Indonesian Presidential Election

In this special occasion that held every 5 years - Presidential Election, we the Indonesian crew members in Ms. Volendam also has to use our vote. The Ballots, the voters list, pens, the guideline to vote, and the voters forms had delivered by Consulate General of Indonesian in Vancouver BC on July 1st and kept by the Human Resources Officer. The casting of the ballots was on the ship's discretion but had to be returned to the Consulate General on July 8th when Volendam docked again in Vancouver.

So on July 5th, due to most of the crew members' free time, the casting of the ballots started from 09:00am - 12:00nn and 01:30pm - 02:30pm in crew mess room. The voter one by one had to fill up the voter's form before filling the ballot. This voter's form indicated that the voter himself had used his vote. It's a successful event in Volendam.

Grand South America & Antarctica - 2

Grytviken South Georgia

Grytviken the whaling station was set up in 1904 and in operation until 1964. Its part of Cumberland Bay in the West Arm, along the northern coast of South Georgia, was rediscovered and named by British Expedition led by Captain James Cook in 1775. But it’s first sighted by a London merchant in 1675 and was named it Pepys Island in 1684.
This unique location was fabulous, sometimes snow falls but most of the excited scenery was theseals and penguins.




Buenos Aires Argentina

Known is the most European of the major Latin American cities. This city is most populated from Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Polish, Irish, French, Croatian, English and Welsh not far behind. This unique neighborhood even more colorful with the migration from Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay during the second half of 20th century. Added to the flavor, Japan, China and Korea have been a source of Asian influence. The multinational flair and stunning architecture makes Buenos Aires one of the most fascinating cities in the world.



Rio de Janeiro Brazil

This famous city ‘River of January’ is often known for its festival Carnival celebration, samba music, Christ the Redeemer – the giant statue of Jesus atop Corcovado mountain, the Sugarloaf mountain with its cable car, and the famous beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema.
Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonder of the world in 2007. Standing 130 feet (39.6 meters) tall and weighing 700 tons it is a world-wide recognized icon and symbol of Rio de Janeiro. It perched atop the 2296 foot (700 meters) tall Corcovado Mountain.

Grand South America & Antarctica

Prinsendam on January 3rd – March 10th 2008 was sailing to South America and also Antarctica. In total 68 days with 32 ports and 36 sea days, was really unforgettable experience. Some ports due to lack of time and other reason, I could not go out to explore in the short time I got as crew member. But luckily I have some to share, so here they are:



Fuerte Amador – Panama

It’s the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal jutting out from Balboa. Nice place with sparkly restaurant, souvenir shops. Yachts are shown to have special spot in this port.



Salaverry Trujillo – Peru

Located on the lower Moche River, Trujillo is the capital of the La Libertad Region and is the third-most populous city in Peru. Nice buildings with Spanish colorful touch stood in the center of the city, the surrounding was clean but quiet. Maybe because it’s around noon time, only few local people seen. History said, it was founded under the name of "Villa Trujillo," in 1534 and in King Charles I of Spain gave it the rank of 'city' and the coat of arms that remains a symbol for the city. Trujillo was one of the first cities in America founded by the conquering Spanish armies. It declared its independence from Spain in 1820 and for a time was the capital of Peru. Tourism is a major economic factor in the area and Trujillo is also a leading exporter of asparagus. In fact, Peru is the world’s leading asparagus exporter. The proximity to the ancient sites of Moche and Chimu make it a favorite destination for history buffs and archaeologists. The old mansions and manors of the city attract much attention for their colonial splendor.

Puerto Montt – Chile

The fresh air and tranquil environment with wooden houses perched on hills was coloring the place. These original architectures interspersed with modern buildings and stores would be the nice combine of art. Known as ‘the end of the line’, Puerto Montt has famous seafood, sausages, cakes, pastries, cheese and its fishing center. This fishing port marks the end of the Lake District of Chile.

Ushuaia – Argentina

‘The end of the word (fin del mundo) beginning of everything’ is the slogan of this city. It claims the southernmost city in the world even though there are two other contenders. It’s windy and fresh air, chill but nice. Wooden buildings around the town, with the snowy mountain on the background should not be missed to see.

