Singapore Day 2

       

There were several places we wanted to see like the Botanical Gardens with hundreds of varieties of orchids, and the WWII sites. The location guide on board had also told me that the best place to shop for fabric in the world is Arab Street in Singapore. We were going to do that first the previous day but decided to do a WWII site instead which was rained out. So we headed to Arab Street first thing in the morning with a stop at the Jim Thompson store at Raffles on the way. Once Arab Street was pointed out to us on a map it was easy to find. We walked the 5 or 6 blocks to get there from the hotel.

The street was quite amazing. There was one store after another just full of different, very colorful fabrics. Each store was only about 20 feet wide but deep. If it wasn't full of fabric it was full of notions, lots and lots of beads and sequins. The prices were not low from what I knew, but what a variety! They had beautiful cottons from Japan and Switzerland at the low end, gorgeous French lace at the high end. I bought a few pieces. There was so much to choose from that it was hard to decide. 

                              Thai Silk

                                                                        

                                                                                     Ideas for lace and fabric dresses

Next to Arab Street was a beautiful mosque and a street set up for tourists. There were shops full of things from Indonesia and Malaysia. It was interesting to see it all. A mask like we'd purchased in Indonesia for $3 was $40 at one of the stores. 

                                 

By this time it was too late to really do anything else so we walked back via Bugis Street and picked up a T for the grandbaby. We also walked back by Raffles as the store had been closed earlier. We then got on the MRT and went back to the ship. We had about 1/2 hour before all aboard so used the cafe's wifi again then got on the ship. No one knew why we had to be on board a full 2 hours before we sailed. Seemed like such a waste of time. 

Yesterday had been hump day, we are 1/2 way thru our cruise! It seems like we have been gone such a long time and have seen so much. Amazing that we still have a lot to see! In our cabin Mel had been saying that something smelled bad. When he returned from the show he said it was worse. I had been in the cabin so guess my nose had slowly grown accustomed. We started searching everywhere to see what it could be. We finally narrowed it down to the air vent!  We called the front office and an officer was there in about 10 minutes. She immediately said there is a bad smell and she would find us another cabin to sleep in! We just moved the few things we might need in the night. Fortunately it was just down the hall. I moved in my pj's and robe. They could only speculate that it might be exhaust from the ship being sucked into the A/C, so possibly carbon monoxide! I told Mel that we should go up and down the hall pounding on doors so people wouldn't die in their sleep. I was happy to hear that our elderly neighbors who are also table mates were fine in the morning. 

This morning the smell was on the deck below us also which is the Internet Cafe and Library. They still have no idea where it is coming from so we are still sleeping in another cabin. We had the door to our verandah open all day so the smell was a bit better but it is now hot and humid in there. Hopefully we can go home tomorrow. 

                                           

At Hong Kong Disneyland I bought one pin for myself. Mel asked one of the Chinese on board to translate the Chinese writing on the pin. The direct translation is run hide big house! I thought that was interesting. I would think there would be a character for mystic, guess not. 

Singapore

                                  

   

The hours in Singapore were so odd that it was hard to make any real plans. We didn't arrive until 3 pm on the first day then were scheduled to leave at 3pm the next, all aboard was at 1! We had done the usual things during our last visit, the bird park, Chinatown, zoo and night safari. This time we were hoping to get more into the country to appreciate it more. It just seemed very sterile, with not a lot of personality. There were a few things we wanted to do. We decided to go to one of the World War II memorials first to be sure we had time to see it. We had to go thru the procedure to get on the MRT or subway first. We didn't realize what an ordeal it would be!

We got in line at the ticket machine. There were a lot of folks from our ship there, everyone seemed to be having problems. When it was our turn I was able to put in where we wanted to go which totaled $3.40. I tried using a $10 (Singapore) but the machine will not give back more than $4 change so spit it back at me. We went to a window with a person for help. She only sold full day passes and would not give us change. She pointed us to another window. At that window I was given change but could not buy a ticket. She only would change one $10, I insisted on more. Good thing since the 3 crew guys in front of us in line had only a $10. I gave them 2 $5's to move them along then got our tickets. What an ordeal! That took us about 20 min. 

We transferred to the correct train with no problem. It was easily a half mile walk from one train to the other. Our destination was quite a ways out so we had been riding for about 1/2 hour when we were out of the underground on a raised track. It was pouring rain. By the time we reached our destination the rain was coming down in sheets with bright lightening going from the clouds to the ground then loud claps of thunder immediately after. We decided to just go back to town. We would have been drenched trying to find the place. It would not have been enjoyable at all. We raced across the platform and jumped on the train, only to discover we were still headed in the same direction. We got off at the next station and found the correct train for the return to the city. 

We got off at the City Hall station, the closest one to the Raffles Hotel. It is the hotel made famous by the original Singapore Sling drink. The escalator from the MRT took us right into a mall so since it was still raining we walked around there for a while. We made a few purchases in the food store. The prices were VERY high, especially for US imported items. I bought flavored Kit Kat's, Green Tea, Citrus, etc. that was very unusual! We thought about having dinner there but the restaurants were Japanese or other ethnicities. We wanted food from Singapore. By now there was just a drizzle outside. We walked to Raffles and found the Long Bar. Last time we had been there it was packed with people, many from our ship, not very enjoyable. This time we sat right down and were served immediately. This bar is about the only place in Singapore that isn't spotlessly clean. They serve unroasted peanuts and you just toss the shells on the floor. They were quite good. A few found their way into my bag. We ordered a Singapore Sling, fried calamari and shrimp and mango spring rolls. Mel also ordered a bottle of water. Our bill was $90!! That is about $75 or $80 US. My drink was $27 and they were flying off the bar, everyone was ordering them. Mel's bottle of water was $14!!! It was a nice experience though, the food was very good. The drink, mostly fresh fruit juice, tasted like it had very little alcohol in it. Not true! As a non-drinker, I was rather buzzed by the time we left the bar. We walked a lot after that so it didn't last long. 

We wandered around the hotel complex which is a full city block. There are a lot of nice stores there including a Jim Thompson store. I was very excited about that! We had been to his house/museum and large store in Bangkok. He started the huge Thai silk industry so is almost a god there. I had purchased a beautiful glasses case which is silk inside and out. I had wished I'd bought another so was able to here. Very nice store. We then headed to Bugis Street which is their night market. It was packed with people. It is mainly clothing but we walked up and down the isles looking at everything. We then headed back to the ship. 

To get to the ship from the MRT you had to walk thru a mall, then thru customs then another 10 minute walk to the ship. Not easy. We were back at about 9 and decided to go look for free Internet in the mall. Many crew were out using one but we went to a coffee shop to ask if they had one. They put in the password for us and it was fast! I had my iPad downloading magazines while I was doing email on my phone. We accomplished everything we wanted to do then went back on board. It was a bit after 11 pm. 

