Big Buddha and Monkeys

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Thailand's third largest island, Ko Samui. has been attracting international travelers for less than half a century. Before then, this island in the Gulf of Thailand was noted for its coconut plantations and rubber production. Today, Ko Samui's premier charms are its powdery white beaches, its Buddhist temples or wats, and its crystalline waters.

Temple of the Big Buddha

For our final stop in Thailand, we selected the most popular shore excursion, the Temple of the Big Buddha & Monkey Demonstration. The temple is located on the small, rocky Fan Island. This wat or temple has become a major meditation center for both local residents and foreign visitors. Erected in 1972, the temple's centerpiece is a massive seated Buddha that stands 39-feet high.

Unlike most temples in Thailand, it wasn't necessary to remove our shoes before ascending the staircase to the large Buddha statue.   There is a magnificent 360 degree view of the surrounding area from on top.  After taking some pictures, we headed back down the staircase. 

Since we had two more stops on this tour, we used the restrooms at the temple.  They were like port a potties back home except that they didn't have traditional toilets, but Asian style instead.  As typical in Asia, you need to have your own toilet paper with you.

We had time to browse the local gift stalls before continuing on to Wat Plai Laem.

Wat Plai Laem

Once part of the Temple of the Big Buddha, Wat Plai Laem is home to a superb statue of Kwan Yin or "Guanjin," the 18-armed Buddhist avatar of Mercy.This is a relatively new temple but the art techniques used in its creation are centuries-old and based on ancient beliefs. We especially liked our visit here as it was set on a lake which afforded some great photo opportunities.

Monkey University

After a short drive from the temple, we arrived at a local venue where we watched a demonstration of how monkeys are utilized in the agricultural production on the island. For centuries, monkeys have been trained to harvest the ripe fruit in Samui's coconut plantations. The agile monkeys are able to quickly climb the tall, slender trunks of the coconut palms and pluck the coconuts for their handlers.

We were there with another tour bus. One of the guides assisted in a coconut splitting demonstration. They explained and showed how they harvest the coconut milk and meat.  We had some time to browse their gift store before boarding the motorcoach for the return trip to the ship.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Wat Phrayai
Wat Plai Laem
Monkey Demonstration

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Thailand Beauty and Culture

Nong Nooch Gardens & Cultural PerformanceTour Code: LC1205A

Finally on our motorcoach, we had a picturesque drive to this popular attraction off the beaten path. Nong Nooch Gardens is a privately owned, 250-acre village set against lush green hills. When arriving at the gardens, we had 30 minutes to explore the pottery garden.  

Modern restrooms were there as well.  Note that you need to bring your own toilet paper.

click to enlarge images

Our guide led us to Thai Village Theater, where we had assigned seating.  Along the way we passed several stands selling prepared Thai food items.  Several souvenir shops were also in the complex.  









As we waited for the performance to begin, a man was speaking on stage. We couldn't understand the announcements or what was written on the sign created before the show, but everyone clapped at the conclusion.   Subtitles would have been helpful, but we doubted they could have kept up with the pace of his speaking anyway.

The show consisted of several colorful cultural performances of Thai folk songs and ceremonies. We saw folk dances from various regions in Thailand and thrilled to a demonstration of Thai boxing and sword fighting. 

Another highlight of our visit was the charming elephant show. Before the show began it was possible to get up close to the elephants and have them lift you.   There was the typical elephant parade as well as elephants showing their skills.   Elephants painted t-shirts, which could be purchased in the shops.   There were soccer and basketball games, twirling of hula-hoops, bowling, and stepping over volunteers, to name a few of the skills shown.

We had 30 minutes free time following the elephant show.  Unfortunately our guide hadn't made the schedule clear ahead of time, so we didn't have as much time to explore the grounds as we would have liked.

Final stop on our tour was for shopping at a company mandated local reputable gift shop in Pattaya. We had gotten a couple items at the gardens, so we just stayed on the bus.

This was an enjoyable tour, but a bit rushed. We would have loved more time to explore the beautiful gardens. 

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Nong Nooch Pottery
Nong Nooch Theatre
Thailand Culture
Elephant Show
Nong Nooch Gardens

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Welcome to Laem Chabang Thailand

Immigration Thailand

Local Thai officials decided that all passengers would need to go through a face-to-face immigration process in Laem Chabang.   Our passports were delivered to our cabin by our steward around 9 pm Tuesday, after dinner and the show.   Princess Cruises had completed landing cards and included them with the passports.  We just needed to sign the cards and complete the questions on the reverse side of the landing cards prior to meeting in the morning.

Passengers were assigned meeting times based on their shore excursion schedule or independent plans.  Instructions were also in our cabins the night before.

Our scheduled time to meet at Wheelhouse Lounge was 7:20 am.  When we arrived there, it was packed with passengers.  Princess Theater, which is the tour staging area, was also full.   The staff released passengers from the theater, and our tour was the next called.  We waited until it was time to be escorted to the gangway.  

