Month: December 2017

Final Port of Call, Okinawa, Japan

Naha Pier, Okinawa, Japan

We were delayed in disembarking from the ship in Okinawa because of immigration procedures.  I had wanted to visit the Shurijo Castle but was told it was too late.  The only activity left was the main shopping street, Kokusai.  There were granite stone dragon pillars on the way to the shopping district.  They commemorate the friendship between Naha City and Fuzhou City, China.  In 2011, the community celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Friendship Agreement signed in 1981.

It took about half an hour to walk from the ship to Kokusai Street.  I noticed the glass tumblers and glassware on sale in many of the stores.  After the devastation of WWII, Okinawans began collecting bottles and other cast-off glass containers from the occupying U.S. troops.  The glass was melted down and re-blown into glassware items.  Servicemen began to purchase the goods to send home and a very proud industry was born.  Many of the glasses had names of their creators and ample display space.  The largest glass factory in Okinawa is called Ryukyu Glass Craft and is located in Itoman.

Mixed in with souvenir shops, there were bakery shops, convenience stores, a pharmacy, a seaweed shop, and restaurants.  A friend of mine suggested I try Okinawan soba because it is different from Japanese soba, made of wheat flour instead of buckwheat.  I found a restaurant on the fifth floor of a narrow building and had a wholesome meal.

Things had gotten better on the second half of our trip.  The weather had improved and the seas were calm.  We had two more days at sea and enjoyed the company of our dinner regulars in the Pacific Moon dining room.  We met many interesting people on the ship.  Many were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  Others were newly retired or found a good deal for the cruise.  Everyone had an interesting story to tell.



 

	


	





	

		
		
Only Saw a Small Part of Keelung
	


	
	
	

		
We Docked at Keelung on Monday, November 6


I was tired from the previous day’s excursion and decided to walk to a nearby shopping area where there were many vendor stalls.  I had exchanged ten U.S. dollars for Taiwan dollars so I’d be able to try some steamed dumplings.  I didn’t find steamed dumplings but observed a family working hard creating sandwiches with deep fried dough.  A young woman was expertly snipping the hot bread and filling it with sausage, onion, cucumber, hard boiled egg, and tomatoes.  I purchased one and it was delicious.




I didn’t find anything I wanted to buy so I made my way back to the ship.


I reflected on some things that didn’t go right for me.  At McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, my denim blouse had metal snaps and it set off the alarm.  A female agent felt around my breasts and quipped, “One way to get a free breast exam.”  Not funny.  At another station, my check-in luggage contained a plastic jar of Metamucil, to add fiber to my diet, and the inspector had to check the container and my hands for explosives.  On the trip back, my bra must have set off the alarm because an agent felt the sides of my chest.  At another check-in station, the woman said the image showed metal in my groin, so she felt there.


At Narita Airport, after I had already been through the initial check point, a Japanese agent pleasantly said, “You have been randomly selected for additional screening.”  Well, the Japanese have a difficult time pronouncing r, so to me it sounded like “landonly” and I didn’t recognize the word.  When I gradually realized what she was saying, I said “randomly” with annoyance.  A male officer came to me and showed me the inspection table, a few feet away.  I was asked to take off my shoes and take out my iPad and phone.  A woman checked my shoes and all of a sudden, said, “You’re done, thank you for your cooperation.”


I carried the cabin keycard in a pouch around my neck and frequently used it to get in and out of the cabin as well as make purchases of merchandise and excursions.  For some reason, the card kept getting demagnetized and I had to get replacement cards about six times.  It was no small annoyance when my roommate was out and about.  I sometimes carried a pen or gum in the pouch and just can’t figure out how my card could get demagnetized so often.