2009 World Cruise – When we looked at the shore excursion brochure to plan our tours before taking this cruise around the world I was very excited to see a tour out of Kochi to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located.  Like China and Southeast Asia, I have never had a desire to go to India – except to see the Taj Mahal.  But, when I read the description of the tour it was an overland where you left the ship in Kochi and rode for two days on the train up to Agra before taking a train to Mumbai to re-board the ship the second day it would be in port.  Well….there was no way I was going to ride a train in India for two days!   I don’t care if it was first class.  I set aside the dream of visiting the Taj.

Then, after we chose our Alleppey Backwater tour in Kochi I began to read the tours available for the two days we would be in Mumbai.  Lo and behold, there was an excursion available the first day called Taj Mahal in a Day.  Yeah!  Turns out it was ALL DAY and half the night as well, but we would be able to see this iconic monument.  Don’t look at the price, just book the tour!

The day began very early.  We had to be up at 5:15 to pass through a 6 am face-to-face passort check before we left the ship at 6:45 for the one hour drive to the airport.  Due to the heightened security measures after the terrorist attacks in November 2008 the port access nearest the ship was closed and our bus needed to drive the full length of the port to a secured exit. This meant that we drove through many more of the streets of Mumbai than we otherwise would have done.  It was unbelievable the number of people we saw sleeping on the street.  But we also saw them brushing their teeth and washing and sweeping the litter away from their little space.  Albeit they just swept it into the street but it all spoke to a sense of pride of place that I found touching.

We also drove past the most amazing piecemeal shanties; some of them two and three stories high.  They were made out of a total hodge-podge of materials scraped together and held together with ropes and nails and wires.  As we crossed one of the big overpasses on the highway to the airport we could see shanty roofs extending for blocks and blocks – if there had been actual blocks. You cannot just go to Agra by air.  There are no regular flights, only military and charters.  We had a one hour wait at the airport and a two hour flight to Agra.  There were 97 people from the ship on the tour. We landed at the Agra Military Airport – there is no public airport.  We boarded our buses and then when we got near the Taj we had to change to electric buses as no gas or diesel burning vehicles are allowed. The group gathered outside the North Gate of the complex and then we walked through to see one of the most, if not the most, beautiful building in the world.  It literally took my breath away.  I couldn’t believe I was really there.  Many things about this trip made us look at each other and say, “Are we really here?  Are we really doing this?”  The Taj was one of those incredible moments.  My friend Lynn actually pinched my arm and said, “Yes, you are really here.”  She was feeling as overwhelmed as I. The best way to truly appreciate the Taj Mahal is to arrive before sunrise and stay until sunset because the white marble is translucent and changes colour with the light.  We were not able to do that obviously but we spent over three hours on the grounds and were able to roam wherever we wanted.  I think I took a hundred photos of that mausoleum from every angle I could think of. It took 20,000 workers and artisans 22 years to completely finish it (1632-1653) although the main buildings were built by 1643.  Designed by a noted Persian architect the 72 hectare (42 acre) site also contains a mosque and a guest house.  It is estimated the cost at the time of construction would have been about 32 million rupees which translates to US $827 million today.   All of the Arabic lettering and floral designs in the building are semi-precious stone inlay.  Not painted!  It is some of the most intricate and detailed inlay know to man.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Taj Mahal that we were told was that the minaret columns at the four corners of the Taj are not vertical.  Each one is off-kilter by two degrees outward.  They were constructed that way so that in the event of an earthquake they would topple independantly and away from the building, creating the least possible amount of damage. After our time at the Taj Mahal we boarded the buses and were taken to a lovely resort for lunch.  A young lady spread rose petals on the carpet for us to walk upon and a group of musicians played music at the door.  A nice welcome for our lunch break.   After lunch we went to the Agra Fort (1565), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There is only about 10% of the original fort remaining – and it is still huge – because the British demolished much of it to make barracks during their 150 year of colonial rule. The Emperor Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal built, was betrayed and deposed by his third son.  His son killed his two older brothers and imprisoned his father at Agra Fort where he was under house arrest for eight years and rarely left the corner apartments from which he could see the Taj Mahal. After his father died, the son had him entombed beside his wife in the Tah Mahal.  They say that was the only nice thing his son ever did for him.  Although Shah Jahan had never planned to be buried with her at the Taj (plans were underway for a black marble mausoleum to be built on the other side of the river for his final resting place).

