Wake up call at 4:30am. The bus-cars to the top of the mountain start out at 6am. The proprietor wanted us cleaned up, refreshed and well fed before we left.
Surprisingly, I had a pretty good power nap on the hard wooden floor. While catching my shut-eye, Ben was having difficulty getting comfortable. Chris told me he was up for hours with Ben who just couldn't get over where we were laying our head for the night. Sounds of the street, the ladies making last minute food preparations for breakfast the next morning, the smell of cigarette smoke and other odors (amomas) unfamiliar to our noses, a cat that decided to share our floor space and lizards escaping the heat. The boys teased me that my Asian-ness kicked in and seemed to feel right at home sleeping through all that excitement. I like to think that I just adapt well ; )
For those of you who know me, I was not so easy to adapt to the bathroom facilities. It took everything out of me to use the eastern style toilet which I unintentionally stopped up with toilet paper which they prefer you put in the waste basket for just that reason. I had purchased a package of "bathing wipes" from the ship before we disembarked. My intention was for the boys if they needed cleaning up during the day. But they ended up being my saving grace, using them to removed most of the daily grime I collected.
Our plan, after much discussion, was that Ben and Chris would take the bus-car to the top of the mountain with all of our gear. Jeremy and I decided to take it halfway up and hike the remaining 4 (or so) hours even though we were told that almost no one hikes the steep trail anymore. We were instructed by hand signals to find the bus-car down the road and to the right. It was still dark out and we seemed to be the only guests venturing from the restaurant. We found one bus-car but were quickly directed to another. We started to feel uneasy. I asked another store owner just opening up shop where to get the truck to the top of the mountain. Again directed further down the road. Finally, we started to see signs for the "truck station". As we approached we heard sounds of people. Getting increasingly louder the closer we got, we reached the open area where boarding the trucks was in progress.
Standing at a wheeled set of stairs, passengers lined up waiting for a truck to pull up. As soon as one did, there was a mad scramble for a piece of wooden bench that would eventually be shared by no less that 5 other rear ends. Baggage and boxes and anything you were carrying got taken and slung into the back cargo area. Pushing and shoving, it was every man for himself. Our survival instincts kicked in and we secured 4 seats together at the back of the truck. As we rolled out, it became clear that this was going to be a ride only rivaled by the best that Six Flags has to offer!
Our ascent up the 4500 foot incline took everything out of our open air 4x4, hauling cargo and approximately 70 passengers. At every chance he got, the driver floored the machine to gain the required momentum to get us up the next incline, taking every curve for granted. Maybe packing us in like sardines helped the swaying of passengers which in turn helped the swaying of the truck. There were many times when it felt as though the truck could flip...either sideways or from front to back or the outside passengers could be thrown from the truck. The only thing missing from this adventure ride was screaming passengers flailing their arms in excitement. But our truck companions were on their religious pilgrimage. It was a solemn ride up the mountain to reach a sacred place of worship. It was a SLALOM ride for us to reach the top of the mountain in one piece!
An hour and a half later and a handful of missing heartbeats, we reached the top of the mountain not understanding where Jeremy and I could have gotten off to hike the last part of the journey. I guess that with such an exciting ride up in the bus-car, no one sees the need or has the desire to trek by foot anymore. And riding the bus-car with all its close calls, rounding hairpin turns, overlooking scenic drop off ravines is surely putting your faith out in a limb anyway. What's the saying? "It's not the destination. It's the journey. " I know I got that wrong but you know what I mean ; )
We strolled an easy 5 minutes though the village lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and food markets and found the oasis of all oasis'...The Mountain Top Hotel! It was only 7:30 in the morning but we checked to see if our rooms were ready anyway. It was a beautiful hotel with friendly staff and a view of the valley that made it obvious why the Buddhist chose this spot, however inconvenient to reach, to build a pagoda and to worship their god amid all the splendor.
We showered as soon as we reached our room. So happy to have "normal" accommodations again ; ) We were all exhausted and ended up sleeping until noon.
Chris and I sat at a table in the outside deck overlooking the small town and enjoyed a cool Myranmar lager. Most of you know that I'm not a big beer drinker but in trying to avoid the local water and ice in some of these places, sometimes a beer is a safe alternative. And surely the alcohol kills some bacteria?
There were monks if all ages, locals selling their wares and offering services like rides on a bamboo lounge chair made mobile by 4 men carrying each corner on a shoulder. There were others carrying tall bamboo baskets on their backs that they used to haul supplies from the arriving bus-cars. They even offered the service to hundreds of daily visitors of the pagoda as many of them arrived with necessities for their families for one night's stay. Most did not check into a hotel like we did, but camped out around the pagoda to wake with the sunrise. Ladies carrying bowls of vegetables and meats in steel bowls on top of their heads, dogs running around like they owned the place and children playing in the street. Chris and I got a little concerned when we saw a little boy, maybe 3 years old, howling and holding his privates. Did he need to relieve himself? Was he sick? Did he get bitten by a dog? A few sharp words from his mother and he pulled from between his legs the small plastic horse he was "riding" ; )
We ventured out to visit Mt Kyaiktiyo, also known as The Golden Rock. The approach to this shrine which is giant boulder precariously balanced on the edge of a cliff high above the clouds makes you instantly believe the folklore. Supposedly, the rock is balanced because of a single strand of hair from Buddha, himself, is enshrined in the stupa which sits on top of the boulder. There is no logical explanation, therefore making this place holy among the Buddhists.
Women are only allowed to view the shrine from a distance. Ben felt sorry for me that I could not actually touch it and get the full experience. He bought a sheet of gold leaf and rubbed it onto the surface of the huge rock. This is the thing to do and over the centuries, the boulder is now covered entirely in gold leaf. A prayer is to be said as the ritual is performed. Ben said his prayer was for me. Hmm...I think I just got the full experience : )
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Yangon
We had a leisurely morning and took advantage of the hotel buffet. Breakfast food in Asia is so different from what we're used to in America. It has everything from cold cereal to congee to curried meats and stir fried vegetables. It's everything but...the kitchen sink. And it's ALL delicious!
We caught a taxi just outside the hotel and got lucky...air conditioning and our driver, Joe, spoke English pretty well.
First on our list of things to do was to buy bus tickets to Mt K... As discussed with Jeremy, our trip non-leader...we would head in the direction of the Golden Rock today so that we at least had a goal to achieve. Aimless wondering just wasn't going to cut it for me!
Just as we pulled up to the bus ticket desk (it was literally a desk on the sidewalk) we ran into some SAS girls in search of a bus to their chosen destination, a good 12 hours away. That's actually how we chose The Golden Rock. We heard it was only a 7 hour bus ride and I could barely get my head around that!
We missed the early bus so we had to settle for the next departure time...8pm. You've got to be kidding me! Plus 7 hours would get us to the base of the mountain by 3am! Because the sun is not up that early, hiking and trucks to the top of the mountain don't start until 6 am. We asked Joe and the bus ticket guy what there was to do at the base of the mountain at that time and the answer was "nothing". We made a decision to forge ahead. If worse came to worse, we could sleep a couple of hours in the bus station on the other end.
Second on the agenda...arrange for a hotel at the mountain. Joe tried to hide a laugh when he realized we didn't have a hotel reservation already! Payment in advance was required so Joe took us to the hotel management company to secure our rooms at The Mountain Top Hotel.
Here's an interesting fact: Most businesses here do not accept credit cards but they do accept USD. But it's still not as easy as it sounds. Because of counterfeiting, they will only take USD dated after 2006, clean, crisp bills only and will absolutely decline any bills from the "C" Series. We traded out bill after bill for several minutes until everyone was happy.
With all that done, we set out to enjoy the rest of the day! A trip to the local market, Bogo Market, for local souvenirs. The boys were longing for a longi. It's a skirt! It's a long skirt for men! Everyone wears them here because of the heat and it was HOT that day! We found a kiosk that had plenty to choose from and the ladies enjoyed the boys' reaction when they realized just how comfortable a skirt is ; ) Ben was the only one man enough to actually wear it that day. And his determination was real! It is a tricky thing tying the perfect knot so Ben tied and untied for most of the day. Seriously! And throughout the day, no less that 15 people stopped to help Ben keep his longi on ; )
The Shwe Dagon Paya is a stupa in Yangon. It was built 2500 years ago and is considered, by the Buddhists as a place of pilgrimage. All devote Buddhist make a promise to visit this stupa at least once in their lifetime.
The Buddhist have gone all out and adorned the tip of the Shwe Dagon Paya in precious jewels including 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies topping off the the stupa with a 76 carat diamond!
We made the mistake of asking a stranger to take our picture. The next thing we knew, he became our uninvited tour guide. But before it got too involved Chris handed him some money and we said our good byes. "Young man, have you ever seen a jade Buddha? Come, let me show you. " There were several hundred Buddhas in the stupa, unfortunately for him we caught onto his game early this time had an uncomfortable good bye.
We arrived early for our bus so we hung out with Joe, who came to pick us up...his last fare of the day. We stood on the dusty roadside and watched the nightlife of Yangon. Still hot and humid and feeling the exhaustion from the day, the waiting tried our patience. 15 minutes after, Joe checked the last bus in line. It was ours and they had been waiting for us!
It was a comfortable bus. Since it was the overnight bus, the seats reclined, there was air conditioning and it had a tv. We were the circus on the bus, hauling bags and arriving late. We were also the only foreigners on the bus. The conductor seemed to speak enough English and got us settled in our seats.
We picked up passengers for the first hour of the trip all the while watching a loop of Myranmar's Top 40 music videos. The people here can sleep through much more tv volume than I can. It was a restless ride. At one point, he conductor, with microphone in hand, rattled off what im sure were instructions for the ride but it was in his native tongue. The boys were asleep and I was too lazy to ask for a translation. Plus, we were "winging it" ; )
We stopped a couple of times for the restroom and once for a snack. They have full on rest stops here with restrooms and a restaurant. The locals sat down and had a full meal around 11:30pm. We had sodas and the local potato chips.
At around 1:30 we stopped again. This time I was actually asleep. Another rest stop it seemed. But as we watched all the other passengers file off, it appeared they were carrying all their belongings. The conductor stopped me and asked, "Are you sleepy?" "Yes, a little." And quickly checked to see if I had drool on my face. We walked into the rest stop and was greeted by the proprietor...I think. "Are you sleepy?" Wow. Was it that obvious? Did I have bus head or something?
"You sleep here, 5000 kyat." as she pointed up a sketchy flight of wooden stairs.
"You sleep here, free." As she pointed to large wooden platforms at the back of the restaurant. "
Confused, we turned to the conductor who we found lugging all our belongings off the bus. Chris and I concluded that we had reached our destination much earlier than expected. We had not two hours to kill but five before we could go up the mountain!
I checked out the upstairs, all the while getting stares and giggles from the locals. It was basically a big treehouse divided into several rooms. 10x10 with a rattan mat. I made the family decision to stay downstairs in the back of the restaurant. It was open and Chris and I can get a little claustrophobic at times. I feared this was one of those times.
We headed over to find an empty platform...about 3 feet off the dirt floor and lined with lanolium. We soon realized that Ben's camera was left on the bus which was no where in sight. I tried to explain our situation to the conductor who all of a sudden didn't speak English as well as I first thought. I rustled through the translation book as Chris and Ben ran down the road to find the bus.
"I left my camera on the bus."
