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Last day Tokyo/Homeward Bound

All the elevators in Tokyo have a female voice calling out the floors and when the door opens. She sounds just like Minnie Mouse and it sounds like she is calling Mickie. It's hysterical. We had to buy a new suitcase today because ours broke. In fact they both broke but one is hopefully going to make it home.

We went to the major shrine area today and it was fabulous. Lots of interesting things and people. So much to see and discover. We loved it and didn't want to leave. But it was finally time so we found our way to the Narita Express which took some doing navigating that humongous station. We got to this fabulous airport with time to shop and walk about nine miles to the gate. I sure got my steps in for today. We are about to depart.

This was a long trip covering many thousands of miles and several distinct cultures and sub cultures with loads of interesting things to see and do. I think my favorite was Japan. I would have liked to spend more time in Kyoto and I would have loved to stay in a riokan but Jerry was afraid he wouldn't be able to get up off the floor (that's where the beds are ). Oh well, maybe next time.

We are home now and have just completed one entire circumnavigation of the globe! We are so proud that we took everything in stride and didn't kill each other in the process. It was something we have always wanted to do and we've done it!

I will start posting photos shortly.

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Tokyo

So we went out to get our tickets for the airport express train and Jerry got us lost in the Tokyo Station, which is bigger than the Kyoto station. My directional skills got us out. We went to dinner which wound up being a Thai meal. Oh well, rice is rice.

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Back to Tokyo

Did I get a surprise when I sat down on the toilet this morning. It was hot and I jumped ten feet into the air. I guess that is what they do when it gets cold here and cold it certainly is. Anyway, we had a lovely day in Kyoto visit an ancient shrine and temple. There are loads of them here, but as Jerry says, you look at the outside and take pictures, then you take your shoes off and go inside and you can't take pictures so you go outside and put your shoes back on.

We returned to Tokyo just a few minutes ago. It is all lit up and there is Christmas music everywhere as well as people coughing and sneezing all over you. I think that is why they wear the masks. Tomorrow is our last day and we are going to a Shinto shrine that is very famous and where the surrounding area is like ancient Japan. It sounds very interesting. Anyway, we are really sick of malls even though the stuff in them is beautiful. We continue to interact with people and are loving it. We did,however, get lost in the Kyoto train station. It is massive and much bigger than any airport. The train system is phenomenal.

We have a cute room right near the Tokyo Station which is in a cute little neighborhood all decorated for the holidays and loads of people running around. In are room are the usual little gifts and amenities such as the cute little pajamas and slippers and little bags filled with cosmetics for the ladies. This certainly seems to be a prosperous society. Everyone is running around with packages. I do notice that many of the women seem to have osteoporosis. Maybe it's because when they were young children during the war they didn't have enough to eat. Everything went to armaments so I think people lacked the proper nourishment. Many people are bow legged and pigeon toed as well. It's really strange. Some of the teenagers are very tall but most people are quite little. And they all eat like horses. I don't get it. They order bowls of food that look like horse troughs and finish every bit. Yet they are so little. Am I missing something here? Well, we are about to take our evening walk in the freezing cold and get our usual Japanese bowl of soup with who knows what in it. If we both don't get pneumonia it will be a miracle!

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Kyoto

After a really neat ride on the superfast Shinkansen Bullet Train we arrived at the beautiful new Kyoto Central Rail Station. We dumped our bag, got some lunch and started our lightning fast Kyoto sightseeing. We walked around to familiarize ourselves with the area around the hotel and then decided to do the hop on hop off bus. Big mistake. It had no roof and we literally froze our asses off. We had three layers including our warm jackets and that wasn't even close. We were huddled against each other and couldn't wait to get off. I could hardly pay attention. We got hot tea as quick as possible and then did a really cool thing. We went on a night walking tour of the Gion District which is the home of the Geisha. It was just fabulous and we even got to see a few real live Geisha going about their business. What a wonderful treat. The guide was wonderful and she spoke fluent English so we didn't have any trouble understanding her. It was so interesting seeing this sub culture up close and personal after reading about it for years. And we were quite lucky to actually see several of them close up and they did not mind having their photos taken. I was so thrilled. After the tour we had our usual authentic Japanese dinner of soup with noodles and shrimp. We went to a tiny local place where they treated us like family. Our waitress thought she was our mother. After she gave us the loaded plates and bowls she ordered us to dunk the shrimp into the soup and then eat it. She kept coming over to see if we were doing it right. Then she brought us forks. It was so funny.

