Hong Kong

This year the Tahitian Princess was docked right in Hong Kong Harbor, right next to the Star Ferry Terminal. We were off the ship and onto a ferry. We went back to the Po Lin Monastery because it was so special for us last year and we were not disappointed. There has been a lot of construction at the village by the Monastery, including a new tram station which could make the trip shorter. We preferred retracing our path, though, so we took the ferry to Lantau and bus number 2 from Mui Wo to the village. Those 2 rides take nearly 2 hours.

Once we arrived at Lantau, the bus was waiting for the 50-minute ride up and down the steep slopes and around corners of the mountain. The narrow roads barely accommodated the passing of one bus in each direction and the edge of the road was the edge of a cliff. We walked through the ongoing construction to the world’s largest bronze seated Buddha. We climbed the 250 steps to the base of the Buddha, walked all around it, and through the museum inside the Buddha. Going down the steps was much easier.

We walked through the Temple and past golden Buddha statues, where people were lighting incense and praying. The Monastery serves lunch family style in a large restaurant, so we purchased a meal ticket and sat down to a fabulous meal. There was so much vegan food that we were unable to finish all they served to us. And we ate with chopsticks and a ceramic Asian spoon. We made a bit of a mess but we did it!

After lunch, we walked back to the Temple, where we heard chanting being broadcast. The monks and others at the service were chanting and drumming. At first we listened on the first floor where the monks were, but then we went upstairs to a large empty room. There was a sound system broadcasting the sounds from below and filling the room with marvelous, reverberating sound. As we headed back to the bus stop, the chanting faded in the background.

While riding on the ferry back, we saw the skyscrapers of Hong Kong silhouetted against the bright sun. From the ferry, we walked to Nathan Road, the 5th Avenue of Hong Kong with 50 % more people crowding the streets and sidewalks. From there we walked back to Ocean Terminal and the Tahitian Princess, but the day was not over.

After dinner, we were on the open decks just in time for the nightly light show, when a dozen of the highest skyscrapers on the Hong Kong side are programmed to flash neon lights and spotlights in changing designs and colors up and down the buildings and into the night sky. What a farewell to a magical city.

Shanghai

What a great day we had in Shanghai! It helps to have been in a city before and have even a little idea of the basic layout. And it helps even more that the Tahitian Princess was docked right across from The Bund and the ship provided a shuttle through the construction and across the river to the Silk Factory.

We again traveled with another couple who had spent some time in Shanghai and had a pretty good plan in mind for the day. We rode the shuttle to the Silk Factory, where there was a tour guide who and flagged down a taxi to take us to the Mag Lev Station for a ride on the super fast train. The ride to the station took about 30 minutes, as we went past one huge apartment complex after another, each one housing thousands and thousands of people. The city has a population of nearly 20 million people and is still growing. There is construction everywhere of apartment complexes, bridges, highways, high-speed rail lines, and offices.

The train station is quite new and easy to negotiate. Many Chinese speak English and signs in tourist areas are in both Chinese and English, making it easy for us to find the ticket booth and purchase a round trip ticket. There was a train waiting on the platform as we approached so we didn’t even have to wait.

As you can see from the photo, the train reached a speed of 431 kilometers an hour or an amazing 260 miles per hour, faster than a Formula One racing car. The ride was smooth though, with the only sensation of speed being the whizzing past of the light poles.

There was an exciting moment for us though when a concussion shook the train. We hadn’t realized that there was an adjacent track for the train going in the opposite direction. The whoosh of air between the two trains makes a startling sound the first time it happens.

We got off the train at the end at the airport, went upstairs, across to the other side, and down again for the return ride. We had no wait for the return ride either. The ride each way takes about 7 minutes.

