Day 31: Time to Say Goodbye

Sunrise in the Strait of Malacca

As we wake up, the ship glides slowly between the islands, some so small that they barely rise above the waterline and seem dwarfed by the sheer size of the vessel. By the time we reach the cruise jetty on the main island of the Langkawi archipelago, the scene feels almost surreal. It’s like something straight out of a science fiction movie—imagine a colossal spaceship from War of the Worlds or E.T. landing in the middle of a quiet village. The ship’s arrival feels equally out of place, like watching MeinSchiff dock at Herrsching’s tiny pier: the wrong vehicle in the wrong setting, but fascinating all the same.  

Cruise Pier, Langkawi

At 9 a.m., we have a personal appointment with the local port authorities to complete the immigration process. We are the only ones to leave the ship here and get a special treat. Unlike the seamless, two-minute fingerprint scan at an airport, this process takes a painstaking 30 minutes. Perhaps the internet connection to the main office is sluggish, or maybe the officer’s caffeine levels are dangerously low—either way, patience is key.  

Once back on board, we grab a quick breakfast, pack our bags, and bid a final farewell to Captain Bluebeard on Deck 14. He has expertly guided us across the oceans, and it’s hard not to feel a pang of gratitude as we leave the ship behind. Our memorable journey—our first-ever cruise—has come to an end.  

Captain Bluebear on the watch

By the time we disembark, the taxi is already waiting to whisk us off to our hotel, where four more days of adventure await. Saying goodbye to the cruise feels bittersweet, but the promise of new experiences ahead lightens our spirits.  

33°C can hardly be noticed in the photo




Location: Pulau Langkawi, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 0: Embarking

Image
Check-in Our check-in time is set for 3:00 PM. After checking out of the hotel, a taxi takes us to the cruise terminal, where we catch our first glimpse of our 'home' for the next 33 days. It's enormous! If you find the check-in process at MUC airport challenging, a cruise check-in is even more complex and feels less streamlined. After about 40 minutes though, we are able to enter our cabin, and it immediately feels like home. The cabin reminds us of Ronda, our trusty camper van from our 2014 journey through Scandinavia—the same compact bathroom but with a much better view from the balcony! Happy couple in their new home The adventure begins: Where is my luggage? Shortly after settling into our cabin, two of our three suitcases arrive, and we start unpacking our belongings into the many small drawers and closets. But where is suitcase number three? After three hours, I start to get anxious and head to the reception to check. There, I find a long line of people with various ...
Read more

Day -2: Above the clouds, everyday worries and troubles seem smaller and far away

Image
Flying ... ... has fascinated me since childhood. When I was six, my cousin moved to California, and every time I saw a plane in the sky, I imagined myself on it, flying there. For a while, I even had to go to the airport almost every week, and what once felt magical began to feel like a burden. Since 9/11, with heightened security and long queues, the experience of flying has become even more challenging, turning the dream of air travel into something of a nightmare. Condor: our preferred carrier to sunny destinations It’s been almost a year since my last flight, and I feel a deep longing to see the clouds from above once more. Today, we spent the night at the airport. Check-in and security were surprisingly easy, so we got to enjoy a relaxed breakfast before our flight. I love window seats, and luckily, my wife prefers the aisle—so we both get exactly what we want. As the engines roar to life, that old dream of flying comes alive once again, making all the hassle worthwhile. Las ...
Read more

9 more nights left

Image
My mother used to say "Internet is dangerous" I can confirm this. Recently I was lured into dangerous activities and wasting money. But let's start at the beginning. In June my wife and I were in Passau and walked on the pier next to the river cruise ships. As we have no experience in any kind of cruises I googled "river cruise Danube" and explored the unknown world of  cruises. Suddenly an advertisement popped up:  "36 nights - world explorer route: Las Palmas - Singapore" I was about to dismiss it when I remembered that we wanted to go to Malaysia in January. This would be a crazy but also interesting alternative. This was in June.  Now we have 9 more nights before the adventure begins. Our first cruise. We have concerns: Will we be sea sick? Any tsunami predicted? Elephants or lions attacking us in Africa? Too much disco fever in the long nights? Will the credit card hold? If you're curious to see what happens next, subscribe to the blog by leav...
Read more