Antarctica

It’s the southernmost continent with 5.4 million square miles, 98% covered by ice, the coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world. It’s the fifth-largest continent behind the Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. Technically, it’s the largest desert in the world due to the lack of precipitation. Some researches study this continent and focus on monitoring the marine ecosystem, atmospheric studies, and the effects of increased ultraviolet radiation on marine and terrestrial communities. The ever-increasing ozone hole has prompted much of the interest in the latter. In fact, climate induced changes in sea-ice conditions and snowfall has resulted in the reduction of the population of Adéle Penguins to fewer than 3300 pairs, down by 60% from 1974 and it has been predicted that they will be gone from the island altogether by 2014.

feels so good

feuhh...it's truly great feeling to get intouch with friends on the cyber again....hmmm it's been 3 months though I was not available :( doing my overseas job

I just stopped by to rooms of my heart, my lovely friend and sister in GOD, she's so talented-glad to have her on this cyber, stopped by to my gurus edditag and aroeng binang, and my first blogger RMY...they are lovely and so talented...I just wondering, what meal the always eat everyday to be such briliant blogger :) he...he... I hope I can surf some more bloggers homesite but my time is so limited..hiks :P but I'm glad I can take a peak on the testimonial blog runs by riena - thanks honey, keep it up!



I was in the middle of dry dock right now, yes my ship I am working on, are under refit right now. Prinsendam, still in Freeport Bahamas for a whole 3 weeks until December 16'07. Some of crews are moved to Westin Hotel (it's really beautiful hotel I stay in) due to the reconstruction. Big project for this beautiful ship ever! I hope I can take some shot to put in this blog...let see.

For this past 3 months, since September I was working, I saw lovely places the Prinsendam visited. Spain, Morocco, Sete France, Livorno Italy...and many more. In facts, I do have some picts of them. Soon I'll post them to share my great times with you all. Really, they were unforgetable experiences.

Talking about experiences, hmmm besides the good ones...seasick is always the bad one :P Yeah, although I already 3 years as sailorman, but with that huge wave 6m or more and bad weather, still it bangs me down...urrghh! headache, upsading stomach...what can I do?
This is good tips for all sailor: take some anchor-sea water before the rocking ship happens and woila...you will still get sea sick he...he...just kidding!
Before having meal, take the seasickness pills as necessary but sleepy would be the effect; take a lot of meal and green apples, or take some sodas and creackers; get busy with your work and do not seat or stand for a long time in the same spot...but the most important thing is maintain your condition always in a good shape, and you will survive :)

Well, that's good story to tell to friends right?

places I've been visited - part 2

Some other pictures you can see at my photobucket or my flickr for the Carribean and Alaska experiences.

With God's will, soon...Europe is coming to explore :)

Key West
This is one of my favorite places to see whenever the ship sails in Caribbean. The central shops in the downtown, its unique souvenir spots, the museum, the culinary…never getting bored of them. May be, because of the downtown is not so far from the harbor, the friendly tram’s drivers who pampers us to explore the downtown, some cheap souvenirs differ from other places and a lot more things. The nice harbor angle to shoot, especially when the sunset happened, kept me to stay.

St. Thomas
Many choices of electronics, such as watches, computers, home theaters, MP4, cameras etc the jewelry shops and groceries besides the culinary site are the offer to tourists. Going up to the top of the hill to see the excitement of the city or just having some meals in the restaurant, we can take the hang-train with only $10. The sailors often go to the Chinese restaurant to have lunch in this place. Too bad I did not have any record to prove it, because usually I just went out to buy groceries, sight seeing or had Chinese food in this place.

Old San Juan – Puerto Rico
It is a nice place to explore. The old buildings, museum, central park even nice and tasty food to enjoy. The night scenery is always wonderful. It has many phone pools to get in touch with family back home. Often, more than two ships dock in this tourism city. The night view is a challenge and too pity to be missed.

St. Lucia
I do not remember a lot about this place because I did not have much time to go out, but I got nice yacht to be documented. The harbor is closed to the shopping arcade, but the nature places are far away that make the tourists have to take buses to go there.

St. Maarten - Philipsburg
Many jewelry shops, perfumes, hotels, casinos and cheap electronics are offer in this harbor city. The culinary is tasty and delicious. It’s a small city with lots of fun to explore. The historical places show how the origin keeps their building originality. The Chinese food in this place was one of my favorite when visiting Caribbean.

Oranjestad - Aruba
One of Holland’s commonwealth, differ from other places. Old buildings Holland’s touch lie all over the place. The casino, hotels with a small quay inside, souvenir shops, the unique culinary and liqueur are the offer to explore. I taped a short video with my camera in this place.

