FUN-photos: 2016 Crystal Cruise – Sydney to Bali
March 31, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: 2016 Crystal Cruise – Sydney to Bali
Slow Boat to Singapore – Australia & Indonesia
- The second segment took us from Sydney to Bali with 6 ports of call and only 5 days at sea.
- We never made it to Thursday Island as the sea was too rough and choppy for the tenders to take us ashore. Oh well, Champagne for lunch and a nap instead!
- While it was very cool to go to Komodo and get to see the dragons, the whole thing felt very staged. More like going to a zoo without the fencing.
- And then Balmy Bali…in Monsoon Season. This lovely island with a population of over 4 million is one of the smallest in Indonesia covering an area of 2000 square miles. And with the majority of them practicing Balinese Hinduism there were temples on almost every corner and tucked away down side streets. Every 210 days is 6 months on a Balinese calendar and encompasses a big celebration filled with food, music and dancing. It turns out that we were in for a real royal treat too! Incense filled the air as they prepared a multitude of delicacies for their evening’s feast and festivities.
FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 19th Port – Langkawi, Malaysia – Day 44
March 28, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 19th Port – Langkawi, Malaysia – Day 44
Wednesday, March 9th
- I hate to sound jaded but in the words of Chris, “How many islands can you see? You can be anywhere in the world and you’d never know it. They all look the same.”
- Ashamed to say it, there is a bit a truth in what he says. At this point we were on one of 104 islands (108 in low tide) in this archipelago in the Andaman Sea. Langkawi is about 16 miles long and slightly wider with over two thirds of it dominated by forest-covered hills.
- Bikinis and Burkas dotted the Beach – along with all the typical things you’d expect – lounge chairs with umbrellas and motorized water sport toys. After a short walk I took a dip in the nice warm water to cool off. Then we strolled through town to spend the last of our ringgits before hopping back on the shuttle to the ship.
- To prove his point Chris says, “Do you have any idea what island this is?” And the answer is….Komodo. Pretty much looks like all the rest wouldn’t you say?
FUN-fact – The Straits of Malacca is a narrow 500 mile stretch of water between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra and for centuries was an important maritime trade route between India and China. Today 40% of the world’s traded goods pass through the Straits.
Not so FF – Captain Phillips (played by Tom Hanks in the movie) was hijacked by the Somali’s in the Straits of Malacca. And we foolishly thought it was off the coast of Somalia!
FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 18th Port – Penang, Malaysia – Day 43 —
March 28, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 18th Port – Penang, Malaysia – Day 43 —
Tuesday, March 8th
Kek Lok Si Temple
- Today I had high hopes of creating a real adventure. They touted the UNESCO World Heritage downtown Colonial District as a “major attraction.” Chris says, “You are always searching for the pearl.” And that I am!
- Since it was a short walk from the ship, we headed off on our own. As soon as we hit the cruise terminal we were overwhelmed by yet another onslaught of taxi drivers. All of which were attempting to get our attention by waving a laminated sheet (they all had the same one) with pictures asking us where we wanted them to take us. And their price of 50 ringgits (basically $12) an hour never wavered, even at the end of the line out on the street. No bargaining here. They’re clearly unionized!
- Our short four block stroll along the waterfront promenade started with Fort Cornwallis, the largest standing fort in Malaysia, and ended at City Hall before we took a hard left and headed into the city center. More unbearable monsoon heat and humidity had sweat pouring from our faces after only 5 minutes.
- After an hour and a half of walking around looking for “the pearl” (which I never
found) and no longer able to stand the unbearable heat we found a taxi to take us to the sites. And guess how much? 200 ringgits for 4 to 5 hours! I told you there was a taxi union. Eric was his name and he was a quite nice gentleman with pretty good English skills. And this taxi had a meter so he was a “real taxi driver” which he highlighted and assured us that we were in the hands of a professional driver.
- 1st stop – Kek Lok Si Temple – The ‘Temple of Supreme Bliss’ AKA the Temple of 10,000 Buddha’s, Malaysia’s largest Buddhist shrine stands a striking 98 feet high. The seven-tiered alabaster pagoda is the highlight of the complex. The design is said to be Burmese at the top, Chinese at the bottom and Thai in between. We took the cable car – bypassing “way too many stairs” as the ascending tourists grumbled to us – that whisked us to the highest level. It was presided over by an awesome 110-foot-high bronze statue of Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy.
- 2nd stop – The Reclining Buddha Thai Temple – No question about it, the Thai’s know how to do a colorful temple! With paintings and mosaics of mythical creatures and statues inside and out, not to mention, the giant gold plated reclining Buddha at 108 feet in length. Turns out it’s only one of three that’s this size in the world!
