Stories of Places, People and Photography in the Philippines and Beyond
We know that selecting a cruise destination can be a tough decision. This is mainly because the cruise is itself a fun-filled adventure trip, so you have to be careful while selecting the destination. The destination must be (if not more) as fun-filled as the cruise, right?
Like all forms of travel, the cruise industry was put on hold fairly recently – but it’s returning with vengeance. It is regaining its popularity that has made it a go-to holiday type for millions around the world, whilst also attracting a new form of traveler who previously wouldn’t have had the slightest bit of interest. Today’s guide is primarily for the latter. If you’ve never been on a cruise before, here are some tips on how you can choose the right type.
Buying a gift for a friend or family member can be difficult, most of us end up aimlessly wandering around the shopping mall hoping to find something that they’ll like and not succeeding. It often gets so close to their birthday that we give up on the idea of a perfect gift and go with something generic like a watch, perfume or a piece of jewellery. Instead of the usual, boring present, why not present them with something they’ll never forget?
“Please don’t call it a junk! It doesn’t sound good. We call it a cruise ship!” our Vietnamese guide with a British accent, Duc, politely corrected me as I got accustomed to call those large wooden ships cruising Ha Long Bay as “junks” similar to what they call it in Hong Kong. From Halong Plaza Hotel, we were headed to the port for a Ha Long Bay day in this UNESCO Heritage site in the province of Quang Ninh, Vietnam. It is popularly known for its thousands limestone karst picturesquely dispersed on a bay off Ha Long City.
It’s time to slow down. Pick one of the lounge chairs and forget about the time for a moment. As soon as we finished our breakfast at the Mediterranean Breakfast Buffet, I took time to sit down by the pool and enjoy just being there. Like I said earlier, cruise are meant to be enjoyed in a slow steady pace. And that morning before we leave the ship, I took time to just wander around before our 11am checkout from Superstar Virgo.
I stand in amazement on how steady the ship was as if I’m walking on plain ground. It was my first time to try out a cruise and this Superstar Virgo Ship from Star Cruises is a good introduction. I take my sights out from the sea and look at the people walking around the ship’s upper decks. It was a mixture of people of different age and nationalities. It’s not all for oldies as I thought. We’ll be spending 2 nights here on board. Sailing from Singapore to Port Klang in Malaysia then back.
One of the more popular destination in Bohol is the municipality of Loboc. More famous for its musically talented and award winning Loboc Children’s Choir, the place also holds the 2nd oldest church in Bohol, a scenic cruise along its river and another world famous primate, the Tarsiers. Here recounts our brief exploration of Loboc, the oldest town in Bohol.
