Another Visit to Spectacular New Zealand

In Ray and Traci’s adventures around the globe, one country has stood out as their favorite international destination – New Zealand. The beautiful scenery coupled with exciting metropolitan life in the cities is hard to beat. They decided to repeat their 2017 visit (and take their own advice) by spending a few days in Auckland and then taking a cruise ship around New Zealand ending in Sydney, Australia. The link for our first trip to New Zealand:  http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2017/12/ray-and-traci-decided-to-make-their.html

Their adventure started on a Saturday night in February – Ray and Traci boarded an Air Canada plane for a short trip to Vancouver BC and then an overnight 13.5 hour journey from Vancouver to Auckland. After flying overnight both travelers arrived in Auckland and took an Uber to downtown Auckland. Ray and Traci stayed at the Hilton in the central business district – the location was ideal for accessing all of the cities’ attractions and public buses, and the Hilton is also located on the wharf where their cruise ship would dock. Their plane left Vancouver at 12:30 AM and Ray and Traci arrived at their hotel just minutes before Super Bowl 58 started (3:30pm Sunday in Seattle - 12:30 pm Auckland on Monday after crossing the international date line). Their room wasn’t quite ready but Ray managed to stream the Super Bowl on his iPad in the lobby before they moved into their room during halftime. Ray and Traci were pleased that the Super Bowl was on the Hilton’s TV and they watched Kansas City pull out the game in overtime. Afterwards, Ray and Traci went to Harbour Eats which is a large food hall very close to the Hilton. Ray went to a vendor called Needo and enjoyed a spaghetti bolognese, while Traci ordered a Buncha pork dish from Nam Nam Vietnamese Street food. The food was tasty and the food hall in general was spacious and clean with an upscale feel to it. With appetites satisfied, Ray and Traci decided to visit Mount Eden to watch the sunset over Auckland. February is the middle of summer for New Zealand with an 8:22 pm sunset. They took a bus from downtown to the Tahaki Reserve and then walked 20 minutes up to the summit. Auckland transit buses are easy to ride using an “AT HOP” card which you tap in and tap out of the buses with. Although AT HOP cards are available at the airport, Ray and Traci bought their $25 NZ cards at the Ferry Terminal near their hotel. The card gave them $20 NZ in credits for bus fares which was ample as most of their bus trips were around $2 NZ. Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is Auckland’s highest natural landmark and a great place to view the city. 

The travelers finished off their evening with a stop at Movenpick Ice Cream which was located very close to the Hilton on the wharf that serves as the cruise port.  

 Monday brought more good weather and Ray started the day with a walk along the waterfront. Experiencing some recurrent Achilles tendon issues, he had to forgo running in Auckland but watched many other runners traverse the paths lining the waterfront. At the end of the path, a large marina with some amazing private yachts was found. After returning to the Hilton, Ray and Traci enjoyed the hotel’s breakfast buffet – the food wasn’t outstanding but the variety of dishes was quite comprehensive. To begin the day, Ray and Traci took an Auckland Transit City bus to the Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium, about 15 minutes outside of downtown. The travelers have been to many aquariums during their travels and found Auckland’s to be  quite impressive. Highlights included the Antarctic Ice Adventure with its many large King and Gentoo penguins waddling around (some were the size of human toddlers!).

Another was the large acrylic tank which contains rescue turtles being rehabilitated by the facility. Giant sea turtles are not frequently found in New Zealand (they prefer warmer climates like Hawaii), but ones found in New Zealand often need surgery or special care and are rehabilitated to health in the large tank. The aquarium’s shark experience was unique in that visitors stand on a moving walkway that enters a circular tunnel inside the tank. During their midday visit, the vast majority of patrons were adults without kids. Like many businesses in Auckland, cash is not accepted so bring your Visa card (Amex is not accepted at many places). From the aquarium, Ray and Traci walked to Bastion Point, with the Michael Savage Memorial Park – New Zealand’s 23^rd prime minister, the first of the Labour Party and pretty much the Franklin D. Roosevelt of New Zealand. Back on the bus, Ray and Traci went to the Auckland Museum which is actually a huge building containing several different museums and galleries. 

There are large exhibits dedicated to nature with creatures big and small. Another area follows the indigenous Maori people who were the first settlers of New Zealand from East Polynesia. Other galleries focused on contemporary history, and the entire 2^nd floor is dedicated to being a war museum honoring those that served in many conflicts often at the behest of other nations (as part of the British Commonwealth). The whole museum complex is quite overwhelming especially for foreign visitors. Ray and Traci then took a short walk to Domain Wintergardens which is a botanical garden complex. Inside greenhouses were very colorful flowers from a myriad of rare and not so rare plant species. A reflecting pool and fern garden are found outside. The silver fern is the symbol of New Zealand – the Maori believe the silver fern stands for strength, stubborn resistance and enduring power. Silver ferns are found on the rugby uniforms of the famed New Zealand All Blacks, considered one of the sports world’s most successful teams. Ray and Traci completed their second day in New Zealand by having dinner at the Donburi House. While the epitome of a hole in the wall restaurant on Queen Street, the reviews were quite compelling and Ray and Traci enjoyed an excellent and fulfilling dinner. Traci had their chicken udon noodles, while Ray had fried teriyaki tofu and a side of karaage chicken.

Ray woke up early on Tuesday, and still not able to run, decided to take an early morning walk around downtown. Auckland is a very cosmopolitan city with a vibrant downtown – many US based companies have their names prominently displayed on tall glass and steel towers – Price Waterhouse, Aon Insurance, Ernst and Young, to name a few. The public transit system is very efficient at moving people around with very frequent bus service. The perceived safety of the streets was what stood out the most – even in early 6 AM hours, people were milling around and appeared comfortable traversing the city alone. Traci started her morning with a waterfront run, then both reunited for another Hilton buffet breakfast. Ray and Traci decided to start the day by taking a short 12 minute ferry ride from the downtown terminal to Devonport, a quaint bayside village immediately north of Auckland. About 5,000 people live in Devonport, and Mount Victoria rises from downtown which serves as a beautiful viewing area of the water and land surrounding Auckland. The walk up from the ferry terminal to the Mount Victoria summit is about ¾ of a mile, and is somewhat steep although added stairs make the journey easier. 

Afterwards, Ray and Traci took the $6 NZ ferry back to downtown and took a short bus ride (2 stops) to visit the Auckland Art Gallery. The museum is a quite large modern building in the middle of downtown. It is free to enter. The first two levels are a combination of New Zealand artists from the Maori native artwork as well as European influenced ones. Some modern day art exhibits are also hosted. The third floor has a collection of art work from the masters – Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse and many others. The fourth floor has very modern work, the type you find in the MOMA (Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York city). There aren’t many museums where you will see a masterpiece by Monet on one floor, and a hole with a talking mouse on the next! Ray and Traci were quite impressed with the whole collection! It isn’t New York’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art, but was a very worthwhile free attraction. Before returning home, the travelers visited Albert Park, just outside the art gallery. It has a nice statue of Queen Victoria, a fountain and colorful flowers. Ray and Traci left the park and walked 25 minutes back to the Hilton. Tired from their long day, the tourists decided to go back to the Harbour Eats food hall where Ray enjoyed some more spaghetti at Needo, but Traci was somewhat disappointed in her dinner at a vendor called Eden which consisted of bland noodles and fatty pork. Fortunately, more Movenpick ice cream salvaged her meal.

