13 APRIL 2008 ALOHA HONG KONG

SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2008 HONG KONG

Well, guess what, we woke up to another foggy overcast day; one can barely see the bottoms of the buildings over in HK. There were a lot of people doing tai chi at the cultural center across street – we could look down and see them pretty good.

This evening will be packing time but I think it will make Opal feel a bit better to know she is headed home to her bed and her house….from the time we first started our travels (6 week via car all over Europe, 3 weeks via RV all over NZ, etc, etc) her staying power has waned…I think her ideal is now a couple of days at the start city, a two week cruise and then home….absolute max of 3 weeks. If we flew home the day after arriving HK she would have been fine.

After fighting the on again off again connection last night I was quite delighted to see that the blog was updated and the email went out and even ‘some’ of the pictures were uploaded.

I’m sure the Taiwan-China talks are making news there but the paper is full of stories here for not only the obvious reasons but it seems HK is a bit chilly towards Taiwan right now and NOT because they are now China, but because the don’t want Taiwan getting overly cozy with China….go figure! The Olympics are of course in the news every day following nearly every step of the torch and its way to Beijing. HK will be a satellite site for all the equestrian events. I don’t know if I mentioned it but it is claimed that Beijing has really been getting its act together inre cleaning up and etc. As this was my first trip I have no basis of comparison but it surely seemed (for the size and its reputation) relatively clean and nice to us, particularly since we saw blue skies there (but not a spot here in HK). Several people in our group have been here before and they were amazed with some of the changes – especially in and around the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square area.

The soccer and horse races and lacrosse etc are far bigger than the Masters ….. getting only a little box report compared to the ‘big’ sports.

McDonalds? Always full and they are quite common (unlike Shanghai where even DQ had more outlets and everyone was swamped by the enormous popularity of KFC. Here in HK and Macau I’ve seen maybe 1 or 2 KFC, no

DQ’s and I’m told there is a Burger King nearby .. but McD’s are everywhere and fully crowded. Beijing hardly any Starbucks, Shanghai several but they are everywhere here and always fully crowded. The interesting thing about the HK and Macau ones (McD Starbucks, etc) is that they are 24/7. Last night when I went out for my McD dinner, the crowds (Sat night) were bigger and the traffic far worse …. But also younger, more well dressed couples (good girl watching) were out and about. I noticed one sort of non descript store front between a sort of newspaper/magazine shop and dry herbs shop with a line of about 15 mostly Asian couples – well dressed and I’m assuming it was a dance club or whatever they are called these days. I was reading in an article that the Peninsula of all places had the first and for a long time only, discotheque – they were never popular. So not sure what the line up was for at the door with nothing but a few Chinese characters.

By the time Stella got up and moving, it was about 11:00. We headed over to a recommended dim sum place close by, in the Star Pier Bldg – Jade Garden. Stella was still feeling under the weather so we decided to stick close to our hotel for an easy escape back, just in case. This place turned out to be very good . . . nothing like the Peninsula but overall better than anything we’ve had at home. All the ‘wrappings’ were very thin, very translucent – and small and dainty. An added bonus was the view of the harbor and the HK skyline. . . thru the PCH = photochemical haze – which we read about in the paper – eg, smog from the factories and industrial activities in Guangdong (sp?). In any event, this was a typically loud and boisterous and cavernous Chinese restaurant whereas the Pen was relatively small with wide spaced tables, and very quiet.

We started with honey drenched bbq chicken wings that were delicious and oh so messy;

we also noted, like the Pen, there was no shoyu or mustard or little mixing dishes in sight, ergo, no ask! This reminds me, at the Pen there were sauces that were unknown to us, not the usual looking stuff from home and we weren’t sure what they were for until the dish would disappear and then the sauce would be whisked away, too….too late to try !

With the kind of ambience that we’re accustomed to, we figured it would be OK to take pictures here so out came the camera. We were served a small bowl of sliced lotus root and cukes……complimentary appetizer. We then had rice mochi in lotus leaves (artfully laid out like a small rectangular piece of triple layer cake with the filling of minced mushrooms, pork and dried scallops in the middle), veggie dumplings, pan fried turnip cakes (Stella claimed that those at Mei Sum trumped these), char siu in flaky pastry crust (delicious), funn rolls with minced beef filling, bean curd rolls, and pig knuckles in rice vinegar (see picture with the large dark red ‘things’). We ended up with twice as much food as yesterday for half as much the cost!

Dim sum would look the same in a picture, you have to see the translucence yourself, nevertheless I took a few and they will eventually be uploaded, at this point (until I get home) no expectations.

We then went into the Harbour City Mall – a mega mall with the expensive stores at the bottom – Anna Sui Bottega Veneto, etc, ….on this floor a pair of shoes could cost one social security check, a purse would get you a suite at the Kahala for the weekend, etc – many of the names I’ve never heard. On the first floor there were also several kiosks, one of which was CHANEL and others of a similar genre…..this should give you an idea of the luxurious nature of this mega mall. The floor was laid with huge squares of what appeared to be glossy white marble. The place reeked of expensive to the max.

As you went up it got “cheaper” – the second floor had Armani and Fendi etc. The third floor had FCUK, Calvin Klein, BCBG etc and a store called “City Super” which could be classified in terms of the range of products as a totally upscale Wal Mart – if you took all the super markets in Honolulu and combined the range of their products it would not match this place. The stationary department was like an old Hopaco store; the drug area like Longs; the perfumes like Macy’s, etc. There were areas we didn’t get to – clothes and furniture, electrical items, electronics. If you are getting a sense that this one store was almost a mini-mall by itself you are getting warm. The mall is 2 mil sqft, over 700 stores, 50 food places, several hotels and 5 cinemas….the largest in HK/Kowloon……..all floors with wide dazzling floors and marble and glass walls…. it would make Ala Moana look like a very nice flea market. The food court did NOT have anything of the fast food ilk, all nice places – the most ghetto places being a Pizza Hut and a Calif Pizza Kitchen. There was a KFC but I’ve already explained the Chinese love of this restaurant. The range of food is as diverse as the ethnic makeup of HK – everything!

Stella started to drag so by 330 we were back in the room where she could shower and hydrate and lay out…of course it was necessary for me to lay down alsoJ

It’s 7p now and there is a big event going on below us and across the street at the Chinese Cultural Center . . . . red carpet, floodlights, flashing lights, cars drive up and girls scream, etc. . . . . lots of yelling and a chanting of a name just now.

If not now, when I get home, I’ll be uploading some old pictures of the Peninsula over the years – taken thru glass of old photo’s so kind of hard to see but very interesting. Did I mention that a suite in the Peninsula costs the same as a mid sized car? Also, on some of the pictures there will be rates but bear in mind these are older pictures – to get a US$ idea, divide the number shown by 7.5.

