Hong Kong, Macau & Vietnam

Hong Kong, Macau & Vietnam

Sailing from Shanghai to Hong Kong we dined with friends, Jack & Dan (seated at the back of the photo), before they departed the cruise in Hong Kong to return to China before flying home.  They live near Chicago and have a summer home in Florida so we hope to stay in touch and see them again. It was near Dan’s birthday so we asked the dining staff to prepare a cake for him as a surprise and he nearly ate it all himself, ha!

You may remember from our last blog posting that Steve had designs on trying to get a Chinese magwa (jacket) to wear on formal nights and Gene, the Cruise Director, gifted Steve an extra one he said he’d bought for “just five bucks”.  And it really is nice looking, don’t you agree?  Here Steve is standing next to one of our wait staff and then he’s in a group shot with Tom and our friends, Ken and Fred, plus Karen.

Yes, not one to be outdone, that is Tom wearing his new pink Chinese magwa, and after a buying spree in Hong Kong, pretty soon both boys will be wearing other jackets with different colors and designs.  Of course, it’s always hard to top traditional white dinner jackets, huh? 

And amidst all the fun on board the MS Amsterdam, we were photographed at the bow of the ship as it sailed into Hong Kong.  Not the prettiest morning, as clouds and fog hampered the view in the harbor, we still enjoyed hot coffee and sweet rolls on the deck.

We visited The Peninsula Hotel and walked around the Harbor front.  That evening, our friends, Kelvin and Gracie, treated us to dinner at one of the fine Chinese restaurants that serves Peking duck and other local treats.  From the expression on Steve’s face, you can detect he didn’t enjoy the chicken’s feet, however.  

Next it was shopping and Gracie and Kelvin led Tom into the subway before visiting the various night markets.  Steve returned to the ship in order to rest up and recover from a cold he was battling.

The next day while Steve still battled a cold, Tom joined friends in traveling by ferry to the island of Macau.  Steve visited Macau before, with his sons back in the 80’s, so he didn’t feel too disappointed at not going.  Lots of photos were taken of the sites in this former Portuguese colony that once again, just like Hong Kong, now belongs to China.

Fully recovered from illness, Steve joined Tom in visiting the next port of call which was Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam.  Traffic was its usual craziness with motorbikes having replaced the bicycles Steve remembers from his visit in 2001.  Tom says he enjoyed the ride on the pedicabs with Cyclo Tours, but we both were glad when we did arrive safely at the Puppet Show, ha.

We saw the former Presidential Palace and also the Rex Hotel, both of which we could  remember having seen in the TV coverage of the Vietnam War.  Press coverage at that time was frequently done from the hotel and Ken said his father spent his R&R there during his service.

Lunch was served in a local restaurant and our travel group enjoyed the food.  Then we stopped at the old Post Office for souvenirs before touring more of the city and returning to the ship.

Next we sail to Singapore and we'll see our young friend, Kris Hartley.   He's loving his life in this exciting city and he is sure to show us another great time.   Check back in a few days for our next Post and thanks for following us!