Nha Trang, Viet Nam

We were here in 2009 during the World Cruise. Not a lot to see. We took a tour thru our travel agent which offered some things other than ruins and temples. We try to avoid the large tours because you spend a lot of time getting on and off the bus. Our first stop, the Oceanographic Institute was just out side the gate to the port so that started the first 5 minutes of the tour! The Institute had some aquariums full of colorful fish. They also had 2 seals in a small, dirty enclosure which was sad. The sea turtles pool was even dirtier. There were some interesting fish though like the stone fish that just blends into the rocks. 

        

     

The most interesting was a room with floor to ceiling jars of specimens. They even had a dugong which is a lot like a manatee. This one had been caught in a fisherman's net and brought to the Institute. They are incredibly endangered. 

We stopped at a lot full of the local rickshaws. They are made for one person, so we each got in one. A large gentleman in our group had to wait for them to bring an oversized one. Felt sorry for his driver as they are bicycle operated. There was a nice breeze and a lot of shade on the tree lined roads so the 45 minute ride was quite enjoyable. What was amazing is how they maneuvered thru traffic. The rule of the road was whoever got there first had the right of way. We were on very busy streets with a parade of about 25 of those things, a sight to see!

From there we went to the Pasteur Institute. The guide told us that the museum is usually closed on Saturday but they were opening it just for us. It was just one room about the size of our living room filled with old photographs and a few pieces of equipment, not very exciting. They still conduct vaccine research there though. There was a line outside the clinic of people waiting to be vaccinated. 

Next stop was the market. That I remembered! It is a large round 2 story building with booths spilling out on all sides outside. You can buy anything from meat and vegetables to pots and pans. I found the same type of shoe that I had purchased in Hong Kong so bought more. They are made from woven elastic, very unusual. They were less expensive there than in HK. 

We only had 45 minutes to shop, not enough! 

Lunch was at a restaurant on the beach. It was quite good, especially the fried fish! We were served family style with plenty of each course to go around. The beef wasn't very good but the noodle soup they made at the table was delicious. 

     

  

Our last stop was a palace. The last king was in 1975, not that long ago. The building was more like a summer home with 4 or 5 rooms and little furniture. It sat on top of a hill next to the harbor with spectacular views though. There was a small throne room, not very impressive. 

We were returned to the ship just before 2:00. We went to our cabin to drop off packages then returned to the pier. The shuttle bus was just about to leave so we hopped on. Once at the hotel drop point, we were not sure where the market was so negotiated with a taxi to take us there, wait while we shopped, then drop us at the ship for $15. We mainly shopped for Christmas presents for about an hour then returned to the pier. We still had 1/2 hour until all aboard so did more shopping at the market on the pier. I didn't even notice that we were moving until we were in the middle of the bay. We left at 5:00 on the dot. 

Hong Kong Day 2

         

                               Our ship is on the right, Star Ferry on the left. In the background 

                                                 are the lights of Hong Kong Island. 

Hong Kong is an island, Kowloon is across the bay on the mainland. Disneyland and the airport are on another island called Lantau. We decided to go to Stanley market which is on the other side of Hong Kong Island. We went the last time we were there also but took the Star Ferry over to the island then caught a bus. This time we caught a bus just 3 blocks from the Harbour City Terminal. The ride was about 1 hr, 15 minutes but it was very enjoyable. We sat right in front of the top level of the double decker bus so could see a lot. Once we were out of the traffic of Kowloon then Hong Kong, it was a pretty ride along the coast. We passed by Aberdeen, famous for it's floating city and fish market. There is a huge restaurant there which is on a boat. We also passed by the Hong Kong Country Club and 2 beautiful beaches. We were noticing that in the parking lots of many of the high rises or duplexes along the road were parked mostly Mercedes. High rent district!  One lot we saw 2 Ferraris side by side, then realized it was the Ferrari dealership. 

Stanley Market is different from the other markets in the area. There are mostly clothes. It wasn't very crowded when we arrived which was nice. By the time we left, around 12:30, the tour buses had rolled in and it was packed. We bought some shoes, a couple of sweaters, some misc Christmas gifts and a dress for Piper, the grandbaby, then headed back. I still had some HK$ left which I wanted to spend. I found a candy shop with interesting items. Our other granddaughter likes to get candy from all over the world. I also bought a few things including a large bottle of water at 7 Eleven and ended up with just over HK$5 which is less than one US$. We took our packages back to the ship then Mel headed back out to pick up his jackets at the tailors and I took my iPad to continue downloading magazines in the terminal. Mel met me there when he came back. My magazine was loading so slowly, I just kept watching it and my watch. We had to be on board at 4. At exactly 4 the magazine finished and we raced on board. We had to go to our cabin then report on deck for a safety drill. About 180 people joined the cruise in Hong Kong so they needed to do another one. 

Sail away was beautiful with all the various boats in the harbor and skyscraper after skyscraper. They had Chinese appetizers up on the Lido deck with a raffle. We won a bottle of champagne which we traded for wine at dinner. One of our table mates had just boarded in Hong Kong so we celebrated with the bottle of wine. It was a great stop in Hing Kong but I was very glad we would have a sea day the next day to rest up!

         

Hong Kong

     

We arrived in Hong Kong at 8. It is beautiful sailing into Hong Kong Harbor. I missed most of it but did enjoy it on the way back out again. We berthed at Harbour City, a huge mall right next to the Star Ferry in Kowloon. It is a great place to be because you can just walk off the ship to catch ferries, buses and the subway. Mel had a couple of jackets that needed work so our first stop was the tailor. We had met Sandy in 2009 when we were on the world cruise. He had been recommended by the dance instructors. That took about 1/2 hour as he hadn't arrived yet, then we were off to Disneyland! 

Since Hong Kong was once run by the British, signs are still in English (and Chinese). It makes getting around very easy. We walked about 4 blocks to the entrance to the subway then another 1/2 mile or so underground to get to the train! We had to change lines twice, the final line being the one just for Disney. The windows are Mickey icons, overhead handles Mickey's pants and there are bronze statues in the corners, like the award statues cast members get for years of service. We were in the park at about 10:15. It had opened at 10. 

                              

Our first stop is always the jewelry shop. It is the only park that sells Disney jewelry in Chinese gold, 24 kt or 999.99 gold. There didn't seem to be any new Tinker Bell pieces but there was a lot to choose from! We went thru the rest of the shops on the right side of Main Street then headed to the new area of the park.

