Koh Samui, Thailand
It has been an exciting morning on the ms Volendam. At 5:14am, passengers are awakened by six loud blasts on the ship's emergency warning system. Even in my groggy state, I know it is not the call to muster with life jackets (that's seven short blasts, followed by one long blast), but I'm not sure what it means. I try calling the ship's phone operators, but of course all the lines are busy. Passengers start peeking out into the corridors, but there are no crew members in sight. The emergency lights have not come on, which is a good sign, but someone says they smelled smoke from a higher deck, which is not a good sign. We agree that at the least we should all get dressed in preparation for whatever. I also quickly gather in a plastic case, my Rx drugs, my glasses, my phone, and, of course, the SD card from my camera (I'm not about to lose over 1400 photos--just shows what we think is vital), but leave everything else, including my new small laptop, ipad, and new camera (more about that later). Still no word on the closed circuit TV or over the PA system--which is very strange indeed. I do eventually reach a person on the phone (it actually sounds like the captain himself, who has a very distinctive British accent), who explains that the fire crew has been called in response to an alarm in the Crow's Nest (a bar on the topmost deck), and the investigation is still going on. I ask why there have been no public announcments--after all, information is the key to keeping calm in these situations--and he explains that the PA system unexpectedly went down when the fire alarm was sounded (very very not good!). He also adds that there is no immediate danger, which announcement surely would have helped everyone, but the system wasn't working. After about 10 more minutes, the PA system returns, and the captain explains the situation: the smoke alarm in the Crow's Nest was set off by a faulty fan belt and the situation has been resolved and we can all go back to sleep (right!).
Since it's almost time to get up for my early shore excursion, I decide to have a leisurely breakfast instead of going back to bed. At 7:45am the captain returns with a more detailed account of what happened and an apology for the failure of the PA systen, He says that the crew will spend the day testing the system to make sure that the failure does not occur and he has notified the head ofice in Seattle. I then remember that this happened on an earlier cruise on the Eurodam; but it occured while everyone was having dinner and the PA system did not fail at that time. Well, back to less exciting things.
Thursday 29 January 2015
Laem Chabang, Thailand
The ms Volendam docks 30 minutes early at 10:30am at the cruiseport in this industrial center, about two to three hours (depending on traffic) south of Bangkok. We don't sail until 4pm tomorrow, and lots of folk are heading for long days of touring in Bangkok itself, including a very expensive overnight tour. I have planned a day of relaxation on board ship, but venture off for about an hour to explore the shops inside the cruiseport, even laying out some cash for souvenirs. And that's about the highlight of the day.
The dining room is mostly empty and I have a chance for some longer chats with my dining steward, from Indonesia. In my crusiing experience, most of the Asian workers have young families at home, with a spouse and two children. It's refreshing to find someone who is single and enjoys a chance to see the world (although his mom wants him to settle down and marry).
Friday 30 January 2015
Another Day in Laem Chabang, Thailand
Today I "Experience Local Life," on a shore excursion that begins with a visit to a local market, in the small town of Chachoengsao, that has been selling goods for over 100 years (yes, another local market). Although there are hardly any shoppers today (most local Thais do their shopping on the weekends), the wooden structure, with a steeply-stepped wooden bridge crossing a canal, is of interest, as are the ubiquitous life-size portraits of Thailand's king, which seem to be everywhere.
From here we head to the revered temple of Luan Pho Sothon, a spiritual center for the surrounding local communities. A very large and busy white marble structure decorated in typical Thai-style with colored glass tiles and gilded highlights. We stop for another leisurely lunch at a "wellness" resort that has a luxurouis 5-star atmosphere, but seems to be sorely lacking in guests. Lunch, shared at large tables with lazy susan servers in the center, offers a variety of Thai foods, inlcding chicken, seafood, and pork, alongside the usual rice and vegetables, with melon and pineapple slices for dessert. The meal brought back memories of many similar sit-downs when Will and I visited China in 1994. Jarrod, a drummer with one of the shipboard bands, has joined the tour and shares lunch at my table. He has worked on a number of different cruise lines and likes the way Holland America treats its entertainers. He doesn't have such kind words for Carnival and Princess. After lunch we enjoy a return ride through the countryside of rice paddies and small towns, getting back to the port around 3pm.
Sail away is scheduled for 4pm, but the captain announcs a half-hour delay due to another ship blocking the narrow channel we must follow into the Gulf of Siam. And it's a good thing, too, because two passengers are still not back aboard and the cpatain says we will sail without them as soon as the channel is cleared, They do make it back, to cheers and applause from the passengers gathered on deck, just as the gangway is being pulled up onto the ship. I head (literally) for the Greenhouse spa and salon, for a haircut from a nice Ukranian lady. Instead of napping before dinner, I enjoy the on-deck Asian "food market," set up with a series of booths offering a variety of wonderful Asian specialities. It's only 5pm and I have three hours until dinner, so I indulge in samples from almost all the booths (with a pass for the shushi and another pass for the squid).
I actually make it to dinner, eating a light appetizer of chilled asparagus, roasted tomatoes and Buffalo mozzarella; green salad with Italian dressing (a nice change from the Caesar); and chicken breasts baked with Parmesan crust, of which I eat only a small amount. I am planning to skip dessert entirely, but when one of the choices is coconut ice cream, I can't resist--and it does taste very light!
It's a short overight sail to the island of Koh Samui, so I plan a good night's rest, not knowing that I will be rudely awaked at 5:14am.
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