Travels and Exploits of the Lamb and the Wolf

Day 7 – Monday, February 26th – Phuket Island, Thailand   ( Allan writing ) Wow! 5:45 sure comes early when you’ve been on vacation for over a week J . I woke up after getting about 6 hours of sleep, turned off my alarm, had just closed the bathroom door (with me inside) when the door was knocked on. It was our room service order for 6:00 AM, slightly early. After the attendant left I came out to find several dishes stacked on the small coffee table in front of the small couch in our cabin: eggs fried over-hard (for me), omelet (for Steve), fruit, croissants, juices, and coffee. Our standard room service breakfast. All the food was fresh and still pretty warm – lovely! We finished breakfast quickly, dressed, then made our way with bags for cameras, water, etc. down to the main theater on deck 4. We filed into the queue to get our tender tickets and sat down to wait our turn. This was to be the only tender port on this trip which was nice, as everything is generally slowed dow

Day 5 – Saturday, February 24th - Singapore   ( Steve writing ) Before leaving Singapore, I had a goal to pick up a few new short-sleeve shirts. TANGS department store was just a few short blocks away at the corner of Scotts and Orchard Roads, and we arrived just as the doors were opening (10:30). Staff were still organizing the displays as we made our way up to the men’s department. We eventually found shirts worth trying on at The Shirt Bar, which was staffed by a delightful young lady. In Singapore, my shirt size was XXXL, which was thoroughly deflating (normally it’s an L). But it’s just a designation, right? The Shirt Bar is a Singapore-based brand, (manufactured in Vietnam – AFK) and they had some great selections. I ended up buying two shirts, and Allan got a couple as well. Eventually you’ll see me in one or more of these shirts somewhere along the way. We had plenty of time to kill until we had to leave for the ship, so we continued ambling down Orchard Road. W

Day 4 – Friday, February 23rd – Singapore ( Allan writing ) The day started as usual, with the two of us waking up, showering, then trundling off to the breakfast buffet on the main floor just past the lobby. The food was quite good, and there was enough variety that you could have an entirely different breakfast every day for a week if you wished. I, of course, do not waver J : eggs, much bacon, croissant, 2 – 3 cups of coffee, and possibly a small glass of orange juice. Today’s plan was to return to the Marina Bay area, check out the shops, then visit the ArtScience Museum. We left the hotel right around 10:00 and made our way down the slight hill that the hotel rests upon, past Mt. Elizabeth Hospital, to the Orchard Street metro station. Our destination was two trains – one stop on each – away from our starting point. We were at Marina Bay in no time. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for any train while we were here in Singapore. The trains were always clean, like

Day 3 – Thursday, February 22nd – Singapore Thanks to the Melatonin, I (Steve) managed to have a fairly good night’s sleep. The room was so quiet that in the morning we could hear some of the louder birds outside. That is, over the constant whoosh of the air conditioning, much appreciated in these parts. The hotel offers a good array of items in the breakfast buffet, and will even make some items to order. Coffee comes from large machines that grind the beans and brew a decent cup. The machines also make espresso and cappuccino. The light-filled lobby has plenty of tables and chairs to enjoy the repast. And Allan’s happy because they offer his favorite, Tuscan melon. Out the floor-to-ceiling windows is a flowing water feature that birds enjoy playing in. All in all, very serene and a nice way to start the day. Dining area at The Quincy Hotel, Singapore Our goal today was to visit the vast Marina Bay area, which features the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Garde