We wrapped up our port day of exploring the George Town area of Penang at Fort Cornwallis. The fort is the perfect spot to start or end the day for cruise ship passengers since it is walking distance to your ship!#WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #FortCornwallis #military #fort #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #explore #OptOutdoors #OptOutside
From one Buddhist Temple to another! After leaving Penang's Thai Buddhist Temple, we walked directly across the street to the Burmese Buddhist Temple. Both were so beautiful, yet each so unique. We were most surprised at how vast the grounds were surrounding the main temple building. It took us more time than we expected to explore the compound ... and we didn't even climb the new bell tower.#WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #DhammikaramaTemple #BurmeseBuddhistTemple #BuddhistTemple #temple #architecture #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #NCLjewel
We saw our first reclining Buddha in Thailand more than ten years ago, and earlier this year we visited a Thai Buddhist Temple in Penang. Entering the building required walking past the "guardian" statues, serpents and dragons. The star of the temple inside was Wat Chaiyamangalaram, our second opportunity to admire a reclining Buddha statue. #WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #ThaiBuddhistTemple #buddha #thai #RecliningBuddha #WatChaiyamangalaram #WatChaiya #cruise #CruiseVacation #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #IndependentTour #DIYTour #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel
Sure wish we had more time while in George Town, Penang to find other murals. Before heading overseas, the street art in the city came highly recommended. At least we saw what is often referred to as the most famous of the murals. (I guess there's always next time!)#WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #ArmenianStreet #mural #murals #StreetArt #art #WalkingTour #PhotoOp #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianJewel #NCLJewel
There's unique architecture and there's unique history. In my mind, the Chew Jetty falls primarily into the category of unique history, but we saw some cool architecture too. So glad that we opted to go with a private tour and spend some time exploring this gem during our one day on the island of Penang.#WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #WeldQuay #ChewJetty #history #architecture #unesco #WorldHeritage #UNESCOWorldHeritage #shopping #souvenirs #RowHouses #cruise #CruiseVacation #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #ncl #NCLJewel #NorwegianJewel
Nestled in the heart of George Town on the Malaysian island of Penang is the clanhouse for the Khoo Kongsi. Loved seeing the unique and beautiful architecture and learning some of the clan's history.Fun fact: Because the government in Thailand prohibited filming of the 1999 movie "Anna and the King", much of the filming was done in Malaysia. The clanhouse was used as one of the temples in the film.#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NCLJewel #NorwegianJewel #asia #malaysia #penang #GeorgeTown #KhooKongsi #LeongSanTongKhooKongsi #temple #clanhouse
Before leaving the Kek Lok Si Temple, we rode the inclined lift to the upper level. We were lucky that our visit coincided with the season of the Chinese New Year as the decorative dragons were on display. In addition to exploring the upper tier of the temple, we also enjoyed panoramic views of the surrounding area.#WordyExplorers #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianJewel #NCLjewel #asia #malaysia #penang #georgetown #temple #KekLokSi #KekLokSiTemple #BuddhistTemple #InclinedLift #PanoramicView #culture #history #architecture
We sailed back to Malaysia to explore the island of Penang. We started our day at the amazing Kek Lok Si Temple which dates back over 130 years. The architecture incorporates three cultures - Chinese, Thai and Burmese.#WordyExplorers #malaysia #penang #cruise #CruiseVacation #NCLJewel #NorwegianJewel #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLines #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #ExplorePenang #KekLokSiTemple #chinese #thai #burmese #achitecture #culture #history
For us, the change from Bamboo Island to Rang Yai Island for the last stop on our Phi Phi Islands Early Bird Tour was a blessing. We spent our time arranging for a Grab driver to take us from the pier in Phuket to the dock where our tender boat was leaving! Perfect timing to catch what was supposed to be the last tender - but we think they added another after ours.#WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #IndependentExcursion #NCLJJewel #NorwegianJewel #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #ncl #PhiPhiIslands #PhiPhiArchipelago #RangYaiIsland #BambooIsland #WhiteSand #BlueWater #swim #swimming #GrabThailand #TropicalIsland #TropicalIsle
Although these photos do not do the sea life justice, they provide a glimpse at the variety of sea life that we saw in our short time snorkeling in Thailand's Phi Phi Islands.#WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #PhiPhiIslands #PhiPhiArchipelago #snorkel #snorkeling #SeaLife #MarineLife #beach #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #NCLjewel #NorwegianJewel #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx
The hike was optional (and not easy) and we couldn't decide if we wanted to do it or not. (After all, this was supposed to be a snorkeling excursion!) We finally agreed to start the hike and decide if we wanted to go all the way to the top. So glad we did as the view over the two bays (Ton Sai and Loh Dalum) was quite impressive!#WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #PhiPhiIslands #PhiPhiArchipelago #KoPhiPhi #KoPhiPhiDon #cruise #CruiseVacation #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #IndependentTour #DIYTour #hike #hiking #climb #OptOutdoors #OptOutside #viewpoint
We stayed on the boat and enjoyed the scenery, but some jumped off into the beautiful turquoise waters in the Pileh Lagoon. #WordyExplorers #cruise #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #ncl #NCLjewel #NorwegianJewel #thailand #phuket #PhuketThailand #PhiPhiIslands #PhiPhiArchipelago #PilehLagoon #KoPhiPhiLeh #PhiPhiLeh #PhiPhiLehLagoon #speedboat #swim #swimming
After a very early morning wake-up alarm (3:00 AM), a tender boat ride to the port in Phuket and a rather long van ride to the pier, we had a quick breakfast. Our speedboat left the pier at 7:00 AM and headed for Ko Phi Phi Le. It wasn't the smoothest ride (I've probably never seen as many people get sea sick on an excursion), but our first stop was a beautiful one. The water, white sand and natural beauty of Maya Bay (made famous in the movie "The Beach") was worth the early morning wake-up!#WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #PhiPhiIslands #PhiPhiArchipelago #KoPhiPhiLe #MayaBay #TheBeach #beach #WhiteSand #TurqouiseWater #NorwegianJewel #NCLjewel #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #travel #ShoreExcursion
Just one more from our visit to The Lake Elephant Nursery - this reel was shot by the resident photographer at the sanctuary. Just love watching these huge animals roaming around their home! #WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #TheLakeElephantNursery #ElephantSanctuary #AnimalSanctuary #elephant #elephants #ethical #humane #sustainable #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #IndependentTour #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel
Where were you during the 2024 "Great North American Eclipse"?We reserved a campsite at Miller Creek RV Park in Johnson City, Texas 51 weeks ago (after searching other nearby cities in the path of totality with no luck). Of course, almost a year ago, no one knew what the weather would be like. Despite the clouds, we enjoyed the show!Did you see the solar eclipse?#WordyExplorers #texas #JohnsonCity #MillerCreekRVPark #TexasHillCountry #CentralTX #CentralTexas #atx #eclipse #SolarEclipse #TotalSolarEclipse #PathOfTotality #sun #moon #GreatNorthAmericanEclipse #solar #lunar #goRVing #glamping #camping
Our afternoon at The Lake Elephant Nursery turned out to be more than we expected. We received what felt like love, kisses and companionship from the gentle giants. Plus, our hosts followed us around like paparazzi so we'd have photos to remember our visit - and didn't charge any extra for the digital copies!#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianJewel #NCLJewel #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #ShoreExcursion #ShoreEx #IndependentTour #DIYTour #elephant #elephants #GentleGiants #AnimalAffection #TheLakeElephantSanctuary #TheLakeElephantNursery #sustainable #ethical
Memories are made when you experience new and unique things. We'll never forget our afternoon at The Lake Elephant Nursery - especially scrubbing the elephants during their bath time!#WordyExplorers #asia #cruise #CruiseVacation #thailand #phuket #PhuketThailand #elephant #elephants #TheLake #TheLakeEkephantNursery #ElephantSanctuary #DayTrip #ShoreExcursion #DIYexcursion #IndependentShoreExcursion #elephant #elephants #BathTime #ScrubADub
Fun times bathing the elephants at The Lake Elephant Nursery, a sanctuary for elephants in Phuket, Thailand. So glad we brought our swimsuits so we didn't miss out on bath time with the elephants after their tummies were filled with bananas and sugar cane.#WordyExplorers #thailand #phuket #PhuketThailand #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel #elephant #elephants #ElephantSanctuary #ElephantNursery #BathTime #ItsBathTime #BathingElephants #DayTrip #IndependentShoreExcursion #DIYTravel #cruise #CruiseVacation
Feeding the elephants at The Lake Phuket Elephant Nursery was both fun and interesting. We each got a basket of bananas and sugar cane that we fed to three elephants. None of them were interested in the sugar cane until all of the bananas were gone - they gobbled every banana up peel and all! #WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel #thailand #phuket #LakePhuketElephantNursery #elephant #elephants #ElephantSanctuary #ElephantNursery #bananas #sugarcane
Getting information from Norwegian Cruise Lines about where the Norwegian Jewel would dock in Phuket before the start of our cruise was painful (or should I say impossible). We were, however, able to make last minute changes to our pick-up place for an independent tour to the Lake Phuket Elephant Nursery. We started our visit by learning how to make a Thai salad. Even though Scott says he doesn't cook, he made an excellent salad for us to share - yum!#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #NorwegianCruiseLine #ncl #NorwegianJewel #nclJewel #thailand #phuket #LakePhuketElephantNursery #ElephantSanctuary #elephant #elephants #thai #ThaiCookingClass #ThaiLunch #ThaiBuffet #ethical #humane