Wednesday was departure day, Ray and Traci had a somewhat smaller breakfast in anticipation of the ship dining. They left the Hilton and brought their luggage to check in which fortunately wasn’t far – about 100 feet as the hotel shares the pier with the Cruise Terminal. The travelers decided to visit one more Auckland attraction – the Maritime Museum which was located on a neighboring pier. The museum was a nice combination of New Zealand maritime history, with features about navigation (still  a challenge today with modern technology, can you imagine how hard it was for ancient sailors?), lighthouses, and a whole building dedicated to the sailing race America’s Cup, won in 1995 by the Kiwis. Ray and Traci left the museum with quite a bit of knowledge on many interesting seafaring topics. From the Maritime Museum, they returned to the cruise terminal and boarded their home for the next 10 days – the Celebrity Edge.

The Edge was built in 2018 with a capacity for almost 3000 passengers and 1250 crew. Ray and Traci had never been on a Celebrity cruise ship, so it was a somewhat new experience. The accommodations turned out to be quite good, and they appreciated the selection of ports as well as the fact this was a one way journey, negating the need to cross the often rough Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand twice.

The itinerary called for stopping at Auckland ports for the first 6 days of the journey, Ray and Traci awoke Friday morning in Tauranga having booked an excursion booked thru Viator (online experience company owned by tripadvisor.com). Tauranga is a beach community not far from Auckland. Ray and Traci previously visited Tauranga in 2017 and took an excursion which included a visit to New Zealand’s geothermal (i.e. Yellowstone) park, a native animal kingdom, and a lunchtime cruise – a wonderful tour!. This time, Ray and Traci boarded a van which took a long 2.5 hours to go to Waitomo, location of caves and their famous glow worms. Visitors walk into a natural cave complex and then get into a boat to float on an underground lake. On the cave roof are glowing green dots which represent “Glow Worms” trying to attract mates.

Hanging from the worms are strands of filament which are coated with toxin that can paralyze insects as large as cockroaches.. The attraction was quite interesting, but the 2.5 hour drive was a big drawback. The tour also stopped at a nearby town for lunch and a visit to a Kiwi bird shelter. Unfortunately the Kiwis were sound asleep (they are nocturnal creatures) so Ray and Traci didn’t get to see the famed New Zealand bird. After an even longer journey back due to rush hour traffic, Ray and Traci boarded the ship for dinner.

On Saturday, the Edge docked in Napier, an art deco coastal town. On the weekend Ray and Traci visited, Napier was having a festival celebrating its art deco history with old cars, music, biplanes, and residents dressed up in roaring 20s garb. During their last visit to Napier in 2017, Ray and Traci went to Cape Kidnappers to see the gannet colonies and unbelievable scenery. On this visit, the ship was only docked for 5 hours, and Ray and Traci took a rather mundane tour bus around Napier and surrounding towns which showed tourists the nearby towns with two stops at a honey factory and a fruit stand. Wandering around Napier during the art deco celebration or taking another trip to Cape Kidnappers would probably have been a better use of the short stop.

The Edge sailed to the South Island of New Zealand overnight, and arrived at Picton on Sunday morning. The sail in was very pretty with nature on display in front of sunlit seas. Ray and Traci walked to the start of the Tirohanga Track which is a 1.3 mile hike (each way) to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the town and seacoast. Ray and Traci found the Tirohanga hike to be fairly challenging due to the steepness. However, the dirt trail was very well marked and maintained. If it was raining it would probably be a muddy mess. At the hilltop, the views are simply spectacular.

After descending the path, a short 5 minute walk brought the travelers to Picton Memorial park where a Sunday flea market attracted guests from two cruise ships (the Celebrity Edge and the Oceania Regatta). A stroll thru downtown followed and then Ray and Traci returned to the Edge for an afternoon of lunch and relaxation on the ship.

 

Unfortunately, expected high winds at their next port (Lyttleton/Christchurch) required cancellation of Monday’s port of call. Because the huge surface areas created by the size of the large cruise ships, wind gusts hitting the sides of the ships can make it impossible to navigate into ports. Since Ray and Traci didn’t get to stop at Christchurch during their 2017 expedition, they were especially disappointed at missing the town again. Later in the afternoon it was noticeably colder as the ship sailed south and everyone headed inside.

The next morning, brilliant sunshine accompanied 50 degree weather. The ship docked in Dunedin at the southern tip of New Zealand. Ray and Traci signed up for a ship organized tour of Dunedin led by a very funny driver named Malcom. During his very entertaining tour of Dunedin, tourists got to see the iconic train station followed by a tour of Olveston House – a fully originally furnished 35 room mansion built in 1904 by a business tycoon David Theomin. Afterwards, the group toured the Otago museum which included both natural history and native Maori culture. Outside, the large 30,000 student University of Otago was having an orientation festival which created a street fair like atmosphere. A quick stop at the botanical gardens completed the tour, then Ray and Traci had some time to wander around downtown Dunedin before taking a shuttle bus back to the ship.

Wednesday morning started out misty and windy – the ship’s final day in New Zealand included sailings into Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, and Milford Sound. Although all three are called “Sounds” they are in fact fjords created by glaciers, not rivers emptying into the sea. Fortunately the seas became calm and the drizzle stopped when the ship entered Dusky Sound, named by Captain Cook because of typical dreary weather.

Unfortunately, not a lot of wildlife activity was noted by passengers, but the views were quite compelling. Next up, Doubtful Sound was entered – called that because Captain Cook believed it was not navigable, something later found to be incorrect by later sailors. The weather became brilliant sunshine, and all aboard the Edge saw nature’s beauty with majestic mountains surrounding the water passages below. Doubtful Sound gets 220 inches of rain a year, so Ray and Traci felt very fortunate to have such perfect weather. 

Late in the afternoon, the exploration in New Zealand came to an end with the ship sailing into Milford Sound. Like the old saying, “save the best for last,” Milford Sound was simply the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Ray thought the mountains, waterfalls, vegetation, and water blended into a perfect natural panorama, the best he has ever seen from the deck of a ship. During Ray and Traci’s 2017 visit to the area, poor weather hid much of the beautiful scenery – this 2024 sailing could not have had more perfect weather for viewing. Sadly, the Celebrity Edge sailed out of Milford Sound and left New Zealand after treating its passengers with a breathtaking vision of heaven. 

Thursday and Friday were transit days crossing the Tasman Sea. Often ships encounter rough seas between New Zealand and Australia but Ray and Traci thought the journey was peaceful. Ray was finally able to run both days without any joint problems. Having back to back days at sea can be a bit boring, but Celebrity did a good job entertaining passengers with everything from a physicist lecturing on quantum mechanics to having an extremely talented singer do a Whitney Houston concert.

Ray and Traci awoke Saturday to confusion – looking at the navigation information on their TV screen, it appeared that the Edge was headed away from their final port – Sydney. Originally, the Edge was supposed to go to the town of Eden in Australia, but circumstances changed well in advance of the cruise and the itinerary called for an overnight stay in Sydney before passengers disembarked. The Captain surprised everyone Saturday morning and told passengers the ship could not enter Sydney Harbor due to high winds. While may passengers feared their plans would be cancelled, the port opened up 2 hours later and shore excursions could proceed albeit late. Ray and Traci signed up to go to Australia’s famed Blue Mountains about 2 hours from the Sydney waterfront. First the delay, and then it appeared a dense fog and drizzle were going to adversely affect their visit. Indeed, cloud cover blocked mountain views. The bus made a lunch stop at the town of Katoomba, where Ray and Traci enjoyed a chicken meal. Next, the group went to Scenic World which is a very popular tourist destination. Visitors can take either a funicular rail train or a ski lift style gondola to travel down the 1600 feet to Jamison Valley. Both the train and the gondola are the steepest lifts of their kind in the Southern hemisphere. The Jamison Valley is a rain forest with elevated wooden pathways. Ray and Traci explored the rain forest made all the more authentic by the grey skies. A third transport system takes visitors across the top of the mountains to a beautiful waterfall. While territorial views were very limited due to the prevailing weather, Ray and Traci enjoyed their Blue Mountain experience.

