Firstly, I apologise for another travel tale so soon after the last, but unless I get it out now it will disappear rapidly into the big black hole of the past. These articles are, at least in part, an aid to Jacqui and I to remember what we did, and when. Oh, the joys of getting older!

The Westerdam

Thought I might start with a mention of the ship we are living on. The Westerdam is a mid sized ship accommodating around two thousand cruisers. We always appreciate unpacking at the beginning of the cruise and repacking at the end. In between we are fed, watered, entertained and live in comfort as well as visiting interesting places.

In the “World Theatre” the upcoming port talks are always really popular. (Aside: Note that our greying hair matches perfectly!)

We wait for another show by the excellent dance group “One Step”. There is a show of one sort or another every evening.

This is one of our main reasons for being here. Someone else does the cooking! Muesli and berries for brekkie … yum!

This artwork is outside the jewellery shop. Women often seem to get the rough end of the stick.

Another artwork. It’s all about the money (sorry gold)

Taiwan

So leaving Shinigaki and Japan, leaves us wondering what is to come next. We have always been curious about Taiwan and look forward to the coming visit.

Keelung

Keelung is the first of two ports in Taiwan and is relatively small, without the high tower blocks of many cities these days. It is the jump off point for Taipei for those who can afford the tours. We will content ourselves with a walk around this town.

From the ship we can see the white head of the statue of Guanyin, goddess of compassion, high on the hill in the Zhongzheng Park. This is the biggest such statue in southeast Asia. So off we go to have a closer look. It doesn’t look that far away. Mmmmm!

From the ship, this looks like a very walkable city.

They do like to decorate their buses

Scooters are the thing here. The parking is very disciplined. Neat rows and lots of them.

Ah. The first flight of (very steep) steps up to the temple. We really puff up these.

Luckily, the path from the top of the steps is less steep; the city opens up before us showing an amazingly complex maze of pipes

We are really parked in the city centre.

A small side shrine with incredible dragons

Laughing Buddha and friends with Guanyin on the skyline

The main event – a 25m high Guanyin protected by huge lions.

Inside the main temple is a seated, many armed Guanyin and lots of flowers.

Back at the bottom of the steps a reminder of the realities of life amid the threats of the Chinese government.

Well, the statue of Guanyin is a long way up and we make it back in need of a rest.

Kaohsiung

Our next stop is Kaohsiung City; a major industrial port in the south of Taiwan. The ship docks at the cruise port after several kilometres along a waterway lined with container facilities. The cruise port is very modern. We need to find a pharmacy and our visit consists of walking there and back. All other attractions are too far away for us.

The ultra modern Kaohsuing cruise port.

The 350m high ’85 Sky Tower’ dominates the skyline. Thing is … it’s almost empty and many floors have not been used in decades.

Scooters are the go, and small open stalls can still be found in the side streets.

As we leave at sunset, the tower blocks blaze in the reflected light.

Endless container ships line the channel

At last, we move into the open sea.

Hong Kong and Kowloon

And so we move on to Hong Kong and after all that reporting of disturbances in past years, it will be interesting to be here for two days. Our arrival at the enormous cruise terminal in Kowloon is greeted with dark clouds and showers but we line up to take the shuttle bus into town, and arrive at … a huge shopping centre. Not really what we had in mind. Except, of course, we find a Starbucks and welcome mugs of flat white, before the rain drives us back to the ship.

The Kowloon cruise terminal stretches into the distance.

The terminal is built on part of the world renowned ‘Kai Tak Heart Attack’ runway of the original airport. This old pic shows why it had that name.

The Plaza Hollywood shopping centre at the end of the shuttle bus run.

A new day and some sunshine so we once again line up for the shuttle. Yesterday we noticed signs for a garden temple and nunnery, so today we are off to explore. The garden is called the Nan Lian Garden and is slap bang in the middle of Kowloon right next to the Plaza Hollywood.

The soft sun lights the towers of Hong Kong island across the bay

The small temple in the middle of the beautiful Nan Lian garden.

Crossing the bridge over the main road, we reach the Chi Lin Nunnery with its impressive temple complex set amid the tower blocks of Kowloon

Bonsais (and temple guards) aplenty. Just try and take a pic of the main temple shrine.

Living the high life in Kowloon.

As we leave, the lights of Hong Kong bid us farewell.

The Philippines

We make two visits to the Philippines, one on the way to Hong Kong and the other after. There are three stops on three different islands for Manila, Borocaya and Porto Princessa.

Manila is a huge city of around fifteen million people; not really our cup of tea, as it were.

Our first stop in Manila sees us once again on that shuttle bus; once again being taken to a shopping mall; once again returning to the ship having downed some Starbucks coffee. Not feeling impressed.

For our second visit we are making a valiant effort to be more enthusiastic and so start by walking out of the port. The port road dumps us onto a major three lane road full to the brim with traffic of every size: container trucks, jeepneys, scooters, cars, buses and little men on peddle powered tricycles. Since our aim is to get to the Rizal Park, we have to cross this road. A couple of attempts end in abject failure, even when the traffic was stopped.

One attempt finds us surrounded by stationary trucks. Then we remember that none of the drivers would be able to see us should the traffic start moving. We beat a hasty retreat.

We walk alongside all this traffic for a while until there is a crossing with four police persons in charge and at last manage to reach the other side of the road. Phew! Onwards to Rizal Park.

Approaching Manila in the early morning light

A welcoming committee, no less. Amazing drummers!

