cruising is not for us
We have had a Caribbean cruise on our “bucket-list” for at least 4 years. But every time we went to book it, there was another destination that appealed to us more or it was cyclone season in the area. After a few adventurous trips in the past years, we figured something relaxing was on the cards, so Caribbean cruising finally got a look-in.
We were scheduled on the Holland America MS Zuiderdam travelling to 4 islands – and the main reason we picked this particular cruise? Simply because it was leaving on the date we needed it to leave on 🙂 This is relatively out of character for us as we tend to do research on where we are going and where to stay before we book. Oh well, let’s see how we go!
The ISLANDS
Turks & Caicos – a very small and sleepy island that does lots of salt mining, lovely people who live on the island. TIP – take a cab around the island for around $25USD per couple.
Puerto Rico – arrived around lunchtime which was a shame as we would’ve liked to see more BUT we did get to visit a UNESCO heritage site (i.e. one off our true bucket list), ate a delicious paella at one of the restaurants and saw the island prepare for NYE.
St Thomas USVI – the place to do tax-free shopping mainly for perfumes, jewellery, sunglasses, electronics and alcohol. A visit to Blackbeard’s castle and seeing a dinosaur footprint in an amber stone was our highlight of this island.
Bahamas – paradise, paradise, paradise, gorgeous beach with soft sand, clear and still water. Half Moon Cay is a private island leased by Holland America so it is very secluded and the only people you really see are fellow cruisers and the staff from the ship.
THE VERDICT
Hmmm… what can we say?? Cruising is very restrictive. Admittedly, the convenience of having transport, accommodation, food (most of them) and entertainment being all inclusive in the price can be appealing. But the overarching negative for us was the restrictiveness! The port stops on the islands were our life raft (excuse the pun) as they were our opportunity to escape from the claustrophobic confinements of the ship. Imagine being on a ship with a few thousand other people, vying for the same leisurely activities, shows, and restaurants.
We won’t deny that cruising will suit some people’s taste (e.g. our parents love them) but we’re simply saying that its not for us. Our way of travelling generally involves a lot of “exploring”, getting lost amongst the culture of the place, seeing new and different things, not knowing where we will eat or what we will see tomorrow.
All in all, the cruise in itself was fine – the service and food were fine and we really had nothing to complain about. We didn’t have leaky showers or toilets, or get violently ill or lose electricity or anything disastrous except our last night at sea was horrendous. We awoke to this consistent loud thump slamming the side of the ship – upon peaking out the window, we could see the huge swells of the sea. It was the waves crashing against the boat and good gosh, the thought of sleeping in life vests that night became tempting.
P.S Despite what people tell you about “not feeling the sea or the rocking of the boat (even on still waters) because the boat is SO big” – we definitely beg to differ. You can feel it, well we certainly did!
View more photos of our trips at Photo Gallery.
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can we be extras if you’re filming dexter in miami?
After an epic flight from Sydney, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale almost 35 hours later and the first thing we wanted to do was head to Miami being HUGE fans of the TV series; Dexter. Well, instead of wrecking our body clocks by “resting”, we chose to keep going in case we were able to catch glimpse of filming. Actually it was on the transfer out to Miami Beach that we learnt that Miami and Miami Beach were different – hmmm…. certainly felt really ignorant at that point. Before long, we were soaking it up Miami Beach style;
- Sitting on Ocean Drive enjoying a Cuban lunch at Gloria Estefan’s restaurant
- Walking along the beach
- Soaking up the sun
- People watching!
How cool is Miami Beach?! And in case you were wondering, we did not see any Dexter filming in Miami (or is it Miami Beach?).
TIP: We are off on the cruise tomorrow and we are staying at a very convenient hotel to the port – only a few minutes away. See our review of the Embassy Suites on TripAdvisor.
View more photos of our trips at Photo Gallery.
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local food, people and weather
On the 3 or so days we travelled from Hue to Hoi An, we experienced Vietnam in all aspects and elements. We were escorted on the private tour by a driver and a guide and learnt a great deal about life in Vietnam. As part of the tour, we visited the Healing the Wounded Heart Shop – a charity that supports people who have disabilities or are disadvantaged. The young men who work there make products from recycled goods to sell in the shop. We were able to meet about 5-6 of them, most of whom had hearing impairments. But despite the language and communication barrier, they still managed to have a conversation with us and we enjoyed a laugh together.
