Month: February 2013

DAY 36 DATELINE SOME WHERE At Sea En Route to Hong Kong – Shireen’s suit case and I’ll both miss afternoon tea on the QM2. And being called madam day and night.

Note from Stew: Oh, no. the trip is winding down. Some how i thought there was another wing to this trip but Kiki says the QM2 is going on without her to Australia. She and Uncle Diarmuid are getting tossed ashore in Hong Kong and winging their way to San Francisco and then back to New England. They left it going to the right, they are returning from the left. Around the world indeed. What fun.

DAY 33 DATELINE BANGKOK – Listen to the prayer bells at the Temple of the Golden Buddha and boot steps of soldiers at the Grand Palace. The city was hot, crowded with Lunar New Year celebrants, and golden.

DAY 31 DATELINE PATTAYA, THAILAND – Soldiers came here for R&R during Vietnam. Time hasn’t treated it well. It’s like OOB with Thai massage.

Nice icy coconut juice from the guy in the tiger shirt, though. And the woman selling brushes and brooms definitely wins the award for most stuff on a motor scooter. Everything you see is on her bike, except the cars.

I figured the guy with the ‘do was as close as I was going to get to the roof line of a Siamese temple.

LATER, THAT SAME DAY, AT SEA EN ROUTE TO BANGKOK – The Brits disembarked in Singapore and the Chinese boarded. February 10 is Lunar New Year, a huge holiday for them – and for Diarmuid. He turned 85 today. HAPPY YEAR OF THE SNAKE, DIARMUID! What a wonderful guy he is. I’m lucky in uncles.

Diarmuid and I joined all the Chinese having their picture taken with the plump god of prosperity. Very auspicious.

It took me 8 minutes of ‘extortionate’ wireless time to download and read this New York Times article “Seven days on the Queen Mary 2.” Totally worth it. And accurate. Tho I haven’t experienced the ‘anything’ bit. Kiki