Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After 40 hours without sleep we finally made it to Kuala Lumpur.  The Cruise Liner kicked us off the ship at 0930 on Sunday and due to the 4 suitcases we had no option but to go to the airport where we sat outside on a concrete seat till 1245 to check in our bags.  Whilst checking in they informed us that the flight was overbooked and asked if we would volunteer to offload ourselves.  This we did as the incentive was a return flight for us both Venice to KL.

The extra 10 hours and rerouting thru Rome seemed like a good idea at the time but proved to be very tiresome by the end of the journey.  Arrived at 1am on Monday and fell into a very comfortable bed in a very plush hotel (The Shangri-La) and didn't wake up till after 9am.

We were both knackered so chose to do nothing but lay by the pool for the day.  Late afternoon we decided to go find some markets.  Got directions and hopped on the monorail, got off at what we were told was the station and walked for miles to find absolutely nothing.  Returned to monorail hot and sweaty and back to hotel where we decided to have dinner.  It was very expensive for a very ordinary buffet.

Slept in again, not waking up till 9 so another late breakfast.  This time we got  a taxi to the Central Markets which are a cultural marketplace.  Only took 1hr to walk around as nothing really exciting.  Hopped into a taxi to get back to the hotel and just down the road from the Central Market I spotted to real markets that I wanted to go to.  Never mind there is always next time.

Spent the afternoon at the pool, Alan disappeared into he Spa for saunas, hottubs, steam room etc stuff - nearly sent a search party out for him.  At 5 we decided to go check out one of the many shopping complexes.  We chose the closest to the hotel the KLCC as we wanted to walk back and find somewhere to eat.  The shopping centre is at the base of the twin towers and a waste our time as it only contained name brand stores like Chanel, Tiffany's, Harrods etc.  Alan being the smart alec that he is described it as the 'shopping centre I chose not to buy anything'./  As if I could afford to even look in the windows.

Walked up and down streets looking for local restaurant that served Satay and Nasi Goreng or Mee Goreng.  Apparently Malaysians eat Italian here but we eventually found a seedy pub place that served the Satay - had to send it back and ask for it to be cooked again as the chicken was a bit raw.  Now praying that it was properly cooked and I don't spend the night and all tomorrow on the toilet.

Long trip tomorrow, we leave at 3.30pm and get into Melbourne at 2am and have to wait there until 6am to get a flight to Canberra.

Doesn't seem like we have been away for 7 weeks.  We have enjoyed every minute of it - except Santorini donkeys!

End of Cruise

Well its come to the end of the cruise.  Its been 24 days of exploring Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey and Montenegro not to mention the 4 days in Spain prior to departure.

I was worried that 24 days would be too much on a boat.  Boy was I wrong, with so much to do on shore and only 4 ‘sea’ days we were really grateful for the extra 3half days at sea. We didn’t have time for any on ship activities, except trivia during happy hour, so could easily do a longer trip,

This format has meant we have unpacked once, slept in the same very comfy bed every night, have 3 meals a day without having to go anywhere and wake up every morning in a new town, city or country.

Some of the days have been long with 7 and 8 hour tours but we feel we have packed in as much as we wanted to and still feel very relaxed.

Having 1 day in each port has given us a snapshot of the town or country and we definitely know what areas we do and don’t want to visit again.

The food has been of an incredibly high standard, we have eaten in the dining room rather than the buffet but no matter what venue the variety has been incredible.

The staff are super efficient and friendly, nothing is too much trouble.  All except the Internet Manager who is a complete and utter bitch.  But one thorn is manageable.

Well definitely have the cruising bug.  Now its just a question of which destination is next.

Split, Croatia

Split is the largest Dalmatian city, and second largest in Croatia.  The city is a link to the numerous surrounding Adriatic islands.  It is one of the oldest cities around 1,700 years old.

We tendered into shore and wandered thru the Diocletian’s Palace and the old castle markets.  Being a Saturday the markets were packed with locals and  they spilled over into every alley and square.  The fresh food markets had some fabulous looking fruit and veges but the meat stalls looked a bit iffy – pigeons just land on stuff.  The seafood open-air market was particularly smelly so we didn’t linger for long.  It was pleasant to walk thru local markets and not just the tourist stuff, although there was a lot of that as well.

