fourth stop: langkawi (day 5)

the last stop before disembarking at port klang. the ship docked at porto malai which was 40 mins from kuah town. initially only planned to walk at porto malai. but on the way out, met two couples (one from england, the other from scotland; not together) who were talking about offers made by the taxi drivers outside. so i decided to stop and asked them what offer they got. the drivers wanted to charge them rm45 per hour! cut throat big time!! so i asked if they minded joining our group of four to the underwater world, cable car ride and kuah town. we told them the price was not as quoted by the drivers. so yours truly was unofficially elected the leader of this pax of 8 now and started bargaining with the local driver. as rented cars here were the only transport out, there was no other way except to rely on them. we finally settled for rm25 each. still expensive compared to kuah's price, but what peanuts the foreigners had to pay. they were more than happy to get on the van.
so to the underwater world, followed by mount machincang and finally kuah town for some duty free goods. the foreigners got their beer and rum for a 'party' on the cruise! the english couple even added an extra rm5 for me as a tip when i collected the taxi fare at the end of the trip. so funny. of course i denied. they said if i decided to quit my current job, i would make a good tour guide. thanks mike! it was fun going with them and knowing that i had done a lil part in giving malaysia's kind hospitality to them albeit the short time.

• porto malai
  

• langkawi underwater world. what a letdown. malaysians have to pay rm28. not that worth it as it was not that impressive. luckily the foreigners did not go with us. it would be a shame if compared with what they had seen in US.
  

• the breathtaking ride up mount machincang. worth every dime you pay. a not-to-be-missed when u are on the island. not for the faint hearted. 2 from the group skipped the ride for fear of heights. i think that is the telaha tujuh waterfalls u can see via the cable car ride.
  

• aah..beautiful sunset at langkawi. fishermen returning after a catch. how tranquil. how mesmerising. how beautiful.
  

• crew extravaganza night. yup it was the night where some of the crew members took over the slockquote>tage to entertain the guests. nothing mind blowing. get a seat to pass that 45 mins.
  
  

third stop: phuket (day 4)

the ship finally found a docking port at deep sea port phuket. it takes about 40 mins to reach the famous patong beach. so going out was not that convenient. you will have to bargain with the taxi drivers waiting outside the port. we booked ourselves on the tour bus again for transport out to patong. it was the pre-peak season in phuket and the weather was fabulous. blue sky and bright sun. but the same could not be said about the locals attitudes towards asian. a worker sweeping the walkway outside a stall along the beach were heard grunting 'huh, chinese!' (how rude!!!) and a stall owner chased all customers out of his shop for taking too-long-a-time bargaining and looking for goods. he shouted 'only look-look see-see, come out, come out'. sigh. and i thought they were still recovering from the tsunami! my friend was saying what was the use of helping them with all the aids when tsunami struck.
i spoke to a local thai chinese shop owner, she was much friendlier and more humble. i told her what i experienced with the locals and she was shocked at the treatment given as well. she showed me a photo of her shop when tsunami struck and she was still in the midst of opening her shop. loose wires were seen in the newly renovated shop. hence, lunch was at subway instead of any local eateries...which was scarce anyway. you see the stretch of road littered with bars and western food eateries. the encounter with the locals have definitely left a bad taste in the mouth. bali island is a better choice...u still get the beautiful beaches and the locals are definitely friendlier and more hospitable. you won't see so many local women with their Farangs either in bali.

• the stretch of road in front of patong beach. all shops selling imitation goods and restaurants
  

• cool huh?? this is self-explanatory
  

• the famous bang la road. it is only for the pedestrians at night where all the activities are centred. bars, clubs, transvestites (lady man), etc.
  

• patong beach. sitting on the chairs come with a price.
  

• central festival: the most upmarket mall in phuket. still no lv or gucci lah.
  

second stop: krabi to phuket (day 3)

again the ship anchored in the middle of the sea as there was no port deep enough. joined a tour. travelled from krabi to phang nga bay to phuket island. phuket island is connected to phang nga via 2 bridges (the old and the new lining side by side).

• sunrise at krabi... about 7 a.m.

