Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Shanghai - Naha Japan

 After Beijing, we had two days at sea to rest up for Shanghai.  The rest was appreciated as my feet are weary and this darned head cold is persisting.


MS Amsterdam from North side of Yangtze
     Shanghai (while I’m sure has plenty of its own history) is a fascinating mixture of old and new.  China’s largest seaport straddles the Yangtze river and would take a lot of time to explore.  It has an estimated population of twenty-one million.  

     It has areas of antiquity surrounded by a modern city of skyscrapers and high tech.  The river at night puts on a dazzling display of lights.  Two days is just not enough time to explore Shanghai.

     We were in Shanghai for two days.  Day one we had a friend and shipmate guide us.  He (Jim) and his wife (Lillian) are Chinese and the language advantage is massive
North shore by night








The Lido was decorated festively for the evening meal
Thu and I having a beer with lunch





Jim and Lillian at lunch
Clowning with art
October 30 - Naha Japan

     One day at sea sailing SE brings us to Naha Japan.  After breakfast went back to wake the Princess.  Then we had to clear customs again.  We took a cab to the nearest outlet mall.  This, of course, gives me loads of time to collect my thoughts (such as they are).  
Searching for bandwidth in Naha
     I’m very impressed with the cleanliness of Japanese restrooms.  No odors!  Clean high tech toilets that are so kind as to wash your bum.  There is even a menu for the type of spray desired.  One must appreciate such things if you travel in Asia as there is a wide variety ranging from a, bring your own paper, hole in the floor to the high-end comfort I just found. 



Taxi ride from outlet mall to downtown market

      Had my local beer and it's apparent that shopping is the order of the day.  I chose to return to the ship and update this blog.  Hope it's worth your time to read it. 




Beijing


This update is slow in coming because Google and Facebook don't work in China.  Think about that you Socialist wannabes...  Now I'm sitting here with all the others who have been cut off from their world trying to share some limited bandwidth.

Oct 24
Arose bright and early.  All packed and ready to go.  Breakfast on the Lido.  Then sit around waiting for the signal to go ashore.  They take the HAL excursions off first and we followed them.  After clearing customs we found our bus waiting for us.  It’s not a full-size bus, but very comfortable and has several seats to spare.  Ours is a party of fourteen.  

     The guide is a named Steven and is thirty years old.  He has the gift of gab and can rattle on endlessly.  He pegged me as a military guy but I don’t know why.  Military bearing is not my long suit.  Maybe I just stick out because I’m a foot taller than my party and a white guy with short hair.  He has a driver to whom I’ve not been introduced and whose voice I’ve yet to hear.

     It is Autumn in China.  We were blessed with a sunny day and comfortable temperature.  The leaves are falling, but many trees still show reds and gold in their foliage.  

     The trip to the wall was a long drive. Chinese freeways look similar to ours.  I’m told the enforcement is automated.  Cameras catch you and you receive a citation within hours.  From the sound of it, there is no appeal, you just pay.  The loaning of your vehicle apparently frowned on.  If it was your vehicle, it is your fault.

     When I saw the steep trek ahead of us to get to the wall, I figured Anh wouldn’t make it.  She’s not much of a hiker.  I was relieved to find that they have a ski lift that picks you up at the start and delivers you to the top.  The ride was lovely, sailing along over the treetops.  On the left you can see the slide for those who want to get off the mountain with more of a flare.


     The view is beautiful and the wall very impressive.  Too bad there were so many people.  Trying to get a shot without someone walking through it was almost hopeless.  

The section of the wall we visited had been restored.  In the distance, one could see a section in disrepair.  









When I contemplate the slave labor that built the wall, it seems sad to me.  There must have been many thousands of laborers working for decades to erect thousands of miles of wall.





















                                                                                                                     After the wall, another long drive.  Along the way, we stopped for an authentic Chinese lunch.  There was lots of tasty food and a table with room for our entire group.  The center section of the table was constantly rotating to deliver food to everyone.  Of course, you had to get it as it slid by because the rotation never stopped.  
     We tasted a "local" beer and also got a taste of something like paint thinner.  It was a Chinese moonshine.  56% Alcohol by volume was all I could make out on the label.   
     After our late lunch, we were back on the road headed for Beijing.  Along the way, we stopped to see a man-made lake and emperor’s Summer Palace.  

We were told the entire lake was dug by hand and used to create a rather large hill with great big Chinese buildings on it(Summer Palace).  It was dusk  whenwe arrived and very hard to get good pictures.



