Singapore

Well well well…the stunning and immaculate Singapore. I LOVED it here…and it was the cleanest country I had ever seen besides Japan. My dear friend Jackie and I..and of course baby Graeme ended  up meeting some strangers from Minnesota & Wisconsin…and they were just visiting as well so we just figured we’d all go venture around together.

We hopped on a bus headed to Sentosa and went to Siloso beach where there was beaches, of course…and plenty of places to eat so we sat and had some pizza and some of the most expensive bottled water…EVER. I figured i would play it safe and not drink tap water because I didn’t want to get some joys of drinking foul water in a foreign country…well shoot!..joke was on  me after i paid for an $8 for a small bottle of water from Fiji. Lesson learned i suppose.

After we finished lunch my stomach was gurgling like a lion! hahah and speaking of lions…we walked to see the famous Murlion. ---> 

As we continued to walk we came upon one of the many HUGE malls…and they were all so beautiful and elaborate!! There was also a Universal Studios just right outside one of the malls…you could easily get lost but we just stuck in between the lines this time. It was all so Beauuuutiful. We grabbed a bus back to the port where there was another big mall and we found a place where Jackie really really reallllllllllly wanted to experience the fish pedicure…but I was NOT about it. I was so grossed out and didn’t understand it…so you put your feet in this tub-like deal…and small fish just swarm to your feet and start nibbling on them and cleaning them off. I couldn’t understand why on earth anybody would be psyched about something like that…for me especially growing up on the river being petrified of anything swimming in the murky waters of the Mississippi. Jackie put her feet in and i wanted to scream..i was squirming so much for her while trying to hold the baby! Hahaha. Finally…Jackie convinced me to just put my feet in for a couple minutes just to say that I’ve done it…okay okay FINE. I held my feet out psyched out of my mind thinking back to terrifying moments in the river back home with minnows hahahaha…..okay i did it i did it and i hated it!! It felt so gross! It was definitely an experience…and in the pictures below you can see how much I enjoyed it. haha.

After we made our way back to the ship i needed a workout..so i grabbed on of  the Spinning bikes and brought it outside on the deck and had the best view of the city while also viewing the cable cars. Can’t wait to go back to Singapore!

Indonesia…

 

families of crew came aboard to visit….over 900 visitors were on board..such an emotional time for everyone. it was so nice to see a lot of the crew with their loved ones…and now we have about 90 new crew from Indonesia. Most of the crew is either from Indonesia or the Philippines.

Komodo Island..to see Komodo Dragons. Astonishing views…absolutely gorgeous. I don’t have all that much to say about the Komodo Island…it really was beautiful and the dragons were really neat to see. Our guide was really informational and we saw a handful of komodo dragons….and sorry to disappoint some of you but they were not fire breathing dragons. I know….disappointing. haha.

There was a little market at the national park and I bought a fresh water real pearl necklace for $10. Very pretty and great price! Yesss. Off my check list to see dragons in Indonesia. I would love to come back to Indonesia…and make my way to Bali…I heard lovely things about it and the people are lovely from there! Some day ;)

 

Eyes wide open in Cambodia…

 

I thought Vietnam was an eye opener…but Cambodia definitely took first in the poorest country I’ve ever witnessed. I learned a lot and I really appreciate everything I’ve been blessed with in my life and growing up in the United States in a beautiful healthy home and town. Being exposed to all of the poverty in Cambodia was unbelievable…to see people all around you grabbing you and begging for you to buy their bracelets or take a 'tuk tuk’ (their way of transporting people) was overwhelming. We were offered a free shuttle service from the ship to the town market and wow…as you can see by the photos on the bus still people with signs for their Tuk Tuk service and advertising themselves. Immediately when we stepped foot off the bus we were being grabbed at and poked and spoke to and like i said it was overwhelming. I remained  calm and just went with the flow of it as opposed to a couple other people I was with started yelling at the people to stop touching them…i chose to just be open minded about it and just relax and get a tuk tuk driver to the resort/beach we were all going to meet up at. It was a large group of us out of the crew and we went to this beautiful resort…the Tuk Tuk ride to and from the market was probably about 10-15 minutes and for the entire day…we paid $5.00….total. On the way to the resort there was a young girl who followed us from the shuttle with bracelets and necklaces she made with embroidery floss…She handed us what she had made and wanted us to purchase some. So of course she was such a trooper and persistent so I bought a nice bracelet from her and I’ll never forget the story behind it the way she followed us…she sold it to me on the scooter not ever holding on while we were moving. $1.00 I’m sure goes such a long way for them.

