Yokohama, Japan

Time to head home after our two-week cruise. We made friends with several fellow passengers, especially Gordan and Karen traveling with their adult daughter Jessica. We met them at Trivia and ended up conversing with them often, playing trivia, and joining them for dinner. Dining on this trip was strange. We had to request early dining, which nominally was full. Yet our 10-person table never had more than six. Our threesome would have preferred to join us, but they couldn't because of the nominal full status. The menu was a mix of Princess normal menu with Japanese items added. This removed some of our old time reliables like shrimp cocktail and cedar salad. Mary found fewer choices because more fish choices were added.

We woke to see Mount Fuji on the skyline. Today we're going to tour before our trip to the airport. The greater Tokyo region is the largest metro area in the world. We passed Tokyo tower, built in 1985, it consolidated sixty separate TV towers.

Meiji Shrine with 1500 year old Cypress

The Meiji shrine was built in 1920 after the death of Emperor Meiji, who reigned from 1867 until 1912. He was the emperor who opened up Japan to the West and often wore western clothing. This shrine is 98 football fields in size with 175,000 plants from 365 species. The Torii at the entrance is made from a 1500-year-old cypress. Above is the symbol of the emperor, a chrysanthemum crest. Saki is used in the formal Shinto ceremonies, so outside the Torii are empty Saki barrels. But here are also French wine casks because of the influence of the west.

Saki barrel

We toured central Tokyo by bus seeing the emperor's palace, the diet building, and numerous shopping areas. Our final stop was the Sensoji Buddhist temple, the oldest in Japan. Originally built in 628. Here again, the crowds were everywhere as we walked the entrance street with its many food and tourist stores.

Sensori Temple

The highlight of the trip was Taiwan, our new country with its National Palace Museum and the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. The Shinto shrines in Japan were also interesting. So different than the Catholic churches in Europe, yet about as old. 

The day we left, the Chinese announced that a new Corona virus had sickened many in Wuhan, China. Three days later, most of the city was put under quarantine and travel restrictions. It so happened that a man from Hong Kong, had visited there, and he boarded the Diamond Princess just after we left.  He sailed to Hong Kong with it, then  reported to the hospital in Hong Kong, sick with the virus. The ship had to return to Yokohama early and the remaining guests were quarantined for the last 21 days. So far, 220 have come down with the virus and taken ashore.  We really feel lucky that we left just before this extraordinary occurrence. It's been particularly tough for those with inside cabins, since they've only gotten outside a few times in the last few days. At least those with balconies can get outdoors and converse with neighbors, though they have to maintain a distance of three feet. 

There is also a 15 minute video available about this trip on youtube. 

Toba, Japan

We woke to a cold clear morning about 40 degrees. Our first stop was the Mikomoto pearl island. In 1893, Mikimoto Kokichi came up with the idea of introducing foreign material into an oyster, so that it would produce calcium secretions and produce a cultured pearl. His goal was to decorate the necks of women worldwide. Naturally occurring Pearls are much rarer, one in 10,000 oysters may have a natural pearl, and of course, most won’t make good jewelry.  The museum explained the entire process from introducing the nucleus to all the sorting required to produce a matching pearl necklace. About half of the Pearl’s are rejected for shape or color reasons. The color of the pearl is largely dependent upon the species of oyster used. The most interesting part was observing the women pearl divers. Women are used because they can hold their breath longer and have an extra layer of fat to stay warmer. Oysters are harvested from November to January.

We then took the bus up Skyline drive, quickly gaining altitude above the bay. From the top, we could see our ship the Diamond Princess as well as many islands.  In another direction you could barely see the snows of Mount Fuji. As we were going down, we passed many empty buses headed up the drive.

View of the harbor from Skyline Drive

Ise Shrine has both and outer and inner garden. Geku is the outer shrine. We learned the cleansing ritual of washing the left hand, the right hand, then pouring water in your left hand and bringing it to your lips, finally pour water from the ladle along the handle. Shinto temples are made from natural, unpainted wood. Every 20 years a new hall is built next to the old one, the Kami gods are moved, and the old hall removed. As we pass under each Torii, we bow. Upon reaching the main hall, as commoners we can only enter the outer of four chambers, those who pay may go to the second chamber, the emperor and high officials, the third. One prays by throwing a coin in the receptacle, bowing twice, clapping twice, bowing once and making your prayer.

Background is current hall, foreground future site

Naiju is the inner garden. This place is huge, it is a kilometer walk from the first torii to the main hall. This is the largest Shinto shrine in Japan . This is where the G7 met when last in Japan. While we were visiting the gardens our bus had to move because bus parking is so scarce. The bus drove up skyline drive to the top where the driver had a smoke, then drove back to pick us up, explaining all the empty buses on the drive.

