Eleventh Post - 10/23 to 10/26
Slowly but surely catching up to today's date (11/3)
October 23rd, - HONG KONG - cloudy and warm
Started the day with breakfast, and meeting our tour group early. I asked if I could use my walker on the "Hop on Hop off" tour and was told they weren't sure, but probably not since they stop only long enough for people to hop off and others to hop on. So, I took my cane instead. No problem, except in one long line where I really would have loved to have the seat in the walker. Oh well - not too bad.
The next thing I discovered was that the battery in my camera was dead. I try so hard to remember to charge it every other day but must have messed up on this one. I'll have to use my cell phone for pictures.
The first bus route we took was the Red Route, which wandered all though Hon Kong Island. We passed government buildings, Financial Center, Famous Hotels (The Peninsula), Hi-end shopping district, Former Red Light District (now bars and restaurants), Times Square Shopping Center and an Electronics District,
We got off the bus at the Peak Tram. This is where we waited in a Looong, Hot line to take a Funicular up 1500 feet for spectacular views of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor, and Kowloon. Did good shopping in Gift Shop, had lunch in a Burger King - Dan's Whopper was fine, my chicken sandwich was RAW - YUCK!
We spent about 2 hours at the top of this Peak - so much to see. AND, I found a handicapped Bathroom that had a western toilet - Lucky Girl am I!
While waiting back at the street level for a Red Line bus to continue our tour, we met a woman from the ship named Ann Murphy. She was taking this tour alone and asked if she could join us - naturally, we said "Yes" to a nice Irish Coleen!
Now, the first shuttle back to the ship was not until 5:30 pm - it was only 3 pm then, We could have switched to a blue or green line tour, but the 3 of us were hot and tired and decided we would finish the Red lien tour, which would leave us at the Star Ferry Terminal where we could take the Ferry across the Harbor (included in the tour), and then share a cab back to the ship. This sounded much better than standing and waiting in line for the shuttle.
When Courtney was a little girl, my brother Edward went to Hong Kong and brought back a "Star Ferry" sailor's middy blouse for her. She loved that shirt. We took pictures in front of the "Star Ferry" sign and of sailors wearing the same shirt as she had all those years ago. We took pictures of the skyline from the harbor, but could not find anywhere to buy one of these sailor shirts.
We easily found a cab to the pier and enjoyed Ann's company tremendously - nice lady!
When we entered the terminal, we said goodbye to Ann so I could sit and use the Port's WiFi to send pictures to Courtney. And that is when disaster struck - -\
NO CELL PHONE!!!! I must have left it in the cab. My stomach sank, my heart raced and my brain became paralyzed. We did not know the name of the cab company, had no receipt and simply could not think of what to do next. Dan ran back outside, but the cab was long gone. I completely fell apart - All of our pictures of the day were only on the phone because of the camera's dead battery.
Dan kept trying to console me, but I was so angry at myself for being careless, when I know better, that I did not WANT to be comforted. Poor Guy!
We finally had enough sense to call the ship's security. The Security officer in charge met with Dan, filled out a loss report, called the port manager at the ferry terminal to see how many cab companies were working that day, and to check if the phone had been turned in. This officer was great, he promised to keep us updated and then kept his promise. But there was no good news - The Phone is GONE!
I just shut down. Went to bed, wouldn't eat and didn't want to talk at all. Dan went to dinner and let me just sleep - He is sooo good.
October 24th - Hot and Humid again, but calm seas
Had a horrible night - kept waking up, remembering, crying, going back to sleep. Dan brought cereal back to the cabin for me and made me eat it. We then went to the Internet Cafe where I found that Courtney had been very busy trying to get info for me.
She put a post on Facebook about the lost cell phone and asked for suggestions on what we could do. Her friends came through big time! I sent her a list of passwords she needed for Tracfone, Google photos, Cloud, Samsung location finder, etc. Unfortunately, none helped.
One of the most helpful suggestions came from her friend Jackie, who told us to talk to people who had been on tours with us to see if they had taken any pictures of us that they could share. We are doing that now! When I told our new friend, Suzie, what happened, she immediately offered to download all of her pictures to an SD card so I could replace any scenes I had lost.