With a nod of acknowledgment, the proprietor replied, "Yes, bus car 6 o'clock. "
They had explained to us earlier that the "bus car" to the top of the mountain began running at 6. " She wasn't getting my meaning.
"I lost my camera. It is on the bus."
"Ahh, camera. Yes, yes, bus car 6 o'clock. "
Oh, God help me...
Just then, the driver came running up with Ben's camera. Thank goodness for honestly!!
We situated ourselves on our platform. I was so filthy, sticky and exhausted that I fell fast asleep using my back pack as a pillow and swating insects all night. I woke up at one point and saw Chris and Ben in the restaurant watching TV with a monk. I reached for my camera but was too tired and committed the image to memory instead.
We caught a taxi just outside the hotel and got lucky...air conditioning and our driver, Joe, spoke English pretty well.
First on our list of things to do was to buy bus tickets to Mt K... As discussed with Jeremy, our trip non-leader...we would head in the direction of the Golden Rock today so that we at least had a goal to achieve. Aimless wondering just wasn't going to cut it for me!
Just as we pulled up to the bus ticket desk (it was literally a desk on the sidewalk) we ran into some SAS girls in search of a bus to their chosen destination, a good 12 hours away. That's actually how we chose The Golden Rock. We heard it was only a 7 hour bus ride and I could barely get my head around that!
We missed the early bus so we had to settle for the next departure time...8pm. You've got to be kidding me! Plus 7 hours would get us to the base of the mountain by 3am! Because the sun is not up that early, hiking and trucks to the top of the mountain don't start until 6 am. We asked Joe and the bus ticket guy what there was to do at the base of the mountain at that time and the answer was "nothing". We made a decision to forge ahead. If worse came to worse, we could sleep a couple of hours in the bus station on the other end.
Second on the agenda...arrange for a hotel at the mountain. Joe tried to hide a laugh when he realized we didn't have a hotel reservation already! Payment in advance was required so Joe took us to the hotel management company to secure our rooms at The Mountain Top Hotel.
Here's an interesting fact: Most businesses here do not accept credit cards but they do accept USD. But it's still not as easy as it sounds. Because of counterfeiting, they will only take USD dated after 2006, clean, crisp bills only and will absolutely decline any bills from the "C" Series. We traded out bill after bill for several minutes until everyone was happy.
With all that done, we set out to enjoy the rest of the day! A trip to the local market, Bogo Market, for local souvenirs. The boys were longing for a longi. It's a skirt! It's a long skirt for men! Everyone wears them here because of the heat and it was HOT that day! We found a kiosk that had plenty to choose from and the ladies enjoyed the boys' reaction when they realized just how comfortable a skirt is ; ) Ben was the only one man enough to actually wear it that day. And his determination was real! It is a tricky thing tying the perfect knot so Ben tied and untied for most of the day. Seriously! And throughout the day, no less that 15 people stopped to help Ben keep his longi on ; )
The Shwe Dagon Paya is a stupa in Yangon. It was built 2500 years ago and is considered, by the Buddhists as a place of pilgrimage. All devote Buddhist make a promise to visit this stupa at least once in their lifetime.
The Buddhist have gone all out and adorned the tip of the Shwe Dagon Paya in precious jewels including 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies topping off the the stupa with a 76 carat diamond!
We made the mistake of asking a stranger to take our picture. The next thing we knew, he became our uninvited tour guide. But before it got too involved Chris handed him some money and we said our good byes. "Young man, have you ever seen a jade Buddha? Come, let me show you. " There were several hundred Buddhas in the stupa, unfortunately for him we caught onto his game early this time had an uncomfortable good bye.
We arrived early for our bus so we hung out with Joe, who came to pick us up...his last fare of the day. We stood on the dusty roadside and watched the nightlife of Yangon. Still hot and humid and feeling the exhaustion from the day, the waiting tried our patience. 15 minutes after, Joe checked the last bus in line. It was ours and they had been waiting for us!
It was a comfortable bus. Since it was the overnight bus, the seats reclined, there was air conditioning and it had a tv. We were the circus on the bus, hauling bags and arriving late. We were also the only foreigners on the bus. The conductor seemed to speak enough English and got us settled in our seats.
We picked up passengers for the first hour of the trip all the while watching a loop of Myranmar's Top 40 music videos. The people here can sleep through much more tv volume than I can. It was a restless ride. At one point, he conductor, with microphone in hand, rattled off what im sure were instructions for the ride but it was in his native tongue. The boys were asleep and I was too lazy to ask for a translation. Plus, we were "winging it" ; )
We stopped a couple of times for the restroom and once for a snack. They have full on rest stops here with restrooms and a restaurant. The locals sat down and had a full meal around 11:30pm. We had sodas and the local potato chips.
At around 1:30 we stopped again. This time I was actually asleep. Another rest stop it seemed. But as we watched all the other passengers file off, it appeared they were carrying all their belongings. The conductor stopped me and asked, "Are you sleepy?" "Yes, a little." And quickly checked to see if I had drool on my face. We walked into the rest stop and was greeted by the proprietor...I think. "Are you sleepy?" Wow. Was it that obvious? Did I have bus head or something?
"You sleep here, 5000 kyat." as she pointed up a sketchy flight of wooden stairs.
"You sleep here, free." As she pointed to large wooden platforms at the back of the restaurant. "
Confused, we turned to the conductor who we found lugging all our belongings off the bus. Chris and I concluded that we had reached our destination much earlier than expected. We had not two hours to kill but five before we could go up the mountain!
I checked out the upstairs, all the while getting stares and giggles from the locals. It was basically a big treehouse divided into several rooms. 10x10 with a rattan mat. I made the family decision to stay downstairs in the back of the restaurant. It was open and Chris and I can get a little claustrophobic at times. I feared this was one of those times.
We headed over to find an empty platform...about 3 feet off the dirt floor and lined with lanolium. We soon realized that Ben's camera was left on the bus which was no where in sight. I tried to explain our situation to the conductor who all of a sudden didn't speak English as well as I first thought. I rustled through the translation book as Chris and Ben ran down the road to find the bus.
"I left my camera on the bus."
With a nod of acknowledgment, the proprietor replied, "Yes, bus car 6 o'clock. "
They had explained to us earlier that the "bus car" to the top of the mountain began running at 6. " She wasn't getting my meaning.
"I lost my camera. It is on the bus."
"Ahh, camera. Yes, yes, bus car 6 o'clock. "
Oh, God help me...
Just then, the driver came running up with Ben's camera. Thank goodness for honestly!!
We situated ourselves on our platform. I was so filthy, sticky and exhausted that I fell fast asleep using my back pack as a pillow and swating insects all night. I woke up at one point and saw Chris and Ben in the restaurant watching TV with a monk. I reached for my camera but was too tired and committed the image to memory instead.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Myanmar: On A Wing And A Prayer
Our latest start yet off of the ship. I hear it had something to do with the tides as we came up the Andaman Sea
Against their wishes, I had the boys do a couple of hours of school work since we were not expected to leave the ship until after 4pm. They moaned and groaned but will thank me later! They got enough work done that they hung out with their friends for hours before we were allowed off the ship. They even hunted down our inter-port student from Myanmar and wrangled some face cream off of her. It supposedly helps cool the skin in the extreme heat of this country. It's so popular that the unique designs made on the face have become all the rage for everyone who use it.
Finally got the "all clear" from Myranmar immigration around 7pm and we caught one of the last shuttles into Yangon about 90 minutes away.
My first impression as we maneuvered the narrow, unlit roadside was that this is a vastly different country than we have ever encountered!
Along the way we passed at least 4 small pagodas all lit up and glistening in gold leaf. The small communities we drove through had several restaurants and stores and open air homes that were so busy with activity that it was as though there was a party going on and we were not invited : (
Some roads were paved, some were gravel and the one where we almost hit a water buffalo was dirt. There were all kinds of transportation...cars, buses bicycles. The ones that caught my attention most were the trishaws (a large tricycle that is decked out with a side car which carries 2 people, one sitting forward, another backward). And then there were these pickup truck type vehicles. The back end was open but had a roof with a clearing of about 6 feet. A wooden bench lined the inside perimeter. We saw these trucks spilling over with passengers. Some hanging off the sides and others even riding on the roof!
I learned that Myanmar was once the 2nd richest country in Asia. Probably during the years they were a British colony. 1968 brought independence and government turmoil. A couple of actions put into motion quickly to practice their separation from the British...vehicle traffic moved to the right side of the road and all English schools were closed.
The language barrier is greater here than in any other country we have visited but it's is still manageable for the most part.
The shuttle bus dropped us off in front of city hall around 9:30 pm. The tour company that is in charge of many of the SAS trips had a liaison there to field the thousands of questions of hundreds of SAS passengers. To help ease the confusion, Chris simply asked if he could borrow his phone to call a hotel.
Most of us are "playing it by ear". We have places in mind that we want to visit but only the really smart people made arrangements in advance. We are not in the smart category. We have 4 days in Myanmar and we allowed Jeremy, who has been aching for more "independent travel", a glimpse into that reality.
Only armed with info on where we "might" go during our Myanmar Odyssey, we headed off to the first hotel that took our reservation...the Summit Parkview.
Situated high and to the left, our upgraded deluxe room overlooked The Shwe Dagon Paya, which is at its most brilliant at night. We were ecstatic about our hotel "find". It was a suite complete with living room bedroom and kitchenette but the steep price was much more than we expected. First lesson in "seat of your pants" traveling...all surprises, especially the ones that can break your budget are possible at any time! Set reasonable expectations and enjoy the ride ; )
Against their wishes, I had the boys do a couple of hours of school work since we were not expected to leave the ship until after 4pm. They moaned and groaned but will thank me later! They got enough work done that they hung out with their friends for hours before we were allowed off the ship. They even hunted down our inter-port student from Myanmar and wrangled some face cream off of her. It supposedly helps cool the skin in the extreme heat of this country. It's so popular that the unique designs made on the face have become all the rage for everyone who use it.
Finally got the "all clear" from Myranmar immigration around 7pm and we caught one of the last shuttles into Yangon about 90 minutes away.
My first impression as we maneuvered the narrow, unlit roadside was that this is a vastly different country than we have ever encountered!
Along the way we passed at least 4 small pagodas all lit up and glistening in gold leaf. The small communities we drove through had several restaurants and stores and open air homes that were so busy with activity that it was as though there was a party going on and we were not invited : (
Some roads were paved, some were gravel and the one where we almost hit a water buffalo was dirt. There were all kinds of transportation...cars, buses bicycles. The ones that caught my attention most were the trishaws (a large tricycle that is decked out with a side car which carries 2 people, one sitting forward, another backward). And then there were these pickup truck type vehicles. The back end was open but had a roof with a clearing of about 6 feet. A wooden bench lined the inside perimeter. We saw these trucks spilling over with passengers. Some hanging off the sides and others even riding on the roof!
I learned that Myanmar was once the 2nd richest country in Asia. Probably during the years they were a British colony. 1968 brought independence and government turmoil. A couple of actions put into motion quickly to practice their separation from the British...vehicle traffic moved to the right side of the road and all English schools were closed.
The language barrier is greater here than in any other country we have visited but it's is still manageable for the most part.
The shuttle bus dropped us off in front of city hall around 9:30 pm. The tour company that is in charge of many of the SAS trips had a liaison there to field the thousands of questions of hundreds of SAS passengers. To help ease the confusion, Chris simply asked if he could borrow his phone to call a hotel.