We wandered up and down alleys for a couple of hours checking out the real old tiny alleyways and the apartments and houses.  They are of the same design as those in Dubrovnik.  We stopped at a café on the waterfront which was a very happening place.  Lots of young people strolling around, masses of young backpackers and a demonstration against toxic waste.  We have really taken to this café society of sitting in the street watching the world go by. Being able to do that with the magnificent views in these old cities is just magical.

Time to go back to the ship as there is a football game on and we have to pack the bags.

Dreading the packing and the long trip home but after 6 weeks its time to find our way home.

Santorini, Greece

In approx 1600BC the volcano that made up this island erupted in a catastrophic explosion and what was once the island of Thira sank to the bottom of the caldera and the sea rushed into the abyss to create the great bay.  The bay, once the high center of the island is 1,300ft deep in some places, so deep that when boats dock in the small port of Athinios they do not drop anchor.  The lagoon like caldera that was created measures 32 sq miles and is 300 to 400 metres deep.  Along the caldera the cliffs rise 1,100ft with the white cluster of the towns of Fira and Oia perched along the top.

We sailed into this lagoon with the bare cliffs and barren landscape with these white specks above and were very disappointed.  This didn’t look anything like the promised white houses with blue domes we were expecting.  We tendered ashore and decided to get the cable car to the top of the cliffs.  No way was I subjecting the poor donkeys to my weight to climb the 1,100ft to the top.  Cable Car was just as bad but kept my eyes closed and made it OK.

Once on top we wandered down the street till we found a car rental agency where we got a little matchbox on wheels with a map which showed nothing and a promise that all signs were in English.  Off we went with the promise we could do the whole island in 2-3 hours.  We headed to the highest point to see the view and a monastery and ended up at the bottom of the hill on the ocean!  Retraced our steps, realized the map was a guide only, as they were not to scale and had no street names on it, and that the signs were in English but they were few and far between.  Eventually got to the monastery and the view after a rather scary drive up this huge mountain on a basically single lane road praying we didn’t meet a bus coming the other way.  The view was good as you could see the whole island below us and well out into the lagoon and islands. 

From here we headed back to a beach town with black sand beaches.  Well the black sand was black stones, pebbles and rocks.  It cost $9 to hire lounge chair under an umbrella but decided we couldn’t sit on the stones and we wanted to get into that fabulous blue water.  The water was cool but lovely. The getting in and out over the hard stones was not so attractive.

We left the beach and traveled to the other end of the island to the town of Oia where we were promised the white house with blue domes clinging to the cliffs.  There were a few and they were very pretty but a lot of the houses are now painted cream and other pastel colours and have been turned into hotels so you couldn’t walk down thru them.  Had a late lunch at a lovely spot overlooking the ocean and the houses on the cliff, took a few photos and then headed back to Fira.

We dropped off the car, after waiting for 40minutes for them to come and collect it and headed back to the cable car.  The line for the cable car was huge, later figured it was about 1.5hrs wait, so in mad fit I said lets walk down the stairs!!!!!  There were something like 1,000 stairs in a zigzag down the mountain, they were 4 of my steps in width, stones and concrete worn very smooth and slippery in places and covered in donkey shit and donkeys.  Alan had to slow down so I could hold on to him due to the slipperiness and the donkeys really freaked me out (definitely a failure as a farmers daughter). They either stood on the steps and I had to pass their rear ends and worried about getting kicked or they wandered up the steps and you had to get out of their way. Half way down I thought I was going to explode from the heat, my knees were ready to give up and really didn’t think I would make it.  We eventually got to the bottom and I must say for the first time this trip Alan was drenched in sweat and just as exhausted as me.  We got back to ship, threw down multiple glasses of water, had a shower and hit the bar.

Once we had recovered we went to dinner, but both of us really couldn’t be bothered so had a light dinner and hit the bed and conked out by 8pm.

