Azamara World Series - The Spice Route: Part 1, Singapore to Sri Lanka (including You Tube vlog)
It had long been a dream of mine to travel to India and Sri Lanka, though Rich was less keen on visiting this part of the world, so we decided the best way to fulfil my dream was to take a cruise covering both countries. The Spice route voyage we chose started in Singapore with a brief stop in north Indonesia before two stops in Sri Lanka, two in India, then a quick stop in Oman before finishing our voyage in Dubai. We loved this particular voyage as it had four overnight stops meaning we had two full days in Cochin, Colombo. Mumbai and Dubai.
We flew to Singapore via Dubai for a brief two night stop in Singapore to get over our jet lag before heading off to meet the Azamara Quest for our 17 night journey. We arrived at the cruise terminal just before midday and by 12.30 we were checked in and within 10 minutes or so we were boarding the ship in time to go straight up to Windows cafe to grab some lunch. Our rooms were ready promptly at 1.30pm so after lunch headed to our room. Getting out of the lift and turning into our corridor we noticed our suitcases standing there waiting so we picked them up and went off in search of our centrally located room. Having our case was great as it meant we could unpack straight away and since we were here for the next 17 nights we could take our time to organise ourselves. Not long after we had unpacked it was time for muster followed by a drink out on the open decks to watch the sail out of Singapore through the thick melee of ships anchored in the bay. Although we haven’t sailed on the Quest before she is so similar to her baby sister, the Pursuit, that she already felt like home, so after sail out we went up to one of our favourite venues, the Living room, for a pre-dinner drink before heading to the Discoveries restaurant for dinner, followed by the welcome show in the Cabaret Lounge.
Our first full day on board was a sea day as we headed to Sabang on Weh Island off the coast of North Sumatra. We woke up to torrential rain and howling winds, but thankfully the sea was calm. Despite the rain it was still incredibly warm so we found a double cabana bed under the promenade overhang and settled in to watch the storm pass. Rich being the madman he is decided it would be fun to jump in the jacuzzi at this point and being the only one to brave the heavy rain he had it all to himself. Soon the storm had passed and the sky started to brighten, bringing with it the passengers to the sundeck.
By late afternoon feeling very relaxed and somewhat recovered from our jet lag we headed back to the room to shower and change for dinner in time to get up to the Living room for pre-dinner drinks and tapas before dinner. We again decided to go the Discoveries restaurant and this evening we were allocated one of the lovely aft view tables and although it was dark it was still nice to look out and see the wake from the ship. This evening was also the Captains welcome in the Cabaret lounge where he introduced us all to the senior officers before the on board production team, consisting or four singers and two dancers, came on for the first of three shows planned for this voyage. Show over, we had time for a quick cup of tea in the Mosaic cafe before heading off to bed.
Waking up the next morning we drew back our curtains to be greeted by our first port of call, beautiful Sabang on Weh island, Indonesia. Being a small remote port they only receive half a dozen or so ships into Sabang every area so they pull out all the stops for visiting cruise ships. We were warmly greeted by the locals, dressed in traditional clothing who entertained us with music, singing and dancing. Not really knowing what to expect form this stop we decided it was best to book onto one of the three shore excursions on offer. The one we chose was called ‘City highlights’ but it probably would have been more aptly named ‘Island highlights’ because we seemed to cover the entire island in the few hours we had ashore. We started our day at a local school where the children were on their mid morning break when we arrived. They were so excited to see us, gathering around us in the playground, asking us to write our names on their piece of paper and take photos of them, which they loved looking at. Some of the children showed us their classroom before we were treated to a traditional dance show from some of the school girls. It was such an honour to spend time with these wonderful, friendly children and we really didn’t want to leave.
Eventually we had to leave the school so we boarded the coach for our drive across town to the Dutch colonial village. We alighted the coach so we could wander through the colonial buildings, ending up at a viewing point overlooking the bay that the ship was docked in. Again there were plenty of locals about and they were so very friendly, particularly the children who wanted to hi-five, shake hands, and have their photos taken. Walking through the streets we were aware of the tsunami warning signs located all around the island as a constant reminder that Weh island was one of the main locations most affected the the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Back on the coach we made our way up the hillside to visit the island’s volcano. Whilst not overly impressive unless you are a geo-thermal geek it was interesting to see the topology and geology of the island, although the smell of sulphur was quite overwhelming at times!
Leaving the volcano we proceeded to drive across the island, up and down bumpy roads, passing goats, monkeys, geese, chicken and plenty of scooters overloaded with inappropriately-dressed riders. We eventually ended up at one of the two beaches on the island and boy was it worth the journey. The beach was heavenly, lined with coconut trees, the whitest sand and the bluest sea all backdropped by tropical jungle coastlines. We were served coconut water from freshly cut young coconuts before enjoying some brief free time at the beach. Although I didn’t swim (the land was quite rocky and corally and I didn’t have my beach shoes) I did have a little paddle and can confirm that the sea was as warm as a bath (definitely warmer than the Caribbean). All too soon it was time to make our way back to the boat and after another hilly ride we were back at the docks where we were sad to say goodbye to this lovely little island with its beautiful, friendly and welcoming people. Being such a remote island with no airport to make travelling to it easier, we both felt extremely privileged to have visited there, it was a day we’ll never forget.