On the way back to the city, the bus passed Sydney’s Accor stadium which was hosting one of the final Taylor Swift concerts in Australia. Ray and Traci returned to the ship for a quick meal in the buffet and then an evening of packing up their cabin.

Sunday was a beautiful day in Sydney. The weather changed from nearly 100 degrees and sunny on Friday to 60s and drizzly on Saturday back to 85 degrees and Sunny on Sunday. Ray and Traci left their home on the Celebrity Edge, and took a short taxi ride to the Sydney Hilton. They had very ambitious plans for their first Sydney day and walked to the Botanical Gardens of Sydney. Having previously visited the gardens in 2017 (but in 110 degree weather!), this visit was much more pleasant and the travelers enjoyed both the flora and fauna as well as the great views of Sydney Harbor.

Afterwards, Ray and Traci headed to the nearby Art Gallery of New South Wales which offers free admission for visitors to see a collection of modern art, work done by Australian artists, and as well as some classics. On their way back to the Hilton, Ray and Traci stopped at the Australian Museum to see the many exhibits focusing on the country’s rich history. In the late afternoon, the visitors walked to the Sydney Bridge to climb to the observation platform high above the roadway. One of the most popular attraction in Sydney is a bridge climb along the top of the support beams. Unfortunately, the attraction was sold out during their 2 remaining days in Australia. The so-called pylon climb was available – patrons walk along the pedestrian path from the Sydney waterfront on to the bridge, then climb steps located inside one of the support towers to get amazing views of the harbor.

The pylon climb was also much cheaper ($25 AUD instead of $300 AUD) and does not require reservation – just remember to access the pylon by walking on the bridge, not using Google Maps to find your way to the Pylon on the street below the bridge (there is no access from the street). The spectacular harbor photos with the Sydney Opera House in the background are similar from the top of the bridge climb as the pylon, so the thrill of the bridge climb is the experience – those that want pictures can just walk up the pylon (and also learn the history of this iconic bridge). Exhausted from the long day in Sydney, the travelers returned to the Hilton for a restful night.

Monday brought more sunny weather to Sydney. Ray and Traci walked from the Hilton to the ferry terminal “Circular Quay” and boarded a ferry to the Taronga Zoo. They were the last passengers to board the packed ferry for the 12 minute ride to the zoo. On board, Ray and Traci noted that the vast majority of ferry riders were adults without children. This proved to be true at the zoo as well. One great feature of Sydney’s public transportation is the ability to use debit/credit cards (Visa, Mastercard or Amex) to tap on and off busses, ferries and light rail – you don’t have to buy a transit card. Once at the zoo, a short walk takes visitors to the entrance which accepts online advance tickets or ones purchased on site (the zoo is a cashless facility.) Ray and Traci were quite impressed with the zoo – it is well organized, features many animals found in Australia as well as many that aren’t. Shows featuring specific animals take place during the day, and for an extra fee, close up encounters with animals like Koalas are available. Ray and Traci enjoyed the sea lion/seal show for showing the intelligence of the animals (and their fondness for eating fish). Another Australian animal, the dingo, which was referenced on Seinfeld: https://youtu.be/sYTIGXvc88Y?si=vm5krJIJckeMNIFC – Ray, not being a regular viewer, didn’t know what a Dingo was and found the presentation on these dog like creatures quite interesting.

Capybaras – the world’s largest rodents – were another unique animal which found a home in this large zoo.

It did seem that a fair number of zoo patrons went to the Taylor Swift concerts based on the number of tour shirts being worn. Ray and Traci took the ferry back and after a brief lunch stop, went back to the Australian Museum to tour the special exhibit of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II. Ray and Traci encountered very light crowds on Monday evening which was not the case on their Sunday visit to the museum. The exhibit includes the Pharaoh’s coffin as well as many artifacts from his time owned by relatives and other royalty. Ray is a fan of ancient civilizations and their accomplishments – just before traveling to New Zealand he was informed his 3^rd attempt at cruising to Egypt originally scheduled for 2025 had been cancelled. So perhaps seeing touring shows of ancient Egyptian artifacts will be as close to the Pyramids as Ray will ever get.

After a final night in the land down under, Ray and Traci left the Sydney Hilton and took an uber to the airport for the long trip back to Seattle after an amazing experience abroad.

Nature's Beauty in Norway

 

During Ray and Traci’s various cruises, they have frequently asked crew members about their favorite places to sail. A common answer from ship masters (Captains) are the Fjords of Norway. Fjords are deep and narrow sea inlets created by glacial activity. During July of 2023, Ray and Traci decided to plan a cruise adventure to see the natural beauty of these Norwegian waters.

The cruisers decided to sail on the Norwegian Prima, a brand new ship that represents the first of a new class of NCL ships. The ship started her voyage in Reykjavik, Iceland so Ray and Traci would also have a chance to enjoy Iceland in the summer time – their March 2019 Iceland visit was blogged about previously: http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2019/03/

The travelers encountered several challenges before their journey ever started – first, the initial reviews of the NCL Prima were terrible for reasons including poor ship layout, inadequate seats in the music venues, and financial cutbacks resulting in decreased live entertainment, especially the Broadway type shows NCL was known for. In addition, due to circumstances (largely) out of NCL’s control, two port calls – Isafjordur in Iceland and Brussels in Belgium were cancelled. And finally, a volcano southwest of Reykjavík started erupting. Fortunately, these events led to some disappointment but not cancellation of their vacation. 

Ray and Traci flew on Icelandair on a “red eye” flight overnight to Reykjavik, Iceland. Ray used Alaska Air miles to get free tickets, and paid a seat fee to obtain two exit row seats on the far right of the plane (2-3-2) rows. Iceland air is sort of the low budget airline to Europe, but the couple found their service perfectly adequate. The flight was uneventful, no baggage problems were encountered and their pre-arranged transfer from the airport to Reykjavik went smoothly. The couple stayed at the Reykjavik Hilton Nordica, just as they did in the 2019 trip. They found their room available for much desired early check in. Outside, the  temperatures were in the 50s and although cloudy skies predominated, no rain was encountered during their visit.

Both Ray and Traci were exhausted from the overnight flight but decided to do some sight seeing. They walked from the Hilton down to the Reykjavik Old Harbor area and found the Maritime Museum where they could exchange their advance purchased voucher for two 72 hour Reykjavik City Passes. Ray and Traci previously found the City Passes to be a very good deal during their 2019 visit, and this was even more true with their current stay. With the City Passes, visitors can enter a long list of attractions without paying anything, getting a discount at others, and being able to ride the public transportation buses for free. They took a quick look thru the Maritime museum, then boarded a boat which visited an island said to be the world’s largest breeding colony of puffins. While tourists weren’t able to go ashore, the view from the boat included tons of puffins from babies to adults floating in the water, flying in the air, and standing on the island.

