Thursday, March 12, 2015

Day 25 ~ Kimonos and Mt. Fuji!

Oh my, I've been exploring the room and there are Kimono's! And, a mat for the floor (traditional Japanese sleeping arrangement), a nail dryer in the closet (think dressing room), a slick valet box for deliveries (newspaper, awaits us now). The shades in the room drop to the floor with a push of a button, and the drapes open with another. This is the most high tech room I've ever seen. There is a command center next to the bed that controls the temperature, phone, lighting for the entire room or "mood lighting" (think dimmer), the TV, clock & alarm, and a satellite phone for the room as well! And, there are phones everywhere, even in John's beloved toilet area! The 60" TV, a  is an entire AV system, with slots for a memory card; CFI/II, SM/xD, MS/PRO, SD/MMC, a VGA input and both audio and video plugs... plus the CD player... also a fax and copy machine hidden next to the desk.  I'm figuring we would much run the world from here. The room is a technological wonder!

7:15 update... well we did it! John got directions on just how to get to Mt. Fuji, and after grabbing maps, and a few written directions, we were off! First step is a cab from the hotel to Tokyo Central Station to purchase a ticket on the Bullet Train. That took some maneuvering, but I'm fine asking questions, so we hopped into the information center and booked our Green, reserved seats from Tokyo Central to Odawara Station.
Each train car section (18 in all) has a team of
pink clad cleaners for every major stop.
The Bullet Train was fantastic! Immaculately clean, in fact there are legions of women in pink that board the train after the last person has exited in Tokyo, and they clean, and clean, and then they change the head rests! Our 40 minutes wizzing by, literally, as we were going about 230+ mph. We did have a slow start as we had a couple of stops before we hit our stride, but it was a quick enjoyable trip. Arrived at Odawara and had been advised that we needed to go to track 11 for our next segment, Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto, four stops, about 30 minutes, which is the end of the line. Change again to track #3, and the Hokone Tozan train; new tickets and to continue up to Gora for Mt. Fuji.  Hokone Tozan took forever... and had two switchbacks where the train had to reverse directions. By the time we boarded we'd gone from lovely big seats with footrests and fresh headrests to bench seats, if available on the overcrowded train. I think it was 3 or 4 stops before I got a seat (about 30 minutes), and we continued up and up for about an hour total to Gora. Ok, here's Nirvana! Mt. Fuji has got to be just around the corner... but no, not really...next was a cable car with 4 stops to Sounzan - again over crowded, but standing gave you a better view. Finally to Sounzan, but not the first glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Now I'm into it, I'm not going to quit! Next is the Hakone Ropeway (gondolas), so up we go... by this time you've been led on with the promise of views since Honoke, so you're thinking shell game. But continue we did... up the Ropeway, over the hot springs and up to the top of the hill, and suddenly there it is!
Mt. Fuji!
The view takes your breath away - it's magnificent. AND it's a clear enough day that we have some stunning pictures. We quit at the Ubako station. JM looked for a better vantage point, but there was none. And by now it was about 4:15 so time for a U-turn and back down the mountain and reverse the order from uncomfortable to comfortable and we made it back to the hotel by about 7:20. Made reservations at Peter's on the 26th floor for dinner, but first a nice glass of Japanese Yamazaki single malt Scotch, and a quick catch up with you all! The way I figure it, the 5 good photos cost us about $300 in train tickets and 6 hours... all worth it! We've been to Mt. Fuji!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Day 24 ~ Disembark Tokyo

Grim morning. Last morning is never my favorite on any cruise, but this is the longest we've taken and it was particularly hard saying good by to the staff and crew that we'd lived with and enjoyed for the past 18 days. The ship was wonderful, but the "software" far exceeded the hardware. The crew made our cruise so very special; from Megi our sommelier who always knew the correct bottle to open for dinner, and to serve a Bellini and Macallan single malt Scotch, double, no ice, no water in Horizons before dinner. Umberto the Dining room Manager in La Veranda and the Pool Grill who always loved to chat with Mr. Macchi from Samarate as he was from Milano; he even helped me log into the port WiFi this morning. Catlin the manager of Sette Mare that made reservations, when none were to be had. Veronica always the busiest person in La Veranda in the morning, Sylvester in Signatures who made sure that our 7pm reservations were moved to 8pm on the last night with our late shore excursion and Antonio who oversaw the entire dining staff and presented my incredible, beautifully wrapped, surprise birthday gift from my husband as dessert! I will have such fond memories of everyone; they took the trip from nice to extraordinary.