Most of us are "playing it by ear". We have places in mind that we want to visit but only the really smart people made arrangements in advance. We are not in the smart category. We have 4 days in Myanmar and we allowed Jeremy, who has been aching for more "independent travel", a glimpse into that reality.
Only armed with info on where we "might" go during our Myanmar Odyssey, we headed off to the first hotel that took our reservation...the Summit Parkview.
Situated high and to the left, our upgraded deluxe room overlooked The Shwe Dagon Paya, which is at its most brilliant at night. We were ecstatic about our hotel "find". It was a suite complete with living room bedroom and kitchenette but the steep price was much more than we expected. First lesson in "seat of your pants" traveling...all surprises, especially the ones that can break your budget are possible at any time! Set reasonable expectations and enjoy the ride ; )
Friday, February 22, 2013
Singapore
We arrived in Singapore (the Lion City) this past Wednesday. Another bustling city but you can't overlook it's orderliness. Even the trucks leaving the muddy dock areas were hosed off over a drain so that they would not track dirt out onto the road.
Singapore is a conglomeration of different cultures including English, Indian, Malay and Chinese to name a few. And each is allowed, if not encouraged, to maintain their heritage. That being said, Singapore was a small oasis for us, resembling any melting pot you'd find in the US. Not to mention that many tried and true fast food, convenience stores and coffee shops that we'd find ourselves frequenting in the states made Singapore a very comfortable pit stop in this adventure of ours.
We walked around the colonial area of the city which largely consisted of government and administrative buildings and a few hotels like the gorgeous Raffles Hotel, all dating back to when the Sir Stamford Raffles of England first settled here in the 1800's. All were perfect examples of colonial architecture and beautifully preserved.
We made our way to Marine Bay Sands. It is a skyscraper of a hotel that touts a rooftop infinity edge pool which bridges the 3 buildings of the hotel. Incredible! Could not wait for our dip in the pool because Singapore was beyond steamy that day. But we were given some misinformation and it turned out that only guests of the hotel could actually swim in the pool. The "day pass" that we were after only allowed us in the garden that surrounded the pool and the privilege of watching the guests swim. Pass!
So we went to Sentosa Island instead. A beautiful tropical island which is only a ferry boat or taxi or monorail or cable car away! Sentosa is Singapore's main tourist attraction. The whole island is run like a theme park. Rides and shows, souvenir shopping at every corner...even the bus rides are narrated in perfect Disney World intonation and inflection. There is actually a Universal Studios park on the island that I am so thankful the boys were not interested in visiting. We ended up, instead at The Shangri-la Rasa Hotel. We bought a day pass for the pool and beach and spent some time cooling off from the heat.
In 10 years time, the plan is to move the Singapore shipping port (which is very large and crowded) to the western side of Singapore. For Sentosa Island it should be a much welcomed change. As it stands now, the "beach" is reclaimed land, as is much of Singapore, and it faces the port! So, imagine your view as you lay on the beach, eye dodging freighters just to catch a glimpse of the horizon! And the thought of getting in the shared beach/port water was not at all inviting to us!
Fortunately the pool did the trick! After a few hours and umbrella drinks, we packed up and went back to the mainland to meet my cousin, Lillian and her kids for dinner.
On Lillian's recommendation, we went to Clark Quay, an awesome outdoor entertainment center that sits on the Singapore River. Bars, restaurants, shopping, ferry rides and even bungee type activities. We had dinner at the very popular, Jumbo Seafood to try their famous Chili Crab.
Lillian and I met when my family went to visit the Philippines in 1989 (our best guess) so the reunion was a long time coming. Although we had not had any contact since then, there is something very comforting about seeing a relative on an adventure like this. A connection to home. Jeremy and Ben were very excited to meet Sophia and Ethan, Lillian's 2 kids, and true Filipino cousins! Knowing that they still visit the Philippines often, makes it much more likely that the Smiths will find themselves vacationing there in the very near future!
The next day, we had a scheduled field trip with SAS to some historical places of worship. Because we don't have any real knowledge of Buddhism and Hinduism we all found the information on the temples and the mosque we visited to be very intriguing.
The absence of footwear while in these places is one thing they have in common. They also use smoke as symbolic significance but Buddhists use incense where Hindus just use wood. Taoists and Hindus both display many gods in their temples while Buddhist only have Buddha but there can be many Buddhas. One temple we visited had hundreds of the exact same Buddha! The Sultan's Mosque was something different all together. It was like a giant ornate living room. Large enough to accommodate hundreds of worshipers during any of the 5 mandatory daily prayer times. Very different from the places of worship that we are accustomed to.
The Cathedral Of The Good Shepherd was on the itinerary. Built in 1843, it houses a relic of St. Laurent Imbert of France, the first priest to visit the few Catholics living in Singapore in 1821. And although it was dark and dingy, the walls were cracked and peeling, the pews were worn and creaking, it was another reunion for us, another comforting connection to home.
Myanmar next!
Singapore is a conglomeration of different cultures including English, Indian, Malay and Chinese to name a few. And each is allowed, if not encouraged, to maintain their heritage. That being said, Singapore was a small oasis for us, resembling any melting pot you'd find in the US. Not to mention that many tried and true fast food, convenience stores and coffee shops that we'd find ourselves frequenting in the states made Singapore a very comfortable pit stop in this adventure of ours.
We walked around the colonial area of the city which largely consisted of government and administrative buildings and a few hotels like the gorgeous Raffles Hotel, all dating back to when the Sir Stamford Raffles of England first settled here in the 1800's. All were perfect examples of colonial architecture and beautifully preserved.
We made our way to Marine Bay Sands. It is a skyscraper of a hotel that touts a rooftop infinity edge pool which bridges the 3 buildings of the hotel. Incredible! Could not wait for our dip in the pool because Singapore was beyond steamy that day. But we were given some misinformation and it turned out that only guests of the hotel could actually swim in the pool. The "day pass" that we were after only allowed us in the garden that surrounded the pool and the privilege of watching the guests swim. Pass!
So we went to Sentosa Island instead. A beautiful tropical island which is only a ferry boat or taxi or monorail or cable car away! Sentosa is Singapore's main tourist attraction. The whole island is run like a theme park. Rides and shows, souvenir shopping at every corner...even the bus rides are narrated in perfect Disney World intonation and inflection. There is actually a Universal Studios park on the island that I am so thankful the boys were not interested in visiting. We ended up, instead at The Shangri-la Rasa Hotel. We bought a day pass for the pool and beach and spent some time cooling off from the heat.
In 10 years time, the plan is to move the Singapore shipping port (which is very large and crowded) to the western side of Singapore. For Sentosa Island it should be a much welcomed change. As it stands now, the "beach" is reclaimed land, as is much of Singapore, and it faces the port! So, imagine your view as you lay on the beach, eye dodging freighters just to catch a glimpse of the horizon! And the thought of getting in the shared beach/port water was not at all inviting to us!
Fortunately the pool did the trick! After a few hours and umbrella drinks, we packed up and went back to the mainland to meet my cousin, Lillian and her kids for dinner.
On Lillian's recommendation, we went to Clark Quay, an awesome outdoor entertainment center that sits on the Singapore River. Bars, restaurants, shopping, ferry rides and even bungee type activities. We had dinner at the very popular, Jumbo Seafood to try their famous Chili Crab.
Lillian and I met when my family went to visit the Philippines in 1989 (our best guess) so the reunion was a long time coming. Although we had not had any contact since then, there is something very comforting about seeing a relative on an adventure like this. A connection to home. Jeremy and Ben were very excited to meet Sophia and Ethan, Lillian's 2 kids, and true Filipino cousins! Knowing that they still visit the Philippines often, makes it much more likely that the Smiths will find themselves vacationing there in the very near future!
The next day, we had a scheduled field trip with SAS to some historical places of worship. Because we don't have any real knowledge of Buddhism and Hinduism we all found the information on the temples and the mosque we visited to be very intriguing.
The absence of footwear while in these places is one thing they have in common. They also use smoke as symbolic significance but Buddhists use incense where Hindus just use wood. Taoists and Hindus both display many gods in their temples while Buddhist only have Buddha but there can be many Buddhas. One temple we visited had hundreds of the exact same Buddha! The Sultan's Mosque was something different all together. It was like a giant ornate living room. Large enough to accommodate hundreds of worshipers during any of the 5 mandatory daily prayer times. Very different from the places of worship that we are accustomed to.
The Cathedral Of The Good Shepherd was on the itinerary. Built in 1843, it houses a relic of St. Laurent Imbert of France, the first priest to visit the few Catholics living in Singapore in 1821. And although it was dark and dingy, the walls were cracked and peeling, the pews were worn and creaking, it was another reunion for us, another comforting connection to home.
Myanmar next!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Singapore Pre Port
So, we have a pre port meeting the night before we reach all the ports. It's mandatory because they have some extremely helpful information.
It can be a bit dry at times but the executive dean makes it pretty fun and interesting to listen to. He's talking to college students after all who seem to have a shorter attention span than the Smith boys!
He starts out with statistics for the last port. Ours was Vietnam:
- No one was drugged by other people
- 35 pick pocketed
- 18 stolen cards from fake ATMs
- 29 lost/stolen iPhones
- 1 Lost but found passport
- 5 people hit by scooters
- 2 leg burns from scooter exhaust pipes
These statistics were not as bad as I'd expected. From the previous ports, it is obvious that a lot of the students don't listen to the precautions, then suffer the consequences. In Japan, more than a handful of students were drugged at nightclubs and "violated". In China, there were fewer drug episodes but 3 students lost their passports and spent the entire stay at port going through the red tape to get a temporary passport. I heard they had to fly to another city to get it done! I bet their parents were a little upset...
SAS does an exceptional job giving out the warnings both in mandatory lecture form and in print. It's just up to the students to do the right thing.
Singapore pre port came with some unusual requirements and all are arrestable offenses:
- no chewing gum
- no jay walking
- you must have the license if you are carrying software
- no political paraphernalia
- no books or newspapers
- all are subject to random drug testing
...and the list goes on. If you are arrested, the punishment is jail or caning. I guess the video of caning was too graphic to show at the pre port so they put up an image instead. Good news is they do drape a protective wrap on your lower back so that they do not damage your kidneys. How thoughtful.
Anyway, it should be an interesting port. I have a cousin, 1, 2, 3, 4 removed (I'm not sure how that works), who lives in Singapore. We are scheduled to have dinner with her and her kids tomorrow night. Hopefully, we make it to the restaurant without any trouble!
It can be a bit dry at times but the executive dean makes it pretty fun and interesting to listen to. He's talking to college students after all who seem to have a shorter attention span than the Smith boys!
He starts out with statistics for the last port. Ours was Vietnam:
- No one was drugged by other people
- 35 pick pocketed
- 18 stolen cards from fake ATMs
- 29 lost/stolen iPhones
- 1 Lost but found passport
- 5 people hit by scooters
- 2 leg burns from scooter exhaust pipes
These statistics were not as bad as I'd expected. From the previous ports, it is obvious that a lot of the students don't listen to the precautions, then suffer the consequences. In Japan, more than a handful of students were drugged at nightclubs and "violated". In China, there were fewer drug episodes but 3 students lost their passports and spent the entire stay at port going through the red tape to get a temporary passport. I heard they had to fly to another city to get it done! I bet their parents were a little upset...