Santarem – Brazil
Crossing the Amazon was a nice experience in life; the natures at the edge of the river were nice. Some souvenirs like dried piranha, traditional accessories, the nature and welcome people were interesting. I went to a musical theater museum in the downtown with my friend, walking in about 30 minutes from the harbor. The old building surrounds this place, right in the middle of the central park. I tried the burger in this spot area. However, I did not have gut to shoot in the crowd, it seemed not safe. Be aware for going out by yourself; better bring out friends when exploring the downtown.

Victoria - Canada
Eventhough it was chill, but first time to see the place is always exciting. The harbor was far enough to the downtown, so the local supported comfortable and cheap buses to travel. With only $3 ticket, we can go to downtown and back to the ship. I did not have much time to see the downtown, therefore I just went to taste the Chinese food in the china town, and rush back to the ship. Next time, surely I will not waste my time to take some pictures if I could be there again. The city was so clean, neat, comfort…the citizens were nice, and the night view could not be missed!

tips for medical checkup

At my previous article, I mentioned that I should be on the Rotterdam ship on July 17, but it suddenly disappeared. Thanks God a miracle happened, my friend asked me to replace him earlier than the schedule, September 22 to Prinsendam. Since I got an expired medical checkup that I took in May (the health test must be on 45 days prior the joining the ship), so I have to do re-medical check up again in RS. Dharma Nugraha.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION


Q: What are the tests for re-medical check up?
A: For someone who has to do the re-medical checkup, the tests would be almost the same. In my case I have to do almost all of the tests, but for some cases i.e. failure for the cholesterol/blood test, you have to get in good condition first and retake the same test after some weeks. In addition to this information, since I have to re-medical checkup again in Dharma Nugraha, I only have to take physical tests, blood test, except the thorax, HIV, vaccine and teeth tests. In Dharma Nugraha no need to do the feces test. I heard, in Puri Medika, for the re-medical checkup like in my case it’s only the thorax test will be held.

Q: Should I pay the re-medical checkup by myself or are they still free?
A: You must pay the tests by yourself. For the failure medical test, you must pay by yourself on the same test only. In my case, because of my expired medical checkup result, I have to pay around Rp 225.000,00 for all of the tests.

Q: Do you have some tips to avoid from failing the medical checkup?
A: Good question. Prepare yourself well to avoid or lessen the reexamination that cause of extra cost and delay result.


TIPS before doing the Medical Checkup:

1. Have a good rest 6-8 hours prior the tests.
2. Avoid the alcoholic beverages and fatty food at least three days before the tests.
3. Do not over consume coffee a day before and on the medical checkup day; do not drink any sodas nor supplement beverages, drink lots of mineral water.
4. Do fasting from 22.00 to 08.00 for the blood tests to know diabetes, the acid level, kidney and liver function etc.
5. Bring with you the previous medical checkup result, x-ray, the treadmill test, echocardiography (for repeater only) etc.
6. Bring the health letter from Master or medical resume if you have ever sent home earlier because of the health condition (for repeater only).
7. Tell the physician if you have a special condition such as high-pressure blood, heart disease, asthma, rheumatic etc. Be honest about the drugs you consume or allergic in something.
8. If you wear glasses, bring also your extra glasses. All sailors with glasses are a must to have spare glasses.
   
   

places I've been visited - part 1

I would like to share pictures about some places that I have been visited in my last two years working overseas, seeing the Caribbean and Alaska. The lack of time mostly – as an employee – bound me not to explore or even went to see the place when the ship docked or anchored, some other reason I did not bring my DSC-H1 Sony semi pro camera to shoot but thanks to my friend for the help with his camera. I hope that these amateur pictures with short explanation base on my own experience at least, can depict the places well. To see more amateur photos or activities, please visit my flickr or slide.

Costa Maya – Mexico

It was a small barren island in Mexico, but the government changed this one into interesting tourism spot in Caribbean, even one of the best favorite places to visit. They built a small quay for cruise ships to dock. This quay detracts the heavy wave that often happens in this tropical area. The place could hold three big cruise ships at once. The Costa Mayan, the origins tribe of Mexico, sells souvenirs like sombrero, traditional meals like nachos, leather boots or jackets etc. They accept US dollars for the trade. Since I do not drink liquors or beers (Corona is Mexican’s famous beer), I usually eat snacks with punch, sodas or pina not colada. The restaurant is arranged to face the sea and the swimming pool, nice spot to have!

