Month: March 2023

March 2022

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Porto (Villa Nova de Gaia)

City of Bridges Tour & Port Wine Tasting -We visited the São Bento train station which is one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. There are 22 thousand tiles covering the walls and ceilings. Next, we went to the Cathedral and then visited a local winery for a tour and Port Wine tasting. We rode the cable car down from the bridge. 

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Entre os Rios, Enja, Penafiel

We sailed on the beautiful Douro River through the morning. We departed by bus for lunch at Quinta da Aveleda, an estate that is famous for its beautiful gardens. It is also famous for “green wine”. We first had a walking tour through the gardens and then were served a typical Portuguese lunch with regional wines. We sailed through the afternoon and saw the Carrapatelo Dam and lock, the highest one in Europe. Once in the lock, we go up 35 meters/115 feet so we can continue sailing on the river.

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Régua

Today we dock at Cais do Peso da Régua. We go by bus to visit the Mateus Palace. This is a beautiful region just outside the city of Vila Real. The palace’s magnificent gardens feature perfectly manicured topiaries work and an impressive Cedar tunnel. The house is filled with beautiful 17^th-18^th century furniture and decorations transporting you back in time.

We take a 30 minute drive to visit the Remedios church which has 686 stairs down. Here we taste the delicious Bolas de Lamego and the most famous sparkling wine in Lamego. We return to the ship for lunch and sailing again, to Bagaúste Dam/lock. The difference in the water level: 28m/84 feet. After a brief sail, we again go by bus to visit a local Wine estate for a port wine tasting. A specialist from the vineyard took us on a private tour of the wine cellars which had a lovely aroma. He talked about the centuries-old winemaking methods and then we had a tasting of the vineyard’s specialty wines. 

Back at the ship, a bottle of port wine was opened using the “fire and ice” technique that is used to prevent cork from being pushed into the wine as he has been aged and has changed over the years of storage. 

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Pinhão

A visit to the train station and around the beautiful village of Pinhão. The four walls of the station are decorated with 3100 tiles, depicting scenes from the Douro Valley. Most of the scenes depict activities related to the production of port wine. 

After an afternoon break, we take a bus ride inland, to 600 meters of altitude (1968 ft above sea level) and with 1000 hectares of planted area, to have dinner at Quinta da Avessada, in Favaios. This is the highest and flattest point of land in the region. The village is famous for its Muscatel Wine, declared by many as the national drink. We are also given sausages, codfish cakes, stewed veal in red wine sauce and a selection of deserts. 

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Barca d’ Alva

We travel by bus to Castelo Rodrigo to visit a beautiful Portuguese historical village where we taste delicious local specialities including regional wines, cheese, almonds olives and bread. 

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Vega Terrón to Madrid via Salamanca

Morning on the ship with early disembarkation. Buses take us to Salamanca Alameda Palace where we have a walking tour. Lunch is served at the Alameda Palace Hotel with a Spanish folk show. Then, travel by bus to Madrid and check-in to the hotel. 

Madrid City tour begins with a panoramic tour of Madrid where we see the modern parts of the city. Then we depart the bus to see the Royal Palace and continue through the Old Town to the Mayor’s Square which is surrounded by shops, traditional taverns and restaurants. 

Toledo

Toledo is a walled city UNESCO site. It was the ancient capital of Spain. We visited a Jewish synagogue that is not used any longer. We also saw a cathedral that is massive and in regular use. We went to the old train station that has been converted to a botanical garden inside the old building. Returning to the hotel, we walked through a large, beautiful park on the return to the hotel. 

Next Stop …

February 28

Two years after being sent home from Bangkok due to Covid 19 (Wuhan), we again travelled. We had to have two doses of vaccine and a booster. We flew to Montreal with a planned flight to Miami. To enter the U.S. we had to have a PCR test within 24 hours of trave. We spent a couple of hours on the phone and videoing ourselves using the nasal swab while being watched over the phone. We got approval. We left home at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, to the airport, to the plane, landed early in Montreal. We went to the assigned gate, sat down and waited about 30 minutes. Then the gate was changed to far away. We had to walk a long way to catch the flight. 

Several hours later, landed, went to the gate waiting for our ride. Nearly an hour later, a long walk to different baggage area as we had been given the wrong carousel information. Walked to a different baggage area where our car and driver were patiently waiting (he arrived after the changed gate was posted but we could not see the change in the original baggage area). We arrived at our hotel about 1:00 a.m. exhausted and it was already Monday.

We woke and off to eat breakfast. Then, back to the transport to be taken to the cruise terminal. Again, another PCR test. About 1 ½ hours later, we were cleared to board the ship. We were still exhausted from travelling and lack of sleep but, we wanted to help our bodies adjust to the time change as quickly as possible. So, we stayed up, unpacked and went to dinner. After dinner, we went to the cruise presentation “Red Pirates of the Caribbean” which was entertaining and very interesting. 

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March 1 : Costa Maya

Had to wake early (considering the three hour time difference). We went on a tour to Costa Maya, Mayan Ruins. It was a long drive but the ruins were impressive and amazing they could be build so long ago. 

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March 2 : At Sea

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March 3 : Harvest Cay, Belize

We took a long walk into a small village. There we caught a tour boat away to the Monkey River, 30-40 minutes, then up the river with local guides pointing out a variety of birds, flowers and trees. We had time for a walk in the jungle where we saw a troop of Howler Monkeys. Again, an informative and interesting tour. 

