This week, Seven Seas Mariner has been sailing the Black Sea and its’ sure great to get back here, especially because we’re sailing an itinerary that is still somewhat off the beaten path!  In all my years of cruising this is only the fourth time I have been able to do this itinerary but the last time was 1989!  Yes, I am dating myself.  I use to be the young CD now I’m the old one… Anyway, enough lamenting.  

 This part of the world was a whole lot different back then as these stops were mostly considered Russia and everything else was part of the Eastern Communistic Block.  Back then everything was drab and rundown.  The people wouldn’t smile and life was very difficult.  But now the change I see is amazing!  The cities have been, spackled, painted and are vibrant with a whole new skyline.  Plus, the citizens actually own cars now – most are much more fancy than my own – darn it!  Come to think of it I guess I really do have to start thinking about ditching my old Suby – got to keep up with the Ukrainians, you know.  There certainly is a lot of physical beauty in these places, especially in the Balkan woman (Thank you Dana for your understanding! She let me off with only one night on the couch).    

 I remember way back when, that I brought my mother here and at the end of the tour she liked one of our guides so much my Mom gave her lipstick and the woman actually cried!  Often I think of how far these people (and especially the Chinese) have come in my lifetime.  The change in the standard of living has truly been remarkable. Good for them!  

Dana thought the men were handsome too!

First stop in the Black Sea was Constanta, Romania – Named after the Roman Emperor Constantine.  The Romans use to be all over these places. However, millenniums later, not only was Romania for a long time greatly “influenced”, let’s say, by the Russians, they suffered greatly at the hands of one of the least educated and worst or the worst dictators in Nicolae Ceausescu.  We learned a lot about him and his crazy policies on our tour which put this country 20-30 years behind all the others in this area.  Because he was uneducated he resented those who were, as they were considered a threat. This rings eerily familiar to Mao Tse-Tung’s Cultural Revolution.  

Roman Emperor Constantine in front of one of the museums we visited.

The downtown area is very run down but is certainly far better off than it was in the 80’s. Then it was scary – real scary.  Now there are many nice outdoor eating establishments, wineries and museums etc.  But here is a country that geographically was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but has now turned the corner and is moving on up.  Though it has a long way to go, Dana and I found it most interesting. We escorted a group on tour in the afternoon and visited some museums and a winery that included a performance of local folkloric dancing. We are so glad we got to go and our guide was great!  

 

One of our museum stops had a superb room willed with traditional dress.

  

Dancing at the winery which was energetic and well done.

This reminds me that just last voyage we made a half day call at Sarande, Albania. It was the same day after our morning call at Corfu as it is situated just across the Adriatic Sea, some 17 nautical miles away.  Why I mention it is because in many ways you can draw comparisons between there and Constanta.  Sarande’s buildings aren’t necessarily falling down, theirs were just never completed. Hundreds of them, homes and high rises are just shells of buildings as everyone lost their financing years ago.  The town is much smaller than Constanta and resembles it, minus the glitz and glitter! There was a time change between Greece and Albania. It was just one hour ahead on my Giorgio watch and another 20-30 years back on my Gregorian calendar. I remember very well in the late 1990’s when many of it’s citizens wanted to desperately to flee from the violence and would attempt to swim or float across the channel. In the less patrolled areas it was about 70 miles wide. Every day the Greek and Italian patrol boats would have to pick them up and force them to return.

   

Now, I don’t know if Albania will be on our future itineraries because we did take a lot of complaints about it. Yet, I have to say we also took many compliments, but not nearly as many of those. But by human nature negativity is normally more outspoken. My feeling is, however, how many westerners have ever had a convenient opportunity to visit Albania?  Google it and read some of its’ history. Nobody reading this blog will ever plan there next vacation there – maybe your great grand kids someday.  Although, certain peoples do vacation there and the beach was narrow but looked fine. But again, here is a country, like Romania, with a tragic history, who has suffered through loads of challenges over the last many decades. Yet we, the fortunate few, had the chance to lift the veil and peek in to see what life is like there and I am so glad we did!  Even though I just had time enough to step ashore to walk the waterfront and chat with a few locals it was well worth it!  

Albania has also turned the corner and is now moving in the right direction. Sure, it too has a long way to go, even further than Romania, I believe. But I just felt lucky to see it as it is…The real deal. No commercialism. No golden arches. Real people selling trinkets to their tourists – who are buying stuff that our tourists would never be interested in.    

After all, isn’t there is a lot more to cruising than just visiting all the big and pretty tourist sights.  Seeing how the people live and listening to what they have to say and then being able to ask questions about it…to me, that’s the best part of travelling!  Personally, I congratulate my company for stepping up and casting there support for Albania.  I’m sure some of those people who were sitting on the beach watching our tender boats shuttle our guests ashore off this magnificent white beauty must have felt some pride in that not only are they are no longer isolated from the world but that the world is starting to take notice and come to them.  

  

My hope is that someday I get another chance to visit there and see how they’re progressing!  After all, I remember what the Ukraine and China (and others) use to look like. I wish the Albanians good fortune!  

 

 

 

While in Venice, onboard our ship, we had a special dedication ceremony. Guests and officers were invited along with some crew who deserved special mention.  Our Senior Director of Entertainment, Michael Day was on board to celebrate, which was appropriate as it was the realization of his idea that we were celebrating.  Michael was able to have built on all three of our ships new sport courts. We opened up the first ever dedicated Bocce / Croquet court as sea. Crystal had a small croquet court on the Harmony when it first came out but later was taken away. And that was a tiny little thing this one is a perfect size and will get a lot of play over the years to come. I happen to introduce both of these games onboard Regent ships quite a few years ago and we always played it in the Atriums or stairwell foyers, but now it’s great to have a first class, dedicated area.

The dual purpose court is on the deck 12 starboard side aft here and the other court is on the port side. That is where you’ll now find a six hole, very large, golf putting green. Guests can now practice their short or long putts or even play a round. Both sides are located near a wall with lights which also allows for some play at night, which our guests figured out quickly. The company that created these courts for us, by chance, is located in our hometown of Traverse City, Michigan…Imagine that! Check out the photos of our ribbon cutting ceremony.

Ribbon cutting ceremony as we open the golf putting greens. Senior Director of Entertainment Michael Day in the yellow shirt.

On the starboard side, on the Croquet / Bocce Court with Dana and Ship's Hostess Else and a good shot of the two men who created it.

A parting shot...Dana, about to sink the course's first hole in one!

Greetings friends and followers, it’s nice to be back on board and to be able to blog again about our work and travels with Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Dana and I have actually been back since the second week in August but it’s been a whirlwind here with a different port every single day and just haven’t had the time to sit down and share my thoughts. But now, we are caught up in our work and have things running the way we like it so the time has come to get back at it!  Take a look at our ship’s itinerary – every day is another adventure for our guests and we plan to get out a bit and enjoy some of it too!

To those who have read along during the last few months of sailing, or even with my recent trip to Alaska, this may sound redundant but I have to tell  that there’s a simply great atmosphere on board Seven Seas Mariner and there are many, many crew whom we know from the Seven Seas Voyager. Captain Felice Patruno is here and we sailed on the Grand Asia Pacific with him last year at this time. He’s a gem of a man and is the only Captain to ever make me a cappuccino! Those Italians just have a knack for that sort of thing. A week or so ago I was up on the bridge early to do some commentary as we sailed into Venice and you can see the picture of him. It was a magnificent sail-in and you can see the sun rising in the window behind him. Also see a few of my shots from that below. I also played some Josh Groban, an American pop singer who sings in Italian, from the bridge as we sailed right through the middle of town. Venice is my #1 pick on my top ten places to sail into in the world. It is just amazing!

Captain "Cappuccino" - Felice Patruno

St. Mark's Square with the Doge's Palace (or Palzzo Ducale) on the right.

Another shot of the Grand Canal with the old customs house on the left with the gold dome.We spent three days docked in Venice but it was quite busy for us so we were only able to step ashore for a couple hours on the last day. But it was enough to get our “Venice Fix.” We walked from Piazza Roma, where the shuttle bus let us off and walked down to the picturesque Rialto Bridge then on to St. Mark’s Square where we crossed the Grand Canal at the Accademia Bridge and made our return from another direction. We just love walking there because around every corner is another photo opportunity and it’s easy…you just follow the signs.Dana on the back side of the Rialto Bridge.

Well, this update is overdue (thanks for the nudge Lori!) but what a great week it was!

I flew to Anchorage where I was to spend the night and then drive down to Seward the following morning. The company put me up at a cute little hotel just a snowballs throw from the airport and what made it great for me was that there was a lake dedicated to house float planes right behind the hotel. I find myself greatly attracted to them and in the past I have had many opportunities to fly in the when working Alaska. I spent a good part of my free time walking the lake on the evening I arrived and the morning of departure just checking out the planes and watching them fly in and fly out – it so entertaining!

My dream plane! Foundair Bush Hawk made in Canada.

The following morning, after my stroll of the lake, I did the 2 and a half hour drive down to Seward to meet the ship. The ride would have been one big photo opportunity, had I had kept my camera handy and the lady driving me was able to stop. But how delightful it was. We passed the train that many of our guests took to come to Anchorage after they departed the ship. And it’s the same train that would shuttle about 250 of our guest down to meet the ship later that day. I had been able to take the train once in the distant past and I remember enjoying it.

When I arrived at the ship it was raining cats and sled dogs and remained that way for the remainder of the day and the weather outlook was not at all good for the upcoming days. However, the following day when the highlight of the voyage arrives early in this itinerary, we were to visit spectacular Hubbard Glacier and spectacular it was! The rain clouds parted and and our visit was one of my best ever. There was some considerable fog which at times was dense and detracting from our view. But then, at other times the fog added to the visit. You can see below a photo of a “ghost ship” (Holland America’s Volendamn) which was sharing the bay with us for part of the visit.

Look carefully at the bottom of the photo to see the ghost ship!

The glacier really put on a show for us! I missed a truly awesome caving with my camera but our videographer was able to get the incredible shot! Although something wasn’t right in how he formatted the copy he gave me to post was unable to play. I have asked him to redo it and send it to me but that will take some time. It was one amazing shot and the glacier caved at other times as well.

Spectacular Hubbard Glacier. The fog lifted as we departed.

Some great caving but it wasn't the big one.

The next few days were rainy and the clouds were low which mostly affected our stop in Juneau because all but one of the plane and copter flights had to be canceled. I felt bad for our guests but in Alaska this, of course, does happen from time to time. We were able to get more flights out of Skagway so many of our guests were able to get re-booked to fly.

I hadn’t been on the Navigator in eight years and just last December it came out of a month long dry dock where our company put over 20 million dollars into its’ refurbishment. I have to say I was so very impressed as, like our other two ships they are all far better and more beautiful now than they ever were under our previous ownership. One of the special ship features I like is that since the Seven Seas Navigator will continue to sail Alaska into the future our company placed many outdoor heaters in the Pool Deck Dining area and also on the aft “cocktail” deck which is behind the Galileo Lounge which makes sitting and reading or sightseeing most comfortable.

Our final port was Ketchikan and we experienced a beautiful day with the return of the sun. Thanks to a last minute cancellation and the kindness of one of our guests, I was able to hop on an adventurous off-road tour with or guests. It was a gas and the scenery very nice. The mix of an adrenaline rush and the close sighting of a bear made it a memorable experience.

One aspect of the voyage that was extra special was that there were three large multi-generational families celebrating life and each of them were impressive. Most impressive was “Milton’s” family, which had about 20 in the group headed by Milton who was quite a character. He at 94 still goes to work each day, as a lawyer. The group had special T shirts and bags and were all so much fun and were having such a great time.

The final day was our sail down through the Inside Passage and the day was absolutely perfect! Our resident lecturer, Terry Breen spoke from the bridge and provided so much wonderful and meaningful information. In fact, she did a total of four superb lectures and provided daily commentary – all without a note. All of what she does adds so much to the overall Alaskan experience which, I believe, separates Regent from other cruise lines. Terry also sails on our South American cruises.

Terry Breen, author and speaker on board Seven Seas Navigator.

That last night I was invited by members of Milton’s group to join them on the aft deck behind the La Veranda for dinner. The food, the company, the scenery and the setting sun made it an unforgettable evening.

Inside Passage

The day of disembarkation included an early sail into Vancouver and Captain McNeil invited me up for coffee as we made our approach. It was sunny and clear. I had only met the Captain briefly once before and had heard a lot of great things about him. It was a pleasure meeting him and also seeing an old friend, the General Manager Frank.

I left the Navigator with the conviction that they have something special going on board with an overall great team and positive atmosphere. I don’t know when I’ll work there again, but it was sure a wonderful experience to get back there.

Click here to watch video: Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

The Navigator had an extensive make-over just last December and I have heard wonderful things about it. We were docked for a day in together on December 28th, 2009, just after she came out of drydock but I couldn’t get over to see her, so now here’s the chance. There are a lot of old crew friends sailing and I am sure I’ll meet up with many guests Dana and I have sailed with. Dana will stay home and tend to the pets.

The World Cup of what we American’s call soccer is, of course, well on its’ way in South Africa. Cape Town is near the top of my ”Top Ten List” of specatucular ports to sail into.  Recently when Seven Seas Voyager made call on the 2010 World Cruise I took the opportunity to visit the notorious prison located on Rebben Island and I invite you to check out this video and journey there with me.  See the cell where Nelson Mandella spent 25 long years and more.

Cape Town, South Africa – Robben island

* If you would like to purchase this video to watch on your T.V. it is $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you.

Well, here it is the final segment of what was truly a great voyage! In the next couple days I’ll post our summer itinerary on Seven Seas Mariner. We’ll be out 2 and a half months with some fabulous destinations to visit. I know some of you have already told me you’ll see us there and that will be great. Please always seek us out and let us know when you are on board.

The last segment we made call at places on west Africa that I had never been to and was it eye opening!  We filmed two “Jamie’s Journeys” there (Togo and Ghana) which my videographer is still working on. Once I receive them I’ll up load them and we’ll all take a look. In the meantime, enjoy this video from segment 5. Lots more great video to come……. Please invite your fellow cruise friends to come for a visit!

