Saturday, November 26, 2011

On board for a good cause

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MUCH like the Sirens of Greek mythology, the Dolci Voci choir enchanted the sea-going crowd with sweet melodies.

Capping off 10 years of singing for charity, the choir entertained passengers aboard Star Cruises’ SuperStar Libra during a four-day charity cruise to idyllic Phuket and Krabi in Thailand.

With the cruise line sponsoring a large number of cabins, the pro-ject raised over RM260,000 for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia Penang branch, and Penang Hospice Society’s ‘Hospice at Home Pro-gramme’, which cares for patients with chronic illnesses.

Departing Penang on Nov 13, the cruise ship started the fun early with a Sail Away Party at the pool deck where guests, including specially invited pressmen, soaked up the atmosphere.

As the sun set and the silhouette of Penang island faded into dark blue oblivion, a capacity crowd approaching 700 packed the Star-dust Lounge for the much anticipated ‘A Divine Decade — A Musical Presentation by Dolci Voci’.

In high spirits: Guests having a good time at the Sail Away Party

Their repertoire of pop, jazz and love songs, along with some golden oldies, had most of the audience singing or clapping along to the tunes.

Tan Sri Dr Sak Cheng Lum, a member of the group who helped to coordinate the entire event, pledged that they would continue to sing for charity as long as they had their voices.

“Our commitment, as people who enjoy singing, is that every performance will be in aid of a charitable or welfare organisation, regardless of how big or small the collection is.

Successful sail: The SuperStar Libra anchored at Patong Bay in Phuket

“We’ve sung at many places, but this is our first performance on board a ship.

“It’s a great celebration of a decade singing together, filled with many pleasant memories that will stay with us forever,” said Dr Sak.

Eric Sia, Star Cruises assistant vice-president of Penang operations, revealed that around 300 donors — some from as far as Canada, India, Britain and Belgium — chipped in to buy packages for the goodwill cruise.

“We are committed to giving back to the community and supporting various causes,” said Sia who was pleased that guests were able to support a worthy cause while enjoying a holiday cruise.

The following morning, guests woke up to the sight of the world-famous sun-drenched haven of Phuket Island.

With the 42,285-ton cruise liner docked in Patong Bay, guests disembarked via motorboat for a day-long shore excursion.

Places of interest included Wat Chalong, the province’s most important Buddhist temple.

Guests also relaxed at the pristine beaches that encircled the island and some visited a cashew nut fac-tory.

Those who love to shop headed to Phuket’s largest malls Central Festival Village and Jungceylon.

Good bargains were also found at the seafront stalls lining Patong Beach.

After another night of sailing, the iconic limestone megaliths of Krabi came into view.

While the Thanbok Kharani Botanical Gardens and Tiger Cave Temple are popular tourist spots there, one should not miss taking a scenic boat ride through Phang Nga Bay National Park.

There is spellbinding natural beauty to take in, with jagged cliffs rising majestically above emerald waters.

It’s easy to see why Kao Ping Gun Island was once used for scenes in the films The Man with the Golden Gun and Tomorrow Never Dies, giv-ing it the nickname ‘James Bond Island’.

On the way to the park, visitors passed the Koh Pan-yee, a floating water village of some 200 houses built on stilts, framed by a huge rock formation which featured as one of the pit stops in the current season of The Amazing Race.

Some took a trip to Phi Phi Island which has powdery white sands and picturesque waters attracting those who love to swim and snorkel.

A gorgeous sunset provided a memorable sight when the ship finaly departed Krabi to return to Penang.

The SuperStar Libra’s 4D/3N Penang-Phuket-Krabi-Penang destination cruises depart every Sunday.

There is never a dull moment on board, as the multi-talented crew put on shows and parties at any time of the day.

For more information on package prices and dates, log on to www.starcruises.com or visit their Pe- nang office at Logan Heritage, No. 6 Beach Street in George Town (04-2698388).

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