November 2017 - My Site

Cruise Port Kaohsiung Taiwan November 5, 2017

November 5, 2017 A Slightly Delayed Docking

I had booked an excursion and looked forward to getting a glimpse of Taiwan. However, because we were late getting into port, the excursion times were revised and the tour seemed rushed and abbreviated. We first went to see the National Stadium which opened in 2009 for the World Games. It holds 55,000 people and was designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Built in the shape of a dragon, it was the first stadium in the world to generate power using solar power technology.

We then went to Lotus Park which must be beautiful in July when the flowers bloom. There were many temples there and we visited the Dragon Tiger Tower. Our guide told us it is considered propitious to go into the temple through the dragon and come out through the tiger. The park is popular for water sports and recreational activities.

Our next venue was Cijin Island, reached by taking a five-minute ferry ride from Kaohsiung Harbor. It was Sunday and we were mixed in with locals and tourists so there were long lines to board the ferry. The motorcycles went on the first level and the rest of us went to the second level. Once on the island, we found a temple, seafood markets, restaurants, and all kinds of vendors and then we were rewarded by reaching a beach with black sand. A few photographs and it was time to return to our meeting place. The guides could be seen trying to make an accurate headcount for the ferry ride.

Halfway into our Cruise Around Asia, Hong Kong

November 3 and 4, 2017 We Disembarked in Hong Kong

After eight days at sea without interesting views, many of us stood outside to take pictures of Hong Kong on our arrival in the late evening of November 2.

I had met three students from Hong Kong when I took a bus tour of the national parks earlier in the year, in May, 2017. Until then, I did not know much about Hong Kong. The students explained that Cantonese is spoken there and told me about its history. One of them, Michael, said he would be happy to show me around when I visited Hong Kong on November 3. We agreed to meet at the Kai Tak Terminal at noon. He had been so busy with exams that he did not have time to respond to my email asking him if he was coming by car. I alternated between the passenger pick up area on the second floor and the WiFi area on the first floor. We found each other as I was thinking I’d be so disappointed if we did not meet up because of the missed ports and bad weather. Michael showed me how to use my senior transit pass that I purchased at the first bus station and we traveled by bus, train, tram, and ferry to venues around the city.

Michael remembered that I had wanted to try dim sum in Hong Kong and he took me to Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum Restaurant, a Michelin rated restaurant that is the pride of Hong Kong. Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded when we arrived and all the items Michael ordered were very delicious!

We traveled by train, bus, and tram to reach Victoria Peak, where we saw a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbor, and the Kowloon Peninsula, albeit a bit marred by the pollution from China. Michael’s friend, Samson, joined us for dinner at a Thai Restaurant in a shopping mall which was also wonderful. Michael is an engineering major and Samson is a chemistry major. They both earn money to fund their travels through tutoring.

We were given a copy of a cruise summary at the end of our voyage and for Hong Kong, the log book mentioned sunny skies, a gentle breeze, and a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. I’d like to add that two kind college students entered my life and shared a day with me on November 3, 2017. Thanks to Michael and Samson, I had a wonderful and memorable day.

Still Cruising Around Japan and Asia

A Free Day in Chinatown, Yokohama

The Day Before my Cruise

I had a full day to myself before boarding the Princess Cruise ship, Diamond Princess, so I visited Chinatown, the largest in Japan. It rained all day, a pleasant and light rain and I was impressed with the clean stores and inviting eateries. A young man enticed me into his restaurant, which offered 74 or more different items for one set price of 1680 yen, cash only. Rather than eat at a food stand, I decided to try the restaurant. I thought the size of the dishes would be much smaller but they were regular size. It was truly a feast: ramen, sticky rice, pork shumai, sweet bean filled sesame balls, eggplant, char siu, and a variety of vegetables.

I accidentally came across an outdoor mall in the neighborhood and was happy to find a Daiso, a discount store similar to the 99 Cent or Dollar Stores in the United States. I found a mini mortar and pestle set and a mini sushi making kit as well as puzzles, barrettes, horsehair paint brushes, and small handkerchiefs for my granddaughter. There was also a panda themed store where I purchased a snow globe with a panda riding a carousel horse.

I noticed familiar restaurants such as KFC, Yoshinoya, and McDonald’s. At McDonald’s, they did not offer an extensive menu, but the set prices seemed to include a side dish of corn. My cousin once told me that the Japanese love corn and always have a can of corn in the cupboard. You’ll find it used as a garnish on salads, served at restaurants as corn soup, and served as corn sushi at a kaitenzushi restaurant, or conveyor belt sushi. There is even an instant version in packets. Yup, they sure love corn.

