We have been without internet access for some fve days, on account of the mountains blocking the signal. The same thing has applied to mobile phones, and there are a lot of frustrated people on this ship. It is now 22nd April, and the local time is 3pm, which equates to midnight in the UK.
Since the last report, we have visited the last three ports of call before our departure from the ship in Vancouver.
Skagway came first. It came to prominence in 1898, as the 'port of entry' for the 'stampeders'. These were people bitten by the gold fever, and were part of the Klondike gold rush. Now a sleepy little place, with a population in winter of around 900, it expands enormously in the summer, when as many as five cruise ships arrive in one day!. We, being the first of the season, had the place to ourselves.
This is our second visit to this part of the world, as we were here in 2001. We took it leisurely, and started with a stroll out to the 1898 cemetery and the iced up waterfall. They said it was about a mile, but later we found it was 2 miles each way! The waterfall was interesting, as it had frozen over, and was covered in snow, but one could hear the water running underneath.
Once back in the town, we investigated the local mini-brewery. It offered a 4oz sampler of each of its five beers. They ranged from a light amber to an almost black. We prefered the lighter coloured ones, but did not stop to drink any more, 'cos it was lunch time. We had fish and chips, and it was very good, if a little different to what is served in the UK. After a bit more town exploration, and some retail therapy, we took ourselves off to the Red Onion. This is an old fashioned western style saloon, and one time bordello. Tours can be done of that part of the establishment for five dollars a head. We stayed seated, and enjoyed our beer and the ambiance, before returning to the ship.
Next came Juneau, the state capital of Alaska. Not the most exciting place to visit, as it is full of monolithic office blocks. However, it does have its cable car up the mountain, which on our last visit was not working on account of the weather. This time it was, though when we arrived at the top, it was snowing. They had had a bit up there. The drifts were about 7 feet deep, and we have the photos to prove it. We came down again, indulged in some more retail therapy, and had a burger and chips, American Style, overlooking the harbour. After lunch, the weather had improved, so we went back up the mountain. It was glorious. We sat out on a terrace in the sun, and took in the view, whilst watching some of the local wild life. As the afternoon drew to a close, the wind got up, the sun went in, and it got decidedly chilly. We went back down the mountain to the ship. Mind you, the midday temperature forecast at sea level was only 4 degrees, and we had been 1800ft up the mountain!
Ketchikan is a pleasant little town, quite dependent on the tourist trade. It is nice place to stroll around, and has a good, well laid out and informative town trail. It was only a shortish stop by the ship, arriving at 8am, and leaving at 2pm. Fortunately, the weather was very kind again, being sunny. It was warm in the sun, but chilly in the shade, and bitter if you found the wind. It snowed as we arrived, but by the time we left the ship around 10am, that had all cleared.
So here we are, sailing through the Inside Passage. So called as it is between the islands and the mainland of North America, to Vancouver, where we are due to arrive at 7am on the 24th.
Our odyssey ends there.

Today is 18th April, and the local time is 3.50pm. The UK is 9 hours ahead, Europe 8.
This has been the first real opportunity to bring the blog up to date. The postings so far have covered Kodiak and Seward. This one os for the 17th and 18th.
We have been viewing some spectacular scenery. Yesterday saw us in College Fjord, in glorious sunshine, viewing 8 small glaciers, and avoiding the big floating bits that had fallen off them. It is very dificult to put what we saw into words. We took lots of photographs, but even they do not do justice. The shore was tree lined, but everywhere covered in a lot of snow. Through in blue skies, a clod wind, the mountains and the glaciers, and the let your imagination run riot.
Today was a bit different, as it was one big glacier. 122 kms long, with a face of 10 kms, the Hubbard is quite special. It has its own bay, Icy Bay. The captain, aided by the pilots, took us to within about 100m of this monster. Apparently we could do this as the weather is still cold, and the face has not yet started to calve. We were there for about an hour, or until everyone on deck was nearly frozen. Then the ship turned away, and to warm us up, gave us Gluwine.
Now we are at sea to Skagway. We have been there before, in 1991, so will just be doing our own thing.
At present, there is a gale blowing, and the sea is a bit rough. This has made the production of these three blogs interesting, to say the least. It is possible that the odd typing error has crept through, but hopefully, readers, you can cope.

Time has moved on, and so have we, to Seward. It is now 15th April.
What a difference to yesterday; glorious sunshine, and virtually no wind. However, it was a tad chilly, at 3 degrees.
Seward's principal claim to fame is that it is the southern end of the Alaskan Railroad. It is also the point at which coal is loaded onto ships for the power stations of Korea. Apart from these points, it does not have much to visually commend it, as in 1964, the tsunami following a huge offshore earthquake(9.2 on the Richter Scale), demolished the place.
However, the resourceful find things to do. So we took the shuttle bus into town, and went for a wander. After evaluatin the few shops, we found ourselves at the Sea Life Centre. Built at a cost of 37 million dollars from the reparations of the Exxon Valdez disiter in 1989, it is fascinating place to visit. Think of a combination of the National Acquarium in Plymouth and Living Coasts in Torquay, and one is close. We were there a couple of hours.
Sue was then feeling in need of some retail therapy, so was indulged. Laden with shopping bags(well two), we then decided food was called for, and set of to stroll along the waterside path the mile to the Marina. This, so we had been told, was the best place to lunch. And so it was.
The ship was about another half an hour by foot, and we thought it would be a good way to settle our very enjoyable repast. We were due back on board by 4pm anyway.
The next two days, we had been promised, would be very different,

