76 Days And Counting.....

My latest investigations have centered on suggested shopping options in the various ports.  We don't intend to spend a lot of time or money on this pursuit but we would like to explore ideas for interesting souvenirs for family and friends.  The Silversea website provides some information on what to look for in the ports and I found interesting suggestions on the whatsinport.com site.  I have put all the information together and it appears below.

Puerto Limon - Caribean Banana – wood carvings

Manta - Panama Hats

Lima - Avenida La Paz in Miraflores silver and gold jewelry

Fakarava - Pearls of Havaiki – Pearls

Moorea - Boutiques sell the famous black pearls and others sell pareos (Tahitian sarongs) and original-design clothing and jewelry.

Papeete -  Brightly coloured ‘pareos’ and t-shirts are popular souvenirs. Other mementoes of your visit include Polynesian fashions, shell jewellery, black pearls, French perfume, and handicraft items. Chinese shops are crammed with wares of every variety. Philatelists may want to check out the local postage stamps and first-day covers of all French Pacific territories available at the Post Office. The local currency is the Pacifique Franc (XPF) and the Euro.

Le Marché
The colourful local market is the heart of Papeete, and features flowers, tropical fruits and vegetables. Local crafts include hats, bags and shell necklaces, among many others.

Bora Bora - Alain & Linda – Gallery  Robert Wan – Pearls

Rarotonga - Punanga Nui Marketplace- Island food, music, pareus, black pearls.

Auckland - Queen Street is particularly good for outdoor gear, duty-free goods, greenstone jewelry, and souvenirs.

Bay of Islands - Pottery, paintings and carvings crafted from green stone are just a few of the handmade pieces to pine for along the Kerikeri Art and Craft Trail. You'll even find artisan cheese and better yet, chocolate.

Sydney - Opals

Newcastle - Art & craft market stalls and food & wine tasting stalls on the wharf.

Cairns Adjacent to Cairns Railway Station, Cairns Central houses 180- plus specialty stores, Myer and Target department stores.

Thursday Island - Shopping opportunities on Thursday Island include original islander art, music, jewellery, carvings, pearls, and seashell art. Boutique shopping experiences include Rosie Ware Textile for handmade souvenirs, Gab Titui, the Peddels Souvenir Shop, Jetty Shop, and Douglas Shop. Douglas Street is the island's main shopping area, and located just a five-minute walk from the jetty.

Darwin - Aboriginal art (on canvas, bark and paper) and crafts, cultured pearls, opal and diamonds. Smith Street Mall is the main pedestrian mall.

Benoa, Bali - Within the precincts of the terminal there are demonstrations of Balinese art and culture. Dancing, puppets and a Gamelan Orchestra in addition to demonstrations including: wood carving, batik printing, paintings and sculpture.

Manila - Local products range from arts and crafts, ready-to-wear apparel and knitwear, shoes, bags and fashion accessories to fine Philippine embroidery.

Ho Chi Min City - L'Usine -
This chic, capacious boutique store stocks a variety of trendy imported electronic goods, stationery, and accessories, such as Lomography cameras, Moleskine notebooks, and Sunday Somewhere sunglasses. International travelers might be more interested in the array of stylish, made-in-Vietnam products. Keep an eye out for placemats by Very Ngon Homewares, lamps by District 8, and summer dresses by Trois Filles. The eponymous café upstairs is an excellent spot for brunch and coffee.

Bangkok - Each year more and more tourists are drawn to the Thai capital for its relatively cheap silk, gems, and tailor-made clothes. But there are a slew of other goods worth discovering: quality silverware, fine porcelain, and handmade leather goods—all at prices that put western shops to shame.

The city's most popular shopping areas are along Silom Road and Surawong Road, where you can find quality silk; Sukhumvit Road, which is rich in leather goods; Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, where gold trinkets abound; and along Oriental Lane and Charoen Krung (New Road), where there are many antiques shops.

Phuket - Good buys include Thai silk, cotton fabric and cultured pearls. The Native Handicraft Center offers a wide range of local handicrafts.

Yangon - Pomelo - Sein Na Garr Glass Factory, for example, makes its beautiful vases with recycled glass bought from Yangon's garbage collectors. Lovely beaded jewelry comes from the children at Hlaing Thar Yar Disability Centre. Action for Public works with women and children with HIV, and the sweet stuffed animals and chic wallets and ornaments that dot Pomelo were expertly sewn by them. This is one of Yangon's loveliest little shops and a great place to pick up meaningful souvenirs.

Bogyoke Market - exchange money. You'll get the best rate here, and it's not so much dedicated exchange counters that you'll find but vendors with bags of cash. Shops here sell stone and wood carvings; jade, silver, and gold jewelry; lacquerware; paintings by local artists; and a smattering of cosmetics and toiletries.

Colombo - Alongside, on the pier, are the ‘Trader’ stalls, little shops full of wood carvings, jewellery and clothing.

Cochin - The streets surrounding the synagogue in Mattancherry are crammed with stores that sell curios, and Fort Cochin's Princess Street has sprouted several small shops worth a browse. For saris, jewelry, handicrafts, and souvenirs, head to M. G. Road in Ernakulam. Be suspicious of the word "antique" in all stores, and bargain hard.

Dubai - The top buys start with gold and precious stones—Dubai is one of the cheapest places in the world to buy quality jewelry. It's also the largest marketplace, outside of Iran, for handmade Persian rugs, and prices are much more affordable than in the United States and Europe. Indian and Chinese silks and satins occupy an important sector of the market, while spices and incense are must-buy items.

Muscat -  The Muttrah Souq is one of the most famous markets in the Sultanate of Oman. Its narrow, twisted alleys are clustered with tiny shops. Busy both in the mornings and evenings, the souq closes down between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Shops are filled with brass utensils, decorative fabrics, pottery, Omani daggers and other traditional souvenirs. The fragrance of frankincense and spices adds an exciting flavour to the commercial activity. The local currency is the rial. Most vendors accept US dollars.

Salalah - The most popular item is frankincense. Together with a traditional burner, made of plain clay or decorated in attractive colours, it makes for a nice souvenir. The major shopping area can be found around the Al Husn Souq. Most shops and souqs are closed between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The local currency is the Omani rial.

Aqaba -  Look for Bedouin rugs and tapestries created by local women. Brass and copper ware are also popular. Small bottles of colored sand from Petra with intricate patterns make nice souvenirs. Ladies may want to get some of the Dead Sea beauty products. The local currency is the dinar.

Corfu - Rolandos - Visit the talented artist Rolando and watch him at work on his paintings and handmade pottery.

Kotor - Shopping in Kotor offers endless possibilities. The Old Town shopping area is within walking distance of the pier with stores and souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.

Dubrovnik - Croata - This small boutique close to the Rector's Palace in the Old Town specializes in "original Croatian ties" in presentation boxes.

Venice - While the labyrinthine city center can seem filled with imposing high-fashion emporiums and fancy glass shops, individual craftspeople often working off the main thoroughfares produce much of what is worth taking home from Venice. In their workshops artful stationery is printed with antique plates; individual pairs of shoes are adroitly constructed; jewelry is handcrafted; fine fabrics are skillfully woven; bronze is poured to make gondola décor, and iron is worked into fanali lanterns; paper is glued, pressed, and shaped into masks; and oars and forcola oarlocks are hewn and sculpted in the workshops of remér wood craftsmen.

And the planning continues.....