Paul's reflections on the trip. Plus a few photos. There are lots more...
There's a lot here, so I've broken it up into sections. Just click on the link to get to where the section starts.
It all began in October 2022, when, at Rachel's 49th birthday meal, I presented her with her 50th birthday present. I'd been squirreling a bit of cash away, here and there, and so gave her a budget for her birthday treat. Although I put up alternatives, such as a new kitchen, I knew that she'd want to spend it on travel. I knew that she'd really enjoy planning and anticipating the trip (hence the huge forward notice and also not just presenting her with an itinerary) and I suspected that the trip would be to somewhere she'd never been before - Asia and Australasia being most likely.
It took a few months of looking at options and alternatives and almost settling on a 3-week rail journey across Australia, before a cruise around south-east Asia, starting in Hong Kong and ending in Singapore, was booked. Just the flights there and back to arrange. Except... we would be returning on December 23rd and our house-and-pet sitters (not yet booked) would be unlikely to want to leave so close to Christmas. And besides, we were so close to so many other places we'd always want to go to. So we extended the trip a bit. Then a friend told us that if we were that close to China we ought to go and see real China (as Hong Kong isn't). And so the trip had a prequel added to it. Eventually all was booked and we would be away for 2 months (22 Nov to 22 Jan), a total of 62 days.
We started with a flight to the UK, in order to see friends, family, and for Paul to do a bit of teaching. It was nice to see everyone, but it isn't what this page is actually about. Day 13 did have the start of the flight to Beijing though. The trip to Heathrow was easy enough - especially after some more Googling showed that our baggage allowance was higher than we thought - and we were soon at the check-in desk. We had a small wobble there when our lack of visa (we're in Beijing for less than 5 days so don't need one) seemed to be holding things up. Once we had the details of our onward flight sorted, we were through though. We could relax. The flight itself was relatively trouble-free aside from the seats not being overly comfortable, even with the extra cushion they provide. Air China got our food sorted fine and even had a mains socket on the seat so I didn't need to worry about my tablet running out of power halfway through a film.
We had little sleep and the arrival time of 2pm(ish) felt like 6am(ish). We think that explains why we missed the "temporary visa" booth we should have gone to before the "immigration for foreigners" one. So we had to go back and then return with the correct paperwork in hand. We had a bit of a delay as we didn't know our onward flight details, as the tour agent was arranging that and had said we wouldn't need it. Fortunately Rachel had him as a contact on WeChat so she just handed the policeman her phone. Once through we met our guide (Jack) and a driver, who took us to the hotel and checked us in. The temporary visa thing is relatively new so not everyone knows about it so it was helpful to have Jack with us who could explain. We then set a 2-hour timer and caught up on some sleep (we've fallen for the "oh we'll just doze and then wake up" fallacy when we did an all-night trip to Mount Sinai and didn't intend to do that again) before venturing out for a short walk and some food. It was decent food, more than we really wanted (we had no idea of portion sizes when we ordered) but incredibly cheap. We then had some fun and games seeing what parts of the Internet we could see (Microsoft good, Google bad).
The temperature was nowhere near as low as we'd been expecting so we ventured out on foot. We walked around the Ming Dynasty Wall Memorial Park, which was a pleasant stroll, and then headed to the Temple of Heaven. This is a massive park that was largely allowed to fall into disrepair in the early 1900s, but was renovated and reopened as a cultural site in 1998 (which explained why so much of it looked relatively new). From pre-trip research we knew that the admission ticket we wanted was the combined one as it allowed entry into all the buildings. What we didn't know was that I got free entry due to my age (so it does have some benefits). The park took a long time to walk around but was worth it. As today was supposed to be a low-activity one (in order to recover from the flight) we headed back to the hotel instead of exploring further. We only walked 14km, so it wasn't that active really...
After a short run (5km - me only), we went out for Peking Duck (well, Rachel did - I had some spicy mushrooms) at one of the restaurants that had been recommended by a friend on Tenerife, but they had an hour's wait. Someone on the street recommended the place next door, so we went there. You had to enter through the duck preparation area, which seemed odd. It was good food and very reasonable in terms of cost. Rachel enjoyed her duck - Paul's spicy mushrooms had a lot of chillis that needed extracting. It also added another 6km to the day's walking.
Jack and the driver were on time to collect us and drove us to Tiananmen Square, where security is very high (it is the seat of government after all). There was interest in my Steadicam and I had a knife on my carabinier (the latter not a sensible thing to have been carrying anyway) but we got in OK and Jack guided us through the square and then into the Forbidden City. This was one long route of palaces and courtyards, each with a special name. There were a lot of symbolic statues and we learned that the number 9 was important, as it was the number of the emperor - so there were rows of 9 metal domes adorning the doors and the floor had 9 layers, for example. At the far end was Jingshan Park which contained an artificial hill which we climbed for better views back. From there our driver collected us and took us to the Summer Palace which had a beautiful lake and the longest covered walkway we've ever done (plus yet more palaces). Our feet were pleased that this was a one-way trip as we met our driver at the far end who returned us to the hotel for some well-earned rest.
Today Jack and our driver took us out to see the Great Wall. No matter how many times you've seen photos of it, nothing beats actually standing on it. It is massive and looks like it goes on forever as it wends across the hillsides and up and down the mountain. We only walked a small section of it, from the cable car station at the 14th Tower (we really recommend taking the cable car up rather than the steep 1-hour walk) to the toboggan descent at the 6th Tower. The toboggan run was fun, in small sleds on a steel track, but isn't the best reason for visiting the site. From there we went to the Sacred Way, which runs through the site of the tombs of most of the emperors (it's a huge site so we were relieved not to be walking the whole thing) and then stopped off to see the Olympic Park and especially the Birds Nest Stadium, which (like the wall) is far more impressive than any photo can convey. It was only 4km of walking but felt like a lot more. So I did a 10km run just to make up the distance.
The flight was easy and uneventful - it was just over 3 hours and we were still in the same country, which gives an idea of how big China is. We were transferred to our hotel in a very nice car - we'd heard that pre-booked transport was expensive and the standard of the car showed why, especially when we took a normal taxi (far more basic) later in order to go to Star Bay. We were there to catch the Star Ferry - it doesn't go anywhere, just out into the bay in order to see the evening fireworks and light show. It was a decent show, but is probably just as good from the land (and much cheaper).
Due to our boarding time having been brought forward, we had a bit of a rush (and a very early start) in order to do the things we'd planned. The first of these was a trip up the peak on Hong Kong island (our hotel was on the mainland in Kowloon) via the funicular tram. This was quite steep in places but there is a charm to these trains that others just don't seem to have. We were fortunate that visibility was very good and so we were able to enjoy the views from the sky terrace 428 before enjoying the walk down. There were again some steep bits but the walk itself was worth it. We continued heading down and were pleasantly surprised to find that the Botanical Gardens and Zoo were not only on our route, but were open to all, so we walked through them. A short bus ride took us to our next activity: an antique tram ride through the city. It ran on the same tracks as the new commercial ones and the contrast was quite striking. There was an audio commentary to go with it, which had various interesting facts about the buildings that we passed. Once you have seen the koalas climbing the glass building, you can't unsee them. We had time for a short stroll along the waterfront before time ran out and we had to return to our hotel to collect our bags then catch another taxi to the cruise terminal. It was slightly concerning that the boot wouldn't close on our cases so the driver held it down with a bungy, but it worked. Once on board we were able to relax, not needing to be anywhere at any specific time for over a day. It did feel odd handing over our passports, but apparently law/regulations say that the ship keeps them until we disembark.