It seems along time since an update was done, not helped by the non-availibity of the internet on account of the terrain.
After a flying call at Dutch Harbour in the Aleutians, to pick up US Immigration officials, another day was spent at sea, before our first stop in Alaska on 14th April.
Kodiak is the main town on a large island, to the south of the main Alaskan land mass. At first glance, it was not that prepossessing. Our arrival coincided with achange in thw eather, to slightly warmer(or so they told us!). It was snowing. A wet, miserable sort of snow, that turned to very cold rain, and stayed that way for the rest of the day.
We had not planned anything, which was just as well as it turned out. Those who had booked trips, did not see much on account of the weather.Instead, we did our own thing, by taking the shuttle bus into town. This let us off at the 'shopping mall', which consiosted of an off licence, pub/restaurant, three gift shops and a bank. We strolled slowly through, and up the hill to the museum. This was very interesting, charting the life and times of the native peoples of the island. Opposite was a pretty, little, Russian Orthodox church. This is the principal religion of the island, as it had been part of Russia until 1870. In that year, the United States bought Alaska and its islands off the Russians for seven million dollars, about two cents an acre! A gentle walk downhill found us on the quayside, and the tourist office. A few quick questions later, and we were on our way, still on foot, to lunch-about a five minute walk. This found us at the Channel Chowder House, which was a diner beside the water. After watching the sea lions and the fish eagles for a spell, we made our way inside. The special of the day was King Crab Legs, which Ian had. Sue had the assorted fish, and chips. Sue's portion consisited of several pieces of salmon, cod and halibut, all cooked in a light crispy batter. Very fresh and very tasty. Ian' crab legs had to be seen to be believed. They arrived on a tray, along with a pot of melted butter, and a pile of paper napkins. There were four legs, and abit of body. At best guess, the legs were each 16 inches long, and once opened, the meat inside was about one inch in diameter.
After such a meal, another walk was called for. One of the staff in the cafe told us we should go into the Wells Fargo bank, to see the mural about the crabs. We were viewing it, when a memeber of the staff suggested we should also visit the First National Bank to see the Kodiak Bear. This stood about ten feet tall. By repute, Kodiak bears are the largest in the world, and this one certainly made that seem true. It had met its end in 1996. Back downhill, and we decided that the weather had got so foul, we would return to the ship. It appeared that we were not alone in our decision making.
It was a pity that we had to see Kodiak on such an awful day, as we are sure that on a nice one it would have been really enjoyable.
The next port of call was to be Seward, on the mainland.

Here is a little conundrum.
Today is Sunday April 12th; yesterday was also Sunday April 12th.
For the last couple of days, we have had our first taste of bad weather. The winds picked up yesterday, and the seas followed. By last night we were in a gale, with seas around 4 metres high. It made for an uncomfortable night, with assorted bangs and crashes, accompanied by many creaks and groans from the ship. The waters were around 6,000 metres deep. They are now shoaling slowly, and at midday today were only some 2,000m. As we go through the passage, they will drop to just 60m. This shallowing will, for a short time, make the seas worse, as the reflection off the land, and the local undersea mountain range, has an effect.
We are running up to the Aleutian Islands, off Alaska. According to the Captain, by about 5pm local, we should be passing through a passage between two of them. The ship will then be sheltered by them from the worst of the weather, as we proceed to Dutch Harbour. This is purely a point of call to pick up a Pilot, and also Immigation Officials. We do not get to our next stop, Kodiak, until Wednesday 15th.
The highlight off today was a 'crossing of the International Date Line' ceremony. Very funny, and much enjoyed by the audience.
So, readers, now you have the answer to the conundrum.

Now on our way 'north to Alaska', so Japan is over.
We really enjoyed ourselves, with our stop in Yokohama being as good as Kagoshima.
Day one saw us visiting Tokyo, in the company of the craziest guide we have ever come across. Her english was not that good, and she made life harder by not holding the microphone to her mouth when speaking on the coach. She didi not stop talking, but afterwards noone had aclue as to what she was on about. She tried to tell jokes, and either forgot the joke, the punch line, or broke out laughing before she had finished. One weird lady.
As for Tokyo itself, it was beautiful. All the cherry blossom was out, and it was a lovely warm sunny day. We visited the outside of the Imperial Palace, and then a very important Shinto Temple, which gained from us seeing two wedding processions with the participants mainly in Japanese dress. Later, we moved on to a complex with a small Shinto temple, and a large Buddist one. It would seem that the Japanese are a little mixed up as to religion, as they regularly visit both! Apparently they see Shinto for the present, and Buddism for the future. Well, backing both horses in a race does seem like a good idea.
Outside the temple complex was a street of small stalls, selling just about everything. One thing they did not have was clothing big enough to fit large western bodies!. Having had a western style lunch as part of the tour, we had a plate of noodles at a wayside stall, so that we could say we had eaten Japanese in Japan. We knew they noodles were safe, as we saw them cooked in front of us. And very good they were too.
Daytwo started early, as we were off the ship and on our way before 7am local time. Our trip was into the countryside, the destination the Hakuna national park. On our way we passed Mount Fuji, and as it was another loverly day, if a little cooler, we had an excellent view. A good job, as later in the day it clouded over, and Fuji disappeared. The Hakuna Park is in the volcanic area, and we quickly became aware of this. After a cable car ride up into the caldera of a dormant volcano, we found ourselves eating black eggs. The outsides were black, because they had been cooked in ahot sulphurous spring. The insides were just like any other hard boiled egg. Anyway, according to our day two guide, each egg consumed that had been cooked this way, added seven years to our life expectancy. We both had two!
We saw a lot of this area, from the coach, from where we walked, the cableway and on a lake cruise. The day two guide was Akiko, and she was excellent. She spoke clearly and had an english sense of humour. She was for Japanese, quite tall. She had a humourous way of dealing with this, especially when she was alongside one of the other guides, who did not come up to her shoulder. Not only did she keep us informed, she also was entertaining. We were away from the ship for over nine hours, of which four were taken up with travelling.
Looking back, we both agree that overall Japan was our winner from the ports of call since we left Singapore. Maybe we will try to visit again sometime. Certainly the Japanese really made us welcome.
Eight day at sea to come, before we arrive in Kodiak, part of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Kagoshima, in southern Japan, was probably the best port of call so far. Not for the quality of the tours etc, but for the warmth of the welcome.
Our arrival was heralded by a large brass band, and our departure by a traditional drum band. There were plenty of english speaking locals at the terminal to help, guide translate, and generally be useful. Admittedly, away from the port, the level of english speaking dropped rapidly, though most of the signs were bi-lingual. The area is not geared up to tourism from overseas, so we did not have to cope with touts or street vendors. Wherever we went, we saw the real country and people, which made it much more fun and interesting.
The time of our docking was about 1.30pm local, though by the time we had completed immigration and gone ashore, it was around 2.15pm. At this point a small mystery was resolved. The ship was not docked where we thought it was, from the map we had been given. We were about 30 mins drive, at the new cruise terminal, and were the first ship to dock there. Having resolved this we were ready to start exploring. Joining forces with a Belgian couple we have become friendly with, we hired a taxi to take us to the ferry terminal. This was to take us the 4km across the harbour to an island with a live volcano. It was having a busy day, and blowing out a lot of ash and steam, though fortunately in the opposite direction. Apparently, the year before last it 'erupted' only 11 times. Last year it blew 29 times. So far this year it has performed 52 times, and our arrival day was its busiest and most spectacular. We went for a stroll round, on a promenade along the sea shore, pausing occasionnaly to look at the volcanic activity, and also the port traffic. It had been nice when we set out, but as the sun went down, it started to get cold, so we decided to return to the main land, and walk into the city centre. The central shopping area is arcaded, to prtect the shoppers from valcanic ash if the wind is in the wrong direction. Very attractive it makes it all. There is a large department store in the same part of town, which looks a bit like Harrods. We went in to explore, and were intrigue to find that it had lift opperators. They were immculately turned out girls in a uniform of grey skirt, lavender jacket, white blouse, white gloves, and a lavender and grey hat!
Day two dawned very differently, and for the first time we had rain! Our planned trip was to the Satsuma Peninsular, and was most enjoyable. We started in a village where there were 300 year old Samurai houses. We did not get to see the inside of the houses, as they are still lived in. To the Japanese, the highlights were the gardens. At one property, we were admiring the garden, and having it explained to us, when a walll of the house slid open, and the lady of the house appeared, and took photographs of us! She kindly left it open, so we could see a bit of the interior. The only disappointment was lunch, which was western style, in a big, barrack block 70s style hotel. Main course was a small piece of steak and four crinkle cut chips with a little piece of brocolli and a cherry tomato. Starter had been a bowl of minestrone soup, dessert was an orange! There was coffee!!
The tour finished with the obligatory, and unscheduled, shop stop. This time it was the Satsuma Pottery factory. It was actually a good stop, and we bought something.
As was said at the beginning, the port and city of Kagoshima made sure we were sent off in style. Without any bidding, the rails and balconies were packed with the passengers, and in a funny way, it was a bit emotional.
To day is a sea day, and we have encountered the worst weather so far, though it is moderating. The wind is about 30 knots(33mph) and the sea state is rough. The ship is rolling quite a bit. It is supposed to calm down this afternoon and evening.
Yokohama for Tokyo is next.