 After returning ashore, Ray and Traci walked to City Hall and the adjacent duck pond. In this pond, large numbers of ducks float around waiting for people to feed them. Many families were happy to oblige. Ray had always thought Seattle’s population of Canadian Geese were among the most entitled animals in nature – they would sit on asphalt pedestrian paths and even roads expecting cars and people to navigate around them. The Reykjavik ducks, on the other hand, swim up to people demanding food. The ducks not only would eat out of people’s hands, but they would try to eat their hands even if they had no food. The final stop of the evening was at the Aurora Reykjavik – a place to learn about the aurora borealis. Exhibits included amazing pictures and videos of the northern lights along with history of the science (and myths) explaining the phenomenon. Perhaps the most amazing part of the experience was in the gift shop where visitors can put on Oculus VR headsets and watch several videos of the northern lights. Ray and Traci were fortunate in being able to see the real northern lights during their March 2019 visit but summer with seemingly endless daylight prevents good visualization – Sunset was after 11 pm, and sunrise 4 am but it never becomes completely dark. Now exhausted, Ray and Traci had dinner at the hotel lounge, walked to a local ice cream shop for dessert, and collapsed for the evening.

Tuesday brought early dawn lighting to this very northern region – by 4 am it appeared to be midday. Ray went for a morning run on an excellent running path along the waterfront near the hotel. Next Ray and Traci took a public bus to the BSI Bus Terminal to join a tour of a lava cave. 

These are structures that once held flowing lava but are now hollowed out tubes and caves. One of the largest was turned into a tourist attraction with internal metal steps and ramps facilitating visits by guided groups. Having an exceptionally entertaining geologist guide in the cave made this a must see experience well worth the 40 minute bus ride each way to get to the site. After the cave experience, Ray and Traci took a ferry to Videy Island, a short 10 minute ferry ride from the north part of Reykjavik adjacent to the cruise ship terminal. A former monastery and later a home for a government official, the small island is best known for the Imagine Peace Tower. 

This creation by John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, is a wishing well with electric illumination creating a tower of light sometimes seen at 13,000 feet. Iceland was partly chosen for the memorial due to its production of electricity using renewable geothermal heat. With the 2023 state of geopolitics, Ray and Traci thought their visit was especially timely. Before turning in for the evening, Ray and Traci enjoyed dinner at the Hlemmur Matholl Food Hall where Ray had a pizza and Traci a bowl of pho before sharing a gelato and returning to the Hilton.

Wednesday was the couple’s last full day in Reykjavik. They got a late start after catching up on some badly needed sleep – the first stop of the day was at the Arbaer Open Air Museum. One excellent feature of Reykjavik is a very efficient public transit system. With a $60 Reykjavik City Pass, Ray and Traci could ride the busses without paying a fare just by showing the driver the card. Since each bus ride cost the equivalent of $3.50, it did not take long for the card to pay for itself just in bus fares. Of course, the biggest feature of the card is entrance to many attractions for free (such as the Maritime and Arbaer museums) with others like the Aurora Reykjavik offering 50% discounts. Using google maps made navigation around Reykjavik using public transportation a breeze. The Arbaer Museum is a large plot of land which preserves many of the old houses and buildings from earlier Iceland days. 

Houses have been restored to provide a glimpse in life from the early 1800s onward. Ray and Traci arrived for the 1pm guided tour which was quite fascinating – both the homes and lifestyles of Icelanders were discussed. Many of the old homes were constructed of rocks using living grass turf to fill in the gaps. Others were built of driftwood originating in Siberia and harvested from the sea to make lumber as Iceland has few trees. After their glimpse into the past, the tourists boarded another public bus and went to the virtual flight ride Flyover Iceland. Like many similar rides in other places, Flyover Iceland puts people in sophisticated equipment simulating flight with amazing views and special effects to highlight some of Iceland’s most scenic areas. The one big miss is the absence of any active volcano scenery given Iceland’s nickname of the land of “fire and ice.” Surely, drones must be taking amazing pictures of the active volcanos in the country. Ray and Traci finished their exploration by touring the Reykjavik Photographic Museum located above the main library. Another public bus took them back to the Hilton for dinner and enjoyment of a live streaming of the Mariners victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Wednesday brought sunshine to Reykjavik. Ray and Traci started their day with runs again along the waterfront – this time heading north to see their new home, the NCL Prima ship which was docked. After packing their belongings, they took a taxi to the cruise port and boarded without incident. Unfortunately, they were scheduled to visit the Icelandic town of Islfjordur and take an excursion to the beautiful Dynjandi waterfall but because of delays in construction of the cruise dock the stop was cancelled. So Ray and Traci spent the day at sea enjoying the dining and entertainment aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship. The weather was not warm (low 50s) preventing much of the pool and water slide use. Also, unlike every other ship the cruisers have been on, the NCL Prima has no dedicated running track so Ray and Traci had to use a treadmill for running. Between binge watching videos, listening to music, and eating, the day went by fairly fast. 

The Prima’s first stop was Akureyri, the largest Icelandic town on the north coast. Although cold, the cloudy weather was not accompanied by rain and facilitated some amazing photographs. Ray and Traci booked a tour thru the cruise line which started early in the morning. After boarding a large bus, the tourists stopped at Godafoss, the “Waterfall of the Gods.” 

According to lore, the waterfall was given the name when an Icelandic Chieftain threw statues of the Norse gods into the water symbolically demonstrating conversion to Christianity. From this iconic Icelandic attraction, the bus next stopped at Namaskard which from a distance looked like a barren smoldering wasteland from some future apocalypse. The large field consisted of pools of gurgling mud and venting steam spiked with sulfur. 

The geothermal energy in Iceland makes many types of intriguing natural wonders for visitors to enjoy. Afterwards the bus brought Prima guests to a large lava field called Dimmuborgir – the molten lava which once flowed created numerous lava formations. A brief rest break with sandwiches and beverages was followed by a stop at Skutustadir – a grassy field with moonscape like features – large craters formed from gaseous explosions in lava flowing over cool and wet surfaces 2300 years ago. 

This single tour was extremely comprehensive and left visitors with an appreciation of many of the natural wonders found in Iceland. Sailing away from Akureyri treated passengers with beautiful scenery surrounding the Eyjafjordur Fjord. A few hours later, Ray and Traci crossed latitude 66 meaning they reached the arctic circle on their trip to Norway. The arctic circle is defined as the position where the sun does not set on the summer solstice (and the sun doesn’t appear on the winter solstice). Of course, no sign appears in the sea when you reach the arctic so only GPS coordinates can let you know you arrived.

The sailing from Iceland to Norway is often turbulent, but Ray and Traci lucked out with very calm seas. After a sea day, the ship arrived at Alesund Norway on Monday. Temperatures were noticeably warmer and the forecasted rain did not materialize. Sailing in to Alesund, one sees beautiful green mountain terrain lining the fjord before arriving at a relatively small town of 42,000 people. Ray booked an excursion using the travel site Viator for the “Ultimate Sightseeing Tour.” After boarding a large bus, the tour group headed to the visitor center on top of Mount Aksla – a viewing platform in the center of the city. Visitors can be seen zig zagging their way up the path to the top (much like Lombard Street in San Francisco), but tour buses can also bring people directly. Alesund is a city composed of a collection of islands which were on full display on top of the mountain. Tunnels underneath the seas connect many of the islands. 

The tour bus next brought guests to Summere museum which is an open air collection of houses and buildings from eras past very similar to the Arbaer Open Air Museum in Iceland. Norway is blessed with many trees so timber was used to construct much more of the houses compared with Iceland. The bus next traveled to Alnes Lighthouse, an active red and white structure standing guard since 1852. The light is now automated and the caretaker house turned into a coffee house but on the tour visitors get to climb 5 floors of steps and are treated with amazing scenic views. The final stop on the “Ultimate Sightseeing Tour” was the 12th century church located on Giske island. Interestingly enough, the church was constructed of marble and then had plaster covering all of the exterior. Afterwards, the tour group headed back to the NCL Prima and sailed to their next destination in Norway.