A day of relaxing, to recover from the last couple of weeks and to prepare for the next few days. We explored the ship and took advantage of the gym and sauna. It's a nice ship, with the glass elevators in the central atrium an especially nice feature. We sailed down the coast of China and through the channel between Xuwen and Haikou on our way to Vietnam.
A taxi picked us up and took us on a mildly scary journey to a harbour for today's excursion. At roundabouts and junctions cars just seem to weave in and out with no consideration for lanes or right of way. It was probably more controlled than it seemed, but it felt like our driver was relying on his horn and other drivers to get out of the way. Ha Long Bay is full of tiny islands (famously the bay of a thousand islands), each a small peak rising from the sea and most are probably less than a km to walk around (not that you can walk around them - they're very steep). Our boat trip took us out among the islands, landing first of all at Hang Sung Sot for a short uphill walk to a massive cave, which we then walked through. It was very spectacular and even beat the one on Lanzarote that we previously thought was the best we'd been to. From there we sailed to another island (the name of which I forgot to write down) for some kayaking. This took us through a small tunnel into a large lagoon (technically a lagoon doesn't have an opening to the sea, but "inland sea" doesn't sound right) and we enjoyed paddling around it. Our final stop was at Titop Island where Rachel went swimming while I climbed the 90+m to the peak where the observation deck allowed views over the whole bay. As good as Beijing had been, this was easily the best day of the trip (so far). Despite all the exertions of the day, I still managed a 4km run from the ship to the dock entrance (twice - on the second loop all the lights went out so I was glad I wasn't planning on a longer run).
After yesterday this was a quieter day and as we were setting sail at 1:30pm we only really had time (and energy) to walk into the town, where Rachel got her nails done at a twentieth of the price she'd have paid onboard. We therefore spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow's big trip.
We had booked a private car to take us to the Ba Na Hills. We did this as it was less than the cost for one person to do the ship's tour to there. We were also able to stop off at two places on the way for a little sightseeing. The first was a massive lake (Tuan Chau) and the second was the Hai Van pass over the mountain which afforded great views. It was a bit of a detour to see them but was worth it - we took the more direct route through a very long tunnel on the way back though. Scooters are everywhere and not always with a great deal of road sense. They behaved something like the electric bikes in Beijing but less safely. During our planning for the trip we had considered hiring a scooter to get around, but seeing them out on the road were glad we'd not done so. Ba Na Hills itself is a massive man-made complex akin to Disneyland, in that there are loads of themed areas, free funfair rides (plus a few "extra cost" ones), massive spaces to wander around (buildings and gardens) and loads and loads of tourists. We were there in low season and it was very full, so what it's like in high season we didn't care to contemplate. One major difference with Disney though is its location - it is at the top of a set of very tall hills and is best reached by a very long cable car (for tourists there probably isn't any other route - the roads we saw did look like they were for construction traffic only). The fact that there are at least four routes (and they seemed to be building a new one) gives an idea of the scale of the place. Another indication that this was low season was that only two of the routes were operating. We spent several hours up there, wandering around. Many of the sights (such as the iconic bridge held up by two enormous hands) do need to be seen to be appreciated - the photos don't really do them justice. As part of her exercise regime, Rachel had done a series of virtual Vietnam runs and this bridge (plus Ha Long Bay) were part of it. It was far too crowded to run it in real life. The height and season meant that there was a lot of cloud about, but we were fortunate to be able to see everything we wanted to. Whilst there we experienced the toboggan ride (even better than the one we did at the Great Wall), an immersive aerial tour over many famous cities and landmarks (which took immersive a bit far when we unexpectedly got sprayed with water over an ocean, although it was followed up with the heat lamps for the desert sun) and tried some local food. The coin cake was huge and only came in a serving of two, so even with one pack between us we couldn't finish it. Having seen it cooked, we were ready for the cheese in the centre, but had expected the outer to be more like a waffle than the cake it transpired to be. We also tried an egg caramel coffee, which was very strong and very sweet at the same time. We'd have the cake again (provided there were 4 of us) but probably not the coffee. Once back at the port I went out for a short run (keeping my "run in every port" going) and was chased by a port official on a motorbike who wanted to know where I was going - he was happy enough with my "one kilometre" answer, even if I did really do 2 before I turned around to run back. The temperature was reasonable, but the humidity is very sapping, so I was glad I'd not gone further.
This was our wedding anniversary so it was nice to have a relaxing day for it. We celebrated with a meal at Le Petit Chef in the evening.
Ho Chi Minh city is about 2 hours from the cruise port, which we did by coach. It was a fascinating drive through the area, with its small workshops and bars, livestock, large ornate temples and submerged fields. And traffic - lots and lots of traffic. The journey to the outskirts of the city takes about 80 minutes, the rest is working your way into the centre. The city itself was very hot, very humid, very noisy and very French - the old colonials have left a huge mark on the place (one of the architects was Eiffel of tower fame), which the modern population are often keen to continue in terms of architecture (in between the obligatory glass skyscrapers of course). Having arrived we decided to go and look at the river, but met our first challenge - crossing the road. A local tuk tuk driver showed us how to get over by just stepping out, waving a lot at traffic and expecting the cars and scooters to weave their way around you. It worked fine and looking around was clearly the expected method, aside from at a few crossings where everything - even the scooters - actually stopped at red lights to let pedestrians across. It still took a bit of nerve until we got used to it. We then followed a walk that Rachel had downloaded, which took us around several of the major sights in the city centre. This included the City Hall, Opera House, Post Office (yes, it is worth a visit), Notre Dame Cathedral (yes, there is more than one), the Independence Palace and the Ben Thanh market. Most things we just saw from the outside, but we did wander through the market where (had we the space in our luggage) it seemed we could buy anything we wanted. How many of the brand names were genuine though was a different question. We spent most of our time at the Independence Palace, which has been preserved as a national monument. It also tells some of the story of the end of the Vietnam war and lived up well to the adage that history is written by the victors. It also boasts some very nice cafes, which may also explain why we spent so much time there. The coach journey back was just as fascinating as the one to the city and once back I ran a short 3km in the not-quite-so-hot evening on the (very short) running track on the ship. I ran there before on the first day of the cruise and had spent a lot of time dodging around people but on this occasion dinner had recently started so there were fewer "obstacles" this time.
More relaxing... (it's a hard life). The sea days are being quite appreciated on this trip as we are packing a lot into our shore days.