I'm taking a very close look at the Oct 31, Istanbul to Dubai and I would hope a number of  the same crew would still be onboard; but for that to happen, they would have to renew contracts and be assigned to the same ship. But oh, how I'd love to do it all again!

After our "last breakfast", farewell to a number of new friends, including Jose and Margie Portera that salvaged our tickets, we had one last visit to the cabin to empty the safe, close up our carry ons and catch the elevator from deck 10 to deck 5 and exit the ship; key card one last time, as we're deleted from the system! Actually, this usually hectic procedure was easy peasy... small ship advantage. We were on the gangway in less than 3 minutes! And, Fernando helped us off the ship with our luggage... looks EXACTLY like Yul Brenner! EXACTLY!

Claimed our luggage, all 5 bags and made our way thru Customs. Again, easy peasy. No hassles, a customs form that includes what we'd purchased duty free the prior day, and that's it! Now we have "left the building" but our "Luggage Free" person is nowhere in site, no sign, no person, nada... I'm nervous. We're planning on shipping 3 bags... chocked full bags... overweight coming at you like a freight train... not good. We called (or tried, the dialing system from Japan to US is goofy - as in dial + (PLUS) then 1 then the number), we texted, we harassed the onboard future sales person, Brian O'Brian, and had the head concierge called to meet us. Well as it turned out, our friend Mary Anne had advised Luggage Free that we should be off by 10am, and we were requested to please be off by 9am... so, alakazam, who should appear at 10am but Luggage Free! Yay! There's nothing like Luggage Free! All is good, all is well, we're on our way to the Peninsula Hotel.

Door maid at The Peninsula hotel- Toyko
Oh my, I was so crushed to leave the ship, gracious, to have them go on without me was unthinkable this morning, but after arriving at the hotel... I think I've died and gone to heaven! It was a half hour before our room was ready, but well worth the wait - We overlook the Royal Palace, and have a vista that includes the Sky Tower... wow! but wait, our closet is as big as all outdoors and the bathroom? The bathroom is a work of art! John is ready to take the toilet home... he's even sent pictures to family and friends! Automatic, heated toilet seat rises as you enter the bathroom. Computerized buttons do everything but comb your hair... need I say more?

After we got organized, we headed for Ginza again... Yes!!!! First stop Mikimoto; third floor, and suddenly there they were... way beyond my reach but oh my, orgasmic! Pure white, opera length, magnificent. I'm lost!
The pears were a bit over her budget!!

Ok, next to Hermes for a scarf, and then back to Mitsukoshi for a late sushi lunch on the 11th floor... after lunch, we treated ourselves on the the 8th with a gorgeously sharp slicing knife and two more gifts for friends. I knew John was "shopped out", so back to the hotel. A visit to the concierge for information on the Bullet Train to Mt. Fuji for tomorrow! Life is good.

Signing off for now!

