At Sea today heading for our first Port
Up late 9.30 am had breakfast,sharing a table with a lovely lady Doctor from Vancouver.Again the conversation flowed especially after me asking for advice on my medical condition (Only kidding Jayne we spoke about all topics EXCEPT medical matters,which must have been a relief for Dr Pat) Today will be spent at Sea arriving at our destination tomorrow.Currently sat in the Sun Lounge by the Pool relaxing. Went to a Windows workshop on how to edit pictures via Photo Gallery..instructor at times regimented but good valuable tips taken on board.Lunch fruit and ice cream because I,m cutting down. Afternoon saw Annie sleep for 4 hours and we watched a movie from the Boats extensive library.After a “light” dinner we sat in the Piano Bar for a drink and watched the excellent pianist strutting his stuff.We met up with 2 other couples PLUS a reserve couple on the next table.The table was at one time FULL of wine and beer (not a drop wasted !) and we had such a great night a repeat is in order
Leaving Hong Kong on a High
Spoilt once again for breakfast but we managed,currently sat in the library in wonderful surrounding transfering Blog material from my Galaxy Tablet to my Laptop (Annie is catching up with clothes washing !) After lunch we had to do a passport inspection in order we can get Visa,s for up coming countries.We sat on the deck of the Crows Nest savouring the majestic views of the Hong Kong harbour and met up with passengers Martin and Hazel who remained our companions throughout the voyage before I decided to have a nap whilst Annie went to Tai Chi.Mandatory Life Saving Drill held at 5pm IF a person does NOT attend their cruise is instantly terminated . We attended how to use a digital camera seminar and showed basic use,short,but to the point information.After dinner we attended the live Hits of Broadway show that proved to be quite good..followed by a session in the Piano bar watch the excellent pianist strut his stuff. Free raffles held in the Casino but NO winner for us..The Crows nest was a good evening spent with fellow travellers Alan & June once again we were there for Happy Hour simply because the prices are so good.During the day I absolutely pigged out and in future I need to cut down .Good conversation was the order of the day and the music was from the 60,s.A rather large Australian chatted to use and he made very good use of the Happy Hour ! BUT he was very friendly (and probably lonely) apparently lives near my daughter in Ocean Reef
First Day on the The Vollendam
Early Breakfast then Taxi to the ship Volendam where embarkation proved to be very quick.Our cabin stewardYardi introduced himself and we familiarized ourselves with our cabin with a huge porthole (lovely) Luggage arrived THEN disaster no 2 !! SOMEONE had locked the case keys inside the case !! Maintenance were called but after an hour no one came,so after some extra effort on my behalf I forced one open that had the keys in with very minimal damage and all was OK once again SO we ventured out ona reccy of the boat and came across a FREE ice cream parlour ( Nooooo) I have told Annie this will be out meeting point should we lose each other and I have told her not to panic finding me !! The foodhall has a great mouth watering selection of foods and is a great alternative to the “posh” restaurant We walked for miles exploring this wonderful but old boat and we are happy with the whole set up. Dinner was in the Restaurant and we enjoyed the spiffy meal at a table shared with a couple from Manchester (my birth place) followed by a visit to the Cinema to watch PUSH Free popcorn is offered to patrons and we were the only couple in there !! Later we caught the dying few minutes of the live show introducing the entertainers which looks quite promising in the next few days at sea.We finished the night in the Crows Nest just in time for Happy Hour where 2 drinks can be bought for just $6.25 Annie had TWO bluish strangely names cocktails and still managed to stay on her feet !! Amazingly out of nowhere a lady who had seen me on Facebook called me by name and introduced herself and partner SO nice to meet you Noelene and Geoff..Hell I even had a dance with Annie (she was so surprised with this she felt NO effect from the alcohol) looks like a good trip coming up !! Almost forgot we also attended the 7.30 Xmas tree lighting up ceremony with afew carols thrown in,finally made bed around midnight
Bye Bye Beijing hello Hong Kong
After breakfast Lilly collected us to transport me n Annie to the Airport and after saying goodbye to a very nice young lady and going thru baggage drop and immigration (Strangely we have to use International passport to fly between Beijing & Hong Kong even tho both are in China) we actually caught a train to our departure gate because the airport is so big ) I must confess I am unnerved when having to fly on airlines I know nothing of and DRAGONAIR was no exception BUT all my fears were allayed and the trip was really good and fast.Beijing was a great place to stay and would have liked to stay longer
the Xmas light display was a delight to see,even had a live choir in the airport singing carols.We are now in the Novotel Hong Kong Branch and only there for one night BUT a very friendly Christmassy atmosphere made us feel valued consumers
After a short walk around the very busy densly populated extremely well lit surrounding area we fell into bed around 11pm
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 