We embarked the Diamond Princess at LaemChabang Port, about 2 hours drive south east of Bangkok. Our driver collected us from the Novotel Siam Square at 11.00 am and we were onboard by 2pm as we had preferential boarding so we were not waiting in queues.
We sailed at 7pm, just after sunset. The harbour was not spectacular like Sydney, more an industrial harbour. There were thousands of new cars waiting to be delivered and some being taken off a container vessel as we passed. Most of them seemed to be Toyotas. There were many cranes and in the distance we could see a massive wind farm.
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According to the ship’s log the humidity has been 100% since we boarded. This seems strange as it has not rained.
We have 2 sea days and are cruising through the South China Sea towards Singapore, our first port.
For entertainment I have been attending line dancing and trivia and just having some down time as we were very busy in Bangkok.
The ship is fully loaded with 2600 passengers from over 40 countries. There are about 220 Aussies, over 800 Spanish, numerous Russians, Americans, British, Canadians, New Zealanders and many others.
A good display of Fruit and Vegetable Crafting was displayed on board.
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We often share tables at meal time and have some great conversations with people from many places. Its amazing how well travelled people are. We are picking up lots of ideas and tips for our next trip.
Paul is not impressed that all the beers he would normally drink are only in cans so he has started drinking grolsch. He has also enjoyed a few 24 carat gold margaritas. We have only ordered one bottle of wine with dinner and it was so bad we both needed to add lemonade to it. Hopefully we will choose better next time.
Some passengers have come down with NoroVirus (gastro) so the ship is now on red alert and attention to hygiene is stepped up everywhere to prevent it spreading. Some passengers report the strong smell of bleach in areas.
Internet on the ship is very slow, so Paul is calling into Marina Bay Sands to upload some more video clips. Visiting the Singapore Zoo to have breakfast with the Orangutans.