Addendum Mar 11. Dinner at the hotel's Chinese Restaurant - we're definitely not in Kansas anymore! But still delicious! We found Singapore noodles and had to try them. Desert for me was a ginger soup with two peanut butter filled dumplings; believe it or not, absolutely delicious. Ready for bed, but I'm worried, John is talking to the toilet now... seems he's in love.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Day 23 ~ Morning at sea, 2:30 pm arrival in Tokyo

Frantic morning making sure we had packing pretty well done. Of course, we have WAY too many clothes and WAY, WAY too many suitcases! Luggage Free to the rescue! Important advisory... when there are so many ports, only 3 sea days, and particularly when the shore excursions get back after 6 or 7 pm, it's gonna be "Elegant Casual", read casual Eurotrash... every thing goes with the exception of jeans and shorts. (this trip was too cold for shorts anyway). I was prepared for the Regent I know, very dressy most evenings, interspersed with a smattering of formal nights... not so fast there girl! So I had a few things that never saw the light of the dining room! Regardless, I'd rather overdress than underdress! Formal nights I saw open collared shirts with slacks for men, and a variety of whatever for the women. We had one last shore excursion and this one I wasn't going to miss. It was "Shopping: Traditional and Modern. Made for Patti, right? Well, the traditional shopping was at the Veno Street Market close to a beautiful Japanese Temple. As we arrived, we were closest to the Temple and I was delighted to find a number of Japanese women in traditional dress walking the Temple grounds. The shopping street, pedestrian and all small shops and stalls, were directly below the temple, so after some quick photos of another Temple, we headed into the fray... GREAT shopping. Found some wonderful gifts, traditionally Japanese, and was even prepared with my Yorkie shopping bag. Perfect for my Japanese treasures.
Patti bought another fan.
After 1 hr + at the market, we boarded the bus and headed for the Ginza district. Oh my! I'm in such trouble... the most expensive shopping in the world! European brands, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Harry Winston, Mikimoto... and on and on and on... Gracious, how delicious! We actually spend time in the Mitssukoshi department store and were enchanted. Our guide mentioned that the 8th floor had many traditional gifts, so there we were. Can't tell you as it will give away too many gifts... but needless to say, we had a grand time exploring.

Sad to return to the ship for one last time, but had time for a quick Bellini and Scotch before a farewell dinner in Signatures. My last foie gras for while! Back to the cabin for a last minute "throw stuff into the suitcase" moment before we put them out into the hall... John gave me a countdown: Big Blue Mr suitcase in the hall, Big Blue Mrs suitcase in the hall, Orange suitcase into the hall (the one that was purchased in Shanghai), little blue suitcase into the hall, and finally big pink suitcase into the hall! Now that's scary! 5 suitcases? Oh my, as mentioned, WAY too much stuff! Never again! (until next time)!

Monday, March 9, 2015

Day 22 ~ Kobe Day 2

More preparation for our trip home. We're trying to make sure we have manifests for the "LUGGAGE FREE" suitcases and have our fingers crossed that it will all work out just as advised; Luggage Free will have a representative waiting on the far side of Customs and collect three, (oops, one more than they expect) suitcases and we'll head out with our two, plus carry-ons.

I hate the last few days of a cruise. You long to stay on, stay put and continue this magical life, but reality creeps in and you know you have to get on with the preparations to get off the ship and move on... I'm thinking the 21night Istanbul to Dubai in late October sounds pretty good. Great ports of call and many Middle Eastern countries, cities we haven't seen, that could be us!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Day 21 ~ Kyoto, Japan

We don't arrive until 2:30pm, and I've gotten into the routine of a late arrival... a little breakfast, a little lunch before dashing off the ship for our next adventure! A quick 10 minute shuttle bus ride from the ship to the shopping center in town, Kobe Motomachi. Absolutely fantastic! Hundreds of shops and a department store or two; Kimono stores with beautiful fabric, clothing stores, coffee houses, bakeries, candy stores, shoe stores, jewelry stores, sushi restaurants, Kobe beef restaurants, tea rooms. It was filled with Japanese families enjoying a leisurely stroll on a Sunday afternoon. I have discovered that American products and styles are sought after and of course are sold at a premium. So you have to hunt for Japanese products. There are lots of foodstuffs, but not knowing what the majority are, I'm not about to purchase any and take them home... one thing I found was a lovely pair of Akoya pearl earrings, nothing extravagant, but very nice after initially seeing them in a shop called GSTV. They list two prices in official Duty Free shops the lower of the two being the duty free cost and all that's required to obtain the lower price is your passport. Well, once we decided to purchase the earrings, the paperwork started! Oh, first, tea was served then the paperwork started. First the credit card of course, then a form in triplicate for the duty free status that included the price, item, item number, store, address, my passport number, the ship information, when I entered Japan, when I was leaving, home address and signature!  But wait, there's more! Then the earrings had to be wrapped, a copy the the Duty Free form had to be scotch taped into my passport, then officially stamped, twice! And, 25 minutes later we were out the door and making our way back to the shuttle stop.

