My Travel Cruise On board the Super Star Gemini….(2008 Trip to Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei)

Dear All,

Glad to share my travel notes…

To have a travel cruise this year was really out of my plan, it was just a spark of the moment decision to go on the cruise trip…I have been to Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia before so the trip was not that so tempting and exciting to me…I just thought it would be a great way to get away, to relax in solitude on board out in the sea, to have an ocean experience, have my mind be at peace while I stay afloat the open seas….to be with my niece Estela who has been under work stress for quiet sometime… I thought she would be thrilled having a trip for free…I thought it was a way for her to relieve her stress and workload worries….

STRESS RELIEVER

I was wondering what activities on board would excite me then.. I always look for things that will amaze or fascinate me… its nice to enjoy and fulfill your dreams.. It’s not daw the ends that is the reward, but the process…(or whatever) so I got to go for my dreams… simply to be happy and enjoy life…. away from the toxicity of the city…. Our travel trip brought us to city of Brunei, Malaysia, (city of Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands, Port Klang, Penang and Langkawi) and Thailand (Islands of Krabi and Phuket)… the SSGemini route was along the Mallaca strait, (this strait is between Sumatra, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, not in open sea hence the sailing was smooth as silk…hindi maalon at hindi rin nakakalula..

STAR CRUISE TOUR

We boarded the Royal Brunei Airline (the flagship of Brunei) to get to Port Klang in Malaysia where we catched and boarded the SS Gemini. I learned our cruise tour was composed of about 15 Filipino journalists who will explore and experience SS Gemini, tour places that they will write about later on…they were supposed to invite and entice people to visit Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand via the world of Star Cruise…. I learned that Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hongkong, Vietnam and China are regular travel destination routes of Star cruise.. Star Cruise has built port facilities and developed partnering tourism programs in these countries hence it generated more work, business and revenue opportunity for the people and country… I was sad to know that the Philippines is not part of the star Cruise travel destination routes, bakit kaya?? I don’t need to mention the litany of reasons, for sure you know it !!….however, pret not.. there is a good news, sabi nila…the International “ Costa Allegra” Cruise has commited to make Manila as one of its travel cruise destinations on a twice a year schedule… All pinoy should join hands in making tourism boom and prosper in the Philippines, indeed we have so many amazing and beautiful places to enjoy and share with other people of the world…

KUALA LUMPUR VISIT

Prior the cruise, we spent a day of city tour in Kuala Lumpur. We were met by our tourist guide the fabulous twosome, Mr Alex and Ms. Belle, who seems to be on their friendship and courting stage. They were very accommodating; they showed us significant tourist spots of the city and shared us many insights about Malaysian culture… So far, this was my 4th time in the city of Kuala Lumpur, I was here the first time in 1987 when the city was still an unknown part of the world, wala pa noon Petronas building once the tallest building in the world, it was my first experience to see so many muslim children and women with “ pandong” over their heads…it was so amusing to me at that time…… We spent a nite at First Worlds Hotel at Genting Highlands, Malaysia’s premier holiday destination. This was my 3rd visit to this resort city so I had the confidence going around the theme park resort, I even acted as the tour guide of our group…It is a city in the sky, about 1 hour drive from Capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Genting Highlands is an entertainment paraside built on top of a mountain…

CITY OF BRUNEI

This will be my second visit to the city of Brunei, I had an extensive tour of this city in 2001 with my niece Tintin…..that time we met TV host, Cheche Lazaro who was making a documentary travel film in Brunei. We went around the city, learned so many things about the culture, way of life of the people then…. However, on this trip, we didn’t get to see much of Brunei city now, our tour guide didn’t give us indepth knowledge about the place, in fact he deposited our tour group for hours to a mall for shopping, which many of the tour group members rejected and resented… We thought we wasted a lot of our precious time in the mall instead of learning more about the place…..we felt we could have done a more quality tour by learning and seeing the rest of the city… that is the problem with a package tour scheme, you are at the mercy of your tourist guide who lack the concerns in handling their tourists…they always have a mind set and thought all tourists are “shophaholic” or “ shopping addicts”…

SS GEMINI EXPERIENCE

Our first day on board involved “ safety drill’ exercises, which is a SOP to all passengers. I welcome this process, since safety emergency preparedness process is an ingrained consciousness in me since my Unocal/Chevron work days…We were given “access card” that served as our identification, for passport collection, charge card for all the facilities on board and when disembarking the ship. We devoted more time in learning the physical layout of the ship, by going through each ship’s decks.. 50% of the ship crew which was about 370, were from Philippines, others were from Malaysia and India hence, you will really feel at home on board.. The Filipino crew are hard working, they got the skills and the talents.. they love to serve, to talk and converse with Filipino guests. The excellent performance of the Pinoy crew on board has made me feel proud of being a FILIPINO….oh yes the ship cruise director, a Filipino guy, a cross look alike between Nora Aunor, Ate Guy and Ate Glo, or GMA, was incharge of all the amazing nightly shows on board… Our cabin was located at the 4th deck, it was cozy, it got spacious room for the two of us, fully furnished and gave us a total comfort making us feel at home all the time… Enjoying the ship amenities and services at nite, we always go to bed very late or early magandang morning na !!….and at times when we wake up the following morning, we would be in another place or port…