With all the help I am getting, I finally have a glimmer of hope that this incident may NOT be the end of the world. It is amazing how a little help from your friends can change your attitude. I actually enjoyed lunch!
Dan went to a lecture on Aviation, while I sat in a nice, quiet, cool lounge to update my journal. The problem is, if I am busy having fun, I don't have time to write in the journal. If I take the time to record what we have done, I miss out on some new fun! For instance, while writing this, I realized I missed my 4 pm basketball game. How can I show off my great shots, if I am not there? What a conundrum!
I know, I know this should be my biggest problem in life. I am a lucky woman.
Dinner was delicious roast beef, baked potatoes, carrots and peas, Cesar salad, fettuccine Alfredo and ice cream. We had to take a walk after dinner! Since I did not want to sit through a one hour show of harmonica playing, we went to the Explorer Lounge and sat with Shelby and Mark who have a cabin 3 doors down from us. They live in Gulf Cove, Port Charlotte - yet another small world story. Tomorrow is their 43rd wedding anniversary, so I made a sign to put on their door.
We enjoyed the music of Daniel Oliver at the Crooner's bar and went to bed. Tomorrow is Cai Lan, Vietnam - put a new sign on our door.
October 25th - Cai Lan, Vietnam - 88* and Humid
Woke at 6 am, looked out the balcony doors only to see the giant limestone rock formations of Halong Bay pass by! For the next hour, we watched in amazement as outcropping after outcropping went by. This big ship wove its way between limestone rocks towering above us, and around dozens of small boats sailing in and out.
While we watched, I colored my hair- No more dark roots! We showered, dressed and had cereal in the cabin.
About 10 am, we went down to Deck #4 to tender onto shore in one of the lifeboats since there are no piers here. We met a woman on the dock, Valentina, who is traveling alone and hesitant to ride in a cab by herself. We shared a cab into Cai Lan and went to an outdoor market. Too bad it was a smelly, stinky, filthy food market, Had to get out of there.
Went back to the tender and ship about noon, went to buffet for lunch, and cool drinks. Sat with an Australian couple and when they left, we were joined by Jan and Dean from California (not the singers).
He is a retired space engineer from Boeing, and a huge Green Bay Packers fan with an extensive memorabilia collection. Dan had fun talking to him about football and his lighthouse collection.
Went back to cabin, slept until 5:45 pm, discovered we had not yet sailed as planned, but were waiting for a tour that was late in returning to ship. Got underway at 6:40 pm.
Darryl from Security called to tell us the Ferry Port Manager contacted him and said still no luck in finding my cell phone. They will keep trying. Nice follow-up by both parties - port manager and security on Princess!
Missed Octoberfest Party after dinner, with intestinal problems. Dan went to the show. Had a good time without me :-(.
October 26th - DaNang, Vietnam HOT, HOT, HOT.
Had breakfast, joined the tour at 1000 am. Phoung was our tour guide and was very interesting and informative. We drove about 1 1/2 hours through beautiful green countryside and through the longest tunnel in Asia. It goes through a mountain chain which used to take 1 1/2 hours to go around and now takes 15 minutes to go through. Drove all around DaNang, saw the famous Dragon Bridge, and Vietnam war sites such as China Beach. We were dropped off in a parking lot, a 10 minute walk to a very large market on the Harbor. Bought several more trinkets ( must bargain to get best prices here).
We stopped at a lovely waterfront restaurant for spring rolls and 2 ginger ales (about $12 for everything, including tip). Realized it was too late to eat there, so we asked to have it made up to go. Staff was sooo nice - they wrapped everything and presented it in a beautiful sturdy shopping bag.
It was a 20 minute walk back to bus - so HOT I had to use our umbrella to keep sun off us. We crossed 4 busy streets filled with darting motor scooters everywhere, I told Dan: "Follow me, and DON'T STOP. Jersey girls know how to deal with traffic - NO ONE HIT US!!! HA HA
We were the last to get back on the bus, but only 2 minutes late. It was a nice ride back to the ship, only to find more vendors on the pier. I was FORCED to do more shopping.
We had just enough time to shower and change for dinner. This was after sorting through all our purchases. DAN FELL ASLEEP at the table, and I almost did too! Right to bed.