Back at the Mag Lev Station we had a couple of minutes of struggle until we just pointed on the map for the taxi driver that we wanted to be taken to Nanjing Road, a broad pedestrian street lined with wonderful stores and restaurants. 1.4 million people walk this street a day, but the scale is such that it doesn’t seem really crowded. We checked out a couple of Chinese restaurants and opted against food too unfamiliar to us. Food like sliced pig ears and some animal’s coddled blood. Definitely not vegan anyway. So, I have to confess that failing to find simple noodles, we ate a veggie pizza at Pizza Hut.

Next stop for us was the Shanghai Museum, notable for the architecture in addition to the collection of early pottery, bronze artifacts, and paintings. We were all starting to fade by that point and decided to find the Silk Factory and the shuttle back to the ship. We were back on board in time for the acrobatic performance that was a remarkable demonstration of talent and costumes.

As the sun set and the lights of the city came on, we sat near a window for dinner and watched the dinner cruises and billboards on barges pass by. What a beautiful sail away from a fabulous city.

Osaka and Kyoto

After being in Japan’s second largest city, Osaka, last year and seeing the sights, we decided this year to be brave and ride the bullet train to Kyoto. The ship docked at the same place the QE2 did last year, so we knew to walk just a couple of blocks to the Osakako Station to get the train into the city. Also just like last year, it was cold and raining. We rode the Chuo Line (Green) from stop C11 to Homachi Station (C16) and changed to the Midosuji Line (Red) to stop M13, Shin-Osaka. At that stop, we changed to the JR Shinkansen Express and we purchased round trip tickets to Kyoto on the fast train for a total of 5500 Yen. There were 5 of us traveling together, and all of us knew nothing. We boarded the train and sat in the first empty seats we saw, very comfortable seats and a lovely car, which was nearly empty. When a young man sat next to Jerry, Jerry leaned over and asked me why the man had sat there when the car was so empty. I said I didn’t know. However, when I looked up and saw the sign that said “Reserved,” I had my suspicions. Anyway, ignorance can be bliss when no one challenges you, and we all enjoyed the comfort of reserved seats for all 11 minutes of this leg of the trip. The trip between Osaka and Kyoto takes 90 minutes by highway.

At Kyoto Station we split from our traveling companions who wanted to share a taxi to travel between sights. We went to the Tourist Information Center on the second floor of the station and got information about independent use of the bus system to get around. We purchased a day pass on the bus for 500 Yen each and headed to stop B2 between the station and the Kyoto Tower.

Our first stop off the bus was Nijo Castle, where we were led by an English-speaking tour guide. The large wooden structure with paintings on the wall was built in the 1600s for the Shogun to use to receive nobles and others seeking his favor. His home was in Tokyo as was his family. We exited at the gardens but decided after a few steps it was not worth seeing the dormant gardens in the winter time under rainy skies. We walked out and immediately boarded another bus to the next stop, the Kinkakuji Castle, where we walked around a bit. We made a stop at the Asian style toilet and then went back to the bus stop and another ride.

This time we went to Gion, where there is shopping and many shrines and temples. First, of course, it was “Feed Me! Time.” There was a sign on the sidewalk with a picture of a bowl of noodles, but the shop was filled with fine jewelry and geodes. There was a man in front of the store who looked like an owner, so we pointed to the noodles, and he signaled that we should follow him. We followed him through the shop to an elevator in the rear and he held up 3 fingers, that we should get off at the third floor. To our surprise, there was a modern restaurant, with typical low Japanese tables and chairs. No one spoke English, but they did have a menu in English so I ordered noodles with cooked tofu. After much bowing by the waitress, we were served tea and a fabulous bowl of noodles in miso broth with tofu and scallions. After letting me struggle a bit with the chopsticks, the waitress brought me a ceramic spoon and a metal fork, which I knew what to do with, and a pottery bowl, which I had no idea how to use. So I must have eaten out of the serving bowl, but it was delicious. We walked to the end of the street, where we found a large shrine, which satisfied our curiosity about shrines. Boarding the bus again, we returned to the station and retraced our steps on the bullet train, then the train to the ship. We walked past the largest ferris wheel in the world, located at the gangway of our ship. Back in plenty of time and pleased with ourselves for getting around and seeing the sights on our own.