For our final night in HK, our last dinner, it was Italian – the Spaghetti House and it was a loser for Stella and a winner for me. The carbonara was quite good but the vegetarian spaghetti with tomato sauce was not – it had one little sick piece of cauliflower and ditto for the broccoli. Stella said it tasted like Franco-American. The garlic toast was average but the coke light with ice was perfecto!

Good night HK

8 -12 APRIL 2008 AT SEA AND HONG KONG

TUESDAY 8 APRIL 2008 AT SEA

After posting yesterday, we were off to dinner, the gala last nite formal. For this dinner I was all set to try the Roo (that’s right, tenderloin of kangaroo!) until I asked our dining Steward about it and by his funny expression and reaction (finger in an open mouth) I knew I was on the wrong track. . . . tho he diplomatically only said that it was “very gamey,” so that was that….I settled for the double lobster tails with a chicken chika spring roll appetizer and chilled red grape and cranberry soup. Stella had the same appetizer but added a Greek salad to her entrée of braised leg of lamb with mint gravy. Dinner was followed by the traditional baked Alaska parade where the lights were turned off and the stewards marched thru the dining room to music, carrying trays of the dessert topped by sparklers. I’m not a fan, so just a few spoonfuls and I’m pau.

During the night we could feel the ship swaying and rolling (the worse movement…rocking is better) as it plowed its way thru the Taiwan Straits at 21kph++, fog horn blaring, rushing to make up for lost time.

We were up having our last breakfast in the dining room (tomorrow will be buffet brunch in the Lido) by 8:30 a.m. this morning. Again, the ship was tooting away and at times shuddered as it plowed thru at high speed, warning the fishing junks to move away! The fog still hung around us but visibility was now about 1 mile….not enough to avoid a collision but enough to see who you will collide with.

This reminds me, I’ve had a few questions/comments about this so I’m going to be more clear on something – the rights of pedestrians in China – NONE. Crosswalks are painted merely to suggest a place to cross. Lights will show green walk and red wait, but green provides only moderate security – the busses, cars, and trucks can make right turns and they don’t care about the walk light! So you are in the cross walk, it says green/walk, best watch out also for the bikes and mopeds who are like gangs, huge numbers of them marauding along the roads at whatever speeds and totally ignoring the lights, if the light is against them, they merely weave, dodge and dart along, beware the pedestrian who feels he’s safe – of course these are only the visitors as the locals all know they are at risk at all times when stepping off the sidewalk regardless of crosswalks and light signals….because, they too are pedestrian gangs, crossing in gaggles against the lights, leaping and jumping and standing in the little space between lanes of cars as they cross streets….for those of you who remember the old original computer/video games, think FROGGER…..I’m certain the developer of frogger got his/her inspiration from Chinese pedestrians. Yet, having said this, one sees mothers with their children walking and in carriages along the sidewalks and crossing streets so one is confident in their continued ability to see the rising sun tomorrow. Additionally, as I said, rules and lights and markers are SUGGESTIONS…..the ONLY rule of the road that matters, to the big, to the bold, to the nimble …..people, busses, trucks, mopeds, bikes…. to this group belongs the crosswalks, the bike lanes, the expressways, the streets and alley’s…..every one else is at peril, including the shy drivers of trucks, busses, cars and hesitant pedestrians…regardless of the lights or signage. One final note, say you are in a pedestrian only area and you are - leisurely looking left and right at shops – you ARE NOT SAFE = along will come a bike/cart combo taking things to a shop, trilling his little triller – and the locals part like the Red Sea, and unless you move smartly, you will be looking for a washroom to remove the tread marks on your backside . If that isn’t bad enough, it will not be a bike, it will be a moped going faster with a loud obnoxious horn with crosshair sights on the front to assist their aim. And they ALWAYS come when you have let down your guard after several harrowing escapes!

Okay, so now you are a China expert . . . . an expert to this cross walk behavior, goes to HK and crosses his first street and is promptly run over because one is LOOKING THE WRONG WAY. In all of China, except HK which still follow British habits, driving is on the normal side of the roads. If it’s clear left and you step out, you will surely die.

Just remember the basic rule – you are the ONLY one who cares about you – on or off the sidewalks – all signage, lights, etc, are merely suggestions. Pedestrian rules, rights, hah…………..there is no law saying you should live.

Perhaps a bit melodramatic, but if you have been to China, YOU have been in one or more of these situations and if you have been on a tour bus, or any bus, you have witnessed these situations.

However, having said all of that – WE CAN HARDLY WAIT TO RETURN TO CHINA and see Beijing and Shanghai again! They are fabulous cities and modernizing and cleaning and changing so fast, almost before ones eyes. Yet the grandeur and awesome scale of China’s past, one of the world’s greatest civilizations, are ever present.

Okay, as lunch time neared, we both seemed to be too full from breakfast to care so Stella decided to start packing while I worked on the pictures, getting them ready to hopefully upload from our HK hotel.

We finally broke down and went for a snack later in the afternoon –- shared some pasta, a piece of pizza, some salad, a cheeseburger and fries. We’ve decided we will have to fast for the two weeks we are home after this cruise…..and walk 25 miles twice a day and grow 6 inches taller.

The last dinner on a cruise is always somewhat melancholy and the last evening one has to pack up – a task that Stella always has a hard time with. She hates the disembarkation process. (But I’m actually looking forward to it because it means HELLO HONG KONG.)

Our final dinner consisted of lobster bisque, chilled sour cherry and cranberry soup, roasted beef tenderloin for me and oxtail soup encased in a pastry shell, avocado-citrus salad, and maple-glazed salmon for Stella. Everything was good….the beef was tender and succulent.

WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL 2008 ARRIVAL HONG KONG

Ships usually arrive early at the final port, requiring passengers to wake by 5:00 am to prepare for disembarkation, but the delayed departure from Shanghai allowed us to sleep in since arrival in HK was not expected until mid-day. Stella thought it was great! We slept in til 9a and about 1030 we went up to the Lido for brunch. The later arrival not only was great for a leisurely rise but also for watching the entry into HK….seeing the massive numbers of condo’s and buildings since I was last here – unbelievable!

About 1:30 we got off the ship and after about a 15-minute scare (could not find one of our bags at baggage claim, but turns out it was off loaded late) we were off for the Salisbury YMCA – which is right next door to the legendary HK Peninsula ….www.ymcahk.org.hk…..check it out, you’ll be surprised. We have a queen room on the top floor facing HK island….the view of the harbor is ultra cool. Every night at 8 there is a spectacular laser and light symphony show with a radio simulcast…..I didn’t look for a web site but you might try a search.