We decided to take the Metro back to the hotel and wound up somewhere in the suburbs but found our way back with the help of a Metro employee. We will be here one more day and hope to see some more sights before boarding the Sinkansen for the trip back to Tokyo where we will have one more day. I think we are finally getting tired and my eyes are beginning to slant a bit. I love the sights, the people and the food but it is really too cold. I had heard that people here were pushy and rude but that is not true at all. We found everyone very helpful up to the point of going completely out of their way to assist us and lots of people just wanted to talk to us and find out where we were from.

Tonight we have a huge hotel room with a balcony which we wouldn't dare use or we would freeze to death. They have all sorts of interesting amenities in the hotels here. I have yet to figure out what some of them are. They also give you slippers and tiny little pajamas. The toilets all have bidets and the first time I sat down I nearly jumped out of my skin. I really love Kyoto and wish we had more time to visit all the temples and castles. I have done a lot of ready about this period in Japanese history and to actually see these things is outstanding. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for hundreds of years including the Edo period during the height of the Samauri era so there is a wealth of historical buildings and areas to see. What an interesting and fascinating country Japan was back in those days. Photos and words don't do it justice.

One last tidbit: we were picked up by a black cab that looked like a limo but was really just an ordinary old Toyota cab. It was shiny and immaculate and ran like a dream. But the interesting thing was the driver. He wore a black business suit and white gloves! They all do. How very cute.

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To Kyoto

It is astounding that about half the population wear surgical masks in public. It looks like the land of bank robbers!

We just saw Mt Fuji...magnificent. Top covered in snow.

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Dec 7

It is Pearl Harbor Day here in Japan but we see no evidence of recognition on anyone's part. We seem to be the only ones aware of it as yet. It is a gorgeous sunny day and w are on Shinkansen 509 on the way to Kyoto. It's the Bullet Train. We are going through many cities as well as bypassing Mt. Fuji. We plan to get a good look at this Japanese icon.

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Tokyo

We arrived late yesterday due to flight delays because of bad weather. Bumpy all the way. It is winter here. I forgot how much I hate the cold. We dumped our stuff in our tiny little room and went out to explore the area and immediately proceeded to get lost. That's ok because people walk around all night here and it is perfectly safe. So we wandered till we found a good local eatery and had a Japanese meal which was delicious. By the time we found the hotel it was 12:45 in the morning. We crashed in our tiny little bed and slept very well. The staff is extremely helpful and everything is very clean.

This morning we woke up early, anxious to explore Tokyo. We found our new favorite restaurant and had an American breakfast with lots of cappuccino to fend off the cold. Off we went. We are extremely proud of ourselves after having totally mastered the Tokyo metro system without getting lost. It is massive and amazing and we even bought tickets from the machine. We were all over the city. We took three sightseeing busses so as not to miss anything. We saw the Imperial Palace where the Emperor lives. We couldn't go in because he is there with his family. We saw some things we will return to in two days. It is a very big city and, strange as it seems, it is all dolled up for Christmas. There are lights and Christmas music everywhere. The stores are amazing. The Ginza is amazing. We crossed the street without getting killed many times. Contrary to what we were told, it is not an expensive city. We have had no trouble eating delicious meals which were reasonably priced, taken reasonable cab rides and of course used the very inexpensive public transportation system. We are learning a few words and the people are so helpful and polite that they have been going out of their way on many occasions...total strangers in the metro and on the streets. Everything is very clean. People do rush around a lot. They don't stroll. They scamper.

When we arrived at the Ginza we found ourselves in the middle of a peace demonstration. There were literally thousands of peaceful anti-war protesters marching in orderly lines down the Ginza. That street is pretty overwhelming with its sea of humanity and the demonstration made it even more crowded. I don't love crowds and when they are coming at me from all directions I got a little wonky.

So we made it back to the hotel after being out from 7:30 this morning till 8:30 tonight. We are taking the bullet train to Kyoto tomorrow morning for an overnight in that ancient imperial city filled with castles and Geisha. I really wanted to take Geisha lessons but there is not enough time. The makeup alone takes hours. But at least we will see them and learn about them. Fascinating. I can't wait. Very excited.