Korea was a two day stopover, and a most enjoyable one. As yet, the Koreans have not discovered international tourism, or rather it has not found them.
In many ways, it was a better port of call than China. Cleaner, less frantic, no touts, no pushy sales people. Altogether, a more relaxed place to call. And the guides spoke better english!
What they have to show is more low key, and there was time to take things in. To a large extent, the Korean war that started in 1950 still plays an important part in what they have and do. The truce was signed in 1953, but technically, the war is not over.
The major event of June 1950 was the surprise attack by North Korea on South Korea. They rapidly overrran the S.Koreans, moving quickly southwards. To relieve the situation, a UN force under General Douglas McArthur made an amphibious assault at Incheon, behind the North Korean lines in September. The Koreans still feel indebted to the countries, including the UK, which took part. Our first stop on our tour was to the Incheon Memorial and Museum, a very interesting place. This was followed by the fish market. It was clean and did not smell, and was vast. We have not seen any thing like it before, not only for its size, but also the incredible variety. Many things on display we had not seen before. During a forty minute period, we probably saw about a third of the whole thing.
After a short coach trip, we were in China Town. It is not that large, but was different, and it gave us a chance to strech our legs. Another move, and we were in the Commercial Market, an area of two, covered over, long streets. All of the shoppers were locals, and one could buy just about anything for the home. This was the end of the official tour, and we had really enjoyed ourselves.
We returned to the ship for lunch, Ian had a quick go at the daily golf competition(which he won) and we left the ship on a coach to further explore the area around China Town. This, in reality, meant a climb up a steep hill. (Rather like going up Haytor, but in the town). At the top, we found views, walks, a statue of General McArthur, and an outside gym(which we did not make use of!) It was starting to get cold, so we decided to walk back to the ship.
Day two dawned bright and early, and we were off the ship onto our coach by 8.30am local time (midnight plus30 mins UK time). Our destination was the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)between the North and the South. The actual border lies in the middle of this strip, which is about three kilometres wide. The outer boundaries are clearly marked by fences and watch towers. In the 1970s, the South discovered three tunnels built by the North to enable them to launch a surprise attack. In 1990, they found a fourth. In total, it has been calculated that 30,000 men an hour, and heavy equipment, could pass through these tunnels if an attack had been launched. To this day, the South Koreans are not sure if they have found all the tunnels that the North has dug.
Our visit included a visit, and walk, down Tunnel 3. Fortunately, we were supplied with hard hats. The Koreans are a shorter race than us!! After the tunnel, we moved on to the viewing point in the vicinity, to see the DMZ for real. Unfortunately, it was a bit misty, and we could not see that much.
Next came lunch, Korean style, before we progressed to Seoul. Interesting and enjoyable is the best way to sum this up.
We did not see that much of Seoul, as time did not permit, but what we saw, we liked. Again, we liked it because we were not harassed by touts and beggars.
It was a long day, but different. No-one had any idea of what to expect, so there were no preconceived ideas about Korea. We mixed with the real people, and saw them in there natural ways of life, not one put on for the tourist. Altogether, a worthwhile stopover.