2010 World Cruise Video – Final Segment

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos.com and I’ll get back to you.

It’s time to post the video from segment 4 and what a segment it was… and it was a long one! We all made so many memories along the way. The Journey included two unplanned stops, due to the pirates off the coast of  Africa relocating 200 miles south. Reunion Island and Mauritius were great stops and our guests loved the little surprise, despite missing Tanzania and Kenya. So, just click on the red link and enjoy it in two parts.

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 4 – Part 1

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 4 – Part 2

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included). You may click on the Pay Pal button below or to write a personal check you may contact me at risingtidevideos.com and I’ll get back to you.

Dear V Cruisers (Vicarious Cruisers) and followers thanks for coming back for more travel fun. There are a total of five segments to this video then I have some GREAT videos which I call Jamie’s Journeys coming up so I hope you keep checking in because I am confident you’ll enjoy what I have to show you.

Also, thanks to all who have ordered the full length 2010 world cruise video that you can watch on you own TV. I was surprised as to how much interest there was in that. I hope you’ll truly enjoy it. Now, for everybody else enjoy this…. just click on the link and the video will play.

2010 World Cruise Video – Segment 3

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

Dear Followers,

Dana and I are at home on Spider Lake, where our home is, and we are enjoying ourselves and relaxing at home after our wonderful journey.

I have been spending time learning (Or trying to!) how I can blog better to support this site and to work to get an accompanying site to this one up and running (Vicariously Cruising or Vcruising.com) though that will take a bit more time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to technical things I seem to have the learning curve of a rainbow, however, I am happy to report I finally got the video figured out (More or less) and I have corrected the last post which included video from Segment 1 and am ready to present to you the video from Segment 2 of the world cruise. So, please, have a look! I think you will enjoy…

2010 World Cruise – Segment 2

* If you would like to purchase the entire 2010 World Cruise Video to watch on your T.V. it is  $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

Greetings Friends and Followers,

Well, the world cruise of 2010 ended in a flurry, as it always does, and our dear guests went away with with wonderful memories of a terrific journey around the world. From a cruise director’s standpoint, the last week of the voyage gets crazy as you work to make the cruise finish big and then handle all the paperwork (reports, evaluations, inventories, etc.) that have to be done in order to turn your department over to the next CD.  In the past, the final leg of this voyage was a Trans-Atlantic, with five days at sea and maybe a short stop in Bermuda which adds greatly to the pressure to get everything done. This time, however, we sailed up through the southern Caribbean and the several stops there made it it much easier.  That was nice!

That last morning, as our guests are anxious to get off, collect their many bags (Some with as many as 40 suitcases) and get on their way it tends to get a bit crazy. Along with that we have US Department of Homeland Security board the ship for customs and immigration clearance. We are always concerned as to how that will go and how well the longshoreman will perform in getting all the luggage ashore and into the terminal. This year, I must say, we had great cooperation from all sides and it turned out to be the most orderly final disembarkation  that I can remember. It also helped greatly that our company made sure all flights were after noon which really took the pressure off.

It is always bittersweet saying farewell to these special friends whom Dana and I have gotten to know very well over the years and those who we got to know this year. But it is good to know that they leave with fond memories and that we played a part in helping to create them.

Speaking of memories, very shortly, each of our world cruise guests will be receiving by mail a world cruise video that our Broadcast Manager and Videographer, Diana put together. I will post this in segments for all to see and enjoy. Then there is a lot more I want to share with you in the days ahead, so please, stay tuned!

Now watch a little summary of the first segment of the world cruise beginning with a most special evening of entertainment we enjoyed while our world cruisers were on board for a special overnight while we were docked in San Diego…. But be patient as the video will take a bit of time to load.

2010 World Cruise Segment 1

*If you would like a complete copy of this 2010 world cruise video you may purchase it for $20 (shipping included).

Contact me at risingtidevideos@gmail.com

Many of us attended a special party for one of our groups. It was an international costume theme. Pictured is our Chief Purser Paul, Cruise Consultant Gudrun, Executive Concierge Manuela and yours truly... in case you didn't recognize me! It was a fun affair and I led the group in a karaoke session where many crew came out an sang after dinner alond with a few guests.

Here is Bob and Manuela sharing in a song. (Used with permission)

We held a special crew talent show a couple days ago on the crossing and there were eleven acts who signed up to perform. It is not a contest and whoever wants to be in it is most welcome and I was just a hoot. Our guests turned up at 3:15 for a matinee show time and the crew were also invited and we had a full house.

A picture of our crew show performers, immediately following the show.

The crew also ran a terrific Country Fair on the crossing. This was the second one we did on the world cruise. The first one was on the first segment during our first seven days at sea out of San Diego.  The various departments on board were challenged to put together some new ideas and they came through in a great way!  The winners of the Best Booth AWARD, as voted by our guests, was the Bar Department which can up with an idea called “Water Balloon Tennis” which was a riot.  Though the rules of the game were, well, let’s just say a bit loose… it was tremendous fun thanks to the wonderful energy and show put on by the entire bar team.

Waterballoon tennis by the Bar department!

I never quite figured out the rules of the game, though everybody who played seemed to win and most of all had fun doing it!

The entertainment department did a game called “Kiss the Cast” where the boys or girls blindfold you and then dance around you and clap and sing. Then you get a kiss on the cheek, you remove your blindfold and try and guess who gave you the kiss. Funny, very funny!

Kiss the Cast! Actually, it's get kissed by the cast, then guess who gave it to you.

All right. Which one of you kissed me?

Guests who bid on the special opportunities through the White Elephant Crew Welfare Auction have just been having a ball! One couple who purchased our ship’s jack flag came up to the bridge to get their photo taken with the Captain, GM and myself.

I have had two guest presenters for our daily TV shows and both did a terrific job! Two couples have attended the Boson’s Team Crew Karaoke which was “about the most fun” they ever had, and tonight I’ll host my second “Have a Smoke on the Stack” where guests get to enjoy a Cuban seed cigar and Cognac with a special view… and there were many more. For many these will go down as one of their most special memories of their voyage.

Tow of our great guests Bob (who was the winning bidder) and his guest Mike enjoying a stogie as the sun sets behind us. I got to be chaparon... (Used with permission)

Tonight is the Captain’s Farewell Party and tomorrow we have a Beatles sail-away celebration on deck as we depart our final port, Grand Turk. Then the following day, which is our last day, I have a special farewell show planned at 3:15pm which will be sweet! I’ll make one more entry before the end and then… keep blogging from home as I have a lot more to share with you about this amazing voyage and I’d like to post some video… But as for now, it’s back to work as there is an awful lot more to do…

Sorry for the delay in getting this out… As we are not in the home stretch making our big push to the finish!

This was day two of a three days at sea before we reach Banjul, The Gambia which I read is less better off that the other places we’ve visited… We’ll soon see

Today was the day that I chose to do a fundraiser for our Crew Welfare Fund which I believe most cruise lines have, at least of some sort. We have a Crew Welfare Committee which has a representative from each department and is administrated by our Human Resources Manager.  This fund helps us enhance the life on board for all crew which, of course is most important – Happy crew, happy ship, happy guests!

This is Debbie, the current HR Manager on board and one fine trainer!. (Used with permission)

Deborah, our HR Manager does a terrific job on board! Among the myriad of other tasks and issues she deals with daily, she spends a large amount of her time training our crew on various aspects of service, in particular, our program C.A.R.E..  I have seen a lot of trainers over the years, but I believe have found her training to be exceptional. One way I believe our company (Prestige Cruise Holdings) sets itself apart from others is that it has invested a lot of time, money and effort in our training programs and Debbie is one on board that has the task to bring all that information to life and makes it pertinent and applicable. I applaud her and others like her.

I started doing “White Elephant Sales” on the Seven Seas Voyager’s first world cruise in 2004 but this year I came up with a bit of a different twist.

We set up 90 chairs on deck 4 in our beautiful Atrium. Guests also stood at the railing from deck 5 and even on 6 and sat on the stairs. It was a great atmosphere! Above the stairs was the ship's flag that flew above our ship for the world cruise. The tattered jack flag sold for just under $700 and is going to be flown on the purchasers 60 foot yacht.

 First, we advertise and collect unwanted goods from our guests who donate stuff they’ve collected along the way that they no longer want…Wood carvings, native jewelry, fabrics, T shirts, you know, the usual tourist stuff.  But then we came up with an entire list of out of the ordinary things guests can do to add to their overall experience. A few examples of the list of 32…

Here a chefs jacket is being modeled by Pia, our chef d' cuisine (2nd in command) who has been with Regent a long time and is a GREAT and talented lady, and next to her is Fabian, our Excecutuve chef (#1) who, our guests would agree did and absolutely amazing job this world cruise! Behind me in Konchok, who is F & B Manager, a good friend who will move into the corporate office after the cruise and J.R., a terrific vocalist and team player in our department.

 “Flirty Dancing” – One 45 minute private ballroom dance lesson with our International Ballroom Champions Igor & Natalia followed by dinner.

“Bird’s Eye View” – Watch the Regent Singers & Dancers perform from the Stage Manager’s Booth.

 “Cast Aways” – Five cast members will join you for dinner.

 “An Interactive Debut” – Be the day’s host for Regent Interactive TV and interview who you want for the Voyager Today.

 “A Very Rare Opportunity” – Learn how to make Steak Tartar with personal instruction by our Executive Chef.

“One Cruised Over the Coo-Coos Nest” – The Galley Team will sign their version of a strait jacket.

“Quiet in the Storm” – Enjoy a special dinner for 2 in the Main Galley during full dinner operation, hosted by our Executive Chef.

“Raising the Bar” – Be guest bar tender in the Voyager Lounge and do the 10:30pm – Midnight shift.

“Quality Time” – Enjoy a private wine tasting for six, hosted by Head Sommelier Ricardo.

“Country Flair” – You and your friends will host your own game and booth at the Country Fair to be held on Tuesday, April 27^th.

 “Goodfellas Pasta Co.” – Two of you may join the Captain and his wife and General Manager and his wife for and Italian dinner served in the Captain’s suite.

“T Time 2010” – The entire Crew have signed a T shirt for you to have as a special souvenir.

 “Flown High and Proud” – Own the Regent flag which was flown high atop Seven Seas Voyager for the world cruise.

The event in the Atrium, the heart of our ship on deck 4/5 and played to a full house. It was fully supported by our General Manager and Captain which helped everybody get behind this. Thanks to the great generosity and kindness of our guests we were able to raise $32,000! The respect and admiration our guests have for our crew just blows me away!  Which brings me back to a recurring thought…“We are all together in a very special place!”

This morning we helped get 400 guests off the ship and out on tour and then got some more work done before our 10:15am weekly boat drill. Then we headed out via the shuttle to get into the city of Takoradi in order to find a taxi who would take us to the city of Elmina to visit Fort St. George, which is where thousands upon thousands of slaves were trafficked to Europe and America, during a 250 year period from the 15th-17^th centuries. Many of them passed through this fort since it was a gathering spot for exportation.

The fort was originally built by the Portuguese who were the first European’s to sail down the coast. They were interested in gold and ivory and later traded in palm oil, and pepper. The built the fort to protect their interests from other European nations who wanted to follow in their footsteps. But then another “commodity” developed that brought even more wealth than gold – slaves.

Our trip to the castle took about 90 minutes, which was about 30 minutes each way more than we were led to believe it would be. On the way there we it was interesting to see so many people walking beside the road carry things on their head – mostly woman, I might add. We must have passed hundreds of them walking to who knows where. The country is so poor and the homes all tiny and in shambles.

This plaque is just inside the entrance of the fort.

We also had to pass a couple security checkpoints. At the first one we came to officers walked up to our car and saw the video camera on the back seat and asked in an accusing voice “What were you shooting? – Get out of the car.”  I got out with our videographer, Diana and they called us over the office. “Show me what were you shooting…Why were you shooting? …Do you have papers for shooting?…What are you doing?… Where are your from?” After seeing the video and becoming satisfied, not happier, just satisfied, the intimidator lectured us on not shooting in security areas, which we didn’t do in the first place, and let us go. At the next check point and on the way back we kept all cameras away and out of sight, just in case.

At the security checkpoints and the one toll stop hawkers would swarm the cars, though this shot isn't the best representation. When they come up to your window and you raised a camera they we show you that they were not well pleased with that.

People in West Africa seem to have real hang-ups about getting there photos taken by tourists. This is especially true along the high traffic areas of cities. People who were off the beaten pass people were fine and fun, but there is definitely some resentment going on their. I can only forgive them. If I had been placed there (thank you Lord) I would most likely be that way too. When we returned to Takoradi we bought some local music for the video taping we did and decided to do our closing shot out on the corner, certainly away from any locals and an older man came up and started giving us a hard time about shooting. Why? I have no idea. What these people do not realize that they are doing themselves a disservice. If tourists are given a hard time about taking photos it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, to a certain extent. Then tourists go home and do not speak as well of their visit which drives potential tourists away.  There were SO MANY photo opportunities in the last two ports – SO, SO MANY – but I hardly took any because of the way people reacted when I asked politely for permission. Now, I did leave those places having wonderful experiences, but the shame is that it could have been so much better. I would have loved to have had an even better story to tell.

  The city of Elmina looked very interesting and there were a couple other places we wanted to visit but just didn’t have the time. They had a fisherman’s warf that from a far looked like it would have been a great place to visit. 

Just a very small view of what is a very big, bustling and jam-packed fishing harbor which is actually down the waterway to the left. This was taken from the fort.

Fort St. George was interesting painful to see when you consider what took place there. But it is hostory and we all know that history is often tragic, but we should still see it, learn about it and learn from it.

The inner courtyard of Fort St. George. The officers resided on the upper levels and the slaves on the lower. When the fort was originally built to protect the Portuguese traders and their goods that they were trading and had traded for from other European traders following in their footsteps. But then things changed...

I hired my own guide a young man named Francis. He was a delightful gentleman and very proud and good at what he was doing. He took us through where all the lady prisoners were held. Of course, it must have been deplorable.

Francis, our guide. Articulate, enthusiastic, well rehearsed... A fine young man. We are on the top level of the fort.