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Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon we pack up and head for Tokyo and Kyoto. This is the final leg of the journey. I will post many photos in about a week. Due to the enormous amount of photos I take I have to work with my home computer to upload the ones I want but trust me, it will be worth it. I will be looking for a camera in Tokyo since I will be buying a Japanese camera. Otherwise, it will be bought in the US.

I understand it is very cold in Japan so I hope this Southern Old Girl survives.

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Hong Kong Day 3

Today we took the hydrofoil express boat to the island of Macau. It was a former Portugese colony so there is a large Portugese influence in the culture and the architecture. Another part of the picture is that part of the island is filled with Las Vegas casinos. It is crazy. All the staff and guests are Asian. Almost no one speaks English. Then there is the old part of town which is strictly Chinese. So it is a mixture that works well.

We had a great Chinese lunch in a beautiful restaurant where they gave us chopsticks as well as Western utensils. I guess we confused them.

We made it back on the ferry. It was a rough ride and people were throwing up. Then hopped on the local bus and remembered where to get off. I guess we know our way around this town pretty well. We are, however, getting a bit tired. We have been gone for a month and miss the grandchildren.

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Hong Kong Day 2

OK so this is the worst traffic I have ever seen. It is like something out of a horror movie. Cars, busses, cable cars, taxis everywhere and nobody moves. They just sit there. Yesterday evening it it to over an hour to even get a cab and then we just sat in it with the meter inching up and up. The subway is much faster but unbelievably crowded. This place has the most people squeezed into the smallest place in the world. The amount of people is staggering and almost everyone wears a mask. They are pretty helpful and polite in general and the little kids are so adorable you could just eat them up.

Today I looked at cameras but think I will wait for Japan where they are all manufactured. The amount of stores and markets is just overwhelming. My head is spinning. And everyone loves to bargain. We went to the famous Ladies Market and I thought Jerry would fall down in a dead faint. Actually, it was almost too much for me. I never saw so much crap crammed into so small an area with so many people wandering around looking at all that crap! They come with suitcases and fill them up with all that crap to take home and give away as presents. I must admit that I bought a really cute pair of ballet flats that are both cheap and comfy. What else cane you ask for?

We took the subway and had to change trains twice. No problem. It's like the London Underground on steroids. We didn't even get lost. But it was so damned crowded that I almost got dizzy. It was like being in a sardine can with all the other fish. It is a very safe place despite all the swarms of humanity. You can wander around all night and nobody will bother you except maybe a begging Buddist monk shoving a bowl in your face. But the shopping is really quite outstanding no matter what you want to pay. And it's fun, although Jerry doesn't think so.

Tomorrow we are thinking of going to Macau, an island about an hour away by ferry where all the big casinos and gambling resorts are located. It was a former Portugese colony and parts of the old town are UNESCO world heritage sights. Sounds pretty good provided the seas are calm. It is Las Vegas without strip joints and caters to Asian high rollers.

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Hong Kong

We are now off the ship after a quiet passage to Hong Kong. I love it here, except for the traffic which is terrible. It is my second time here and I remember it well. I especially love the bargains and the food. It is one market after another. Shop till you drop is the operative word here. Tomorrow I will be camera hunting. We are totally exhausted after a day running all over HK island with a few hours at the Stanley Market thrown in for good luck.

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Hanoi

Hanoi was very busy and different from other places. Many. More government buildings, many more stores and many more communist symbols. A real contrast. It seems to be laissez faire communism. We went to the Palace of Learning which was the first university, HoChiMin's Mauseleum, the main government square, the Preidential Palace and the prison where John McCain was held, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton. We are pretty exhausted. Now for the almost four hour ride back to the ship.

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To Hanoiit

It's almost a four hour trip each way to Hanoi. Hope we don't miss the ship. They drive like Florida here. Need I say more? The standard of living is higher than I thought. They have to pay to go to school. That is sad. The men look like they sit around all day.

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On the way to Hanoi

We have wi-fi in the van so I am amusing myself.

