Halfway Around the World

Yes, I have been aboard the beautiful Odyssey 18 months now and have seen South, Central & North America, Japan, some of Asia, Australia & New Zealand, and working on the Far East. What an amazing adventure I have had so far and I can't wait to start seeing parts of the world that I have only heard about and never seen. Thanks for coming along on the trip.

We returned to Bali and I was not disappointed. It it weren't so far away, I could live here. Two weeks ago, I said good-bye to the Indonesian ladies who were selling local goods at the terminal. Now they were waiting for me with open arms and hopefully I have an open wallet. Yes. of course I did. I really like their clothes and some hand-made souvenirs. I encouraged my fellow residents to go out and shop their little stalls because we were the last cruise ship expected for a couple of months. So "my ladies" really liked me. And I am tired of a lot of my clothes that I brought with me 18 months ago! The Shopping light was definite glowing.

But now it is time for a very slow ride to Singapore. We have more Sea Days and a slower ride but we conserve fuel and that is a good thing. I have been to Singapore several times but always as a result of my job at Texas Instruments. As those of you who had to travel "on Business", you remember the airport, the hotel, and the people you meet along the way. And that is certainly my story because I re-connected another one of my TI work friends here. We realized we had not seen each other since 1995 but found each other sometime along the way on Facebook. And there was Florence to show my friend, Nicole, and I her beautiful Singapore. We first went to an amazing lunch at one of the most popular seafood restaurants in Singapore, Jumbo Seafood. It was even highlighted in our on-board Port Talk prior to our arrival. We, of course, turned over the ordering to Florence and we loved everything she ordered for 2 hours. She even made sure we had something to take home with us, in case we might get hungry. Chili Crab noodles. All we had to do was add hot water and let it set for 5 minutes and dinner was ready. No microwave oven needed. It was sooo good. I love noodles, crab, and spicy stuff.

After enjoying lunch and a beer, we went to the Singapore Botantic Gardens. It is over 160 years old and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the Gardens is the National Orchid Garden with over 1000 species and 2,000 hybrids of just orchids. Oh my goodness, I never knew there were so many varieties of orchids and each one more beautiful than the last one. My sisters would be amazed I took so many pictures of flowers. Over the 160 years they have named different hybrids after important people and visitors to Singapore. I have "often" been called Lady Di, should I claim my orchid?

We were then honored with a stop at the home of Florence and her husband. Singapore is known for their number of high rise apartment buildings. These buildings aren't just complexes, they are cities within the city = shops, professional offices, day cares, everything you could need right there. And you never hear a car horn honk. Yes, there are lots of rulers/laws, but it works.

As the sun was starting down, Florence remembered that I had fond memories of the Food Stall area called Newton Circus, so it was off to our last stop of the day. We had satay, noodles, chicken wings, chili shrimp, and other stuff. There must be over 100 different food stalls in this one area. It was just like I remembered and I was satisfyingly full again. Florence was such a gracious hostess that she sent me back to the Ship with a Gift Bag of Dorian soft bread muffin-like pastries and some Fish Chips - all to try/eat later. She knows that the taste of the Durian fruit is an acquired taste. I have to say, I personally, have still not acquired the love of Durian BUT I did share some of the Durian cakes with several of my Asian Crew members and they were ecstatic. Thank you very much Florence for the wonderful day from Nicole, the Odyssey crew and me.

Our 2nd day in Singapore was filled with another gastronomic experience. Let the food frenzy begin again. This time it was a walking Food Tour of the Food Stalls in one of the large work/apartment complexes. We had a wonderful guide and we tried many many different things. We walked through a market to look at the fruits and veggies. Yes, there is the Durian (#5 below) with its spikes and the interesting fruit that looks like a hairy Strawberry. It is called Rambutan. The name comes from the Malaysian word for "hair", Rambut. Supposed to taste a little like Lychee but sweeter. OK, never tried Lychee either. The picture that has the yellow round things is actually a cake, not cheese. Anyone want a Wife Biscuit? Or want to floss with your chicken? How do you like the Zebra Crossing - What!? Yes, it is a crosswalk. I enjoyed them all and was definitely happy when we sat down for an ice cold beer at the end.

The Hindu Temple was beautiful. The Guardians of the Temple provided us with shawls to cover our bare shoulders or our exposed knees. What a fun day.

It is now time to leave Singapore - but wait, this is only our 1st visit to Singapore. We have 3 more visits coming soon. Actually we will be back in June, July, and August. Due to the fuel crisis around the world, Villa Vie Odyssey has had to make some adjustments to our itinerary. In order to guarantee that we could keep traveling and seeing the world, VVR negotiated with Singapore to make it our Home Port for a couple of months. We pre-purchased fuel and will return to Singapore each month to re-fuel. After our June stop in Singapore, the ship will visit more of Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as parts of Thailand in the months of June & July. And instead of Asia, I will be visiting parts of North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. I'll return to Odyssey for the 3rd and 4th stops in Singapore and still see many of the places that I might have missed in the other countries, including Bangkok, Thailand.