Like Ho Chi Minh city, Bangkok was about a 2-hour drive from the cruise terminal but this time we didn't take a ship excursion but instead booked a taxi there and a taxi back. It was mostly motorway each way, so wasn't as interesting a view as we drove. Possibly the most interesting part was discovering that Thailand drives on the left (unless it was just our driver...). Bangkok itself was more open than I expected - the skyscrapers exist but certainly weren't in the majority for the part of the city we were in. We started in the main backpacker area, a large street full of restaurants and cheap clothing and adjacent to a major park (Sanam Luang square). We had planned 2 walks - one around several temples (and there are a phenomenal amount of them to choose from - there are so many that our guidebook didn't bother to mention several large ones we walked past) and one through Chinatown. Most of the temples we viewed from outside, but did go into (and spend a lot of time in) Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha. The temple grounds are very ornate and there is a lot of gold on the rooftops. As with most temples there are dress code restrictions (no uncovered knees and shoulders) which were mostly well observed by the visitors (we had brought stuff specifically for this) but the major policing of the requirement seemed to be by people who would also sell you compliant clothing. The Buddha itself is massive - 46 metres long and 15 metres high (and remember that he's lying down so that's 46 metres tall and 15 wide) and was clearly the place to take selfies with queues for the best places. The weather was hot and quite humid, but not as bad as Ho Chi Minh had been, but we still took advantage of some nice cafes en route. Bangkok has been described as the "Venice of the east" and the numerous canals that you come across and cross over as you walk about shows why. The bridges aren't as ornate as Venice, but they're easier to cross as they're not full of tourists taking selfies. Chinatown was interesting, especially the market, which is one long narrow street packed full of stalls, not all of which were clear in what they were selling. After a pause for dinner in a genuine Thai restaurant (Rachel asked for the soup to be "low spicy", but it was still slightly over her preferred level) we looked at some of the city lights (the river was well lit) and headed to our rendezvous to meet our driver. The return journey was faster, emphasising the uneven nature of the road surface. We were exhausted when we got back so for once I skipped the evening run.
After a very tiring day yesterday we decided to stay on the ship. The ship was docked in a massive container port with nothing nearby (as we observed when being driven off of it in the taxi yesterday) so not even a gentle stroll was possible. I did do a short run though, in order to keep up my "run in every port" ambition.
Koh Samui is a decent sized island that is part of Thailand. One thing it does lack though is a cruise terminal, so for the first time ever we had to get to shore via a tender. This was a simple enough process and we were soon in the town. After a bit of confusion we met our driver for the day, who also acted partly as a guide, telling us a few things about the island and the areas we visited. We did a circuit of the island (so saw lots of coastline and had the opportunity to visit lots of beaches, which we declined) which took about 3 hours. We saw quite a few temples (all ornate and, to be honest, starting to get a bit samey - although the mummified monk was very different), some wonderful views, some strange-shaped rocks (called grandfather and grandmother for reasons I won't divulge here) and visited a spectacular waterfall. All of the places were busy (so we were clearly hitting the highlights) and many were reached via narrow roads so we were very glad we weren't driving and were in the hands of someone who drove these roads regularly. On the walk back from the waterfall we passed an opportunity to feed some elephants. I say "passed" but Rachel was never going to walk past an opportunity like that. Elephants fed, we returned to the harbour, strolled a little around the town (but there's not a lot there) and returned to the ship. Koh Samui is a nice island, well worth the visit and sadly was our last port of call before disembarkation.
This was our final day of this cruise so was filled with eating, drinking, snoozing, running and getting ready for the next stage of the trip (including packing). The ship had a long way to go to Singapore, so was going quite fast which meant a bit of rolling as it did so. It felt a bit odd, after how calm our journey down had been, but was nowhere near as bad as when we crossed the Bay of Biscay a few years ago. As long as you didn't try to walk in a straight line you were fine.
This day marked the half-way point of our time away from home (but not yet the half-way point of our time in South-East Asia). We didn't see a lot of Singapore - just the cruise terminal, some views from the taxi (all the signs were in English which was a surprise) and the airport. We're coming back later for a couple of days so didn't feel like we were missing out. It was a very early start though (5:30 alarm) so everything felt later than it really was. Our flight was also delayed by about an hour, which added to how late it felt by the time we got to Manila. The traffic isn't as bad as you've heard, but far worse. And then even worse than that. Our taxi ride from the airport to the apartment we were staying in was about 7km in length and Google had told us it should take about half an hour. Not at the time we were there (which the taxi driver said was exceptionally bad, even by Manila standards). It took three hours, most of which was at complete standstill. Google then let us down again by taking us down a narrow dead end - it knew where the apartment block was, but didn't know about the correct road to get us there. Very tired we arrived at the gate house, lugged our cases the 0.5km to the correct block and finally arrived. We had planned to be here a lot earlier and therefore have time to explore a little of the area, but we were too tired to do so now. We asked the various security guards around (there are a lot and just about every shop has at least one - but they are helpful and friendly to lost and disoriented foreigners) where we could eat and were directed to the petrol station next door, which had a Wendy's and a small stall (which we suspected was churros but weren't completely sure) plus a very small food store. We ate what we could at Wendy's (to be fair, the mango salad was quite good), bought some drinks and headed back.
Manila is not like any other capital city we'd ever visited - it is several cities all squeezed together. The bits you'd like to see are therefore quite spread out (unlike, say, London) and so we got to know a bit more of the transportation system today. We started by looking for a bus stop, then (when we found it and realised the next bus was in 53 minutes) asked for help from the security guard at the hospital we were outside. He recommended and flagged down a taxi for us, turned the first one down because he said it was too expensive (I said they were helpful), flagged down another and agreed a price and off we went. We were early to the cafe we were due to meet our guide in, so had time for breakfast before meeting her. Mari was very friendly and helpful and took us on a tour of Chinatown (with a couple of small detours to point out some other things). She took us to lots of sights, told us a lot of history and introduced us to some food and drink we'd not tried before - the halo-halo drink was Rachel's favourite, whereas I preferred the spicy ricecake. The route included markets, street vendors and could have included a great deal of food, were it not for my vegetarianism, Rachel's gluten intolerance and the large breakfast we'd just had. Two hours later we were back (via a motorcycle and sidecar ride - the cabin was clearly built to house three Filipinos and not two Europeans but we squeezed in, although it made some of the corners interesting) at the same cafe. We bid Mari farewell and set out on our afternoon walk around some of old Manila. A lot of the places we went had been rebuilt several times - either due to fire, the second world war, uprisings, or just poor building. It became quite a common theme as we walked around old fortresses, churches, city walls and parks (which often used to be fortresses until one of the aforementioned events occurred). Manila wasn't as hot, or as humid, as some of the places we'd visited so far, but we did get rained on for the first time - not much and it was warm. We ended up in the largest park in Manila, Rizal Park. It was nice to wander around and then we had to get back to our apartment. This started with a search for a taxi, then a bus stop and finally we took the railway (the LRT in this case) to Baclaran. These trains have a poor reputation for overcrowding, but we've been on far worse tubes (and these trains have air conditioning). Our stop was in the middle of the largest market we have ever been in. The gaps between stalls (often just goods on the ground) are narrow, the crowds large and progress (if you're just trying to get out) is very slow. There seemed to be just about everything for sale - mostly clothing and accessories with brand names that we were fairly sure weren't genuine, at very cheap prices. When we finally got out, we picked up a jeepney back to Sucat (the area we were staying in). These are minibus-like public transport vehicles which look like an elongated old jeep. There are loads travelling the same route at the same time and the protocol is to just flag one down and jump in (avoiding the very low roof), slide into a seat and then attempt to pay. For passengers further back this involves passing money hand-to-hand down to the cashier (if there is one - otherwise it's the driver who handles change whilst manoeuvring through scooters), then passing the change back. It's all very co-operative with lots of shuffling about to make space and passing the money about. There were also passengers reminding other passengers of the arrival of their stops. We got off at a supermarket, shopped, and walked back to our apartment past a series of restaurants that we'd have found last night if only we'd kept walking. We'd booked this apartment as it had a washing machine (so we didn't have to carry twice as many clothes as we actually had), so began that marathon task.
