To paraphrase an old adage - half a cruise is better than no cruise at all, AND another is slower than slow internet access is just as bad a no internet access. This posting is a little late, but .......................
We finally embarked our ship in Hong Kong on the second of our planned back2back cruises. Although we have still not had any communications with the cruise line re the first cruise, we will deal with it once we return home and let nothing spoil our next 17 days.
Before leaving Hong Kong, we were treated to the much acclaimed (but quite disappointing) evening laser light show. As we slowly cruise out of the Hong Kong harbor, past the many illuminated hi-rise apartment buildings, I get a claustrophobic feeling of the many inhabitants clustered like bees in a hive.
Our first day at sea is taken up with re-acquainting ourselves with this ship that we so much enjoyed a few years ago cruising the Baltic, and meeting fellow travelers that we had only know through an internet chat room. Tomorrow, we make our first port - Manila, Philippines.
Manila City one of 17 overlapping cities that make up the metro area. This country has been under the the control of many over the centuries but realized its’ independence after WWII. Even then there has been political strife from the Marcos years to the present. Predominantly a Catholic society, churches from the Spanish colonization of the 1500’s dominate the area. We chose to walk though Rizal Park, which was close to our ship and view Manila families relaxing in the heat of the day.