When I return in August, I really want to take a ride on the Sky Ride over to Sentosa Island. There is lots to do there and this ride goes right over the top of the Odyssey. There goes the Pilot boat that drops off/picks back up the Singapore Pilot who must ride aboard when we are in their waters.

And all of a sudden it was time for my Birthday. Oh my goodness, how did I get to be this old? Don't know but I'm sure having fun. There is a group of residents who decorate the Villa door of the birthday resident. I had hoped to keep a low profile but a friend spilled the beans. This was my door. And then it just so happened that it was time for the monthly Wine Tribe Gourmet dinner. Once again it was an awesome dinner with a different wine with each course.

Appetizer #1: Tuna Sashimi

       Appetizer #2: Gazpacho

Main Course: Beef Wellington or Salmon en Papilotte (I went with the Beef)

Dessert: Chocolate Souffle

The Servers did a rousing version of Happy Birthday.

We visited Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, Borneo both of which are part of Malaysia. I wandered around the town one day and had a nice time in the rain. I liked the decor of my Shuttle Bus. It was about a 30 minute ride into town from the ship. Riding in the Tuk-Tuks were fun except when it was raining. I did manage to find some inexpensive local Rum that turned out to be pretty good when made with Diet Coke and a squirt of Lime. As we were leaving and were back into the open waters, I was amazed at the huge number of off-shore oil rigs. I felt like we were in the Gulf of Mexico.

We arrived back in the Philippines - Coron. There was lots of different things for everyone to do and we took advantage of it. Another nice thing about our Community is that we find like minded people who like to do similar things. So, we invented/formed our own Villa Vie Yacht Club. We even have our own Burgee - for those of you who aren't "yachties", that is the small pennant with your logo that you can trade with other Yacht Clubs or fly off of your Yacht. At many of the ports we visit we try to find a boat to take us on a sail or a Sunset Cruise. In Coron, we were really lucky. One of our Residents used to live on the other side of the island and his friend brought his 50 ft cruiser (picture #1) around and the VVYC (20 of us) went on a beautiful sunset cruise. Magical. It is nice to be friends with people who "know people".

Another day, 8 of us went with a local humanitarian to the island of Coron and visited with an indigenous family who have lived on this island for several hundred years. The tribal name is Tagbanua and their formal history began in 1521. The Tagbanua are one of the oldest indigenous peoples of the Philippines and are known for their deep connection to nature, rich cultural heritage, and ancestral stewardship of the land. This family/tribe has been "grandfathered" ownership of the island and no one can live on the island if not part of the Tribe. We met the current oldest "father", his 2 sons, one daughter and their 5 children. The eldest father is part of the islands Tribal Council and they meet to make decisions for the good of the Tribe. It takes him 2.5 days to climb over to the other side of the mountain to attend the Council meeting. This family actually live on 3 separate beaches with their respective family and to get from one beach to the other you use a kayak or swim. In order for the children (5 of them currently) to go to school in town, one of the fathers takes them by boat and it takes 1.5 hours. Then he stays in town and trys to find some work or sells his fish to locals and then takes the kids home before dark because the boat has no lights. Each family has one cell phone and that is how they communicate with each other and the outside world. They charge their phone overnight with a small solar panel which charges a small golfcart battery. We asked how they keep from inter-marrying and they said they meet other families by cell phone and then meet in town to "get to know each other". They live in these thatched houses and sleep on mats. Our guide pointed out an area hidden by heavy trees and said that their cemetery was under the trees. He explained that each girl and her Mother make a mat for their wedding ceremony (much like a Hope Chest). The Mother will make one or teach her son how to make his. They will stand on the mat for the wedding ceremony and then place them overlapping to signify their marriage. The wife treasures these mats and each is wrapped in the mat when they are buried. What a wonderful tradition and how simple it is. They actually cooked one of their chickens, baked a fish they had caught, made a fruit drink from the fruit of their own trees up the side of the mountain., all for us. They even made each of us a headband while we were out swimming. And they took us by kayak from one beach to the next to visit their relatives. We watched and participated with the cousins playing volleyball. These people are gracious, friendly, sharing, open, and happy. They have the sea, their home, and each other. We all came back very humbled. The money that we paid for the tour, was actually a sort of sponsorship of the organization helping this Tribe. They cannot accept money but the Foundation helps with things like buying a new phone if one dies, or helping get a sick member over to the doctor who is on a different island. The Tribe wants to stay self sufficient and maintain their way of life. Interestingly enough, the hospital was built during WW11 by the American Military and is a 2.5 hour boat ride away. .

Row 1: Their home; Place to sleep or rest; boat we arrived in (45 minute trip)

Row 2: Boat support team cooking lunch; headbands made by hosts; tour guide with oldest daughter of hosts (first family member to attend university)

Row 3: Lunch - chicken, small fried fish, fruit punch

Row 4: Hand made lure to snare Octopus (top is lava rock as weight to go to bottom and attached to woven palm frond concealing hooks and fresh bait); resident and hosts playing volleyball; rocks we kayaked around to visit next family beach

Row 5: Too funny. We were running late returning and All Aboard was in 30 minutes. So instead of returning to our bus transportation, the boat owner ran us up to the cement pier where we jumped from boat to cement step and hauled ourselves up the wall. Made it with 10 minutes to spare.