SAS does an exceptional job giving out the warnings both in mandatory lecture form and in print. It's just up to the students to do the right thing.
Singapore pre port came with some unusual requirements and all are arrestable offenses:
- no chewing gum
- no jay walking
- you must have the license if you are carrying software
- no political paraphernalia
- no books or newspapers
- all are subject to random drug testing
...and the list goes on. If you are arrested, the punishment is jail or caning. I guess the video of caning was too graphic to show at the pre port so they put up an image instead. Good news is they do drape a protective wrap on your lower back so that they do not damage your kidneys. How thoughtful.
Anyway, it should be an interesting port. I have a cousin, 1, 2, 3, 4 removed (I'm not sure how that works), who lives in Singapore. We are scheduled to have dinner with her and her kids tomorrow night. Hopefully, we make it to the restaurant without any trouble!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saigon
I know the official name is "Ho Chi Minh City" but the locals still refer to their port city as "Saigon" so I've decided to do the same. Not to mention, Ho Chi Minh was a very bad man!
The Marketplace
We thought we would find a local beach to spend some time vacationing from our "vacation" but with Tet, the new year celebration in full swing for the majority of the week, flights and hotels were all booked. So we decided to get as much out of the port city as we could.
The ship had a shuttle bus that took passengers to and from the city center that left on the half hour making it very easy for us to get to the Bên Thán market.
The boys LOVE to haggle. Something they got from their dad because it is not at all fun for me. They have 2 different styles which seem to work equally as well. Jeremy is confrontational..."Meet my best offer or I'm walking." He got a couple of shirts and and some glasses that way. I ruined it for him as he tried to get a better deal on a watch. I'm too soft and agreed to a price with J rolling his eyes at me.
Ben turns out the charm. He haggles with a huge smile on his face and never budges from his final offer but never walks away either. Just stands there smiling until he gets what he wants. He earned a watch, shoes and a couple of shirts : ) Ben could easily get the Vietnamese discount too. They all look at him and want to touch him. When they get his attention they smile, nod and give him a "thumbs up" ; )
I tried to buy a couple of things with no success. I think I have either gained my "freshman 15" all over again or the asian sizing charts are WAY off! I picked up a pair of shoes to have a closer look and then had them ripped out of my hands, "Shoes too small for you!" I finally gave up when the dress shopkeeper, after bringing me bigger size after bigger size to try on finally, suggested that I look in the "big girl section"!
Jeremy had a similar problem. He was on the lookout for a pair of loafers. After haggling price all day and disappointed when they didn't have a size 12, his opening line became, "What is the largest size you have?" He actually got laughed at by one store owner who only carried up to a size 6! Ben, on the other hand said that he would like to live in Vietnam and have a vacation home in Roswell ; )
When Will We Learn?
Chris and I decided to go out to dinner for Valentines Day. The boys were given the "ok" by the Executive Dean to stay onboard unsupervised then he recommended a French restaurant for us to try.
It was dark out but the city was decorated in the full spectrum of colors for the holiday. And the scooter traffic was unbelievable! Thousands of scooters clogged up the streets. Single passenger vehicles carrying a family of 4 plus whatever bags they had was not that uncommon of a sight. Infants being bottle fed as the pregnant mother rode side-saddle behind her husband locking in their 2 year old between his legs. Crazy!
Au Manoir de Khai was about a 10 minute ride from the ship but once we walked inside, it felt like we had gone thousands of miles away to a quaint French corner of the world. It was a dimmly lit courtyard restaurant with fountains to drown out the sounds of the street, lamp post lighting the walkway and wrought iron chairs with white linen covered tables...quintessential Valentine's Day ambience. The hostess approached us, "Good evening. May I help you?" "Table for 2 please. ", Chris replied as I snapped pictures to document our dinner.
"You have reservation?" We looked at each other and back to the hostess, "No."
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
"Can we have drinks at the bar?"
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
Failed at the planning again!
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN?!
The hostess kindly recommended a Thai restaurant around the corner. As we walked in, we were again asked the same STUPID question about making STUPID reservations. At least this time they could accommodate us. The host shook his head and pointed upward. 3 flights up and through all the air conditioned floors, we were escorted to the outdoor seating area for all the other sweaty, non-reservation making, spontaneous fun-seeking idiots. At least the food was good and the company couldn't be better ; )
We took a walk around the city center and ended up at the bar of The Caravelle Hotel, the first hotel to open its doors after Saigon fell. It was so nice and comfortable that we decided to bring the boys back the next day.
A Vacation From Our Vacation
Chris and Jeremy woke up bright and early to play golf at the Vietnam Country Club so Ben and I were on our own for most of the day.
After breakfast I told Ben to pack a bag because Chris and I decided to stay in a hostile for the night so that the boys could have the experience a lot of their college aged friends were having. If you could have seen the look on Ben's face, you would have thought I had just told him that the world was coming to an end!
He begrudgingly stuffed his bag with essentials and I packed up for the rest of us. He dragged himself onto the shuttle bus probably thinking that he had the worst parents ever. We reached the city center and I told him we had to walk the rest of the way. Again, he gave me that look of "why me?" We only walked 4 blocks when I steered him into the Caravelle. "This is your hostile" I told him. A huge sigh of relief and and even bigger smile overcame him, "Oh thank God!"
We had a relaxing rest of the day lounging by the pool and using the awesome wifi. Ben even Skyped some friends while he was in the pool!
We went out to the market for a bit and when we returned, we found Chris and Jeremy back from their round of golf. We took it even easier and got dinner from Pizza Hut!
Last Day
The 4 of us were scheduled to take a cooking class on the last day. But at the last minute, Jeremy and Ben got a better offer...2 of the students invited them to go "ice skating" and bowling. Hesitant to let them loose in Saigon and hesitant to allow their first double date, I was comforted by Ben who told me they were "just friends" ; ) Even more comforted when I found out that one of the other kids and his dad were going to tag along.
Chris and I were happy to see that our friends Marissa (MU Golden Eagle) and her husband Mark were on the roll for the same class. They are a nice couple that we have talked about getting to know better. It was also Mark's birthday so I figured we were in for a special day!
We arrived at the Hao Tuc restaurant. It is known for its authentic Vietnamese food with a French flair. It is not fusion cuisine, but only inspired technically by the French. It is like a bistro "au pleine à ir" that you would find on any street corner in Paris.
We were taught to make 3 different dishes which put together, became our lunch for the day: spring rolls with pork and prawns, green mango salad with grilled chicken and beef pho. Each table of students had its own chef to guide them through all the techniques including how to julianne vegetables, reconstitute rice paper wrappers, and make beef stock from scratch. I never knew we were such good cooks! But we are still much better eaters ; )
Afterward we went to the top of The Rex Hotel at the city center with Mark and Marissa to celebrate Mark's bday. We all ordered the local beers, Tiger and Saigon, and I quickly realized I had lost some of the Milwaukee in me as I opted to use the ice cold mug and Marissa latched on to the bottle.
A couple of rounds later and with new found "courage" to do last minute haggling, we headed to the market. Chris and Mark kept up their "confidence" at every Tiger vendor they saw.
The challenge was to get good prices but also use up all the Vietnamese Dong that we had left. I'm sure you can imagine the conversation between the 2 of them on how best to use their dong!
I found Chris wheeling and dealing with 2 young ladies trying to sell him every pair of shorts and all the shirts in their kiosk. Chris, like Jeremy and Ben has his own unique style if haggling..."Look how cute you are, how can you offer me such an unfair price?", "I'll buy it at your price if you'll take a picture with me!" Finally, the last shopkeeper felt so comfortable with his flirting that when Chris pretended to sneak off with some souvenirs she gave him a slap on the rear! As we headed out, Chris waved the little dong he had left at the street vendors and got in the cab with a brand new pair of "Versace" sunglasses!
We are on our way to Singapore. We LOSE an hour tonight! Must mean we're getting closer to home ; )
The Marketplace
We thought we would find a local beach to spend some time vacationing from our "vacation" but with Tet, the new year celebration in full swing for the majority of the week, flights and hotels were all booked. So we decided to get as much out of the port city as we could.
The ship had a shuttle bus that took passengers to and from the city center that left on the half hour making it very easy for us to get to the Bên Thán market.
The boys LOVE to haggle. Something they got from their dad because it is not at all fun for me. They have 2 different styles which seem to work equally as well. Jeremy is confrontational..."Meet my best offer or I'm walking." He got a couple of shirts and and some glasses that way. I ruined it for him as he tried to get a better deal on a watch. I'm too soft and agreed to a price with J rolling his eyes at me.
Ben turns out the charm. He haggles with a huge smile on his face and never budges from his final offer but never walks away either. Just stands there smiling until he gets what he wants. He earned a watch, shoes and a couple of shirts : ) Ben could easily get the Vietnamese discount too. They all look at him and want to touch him. When they get his attention they smile, nod and give him a "thumbs up" ; )
I tried to buy a couple of things with no success. I think I have either gained my "freshman 15" all over again or the asian sizing charts are WAY off! I picked up a pair of shoes to have a closer look and then had them ripped out of my hands, "Shoes too small for you!" I finally gave up when the dress shopkeeper, after bringing me bigger size after bigger size to try on finally, suggested that I look in the "big girl section"!
Jeremy had a similar problem. He was on the lookout for a pair of loafers. After haggling price all day and disappointed when they didn't have a size 12, his opening line became, "What is the largest size you have?" He actually got laughed at by one store owner who only carried up to a size 6! Ben, on the other hand said that he would like to live in Vietnam and have a vacation home in Roswell ; )
When Will We Learn?
Chris and I decided to go out to dinner for Valentines Day. The boys were given the "ok" by the Executive Dean to stay onboard unsupervised then he recommended a French restaurant for us to try.
It was dark out but the city was decorated in the full spectrum of colors for the holiday. And the scooter traffic was unbelievable! Thousands of scooters clogged up the streets. Single passenger vehicles carrying a family of 4 plus whatever bags they had was not that uncommon of a sight. Infants being bottle fed as the pregnant mother rode side-saddle behind her husband locking in their 2 year old between his legs. Crazy!
Au Manoir de Khai was about a 10 minute ride from the ship but once we walked inside, it felt like we had gone thousands of miles away to a quaint French corner of the world. It was a dimmly lit courtyard restaurant with fountains to drown out the sounds of the street, lamp post lighting the walkway and wrought iron chairs with white linen covered tables...quintessential Valentine's Day ambience. The hostess approached us, "Good evening. May I help you?" "Table for 2 please. ", Chris replied as I snapped pictures to document our dinner.
"You have reservation?" We looked at each other and back to the hostess, "No."
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
"Can we have drinks at the bar?"
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
Failed at the planning again!
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN?!
The hostess kindly recommended a Thai restaurant around the corner. As we walked in, we were again asked the same STUPID question about making STUPID reservations. At least this time they could accommodate us. The host shook his head and pointed upward. 3 flights up and through all the air conditioned floors, we were escorted to the outdoor seating area for all the other sweaty, non-reservation making, spontaneous fun-seeking idiots. At least the food was good and the company couldn't be better ; )
We took a walk around the city center and ended up at the bar of The Caravelle Hotel, the first hotel to open its doors after Saigon fell. It was so nice and comfortable that we decided to bring the boys back the next day.