Walking the kilometer of forest

This one of the few tours, we've been on where we had too much time at the sights. We easily finished both sights about ½ hour before the bus arrived.

Osaka, Japan

Osaka Ferris Wheel

We landed in Osaka, Japan's 3^rd largest city of 2.7 million and 3^rd busiest port. Right near our dock is a Ferris wheel and their aquarium,  home to 35,000 species. We took an all day tour to Kyoto, which was Japan's capital from 794 to 1869, now home to 1600 Buddhist temples and 300 Shinto shrines. Most Japanese believe in both. Shinto believe in nature and ancestors. The Kiyomizu-dara temple area has both. The key feature was three streams of water: one to become healthier, one to become wiser, and the last to be wealthier. The orange and green buildings have cypress roofs, most of which were being restored. In the distance was a pagoda for easier birth. The Shinto shrine was dedicated to finding your true love. The crowds started arriving as we left, many dressed in kimonos.

The 3 streams at Kiyomizu-dara Temple

We then headed to Mishiki Market street, filled with food and eating places as well as a few tourist shops. Lunch on this tour was traditional Japanese, lots of various types of fish and vegetables with misu soup and hot tofu. For the most part we had no idea of what we were eating, many were gelatinous in texture and virtually tasteless.

The golden palace

After lunch we visited the Kinkaku-ji, the golden palace, a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha. This was the former villa of a Shogun in the 14^th century. After his death the villa became a Buddhist temple. The villa is covered with gold foil and reflects nicely in the water from the surrounding gardens. While it is Saturday, we were amazed by how crowded this tourist attraction was in the middle of winter.

With the komono-clad crowds

Our final stop was Nijo castle, built in 1603, built by a Shogun and used as his residence when he was in the imperial city. This castle was where treaties were signed in 1867 opening Japan to the Western world. We only toured the rooms of the palace, which are covered with paintings from 1624 to 1644. The paintings are covered with tigers, trees, flowers, and birds. The audience room of the Shogun was particularly impressive, meant to show his power. The wooden floors are called nightingale floors because of the sound we make as we walk upon them. They were designed to catch possible assassins approaching the Shogun. The castle was very crowded and it was difficult to hear our soft spoken guide.

Niji Castle paintings

Taipei, Taiwan

Our first visit to Taiwan, population 23 million. This a subtropical area with the Tropic of Cancer cutting through the island. It seldom drops below 50 degrees. Seventy percent of the land is steep hills, not suitable for farming. But for most of its 500 years of habitation it has been a farming nation. The island was known as Formosa by Westerners, meaning Beautiful. In 1895, Japan took over the island from China. Meanwhile Sun Yat Son established the Republic of China. Chiang Kai Chek was his general who defeated the local warlords in 1916. Japan invaded China in 1931. Chiang Kai Shek enlisted the US and Britain as allies against the Japanese. Our first stop was the martyr's shrine for the changing of the guard. It is dedicated to many who lost their lives in the Sino-Japanese and Chinese civil war. 

Ivory Ball

After WW II Mao Tse Tung defeated Chiang Kai Shek who took his army to Taiwan, bringing the Chinese Emperor’s collection of art and artifacts to the island. This formed the contents of the National Palace Museum, our first stop on tour. Today Taiwan is in an ambiguous position. Most of the world recognizes the One China policy, yet the US and other countries would oppose taking Taiwan by force. Taiwan is careful not to antagonize China by declaring independence.

Our guide showed us a number of must see items in the museum. The most unique was an ivory ball carved into 18 layers. We saw one of the earliest examples of Ru Ware, 21 of the known 80 pieces are in the collection of the museum. We saw lots of Jade carvings and bronze pieces. The most popular Jade item is the Jadeite Cabbage. One of the bronze cooking vessels was from 1300 BC. We had a brief lesson on Chinese characters. He explained how the characters started as pictures of items. For example, the representation of earth and sky, with a vertical line between them creates the character for King. A child with an elementary education knows about 2000 characters, and a college graduate 5000.

Jadeite Cabbage

Our lunch was a buffet at the Grand Hotel, the first 5 star hotel on the island. The hotel is a beautiful red building with a view above the river. The buffet was an all you can eat with numerous Japanese, Chinese, and Western offerings. Absolutely fabulous!