A quiet start to the day, as we planned the rest of it and caught up on some rest. We reversed our route of yesterday in order to get into central Manila and then checked into our hotel for the night. As today was Christmas Eve and we were planning to attend a late service, we didn't fancy trying to get back to the apartment so had booked a bed for the night. They say you get what you pay for and we certainly did. The bed was comfortable enough, but the hotel didn't supply towels (to be fair, we'd seen a review that said this but thought "surely not..."), the facilities were very basic and the noise in the neighbourhood was very high. Still, it was better than the trip back at almost midnight. Before we got to experience the nightlife though, we walked to the church (in order to be sure where it was). An overwhelming impression of central Manila is of poverty - we lost count of the number of men, women and children who asked us for money (with varying levels of subtlety). Many of the children had boxes in Christmas wrapping paper, so may have been purely for the occasion, but we doubted it. None were threatening but the sheer number was a bit overwhelming. Living in London we'd seen a lot of begging (especially on the Tube) but nothing on this scale. From the church we caught a bus (another form of transport ticked off) up to Nino Aquino parks and wildlife centre. Once we got off the bus we couldn't work out how to get there (even the Filipinos weren't crossing this road) so we walked a little until we found an underpass. This took us to a completely different park (the Quezon Memorial Circle) which had a big event on. It was interesting in itself, so we stayed there for a while. At one point we stopped for a drink and (after being stared at for a while) Rachel had a nice chat with an 8-year-old boy (who was surprised when she told him how old he was, just after he'd said which year he was born in) who insisted that we try his favourite food (that we'd never heard of so probably won't). We then walked to the restaurant we'd booked for the evening. The curiously-named "Van Gogh is bi-polar" is as quirky as its name. The entrance is hidden (we had to ask) behind a wardrobe with a mirrored door - it was like something out of Narnia. The interior is well decorated and the whole experience (our waiter and possibly the owner told us) was a living art installation. It lived up to it (the flaming Absinthe was quite a spectacle) and the food was good - a very good experience and well worth the walk. We had planned to take the train back to the church, but were told that they had stopped running at 8pm (did I mention this was Christmas Eve?) and so we walked to where we thought we could get a jeepney from, failed and gave up and called a Grab (the local version of Uber). The church (St Stephen's) were very friendly and Rachel got to hand over the Christmas card that she'd brought from All Saints to the priest. The choir were excellent, the readings mostly in English (and the one that wasn't had the English words on the screen) and the whole experience flowed well. We declined to stay for refreshments but instead headed back to our hotel, where the street parties were in full flow. "Silent Night" it wasn't. We posted a "Happy Christmas" message as it was now Christmas Day for us, whereas our friends and family still had 8 hours to wait.
The parties finally quietened down at about 8am, at which point we could hear the traffic again. Although we'd not had a great night's sleep, we still thought it better than attempting the journey back last night. We caught a train to the Bay area and walked around a bit of this, finding a little breakfast on the way before the exhaustion of yesterday finally caught up with us and we took a taxi back to the supermarket, shopped for the day (this was Christmas Day in a predominantly Christian country but most things were operating as usual - maybe some reduced hours but as we didn't know the normal ones, we couldn't really tell) and took some well-earned rest. This was possibly the hottest day of our trip so far so we were very grateful for the air conditioning in the apartment.
We planned on a bit of a rest day, but... I started by getting up early (just after sunrise) in order to run (as it's far too hot at normal times), then in the afternoon we decided to walk across to the lake we can see from our apartment. It was an interesting walk down some very busy roads and we paused at a shopping mall (called Lakefront) on the way. Only a coffee shop was open. In fact, only the coffee shop still existed. The mall is also poorly named in that it's quite a walk to the real lake front, but after a drink we headed down to it. It's called a lake but (just like the American ones) is more of an inland sea in terms of its size, really. The lakefront we could get to was in a nice public park and after taking in the views we headed back, aiming for a definitely bigger shopping mall the other side of where we were staying. We actually found a restaurant we could both eat at there, so did so, before heading back. Our leisurely walk was just over 9km in length.
We were up early in order to meet our driver for the day, as we were going out of Manila itself and south then east. Our first port of call was Taal Lake. This is another huge lake (but nowhere near as big as the one we walked to yesterday) and has an active volcano in the middle of it. The best place to view it is from the hills above and one of the best places to do that is at Starbucks Hiraya. It's the only Starbucks we've ever been to (not that we've been to many) that has a formal queuing system in order to get in. And that's just to join the queue to order your drinks. They have a strict 2-hour parking rule but fortunately don't start the clock until you get to place your order (which is another sign of how popular this place is). It was well worth it though and the views were indeed spectacular. The volcano is at level 2 (out of 5) and there is smoke rising steadily from it. We then drove down to the lakeside in order to get a different view, before heading east to Pagsanjan. We wanted to go there in order to do the boat trip up the river to the Pagsanjan falls, where you can take a boat under and behind the waterfall. Sadly the river conditions weren't allowing the full trip and the first place we stopped at was only offering a trip through 5 rapids to a lesser waterfall. At the same price as the full trip (which has 13 rapids). We were not impressed and so tried another place. This only did 4 rapids and stopped at the same point (so we believed the safety line we'd been given earlier) but again wanted their full price for this abbreviated trip. Reluctantly we agreed to pay it, having travelled so far and there being no alternative place to view the river from (it's in a massive canyon). We found out later that the prices are regulated and set by the mayor, so there was no opportunity for haggling, even if they'd wanted to. In the end, the abbreviated trip was well worth the money we spent, so the full one should be considered a bargain (should you ever get the opportunity to do it). The lack of the full trip did mean that the river was fairly quiet - in peak season it can be quite busy, we read. It started with the canoe we were in being towed upriver to the first of the four rapids. The two men in the canoe with us (our guides) expertly took the canoe (with us in it) through little side channels and on one occasion up and over some branches laid across the river to create a way to get upriver around these obstacles. We were very impressed by their athleticism and skill in doing this. Finally we reached our turnaround point, a couple of magnificent waterfalls. If these were the minor ones then the main one must be exceptionally beautiful. We got out of the canoe for photos, then headed back down the rapids. If we thought we'd gotten wet on the way up then it was nothing compared to going back down. It even rained on us at one point, but there was no way to tell aside from seeing it in the air. Our guides also had to bale the canoe out at one point as it had taken on so much water. It was a marvellous experience and well worth the journey time to get there. We met our driver and then mostly retraced our route back to our apartment. Manila's traffic was building up and our estimated arrival time just kept going up, but we got there, still slightly damp, and had no intention of leaving the apartment again that day.
We both got up feeling quite weary. Manila and its surroundings have been quite exhausting and even though we spent most of yesterday just sat in a car, we finally took the idea of a rest seriously. This day marked the half-way point in our adventure (as long as you include Istanbul in it, which isn't South-East Asia at all, but is part of our grand tour). It was odd to think that something we had spent over a year planning was already half over. However Beijing did seem a long time ago, so there's still a lot to see and do and time to do it in. We completed our rest day with a very nice meal out at the restaurant we went to on day 35, as we liked it so much.