After a lot of messing around at Tianjin, caused by the port authorities, we finally left the ship en route for Beijing at 1.oopm local time.
The transit time by coach was about two and half hours to the first stop, the Temple of Heaven.
It is a three storied circular building some hundred feet high, beautifully decorated and made completely of wood, with no nails. It sits atop a man made hill, and was the place the Emperor came to pray for good harvests etc. It was built about six hundred years ago, during the early years of the Ming Dynasty, by the emperor Ju Jan. Quite impressive.
Following a drive of another half an hour, we arrived at the Summer Palace, which as the name implies was the summer residence of the MIng and following emperors. It sits beside a man made lake, below a man made hill(locally mountain!). The mountain is the spoil from the lake, and is covered in trees, with pagodas showing through. A very attractive spot, particularly as we were there at sunset.
Another drive of half an hour, and an unexpected programme change, found us at a restaurant for a Peking Duck chinese dinner. I say unexpected, as we were due there at 8.45, after checking in at our hotel and being able to wash and change, and we got to it at 7.oopm. There was plenty to eat and it was all good, if at times a little surprising. Our table finished all our duck, and were surprised others had not, so we helped out.
on leaving the restaurant, another change was in store. We had a coach drive to see Tiannamen Square by night. Quite spectacular, but chilly. Fortunately, we had all brought winter clothes and coats. We stopped some way short, and then walked to it. after this, we finally made it to the hotel at around 10.15pm. It had been a long day.
Departure on 29th, from the hotel was 8.00am. Destination the Great Wall of China, the Badeling section. This meant a drive of about an hour, northwards. As we neared it, it started to snow. It had been cold enough in Beijing, but this added to the drama. on our arrival, we had to take a cable car to get to the wall, as it is one of the highest parts. Though the snow added to the spectacle, it did make the going hazardous. From the top of the cable car, there is a steep uneven path down to the first access point to the wall. This was very slippery, and there were a lot of people. The climb up onto the wall is very narrow, and not made any easier by the crowds on it trying to get off pushing down. Once up there, really there was nowhere to go because of the weather. The top of the access steps is flat, but then there is a very steep 100ft slope up to the next set of steps. the ground underfoot was covered in ice, making this nearly impossible. Ian had a go, pulling himself up by using the hand rail, but it was very hard going. Then came the flight of steps. A few chinese had made it this far, but the guards were not allowing any further progress, presumably on safety grounds. The came the return trip down the slope! It was a bit scary, but Ian found it was easier to come down facing up the slope, so that his feet were roughly parallel to the ground, whilst hanging on tighly to the rail. Fortunately he was wearing gloves. An attempt was made to access another part of the wall in the same area, but the entry was even narrower than the first. With the snow, the wind and the cold, sanity took over, and we all decided to make it back to the cable car, and the sanctuary of the coach.
An excellent chinese lunch followed, before we moved on to the Forbidden City. This was the official Palace of the emperors, and their winter home. A really beautiful area, which we crossed going from south to north, starting at the main gate. We passed the formal pavillions, before reaching the private quarters. It covers a huge area, and in our hour and half, it was only possible to see the principal parts. The highlight was the colours. Red for the doors and pillars, studded and decorated in gold. The blues, greens and golds of the walls, ceilings and fascias. Some of the buildings had been recoloured because of the olympics, and these were in a real contrast to those that had deliberately been left alone to show how they had looked originally.
Our exit was through the formal gardens to rejoin our coaches. Before leaving Beijing altogether, we had a final surprise, of a daylight drive roound Tiannamen Square, something they told us the night before could not happen!
The return the ship was uneventful, but the shock of getting out of a nice warm coach into the freezing air to go through all the chinese imposed formalities was.
In summary, this was a great trip, if a bit stressful at times. Every where we went there were hordes of chinese, who pushed, shoved and shouted.The weather started out warmish, and steadily got colder. It was good job we had taken our Alaskan outfits with us.

So that was Shanghai, and a most enjoyable stop it was.
We arrived on time, which meant that all the tours started as they should, for once. Our trip was the City Tour, scheduled to last for 8 hours.
Th first stop was the city museum. We were tol;d we had an hour, but the museum security staff made a mockery of that as it took 25 minutes for all of us (90 odd) to pass through. The guide changed the departure time by 25 minutes for the back markers, but did not tell those at the front. When we got back, there was alot of muttering and dirty looks. The museum, especially the furniture and jade was most interesting.
After a short coach movement, our stop was the Jin Yuan tower. The top floor for public access is the 88th, and is an observation deck. There is also a post office up there. Floor 57 to 87 is the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The lift to the top rises 9m per second, and the viewing platform is 340m from the ground. It was a clear day, which we gathered is a rarity in Shanghai, so there was plenty to see.
Next came lunch at a restuarant by the river, A good meal for vegetarians. There was plenty of it, so no one went hungry.
Following this, a visit to a 400 year old garden was made. The brochure described it as a peaceful haven in the middle of abustling city. Someone fibbed, as it was so full, one could hardly move round. Movement was not helped by various parties coming in at both the netrance and exit! Undeniably, on a good day it would be fabulous. OUtside the garden is the old city, full of shops, reataurants, takeaway stalls and touts. Noisy, bustling exciting, and great fun. Easy to get lost in though. Even children were touting for watches and hanbags, armed with pictures rather than the real fakes!
Our final destination was posted as a walk along the Bund. This is the riverside promenade in what was the old British section of Shanghai (more properly the British Concession). When we got there, it was a bit of a building site, and though we managed to get onto the promenade and take pictures, there was no strolling as it was all closed off. Our guide was shouted at by a little angry chinese man. It transpired we should not have been there, as the whole area was officially closed. In 2010, Shanghai will be hosting the World Expo on the Bund. To do this, the Chinese are going to put the dual carriageway underground, and turn the current roadway into gardens. Makes one think. They intend to do this in just over a year, and they have not yet started!
On board that evening, we were treated to a display of music, dance, gymnastics(contorsionism!), magic and general amazement. Very, very enjoyable.
We left Shanghai on 26th at 1pm local-5am UK. Before leaving, with others, we took a stroll down the quayside to look at the other boats that had arrived. The port police became unhappy, and like a bunch of sheepdogs, rounded us all up, and gently herded us back from whence we came. All quite good hunoured, and it its own way quite funny.
Now we are at sea, on our way to Tianjin, the port for Beijing. WE are due there at 8am local tomorrow.
The captain has just announced that we have now sailed the equivalent of more than halfway round the world, and we are nowhere near the international date line!