 Then there was a room where they would keep the people who rebelled. It was like a sweat box. Up to 30 went in at a time. Nobody ever came out alive. Once all had perished other slaves would drag you out. It was more than sad.

The symbol above the door said it all. No food, no water, no ventilation. Just a filthy room with a little ledge for a few at a time to lean against while you await your fate. The window on the right served the cell next door which punished their own, which was very well ventilated. The door to the cell was a series of crossed bars with just enough air flow not to suffocate them.

When it was time for the slaves to be loaded they passed through a small passageway, down a ladder and the into row boats that would take them out to the boats that would take them across the seas.

A view from the little passageway out of the fort where slaves would then proceed down a ladder and walk a short distance to awaiting row boats. The last time they would ever set for on their homeland.

Can’t even imagine how terrible that must have been. As many horrific historic places I have visited in the world I can never even begin to comprehend how terrible people can be to their fellow man…

From the fort to the bay where the slave ships anchored to await their cargo.

Two more African ports to go until we cross the pond… But first, three relaxing days at sea for our guests.

Togo! Togo! Togo!… Well, we actually arrived last night to get clearance which took over 3 hours. Good thing we did.

Local performers with some on stilts met our ship upon arrival and danced most of the day - I have to hand it to them, they worked hard for our enjoyment.

We got our guest off on tour and they were actually early to the Theater and ready to out and be “travelers”.  Later, I headed out with videographer Diana and ACD Elda to film one of my Jamie’s Journeys video segments. I have about 70 of these now from all over the world and play them for our guests on these long voyages. I am planning to put them up on a website in June.

Videographer Diana is the best we have and she is terrific! Everybody on board has great respect for her and even the kids love her. She has come out on her own time with me on many occasions to create "Jamie's Journeys." Dana and I always feel blessed when we get to wrok with her.

The day turned out fabulous! We took then bumpy shuttle ride in to Lome, then headed out towards the market and met a nice man named Pascal. He was a nicely dressed 37 years old who spoke pretty good English and I hired him for the afternoon as our guide. We started at the market and it seemed like the city was one big market. It was a Sunday, but each person was manning their own little street stall.

Our guide for the day - Pascal.

Lome is a low rise run down city of almost a million and is the capital. One thing the locals had in common was that they do not at all care for their president, “a crook” by all accounts of who we spoke to. It was a city of great visuals, were you could shoot pictures every 15 seconds, but we didn’t.  Gosh, there were some sights! However, if you raised your camera and pointed it at someone for some reason the people became aggressive. Adamantly, the vendors refused to allow it and we were the only tourist we saw on that street. It was something I have never experienced in all of my world travels before. Behavior like this cannot do good things for the future of tourism there. We still shot some but we had to be cool about it. A long range lens would have been better but I don’t have one.

A very nice display! But look at her face. She was just not happy that I had the nerve to take her photo. Unfortunately she and most others don't get it... Make the tourists happy and more will come and a rising tide will raise all boats - even hers.

After the market we hopped in a cab to head to the “Fetish” market. Here you find many different types of dead animals carcasses, skulls, horns, pelts, etc,.

Although it looks like a taxidermy it is far from it.

These are used as African medicines to improve your memory, virility and many, many more health issues (OK, I am embarrassed I could only remember virility).  All this related to the Voo Doo lifestyle that is the religion (way of life) for many. Talk about weird! 

This is the real deal. People believe in this stuff and stake their health on it.

We also had a consultation with a ah…? Voodoo guy(?) who wanted to (basically relieve us of any unwanted take cash) offer prayers for protection, good travels, health for about $80. Though I couldn’t take pictures of him, I did of his altar where he performed a little ceremony on our behalf. He arrived at that price by rolling 5 little shells in the sand three times. He said the Gods would tell him what I had to pay for his prayers.

This is the alter and the little Voodoo figures he wanted to sell me for $80...Oh, I'm sorry it was the figures he was selling it was the prayers that came along with them.

When he told me the price I told him my spirit just told me “You better roll those shells again!” In the end his Gods were tough negotiators. So, I gave him my blessing which was a “thank you” together with a slap on the back and a picture of Hamilton in his palm from all of us, sans blessings.

My main goaI that day was to get to a rural village to see what everyday life was like out of the city. I kept asking Pascal where we could go to see this.  He kept saying it was 2 hours out of town, which was way to far. Then all of a sudden he asked if we’d like to go to a place of sacrifice. The girls weren’t too thrilled but I said let’s go, so I cast the deciding vote.

We drove down a dead end dirt road in the middle of the city and he got out of the car and said “Wait here.” Meanwhile we got out of the car and had some fun with some cautious local kids.

The people were much more friendly though not everybody who passed by were so happy to see us. But we did make a bunch smile laugh and even dance with me. When Pascal returned he said he would take me into the village – a village with trees and grass huts and a chief – right smack dab in the middle of the city!  Like an Oasis without the water. He said we could all go in, but each had to remove their tops (everything) as you had to be bare-chested like all the rest and without shoes or socks and a sarong around your waist with your pants rolled up as high as they would go. The girls declined… I went and brought the video camera and shot a little video. I only took a couple pictures (dummy), of the chief’s wife. But I should have taken more but I was feeling the pressure of time and the appropriateness of it.  How interesting that was though. I could write pages about that encounter in of itself. The elders, men and woman, and I all sitting on mats under the shade of a big tree. The chief’s wife was under a tree reclining several huts over. Yes, I had to pay – but this was the real deal. I also gave money for a boy who had a terrible infection in his hand as it was big and swollen and turning green… They said they were using African medicine but it clearly wasn’t working. They said they had no money to see a western doctor. I hope they use the extra money for the intended purpose or he will lose his hand, or more.

Here is the Chief's wife fresh from a nap, with one of her grandaughters in her lap. Not shown is her assistant (?) who is ther to feed her, bath her and look after all her needs.

It was interesting because only Pascal could talk to me very quietly at the appropriate time. They wouldn’t pose with me, or shake my hand or even engage in anyway. I did hand out 2 postcards of the ship that they found a bit interesting. I told Pascal they were welcome to ask me any questions about my world – they were told I was from the USA – but never asked anything. The chief’s wife’s conversation centered around whether I paid enough to meet her. Finally, in an awkward moment I agreed to double the price from $5 to $10. Upon leaving gave $20 for the boy to get some proper medicine.

Well, I told the girls I be back in less than 30 minutes. Yeah, right. There was no way I could have done that under the circumstances. It would have been very rude. I had to sit and wait for them as it was their show. I ended up being in there presence almost an hour. I would have like to spend the afternoon there to try and break down some barriers but there certainly was no time for that. I told the girls I was sorry for taking so long but reminded them that they could have come along!

As it turned out the locals were very kind to them. They saw me disrobe and go in and that the girls were waiting. Some offered chairs under the shade of an umbrella, which was kind.I got dressed again and Pascal then asked if we’d like to visit his house! Yes. It was maybe 100 yards down the soon to be paved road, just a short ways past the newly renovated public toilets.

Looking down the street to Pascal's place. The community toilets on the right.

His house was tiny – I mean tiny – four cement walls and a tiny slot for a, ah, window? And it was in like a multi-family compound.  His parent are ling since deceased but the extended family greeted us warmly. He is not married and there is no girlfriend. Though, the family, were very surprised seeing us there. When they saw us I think they thought they were seeing ghosts! I’m sure he had a good story to tell at the end of the day, as well. 

The kids there were absolutely darling and it was just behind village oasis. Pascal connection to the village was his Uncle who lived their all his life and hadn’t stepped out of the walled village for years Pascal said.  Yes, I should have taken a photo!

Some of the kids that gathered were part of Pascal's extended family or kids from the compound.

Then an unusual thing happened while we were there. The kids were playing out back and came across a big snake in the trash area, located on the edge of the brush. There was a lot of trash.

The back lot behind the houses. Just as I took this picture the kids announced they found the snake.

But the snake was in peril. It had somehow become entwined in a fishing net and was stuck and must have had been stuck for some time. The half brother declared it wasn’t poisonous, though the kids were made to respect it and stay well back. He pulled out a knife and spent a good ten minutes cutting the snake free. Apparently its main diet is rodents so it is good to have around.  Once free, he took a cane flipped it on the end of it and hurled it back into the woods to resume its good work.

From the picture it is impossible to see to just how tangled up the snake was.

After that episode, thinking nothing could top that we headed back to where we started for one more walk through the market, then to catch the shuttle bus that 5 mile bumpy ride back to port where a late lunch, a cool drink and a private shower was sure to await us. Aren’t we all so fortunate…It was a great day to be a traveler!

This young girl had her table set up just outside of Pascal's compound.

I had greatly anticipated this day. My first chance to visit West Africa, I was going to visit Gavie, a water town on stilts. I laid out my clothes and charged up the battery of my camera and exchanged some large bills for small bills then the General Manager called me.

We were at the sea buoy early, awaiting the arrival of the pilot to bring us in but the pilot was late.  Another ship was at our birth and it was late leaving. Fortunately we were told we’d only be, in the end, 15 minutes late to the dock… Well, 15 turned into another 15, then to another 15… As it turned out, the ship at our birth had a mechanical failure as it was departing. But it was going to get fixed, they said so. They just needed a spare part. Then they just had to install it… Welcome travelers to West Africa… We’re not in Kansas anymore!

At 9:20am it became clear to me that if we were along side by 11:00am that would be a good thing. Or at least, good enough. So I turned to my team and we looked for a good way to fill the time. We scheduled bingo (we don’t normally push the Bingo as it is not a source of revenue – imagine that – but we just had the biggest bingo crowd of the entire world cruise the day before) and also planned a tournament for popular recreational game named Baggo (I first introduced on Royal Caribbean in 1994). Then I asked our fellow staff member J.R. Lustig  if he would perform one of his shows. He is a great entertainer and very popular with the guests. He agreed to be on stage in…35 minutes! I called the Bandleader, Hamish and had him get the boys out of bed, shaved and on the band stand.  With J.R. in a tux and the band with eyes half way open, shortly after 10:00am the show was on.  The guests showed up in great numbers and for the first time nobody who attended the show was sleeping – not even in the front row! I left the theater after the show thinking “Maybe the shows should be at this time every day?”

After the activities I made an announcement (that day I made many announcements!) about the adjusted arrival, early lunch and tour times – now departing at about 12:00pm. But then a major squall crept up behind us and unleashed 45 mph winds and torrential rain. This sent the little fishing boats on the bay running for cover and bailing while doing it. The port had a law that ships could not enter or depart if the winds were over 20 mph. Though the winds dropped to 32 mph we were then informed that another storm was lining up behind this one. To make it worse then port entry was tight and the Captain would have to nose this baby in to the berth and awkwardly back out and since the ship that had broken down was still in the small port and blocking the small turn around basin. The unfortunate decision became easy to make and in the end we had lost Benin.

This had become the obvious reality though we had three guests waiting to join us at the dock and three others who had flights out.  A special appeal was made to immigration and fortunately they agreed to give us the necessary clearance to get guests off and on.

One of the guests was a man, Jim, who had sailed many times with Dana and I over the years. His wife, Yuki, had been here since Cape Town. They flew in to England from their home in the western states for and overnight to break up the trip. But when they went to check in again at Heathrow his passport was rejected by UK immigration for not having a blank corner in his passport for the stamp.  Yuki went a head and Jim had to stay being to pay a visit to the embassy.  Yuki made it to the hotel in Cape Town but then that the volcano blew… Jim, like many others joined the club of stranded travelers and had a real ordeal getting out. He ended up going to Paris by train, then Madrid by car and eventually onward. We certainly didn’t want to have him and the two other gentlemen who had Mexican visa problems in Namibia drive have to drive to Togo. Thank goodness we got them on board.

So far, we’ve enjoyed two days of following seas. The first day we were almost cruising at 20 knots as the winds were pleasantly pushing us right along. I am looking forward to these next several ports. Though there will not be so many tourist sights to see it will be interesting to see how they live and learn some of the customs and the history.

It is in places such as these that I will remind our guests, starting tonight on my daily TV show, in fact, that we need to be sure before we step ashore to take on the mindset of a “traveler” not a “tourist” or you will not enjoy it at all! 

Will it be hot? Yes. Dirty? Yes. Will they be poor? Yes. Aggressive to sell? Yes. Will the guides be hard to understand? Yes. Will the rest rooms be filthy? Yes. Will the air conditioning on the bus be affective? Definitely not!

After all, these are places tourists don’t venture to, only travelers. If you are not sure which mindset when it is time to step foot ashore you may be better off to find a good book and stay on our floating palace. You’ll be much happier.

I am looking forward to these. I love these kind of places.  For me and my taste, the funkier – the better!

That being said, as we sail up the coast I am reminded of a little stop we made on the first world cruise regent did some nine years ago now, on the Seven Seas Navigator. The port was in Namibia and its’ name is Luderitz. It is the only port my wife, Dana – normally not deterred by any port – walked out to the main street and refused to get in to a cab I wanted to hire.

Alright, so maybe the guy was just a little too mellow in his attitude. Dana said his eyes were glazed over but I still think that he was looking into the direction of the sun.  I will agree, however, there was literally no tread on the tires but, how fast did we plan to drive anyway? It wasn’t like we where going to hit the California interstate going 70+, we were just going to do a little sightseeing. Plus, we weren’t in any hurry and there was no chance for rain. The fact that the streets were completely deserted was calming for me but for reasons I couldn’t understand they were disconcerting for Dana. I thought it was great as there would be nobody who would be walking into my pictures but Dana didn’t hesitate to say there was nothing to take a photo of.

Nonetheless, I convinced her to get in to the cab (I told her she would have to walk back to the ship on her own). The ride was a bit bumpy though the road didn’t look bad, at least not through the floor boards in the back seat. I thought it looked cool seeing the pavement pass below us at 40 mph. Dana wasn’t as impressed. I suggested that if she was nervous she should put on her seat belt, through we could only locate half of one.  Instead she just held on to me which was nice, though I had to ask her not to hold on so tight.