Our final day started with me attempting a run, but my ankle had had enough so I had to abandon that idea. So instead it was yet more rest (it's hard work, this holiday business) before we once again caught a Jeepney to Baclaran market. We walked through a different (and slightly quieter, so were able to take a bit more of the sights, sounds and smells in) part of the market, on our way to the Mall of Asia. At one time this was apparently the largest shopping mall in the world (it certainly felt it), but now lies only 5th, although it is still the largest in the Philippines. After wandering around part of it we went to the IMAX to watch "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" which was a pretty good film and a nice way to spend the afternoon - we rarely get to see 3D films (as all the English language ones we go to in Tenerife are 2D) so it was a nice treat. We got out in time to walk across to the bay and watch the sunset (we were not alone in this - the sea wall was quite crowded), which is one of the "things to do in Manila" (and we could see why), wandered around a bit more, ate at yet another restaurant that could serve both of us and then walked back to Baclaran market where we caught a Jeepney back to the apartment. It was then time to pack, check we'd not left anything, check again, and then rush out as our taxi driver arrived 30 minutes early to take us to the airport - the first time we've had that experience in Manila.
The only thing wrong with the flight to Bali was the time. The flight took off at 03:45 and landed a little ahead of schedule at 07:25. In doing so we crossed the Equator for the first time in 17 years. Despite both dozing a bit on the plane, we were very tired when we arrived at our hotel. We checked in, had some breakfast, lounged around by the pool (and I swam a little - that makes it twice this year!) and then went to collect our All Inclusive wristbands to find that our room was ready (3 hours earlier than we expected), so we settled in, unpacked and snoozed a bit more. First impressions of Bali are that the people are very friendly, the air is reasonably clean, the driving and traffic congestion is similar to that which we've been experiencing (and is yet another country that drives on the left - I really hadn't realised there were so many), but generally not as bad. New Year is a big deal here so it will be interesting to see whether our opinion changes then. There are also a lot more people speaking English as a first language (Brits, Americans, Australians etc.), but whether that's just our hotel we don't yet know. We took a walk around the hotel/resort after lunch - it's a very beautiful place, but also very hot.
Having finally caught up on our sleep, we wandered through the preparations for New Year and to the beach, where we took a kayak (included in the "All Inclusive", which is a first for us) out on the Bali Sea, which if you keep going becomes the Pacific Ocean. Needless to say, we stuck fairly close to the coast and got nowhere near it. The water is very clear and the waves minimal at this point - we didn't venture out to where the surfers were and kept well clear of the jet skis. It was nice to be out on the water until a wave turned our kayak over. Even then we just swam with it to the beach, got back in and carried on. We were glad we'd bought waterproof pouches for our phones though - they'd have survived the spray from the rapids in Manila, but possibly not the complete dunking here. We were out for about an hour which in this sun is probably as much as we wanted to do in one go. The sand on the beach felt very hot under our feet when we got back, showing how much it had warmed up in that time. I did a short run in the gym while Rachel did some yoga and we ended the day on the beach watching fireworks (that had been going on since at least 9pm) to see in the New Year.
Our new year started with breakfast and was followed by a cycle ride up and down the coast path. The path didn't go that far north (and had quite a few steps we had to take the bikes over) but did extend a decent way (and on decent paths) south. It ended in a nice little park with a circular path around it, so we did that and returned to the start, having completed 7 and a half kilometers. After a short break we headed for water: Rachel to the sea to snorkel and I went to the pool, where we met up for some rest before lunch. After a relaxing afternoon we went to dinner on the lawn, which had a lovely atmosphere to it. It's a hard life...
We had booked a taxi for the day and so started with a long drive north to the Campuhan Ridge. It's a very nice walk up from a bridge over the river onto the ridge and then along to a small village. As you climb the river falls further and further away from you. We returned the way we came and paused at a small bar, where Rachel partook of one of the famous swings that go out over the gorge. Once back at the car we drove to the town of Ubud, where we visited the palace (where the royal family still live - there was a very noticeable number of "no entry" signs) and strolled through a market. It was then a short drive to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. I thought that we'd spend our time trying to spot the monkeys, but they were everywhere: playing, fighting, eating but mainly just strolling around. At one point Rachel was sat down looking at a monkey when another just walked straight across her lap as though she wasn't there. There were a lot of signs giving advice on how to behave (especially if a monkey decided it was interested in something you had) - which was mainly "don't panic, it'll soon move on" but was clearly easier for some to follow (one guy we saw just casually took his backpack off and put it on the ground and stepped away) than others (there were a few screamers - and making noise was one thing the advice said not to do, so was definitely counter-productive). After a brief pause for a drink we were back in the car and on our way to the Reptile Park. This was made all the more interesting by every visitor being given a guide to show them around: our guide was very knowledgeable, and told us lots of interesting things so that it didn't become "oh - another monitor lizard" but a fascinating list of the differences. He was also very good at spotting the shy ones that we failed to see. The chameleon was, as you'd expect, the hardest. The saltwater crocodile was the easiest, even though it wasn't moving. It was then time to get back into the car and brave the traffic on the way back. Not for the first time we were glad neither of us was driving. Whilst not as bad as Manila, the roads still swarmed with scooters and all traffic just took lane lines as suggestions.
I got up at 6am in order to run. The temperature was only a degree or so cooler than at 8am (if you can call 26C "cool") and the humidity just as bad, but the sun had only just risen so there was no direct sunlight. It was a tough but enjoyable run along the coast, around a park and back again. I had a shower and went back to bed, feeling I'd earned it. After breakfast we wanted to go kayaking again but they were all already out, so we went to the pool for a while and then decided instead just to walk down to the park that we cycled to on day 41 (so I could tell Rachel all about my run...). On our way we watched the start of a wedding on a hotel lawn (the bride arrived, the groom walked down the aisle to meet her, handed her a bouquet, and they walked in together). We detoured around this (so as not to be in the video of their big day) and then to another small park and then, at the one we were heading for, opted to go into the Waterblow (a place where the waves come up through the rocks and "blow") but the water wasn't blowing, so instead we walked down to a small cove where Rachel snorkelled for a bit, before walking back.
Today was the day that we left Bali, boarding our cruise ship in the morning. It was a smaller ship than the previous one, but lots of features were familiar, being part of the same cruise line as the one that took us from Hong Kong to Singapore. We didn't get such a good deal on this cruise so various of the "perks" were no longer available to us. That said, it was still a nice ship and there were a few things (such as the quantity of gluten-free dishes in the buffet restaurant) that were better. We interrupted our settling in to take advantage of the low occupancy of the jacuzzies, which also reminded us how hot it really was outside.
