Fun in the sun

Day 3 (Tue, 1 Dec 2009)

Early in the morning, the ship arrived at Phuket. We'd decided to do a free-and-easy day at Patong Beach, accessible via a small ferry at the tendering deck.










It was bright and sunny - super weather for a day at the beach! The thing is, since we had also come to the beach two years ago, we didn't really take many pictures this time. So here are some pictures we took in 2007. We'd rented two deck chairs, same as this time around. The beach is simply beautiful.










In 2007, Lesley-Anne had gone para-sailing. It's quite an experience, rather like flying! We decided that Andre was still too young for it, so nothing quite as exhilarating this time.






Some pics taken on this trip. Can you believe how much my kids have grown?













We spent the whole morning at the beach, then headed back to the ship. When we got back to the cabin, we saw this on the bed:

Housekeeping had fashioned a bunny out of towels! What a lovely extra touch.

Lunch was at the Mediterranean. As usual, dessert was visually more exciting than the main courses.






We had the afternoon free, so headed to the activities centre for a game of carrom.


Then the kids got more water action at the pool and the slide. This time, Lesley-Anne joined in the fun.








Dinner was at Bella Vista once again. This was the gala dinner night so diners dressed up a little more and there were four courses instead of three. We were lucky to get the 6.45pm sitting, we were put on wait list but managed to get a place. Otherwise dinner would be 9pm, far too late for our eager tummies!

Smoked salmon rillettes (appetizer)

Baked fillet of halibut - really melt in your mouth quality

Seafood thermidor

Baked alaska (this seems to be their standard gala dinner dessert, we had this two years ago too)

Petit fours

In the main concourse, the cast of one of the shows was performing Christmas carols. Lovely addition to the festive atmosphere.

I should add that each night, there was a different show at the Lido theatre but since photography is not allowed, I haven't shared any photos. The show on this night featured a combination of Eastern European dancers and Chinese acrobats. A glitzy, sometimes verging on cheesy affair, but admittedly rather entertaining. Afterall, that's what cruising is about!

A little whiff of Penang culture

Day 2 (Mon, 30 Nov 2009)
We started the day with breakfast at the Mediterranean on the open deck. Fresh crisp sea air - great for perking up the appetite!
After a short rest, Andre headed off to the pool. The reason he was so anxious to go was this:
That's right - a mega monster slide. This slide is relatively new, it didn't exist when we were on board two years ago. Anything that involves water and an adrenaline rush is a-ok in Andre's books!
It looks scarier than it actually is. The slope is quite gradual so you don't slide down very quickly, in fact he was trying to streamline himself as much as possible to gain speed but it was still slow (slow enough for me to take a picture!)




He went so many times he lost count. Then it was just soaking and relaxation in the jacuzzi (heated no less!)

In the late morning, the ship docked at Penang. You can sign up for various day trips, go free-and-easy or choose to stay on board. The last time, we stayed on board, so this round, we thought we should expose the kids to some of the Penang sights, since they've never been here. Initially, we'd wanted to visit the Snake Temple but after reading all the unfavourable reviews online, we opted for a cultural tour instead.
The outskirts remind me of Singapore in the 1970s, it had that old-world charm that modern Singaporean kids don't see any more, which is kind of nice. Especially those road side hawker stalls.








Our first stop was the Wat Chaiyamangalaram Thai Temple. This temple houses one of the world's largest reclining Buddhas. Obviously since we're Christians, we're not visiting for religious purposes but to take a look at the architecture and culture. We especially thought it would be good to expose Lesley-Anne since she would be learning about Southeast Asian history next year.




Next, we paid a visit to a local produce shop which sold foodstuff ranging from bat kut teh packs and banana chips to local candy and tao sar piah. We could see the tao sar piah being made right there in the shop.






Next stop, the Kek Lok Si Temple. It's on a hill and to get to it, you have to walk up a winding path strategically lined on both sides with little shops selling knick knacks and cheap garments.
The architecture of the temple is quite impressive and large-scale. The pic on the left shows the Liberation pond where devotees release turtles for longevity.