Tuesday brought even better weather at the next stop – Olden. This small Norwegian town only has a population of about 7,000 – about the number of people on the NCL Prima. Sailing into port the incredible scenery of the fjord included high mountainous hills of green ending in the sea. Houses were noted around the port, and the ship docked in the middle of town. Ray and Traci left the ship and started an NCL organized tour to Briksdahl Glacier. Buses brought groups of hikers from the ship to a trailhead about 40 minutes away. During the bus ride, nature was on full display with beautiful mountains, lakes, and waterfalls capturing everyone’s attention. 

Midway, the bus stopped for photos at a picturesque lakefront setting. Upon arriving at the glacier’s tourist center, hikers began the journey to Briksdahl glacier. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but photos cannot do justice to the amazing beauty of this area – enhanced by the blue skies and sunshine. 

With trees, mountains, waterfalls, flowers, and views of the glacier lining the route, hikers were rewarded with nature’s beauty for their continued progress. At the end of the trail, glacial melt fed a small lake. One particularly adventurous tourist took a swim in the freezing water. Ray settled for tasting the glacial melt.

 After this amazing encounter with nature, Ray and Traci hiked back to the visitor center where a variety of sheet cakes served as a reward for glacier visitors. After the bus ride back, the travelers did a little exploration around Olden. Increasing clouds followed by rain chased the couple back to the ship confirming the rapid changes in local weather conditions. Sadly, the NCL Prima left Olden and with it, perhaps the most beautiful hike Ray and Traci have ever done.

The couple’s luck with weather continued in Bergen, the final stop in Norway for the NCL Prima. Cloudy but 60 degree weather gave way to sunshine later in the day. Bergen is Norway’s second largest city with 275,000 residents. It prides itself on being extremely walkable and has an extensive history as a seaport dating back to the Vikings. Ray and Traci planned their own itinerary in Bergen starting with a ride up the funicular (Floibanen) to the observation station affording beautiful views of the territory as well as a “troll forest” with wooden troll sculptures greeting visitors. 

The funicular does not carry many people and the upper observation area gets very crowded with tour groups, so assuming the weather is clear and allows for views of the city, early morning visits would seem to be best. There were three automated machines accepting credit cards and dispensing tickets for the funicular at the bottom station. Ray and Traci walked down the trail back to the city rather than riding the funicular down, and then made their way to Rosenkrantz Tower. This medieval castle served as a residence and defense structure for the Norwegian kingdom. Its rich history started in the 13th century and was involved in battles up through World War II. Ray and Traci’s next stop was the Bryggens Museum which displayed artifacts and history of Bergen including the many fires which dramatically affected the development of the city. The travelers next encountered the Fisketorget Fish Market which was established in the 1500s and now is a collection of merchants and restaurants much like Seattle’s Pike Place Market.  Their next stop was the Leprosy Museum. People afflicted with Leprosy were once quarantined at the site which was Bergen’s first hospital. Dr. Hanson spent his career working with the disease, including some very controversial experiments which are explained at the museum. 

During their tour, Ray and Traci appreciated the vibrancy of Bergen’s downtown which starkly contrasts with many US cities such as Seattle. Adults and children playing in parks, building creations in community Lego build events, and just enjoying a beautiful summer day was quite inspiring. They next took a break back on their ship for lunch and to recharge Ray’s iPhone which had been continually drained by Google Maps guidance. Afterwards they made another walk around the city looking at architecture and shops before returning to the ship for departure.

The NCL Prima had its final sea day as it transited to Amsterdam. As with the rest of the cruise the seas remained quite calm. On Friday morning, the Prima docked at the cruise port located about a 1/3 of a mile from the central rail station. Amsterdam is a very interesting city as it is a coastal city below sea level. The Amstel river deposited silt as it emptied into the seas creating marshland. By placing a dam across the Amstel, the land dried out and Amsterdam was born. 

Ray and Traci booked a walking tour around the city on the travel site Viator from FreeDam tours – their guide Jaap was a student of history and a superb leader for the 12 tourists in the group. Jaap explained that to understand the Dutch you need to know two things – water and money. In their golden age, Dutch seafarers traded world wide commodities like spices as well as participation in the slave trade. To finance their commerce they started the world’s first stock exchange to trade shares of the world’s first publically traded company – the Dutch East India Company. The astonishing success of this company resulted in reaching an inflation adjusted valuation of 7.6 trillion US dollars (over twice Apple’s valuation!) Jaap’s tour started at the Amsterdam stock exchange complete with a bull statue (similar to the one on Wall Street in the US) and proceeded to the edge of the famous Red Light District. Created to satisfy sailors, the area is notorious for an anything goes culture. Sex workers rent windowed stalls and bars fuel the “anything goes” spirit by providing alcohol. Not to be excluded from profiting off of Europe’s sin city, Jaap recalls how churches sold “sin” cards so patrons could pay in advance for forgiveness after participation in sinful behavior. Since sailors faced risky conditions at sea, they took comfort by having a Sin card in their possession just in case their end came. Next, the group entered Chinatown – famous for “coffee” shops not just Kung Pao Chicken. Amsterdam still considers hard drugs illegal but a permissive “blind eye” culture toward things like marijuana have been fostered for years. Well known "coffee shops" will sell marijuana in various forms. While at one time these permissive attitudes were quite novel, recent experience with effectively decriminalized drug use (both marijuana and “harder" drugs) in cities like Seattle make the Dutch attitudes seem old fashioned. The tour of Amsterdam highlighted two interesting architectural features – the ever present canals and the uneven house foundations. While the canals had a useful function allowing merchants to move goods easily, currently the canal system allows water to drain and prevent the below sea level city from flooding. Because Amsterdam is built on silt, buildings were prone to sinking in the soft ground. Back in the day, trees were pounded into the ground to support structures built on top of them – over time, some of the wood disintegrated resulting in uneven floors.

After their city tour, Ray and Traci walked over to the Anne Frank House. Perhaps the hardest museum ticket the two have ever tried to secure, the Anne Frank House memorializes the annex to a warehouse where 8 people hid during German occupation of the Netherlands. Tickets go on sale 6 weeks ahead of time and go very quickly. Despite the limits on ticket sales, the path thru the annex hiding area is quite crowded from opening until closing at 10 pm. The exhibits cover the entire sad story of German occupation and its aftermath and also houses the actual diary of Anne Frank. Ray and Traci next walked to the Amsterdam Flower Market which claims it is the world’s only floating flower market. Both flowers as well as bulbs of every imaginable variety are for sale. The Dutch have a long history of admiring flowers – back in the mid 1600s, the tulip bulb mania occurred which has been referred to as the world’s first financial bubble. At one point, a tulip bulb sold for the price of an Amsterdam mansion! Continuing on the walk across Amsterdam, the couple arrived at the Vincent Van Gogh museum which exhibits many of the acclaimed artist’s work. Before returning to the ship, Ray and Traci took a canal boat ride – the number of companies and boats traversing the canals is amazing. Obviously Amsterdam hosts a great many tourists who want to enjoy the canal system from the water – the boats tend to be fairly large with dozens of patrons each. Exhausted and hungry, Ray and Traci returned to the NCL Prima for a great dinner and well deserved rest. 

Originally, Ray and Traci’s cruise was supposed to make the short trip to Brugge, Belgium for their last port call. Due to some situation with low tides, this wasn’t possible so the ship stayed in Amsterdam overnight. Ray took advantage of the extra stay by running along the waterfront in Amsterdam and then all the passengers could watch parts of the Amsterdam Pride Parade during the sail away. Of course, Amsterdam’s parade was on floats in the canals which made it quite unique.

