reallyjillytravels

  June 8, 2023, Manila, Philippines Our ship arrived at the capitol city of Manila at 7 am. Manila is home to 14 million people, centrally located on the eastern shore of Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines. In the 1500’s Spanish galleons followed trade winds to run spice from Manila to Acapulco four times a year. (The Manila Galleon Trade Route is a designated world heritage site.) Our ship ran a complimentary shuttle bus to the Robinson Mall.  It was after 9:30 am when we walked off the pier, seeing Filipino crew members reuniting with family and friends, cars coming and going from the port gate. We spoke to some family members who drove quite far to see their loved ones.  Another sweltering day in Southeast Asia, we could hear a marching band warming up. Down the street, outside a Coast Guard building, were rows of men and women in uniform. A poster board on an easel indicated an officer was receiving a promotion (he stood out from the rest in a white uniform)...

Monday, June 5, 2023, Nha Trang, Vietnam The ship got into port about 10:00 a.m.; the first free shuttle bus left about 10:30. We missed it, and the next one wasn’t for 45 minutes. I picked up a map at the visitor table and overheard a couple from New York who were discussing getting a taxi to the ancient Ponagar Cham towers located on the other side of the city. I asked if they wanted to share one as that is the #1 tourist   destination in Nha Trang and a symbol of the city. It’s located on top of a pretty high hill just eight miles from the port. The 4 of us walked off the pier and tried to deal with the 10 to 15 taxi drivers queued up. The first one wanted $50. We ended up paying $10 (Charlie doesn’t get the credit, we relied on the man from New York’s negotiating skills).   The taxi driver dropped us off in a very busy parking lot. We made our way to the ticket booth, bought tickets, and climbed many curving stone stairs. Large trees provided welcome shade part way up. We ...

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Sihanoukville, Cambodia The ship arrived at 1 pm in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, named after a past king, Norodom Sihanouk.  It’s a coastal city flanked with beaches. The port was the last place to be evacuated by the US Army.   A container ship leaving port as we arrived. We didn’t have  a tour lined up, but there was a free shuttle bus from the port that stopped first at a beach and then at the Phsar Leu Market. We rode all the way to the Market. Along the way, we observed many construction projects, many that looked abandoned but some active sites, too.  The bus parked in a lot across from the market. Tuck-tuck drivers offered to take us on tours. We wanted to see the market first. The parking lot had extremely basic facilities, and after using them I got the shake-down by a young woman sitting at a card table with a sign in Cambodian script. Basic as they were, these facilities were not free. I didn’t have any local currency, so I gave her a d...