That was Hong Kong ,that was. We started the sail in at around 6.30am local, and being the sad people we are, we got up to watch.
The cruise Terminal is on Kowloon, right beside the Star Ferry terminal. Fortunately for us, the ship was moored port side to, which meant that we, on the starboard side, had a wonderful view across the water to Hong Kong island.
After a leisurely breakfast, we went for a stroll around Kowloon, and Sue managed to do some shopping. In the afternoon, we took the ferry(on the upper deck) across to HK island. From there, we moved on to Victoria Park, before taking the Tram up to Victoria peak. This is a cable controlled, rather than a funicular, railway, but the ascent is quite steep. Two trams operate together, acting as counterbalances to each other, with one coming down as the other goes up. The seats face uphill, which is fine as you go up, but a bit strange as you come down. Unfortunately, the weather was not being that kind to us, as the top was in the clouds. They did part occasionaly, to give glimpses of what lay below. We got talking to another couple off the ship. They had been to HK twice before, and had not managed to go up the Peak in clear weather on any of their visits!
After coming down, we made our way back to the ship on the Metro.
Having showered and changed, we went ashore again, to eat. On our return, we watched the lights show on the buildings on HK island opposite, which was quite spectacular. It was a lovely evening, and we sat out on the aft deck, with a drink, and listened to the various musical groups on board playing. A barbeque started at 10.30pm and we sailed at 11pm. We stayed outside, watching all the buildings on both the shores glide by.
This morning we are underway to Shanghai. The weather has changed quite markedly. No sun, the sea is rough, and about 30 knots of wind. Visibility is about 2 or 3 miles. Not sitting out weather. It is possible that we have seen the last of that, as we head further north. The ship is due in Shanghai early on Wednesday morning.
According to the Captain, since leaving Dover, we have sailed the equivalent of half way round the world.
Currently, we are 8 hours ahead of UK time.

Our brief stop in Viet Nam is over, and we are on our way to Hong Kong.
The port was Chan May, and we could not find it on any maps. This was not surprising, as it was just a large jetty in the middle of nowhere. It did seem to handle a little cargo traffic as well, but apart from the port offices, there was nothing else there. It was a 20 minute bus ride to the nearest village. Da Nang is the city in the area, and it was a further half hour away.
For us, the destination was Hoi An, a world heritage site. The tour was advertised as including three hours of walking in Hoi An, as well as drive through of Da Nang, but no-one seemed to have told our Vietnamese guide that. She had her own agenda. After an hour or so in the coach, we stopped at what we were told was a mountain of marble. In fact we were at a marble factory and shop. The work was interesting, as we saw all the stages, and there were some beautiful pieces. However, the downside was some very heavy and persistent selling. So much so that even Ian got irritated. Any question was met by pressure to buy something. Needless to say we did not. This stop took forty minutes, and should have taken ten.
Back on the coach for a further twenty minutes through the countryside, and we arrived at Hoi An. After disembarking, we visited a silk factory, where they showed us the whole process, from growing the worms, turning them into larva, harvesting and spinning the silk and finally making up the cloth, very interesting, and it took all of ten minutes. Then the hard sell started again. A lot of the passegers, incuing us began to get irritated, as we had yet to start the walking tour of Hoi An, and we had been off the ship for over two hours out of a five hour trip.It was one and half hours back. At this point, our guide began to get the message, and we started walking.
Hoi An is old, and was a port in ancient times. The town was split between the Chinese and Japanese traders, with an old bridge over a canal marking the joint between the two. The bridge itself was four hundred years old, and fascinating. As well as being a bridge, it was also a temple. The streets are relatively narrow, and lined both sides with interesting looking shops, selling mainly clothes and shoes. However, we did not have time to stop, as we had two calls to make. The first was to a 300 years old merchants house, still inhabited by a family that had been in it for six generations. After the is, we moved on to a rather splendid temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea. This was the end of the formal part of the tour, and when our guide sprung her last surpirise on us, by telling us that we had to be back at the coach in half an hour, and it was about a twenty to twenty five minute walk. There was, as on can imagine, quite abit of muttering about this. We made it in half an hour, having taken a detour so that we could walk along the old harbour side.
It was a very attractive and interesting place, and I doubt that even if we had had the full allotted time we could have done justice to it. As it was, our journey back to the ship went through Da Nang, and was mostly done in darkness.
Our brief impressions of Viet Nam were of a lovely country, slowly being spoilt by the demands of foreign currency generation. We saw signs that serious development is beginning to take place, so that the country can compete for the world vacation traffic. It was hot, humid, and quite clean. Traffic competed for road space, be it a bus, truck or two wheeled. The use of the horn was imperative. We saw very few cars or taxis.
We enjoyed what we saw, but wished there had been more of it.