Lovely dinner at Prime 7, the voyager's specialty restaurant with Foie Gras and lobster tails... two as a matter of fact! Yum!

With only a few days remaining in the cruise, our thoughts are turning toward home, I spent time starting to pack this afternoon. Boo! I'm almost ready to be home, but I will certainly miss the service. I'll have to go back to making my own bed, cooking meals, and forgoing the nightly champagne and in cabin Single Malt. Drat. The journey back to reality is on the horizon. A couple of days in Tokyo will be another adventure and staying at the Peninsula will soften the blow, but mentally we've started home.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Day 20 ~ Kagoshima, Japan

All internet gone on the ship, as of midnight last night. Sorry, I was doing something else at midnight other than worrying about my connection. JM sleeping late, so I was up and out about the ship. Our first port in Japan required a "Face to Face Immigration Inspection" for all guests. We had Japanese Immigration Cards & Customs Declarations; in addition they zapped us all with a heat sensor (making sure we didn't have fevers), fingerprinted us and inspected our passports. We have our passports back now and are required to carry them ashore. I have some neat stamps! We took the shuttle into Kagoshima and wandered aimlessly about hunting for a bank, so at least we'd have a bit of running around money, but gave up and returned to the shuttle pick up point... oops, Saturday no banks are open, and oops, oops, 7-11 has the best "banks" around, offering an international ATM... good knowledge to have in Asia. So back to the ship with some "walking around money". Also, China and Japan are huge on surveys... you get the impression that if the guide doesn't get high marks, or you aren't satisfied with the shuttle service, heads will roll! Great fresh burgers being grilled and served up on the pool deck, along with various other goodies, including pistachio/almond gelato! Yum... a few minutes of peace and quite before this afternoon's "Artful Travelers" called "Toasting Tinseltown" with author Mark Bailey. He read various stories from his acclaimed book "Of all the Gin Joints" Stumbling Through Hollywood History as we sampled four of the cocktails of the stars featured in his book; Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall's Bourbon Milk Punch (Bourbon, Half &  Half, Vanilla Extract, Confectioners' Sugar, Grated Nutmeg) ; Brown Derby Cocktail (Bourbon, Grapefruit juice & Honey); John Wayne's Margarita (lime wedge, coarse salt, tequila, cointreau, fresh lime juice)  - the tastiest of the bunch; and Moscow Mule (Vodka, Lime, Ginger Beer)... what a pleasant way to wile away an afternoon!

"Artful Traveler" has announced the next Regent cruise; 21 night Istanbul to Dubai through the Suez Canal. Ports include Kavala, Ephesus, Jerusalem, Petra, Luxor, Safaga, Muscat, Abu Dhabi & Dubai. The program is being developed, but I can highly recommend any "Artful Traveler" departure. This trip, they have been a wonderful, unexpected enhancement to our cruise.



Friday, March 6, 2015

Day 19 ~ En Route to Kagoshima, Japan

Rough seas last night and through today. Lazy day that started about 11 am with a latte and banana bread to hold us over till lunch. The screening of "Last Days of Vietnam" in the theater followed by Q&A with Rory Kennedy & Mark Bailey brought back such painful memories of friends lost. It was magnificently done. It will be aired on PBS in April, and I suggest if you have any interest or involvement in Vietnam, find when it will be broadcast locally and don't miss it.

