We said we would show you what goes on during a long spell
of sea days - but we were so busy that we didn't have a chance to take photos!
The days that during a shorter cruise we, and most cruisers, would use to relax
and recharge and overeat and possibly overdrink, were filled with lectures and
classes. Crystal's lecture program has
always been the best at sea, and with this being a history-oriented cruise the
speakers were much more to Larry's taste than Monica's, so he attended a couple
of lectures each day, and Monica continued with the knitting get-togethers and
art classes.
Although there wasn't much for photos in the lectures, we've
got some other things to show:
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| Dinner at Tastes. Everything is served tapas-style so you can choose from multiple small dishes for your meal. |
One of the bartenders, Denis, recycles champagne corks in his spare time. And he sees lots of those! This is his finished product:
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| One evening at the Sunset Bar, Monica couldn't decide between two drinks, the Cape Cod in her left hand or the Raspberry Lemonade in her right! |
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| The new style of Caprese salad at Prego |
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| Gnocchi, light as a feather and yummy delicious! |
And in the meantime, Monica did a little work in her mini art studio in our suite:
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| Kitava Island, from one of our photos |
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| Gizo Island, from a photo we bought on board |
And a few more things from the art and knitting classes:
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| A 'hobo' bag painted in acrylic |
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| A needle felted bookmark for Jane. A fun new craft that we learned from knitting instructor Susan. |
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| Our third formal night. |
Sailing by the Philippine islands at sunset on our overnight
approach to Boracay was quite beautiful.
These next few days would be Crystal Serenity's maiden calls
in any Philippine ports, and the whole ship was buzzing with excitement. Crystal
had made arrangements for crewmembers to bring family and friends on board to
visit their workplace, and it seemed that almost every Filippino was looking
forward to seeing somebody, either at Borocay or in Manila. There would be,
over the 3 days in these ports, about 1,000 guests coming on board.
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| The pier - already looks like it's geared up for crowds |
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| The harbour was crowded with boats. The big structure is a floating bar |
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| Larry likened the number of parasail parachutes to a WWII airdrop. We were amazed that they didn't get tangled up with each other! |
Of course, once again our shore excursions were 'snakebit' and our trip to a beach resort on the island was cancelled. It seemed very, very busy on shore, as Boracay is known as a weekend getaway spot and it was Saturday - and many of our fellow guests substantiated this when we spoke to them - so we again decided that the sunshine and water were just as good on the pool deck as on a crowded beach, so we stayed on board and watched the parade of visitors go by. It was great to see how proud the crew were to show everyone around.
On Sunday we stopped at another small island, Romblon. This
area is known for its marble but not too much of anything else. The weather
turned really rough and early in the morning it didn't look like there would be
any tender operation because of the wind and very choppy waves, but the crew
persevered and the tenders did run all day. There were no visitors here as the
island is somewhat remote and sparsely populated, with only the one town.
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| Despite the strong wind and the waves in the channel, this guy skimmed over the water on his aquatic motor scooter! |
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| Yet another version of a boat. They are all based on the traditional outrigger model that gives them lots of stability and keeps them high on the water. |
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| Tender passengers had a rocky ride out in the channel |
That afternoon just before sailaway we presented the Odyssey
Art at Sea Art show, where all of the work we did through the cruise at the
knitting and art classes was displayed for our fellow guests to see. We
certainly were a prolific bunch as you can see from the photos:
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| There are 3 of Monica's here: the 'Sun' in the front, the Aboriginal dot picture in the middle row and the one just beyond it. Our classes this segment revolved around traditional patterns and symbols from both Australia and Papua New Guinea. |
Monday and Tuesday were the days everyone had been waiting
for - Manila and all those guests! Crystal Serenity was greeted with a drum
band and dancers - that started playing as soon as we reached the pier at 6
A.M.!!! As Larry said - at every other port, Captain Vorland docked us with the
port side toward the pier and we usually didn't have much of a view but it was
quiet; now, when we are awakened by loud drums, he has to dock on OUR side!!
Larry's war history tour from Manila was to the island of
Corregidor, out in the bay. It held strategic significance during WW II, and
the tour here was the second most anticipated on the trip for him. The island
was the site of the "last stand" of Allied troops against the
Japanese invasion in 1941. In the event of an attack on the Philippines it was
stocked to hold out for three months while "aid" was sent from the
U.S., specifically Pearl Harbor. The defenders did in fact hold out for four
months, but, of course, no aid arrived. Our guide told us that between the
Japanese attack in 1941/42, and the American invasion to re-take the island in
1945, over 240,000 tons of explosives were dropped on Corregidor, making it one
of the most heavily bombed places of WW II. The ruins of the various structures
and the major gun sites have been stabilized and the island is now a national
park and shrine.
Monica spent some time watching the visitor parade. There
were many more here, along with some staff turnover. It was easier to send many
of the Filippino crew home for their break and bring people back from vacation
here in Manila so we said goodbye to a few old friends and welcomed some back
on board.
On Tuesday we had tour of the Old City of Manila. This city
is so large, with a population of over 12.5 million in the 7 cities that make
up greater Manila, that it is almost impossible to say you've seen anything in
only a few hours. Just to take in the old city and the waterfront would need a
few days!
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| Rizal Park, in memory of Jose Rizal, a champion of the people who was executed by the government for his stand - now a national hero. |
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| Horse drawn buggies - an alternative way of getting around |
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| The gate to the fort in the old city |
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| Our group had a chance to ride the buggies to the monastery |
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| The view... |
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| The monastery of St. Augustin in central Manila |
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| Traditional silk embroidered shawls |
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| Inside the church |
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| Driving along the waterfront. |
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| This house is built entirely of coconut - leaves, bark, root - and was commissioned by Imelda Marcos to show the world what one of the Philippine crops could do. Dignitaries and stars have stayed here. |
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| Jeepneys - a modified jeep from the war and the most popular form of 'mass-transit'. They can apparently hold 19 passengers, but we can't figure out where they would all sit! |
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| We had the drum band and dancers to see us off. |
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| The skyline on the way out of port. |
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| One more time for the Philippine outrigger speedboats! |
So ended our visit to the crowded and overwhelming Philippines.
It was very hard to get more than a brief overview of anything because of the
large numbers of people everywhere and the sheer size of the city of Manila. From
the mini-exposure we had to the Filippino culture on its home turf, it is hard
to understand how everyone can be so courteous and polite and helpful given the
narrow streets, crowds and questionable infrastructure around the city, and the
fact that many people don't make a great amount of money and often have to hold
a second job selling souvenirs to make ends meet.
It was a very interesting few days - next up, the exciting
city of Hong Kong and our visit with John, Marilou and Axel.
