Virtually travel around the world as you "Cruise with Chris" on her cruise journeys. Learn tips that will help you on YOUR next cruise vacation. Share YOUR experiences with readers. Escape, if only briefly, from reality as you put YOURSELF in these exotic destinations.
A pretty little town rich in history and maritime atmosphere
Brønnøysund is situated on a narrow peninsula on the mainland, surrounded by islands and water. Here, you're actually at the halfway point along the western coast of Norway. The small coastal town of 5,000 inhabitants is centered on the narrow but strategically situated harbor, that caters to all trade and fishing. It is a vibrant and pretty little town with an attractive visitors' marina.
We spent some time some strolling among the shops just across from where we docked - including a Coop food store.
to stroll around the streets – perhaps a walk along Havnegata, where you can enjoy looking at the small boats and bustling life of the archipelago. Sample the street life and go into one of the pubs, or treat yourself to a delicious meal at one of the restaurants.
Shortly after leaving the town, we made a slight detour for ....
Torghatten
On deck we saw the strange mountain Torghatten (rising 850 ft above sea level), famous for its
distinctive hole right through the middle. The hole is 525 ft long, 115 ft high, and 65 ft wide, and was created during the Ice Age.
Stay on deck to see the hole from the sea, as is natural for seafarers (who in the past were the only ones visiting the place).
Sihanoukville, located on a peninsula some 155 miles southwest of Phnom Penh, has become a jealously guarded secret of savvy travelers. This still pristine resort on the Gulf of Thailand boasts
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beautiful beaches and crystalline waters. Offshore islands offer excellent dive sites and some of the world's finest big game fishing.
Sihanoukville is also renowned for its excellent cuisine featuring superb seafood. We embarked on the most popular shore excursion offered by Princess Cruises, Wat Krom, Villages & Market. This is a land of contrasts with old and new mixed together in close proximity.
After an early breakfast we met at the Wheelhouse Lounge at 7:30 am. Our motor coach drove through the streets of Cambodia to our first stop at Khmer village to see a typical house. We toured the kitchen, which was on the lower level, and then climbed some rickety stairs to the upper level, which houses the living / sleeping area. This stop really showed the poverty of typical families.
Khmer Fishing Village
Our guide pointed out the spirit house, a shrine to the protective spirit of a place that is found in the Southeast Asian countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Most houses and businesses have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location may be chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. The spirit house is normally in the form of a miniature house or temple, and is mounted on a pillar or on a dais.
The house is intended to provide a shelter for spirits that could cause problems for the people if not appeased. The shrines often include images of people and animals. Votive offerings are left at the house to propitiate the spirits. More elaborate installations include an altar for this purpose.
Local Grammar School Visit
Next we stopped at a grammar school to visit with some local children. They sang "If you are happy and you know it clap your hands" in their native tongue. We learned that gifts of pens would be a special treat for the children. We wish we'd known that ahead of time as we would have packed some school supplies. Just across the street from the school is new construction of a high-rise.
You don't need to understand the language to get the meaning of this song. During our cruise vacation to Southeast Asia, we stopped in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We visited a local grammar school where we were greeted with this song.
Psar Lu Market &
War Memorial
Sihanoukville's marketplace, Psar Lu Market, was the third stop on our tour. Our guide led the way through the many stalls and then we had free time to shop or simply roam. The marketplace is quite dirty and congested, with cars and motorcycles attempting to get through the pedestrian traffic.
Police attempted to control traffic at the main street, but it was pretty hopeless. Our guide bought flowers to bring as a gift for Buddha at the temple.
Continuing past Victory Hill and Independence Square the next stop was for a photo opportunity at the War Memorial, commemorating Cambodia's war dead.
Wat Krom
Wat Krom, the Buddhist temple at the base of Sihanouk Mountain was the main attraction on this tour. Its name is a literal description of its location as "Wat" means temple and "Krom" means "lower." The temple features excellent views of the sea and a small chapel dedicated to Ya-Mao, a local deity.
Sihanoukville Beach
Finally we had an hour to swim, explore, or have some refreshments at Sihanoukville Beach resort hotel. Some people went to the main building for a meal, others had a massage on the beach, while others relaxed with a drink or went for a refreshing swim. A bonus was they had free Wi-fi for those interested in catching up with emails or sharing on their social media sites.
This was an enjoyable excursion. It showed the many faces of Cambodia, from the poor to the new wealth. There are many construction projects underway, funded mainly by China investments.
Click on the image to the leftt for more Blog posts about this trip.
As Canada celebrates their 150th anniversary, promoted by the Canadian government as Canada 150, we take a look back at some of our memorable moments from cruises and tours to Canada.
