Day 11 - 1 July
Another really calm and hot day. After our morning walk, we are sitting on the balcony, which fortunately is on the shady side. Last night we had Marilyn & Ray for a drink before dinner and as mentioned, we didn't go to the Captains Circle party. We hear that it followed the usual routine, except that staff were instructed "1 drink only", still many apparently missed out. I don't know why they don't adopt the Cunard principle of handing out a drink as you enter the room. Still, we had a pleasant time with our friends and at dinner were delighted to have a full table, which meant we could get a group photo.
Lunch today was with Margie & Ash and Margit & Jim (from our table). Both men were living/working in Saudi Arabia at various times and Margie knows Jim's sister very well. So a small world once again - we are just the conduit. Both Margie & Margie are having problems with the internet and Xtra in particular. Pleasingly, my email issues seem to have resolved themselves, although I have to use the Gmail application rather than the "Mail" one Samsung provides - Don't ask me why or how, but if it works, great! Update to this is that the "Patter" explained that the ship was having problems with their ISP regarding emails, so it is them, not us!
Day 12 - 2 July
Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia)
Ah ha, after all the sea days, this represents the beginning of the Asian leg. Up early as we have a trip to the zoo at 9.00, however still time for breakfast in the MDR. Another brilliant day with temperatures in the mid 30s. There were 8 busloads heading south to the zoo - we were on bus 5, and had a delightful guide, but very chatty. We were amazed at the development going on along the road to the airport, with many of the old houses (& particularly the water-houses) being demolished and replaced with modern high-rise apartments. Much of the land is recently reclaimed.
As we got closer to the zoo, we travelled through extensive roadworks, which is part of the main highway being constructed throughout the Sabah province to link with Brunei (the wealthy neighbour to the south). We were also surprised to hear that Sabah is 55% Christian, which is unusual for Malaysia, a mainly Muslim country. Of course the southern part of Borneo is Indonesian. Kota Kinabalu and all surrounding towns were completely destroyed in WW 11, so there are really no old buildings etc.
The zoo was advertised as being set in 280 acres showcasing wildlife & botanical aspects of Borneo. Well the zoo is pretty run-down as clearly they do not have the funds. It is pretty much an old style zoo, with animals in cages and limited natural environment. However we were not disappointed with the exhibits which featured the local wildlife - Pygmy Elephants, Orangutans, Sun Bears & Proboscis Monkeys. The latter were really cute and there was a baby about 12 inches tall, cute as. There were also native birds, Hornbills, which are bordering on extinction, as are many of the native animals, due to logging, commercialisation and the increasing production of Palm Oil.
After the zoo we headed to the museum & heritage village. This was very interesting, with good displays of the historical artefacts & of course the headhunters equipment and trophies. Yes, it was quite intriguing, particularly as some of these practices continued until relatively recently. The main display in the museum is the skeleton of the largest Bryde's Whale, caught off the coast just 10 years ago - 18.6 metres long. Thankfully not found in Kawau Bay.
We were home right on time at 1.00 and caught up with Rick & Beverley from Snells Beach at lunch "upstairs". After that it was time for a bit of a rest, as although we were protected from the sun, we both have a little bit of heat exposure. As an aside, the Captain came over the intercom just before lunch yesterday advising that Borneo is on the list of Zika infected areas - the queue at the shop on board to buy insect repellent formed immediately! (perhaps they wanted to clear surplus stock!). We are already well prepared and pleased to report that neither of us were bitten, although there were tons of insects around the zoo. We are also starting to hear stories of people going down with flu-like symptoms (including Margaret from our table), so we are being particularly vigilant as the Chinese are particularly harsh on anyone with temperatures etc. and will deny entry.
Well, we set sail on our way to Hong Kong just after 5.00 and I have just ordered green tea & biscuit to keep us sustained until dinner (no afternoon tea today). I must confess that I'd never heard of Kota Kinabalu before, but now know a lot and the fact that tourism is it's 2nd income earner (ironically mainly Japanese). Before closing this chapter, I must record an amusing incident that happened to us on the bus. After we returned to the bus following our visit to the zoo, we sat down in "our" seats and realised that we were actually in different seats (with a slightly obstructed window). It turns out that an American couple who returned to the bus before us wanted our seats, so moved our belongings to make us believe we were back in our original seats. Other passengers noted and commented to us later - didn't worry us, but the lengths that the defenders of the free world will go to to get their own way is incredible. Karma awaits.
As we sail along in the sunset, we were surprised by the number of oil rigs close to our path as we heading north. They were much closer than the ones we have seen in the Middle East. In between the rigs with their orange flames, were squid boats with bright white lights - made a great contrast with the pinkish evening twilight.
Day 13 - 3 July
Somehow we slept in a bit, as did a lot of passengers, must have been the excitement of being ashore yesterday. Anyway, made it to breakfast and to the Church service (slightly late), which is run by the Customer Services Manager - a Kiwi. Far too hot for the 1 mile club, so we played "spot the seats" in the International Cafe. Had a great conversation with a group of 8 from Australia travelling together.
The bridge-widowers group met for Happy Hour and stocked up on supplies before joining the ladies for Afternoon Tea. As you will see, it really is a hard life at sea. We did however get our walk when it was a little cooler. Tomorrow is our last sea day before we hit Hong Kong for 2 days and then we progress through the various Asian ports in pretty quick succession - pretty well all of them are *very* early starts and full day excursions, so we need to build up our resistances.
Day 14 - 4 July
Yet again a lovely day, very warm and humid with really smooth seas - no complaints from us about this. Another wine tasting event this afternoon, so Vivian's bridge is a morning event today. We are trundling along at just under 15 knots and are actually being passed by a small container ship. Surprised how little shipping we've seen along the way.
Of course with Vivian's bridge out of the way, we have a quiet, relaxing afternoon, so I am completing this entry lying on the bed with the door open (not good for air-conditioning I know) and the sea breeze and sound of the sea wafting in. 2 days in Hong Kong will be pretty full on, so charging the batteries in advance. Yes, the promenade deck will be calling once it cools down a bit.
Photos below show the beautiful sea, our Kiwi contingent, performing Sun Bear, Proboscis Monkey family, Whale skeleton (& Vivian ) at the museum and headhunters house, the town clock (the only survivor from pre-war, although it has been replaced a number of times due to rot!) and the largest Hibiscus in the world...
STOP PRESS
Captain has just made an announcement that our visit to Hong Kong may be cut short by a day due to the impending typhoon/super typhoon approaching from the east. So watch out for the next instalment.
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