Aboard the ship of cool

Never did it cross my mind: visiting three countries in one week is one thing, doing so aboard a cruise ship is another.

I recently took part with other journalists in a familiarization tour organized by Star Cruises, Tourism Malaysia, Wintrex Travel Corporation, and Mega Borneo Tour Planner. And our vessel of choice was SuperStar Gemini, no less. 

Every time I get the chance to travel, I make sure I have my credit card with me in case there is a GAS attack. (GAS stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.) The last time I was in Malaysia, I had no luck finding another guitar for “my collection” (as my wife Beth calls it). This is it, I said to myself. I would likely find my six-stringed holy grail in one of the three countries and seven cities on the itinerary.

Superstar Complex

SuperStar Gemini is based in Singapore, and it cruises around various destinations in the South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and Straits of Malacca all year round. The ship, which boasts 400 cabins, can carry around 800 passengers.

Great to be onboard that ship. The organization was superb; every event was entertaining; and the crew made us feel at home. Not surprising since a lot of the crewmembers were Filipinos. It was like being part of a really big family.  

I took note of the establishments inside Gemini. Mariner’s Buffet, Mariners Patio Bar, Bar Gemini, Galaxy Bar, Ocean Palace Restaurant, Fortuna Karaoke (so passengers could flex their vocal cords), Star Club (for those games of chance), Galaxy of the Stars (a cabaret and show lounge), and Star LoungeStar Deck (for gazing at sunbathing passengers). Gemini at times feels like a floating city, what with its swimming pool and jacuzzi, spa and gymnasium, jogging track, salon, shops, library (with Internet and mahjong), card room, arcade and even a children’s center.

Destination: Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei

Let me reminisce about how the whole trip started.

We boarded a Royal Brunei Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur. It was my second visit to KL, so I still found my way to Sungei Wang Plaza in Bukit Bintang to find the best bargains.

Later that evening we were impressed by the Saloma cultural dancers during dinner hosted by Tourism Malaysia. We stayed overnight at Novotel.

The next day we had a tour of KL. Petronas Tower, Merdeka Square and National Mosque were part of the itinerary. We had no more time for Putra Jaya because we had to proceed to Port Klang for our appointment with SS Gemini later that day.

Upon checking in at Port Klang we surrendered our passport at the Star Cruise terminal in exchange for an access card that serves as both a key card and a credit card. (I learned passengers could also use Singapore dollars for purchases.)

In the evening we sailed away from Port Klang. Our first dinner was at Mariner’s Buffet — casual and more relaxing. We would later put on our formal attire for the Captain’s Night dinner at Ocean’s Palace.

Fantastic acrobats and dancers performed at the Galaxy of Stars that night. After the show, the search for Miss Gemini began. It was an entertaining evening. Our kababayan won. Evelyn Sy of Marikina City was crowned Miss Gemini by the other finalists. That speaks well about the beauty of the Filipina.

Penang greeted us in the daylight.

Time for shore excursion. Our group opted for the trishaw ride and city tour. A bus chartered by Star Cruise ferried us from Clan Piers, a Chinese water village built on stilts, toward Wat Chayamankalarm, a temple which houses one of the largest reclining Buddhas. Last stop was Prangin Mall where we checked e-mails and did some shopping, of course.

Back to the ship. After the captain’s gala dinner we watched a show titled “A Journey of Love” at the Galaxy of Stars, featuring the Star Cruises dancers, world-champion ballroom dancers Dasha and Dima, and the Chinese acrobats.  

On Tuesday evening we sailed to Krabi, Thailand. Krabi is a province perfect for outdoor activities such as sailing, scuba diving, kayaking and snorkeling. From the ship, we took a 45-minute speedboat ride to Chao Fa pier and a scenic bus ride though Krabi town. We arrived at Than Bokkharani Botanical Gardens, where exotic Flora and fauna flourish.

Next stop was the Tiger Cave Temple, a meditation monastery located in the midst of a majestic forest. Here we had a chance to sample spicy Thai food. Our faces turned crimson, our noses were a bit runny, but we got a kick out of the super-spicy fare.

We arrived in Phuket on Wednesday evening, and we were able to watch the show at Phuket FantaSea, a cultural theme park located in Kamala beach.

The actors of “Fantasy of a Kingdom” are heavyweights. Well, literally speaking since the show featured 30 elephants, along with 150 humans.  

Phuket is known for its beaches like Patong Beach where numerous shops line its three kilometers of beach. Phuket town is where great shopping is. I even went to Robinsons Phuket to buy an extra traveling bag.

My friends always tell me how essential it is to ride an elephant when in Thailand. But that would have to take a backseat, since my dreaded GAS was acting up — and that’s more urgent.

While we were sailing toward Langkawi, we were regaled with “This is it Crew Show” at the Galaxy of the Stars. These guys do not only run a ship well, they could also command the stage with aplomb.

On Friday morning we docked at Langkawi Tanjung Malai Jetty. A short walked from the wharf and off we went island-hopping aboard a speedboat. Dayang Bunting Island has a lake set in dense jungle and separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. The freshwater lake is known as the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden.

Why, you ask. Well, the story goes like this. The maiden was a kedah princess who had been forbidden to marry her lover, a Malay prince. After drinking water from the lake, Telani the maiden became pregnant. And upon discovering this, the king became angry and banished her. In her sorrow, Telani drowned herself in the lake and became Sang Kelebai, a rock by the lake. Her child who had fallen into the lake was transformed into a white crocodile. The lake has now become a famous place where barren women from all over the world come to drink the water.

Another exciting part of the Langkawi shore excursion was feeding the eagle. After the boatman threw food into the water, the Brahminy Kite and White Belly sea eagles immediately appeared from the island to dive for their meal.

Good thing, we humans didn’t have to dive to get our meal. We dined on the last night of the cruise at Oceans Palace.

Goodnight and Goodbye SS Gemini

After disembarking in Kuala Lumpur, we proceeded to Sunway Lagoon Resort and checked in at Sunway Pyramid Hotel.

The hotel is connected to a mall so we spent the rest of the day shopping. On our way to the airport we passed by Putra Jaya for photo ops then boarded a Royal Brunei Airlines flight bound for Bandar Seri Begawan. Upon reaching our destination, we embarked on a city tour arranged by MegaBorneo Tour Planner’s managing director Khirul Zainie.

First stop was Royal Regalia Building, which houses the Sultan’s full royal regalia, including the crown, and royal chariot used during his coronation. Sultan Omar Ali Saiffudien Mosque is one of Brunei’s famous mosques; it is surrounded by a lagoon with a replica of the Royal Barge in it. We were awed by the Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque with 24-karat golden domes. This is the mosque where the Sultan goes to pray every Friday.

We had dinner at Fratini’s Restaurant in Yayasan Complex. Overlooking Kampong Ayer and Brunei River, home to 30,000 people who choose to live on traditional houses built on stilts.

Was I able to satisfy my guitar affliction? Yes and no. I bought three instruments all right, but they were merely scale models of acoustic and electric guitars sold at Sunway. But that didn’t dampen my spirit at all.

The cruise aboard SuperStar Gemini felt like one beautiful song that’s over too soon.

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For more information, call Wintrex Travel at 925-7092 or e-mail egpablico@wintrex travel.com.ph. Log on to:

•Tourism of Malaysia website: wwwtourismmalaysia.gov.my

•Star Cruises website: wwwstarcruises.com

•MegaBorneo Tour Planner website: www.megaborneo.com.