The Taj Mahal was a perfecty symmetrical building and complex – broken now by the tomb of the former Emperor, which sits just to the side of the centrally placed tomb of his wife.

Rhesus Macaque Monkeys – they were all over the place at the fort entrance.

              Lapwing

When our tour of the Agra Fort was completed we made a short stop at a shop where saw a demonstration of how the inlay is done.  Then we got back on the buses, back to the airport, back to Mumbai.  Even though it was late at night the traffic was horrendous.  We sat at a traffic light – a functioning one – that changed from red to green to red to green for 45 minutes and the traffic never stopped to let us go.  Amazing.

We boarded the ship at 12:10 am.  What a long day.  What a fabulous day!  Off to bed immediately because we had a 8 am tour the next day.

2009 World Cruise – After three days at sea we arrived in the southwestern port of city of Kochi (Cochin) in Kerala Province on the Arabian Sea coast.  Kerala Province has one of the highest population densities in India (33 million – the population of Canada).  Kochi (population 1.6 million) is mainly an agricultural center but, due to its excellent port, it is also the India Naval training center and a shipbuilding area.  The bombings at the Taj Mahal Hotel and other places in Mumbai had happened in November of 2008 so there was heightened security in the ports for both of our India stops.  We had also received a letter from the Captain and verbal warnings from the Shore Excursion Manager to be mindful that pickpockets and thieves would be active ashore.Kerela Province has a 95% literacy rate, the highest life expectancy (67 years compared to 63 for all of India), and the lowest infant mortality rate in India.  The area is predominantly (40%) Christian (Roman Catholic from the Portuguese colonization via Vasco De Gama from 1490-1662),  30% Muslim, and 30% Hindu.  The oldest continuous Jewish settlement in India with 51 persons is also located in Kerala Province.  The ancestors of the Jews had fled to India to escape persecution in Portugal in the 16th century

.                                                           Playing cricket. We had a two hour bus ride to the Alleppey Backwater known as the “Venice of the East.”  Traffic and driving practices were the same as in Indonesia only without the police escort.  If there was not space in a lane (almost an impossible concept with all the animals, cars, carts, motorcycles, bicycles and tuk tuks jostling for position) the bus driver just made his own down the middle and kept going forward so everyone else had to stop or move.  Our guide said, “In the US you drive on the right, in Britain you drive on the left, in India it is optional.”  90% of all traffic lights (and there are not many) are “decorative.”  They usually don’t even work and people would ignore them anyway.

The day was actually sunny and warm.  We boarded river boats and put-putted along the rivers and canals for almost three hours.  The river was the mode of transportation for all the people living along the shores and you could see large rice fields behind the dwellings.  It was also the bathtub, the washing machine, the dishwasher, the place you brush your teeth, and where you wash your dinner veggies.  It was fascinating to see all the people doing all the different things and traveling in all types of floating conveyance as they went about their normal daily activities. The canals are popular for houseboat holidays and there were many boats along the shore and floating by.  They can be rented for a day or two or by the week.  Houseboats come with a pilot and a cook and cost about $100 per person per night. We had lunch at the beautiful 5-star  Lake Palace Resort.  The buffet offered about 20 items to choose from.                                                          Little Cormorants                                                            Yellow Bittern                                                         Gadwell ducks                                          Egrets                                               Oriental Magpie Robin                         We were quite an attraction for people on the shore and on the other boats; especially the children. After our leisurely cruise around the canals (which was quite funny when you think about it – we are on a cruise around the world and we book an excursion that puts us onto another boat) we braved the traffic mire and returned to the ship.                                               These are laundry drying racks. These are called Chinese Fishing nets and we saw a lot of them as we sailed around in the East.

