A Cruisin' We Will Go: Part 1

Eye-popping excitement.. non-stop enjoyment....family funtime.

It all happens on water, onboard the Starcruise Virgo. What is great about going on a cruise vacation? Let me tell you all about my fantastic trip.

Star cruise Virgo is not just a ship that transports you from one place to the other. It is a hotel ship, 9 decks with a driving range, a helipad (the Sun Deck), a mini golf course, a basketball court, swimming pools, a gym,  a casino, an arcade, restaurants and much more! You won't get bored at all on the ship!

For teens and kids, there are a wide array of arcade games: racing games, sports games, shooting games, you name it and whatever you want is there. For younger kids, there is a child care center with slides and an indoor playground. For families who love to stay awake late at night and have fun, The Lido or generically known as the Ship's Theatre shows family shows, adult shows and magic shows! There are two casinos:  a  big one called the Star Club and a cozier one called The Galaxy of the Stars where bands play at night.

My brother and I enjoyed playing the mini golf, basketball and swimming! We had fun exploring the ship by ourselves. We also spent some quiet time at the cozy and well-stocked library. We got to borrow some board games to play with our parents in our cabin.

During the day, the Galaxy of the Stars is one of my favorites. Why? Because there is an Observation Deck where apart from observing the view of the sea in front of me, I can pretend to be a captain of the ship and view a desktop which shows the ship's status. There is also the Captain's Bridge as I went down a spiral staircase. behind glass windows, I was able to observe the actual work of the captain, his crew and the consoles. I also took time reading the history of the ship and imagined how it felt to work there. 

From Manila, we flew to Singapore and boarded the ship at Harbourfront. The second I spotted the ship from the taxi, I was stricken with awe when I saw the Virgo from afar. It was simply gargantuan! It set sail at 4 pm while my brother and I excitedly roamed around on our first cruise trip. The ship sailed for four days and three nights.

Of course, a cruise is not cruise without scrumptious and overflowing food. There are many restaurants which offer a huge variety of food on board Star Virgo.   Most are "free" restaurants, which means the meals are part of the package that we paid for. There are some where you need to pay additionally. My favorite restaurant would be the Bella Vista. The ambience is quite formal. It serves continental food. Meals are usually a 4-course dinner but you can ask for additional servings to your heart's delight. Appetizers, main courses and desserts are abundantly available to satisfy your cravings.

One event that you shouldn't miss is the wonderful On-Cruise Magic Show that really proved to be a "Mirage", as the title suggested. Its dazzling special effects made the audience "woo and whoa" at the tricks of the talented magician.

Fancy the sunrise or want to catch the spectacular sunset? The best place to relax with peace and quiet with the cool breeze blowing across your face is the Sun Deck. A cup of coffee or a cone of ice cream and a great view is what you should not miss to cap of your day at the sea.

Well? This is just an intro to my cruise trip! Wait till you read about the shore excursions in Thailand and Malaysia! Until then...

A Wonderful Trip To Malaysia

This is a trip that will never be forgotten. Why? Because it was exciting, educational and fun! 

Usually, tourists visit Malaysia because of the world-reknown PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS. To date, it holds the record for being the tallest twin towers and the 5th tallest building in the world. Do you know that Petronas is actually the name of the company that produces oil?  At around 7:30 in the morning, the ticketing office is already bustling with people, trying to get in line to buy tickets to go up the 86th floor, which is the Observation Deck. But since the towers are now very popular among tourists, they allot time for visiting. Only limited tickets are given every thirty minutes. On the right is the actual picture of the Petronas Towers, which are very magnificent!  I learned that the Petronas Towers use a new kind of technology called cool-recovery. It converts outside energy to make it cooler before it enters the building. Walking on the Skybridge that connects the two towers felt scary yet exciting. It was on the 41st floor and from there, you could see many solar panels below.
  

Another known tourist spot is the GENTING HIGHLANDS. It is a theme park that is about an hour and a half outside of Kuala Lumpur. One of the most famous rides is the "Flying Coaster", a roller coaster that goes upside down that looks like it's zooming at about 200 km/hr! Another great activity is the Stars Archery. You get to use a real bow and arrow to shoot at a target. It was bigger and heavier than I thought! Definitely not easy but so much fun! Another exciting activity is the Genting SkyDiving. My dad and I got to experience how it felt to skydive. I was quite nervous at first but I am so glad I did it. Lastly, what I enjoyed most is the water ride called the Bumper Boats. Sounds boring? Don't be fooled because it wasn't! Expect to get wet though.

You should not also miss a trip to the ROYAL SELANGOR. It is a pewter factory and showroom which shows you the company's history of processing tin and aluminum into different pewter products. A guide takes us to the different station where a worker shows the different steps of melting, molding and finishing. There is also a place called the School of Hard Knocks. That's where my brother and I got to make our own pewter ice cream bowls with our name engraved on it. It's a MUST- DO THING IN KUALA LUMPUR! As you can see on the right, these are the basic tools used in making pewter products.


Now, you don't go to Malaysia without visiting one of its many mosques. Most people in Malaysia are Muslims and I am happy that they allow tourist to visit their place of worship. As a sign of respect, men must be in long pants and women must wear a clothing that covers their whole body and a scarf for the head . The NATIONAL MOSQUE is a very huge place with many open spaces. Beautiful "decors" and fountains surround it. It has a beautiful architecture. As it was my first time to go inside a mosque, I was in awe and felt prayerful and peaceful.

 

See? Not only did I have fun, but I also learned about Malaysia's culture, its people, who are generally friendly and pleasant, its history and not to miss, its delicious food. I tried and enjoyed different types of Malaysian food - Chinese, Indian, Malay and Nyonya. Durian is everywhere! - as fresh fruit, sherbet, ice cream, topping for shaved ice dessert, chocolate and guess what else? Fried durian in a stick!

 So, what do you think? Isn't Malaysia an interesting place to visit? If you're ready and eager to go......just GO! Don't miss these TOP 4 PLACES!

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