This would be an excellent time for you to visit Canada, as there will be year long celebrations throughout the land.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Our next stop along our Canadian memory lane finds us in Nova Scotia ("New Scotland"), one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, and one of the four provinces which form Atlantic Canada. Halifax is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. A major business center, it’s also known for its maritime history. The city’s dominated by the hilltop Citadel, a star-shaped fort completed in the 1850s. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers, notably during the War of 1812.
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Peggy's Cove
Peggy's Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality, which is famous for the Peggy's Point Lighthouse (established 1868). Peggy's Cove is 43 kilometers (26 miles) southwest of Downtown Halifax and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula.
Just last month, Peggy's Point Lighthouse - Peggy's Cove was named the 6th best attraction in Canada by USA Today. USA Today’s 10Best travel guide ranked the top 20 nominees, and the public decided the final 10. View the entire list here: the top ten attractions in Canada.
We first visited Halifax and Peggy's Cove during the maiden voyage of Norwegian Sun in 2001. Our cruise began in Paris the day that the World Trade Center was attacked. This was a trans-Atlantic voyage which would stop in several locations, including two in Canada before sailing to New York. In Halifax we met people who had taken passengers from grounded airlines into their homes. On this cruise we primarily toured the fishing villages in the area. We will look at Halifax again in another post to revisit the maritime heritage of this area.
Images are emerging from Seychelles where the disabled Costa Allegra safely reached port under tow early Thursday morning local time. By midday, passengers were disembarked and on their way to continue an alternate vacation or back home.
Since 10:30 CET Monday, February 27th, the passengers and crew of Costa Allegra were without electricity and the comforts of a usual cruise ship in the wake of a fire that broke out in the generator room.
A French fishing vessel,Trevignon, was the first ship to arrive on the scene and provide assistance to the Costa Allegra. Two other tug boats arrived later to provide assistance, but the captain of the fishing vessel refused to accept the assistance, perhaps delaying the arrival into port. We suspect they were looking for compensation for their assistance and didn't want to split that with anyone else.
Costa Announces Compensation Plan
The number of Guests who have decided to accept Costa Crociere’s offer to
continue their holidays in the Seychelles has risen to about 70%, out of
a total of 627. These Guests have already been taken to the hotels
where there will spend 1 or 2 weeks holiday at the company’s expense on
the islands of Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs. Costa Crociere
will also organize their return flights home after the holiday.
The remaining 30% of Guests who have decided to return home have been
accommodated in hotels on the island. They will leave in the evening on
flights organized by Costa Crociere from Seychelles International
airport to Paris, to Milan via Rome, and to Zurich via Vienna. The
flights are scheduled to arrive on the morning of March 2nd.
The Company, sincerely sorry for the discomfort caused to Guests but happy
to have found them in good health, has offered them a compensation
package including:
● a full refund of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel expenses; ● a full refund of on board expenses incurred during the cruise; ● indemnity equivalent to the amount of the fare paid for the cruise and associated travel costs; ● for
Guests who have decided not to continue their holday in the Seychelles
at the Company’s expense, a voucher for the same value as the unfinished
Costa Allegra cruise, for travel free of charge on any Costa ship
departing in the coming 24 months.
Guests aboard Costa Allegra arrived to Seychelles Islands
627
Guests returned Home (3 flights)
147
Guests hosted in Seychelles Islands Hotel
480
Costa Thanks Those Involved
Costa
Crociere would like to express its gratitude to the master of Costa
Allegra Nicolò Alba and all members of the crew, to the Guests of Costa
Allegra, to the master and crew of the French deep sea fishing boat
Trevignon, to the other naval and air units involved in the rescue
operations of the Costa Allegra, to the Italian Harbour Office General
Command, to the local authorities of the Seychelles and Reunion, to the
Italian Consulate and Embassy, and to international diplomatic
representatives.
Happy Ending?
Clearly this story has a much happier ending than that of her sister ship, Costa Concordia, that ran aground off the Italian cost of Giglio. That accident had 25 confirmed deaths with several people still unaccounted for. Both situations could have been much worse.
Passengers and crew of both ships found themselves unexpectedly in the midst of a crisis. There will be much press around the performance of the crew in both situations. On the surface, it appears that this second incident was closer to textbook preparation for something like this. I think it's human nature to feel confident and prepared for the unexpected, but until you are in the midst of an emergency, you really don't know how you or anyone around you will respond to the crisis at hand.
We are happy that there was no serious injury or loss of life connected with this fire and have to commend the passengers and crew for their response to this crisis.
Costa Cruises will now begin the process of investigating the fire and determining the extent of the damages to the ship. They have made no formal statements about future cruises on Costa Allegra at this time. We will provide updates on this story as information is released.