Acapulco – Mexico

Typically Mexico, lots of traditional souvenirs and old buildings but clean. The tasty culinary and beverages were memorable. I walked around the downtown to explore and went to the traditional market but too bad I did not take a shot on it. The tourists must take a bus to see the nature. It is very humid, but still nice.

Half Moon Cay – Holland America Line’s private island

It is one of best of the best island to be visited in Caribbean. HAL bought this island and changed it to be a beautiful tourism spot. Its offer a diving leisure - the origin corrals and habitats were astonishing - ; the Para gliding – seeing the island from the kite above –
; swimming on the clear blue sea with white soft sands or just sun bathing; riding the banana boats; riding horses to explore the island; having BBQ on the clearly beaches; swimming with dolphins or ray fish; and a lot more. The ship has to anchor and use lifeboats to take the passengers to the island. Some of the pictures were taken from my friend’s digital pocket camera.

Juneau – Alaska
One of the big cities in Alaska. The ships go to Alaska every summer, nevertheless the air still chill and sometimes freezing, there still be snow on the mountain peak. It offers the natures, habitats and some souvenirs to the tourists. It has wide and long pier to hold more than three big cruise ships to dock at once. The city is very clean, tidy and saves to explore. What a wonderful place to experience. For Asian people, there are many Chinese foods to get and amazingly, it offers cheap electronics gadgets. We, sailors, use to buy electronics or suitcases in Juneau rather than in Caribbean. I joined to the nature tour to see the whales, eagles and walrus by boat. Too bad, my camera could not take the moments very well. It was a challenge to take in a chill open wild area, shaky boat and in a short time. Worst, I ran out of batteries…too bad!

Skagway – Alaska

A small city surrounded by mountains, with clear view and habitats. The railway and station is one of the interesting tourism spots beside the unique souvenir shops. To see the environment, it would be better join the tour with train to explorer how wonderful the scenery of snowing peaks or the nature. I was in my first contract when I went there. Too bad, I did not have a lot time to neither explore the city nor join the train…but truly this one is one of enchanting places I never forget. Regretly, I did not have a record for this place, but my brother has them when we were together in the same ship.

Sitka – Alaska

One of the tourism cities in Alaska will be regret if we miss. With beautiful harbor and scenery to be taken, it gives lot choices to see. The delicious food to taste, clothes and even cheap electronics to buy, unique souvenirs etc. It offers many choices to window-shoppers to satisfy their deeds.

Ketchikan – Alaska

Many salmons swim across in the river in Ketchikan to lay eggs. The beautiful nature, fresh air, culinary variety, unique souvenirs attract the tourists to come. The restaurant at the top edge of the glassy river with hot soup to be served, hmm…so enchanting!

Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay - Alaska
The icing mountains lie in part of Alaska. The ships must slower the speed when entering these areas, because the ice is easy to fall. Scary ice rocks, cold, rough…frozen mountain faces! The Alaska area is a forbidden area for every ship to damp a thing. If it happens, the cruise liner will be fined billions dollars and even to be banned. I did not have time to get my camera in my room when the ship entered the place, so thanks to my friend Harris for his digital camera to take these unforgettable sceneries.

Ponce
I did not know much about this place, because this tourism place was just visited once. I explored the town with my fellows and found the unique. The old buildings, the museum in the center of the city, the central park, the shops cheap-souvenirs etc might interest the tourists. I believe it would be a nice tourism spot to be visited for the next couple of years.

St. Barth
I was astonished by lots of yachts docked in this harbor city. I took many pictures in this spot. The St. Barth’s magazine tells about the natural corals, the culinary to explore and the nice people to be the value of this place. The light tower on the top of the hill describes that this place is very often to visit. The France’s touch cover all over the town. The restaurants, the boutiques, the hotels…so wonderful.

Ocho Rios – Jamaica

Ya Mon! No problem Mon! The slank words commonly heard in this tropical place. The unique souvenirs, the clean beaches, the culinary, clothes and warm people are the offer of this place. Some nice pictures were taken from this place. However, be careful, the origin often sells marijuana to tourists eventhough it is illegal.

St. Kitts

Right in the valley of the greenly mountain, fresh air and wide view of horizon, it offers the nature to see. It has a tourism center to dig out the traditional souvenirs, natures, museums and old buildings to satisfy the curiosities. It was a small and developing city to explore. Still needs a lot of time to be the favor or tourism.