 

They had advertised the new area as 3 new lands so I was expecting a lot more than there was. We first entered Grizzly Gulch and rode on Big Grizzly Mountain Railway, the Thunder Mountain type ride. It was very well done. All around it was made to look like an old western town called Geyser Gulch. There there are places for kids to play with water. Next was Mystic Point, the highlight being Mystic Manor which is beautiful! It is set up as the home of a world wide traveller and collector. As you pass thru the house, you go into different themed rooms, 4 different variations we were told. The vehicles are electro magnetic so there is no track. It was very enjoyable with an interesting story. 

   

The last new land is Toy Story Land. It is made entirely of Tinker Toys, very cute. 

There are 3 rides there, we didn't go on any of them. In the rest of the park we only did Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster but hit every shop! Mel met some Disney pin collectors on board our ship and offered to buy pins for them. They gave us a budget of $50 to $75. Mel spent $100!  I don't think he realized how pins can add up. I am sure they will be ok with it. We tried to just buy pins that say Hong Kong Disneyland. 

         

               The park is decorated for Halloween with a large Chernabog in the center of the 

              hub with a grave yard all around. Notice the mountains in the background. You do 

                                            not see that at any other Disney park!

I returned to ride Mystic Manor one more time while Mel waited for me. It was wonderful to be able to just walk on any ride we wanted, NO lines! We shopped our way back down Main Street before walking back to the subway and going back into Kowloon. We arrived back at the ship to drop our packages, eat a bit, then head out again around 4. We decided to walk up Nathan Road, the main shopping street in Kowloon, to the Night Market. On the way we stopped to see a jeweler we met when were here in 2011. They remembered us and were happy to see us. Of course they remembered that we purchased a couple of items 2 years ago and were hoping for the same this time. He is a very good salesman. We ended up making one purchase after he lowered the price about 4 times. We then headed up the road. 

If you have ever seen pictures of shopping in Hong Kong with the dozens of neon light signs sticking out into the street, it is probably Nathan Road. It was packed with people and shops, many probably just getting off work at the time. We probably walked 10 blocks before asking someone exactly where the market was. We were close, it was in the next block, over 2 streets. It is a street that is closed to traffic so has booths on each side, a walk way in the middle which at times was impassable because of the crowds. We saw many people from our ship including the Captain and his girlfriend. There were a lot of electronics, handbags and clothes but nothing like in Shanghai. I guess they are not allowed to sell knock offs there. When we asked one vendor for a specific item they had it but had to go get it. We met up with the ship's rabbi and his wife and asked to share a taxi back to the pier. We were in our cabin by 9:15. We had walked over 10 miles that day so were both pretty tired. But Mel went to the cultural show they always do on an overnight stay and I returned to the terminal to use the free wifi. I read several digital magazines which take a long time to download. I was hoping to get them downloaded there. I was fairly successful. After a great day we dropped, exhausted, into our bed by 11. 

I forgot to mention that when we were in Shanghai, the Chinese we spoke to were curious about Mel, his being an ABC (American Born Chinese). One guide asked him is he speaks Chinese. He replied that he speaks Cantonese which is spoken in Hong Kong and some of southern China. The guide's reply was priceless. He said "So you almost speak Chinese!"  I guess the mainland Chinese do not consider the Cantonese speaking people Chinese. I thought it very amusing. 

Shanghai, China Day 2

I can really use one word for our second day in Shanghai, SHOPPING! We were off the ship at 8:30. The shuttle wasn't going to start until 9:30 so we decided to walk. We could see where the drop off point was from our ship, so not very far. It was at the beginning of an area called the Bund. That was where foreigners had built commercial buildings, so looks very western. In front of the buildings is a walk way along the river, nice area. We went into the Peace Hotel first. It was built in the 20's or 30's, very Art Deco and beautiful. It had once been the most opulent hotel in East Asia, Chinese not allowed! As we were headed toward the concierge desk for a map, I saw a VERY tall man with a tiny Chinese woman walking toward us. I told Mel that he must be a basketball player. Mel looked and agreed, it was Yao Ming who used to play for the Houston Rockets! We sort of followed him for a short distance to get a picture. A young girl said something to him in Chinese, I assumed it was permission to take a picture. He politely declined, I had the feeling he had somewhere that he needed to be. We watched him enter the elevator, stooping almost at the waist to get in. Wow, is he tall!

From the Peace Hotel we headed up Nanjing Road, the main shopping street. It turned into a walking street about 3 blocks up away from the river. Stores were just starting to open but it was already busy with people. I saw a beautiful sweater in a window so we went in to take a look. This store was ALL sweaters, set up with different counters which looked like different companies. I found one I liked, paid for it, then went to ask about the one in the window. We were told to look on the second floor. The first floor had been packed with people, the second one, not as much. These were the more expensive cashmere sweaters, just beautiful. Hard to buy just one! We used the restrooms while in the store. They were one star. :( Better than none. 

Heading on down the street we were finally approached by a gentleman who offered to sell us handbags. We were expecting it and looking for it. We followed him into a narrow ally behind the main shopping street. When we didn't find anything he led us to another shop, then another, etc. One of them we had to go up two narrow and steep stairways. They try to hide the knock offs from the police. The building was where they lived, very old and run down. The door to the sales room was modern with a very good lock. We bought a couple of things then told our "guide" that we would be back later. He still followed us for some time, trying to get us into more shops. We were done at that point, headed to the knock off "mall"! 

When shopping for knock offs, you have to bargain. I asked the price of a handbag I was buying for a friend. It was well over $100 dollars. I offered $30. They went lower but not by much. I countered with $30. They again went lower, I started to walk away. They said final offer was about $50. I said $30 and walked further. They finally said, ok, $30. If you decide what it is worth to you and stick to that, more times than not, you will get your price. I wonder how many tourists pay the asking price!?

We stopped in a park to eat the lunch we'd brought off the ship. There was some sort of art display of many different statues there. A lot of people were there looking and taking pictures. We continued on our way, passing the intersection that Mel always mentions to people. It has a Ferrari, Bentley, Maserati and Mercedes dealership on that one intersection!  Shows the wealth China is now enjoying. 

We had been to the knock off mall twice before, but had arrived by taxi. It was quite a long walk to get there but we walked at a slow pace, looking at everything as we went. The mall is 4 floors of individual stalls, each with a seller trying to get us to buy. I did quite a bit of Christmas shopping there so I won't mention what we bought. It was great shopping. I did get a pair of "Cartier" sunglasses. They copied my prescription and had them finished in less than a hour. Mel bought a set of golf clubs, like he needed more! At the end of our marathon shopping, I bought a medium sized suitcase and filled it with our bags. The father of the clubs and glasses vendors accompanied us to the entrance and got us a taxi. It was a good 20 minute ride to the pier. Hadn't seemed like we had walked that far. My pedometer read 5 miles. I still walked another 2 miles on deck when we returned to the ship. We had spent every last yuen we had, the last 10 (about $1.65) on a magnet at the pier. I told her that was how much I had so she accepted it. Another great visit to Shanghai, a city of something like 14 million people. 

