Traveling Tolins 2

On our way to Singapore Diane and I had a chance to visit the control room for the propulsion systems. The second engineer (environmental) and third engineer (propulsion) with second engineer's wife, who was visiting on board for two weeks.  The second engineer's primary duties are water production, waste management, and fuel loading.   Water production involves use of Reverse Osmosis system to make fresh water from sea water.  The water is cleaner and purer than most US municipal systems.  The amount of fresh water needed for over fifteen hundred people is significant. Waste management includes sanitizing grey and black water waste (clean it up) before dumping it into the ocean.  When we passes over the Great Barrier Reef we were asked to be judicious with water because they were not permitted to dispose of waste water for the days we sailed over. Non-water waist disposing includes plastic, paper, used oils, and sludge collection and off-l...

A paradise of long sand beaches, spectacular coral reefs, and swaying coconut trees, Koh Samui is Thailand’s second largest island after Phuket.   By some accounts, the island’s name derives from the Malay word for “safe Haven.”   Surely, few havens are as soothing and idyllic, as evidenced by the sun-loving beachcombers from Thailand and beyond who wade, swim, and lounge in the lapping tides.   Until the early 1970s, this self-sufficient community had no roadways; crossing the island required a full-day trek across nine miles of mountainous jungle.   Today, Koh Samui retains the slower pace of simpler times.   The cherished traditions of old Siamese fishing villages, too, are preserved as tiny boats gently bob on turquoise waters. Because the local pier could not accommodate our cruise ship, we anchored a mile from shore where we viewed a local fishing boat.  It also looked like home.  We usually used cruise ship tenders to go ashore wh...