Sunday arrived and the passengers had to disembark the NCL Prima. Ray and Traci still had a big tour remaining. They hired a private guide Ian from toursbylocals.com to take them to Oxford and Blenheim Palace. Both of these places are fairly far from London and the travelers did not have a chance to see them on their previous London visits. Ian picked Ray and Traci up at the cruise terminal and brought them to Oxford, the home of the famous university. 

When approaching the university one is struck by the history represented – Ian showed Ray and Traci the favorite haunts of authors including Shakespeare, Tolkien, CS Lewis and JK Rowling. Many scenes in their books derived from the author’s experiences at Oxford. Students accepted to Oxford compete to live in the 38 living colleges, much like fraternities/sororities in America. Balliol College is the oldest and most prestigious of the 38, counting 3 British prime ministers among its alumni. Oxford is located near the origin of the Thames river and the rowing competitions with Cambridge University are among the strongest rivalries. From Oxford, Ian brought Ray and Traci to Blenheim Palace – a beautiful estate which was the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Originally, the land and funds for the palace were given to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, by Queen Anne for leading military victories over the French. The palace has been passed down through generations. 

Winston Churchill’s mother was visiting and went into labor at the estate and the future prime minister was born. The palace is opulently decorated and has lent itself to 71 films and television programs including James Bond’s Spectre and Mission Impossible Rogue Nation. The grounds of the estate are also beautiful with a rose garden, fountains, and a lake formed by building a dam on the Glyme river. The 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family currently occupy the palace and is exempt from property and inheritance taxes. It is doubtful Americans would allow such generous terms for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, as an example. It is very clear by the huge number of visitors that Blenheim Palace remains an extremely popular place. With the conclusion of the Blenheim tour, Ian dropped off Ray and Traci at the airport for them to spend the night at the Hilton before flying back home to Seattle.

Adventures in Singapore

Ray and Traci originally planned to tour coastal Asia in April 2020, embarking on a long cruise from Tokyo with stops in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Vietnam, Thailand and ending up in Singapore. Unfortunately, the world changed with Covid and their Asian adventure was put on hold. They finally decided to make their first foreign overseas trip post Covid in December of 2022 – spending time in Singapore with a 4 day cruise to Malaysia and Thailand.

Flying to Singapore is quite a challenge – even on their non-stop Singapore Air flight from Seattle it took 16+ hours. Singapore is a nation-city smaller than the geographical size of New York City 10,000 miles away from Seattle. Fortunately, the airline had an extensive library of both current and classic movies to help occupy the time, and both Ray and Traci were impressed by the fine service. Leaving snowy Seattle at 8:45 am, the travelers found themselves in tropical warm Singapore at 5pm the next day. Despite December being a holiday month for many Singaporeans (the schools take December off), minimal crowds were noted and Ray and Traci breezed thru immigration and got a taxi which brought them to their hotel, the Marina Bay Sands. During the 20 minute ride, the riders noted that every sign was in English (with no other languages printed). Everyone they encountered spoke English, but many seemed to have another primary language. Perhaps that reflects the rich history of immigration in Singapore.

The Sands Hotel consists of three tall buildings with a “surfboard” on top connecting them. Their claim to fame is having the world’s largest “infinity” pool.

The whole complex parallels a Las Vegas mega resort with shopping mall, casino, and lots of hotel rooms. Check in was fast (no line) as the resort had an army of front desk personnel ready to handle many customers. Luggage was taken directly from the taxi and brought to the room rapidly. Although they booked a basic room, Ray and Traci received a complimentary upgrade to a nice spacious 28th floor room with a great view of the waterfront as well as the Gardens by the Bay. Sands’ rooms were among the best “run of the house” rooms they have ever stayed in. Another bonus – the minibar, snack drawer, and supply of bottled water was all complimentary. Try finding that in a US hotel! Their balcony was also quite large and they decided to watch the Gardens by the Bay light show from it. Set to seasonal Christmas music, a choreographed light show entertained viewers. Afterwards, Ray and Traci walked around the Sands Shopping mall, enjoyed a soft ice cream sundae and then went to the Marina waterfront to watch Spectra, a musical water fountain show complete with lasers and lights – similar to Las Vegas’ Bellagio fountains.

The twice a night (8pm/9pm) 15 minute Spectra show was quite amazing and something no visitor should miss. Tired from the 16 hour flight and time change the visitors returned to their room for much needed sleep.

One thing struck the tourists as quite odd – despite being the December holiday season with kids on break, the mall and the light shows crowds were surprisingly small. After reading reviews and watching videos, Ray and Traci expected Disneyland like crowds but didn’t encounter any. Ray woke up around 4am Singapore time (his mind was still set for Seattle’s noon time) and went to the 24 hour exercise room joined by other early birds presumably also stuck on US time. The Sands exercise room is on the 55th floor of tower 2 with great views of the terrain but surprisingly small size given the monster resort size – presumably people don’t go to Singapore to get a workout in this relatively basic gym. Afterwards, Ray went to the rooftop infinity pool to swim and watch the sunrise. The heated pool was cool but comfortable (the enormous pool must use an awesome amount of energy to heat). 

Clouds blocked the sunrise but the setting moon was visible. Ray and Traci started the day by walking across a pedestrian bridge from the Sands to the Gardens by the Bay, a horticultural Mecca in Singapore. The Gardens are a collection of indoor and outdoor facilities with species of plants harvested from around the world. Features like holiday lights and a current movie promotion of the new Avatar film further highlight the natural exhibits. Their first stop was the Flower Dome, a huge glass and steel conservatory that has different flora from various places around the world. Flower Dome is a bit of a misnomer as most of the foliage wasn’t flowers, but was quite inclusive with the understandable exception of huge trees. The next stop was the Cloud Forest – a 220 foot tall glass structure turned into the whimsical world of Pandora from Avatar. Visitors are greeted at the entrance with a huge waterfall that extends far up into the skydome, then take an elevator to the top for a trail down ramps and platforms showing a forest populated with characters from the movie.

Some tech heavy exhibits and theaters also entertain visitors as they make the journey downwards. After leaving the two domes, Ray and Traci went to the Supertree Grove – a collection of man made structures resembling trees connected by platforms. Visitors can take an elevator in one tree and ascend to the Supertree Observatory to get nice territorial views – just make sure you climb the two flights of stairs after getting off the elevator to the top level which Ray and Traci almost missed during their visit. The views are unobstructed from the top in contrast to the elevator level which has wires and structural branches everywhere. After leaving the observatory, Ray and Traci took the Skywalk which is a narrow platform that connected several of the tree tops. That was probably the weakest of the four pay experiences at the Gardens by the Bay. Fortunately, the Singapore dollar during their visit was only 75% of the US dollar, so it was like getting 25% off everything. Before leaving the Gardens by the Bay, the visitors saw the interesting statue of a baby named Planet which balances on its hand.

After a morning of touring, Ray and Traci checked out of their beautiful Sands hotel room and took a taxi to the Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas ship which berthed nearby. They previously sailed out of Beijing on the Spectrum’s sister ship, the RCL Quantum of the Seas so they pretty much knew what to expect on this Asian cruise. Meal choices were heavy into Asian foods, and they expected fairly crowded conditions with many kids in this holiday timed 4 night voyage. Unlike their previous Quantum voyage, Ray didn’t expect to take advantage of some of the same entertainment features such as the flow rider surfing simulator and the iFly skydiving simulator due to the large family crowds – cruisers interested in these things should take a cruise during the school year when there are less kids on board. Right after the ship left Singapore, rain constantly fell so Ray and Traci felt fortunate their transit coincided with pretty miserable weather. Before leaving Singapore, they only experienced overcast skies with humidity and temps in the 80s which was relatively ideal for touring. After enjoying dinner (Traci had the black cod and Ray had the beef tenderloin) they watched the RCL production show “The Silk Road” which combined the technology in their Two70 lounge with singing, dancing, aerobatics, gymnastics. Ray and Traci appreciated the many talents of the American performers as did the very entertained audience, but wondered if some of the themes and characters (Chinese, Persian, Indian) may raise some racial stereotype concerns if performed in the US – the Spectrum is the only RCL that has this show, and is also a ship that only sails in Asia.