We returned to the ship 15 minutes late for the 4:30 all aboard, but, thankfully, if you are booked on a ship’s excursion the captain will wait for you as long as it is possible to do so with tides, currents and port authorities.  This is one of the reasons we are willing to pay what we know is a higher price to go on tours through the ship’s excursion desk.  Other reasons are; knowledgeable English-speaking guides, reliable (as much as can be) transportation, and safety.  I personally am not comfortable to be in a foreign country and ask a taxi driver or private citizen at the pier, “How much would it cost for you to show me around?”  If you are happy to do that, all well and good, but if there is a break-down or traffic snarl or something the ship will wait a maximum of 20 minutes past all aboard time and then set sail.  You will be responsible to arrange and pay for transportation to the next port of call.  That day we were late and it was nice to know we didn’t need to worry unduly about it.

Everybody hustled out of the bus and quickly got onboard.  The Captain set sail a few minutes later.  We had another day at sea before we reached Mumbai.

2009 World Cruise – It rained again.  I wrote in my journal, “I am getting heartily sick of rain. Surely it is time for some sunshine.  I think we have had six sunny ports-of-call so far.”  But we were not lucky enough for sunshine in Phuket, Thailand.The good news though is: I GOT TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT!  How awesome is that?  So much fun.  If I actually had such a thing as a Bucket List riding an elephant and a camel would be on it.  (The camel ride had to wait until our trip to Australia in 2011 – very short ride around a paddock – but a much longer one into the Sahara Desert on our Grand Mediterranean Cruise in 2012).  So…Check. Check.

We had a day at sea after leaving Singapore and it was St. Patrick’s Day.  The decorating crew did another bang-up job for our Emerald Isle formal night with an Irish inspired menu at dinner.

Our wine steward, Ceasar, even found John some Guinness; it was bottled in Singapore so tasted slightly different, but John was pleased to have it.

Phuket is an island off the coast of Thailand.  It is the largest island of Thailand (810 sq kilometers or 503 sq. miles), the most populated, and the most visited.  The island revolves around and thrives on tourists from Asia and Europe.  There are six direct flights per day from Scandinavia and five flights per day from France in the high summer holiday months. The island has a population of about 500,000 and hosts 6 million tourists per year!  The west coast of the island has all the beautiful beaches and luxury hotels.  We were docked on the east side which is more tropical forest and small villages. The port allows the docking of ship of a maximum length of 210 meters (690′) and the Rotterdam is 240 meters (780′) so the captain had to get special permission to tie up – but not at the dock below.From the pier we drove north through the Chalong Highlands to Bukit Safari which is an elephant sanctuary but also trains monkeys to harvest coconuts and has traditional ox-carts you can go for a ride in. When we arrived we had a demonstration of how latex is harvested from rubber trees.

The Mukat (Pigtail) monkey show was very entertaining and we got a real appreciation for the dexterity and intelligence of these little critters.

It is important to do your exercises to warm up before work. The monkeys (males only) are trained to climb the palms and twist off the coconuts so they fall to the ground to be picked up. For our demonstration the monkey also loaded the coconuts into a cart and pushed it over to the trainer so he could show us how they split the coconuts.

This was a fellow in our tour group who volunteered to be tied up so the monkey could untie him.

After the ‘work’ demo we were treated to a few tricks. This baby elephant is 6 years old and she can dance, bow, play the harmonica and paint with water colours.

We got the opportunity to feed her some cucumber chunks and bananas.A short ride in an ox-cart around the grounds was next. While we waited for our turn to ride the elephants John sat on this big water buffalo.

