reallyjillytravels

  Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Koh Samui, Thailand After a day sailing through the Gulf of Thailand, we arrived at Koh Samui about 7 am. We had to anchor off shore and take a local tender in. It was a rough ride! An attendant hung barf bags off one of the center poles. We didn’t get sea sick. The tender dropped us off at a pier right in town, our tour bus parked close by. Our tour of this small island started with a monkey being trained to pick coconuts. Coconuts are big business on this island, and that’s how it’s done. Pretty sure the monkeys haven’t gotten unionized yet.  “These are coconuts” Monkey climbing up to dislodge coconuts We passed through several villages on the island, stopping for a drink at Baan Hin Sai Resort and Spa along the way. It had a wonderful view of the beach below. Our next big stop was the Wat Laem Suwannaram complex with a huge laughing Buddha and several of the slimmer Thai-style Buddhas. There were many temples in the complex, all in the elabor...

  Friday, May 19, 2023, Bintan Island, Indonesia The ship arrived at 7 am to Bintan Island. This is a pretty remote place and I don’t think it’s on too many cruise ship itineraries. We had to anchor in the harbor and tender in. There were musicians to greet us on the pier, along with tables of information for tourists. None of the ship tours had appealed to us, so Charlie found an animal rescue place called Lagoi Safari. There was no ship information about it (and we were the only people from the ship there it turned out). We still had to find a way to get there and back and on time. Trying to talk to the visitor center people over the musicians was challenging, and it took me a while to realize I was talking to a condo salesman (signage on the tables was not great). My first clue was he didn’t have a map to give me. The table next to his had maps, so I switched tables.  Our greeters. Indonesians are typically beautiful inside & out They correct visitor info center. Musici...

  Sunday, May 28, 2023, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam We sailed up the Saigon river from the South China Sea and arrived about 9:30 am at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Most residents still call it Saigon. Bigger ships must dock an hour-and-a-half away, so we were lucky to dock right near the city and avoid the long bus rides during our 2-day stay.  Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam with over nine million people. The city produces 52% of the economic wealth of Vietnam. We had a tour scheduled, and got off the ship early to explore the dock area which included a ship now permanently moored and used as a floating restaurant, an open air and extremely casual bar, and some good vendors where Charlie bought a shirt.  Charlie and the vendor holding his new shirt. Floating restaurant We had a good tour guide. To hear him talk, it’s a wonder south and north Vietnam were reunited. He said the north & south don’t like each other very much due to cultural and religious dif...