More to come.
October 23rd, - HONG KONG - cloudy and warm
Started the day with breakfast, and meeting our tour group early. I asked if I could use my walker on the "Hop on Hop off" tour and was told they weren't sure, but probably not since they stop only long enough for people to hop off and others to hop on. So, I took my cane instead. No problem, except in one long line where I really would have loved to have the seat in the walker. Oh well - not too bad.
The next thing I discovered was that the battery in my camera was dead. I try so hard to remember to charge it every other day but must have messed up on this one. I'll have to use my cell phone for pictures.
The first bus route we took was the Red Route, which wandered all though Hon Kong Island. We passed government buildings, Financial Center, Famous Hotels (The Peninsula), Hi-end shopping district, Former Red Light District (now bars and restaurants), Times Square Shopping Center and an Electronics District,
We got off the bus at the Peak Tram. This is where we waited in a Looong, Hot line to take a Funicular up 1500 feet for spectacular views of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor, and Kowloon. Did good shopping in Gift Shop, had lunch in a Burger King - Dan's Whopper was fine, my chicken sandwich was RAW - YUCK!
We spent about 2 hours at the top of this Peak - so much to see. AND, I found a handicapped Bathroom that had a western toilet - Lucky Girl am I!
While waiting back at the street level for a Red Line bus to continue our tour, we met a woman from the ship named Ann Murphy. She was taking this tour alone and asked if she could join us - naturally, we said "Yes" to a nice Irish Coleen!
Now, the first shuttle back to the ship was not until 5:30 pm - it was only 3 pm then, We could have switched to a blue or green line tour, but the 3 of us were hot and tired and decided we would finish the Red lien tour, which would leave us at the Star Ferry Terminal where we could take the Ferry across the Harbor (included in the tour), and then share a cab back to the ship. This sounded much better than standing and waiting in line for the shuttle.
When Courtney was a little girl, my brother Edward went to Hong Kong and brought back a "Star Ferry" sailor's middy blouse for her. She loved that shirt. We took pictures in front of the "Star Ferry" sign and of sailors wearing the same shirt as she had all those years ago. We took pictures of the skyline from the harbor, but could not find anywhere to buy one of these sailor shirts.
We easily found a cab to the pier and enjoyed Ann's company tremendously - nice lady!
When we entered the terminal, we said goodbye to Ann so I could sit and use the Port's WiFi to send pictures to Courtney. And that is when disaster struck - -\
NO CELL PHONE!!!! I must have left it in the cab. My stomach sank, my heart raced and my brain became paralyzed. We did not know the name of the cab company, had no receipt and simply could not think of what to do next. Dan ran back outside, but the cab was long gone. I completely fell apart - All of our pictures of the day were only on the phone because of the camera's dead battery.
Dan kept trying to console me, but I was so angry at myself for being careless, when I know better, that I did not WANT to be comforted. Poor Guy!
We finally had enough sense to call the ship's security. The Security officer in charge met with Dan, filled out a loss report, called the port manager at the ferry terminal to see how many cab companies were working that day, and to check if the phone had been turned in. This officer was great, he promised to keep us updated and then kept his promise. But there was no good news - The Phone is GONE!
I just shut down. Went to bed, wouldn't eat and didn't want to talk at all. Dan went to dinner and let me just sleep - He is sooo good.
October 24th - Hot and Humid again, but calm seas
Had a horrible night - kept waking up, remembering, crying, going back to sleep. Dan brought cereal back to the cabin for me and made me eat it. We then went to the Internet Cafe where I found that Courtney had been very busy trying to get info for me.
She put a post on Facebook about the lost cell phone and asked for suggestions on what we could do. Her friends came through big time! I sent her a list of passwords she needed for Tracfone, Google photos, Cloud, Samsung location finder, etc. Unfortunately, none helped.
One of the most helpful suggestions came from her friend Jackie, who told us to talk to people who had been on tours with us to see if they had taken any pictures of us that they could share. We are doing that now! When I told our new friend, Suzie, what happened, she immediately offered to download all of her pictures to an SD card so I could replace any scenes I had lost.
