Monday, March 19, 2018, Cruising the Gulf of Thailand

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The Gulf of Thailand, the massive sea basin bordered by Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, is still known as the Gulf of Siam to the Malay and Khmer people.  Long stretches of sandy beach, low-lying emerald hills, and soaring mountains surround this oval-shaped Gulf of Thailand. Chinese white dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins often cavort in these waters, surrounded by Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

You may glimpse the fertile southwestern tip of Vietnam, the province of Ca Mau, and several unspoiled offshore islands.  The lush hills of Botum Sakor National Park unfold north of Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  Along Thailand’s shores, several beach-ringed islands point the way to Laem Chabang port.  The gulf’s western shores, too, are rich in beauty, from the lush island of Koh Samui to the pristine coral reefs hugging the shore.



Today we toured the Viking Sun's bridge to see the modern equipment and to learn a little of how the crew man and operate the ship.





The plywood over the window opening covers cracks that occurred from hard pounding when crossing the Tasman Sea when made our three-day crossing from southern New Zealand to southern Australia six weeks ago.



You can get an idea of the Viking Sun's length.  The window in the floor allows vision straight down from either side of the overhanging bridge.

View from the overhanging bridge.

Monitors for the many security cameras.
Larry sitting in the designated driver's chair.
View aft on port side; note suspended tender, down perhaps for maintenance after we arrived in port.



View of crisis action center thru window at aft portion of the bridge.

Our bridge tour was really interesting and educational.  The bridge crew are not Viking employees but contractor that are used in all major shipping, including cargo container ships.

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