Caviar Bar tonight! I'm there! We've been advised that we're losing internet tonight about midnight once we enter Japanese waters... so you may not hear from me until  we're at the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo on the 11th.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Day 18 ~ Keelung (Taipai)

Rough morning at sea, but arrive into Keelung and looking forward to the "Tea at the Chiufen Village". We were really looking forward to this excursion but had perhaps misread the description as it was nothing that we expected. First, from the moment we went through ship security, and stepped outside, it was raining - rather nasty actually. I should have turned around right then and asked for an umbrella (they have a big barrel of them for guests at the point of disembarkation) AND, since I'd just changed bags, I hadn't added mine... drat! Good news is that I had on my raincoat, with a hood and my pink Boston Red Sox hat... and both were needed, it was somewhat raw, chilly and wet all day.

The drive to Chiufen took about an hour, thru picturesque countryside, or would have been picturesque if we could have seen it, but we did catch glimpses thru the mist. Up into the mountains, with our guide happily disgorging all the statistics imaginable regarding Taiwan; population, GDP, housing, lifestyles... and of course, the delightful story of Chiufen Village; Chiufen means 9 portions in Chinese.  Under Japanese occupation, Gold was discovered in Chiufen and the village went from 9 families to over 2000. We passed a "silent city" with monuments raised to the dead which was fascinating and beautiful, a number of temples colorfully painted and be-dragoned with the distinctive, now recognizable, orange tiled roof, and in the countryside, quite poor looking areas.

We arrived and were lectured on NOT stopping for shopping on the way to the tea house. There would be plenty of time to explore, saunter and wander about after tea - little did we know!

Taiwanese tea ceremony
It was a wet, drippy walk down a narrow, sometimes steep walkway about 4 people wide. The little shops and flashy stores chocked full of tempting wares lined the way to the tea shop. I'd share a picture of the tea house with you as we were all given post cards, but I can't find any semblance in the postcard to the reality. We'd been climbing & descending steps for well over 10 minutes when we arrived at the Tea Room - somehow we had expected tea in a private home - and the group of us continued up the stairs...  three levels, before we were shown into a large room with 5 tables for 8, the guide bustling about, the servers making sure we didn't sit on the silk chair covers with anything wet, distributing sealed packets of damp, cleaning tissues, for our hands - now I'm not germaphopic , but with all the buses we'd been on, and the dirty handles behind each seat, I made sure I had some antiseptic wipes with me, and used them often -  so I didn't hesitate to use this little cloth to  "wash" my hands and follow suit when the waitress tossed hers into a bowl in the center of the table. Come to find out, it was to act as your napkin... jumped the gun again! JM took photos of each stage of the ceremony, the large pot holding a wicked kerosene lamp, over that sat a large kettle of hot water, that  quickly came to a boil, the waitress had loose, dried tea in to a small tea pot, followed by the boiling water. There were 8 saucers, 8 tiny teacups and 8 what looked like sake glasses, made from ceramic. Almost immediately after the hot water was pored over the lose tea leaves the waitress poured the tea into the "sake glasses" and inverted the tea cup over each "glass" and turned over the entire cup. You were to lift the sake glass, so the tea emptied into the tea cup and enjoy the scent of the tea left in the empty glass before you began to drink any tea. We were drinking Oolong Green tea picked from the mountains, and I was fascinated to see that the small teapot that she had poured no more than a teaspoon of loose, dried tea, was now filling the pot with whole tea leaves. The waitress brought eight green bean curd cakes, picked plums, black and white sesame wafers, and gelatin squares dusted with peanut powder (kind of like eating a funny tasting jellyfish)  all very traditional with tea. We were advised to sip the green tea like red wine (a stretch) and savor each sip. I'm sure we were all abject failures when it came to the Chinese Tea Ceremony. We ate way to fast, drank way to fast and those who wanted, had the left overs of those that didn't. We were advised to meet at the 7-11 at 5:15 pm and our guide after a careful  count, would call for the bus... there were those that would have preferred to return to the bus right away and take a nap, but we were told that the bus was parked a distance away and would be available at 5:15. We had two hours to wile away in the rain, checking out the "Taiwanese treasures" in the market place. Now to their credit, much of the market was covered by various jury-rigged tarps, to give you the illusion of being covered, but occasionally one big drip, or perhaps two would make it's way down the back of your jacket or coat, so that you were pretty much damp and miserable within 15 minutes. We sauntered thru the market, making our way toward 7-11 making a few purchases, a bag tag for our new bag, Hello Kitty bag tag and playing cards for a gift, and a "Diamond Block" Yoda for a grandson. With a lot of food stands, containing mostly unrecognizable foods, and a slow paced ascent to 7-11, we were still over an hour early for the bus. Not a happy situation in the rain!
Wow! Assorted whisky with Shots of B-52's
and Tequila Sunrise...all at a 7-Eleven!!
We next assaulted 7-11 and found some very interesting food options. I could have purchased assorted bottles of whiskey,  packaged shots of of B-52's or Tequila Sunrise, beer, or Starbucks in bottles. I opted for the Starbucks Latte and a big bag of "Black Imperial Peanuts". John and I, after 20 minutes or so of standing inside and then outside of 7-11, moved to a covered pavilion across the street. There were two dry spots on a wooden bench where we made ourselves at home, opened the bag of peanuts and enjoyed our rainy picnic.