On the pier, a tented area was setup with several lines. Thai immigration officials were sitting at tables, processing passengers.  We were directed to the first line.  When it wasn't moving, we moved over one, which turned out to be a mistake.   Finally we got to the front, our passports and landing cards were checked and stamped.  They were once again retained by the ship staff, who filed them in bins according to deck.  

We had a short walk to the motor coaches.  Since we'd taken so long, we had to take seats in the very last row, along with another gentleman and his son.   Our view was blocked by emergency sign on the window.   It wasn't the most comfortable ride in the last row on this particular bus. We will talk more about the tour in another post.

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Diary of Southeast Asia Voyage

Looking to Escape Winter Blues?

If you've sailed to the Caribbean several times, you are probably looking for a new destination for your winter escape.  Have you ever considered Southeast Asia?

Journey to Southeast Asia (R/T Singapore)

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.

Escape from Winter

As we update this article with our pre-booked shore excursions, it is-3^°F here and 80^°F in Singapore. January is prime time for snowbirds in the states to escape to warmer climates. For most people, the first choices for winter getaways are Florida and the Caribbean. We suggest broadening your horizon and exploring more of the world. It's quite warm in Southeast Asia and you'll be immersed in sights, sounds, food, and culture of this Asian destination. If you are intrigued, follow us on our journey.

Click Image for Southeast Asia Shutterfly Photo Album Page

Come along with us as we provide a day by day diary of our voyage to Southeast Asia.

15 Day Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
Mon Jan 8	Travel Pre-Cruise - Singapore	Journey to Southeast Asia Singapore Pre Cruise	Chicago & LA Flights Hong Kong Airport HGK to SIN Flight Changi Airport Singapore Crowne Plaza
Tue Jan 9	Singapore  View general port information  Check In 12:00pm-3:00pm	Singapore Embarkation Welcome Dinner	Cabin B227 Welcome Dinner
Wed Jan 10	At Sea	Books at Sea Chocolate Journeys on Princess Cruises	Chocolate Journeys
Thu Jan 11	Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia  12:00pm – 8:00pm City Drive & Sabah Museum	Kota Kinabalu Elevate Your Cruise Dining Experience	Kota Kinabalu Sabah Museum Sterling Steakhouse
Fri Jan 12	At Sea Kota Kinabalu (Revised)	Don't Come Knockin' If Ship a Rockin'	KK Sailaway Nha Trang
Sat Jan 13	Nha Trang, Vietnam  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery At Sea (Revised)	Fall in Love With Nha Trang	Nha Trang
Sun Jan 14	Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam  7:00am – 6:00pm Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside	Gateway to Ho Chi Minh Taste of Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh Cu Chi Tunnels Saigon Lunch
Mon Jan 15	At Sea
Tue Jan 16	Sihanoukville, Cambodia  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Wat Krom, Villages & Market	Sihanoukville a Secret Gem	Khmer Village Cambodia School Psar Lu Market Cambodia War Memorial Wat Krom Sihanoukville Beach
Wed Jan 17	Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand  7:00am – 7:00pm Nong Nooch Gardens & Cultural Performance	Welcome to Laem Chabang Thailand Thailand Beauty and Culture	Nong Nooch Pottery Nong Nooch Theatre Thailand Culture Elephant Show Nong Nooch Gardens
Thu Jan 18	Ko Samui, Thailand  Tender Required 8:00am – 5:00pm Temple of the Big Buddha & Monkey Demonstration	Big Buddha and Monkeys	Wat Phrayai  Wat Plai Laem Monkey University
Fri Jan 19	At Sea	Book Your Next Cruise Onboard
Sat Jan 20	Singapore  7:00am – 4:00pm Battlefields of Singapore	Port Call to Singapore Battlefields of Singapore	Kranji War Memorial Former Ford Factory Changi Museum Singapore Bay
Sun Jan 21	Penang, Malaysia  Tender Required 3:00pm – 11:59pm Taste of Penang	Best Pizza at Sea Discover Food of Malaysia	Chocolate Boutique Coffee Tree Penang Hawkers Plaza Gurney
Mon Jan 22	Langkawi, Malaysia  8:00am – 5:00pm Rice Museum, Cable Car, Craft & Cultural Complex	Soaring Over Malaysia	Langkawi Skycab Craft Complex Laman Padi Scenic Langkawi
Tue Jan 23	Kuala Lumpur (port Kelang), Malaysia  8:00am – 6:00pm Kuala Lumpur Highlights	Highlights of KL Malaysia Farewell Evening Sapphire Princess	National Museum National Monument Old Railway Station National Mosque Merdeka Square Petronas Twin Towers
Wed Jan 24	Singapore  7:00am	Disembarkation Day Singapore Relaxing in Singapore Heading to the Gardens Under the Flower Dome Journey to the Lost World Supertrees Come to Life	Gardens By The Bay Flower Dome Sculpture Trail Cloud Forest Supertrees Light Show
Thu Jan 25	Singapore  5:00am Travel to Chicago	Back to the Future Japan Airlines Singapore to Tokyo Dreamliner to Chicago	Changi Airport Singapore Tokyo to Chicago

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