Laem Chabang, Singapore, Phuket, Cochin and Pirates - real ones

Laem Chabang is the port which the QM2 uses for Bangkok and when I found out that there would be another 2+ hour bus ride to get into Bangkok, I decided to take the shuttle to Pattaya, the nearest city. It was hot, very dusty and dirty (around the corner from the luxury hotels) with signs advertising rooms to rent by the hour - "claen + sanitation" - souvenirs made in China and India, old European men with very young Asian women. I only stayed about 90 minutes, just long enough to find the post office and go to the beach for a quick get-my-feet-wet. Unfortunately, the rocks at the shore served as collection points for rubbish.

Singapore was great from a distance which is all I saw since Number 2 Son boarded the ship after a 13 hour flight, but on the A380 with more than 500 of his new best friends. He arrived at the ship in the afternoon, a bit jet-lagged and tired and by the time he was checked in, it was too late to do anything intelligent in Singapore so we stayed on the ship. He had walked around the night before and I was not interested in another big city. Sorry, I know that there are interesting things there but they will have to wait until my next trip.

We have been slowly regaining the hours lost when we sailed east. Good thing, too. My sleep deprivation had its own deprivation but I am catching up. On the other hand, it means that I will have to return to the real world in about a month. Yikes!

Phuket (poo-ket) is an island and a favorite holiday destination of many Germans I know. We were again at anchor which meant a tender to shore. The ride was a bit bouncy - exactly what I love - and just as we were about to land, we thought, the Captain came on the radio:

"Fred, you are going the wrong way!" We all laughed, including Fred, the driver, and had an even bigger laugh as we tried to follow the captain's instructions:

"Look at the mountain with the cloud coming over it and steer towards it". No one saw the right mountain at first since we were already on the other side which meant a hard turn to the left. By this time, Fred was getting instructions from the bridge as well as from many of the passengers in the tender. Total confusion and funny until the woman sitting directly behind me began to moan and hold her stomach. We landed at the beach before the situation became more serious.

First order of business - as always - find a post office. I followed M who followed his nose and after 40 minutes of walking in showers and sunshine, we found a lovely air conditioned post office with signs and prices in English and Thai. Then I bought flowers for the shrine at the corner before we headed for the beach.

It was a wonderful sight - the QM2 almost within swimming distance for someone who can swim. I waded, got my skirt and myself wet, got dry quickly and walked back to the tender pier. M stayed on the beach and came back RED!

Shortly after I booked the round the world voyage, I signed a document stating that if I could not obtain a visa for India, I might have to leave the vessel before it entered Indian territorial waters and reboard the vessel at its next destination. Then, the purser's office tried to obtain a visa for me at the Indian embassy in Hong Kong. The office was closed for a week - moving - so I had no visa but was able to stay aboard. Good thing! It was total chaos.

The ship arrived late and had only about 12 inches of water clearance under the keel. The immigration officials insisted on face-to-face interviews with all aboard - over 4000 people and only 3 immigration officials. Finally, they got one more but it was pretty horrible for all aboard. Except me! I read, cleaned out my stateroom, slept, did my hair, slept and generally enjoyed the day. No 2 went shopping and got some authentic Indian clothes for me to wear at the Raj Ball. He did a great job - there were lots of compliments on his choice.

Now, for the serious bit: from the 7th to the 17th we will be traveling through waters of high pirate activity - the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea. We were given written instructions about what to do now, including closing the curtains in the evenings, not leaving lights on unnecessarily, no access to the promenade deck after dusk, all windows blocked after sunset.

The Commodore (another one) explained that for these pirates, it's just a business venture. No politics involved. They do not want to hurt anyone - they will, of course, if we give them trouble, but it's "the money, Honey!" Our aim is to out-run or out-gun them. So, as we were rounding Sri Lanka, sea marshalls were ferried to us via pilot boats. They will remain aboard until we reach the Med.

Then, we had a drill. The alarm sounded and we had to return to our cabins. Those in inside cabins were told to go to their cabins and stay inside. Those of us with balconies were told to lock the cabins and sit outside in the hallway, not in front of the door. News stories about far-away threats became very real, very personal and rather scary.

But before we got too carried away, another passenger provided comic relief. In the middle of this serious drill, she brought her husband's dirty clothes (we could see them through the net bag) to the launderette down the hall from my stateroom. As my next-door neighbor said, "Soapy boxer shorts can be lethal at close range."

What we hope never to hear is, "Attention! Attention! Security Alert. Go immediately to your secure positions"

#written earlier, posted on the 12th