The Benicia Fullosopher

My favorite ports are those with ancient cities, folk art, glorious natural beauty, or unique architecture. For architecture: Barcelona, Spain—a showcase for the whimsical Gaudi creations. Singapore—a city that combines natural beauty with contemporary architecture and offers the ease of touring on your own. Just a short walk within the ship’s terminal building leads to the subway with cars so clean they look like they just came out of the factory. It’s easy to follow printed directions in several languages and head for a particular neighborhood—Little India, Little China, or Little Arabia—where you’ll find the foods, markets, clothing, art, colors, and fragrances of each country. The National Orchid Garden, with more than 60,000 plants, is spectacular. I walked past thousands of blooming orchids in perfectly manicured gardens where I never saw a weed, dead leaf or flower anywhere. For natural beauty: The fjords of Norway; glaciers of Antarctica; national parks anywhere; and tiny south Pacific Islands with white sand beaches, swaying palms and crystal-clear water. Places that ooze charm and are easy to tour on your own: (Yes, they are touristy but still merit a visit.) Bruges, Belgium, the chocolate paradise—a short bus ride and train trip from the dock; Victoria, B.C.—take a city bus or walk from dock, and take a public bus to world-famous Butchart Gardens; Amalfi Coast, Italy—ferry dock adjacent to port of Naples; Eze, France—bus from dock; Quebec City, Canada—walk from dock; Lucca, Italy—short bus and train ride from port of Livorno; Venice, Italy—with more than twenty million visitors a year, this unique city belongs on all travelers’ bucket lists, but avoid going during the summer with crushing crowds and hot, humid weather. You’ll find water and land transportation near the dock, or an approximately one-mile walk takes you into the city. Buy a one- or two-day vaporetto pass to visit nearby islands for a reasonable price. Walk and count how many of the 409 bridges you can cross. Big cities easy to tour on your own: Rome, Athens, Vancouver, Sydney, Amsterdam—all have public transportation near the port; Istanbul—just a walk from port. In Reykjavik, Iceland, where the ship stayed overnight, we rented a car and drove easily around the entire island with spouting geysers, eerie landscapes, hot springs, and volcanoes. Reykjavik has a Gray Line Bus tour for much less than the ship tour. Biggest Iceland challenge: trying to pronounce words in their language. For folk art:  South Africa, Thailand, India, and many countries in South and Central America. Most Mysterious Places: Easter Island and other ancient sites where archaeologists and historians continue to search for clues to past civilizations.
  Bargain Shopping in the Ports:  It can be fun. It can be overwhelming. It can be amusing as was this sign in Istanbul, Turkey: “Genuine Fake Watches Sold Here.”   You step off the ship and may find yourself instantly surrounded by rows of tents and vendors, or sometimes leaving the port area requires that you go through a big building with thousands of products for sale. I like to browse for a souvenir of folk art to take home a memory of the country I visited, something small that doesn’t need a new suitcase to get back home. I now flaunt my “Prada” sunglasses ($15 in Hong Kong) and a mini “Chanel” purse for $15. At Harrods, the store in London where the staff ignores you if you aren’t dressed to impress, I found the original Chanel purse for $1,900. It looked exactly like my knockoff. Don’t be surprised to find items in Mexico, Europe, the Caribbean, or anywhere else that read “Made in China.” For clothing made to order, Singapore is an excellent place. If the ship is staying overnight in the port, tailors will come to the ship, show you a catalog full of designer clothing and fabric samples. You will be measured and, voila! They bring your new outfit the next day, and you pay far less than a designer original. We met several people who did this and were happy with the results. Advice: Get a trusted referral. The country of Singapore is very interested in hearing consumer complaints of possible fraud. Several years ago, a friend bought a so-called “antique jade” sculpture for $15,000. A U.S. appraisal found that it was not antique, not jade, and only worth around $2,000. The retailer ignored her complaints, so she wrote to the government of Singapore that helped her get a full refund. On street corners of major cities in Europe, you’ll find many brands of knockoff purses and sunglasses on blankets on the ground. In many Asian ports there are huge buildings with knockoffs of any item of clothing or accessory you desire. A Rolex watch for $20, anyone? I’m guessing that gold must be a bargain in Dubai and Istanbul, because there are hundreds of small shops selling only gold jewelry, and the bazaars are packed with buyers from many countries. Drugs without prescription are offered in many countries with large signs in the front of the stores. Lately, Viagra has always been on the top of the list, followed closely by Cialis and popular antibiotics. I have no idea if these products are safe or do what they are intended to do.

Coming Next: Memorable People

The Benicia Fullosopher is retired as a guest speaker and dance teacher on cruise ships.

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