We climbed a platform and stepped off onto a bench on the back of an elephant; two persons per bench.  Then a group of seven elephants (there were 14 altogether so we were in a rotation) took off to do the walk through the jungle.  There were four buses of tourists at the safari so the elephants had a busy day.

It wasn’t long after we set off that the rain began and umbrellas were handed round. When we had gone about half way on our 30-minute ride on the rugged up and down trail our guide stopped the elephant, hopped down and asked for my camera so he could take some photos for us.  Then he asked me if I wanted get off the bench and sit on the neck while we walked on further.  Well, yes, of course I did! The visit to Bukit Safari ended with a Thai cooking demonstration and a delicious lunch.  By the time we got back to the ship at 3 the rain had stopped and it was sunny and hot.  We wandered through the dockside bazaar for a little while, then went aboard for dinner.

The ship sailed at 11 pm.  Thailand was our last port-of-call in Southeast Asia.  We sailed for three days before arriving at our first of two stops in India; Cochin.  Following a full day in Cochin we spent two days in Mumbai.  The first day in Mumbai we left the ship at 7 am and flew to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.

2009 World Cruise – We had a very busy day in Singapore and once again it rained on and off all day.Singapore is a city state on an island of 600 sq. km with a population of 4.5 million.  They also have 63 islands as part of the republic but most of them are uninhabited.  The leader of Singapore is the highest paid country leader in the world with a 2016 annual salary of $2.32 million.  (The US President is second at $527,000 and Australia’s Prime Minister is third at $522,000.  Canada’s PM ranks 8th at $333,000.)  Singapore also topped the world’s most expensive place to live for the second year in a row.  But about 80% of the people live in subsidized state-owned housing and they have good health care.  There is an 20% automatic deduction of their salary for medical insurance, to provide retirement savings and to build up a savings account they can access to buy a house; which are very expensive; as are cars because the government wants to restrict the number of vehicles on the island’s roads.  Singapore is very aware of emissions and pollution so everything that can be cone in an environmentally friendly manner is done.  Even the sewage is treated to the point it can be drinking water.

Singapore is a oil refining and tourism center.  The refineries on the north-west side of the island stretch for several miles.  It took over 1/2 hour to sail past them as we left island.  Oil from Australia, Malaysia, China, Japan, etc. is all sold to Singapore where it is refined and sold back to the countries who use it or export it.

The city of Singapore covers most of the island (it is 23 miles from north to south) and they import 80% of their food.  Security going off the ship, and back on again, was very strict. We were warned as well to take no chewing gum, chewing tobacco, cigarette lighters or anything remotely shaped like a gun or revolver – and no drugs of any kind –  with us ashore.  Littering in Singapore is also heavily fined.  It is regularly ranked one of the cleanest cities in the world.  There is no graffiti and very little crime.  You can walk anywhere in the city day or night without fear of harm. The government is very strict – they practice the death penalty and flogging.

Our first excursion of the day was a “Round Island Tour” and the first stop was a huge wholesale food market.  This was not too exciting for us country folk that have seen such things before – perhaps not quite this big, but the concept is the same.  However some of the people on the tour were fascinated with all the crates of fruit and veggies and the items piled on the floor or in reed baskets.                             They even had boxes of Washington apples.

Our next stop was at Kranjii park to see the Kranjii Dam, which is nothing like the large dams we are used to in Canada. This one was about the size of a  two or three story wall and not very wide.  At the park you can look across the one mile of strait and see the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru.  There are two causeways across the water joining the two countries.  It is easy to mark the border as you drive across because there is a significant difference in the type of road surfacing between the Malaysian side and the Singapore side. After we walked around the park for a few minutes we went for lunch and then were driven to Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery – AKA Bright Hill Buddhist Temple; a famous Chinese ancestral worship place.  The rain began in earnest when we arrived but I didn’t mind getting a bit wet.  The complex is beautiful with lots of golden edges, painted ceilings, rooftop dragons and lion statues, covered walkways and temple rooms where people place their offerings.  Bright Hill is another one of those places I could have stayed at for hours taking photographs.