After checking in and getting settled we walked next door to The Pen to check out its timeless opulence and the Rolls coming in and out, the Lamborghini’s, etc, etc. Folks were in the lobby enjoying afternoon tea. It looked really cool – triple layered plates covered with an assortment of scones, cookies and little sandwiches and choice of tea for HK388 (about $55 for two) which isn’t too bad. By comparison, something like hot dogs were about $20. There were uniformed staff (all white, all black, and black and white) running every which way doing everything for the guests – opening the huge 20ft tall glass doors in front, etc, etc. We hope to go for dim sum sometime during our stay as it is supposedly the best anywhere, even if expensive.

Back over to the Y and then off to look for won ton noodle with a few of the folks from our tour group. We found the little neighborhood joint called Hing Fat and it was very good and totally cheap. I opted for fried udon noodles with beef strips while Stella satisfied her yen for won ton noodles – she was so ecstatic about the noodles (thin and tasty) that she started to demand a return trip before we were even finished with our meal! One of the unique things at this restaurant was the plastic container on the table along with all the sauces. It was about the size of a roll of toilet paper….and sure enough, inside was a roll of toilet paper…it was our “napkin” dispenser! After dinner we took an after-dinner stroll up HK’s famous Nathan Road for about 30 minutes and then back on the other side of the street to the hotel.

Nathan Road is a tree-lined street with wide walkways and what seems like a gazillion stores and shops about 2.5 miles long. The assortment of lighted signs of the various shops is mind boggling.

Back at the hotel, we watched the dazzling light show over the harbor from our excellent view windows and tucked in for the night soon after. Tomorrow we will be going over to Stanley and its famous street market on HK island.

THURSDAY 10 APRIL 2008 HONG KONG

We shared a Chinese breakfast downstairs in the YMCA Mall Café. It was a bowl of congee (otherwise known as “jook”) , fried noodles, a few dim sum and coffee or tea. Stella had the jook and I had the rest, and then we were off to Stanley Market. First we walked down to Star Pier and took the short Star Ferry ride to Central. The terminal at Central is new from when I was here and now has a covered walkway over all the traffic and congestion directly to several key areas (Post Office, Jardine’s, IFC, etc) including the Central Bus Terminus where we picked up the 6 bus to Stanley. Settling into the top section we sat back and enjoyed the sometimes hair raising 30 minute ride along the mountainside to Stanley. As we were there midweek, the crowds were low and the vendors rather bored, so we were mostly left to browse with little bother. We bought a few small things and then it was time to head back.

A few observations for HK: at intersections when the light changes, the goal is NOT to stop and keep it clear, the goal is to ENTER the intersection so as to get further along the road; the India folks seem to pick their noses in public as a normal course of action – one can see lots of heavy duty digging. Perhaps it is not just the Indian folks, but that’s what I noticed. The streets are clogged with fast moving busses and cabs and every so often a car or moped. The rules are the same tho, bumper car, bully, cut and weave mentality, horns honking. The big difference, there is no “rage” or stare downs, it’s merely the accepted way. And of course, for us, the peril in all this is that when you cross streets, etc, you must take care to look in the correct direction as its English rules, wrong side of the road driving. We noticed 7-11 all over, many Starbucks, Calif Pizza Kitchen, Krispy Kreme, Spaghetti Shop, Pizza Hut, etc. An interesting and totally common sight is to see a Tag Heuer watch shop next to a dried herbs shop, and other odd combinations, like an Esprit between a 7-11 and a pastry shop.

One of the great sights was Opal in line at the cashier counter of the 7-11 getting water and peering over her glasses into her hand, trying to find and count out the correct change. HK coins tend to be large and heavy, and she thinks any opportunity to get rid of them is the smart thing to do, but the line backed up behind her as looked thru the handful of unfamiliar shapes and sizes and then people start going around to the next counter which opened up after the pile up behind Opal.

We dropped our things off at the hotel and then went back to the local noodle joint that everyone seemed to go gaga over. After a late afternoon break to catch our breath and avoid the hottest part of the day, we were off to the Ladies Market via the MTR (fast, clean, efficient, cheap, steel on steel subway) to Mong Kok. Envision three pedestrians streets, four blocks long, ‘cluttered’ with stalls on two sides, in addition to the shops on each side, offering every known piece of woman’s clothing, accessory and etc, along with the ever present junks – the colors and the array - it was enough to cause one to go into sensory overload. In fact, I think Opal went into paralysis….it was awhile before she attempted to make any purchases, and it wasn’t for lack of merchandise! To me it was fun…so much to goop at…..I would want to buy just cause they were cheap…..not that I needed or wanted anything….6 watches for $US22…..purses of all know designer labels; t shirts (diesel for $US4, etc) endless etc’s!

After the Ladies market, we found a MacDonalds….whew! it was hot and humid even with the sun down…the diet coke tasted good! Then we headed for HK’s #1 night market, the Temple Street market. There is far less lady stuff in this market, more men stuff, toys, even lego knock offs, lighters, models, gadgets, electronics, paintings (one of our group got a perfect van Gogh look alike…it was a hand painted Starry Night for only US10)……t shirts, sweaters, luggage, shoulder bags, women’s bags, watches galore, etc.

Before we knew it, everyone was exhausted (well, not me….I was too busy having fun to notice). Dinner was more noodles…I had fried noodles with chicken and a side of char siu (tasty!) while Stella tried the soup noodle with spicy shredded pork. But back at the hotel, I had to admit….getting horizontal felt mighty good!

FRIDAY 11 APRIL 2008 MACAU

Sort of a leisure getting up and then down to the Salisbury dining room for the breakfast buffet – which turned out to be very good – one could put together a complete British breakfast or a dim sum yum cha or an American breakfast….and usually about $30 US per person, but complimentary for us as a couple had tickets they could not use due to an early flight and was kind enough to share with us.

After much diddling Stella finally got her act together and we caught the 1030 fast ferry to Macau. (An aside: when you look at all the pictures from HK and Macau – they may look funny as it has been overcast and/or totally foggy the whole time we’ve been here! Stella is convinced it’s due to smog.)

The ride was very pleasant and smooth, little over an hour. Opal got us seats in the deluxe class….wide comfortable chairs of leather on the upper level. However, entering Macao took 40 minutes thru customs/immigration! There were multiple lines….all long.

We first grabbed a cab and went to a little street near St Paul’s where Stella’s mother lived when she was a little girl. The original structure was no longer there – in its place was a 4 story building that housed a bookstore on the first floor and apartments above. In fact, the street was now an outdoor pedestrian mall lined with shops and businesses. It was an interesting mix of the old and the new. There were gleaming stainless steel door fronts topped by about 3 or 4 floors of aging concrete. If still alive, her mom would be amazed by the changes and definitely would not recognize her old stomping grounds. Off the main tiled pedestrian walkways were narrow cobblestone alleys which Stella explored, imagining her mom walking along them as a young girl and feeling her mom’s presence. We went to the square nearby and wondered if it was once the site of the well that Stella‘s mom often talked about, how it was her responsibility to go daily to bring back buckets of water for the family to use. A few doors down from her mother’s address was an ancient-looking two story home….perhaps a neighbor that Stella’s mom was acquainted with 70 years ago? It was an emotional time for Stella.

