Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh sunrise
The smog was so thick we could hardly see the city at all.

Motorbikes seem to be the most common mode of transport and there seems to be nothing they won't carry on one. This is a double mattress but I wasn't quick enough to snap the fridge or doors.

Some local artists

This lady is making a duck eggshell painting, they smash the eggshell into tiny bits and arrange it to form the picture. It then gets lacquered and polished. The finished product is beautiful.
This is a mother of pearl picture

Another artist
An arrangement at the markets

Singapore

Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world and this was the sight we saw when we went on deck

to catch the sunrise. It was just amazing the amount of ships surrounding us.



Singapore has so many interesting buildings, all sorts of sizes and shapes.

They must just build them like this because they can.

It was my birthday the day we visited Singapore and I was shopping for a camera, which I never found.

But there was lots of shops visited in the quest for my elusive Lumix LX5.

This was my lunch which was beautiful, and beautifully presented. No-one else would eat with me though.

I think their appetite disappeared when they saw Pig Organ Soup on the menu.

It was also Tiffany's birthday, so it was a double celebration at dinner that night.

Tony, Ingrid, Tiffany, David, Me, Rosemary and Don.

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei Darussalam which is situated in Borneo.

The city has lots of beautiful buildings.

Above is the Sultan's Palace

Mosque

I could get used to this kind of life :)

We visited a water village which was really interesting.

The whole village, Police Station, school, everything is built on stilts above the water.

These adorable little girls were taking our photo with their toy camera.

We had morning tea here and got to try some very interesting treats.

Including this muffin which was cooked in this little casing made from dried leaf.

That's David's leg not mine ;-)

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Island of Borneo

The island of Borneo is divided into three countries and is the only island in the world so divided.

Traditional dancers greeting the ship

We visited the local markets where these men were all sitting at their sewing machines .
We went shopping and found some nice bargains.

Pagsanjan Falls in the Philippines

We drove through the streets of Manila where the traffic was chaotic. The power lines hanging in a tangled mess caused much amusement also.

We started our canoe ride about 90 kms south of Manila. It was nice to just sit back and take in the sights while our very hard working boat men took us up the river. They pushed and pulled, skillfully jumping from rock to rock to manoeuvre the canoes upstream.

Children were jumping from this bridge into the water.

Beautiful gardens of a riverside resort

A local doing her washing.

One of the waterfalls we passed on our way up the river.

Pagsanjan Falls where they take you on a bamboo raft under the waterfall, we chose not to.

Once we arrived here we got back in the canoe to 'ride the rapids' back to where we started. We loved it.

Our 'Treasures of the Far East' Cruise

Starting in Hong Kong we were greeted by some Christmas cheer, quite a bit of rain and lots of umbrellas. Lots of umbrellas very skillfully wielded by elderly ladies. But it was enjoyable and we managed to shop a 'little'.



There was some interesting sights, such as the bamboo scaffolding, it doesn't seem right to put your life in the hands of bamboo (so to speak). But it must be up to the task.


Hanging out the washing also looks a little dangerous.

Flowers in bloom

These are a few that were flowering when we got home. It's always nice to walk around the garden and see what's in bloom.

Gazania

Tropical Waterlily

Rain Lily