After a restful night, Ray awoke very early to blustery and rainy conditions delaying his planned run on the Spectrum’s 15th deck track. In the late morning, the rains subsided and he joined a few other runners on the long (3.5 laps per mile) and fairly unobstructed track. Unfortunately the sport deck hosting the track was congested after the breakfast crowd decided to get some fresh air. Strong winds also made running upwind quite difficult. From the track, Ray and Traci enjoyed brunch at the Windjammer, the Spectrum’s main buffet. Heavy with Asian dishes but also with some Western staples, Traci enjoyed oatmeal and a pancake while Ray feasted on scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and rice. Spending the rest of the morning blogging and surfing the web, the tourists had a light lunch before the ship docked in Penang, Malaysia on their first afternoon.

Penang was cloudy with drizzle. Ray arranged a private tour from a company named Active Dynamics using the ubiquitous travel company Viator, and had no problem meeting their guide at the terminal. Their guide, David provided to be a very knowledgeable resident of Penang with much experience to share with his customers. He first took Ray and Traci to Kek Lok Si, a large Chinese Buddhist temple which sits on a hill surrounded by apartments and a quite modern looking hospital all owned by the temple.

Fortunately, for whatever reason, visitation was light on this Friday and the tourists had no problems visiting all of the areas for worship, purchasing a blessing (we will see how effective it was during the 2023 World Series) and ringing the huge good luck bell. Climbing the steps to reach the top of the dome, visitors are treated to great views of the city. After leaving the Temple, David drove Ray and Traci back to Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage site where their ship originally docked. On the way, David stopped at a popular chendul food stand - chendul is a sweet, layered, iced dessert containing green worm-shaped jellies (made with either rice flour or green bean flour), coconut milk and a sugar syrup – it was quite refreshing. One of the highlights of Georgetown are the many street art murals painted on buildings and often photographed by tourists – the longest lines Ray and Traci encountered in Penang were to take photos with popular murals.

Ray and Traci visited the “Street of Harmony” in Georgetown which hosts several coexisting houses of worship in this Muslim country – St George's Church, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, The Goddess of Mercy Temple and Kapitan Keling Mosque representing Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim faiths. Along the waterfront, housing sometimes turned into businesses are found – the “Clan Jetties” where typically families (clans) built floating villages from the shore into the seas. One of these villages, the Chew Jetty is open to the public and in addition to providing residences, also has various businesses providing goods and services. 

Ray and Traci thoroughly enjoyed their glimpse into Penang life, and the drizzly overcast 82 degree day made the walking tours much more pleasant. Thankful to have such a helpful guide/photographer, Ray and Traci returned to the Spectrum for the evening. Forgoing fancier meals in the dining rooms, Ray and Traci went to the main buffet where Traci enjoyed some Indian dishes and Ray sampled the Sorrento’s Pizza and took a Cheeseburger and fries from the buffet area called the “Kid’s corner.” Sorrento’s Pizza is routinely panned in ship reviews, but Ray found it to be on par with the pizza served in the hospital he works. After dinner, the couple watched the RCL production show Effectors – Musical actors dressed in superhero costumes with high tech videos, swarms of drones flying over the crowd, a magical disappearing act and music originally performed by artists including Bonnie Tyler and Kelly Clarkson and you get Effectors. It was certainly unique!

The next morning, the Spectrum stopped at Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is located west of Bangkok. Cruisers had to be transported by ferry from the Spectrum to a dock on the Patong Beach. Ray and Traci booked an excursion thru the cruise line that brought a bus full of visitors to various spots in Phuket. Their guide, KD, started the tour by bringing the group of 32 to Promthep Cape at the southern tip of the island. A site offering beautiful terrestrial views, it is a popular site to watch sunsets. 

A large floral clock sits above the parking area. Heading north, the tour group next stopped at Wat Chalong, or Chalong Temple (officially Wat Chai Thararam) - the largest, most revered and most visited Buddhist temple in Phuket.

A unique feature of this Buddhist Temple is the frequent sound of firecrackers - This activity is meant to symbolize chasing evil spirits away and to acknowledge granting of wishes and good fortune. A special furnace sitting in front of the temple is staffed by persons designated to explode the firecrackers. 

The next stop was at a cashew nut factory where the group learned all about Thailand’s production, complete with samples and a large shop selling a wide variety of cashew products. The tour group stopped at a huge souvenir complex selling everything from T-shirts and magnets to giant Buddha statues and furniture. Ray and Traci thought it was pretty ridiculous to spend as much time at this tourist trap as we did at the Chalong Temple! The final stop was at a restaurant above the coastline giving beautiful views. Ray wished Royal Caribbean would have the tour operator drop the souvenir stop and instead visit the famous Giant Buddha statue briefly passed by during the tour, but many of the tour group bought bags of goodies to bring home. Once back at Patong Beach they stopped by the food court. After their guide KD gave sage advice about only buying food that they watched being cook, and beware of food being sold in uncovered containers that insects could contaminate, Ray and Traci decided to forgo eating and instead returned to the ship where a dinner at the ship’s steakhouse awaited. Ray had a bone in rib-eye steak and Traci had the grilled branzino. With the side dishes, bread, appetizers, and dessert, it was a fine way to end a busy day.

Sunday was a day to relax as the ship was at sea, making the return journey to Singapore. Ray and Traci started the day on the running track followed by brunch. In the evening they watched another production show Showgirls: Past, present and future. The costumes (and ability to change so rapidly) were quite impressive, but Princess uses recorded music instead of a live band and that took away from the experience. Ray and Traci finished the evening with dinner – Ray had another steak and Traci enjoyed the salmon.

The Spectrum of the Seas docked early Monday morning. Ray and Traci leisurely disembarked and took a taxi to their hotel – The Conrad Centennial Singapore. While not as opulent or famous as the Singapore Sands, the Conrad gave them a very nice room with water views and lounge access. The Conrad is also conveniently located next door to the Promenade subway station. Fortunately, their room was ready despite arriving early in the morning. Their morning plan was to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens. First Ray and Traci needed to get transit cards to pay their fares. A 7-11 across from the Conrad sold them EZ-link passes which serve both as transit cards and payment cards accepted by many merchants. Next, they entered the Singapore MRT station near the Conrad and boarded a train ending up at the gardens. Two things became apparent very quickly – Singapore has the most organized and easy to understand subway system Ray and Traci have ever experienced. Second, everyone on the subway wore masks. The free Singapore Botanic Gardens highlighted a collection of plants and animals representing a variety of countries and climates.

Inside the gardens is the National Orchid Garden (not free) – Many of the 28,000 different orchid species are found. Botanists make new orchid hybrids by cross breeding existing species and name them after VIPs who have visited. President and Mrs Obama are two such dignitaries. Visiting the gardens required a lot of outdoor walking – Ray and Traci were quite lucky because heavy cloud cover all day made walking much more pleasant. Temperatures were only in the low 80s but with 84% humidity, it became quite tiring with the long walks. Leaving the Orchids, Ray and Traci stopped back at the hotel for late afternoon drinks and snacks in the lounge. Next, they went to Sentosa Island which is Singapore’s version of Coney Island – food, fun and amusement. A combination laser, fountain, and fireworks made up a show called Wings of Time.