15-Day Cruise Around Asia

Getting There – October 24 and 25, 2017

I flew into Yokohama two days early to make sure I made it to the Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama to board my cruise. We had destructive hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico and strong typhoons also visited Asia. My American Airlines flight from Las Vegas went to Dallas Forth Worth. I had paid for an aisle seat, and paid again to get closer to the exit, from row 29 to row 13, as the layover in Dallas was only an hour and a half. I didn’t have to worry because they have Skylink, a wonderfully efficient airport transport system where passengers do not leave the security area and the trains go around the loop with stops at various gates every 9 minutes.

The pilot of the connecting flight who took us to Narita informed us that instead of the regular route over Alaska, he was flying a southern route to avoid high winds. Once in Narita, I took the Narita Express to Yokohama and transferred to the Minatomirai subway line and exited at the Nihon Odori station. I relied on a review I read that said the hotel I reserved, the Toyoko Inn Hotel, was about five minutes away on foot. Of course, once out of the station, I didn’t know what direction to go and I asked a passerby. He took out his iPhone to use the flash light and read the address on my printout. He initially said there were many hotels with the same name but ended up escorting me to the front desk of the hotel. Awesome!

The hotel was clean and the staff very friendly. I had been worried because my printout had mentioned shared bathrooms but the desk clerk assured me that the bathrooms were private. I asked if there were any conbinis nearby. Sure enough, there were two. I also discovered a Hotto Motto, where you can purchase freshly made food with plenty of rice for takeout only. In the room, there was no closet but a printout in English that said that suitcases will fit conveniently under the bed. There was also a small rack with a few hangers. For a solo traveler, this was perfect! The breakfast was complimentary and consisted of miso soup, various rice balls, a protein such as meatballs, pickled vegetables and coffee, tea, or water. For a Japanese American tourist, this was food heaven!

-October 26 through November 2, 2017
-I met my roommate on a previous cruise and when her friend was unable to make it, she invited me to join her on this cruise around Asia.  We shared a balcony cabin, a real luxury for me because I usually book an internal cabin and pay the single supplement fee.  I was very excited because the first port was to be Kagoshima on October 28 and my cousins and I had planned to meet at the Kagoshima train station and have lunch together.  They live in Miyakonojo, about a two hour train ride from Kagoshima.  I had printed out maps and researched ways to get to the train station from the pier.  I considered the bus, tram, and train.  All were convenient and I was confident I could manage to get to the train station and we had decided to meet at the post office across the street from the station.
-The only glitch was the weather.  My cousins had been following the news and they were in the middle of Typhoon #22 or Typhoon Saola as the weather stations reported it.  They found the Princess Cruise website and knew before I did that the ship would not be able to dock in Kagoshima as the port was closed.  We were all disappointed but plan to meet in Okinawa in three years so we are looking forward to that pleasurable event.  I kind of knew intuitively that I might not get to Kagoshima so like many Japanese travelers do, sent my smaller carry on luggage with gifts by delivery service to their home.  The cost was nominal, about 17 U.S. dollars, and kudos to the delivery service who delivered the suitcase to their home in the pouring rain!  The cruise line credited our accounts $50 for the missed port.
-On Halloween, pumpkins created by staff members were on display in the atrium.
-Chan May, Vietnam, was to have been our second stop on November 1.  I really wanted to walk the grounds where my brother had walked 52 years ago.  He served two tours in Vietnam and suffered from PTSD, a condition not even defined then.  He died at age 35 of meningitis.  Separation and the divorce of my parents precluded me from getting to know him and I always feel sad when I think of him.  Continued bad weather brought an announcement from the captain informing us that the pilot refused to come on board and that the port was effectively closed.  He announced that we would receive $100 for this missed port.
-By this time, many passengers were grumbling about not seeing anything yet and a group held a meeting.  The leader of the group went to the purser’s desk to complain and summoned the entire group to join him.  This is when staff members felt uneasy enough to call the captain and he started by voicing his dismay over the group’s behavior on the loudspeaker and informing us that the group members had been identified and risked being taken off the ship in Hong Kong.  Rumors swirled and gave us some respite from the monotony of the ocean views and rocky journey.
-Most passengers knew that the captain was our hero, keeping 2600 passengers safe by using his experience to guide the ship around the typhoon, reducing speed in choppy waters and communicating with different ports and the Princess Cruise main office.  On November 2, he informed us that we would be given credits of one-half the fare paid on this cruise to use on another cruise before December 2018.