We then climbed the incline and steps to the St Paul’s ruins and waddled around the shops in the area. There were several jerky shops displaying what looked like mouth-watering varieties of pork and beef. Samples were freely offered but I was not allowed to sample. (When Opal gives that look, it’s best to comply!) There were also a few bakeries offering the egg tarts that the Portuguese are famous for, and cookies and cakes. Their almond cookies were supposedly Macau’s number 1 selling souvenir and you guessed it…we are coming home with a couple of boxes.

Then to a quaint little Catholic church – small as far as churches go but very pretty with the main theme being Mary. Across the square from church we went into Mickey D’s and had a coke and used the restrooms; as I took our tray of trash towards the garbage area, a young uniformed girl came “running” towards me to take the tray and empty – I don’t know if it’s cuz I looked that old and infirmed, or that is their level of service…in any event, quite impressive. (I shall let Opal tell you of her experience in that bathroom. Actually, she should tell you about toilet facilities in Asia in general. )

Walking thru the busy modern downtown we ended up at the Grand Lisboa Casino/Hotel that puts anywhere in Vegas to shame. You should go online to see the hotel – unbelievable – inside is the very definition of opulence. There are 2 floors of that Chinese game I can never remember the name of, electronic roulette at a full size table, regular roulette, big fortune wheel games, lucky number games, and slot machines; one floor of more Chinese gambling games and blackjack all with higher minimum bets, craps, and more lucky number games; the next floor has the very hi stakes games. One floor = one football field. Because of the super high ceilings of each room, the escalators look as tho they are ascending into the heavens and if there is such a thing, they must be high speed “bullet” escalators, quite long and seems to go faster than elevators! From the ceilings are draped what seems to be millions of strands of beautiful crystal of different shapes in various formations….each glittering and sparkling as if you were surrounded by diamonds…..all breath-taking!

The restrooms are light years beyond anything in Vegas – as you approach, the doors open automatically in and out, so you don’t have to wonder if the person who entered before you had washed their hands! In the men’s side, the shishi place is ALL clean as you stand on 1” diameter 2” high pegs buried in 2” of running water (shoes stay dry)……and use a very modern shishi thing – men know the value of standing in a clean place J

In Macau, with no question, the moped rules – young boys and girls up to grammas were literally speeding hither and yonder and Macau, like HK, go the wrong way so one must be very alert crossing the streets – and the mopeds and taxis seem to go at the speed of sound so they are upon you before you hear them!

After Lisboa we hailed a cab and got on the fast catamaran ferry and back to the room by 7. Stella was feeling a little rundown so we stayed in for the rest of the night.

SATURDAY 12 APRIL 2008 HONG KONG

Another very foggy day. Stella woke up feeling lousy so we won’t be wandering far today but she was determined to have dim sum at the Peninsula as we had planned.

Let me put it this way….let’s say that all your life you have bought Toyota Corolla’s. Then one day when you are retired you decide to get a really nice car so you go waddling into a Lexus dealership. The sticker price shock is at least that much when looking at The Pen dim sum menu. The room itself speaks of luxury, the kind that UH retirees should not be entering! But were sure glad we did! Chinese dim sum places are loud, right?!!? Dzggggnnnggg wrong! One whispers in the Peninsula although towards the end when we left there was a bit more noise. When you finish one item, say the sharks fin dumpling (real), they give you another plate for the next item.

I’m here to tell you that everything was exquisitely prepared and served and the quality/taste was beyond anything available in Honolulu. And no servers pushing wagons here…everything is ordered off a menu with detailed descriptions of what you’re getting. After you’re seated, the first thing you get is a dish of honeyed walnuts sprinkled with sesame seeds….ono! The taro puffs with scallops and minced pork were so light and airy they practically floated on the plate. The funn rolls were filled with big chunks of scallops and offset with chives…..delicious! And the char siu bao was anything but pedestrian fare here with the tender texture of the bread and the tasty filling. We also had some stir fried funn noodles with beef and peppers, dramatically served on a platter with a silver domed cover. I fleetingly thought about asking for some mustard but that would probably result in shock waves among the servers. I also thought better of ordering my usual diet coke or whipping out my camera. Stella luxuriated in the fragrant jasmine tea that was soothing for her throat.

The lunch for US$70 was totally worth it and we left content but not overly full. Then around the corner to 7-11 to get water and back to the room where Stella promptly showered and got back into bed.

The Y was very busy today with all manner of classes, all aged kids here to swim, and do gymnastics etc. There are programs all week long that one could leave their children while touring HK – swim, dance, art, reading, gym, etc, even accounting and finance, etc, if dad wants to stay back and avoid the shopping. And the food is very good at any of the venues.

Stella was not hungry for dinner so I went out and got a McTasty, FF and an azuki pie. How’s that for range?….the Pen for lunch and MadDonald’s for dinner!

3-7 APRIL 2008 SHANGHAI & AT SEA

THURSDAY 3 APRIL 2008 AT SEA

We hit the deck about 9am for a brisk one mile walk in 45degrees….then inside to walk around looking at the shops and browse magazines at the Explorer’s Lounge and generally diddled around til noon for a sit-down lunch in the dining room for the first time and only our second lunch onboard.

Lunch was excellent – we both had Mulligatawny soup (smooth and flavorful) and I had a couple of crab/corn fritters; also a turkey burger that was surprisingly good even if more healthy than beef. Stella had red snapper and an apple/pear crisp topped with vanilla ice cream while I had sugar free cookie dough ice cream – my favorite!

The afternoon was spent getting the blog up to date on the snail paced intranet on the ship – so slow that I can’t get a reliable connection for uploading pictures to my webshots. We also did some reading. Stella poured thru the cruise brochures for something to do in 2009 while I replenished my old bones with a bit of a nap. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready (formal night) for a fantastic pre-dinner show. It was a Dulcimer performance – a 140 string instrument played with what looks like two little chopsticks - brand new instrument to Opal but one that I have always loved. The artist was Pingxin Xu , supposedly world renowned. He was great… well-deserving of the standing ovation received.

Dinner was very good, one of escargot, chilled pea/mint soup and chipotle grilled giant shrimp and a sugar free cherry crisp and no sugar added choc chip ice cream for me; the other a Mediterranean salad, fruit kebob, osso bucco and mud pie for Stella. We waddled back to our room for some more reading and nodded off a bit after 1am. It was the end of another great day at sea!

An interesting aside, when we got back to our room, Stella saw a chunk of black stuff on the floor and wondered what it could be. Turned out I had walked off my heels! i.e., somewhere during the evening, the heels on my shoes just came off! We have one more formal night and this pair is the only dress shoes I have. I wonder if anyone will notice that I’ll be wearing flats?? – oh well! So much for French Shriners from Nordstrom Rack!