- 3rd stop – Just across the street from the Thai Temple was the Dharmikarama Temple. The only Burmese Buddhist temple outside Myanmar. Very large in scope and pristinely maintained, it included a lovely landscaped garden with a bridge over a small fish pond, and a tall bell tower. The statues in the temple are modeled after the different branches of Buddhism from several Buddhist countries.
FUN-food – Eric took us to his favorite place to have lunch. Wok fried rice noodles with shrimp and red garlic chili sauce cooked on a cart in the street. And we didn’t get sick! Thank god we have iron clad stomachs.
Most Bizarre FUN-dessert – Cendol – layered in a bowl is unrecognizable jellied black fruit, corn, kidney beans, shaved ice, coconut milk sweetened with brown sugar and topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I kid you not! And I ate most of it.
- “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” Well apparently here you can. With a population of 64% Chinese, 20% Muslim, and 10% Indian; Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Taoists all live together in harmony!
FUN-cocktail – Real Martini – Bombay Sapphire, straight up, extra dry, extra olives.
FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 42
March 24, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 42
Monday, March 7th
- Quoted from Reflections, our daily printed shipboard update “Crystal Cruises is pleased to provide complimentary shuttle service from the pier to the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall in downtown Port Kelang (sic). Service begins at 9:30 am and is scheduled to run every 30 minutes on the hour and half-hour. The drive to the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall takes approximately 30 minutes. The last shuttle leaves at 4:30 pm. Please note that the Bukit Tinggi Shopping Mall doesn’t open until 10:00 am and there are no other points of interest in that immediate area.”
- So who wants to guess what we are going to do today? Certainly not that! The movie is Avengers: Age of Ultron. So I am pretty sure it’s “read a good book day!” Or maybe some smoochy, smoochy?
FUN-fact – Petronas Towers is closed on Monday and so glad I booked it ahead of time and knew that!
More FF – Any idea what this is? A mushroom on a downed tree trunk with the sun doing its best to peek through the heavy tree canopy in Komodo.
FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 41
March 23, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 17th Port – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Day 41
Sunday, March 6th
- Technically we docked at Port Klang and it took over an hour by bus to get to KL (as it is lovingly referred to.) Thank god it was Sunday and the traffic was light!
- Welcome to Kuala Lumpur officially known as “The Knockoff Capital of the World.” That’s right. You can buy any high end, name brand item for only $50 and $10 if you’re really, really, really good at bargaining!
- And these here on your left are the “Big Boys”– Petronas Towers and KL’s claim to fame. They were the official titleholder of the Tallest Building in the World from 1998 to 2004, until that nasty Taipei 101 took over the top spot. That was a big blow! But for the record – they still hold the #1 title for – Tallest Twin Towers.
- And this is where you don’t want to be if you are claustrophobic and/or acrophobic. Never wanting to concede to fear, and actually having both of those phobias, I took on the towers! What I wasn’t expecting was what happened inside the elevator. As it began to rise, all three walls transformed into a movie screen, simulating a glass elevator with the outside view. I kept my eyes fixated on the floor. And focused on not panicking!
- Fortunately it was a really, really fast ride to the top. But then the doors opened and all I could see was floor-to-ceiling glass in all directions. YIKES! Thankfully floor 86 was large enough that I could stand in the middle and not totally freak out.
- These side-by-side soldiers stand tall at 452 meters with 88 floors in total. The design of each tower is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two interlocking squares, creating a shape of eight-pointed stars in steel and glass. Too bad for us as the double decker 42nd floor glass Sky Bridge that connects the two towers was closed for renovations.
- Like New York’s SoHo flea market the 120 year-old Central Market is filled with everything from clothing to carvings and food to fabrics.
- Just outside from the market and down a couple of blocks is the small colonial district that dates to the 1880’s. And the city is filled with a wide variety of temples that range from Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, and Mosques.
- Petaling Street is the China Town of KL, a colorful and bustling market with rows and rows of stalls hawking everything you can imagine, even Rolex watches! Hey, there was even a guy roasting chestnuts over an open fire! In March. In 100 degree weather. In Malaysia. Who knew they even ate them?
FUN–fact – KL is working very hard to be in the same league as a Singapore or Hong Kong (but it’s still a 3rd world country.)
Not so FF – S & S (stand & squat) toilets are the norm. I was really, really, really lucky to find ONE handicap stall with a western toilet at the mall where the bus dropped us off.