It wasn’t so long before we had arrived at the main tourist destination which is called Kolmannskuppe.  It is not exactly a picturesque town, though maybe at one time it was.  Nobody lives there now. The streets are gone, actually covered by the sands that the desert reclaimed as its’ own. Though the facades of the buildings still remained it looked more like a movie set. I wanted to purchase a souvenir but there were none. So I just though of it as a few dollars saved. I took a couple shots, took a little stroll then Dana suggested we head home. What was the hurry? We hopped in our private car and returned to the port of Luderizt.

Upon returning to the ship we met other guests who had a similar experience and were as about excited as the stop as Dana was.  They had nicknamed the port “Ludicrous!” – asking “What were those itinerary makers thinking?”  So, what can I say?  I thought the town was maybe a bit too sandy but…unique. I don’t believe we’ll ever get there again.

Located on the southwest coast of Africa, Namibia is a country relatively few in the USA/Canada have ever been to, let alone ever heard of. But it is a place that I sure enjoy visiting. This port city of Walvis Bay is the second largest city in Namibia and was named by the first Dutch settlers in the mid 1600s.  There have been slight variations in the spelling of it’s name but Walvis Bay essentially meant “Whale Bay” though the Dutch spelling of “Whale” is different.  This natural bay is full of plankton and has an abundance of sea life (Which many of our guests enjoyed!). For me and my taste it is a top favorite of mine because of the magical Namib Desert, the oldest in the world, where you get the chance, if you care to take it, to rent a “quad” which is a one-seat, automatic all terrain vehicle that you can ride behind a leader out on the desert for a few hours at a time.

This is thee most fun filled activity I have done (several times) in my cruising career.  Today was even better than the first time!

After Farnie taught us about the dessert beatles and amazing fruit the rest of the gang joined me up on the dune where we all ran down together and filmed it for my Jamie's Journey video we were creating for this day... Yes, we were just a bunch of big kids out there!

 I brought the cast of singers & dancers from the ship and rented these from a man I had rented them from before. His name is Fanie and his company’s name is Kuiseb Delta Adventures.

Farnie teaching us about desert fruit. This fruit was bored into by mice which is why he took it. Because of the mice we, of course, were not offered to taste it.

I chose him because safety is absolutely positively number one with him. In fact, when I called him he told me he no longer takes cruise ship crew out any longer because of how they acted. Fortunately I was able to convince him that he would be proud of my group (At the end he WAS so impressed!) He treats everyone like they have never done this before and most of my lot hadn’t.

This is just after Farnie dug 24" into the sand and and showed us that the dunes are basically an aquafur - that was amazing. Water started pooling up and he took a shell and gave me a drink. The water was sweet. Then he moved to the clay field above it and showed us all sorts of treaures it was...incredible!

Reason number two for renting from him is that out on the desert Fanie becomes a stimulating professor, sharing his love and enthusiasm for this magnificent treasure. He shows us through archeology what use to take place there before the region became a dessert and makes sure we definitely respect it.

The original people who lived in this area used to bury their family members under their homes. The winds constantly uncover and then cover some of their ancestors. We saw two skeltons in the clay. These people were also buried with food in clay pots and water in sealed ostrich eggs to support them in their afterlife. Sound familiar? There are also bones from many, many different scecies including fish.

One of many human footprints that are thousands of years old. The amount of animal prints we saw would make a long list.

With Fanie everyone MUST follow in his tracks because failure to do so could get you seriously injured – or worse. By following him and his rules the activity is one that most anybody could participate in safely. And if it is an adrenaline rush you want, believe me you still get it!  

Look at this 40 degree drop. Taking the quad over the edge was for some, aft first, unnerving.

The terrain was so interesting and so varied. Here is one of the more techincal areas.

I have tried a couple of these of other companies who are simply out to give you a thrill ride and hope you come back in one piece after you race around the desert like some yahoo for a couple hours. Fortunately these guys are located about 10 miles north of Fanie.

Our wonderful cast of singers and dancers have had some incredible experiences as they have traveled on this 2010 world cruise – life changing experiences – but at the end of the three and a half hours out on the dessert they all agreed it was “The best day ever!” 

Here are the young bucks and myself looking like dessert rats.

 These photos I posted aren’t bad but in no way can they do justice to what we saw, how thrilling it was and how much we all learned. Everyone carried something away from the desert yesterday, much more than just a fleeting rush of adrenaline. That’s why that activity is my favorite.

We went up, down and all around - 3 and half hours went very quickly.

Speaking of favorites, I have been so, so, so fortunate to have been able to attend some spectacular special events over the years and on our overnight in Walvis Bay was one of them – Dinner on the Dunes!  

Here are a couple of our lovely servers who did a great job taking care of our guests.

This was an evening out that all guests were invited to go to. Buses and vans took our guests out in to the magnificent desert for a truly spectacular dinner under the tents with camp fires, camels, a mens choir, musicians, female dancers and fire entertainers all in a magical setting.

These darling young ladies, along with about 20 others put on a great show singing and dancing for us.

It was an evening of beautiful smiles and memorable fun!

Oh, what a night it was!

Here is one of our fun and friendly guests, John, a former fireman who is sampling the local brew. I had one with him and it was pretty darn good. (used with permission)

After the event when guests returned to the ship from their 30 minute drive we had the nine piece orchestra set up and about 200 crew members to greet our returning guests. 

In between bus and van arrivals our crew displayed their genuine love for serving and pleasing our guests. They were out on the pier from 9:30pm - 11:00pm. We really have something special going on here!

The atmosphere was truly amazing and our ship’s crew truly inspiring!

I wonder if I lived here, would I ever get tired of looking at Table Mountain? I really don’t think so. It has many moods and it is always changing… I find it captivating!  Thus I have added a couple more shots of it. What can I say?

Well, here is another shot taken today this time with the full table cloth crawling its way up and over the mountain.

Last night a bit after dinner I took a walk in along the waterfront. Bands were playing, people were partying, eating, conversing, even despite the fact that it was chilly and windy. Where we dock is just a great place. There are many shops and it is a safe place to stroll. We are at the very limit in size for ships that can dock here.

This morning I was awakened by the sun and a simply perfect day. I took advantage of this opportunity and hopped on a tour to Robben Island which is the location of the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 25 years – 18 of it in the same cell. 

A picture of a picture of Robben Island. The prison is located in the upper left hand corner.

All the guides in the prison are former political prisoners. This gentleman only served about eight months...even at eight months that must have been plenty.

The prison, unfortunately, was all fixed up and I would have rather seen it as it was for more impact of really what he and other prisoners had to endure.

Mr. Mandela's window for 18 years was the one on the right - window #4 in a long line of them.

The inside. Prisoners got to use a toilet once a day and slept on two thin mats on the floor. He wrote his book "A Long Walk to Freedom" from his cell and would hide the papers in his garden at the far end of a court yard.

The garden was located in the far corner. There were some wooden beanches on which to sit.

I learned a lot about the prison and the Isand’s history – too much to blog – but one fact I found interesting was that they had a minimum security block which held the armed robbers and rapist etc., and a maximum security block which held the most ruthless criminals including Mr. Mandela, who was non-violent.  Was the government scared of him? You betcha’. As well, they had kennels for the guard dogs. Their cells were  larger than Mr. Mandela’s…

A look at the prison from the front. Behind me is the road from the pier.

The gate leaving the pier heading toward the prison.

The best view from Robben Island. This is not any view the prisoners enjoyed.

This is the quarry. Mr. Mandela and others were to work hard labor for 6 months to cut stones to pave the prison roads. It turned out to be 13 years. The cave was the toilet and rest area but it also served as the university where they would draw in the sand and teach others to read and write. It was also the congress where they talked about the future. When Mandela returned for the first time there was a big crowd with him. Without saying a word he picked up a big stone and dropped it on the ground and all others followed. Today it is a shrine.

At 6:00pm we sailed away with Captain Gianmario Sanguinetti at the helm.  Captain Dag’s three months on rotation was complete and it was time for him to go on vacation. I believe he would have liked to stay as the west coast of Africa is not a place one sails to often but it was time.

Brothers? Captain Gianmario Sanguinetti... He say's "Just call me Mario." We have sailed with him for a couple years now.

Captain Mario, as he is called is also a lovely man and like me, all the guests feel a lot of attraction to his wife, Mariana, who will join him in Fort Lauderdale. We just finished dinner together and it was great getting reacquainted.

Notice the seal napping on our bulbus bow a short time before sailing.

Here we now are in this great city. One of my top tem places to sail into in the world.

Sailing in to Cape Town. The Regent flag flying proudly on the bow.

Table Mountain. Sometimes is has a table cloth.

What an approach it was. A few of the guests have been inviting me over and over to play paddle tennis on our top deck and I just haven’t had the time but on the day of arrival I did.  We played a set then enjoyed the view then played another.

Guests and Ol' friends Kevin and Susan. Alan took the photo. Thanks. (used with permission)

It was almost picture perfect from Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) up to the mountain range called the Twelve Apostles to Table Mountain with the city situated in front of it.

The Twelve Apostles mountain range.

Gosh, I LOVE sailing in here. Robbin Island, where Mr. Mandela was imprisoned several miles across the bay – too far for my camera to shoot. 

The table cloth trying to make its' way onto the table.

We dock in a wonderful harbor with restaurants, bars, shopping and the brand new soccer stadium just behind it, built for the upcoming World Cup.  Great place to just stroll.

A look at the new stadium. Each of the major cities in South Africa have them. this one definitely towers over the city. there used to be another stadium there, but you could hardly notice it.

On the second night we had a special world cruise event that took place at a winery up in the famous Stellenbash region. By all accounts it was a wonderful event. Unfortunately my work prohibited me from going to help host it. Guests went out by bus and returned by private vitage car of all kinds. I greeted them on their return. They all had a fantastic time!

One of the reasons I couldn’t attend was that I had to watch and assist a tv crew from South Afric who were filming on board for a very popular show called ”Top Billing” – dealing with glamourous lifestyles. I appeared in a couple segments - ”Ah, make-up PLEASE!”  There were two very attractive presenters. The young lady inthe photo below, Lorna, was the first black ballarina in South Africa several years ago. Hopefully we’ll get a copy. It will air next week.

Couldn’t make the time to get out today. Still much to do. Many went on a day safaris which I heard was very good. As for me, I had to mind the store again. Hey, but in just two days we’ll be in one of my favorite spots – Cape Town!

It’s great to be back on the continent of Africa. It’s an amazing place one that I wish everyone can could see, but I realize I am one of the very lucky ones.

The actual port of Richards Bay (where we dock) is on its’ best day not exactly Las Vegas, and today it was made much worse due to the storm we passed though. There were big puddles and shoe soles quickly became black from the coal that gets off loaded here. Thanks to some quick thinking by the GM, Michael we the Boson’s guys laid carpet and crates for those going ashore and then upon their return shoes were taken, cleaned and returned to the suite and slippers were placed on the feet which minimized  what truly could have been a mess.

Today, many of our guests headed out on overland safaris. Some to our sponsored parks and others to ones they arranged. Doing this by ship, I believe is a great way to safari. Pack light and bring just what you need. No jet lag. Get out and see it for three-four days and return to your home away from home. It is really easy this way.

These Mangrove trees would normally be underwater as hippos frolic by the shore of the St. Lucia Wetlands.

I got out in the afternoon and escorted a ships’ tour to the St. Lucia Wetlands Park which in 1999 became a UNESCO heritage site.  It used to be an estuary until eight years ago when a drought began and the water levels dropped enough that the entrance became too shallow and it was cut off from the sea.  Currently it is a lake home to a variety of small sharks, 1000 crocodiles  and 2000 hippos – Africa’s most dangerous animal.  They kill you by chomping and stomping on you. They don’t eat you – thank goodness!

Those tusks are good for chomping! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

But if you cross one you may be in trouble because they can run about 30 mph in their bare feet.  And for the unfortunate who wander between a mother and a baby. There better be a tree to climb.  

Most often the hippos are just standing or laying on the bottom of the lake, but sometimes they just like to have fun. (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

About 35 of us toured in the safety of a big boat and really got a close look at about 30 of them. One the way back we saw a baby in the weeds and we couldn’t see the mother though we knew she was close. As we moved closer for a look, all of a sudden mom sprang out from under the water and lunged at our boat – fearless!  We weren’t, she was! Believe me, it made for a lot of excitement.

A one month old baby in the weeds just a moment before big mamma surprised us! Daddy's eat the boys so Mama is very protective and isolated.

Most of the the crocs were much further off. However, we did come across one that was lying in the mud on the shore. We got to get close and had notices it had an unusual look as it was missing its’ tail. Evidently, it was lost in a fight.  For us it was a great day. For that croc it wasn’t so. Though we never saw the one he fought!

Though this one looks ready to rumble he is actually cooling himself. (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

This one lived to fight another day. He better do better in his next match.

There are over 500 species of birds in this park. We were fortunate this eagle flew into a tree just in front of the boat. I guess he liked to get photographed!

Now smile and hold still...What a face! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

A group on young Zulu dancers performed on the pier when we returned to our great ship. That made for the perfect end to a great afternoon out.

To all my Vcruisers, what can I say?  I have been very busy as we head toward the end of this extraordinary segment of our world cruise. The time had come to do all the planning and preparation for this final segment. First things first and I just haven’t had the time to blog, but thanks for staying with me.

I look at a world cruise much like I do a symphony. You begin with a grand start and end with a big finish – a crescendo, so to speak. The middle of the journey has many, different movements all playing on the same theme. After all, the finale is the last thing our guests will remember – so it better be good!

As well, this last segment is also a month long with about as many sea days are there are port days. That is a lot of sea time to fill.  The entire ship’s company will have their work cut out for them as together we, as a team, try to make this 2010 journey around the world the best one yet!

Our three day trek from Reunion Island to the African coast had a bit of everything; the good, the bad and the ugly. The first day at sea was fine, then the weather began to turn and then we hit the stormy weather. This was only the second time on the journey that we really hit any what you could truly call “rough” weather. Now, when we use that term, there is rough, then there is REALLY rough then there is… well, let’s not talk about that – it might keep you from cruising! Fortunately, we don’t experience “that” kind of weather hardly ever, but maybe just a handful of times in 20 years at sea.  Anyway, the sea was rough enough that I had to postpone the show until tomorrow night which was to be a movie.