Lombok isn't far from Bali so it was a gentle trip over. We met our driver for the day and he drove us up through Lombok including Mataram (the capital city) to the Benang Setokel and Benang Kelambu waterfalls that he recommended. It was quite a drive (which is why we'd originally decided against them) but was well worth it. It was odd seeing a swastika hanging in his car, but it is originally a symbol from Balinese Hinduism meaning good fortune and doesn't carry the overtones that we (as Europeans) associate with it. Lombok doesn't appear to have any dual carriageways and the economy is still quite agricultural, so instead of weaving in and out of scooters (although there were still plenty of them) we spent a lot of time overtaking lorries. It is a beautiful island though, with lots of paddy fields and everywhere is lush and green. It's also primarily Muslim so where Bali had temples, Lombok had mosques, often poking out above the tree line. We opted for the full 4-waterfall tour (as opposed to two) and our guide led us up and over a ridge to the first one. This was a spectacular set of 3 and was quite busy. From there we went up and over another ridge to reach the second one. This was down a narrow path that was quite tricky to walk - there were a few rocks and trees to hold onto, a wooden ladder and lots of awkward steps. At the bottom we waded up a stream to the waterfall itself. Retreating back to where we'd left our shoes, we then continued down (via even more treacherous steps) and met the third waterfall, which had a pool big enough to swim in. We didn't swim, but others were doing so. We then followed the stream from the pool, past some very narrow bits where you had to hang onto wobbly bits of tree to get by, to the fourth and final waterfall. This was probably the most spectacular of the four and a worthy end to the tour. We now had a choice of walking back (fortunately not retracing our steps, but a more direct path) or taking a motorscooter taxi. The driver of the one I got seemed intent on overtaking everyone else, but she got me there safely. It felt a little scary at times - no safety gear (not even a helmet) and steep pebbly and muddy bits of trail. I think the last time I was on the back of a motorbike (as opposed to the front) was my Mother's and she certainly never drove like this. We paused for a drink, met our driver and (exhausted) headed back to the ship. We paused part-way at the Narmada Park for a wander, but we'd done enough for one day. Once back I did run 3km alongside the ship (it was cooler there) but that was definitely enough.
The north coast of Bali contains the port of Celukan Bawang, where we arrived in good time. The port isn't deep enough for a cruise ship, so we moored out at sea and took a tender into shore. It only took 15 minutes so wasn't far. Once there we evaded the many drivers trying to sell taxi rides and met our driver for the day, Agus, who had driven us in Bali on day 42 (and we liked him so asked for him again). Our plan had been to visit a waterfall, but after the exertions of yesterday we decided to take plan B instead as we didn't fancy another scramble down a hillside. Plan B was a visit to a hot spring, which we'd intended to do if we had the time after the waterfall. We actually went to one nearer to the ship than we had planned after spotting a road sign. The spring has been corralled into 3 pools and we started in the largest, enjoying the water and the cascading waterspouts while there. We then moved up the hill a little to the pool that fed the large one - this was hotter and the waterspouts were similar to the first pool. After enjoying this pool we moved to a side pool that was fed from water coming out of tubes about 8 feet above the pool and the water was very fierce when you got under it. Thus pummelled and relaxed, Rachel decided to undertake a different kind of pummelling and relaxation in the form of a massage (which she thoroughly enjoyed) while I stayed in the pools for a bit longer, before heading up to the restaurant for a drink. This was good timing as the heavens opened suddenly and strongly - it reminded us a lot of a tropical rainstorm we just managed to avoid in the Caribbean. Rachel joined me and we sat and watched the rain and enjoyed our drinks until there was a cessation in the precipitation and we made our way back to the car, haggling over the price of a shirt on the way. It was a gentle drive back, although the rain returned while we did so and it was interesting to see how well it was gathered and diverted off of rooves - they get a lot of it here (which explains why everything is so green). There was so much rain even the scooters had decided to get off the road (aside from one or two hardy folk). The north of Bali is very different to the south - it is a lot more rural and reminded us more of Lombok, with temples in place of mosques. We returned to the ship in a lifeboat that was acting as a tender. It was interesting to be in one and hopefully the only time we'll ever need to. It was a shorter day than we had planned, but was no less enjoyable for it. I ran a brief 1km on the roof of the ship once back - it was hot and airless otherwise I'd have done more. As the ship prepared to set sail, we watched a lifeboat being winched up straight past our window.
A rest day, which after the exertions of the last two days (especially the waterfall trip) was very welcome. At one point I was in the middle of the ocean, drinking a coffee with Liqueur 43 in it, watching a solo guitarist called Jay who used a looper. Just like being at home.
Another rest day, although I did run 8km before breakfast. It was the day when we sailed across the equator (previously we've driven, walked and flown over it, so are running out of ways to do this). We went up to the pool deck for the Equator crossing ceremony, which had people dressed up as Neptune but (more impressive) swimming in mermaid tails.
We docked at Port Klang and took one of the ship's excursions to Kuala Lumpur. After less than an hour's journey through mostly palm tree plantations, our first stop was for lunch. As we'd only just had breakfast we skipped this, took a trip to the top floor of the hotel to admire the view and then went for a short walk around the area. It did mean we failed to sample local cuisine, but it wasn't our only day in Malaysia. From there we took a short drive to an impressive skyscraper known as the Twin Towers. Our tour guide was very well informed but a little talkative and hadn't finished his story about its construction by the time we arrived so he kept us on the coach until he had. It's an attractive building and there were lots of people taking photos (and touts offering to take photos of you), which we also did. Our guide told us that the two towers were each constructed by a different company: one Japanese, one Korean and that the bridge that joins them was added to the design during construction to add support. We then drove to the Kuala Lumpur Tower, one of the tallest in the world. This was the tower we were going up, not having been up the twin towers - it's a fairly fast lift (much like the one in the Post Office Tower in London) and we were soon on the observation deck, 276m above ground level. There is another deck 24m higher, but that costs a lot more, apparently. The views over Kuala Lumpur were great from up there as it was a clear day. It's not the most impressive building (that's the twin towers) but you can't enjoy the view of them when you're in them. A quick photo stop at Independence Square, an old colonial cricket ground and the place where the Malaysian flag was first raised, was next and then came the highlight of the day: the Batu caves. At ground level there are various ornate temples but our guide swiftly led us past all those to the impressive staircase (272 coloured steps) that leads up to the main cave. It was quite a climb up them and we were soon looking down on the 43m high statue of Murugan (one of the tallest statues in the world) that greeted us at the foot and we still had a fair way to go. The climb is separated into 16 groups of 17 steps meaning there are opportunities to pause regularly and the large number of monkeys around gave excuses to pause as we took photos. The cave at the top is incredibly impressive. It's open to the sky (so the rain that we had on the way up stayed with us) and is incredibly tall. There are two main temples within this cave: one on the cave floor and another up yet another set of steps (so of course we went up there too). We had feared that our guide's lengthy storytelling would deprive us of time here, but actually he had timed it perfectly: we saw what we wanted to, made our descent (possibly trickier than the way up as the steps are narrow in places) and had time for a drink before getting back on the coach. The drive back to the ship (on the left, which has become so commonplace I am no longer amazed by it) was much slower than our journey out. Three things were responsible: traffic was approaching rush hour, the rain was now quite fierce and there had been an accident on the motorway. Despite all this, the driver got us back safely and a good half-hour before gangway up time. The rain meant that any chance of a run outside had gone - the jogging track on the ship would have been quite slippery - so I had to settle for a short run in the gym.