Didn’t wake up till 7 this morning and the body is stiff and sore, Alan is headachy as he is dehydrated.  Thankfully today is a sea day as the energy level is 0.

Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi is a resort town on the western coast of Turkey, the Asian side.  It is the closest town to Ephesus, an ancient site.

We were on a half day tour to Ephesus which was once a powerful trading port.  The Ionians built a temple to honor Diana at Ephesus and this became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, today only the foundations can be seen.

One of the best preserved structures is the Library of Celsus, the 3^rd largest library of that time.  Under the library there is a tunnel which leads to the brothel and municipal baths.  The baths still have the latrines.  This was a men’s only area and it was a large square with a pond in the middle (with nice smelling stuff in it) and surrounded on all sides by marble bench with holes cut out for the toilet seats (approx 40). You sat on the seat and there was a ditch in front which had running water and you scooped the water out to wash your bottom.  Doing your business was a communal outing!  You can still see the pipes used for drainage and the water pipes.  It was very clever and they even had heating for the cooler months.  The story goes that the women would go shopping whilst the men were supposedly in the library but had actually used the underground passage to visit the baths and the brothel.

The Romans were certainly very civilized and advanced when it came to water storage and sewerage.  The massive aquaducts are still visible and inside the baths there were changing rooms, warm water room, hot water room, steam room, cold water room etc and all was done by the way they built the structure. There were two amphitheatres at the site, one small and one larger one which was estimated to hold over 25,000 people.

It is estimated that 80% of Ephesus is still underground and waiting to be discovered.  It is recorded that Cleopatra and Mark Antony visited the city. It is said that when they arrived they poured red wine down the main avenue to the harbour to welcome them.  It is believe that this is where the tradition of laying out the red carpet came from.

The ruins were fascinating and our guide was excellent.  It was very hot around 35 but I didn’t suffer too much today as it was a very dry heat and there was no reflection off white walls.

Back on the bus and off to a carpet factory we went.  Again the carpets were just magnificent and would have loved to buy one but the cost was just a bit too high.  We then wandered thru the streets of Kusadasi (which make up the Bazaar), up and down alleys and market stalls and eventually wound our way back to the ship.

Another lovely day in Turkey.  We are both very impressed with Turkey and have no doubt we will come back here.

Trivia: A new brick 2storey townhouse of 200sq mtrs with 2 bathrooms, pool and overlooking the ocean costs $155,000.   Very tempting…

Mykonos, Greece

Mykonos is an island in the southern Aegean Sea.  It has posh resorts, white sand beaches and radiant blue waters.  Its 33 square miles and has about 10,000 residents.  It dates back to the early 11^th century.

We arrived at lunchtime and were surprised at the barrenness of the island.  It appears to be very rocky and the only trees are those planted around houses.  All the houses are white, made of concrete and again very white.

We went ashore and not only are all the houses white, white coloured trims around doors and windows, but the concrete between the cobblestones is painted white, the tree trunks are painted white – everything is painted white.  The heat and the reflection of all the white concrete was incredible.  We walked up the hill and we were dripping with sweat.

Nearly passing out from the glare and heat we headed back down past the windmills and little Venice where you could see the houses hanging over the water.  We stopped at a café and had gelato and cooled down.  People watched for a while and decided we just couldn’t be bothered walking any move.  Paddled in the water and wished I had brought my swimmers as the colour and clarity of the water was so tempting.

Back on board to cool down and I think we must be the only ones that have come back – we were the only ones at happy hour but regardless we have had enough in 3 hours and were just happy to sit in the shade and people watch.

Istanbul, Turkey

We sailed thru the Dardanelles, passing Gallipoli with a running commentary from the ships tour guide re the ANZACS.  It didn’t look anything like the pictures we had seen.  We later discovered that we went past Anzac Cove around 5.30 in the morning but we weren’t told that would be the time, much to the Australians disgust.  We got the commentary as we went past the town of Gallipoli.  Anyway at least we have been near the place.