On cruise trip they said you will save on airfares, hotels, transfers and trips to restaurants because you’ll find everything you’ll ever need onboard… It’s something to experience to believe that cruising will really help save while traveling more… SSG got great facilities such as restaurants, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, gym, recreation area, spa, bar and lounges, karaoke room, entertainment theater, library and internet, mahjong and card room, Casino, video game room, medical clinic, Unisex Salon, children playroom, cinema and shopping store and other essential amenities. You can exhaust yourself just by going through the list! They said you can do everything or nothing at this “ sea resort” on board, which you can also call your ocean home….everyday, they got non-stop array of appealing activities both to young ones, not so old, the old and the super old…

They said, SSGemini is the baby fleet of all the Star Cruises ships, it is only 8 deckers compared to other star cruises that got about 14 decks which are really hugggeeee !!!…..SSGemini is more of a family or intimate ship with personalized services because it got only about 400 passengers while other cruise got about 800 or more passengers…. sobrang dami… ha…. On board the SSG, the entertainment is first class and the crew are just as professional as the real stars. I love the “Crew Shows” the best, you might see them during the day as your cabin boy, or the waiter, or working in the gym, then at night they surprise you with all their super talents. The ship nitely shows were very innovative, they got fantastic and great Brazilian ballroom dancing show and amazing acrobatic performances…They always have the audience participation which was so much fun. I tremendously enjoyed it so much …mahirap akong mapatawa but I had a good laugh… at least napatawa nila ako ha!!…it simply means they meet my standards … I got to experience waking up early for a sunrise meditation and did swim early in the morning at the upper deck swimmingful and had clouds or ocean scenery watching too.. I love watching the dancing ocean, (I call it watching God’s ocean of love, kc while watching the ocean and the waves, it’s a moment of knowing and realizing the vastness, the power and the never ending energy of God’s love )…..the water was so clean and clear, thanks God, I didnt get to see plastics, papers and other water waste pollutants…an evidence that people in this place have great concern on their environment and tourism which is their main source of revenue… From computer games to movies, from ballroom dancing to karaoke, from cabaret shows to a massage, from a day in the gym to night parties, there’s always something to do onboard the ship….For me, there wasn’t enough time during the day as well as during the night. I just didn’t want to miss all the fun activities on the ship. So much to enjoy for so short a time… We were able to meet new friends and learned something new when we took part in one of the fun art classes and trivia /fun quiz sessions. Estela joined Karaoke session and participated in the “Worst Karaoke” singing contest which was fun… an Australian, father and son tanden won the contest…Sabi nila participants to KTV’s or Karaoke singers daw ay may malaking attention deficit…how true kaya yun ??? I had explored the gym, but did not participate in their fitness activities though, it is a great place to help you burn those calories you are bound to put on because of the glorious food that is served. SSGemini got 3 restaurants to choose from…

The Ocean Palace, where they serve a la carte restaurant or fine dining with a 5 star service, it was our favorite dining restaurant. Here, we got the opportunity to be in formal attire or dress up elegantly which we enjoyed so much….at times, for a more casual attire, we also went and ate at the Mariner’s restaurant, where they serve sumptuous international buffet, the food was plentiful, bountiful, and still to die for,.. busog ka talaga mula ulo, mata, ilong, tenga, hanging paa mo….

oh yeah…walang bayad un mga pagkain,… however if you order drinks and wine it will be charged to your account… would you believe, we were in our best elegant attire when we attended the “captain’s reception and Captain’s gala dinner, kc it’s the dress code for this event…wow!! All the men were in their gorgeous black coat and tie attire too… super elegant at maganda ang lahat ng attendees, kasama na kami doon !! We had a picture taking with the captain as well… Every day, SSGemini issues and distributes “ Star Navigator” a bulletin for all passengers, it got “ Today at a Glance” or schedule of outdoor and indoor activities for the day suited for families, children and the like, such as game shows for couples, kids club fun games, bingo, lottery, ballroom dancing, entertainment shows, soothing sounds and melodies, casino games, movie shows and a lot lot more….

Oh yes, the bulletin also got advertisement of services on board, rules and regulations, list of shore excursions, safety notices and other travel reminders… there are other SSGemini mandatory readings such as the “Star Cruise Safety Information from the captain”, SSGemini General Information, Customs Guide for Travelers, Welcome message of the SSG, hotel manager, Important Information for disembarking guests, which are of great help to all cruise ship guests… I realized travel cruise is great relaxing options to a whole range of holidaymakers be it families, honeymooners, senior citizens… my niece said.. it is the best holiday for the seniors and the elderly…kc halos lahat ng kasama eh…mga seniors na ?? kunti lang un mga bata…most of the guests are from Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, few from USA, South America, India and Europe… Estela did meet a young Malaysian lady who seems to be bored in company of her old parents, The Malaysian lady shared common interest with Estela …ooopps…the unhealthful puffing cigarettes.. ano pa !!