Life is what you make of it on the Good Ship Odyssey. Two residents learned how to make Princess Lei hair decorations, so Let's Have a Party. They told everyone to wear white and bring a bath towel from their room. Here is the result. Even our wonderful Captain Val got into the Spirit. What a hoot. Eddie & Angel even found light sabers at the mall.

No pictures of me.

Now one more stop in the Philippines before heading back to Singapore. Manila. For those of you who have been on this blog for a while, or are from Carteret County, NC, you will remember Frank & Evonne (Franks Franks). They moved from NC to the Philippines over a year ago and are loving it here. They live between Subic Bay and Manila and have come to see me in both of my Odyssey stops. This time, I went ashore and we enjoyed Manila for 3 days together. Our hotel actually had 5 pools, I think, and we never had time to even get our toes wet. Hopefully Frank & Evonne enjoyed it after I left. We shopped (we went to the MOA - Mall of Asia which is the largest in all of Asia), we ate, we touristed (spent several hours in Old Manila where we saw military barracks, a beautiful cathedral, went on a horse-drawn carriage ride, saw an unusual item growing on a tree - called ?? and they boil it as a medicine), we gambled in the Casinos, and we had a ball. Our last day we went to the IMAX theater and saw Masters of the Universe. And to make the day absolutely perfect, we were hunting for dinner and we found TACO BELL. I think I ordered the entire menu and we almost ate it all. It was hard to say good-bye because this time it may be 3 years before we meet again. But we have fantastic memories and lots of pictures. They said to be sure and say hello to all their friends and customers back home.

I am now back at sea and have 6 more days to go before arriving in Singapore. We arrive in the morning and at 8:30pm that evening I get on a plane for a very long long trip to North Carolina. I am really looking forward to seeing all my friends there and eating all the good seafood that I miss so much. Yes, I live on the ocean but our Indonesian/Indian/Filipino chefs have no idea how to make Shrimp & Grits - they have no idea what a Grit is!! Then it is off to Florida and Texas for all the Tex-Mex I can handle. Oh, yes and see my sister and brother-in-law too. I think it is time to start packing - or at least thinking about packing.

PS. Other things I remembered that you might enjoy when you are thinking about how much fun I'm having.

Malaysia.  Required that our Medical Team take the temperature of every resident and crew twice a day for 3 consecutive days before our arrival.  So, every morning between 10 & 11, and again between 6:30pm-7:30pm, we had to troop down to in front of one of the restaurants and present our forehead.  We never knew what would happen if one or more people had a temperature but we were allowed to come into port.  It wasn’t a big problem for anyone but what a waste of time.

The biggest impact was on the 4 of us who play bridge at 10:00 on Sea Days.  AND, we discovered that we play better bridge when we drink Bloody Mary’s.  We felt it “might be” considered inappropriate to smell like alcohol when they took our temperature, so we would go down early to stand in line first to get temperature check and then return to Nicole’s villa, mix our cocktails and then play bridge until 12:30 instead of 12.  AND, you must realize this entailed me getting up and dressed before 9 which I did not like. 

And then to add insult to injury, we ran out of Spicy tomato juice, tomato juice AND Worcester Sauce.  At first opportunity, we made it to the grocery stores (remember we are in Muslim countries).  These guys drink fruit juices of every kind in the world- some of which I’ve never heard of - and they have NO tomato juice of any kind.  They didn’t even have any kind of canned tomatoes.  Absolutely weird.  Now think about trying to explain what Worcestershire sauce is 😂.  Never happened.  Temporary halt to morning cocktail hour.  And guess what - I was down to one drink allotment of Vodka left.  Muslim country still - yep, no alcohol sold, except in some bars.  We were able, for a short time to buy the small milk carton size containers of the tomato juice from the Ships bar.  Charged us $10 because that was what they would charge for a Virgin Bloody Mary.  But when we ran out of Worcestershire sauce we gave up until we could hopefully resupply.  Oh, the trials of living on a ship traveling around the world. 

Problem not resolved until Manila. 5 bottles of vodka and 4 cartons of Tomato Juice and 1 bottle of Worcestershire. Guess I am good until we get out of Asia.

It turns out that as we move from small port to small port in these desolate islands, provisions are harder to come by.  So our Food staff have to get creative.  Lettuce is especially hard to get if you are looking to feed 400 people, twice a day, for 5-10 days.  We are now having salads with a base of shredded cabbage.  Not my salad.  Lots of chickpeas - in your salad, in your goulash, in your vegetarian enchiladas, and especially in your soup.  Yummm.  You guys probably think all this sounds good.  Me - not so much.  But, thankfully there is always something I can eat.  BREAKING NEWS…. We finally have a pizza oven.  And the pizzas are really good.  Cost is only $7.50 for a pepperoni, $3.00 more to deliver to your room, and it feeds 2-3 people.  We have discovered that the pizza is fantastic while sitting up on the pool deck, drinking wine and watching the sun set.  Life is so hard here on the Odyssey.