It has been a long time, or so it seems, since the last entry, and we have come a long way.
After crossing the Bay of Bengal, which was uneventful, taking four days, we arrived in Port Kelang. This is the main port in Malyasia, and provided access to Kuala Lumpur.
Having survived the Indian ports, this was a revelation. Clean and well organised, it was pleasure to pass through. So well organised that we actually left on our day long excursion ten minutes ahead of time! The drive in took about an hour, but the time seem to fly by. This probably was due to our guide, a Malay-Chinese lady(Christine) with very good english and a real sense of humour. She was joy to be with. On the tours, there is a laid out programme, which the guides are expected to stick to. Somehow, Christine managed to sneak in an extra in the shape a call at the Taoist-Buddist temple. This was modern, having been completed about seven years ago, though it appeared to be much older. Quite spectacular, and when we arrived there was service going on which added to the drama.
In the middle of the city is Independence Square, a large green space with sports pitches. Our call day was Sunday and on the road at the side was a gathering of well personalised cars, and further down a performance trial was going on. We walked from there to our next point of call. Kuala Lumpur is given its name from the junction of two rivers, and though now in channels, they are still there in the middle of the city. After an excellent lunch, we moved on to the Central Market. Very interesting and fascinating, though we did not buy anything( neither of us are small enough!! for the normal range of clothes on offer)
Our last visit was the Kings Palace, he was at home, but did not invite us for tea. Malaysia is made up of 13 states, of which nine have Sultans. One of these is elected king by the other eight.
He holds the post for five years, and then must stand down. He cannot be elected twice.
From Malaysia, we sailed to Singapore, arriving at midday on 16th. Our arrival was greeted by heavy rain, and that was how it stayed until late afternoon, which rather put a damper on things. We took the cable car over to Sentosa, and island just offshore, but the rain rather spoilt it, so we returned to the ship. We the took the underground into the city centre, and made our way to Raffles Hotel. After exploring the building, we found ourselves in the famous Long Bar. Here we both had the world renowned Singapore Sling. For messy eaters, this place is a must. Peanuts still in the shells are provided, and the shells are discarded onto the floor!
Back to the ship again to shower, and we made our way to China Town, and had supper at a table in the middle of a street, buying our food from a couple of street vendors, and our drink from another. It had stopped raining. Afterwards, we strolled round the remainder of the area, and Sue actually bought something, a rather nice, loose, blue skirt.
Day2 in Sigapore dawned dry, and as we were to discover, very hot. Having had breakfast, we set off for the city, and to Little India, having strolled through its quaint and narrow streets, we walked on to the Arab quarter, This turned out to be very pleasant and attractive part of town. A bit more walking found us at an underground station, and the train took the strain to the main shopping street, Orchard Road. Sue was very happy, as one of the first signs she saw was Marks and Spencers. We had to make a visit, but for the lady readers, this is not a low cost place to shop. Everything was more expensive than Marks in the UK, with some things twice the price. But Orchard Road is not just shopping Malls with air conditioning, it is an experience in itself, and place one can buy just about anything. By now, we were both very hot, sweaty, and a bit frazzled. It was about 3.30pm. We made a decision to return to the ship, shower, change and plan our evening.
Before going on, a bit about the Singapore underground or MRT. All the trains are air condioned, so nice and cool. There are no platforms open to the trains as they are in London. On going to the platform are, one is faced by a long glass wall. The train, which is driverless, comes in, and automatically aligns itself with the doors in the wall, and then both the train and platform doors open together. When they close, they do so with a brief warning, and quickly. There is no opening and closing because someone is trying to hold a door open. They shut hard. On the original two lines, even the staions are air conditioned. The ticketing system is also very different. When you buy a ticket, you pay a refundable deposit. At the end of the journey, you take the ticket to a ticket machine, and get the deposit back. The system is spotlessly clean, and very busy.
Back to our day. After leaving the ship again around 5.30pm, we took the MRT back to the city centre, and had a drink on the 70th floor of the Stamford Hotel, with views overlooking the city.
Another short stroll took us to the Singapore River, and we had singaporean dinner at a table beside the river, watching the small tripper boats leisurely moving up and down. It was quite romantic.
At 11.40pm local time we set sail for our next port of call. This is a change from advertised, and is Chan May, the port for Da Nang. We should have gone into Ho Chi Min City(Saigon) but they are building a new bridge across the river, and we are too big to get underneath the scaffolding.
Both KL and Singapore were great stops. Hot, humid, clean and very interesting.
We would go back to both again, with the emphasis being on Malaysia.

Now we are at sea again, having left India behind us. Three ports of call in three days meant things stood a chance of going a little astray, but more of that later.
First came Mumbai, where we had elected to do the city tour. We were fortunanate in our guide, a lady by the name of Venita, older and had a sense of humour (sometimes a bit black). Overall, our impression was of a rather dirty city, even by Indian standards, but still exciting. It was Sunday, so the shops were closed, and the streets relatively empty. This meant we could get around more easily. The Taj Hotel was a stop en route. It is functionning, but all the ground floor of the old building was still boarded up. At the other extreme was the 'hanging gardens'. This is a lovely open space, so called because it is built as the roof of the main town reservoir. The reservoir was built first in the 1800s, but unfortunately next door to the Zoarastrian Parsee funeral site. Their rites are such that the dead receive a funeral service with the last rites, then the bodies are placed on the 'Tower of Silence' to be disposed of by the carnivorous birds. Unfortunately the birds contaminated the water supplies, the city complained, and the Parsees built a cover rather than move their tower. No 'elf an safety in those days!!
We enjoyed our visit, made the more so by Venita.
The next day found us in Goa. Unfortunately, but to our advantage, the cruise ship terminal is being rebuilt, so we had to moor in the commercial port. The advantage was that we had to see quite a lot of Goa to get to where we were going. Apart from the countryside and villages we passed through, the main points of call were three churches, in the old capital ofGoa. One was built by the Italians in the early 1600s, modelled on St Peters in Rome, and is now deconsecrated. The next was the Basillica,The working cathedral, and contained frescos from the 1500s. Adam and Eve featured, but their faces were indian rather than european. The last was also a working church, dedicated to 'Bom Jesus' but very different to the other two. After another drive through the countryside, we reached the modern capital of Goa called Panjin, very much a mixture of ancient and modern. On the way there we stopped at an India government craft facility. Sue very nearly bought an outfit, but failed as the top was not really made for the 'european shaped' lady. Unfortunately they did not have her size in a colour that fitted. It was a pity, as it looked really nice on her. Compared to Mubai, this was avery clean part of the country.
Last stop was Cochin. We were really looking forward to this one as people had told us how lovely it was. However the best laid plans etc.! For a start, the ship was late on the pilot station by 45 minutes. This may not seem much, but with tight schedules it mattered. Next it took longer to moor than had been allowed. Finally, the local Indian authorities decided to be difficult. The end result was that we were one and half hours late in starting our tour. It should have finished with a harbour tour, with us being on board by 7pm. We did not start the harbour bit until 7.10pm, and finally got back to the ship at 8.15pm. We had 20 minutes harbour tour in the dark, with the local biting things having a field day on our bodies. This was certainly not Olsens finest hour.
So now we are heading for Port Klang in Malaysia, for a day out in Kuala Lumpor. This morning is hot and sunny, but with a lot of wind. About 28 knots at 9am local. The day has got of to a good start, as first time Ian has won the daily golf competition (the prize is an Olsen keyring!). Tomorrow, no doubt he will get a low or nil score, as usual. We nearly won the morning quiz as well, getting 19 out of 20 questions right. we actually got them all right, but before the marking started Ina changed one of the answers, as he was unhappy with the one put down. The old one was the correct one, so we came second and no prize. Still, there is always the afternoon quiz to play for. Another lazy day at sea.