• krabi: a hilly island made up of limestones

• tour bus

• the local's waterfall at thanbok khoranee marine national park. very clean but the waterfall was nothing to shout about
  

• phang nga bay
  

• primitive drawings on limestone
  

• james bond island
  

• koh panyee fishing village where lunch was served. so so only lah. a tribe of sea gypsies live here.

• phuket museum. quite a small one where u get to see the lifestyles of the locals and a bit of their history.
  

• the tourism award winning cultural theme park : phuket fantasea. not like genting highlands in malaysia. the focus of the park is palace of the elephants where a famous cultural show: fantasy of a kingdom, is performed every night to a packed auditorium. kinnaree buffet restaurant opposite is equally impressive. the cultural performance was quite impressive with pyrotechnics, arobatics, dances, animals performances (the hens and goats were awesome) and mock fightings. however, i find the performance lacks narration and the audience are left guessing the plot. there was only a short narration at the beginning of this 90-minute show. famous personalities have graced the show as seen in the numerous photos on the walls. most of them made up of thai dignitaries. i recognised hk personalities twins, edison chan and shawn yue among the many photos.
  

first stop: penang (day 2)

first stop for the cruise: penang. my group decided not to get off the ship as we were too lazy to do so. there are paid tours and free and easy excursions that passengers can enjoy. you just make sure you get back on the ship before the ship leaves the port. or else you will have to fly to the next stop and the crew will bring you your passport which is collected as soon as you board the ship.
there are activities planned for passengers on board so you will not be really bored. movies, mild exercises sessions, palm reading, family hunt, etc. the casino can keep you occupied too if you are in the mood to gamble. naaa...i did not go in.

• a hazy shot of penang bridge

• penang island. the orange boat there is the one which they use to ferry the passengers from the boat to the island. there is no port for the ship.

• yoga session in star lounge. led by an indonesian crew member
  

• heads of departments in the ship. chiefly from sweden, germany, the philippines, indonesia, and singapore.

• all captains in their full uniforms for the gala dinner held every tuesday on board. you have to make booking for the dinner and come in your formal wear.

• the swedish captain taking photos with all who turned up at the dinner...using the ship's camera of course and you get to purchase each 4r photo for SGD10 each. yes, that is the currency used

• the captain's gala dinner at the ocean's palace. three-course meal followed by entertainment back at the galaxy of stars. entertainment comes in the form of acrobatic performances from a chinese troupe from harbin and sexy brazillian dancers. no photo taking allowed.

overheard at gala dinner coming from an elderly englishman.

it's nice to see all ladies dressed in their fineries for this dinner, isn't it?

awwww......how sweet and appreciative. cina man will surely say something else or say nothing at all ;(

back on the land now. let me share some photos i have first before i start writing anything. writer's block now after not writing for a week. haha...still in buoyancy.

an introduction to the superstar gemini

• an access card will be issued for every passenger. that is your credit card on board. everything is charged to this card and u settle the bill when u disembark

• a cabin for four...quite small and makes u not want to stay in the cabin. the upper berth bed can be quite swayable

• the toilet..all the basic amenities are there

• the corridor outside the cabins
  

• deck 8, the highest deck where the sunbathers frolic
  

• jacuzzi tub

• the not so big swimming pool

• the mariner's: where buffet meals are served

• seafood lover's haven; prawns, scallops, fish, oysters, clams; local and western delights. my favourites: desserts ;) 6 to choose from every meal

• star lounge

• ocean's palace, the formal eatery where you have to be properly dressed before you can be seated. too prim and proper for a casual gal. plus the food choices here are the same as at the mariner's...only posher and more well presented. and of course you are served by the many waiters and waitresses

• galaxy of stars where the nightly shows take place

• forward part of the ship from deck 8

• outside the mariner's which is the stern of the ship. you are looking at deck 7, 6 and 5

• superstar gemini in its entirety

some of the places not included are the library, mahjong and card room, front desk, souvenir shop, casino, gemini bar, shore excursions counter, gym and spa and children centre.

some facts about the cruise

1. passengers: approximately 120
2. crew members: approximately 440
3. ship's width: 20m
4. ship's length: 150m
5. crew work for 10 months and rest for 2 months
6. crew from 23 nations work together 'better than United Nations' according to the captain