Well, it’s late and time to get into my cradle and get rocked to sleep from deck 6 forward.

Tomorrow Africa!

This predominantly French Island is just 120 miles away from Mauritius yet, very different in every way. Sailing into the island, from my forward window it looked exactly like sailing in to Papeete, Tahiti – with mountains gradually rising up from the sea with a lush green countryside. But this island, I believe is even far more dramatic than that! To really see the island one would have to get started early and spend a lot of time out which we just didn’t have.

One of the active volcanoes. Look at the size of this 9,000 footer! The circular spot is a new vent that recently opened up. How big is that vent? Check out the next photo! (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

Can you see the tiny people down there? (Photo offered by Norman Pieters - guest)

Reunion has been formed by 2 huge volcanoes. The first, now dormant, has partially collapsed on itself leaving 3 cirques – vast natural amphitheatres – each over 9,000 feet that contain deep valleys with rock walls covered in lush vegetation.  This area is said to be a paradise for outdoor adventurers. Someday…I hope to get back there and do some exploring.

We got over 300 guests off the ship and onto buses starting at 7:30am so that they could get out and do some sightseeing. Having had quite a bit of work to get to, around lunchtime we were able to settle for a 30 minute shuttle bus trip down the coast to the town of St. Denis. The coastal road was in itself a spectacular ride with the road created by blasting away parts of several mountain sides which at one time rose practically right out of the sea. This created sheer cliffs several hundred feet high. Then what was odd was that the majority of these cliffs were covered in a metal mesh from top to bottom, placed there to keep falling rocks from coming down onto the highway. As we drove into the town it all of a sudden it had the look and feel of the Cote d’Azur (southern France). This truly is a French Island. After a short visit to the town we jumped back on the bus to go back to the ship and get some more work done.

The President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises is Mark Conroy, whom I have known since our days at Royal Viking Line in the mid-eighties. He and his wife, Marilyn, also had to make a big detour to get here. He will spend just about a week on board to meet our guests and get a good pulse on how things are going out here. He did a TV interview with me, hosted a special cocktail party and will hold a Town Hall Meeting in a couple days to answers questions, as he normally does when he comes. He always makes himself completely accessible.

I have wanted to get to Mauritius for some time now. I have always heard very good comments about it and being as remote as it is that made me want to get there even more.

The main city of Port Louis (pronounced like “Louie”) was established and given its’ name after the French King Louis XV.  However, the name of the island was given by the Dutch who arrived here before the French and later left. It was named after Prince Mauritius von Nassau whoever that was? I’m sure he never visited his island.

Taken from Fort Adelaide looking down to Seven Seas Voyager.

From where we docked it was a pretty view of the city with the mountains rising up behind it. About mid-afternoon our work was done so we negotiated a cab and headed up to visit the French Fort which sits high upon a hill. Though not so impressive in design, Fort Adelaide, built in 1824, gave us another perspective of the city.

As I have learned, this Island is also a melting pot of cultures – much like the Maldives and the Seychelles. The main ethnic background of the population is, again, of Indian decent. Once slavery on the Island was abolished by the British in the 1830’s there was a shortage of workers so, they went out and brought workers down from India. As I understand it, they became the indentured workers, a step up from slavery.

After taking a quick look at the city my goal was to head eastward all the way across the island (50 km) to visit a popular beach and to see some of the country side – but we were time pressed.  There are 90 miles of beaches on the island and the real tourist spots are in the North. We stopped for a few photos along the way…Basically, what we saw were it was Sugarcane fields for miles! Unfortunately we never got off the main road.

Sugarcane fields along the way.

When we arrived on the other side we had to hire a speed boat to get out to the island of Ilse Aux Cerf (Island of the Deer). We could have hopped a ferry but that would have taken 40-60 minutes to get to the beach – instead we were there in 10 minutes.

First look at Ilse Aux Cerf. The saltwater stream was running from here to there and just a couple feet deep.

Indeed, it was a lovely setting with the island basically divided in to two parts, with a saltwater stream running through it from the entrance into a giant lagoon which was only a few feet or so deep. Much further back in the lagoon the depth dropped off and you could sail or water ski in the backwaters.

Looking from downstream back to where the first photo was taken.

There were restaurants on the island and enough people to go with it. Unlike the beaches we visited in the Seychelles which had practically nobody on it, this area was busy with people from many different cultures and speaking many different dialects. I wanted to take a picture of a Muslim family all dressed ultra-modestly in their street clothes and frolicking in the water right next to two French ladies who were laying back on their elbows sunning themselves in the shallow waters as you might expect them to do, if you know what I mean… Unfortunately, I missed the shot.

We didn’t have much time there but it was worth the trip and I feel I saw something of the island. On the way back we had just entered the city and then found our selves in a major rush hour traffic jam. After going nowhere for about 20 minutes we decided to get out and walk. In about 5 minutes we were back in downtown Port Louis and I had remembered that there was a water taxi that worked between a beautiful waterfront area called the “Caudron” and the pier where the ship was docked. This area is a delightful pedestrian way with plenty of restaurants and bars located on the waterfront. It would have been a great place to enjoy a dinner out. A few minutes later we had found the water taxi pier and shortly thereafter we were cruising slowly back to the ship.

LA REUNION ISLAND – MASCARENE ISLANDS (4/7/10)

This predominantly French Island is just 120 miles away from Mauritius yet, very different in every way. Sailing into the island, from my forward window it looked exactly like sailing in to Papeete, Tahiti – with mountains gradually rising up from the sea with a lush green countryside. But this island, I believe is even far more dramatic than that! To really see the island one would have to get started early and spend a lot of time out which we just didn’t have.

Reunion has been formed by 2 huge volcanoes. The first, now dormant, has partially collapsed on itself leaving 3 cirques – vast natural amphitheatres – each over 9,000 feet that contain deep valleys with rock walls covered in lush vegetation.  This area is said to be a paradise for outdoor adventurers. Someday…I hope to get back there and do some exploring.

We got over 300 guests off the ship and onto buses starting at 7:30am so that they could get out and do some sightseeing. Having had quite a bit of work to get to, around lunchtime we were able to settle for a 30 minute shuttle bus trip down the coast to the town of St. Denis. The coastal road was in itself a spectacular ride with the road created by blasting away parts of several mountain sides which at one time rose practically right out of the sea. This created sheer cliffs several hundred feet high. Then what was odd was that the majority of these cliffs were covered in a metal mesh from top to bottom, placed there to keep falling rocks from coming down onto the highway. As we drove into the town it all of a sudden it had the look and feel of the Cote d’Azur (southern France). This truly is a French Island. After a short visit to the town we jumped back on the bus to go back to the ship and get some more work done.

The President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises is Mark Conroy, whom I have known since our days at Royal Viking Line in the mid-eighties. He and his wife, Marilyn, also had to make a big detour to get here. He will spend just about a week on board to meet our guests and get a good pulse on how things are going out here. He did a TV interview with me, hosted a special cocktail party and will hold a Town Hall Meeting in a couple days to answers questions, as he normally does when he comes. He always makes himself completely accessible.

Each day at sea we have at least two lecturers which take place a 10:00am and 11:00am. On occasion we have one in the afternoon but when we do attendance is never great.

I consider this the mainstay of my daily activity program, especially on voyages such as this. Each year we get the chance to hear some tremendously interesting speakers.

Some of these personalities also have celebrity status. This year our celebrities have been Wink Martindale, the celebrated game show host. I didn’t get a photo with him but he did appear in a special video skit I presented a while back. He was delightful. Then we had the Olympian gymnast and star of Peter Pan, Cathy Ribgy who was just about the sweetest gal you could ever meet.

Cathy Rigby - Pretty as ever, three children later.

Then we had an Emmy-Award Winning Journalist, Morton Dean, who spoke about his time in Vietnam during the war as we were sailing through that part of the world.

Morton Dean.

Right now we have several speakers on board but my favorite (though I don’t like to play favorites) is a man from South Africa named Daniel Silke. He is a former politician and speaks about his country past and present and he is one of the best I have ever heard! Sometimes our guests also volunteer to get in the act. This segment a celebrated Cartoonist, Larry Katzman presented two talks. Just go on line and search for “Kaz the Cartoonist” and a lot will come up. There is one guest ready to speak about engineering. Then just yesterday a gentleman named Barry Shulman (fellow blogger – jetset…) spoke.  He is the reigning European World Series of Poker Champion. In fact, I believe he has won this twice now. He says he’s doing pretty well with it as he has earned over 4 million in prize money this year! He also owns Card Player Magazine. Now, I am not a card player or “gambler” but both Dana and I found his talk fascinating – Though I don’t see any Texas Hold’em in my future. We also got a look a t his European Championship bracelet.

European World Series of Poker Champion - Barry Shulman.

What a lovely day at sea it was. Christian services were held at 9:00am. We have a Priest named Father Edward Kelly, who has done quite a bit of cruising over the years.     He used to sail on the Royal Viking Sun world cruises (One of the very best cruise ships of all time, in my opinion).

 Then, we have a Pastor for the Protestant, etc. denominations Ned Amstuzt. This is his second world cruise. Actually, he and his wife, Gloria have become good friends of ours from back in Traverse City, Michigan. He is now retired and attends the same church as we do (Baypoint Community Church – one fantastic church!). Our pastor, Nick got us together and he has worked out very well. Anyway, it was a lovely Easter at sea with anticipation now building for our arrivals in Mauritius and Reunion Island.

Gloria, Ned, Jamie and Dana Easter Sunday after church.

This morning we sailed at 4:00am and anchored off the island which was 25 miles away. By 8:00am we were at anchor ready to take our guests ashore using our ship’s tenders.

The locals speak a type of Creole language and the island is pronounced “Prey-lyn”. All but about 100 went out on tour this morning and the feedback was great! With most out and about I was able to give my wife some “spouse” time and we went to the beach. The one we went to was Anse (Beach)  Lazio which took a bit more effort to get to but is said to be the second highest rated beach in the world!

We believe it! It was the most amazing spot! We, along with most people on the beach, remained in the shade where it was cooler but spent a lot of time in the water which was simply perfect! We joined some of our guests for lunch. There were two restaurants just behind the beach. Dana enjoyed a delicious ginger chicken and I a local white fish called Job. It was a superb meal, with great company and an amazing view.

This beach and a couple others down to road took a hit from the 2004 Tsunami. Nobody was killed, fortunately but the bay drained and all who were here headed for higher ground. It hit about 5 hours after some of the places that got hit so bad and they were somewhat ready for it.

Tonight, at the time of sailing Captain Dag made an all ships announcement to let us know that the itinerary for the next two ports had to change. For people back home, watching the news you may have seen that there has been a surge in pirate activity between the Seychelles and Kenya which would have been right in the direction we would be heading, from here it was due east. Now we do, in fact, have several special security people on board, however, I know for a fact we don’t want to increase our chances of having to use them. We want them to just enjoy their cruise! 

Returning to to the Seven Seas Voyager I saw that part of the this was in the shade and I thought that sight was a bit unusual.

While itinerary changes are always disappointing, Captain Dag had received quite a few letters of concern and even had a call from British Security in England. After discussing this at great length with our corporate security team the decision was made to change the itinerary.

A few minutes later the aft of the ship was now in the sun and the forward part of the vessel in the shade.

From my personal standpoint, guests aside for a moment, I had been to Mombasa, Kenya several times – and loved it!  Though I had never been to Zanzibar so, that one will have to wait. On the other hand, I have always wanted to get down to Mauritius and Reunion Island as they are out of the way places and I hear they are beautiful so, I guess I’ll get may chance. Mauritius is at the southern tip of Madagascar then west. On a globe just look for a little dot.

Today was Good Friday and as a result the town was very quiet. Those who went on the first shuttle bus in to town did see a large group caring a crucifix through town and found the town’s procession most interesting. Still most went out on tour, either in the morning or, in the afternoon and seemed to have had a pretty good time – especially those who went swimming at the beach.

After lunch we went just over the hill to one of the closest beaches and it was quite nice. Beautiful, beautiful sand and water! Uncrowded and unspoiled. The sun remained mostly in an out of the clouds which was very much appreciated since it was very hot.  The water was like a warm bath.

With the cloud cover you can't see the color of the water but this beach on Mahe is very special by all standards.

That night we had another deck party which, of course, we always love. The guests love it too. But it seems that whenever we schedule one it rains as it did, again, on this day late in the afternoon while we were setting up. This shot I attached was taken from my suite. When got to my room to change for the evening I looked out the window and though the crew was washing the deck – wrong. It really came down for a brief period of time.

When I arrived up on the pool deck the rain had stopped but the deck was full of water. I called the captain and asked if he could ballast the ship by just two degrees to port in order to have the water drain off and he did and it worked to our advantage. Needless to say our great team got the buffet repositioned to a covered area, reset the tables, dried of the chairs and come 7:00pm, as scheduled, the buffet was on. The rest of the evening was a perfect night!

A shot of some of our longtime world cruisers at the deck party with Dana. (Used with permission)

Alright, my readers are probably getting tired of hearing this, but I am certainly not sick of saying it…. Today was a phenomenal day! Ok, Ok, so, several of our most recent days the sea has been flat, the days sunny and very warm. Today, the sea was THE flattest yet and the day the best.  It was a truly amazing day at sea. Enough said about the weather as I have other things to talk about.

Sailing in to Mahe, Seyshcelles Republic

We arrived in Mahe, which is just one of the Seychelles Republic, at 4:00pm and it was just so pretty sailing in. I took one shot that I will add. On April 3^rd at 4:00am we sail to another island in the chain, Praslin, 25 miles away – that for sure – will be a beach day!

Tonight we kicked off our first of four nights hosting “Jimbos Truck Stop Diner” – Yeah, I’m Jimbo – Dana is Bimbo (She loves that name!).  This is a dinner theme we came up with on our first world cruise on the Seven Seas Navigator some 9 years ago and it still carries on!  We had 60 guests up in the La Verandah Restaurant. I mixed a couple hours of country and 50’s music – some for dinner and some for dancing after dinner. It was a huge hit, again. What an incredible atmosphere it was!