FRIDAY 4 APRIL 2008 AT SEA

I was in line for my sugar free Grande Irish Crème Latte at 930 and a little later Opal groggily walked into the Explorers Lounge. We’re now in the Lido and although breakfast is pau we have a large table with our travel books looking at cruise options while I bang away on this agent of sleepiness. I’m going to try a couple of alternatives for uploading pictures rather than webshots which appears to be a slow site. We haven’t seen the dining room menu as yet so we are faced with a momentous choice of 1] dining room, 2] hamburgers/sausage/veggie burgers, taco, taco salad, pizza, or 3] Lido buffet……….such decisions!

The seas are smooth and temp is up to mid 50s but it is hazy and foggy so we are sort of moving at a slow 15knot pace. The water is starting to take on a more greenish tint in lieu of the slate gray since the start of cruise. It appears that there are blue skies just above the fog…so should be a good afternoon for a walk on the deck – so Opal won’t freeze and whine.

We ended up lunching at the Lido buffet. The pasta station looked (and was) good! Today is snowball Bingo day. Stella is hopeful…maybe, just maybe….the $100,000 prize will fall in her lap! I’m not as optimistic, so I save my $25 and have a luxurious nap while she trudged off to try her luck.

Regardless of the uploading site that I try, the satellite drops the line every so often which does little to things like email, browsing, etc, but it wreaks havoc on uploading pictures – 90% of the time everything is lost and one has to start over, so I’ve decided to wait until HK to try and upload pictures.

Dinner tonight (oh yeah, Opal did not win the snowball) was pretty good – Stella had the Cream of 4 mushrooms soup and greens with pecan and pears and a wonderful vinaigrette followed by roast glazed duck (very tender and moist, she said) and then a traditional ending –. … the Holland signature dark chocolate ganache cake! (Is your mouth watering?). I went with the somewhat pedestrian scallop shrimp tomato basil pasta followed by chilled cranberry soup and crown of sole stuffed with bay shrimps….ending with a no sugar added dessert of cherry crumble.

SATURDAY 5 APRIL 2008 SHANGHAI

Shanghai is a relatively small land area but there are some 13 million people in that area….so dense (I seem to recall one of the densest anywhere). There are so many skyscrapers and so many very beautiful ones. One of them will be the tallest in the world when completed in about 6 months, but it will be the tallest for less than a year, eclipsed by one under construction in Dubai. It was drizzling as we left on our tour to a small village, Xiajaijiao, referred to as the Venice of the Orient. While it did have canals and gondola’s, it the very definition of a wannabe. Having said that, it nevertheless was one of my favorite spots as it oozed local charm, historical highlights and an honestly free of tourist driven commercialism. Thru the very narrow meandering alleys were rife with very small shops or everything imaginable, small restaurants, street food, and throngs of people, it somehow did not feel crass like other places. The gondola’s while true to form of the Venice ones, have never been painted, or so it would seem. The various temples and pagodas were more natural, more of the people than for tourism. I guess you could say I really liked the place. It was part of a 3-day weekend holiday where the Chinese visit family graves to clean them (Ching Ming) so lots of people were out and about.

On the way we saw hundreds+ of condominiums under construction in addition to the commercial skyscrapers. Just outside the city proper the fields were being converted to planned groups of condos, commercial buildings and light industry. Very nice, large single family housing was also being developed. But in the midst of all this were small areas where rice, goldenrod, and gardens were still growing and being tended.

There are LA style freeway interchanges, some were 4-5 layers high, and more of the crazy weaving, cutting drivers. Our guide explained that the traffic laws were merely “suggestions” as the fine area of traffic control (ala police and highway patrols) was as yet relatively undeveloped….the police were around but mainly to watch.

Shanghai has the maglev train (magnetic levitation) that will never ever pay for itself (cost billions)… it’s more of a demonstration project of what China is capable of. The one line goes from Shanghai to New Shanghai airport – about 20 miles and it takes the train about 8 minutes to make that trip….in fact, the top speed in 461kph…..I believe that is about 270mph or thereabouts…..making it the world’s fastest.

The number one fast food restaurant in Shanghai? KFC!....with over 300 branches in Shanghai and 1600 in China!

After the canal village we returned to town for a lunch at the most elegant restaurant of our trip…aptly named the “Elegant Restaurant.” All 14 of us were seated around a table with the biggest glass lazy Susan I have ever seen. It was the best meal we had in China and the name of restaurant reflected the cuisine. For example, we had a dish of chicken with zucchini (or some similar squash). Both the squash and chicken were sliced into fine julienne sticks of identical size. Only by close examination could you could tell which was which. And there was squid stirred fried with celery. The squid was finely scored with little cuts across its tiny tentacles. . Imagine the time and labor required to cut the chicken and squid that way. Dessert was some sort of clear sweet soup with tiny mochi balls….it was yummy!

From the restaurant, it was just a very short walk next door to a silk factory. They showed us the different developmental stages of the silk worm, from egg to cocoon to moth. Fascinating to think how hundreds of years ago, someone got the idea of taking a developing moth, unraveling its cocoon and spinning the resulting thread into a fine fabric. As was explained to us, there are single cocoons and double cocoons. The single cocoons are spun into thread used for fabric…it’s a matter of finding the beginning of a single thread (don’t know how they do it) to unravel the whole thing layer by layer. The doubles result from two worms together and because their silk is intertwined, their cocoons cannot be unraveled, so these are stretched into pieces that can be layered and used as filling for quilts, jackets, cushions, etc. There were various rooms displaying every imaginable silk product for purchase…comforters, duvet covers, all manner of clothing, handbags and more. With the bright colors and designs, it was a feast for the eyes!

No visit to China is complete without an opportunity to buy knockoffs, so we were off to the knockoff mall…..3 floors of mayhem, with over 200 shops on each floor of pens, kites, shoes, bags, luggage, watches, tennis racquets, tshirts, boots, coats, scarves, jewelry and etc, etc, etc………..all or nearly all knock offs! We, of course, bought many little things and the bargaining was right up Stella’s alley . . . she would make a 30-40% offer and when they tell her “you joking”, she then with a certain disdain in attitude and facial, expression, put the stuff down and say, “bu yao”, which is Mandarin for “no need”, to say nope, no thanks and walk away – this has to be done with sincerity and if so, after about 5-10 steps they come running after her, so okay okay and show her a price on the their ever present calculators – she either goes back if okay or keeps walking with a disdainful glance and shrug, and they will then say, okay okay,aiya,okay. Sometimes when they would quote a price that she found totally outlandish, she would literally drop the merchandise like a hot potato! An observer might even say that she would throw the stuff back down on the table! I’m not sure if such high drama is necessary, but it seems to come naturally to her. J I loved watching. I would find something I wanted, an exact duplicate of a Mont Blanc roller ball with golden dragon and say, okay, I want this one. The starting price was about 350 yuan and we bought for 70 yuan – from $50 down to $10! But it was a several stage process with the final step being they’re running after her as she walks away.