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March 4 :  Roatan Island, Honduras

We visited a small island (77km by 8 km). We can see the reef and fish from our balcony. The tour included a van ride to West End Village where we walked the length of the town and had “Malala” (a great cold drink) served by a fun waiter named Elvis. Next we drove to the Hanging Echo Bridges where we crossed seven suspension bridges. Next we drove to West Bay Beach were we ate lunch (a great seafood platter), relaxing in the shade looking at the ocean. Then, travel back to the ship and dinner at Chartreuse, the fancy restaurant on the ship. 

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Next Stop Portugal & Spain

February 17 & 18: Ko Samui

Ko Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand. The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern China.  The name Samui is mysterious. Until the 20^th century, it was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. 

We sat in the front of the tinder on the way to shore and got a thorough shower from the waves. First stop with a stop at the Golden Buddha temple which was very beautiful. We had a Thai lunch buffet which was delicious. We stopped to see some coconut picking monkeys which were entertaining. Then we stopped at a beautiful viewpoint. 

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February 19 : Laem Chabang (Bangkok)

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and the most populous city in the country. The Ancient City is a re-creation of the city from the past. There are a number of different temples and some live water buffalo along with a display of water buffalo. The tour guide gave historical information on the two-hour ride there and then on a tram ride around the park. The trip there was on a modern highway and there were some modern, high-rise buildings but also many small houses along the river where traditional net fishing was being done. Then, many fields of fish farms. Most of the trip could be considered suburbs of Bangkok.

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February 20 : Laem Chabang Grand Palace

The spectacular Grand Palace is one of the most famous landmarks in Bangkok. It was built in 1782 and for 150 years was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government.

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February 21 : Sea Day

 A change in travel due to Wuhan- Coronavirus. It kept us in Laem Chabang one extra day so additional trips were provided.

 Laem Chabang Floating Market

We traveled to the Floating Market. Actually, it was not particularly impressive. It is a replication of what had been original in Bangkok. Simply commercial products and food

We saw the Sanctuary of Truth which is perhaps the most iconic structure in Pattaya. It is intricately carved entirely from teak wood. The 105-meter-tall hall is awe-inspiring and a one-of-a-kind structure in the whole world. 

We walked through and then back to the ship.

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February 22 : Home Again

The trip back was a nightmare, airport experience due to the fact that all tourists were being sent home. There were repeated screening (temperature), crowds, delays but eventually, we got on a flight and had a good flight home. 

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Next Stop Caribbean

February 10: Komodo Island, Indonesia

Komodo National Park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands. As well as being home to the Komodo Dragon, also know as the Komodo Monitor, or Ora (to Indonesians). In 1980, it was declared a World Heritage Site. The majority of the people in and around the Park are fishermem originally from Bima on the island of Sumbawa, and from Manggarai, South Flores, and South Sulawesi. Descendants of the original people of Komodo still live in Komodo, but their culture and language are slowly being integrated with the recent migrants. The dragons were huge but were passively lying around.

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February 11 : Benoa (Bali) Indonesia

Bali, the famed island of the Gods, with its varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and baren volcanic hillsides provide a picturesque backdrop to its colourful, spiritual and unique culture. 

Bali is one of more that 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and is located just over 2 kilometres from the eastern tip of the island of Java. The best-known attractions are the countless Hindu temples. We rode a bus through the city seeing the sights –temples everywhere. We drove through rice terraces with workers in the fields. We saw a troop of monkeys on the roadside by a market in a small town. The cities appear quite poor with lots of trash along curbs and in waterways. Still every home has temples and shrines to their ancestors. Small dishes of foo are put out daily for the dead. 

We made a stop at a lake for “tea”. It was too rushed to fully enjoy. The local people were polite, courteous and beautiful.

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February 12 : Bali

We went to a cultural centre where we watched a show and had lunch of Balinese items. The food was interesting, cultural “play” was entertaining and the dancers were classically Balinese. We enjoyed the experience. 

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February 13 : Sea Day

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February 14 :  Semarang, Java, Indonesia

Semarang has many historic sites including crumbling fortress walls, colorful Chinese temples, lattice-fronted cottages and gleaming mosques. Chinese troops were there in 1405. An Arab mullah founded the original village in the late 15^th century. In 1705 it became a Dutch trading outpost. It now is a busy modern city but with many displays of the colonial past. 

We took a bus tour through the city and stopped at a cultural center for snacks and a dance show. Next we went to a “museum” which is in six old buildings that had been built by the Dutch when they were governing. We walked quickly though an art exhibit, into an old church (both Protestant and Catholic) and past a market. The history is interesting but the time on-site is too brief. We had dinner with Don Ostler, a speaker who shares his travels nightly in the theater when at sea. 

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February 15 : Crossing the Equator Ceremony

The earliest mention of a ceremony dates back to 1529 and, in times gone by, was a touch and challenging task for any new cadet who had not ‘crossed the line’ before. It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness and endurance. 

Roman Mythology places Neptune as the God of the Sea and so tradition dictates that homage and allegiance is promised to Neptune during the ceremony. High ranking members of the crew dress up in elaborate costumes and each play a part representing King Neptune’s court. 

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February 16 : Singapore, Singapore

Singapore is a unitary, multiparty, parliamentary republic with a system of unicameral parliamentary government. The nation’s cores principles are meritocracy, multiculturalism and secularism. It is a city of sky scrapers, gondola and river with boats. We went to a market, rode a tricycle (rickshaw), and took a boat ride around the city. It was a pleasant day, 79º with 77% humidity. We went to Raffles Hotel where we had a “Singapore Sling” drink which originated there. 

Next Stop Thailand