It was nearly midday when we were able to venture out into the city of Penang, due to docking and port clearance (and letting the queue clear first). This was the first port of this cruise where we could just walk off of the ship and be in the town, so we ignored all the taxi touts because we actually wanted to walk! We wandered around George Town, which is the capital of Penang and one of the oldest parts of it. As we walked, we took in the sights: the colonial buildings such as the Town Hall, the vibrancy of both Chinatown and Little India (which changes from one to the other as you cross the road and the difference is very clear as you do so), an old Chinese clan house (there are several - we only visited one) and the wooden jetties (again, we only visited one). We failed to see the fort as it was having its moat refurbished (i.e. dug out again since it was filled in around 1920). Unlike almost everywhere else we've been there was little traffic and so walking about was very pleasant. Just like everywhere else, it was hot and humid, so we didn't last as long as we might have, but there's always tomorrow.
My day started with an early morning run along the dockside (it's much cooler then) during which I was able to watch a ship dock alongside us. It had warmed up a little by the time we ventured out, but not too much and so we continued our exploration of George Town. We started at St George's church, then walked further out, catching the free bus in the process. We ended at The Top, a tall skyscraper with a glass bridge on the top floor, but decided against it and instead visited the (very interesting) Tech Zone. This was full of interactive exhibits and there were a lot that we'd not seen before. We got the chance to do our best Harry Worth impressions (those old enough will remember it) on a mirrored pane, tested the power of our minds (we're either equal or the machine wasn't working), dodged lasers, walked over a pole on a skyscraper illusion, sent whispered messages via hemisphere collectors (which probably don't work as well when there's a school trip in) and generally had a good time. We then walked back to Little India, where I left Rachel to have her nails repaired and made my way back to the ship. On our walks we had observed a lot of cartoons built out of wire, giving a little bit of the history of each area and we had enjoyed spotting them as we went round.
Langkawi had been described to us several times as being possibly the most beautiful part of Malaysia and it didn't disappoint. We met our driver for the day and he took us to the SkyCab, where we rode a glass bottomed cable car up to the ridge (we'd pre-booked tickets). The views were really good and we walked around a bit admiring them before returning to ground level and enjoying some of the other attractions on the site. Of these the 3D art exhibition was easily the best, with lots of opportunities to take photos against backdrops that look 3D when viewed through the camera. We had hoped to come back down via zip lines, but they don't appear to exist anymore (which is probably why the website won't let you book tickets) so instead we spent the cash we'd reserved for it on a tour of the mangroves. This was far better than the zip line would have been (and we can do zip lines almost anywhere) and took us on a boat trip through the mangroves, to dubiously-named landmarks ("shoe rock" for example), up monkey river (where Rachel got to give a monkey a drink), through the Bat Cave (we had to walk that bit), watch Eagles feeding, take a high-speed return on the ocean and finally watch some fish feeding (in which Rachel got to feed a Stingray). We returned to our ship tired but happy (but not so tired I didn't go for a run on the ship's running track).
After taking the tender ashore, we met our driver for the day who took us on a trip around the island. We started in Phuket old town, which was a lot more interesting than the modern beach architecture we had come ashore at. Our short walk also took in a park and a temple. The next stops were commercial: a cashew nut factory (slightly interesting) and a bee farm (more interesting), where the main purpose seemed to be to get you into the shop. From there we visited the Wat Chai Thararam Temple. We though we'd seen enough temples for the year (yes, I know it's only January) but this was actually rather good. A long drive up through the forest took up to the Big Buddha, and the statue is indeed big with plenty of steps up to it (but we've done the Batu Caves so this was nothing in comparison). The views are pretty good too. One thing I really wanted to do on this trip was to have a Pad Thai whilst in Thailand (you may recall a similar desire of Rachel's regarding Peking Duck in Beijing), so we paused for lunch on the way back down so I could enjoy one. And enjoy it I did, in a nice little roadside restaurant with great views and a refreshing breeze. It was called "Mountain Breeze", appropriately, and was next door to the "Million Chilis" cafe, which we didn't go to in case it was also appropriately named. (I should note that Rachel didn't just watch me eat but instead partook of a whole pineapple and some soup). Two viewpoints completed our tour: Naiya beach (high above it, not on it, and with the largest collection of elephant statues we'd seen all trip) and Karon viewpoint. If we'd taken swimming stuff with us then we might have ventured to a beach, but there's always tomorrow...
I started the day with a gentle run on the roof of the ship (it's where the jogging track is, I'm not that adventurous) and after breakfast we again took the tender to the shore. We went for a walk around the local town, but most of the sights seemed to involve nightlife (we were there at 10am), shopping (we have no room in our suitcases) or beaches (we live on Tenerife...) so we didn't go that far. We did consider a trip to a nearby beach that was supposed to be good for snorkelling, but we couldn't find the free bus and the taxi fares (especially back) are notoriously high. If we'd been sure the free bus was running then we'd have got a taxi out but we weren't so we didn't. We therefore took advantage of the ship's low occupancy to enjoy the solarium, which was very pleasant and relaxing.
Our final day of the cruise was at sea (which is quite common as it means they can be very close to the final port in plenty of time), so we spent it relaxing and preparing for our next destination.
It was raining as we arrived in Singapore, but our taxi driver assured us it would stop by midday. After dropping our bags at the hotel we ventured out (as it was only drizzling), checking out a local food market for potential later use and then walking into Chinatown. We paused for a drink and hoped the drizzle would ease off, but it actually became worse. We'd taken wet weather gear with us and for the first time in this trip we actually had to wear it. We took in the sights, including the Buddha tooth relic temple - apparently the tooth is no longer on display but that wasn't the reason we decided not to go in, but more because we've seen a lot of temples this year. Chinatown was vibrant and everywhere is getting ready for Chinese New Year, even though there's still nearly 4 weeks to go. The taxi driver was right and the rain stopped, so we continued our walk down to the Bay area. In Chinatown we'd been wondering why everyone says Singapore is expensive. Now we saw why. It is an area that is both beautiful and historic, with many sculptures to admire and architecture to enjoy (the helix bridge is especially good) but the shopping centres are massive and the brands within them not cheap. Food along Boat Quay didn't seem too bad though, and we made a mental note to return for a late lunch. We walked around the Bay, including past the Merlion, visited the ArtScience Museum (excellent graphics) and ended up in the Gardens by the Bay. We spent a long time wandering around this and could have spent longer but were very tired. We caught the MRT (the underground railway) back for a lunch so late it had become dinner, then a bus back to the hotel. In all, I recorded a walk of just under 14km, but there was also a lot of walking around the museum that I didn't record, so it was no wonder that we were very tired by the time we reached our room.
We made our way to the Botanic Gardens. These are a large area of land (just over 200 acres) divided up into several areas ("ginger garden", "rain forest" and so on) and is Trip Advisor's top Asia park attraction. We could see why. I went for a run through the gardens while Rachel went for a wander. While I reached the far end in about 20 minutes, Rachel spent an hour and hardly got anywhere because there was always something interesting to stop and look at. Sadly the interesting pathways and small areas meant that I got lost - it took me 20 minutes to get out, but over an hour to get back. I went around the Healing Garden several times, which is amusingly just next to the toxic plants. During my run I did get to see some interesting waterfalls and sculptures and also watched a very large monitor lizard cross the road - all the cars just stopped and let it, as though it was normal (which it probably is). When we finally met up again we wandered through some of the gardens in search of breakfast - the first couple of cafes we tried were cashless and as we were cash-only, this didn't help. It did mean that we got to walk around the Symphony Lake, admire the stage and watch an even bigger lizard swimming, before the heavens opened. During a brief respite we headed on, found breakfast, waited out an even bigger rainstorm, then made our way to the MRT and back to our hotel for some much needed rest. After a suitable break, Rachel returned to the gardens to see even more of them while I let my legs recover a bit more. We met up again for a return to the Bay in order to see it all lit up. It was pretty and the light show was good, but we were far too tired to walk all the way round to see it from the closest side, so contented ourselves with the view across the Bay instead. During this trip we had dinner including a Singapore Sling each, as you do.