With all the help I am getting, I finally have a glimmer of hope that this incident may NOT be the end of the world. It is amazing how a little help from your friends can change your attitude. I actually enjoyed lunch!
Dan went to a lecture on Aviation, while I sat in a nice, quiet, cool lounge to update my journal. The problem is, if I am busy having fun, I don't have time to write in the journal. If I take the time to record what we have done, I miss out on some new fun! For instance, while writing this, I realized I missed my 4 pm basketball game. How can I show off my great shots, if I am not there? What a conundrum!
I know, I know this should be my biggest problem in life. I am a lucky woman.
Dinner was delicious roast beef, baked potatoes, carrots and peas, Cesar salad, fettuccine Alfredo and ice cream. We had to take a walk after dinner! Since I did not want to sit through a one hour show of harmonica playing, we went to the Explorer Lounge and sat with Shelby and Mark who have a cabin 3 doors down from us. They live in Gulf Cove, Port Charlotte - yet another small world story. Tomorrow is their 43rd wedding anniversary, so I made a sign to put on their door.
We enjoyed the music of Daniel Oliver at the Crooner's bar and went to bed. Tomorrow is Cai Lan, Vietnam - put a new sign on our door.
October 25th - Cai Lan, Vietnam - 88* and Humid
Woke at 6 am, looked out the balcony doors only to see the giant limestone rock formations of Halong Bay pass by! For the next hour, we watched in amazement as outcropping after outcropping went by. This big ship wove its way between limestone rocks towering above us, and around dozens of small boats sailing in and out.
While we watched, I colored my hair- No more dark roots! We showered, dressed and had cereal in the cabin.
About 10 am, we went down to Deck #4 to tender onto shore in one of the lifeboats since there are no piers here. We met a woman on the dock, Valentina, who is traveling alone and hesitant to ride in a cab by herself. We shared a cab into Cai Lan and went to an outdoor market. Too bad it was a smelly, stinky, filthy food market, Had to get out of there.
Went back to the tender and ship about noon, went to buffet for lunch, and cool drinks. Sat with an Australian couple and when they left, we were joined by Jan and Dean from California (not the singers).
He is a retired space engineer from Boeing, and a huge Green Bay Packers fan with an extensive memorabilia collection. Dan had fun talking to him about football and his lighthouse collection.
Went back to cabin, slept until 5:45 pm, discovered we had not yet sailed as planned, but were waiting for a tour that was late in returning to ship. Got underway at 6:40 pm.
Darryl from Security called to tell us the Ferry Port Manager contacted him and said still no luck in finding my cell phone. They will keep trying. Nice follow-up by both parties - port manager and security on Princess!
Missed Octoberfest Party after dinner, with intestinal problems. Dan went to the show. Had a good time without me :-(.
October 26th - DaNang, Vietnam HOT, HOT, HOT.
Had breakfast, joined the tour at 1000 am. Phoung was our tour guide and was very interesting and informative. We drove about 1 1/2 hours through beautiful green countryside and through the longest tunnel in Asia. It goes through a mountain chain which used to take 1 1/2 hours to go around and now takes 15 minutes to go through. Drove all around DaNang, saw the famous Dragon Bridge, and Vietnam war sites such as China Beach. We were dropped off in a parking lot, a 10 minute walk to a very large market on the Harbor. Bought several more trinkets ( must bargain to get best prices here).
We stopped at a lovely waterfront restaurant for spring rolls and 2 ginger ales (about $12 for everything, including tip). Realized it was too late to eat there, so we asked to have it made up to go. Staff was sooo nice - they wrapped everything and presented it in a beautiful sturdy shopping bag.
It was a 20 minute walk back to bus - so HOT I had to use our umbrella to keep sun off us. We crossed 4 busy streets filled with darting motor scooters everywhere, I told Dan: "Follow me, and DON'T STOP. Jersey girls know how to deal with traffic - NO ONE HIT US!!! HA HA
We were the last to get back on the bus, but only 2 minutes late. It was a nice ride back to the ship, only to find more vendors on the pier. I was FORCED to do more shopping.
We had just enough time to shower and change for dinner. This was after sorting through all our purchases. DAN FELL ASLEEP at the table, and I almost did too! Right to bed.
More to come.
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