with a tour of the city.  It is known as the Venice of the East as it has an infrastructure of canals originally expanded to move goods around.  However, many have been filled in to make room for the autos.  They drive on the left side of the road, but it has no connection to the UK.

 

It is a city of contrast.   Talk of glitzy offices and condos intermixed with deplorable shantytown houses all squashed together.  The King owns almost 100% of the land and allows the low-income properties to remain at rents starting at $50 per month.  The tenants like them and don’t want to move.

Note the high rise in the background and the low-income properties in the foreground.  

 

Our guide said there are over 46,000 temples in Thailand with a population of 70 million.    Bangkok has over 10 million which is a relatively young city built since 1780.  He says it is a peaceful country with no enemies except for Myanmar who have a civil war in progress.   Income tax is very low at 3%.

 

April 19

Still in Bangkok, we took a morning tour.   Our bus took us to the wholesale flower market.  The flowers made the already high humidity very oppressive.  

The prices were very low, for example, one dozen roses were available for $3.

The market also had spices, herbs, fruit, vegetables, 

Our next stop was a ride in a Tuk Tuk ride in convoy.  A Tuk Tuk is a three-wheel motorcycle that has rear seating for two or more people.  We weaved through the streets sometimes at high speed.  The breeze was delicious in the 100-degree heat.

The next stop was Wat Pho temple.  "Wat" means Temple.  It is home to the very large reclining Buddha.   150 ft long.  It is located behind large columns and was hard to photograph.  

We were very glad to get back to our Air Conditioned bus which took us through dense traffic to a jewelry, gems and minerals store.  I was happy to have a coffee while Merry looked at the overpriced jewelry.

 

On the way back to the ship, our route took us through the city center while our guide gave us more information. 

Thailand 'land of smiles'.  She told us that Thailand ladies are not so much interested in a man with a six-pack like Brad Pitt, they prefer men with a one-pack [beer belly] like a Buddha.  Many of us resemble that remark.  

 

The top four exports are Automobiles, Computers, Jewelry (ruby, sapphire,) and Rice.  Thai culture eats rice every day, even every meal.

We returned to the ship at 1:30 in time for lunch before the ship cast off at 3:00pm. A long, slow trip down the Chao Phraya River with cities and places where there are holders of grain, for the rice that gets shipped out; and for cars they make here in Thailand which are shipped all over Europe. There were many, many cranes which indicate they are ready for more building.

April 20

Today was a tender port, anchored off the Ko Samui island, Thailand (nicknamed tiny Thailand), so we needed to go ashore by small boats. In this case, the port provided the tender.   This is less convenient but all part of cruising, and allows us to visit more exotic parts of the world.

 

First impression was that it was like Hawaii: one road around the island with a mountain in the middle.  Turquoise water.  It is about 30 miles off the mainland which includes many 5-star resorts.  The main industry on the island is growing coconuts.  The population is about 70,000.

Our first stop was Wat Plai Laem Temple which is a modern Buddhist temple. The temple's design incorporates elements of Chinese and Thai traditions and was in part designed by distinguished Thai artist Jarit Phumdonming.

Our second stop was the nearby Big Buddha meditation center (temple)

This beautiful 40-foot-tall statue was built in 1972 on Koh Fan island which was attached to Koh Samui subsequently. Buddha is the religious GOD of Thai culture.

Lastly, we visited a Coconut plantation where monkeys have been trained to pick coconuts, up to 50 ft tall.  We were given a description of how they train the pig-tailed macaque monkeys.  First, they must be trained to identify a coconut, then identify a ripe coconut ready to be picked, then finally how to twist the coconut so it will drop to the ground. 

 

We headed back to the port and took the tender back to the ship.

 April 21

Today is a sea day, meaning no port visits.  This is a time to catch up on correspondence.  Obviously, we have internet access, allowing me to publish this blog, but it is not good internet.  At best, it is spotty and slow.  Many days there is no internet.  They say they are between satellites.  Sometimes, military operations interrupt the service.  Other times, it is an internal technical problem that is beyond our control. 

Don't get me wrong; we appreciate having internet access. For those on short vacations, one should try to live without the internet for a while, but being on a ship for several months, internet access is a necessity.  Obtaining visas, managing money and bills at home, and contacting family, especially the elderly or sick.

April 22 

Today, we arrived in Singapore, known as the Garden City.  This is a special Island/City/Country among many developing nations, and Singapore is a success story.  It started out as a British Colony but became independent in 1965.  Over the last 40 years, it has developed into a very successful, world-class, and unique green city. It is squeaky clean and has many iconic buildings, shopping malls, and casinos.  It has neighborhoods such as Little Indian and Chinatown.

The island has limited space, becoming an expensive, vertical city, clogged with traffic and heavily regulated.   It is hot and humid year-round, just 1 degree above the equator.  The crime rate is very low, partly due to corporal punishment [flogging] and capital punishment [hanging].  We are not sure of the capital punishment being used now, but just having it on the record makes it all the more possible!

There was a comprehensive form online and get a landing card. Then, we had to queue for an hour in zig-zag lines just to get into the city.  

We had signed up for the hop-on, hop-off bus, and a shuttle took us to the starting point. 

 

We did the complete circuit, which took about an hour, and got off at the starting point. We were impressed by what we could see.  Hardly a simple building to be found. Outrageous curves and shapes are everywhere.  A true measure of wealth and success.  New buildings going up at a furious pace.  Breathless, we went to the mall for lunch. We settled for having a salad and it was outstanding!  After lunch, we looked at all the shops and bought some things.

We continued the bus ride on the second circuit, which included some of the older districts. China Town and Little India were all thriving with shoppers who seemed to have plenty of money.

Many of the buildings have been designed to incorporate plants and trees.

China Town

Little India

After the circuit, we took the shuttle back to the ship to recover. We were hot, amazed, and exhausted.  As I have said, we are not city people, but if we were, this would take the cake. Wow.

April 23

This is again the end of a cruise segment and the start of a new segment.  Singapore to Dubai.  Old friends are leaving, and new ones are to be welcomed.  This will be our last segment.  It is all going by too quickly.   

 

We retook the shuttle, got on the Hop-on bus, and got off at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  It comprises three tower buildings with what I thought was a ship-shaped terrace on top, but someone corrected me and said it was a giant surfboard. Whatever, it is mighty impressive and a must-visit.

We took the elevator to the observation deck.

We saw the gardens below from the deck, and that was our next stop.

This is a floral clock

By now, the sweltering heat was getting the better of us, and suddenly, a McDonald's restaurant appeared like an oasis.  Normally, we would look for a restaurant serving local cuisine, but today, we made an exception and cooled down while waiting for our food.

After lunch, we returned to the bus stop, hopped back on the bus, and completed the circuit back to the starting point, just in time to catch the last shuttle back to the ship, which was soon to set sail.

At dinner, we shared a table with new arrivals, a British couple, both teachers, who had spent many years living in Asia and now in New Zealand. They are very interesting people and now new friends.

Save this website and revisit it weekly to see our latest adventures.