     After that, we continued on to Beijing and our hotel.  It’s right downtown and very interesting.  Our room 6417 is on the fourth floor.  We have internet but without google seems somewhat useless.  The hotel has a strange smell.  We were warned not to drink the tap water.  All the electrical fixtures were unplugged when we arrived.  Nothing works unless you insert your room key in a slot by the door.  Only one English Channel on the brain sucker; BBC.
     I was very tired and went right too sleep.  Kept waking to the smell.  The smell is unrelenting even with the window opened and the bath fan running.
     The shower felt good, but the drain can’t keep up so I cut it short.  The toilet paper is the strongest I’ve seen since the Sears catalog.  Something like a rough paper towel.  Reminds me of a joke about John Wayne toilet paper;  It’s rough and tough and won’t take crap off of anyone.



     Oct 25; Day two in Beijing.  As usual, up and ready to go ahead of schedule.  Sat in the bus and waited about half an hour.  Then it was off to the forbidden city.  FYI it’s called that because it used to be forbidden to all but emperor and invited.   It helps to understand the paranoia with security.  The forbidden city is no longer forbidden.  There were thousands of people touring the grounds like us.  For me, it became like sampling perfume after a while.  You can only take in so much antiquity before it all looks alike.  Steven was a walking talking encyclopedia of Chinese history.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Fukuoka Japan

Awoke at 0130 today.  Took a luxurious hot shower and got myself ready for the day.  Then realized I'd be the only one up and might not even have any coffee to drink, so laid down and closed my eyes til about 0500.  Then up to the Lido for a hot cup of lemon tea and a morning gabfest with some of the other early risers.  Breakfast came on-line as usual and I had my eggs, bacon, ham, and sausage as usual.

Anh rolled in around 0800 for breakfast and then we went to church at 0900.  I really enjoyed the message about Mathew the tax collector.

The ship was tied up and ready for liberty call about 1200 and so off we went as a group of about nine.  Rode a lovely complimentary shuttle into town.  The open-air tour bus was all sold out until 1700, so Thu purchased a batch of tickets and then we wandered off to shop the day away.


 It was a day with lots of time on my feet.  Joseph and I each bought a one hour massage while the girls were shopping.  Our wives pay no attention to anything but shopping, so we mostly keep them from getting lost.























Around 1630 we aimed out little group back toward the bus stop.  Of course, no one seems to sense the urgency of missing the bus.  So it's walk then wait, then walk then wait, etc.




So the bus ride got a little windy and cold as the sun was going down, but we had a good time.  They have a dome with a roof that opens at a cost of one million yen each time.  I struggle to imagine how that makes any sense.








The end of a lovely day.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Kochi Japan


We woke up in Kochi.  Weather is lovely.  Clear blue skies, pleasant breezes, and 70 degrees.   Not much to see from the boat.  Apparently, they are working on developing a more robust port facility and all is in a state of flux.  Large piles of dirt and earthmovers stirring up dust...  There were very nice shuttles provided free to get us to town.  Much like it was in Kobe yesterday, the action plan turned out to be shopping.



Anh bought a Kimono (sp) and seemed very pleased with her purchase.




























Apparently, Kochi was very happy to have us.  There were happy faces and friendly greetings.

There is a free wifi tent provided at the pier, but no bandwidth and record slow speeds.  I may have to load today's photos another time.
Lan and Thu

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Kobe Japan



     Spent the morning shopping through Chinatown in Kobe.  Seems ironic somehow, (Chinatown in Japan).

After a long, slow, seemingly endless walk we turned around and walked back out.  And that's shopping.

     The mall looks like they built a ceiling over the road to catch rain and keep shoppers from getting wet.

     As we were leaving Chinatown we were approached by a group of high school kids from Osaka that wanted to interview us.  We were happy to oblige them but didn't feel like I provided much to their education.

    Then we hopped on the green tour bus and rode around Kobe.  Then we hopped on the shuttle back to the ship and here we are.


Kobe is a very clean place.  Oddly, there are very few trash containers.  So one wonders where do people dispose of trash?  Does everyone walk around with a pocket full of tissues and gum wrappers all day?  The weather here is lovely today, must be around 70.

Have not yet quaffed a local beer, but the day's not over...  Stay thirsty my friends. :)



Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Shimizu Japan

I guess port stops will be coming more frequently for a while.  We pulled in bright and early.  Had a leisurely breakfast on the Lido and then off to the races.  Not really racing, it just seems frantic because nobody knows the area or the language.  Street signs are in Japanese (imagine that).

Life imitating art.
Watched this guy sifting through soil.  Reason unknown.

We took a shuttle and then a train and then a bus and poof; we were at an old shrine.

Shrines don't do much for me unless I understand why they should be significant.  Just being old doesn't really do it for me.


The architecture is cool and I appreciate that, but I'm not a fan of heathen religious artifacts.  Does that make me a bigot?



















Hardly any signs are in English.  I think they're not interested in tourists.  Riding trains and buses remind me of S. Korea.  Nobody smiles or says anything.  Feels not you're not really there.
 Anh got in some shopping here.  And a few of us had a local beer.
















So here it is almost 1400 and I need to post this before the ship leaves me here.


These are a couple friends of ours Ron and Ruth.  Resting bones.