Once we got to the beach I was blown away by the outstanding beauty it had to offer….absolutely gorgeous as you can see. We went swimming a lot…and my roommate attacked me in one of the pictures! Here we were going to do this nice picture posing in front of the water….and she comes out of nowhere full blast running at me and dove for my legs in full attack-mode! haha…it was great! I went for a nice long long walk on the beach alone thinking about how lucky I am to have this brilliant opportunity at the age of 22 years old…Unreal. Its been so amazing so far! We were at the same resort the entire afternoon soaked up the sun…then we went to the pool at the resort and it started down pouring while we were swimming. Ahh that was so much fun…I snagged a picture of me and a couple of the other spa girls. Overall such a great day! 

 

Adventures in Thailand!

 

Ohhh my goooooodness! Where do i even begin with Thailand?! First of all I must enlighten you with this wonderful experience I was lucky enough to be a part of…it was my first tour with the crew only. Really a special experience! I knew this day was going to be worth every dime…well it all starts with an elephant ride through the jungle and that within itself was incredible. I had been on an elephant way back when at the medieval festival in Minnesota but trust me this was much different especially when its authentic jungle ha..seriously! It was thee real deal…the elephant was really rough feeling on your feet and the sunshine was beaming on me and it felt amazing! I love the sun on this end of the world!! We also were about to learn about the process of silk which was fascinating to me….then an interesting walk with a gibbon on your head through the jungle. (A gibbon is different from a monkey…gibbons do not have a tail)

Elephants, gibbons, food, rain, oxen, free laughs….

Vietnam! oh hi.

Taxi to the beach….arrived to the beautiful busy beach and really soaked it all in. Upon arrival we drove through the port and about 45 minutes from the beach…really getting exposed to the reality of Vietnam…it was really eye opening to see how they live there and all of the poverty. Transportation was mostly motorbikes from the locals it was insane to see what they could transport! And even babies and small children on the bikes…can you imagine? We were just riding along and I looked over to my right and I see a load of ducks in plastic bags riding with a man on this motorbike…hahah it was quite interesting and sad at the same time thinking the ducks won’t be alive for much longer. Duck doesn’t really taste all that great, they serve it a lot on the ship but I don’t eat it anymore…not that tasty. Once we arrived to the beach I took my time to just wander around and just take a few moments to myself.

The beach was gorgeous…there were loads of local people and rarely would you see a white face like mine! It’s so fun experiencing all of this and seeing all of the different cultures that people live in. Check out these pictures of food below…the woman kneeling down is getting our fresh spring rolls and she would carry those baskets together on her shoulders with the wood to rest on her. DELICIOUS.   

I’m in China!? Never thought I’d say that…

 

Now we enter into China…first we arrived in Xingang, China which is a couple hours away from Beijing. What I picked up from the first impression of Xingang when we pulled into the harbor was it is a very industrial place and I learned that they have come a very long way.

I was unable to go ashore in Beijing and Shanghai…which I was pretty bummed about it but now I know for the next time I want to go there I will have a Chinese visa. So unfortunately I can’t tell you much about Beijing or Shanghai. What I can tell you is I heard amazing things about the Great Wall of China! I heard the toilet was disgusting and absolutely repulsive haha. A lot of people were sore from walking up to the wall…the steps from what I picked up are small then some will be really high so it really kicked their butts, literally! This really bums me out to have to write about what I heard everything about the Great Wall and the temples and everything else. Some positives to the day off in Beijing we had gorgeous weather and I laid in the sun by the pool which was fantastic. Jacqueline and I soaked up the sun and went swimming a bit…then just basically relaxed all day. It was nice to not have anything to do and kind of recharge everything from always having to go, go, go! As much as I was bummed to not get off the ship one of the guests brought me a couple goodies from Beijing which was so sweet of them! A set of chop-sticks (dad, i know you’ll want to use those real quick!) and a nice little plate with Beijing written on it…probably my favorite guests, too!