A Vacation From Our Vacation
Chris and Jeremy woke up bright and early to play golf at the Vietnam Country Club so Ben and I were on our own for most of the day.
After breakfast I told Ben to pack a bag because Chris and I decided to stay in a hostile for the night so that the boys could have the experience a lot of their college aged friends were having. If you could have seen the look on Ben's face, you would have thought I had just told him that the world was coming to an end!
He begrudgingly stuffed his bag with essentials and I packed up for the rest of us. He dragged himself onto the shuttle bus probably thinking that he had the worst parents ever. We reached the city center and I told him we had to walk the rest of the way. Again, he gave me that look of "why me?" We only walked 4 blocks when I steered him into the Caravelle. "This is your hostile" I told him. A huge sigh of relief and and even bigger smile overcame him, "Oh thank God!"
We had a relaxing rest of the day lounging by the pool and using the awesome wifi. Ben even Skyped some friends while he was in the pool!
We went out to the market for a bit and when we returned, we found Chris and Jeremy back from their round of golf. We took it even easier and got dinner from Pizza Hut!
Last Day
The 4 of us were scheduled to take a cooking class on the last day. But at the last minute, Jeremy and Ben got a better offer...2 of the students invited them to go "ice skating" and bowling. Hesitant to let them loose in Saigon and hesitant to allow their first double date, I was comforted by Ben who told me they were "just friends" ; ) Even more comforted when I found out that one of the other kids and his dad were going to tag along.
Chris and I were happy to see that our friends Marissa (MU Golden Eagle) and her husband Mark were on the roll for the same class. They are a nice couple that we have talked about getting to know better. It was also Mark's birthday so I figured we were in for a special day!
We arrived at the Hao Tuc restaurant. It is known for its authentic Vietnamese food with a French flair. It is not fusion cuisine, but only inspired technically by the French. It is like a bistro "au pleine à ir" that you would find on any street corner in Paris.
We were taught to make 3 different dishes which put together, became our lunch for the day: spring rolls with pork and prawns, green mango salad with grilled chicken and beef pho. Each table of students had its own chef to guide them through all the techniques including how to julianne vegetables, reconstitute rice paper wrappers, and make beef stock from scratch. I never knew we were such good cooks! But we are still much better eaters ; )
Afterward we went to the top of The Rex Hotel at the city center with Mark and Marissa to celebrate Mark's bday. We all ordered the local beers, Tiger and Saigon, and I quickly realized I had lost some of the Milwaukee in me as I opted to use the ice cold mug and Marissa latched on to the bottle.
A couple of rounds later and with new found "courage" to do last minute haggling, we headed to the market. Chris and Mark kept up their "confidence" at every Tiger vendor they saw.
The challenge was to get good prices but also use up all the Vietnamese Dong that we had left. I'm sure you can imagine the conversation between the 2 of them on how best to use their dong!
I found Chris wheeling and dealing with 2 young ladies trying to sell him every pair of shorts and all the shirts in their kiosk. Chris, like Jeremy and Ben has his own unique style if haggling..."Look how cute you are, how can you offer me such an unfair price?", "I'll buy it at your price if you'll take a picture with me!" Finally, the last shopkeeper felt so comfortable with his flirting that when Chris pretended to sneak off with some souvenirs she gave him a slap on the rear! As we headed out, Chris waved the little dong he had left at the street vendors and got in the cab with a brand new pair of "Versace" sunglasses!
We are on our way to Singapore. We LOSE an hour tonight! Must mean we're getting closer to home ; )
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Our Mekong Experience
Gosh. Where to begin...
Ok. The boys and I went off last Wednesday to the Mekong Delta. We were disappointed to leave Archbishop Tutu's Ash Wednesday service early but like I've been saying to Ben for weeks now, "the bus is not going to wait for us!" Just poor planning on our part AGAIN!
We got to My Tho, a city where the Mekong divides into several other rivers. I can't remember the origin of the flow but I know it goes through Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Then it spills into the South China Sea. Our guide was quick to tell us that the river water is clean. To my eye is was a golden milky waterway with large lush greens sprouting from dark thick muddy banks. The explanation is that the water is saturated with vital minerals from the rich soil of the Mekong islands.
We were taken by ferry down the river a bit and transferred to a 4 man paddle boat. As we floated through the narrow waterways shaded by thick palm trees and other wild vegetation, Jeremy and I both had the thought that our soldiers were sitting ducks for the Vietcong. Obviously still feeling a little vulnerable from our day at the museum.
We sampled tropical fruits like jackfruit, longans, kumquats and dragon fruit of which we ate every bite! The heat and humidity are not unlike what we have in Georgia but the change in temp was drastic coming from China where it is winter.
Then we took a horse a buggy ride to Ben Tho, "the land of coconuts" where it was explained to us how every bit of the coconut us used. It is used as food, utensils, mattress filling and a polishing powder to name a few. And just when you think it's depleted of all it's goodness, it is burned to an ash which they then sell to filter water. These people are VERY resourceful!
After an al fresco lunch (nice way to say we were still sweating), we took a bike ride through what we thought would be a nature trail. I guess you could call it that but the Vietnamese allow scooters and cars on the same trail! Very exciting as our brakes failed, chains fell off and gears locked up all while trying to avoid the 2 way traffic! We made it back safely to find Ben sampling the local coconut candy and sipping on an ice cold bottle of water. He cleverly passed on the bike ride ; )
It was an exotic day on the Mekong.
On our ride back to the ship our tour guide gave us her recollection of the Vietnam war. I've come to appreciate the openness and candidness of the people here who want to share their stories with us. It's a "clearing if the air" to them. The people we have encountered, did not hate the US soldiers. The Vietcong fought dirty. The US did not lose. The Vietcong were deceitful toward everyone. Yes, Vietnam is a communist country but I don't think many of the people living here embrace the idea.
We met Chris at the ship. He had his own day in Saigon since he had the Mekong experience with his class the day before. Someone, please ask him to post details on his blog because they are hilarious! He is a man of few words unfortunately because you all are missing out on a good belly laugh!
Ok. The boys and I went off last Wednesday to the Mekong Delta. We were disappointed to leave Archbishop Tutu's Ash Wednesday service early but like I've been saying to Ben for weeks now, "the bus is not going to wait for us!" Just poor planning on our part AGAIN!
We got to My Tho, a city where the Mekong divides into several other rivers. I can't remember the origin of the flow but I know it goes through Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Then it spills into the South China Sea. Our guide was quick to tell us that the river water is clean. To my eye is was a golden milky waterway with large lush greens sprouting from dark thick muddy banks. The explanation is that the water is saturated with vital minerals from the rich soil of the Mekong islands.
We were taken by ferry down the river a bit and transferred to a 4 man paddle boat. As we floated through the narrow waterways shaded by thick palm trees and other wild vegetation, Jeremy and I both had the thought that our soldiers were sitting ducks for the Vietcong. Obviously still feeling a little vulnerable from our day at the museum.
We sampled tropical fruits like jackfruit, longans, kumquats and dragon fruit of which we ate every bite! The heat and humidity are not unlike what we have in Georgia but the change in temp was drastic coming from China where it is winter.
Then we took a horse a buggy ride to Ben Tho, "the land of coconuts" where it was explained to us how every bit of the coconut us used. It is used as food, utensils, mattress filling and a polishing powder to name a few. And just when you think it's depleted of all it's goodness, it is burned to an ash which they then sell to filter water. These people are VERY resourceful!
After an al fresco lunch (nice way to say we were still sweating), we took a bike ride through what we thought would be a nature trail. I guess you could call it that but the Vietnamese allow scooters and cars on the same trail! Very exciting as our brakes failed, chains fell off and gears locked up all while trying to avoid the 2 way traffic! We made it back safely to find Ben sampling the local coconut candy and sipping on an ice cold bottle of water. He cleverly passed on the bike ride ; )
It was an exotic day on the Mekong.
On our ride back to the ship our tour guide gave us her recollection of the Vietnam war. I've come to appreciate the openness and candidness of the people here who want to share their stories with us. It's a "clearing if the air" to them. The people we have encountered, did not hate the US soldiers. The Vietcong fought dirty. The US did not lose. The Vietcong were deceitful toward everyone. Yes, Vietnam is a communist country but I don't think many of the people living here embrace the idea.
We met Chris at the ship. He had his own day in Saigon since he had the Mekong experience with his class the day before. Someone, please ask him to post details on his blog because they are hilarious! He is a man of few words unfortunately because you all are missing out on a good belly laugh!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ho Chi Minh City
We docked late today in Ho Chi Minh City which sits on the Saigon River. Navigating the boat took 4 hours from the South China Sea to the port. So we didn't actually get to leave the ship until 1:00 when all the bus tours rolled out.
Vietnam is still celebrating Tet, their new year, so the streets were relatively trafficless and the stores and restaurants did not open until after noon. Tomorrow is supposed to bring a more typical day in Vietnam.
We got split up today. Chris' marketing class had a field lab to the Mekog Delta. The boys and I were scheduled to visit the War Museum.
The twist to our day was meeting Mr. Cuong who is a former UPI (United Press International) photojournalist. His claim to fame are his many photographs which captured the life and times of the Vietnam war.
Today, he is a convenience store owner, art collector and private museum curator. His 3 professions are all housed in his cramped 3 story house. Not the SAS field trip experience I expected but maybe this is the best HCMC can offer its tourists. I shouldn't complain. This country is communist but according to Mr. Cuong, he and his contemporaries all think it is "bullshit". Hmmm...
The War Museum houses remnants of the war which was almost entirely anti US propaganda. All 4 stories, including the outside courtyard which has on display tanks, aircraft and literally tons of US weaponry are dedicated to the atrocities committed by the US during the war. The photographs illustrating the effects of Agent Orange were most disturbing. I cautioned the boys and assured them they were not obliged to look but they did. It was a day of information overload for them as well as for me. It left us wondering what our friends at home might be doing.
We returned to an empty ship. Everyone was either still out on their field trips or exploring the city. I thought we might just rest a while then take the shuttle bus back downtown for dinner. Being Fat Tuesday and all, the boys opted to have dinner on the ship. More than anything else, I think it was them needing a little bit of "home". We sat up on the pool deck and ordered hamburgers and fries as we overlooked the moonlit Saigon River.
In search of mass tomorrow!
Vietnam is still celebrating Tet, their new year, so the streets were relatively trafficless and the stores and restaurants did not open until after noon. Tomorrow is supposed to bring a more typical day in Vietnam.
We got split up today. Chris' marketing class had a field lab to the Mekog Delta. The boys and I were scheduled to visit the War Museum.
The twist to our day was meeting Mr. Cuong who is a former UPI (United Press International) photojournalist. His claim to fame are his many photographs which captured the life and times of the Vietnam war.
Today, he is a convenience store owner, art collector and private museum curator. His 3 professions are all housed in his cramped 3 story house. Not the SAS field trip experience I expected but maybe this is the best HCMC can offer its tourists. I shouldn't complain. This country is communist but according to Mr. Cuong, he and his contemporaries all think it is "bullshit". Hmmm...
The War Museum houses remnants of the war which was almost entirely anti US propaganda. All 4 stories, including the outside courtyard which has on display tanks, aircraft and literally tons of US weaponry are dedicated to the atrocities committed by the US during the war. The photographs illustrating the effects of Agent Orange were most disturbing. I cautioned the boys and assured them they were not obliged to look but they did. It was a day of information overload for them as well as for me. It left us wondering what our friends at home might be doing.