CRUISE TRIP EXCURSIONS

Another best way to have fun on cruise trip is by exploring each port or by participating in the list of exciting shore excursions which includes shopping, shopping and shopping. You may choose shore excursions based on your interest, but of course it will be charged to your account !! Because we enjoyed and had so much fun on board, we availed of only two shore excursions. I selected the best and the most exciting excursion, it was exploring the island of Phuket, Thailand, we went to see the popular beach called “Patong” beach… “Patong” means in Thai “ the forest filled with banana leaves”… “Patong” beach is ala “ Boracay” beach in Panay Island in Pinas, but “Patong beach got longer and wider beach and they got more arrays of shopping stores facing the beach… We watched monkey and elephant shows and had riding the elephant adventure which we immensely enjoyed. Me mga elephant pala na me sumpong !!! either they will not walk and cause traffic, they will popooh along the way, or will spray or sprinkle you with water from their trunk or nose… kaya mababasa ka !!!…If you are interested, trained elephants can give you back massage as well….. We also had the Langkawi, Malaysia cable car ride to the top of a mountain. Upon reaching the top of the mountain, we had a time of celebration and gratitude, we thanked God for the wonderful creation…the view of Langkawi and its surrounding islands was fantastic !! By the way, there is a guest comment form placed in your cabin for you to fill out, where you can give feedback, suggestions to improve the services of the ship…What more can I say, I was more than contented, I gave superlative comments on their services of course !!! While on board, I met a lot of seniors in the cruise, who are also passionate about traveling… we shared travel experiences, comments about travel agency/operator services and processes… We were able to meet and talk with few of the “journalists” who were with us on the cruise…but I was not able to meet any official or representative of a Manila travel agency, I thought I could meet and have a short talk with them while on cruise.. pero hindi nangyari un eh.. I think they were too busy and too focus on the "journalists" who were part of the travel cruise rather than mingling with other travel cruise guests…If I am a staff of a travel agency, I would have grabbed the opportunity to have PR work, to circulate around to know and meet guests and prospective travel clients ..I would have looked for Filipino travel clients na kasama sa cruise, then inupuan ko silang lahat for a short talk, I would have introduced myself, gave them my travel agency calling card, I would have given them my thanks and appreciation for patronizing " Filipino Travel" agency, then get their feedback about the "cruise" and about the services of travel agency….. this is a good way to get feedback and to improve further the services of travel agency….to listen and learn from clients…there is no substitute to personalized talks and interaction to clients, " I believe words of mouth “advertisement" by clients is free of charge… it is the best advertisement in the world..

REALITY OF OMEGA

Ship cruise experience is truly an exciting alternative traveling and is definitely a great experience, however, when you are traveling on a limited time, pilit mong pinapagkasya ang oras para ma-experience and ma-enjoy mo lahat. Gusto mong makita ang mga bagay na magaganda, gusto mo kumain at tikman ang mga pagkain na di mo pa nakakain o natitikman sa tanang buhay mo… Habang nasa laot kami, I realized ang trip naming ay parang pelikulang pinapanood ng naka fast forward…. You are just beginning to connect to people, to adopt, understand the culture of the place, you are just beginning to learn so many things, you are at the stage of understanding the story…eh…nasa “THE END”.. ka na agad !!! Hayyyyyy …When you are traveling, there is so much to learn but so short the time…Life is so short so, enjoy life, be alive while you are alive… Lesson: Yes, life is too short that we need to make the most of it, health is wealth, you need not overwork and stress yourselves too much…you should do away with worry and fears of the future ( tomorrow may not come at all ).. believe in collecting and counting happy bonding memories instead of counting the years or counting material wealth…. Try to have a break and relax, have a positive mind, enjoy and just be happy everyday, take time to smell the flowers, allow a few minutes everyday to reflect on your daily activities it will enlighten your mind and body..share and give happiness to others.. Don’t go about looking for your reason to live, or finding the purpose of your existence. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. I remember a beautiful quote from “ Tuesday with Morrie” a heart warming play by Mitch Albom ) that was presented by Repertory Philippines which I watched couple of months ago…that says ”feelings and touching is living life” I like this quote very much, it is simple, short but got very powerful impact… The only reason to be alive is to enjoy life, enjoy all that you do in life and always have a thankful heart…Don’t just dream, Live your dream. Keep moving towards it. Have a happy, blessed and lovely journey of life….

Till next travel time,

God bless.

Miles Bernal

May 2008

THE END