I had a massage on the ship today. I get one every month at home so had made this appointment soon after we boarded a month ago. I made the mistake of telling the masseuse that I have found the more painful massages to be more affective.....ow!!!!!! It was very good, but not as good as those I get from Cami back in Discovery Bay. She did work on the bottoms of my feet a lot which was heavenly after all the walking we have done. She also spent time on my scalp, wonderful. It was the highlight of my day, not much else going on this day at sea. Tomorrow we will head to Hong Kong Disneyland, yea!

        

      This is the sunset on the river as the Captain turned the ship for our return out to the sea. The 

                                   smog is horrible but makes for an interesting photo. 

 

Shanghai, China

        

  

       

         

We have been to Shanghai three times before so we opted to take a tour that went out of the city. Someone told us that this particular tour was a lot of moving from bus to train, etc and not a very good one. When I told her it was our free one, included in our cruise fare she said "you will have a lovely time"! I guess for the price she thought it was too much of getting places and not enough seeing places! Because of Chinese immigration we were told to be at our meeting place 1/2 hour before our scheduled meeting time, which was 1/2 hour before our scheduled departure. We were in the Queen's Lounge at 7:30. We sat there until 8:30 before moving. Customs was well organized and fast once they started. Once on the bus it took over 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic to get to the HUGE railroad station which was right next to the airport. Our high speed train left at 10. The highest speed we reached was 302 kpm. It was very modern and a smooth ride. An hour later and we were in our destination city of Hangzhou. 

Hangzhou is the third top tourist destination city in China after Beijing and Shanghai. We boarded the bus that would tour us around for the day. It looked like a double decker but actually had a huge luggage compartment below. We had to go up 5 very steep steps to get to the seats. After another 45 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic we arrived at a hotel for lunch. There were about 12 courses. It was good but very basic Chinese food, not very fancy. We left before dessert to check out the hotel shop and discovered wifi in the lobby so used that for the 15 minutes we had. Another 45 minutes in traffic and we arrived at West Lake. 

                                   

   

West Lake is a huge tourist attraction. There are gardens all around with pathways to get to the lake. It was packed with people. It had also started to rain. We had decided not to carry our umbrellas that day. What we could see of the sky thru the pollution in Shanghai had looked sunny. Whoops! The walk from the bus was about 20 minutes. Then we had to wait for our boat. It wasn't very fancy, with benches inside to sit on. We just did a circle around the lake for 40 minutes then got off. Not sure what the appeal was! At least it wasn't pouring rain, just a slight mist. The walk back to the bus was further, many people were having a hard time plus our guide had picked up the pace. I stopped to take a picture. When I looked up he was a good block ahead. I later found out that because of the long walks to and from the bus that stop had taken twice as long as scheduled so he was trying to make up some of that time. 

        

Next stop was a temple. At one time there were 4 such temples in China. Three were destroyed by the Red Guard during the cultural revolution. It was a 20 minute walk to get there so about half our group opted to stay on the bus. On the way to the temple were many carvings of gods and Buddhas made right into a cliff. It was fascinating, but we had little time to enjoy it as our guide was at his usual fast speed. The temple was beautiful with huge statues of Buddha and other Chinese characters. 

There were a lot of people lighting incense and praying, the smoke was pretty bad. There were 4 different buildings that we went into, each with it's large Buddha and many statues around the perimeter. After that, back to the bus. 

We went thru a long tunnel which led to a valley known for it's tea. We stopped at a tea plantation to learn about growing tea and to have a sample. As we got off the bus Mel slipped on the steep, wet steps. Fortunately he caught himself so didn't fall all the way down. He just bruised a hip, could have been worse. That was lucky. We were led into a room with a U shaped table. We all sat down to watch the demonstration. It was just like an infomercial with the young woman touting all the health benefits of green tea. She showed us what the different qualities are, the best being that which is picked in the spring. Fresh, new leaves with no pesticides used, it is Empress tea. Later in the year they have to spray for bugs. She showed the top three grades, the lowest being the one that is exported. We all laughed at that. She had some green tea pills that are good for cleansing, weight loss, you name it! She said she would pack the tea in front of us so we would know exactly what we were getting. She packed very fast and quite a few bought some including us. It was quite expensive, hope it will be good for us!

                

Back to the bus for our ride to the train station. This time we went to the station in the middle of town. The bus dropped us at the side of the road then we had to walk 2 blocks to the station. Once inside we waited along with a lot of other people for about 20 minutes. The ride back was 70 minutes. There were 2 or 3 more stops in that direction. Back in Shanghai it was a long walk thru the enormous station to find our bus. My pedometer said we had walked 5 miles that day. Not easy for the older crowd that is on this cruise. We were back at the ship just after 9 pm, it had been a long day. 

At that hour there are no restaurants open on board so we were forced to use room service. Because there were 2 bus loads of people in the same situation, it took 45 minutes to get our food. That made it an even longer day! The next day we had a bottle of wine in our cabin with a note from the hotel manager apologizing for their oversight in not providing us with a sit down dining option after a ship's tour. That was a nice surprise. I spent some time on our verandah taking pictures of Pudong, across the river from Shanghai. It was beautiful with all the lights and dinner boats passing by with all their lights on. Amazing city. 

Nagasaki, Japan

We sailed into Nagasaki Harbor early this morning, arriving at the pier at 8 am as scheduled. We were cleared and able to leave the ship by 8:15. We got maps and bought trolly tickets right there on the pier. Nice of them to have that set up for us. We didn't get a map from the ship because of the last minute change. We were following another couple to the trolly.  They asked 2 young men for directions and they took us there! People are very nice and friendly in Japan. 

                                     

      

Our first stop was the Peace Park, built to commemorate the devastation caused by the atomic bomb in 1945. There was one large statue in the center with a number of smaller ones along the sides. The smaller ones were given by different countries around the world. From there we went to to the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, another park to commemorate the exact location of the blast which was right next door. From there it was a short walk to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. It was very well done with artifacts which had been in the blast and many pictures. At the end there was a short film showing some of the victims, then another one which showed all the nuclear tests around the world done by the USA, Britain, France and Russia, by year with actual films of many of them. Very well done. In all 3 of these sites there were dozens of school children, most in uniforms. Many said "hi" or "nice to meet you". Very cute. 