Next stop was to visit two schools:
(1) the first was a primary school educating children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism
(2) the second was a secondary boarding school educating youth from families who are very poor and live too far from a school.
It is amazing with the limited funding that they have what the teachers and schools do for these kids.
Hoi An is a gorgeous quaint town where the historical centre is so well-preserved. It probably doesn’t quite compare to Pingyao in China but it certainly is not far off. All the facades are painted a pale yellow and practically identical – it is easy to lose yourself in the woven streets. Now if you have never been to Hoi An, you would probably not believe that you can get a tailor-made suit/s, jacket, dress, shirt (anything that you can think of – a work colleague even had shoes made) in a matter of hours. The streets are lined with pale yellow shops and the pale yellow shows are filled with tailors and fabrics – so plentiful you feel overwhelmed to have to “choose” one over the other. And amazingly, any fabric, colour or style will be made especially for you in less than no time or overnight (and sometimes delivered to your hotel)! When do these people ever sleep? They certainly are hard-working people who take great pride in what they do.
Actually while we were in Hoi An there was a tropical storm making its way to the area and so we were getting the full experience of the preparations – there was broadcasting of the news through speakers of a van that drove around the streets and regular updates by the same van throughout the day. We were a little nervous by this tropical storm but the locals did not appear too concerned. In fact, it worried us a little more when our tour guide decided to get us onto an earlier flight out as apparently it was going to be pretty fierce! The morning we flew out the rain was tremendously forceful on the roof of the hotel. We had luckily timed our stay perfectly.
Now onto the food – pho became our staple for the week that we were in Vietnam, at least for breakfast anyway. We did try a whole bunch of other foods. For lunches and dinners we gave what we could a whirl. Our meals were costing on average under $7 for both of us to eat and the food was delicious, fresh and filling too. Pretty much all the different flavours we tasted were from Hoi An.
View more photos of our trips at Photo Gallery.
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crossing the road 101
After China earlier this year, the next planned trip was the one to Florida and the Caribbean. So the bonus trip to Vietnam was unexpected, admittedly there was a work component at the end but why not use the opportunity to explore another country we hadn’t thought of doing any time soon. With only 6 days available towards the north of the country, we had to decide what it was we wanted to do before we got there. We booked a Charitable Tour of Hue and Hoi An with AdventureWorld.
Flying with Vietnam Airlines – the food was good, seats were comfortable with good leg room in economy and the best surprise was being able to order 2-minute cup noodles throughout the flight. Score!! And we were simply looking forward to eating loads and loads of pho.
At Hanoi airport, we were picked up by a representative of AdventureWorld (or the local equivalent) and transferred to the hotel. We were told that the humidity was “only
about 50%” as opposed to the usual 80-90% they had been experiencing not that long ago. Geez, we were feeling it at 50%. The heat wasn’t the only thing we needed to get use to. It was also the currency; the Vietnamese dong – spending in hundreds of thousands and millions. So we can technically say we were millionaires for a week. The exciting thing for us though was that the money was plastic like the Australian notes.
After one night in Hanoi, we flew to Hue and stayed in an amazing hotel, Hotel Saigon Morin. Air-con in the room was blissfully cool. We enjoyed wandering the streets but not so much the crossing of the roads. Seriously, the amount of motorbikes and scooters on the streets are intense. We were clearly instructed that to cross the roads, you do it slowly. Do not run!
How can you not run when you have hundreds of vehicles flooding towards you? Your instinct automatically tells you to run for safety from one footpath to the other footpath which is 4 lanes across. But the secret is finding a little break in the flow and stepping down and proceeding slowly while looking at the oncoming traffic – it was the in-between of not hesitating and not making that mad dash.
This was going to take some getting use to. To avoid crossing the road, we kept making right turns as that was the only option other than to turn back. Before long, we decided that we needed to cross the road to find something to eat. We watched how the Vietnamese people do it and they made it looks so easy. It clearly is a skill!
With our hearts pounding and sweaty palms, we clung onto each other’s hands to refrain ourselves from bolting across. Miraculously, we made it to safety only to come to the realisation that we would have to do the same thing just to get back to the hotel after lunch. Oh well, we will deal with that later. For the time being we would enjoy what we could without having to cross too many more busy roads.
View more photos of our trips at Photo Gallery.
wise monkeys abroad 