2nd March – BANKOK
Three days (4 nights) at sea, cruising from Hong Kong to Bangkok – hectic days of activities (Geoffrey joined the Gym Club and Doreen started and Arts and Craft course), plus others. Of these nights the dress code was two formal, one semi formal and one casual, so Doreen had fun choosing what outfits she was going to wear. The evening entertainment continued with the high standard that we have had previously, with cabaret performances by The Batchelors and a vocalist Dennis Walker and an excellent performance of Las Vegas by the Aurora Theatre Company.
Geoff received good news from Costain that the Felixstowe final account has been settled (Dave the bottle of Bollinger was very much appreciated). In our travels we have seen many major port developments, especially in Brisbane and Bangkok (including lots of small river works opportunities in Sydney harbour) - and Geoff took photos of them all!!!! Geoffrey is volunteering to market these opportunities still further if required (Dave please note).
On the 2nd March we entered Laem Chabang, a major port just south of Bangkok, where we joined our coach for a 2.1/2 hour drive into Bangkok city. The countryside was not too inspiring, but gave us an insight into the contrast between the rich and poor of Thailand. The journey was well worth it as we drove in to the centre of the city to see one of the 620 temples in Bangkok called the Wat Trimitr, which housed a 5.1/2 ton solid gold Buddha. This involved us fighting our way from the coach to the temple past hundreds of tourists and locals. Inside the temple the monks were eating (we were warned in advance that ladies are not allowed to come into contact with the monks, which was difficult as we pushed our way through the crowds). After seeing the magnificent Buddha image we then had the added problem of fighting our way back to the coach via the very, very, very persistent street traders, who were offering all sorts of souvenirs.
After a short journey in the coach we arrived in the hustle and bustle of china town to visit the Grand Palace. This Palace covers an area of 218,000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 metres in length. In the grounds we experienced the grandeur of an ancient Siamese Court, where old Kings and Queens used to reside, with several buildings all topped by glittering spires and soaring finials. In the centre of the complex is the Emerald Buddha Temple. The buildings and decorations were absolutely breathtaking.
I would just like to add that the weather was sunny, hot – very, very, hot and humid, with temperatures of 96 degrees.
After spending two hours walking around the Grand Palace we had a very enjoyable Thai lunch in a four star hotel. We then went to the obligatory souvenir shop before our 2.1/2 hour drive back to the ship. Throughout the journey our excellent tour guide gave us some interesting information about Thailand, including the true story behind the film “The King and I”.
We are now on the high seas again with one day at sea before we have three consecutive days ashore at Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, which we will report on at a later date.
Three days (4 nights) at sea, cruising from Hong Kong to Bangkok – hectic days of activities (Geoffrey joined the Gym Club and Doreen started and Arts and Craft course), plus others. Of these nights the dress code was two formal, one semi formal and one casual, so Doreen had fun choosing what outfits she was going to wear. The evening entertainment continued with the high standard that we have had previously, with cabaret performances by The Batchelors and a vocalist Dennis Walker and an excellent performance of Las Vegas by the Aurora Theatre Company.
Geoff received good news from Costain that the Felixstowe final account has been settled (Dave the bottle of Bollinger was very much appreciated). In our travels we have seen many major port developments, especially in Brisbane and Bangkok (including lots of small river works opportunities in Sydney harbour) - and Geoff took photos of them all!!!! Geoffrey is volunteering to market these opportunities still further if required (Dave please note).
On the 2nd March we entered Laem Chabang, a major port just south of Bangkok, where we joined our coach for a 2.1/2 hour drive into Bangkok city. The countryside was not too inspiring, but gave us an insight into the contrast between the rich and poor of Thailand. The journey was well worth it as we drove in to the centre of the city to see one of the 620 temples in Bangkok called the Wat Trimitr, which housed a 5.1/2 ton solid gold Buddha. This involved us fighting our way from the coach to the temple past hundreds of tourists and locals. Inside the temple the monks were eating (we were warned in advance that ladies are not allowed to come into contact with the monks, which was difficult as we pushed our way through the crowds). After seeing the magnificent Buddha image we then had the added problem of fighting our way back to the coach via the very, very, very persistent street traders, who were offering all sorts of souvenirs.
After a short journey in the coach we arrived in the hustle and bustle of china town to visit the Grand Palace. This Palace covers an area of 218,000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 metres in length. In the grounds we experienced the grandeur of an ancient Siamese Court, where old Kings and Queens used to reside, with several buildings all topped by glittering spires and soaring finials. In the centre of the complex is the Emerald Buddha Temple. The buildings and decorations were absolutely breathtaking.
I would just like to add that the weather was sunny, hot – very, very, hot and humid, with temperatures of 96 degrees.
After spending two hours walking around the Grand Palace we had a very enjoyable Thai lunch in a four star hotel. We then went to the obligatory souvenir shop before our 2.1/2 hour drive back to the ship. Throughout the journey our excellent tour guide gave us some interesting information about Thailand, including the true story behind the film “The King and I”.
We are now on the high seas again with one day at sea before we have three consecutive days ashore at Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, which we will report on at a later date.
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