We got back on the trolley and went to the One Legged Tori Gate. It stood on a sidewalk between modern buildings. It was 1/2 of a Shrine gate which was still standing after the bomb. The other 1/2 was in pieces laying along the sidewalk near by. Back on the trolly, this time we were headed to a temple. Called Kofuji Temple, it was build in the 1600's. There was a cemetery next to it which went all the way up a hill, very interesting. 

On our way to our next sight we found a walking street with many antique shops. They had some nice things but none of them took credit cards. No shopping there. We had very few yen left. We found the Spectacle  bridge. It is called that because when the double arches are reflected in the water below it looks like a pair of glasses. The lighting wasn't right nor was there enough water in the canal, so not very impressive. We continued down the walking street which turned into an enclosed street arcade like in Kobe. The stores were pretty expensive. I went into a kimono store to look around. Mel noticed a sign saying inexpensive used kimonos upstairs. They had a LOT! And they were beautiful. Two other couples from the ship were there trying on the jackets. I ended up buying 4 more plus 2 beautiful obi bows, worn on the back of the kimono sash. For $2 each they will look beautiful on a Christmas tree!  Another great find. 

We found the trolly again and headed to the Confucian Shrine, the only one of it's kind built by Chinese outside of China. We had to transfer from the blue to the green trolly at one point. There must have been 50 people on that narrow platform in the middle of the street, most school children but also a German tour group. They all packed into that small trolly, it was amazing. We were close to the front so actually had seats. There were a lot of people standing. 

       

     

The Confucian Shrine was badly damaged by the bomb but is still standing. It was beautiful! There were all sorts of animals on the roof, very elaborately done. Inside were statues of different wise Chinese men, lined up almost like the terra cotta soldiers. These were carved from marble. There was a beautiful garden with huge koi. Mel fed them some bread. We walked thru the shrine. On the other side was the entrance to the Historical Museum of China. It had some beautiful pieces of art from China as well as several of the terra cotta soldiers. It was a small museum with nothing in English, but had some nice things. 

At the last trolly stop we had seen our ship. We headed in that direction which was also toward the Bekko Crafts Museum. I barely had enough yen left to get in. It was very small but filled with the most beautiful objects, all made from tortoise shell. I felt bad for all the sea turtles that they represented but enjoyed looking at them. 

Our ship was repositioning at 4 pm to be closer to the departure customs area. We went directly to where it would be for departure hoping for free wifi in the terminal. Carrying my iPad all day had been worth it, they had wifi and it was very fast. I was able to download some magazines, upload several blog posts and catch up on email. I also caught up on all the news about our neighbors house burning down. It would have been awful if the flames had jumped to a neighboring house, especially ours! The house is a complete loss, so sad. While a magazine was downloading I went back to a store we'd passed to spend the last of my yen. Back at the terminal, there were too many people on wifi so it pretty much quit. At least I was able to do some of what I'd wanted to do. The tour buses started arriving back and the people were lined up to go thru the departure process. We jumped in line and went thru quite quickly. We'd been given a group number to go later but it was much more convenient  to go then. We raced to our cabin to leave our packages and were only 10 minutes late for dinner. It had been a great day, in beautiful sunshine, about 75 degrees out. Glad we had the opportunity to visit Nagasaki, it has a lot of history. 

One sea day then the great city of Shanghai!!

Kobe, Japan Day 2 Kyoto

We have not had Internet for 2 days because of Japanese law. I just used my cellular data for a quick check of emails. Our neighbor's house burned down today! A little more excitement than we need. I think our house sitter is pretty shaken, as I can imagine. Fortunately our house is fine with just a bit of smoke smell. And no one was hurt in the fire. Scary to think that it could have jumped to our house and we would have gone home to nothing.......

Back to Japan. We had an early tour with Cruise Specialists, our travel agent. We were on the bus and off to Kyoto at 7 am. Kyoto was the first capital of Japan so has a lot of historical sites. It started raining while we were on our way. We arrived at our first destination, an old temple and garden. The garden was the most significant. It had 15 rocks and gravel raked to perfection. I don't get it myself but it is supposed to be beautiful and that was a famous one. Next we went to an old home for a tea ceremony. The house had been in the family for many generations. The lady of the house was our hostess. She explained what the master of the ceremony was doing, cleaning everything in front of us then preparing the tea. It was made from a green tea powder and very bitter. We were served sweets to eat before drinking to take away the bitterness. I was the first served. You had to take the bowl with your left hand, hold it in your right then turn it clockwise 2 times. Interesting. I took a sip, blach! It was AWFUL!!!  Then I took a bite of the sweet and took another sip. Amazing the difference! It was actually drinkable. You are supposed to slurp your last sip to let your host know you are finished. I guess my slurp was a bit loud. Even the master of ceremonies laughed. She was a beautiful Japanese woman in a kimono, on her knees doing the ceremony and VERY serious about it. She couldn't contain herself, too funny. We then had a tour of the house. It had 5 gardens and was quite beautiful. 

Our guide was a young Japanese woman. Her english was with a heavy accent but very good. She told us a lot about Japan and the people while we were riding. Interesting to me was about the religion. 

The majority of Japanese are Shinto during their life. They believe there is a god in everything, the sky, water, candy, you name it. Once they die they become Buddhist to reach paradise. But one day a year they are Christian, celebrating Christmas and giving the children Santa Claus presents. 

She also gave us a long description of Japanese toilets. She rated them with stars, 5 being the best. A 1 star toilet is the traditional hole in the ground with a wet floor. Two star is the same with a dry floor. For 3 stars you have a standard western toilet. There is at least one of these in every restroom as they are considered handicap toilets. Four stars have buttons for a bottom shower (her words) and dryer. For a five star toilet you have many buttons, shower, dryer, heated seat and even a recording of a toilet flushing to drown out other sounds. But she said to be sure to be seated when pushing the buttons or you would end up with a 1 star, wet floor. She was very cute. 

Back on the bus we headed to the golden temple. It was completely covered with gold leaf, surrounded by a beautiful lake. There were several small islands in the lake with overgrown bonsai trees on them.

Would have been beautiful in the sun but by now it was raining steadily. We walked around the gardens then headed to the bus. Next stop was another temple and lunch. 

We sat in short chairs in front of individual tables. The entire meal was vegetarian. Some was good, some was inedible, IMO, but it was served in a beautiful way. After lunch we were given the option of walking in the rain thru a bamboo forest or shopping. I chose the latter. It would have been nice to see the bamboo also, but so little time. We found a store filled with mobiles made entirely of fabric, small animals, food, flowers, etc. They also had fabric sushi and fruit. It was beautiful. We bought a couple of things then headed down the street. It was very crowded and had mostly food stores but was a nice experience. We were back on the bus and headed back to Kobe at 2:30. Because of traffic we didn't get back to the ship until 4:30 which was all aboard time. 