A few hours later we sailed into Marmara Sea and Istanbul, it looked huge from the ship and it straddles two continents Europe and Asia.  Europe has the old city and Asia the new and is connected by three bridges over the Bosporus.  Istanbul can be traced back to the 10^th century.  Turkey is 98% Muslim and this is reflected in the number of mosques around the city and has around 15million people.

We arrived at 4pm and quickly left the ship to explore.  Our first stop was the Grand Bazaar (where the bus dropped us) which was closed as it was Sunday.  From there we found our way to the Blue Mosque.  This is a very impressive Mosque with 6 minarets and gets its name from the blue tile decorations inside.  It was prayer time so we were hustled thru but still saw all the tiling to the domes and the magnificent painting in the domes.  /From here we wandered down the street and passed all these little boys aged about 4 all dressed up in white with gold capes and lots of finery.  We asked if it was a special occasion and were told yes it was a very special day and they were off to the Blue Mosque to be circumcised.  The poor little mites looked and behaved as if they were going to a party – didn’t see any of them afterwards but I bet they weren’t happy!

By this time all the Palaces etc were closed so we stopped for an authentic Turkish dinner then wandered down the hill past lots of shops.  We were planning on getting a cab as it was at least 5kms (I reckon at least 10km) to the ship but we just kept walking until it was too late to get cab.  Somehow managed to crawl back onto the ship, had a shower and passed out.

Set the alarm for 6.15 so we could be at the Grand Bazaar by opening time at 0830. The Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, encompassing 58 streets.

What can you say about the Bazaar except wow, wow, wow, shoppers paradise.  Well it would have been if I left Alan at home.  He is such a spoilsport – every time I wanted something he’d say ‘how are you going to get that home’ ‘its too heavy you will be over your weight allowance’ ‘you will never use it’ ‘Astrid doesn’t need it’ ‘you can’t buy it if you don’t know their size’.  From now on when there is shopping to do I’m taking Jen Jen – she just helps me carry things.  Besides Alan it was fascinating, the leather jackets were divine, the leather handbags incredible (but expensive), the artifacts were beautiful and could have spent all day wandering up and down the alleys and getting totally lost.  But we had other things to see so ventured out after only 2 hours to the Basilica Cistern.

The Cistern was built between 527-565. It length is 140m, width is 70m. You go down 55 stone stairs and there are 336 columns whose height is 9m. It’s all arched between the columns and was made waterproof by covering the floor and walls thickly with Khorasan mortar.  It has the capacity of 100,000 tonnes of water storage.  An absolutely incredible structure. The cracks have been fixed and it now has about ½ metre water in it with fish swimming around in the dark.  Hard to believe that such a massive structure is under so many highrise buildings.

From here we went to Topkapi Palace.  This is were the Sultans lived for 400 or so years.  It’s been turned into a museum with some incredible exhibits.  There is one 89 carat diamond with 46 large diamonds around it.  Liz Taylor eat your heart out! There were swords with emeralds the size of eggs in them.  A timber gold cradle covered with rubies and emeralds and on and on it went.  Cannot imagine how much this collection is worth, but that’s likely why there are many police armed with automatic weapons.  The exhibits are very well done with good lighting and the armory had so many pristine exhibits of Sultans’ ceremonial swords etc.  By the time we got to the library, a beautiful stand alone domed building with massive big day lounges, I was ready to sit and never move.  But move I did past the baths, the harem, ballrooms etc. We spent many hours in the Palace and probably only saw half of it.

Once again a combination of heat and very sore feet saw us find a café for a late lunch, where we shared a doner kebab.  Once revived we trundled off down the hill only this time I was determined to get a cab back to the ship.  Found another couple of stores to spend a few $s in and finally got the cab back to the ship in time for happy hour and sailing time.

Now revived by the drink and a shower and have to get dressed for formal night.  Can barely walk so will be interesting having to wear heels tonight.

It’s interesting how you either connect or don’t connect with different cities.  We would never bother with Athens again but both instantly loved Istanbul and would definitely come back as we barely scratched the surface of all this city has to offer.

Trivia: forgot to put in Athens yesterday that the streets are lined with orange and mulberry trees and you can pick the fruit if and when you want.  It really makes the dullest street very pretty with the trees laden with oranges.