We returned to an empty ship. Everyone was either still out on their field trips or exploring the city. I thought we might just rest a while then take the shuttle bus back downtown for dinner. Being Fat Tuesday and all, the boys opted to have dinner on the ship. More than anything else, I think it was them needing a little bit of "home". We sat up on the pool deck and ordered hamburgers and fries as we overlooked the moonlit Saigon River.
In search of mass tomorrow!
Monday, February 11, 2013
SAS Panthers Are 1-1
Jeremy and Ben have joined the basketball Inter-murals onboard. Against Jeremy's wishes, the team got listed as "The Panthers" (the name of his church league team). I got put on the spot filling out the paper work and he couldn't come up with a better name!
Anyway, they lost their first game by one point but played again tonight and won by 2 in double overtime!
The other team-mates include extended family brother, Cody and the requisite female, Quinn, from Gonzaga State! She doesn't play for them, but we all think she could!
Ben also plays on a dodgeball team. I'll have to get that name to you later...something about unicorns. Ben had nothing to do with the name, apparently : ) They are currently 0-1, again only losing by a margin of 1!
Stay tuned. More scores after Vietnam!
Anyway, they lost their first game by one point but played again tonight and won by 2 in double overtime!
The other team-mates include extended family brother, Cody and the requisite female, Quinn, from Gonzaga State! She doesn't play for them, but we all think she could!
Ben also plays on a dodgeball team. I'll have to get that name to you later...something about unicorns. Ben had nothing to do with the name, apparently : ) They are currently 0-1, again only losing by a margin of 1!
Stay tuned. More scores after Vietnam!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Hong Kong
Had a good and restful night on the ship. It seems that the longer we are away, the more the MVExplorer feels like home ; ) It's very comforting to see our cabin steward, Sotero, greet us in the morning as we go off to breakfast. When we return, our cabins have been cleaned, the beds made, fresh linens and towels, laundry has been picked up and everything put back in its place. Ahhhh.... ; )
Chris had a field lab today with his Economics class. It's like a field trip but for the college students, it counts for 20% of their grade. Anyway, he was gone all day. I'll let him fill you in on those details. Very interesting stuff. We certainly are having conversations during this voyage that we've never had before!
The boys and I signed for a Dim Sum cooking class. Hong Kong, unlike Beijing and the majority of mainland China, is Cantonese as opposed to Mandarine. Dim Sum is Cantonese. Ask anyone in Hong Kong and they will proudly claim it as their cuisine.
Dim Sum is a culinary tradition much like afternoon tea for the British, Merenda for the Europeans or Merienda for Latin Americans and the Filipinos. It is typically a light snack that occurs during the hours between lunch and dinner. Dim Sum is the same although it can be found served in restaurants between the hours of 7am-3pm.
The English translation for Dim Sum is "a touch of the heart". It is a small bite usually made of a steamed bun with a savory or sweet filling. But like every cuisine, the deep fryer seems to make things better so it is not uncommon to find fried Dim Sum!
We were taken to a cooking school where 3 types of Dim Sum were explained and demonstrated for us.
- A wonton wrapper filled with squid and assembled to look like one,
- a sweet steamed rice creation put together to look like a penguin
- and a rice wrapper folded in traditional dumpling fashion and filled with shrimp.
Ben was definitely the most artful with his dumplings, I was second and Jeremy...well, he's really good at eating them! ; )
Afterward, we ate our dim sum and were served about 6 other varieties. Stuffed from our "light" snack, the 3 of us decided to walk back to the port instead of going back on the bus with the group.
Our Chinese guide was very impressed that Jeremy and Ben wanted to participate in the dim sum class. She said, in her very frank English, "The Chinese children are very spoiled. They go to school, play computer games and do homework. They are not allowed in the kitchen so they are not interested in how to cook." We got similar information from our guide in Beijing. Ben asked her where we might go to watch ping pong and she said that those places don't exist anymore. The government has taken away all emphasis on physical education and pushes the kids to study more. Both ladies seemed concerned about the future of the Chinese children and were in disagreement with the added academic pressure they are receiving these days.
We got back to the ship in plenty of time. I ran into Chris giving a tour of the Explorer to some of the Chinese students he met on his field trip.
Later, the 4 of us met on deck 7. It was dark and Hong Kong was lit up like a like the flames from a Chinese dragon. The boys were playing Knock Out on the basketball court, students were sporting their new kimono robes, everyone was taking one last picture of the Hong Kong skyline and with 3 long blasts from the bridge, we shoved off into the South China Sea.
Chris had a field lab today with his Economics class. It's like a field trip but for the college students, it counts for 20% of their grade. Anyway, he was gone all day. I'll let him fill you in on those details. Very interesting stuff. We certainly are having conversations during this voyage that we've never had before!
The boys and I signed for a Dim Sum cooking class. Hong Kong, unlike Beijing and the majority of mainland China, is Cantonese as opposed to Mandarine. Dim Sum is Cantonese. Ask anyone in Hong Kong and they will proudly claim it as their cuisine.
Dim Sum is a culinary tradition much like afternoon tea for the British, Merenda for the Europeans or Merienda for Latin Americans and the Filipinos. It is typically a light snack that occurs during the hours between lunch and dinner. Dim Sum is the same although it can be found served in restaurants between the hours of 7am-3pm.
The English translation for Dim Sum is "a touch of the heart". It is a small bite usually made of a steamed bun with a savory or sweet filling. But like every cuisine, the deep fryer seems to make things better so it is not uncommon to find fried Dim Sum!
We were taken to a cooking school where 3 types of Dim Sum were explained and demonstrated for us.
- A wonton wrapper filled with squid and assembled to look like one,
- a sweet steamed rice creation put together to look like a penguin
- and a rice wrapper folded in traditional dumpling fashion and filled with shrimp.
Ben was definitely the most artful with his dumplings, I was second and Jeremy...well, he's really good at eating them! ; )
Afterward, we ate our dim sum and were served about 6 other varieties. Stuffed from our "light" snack, the 3 of us decided to walk back to the port instead of going back on the bus with the group.
Our Chinese guide was very impressed that Jeremy and Ben wanted to participate in the dim sum class. She said, in her very frank English, "The Chinese children are very spoiled. They go to school, play computer games and do homework. They are not allowed in the kitchen so they are not interested in how to cook." We got similar information from our guide in Beijing. Ben asked her where we might go to watch ping pong and she said that those places don't exist anymore. The government has taken away all emphasis on physical education and pushes the kids to study more. Both ladies seemed concerned about the future of the Chinese children and were in disagreement with the added academic pressure they are receiving these days.
We got back to the ship in plenty of time. I ran into Chris giving a tour of the Explorer to some of the Chinese students he met on his field trip.
Later, the 4 of us met on deck 7. It was dark and Hong Kong was lit up like a like the flames from a Chinese dragon. The boys were playing Knock Out on the basketball court, students were sporting their new kimono robes, everyone was taking one last picture of the Hong Kong skyline and with 3 long blasts from the bridge, we shoved off into the South China Sea.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Beijing/Hong Kong
Our last stop in Beijing was to The Temple of Heaven. It was here where the emperors prayed to God and made their connection with heaven. Interestingly, back then, the Chinese believed that earth was square and heaven was round. So as a compromise, the area surrounding the Temple of Heaven is rectangular in shape.
It was so bitterly cold that day that we decided to make it a quick tour. But Ben and Jeremy got caught up in a game of Chinese hacky sack with 3 locals.
The temple grounds are used today as a community park. We watched a group practicing Tai Chi, saw a Tibetan dance, old men playing checkers and the hacky sack group. All out in the freezing cold like it was a beautiful spring day!
So while admiring all the activity, we lost our group and felt frozen to the bone. We got ourselves to the temple, snapped a few pix and found shelter in the souvenir shop to spend the last of our Chinese Yuen.
A short ride to the airport and 3 hour plane ride, we found ourselves in Hong Kong. Forget a "day"...What a difference 4 HOURS makes! Hong Kong is very westernized. Probably influenced while they were a British colony. Again, it is another shopping mecca being a port city. Differences that were immediately noticeable included things found right in the nearest public restroom.
First of all, most of China does not seem to understand the word "restroom" so you have to ask for the "toilet". In mainland China, where Beijing is located, you will find more often than not, the eastern toilets, "squatting" toilets. In Hong Kong...nothing but western toilets like we have at home. Also, in Beijing, there is no toilet paper in the stalls. You have to be prepared and bring your own. In Hong Kong...TP heaven! ; ) Ironically, as polluted as Beijing is, they seem to be trying their hand at being "green" and do not provide paper towels for drying your hands. And you are lucky to find a hand drier that blows anything but cold air. This also seemed to be true in Japan as well as not providing napkins at meals. Very odd to see my kids looking for a napkin while eating. They never use them at home!
The most welcomed difference is that we went from 19 degrees in Beijing to balmy 75 degrees in Hong Kong! ; )
We got to the MVExplorer around 5:00 and decided to sit at the terminal (shopping mall) for a few drinks while waiting for the line to get on the ship to die down. Just outside the restaurant and in the center of the mall is a half court basketball court. Jeremy and Ben couldn't wait to get out there but it seems like the court is only used for exhibitions. They stood out on the court anyway. It was something familiar, the wooden floor beneath their feet. Then the "Jeremy Freak Show" started up again...he got swarmed by about a dozen preschoolers wanting to talk to him, shake his hand and pose for a picture with him. It's really cute watching Jeremy eat up the attention. ; )
We ended up at KFC for dinner. After using the port's spectacular wifi for a couple of hours, we hit the hay just after midnight.
It was so bitterly cold that day that we decided to make it a quick tour. But Ben and Jeremy got caught up in a game of Chinese hacky sack with 3 locals.
The temple grounds are used today as a community park. We watched a group practicing Tai Chi, saw a Tibetan dance, old men playing checkers and the hacky sack group. All out in the freezing cold like it was a beautiful spring day!
So while admiring all the activity, we lost our group and felt frozen to the bone. We got ourselves to the temple, snapped a few pix and found shelter in the souvenir shop to spend the last of our Chinese Yuen.
A short ride to the airport and 3 hour plane ride, we found ourselves in Hong Kong. Forget a "day"...What a difference 4 HOURS makes! Hong Kong is very westernized. Probably influenced while they were a British colony. Again, it is another shopping mecca being a port city. Differences that were immediately noticeable included things found right in the nearest public restroom.
First of all, most of China does not seem to understand the word "restroom" so you have to ask for the "toilet". In mainland China, where Beijing is located, you will find more often than not, the eastern toilets, "squatting" toilets. In Hong Kong...nothing but western toilets like we have at home. Also, in Beijing, there is no toilet paper in the stalls. You have to be prepared and bring your own. In Hong Kong...TP heaven! ; ) Ironically, as polluted as Beijing is, they seem to be trying their hand at being "green" and do not provide paper towels for drying your hands. And you are lucky to find a hand drier that blows anything but cold air. This also seemed to be true in Japan as well as not providing napkins at meals. Very odd to see my kids looking for a napkin while eating. They never use them at home!