There were quite a few people from our ship in the terminal using the free Internet. We talked to them about our schedule and all aboard was now at 2 am. Because of typhoon Wipha, our stop at Okinawa was canceled. We would now head for Nagasaki going thru the Inland Sea of Japan. The capt said the swells in the open ocean were up to 20 feet with a very strong wind. This new route would be much safer. 

We had dinner then went back to the terminal to use the internet. It was just not working, very frustrating. At least we can turn on the cellular data in our phones to check emails. Hopefully there will,be free Internet that works in Nagasaki. 

Kobe, Japan

We arrived in Kobe at about 9:30. Customs had been set up for 10:15 so no one left the ship until that time. They had us disembark by group, each group given a different number. We were in group 8 and didn't get off the ship until 11. I heard that folks in later groups waiting well into the afternoon to get off. Glad we had a low number! We had to be finger printed and inspected to match the picture on our passport. Takes a long time when you have about 9 people looking over 1000 people. Everyone, crew included, had to go thru the procedure whether you planned on going ashore or not. 

We took the free shuttle bus to the downtown area. From there we got on the City Loop bus which made stops at places of interest. We missed the first stop we had decided on. Something about pushing the button to indicate your stop. :) So we decided to just stay on and start at an area where many foreigners had lived. It has become a tourist area with a number of the old homes open to the public. We visited a shrine first where there were 2 cows with bibs on, one bronze the other marble. Not sure the meaning of that!

Then we went thru a home that was built by a German couple in the early 1900's. It had beautiful woodwork and an amazing view of the city. We then just walked around the area. It was quite crowded with Japanese tourists as it was a national holiday in Japan. We headed down the hill to some stores I'd seen from the bus. We stopped at a Starbucks also just to see it. It was in a beautiful old western style house also. At an antique shop I found some old kimono style jackets, can't remember what they are called. Bought a beautiful one for $32!  How can you not for that price, beautifully lined and all silk. Then we found another store that had shorter ones for $5! Bought one there also then continued down the hill. At the corner we thought gee, for that price we should have bought one for Dorothy from our table. She loves wearing various outfits from all over the world. Bought her one then went back and bought them for the other 2 women at our table. On sale, they were $4!!! Each one is different and quite lovely. 

Headed back up the hill because we decided that bus stop was the closest. One of our table mates, Rosalie, was on the bus. We were going to go to Flower Road but decided it would be better to leave our packages at the ship then come out again. We arrived at the shuttle stop and discovered a line that went a full city block. Darn. Rosalie offered to take our things back to the ship for us, which was incredibly kind, so we just crossed the street to go to the covered shopping street. There were a number of stores and restaurants and it was crowded. Not sure how far we walked but it had to be about 10 blocks. It was still a bit early but we started looking for a restaurant. Mel wanted to go to Chinatown but I figured since we were in Japan and headed to China, it would be better to eat Japanese, maybe Kobe beef?! There weren't a lot of restaurants so we headed down a side street and ended up in Chinatown which ran parallel to the walking street. 

Chinatown in Kobe is quite the place to be. It appeared to be just the one street but it was packed with people and sidewalk vendors. The food on the street looked delicious. I had a black sesame seed ball. They had white also. I had only seen the standard brown ones. It was very good. There was something yellow inside, have no idea what it was but it was good. We looked at all the plastic food in front of the restaurants to see where we wanted to eat. Decided on one with a seafood noodle bowl. It was a small place with only 4 tables. It was good though! We then walked the street a bit more. Mel had shrimp on a stick. I had "shaved ice". That is what someone called it but it wasn't close to describing it. They have fresh fruit frozen solid. I chose mango. They put it in some sort of grinder so it comes out shaved. Then they put some sweetened condensed milk on top. It was very good!

Back at the shuttle stop we decided to go into the department store that was right there. It had all the designer brands and was very expensive. In Cartier I picked up a pair of sunglasses....and set off an alarm. That was fun. It was a small device on the earpiece of the glasses. A young woman hurried over and removed it. She put it in a drawer but it started going off again so she hurried with it into the back room. Some entrance! They had some beautiful things, very expensive but fun to look at. There was a De Beers store in the store! I don't think I had ever seen one before. A lot of sparkle. We used the restroom while there. Each stall in the ladies room had a baby seat attached in the corner, how convenient. Japanese bathrooms are very different from ours. We went up all 7 flights just browsing then went down to the basement. It was packed with shoppers buying any food item you might want. There were a lot of different types of sweets as well as take out type food. Very interesting. 

The shuttle arrived soon after we were ready to go. We were back onboard at about 7:30. We found Rosalie and got our things back less the jacket I'd bought for her. She said she paid for hers by schlepping our stuff back to the ship. I don't think she had realized how heavy it was, 2 full bags. I also found Dorothy and gave her her jacket. She was thrilled. There was a show of local talent at 9:30 so even though we were pretty tired, we went to that. The head of the Kobe Port gave a long, drawn out speech welcoming us. He presented our Capt and 2 other staff with caps and huge bouquet of flowers. The Capt also received a large jug of saki. The first act was 5 young women baton twirlers. They were pretty good. Then came the drummers. There was one large drum in the middle with smaller ones in front and to the side of it. The large drum drummer had won several awards and was supposed to be very good. He had a stance with his legs wide apart that he never moved from. The first piece was 10 min long! At some point he pushed his top down so you could see the muscles on his back, quite impressive! Ladies were talking about them on the ship the next day! It was an enjoyable show but too late since we had an early morning tour the next day. Time to go to sleep. 

Sea of Japan, Scenic Cruising

Because of the rough seas caused by typhoon Wipha, our stop in Okinawa was canceled. The typhoon is in the north of Japan and well out of our way but left wind and waves in it's path. It gave us the added bonus of going thru the inland passage and having an interesting sea day. It was still quite windy when I walked after lunch. It is a lot harder walking in the wind. I came in out of breath and tired. But the sea was different shades of green now! It had been many shades of blue around the islands we had visited. We passed under many bridges and towns, large and small. And went by islands, some very close to the ship. 

Tonight was formal 'kimono' night so we all wore the jackets I had found in Kobe. We had an officer sit with us at dinner. He was the 2nd officer, in charge of navigation. He told us that it was an interesting day yesterday, making all the changes necessary to go to a different port. They didn't even have the charts they needed but were able to get them from the port. The shore excursions office was also scrambling to put together tours in Nagasaki and to get transportation for us. Two other ships will be in port at the same time so buses are limited. Of course we have no Internet so they had to depend on people onshore to help them out. The officer told us that late tonight we will go thru some straights that are less than 1/2 mile across. There have been 2 local pilots on board since Kobe. When we turn to go south there will be a different pilot on board until we reach Nagasaki. We will have some rough seas in the night, wonder if it will wake us up?