Baoan Temple

Next stop was the Baoan Buddhist temple where people were burning fake money to help their ancestors. We entered on the dragon side. The dragon is a composite of seven animals: dragon with fish scales, a snake like body, antlers, etc. We were taught how to ask a question of buddha by drawing a number stick and then casting stones to get a yes or no answer. Then the numbered stick you had chosen would indicate which set of poetic characters would provide further details on your question (somewhat ambiguously).

Across the street was a Confucian Temple. Around the temple where figures teaching Confucian sayings.

At Chian Kai Chek Memorial

Our last major stop was the Chiang Kai Chek memorial. A huge complex with a statue of him in the upper chamber. Below were photographs and exhibits about his life. Most impressive was the story of his last wife. She refused to marry him until he divorced his current wife, agreed to have no more wives, and supported her Christianity. She was Western educated and served as his interpreter including his meeting with Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II.

That night on the ship we were entertained by a local group that performed traditional Chinese dance and played a large string instrument like a dulcimer. 

Hong Kong

We’ve been to Hong Kong before and enjoyed walking the Ladies Market, Stanley's Market, Victoria Peak, and the light show at night. Mary isn't feeling very well, so we decided not to go into town on Sunday. There have been protests here for more than 7 months, initially against a law allowing people to be extradited to China and now for something closer to a democracy. We were told to avoid wearing black or white, the protest colors, and to stay away from government buildings. No one encountered the protests. The news is also talking about a new virus that seems to be occurring in Wuhan, China.

Hong Kong is primarily Buddhist, followed by Catholic and Christian. Education is free through high school and mandatory for 12 years. University costs about $1000/mo. Kindergarten is subsidized for 2 years. 95% of the population uses the government health care system, which costs $20 copays for a doctor visit and $20/day for a hospital stay. 5% of your pay goes into your retirement plan (the employer pays another 5% too). Income tax is a flat 6.5% of your salary. But the government makes most of their income from a 0.3% transaction fee on stock trades since the Hong Kong market is the third largest stock market in the world. In addition they have a 0.5% real estate transaction fee. Only 1 in 10 people have a car because parking is so expensive, averaging $600/mo. Housing costs are about 40% of your salary, unless you qualify for subsidized housing. Unemployment is 2.9%. A key value here is “Follow the System”, evidenced in the queues waiting for the buses.

Hong Kong Harbor at night

Today I took a tour to Lantau Island. Of the 8 million people in Hong Kong, only 400,000 live on Lantau Island, even though it is almost half of the land area. There are strict environmental laws preserving this island as mostly forested mountains. For example only 50 cars a day are permitted to enter the remote parts of the island and we had to transfer buses to use a more environmentally friendly bus on the island.

Tai O village

Our first stop was Chong Sa Beach, meaning “long sand”, the longest beach in Hong Kong. Then onto Tai O fishing village. Here we saw lots of dried fish, especially dried fish bladders. Next to our bus we came upon a temporary building to be used for the Chinese Opera during the upcoming New Year’s celebration. Strolling the streets we visited the Kwan Tai Temple used for to pray for good fishing.

Giant Buddha

From the fishing village we climbed the mountainside to the Po-Lin monastery and the Giant Buddha, the largest sitting Buddha in the world. Built between 1993 and 1996 out of 1300 copper pieces. The face of 4 pieces had to be transferred by truck because of the weight. They couldn't make all the sharp corners so a crane would transfer the piece between trucks at the corners. We had a vegetarian lunch and then visited a recreated village loaded with shops and restaurants. This entire site seems to have been created to attract tourists.

Po-Ling Monastery

Our local entertainment that night was Cy Leo, a world class harmonica player. He was accompanied with a superb pianist, bass guitar, and drummer. A number of his original compositions were about the protests in Hong Kong including “Angel’s and Devils".

Hué, Vietnam

Entrance to the Forbidden City

Vietnam means people of the South. There are 54 minority groups within the country. Hué was the capital between 1802 and 1945. We visited the Citadel built between 1802 and 1832. The thirteen kings of the Nguyen dynasty resided here. The citadel is surrounded by a moat and has three separate battlements leading in to the forbidden city where the emperor lived with his wives and concubines. Unfortunately 70% of the city was destroyed in 1947 and 1968 wars. The palace was built according to Feng Shui with a balance between water, winds and the mountains. After passing through the main gate, we came to the Harmony Palace or audience room. The red and yellow colors of royalty abounded. Throughout the grounds were brass urns commemorating victories as well as serving as a source of water in case of fire. Throughout are figures of dragons, symbolizing the power of the king. 

Dragons on the roof

We then headed to the Thien Mu Pagoda built in 1601. It is seven stories high, representing the seven steps of Buddha's enlightment. On one side was a turtle bearing a plaque and on the other, a huge bell with a water monster on top. In the back was a monastery with the tomb of the monk who built the pagoda.