Stomachs empty, the couple ate at a gigantic food court making up most of the bottom floor of the huge Vivo City mall. Traci heard about a restaurant called Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. This Thailand eatery was awarded the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand Award – Traci and Ray sampled their award wining dish – Thai style chicken rice. Traci loved it, Ray thought it was good but just tasted like some sliced chicken over flavored rice. In any case the whole meal cost $19.50 Singapore dollars (less than $15 USD) which was quite a deal for a Michelin honored dish. Afterwards, the tired travelers returned to the Conrad for much needed rest.Tuesday was Ray and Traci’s first full day in Singapore. Ray started the day by trying to run around the Marina Bay but despite the cloud cover it was warm and very humid so he ended up walking a fair portion of it. The travelers enjoyed a buffet breakfast at Oscar’s, the Conrad’s restaurant – Ray especially liked the chocolate and strawberry gelato that completed the meal. Ray and Traci took a taxi from the Conrad to the airport (two days before their flight). Why? To visit the Changi Jewel, an amazing shopping mall connected to the airport. Highlighting the Jewel is the Rain Vortex, an unbelievable 130 foot fountain that looks like something out of a computer graphics imaged movie.

Water cascades in a circular shape downward into a big drain, creating the world’s tallest and grandest fountain. On the top floor, an artificial playground called Canopy Park entertains visitors with a maze created out of hedges, a second maze created out of sheets of mirrors, slides, nets for bouncing and climbing and a skywalk at the top of the fountain. The huge mall is also filled with typical stores like Apple and Nike. Ray and Traci had lunch in the mall at Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles. Tsuta’s claim to fame is being the World’s First Michelin Star Awarded ramen shop. Ray and Traci both tried this award winning ramen – it was good but Ray couldn’t quite identify why it was so special but S$21.36 for two people to enjoy such a honored dish is pretty amazing. Many restaurants Ray and Traci visited have online ordering – you sit down at a table with a QR code. Using your phone, you enter your menu selections on line and the server brings you your food and beverage. At the end of the meal you just go to the cashier and pay. From the Changi Jewel, Ray and Traci took another taxi to Chinatown. The metro does service Changi Airport but for whatever reason, in takes 4 times longer on the train due to required transfers than it does to taxi/take a ride share from the Marina Bay area. The ride share industry is very popular in Singapore, even more so than in the US. Taxi stands are pretty much replaced by on demand apps Grab and Zig. Hotel staff hail taxis for their guests using an app. Ride share prices are considerably cheaper than in the US as well. In Chinatown, Ray and Traci visited Maxwell Food Centre, a famous hawker station of Singapore.

Hawker stations are huge collections of mostly outdoor but covered food stalls providing inexpensive and tasty food of any imaginable cuisine. Lunch time is extremely busy, Ray and Traci visited in the late afternoon with many stalls already shut down after running out of food. Some famous vendors like Tian-Tian Chicken Rice have lines regardless of what time you visit. Visitors to Chinatown should also visit the street market – a permanent flea market of goods including all sorts of souvenirs. Traci was disappointed to find the magnet we purchased at the Jewel was available for 75% off at the street market (even before bargaining.) Before hopping on the metro, the travelers stopped at the nearby Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which rises high in Chinatown. Rain started falling in the evening which was disappointing as Ray and Traci had non-changeable timed tickets for a unique Singapore attraction – the Night Safari at the Mandai Zoo. Offering a unique perspective by allowing night visits to their animals, Ray was intrigued and purchased advance tickets online from the travel site Klook to this reportedly very popular attraction. When they arrived, the safari patrons were surprised by the relative paucity of children present despite the school holiday. The zoo is a bit out of the way, you need to make your way to the Khatib metro station, take exit A to the Mandai Shuttle bus stop. The S$1 shuttle bus runs every 10-20 minutes during park hours and drops you off at the entrance to the park. Fortunately, Mandai is used to dealing with Singapore rain and you can stay dry walking from the bus stop and while in the queue for for zoo tram ride. Most of the major large animals (elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions, bears) were visible despite the darkness as the tram made its way thru the park during the 40 minute excursion.

Due to the rain, Ray and Traci decided to forgo the animal demonstration show and walks along the various habitat and instead return home picking up dinner at a Japanese chain restaurant called Sukiya in the Suntec mall next to their hotel to end a long day.

Wednesday marks the last full day of adventures in Singapore for Ray and Traci. Ray started the morning by wandering around the Marina Bay Area and taking pictures before the crowds started forming at places such as Singapore’s signature Merlion. A Merlion is a mythical creature formed with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, being the official mascot of Singapore. Seattle has its Space Needle as the most photographed icon of the city, and Singapore has its Merlion

Even at 7 in the morning people are noted to be taking photos. Ray and Traci enjoyed a final buffet breakfast at Oscar’s in the Conrad – Ray found the breakfast fried chicken wings to be a very tasty addition to the buffet. Afterwards, the couple went to the Fountain of Wealth which is one of the world’s largest water fountains and walked around the fountain three times for good luck. The next stop was Orchard Road, the famed Singapore shopping district. Side by side Singapore malls contained the usual high end designer brands, raising the question how many Cartier or Versace stores does one street need? Certainly bargains were few and far between, Ray noted his North Face fleece was 40% higher in Singapore, while Ralph Lauren Polo shirts were S$200 in Singapore. Despite the high priced designer goods upstairs, most of the malls had huge food courts where it was rare to find entrees priced above S$10. From Orchard Road, the travelers walked to Lau Pa Sat, another large collection of Hawker food vendors. After refreshments, Ray and Traci walked by the Merlion for photos and then got on the Singapore Flyer, the giant Ferris wheel along the Marina Bay Waterfront. While meeting all of the criteria of a tourist trap, Ray decided they should ride one of the cities icon’s after flying 10,000 miles. The decision was regretted later after having to ride the wheel in a cabin with two young people who insisted on continuing a disruptive zoom call during the entire 30 minute ride. Apparently, the past few years of work / learn from home has harmed normal social etiquette. Ray and Traci’s final dinner in Singapore took place at a Food Republic food court. Patterned after the hawker stalls, Food Republic has locations all over with individual vendors selling cooked to order meals – Ray and Traci visited the one inside the Suntec Mall adjacent to the Conrad – Ray went with Wafu Japanese which served a bento box containing rice, fruit, teriyaki salmon and teriyaki chicken. Miso soup was also included, all for the princely sum of S$7.50 ($5.62 USD)

Traci ate at Formosa Delight, and ordered a S$7.20 knife shaven noodle with chicken meal. It is quite remarkable how inexpensive quality restaurant meals cost! Ray and Traci returned to their hotel room for their last night in Singapore and taxied to Changi Airport in the early morning hours for the flight back to Seattle.

Singapore is a modern, safe, clean and interesting place to visit. It only became an independent nation in 1965. It does have some questionable laws - $500 fine for chewing gum. Drug traffickers are executed by hanging – 11 so far in 2022, and critics say some are low level couriers / users, not Pablo Escobar level drug lords. The rapid development of the city has resulted in some chaotic navigation problems – It is impossible to cross certain streets and you just have to know where the underground passages are. The area in Marina Bay is particularly confusing, and more than once Ray and Traci were simply lost inside a shopping mall. Even with Google maps as a guide, walking becomes difficult due to impassable streets. Singapore does have its problems – homeless are seen camping out in public places, transit riders watch anti-terrorism videos, and posters warning about subway molesters getting 2 years in prison and “caning” – a corporal punishment practice still used in Singapore. The cleanliness and modern construction makes Singapore look like an real life Asian Disneyland, one which Ray and Traci found intriguing and enjoyable during their visit.