We are currently sitting in the Nagasaki Cruise Terminal. Free Internet, yea! We have 2 hours before the ship leaves. Time to catch up on everything. 

Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands

We prefer taking small private tours to those given by HAL. Someone I met thru Cruise Critic was offering a number of tours so we signed up. We did not know that he wasn't just hosting a van of people. Our tour in Saipan included 53 people in 4 13 passenger vans plus an SUV. There was only one guide so we would meet at specified locations and listen to him as a group. This did not work well and the tour in that sense was a disappointment. On the other hand, we saw a lot, more than a ship's tour would have shown us. We just didn't learn about the rest of the island while we were passing by. 

When we arrived at 8 am, it was raining. I hope we will leave the rain behind now and have some nice weather although if anyone has seen the world weather lately that seems unlikely. There are a number of typhoons in Asia, the largest headed for India. Others are headed to our future ports of Na Trang Vietnam and Manilla. Another is chasing us as I speak but I will get into that later. 

Once the 53 people were finally organized and in vehicles our first stop was the American Memorial Park. One section of it was closed since it is run by the National Park Service, but we were able to go to the beach part of it, Micro Beach. We stopped at several beach locations where the marines launched their attack to take over the island from the Japanese in 1944. Next we went to the Sugar King Park. It was in dedication to a Japanese man who started the singer industry in Saipan. It had a nice garden as well as an old locomotive used to haul the sugar cane. 

Back in the vans we headed to Forbidden Island. We went up a very bad gravel road until everyone stopped. The front vehicle, the SUV, had gotten stuck on the uneven road. It took about 15 minutes before they decided to use one of the vans to push it which was successful but left a large scratch on the SUV. We continued up the road which was pretty much one lane until we reached the top. There was an overlook to see Forbidden Island so named because several people had died there. It is actually connected to land but waves came and washed several people away when they tried to go on the island. I guess some people in our group complained as our guide gathered us together and apologized for the bad road and remote area but said no one else on our ship would see this area because of the difficulty in getting there. It was nice but worth it? 

                                                                              

We were given a rest stop next. It was a Mobil station with one toilet! It took a long time for everyone to use the facilities. In the meantime people were buying chips and nuts and baked goods and eating like we hadn't eaten in days. It was pretty funny. I bought some local bread as we had been told that they have very good bakeries on Saipan. 

Next stop was Bonzai Cliff which has a very sad history. When it was apparent the Americans were going to take over the island, the Emperor of Japan told the people that they would be tortured, the women raped, by the soldiers. It would be better for them to die with the same honor as a soldier in battle so they jumped over the cliff to their death. There were many different memorials set up in the area most in memory of every race who lost lives in the war. Close to that area and beneath Suicide Cliff with the same history, was the Last Command Post. It was a bunker set into the side of the cliff. There were many monuments to different soldiers who lost their lives as well as a few relics, an old tank, guns, etc. We then went to the top of Suicide Cliff. The view was spectacular. 

At that point we realized that there were now only 2 vans. We had no idea what had happened to the other vehicles but decided to go on as planned, unfortunately without the guide who was driving the SUV. 

Next stop was Bird Island which is important in the migration of a number of species of birds. When we were there we didn't see a single one! Bird Island was devoid of birds. It was pretty though! We headed to our next stop, passing by the Last Command Post on our way. We saw some people from our ship flagging us down. We stopped to see what was going on. Apparently when we left that stop, 2 of the vehicles had gotten stuck in the mud. For some reason some of the people wanted to return to the ship at that point so they left 4 people at that site to be picked up by a van later. We never did hear the full story but our van was very happy that we hadn't gotten stuck and couldn't figure out why anyone would be left by the side of the road!? Our van was totally full so we couldn't help them out. Our ship left on time with no announcements of missing folks so they must have eventually gotten back. What a mess. 

Next stop was the Japanese Hospital. It was now a museum which was closed on Fridays, the day we were there. We walked around the outside, that was about all we saw. We then headed to Red Beach. When the marines landed, the different beaches were given colors to designate who went where. Eight thousand troops were on the island in 20 minutes, quite impressive. There were 2 tanks still in the water. It was high tide so only the very tops could be seen but interesting anyway. 

Our last stop was at a Japanese "pillbox" or bunker which was on a point from which you could see Tinian Island. That was where the Enolola Gay took off with the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. There was a LOT of history on Saipan. 

By this time it was almost 3:00. All Aboard was 3:30. Most in the van were saying there was no time for a souvenir stop, that we should go directly to the ship. Of course they were saying that amongst themselves. Mel and I were sitting up front and they never actually told the driver that so we stopped at a large store called "I Love Saipan!"  I asked 2 different clerks if they had anything that was made in Saipan and was told no. On my own I found a few souvenir type items, strange that they didn't point me in that direction. I think we were in the store for 8 minutes, back at the ship by 3:20. There was a small market on the pier so we stopped there for a few minutes, just enough time for the skies to open and it was pouring when we headed to the ship. We ended our day soaking wet. 

Since we were on board early, I decided to walk. There were quite a few people on the deck watching us take off. On the pier there were dancers and music with a loud announcer who kept saying things to the Amsterdam (our ship). As the captain pushed away several police cars had their lights and sirens blaring, as we got further out, a police boat was racing back and forth with it's siren also going. With the wind and the waves added to it, it was quite the send off. As I walked around the deck I came upon a steward carefully tying every deck chair to the railing. Oh, oh, bad seas. Sure enough the captain announced that a typhoon was south east of us, headed our way. He expected high seas 12 to 15 ft waves) for the next 24 to 36 hours. Oh boy! We were rocking more than we had on the trip thus far, but not as much as I'd expected. We were warned to secure everything in our cabins and to use the handrails, especially on the stairs. 

At dinner tonight he again announced that the storm was upgraded to a category 3 and would cause rain and high winds in our area. It is still several hundred miles from us, moving at 7 knots, so it won't catch up with us. But because of the possibility he received permission to go full speed ahead. Instead of arriving in Kobe, Japan at 4 pm on Monday, we will now arrive at 10 am! There was a lot of applause in the dining room. Arriving in port at 4 didn't give us much time to see anything that day. We stay over night so have the full next day but now we will be able to see a lot more. Hopefully the seas will not get any worse and maybe we will have sun in Japan. Now that would be nice. 