Thein Mu Pagoda

We took a dragon boat across the river to have a delicious lunch and then had a short excursion down the river. We stopped briefly in an incense village where they also make the conical hats.

Minh Mang Tomb

Our final stop was the Minh Mang Tomb built in 1843 for the second emperor. He had 500 wives, 700 concubines, and 140 children. The area is shaped like a human body with major buildings at the belly, chest, and head. Then it uses water features for the arms and legs. This is considered the most majestic of the Nguyen dynasties. 

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Hung Chung Promitory, Nha Trang

Nha Trang is a city of 500K people and lots of tourists, mostly from Russia and China. It is well known for its beaches as well as a theme park that is reached by cable car across the bay. This was the center of the Champa Kingdom from the 2^nd century until its demise by the Vietnamese a 1000 years later. Vietnam was independent from this time until 1820 when the French created Indochina. On September 2^nd 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared independence and defeated the French in 1954, when Vietnam was split into North and South Vietnam.

Worshiping at Long Son Pagoda

We visited the Long Son Pagoda, where people were worshiping. Our first major stop was the Ponagar Cham Towers, built to the goddess of the Cham people between the 7^th and 12^th centuries. On top, four temples remain of the six original. The structure is built above the Cai river. 

Ponagar Cham Towers

Of course we visited a local market and enjoyed our $1 beer and finished with a visit to an silk embroidery shop. 

Hand embroidery

Phu My, Vietnam

Vietnam has 97 Million people. 55 percent are Buddhist, 40 % Christian, but most people honor their ancestors regardless of religion. Sixty five percent live in the country, Vietnam is a major exporter of rice,  primarily from the Mekong delta. Yet 70% of the country is mountainous. In 1986, they began a market economy, which has taken off since the American embargo ended in the mid 90s, encouraging foreign investment. In 1999 Vietnam had the 142^nd largest economy, today it is 42^nd. Unemployment is only 1.5%, with an average salary of $800/mo. Most people have some sort of business besides their job.

Long Phuoc Tunnels

Most of the people used this port to tour Ho Chi Min City, Saigon. We already have done that tour on a previous trip, so we decided to visit locally. The area is known for farming cashews, peanuts, and black pepper. We visited the Long Phuoc Tunnels which are a kilometer in length used to hide the Vietnam National Liberation Army, the Viet Cong. We explored about 100 meters, a narrow tunnel in the clay soil. Not much to see except for the bats as we stopped through the tunnel. Nearby is the War Temple to commemorate the war dead from the Vietnam war and Cambodian War.

Long Tan Memorial

Our other major stop was the Long Tan Memorial, a 1966 battle of Australian troops. We laid flowers and lit incense sticks for these men. While this used to be jungle, today the memorial is in the middle of a banana plantation and rubber plantation. Nearby we saw the hill that the Australians defended, now sitting above a gravel pit. The former airstrip is now a highway. We finished off our tour visiting a market square and a supermarket.

Fruits at the Market

I would not recommend this tour, probably the most boring tour we've taken. Everywhere we went there were motorbikes, the common mode of transportation. There are 45 M motorbikes for 90 M people. They cost between $500 and $3000. Most people, especially women wore face masks because of the pollution.

Motorbike loaded with cargo

Singapore

If you prefer a video of this trip, it is available on youtube.

We started this trip with our longest flight ever, San Francisco to Singapore, at 17 1/2 hour flight. We arrived at 8 AM in Singapore. We had requested wheel chair service, which was fortunate. Our aide wheeled Mary all the way to the Crowne Plaza at the airport and when the desk saw her in a wheelchair, they found a room for us right away! We now have an understanding why the Singapore airport is rated #1 in the world.

Since we have been to Singapore before, we only came in one night early, in case of flight delays. Based on our previous visit, we would highly recommend the botanical gardens and the night zoo. We decided to stay close and just visit the Jewell, a shopping center with a waterfall down its center, hiking trails among lush vegetation on the side and interesting activities in canopy park. The shopping center has a huge range of restaurants. The hiking trails are up and down the 5 story structure zig-zagging through the trees, flowers, and bushes that line the sides. But the highlight is the waterfall that comes down from the ceiling and loses itself in the floor of the building. The canopy park has a number of attractions like a topiary walk and sky nets for walking or bouncing. I really enjoyed the mirror maze - it's an adventure to find your way out. You're given a plastic bat to determine what is a mirror and what is a passage, otherwise you'd be continually crashing into mirrors.

The Mirror Maze