I’ve been in lockdown for what feels like forever and am going stir crazy. I seriously need a break from this. I’m going to go on a WHO’s information dashboard virtual cruise. So, first things first – I have to get a boat.
Nothing but the best
Let’s see what’s on offer…Aha! Here’s one – Simpson’s Brand New Aquila Yacht for Sale. It is perfect – looks like something out of Star Trek. So – cash in some of this virtual money and before you know it I’m the proud owner of an ocean-going power catamaran
The trip begins in Hong Kong
It’s going to take a day or two to get the yacht set up and provisioned for the voyage so while I’m here in Hong Kong I might as well see what the city has to offer. I’m told that the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is well worth a visit and also the Po Lin Monastery which houses the world’s tallest seated Buddha. This giant bronze statue, affectionately named the Big Buddha by Hong Kongers is some 30 metres high. I round off a tiring day of taking in the sights and doing a bit of shopping for the trip with a traditional massage, which is wonderfully relaxing for the body and with its aromatic oils soothing for the mind. I’m ready to go onboard and weigh anchor.
I had hoped before leaving the bay area to participate in the Cheung Chau Bun Festival but it’s been cancelled because of, well, you know what. Disappointing, but I will honour the festival in the same way as most Hong Kongers by not eating meat during the four days scheduled for the event.
First leg of the cruise – destination Thailand’s tiniest island
We cruise out of the bay area and into the South China Sea, blessed with the blue skies and gentle ocean swells that I’ve ordered up for the voyage, heading on a south-westerly course for our first port of call at Koh Tao, aka Turtle Island in the Gulf of Thailand. Its warm, shallow waters make it an ideal place for learner divers to experience an abundance of marine life including, so it’s said, diver-friendly sharks…Hmm!
Second leg and a day at the zoo in Singapore
Moving on, next stop Singapore to refuel, reprovision and see if Singapore Zoo lives up to its reputation as one of the world’s top three zoos. Set in a rainforest its 69 acres is home to more than 2,800 animals from some 300 or so species of mammals birds and reptiles including what is reputed to be the first free-ranging habitat for orangutangs in a zoo setting. I’m not a big fan of zoos but this one is like no other zoo I’ve ever seen.
Homeward bound
Back at sea and on the last leg of my virtual cruise, southwards down into the Java sea with the island of Sumatra on the starboard bow. Passing Anak Krakatau (literal translation – Child of Krakatau) and on past Java, giving Jakarta with its crown of smog a wide berth. Veering westward at Bali Strait and along the south coast of Bali to where I’ve been throughout my virtual cruise, Bali being home. So, it’s back to reality and tomorrow the village I live in is scheduled for the first Covid vaccination. Light at the end of the tunnel.
You can keep track of Corona Virus pandemic developments in your country or any country you are planning to visit, in person that is, not virtually, by referring to the WHO’s information dashboard.