We returned to the ship from this amazing excursion just in time to grab a late lunch, this time an Azamara burger from the patio grill, one of our favourite venues. After our late lunch we settled round the pool for an afternoon nap in a very warm and sunny Sabang. Sail away was 6pm which was perfectly timed with the sunset making it extra special. The locals had also come out to wave us goodbye so we enjoyed the sail out from the very top of the ship on deck 11. Back in our room, we quickly showered and got ready for a casual dinner. We decided to take pre-dinner drinks in the Spirits bar tonight, listening to the very talented Gemma on the piano. After a couple of cocktails we headed up to the Windows cafe for the Asian buffet. We managed to secure a table on the rear terrace, which although it was still very warm and humid, was just too romantic to resist, with the moon shining on the sea and over the aft of the ship. Not wanting to leave here we took a very leisurely delicious three courses before leaving to make our way to another venue for a late night drink. Along the way we got waylaid by the beautiful cabanas by the pool and laid there under the stars for the next hour, dozing, dreaming and occasionally chatting - heavenly. Eventually we decided we probably should make our way to bed rather than sleeping on the cabanas with the risk of being rained on. There was just time for a quick call at the Mosaic cafe for a cup of tea before making our way to our room to say goodbye to this, a perfect day!
Between Sabang and Sri Lanka we had two sea days and we woke up to gorgeous blue skies and smooth as seas. With an Azamara quest brunch planned for a little later in the morning we decided to skip breakfast and grabbed a coffee and a smoothie to enjoy round the pool while we waited for brunch to start. At 9.30am we made our way to the brunch to be there when it started, and it did not disappoint. There was every type of breakfast fare you could desire on offer, my favourite being the freshly fried croque monsieur. All accompanied by champagne, mimosas, tea or coffee.
What better way to start our two days at sea? The next two days flew by in a whirl of eating, drinking, a little bit of exercise, a lot of entertainment and a fair bit of relaxation. The evening of the second sea day we were invited to attend the LCV (Le Club Voyage - Azamara’s loyalty scheme) cocktail party, held in the Cabaret Lounge. There were a total of 350 passengers (out of nearly 700) who had sailed with either Azamara of Celebrity before. Drinks were flowing and we received a special welcome from the Captain and the loyal programme manager before heading off to our dinner.
After two blissful days we arrived in the port of Hambantota, on the south coast of Sri Lanka. I was incredibly excited to have finally reached Sri Lanka and even more so because we had booked an excursion to take us to an elephant orphanage and a safari round Udawalawe National Park. What was even nicer was the tour didn’t leave until mid morning so there was no early morning rushing around and a leisurely start to the day ensued. The drive to the elephant orphanage took about one hour and we arrived just in time to see them being fed. The baby elephants live freely in the national park but get fed 4 times a day by the rangers so visitors can see them up close as they take their bottle feeds, chew on the leaves laying on the ground and water themselves down in the little pond.
Feeding time over we headed back to the coach for our journey to a local hotel, passing amazing scenery and wildlife. At the hotel we stopped for a delicious buffet lunch which, to my delight, included traditional Sri Lankan curry dishes. Lunch over we had a little time to spare before continuing our journey, which we spent watching the monkeys playing in the trees outside the hotel entrance. A short coach ride later we were at the National Park entrance where we boarded our safari jeeps. We had two hours out in the jeeps to see as much wildlife as we could and we were lucky enough to spot some colourful bee-eater birds, herons, eagles, storks, peacocks, a chameleon, water buffalo and lots of elephants, some more close up than others. The female elephants hang around in twos or threes and these were the first ones we saw, then we saw a couple of massive bull elephants. Since it was mating season we didn’t get too close to these but we didn’t need to be too close to wander at their awesome beauty and majesty - what magnificent creatures!