Shanghai…still on board. Again I was able to have another day off to just relax…it was an overnight along with Beijing.   There was an expo going on in Shanghai and I heard there was more than half a million people….Dad, you would have loved the crowds…especially everyone running into you and touching you! hahah. Yeah, right! Nah I heard from most of the guests there was way too many people out even just walking around in the streets. Shanghai skyline is incredible!

 

I went to a acrobatic show this evening and it was unbelievable!! I couldn’t believe the way the performers were bending backwards like it was nothing…see for yourself. ;)

 

Hong Kong here I am! It is amazing here…and the skyline is never-ending. I just have to mention right now I’m laying on the top deck on the ship on a reclining chair in the nice breeze gazing into the beautiful scenery. Now all I need is someone special beside me enjoying it in the peace as much as I am. ;) It’s almost 9 in the evening and the lights are phenomenal…there was just a laser light show and it was so mesmerizing. See for yourself…

So we arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, the 19th of October and I wasn’t able to get off the ship yesterday during the day but in the evening a big group of us crew members wanted to experience the popular night life…so we did. We took a star ferry ride which cost us $50 (Hong Kong dollars) so really it cost maybe 30 cents. It was so much fun with everyone all together enjoying ourselves! We ended up going to Zinc I believe the club was called on Hong Kong Island…because we were docked in Kowloon island.

Danced the night away…I cleaned up real nice and busted out this black dress I bought in Tokyo and of course a classy pair of black heels…which of course, sounded like a fantastic idea at the beginning of the night these are my most comfortable pair of high heels I own and boy, oh boy my feet are cussing at me today! Mommmmmy will you rub my feeeeeet?! Well at least they made me look great!! (dad, i know you’re shaking your head) Anyway there was loads of people out from all over the world…I didn’t meet anybody from America. It’s funny to think back a few months ago and if somebody asked where I was from my first response would be “Wisconsin”, right? Well now anytime I meet someone new we tell each other the country we’re from because it’s such a wide variety of places and nobody knows where little ‘ole Hager City is at, anyway!  Oh my goodness and while at the club with everyone somebody (my alter ego) twisted my arm and forced me to get on top of the bar and dance on the pole! Ahh who would do such a thing!? Yes, I danced my little heart out on that pole…Don’t you worry folks, I kept it PG-13 Rated…none of that XXX rated business. I had to let loose a little bit now that I was finally able to touch land again! The atmosphere was fantastic! The people…the music..and the energy was so positive and addicting. I made it back to the ship alive.

Let me just rewind before I get too excited here…pulling into the Hong Kong harbor was wonderful! I swear, the sky scrapers never end…there is a ridiculous amount of them here and they make your neck sore from looking up at all of them! But it was such a neat experience…I felt so giddy at 6am soaking it all in. I have noticed all in china it’s quite full of smog which is unfortunate…must be from all the coal burning. Anyway today, Jackie and the little 7 month old cruiser, Graeme, took on hong kong and navigated to the world famous Stanley Market. It was a beautiful bus ride there...however we felt so sick during the ride….these drivers are insane!!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roads are very narrow and when two busses are turning in opposite directions it freaked me out….insane driving is all I’ve gotta say. I’ve decided I cannot marry somebody from China solely based on the driving skills. hahah I would be horribly car sick….and I don’t think you can just get used to something like that. Anyway Stanley Market…it was also never-ending..there were so many little shops one right after the other. I did end up getting a great deal on a dress…yesss! I think I paid about 5 U.S. dollars for it…cha-ching! The pier was stunning and I just couldn’t get enough of all of it. Can’t wait to come back here!

I have a couple sea days ahead of me…then we are in Phu My, Vietnam. Looking forward to it all, of course! Alright Beautiful night in Hong Kong….and I’m signing off. Goodnight stunning world, you. xoxo

P.S. ADDRESS TO MAIL:

“attn: SPA Jenna Hughes

Fitness Coordinator

MS AMSTERDAM

Geodis Wilson Australia Pty Ltd.Dock 7 1 Millennuim Court Matraville (Sydney) NSW 2036 Australia”

(I get to Sydney  november 13)