Here's Andre on the bus with his new toy, Mr Bean's Teddy, bought from one of the shops. Another kid sighted him with it and yelled out, "Hello Mr Bean!" Hehe.



Last stop was Gurney Plaza, one of the poshest shopping malls in Penang. Sure must have shopping lah! It's upmarket with all your big names, very much like Takashimaya or Paragon in Singapore. Not surprising since it's owned and managed by Capitaland.


The mall faces the north channel and we went to take a look. It was low tide so you could see the mudflats with many migratory birds.
Then it was time to head back to the ship.
Aside: Usually this evening, there is a barbecue dinner at the Mediterranean. It's quite pleasant enjoying barbecue prawns, steak and so on at the open deck, watching the sunset. However, you need to get there early to reserve a good table and since we arrived back at the ship after 6.30pm this time, we decided to opt for a quiet dinner at Bella Vista instead.
But here are a couple of pics we took on the last cruise to give you an idea of the barbecue dinner.
And this was the actual dinner we enjoyed at Bella Vista. As usual, it's a three-course set dinner.
Beef stroganoff with fetuccine. Tastes better than it looks.
Roasted duck ala orange
Black forest cheesecake
Andre's assorted cheese platter for dessert

A-sailing we will go

Day 1 (Sun, 29 Nov 2009)

As you can probably guess from the picture, we went on a cruise for our family vacation this year. We'd actually gone on the very same ship on the same itinerary two years ago, but since this was a hectic year for everyone, we all felt like we needed a break where we didn't need to plan anything. A cruise is a perfect holiday if you just want to vege out and do nothing - there's no need to plan meals, trips, hotels, etc.

So here we are for the second time, waiting to board Superstar Virgo for the 4-day, 3-night Penang/Phuket cruise.
Immediately on board, we headed for our cabin which was pretty much the same as the one first time round. We had booked a cabin with window.
Andre clammered for the bunk bed - this was his favourite spot as it also directly faces the tv, with the Disney channel on.
Lesley-Anne got the pull-out sofa bed. All in all, it's a small but comfortable cabin.
And this is what the bathroom looks like, it has two partitions for the WC and the shower stall. Again small but functional.












The ship was very prettily decked out in a Christmas theme, giving it a festive atmosphere.

But first, it's time for lunch! Just a short explanation: there are three free restaurants - Bella Vista (western), Pavilion (chinese) and Mediterranean (buffet). There are several other restaurants including Italian, Japanese and Indian but you have to pay for meals there, unless you're in the balcony class where you can utilise food credits allotted to you.

We went to the Mediterranean for lunch. Lots of choices. Cruises are notorious for indulgences of gambling and food. And since we're not gamblers, this holiday was going to be seriously food-focused! (Yes, I brought my fat pants).

The food at Mediterranean is ok but it's always the desserts that tempt me the most. Check out the dessert station - complete with Christmas decor!

After lunch, we explored the ship a little more. I thought it would be interesting to show pics of the kids two years ago (left) and now (right).










The kids went for a swim but it wasn't much fun as it seemed like all the passengers had the same idea and it was one big elbow-fest in the pool. So it was just a short dip and back to the cabin.

Dinner was at Bella Vista. As a family, we love western food and based on our experience at Pavilion during the last cruise, none of us enjoyed the Chinese food there so most of our meals were at Bella Vista or Mediterranean.
Initially, I had intended the posts on this trip to be very food-centric. If you know us, you'll know we are a very food-loving family, Andre especially. It was so comical because the waiters would take one look at his diminutive size and hand him the kids' menu or assume that I would order for him. Andre was terribly insulted when they kept replacing his wine glass with a water tumbler. In actual fact, he often ate more than us adults, sometimes three or four adult courses at every meal, gamely trying every exotic sounding dish.

As it turned out, the lighting at Bella Vista was very dim which made photo-taking a challenge, dang it. Anyway, here are some of the pics from dinner that night.

Sirloin steak

Pan-fried fillet of river trout

Tiramisu