Mon 29th Nov – Nha Trang, Vietnam

An interesting day today – very different from the visits to cities we’ve done on the last few shore excursions. Nha Trang is a tender port so we met at the Princess Theatre as usual for the tour then had a 15 min ride on the tender into the pier.

We had a short bus ride to our first stop – the Cham Tower. It was interesting to see Nha Trang. There are lots of motorbikes on the road carrying anything from one person, to a family, to a stack of eggs or even a freezer on the back! The approach to road rules is very interesting and our driver spent a lot of the time on his horn making sure people knew we were there! 

The Cham Tower is a Hindu temple to the god Shivra and has been standing for over 1,000 years. It’s on the top of a hill and the original steps were incredibly steep so worshipers had to carry any offerings on their head as both hands were needed to climb the steps, and they had to climb down the steps in a way that kept their face towards the temple. Our guide showed us round and explained the meaning of some things and we watched a group of Cham dancers performing. They are from hundreds of miles away because that is where the Cham people live these days.

From the temple we walked through some side streets to a family house on the river where we boarded our river cruise. The kids were waving and saying hello.  It was nice being in a small group of only 12 this time rather than the bigger coach trips. We were each given a straw hat by the tour guide. The locals really do wear them over here.

Our first stop was at a village that made traditional clay ovens. These are quite small and still used as a regular way of cooking. They are traditionally always used to cook on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Our guide told us a story about the 3 kitchen gods which is why the stoves have 3 ‘teeth’ on them. Further up the river at ‘Pineapple Island’ where we had fresh coconut juice and flesh which was nice.

Our final stop was at a countryside village where we visited an ancient house. It was relatively small which made it even more impressive that Vietnamese families traditionally have 3 or 4 generations living in the same house. The younger generations care for their grandparents as they get older.

The trip back to the pier was by bus through Nha Trang. Many more interesting things to see on the road! At the pier there were quite a few stalls set up and we had a wonder through them. I got a nice Vietnamese outfit but we resisted the ‘genuine’ rolex, Louis vitton etc that were on offer. It was nice to get a chance to have a look around things even if they were obviously tourist orientated.

Sat 27th Nov – Hong Kong

We didn’t have a normal visit to Hong Kong as we did a tour so didn’t spend the whole time shopping like lots of people do! The weather was lovely and warm – about 24 degrees and clear and sunny – bliss. We docked at the Modern Terminal on Kowloon and our tour bus took us to the dock at Victoria Harbour for our harbour cruise. It was really interesting seeing all the skyscrapers – they’re all such interesting shapes.

We finished our cruise on Hong Kong Island and transferred to the Peak Tram. That was an experience as there were big queues and it was quite crowded. The ride up Victoria Peak is sooooooo steep and it only takes 7 minutes!  The views from the top are stunning – it’s amazing being that high! Apparently we were lucky to have a relatively clear day as the view is often obscured by fog.

We came down from the peak on our bus and drove to Stanley Market on the south end of the island passing some lovely views of the way. It sounds daft but I hadn’t thought about Hong Kong having beaches, but they’ve got some beautiful ones. Repulse Bay looked stunning. It’s definitely the rich area of the island tho – apartments area are an incredible amount per square meter. Stanley Market is a huge area of stalls selling all sorts of things. It was mostly tourist stuff so we resisted, but some of the tour came back with bags and bags full! The locals shop here as well as the tourists which is good.

We then headed over to Aberdeen Harbour and had lunch (huge again!) in the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. It’s incredibly ornate and very busy. Very good food again. It’s interesting that there has been a noticeable difference between the cuisines in the different city’s we’ve visited. After lunch we had a trip around the Aberdeen Harbour on a sampan. The fishing people living there are diminishing in number as more and more move to the land. Our guide said there are 20 women who have never touched foot on land as they’re above the age when compulsory education was bought in, and they never married which was the other time the boat people went ashore. Rosita said the government is planning to move them all ashore.

Our final call on the way home was to a jewellery factory. It was interesting to see the items being made and I bought a pretty silver necklace with scattered pearls on it.

We’ve really enjoyed Hong Kong and would love to come back and explore it more. Our departure was timed so we sailed through the harbour just as the light display was on which was amazing. 

Fri 26th Nov – Sea Day

Another sea day – the only time we have two in a row. We took it really easy, spent a bit of time on deck and a lot of time relaxing. We’ve raided the Diamond Princess  library so have plenty to read.

Thurs 25th Nov – Sea Day

Ah – a relaxing sea day – bliss. Today I must admit that we’ve really not done much – lots of relaxing, reading and sleeping. It’s Thanksgiving so there’s lots of decorations up around the ship and some very disturbing turkey decorations in the Atrium. We sat out on deck for the first time as it was just about warm enough, but we couldn’t stay out there for long as it was a little on the chilly side. It was nice being out in the fresh air tho. It’s nice to have a quiet day.

It was a formal night so we got dressed up in our best. I know I’m biased but Andy looked great in the bow tie!