Jimbo's Truck Stop Diner - Don't we look....great?

Half our production cast of 10 will host there two nights each. These great young adults got right into it and were a gas!  They were so cool, so fun and so into it. The serving staff got right into the experience and dressed for the occasion and danced – with our guests and it was a sight to see. Many of our guests came dressed in costume and attitude.  Especially, Charlie and Joan, who are long time cruisers here. They were at one time both widowed and met on ship and now do the world cruise each year and then some. They are such a delight! Were they funny!  What a night it was!

Jimbo with Joan and Charlie.

Here we are up close. Unfortunately, the shot that had Bimbo in it was blurry. I loved her Sundae made of cleanex with a cherry on top. The tattoo is not real. Though I just saw here this morning, the next day and she was concerned she couldn't get it off...

Sailing into Male. A shot of the coast.

There a lots of little islands and the outer resort islands line up in a row.

The small, crowded circular island of Male is the gateway to some of the finest beach resorts in the world. Many of our guests took special resort boats – 26 foot twin 200 horse powered boats – out to spend the day. Many others took our tours out to the beaches. No matter what our guests did or which resort they went to the response was pretty much the same – that it was truly a fantastic day!

Just a city shot of Male.

Around lunchtime Dana and I were able to go a shore for a couple hours with a mission to retrace some of the places she visited often when she remained on the island for a week on 2007.

The city has very narrow streets with buildings built up side by side and almost on top of each other. Obviously space is at a real premium.

The Islands religions are mostly Islamic and Hindu. The outer resort islands ar governed differently. Here is a shot of a mosque and we liked the piles of shoes. One thing that Dana remembers vividly are the Muslim prayers broadcast around the island at night.

The reason Dana stayed on the island was to care for a guest from the ship, also a long time friend, who became critically ill and had to be disembarked. Under “normal” circumstances leaving staff members behind to care for the sick is not something we do. However, this time this was the case. Because of the way hospitals work here is that your family or friends are the people who care for you. Whether it’s hygiene, washing clothing, eating, purchasing and administrating many of the pharmaceuticals etc. Dana, was essentially the caregiver, until this woman’s closest family member (actually a friend) could arrive from the states to take over. Unfortunately, in the end a day after her friend arrived she passed away. That week in Male impacted my wife in a great way and it was good to go back with her and see the hospital and areas she spent time at under difficult circumstances.

We came across an old muslim cemetary and the tomb stones, we think, are similar, yet unique to our modern day christian ones.

My apologies, this post is out of order…

Once again, we were all truly blessed and treated to a magnificent day (Flat sea and clear skies!) as we continue to cross the Indian Ocean. Today, is even more special because we are crossing back into the Southern Hemisphere. This is the third crossing of this World Cruise with, of course. one more to go when we will be off the coast of Africa and close to the Greenich Meridian Line.

The Prosecutor and King neptune.

Kissing of the monster fish by the 30+ "Pollywogs". (used with permission)

To commemorate this we organized an Equator Crossing Ceremony at cocktail time and called it “Cocktails with the King”. Normally I perform a bigger and messier ceremony during the midday hours. This is the second time we have done this and I really like. I believe our guests really enjoyed it. As per usual, I take on the role of the “Prosecutor” and King Neptune was, again, Dieter Gerlach. He and his wife Ilse are our terrific dance instructors. The night was perfect and the smiles and laughter abundant! We are all so fortunate to be here.

We posed for pictures with the new "Shellbacks". (used with permission)

The day concluded meeting wonderful and interesting guests for a tremendous dinner in La Verandah – The meal was a special Indian cuisine… Gosh, it is soooooooo good! Lynette, the maitre d’ there (who is married to Ian, the head butler) was just so beautiful in her sari I had to photograph her with Dana and another beautiful lady who is one of our guests. (used with permission)

I got up at 5:30 to post yesterday’s events. I was met with another day of calm seas and the full moon in its’ glory just off our bow. I guess it’s going to be another fabulous day onboard our Seven Seas Voyager…

Three days at sea to get across a good portion of the Indian Ocean as we make our way to Male, Maldives. These days are, of course, very busy for me but are some of my favorite cruise days of all. Crossing the Indian Ocean, as we are now, along with the five days at sea before reaching the Marquesas Islands, while cruising the South Pacific are my favorite days at sea. Here, at times you can almost take in the scent of India in the distance and normally, this time of year the seas are quite calm as they have been this time, as well.

What a day it was today! The seas were flat with plenty of sunshine. Many of our guests stood at the railing and watched the flying fish fly further than many of us had ever seen!

In fact, today, on day #3 we carried out a Captain Dag tradition of doing a “Sundowner”. After we played volleyball in the pool with our guests (15 players today!) Captain and I went up on the top deck to decide whether to do it today or not do it. This is something that is not put in the guests daily program schedule though the bar department and my entertainment department are ready just in case. So we decided to go with it. After all the sea was like glass today, but there was some cloud cover. So captain makes an announcement and the location for this is Deck 6 all the way forward towards the bow. Actually, I put the band, a fantastic duo (the Fun and Joy Duo) right up to the bow and they play music and the bar serves drinks as the sun goes down right in front of the bow. I have to say the sun outdid himself (is it a he?) today! It was a perfect 10 of a night. The sun turned bright red just as it descended to the horizon. There were people in tears and it was just the perfect evening!

A couple hundred guests gathered near the bow to celebrate the sunset. Our terrific duo (Margaret and Jacob) played a special set of appropriate music and cocktails were served. Our guests smiles beamed while a few others were so touched by the moment tears streemed down there faces.

Dana and I dined with some wonderful guests tonight (ole’ friends) as it was a lovely Swiss lady named Gerda’s birthday. She bought little crystal presents for all and it was a delightful evening.

Our show just ended and it was a special show put on by our alto sax player, as he wrote the charts and the four cast singers sang with J.R. who helps us administratively singing and performing the duties of MC. It was a terrific performance and our guests were able to dance and /or just watch.

These three days just zoomed by! Tomorrow the Maldives…

As the sun descended it looked like we might lose it. But then a reappeared and the color had changed from an orange to a red. This was another special night spent on SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER!

A nice spot to visit. One of Captain Dag’s favorite cities. I took Dana out along with Diana our videographer and we spent a couple hours touring the town on tri-shaws (bicycle rickshaws). We picked a couple of tri-shaw drivers, all in there early 70’s (I think these are all that’s left of this tradition) to ride us around to the various sections of the city. Penang is a melting pot and has been since the first Indian spice traders arrived from Goa in the mid-fifteen hundreds. The people are Malay, Indian, Chinese and English speaking. All the major religions are represented on one street in fact, almost side by side. Traveling this way is a great way to really catch the flavor of the various ethnic sections of the city.

We also stopped at a Buddhist temple of the Goddess of Mercy which is dedicated to the patron saint of seafarers – I thought that would be apropos. We also visited the Fort Cornwallis where the founder of Penang, Sir Francis Light, first came ashore and eventually set up the fort in an attempt to balance the French ambitions in the area. The four main streets are still named as they were originally and a good amount of the wonderful colonial architecture remains.

The last stop we made was at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel which at one time was the finest hotel in the British Empire. The “E & O” as it’s called is still a charming place to visit and the best spot to finish our little journey before returning to the ship.

This proud young mother posed for me in the temple.

As we are now about to leave Asia and cross the Indian Ocean I spent this day laying some of the final planning for this next leg of the journey and could not venture ashore.

However, I do know from experience that Port Kelang is the gateway to a couple great places to visit. First on the list is Kuala Lumpur, which is a city on the grow, clean and friendly with the Petronas Towers dominating the skyline of the city. Then there is Malacca which I believe is the most interesting and most historical in Malaysia. This city, like Penang is a UNESCO Heritage Sites because of their old Portuguese architecture. Malacca is located, of course, on the Strait of Malacca (some of the most pirated waters in the world which began being pirated in about the 17th century when trading boats of many nations would seek shelter in the strait during the monsoon season for protection. It is a further ride to get there, but there is more to see, I believe.

Many guests also visited another city named Putrajaya, a mere 20 miles from Kuala Lumpur, a planned city meant to be an example of the future ambitions of Malaysia. There is very little, if any history in this area, and, because everything is laid out according to a modern day master plan it might seem a bit sterile. But by many accounts our guests loved it and found it quite impressive! Next time – that’s where I will travel to, if I get the time…

The magnificent Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

A Malaysia War memorial in KL.

Like a lot of cities in Asia, the old is being replaced with the new.

This port is the gateway to Bangkok which is about 2 hours away, depending on traffic and about 45 minutes away for Pattaya, which was famous as an R & R city for various military’s, especially the Americans. 

All of our guests were offered a complimentary overnight into Bangkok and to stay at the beautiful Shangri’ La hotel. About 120 decided to remain on board (?) while the rest took advantage of the complimentary event.

The Chao Phrya River from the new wing of the Shangri' La Hotel.

For those who remained behind, we had a shuttle bus going into Pattaya which is a busy little city which has a bit of a “seedy” element to it. But visiting it during the day or dining out is just fine, but there the main strip gets crazy after dark.

Downtown Pattaya.

This is how you get around Bangkok the quickest and most inexpensive way. Just hop on!

Pattaya Beach, sans beach chairs...

The Shangri’ La is such a great place! Located on the Chao Praya River this is one of the great places to be when staying in Bangkok. Shopping abounds, but just sitting in a lounge chair watching the traffic on the river is in itself wonderful entertainment.  While many went just to relax and enjoy the change of pace many others were out on tour and there is a lot to see! SEA tours is the company we work with in Thailand and all trips beautifully run. There were some big anti-government demonstrations going on tin the city and although they marched peacefully near the hotel they never affected our tours or sightseeing. Those who saw it said they had never seen so many young people on motorbikes.

An example of the long boats your can rent by the hour to take your through the Clongs. Do it around sunrise, you won't be disappointed!

I took one of the tours with our guests which took for a boat ride on the river and then into what are called the Clongs which is a great place to hire a long boat at sunrise and ride through these canals with the homes up on sticks where you can see the locals bathing, washing clothes, brushing their teeth etc. Though the water looks a filthy brown it is more due to the silt in the water. Anyway, our tour was in the afternoon but it was still a great ride. We then stopped to feed some of the local giant catfish that live in these waters (there are also two other species of fish) then on to the Royal Barges which are paraded down the river with the king and queen once a year. There are 53 boats total and they all come down the river in procession and it is supposed to be a terrific sight. We saw the most special of these boat, about eight of them, the others are housed in other places. Each takes a minimum of 35 oarsmen. The hand-carved detail on them is so impressive.

The best of the 52 Royal Barges are kept here.

An example of the detail on the boats.

There is Buddist folklore on the bow of some of the barges.

Then we stopped at the Temple of the Dawn right across from the Grand Palace (Another great place to visit!) That structure was built in the 15^thcentury and what makes it special is that at the time it was constructed there was a lot of porcelain trading going on with China. However, not all of the porcelain made it in one piece, in fact, often it was in many pieces. They used the broken pieces to help decorate this temple which has four stupas which represent the 4 winds with the biggest stupa representing one on the 16 levels of heaven of the Buddist faith.

From the Temple of the Dawn and across the Chao Phrya River to the Grand Palace, where the King of Siam resided.

On the Temple of Dawm looking up to the heavens.

Diana, our camera person and video editor making her way down from the upper level. Look at the hands and faces of the people behind her...It was steep!

We made it back to the hotel just after 5:00pm which gave me just enough time to get ready for a special world cruise event which was another boat ride on the rover with cocktails and canapés on these beautiful boats supplied by the hotel. We had to split up the 200 world cruisers who came to make room for everyone. The event was a huge hit and we had a perfect night to be out. As the boats returned to the hotel we were treated to a special fireworks display right over head and done just for our world cruisers. I have seen a lot of fireworks but these we really great.

A perfect night for a cruise up the river in Bangkok.

 Many of our guests then headed off to a special buffet dinner and many went to bed. We went and spent more time with our guests before joining our two friends from  home (Kim and Meg) who had now left the Voyager and will return to the states two nights later. I booked them a reservation into the Salatip restaurant which is a beautiful Thai restaurant right on the waters edge of the hotel. During your meal Thai dancers come and perform at different times during the meal – I just love that place!The following day we were up early to go to the Damnern Saduak Floating Market.  Here there it a photo opportunity every ten seconds.  This is one of my favorite spots. If you want to see something exotic and colorful this is it. After a couple hours on another boat it was back to the hotel for a couple hours before having to return to the ship.So many pictures to take in the Floating Market.

The day began as we sailed up the Saigon River. We always sail with the tide and there is about 2 hours of great sailing (both up and down the river, of course). It doesn’t matter how many times I have done this (maybe a dozen) I get a cup of coffee, or two to watch and enjoy!  The sunrises are normally spectacular and watching the traffic and seeing life on the river has made this one of my top ten cities to sail into in the world. 

It was a "Miss Saigon" sunrise for thsoe who were up on the starboard side to see it.

Sailing in to Saigon. The picture doesn't do it justice but the amount of traffic on the river always amazes me.

 The first day in Saigon (Though the name of the city was changed after the North Vietnamese took over the city in 1975, the locals still call it Saigon) We managed to get out for a couple hours in the afternoon to take our friends to see the general sites of the city, do some shopping and to meet our long time friend, Jade.

 We first met Jade ten years ago, when she was 13. She was selling postcards and books on the street. She was relentless and wouldn’t let us go. That being said, she just had a different approach. Finally, I gave in and asked her a question on where I could look at Chinese vases. Thirty seconds later we were in a car with her to go shopping… We hired her for the next day and we’ve maintained a friendship since then. We have done a bit to help her and her family which has been very rewarding. She is now a young lady at 23 and got married last April to a gentleman named Kun, whom we have also known for a few years.  They make a very nice couple. 

So, Jade met us at our usual spot – a square in front of the opera house – and then stayed with us helping the girls shop and tour a couple of the sites. Though our time with her was short it was great to see her again. 

It's hard for us to believe we have now know Jade for 10 years. She is now 23 and married.