But, our tour was not yet done.  We went to Changi Chapel and Museum (Changi is a district of Singapore).  The museum commemorates the notorious Japanese Prisoner of War camp that was on the site.  The chapel is a replica of the one used by the prisoners and no photographs were allowed in the museum or chapel.

Singapore was occupied by the Japanese for almost four years during WWII and 15,400 men, women and children (Malayan civilians and allied troops) were interred in a complex built to house 1200.  The conditions were incredibly inhumane and many, many British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, French, and other allied troop POWs died here. Many died from dysentery, cholera, malaria, starvation and harsh manual labour, as well as other diseases and abuses by their captors.  If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat.  The prisoners changed through the last few years of the war as men were sent to other work camps in Singapore and Borneo and Thailand and were replaced with new prisoners.  The museum is a record of their experiences and indomitable will to survive.  I bought a book about life in the prison at the museum bookstore and it tells a incredible tale of ingenuity and survival.

The last stop on the tour was Kranji War Memorial that was unveiled in 1957 and is the last resting place of many allied soldiers who lost their lives in WWII.  The design of the memorial represents three branches of the military: Army, Air Force and Navy.  The columns represent the army because they march in columns.  The cover over the columns is shaped after the wings of a plane, representing the Air Force, and the shape at the top resembles the sail of a submarine, representing the navy.The memorial commemorates by name 24,000 allied servicemen (191 Canadian airmen) whose bodies were never recovered.The cemetery and memorial are beautifully maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  We saw at least 7 gardeners at work while we were there. The cemetery contains the remains of 4,458 Allied servicemen in marked graves, 850 unidentified. Kranji was the first large War Memorial we had ever visited and I found the experience incredibly moving.  Our freedom was bought at a terrible price. These three graves are placed close together, out of the normal spacing of war graves.  They are believed to be the remains of three good friends who were always together so they were buried close together.

After we returned to the ship we had a quick dinner and went off on our second tour of the day: The Night Safari.  Singapore is home to the world first zoo purpose built to be viewed at night.  It is 98 acres of dense secondary forest through which you are driven in a zebra-bus to view the animals in a tropical jungle at night.  They use a subtle-lighting technique so the guests are able to see the 1,000 animals of 100 species in vast natural habitats.  It was great. We saw many animals roaming around, but, being on a moving vehicle at night there are no photos to prove it.  You can trust me though, right?

2009 World Cruise – Our day at sea between Vietnam and Malaysia got off to an early start with the captain coming over the intercom at 6:30 in the morning to say we have stopped to allow a fire boat to come from Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) and med-evac a person off the ship.  An hour later he announce the successful transfer of the person to the boat so they could be taken to the hospital and that the ship was on its way once again.  Nice of him to keep us informed, but I would have been content to hear about that later in the morning.  Of course, he had to announce it as there are always people up and about on the ship early in the morning and late into the night and they would be wondering why we were stopped and why the fire boat was alongside.  He better tell people right away or he would hear about it later.

The sky was overcast again as we docked in Kemaman, which is the capital of the state of Kauntan.  Malaysia is made up of 13 states and the Administrative District of Kuala Lampur (the country capital).  Kemaman has a population of about half a million people and was primarily known for its iron mining and the production of salted fish.  The discovery of oil in the 1980’s turned the area into a highly desired destination for migrant works.  Kemaman has the deepest port in Malaysia and has a liquefied petroleum gas export terminal managed by Petronas, the national oil corporation whose Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur are among the world’s tallest buildings.  This gives the air around Kemaman a distinctive smell of sulphur.  The country is also ranked fourth in the world for the production of palm oil generating $10 billion a year, according to our guide (not sure if that figure is accurate, in US$ or Malaysian ringgit).