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Ha Long Bay Vietnam

This place is beautiful with limestone mountains rising from the water and beautiful caves. We took two boats plus the ship tender to get to the caves where we had to climb to the top of the mountain to get to the magnificent caves. I don't know how but we did it. I will post photos when possible. We then cruised around the bay on our private boat and saw beautiful formations and local floating fishing villages plus a beautiful and very elegant hotel right in the middle of the bay. I am really surprised by all the modern construction and that everyone seems so nice. I expected hostility and bitterness but see nothing but courtesy and politeness and a genuine feeling of wanting to get to know us. Everyone is very helpful. I don't really see any evidence of communism except the further north we go the more hammer and sycle signs and some political posters. They are building lots of luxury western hotels and we have seen pizza places and ice cream places and Italian restaurants. Not American. Just their own version of things.

Tomorrow we are headed for Hanoi, the capital and stronghold of their communist ideals. It should be interesting and different from the rest of the country I would assume. We have been eating and drinking off the ship but we are not dead yet.

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Hoi An Vietnam

We finally docked in DaNang after a roller coaster sail last night. This is in central Vietnam near the former Da Nang American air base and the DMZ. There was heavy bombing here ind the Viet Cong hid in caves here. Most of the construction is new with beautiful and modern western hotels like Hyatt and Hilton. We visited Marble Mountain which is a Buddihst shrine. It was lovely and peaceful. We also visited the famous China Beach on the way to Hoi An, the old city. It had a very strong Chinese influence and quaint and narrow streets. Loads of folks trying to sell you something and loads of tourists. We went into an old Chinese house and an old Chinese temple. It's really funny since they really don't get along with or even like the Chinese. We also went into Da Nang city where we went into the museum where the guys were just thrilled and couldn't wait to leave. Then we had a treat..a rickshaw ride around the city. It was fun. I don't know how those old guys do it. We passed the former CIA HEADQUARTERS which is now a government building. Everyone is very friendly. They are mad at the Chinese over the man made islands they are building offshore near here and not at us. The captain says the waves won't be bad tonight and negligible by ten tonight. We are now on the way to Halong Bay which is supposed to be magnificent. We should arrive by noon tomorrow and will overnight there before proceeding to Hong Kong.

Greetings from the Gulf of Tonkin on a cloudy day. I am sure that some of these names are sounding familiar to some of you who remember the Vietnam War. Later this morning we will be going through Halong Bay, where we will anchor overnight. This is purported to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The seas are a bit calmer so maybe the tendering won't be an issue since I do have that tendency to fall off boats every now and then. We will have our guide waiting for the daily adventure. So far, the guides have been great and the cars very comfortable and with good air conditioning. As we proceed further north it should begin to cool off.

As far as the ship is concerned, I like Journey better as far as staff, entertainment and activities. The food could be better too. They try to jazz it up too much. Half the time I don't know what I am eating. The stewards are great but in general I like Journey better. Americans are a minority as far as passengers. Mostly Aussies, Brits and a mixture of many others. Everyone is nice but we really don't mix much except for the Aussies. Our tours are all private and we are off the ship as soon as it docks and don't return till departure time. We are usually so hot and exhausted that we don't have the energy to socialize.

Tomorrow we will be spending the entire day in Hanoi. We have to meet the guide at seven to get there in time for the full day. This should be interesting since this is where I think the heart of communism is. This is the capital of the country.

 

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Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. Day One

We were picked up by our private guide and driver and driven down to the Mekong Delta area, about one and a half hours away from Saigon. We stopped along the way to visit a temple of all religions, mostly Eastern. I was very surprised that they have religion here at all. The country is 97 per cent Buddhist. And I thought they were all communist.

We continued on to the Delta with a running commentary by our guide and constant horn blowing by our driver. There we boarded a small boat which navigated to the opposite side of the river. This river is enormous. We landed on an island where we saw people making canny out of coconuts. We then boarded a smaller boat, a sampan, which rose low in the water and took a ride through the jungle where the Viet Kong hung out. It was creepy. After that we took a donkey cart ride, went to a honey tasting, bees and all, and then listened to a performance by the locals. My ears are still ringing from the atonal Asian screeching they call music. After that it was another boat ride followed by the long car ride back to Saigon in awful traffic. Exhausting.