What fun we had on Tuesday evening. An unidentified vessel was spotted approaching the Balmoral from astern by the lookouts, and on the radar. We were, at the time, in 'pirate alley' in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen. The captain took defensive measures ,and all the passengers assembled in what were designated 'safe haven' areas within the ship. Eventually, a warship of the anti pirate patrol, believed to be US, arrived, and the 'pirate' craft left. This all took place at about 8pm ship time, (5pm UK time) We were a little fortunate, in that we had not showered and changed for dinner. It was, to say the least, a little warm in the safe haven. After about half an hour from the alarm being given, the episode was over, and life carried on. The warship stayed with us through the night, and in the morning put up its helicopter to check that no other suspect craft were around. Throughout the whole episode, the captain kept the passengers informed as to what was going on.
It is understood that one British paper(The Sun) published a highly sensational version of events. It just goes to show that you cannot believe all that appears in some papers!
After an uneventful day at sea, we arrived in Salalah in south Oman to refuel, and do excursions. This port is primarily for container transhipment from the large ocean going carriers to smaller boats to serve the Gulf and some of East Africa. The town itself is 22 kilometers from the port, and really does not have that much to commend it. From chats afterwards, we were on the most exciting excursion, and ours included viewing ancient camel footprints solidified in limestone! We also saw the Sultans Palace(he was not at home!), a mosque, the souk where one could buy frankinsense, more frankinsense, and even get a haircut whilst buying frankinsense!! Possibly the most interesting visit was to the museum, whilst the liquid refreshment of fresh coconut juice was most welcome. Our guide was a local one, with a sense of humour. He was telling us about the area and some of its customs. Apparently, arranged marriages are very much the thing, with the bride being decided on by the potential groom's mother and sisters. Also that six children was the norm from such arrangements. He pointed out that under the rules of Islam, a man can have up to four wives. His view was that such an individual needed to be both healthy and wealthy! One interestin fact about the area was that for three months in the summer it rains and is pleasantly cool at around 26 degrees. As a result, many people from the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia come on holiday then. So much so, that the locals set up tents in the desert, and rent out their houses to visitors! We left Salalah at about 1.30pm local(9.30amUK).
Today the sea is calm, and the air temperature at noon was 76 degrees and likely to get hotter. Tonight is another dressing up night, into dinner jackets for gentlemen and posh frocks for ladies.
Our next port of call is Mumbai, and we are due there on Sunday.

The weather has now calmed down, and the heat has arrived. It is now noon local time, or 9am UK, and the outside temperature is 31 degrees. The sea is calm, with a gentle breeze of around 10 to 12 mph. It was a bit overcast earlier, but the sun is now breaking through.
We have another day of this before our next, brief stop,at Salalah in Oman.
Though it has been days at sea, life has not been slow. Ian's golf has been starting the day at 0945, even Sue has a go occasionaly. After that is the morning quiz, or may be go to listen to lecture. Cup of tea is then called for, before stroll round the decks and lunch. To day we have another time change at 2pm, when we will be four hours ahead of UK time. This shortens the afternoon, so today we are going to try to learn the Salsa, instead of Ballroom dancing. Another quiz at 4.15, and then it is time to start to think about getting ready to do our mile round the deck. We are getting quite good now. It is taking us 16 minutes or there abouts. When we started, it took 20. Having got that out of the way, we can sit on our balcony, glass in hand and watch the sunset. Our cabin is on the starboard side of the ship. ( it faces south when we are heading east).
Dinner at 8.30, then the cabaret, then maybe some bopping, and time for bed. Sooo exhausting.

It seems along time since the last posting, and a lot has happened. On Tuesday we stopped in Alexandria. it was sunny, not that warm, and windy. Sue did the city tour, and Ian went to El Alamein. Aparently there was not that much to see in the city, though Sue found the city libaray to be particularly impressive. In ancient history, Alexandria had a famous library but it burnt down centuries ago. The modern one is a fine replacement. The trip to El Alamein was interesting. The coast road runs about half a mile to a mile from the sea shore. The whole way from Alex to El Al was lined by holiday property developments, all120 kilometres! Not just single properties, but also large multi ocupancy blocks, though none were more than 3 stories high. Our guide kept telling us that these were owned by wealthy Egyptians. There have to be an awful lot of them! As might be realised, this rather diminished the effect of the museum etc at El Alamein. Still, it was very well done and impressive. The British war cemetery is on the land side of the road, which runs along a ridge, and overlooks the battlefield.
After Alex came Port Said. The only thing really to be said about it is that it was cleaner than Alex. We did not do anything much, apart from stroll round the town in the morning(everything closed until midday) and then walk along the beach promenade in the afternoon. At least it was cleaner than the beach! The weather was kind, the wind had dropped, and the temperature reached 17 degrees.
We left at 0100 in the morning to transit the Suez Canal. One side, the west, is quite built up, whilst the other is desert. Ships go through in convoy, there being two southbound and two northbound convoys each 24 hours. This is because the dug parts are only wide enough for one vessel. The convoys pass in the Bitter Lakes in the middle. Our ship was initially in the middle, but for some reason we were allowed to move to the front when we reached the lakes. Looking back, one saw quite an impressive sight. After leaving the canal, at about 7pm, we turned left up the Gulf of Akaba to Akaba itself. This is to be found at the head of the gulf, and is in Jordan.Next to it is Eilat, which is in Israel, and then Tarba in Egypt. On the south side about half an hour away is Saudi Arabia.
Our trip here was an overnight one to Wadi Rum and Petra. ONce on the coach, in lovely sunshine, we met our gude for the twodays, Basil. One of the first things he told us was that the south part of Jordan can experience alll four weather seasons in one day. Another was that he could prove we were all cousins, and that is wahat he called us for the rest of the trip. Quite endearing in a funny way.
It was about an hour to Wadi Rum, and the first thing we noticed on getting out of the coach was that it was very cold with a biting wind. On leaving the caoch, we transferred into what was loosely called a Jeep. The collection we travelled in would not have looked out of place in a UK scrap yard, but they did have four wheel drive to go into the Desert. This is Lawrence of Arabia country, and the weather was still fighting the battle,or so it seemed. It is also important in the ancient history of the area, and a race called the Abateans, who were around about two thousand years ago. They were mainly traders, and it was they who built Petra. Still, back to the wadi. We are sure it would have been realklly impressive on a nice day, but when one is coping with blasting rain, a bitterly cold wind and a sand storm, one is not really able to do aplace justice. Before we left the ship, they had said it might be cold, so we had taken fleeces. In hindsight, we would have been better off if we had taken our clothes brought for Alaska!!
FRom Wadi Rum, we moved on by coach to Petra. Now, that was an interesting journey. The wind was rocking the coach, and thrain trying to strip the paint of. It gave up and handed over to snow (or rather a blizzard). The traffic police closed the motorway to all but a few vehicles, either coaches, or 4x4s.We got through to Petra, but the descent into the town, which is confusingly called Wadi Musa, brought its own excitement. It is a pretty steep drop, and we found ourselves in the middle of a snowball fight. Reaching the hotel, The Movenpick, was like reaching a sanctuary.
We had a early start next morning to walk the few steps to the gates to Petra. It was dry, but very cold with a biting wind. The gates are only the beginning, as it is about 2 kilometres from there to what one recognises as Petra.It is all downhill, and the first 600 mtres are in the open, before one gets to the defile. Apparently this is part of the geographical fault line that includes the Great Rift Valley in Africa. Our guide, the excellent Basil, kept us well up to speed with all sorts of things that we would have passed unnoticing, if he had not been there.
Once through the defile, the first thing one sees is the famous Treasury building that everyone associates with Petra. but that is only the start. If one had the time and inclination, one probably needs two days to explore properly, rather that our five hours. What one can say is that it is an experience not to be missed. One thing to be said, is of the amazing colours in the sandstone, particularly after the sun broke through. The walk back is a good cardiovascular test, as it is all uphill. One could have hired a pony cart to traverse the defile, or a horse to do the bit from there back to the gates. But not us. We felt fit, young and sorry for them if they had to carry us.
To day is Sunday, St David's Day. It is windy, about 30 knots of wind, warm at 23 degrees, and a moderate sea, as we head down the Red Sea for Salalah in Oman. We have to round Aden, and avoid the pirates from Somalia to get there. We are due there on Thursday morning.