Our taxi driver was exactly on time (07:30) and so we were soon in the airport. We checked in and then took the shuttle to Terminal 2 (we were in Terminal 1) in order to get our deposits back on our tourist travel cards and then walk back through the Jewel Garden. It's a nice garden and the waterfall is apparently spectacular - but it wasn't working. It was still a nicer walk than the interminable corridors most airports have. We had planned for breakfast in the airport but most of the food appears to be on landside (in most airports it's airside) but did manage to find something. Security is also at the gate rather than at the landside/airside boundary (which probably explains the food situation) which was something we'd not met before. The flight was good, but was the longest of the entire trip at just under 12 hours. At Istanbul we found our taxi and had some impressive nighttime views during the long trip (just under an hour) to the hotel. It was now 8pm (Istanbul time) but felt like 1am the following morning. We decided to get a little food and there was a nice-looking restaurant just opposite the hotel, so we went there. It was good food, so we may well be back.
Due to jet lag we were awake early so were at our first tour in plenty of time. We had bought tourist entry vouchers which for many things (like this one) just required us to be at the meeting point for the tour at the right time and then show our voucher codes. This tour was the Basilica Cistern, a huge underground reservoir (no longer used) dating from Byzantine Empire times. It was very impressive and the lighting and sculptures added nicely to the atmosphere. The columns supporting the roof had all been "liberated" from other places in the area as Rome fell and Byzantium rose, which explained the vast range of styles. We then made our way to the meeting point for our second tour and met the same tour guide again. At the cistern he had taken us in, told us some history and then left us to explore and make our own way out. Our second tour was to the Topkapi Palace, which is a massive estate consisting of three interlinked areas, inside which are lots of small museums and exhibitions. Our guide led us through the three areas, pointing out things as we went (mainly for us to look at later), including the view across the Bosporus Strait to Asia (we were on the Europe side) and then left us to explore. We could have spent several hours there if we'd wanted, and by the looks of other tour groups they firmly intended to do so. Possibly the most popular museum was the religious artefacts, containing sandals and beard hair of the Prophet, the staff of Moses and the sword of David plus some bits of John the Baptist. Normally we'd take such items with a hint of doubt but given the area and its history, plausibility was higher than normal. Other museums were devoted to the kitchens, to royal clothes, to the armoury (including an impressive set of chain mail armour), to clocks, to jewellery and so on. We looked in several, paused for a Turkish coffee (adding to our collecting of place-named foodstuff we've done) and went back to the hotel for a rest before venturing out again. Our evening trip was across the river and up the Galata Tower in order to get views over the city. The tower is only 8 floors high and the 8th is currently closed for maintenance, so we should have realised that getting the views would also involve climbing a hill (for the tower is on top of one). It was worth it though and afterwards we walked back across the bridge of the same name in order to catch the sunset. We opted to walk back through the city as it began to light up, including through a bazaar which was a blaze of colour, sounds and smells, all pleasant. We returned to the restaurant we'd been at last night and took the waiter's suggestion of the clay jar and got a real show - it arrived on a tray of flaming sand then the server picked it up, tapped it and the top popped off, whereupon he poured out the contents for us to eat. A really good meal and we were glad we'd gone back.
We had to re-book our visit to the Princes Islands (originally planned for yesterday, re-booked for today) due to forecast bad weather. As things turned out, yesterday was nice and today wasn't. We were at the boat in plenty of time and about 30 minutes after it ought to have set out we were told that we were transferring to a different boat. After another 30 minutes this did set off and out we went into the Sea of Marmara in order to visit two of the islands. They were quaint enough and were easy to wander around - they are mainly car-free so traffic on the first was mainly small electric trikes. The seafront was pleasant and on a sunny day would have been very much so, but in the wind and drizzle we opted for a shorter walk and some hot drinks in a cafe instead. It was pretty much the same story on the second island, the largest of the islands, which did have cars, but not a large number of them. It also had more to wander around but again the weather led us to give up and seek a cafe sooner than we normally might. Once back on dry land we headed for the Grand Bazaar which was every bit as colourful and lively as we had been led to expect. If we though that the bazaar we went through yesterday was big, it was nothing compared to this - you could easily spend a full day there just exploring it. We wandered about it, taking in the sights and sounds and then headed back to our hotel to dry out a bit before our evening event. This was another boat trip, this time a dinner cruise on the Bosporous. We didn't get to see as much of the city lit up as we'd hoped due to the weather (it was very cold to stand outside and all the windows were misted up) but the entertainment (mainly dancers performing various traditional and local dances) was good.
Our final day of the adventure started with a visit to the Blue Mosque. It's a very impressive building and the decoration is very good. From there we did an outside tour of the Hagia Sofia (the entrance fee to go in we felt was a bit steep but the guide for the outside tour was very informative). We then went to a different part of the city to do the Sapphire Skydeck. This gives superb views of the whole city and we were fortunate that it was a clear day for us to ascend to the 53rd floor and enjoy them. We also did another 4D ride (the Skyride) which took us through many of Istanbul's landmarks and it was nice to go "we've been there" a lot. From there we joined a tour to the Pierre Loti hill for views over the river and a cable car ride down - the first one we've been in where the cars stop at the end and then they reverse the motors and send them off again (after changing the people inside of course). After a visit to another mosque we ended this tour at Miniaturk, a large area with many miniaturised buildings in it. They were good, but the rain that was threatening had now arrived and so we didn't spend as long as we might have before heading back to the hotel briefly so I could get changed for my last run of the trip, thereby completing my "run in every port of call". We were far too early for the last museum trip we'd planned and it was cold and wet so we opted instead for an early dinner, packed and prepared to go home.
Our transfer was a little late but we were still in Istanbul airport in plenty of time. It has X-Ray machines as you enter the terminal as well as at the usual security gates, which was unusual but not problematic. The trip to Barcelona was easy enough and we collected our cases and had to go through security again (the problem with booking the two flights independently) and sat around awaiting our next flight. This had a little drama on it as we pulled away from stand then returned to it and medics got on board. I couldn't see what was happening as it was at the back of the plane. I think more people got on than off so I suspect they took a passenger with them. We were thus a little late leaving but made it fine to Tenerife, where our house sitters met us and drove us home. And just like that, our two-month adventure was over.
It was an amazing trip, but was quite exhausting at times. We were grateful for the sea days and for the two longer stays we had (Manila and Bali) meaning that we didn't have to rush out every day. Packing and unpacking frequently gets old quickly, so the two cruises were an ideal way of seeing a lot of places briefly but without that particular hassle. We lost a few small items through the pack/unpack routine but nothing irreplaceable.
The big questions are, though: was it worth all the time it took to plan it, and would we do it again? The answers to both are a resounding yes. When? Well, my next big birthday is only a few years away...