The most welcomed difference is that we went from 19 degrees in Beijing to balmy 75 degrees in Hong Kong! ; )
We got to the MVExplorer around 5:00 and decided to sit at the terminal (shopping mall) for a few drinks while waiting for the line to get on the ship to die down. Just outside the restaurant and in the center of the mall is a half court basketball court. Jeremy and Ben couldn't wait to get out there but it seems like the court is only used for exhibitions. They stood out on the court anyway. It was something familiar, the wooden floor beneath their feet. Then the "Jeremy Freak Show" started up again...he got swarmed by about a dozen preschoolers wanting to talk to him, shake his hand and pose for a picture with him. It's really cute watching Jeremy eat up the attention. ; )
We ended up at KFC for dinner. After using the port's spectacular wifi for a couple of hours, we hit the hay just after midnight.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Beijing - Part 2
Gray and gloomy today. Just a typical day in Beijing. We got down to breakfast and were slapped in the face with a Chinese buffet feast! Won Ton station, congi, breads filled with meat, fried egg rolls, fresh fruit, eggs, pastries...a flat out feast!
The bus ride to Tien An Men Square was easy and just as we stepped off the bus, it began to snow. To give you an idea, Tien An Men Square is the largest city square in the word with an area equal to 90 football fields. It can easily fit 1,000,000 people!
We slid across the vast marble and slate ground covering and felt awfully insignificant. The expanse is so overwhelming. In the center is a memorial of the students who were slain during that tumultuous time. In the foreground stands a traditional double tiered roofed building which contains the tomb of Mao Tse Tung. Also on these grounds is a massive conference center donated by the Russian government. But the greatest structure of all, is the main gate to The Forbidden City.
The ship has been running the movie "The Last Emperor" since we left Kobe. It was largely filmed inside The Forbidden City and I was so impressed by the scenic shots that I could not wait to see it for myself. If "A picture is worth a thousand words", then actually being present among such grandeur is worth all the stars in the sky.
The Forbidden City was the residence and office of 24 Chinese Emperors from the Ming Dynasty to the Ching Dynasty. It dates back more than 600 years. By the time we reached the main gate, the snow had been falling fast for about an hour and had blanketed much of the ground. We entered the gigantic red double doors adorned with rows of gold knobs and followed a marble tunnel. As I stepped out of the tunnel it truly felt as if I entered an entirely different world. Its vastness is equivalent to 160 football fields and feels like so much more! Red, gold green, drums, dragons, pagodas, marble stairs and hand rails, slate covered grounds...I'm trying but I can't find the words to describe is beauty and sheer awesomeness. It is, hands down the grandest man-made place that I have ever seen. Everything is larger than life and seemingly infinite. The government placed great restrictions on development outside the city so that when you are inside, there are no other buildings, structures or other eyesores visible even beyond the walls of the city. The view of Beijing from inside The Forbidden City is the same as when the emperors were in residence making this the highlight of the trip for me so far.
Continuing on with the tourist attractions, we were taken to a local silk factory and actually saw silk threads being extracted from silk worms. Crazy! Who was it that decided to use worm goo to make linens?!!
Then we were thrown into the lion's den...China's Black Market. The boys loved it and haggled their own deals. Both got a pair of Beats and Jeremy even got a pair of Air Jordan's. All counterfeit, of course but for what we paid, it's all still worth it if they only last a couple of weeks!
At dinner, we were treated to Beijing's very own Peking Duck. (Beijing was first called Peking) The food so far has been fantastic and this was no different. We sat with 4 girls and I complimented them all on their healthy portions. One girl had never eaten sea food before taking this trip and the other had never eaten pork! Both aimed to be picky eaters at home but this experience has changed them.
Just as we were concluding our meal, a waiter tapped Jeremy on the shoulder, "Hey boy, this girl would like to take a picture with you. Ok?" Jeremy blushed but happily obliged ; ) He got the same request from a group of teenage girls while we were at The Forbidden City. "Click!" and they all ran off giggling ; ) the girls seated at our dinner table curious of all the commotion asked, "Who are you!!" My guess is that he is an Asian oddity. But a handsome oddity, of course! Ben received similar attention from Mr. Cu and several Chinese ladies at the Black Market. They asked, "This boy yours? He is so beautiful! Other son very tall!"
The Great Wall tomorrow!
The bus ride to Tien An Men Square was easy and just as we stepped off the bus, it began to snow. To give you an idea, Tien An Men Square is the largest city square in the word with an area equal to 90 football fields. It can easily fit 1,000,000 people!
We slid across the vast marble and slate ground covering and felt awfully insignificant. The expanse is so overwhelming. In the center is a memorial of the students who were slain during that tumultuous time. In the foreground stands a traditional double tiered roofed building which contains the tomb of Mao Tse Tung. Also on these grounds is a massive conference center donated by the Russian government. But the greatest structure of all, is the main gate to The Forbidden City.
The ship has been running the movie "The Last Emperor" since we left Kobe. It was largely filmed inside The Forbidden City and I was so impressed by the scenic shots that I could not wait to see it for myself. If "A picture is worth a thousand words", then actually being present among such grandeur is worth all the stars in the sky.
The Forbidden City was the residence and office of 24 Chinese Emperors from the Ming Dynasty to the Ching Dynasty. It dates back more than 600 years. By the time we reached the main gate, the snow had been falling fast for about an hour and had blanketed much of the ground. We entered the gigantic red double doors adorned with rows of gold knobs and followed a marble tunnel. As I stepped out of the tunnel it truly felt as if I entered an entirely different world. Its vastness is equivalent to 160 football fields and feels like so much more! Red, gold green, drums, dragons, pagodas, marble stairs and hand rails, slate covered grounds...I'm trying but I can't find the words to describe is beauty and sheer awesomeness. It is, hands down the grandest man-made place that I have ever seen. Everything is larger than life and seemingly infinite. The government placed great restrictions on development outside the city so that when you are inside, there are no other buildings, structures or other eyesores visible even beyond the walls of the city. The view of Beijing from inside The Forbidden City is the same as when the emperors were in residence making this the highlight of the trip for me so far.
Continuing on with the tourist attractions, we were taken to a local silk factory and actually saw silk threads being extracted from silk worms. Crazy! Who was it that decided to use worm goo to make linens?!!
Then we were thrown into the lion's den...China's Black Market. The boys loved it and haggled their own deals. Both got a pair of Beats and Jeremy even got a pair of Air Jordan's. All counterfeit, of course but for what we paid, it's all still worth it if they only last a couple of weeks!
At dinner, we were treated to Beijing's very own Peking Duck. (Beijing was first called Peking) The food so far has been fantastic and this was no different. We sat with 4 girls and I complimented them all on their healthy portions. One girl had never eaten sea food before taking this trip and the other had never eaten pork! Both aimed to be picky eaters at home but this experience has changed them.
Just as we were concluding our meal, a waiter tapped Jeremy on the shoulder, "Hey boy, this girl would like to take a picture with you. Ok?" Jeremy blushed but happily obliged ; ) He got the same request from a group of teenage girls while we were at The Forbidden City. "Click!" and they all ran off giggling ; ) the girls seated at our dinner table curious of all the commotion asked, "Who are you!!" My guess is that he is an Asian oddity. But a handsome oddity, of course! Ben received similar attention from Mr. Cu and several Chinese ladies at the Black Market. They asked, "This boy yours? He is so beautiful! Other son very tall!"
The Great Wall tomorrow!
Beijing Part 1
We flew to Beijing yesterday morning on our first SAS field trip. We've been touring as a group of 4 so far but this time we had 146 others!
It was a 2 hour flight which got us to the capital city just after 2:00pm. We got on 1 of the 4 tour buses needed to accommodate our crew and were given some very bad news. One of the professors, while on a city tour of Shanghai, died of a massive heart attack. He and his wife team taught 2 courses on the ship. I had not met the couple but as small as our community is, I even felt the shock. He has a daughter who lives in Atlanta and it was decided to lay him to rest there.
Our first news of Beijing was about 5 days ago while we were still at sea. The forecasted temperature was in the 30's with no precipitation. On top of that, we heard that the air quality was very poor due to heavy pollution. Even our tour guide was surprised that we were welcomed with sun and blue skies. The day before, it had snowed, the 9th snowfall of the season. Also very rare for Beijing which has averaged 1 snowfall a year for the past 10 years.
Our first stop was to the Olympic Village. It's so strange that it has already been over 4 years since Beijing hosted the games. But seeing the very familiar "Birds Nest" which they used for the opening and closing ceremonies put it back into perspective. We learned that China bid for the 2000 games as hard as they could but did not get selected. You would think that they would try even harder for the 2004 games, but the Chinese are very superstitious. They like round even numbers. Not to mention that "2004" has their bad luck number "4" in it. So they held our for the 2008 games. Our guide said that it was a tremendously proud day for all of China when they were awarded the games. To make things extra lucky for themselves, they scheduled the opening ceremonies for:
Aug. 8, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
Somehow, they even take credit for Michael Phelps' 8 medals! ; )
We were warned on the bus of a few things very common in Beijing, pick pockets, con men and bad drivers. In China, the automobile has the right of way. If you are in front of them at a crosswalk, they will lunge at you with their car to get you out of the way. Well, one of our Lifelong Learners failed to get out of the way. 83 year old, Donna, who I told you completed the Appalachian trail was hit by a car. Fortunately, hitting a pedestrian at a crosswalk is still considered illegal here and our SAS leaders quickly called the police. Donna is such a trooper that with her ankle wrapped and taking the maximum dose of Motrin, she is still keeping up with the tour which requires a lot of walking!
Next stop on the tour was an acrobat show. I was not sure how the boys would feel about watching really flexible people but they really enjoyed it and were extremely impressed. The finale was right up there alley, though. A metal cage sphere with about a 30 foot radius...8 men...eight motorcycles! Unbelievable! All of them spinning around together in perfect unison! Scary but AWSOME!
At the end of the day, we sat down for dinner at a great restaurant. I'll have to admit, I like Chinese food more than Japanese food. I know they are different, but I just became aware of how different going from one cuisine so quickly into the next. We sat and enjoyed a great meal with Donna and Jim and 3 new friends who joined our table of ten. It is so nice to see our boys engaging in conversation with strangers and actually enjoy their company. Ben went around the table and introduced himself like he was running for office. By the end of dinner, I think he'd won their votes ; )
Arrived at our beautiful Holiday Inn around 9:30 and hit the hay for a 6:15 wake up call.
It was a 2 hour flight which got us to the capital city just after 2:00pm. We got on 1 of the 4 tour buses needed to accommodate our crew and were given some very bad news. One of the professors, while on a city tour of Shanghai, died of a massive heart attack. He and his wife team taught 2 courses on the ship. I had not met the couple but as small as our community is, I even felt the shock. He has a daughter who lives in Atlanta and it was decided to lay him to rest there.
Our first news of Beijing was about 5 days ago while we were still at sea. The forecasted temperature was in the 30's with no precipitation. On top of that, we heard that the air quality was very poor due to heavy pollution. Even our tour guide was surprised that we were welcomed with sun and blue skies. The day before, it had snowed, the 9th snowfall of the season. Also very rare for Beijing which has averaged 1 snowfall a year for the past 10 years.