The ship was greeted by men and women in traditional dress and each woman leaving the ship was giving a rose.  Nice touch.We had a 5 1/2 hour tour in Kemaman that began with a one hour drive out of town and over to Kauntan.

We took a riverboat cruise up the Kauntan River past many, many fishing boats and docks to a mangrove forest where we walked along the boardwalk – in the rain.

The Mangrove Reserve Forest is spread over 837 acres.  Even though you are among trees there is no ground.  Mangroves grow in water with multiple roots.  The mud lobster builds huge nests in the root masses.  The place looks pretty desolate, especially in the pouring rain as we saw it, but the various types of mangrove trees are used for many things.  One type is processed into a high quality charcoal.

    Mud lobster nest.                                 White-bellied sea eagles.

          Spectacled Langur (also known as the Dusky Leaf Monkey)                                 Lesser Adjutant Stork.

After we walked in the forest the boat took us back up the river, we boarded the bus and were driven through an upscale area of town and stopped briefly at the beautiful blue and white mosque Sultan Ahmed I State Mosque.

As we were leaving the mosque the rain that was on and off all day turned on with a vengeance and even the stalwart vendors at the pier packed up early and went home.  All aboard was 4:30 and the ship departed at 5 for the next-port-of-call; the island city/state of Singapore.

2009 World Cruise – We sailed three days between Shanghai and Nha Trang.  I managed to fight off a cold during that time by spending a lot of time keeping toasty in bed and reading.  I skipped dinner a couple of times, John  brought me breakfast and lunch a couple of times and I pretty much kept to the cabin.

We received an email from our son the day after we left Shanghai.  At the time we were on this cruise he lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The ship was scheduled to spend two days in Dubai  March 29-30.  We had already made arrangements for him to come aboard one day to visit, tour the ship, and have dinner with us and our friends.  In his email he asked if he could bring a guest and included the information he knew we would need (citizenship – American.  Name – Carrie.  Occupation – artist/art teacher.  Passport number – no idea and I wouldn’t print it if I did) for the ship’s records.

We were quite surprised by this as we did not even know he was dating anyone.  But we dutifully applied for a visitors pass for her and then had to await the ship’s arrival in Dubai to meet her.  (She is now our daughter-in-law as they were married in 2013 in a castle in Scotland.)

We have had quite a lot of rain and cloudy skies lately so it was very nice to wake up in Nha Trang and see lovely blue sky.  All the blue, red and white boats in the harbour were very picturesque.  Until a few years ago Nha Trang was a sleepy coastal fishing village. The government and private investors have transformed it into a thriving beachside resort-town with a gorgeous beach promenade several miles long.  It is a very popular holiday spot for the Vietnamese and is gaining renown among international tourists as well.

We had a morning tour of the countryside where we had various stops to walk around and see things. Our first stop was a farm on the outskirts of town where the women make mats out of rushes.  The elderly folks help spin out the rushes into ‘thread’ and dye them the three main colours – red, green and yellow.

They use a loom and two women can make four 8′ x 4′ mats per day.  They trade the mats or sell them to support their families.  I even made a purchase here; I bought four place mats to use at home.The farmers here plant three crops of rice per year and a different crop during the other three months. Then we wandered around a brickyard.  I think this is the lunch shack.

A recent widow (her husband died of a stroke 4 months ago)  allowed us to come into her house (she would have been paid a significant amount of money from the tour company which helps support the extended family of 10 people that live with her).  The largest room in the house was the altar room where the ancestors are worshiped and honoured.

The kitchen had a packed dirt floor, rough wood walls and a tin roof.  The walls and roof were full of holes.  I have no idea what she would do in the wet season.  There was a cupboard with a lot of blackened pots.  No sink, no stove, no fridge, no storage.  The bedroom was a patchwork of different size beds placed end to end and edge to edge. And, the most fun stop of the day was at a kindergarten. Again, the school would have been paid to allow this which helps pay staff and other costs to run the kindergarten.  The kids were thrilled to see all these foreigners and had big smiles and blew kisses.  So cute. After visiting with the kids it was back on the bus and back into town and back onto the ship.