Oh dear – another shuttle bus queue. Jacqui is very glad to have her stick seat.

And where does the shuttle take us … Robinson Mall getting ready for Christmas. Doh!

Everywhere you look there are men with guns.

José Rizal

José Rizal is a hero of the Philippines. He was a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement which advocated for changes in the colony under the Spanish occupation. It was his inspiration that led eventually to Philippine independence from first the Spanish and then the Americans. He was executed by the Spanish in 1896 and Rizal park is a moving memorial to that event.

At the entrance to his place of execution.

Jacqui contemplates the entrance sculpture.

A larger than life scene of that day in 1896 when Rizal was executed.

We spend some time in this part of the park, and then move on to the Chinese and Japanese gardens before entering the old part of Manila. The Intramuros is the old walled city which has managed to resist the tower block plague. We are tempted by one of those little men on a tricycle and he takes us for an extremely uncomfortable ride through the old city and back to the port. Most Filipinos are altogether smaller than we western giants and the tricycle was designed to fit them … not us.

We managed to survive this journey but gathered a few aches and pains in the process.

We ask ourselves: ‘Would a ride in this jeepney have been better?’

Well … that was Manila.

Borocaya

Borocaya is a resort island and many passengers on the ship look forward to a day on the beach, or water sports of some sort. Coming from Australia with it’s endless beaches we decide not to go there. We are dropped off at the jetty by the tender and walk around the area of the small port.

As we approach Borocaya, the local fishing boats seem to fly like butterflies as they skim across the water.

Fishing boats on the small beach next to the jetty.

Some cram into the truck and go off to the resort.

In the age of selfies, schoolgirls love to have their picture taken.

I can’t quite make out if this dwelling is occupied or not.

Puerto Pricessa

Puerto Princessa is on the western Philippine island of Palawan. In December 1944, at the Plaza Cuartel, more than a hundred prisoners of war were killed in what has become know as the Palawan Massacre.

In 2007 Puerto Princessa became the 32nd, 1st class Highly Urbanised City (HUC) in the Philippines. From our point of view it looks like a very walkable place, so we will do just that.

The port building is actually completely empty and is not used.

The local transport comes in many varieties of this theme and is well used by all.

Inside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral is an oasis of calm

Just love these signs including the artists credit.

Once again it’s traffic, traffic, traffic.

Rice is a dollar or so per kilo, and comes in many varieties

Where ever you need a chicken hit, KFC is there. And then there is the Vape shop.

Some live here …

… and next door they live here.

They don’t seem to think much of drugs in the Philippines.

The Puerto Princessa Baywalk Park, they say, is a ‘Waterfront path for strolling and cycling’

Many still rely on fishing for a living.

As we set sail once more, we are accompanied by numbers of Brown Boobys who spend much of their life on the wing.

Vietnam

Our visit to Vietnam is a disappointment. We dock at the port of Pho My which is a huge container port seemingly in the middle of nowhere. At a port talk we are told that there is nothing to see outside the port. Tours to Ho Chi Min City or Saigon, as most still call it, are available if you would like a bus ride of two and a half hours each way, at a cost of several hundred dollars.

For the first time, we decide to spend the day on the ship and not bother to go ashore.

Containers as far as the eye can see.

Thailand

Disappointingly, the port of Laem Chabang in Thailand where we dock, is also a huge container port another two and a half hour bus ride from Bangkok. This time, however, there is a tour for us. We decide to visit the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

In 1981, Mr Lek Viriyaphan started to construct this quite extraordinary Sanctuary which is still being built to this day; a bit like the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. It is carved entirely from native hardwoods, by hand with no nails. It is to commemorate the seven pillars of truth. For those who might wish to know what these are please visit The Sanctuary of Truth official website

Laem Chabang, another huge container port and nothing much else.

The Sanctuary of Truth sits next to the beach in Pattaya

We are to get a guided tour. Since it is still a building site, we all have to wear hard hats.

In we go

Three headed elephants abound

Musicians escort us into the interior

The work goes on … all by hand.

The central gallery is very impressive.

The deities gaze down at us.

Work in progress

The detail is quite amazing.

Elephant ride anyone?

The end of our journey

The drive back to the ship brings us down to earth with a bump. The attitude to cannabis has changed in waves through the decades since it first gained prominence in the swinging sixties, prompting the ‘War on Drugs’. In the Philippines it is strictly prohibited with some of the harshest penalties on the planet; in Hong Kong we were warned that even medicinal CBD is considered a dangerous drug.

In Thailand it is legal although there are moves to change that. What a lot of fuss to make, especially when you consider that alcohol (we all like a drink, don’t we) is legal and freely available almost universally and yet causes untold misery when it is abused.

Just saying …

Cannabis shops are everywhere along the streets of Pattaya

You can even get a franchise.

We arrive in Singapore in the early morning where our journey ends.

Jacqui wanted to reassure you that I was actually still around, so here we are at the Golden Temple in Kyoto in the selfie lineup.

So what did we learn? The main thing is probably to do with ports. If you are looking at a cruise, it is a really good idea to look carefully at the ports where you stop along the way. If it says port ‘so and so’ for ‘such and such’ (like Laem Chabang for Bangkok or Pho My for Saigon) take careful note.

On the other hand we do like the overall cruiseiness of cruising and really enjoy the ocean.

If you celebrate Christmas, have a merry one; if you don’t, enjoy the break; if you don’t get a break, make it worth it;

May the new year bring all you wish for.

Enjoy!

Alan