Another Exciting Sighting

A short time after we sailed away from the port of Hiroshima and headed into the Inland Sea, the Captain announced over the loudspeaker that just off the starboard side was a submarine of the Japanese Navy. We were having a cup of tea on Deck 9 on the starboard side, so we jumped up to look out the window, There it was, sleek and black, about 300 yards off the Tahitian Princess and sailing in the opposite direction from us. It was said by former military people that the sub was a small one and clearly not nuclear class. We watched as it came along parallel to us and continued watching until it was out of sight. A while later, we encountered the Captain on another deck and thanked him for telling all of us about the submarine. He said that it had been quite an exciting sighting for him as well.

Guam, USA

The Beach at Tumon Bay

Flags flying on the Tahitian Princess


Friends asked us to join them in renting a mini van from Hertz at Guam. After the pilot was onboard the Tahitian Princess and we had arrived at the dock, it took a while for everyone to clear US Immigration. The ship securely keeps passports most of the time at the Passenger Services Desk on Deck 4, so when it is time to clear immigration onboard, they just take them all to the room chosen for the activity. This time it was the Cabaret Lounge on Deck 5. So we arrived early to wait in line with memories of waiting on the QE2 from about 6:15 am to 9 am. This time the lines moved very quickly for us. Within a very short time of arriving in line, we had received our passports, had them checked by the US staff, given our newly-stamped passports back to the ship, and received our landing card for going ashore.

Our group of 6 people got together in a short time, walked out of the gate area to the waiting 3J Hertz shuttle to be driven to our waiting van. The driver pointed out sights along the ride, such as the beach where US troops landed to reclaim Guam in World War II. We got into the nice, new, well-air-conditioned KIA van and headed off to the first stop: the US Post Office. Many people took advantage of US postage rates to mail home packages to reduce the weight of luggage on the flights home. This Post Office was just like the one in Delray Beach on Military Trail in season, under-staffed and overly busy, which meant it took about an hour to complete everyone’s business. Meanwhile, one of the 6 went on a coffee mission and Jerry and one of the others walked the mile back to Hertz to retrieve the wallet the woman had dropped in the Hertz shuttle.

Once all back together again at the Hertz office we headed off to K-Mart. Many people from the ship were also there stocking up on supplies. We bought some toothpaste, bottled water and most importantly, shorts for Jerry to fit his new size. Shopping completed we headed off to Tumon Bay, an area of upscale high-rise hotels and shops.

The Outrigger Hotel at Tumon Bay was recommended to us at Hertz, so we parked our van in their garage and walked through the Hotel to the beach. Another gorgeous South Pacific beach lay before us. We walked to the Beach Club and used the bathroom to change into our suits. The weather and the water were perfect. The beach is powdery white sand up to the water, where there are a couple of feet of broken coral and rocks to pick a path through, and then shallow, warm, delightful water of the lagoon. Most of the other tourists were Japanese and very young.

After swimming and changing, it was back in the van and a drive past Gucci and all the other shops. We had a little trouble finding the right road, but then we were on our way to Two Lovers Point, where the story is that a Romeo and Juliet pair had jumped to their death over the cliff into the sea rather than be forced into other marriages. It was a pretty spot with a lookout with a view of the bay and the hotels below. The cliff is indeed straight down to the ocean.

Back in the van, past Micronesia Mall (Macy’s is the anchor store), and back to Hertz to pick up a driver to take us to the ship. We had a lovely day for $23 each. The sailaway was especially nice, with balmy breezes and happy passengers talking together as the sunset.
The Top Ten Reasons You Know Guam is the USA

10 Stars and Stripes is flying
9 Vehicle license plates say Guam USA
8 Car makes are Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and Lexus with a few BMWs and one Chevrolet
7 Driving is on the right-hand side of the road
6 The Post Office is understaffed and overcrowded and is running out of mailing supplies.
5 Everything is bi-lingual with Japanese replacing Spanish
4 Currency is US $ but no one has any and everyone is using credit cards
3 Businesses are Kmart, Macys, Burger King, KFC and Mobil
2 The highway is 3 lanes in each direction with a center turn lane
1 It just feels like home.