Where have you seen the cutest monkeys?We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to ride the Langkawi SkyCab for aerial views over the island (but extremely happy that we didn't get stuck on top watching our cruise ship leave without us!). Instead, we spent our time watching the cutest monkeys ever at the Oriental Village at Teluk Burau. How can anyone resist these faces?#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #ncl #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #NCLjewel #asia #malaysia #langkawi #LangkawiSkyCab #LangkawiOrientalVillage #monkey #DuskyLeafMonkey
We just had a few minutes to soak in the beauty of Langkawi's Tanjung Rhu Beach - just enough time to snap a few photos.Fun fact: Pulau Chabang is the nearest island to the beach. During low tide, you may spot beach goers walking across the sea from the beach to the island!#WordyExplorers #asia #cruise #NCLCruises #NorwegianJewel #NCLjewel #malaysia #langkawi #AndamanSea #ShoreExcursion #beach #TanjungRhuBeach #PalauChabang #swim #snorkel #kayak
The highlight of our tour at the Port of Langkawi (Malaysia) had to be the boat ride through the mangroves on the Kilim River. Shortly after leaving the dock, we saw the red-backed eagles in person - diving into the river waters to catch a meal. It wasn't just the eagles that we saw as we cruised through the mangroves. We spotted monkeys, a snake, a variety of fish at the fish farm and bats.#WordyExplorers #asia #malaysia #langkawi #KilimRiver #mangrove #mangroves #MangroveTour #RedBackedEagles #eagle #eagles #monkeys #snake #fish #bats #BatCave #wildife #nature #cruise #NorwegianJewel #NCLJewel #ncl
Although we didn't get to see Langkawi's Durian Perangin Waterfall during the rainy season when the cascade is at its fullest, we enjoyed our hike to see the falling water in January.#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #nclJewel #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #asia #malaysia #langkawi #DurianPeranginWaterfall #DurianPerangin #waterfall #WaterfallHike #WaterfallWednesday #cascade #hike #hiking #ShoreExcursion
The small group private tour that we joined while the Norwegian Jewel was docked in Langkawi took us to the Durian Perangin Waterfall. We (along with a few others) hiked the distance to the waterfall. It wasn't a long hike, but it did take us across a swinging bridge, along a footpath and then 300+ feet up on some rocky (and very uneven) stairs.#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #nclJewel #NorwegianCruises #NorwegianCruiseLine #NorwegianJewel #asia #malaysia #langkawi #DurianPeranginWaterfall #DurianPerangin #waterfall #WaterfallHike #hike #hiking #ShoreExcursion
The first port day on our cruise between Kuala Lumpur and Bali was at Langkawi. As a part of Malaysia, Langkawi is actually a group of 99 islands. We joined a small group private tour that we reserved several months before boarding, and our first stop was at Eagle Square. #WordyExplorers #malaysia #langkawi #PulauLangkawi #KuahJetty #DataranLang #EagleSquare #eagle #RedBackedEagle #LangkawiTour #IslandTour #LangkawiFairMall #travel #asia #cruise #CruiseVacation
What's your favorite view from one of the world's tallest buildings?We visited three floors of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur on a "guided" tour - well, that's what it was called. I didn't really consider the tour to be guided, but it was worth the time and price to go inside this icon! Our first stop was the 41st floor Skybridge followed by the 86th floor Observation Deck. Before returning to the gift shop (isn't that where all tours end), we had some time to look at various displays on the 83rd floor.#WordyExplorers #malaysia #KualaLumpur #kl #KLMalaysia #petronas #PetronasTwinTowers #PetronasTowers #Skybridge #ObservationDeck #skyline #panorama #PanoramicView #icon #IconicBuildings #skyscraper
I almost enjoyed gazing at the reflection of the Petronas Twin Towers in the pool and then following the actual building from its base to the top as much as touring the building!#WordyExplorers #malaysia #KualaLumpur #kl #klMalaysia #PetronasGroup #PetronasTwinTowers #PetronasTowers #KLCCTowers #KLCCTwinTowers #skyscraper #skyscrapers #SkyBridge #architecture #towers #ReflectingPool #LetsTravel
One of our favorite things that we did during our free time in Malacca was to take a river cruise along the Malacca River. The ride in the river boat took less than an hour, but gave us views that we didn't see while strolling the city's streets - especially the bridges! If we return, we'd love to have the chance to take a night-time cruise to see the city all lit up.#WordyExplorers #asia #malaysia #KualaLumpur #melaka #malacca #MalaccaRiver #RiverCruise #DayTrip #architecture #bridge #bridges #church #temple #JonkerStreet #JonkerWalk #culture #history #RiverBoat #StreetArt #landmark #landmarks
Here's the crowd on Jonker Street (affectionately referred to as Jonker Walk) on a Friday in the early afternoon. Can't even imagine the street on a weekend evening when there's a Night Market and the street is pedestrian only!#WordyExplorers #asia #AsianAdventure #malaysia #malaysia #KualaLumpuur #melaca #melacca #JonkerStreet #JonkerWalk #JonkerWalkMelaka #JonkerWalkMalacca #JonkerStreetMalaka #JonkerStreetMalacca unesco #rtw