Sometimes getting around Saigon is often quicker on the back of a motorbike.

 The second day we took the Mekong Delta tour and filmed it as a “Jamie’s Journey”.  I had been to the Delta a number of years ago but this trip was great. Many of our guests commented “This was the best tour yet!”  The travel company did a great job and gave a great look at life along the Mekong River.  

A little example of life on the delta.

There are several river trips that I have taken that were just terrific – The Suchow River in China, The Floating Market outside of Bangkok, the backwaters of Cochin, India, but this one was also superb. We toured the sites on the river for two hours, getting on and off our boat at several locations – it all went too quick! The memories of that great day will remain.   

The most popular river fish was served to our guests at a great luncheon. This fish is served standing upright. You are supposed to each it from side to side. It is then wrapped in rice paper and vegetables to each it.

 So now we say good-bye to Vietnam for another year. It is a most interesting place to visit with lots of opportunities for photos – even for amatures like myself.  

This was our third visit to Nha Trang over the years and it was our best. We got a car and driver late morning and headed out to see the rural life of Vietnam. It was delightful! Nha Trang is growing into a beautiful city with stunning, unspoiled, uncrowded beaches and the genuine friendliness of the Vietnamese people. The detail that the government is putting into this city is making a big impact with many flowers, trimmed bushes and trees. This place will be someplace special someday.

One of our stops was to visit the big Buddah on the hill...

Also, a giant reclining Buddah.

Once out of the city we took a little walk in the rice paddies. Each field has paths that the workers follow to the various parts of the fields. Sometimes I have been here when they are harvesting the rice and then it is especially fun to go out into the field and watch the people work – not today. However, the fields were a lush green.

We had other little highlights but the best was a stop in a village where four people were drying out the rice on what looked like a cement basketball court. They push the rice back and forth to prepare it.

Then we met a local college girl who lived next door. Her name is Hue. She is a delightful young lady who spoke very good English and was simply charming. We enjoyed nice conversation then she invited us into her home and met the whole family.

Grand ma, who I believe was 86 held my hand and had a face full of history. Mother was making rice noodles on the grill. She does this everyday… All day. She does it to make money to pay for her daughters college – by the way Hue plans to be an accountant.

We returned to the city to enjoy a late lunch at a restaurant on the water before ending the day with a cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) ride.

A view of Nha trang from the "Keep Walking" Restaurant.

The town of Hong Gai has some souvenir shopping but nothing else of great interest. However, is it the location of Halong Bay – a UNESCO Heritage Site – and a favorite spot of mine. Ha Long – is translated to “Descending Dragon” and that is because the rock outcroppings and islands, which total about 2800 in about 1000 square kilometers. These resemble the back and tail of a dragon coming out of the water. I have been most fortunate to visit here a few times in the past. The most popular thing to do is take a big Vietnamese wooden boat out into the bay (you can do this on our tours or hire your own boat, as I do) to view the magnificent rock islands set around the emerald green water. You can also climb through gigantic caves on that tour or go for a little kayaking. This place is simply amazing and is a photographers’ paradise. The weather this time of year is normally overcast and hazy which makes it even more mysterious looking.

In the afternoon I rented my own boat for about 10-15 dollars a person, brought Dana’s and my friends from home, a couple from the Canyon Ranch Spa and a few of our guests. I was a great time as we had “Madame Bing” taking care of us on the boat. I had bought some new cooking oil, dish detergent and Vietnamese noodles in a market. Then out at the islands we visited a floating fisherman’s village where we bought 4.5 pounds of shrimps and had Madame Bing cook it up in the wok in the back of the boat. I believe we even managed to find a can of local beer. It made for a great little celebration on the top deck. The beauty is such in Halong Bay I call it a “Yeah God!” day because it is just so magnificent – so unique.

About 150 of our guests took the eleven hour trip to Hanoi, the capital. I certainly enjoy the day on the bay as opposed to the long trek. That being said, the Hanoi trip does give you a good glimpse into everyday life and it is a nice place to visit (once) and say you’ve been there. The city is not one many would fly in to see. So the tour offers a good option for those most interested in the war. After you get to see Hanoi you will see a vast difference between the communist capitol and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where the free market society is chaotically thriving. We’ll be there in a couple days. Can’t wait!

The Red Sails of some of the boats in Halong Bay. Simply beautiful especially in the hazy fog - check out the color of the water.

At the floating fisherman's village you see people selling all kinds of fruit to the locals and the tourists.

Another boat decided to cross our path in Halong Bay just as I asked the girls to pose. Just then they saw the other boat cutting in front of us - another close call!

Kim, Dana and Meg after coming out of the caves. the blond in the last shot was one of our guests Tracy.

One of my top ten places to sail into in the world! Also right at the top I might add. So many buildings. So many people. So much to shop for – it is an amazing place. We sailed in late after noon and saluted the “old” Regent hotel which is now the Intercontinental. A lovely place and my favorite cocktail spot in the city. Floor to ceiling glass with light jazz played by a Filipino quintet – so nice.

The first night it seems the whole ship went out, or went to bed as disembarkation began at 5:30am. We managed to get out after dinner and met some friends from home who will be sailing with us next cruise until Bangkok –Meg and Kim. Also met Carole Klein, a friend from our days at Royal Viking Line (Best cruise staff ever!) who sailed with us just one and a half days to do for our guests a terrific shopping talk on Hong Kong. She really doesn’t get anything for this, but comes out to see a few of us who she knows real well and some of our long time guests who used to sail on RVL. She is such a gem! We had cocktails in the Intercontinental and went out to a favorite jazz spot called “Ned Kelly’s Last Stand”. I love Hong Kong at night as it is all lit up with neon signs and it is very safe and just great for walking.

The next day we were up early to say good-bye to our guests / friends who were leaving and remained on board to welcome the new guests and (future friends) and worked most of the day to make sure this next segment of the world cruise is organized and ready to go.

Our final day in Hong Kong did not have the beautiful blue skies we enjoyed the first two days. Though it was overcast it only sprinkled a bit in the late afternoon so all our guests were able to enjoy another great day here.
I was invited by a guest named Jack, from Key West who is on his second world cruise with us. He had invited me to join him for lunch at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. We met with two other couples there (Dana had other administrative things to tend to) and dined outdoors over looking the harbor. The history of the club is fabulous. I enjoyed the lunch and all the memorabilia that adorned its’ walls.

Some of the Yachts at the RHKYC.

Jack is just a great fellow. Last time he sailed he invited Dana and I out to dinner a top the famous Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. You probably know it, for it is the one shaped like a sail. These are good memories.

We sailed from Hong Kong at 5:00pm. Captain gave three long blasts on the ship’s horn which nearly took me out of my shoes as I was speaking with guests by the Pool Bar at our sail-away party. As I knew we were going to sail past the Intercontinental to give a wave I moved to get a view and noticed a Star Ferry boat which was well off our port (left) bow. Suddenly, it turned to starboard and began to proceed as if it was going cross our bow. It pulled right in front of us then seemed to “wobble” and almost stall a bit before turning back towards our port? Fortunately, Captain Dag was able to “put on the brakes” and just steer clear of it (we were traveling at just a couple knows, I believe) but some many of those who saw this where asking “What was that ferry guy thinking?” – Well, mistakes do happen and only he knows what he was or was not thinking, but it provided much more excitement than I’m sure the Captain (or anybody else) wanted. Fortunately, no damage was done.

Seven Seas Voyager Docked at Ocean Terminal on Kowloon in the City of Hong Kong.

Seven Seas Voyager in Hong Kong from Victoria Peak - The tallest spot.

You see all sorts of boats in Hong Kong Harbor - sometimes too many boats!

As always, time goes too fast and we just finished a day at sea as we make our way to another Chinese port, Xiamen. This is a city I have never been to but my feeling is I, once again, will be very impressed!

I believe our guests relished a day to relax though there was an awful lot going on today. The rain has returned but, as for today I don’t think many cared.

Warmer days in the Yu Gardens - the remaining old town of Shanghai.

Amazing shot! From the old to the new...

One of my favorite sections of Shanghai. the old American section which became the main Japanese military headquarters during WWII when they occupied Shanghai. Now a great pedestrian way.

Oh how I love to visit China! Every time I return this country amazes me even more! What makes it a bit uncomfortable is that I feel as though I am looking into the future. The visual affects of a sustainable 9% GDP are so impressive! My first visit was in 1987 when I spent an entire summer cruising here. Back then it was nothing like today. In fact, where all its’ biggest buildings are, back then – only just 20 years ago – the first high rise was built. Where it was built called Pu Dong, was only rice patties and cabbage patches. Local farmers used to sit on its banks and sell their vegetables. Back then the city had only 100 buildings over 6 floors. In 2007 there were 9000 over 15 floors. And now it is home to many of the world’s tallest buildings. People wore Mao suits and rode bicycles. Now many are driving Ferrari’s. The bicycles are all gone.

The first day met us with rain and cold. It was a good day for our guests to spend it on a bus, I guess. We did have an exclusive world cruise event that we hosted. That was just great! It featured the ethnic costumes of China and it was both colorful and interesting. This same sort of fashion show was featured at the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics. It was very well done! The evening finished off watching some fire works from Pu Dong.

20 years ago Pu Dong was just rice fieds and a cabbage patch! This is a view from where we dock.

The only Christian Church in Shanghai of Chinese Design in the old American Concession.

Today is the last day it will be warm for a while as we are sailing north to Shanghai and winter is still hanging on. Weather reports for our stay there are not sounding good as we will probably get some rain but definitely some cold. This was our last day of pool volleyball until after Thailand on the next segment when we cross the Indian Ocean. Those will be great days for sure!

Well, this was a day that our crew were really waiting for! A chance to sail into their home country or even their city. We have a couple hundred Filipinos working on board and most of them had family come to visit. There definitely was electricity in the air. A couple of our guests did a very generous thing and arranged to rent the ballroom at the old Manila Hotel which is just outside the gate of the port. Several hundred of our crew and their families attended this get-together. This was the third time SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER has have come to Manila and it is a day I always look forward to.

A local marching band had played on the dock for our arrival and an hour before we sailed they played again. I had met with the band leader to coordinate because I always play a selection of songs on our big speakers from deck five. We sailed a little late so that last 25 minutes or so I serenaded the crowd on the pier with my “farewell” songs. I had invite all the guests out to join us and I would say about 200 did. The departure was around dinner time so I would say that was a good crowd. Many of the crew also came out on deck to wave good-bye to family and friends. You see our crew go from joy to tears and it is a very special time when we say good-bye. Captain left the dock and then did a 360 degree salute for the crew while the music played and a magnificent moon rose over the city – I missed that shot but I won’t ever forget the sight – it was amazing!

Maura is a nice little stop. Our guests normally love it because of what they learn about the lifestyle from their guides. Brunei is governed by the Sultan of Brunei who is the richest man in the world. Now, where did he get all that money? I guess he makes sure he is paid a fair salary for a days work… When I hear about how much money he has, I must say it bothers me a bit because of his many palaces, the main one has over 1700 rooms. He has the biggest car collection in the world and to say he has treated himself very well is a gross understatement.
On the other hand, his people say that he has treated them well and they are provided for very well. Plus you have to work in order to receive all that he has to give. The country is “dry” and there is a story about there about his son who travelled to England for a while and let’s just say he “overindulged” himself. Well, the Sultan got word of it and had him brought home and took his passport away. The lifestyle there is just so different from ours, our guests really enjoy their visit as they learned all about that.

Well, there never seems to be enough time in Singapore. Then when we have disembarkation and embarkation the stay gets a lot shorter. Dana and I did get out to take a quick look at what is called Sentosa Island, which is just a good golf shot or two away from the ship. To get there we can take a modern train from the Ivo City Mall, which is basically in the terminal area. When I first started coming to Singapore Sentosa was a nice, beautiful, quiet place to visit. Now it is built up with mega hotels, a Universal Studios and other attractions. The building that has taken place and is taking place is just phenomenal! We hopped the train and enjoy a little walk about – there are three stops you can make on the train – we rode them all and then returned to the nearest stop and sampled a little Indian food. But what this little Island has turned into is overwhelming.

Today was also the first full day for our 200+ guests that joined us yesterday. This is the shortest segment of our world cruise and its’ going to go fast.

Some say Singapore has become too sterile and has lost much of it’s old world culture. And while this may be true it is still a lovely place to visit. Ultra clean and ultra modern… and ultra safe. Despite all the building that has and still is taking place here it is a city of trees. I love to look at all the trees in this city. I also love to visit the famous Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. Has a beautiful long bar. Though it is not the old bar it is still very charming. Even though the “Slings” in Raffles don’t really taste and better than one you’d by anywhere else you can find them. You do pay dearly for having them in the place that first made them and that is worthwhile doing.

A street shot from the Chinese Section of the city.

One of the handsome and elegently attired door men at Raffles.

This is our last day at sea for this segment which is a shame as we will have to say farewell to some of our wonderful guests in Singapore tomorrow. Many have been here since we left San Diego. What a great group of travelers it has been! The good news is that more new friends (and some other past friends) will join our beautiful ship.

We were scheduled to cross the Equator for the second time tonight at 10:00pm. Since we did a big Equator Crossing Ceremony on the first leg I scheduled a cocktail time party called “Cocktails with the King”. I wrote a silly little script for the occasion and asked Dieter, who is our ballroom instructor along with his wife, if he’d dress for the occasion. So we both did. I am what is called the “Prosecutor” where I have to prosecute the “Pollywogs” (those who have never crossed the Equator by sea) and then punish them so that they can pay their penitence and become “Shellbacks.”

It was a great night and many showed up and the “Pollywogs” punishment was that they had to kiss a big blow up orca. Well, it was great fun. We posed for pictures and enjoyed a cocktail. It was a nice way to wrap up the cruise segment.

SINGAPORE
Some say Singapore has become too sterile and has lost much of it’s old world culture. And while this may be true it is still a lovely place to visit. Ultra clean and ultra modern… and ultra safe. Despite all the building that has and still is taking place here it is a city of trees. I love to look at all the trees in this city. I also love to visit the famous Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. Has a beautiful long bar. Though it is not the old bar it is still very charming. Even though the “Slings” in Raffles don’t really taste and better than one you’d by anywhere else you can find them. You do pay dearly for having them in the place that first made them and that is worthwhile doing.