Our first stop was to the Olympic Village. It's so strange that it has already been over 4 years since Beijing hosted the games. But seeing the very familiar "Birds Nest" which they used for the opening and closing ceremonies put it back into perspective. We learned that China bid for the 2000 games as hard as they could but did not get selected. You would think that they would try even harder for the 2004 games, but the Chinese are very superstitious. They like round even numbers. Not to mention that "2004" has their bad luck number "4" in it. So they held our for the 2008 games. Our guide said that it was a tremendously proud day for all of China when they were awarded the games. To make things extra lucky for themselves, they scheduled the opening ceremonies for:
Aug. 8, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
Somehow, they even take credit for Michael Phelps' 8 medals! ; )
We were warned on the bus of a few things very common in Beijing, pick pockets, con men and bad drivers. In China, the automobile has the right of way. If you are in front of them at a crosswalk, they will lunge at you with their car to get you out of the way. Well, one of our Lifelong Learners failed to get out of the way. 83 year old, Donna, who I told you completed the Appalachian trail was hit by a car. Fortunately, hitting a pedestrian at a crosswalk is still considered illegal here and our SAS leaders quickly called the police. Donna is such a trooper that with her ankle wrapped and taking the maximum dose of Motrin, she is still keeping up with the tour which requires a lot of walking!
Next stop on the tour was an acrobat show. I was not sure how the boys would feel about watching really flexible people but they really enjoyed it and were extremely impressed. The finale was right up there alley, though. A metal cage sphere with about a 30 foot radius...8 men...eight motorcycles! Unbelievable! All of them spinning around together in perfect unison! Scary but AWSOME!
At the end of the day, we sat down for dinner at a great restaurant. I'll have to admit, I like Chinese food more than Japanese food. I know they are different, but I just became aware of how different going from one cuisine so quickly into the next. We sat and enjoyed a great meal with Donna and Jim and 3 new friends who joined our table of ten. It is so nice to see our boys engaging in conversation with strangers and actually enjoy their company. Ben went around the table and introduced himself like he was running for office. By the end of dinner, I think he'd won their votes ; )
Arrived at our beautiful Holiday Inn around 9:30 and hit the hay for a 6:15 wake up call.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Shanghai
In the middle of the night I woke up to stillness. There was no sound of waves or the motion of the boat rocking which I have come to enjoy thoroughly during my REM stages. It was still dark so I didn't dare get up to look out the window because I usually have a difficult time getting back to sleep.
About 3 hours later, a fog of daylight shined through our porthole. I peered outside and saw huge shipping vessels floating by. We had turned off the pacific sometime during the night and were now on the
Huang Pu River that lines the banks of Shanghai.
We docked on the Bund side of the river giving us a breathtaking view of the financial district skyline on the opposite side of the river. Skyscrapers galore! And architecture I've never seen in my life. Chrome, glass, metal, concrete in all shapes and configurations.
The Bund, is the old world side of Shanghai. Very British in look and feel but also very Chinese. A keenly sharp contrast to the newer financial district.
Like our port cities in Japan, Shanghai is a major shopping area. Know as "The Paris of the Far East".
In 1929, Victor Sasoon of Great Britain built the Sasoon Building in Shanghai which housed The Cathay Hotel (Now known as the Peace Hotel). It was the most luxurious hotel in the Far East during its hey day in the 30's. In 2010, after a 3 year renovation, The Peace Hotel was reopened in all it's Art Deco glory. We went upstairs to the small museum and met the curator who has been with the hotel for over 40 years. He takes care to show off the remaining furniture from the original hotel and is understandably proud of its role in the history of Shanghai.
Our guide book directed us to a "top choice" restaurant called "Southern Memory". It specializes in traditional dry pot entrees, meaning, you get your very own little mini wok and sterno. Awesome! The only thing that took away from the experience was that the restaurant was located on the top level of a shopping mall!
Nanjing Road is a very popular tourist place, but again, the main draw is shopping. However, we did have some items on our list including a ping pong paddle that Ben wanted. They've been playing a lot of ping pong on the ship and Ben thought it was time to have his very own paddle and where better to buy one? China, of course! So the hunt was on.
Well it turns out, ping pong paddles are hard to find. Everyone we asked could not even suggest a place for us to look. And our Chinese translator that we down loaded seemed to be more helpful in asking for things like the bathroom.
Chris read about a ping pong club and stopped our waitress at the coffee shop to ask if she happened to know about it. She spoke just enough English to convey to us that she had no idea what we were talking about. But a kind and very energetic Chinese man sitting at the next table overheard us and asked, waving an imaginary paddle, "You like play table tennis?" Then he invited to take us!
We hesitated. He insisted. The waitress translated and he just kept insisting. "His company has table tennis. He take you." I looked at her and laughed nervously. She motioned for us to go, "You can trust him." Really?! Who the heck is he? So, like the tourists we are, we followed.
Across the street and to the 5th floor, all 5 of us squeezed into a 3-man elevator. He pointed to the sign on the wall as the doors opened, "Shanghai Real Estate". From his hand gestures and rapid fire Mandarine, it appeared that he was the owner of this company.
We walked about halfway down a long dark corridor and he opened a door. Inside the dingy room were a couple of swivel chairs, a bank of cabinets and...the most beautiful ping pong table in the whole wide world! The he handed Ben a paddle.
I would not have believed it if I didn't see with my own eyes. Ben, who has been struggling to win even a few points from his brother during their shipboard matches, was all of a sudden a contender! A stranger, who speaks no English but clearly loves table tennis, was able to change Ben's game completely in about 5 minutes! Ben was so thrilled at how long his rallies now were that he would break out into laughter just from pure amazement of his new found skill ; )
Mr. Cu, spent a little over an hour showing the boys the solid basics of a table tennis master. Afterward, he brought us to his office and gave the boys some souvenirs. It turns out that he is an art distributor as well and gave Jeremy an original print from one of the artists he represents.
It was dark now and time we headed back to the ship. On our way, Mr. Cu walked us to a sporting goods store and there, he presented the boys with their very own, brand new, Butterfly paddles. A gift from a stranger and an experience they will never forget.
We fly to Beijing in the morning.
About 3 hours later, a fog of daylight shined through our porthole. I peered outside and saw huge shipping vessels floating by. We had turned off the pacific sometime during the night and were now on the
Huang Pu River that lines the banks of Shanghai.
We docked on the Bund side of the river giving us a breathtaking view of the financial district skyline on the opposite side of the river. Skyscrapers galore! And architecture I've never seen in my life. Chrome, glass, metal, concrete in all shapes and configurations.
The Bund, is the old world side of Shanghai. Very British in look and feel but also very Chinese. A keenly sharp contrast to the newer financial district.
Like our port cities in Japan, Shanghai is a major shopping area. Know as "The Paris of the Far East".
In 1929, Victor Sasoon of Great Britain built the Sasoon Building in Shanghai which housed The Cathay Hotel (Now known as the Peace Hotel). It was the most luxurious hotel in the Far East during its hey day in the 30's. In 2010, after a 3 year renovation, The Peace Hotel was reopened in all it's Art Deco glory. We went upstairs to the small museum and met the curator who has been with the hotel for over 40 years. He takes care to show off the remaining furniture from the original hotel and is understandably proud of its role in the history of Shanghai.
Our guide book directed us to a "top choice" restaurant called "Southern Memory". It specializes in traditional dry pot entrees, meaning, you get your very own little mini wok and sterno. Awesome! The only thing that took away from the experience was that the restaurant was located on the top level of a shopping mall!
Nanjing Road is a very popular tourist place, but again, the main draw is shopping. However, we did have some items on our list including a ping pong paddle that Ben wanted. They've been playing a lot of ping pong on the ship and Ben thought it was time to have his very own paddle and where better to buy one? China, of course! So the hunt was on.
Well it turns out, ping pong paddles are hard to find. Everyone we asked could not even suggest a place for us to look. And our Chinese translator that we down loaded seemed to be more helpful in asking for things like the bathroom.
Chris read about a ping pong club and stopped our waitress at the coffee shop to ask if she happened to know about it. She spoke just enough English to convey to us that she had no idea what we were talking about. But a kind and very energetic Chinese man sitting at the next table overheard us and asked, waving an imaginary paddle, "You like play table tennis?" Then he invited to take us!
We hesitated. He insisted. The waitress translated and he just kept insisting. "His company has table tennis. He take you." I looked at her and laughed nervously. She motioned for us to go, "You can trust him." Really?! Who the heck is he? So, like the tourists we are, we followed.
Across the street and to the 5th floor, all 5 of us squeezed into a 3-man elevator. He pointed to the sign on the wall as the doors opened, "Shanghai Real Estate". From his hand gestures and rapid fire Mandarine, it appeared that he was the owner of this company.
We walked about halfway down a long dark corridor and he opened a door. Inside the dingy room were a couple of swivel chairs, a bank of cabinets and...the most beautiful ping pong table in the whole wide world! The he handed Ben a paddle.
I would not have believed it if I didn't see with my own eyes. Ben, who has been struggling to win even a few points from his brother during their shipboard matches, was all of a sudden a contender! A stranger, who speaks no English but clearly loves table tennis, was able to change Ben's game completely in about 5 minutes! Ben was so thrilled at how long his rallies now were that he would break out into laughter just from pure amazement of his new found skill ; )
Mr. Cu, spent a little over an hour showing the boys the solid basics of a table tennis master. Afterward, he brought us to his office and gave the boys some souvenirs. It turns out that he is an art distributor as well and gave Jeremy an original print from one of the artists he represents.
It was dark now and time we headed back to the ship. On our way, Mr. Cu walked us to a sporting goods store and there, he presented the boys with their very own, brand new, Butterfly paddles. A gift from a stranger and an experience they will never forget.
We fly to Beijing in the morning.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Kobe
We left Kyoto and met our ship on the morning of the 30th at the Port of Kobe
As we moved down the highway, the tour guide explained to us that the sword fight lesson was actually a lesson in “movie combat”! We were going to Japan ’s major motion picture studio in…Kyoto Kyoto
The studio is similar to those in Hollywood
We were all equipped with wooden swords to learn the various samurai techniques. Jeremy and Ben had a slight edge over the rest of us in the group having previous knowledge of tae kwon do. Yes, they are two different types of martial arts but some of the basics seemed to be the same. To prove our screen worthiness after the lesson, we were asked to perform a sword battle on stage using all the techniques we were taught. Suffice it to say, Ben was victorious in the end with Jeremy, Chris and I lying slain at his feet.
Yesterday we had a few hours before the ship was leaving port so we stayed close. Jeremy and Chris went to a local 2 story driving range to hit golf balls (supposedly where Tom Cruise practiced while filming “The Last Samurai”…in Kyoto , of course, and Ben and I went souvenir shopping. Kobe is another bustling city, the 5th largest in Japan , and has such high-end shopping that my head was spinning! And I’m sure the Kobe beef is spectacular but we just couldn’t find the time to fit it in. We took the Ropeway (gondola) to the top of Mount Maya where we saw spectacular views of the Nunobiki Falls and scenic views of Kobe, Osaka and Osaka Bay where our ship was in port. The view from this vantage point is refered to as, Kikuseidai, “where one can scoop up a handful of stars”.
As we left port, the captain asked that we all go outside to enjoy the gracious send off from the Port of Kobe. A full band, playing “Anchors Away” and all the employees of the port came outside to wish us bon voyage. We pulled away from the dock waving and saying our “arigatos” and “sayonaras” to Japan. We hope to see you again soon!
After 2 days at sea, we arrive in Shanghai, China tomorrow!
(Pix coming soon...Internet connection has been POOR for the past few days. Promises of better wifi in China! We shall see!)
(Pix coming soon...Internet connection has been POOR for the past few days. Promises of better wifi in China! We shall see!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)