I noticed throughout the day that the Shanghai women are tall and long legged but do not dress as fashionable as the Japanese. Perhaps more so because it was Saturday, but one is also aware of the massive number of people everywhere.

After the wild time at the knockoff mall we were over to a renovated area of the old city center built by the French. Several blocks of fine dining, nice shops and a COFFEE BEAN AND TEA ….. but this one was a happening date place of all things and larger than even the largest Starbucks I’ve ever seen. Then it was off to see the New Shanghai Acrobats……very similar to the Acrobats that came to Honolulu….beautiful girls in beautiful costumes and astounding displays of balance, dexterity, strength and flexibility….with one giant exception….the last act was in an orb, a wired orb, beginning with one motorcycle going round and round and slowly adding additional cycles until there were 5 of them driving around in there!!! Totally unreal and unbelievable!!

Back to ship late, almost 10:00 p.m., so we missed dinner and HAD to order in – Stella had French onion soup and penne pasta with eggplant while I had a cheeseburger and a fruit plate. After all, one has to keep up the strength!!!

SUNDAY 6 APRIL 2008 SHANGHAI

Up early for breakfast and then our last tour in Shanghai. The tour was to a special estate and garden over 600 years old. It was once the private property of a high ranking government official. And now, because of city growth is right dead center Shanghai and is a preserved location. The gardens actually exceeded their advance write ups….absolutely beautiful with stunning combinations of rocks, ponds, willows, Chinese statuary, bridges, corridors, and flowers – one of the interesting aspects of the area was a ‘zig zag’ bridge…evil ghosts can only travel in straight lines and level areas so doors have raised thresholds (the height is dependent on the social standing of the occupant, eg, the emperor had the highest) . . . hence, the zig zag bridge has 9 (auspicious number) such turns across a very large pond connecting two areas of this inner old area within the old city. The rest of the area immediately outside the estate/garden is filled with shops and restaurants and a few larger shops like a small dept store…some of the more notables was a rare DQ, the every present KFC (both very crowded), two Starbucks and an Olympic logo store (tho the English spoken by the staff was so poor as to make it nearly impossible to buy anything – we gave up).

After this it was off to lunch to another very nice restaurant. We had eggplant, egg drop and tomato soup, Shanghai noodles (NOT the thick noodles we think of, but looks like S&S saimin in a shoyu broth), lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork, beef with hot peppers, and a few more courses. Then back to the ship. Stella and a friend decided they would take the free shuttle to People’s Park for some additional gooping and hopefully some phone calls. I opted to stay onboard for an ice cream cone and a nap.

Dinner was ‘just’ okay – I had a duck spring roll with long rice, chilled banana soup and Korean ribs (quite similar to Hawaii style) and no dessert. Stella also the spring roll but she had pumpkin Calabazas soup and red snapper with a special dish of veggies from India…..with a delightful crème brule.

We were scheduled to leave at 5pm….but at 10p they announced that we were delayed due to thick fog back at the mouth of the river and our departure may not occur until much later. So we just drifted off to sleep.

MONDAY 7 APRIL 2008 DEPARTING SHANGHAI

We awoke to find that we were still docked at the port. We were Shanghai-ed in Shanghai! After a leisurely breakfast in the dining room, the Captain came on the air to tell us that the fog has lifted enough to attempt a departure. It wasn’t until 9:56 a.m. that we finally got underway….16 hours or so late. But the late start provided us with an unusual opportunity to view sea traffic on the busy waterway which proved to be very interesting. We were to reverse up the river for one mile, spin around and then head down the Huangpu River towards the sea, some 12 miles and about 3 hours to the sea – there was a very small window of opportunity for us to do this as the fog had thinned just enough to try. The river is literally boat to boat both along and across, with traffic starting up after the night of fog - as we weave our way to the sea thru dry dock areas, massively huge cranes and the humongous waterworks (the drinking water for the city of Shanghai comes from the Huangpu which is also the most polluted of rivers in China. The backing up for one mile and then a spin around in the river was pretty cool. Once underway we passed under one of the longest suspension bridges in the world – that Statendam cannot pass under at high tide – as we passed under, the clearance was 6 feet!!!!!

Many of the boats were the small rusty river variety that carry mostly items related to construction and power - oilers, logs, coal, sand, gravel and similar. The huge, very huge ships carry oil, coal, gas, and export/import of finished goods. Never have I seen so many ships in motion at the same time….mostly because they were all tied up, like us, all night waiting for clearance to move. The small ones just tied up off buoys in clusters of up to 8 in the middle of the river and those that were moving go on either side, like car traffic, right and left. It was literally like a freeway on the water. The Crystal Symphony which was also in port pulled out after us but we left it way behind and she was lost in view.

Three hours later the fog was so thick we can barely see the tugboat out front of us clearing the way – but at least we are still underway. We had such a great breakfast and rather late that we aren’t bothering with lunch, rather we are in the Crow’s Nest watching the fog, at the moment – but also every so often some ships and so forth. The interesting thing is that along the entire length of our travel, both sides, have been cranes, construction and industry.

It’s now time to try and post this if the connections are better and get ready for the formal dinner tonight. We just found out that if all goes well and we can continue to proceed at the 20kph that we are now going, we should each HK and our berth around noon, which would be about 5 hours late. This is possible because rather than the usual 12-13 kph for the sea days, we’ll be all out 20kph+.

30 & 31 MARCH 1 & 2 APRIL 2008 CHINA

SUNDAY, 30 MARCH 2008 AT SEA

We’re sitting in the Explorations Lounge after a late wake up and a brisk (40s) walk on deck . . . . only a mile, it was too cold. We’ll get the blog caught up and hopefully the recent photo’s posted to my Webshot site. We skipped breakfast as we would like to try lunch (will be our first after 4 days onboard).

I’m still having bad luck getting the pictures uploaded – when we get connected it seems too slow and/or the connection is lost right in the middle. We’ve been reading – magazines and our book all afternoon and once in awhile we diddle on the pc, doing email, etc.

A short nap and then off to dinner: I had duck and avocado sushi, chilled pineapple-cucumber soup and rack of veal . . . the latter was great! . . . finishing off with a sugar free sherry trifle (yummy!); Stella also had the sushi, then a Thai chicken salad; she chose sea bass for her entrée, followed by an apple and cranberry cobbler. The sushi sounded good but turned out to be a disappointment….the rice was mushy and bland and the nori was soggy. The sea bass were tiny little fillets instead of the big slices we’ve been accustomed to. Stella said she felt guilty eating “babies”….must be a sign of over-fishing when they haul in such little guys.

We were in bed early as we have an early tour the next day.