5:15 arrived none too soon. And we were on our way down the mountain, grumbling all the way. Back to the ship and really ready for a warm sweater and champagne.

A lovely evening at the Italian Restaurant, Sette Mare, for great Osso Buco and red wine!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Day 17 ~ Kaohsiung

Happy Birthday Jimmy Murphy! We'd opted for "A Glimpse of Kaohsiung"  featuring visits to the Chijing Old Street, with it's hundreds of shops, sounds and smells - Ice cream, dried fish, fresh fish, shrimp & crabs swimming in tanks and the Tianhou Temple - the oldest temple in Kaohsiung.

Our next stop was the Spring and Autumn Pagodas built on piers that extend on to Lotus Pond, with a zig zag bridge approach since the evil spirits cannot turn corners and follow you in. Dragon entrance gives you good luck and Tiger exit absorbs any concerns or problems. Lotus Pond is a beautifully picturesque location surrounded by more than 20 historic temples and pagodas. One more stop, the Confucius Temple. And, we're officially Templed out!

Back to the ship and champagne. Celebrating Jimmy's birthday with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday! Life is good!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Day 16 ~ Hong Kong Day 2

Believe it or not, I'm shopped out for a while! We considered trekking downtown for an adventure, but with a lovely mall in the terminal, we opted for a walk around to see what there was to see. Nothing extraordinary, but the shopping was duty free, so of course we were able to find a bargain. Back to the ship after a quick shop and spent time catching up...

Rory Kennedy, the independent documentary filmmaker boarded in Hong Kong with her family, and John, along with our friends from Boston are very excited about meeting her. She spoke this afternoon, talked about how she started in filmmaking, and shared clips from three of her films. Ethel, a lovely profile of her mother thru her siblings eyes and family films; American Hollow, about women's abuse in Appalachia; and Pandemic: facing AIDS. All very compelling stories, but Ethel is so poignant. Ethel was pregnant with Rory when RFK was assassinated, so she never knew her father. The clips and stories show a wonderfully caring, engaged family that has been charged with giving back to society and the world.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the reception for her, and all of the Artful Traveler speakers and had the chance to meet her. That was a treat and an honor!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Day 15 ~ Hong Kong!

Officially Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region). Margaret Thatcher struck an agreement before handing over Hong Kong to the Chinese that it would continue with it's present type of government for 50 years. Our guide made it clear that they were not a part of China!