With the light fading and the safari sadly finished we headed back to the coach for our journey back to the ship ready to set sail for Colombo where we would spend the next tow days. With nothing specific planned for our first day in Colombo we decided we would just take a walk around the city and beach front. To get to the city we had to walk through the large dock area which bought us out in the old fort area of Colombo. Once out of the port we headed towards the lake and the various temples located on the lake. However, this proved to be more of a challenge than we expected with tuk tuk drivers stopping us every few steps we took to see if they could show us around their city. Eventually we decided it would just be easier to get a tuk tuk (even though we love walking) so that we could enjoy the sites without being disturbed every few steps. So we boarded a tuk tuk and asked him to take us to the Gangaramaya temple. On the way we stopped for some photo opportunities at other Hindu temples and Catholic Churches. We seemed to have been lucky with our guide choice, Ramesh, who’s English was excellent and who had a very good knowledge of the temples, as well as being a good photographer, making us stop for photos every so often. We spent about an hour at the temple with Ramesh explaining all about the history of the temple and Sri Lankan culture. When we had finished at the Gangarayama temple Ramesh drove us to Seema Malakaya, the oldest temple in Colombo which is located on the river so that people could come in from afar by boat and worship on the waters edge.
From the temple Ramesh drove us back towards the port stopping along the way to point out various historic and significant sites. From the ports edge where Ramesh dropped us we made our way back towards the ship in time for a late lunch and a few hours rest ready for the Azamazing evening later. As with any Azamazing evening the ship laid on a lovely early buffet in both the Windows cafe and the Discoveries restaurant so we dressed early and headed to the Discoveries restaurant to make the most of the delicious buffet. After our buffet it was time for us to board a coach to go to the Shangri-La hotel, the venue for this evenings event. The coaches were well organised and we were soon at the hotel enjoying a never ending stream of drinks and delicious canapés. When everyone had arrived from the ship we took our seats in the magnificent ballroom ready for the evenings entertainment, consisting of local dance, singing and percussion shows which kept us well entertained for the next hour. With a brief moment for photographs at the end of the show it wasn’t long before we were all boarded back onto the coaches for our journey back to the ship. Back on the ship we headed up to the Windows cafe where we were greeted with trays of yet more drinks and late night snacks to enjoy on the Sunset Terrace before heading up to the living room to party the night away with DJ Marcia.
The next morning we were booked on a walking tour of Old Colombo which had an early start, not the best after a late night, but nonetheless we were up early grabbing a light breakfast before heading to the Cabaret Lounge to meet for our tour. We started the tour in a coach which took us a short drive out of the dock area and into the Pettah district which is where all the local markets are located. Getting of the coach with our guide we headed towards the covered fruit and vegetable market, one of the oldest buildings in the area, built by the British as a site for entertainment, and now used to house the large, colourful market. From here we headed towards the spice area where there was shop after shop selling lentils, spices and dried fish in large sacks - a delight of colour for the eyes and spiciness on the nose. Next up were the textiles markets where there was row after row of shops selling fabrics on the reel for the locals to buy and either take to their tailor or take home to fashion into clothing. In this area was also a handful of temples and churches - Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Catholic, the most magnificent being the historic Muslim Red Mosque which sits nestled amongst the shops and warehouses of the Pettah district.
All of that walking in the humid heat of central Colombo left many of us waining for a drink so we left the market area we headed back to the port entrance for a refreshment break at the oldest hotel in Colombo, the Grand Oriental Hotel, situated conveniently at the port entrance so that travelling merchants could stop here. In its heyday it was a magnificent building with rich travellers and merchants as its clientele. However, during Sri Lanka’s civil war this area was a target for terrorist bombing so no one wanted to stay here and this has had a huge impact upon the hotel which now only has half of its rooms available to stay in, with two of the hotels four floors given over to warehouse storage. Fully refreshed we left the hotel walking through the old fort area admiring the old colonial buildings which in the past had housed grandiose department stores and magnificent bank headquarters. Now mostly used as government buildings, the signs remain and the city is doing its best to restore the buildings in keeping with the character of the past. Form here we moved to the old Dutch hospital which now sits at the door of the modern banking and office district. The building retains its original charm but now houses bars and restaurants and is popular with the young local people who work close by. We finished our tour at the Dutch hospital and re-boarded the coach to take us back to the ship in time for lunch.
We were especially glad to get back in time for lunch today since there was a deck barbecue arranged take place in the patio. We love the deck barbecues on Azamara, with some of the officers coming out to serve us our food as the ships band play on the open decks. We were setting sail from Colombo to Cochin at 2pm so after lunch we enjoyed the sail out from Colombo before settling down for the afternoon. With the weather being extremely hot and humid and a four hour walk in the morning we both flagged out on a sun bed in the afternoon. Later in the day we showered and dressed for dinner before heading to the Living Room to review our photos from Azamazing evening whilst enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail, before heading to the cafe to enjoy some delicious Mexican food out on the Sunset Terrace whilst sailing through the Arabian Sea towards the south west coast of India.
With many thanks to Azamara Cruises for gifting us this voyage.
If you’ve enjoyed this blog then please keep an eye out for part two where we will voyage from Sri Lanka to India, stopping at Cochin and Mumbai and part three where we finish off our journey travelling from Mumbai to Dubai via Muscat.
And if you would like to know more about Azamara Cruises then please visit our other Azamara blogs:
Azamara World Series - Italy and the Adriatic
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