MONDAY, 31 MARCH 2008 DALIAN CHINA

Dalian turned out to be far more modern, clean and clear than we had anticipated – same for the rest of our tour, all 14 of us are from Hawaii. (It is a major shipping port that in the past had been ruled by the Japanese and later by the Russians as well as the Chinese.) After a drive through the city center, we ended up going on their romantic coastal road – think the road around the blow hole BUT nicely maintained - tree lined, with mountain on the left and dropping off to the ocean on the right, as we made our way to our first stop. Lots of people are walking along the road, some doing maintenance, picking up junk, etc. There were some restaurants and etc on the ocean side, all having to do with “love and romance” as our tour guide explained to us. (Habe was a cute University graduate in her mid-20’s. Reminded both of us of Bernie, the former Budget Office secretary.)

The highlight was an ocean park and aquarium (think a very modern, large sea life park). We saw some interesting displays including sea dragons (kinda like sea horses with flowing wings), world’s largest fresh water fishes (don’t remember what they’re called but very big), as well as a couple of polar bears. There was a water show…..the usual dolphins but also a beluga whale – never have seen one of those in a show. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at a store that sold a variety of jewelry and other things.

Then we had lunch at a very large and nice seafood restaurant – we went past room after room after room. There were at least a dozen courses – I can’t begin to enumerate them but those that were memorable included deep fried oysters (small in size but big on taste), fried egg plant, an egg fuyong that amounted to the same as a “hang town fry:, whole smelt (fried with head and all) and Jasmine tea.

From there, we were driven to a 57 floor building (they called it their World Trade Center) for a great view of the city (saw our ship below) and finally to Russian Street which was lined with vendors offering the same tourist stuff – those multiple Russian dolls, binoculars, personal care (clippers, etc) sets, wallets, belts, and lots of other stuff of the same ilk…..but we were there to see the Russian historic old buildings which were unfortunately falling into disrepair.

Dalian has a special police force called the Royal Mounted Police, 37 tall slim Chinese girls who have to be at least 5-10 and supposedly they are such excellent horsewomen they will be in the Olympics opening ceremonies.

All in all we were very impressed with the modern, clean and high rise Dalian, a city of nearly 3million. Imagine this level of service – when we stopped at that shopping place, one of the things they sold was Chinese chops – on the way out, Stella decided she wanted one but there was not enough time so the guide told them we were going to lunch at (name) and lo and behold they made the chop and it showed up at the restaurant about half way thru lunch. It was a beautiful cylindrical pink agate chop with the character HO.

Back onboard ship, we’re sitting in the Crow’s Nest as we pull out of port on a beautiful day. . . . soft jazz in the background and a glass of vintage Atlanta wine in hand. This is living!

TUESDAY 1 APRIL 2008 XINGANG (BEIJING) CHINA

The ship uses this port merely to berth for two days; most passengers do long excursions from here . . . we will go on an overnight escorted excursion arranged by our Honolulu travel agency – Creative Holidays. Xingang is a mammoth sea port and industrial smog generator with little else to offer.

By the time we cleared customs, loaded our bags, and got onto our bus it was nearly 10 am so we were behind schedule all the way. The cruisers have to go thru customs, all fruit must be thrown away, etc, etc, and all of us thru one xray machine – so it took awhile. The ride to Beijing (on express freeway with NO traffic is supposedly 2 hours) took 3 ½ hours – half of which was in smog so thick you could see very little – except for the two nuclear power plants we passed, there really was very little of interest.

Some of the factories along the road were large enough to put Aloha Stadium inside – there are airplane hangers that are larger. And ugly sooty apartments for the workers to live in. we were both thinking, eeeek, is this how it will be in Beijing?

The traffic was very heavy at times and totally chaotic – if you don’t weave and cut (in a bus) you will never get there –trucks (many many trucks) use any lane (mostly 2) to go any speed and the cars with courageous drivers will even use the shoulder lanes to pass at 50mph until the lanes end and then they merge back….then they cut back. When cutting it is a game of chicken with the more brazen driver able to cut in and this occurs at speeds from 35 up to 60 mph. It is the same in Beijing – often no lines that are visible but room for the brave and bold 3 lanes wide with the chickens clucking on the sides trying to cut in; and the weaving – it is hard to say they are bad drivers – I would think that if they are alive, they are good drivers. When traffic on the street gets very slow people start u turning and creating havoc- every one else has to honk and cut and weave; this occurred a couple of times even on the express way when it got stopped for fender benders – people would u turn and weave thru cars to get back to the exit.

Many of the bus drivers in Beijing were women – I’m not certain what that means J But I’m getting ahead of myself. There are 14 of us on this big tour bus that seats 40, so there is plenty of room to spread out. Stella and I were sitting in the front behind the tour guide so it was the best show. Our driver loved his horn and he used it often so only the very focused of us could sleep.

Along both sides of the express way trees are being planted but they are funny in that they look like twigs – dead twigs; first there is about 4 rows of a 4’ high tree and then 4 rows of 6’ high tree and then 4 rows of 8’ high tree – our guide Cecil said they are willows but they sure looked dead. As we got closer to Beijing we saw the growing ones and sure enough they are a kind of willow. There are hundreds of people doing this work with shovels.

In any event we arrived in Beijing with the thick haze still surrounding us and our guide telling us it was not smog, it was fog. We were so late we went directly to lunch. Interesting place…it was a jade factory with a restaurant in the back and an obvious tourist trap. There were many tour buses parked in front. The food was plentiful but rather pedestrian – seaweed soup, baby bok choi, sliced lotus root, stir fried chicken with bell peppers, etc. Unlike Dalian, there was no seafood.

After lunch, we were taken through the factory and learned about jade…the different varieties, how to tell real jade from fake jade (it’s all in the tinkle, like good crystal) and the carving. There were many beautiful jade sculptures on display…some probably priceless. And of course, lots of stuff for sale!

Then off we went to see the Great Wall of China! It’s too bad there was so much haze. As it was, it was awesome, but one could sense how much more awesome it must be with blue skies, green forests and the pink cherry trees scattered here and there in bloom. Even so, the wall is really special….it took your breath away as you looked off in the distance and saw it weaving along the ridgeline. The steps were steep and uneven…in places sometimes so high I had to pull Opal up. Here and there you could see temples, guard towers, and the wall everywhere like a serpent laying at rest in the forest. One could look at the higher portions on the next mountain and see the silhouettes of the wall and towers. We did not climb to the very highest of the portion of our wall (we were in the Badaling section), but as our guide told us, we climbed on the wall itself and, therefore, were heroes!

When we finished our climb on the Great Wall, we were off to see the Summer Palace in the dying light of day. It is situated next to a beautiful lake and is home to the longest covered corridor in China. One remarkable thing was a life size sailing ship of the Chinese design, carved entirely of MARBLE, sitting in the water as if it were ready to go out on the lake at any moment. There were temples and pagoda all round the huge tree lined lake with a lovely bridge to an island with a temple. There was a huge shrine that is now an imperial restaurant where the waitresses wore beautiful costumes of colorful flowing silk and decorated headdresses.