Ever since Daddy, as the briefing officer for General Engelito, stopped in Hong Kong, on their around the world trip in 1957, he came home with untold treasures and stories of wonderful street markets, I've wanted to go to Hong Kong. I am finally here! I was forgoing shopping for an "Hong Kong Orientation" tour, I loved it! Another cloudy, misty day, but I'd rather have it a bit cool rather than too hot, after all, I have sweaters (and more sweaters, and more sweaters!). The tour was fantastic, 5 hour overview with a visit to Victoria Peak on the tram, drive by Repulse Bay, and then to Aberdeen for a Sampan boat ride around the bay. Oh, oh, then to a Gem factory for some high powered shopping! Loved the trip on The Peak Tram; built in 1888, operating well over 100 years - it's an alarmingly steep (27 degree incline!) 10 minute ride... the high rises you trundle past  actually look like they are tilting! Our guide, Roselita, said there are only a few days that are clear, just after it rains; I can only imagine the photographers rushing out and taking the classic photos we see of Hong Kong... Sky scrapers & high rises in brilliant colors at night, views of both the harbor and Aberdeen, but even shrouded in the clouds and smoggy haze still made for an amazing panorama. There is a mall at the Peak, and a few minutes of browsing shows no bargains. Bus ride down the Peak, the most desirable place to live, was delightful, with addresses such as 39 Old Peak Road, gated homes and glimpses of how the rich live.  Repulse Bay was a photo stop, but the Sampans were an incredible experience... perhaps a bit touristy, but such fun... little Sampans, seating about 10 people, decorated with flowers, pictures and red lanterns, little, old Chinese lady steering us around the Aberdeen harbor, past the fishing boats, around the famous houseboats and water market, around the corner, and there it was! Jumbo! One of the iconic restaurants of Hong Kong! All decorated, lit up and looking just like the photos I've seen forever - and it's just as big as it looks! There are only about 100 of the houseboats remaining, and the water market is pretty much non-existent ever since the SAR began requiring the children to go to school on land. As the children grew up, they became more land based and more educated, the water market began to dissolve until today there are a smattering remaining.

Oh my, on to the gem factory outlet Hong Kong Jewellery (HKJ) with a 24 hour hotline... Oh my, oh my... Well of course I found a little bauble, ok a big bauble that I'll treasure and tuck away as a special memory of Hong Kong.

Shopping is tiring; time for some Champagne, a quite corner and visit with friends.
P.S. Hong Kong boasts more Rolls Royce cars per person than any other city in the world!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Day 14 ~ Xiamen Day 2

JM pulled a muscle in his foot yesterday and was quite uncomfortable walking today - so we cancelled the "Day in Quanzhou a 7 hour tour. As lovely as it sounded - Sprawling Buddhist Temple, impressive maritime museum, Kaiyuan Temple's 100 pillars, two pagodas, stunning hall and inscribed temple walls going back to the Song Dynasty - I wasn't overly disappointed. John sucked it up, took two Tylenol and we snuck off the ship, took the shuttle to the pedestrian shopping street, Zhongshan. As advertised, hundreds of shopping malls and little individual shops and great bargains! Actually, I found some incredible treasures I haven't seen anywhere else... small pottery balls with two or three faces and red tassels, now safely wrapped and tucked away. No one was happy with MasterCard or AMEX, so John found an ATM and pulled out more Yuan (RMB), more later. We found pearls everywhere, nice shops, stalls, some still in the oyster shells... the shells were about 6"-8" ovals, with multiple golden pearl, up to 15 or 18! You could by them by the unstrung strand, or strung, or loose. Quite fun to see all of the colors - we even saw a shop filled with South Sea Pearls in a rainbow of colors. We picked up more gifts and headed back to the ship. We had just missed the shuttle, so hunted down a taxi, but in the mean time were accosted by a Buddhist monk giving us a "golden Kaiguang Amulet (paper) with "Work Smoothly, Lifetime Peace" with a lotus on one side and the Goddess on the other... then you need to sign your name in the book, mention where you're from, and how much your are going to donate!

All this touring is exhausting! So return to the ship, with our comfortable bathrooms, afternoon tea, and the promise of Caviar with my Champagne this evening. Oh Yay!