So we have done Malta! Well, we did the harbour cruise, which was very interesting and full of history, and then we went into Valleta. It was carnival time, and apparently the carnival in Malta is the fourth largest in the world. Certainly the floats that we saw were big and bolod. The actual parade was due on Sundat, and we were there on Saturday. However the place was packed, because it was the childrens day. One could hardly move for people and all the children in fancy dress. Many of them were very extravagent and beautiful. There were others, on some of the older children that definitely reminded one of the song that goes 'does your mother know...'!
We enjoyed our stroll round and seeing the sights. Malta is a bit like Dubai, or so it seemed. Full of building sites and cranes.
Our departure was just after sunset, and sailing out of Grand Harbour was quite magical. That was after the captain had turned the ship around by backing off the berth, and reversing at the same time as turning through 90degrees into the creek opposite. It was a bit tight, as this ship is quite long.
Our weather has continued to be kind to us, with moderate seas, and the wind from astern. Lastnight was another black tie night, and today we have had a deck BBQ at lunch time, with a tea dance this afternoon. This is being composed after our daily, when at sea, mile(4 laps) on the promenade deck. We have also adopted a policy of walking everywhere, stairs not lifts!
Tuesday sees us in Alexandria, where we are doing different things. Sue is to explore the city, and Ian is going on a trip to El Alamein. After that is Port Said on wednesday, then the transit of the Suez Canal

So, another day at sea. And how did we spend it? Well, it was hectic!
First one has to decide if one is getting up for breakfast. Next, the day's activities which can start as early as 9.45 with indoor golf. To be followed by listening to one of the guest speakers. Now is time to gather ones wits, have a cup of tea and get ready for the first of the days quizzes. after the quiz, a lie down( to rest the brain) or may be a gentle stroll around the deck (unless you are Sue, and do 4 times at high speed, making a mile!). After lunch is a quiet time for sunbathing, but the 4.15 quiz is loomimg on the horizon. Following yet another cup of tea, it is time for both of us to be energetic, and complete the measured mile. Dinner comes after maybe a drink or two, then the evening show, a bit of dancing and time for bed.
This is being written at 6.15, and we have just passed Tunis, with the island of Panatelleria coming up on our starboard side. The sea is a bit rough, and there is quite a strong wind on our northern side.

We sailed out of Dover at 8.15pm on Saturday 14th. The way the ship was moored,meant that we had to go out backwards.
The run from there down to Lisbon was excellent. The weather was very kind, in that there was no real wind, the sea was calm, and after we had rounded Ushant into the Bay of Biscay, the skies were blue.
Lisbon was warm and sunny. We did our own thing, getting up late, and leaving the ship around 1030 to walk to the local train station,about 15 minutes. The local train service along the coast is very good, and actually runs along the seaside to Cascais. It took about half an hour. After a stroll around in the sunshine, we bumped into some friends off the ship and had lunch with them before wandering down th coastal promenade towards Lisbon, as far as Estoril. It took us about 40 minutes, before catching the train back to the ship.
The ship left Lisbon at 6pm on 17th Feb, and cruised down the Portugese coast , turning for therun towards Gibraltar. We passed Gibraltar at 1.30pm on 18th, and are heading for Malta, due to arrive at 6am on Saturday

Having said that I would put the second leg map on at Singapore, I realised that as it is held on my PC, which will be switched off, it would have to be done before we leave. My apologies to those whose geography is a little scetchy. It will remain in place(unless I can find a way of moving it!), and can be got at by scrolling back through the blog at any time.

The second leg

Deciding that the first attempt resulted in a map that was a bit indistinct, a second has been made. This should mean that no-one will get eyestrain trying to decipher it. The larger ersion of the second leg will be put in place when it starts in Singapore

Off we go on Valentine's day

We're leaving on Sat 14 February. We are due to start from Kingsteignton, for Dover, at the uneartly hour of 7.50am. We sail from Dover on board Balmoral, one of the Fred Olsen cruise boats later that afternoon. Our first port of call will be Lisbon.
The ultimate destination is Vancouver, and we fly back from there to Gatwick on 24th April, arriving on 25th.
Our route is through the Med, via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, to India and then to Malaya and Singapore. That is the end of the first leg. The next part takes in Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, Alaska and finally Canada.
All told, the trip is ten weeks, and we will be endeavouring to report the highlights along the way.
The trip is split into two legs, and to try to give an indication of where we are going, a small map will be included for each one. I say small, because that it is how they seem to come out, when posted.
For the first leg, a couple of alterations should be noted.Instead of Port Said, the port of call is Alexandria, and Cochin has replaced Trivandrum as the third stop in India.