DAY 86---PHUKET, THAILAND (DAY 2)

                                 

        Second day in Phuket but we are not leaving the ship.  Well I take that back.  There are some local handicraft shops set up next to the terminal.  After our treadmill time we will go check them out.  Sailing early today at 2pm.

LAST EVENING

Not much to report.  Cocktails with our bar fly girls before we went to dinner in Compass Rose.  I was in bed by 9:00.

YESTERDAY'S TOUR

        I did get all of my photos uploaded to Google Photos by 4:30 yesterday evening but not enough time to put them on the blog and add captions as church service was in an hour.  It was a Palm Sunday service by our cruise director, Paul.

                                                                        Today's tour.

        Nice, air conditioned bus with only 12 of us on it for the tour.  Peter was our tour guide.

This map shows the largest of Thailand's islands, Phuket, where we are now.  It is only 31 miles long and 12 miles wide and connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges on its north end.  There are another 32 small islands around Phuket.

                                                             

                                                                Sail fish outside the port.

                                                        This is our bus at the first stop.

        Our first stop was at the Chalong Temple but we did not tour the temple yet.  We changed modes of transportation to mini vans with 4 people in each of the very nice vans.  We then drove up to see The Big Buddha in the vans as buses could not get up the winding narrow roads.

                                                                          Driving up

We passed by a couple places where you could ride elephants.  Very hard to see the elephants to left side.

Just off the vans and walking to see The Big Buddha.  

This is 135 feet high and 75 feet wide at the base---The Big Buddha.  I did not walk up the steps to go inside the temple.  You have to take your shoes off to go in temples in Thailand and I am not removing my shoes.

                                                             View from the temple.

                                                                               Peter 

Prior to getting to the Big Buddha, Peter said there may be monkeys around it.  He said DO NOT feed them or try to pet them as they bite.  These are the only monkeys I saw there.

                                               Some strange lady photo bombed my selfie.

       Heading back in the vans to the Chalong Temple complex and where our bus was parked.

Photos of the Chalong Temple buildings.  This temple is the most important of the 29 Buddhist temples in Phuket.

              This is the main temple.  I did not go in as did not want to remove my shoes.

                            This building is empty and where the monks go twice a day to pray.

                                           Not open yet but a new museum being built.

                                                     Another part of the temple complex.

                                                                 LOTS of elephants

                                                          Views from the temple area.

                                                    Resort and beach in the distance.

                                              Back on the bus and driving along the beach.

                                          Brief stop at this Chinese temple.  I did not go in it.

  Last stop was for shopping here.  I thought they would have internet for me to use but didn't.

The place was huge with very nice jewelry.  This was the main room but there were more.  Fast walk through and back on the bus for me.

Back at the ship at 2pm.  I was templed out!!!

TODAY

After our treadmill time we went shopping just off the pier next to the terminal.  It was very hot and humid again so wanted to do it before showering.

Lots of clothes and other souvenirs

                                      Marcia was waving at us from the deck 6 promenade.

This was my lunch down in Comass Rose today.  I have gained two pounds (not that bad for 3 months) so cutting back.  Salmon filet was good and enough.

                                         I bought another new shirt.  Tag says Thai silk.  Cost me $8.

COVID

        After Captain Abhi's departure PA at 1:30pm, Paul (cruise director) had an important health announcement.  Seems there were 9 new covid cases reported yesterday and more upper respiratory cases (I think covid was brought on board by the new segment people in Singapore 4 days ago but just my opinion).  So beginning this afternoon all crew will be wearing masks, the block party for this evening and Seven Seas Society party tomorrow are canceled, officers and staff members cannot dine with passengers, and masks are "suggested" when we are in crowded places for passengers.  Masks will be delivered to the suites this evening but we have plenty.  We had heard about the covid increase as one of our friends tested positive yesterday and is isolated.  So we had already planned on not going to the bar for a few days.  We will have our cocktail hour here in the suite.  We don't go to the lectures or shows.  About the only place we go is to the fitness center to do our treadmill time.  I may do my fast walking out on deck 6 promenade again.

        Our 2pm departure is being delayed as two passengers have not returned to the ship yet.  All aboard time was 1:30.  Well, we left the pier at 2:25 so not sure if they made it back or not.  I hope the stupid couple did make it back as we now have two days at sea before arriving in Sri Lanka.  They would have to fly there at THEIR expense.  Found out later that they did make it back on board.

Strange looking naval ship so got my binoculars out.  It is a United States Navy ship of some kind anchored just outside of Phuket.

                                     Tonight's Compass Rose menu where we shall be dining.

We have another one hour back time change tonight.  So we will be 12 hours ahead of Durango time after the change.

DAY 85---PHUKET, THAILAND

 

We were docked in Phuket, Thailand, by 8am.  We shall remain here over night.  It is forecast to be 90 degrees and humid again today.

Historical/Background Info:

        We were here in 2013 & 2017. Phuket city is on Phuket Island which is the largest island of Thailand and is about the same size as Singapore. It is 30 miles long and 13 miles wide. Phuket City, with a population of 80,000, is one of the oldest cities in Thailand.  There are another 32 smaller islands nearby and lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges on its northern most point. Phuket Island is mostly rainforests and mountainous, but again, the 2004 tsunami rendered several damage to its coast, killing 250. Today, tin mining, rubber, and tourism is the basis for their economy. Forest, rubber, and palm oil plantations cover 60% of the island. The island population is a half million but there are 10 million tourists visiting here annually. Fortune Magazine in 2005 voted Phuket as one of the world’s top 5 retirement destinations. There are thousands of Americans living in Phuket, many of them retirees.

LAST EVENING

We enjoyed a private bar while most everyone was in the theater for the Captain's Welcome Reception.

                                                     Salim is a new bar waiter from Goa.

                                                     Our "bar fly" friends, Pat and Mary.

           Manuel Jr is another new assistant waiter in Sette Mari.  He is from the Philippines.

               Helen from Honduras is the new waitress who replaced Skinny in Sette Mari.

                                           I Gusti is from Bali and also new in Sette Mari.

Marlon from the Philippines is also new bar waiter.  Seems everyone is new in Sette Mari around our table.

   There were several fishing boats out last evening like this one with green lights to attract the fish.

                                                     The veal parmesan we both shared.

TODAY

   

        Picture of the cruise terminal and all the tour buses as I was heading down to the theater to get my tour bus assignment.  Later as I was heading to the bus I passed through the terminal.  It was completely empty.  There are several shops set up next to it however.  May check them out tomorrow.

         What a fiasco!  Over 400 going on tours at the same departure time.  It actually went about as good as it could have.  I had a "Phuket Landmarks" 5 1/2 hour tour that departed at 8:30 and was back at the ship by 2:00pm.  

        Thailand is a beautiful country with very nice people, but unlike other countries, internet wifi is hard to find.  There was none at any of our stops today so I am having to use the ship's snail wifi to upload today's photos.  So far it has take a half hour to upload 6 photos.  41 more to go!!

        I doubt that I will be able to get all of them uploaded, put on today's blog post, and add captions today.  I am not touring tomorrow so will put them on tomorrow's post.

        Today is Palm Sunday and there is an interdenominational church service that we will be attending at 5:30 this evening.

        Dinner will be in Compass Rose.  There will be a special cultural folkloric show by a local group on the pool deck at 9pm.  Not going too humid.

        Not departing Phuket until 2pm tomorrow.