We had dinner at a place with a funny smell – same o tourist fare - many courses but nothing extraordinary. Stella liked the Mongolian beef. By the time we finished, it was dark. The ride to our hotel was thru several parts of the city (at 13 million the city is all over the place and then some); I found it strange that for such a large city and with Chinese neon being what it is that there was so little lighting.

The hotel was beautiful, a 4 star Novotel (French chain) with a large, beautiful marble lobby and grand marble staircase that I would think was only rarely used. The check in went smoothly following the collection of our passports, etc, we got a room on the 18th floor. We briefly considered taking a look around the town, but it was already 9:00 and had been a long day. The bed looked inviting, so the idea of going out went out the window. The bed tuned out to be a thin mattress on a raised board….firm (i.e. hard) but we were tired and slept soundly. Our view was awesome and to the south you could lots of lights but not half of what you would see in a large USA city, especially when the hotel was in the prime hotel area.

Now the shower….it was the marble kind that you merely walk in, double huge glass doors….as you stand looking at the shower hardware trying to figure it out, you hold the wand at the end of the stainless hose – the wand is about 7 inches long, stainless steel, cylindrical with a diameter like a large carrot….this can cause people with an imagination to being to wonder. So it seems obvious that the next step is to pull a lever on the wall towards you, and voila YOU ARE SOAKED WITH ICE COLD WATER FROM THE CEILING!!! After jumping back and yelling something that even startled Stella, she comes to see what is the matter. Well, after fooling with the stuff for awhile, I got a nice hot ceiling soaking, was great! Then I switched to figure out how the “wand” worked as I knew Stella did NOT want to shower with the ceiling soak. The rest of the bathroom was all marble and even the toilet was state of the art and with a square seat! It was almost as classy as the hotel we had in Kobe. We had a 42 inch LCD with lots and lots of English stations, all for naught tho, as we were soon dead to the world, having to get up at 5 to be ready and on the bus at 7 the next day.

WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL 2008 BEIJING AND BACK TO SHIP

When the alarm went off, it was pitch black with only a rare car on the streets below. However, by the time we headed down for the buffet breakfast, it was a glorious day with no clouds and blue sky! We were wrong about the day before, it was overcast and not smog.

Breakfast buffet had a huge array of choices from sushi to bacon, coffee and juices, made to order eggs, fr toast, waffle, pancakes, croissants, sausage, spam, even all the makings for a salad!

Then we were off to see the Temple of Heaven. In many ways this was my favorite site with the fantastic grounds of forest trees, grass and walkways and the temple area and walls. We were there early so the park was very busy with people doing line dancing, tai chi, that foot kicking badminton cock, and ditto with paddles; interesting that most women would be using two paddles while her male opponent was limited to one. There was a very long corridor with little rooms where people were playing tien gow (sp?), mah jong, etc. Yet, even with all this activity, there was a sense of serenity, quietness and calm. Clearly one of my favorites of this trip. Of course the beautiful day gave us a beauty to the green and a deepness of the blue.

Next it was off to see the wizard, ooops, it was to see the Forbidden City. Now, this is the most completely extreme awesomeness “one” site I have ever seen. The sheer scale was dumbfounding; the number of buildings, winding corridors and alley ways, and rooms, mind numbing! And then just when you think your senses can take no more you come out near the large courtyards and the surrounding temples with rising stairs and the bridges and the brilliant red and gold. Many buildings recently re painted and the main one being painted, surrounded with scaffolding, yet still beautiful as your mind lets you peel away the scaffolds….seeing what you remember from the LAST EMPEROR! There are also more people in this area, perhaps the same number as live in Hawaii – or so it seems. Truly mindboggling and could never be experienced in the same way, unless standing there, complete with camera with a dead battery, having left the backup battery on the bus.

Thru it all I did notice that Chinese girls tend to ‘strut’ more than others.

I didn’t want to leave this most dazzling and history rich area but alas, we had to try and stay together thru the masses of people and make our way over to Tiananmen Square. Okay, if I came here I would have been impressed to the point of losing my breath – but having just left the Forbidden City and the main temple, and with a dead battery, all I can say is that it DOES take your breath away- remembering what happened here with the riots, the sheer size, the buildings on three sides and their hugeness and importance. There was a pretty good sized police and/or army presence (watching for the rumored Tibetan trouble makers perhaps?) as they try to keep a modicum of control over the everywhere seeming hordes of “entrepreneurs” – hawking Olympic hats, magazines, post cards, Gucci and Rolex watches, etc. Most were selling hats for a $1 but we resisted until Stella got them down to 4 for $2….at which time several in our group started buying, this only caused what seemed like another 20 to come and try to get us to buy more stuff. I think one person in our group, a friend of our daughter got them even lower. . . . after that they shadowed us all the way to the bus!

Off to lunch and yet another pedestrian selection. We were told we would have some “special” noodles which turned out to be little more than saimin. And one of the courses was peas and corn! We were looking forward to Peking Duck but never had any! The lunch back in Dalian was the best.

Back to the bus for the ride back to Xiangang and the crap shoot along the hiway and again once we are in town. They moved the ship to another berth and our driver got lost several times. It took quite awhile to get on the ship. At one point a train was maneuvering on the tracks and caused a 5 line “mess” – many trucks and our bus driver did not bother staying in our lanes, but because there was no oncoming traffic they merely went into those lanes trying to get ahead. Of course trucks and car were trying to turn around and go back, but now their lanes were clogged so they were left to squeeze and force thru in a sideways manner with people, of course, honking and etc, etc. It was really quite chaotic and hilarious. When the driver finally found the right pier, he couldn’t enter to drive to the ship as he didn’t have the necessary pass. So we all have to get out and with our overnight bags, walk the half mile to the ship between containers and other port crap. All the people coming back in cabs are likewise walking. Quite the sight….made me think of various shows where the refugees had to walk with their belongings out or into cities because of war, etc . . . . never mind that we are walking to a luxury cruise ship and a decadent dinner and etc. I thought Stella would whine but she thought it was an interesting experience.

Another side observation = the traffic light signals are much longer than home…..on the order of twice; on side street entering onto a main street they are up as long as 3 minutes.

Okay, back on ship, we dropped our stuff off in the room and went straight up to Lido (the bus trip was long and hot) Deck….me for butter pecan ice cream in a waffle cone and hot dog; for Opal a slice of pizza and pecan pie with ice cream.

Short naps but still NOT recovered from our pre-dawn awakening, the trek two floors up to the dining room seemed too strenuous at our dinner seating time, so we opt for room service – French onion soup for the two of us, steak and baked potato for me, seared scallops for Stella….topped off with some Atlanta wine!