Guam, USA (Micronesia)

Once again we came into port in the pouring rain. The officials didn't board the ship until 8:45.  We had arrived at 8. Every passenger had to go thru customs with our passports before we could disembark, so that took more time. By the time our group was together it was 9:30, then we had to find our bus which had been held at the gate by Homeland Security. It was a late start. I had imagined Guam to be a bit exotic but it was more like visiting an island in HI. Cars, stores, restaurants etc are the same as at home. 

Our first stop was a National Park that was closed but not barricaded so we could go in. There were several guns on the shore, American and Japanese. Mel is by a Japanese anti-aircraft gun. 

                                                                          

There were places dug out of the hill nearby which had been used as bunkers. It was pretty flooded from the rain so everyone's shoes were soaked by the time we returned to the bus. 

Next stop was an old Spanish fort. Guam was under Spanish control for 300 years before the Germans, Japanese and finally Americans. We also stopped at a lookout spot but it was so rainy and foggy that we couldn't see much. We headed back the way we had come and stopped at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, which also was closed. But we were able to take pictures of a Japanese 2 man submarine which was out front. I had brought my National Parks Passport to get stamped on this trip. So much for that idea!

Next was the Pacific War Museum. It was started by a man who started collecting WWII items he found in the dump as a kid! It grew from that until he had all sorts of different military vehicles which he restored and are in working order. There were 2 wings of the museum made from airport boarding corridors, pretty narrow but full of artifacts and many pictures. One side was dedicated to the Americans, the other to the Japanese. The most interesting to me was the information about the Japanese solider who was discovered in 1972 after hiding in the jungle since the war! He thought it was still going on. 

We went into the capital, also the largest town on the island. Went to a park where they had some latte stones from ancient times. They were similar to the moa on Easter island but had been used as foundations for homes. Next we Stopped at an old Spanish fort next to the cathedral. Then it was the end of the tour. We got off the bus at the ship's shuttle stop rather than going back to the ship. The mall there had a grocery store, an inexpensive clothing store and several other small shops, not very exciting. We decided to take a taxi to a store I wanted to visit in a different mall. Should have asked the fare before we went. The meter kept going up and up! It was almost $40 by the time we reached our destination. We negotiated down to $30 ea way, very expensive. We walked around this area for a bit. It was near the hotels and tourist district. They get a lot of tourists from Japan so cater to them. There was every designer store you could think of there, and large ones! 

Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we had arranged to meet. Went back to the ship's shuttle bus then back to the ship. We boarded at about 4 so I had time to walk. I only did 2 miles, I had to get ready for dinner. It was an ok day but the closures were a disappointment and not an awful lot to see. Tomorrow we are in Saipan. 

Chuuk, Micronesia

                                                                             

                                           Notice the ship in the background!

Mel had been working on a snorkeling tour in Chuuk since the beginning of the cruise. He had 3 full boats and a few going with a different company, 25 in all! It is supposed to be one of the best dive sites for sunken ships and planes from WWII. We were to tender in so we told everyone to try to get on the first tender. We were in line shortly before 11:30, arrival time was noon. Just before noon the Capt.  announced that we would be able to dock, meaning we would be exiting aft rather than forward. Our group headed down the length of the ship to find an already long line. Oh well, it moves fast when we just have to walk off. 

We walked off into the pouring rain. Not exactly great snorkeling weather. We found our boats and got on. They had shade covers which did nothing to keep the rain out. We started out and the rain kept getting worse. Then the waves were becoming quite big making it seem pretty dangerous. The ship's Rabbi and wife were on our boat. She kept saying "This doesn't feel safe!" I finally asked the driver to take us to the Blue Lagoon Resort where their dive shop is. The Rabbi, his wife, another lady and I got off. We were soaked to the skin. Our bags had been in a compartment on the boat so hopefully my watch, camera, etc, were safe and dry. The 4 of us walked over to the resort. It was pretty primitive but looked nice. I had picked up shells in Majuro and one had a crab inside. I kept it happy for 2 days and was able to release it at the resort. (We are now missing our little friend!) They had a small gift shop, that was about it. We went out front to find a taxi. The guys who worked there said they don't have that type of service. Fortunately some folks from our ship arrived in a taxi and we were able to take that one back to the pier. (By taxi I mean an old car with a piece of cardboard on the dash that said TAXI.) We had been told that the road is bumpy. That was an understatement! It was one pot hole after another with some construction added in. Took us some time to get back. But we were able to see a lot of the island. There were many abandoned buildings and run down homes. It looked very poor. The one nice building was a Mormon church. 

Once at the ship I changed and headed out again. I was hoping to find some handicrafts. Everyone I asked said there was nothing to see.....and they were right! I headed to the left first. The road was bumper to bumper with cars and trucks trying to avoid people and holes in the road. Some places were down to one lane so there were police directing traffic. Someone mentioned later that it could have been because everyone was in town to see the ship! I found a couple of stores with not much merchandise. Went into a hotel to see if they had a gift shop, no. I even went into the airport thinking they might, again no. A man in a truck asked if I was from the ship. We talked for a few minutes. He had lived in Dublin, CA which is not far from us, as well as in several other towns in CA. He offered to drive me around but since I was alone I declined. Walked back to the ship then headed in the other direction. I did finally find a gift shop in another hotel with a few handicrafts. I also found a store with a lot of clothing. I bought 2 tops. Thought about a Chuukenese dress but they are more frufru than the ones from Majuro so figured the tops might get more wear. I was taking pictures from the hotel when Mel's boat went by so got a picture of that! Good timing. Went back to the ship around 4:30, once again pretty soaked with very muddy feet. Not a great stop. 

In the meantime, Mel had a great experience. They made 3 different stops, first to see a Japanese Zero plane. It was upside down but in such shallow water that he was able to dive down and touch it. Next was a mine sweeper, then to an area with a lot of colorful corral. He came back totally soaked but very happy with the experience. Too bad it was raining and stormy all day. The movies he took under water are very muted colors. Everyone on the ship agreed that there was little to see in Chuuk. Because of the diving Mel had mentioned it would be a good place to go back to for a week. I don't think so!!!

Today at sea it was still rainy. The ship is rocking a bit for the first time this trip. I actually enjoy the motion. I started walking on deck and it was windy and wet. I figured that was the windy side, it would be calmer on the other side. Wrong! The rain was blowing thru the railing onto the deck. The wind was gusting and propelling me a bit in the right direction. I was the only person out there for the 30 minutes that I walked. One couple did walk half way around before going in. I only did 2 miles and could feel the different muscles I'd had to use to stay upright! I sure hope the storm has passed by tomorrow when we will reach Guam.