 

Day Two was spent in Saigon. We visited the Palace of Reunification, the Musuem of American Atrocities which was upsetting, to say the least. Then it was on to a synagogue of all things, followed by a ride to Chinatown and a fabulous Chinese temple which was filled with worshippers and incense. Our last stop was the central market which totally overwhelmed me. I could hardly breathe it was so crowded with aggressive sellers and hundreds of shoppers. Everyone was touching you and I don't like that. So we returned to the ship feeling that we had our fill of Saigon and learned a lot about it. It is not communist but the guide says they have no freedom of speech. They really do believe that America should not have been there. They are capitalists in Saigon. I don't know about the rest of the country as yet but I sincerely doubt it. The south seems to be more open. I think things will tighten up the farther north we go. We also haven't gotten to the pretty part yet. Just a big smoggy city surrounded by rice paddies with ancestor worship alters everywhere. Very interesting. So far, it is a land of contrasts.

Good Morning from the South China Sea, where the Chinese are building artificial islands and the waves are gigantic. We have been rocking and rolling since last night. Barf bags are placed strategically throughout the vessel and it is impossible to walk a straight line. There are many green faces this morning. Nevertheless, the laundry room is busy. It's those same old biddies that have nothing else to do other than tie up all the machines so no one else can do their laundry. Jerry beat them this time by running past them to get a machine. My hero!

They are having a Black Friday sale but I don't have the patience to go right now. It's too crowded and too expensive. I am saving my pennies for Hong Kong where I will shop for a new camera and the the Stanley Market and the Ladies Market for bargains.

The captain just informed us that the waves are fourteen feet high. I could have told him that by just looking out of my window. The sea looks angry. It is dark grey with lots of whitecaps beside the waves. I am fine. Jerry is wearing his patch. Most others are looking not so hot. A big wave just broke over deck five. We are outside on deck five and I just got all wet! Guess it's time to go in.

We will be in DaNang tomorrow but going on an excursion to Hoi An which is purported to be phenomenal.

5:30 pm. Seas rougher than ever. All activities cancelled! So right. Now the South China Sea is not my favorite place. It is the remnants of a typhoon or so I hear. One of our group has been in bed all day. Even the band is seasick. I wonder what dinner will be like, says the woman with the cast iron stomach.

So after a miserable night of tossing and turning - I mean the ship-and thinking I would be fish food, we finally docked in Da Nang where it is raining. We will be getting off shortly for a trip to Hoi An, one of the highlights of the trip.

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Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Same place, two names. It is the financial capital of Vietnam, right on the banks of the Saigon River. Ver busy. Filled with eleven million people and seven million scooters. Will be in contact soon.

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Goodbye Bangkok

This will be the last blog for a few day since there will be no service in Vietnam. We have a guide for the entire time onshore in Vietnam so we should be fine.

Yesterday we were at the Floating Market and the Railroad Market. Their wares are spread out all over the place and when they hear a train coming they pack it up quick and run like hell. This is no easy task since these stalls contain every manner of food and clothing imaginable. This includes slithering snakes and creepy crawlies. It is very easy to get grossed out if you look too closely. But our guide kept feeding us and I'm not dead yet. Speaking of snakes, we saw a giant one yesterday which did scare the crap out of me.

Today we were in the big city. Downtown Bangkok is just like any other big city around the world with loads of smog and traffic and people. Even though they don't celebrate Christmas they have a humongous Christmas tree I the central shopping area.

We took a ride in a tuk tuk which is like a scooter with a back seat for two people. It darts in and out of traffic and is noisy. Each one is decorated and happily painted. It was fun except for the fact that we were dropped off in the wrong place and had no clue where we were and had almost no local money left. I did some serious cursing under my breath since everyone is so happy and smiling here that I didn't want to get arrested. Or sent to a mental institution. The local money is called bat like the baseball bat. It is worth about thirty two to our dollar.

We didn't

See any evidence of the sex industry. I think they try to keep it very hidden to the general tourist. I think if one asks discreetly one can find such activities. I am really glad we did not come across any of it. We did however see some of the hospitals dedicated to medical tourism. They look state-of-the-art. They are immaculate and the staffs are extremely well trained in all the top countries. The recuperation facilities are all in five star hotels on the beach. The costs are extremely cheap.

The 95 per cent majority is Bhuddist and there are shrines everywhere. People go into malls to cool off since it is very hot. About 90 today with high humidity. This is their winter. The summers go up to 115 or so. Maybe they are so mellow because it is too hot and humid to get angry. Not worth the effort. So it is goodbye to Thailand. We are about to leave for a three hour trip down the river to the Gulf of Thailand.

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Bangkok photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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