Exciting Sighting en route to Guam

What do we do at sea? We went out on Deck 5, where there is a promenade on each side of the ship but not a circular route. We went forward to look at the big splashes the ship made as it went across good sized swells. As we were looking at the sea and spray, we both saw something coming toward the ship. It was dark, slender, and rising above the water about 3 feet. It might have been a periscope. No, that made no sense. It continued to come straight toward the ship and then turned sideways. As it turned sideways, we had a better view of what turned out to be the dorsal fin of a sailfish. Swimming parallel about 50 feet apart, the fish and the Tahitian Princess continued on their separate routes. It is so exciting for us to encounter any marine life and a sighting as unusual as a sailfish was a very special event.

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

A local bus at a Mobil Station

Arriving at Rabaul

Before dawn, we sailed into Simpson Harbor, a deep and well -sheltered harbor created about 1400 years ago when the Pacific Ocean filled a caldera following a catastrophic volcanic eruption. We could actually smell the volcano before we could see it. A huge grey plume rose out of the volcano and we could see steam coming from vents all the way down all visible sides of the cone. The sun was just rising as we sailed past the volcano to our dock in the harbor. At 4 degrees south of the equator, Rabaul is hot and humid with lush vegetation covering any of the countryside that wasn’t buried under ashes in the 1994 eruption. That eruption destroyed the town of Rabaul and caused the relocation of the provincial capital from there to Kokopo, about 12 miles away. We were told that in some places the ash is 12 feet deep, however, we were told there were no deaths from the 1994 eruption. What we know is that the ash is everywhere. There have been rains, so there is gray mud at the sides of all of the streets and walkways. When the wind blows, you can see ash flying from the dry areas of the pavement. The ship’s security staff, who have to stand at the gangway all day, were wearing masks to protect them from the airborne ash. We didn’t feel anything but we were very aware of the poor air quality. There is constant threat of eruption and right now the airport is closed because of the density of the ash clouds blowing over the runway.

During World War II, Rabaul had great significance as a Japanese base that included 5 airfields, a seaplane and submarine base, and a large naval facility. At the peak, there were close to 200,000 in the Japanese garrison. Today there remain parts of an extensive tunnel system, bunkers, a war museum, and cemetery as well as other military artifacts providing reminders of a tragic history.

Once we were away from the ship and through the port’s security gate, there were many locals selling handicrafts. Many passengers purchased fine masks for very little money. There were hand made fabric bags, jewelry, carvings, and shells for sale. There were women with toddlers dressed in traditional garb hoping to have tourists photograph them for a dollar.

We walked a block and turned right to head toward the town, with 20 eight-year-old boys tagging along with four couples. I don’t know why they went with us, but they asked if they could follow us and we said yes. This is a really undeveloped country with extensive poverty, many children, and few motorized vehicles. We may have been at the town, but we are not sure. At any rate, we reached a point at which we felt the need to return to the ship.

The children and the adults were slow to smile, but friendly and welcoming, greeting us with cheerful “hellos” whether they were walking or driving by. None of the children wore shoes and many of their shirts were quite torn. The absence of both begging and persistent harassment of us to purchase from them was greatly appreciated. Many of the adults’ teeth showed the red color and large gaps of beetle nut consumption. They chew the nuts with lime juice to get high and the nuts stain their teeth and the lime juice corrodes the enamel.

The poverty was overwhelming for me so I can’t imagine what it is like for them. It is tempting to take money ashore and just hand it out to them, but, of course, that will do nothing positive for them in the long run.

So we sail away past the volcano spewing thick black clouds into the sky and wonder what the future will be for those 20 eight-year-olds.