Semerang, Indonesia is on the Island of Java and has on it the largest Buddhist monument in the world which is so exciting to visit! The structure was built in the 9th century but it is unclear as to why it was built and who built it. Experts figure it took 75 years to build and is made up of 2,000,000 cut stones which were taken from two nearby streams. It has just less than 2,700 reliefs panels that wrap around 6 square levels which over 500 magnificently carved Buddha statues that are bigger than life size. Then the last 3 levels, which are round, have 72 perforated stupas with Buddha statues inside them. It is called Borobudur. I escorted a group there and it was my third time to visit. It is a hot day and a tough climb up and around it but our guests truly enjoyed visiting this marvel!

Other guests did a train trip out of Semerang that they also raved about. Maybe next time…

This is one of those places that does not appear on the itinerary too often but is sure worth the visit.

The #1 Tourist Destination in Indonesia - Borubodur!

Over 2,000,000 hand cut stones - no motor - seventy-five years to build!

A Buddah with a missing perforated stupa. There are 72 stupas total!

This is what they look like inside - though many have lost their heads.

For our guests it was a great day for relaxing but also a full day of activities and events. The program was packed with good options of things to do and we had a great day for it!

It was the Captain’s Farewell night and most guests turned out to hear Captain Dag’s farewell address, where he always has something interesting to say (I don’t know how he does it?). That was followed by our Crew Capers show where 25 of our crew members put on a 25 minute performance which is always a highlight!

The second day of Bali was also just a fabulous day. I arrived early at my office, just as the sun was coming up and the magnificent volcano was right there with the rays of the sun shining on her peak. Often that is in the clouds but this morning was what I had hoped for.

Bali's Padang Bai is where we anchor and what an awe inspiring view it is!

Well after we tendered out guests ashore, with most of the ship heading out to explore again we were able to head back to Ubud and finish our “Jamie’s Journey” which we began the previous day. Today’s highlight was making it to the tiered rice fields just beyond Ubud where we were
Soaked in this simply amazing view and had a very quick lunch of Mi Goerang noodles. The dish was spicy – oh, so good – and just a few dollars, but the view priceless. I could eat there everyday! Seriously! I love Thai food and views like that you can find in very places of our great world.

We took a few other great shot for our Journey but one thing I wanted to do was to shoot in the inside of a home because it is so different from anything way we live in our western world. So we pulled over the car and walked up to a house and peeked in (Not like peeking in our homes!)
And asked if we could come in and look around and, of course, they said “Please, feel welcome!” Can you imagine that happening in our neighborhoods? All the family in the compound came out to meet us and allowed us to shoot video as my guide explained family life in Bali. It was such a great moment and exemplifies the kindness of the Balinese People.

Our lunch spot overlooking the tiered rice fields. The luch was inexpensive but the views were worth a million!

No photo can do this view justice!

The children are so beautiful here!

The smiles of the children tell the story!

Bali is Shangri-La! It seems the more I go there the more I absolutely love it! It was explained to me by my guide that Bali has no natural resources to sell on the world market but that there culture and way of life is there natural resource and therefore it MUST be preserved even as the world (and their little slice of it) continues to change and become more homogenized. We just love there culture and way of life. The most friendly people I have ever met in the world are in Bali.

We were there two days and were able to get out a bit each of the days. Our first mission was to get to Ubud, which is really the artisan colony of woodcarvers, batik painters, furniture makers etc. But our goal was to meet a lady who first came to live in Bali in 1978. Her name is Nadyia. We called her and said we were coming and she opened her home and invited us in. What an interesting life she had led. We were given her name by a couple who sails with us a lot. She makes men’s shirts and women’s Jackets and blouses… quite unusual…reversible. Far from anything run of the mill. I bought a shirt as did Dana, who purchased a jacket. We’ll have to model them. Anyway, she was a hoot and the home was absolutely phenomenal. We took a couple photos but they certainly did not do them justice. We also visited a few sites, met some locals and did some filming. It was just a fabulous day.

The day got even better when we returned to the ship as I had prepared a 100th birthday show and celebration for a man named Lloyd who is one of a kind. He is on his 13th world cruise and had booked again for next year – love that optimism! We keep in touch throughout the year and have even visited his home in Sioux City, Iowa. We just love him – everybody does.

Well the show was a hit! I wrote a few parodies and had people sing them. A singer named Gabe sang the Beatles tune (with new lyrics) When I’m 64 (title was also changed to “When I’m 1-0-4”) and a singer named Carly learned what was my mother’s favorite song “Here’s to Life” originally sung by Shirley Bassey. But our lecturer Sandra Bowern put a get a 8 minute lecture on what has happened in Lloyd’s lifetime which was brilliant and oh, so funny! Did we laugh! Then I unveiled a video spoof I created called “Name That Tinkle Tune” – the birthday boy’s last name is Tinkle. Yes, that’s right. Every morning at 7:00am he sits in the Atrium (the beautiful heart of our ship) an plays what we call “Tinkle Tunes.” Well, on this voyage one our guests speakers was the second most popular game show host of all time, Wink Martindale. He turned out to be a great guy! His wife, Sandy too! She dated Elvis for 6 years – but that’s another story. So, Wink agreed to play game show host for this mock game that we put together (on video) and this too when over very well. I wish I could upload both of these videos as you would enjoy them.

The sun rises on the volcano overlooking in Padang Bai

The former King’s Water Palace in Bali is one of our favorite stops!

Komodo Paorama

Stopped at the exotic Komodo Island, home of the Komodo Dragon, as it was aptly named in 1926. Basically the dragons are big lizards in the Monitor family. They are about 8-10 feet long and are carnivores… So, don’t stand too close… though they look like they move very slowly, when they want to they can run about 20 MPH and can even stand of their hind legs. A couple moved quickly after us today and the guides stepped in with their long poles. If it was mating season or you were carrying live meat the poles would not be enough to stop them.

Their teeth a serrated and carry over 60 types of bacteria. If they bite a prey they just follow it and wait for it to eventually die within several days from infection.

We sent about 500 guests ashore today. Although it was very hot, for guests who could do the walk I believe they loved what they saw. Guests were broken down into groups with a guide to explain it all.

We saw four large males at the watering hole and then one at the rangers hut and another at what was called the cafeteria. I had been here one before but today was truly a great day!

Voyager in Komodo Island

Here I am with the Dragons in the background.... Never turn your head!

Beautiful!

What a great day at sea! Warm (very), sunny (very) and all-round gorgeous (very)! Just wish I was a passenger!

Alright, actually, I am MOST happy to do what I do! Below is a picture of a young man who is traveling with his parents and has brought a lot of joy to many. Each day at sea (when it’s warm) we play pool volleyball and this young man, Trenton is on my team. He’s a good buddy and scores most of our teams points!

The two rules of the game are simple… Hit the ball as many times as you want (catch it if you have to) and then be sure at least two people on your team touch it before it goes over the net, or you get splashed!….Oh, I almost forgot…the first team to 15 points.

We just finished up two more wonderful days at sea and today spent the day in Cairns, Eastern Australia, which it the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef – also one of the best places to rollerblade.

Many guests headed out to enjoy many touring possibilities to the mountains or out to the reef for a day of swimming and snorkeling and flying around in helicopters to view this magnificent natural attraction

Our day began with the usual clearance procedures followed by the crew lifeboat drill which happens weekly. Then Captain Dag, GM Michael and I went out for a nice rollerblade trip along the coast. It was great to get out and stretch the legs on land finally and the bike trail we cruised is one of my favorite places to blade in the world. Though it was only about 60 minutes out it was what we all needed!

I later met Dana and we ate a little curry in town followed by a swim in the world’s best public pool (Yes, that’s my declaration!). Before picking up some flowers for Valentine’s Day….No, they weren’t for Dana… (I know, I know…!) I offered to do it for a guest who had to return home for business but his lovely wife was scheduled to remain until Singapore.

So, it was an all around great day for everybody! Isn’t that the way it should be on our Voyager?

Dag and Michael showing good form on a beautiful day!

Finally, we made it to Sydney where 25 years ago Dana and I had our first date (though it wasn’t really a “date”) for a dink in a jazz bar “on the rocks” (just above where our ship docks) and then the next day to the Taranga Zoo.
This incredible city is in my top ten list for spectacular places to sail into. Unfortunately we had a lot of rain each of the two days but it is still just great to be there! Captain Dag and I have gotten out there several times early morning and gone rollerblading around the botanical gardens, the Opera House and the city itself. Alas, not this time with all the rain. That concluded the first segment of five on this world journey.

So, we said good-bye to some ol’ friends and now we have about 250 more new guests who arrived. We knew many of these guests who have boarded and that’s always great for us – and it is always great for them!

The second day a very, very nice and generous couple who sails with us often hosted a fish and chips luncheon for more that 25 officers and staff and a famous fish restaurant named Doyles – It was soooooooo good and had a
great view of the Opera House!

Great shot of our Voyager sailing by the Sydney Opera House.

Enjoying a cigar, Dana's company and a great view (previous sunny visit)

Next stop was Noumea, New Caledonia which is a great stop, as well. I managed to take a little time and do a bike ride (I keep my bike on board) down the coast where I watched some incredible wind and kite surfing displays. Wow! Was that ever great! I had no local money and not enough time but I sure wanted to get out and sailboard with the rest of them.

THURSDAY ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
Happy Valentines Day! Actually, we were supposed to make call at Thursday Island today, however, due to a technical issue with one of our engines it forced our speed to be reduced sometime after we departed Cairns and we just couldn’t get there on time. We actually sailed by Thursday Island (and Wednesday Island) at about 10:30am. It was to be a tender port and the scheduled call was only form 7:00am – 1:00pm and we would have had to still sail all the way around to the other side of the island to the port.

Hut, hey, when you choose to cruise sometimes “ship Happens” (as we say). Nonetheless, our guests enjoyed an absolutely perfect day of cruising the Great barrier Reef through emerald green waters which was so beautiful.

We had planned some special Valentines Day activities, like a special afternoon tea with marvelous pastries. Then at night we had a Valentines Dance to our great nine piece orchestra in our decorated theater. All solo travelers received special invites to officers and entertainers tables. Then the main show was a Beatles Themed show in our Constellation Theater. We bring the band down from the bandstand and place them like the Beatles set-up and the cast singers perform them on what we call our “wedding cake” which is a tiered stage closest to the audience. The dance floor was jam-packed and it was a great event! The evening closed with a “Boogie Nights” party in the night club where we played more music from the 60’s – Just a great, great night!

I should have taken a couple shots of our sailing to show you how beautiful that sailing was but forgot to.

Then we made call at Vanuatu – there was also a Survivor there a few years ago – which is a beautiful Island, so lush and green. Actually there are 83 islands in the chain. Port Vila has a wonderful cascading water fall that we took a taxi to and climbed up. It was a terrific photo opportunity and we filmed another Jamie’s Journey which also turned out well.

Yes, paradise!

From there we headed to one of our favorite island stops which was to be Samoa. Unfortunately, there was another cyclone in the are and we ended up heading through 30 foot waves and fell so far behind in our arrival time the Captain had to make the decision there to cancel the call (we were a full days sail away) and head for the island of Fiji instead. The guests enjoyed a very nice day there and we got to take a bit of a drive down the coast to take in some of the beauty and stopped for a curry at a restaurant across from the water. There is a big Indian influence there as these people we invited in years ago to work the sugar cane fields. I do not know what the split is between the people of Polynesian background and India decent but there is a very big population of Indian people. The curry was terrific!

Following that we had a wonderful trip through amazing French Polynesia with our favorite stops being Moorea and Bora Bora – which recently got his very hard by a tropical cyclone (same as a hurricane). But what a magnificent day we had there.

BORA BORA and OUR BOW

Nuku Hive Dancers

Nuku Hiva turned out great! We held a special event for our guests to attend shore side. While there Dana met a local who ended up taking us all over the Island – well actually you can really only go so far there – but we say what there was to see and even made it over the Survivor site where they filmed in 2002. We filmed one of what we call our Jamie’s Journeys there which turned out great. The day finished with a Hinano Beer at his home and then I had the chance to sail in an outrigger rowing boat where we raced another boat across the bay and back to the tender platform.

Nice view of SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER at anchor off Nuku Hiva.

Seeing all the world cruisers return is like a family reunion. Many have been sailing around the world each year for 5,10,15, 20+ times. These people really are like family to us and that first day when most return is especially tender and exciting!

We sailed away on January 14th and enjoyed and headed to Nuku Hiva in the Marquises Islands. Those seven days across the Pacific are some of my favorite days of cruising this world and this time we enjoyed great weather. I make sure that there is an abundance of things for guests to do on these crossings, while some like to take it all in and others are quite happy with a book and some sun tan oil.

JAMIE, DAG, MICHAEL and FREDDIE

As we just came on line allow me to play a little catch up if your will. We began this world journey on January 13th when we had a special kick-off celebration in San Diego for all the 275 World Cruisers. Each year we have special entertainment for the event and this year will be hard if not impossible to top as we had Jay Leno do 45 minutes of the best stand-up comedy I have ever heard. When he is on TV he has to stay within the frame of the show but stand-up is his thing and he does about 160 “benefits” as he calls them, a year. He was brilliant! Then came the Beach Boys who started a bit slow and then just came out roaring with hit after hit after hit! They had the entire theater dancing – what fun!

THE BEACH BOYS ROAKED THE VOYAGER!

Welcome aboard! Wish you were “here” but I’m at least glad you are here, if you know what I mean. I’ll be blogging about my life at sea, serving as a luxury cruise director of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER now sailing on the 2010 World Cruise.

I invite you to check-in now and then and vicariously cruise with us as Dana and I circumnavigate the globe – what an adventure it’s going to be!

As well, this is a personal invitation to sign-up to become one of our Vcruisers -where you get to cruise (vicariously) for free! What a deal!

I’ll start blogging so you can come cruising! Com’mon, let’s go…

Jamie