The local artisans and vendors had set up shop at the pier so after we returned from our tour we had lunch then took a wander around before settling on the deck with our books until dinner and we set sail for Kemamam, Malaysia – a day at sea away.

2009 World Cruise – Our tour in Shanghai was actually the kind we usually avoid.  It was called, “Shanghai – Old and New,” and essentially was a drive around the city.  It was nice to get an overview but other than the trip to the top of the Jin Mao Tower, it was a drive past city buildings and even though some of them are very nice; to me, in many ways, a city is a city is a city.  We generally  like to get out of the city and see the countryside or some historical site.  Nothing wrong with cities; they are just not particularly my thing.

Shanghai is the largest city in China and the seventh largest in the world and it has one of the world’s busiest ports.  The city sits inland quite a bit.  As a matter of fact we picked up our port pilot 55 miles out from our berth.  Shanghai port is situated on the edge of the Juangpu River.   We sailed up the the Chang Jiang River (better known as the Yangtze River) and then turned into the Juangpu to dock. The Yangtze River is 6380 km (3987 miles) long and is the longest river in Asia and third longest in the world.

Since we arrived in Shanghai the night before after returning from our four-day overland excursion, our first views of the city were the night lights from the ship’s deck. This the Oriental Pearl TV tower.  It sits near the harbour shore and can be seen from all over the place.

The first stop was the Jin Mao Tower, an office tower and hotel.  It has an open circular center and we went up to the 88th floor and looked right down the middle of the building to the hotel reception.  Cool.

Other than being smoggy the city views from the tower were nice as well.  Our guide told us the city has grown so quickly the last few years that places she remembers from 8 years ago have completely changed with new construction. After driving around quite a bit we stopped at a park-like area to walk around.  It was pretty and the kids playing in the water fountain were cute.

The tour was only 4 1/2 hours long so we had all afternoon remaining when it was done.  My friend Elaine said she had met a gal in the morning that promised to show her a good shopping spot – a big ‘knock-off’ bazaar.  Elaine wanted me to go with her to do some shopping, so we went to the street corner where Elaine had said she would meet the gal and, sure enough, there she was.  She escorted us down a few alleys to a store, but it was not the one she had promised Elaine so we found another girl.  She said  she knows the store and would take us there.  We wandered a merry long way through streets and across a bridge to a huge market (all Chinese; no English speaking vendors at all).  We finally gave up and the gal led us back to the original spot.

We chanced upon another couple we know – they were our neighbours in the cabin on the other side from John and Jackie – and Lesley had the correct address of the bazaar.  We took a cab this time and we entered a multi-story building crammed full of tiny shops, all hocking the same stuff and trying to get you into their store.  Elaine found a few things she wanted and spent all the money she had brought along so we returned to the ship.  All in all it was quite an adventure.

We had two days at sea after we left Shanghai.  Even though Hong Kong was the end of the second leg of the cruise, the first day at sea out of Shanghai was the official end of the first half of the trip.  I was glad of the rest after the four long days in China.  The whole time from Hong Kong through to Shanghai  was an amazing time and we both liked China very much when neither of us expected to.  It made me realize even more how wonderful this experience was, and what a great opportunity and blessing that we were able to enjoy.

2009 World Cruise – After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and our luggage was taken to the airport.  We were supposed to walk through Tian’amnen Square but Lin, our guide, told us that due to the leadership conference taking place the square was cordoned off to visitors.

As we walked to the Forbidden City we passed the massive square (109 acres – one of the top ten largest city squares in the world) that is home to Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, The Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China and the Monument to the Peoples Heroes.  Tian’amnen Square sits in the center of Beijing.The Square takes its name from the Tian’amnen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) that was built at the northern end of the Imperial City in 1415 during the Ming Dynasty.  The original gate was virtually destroyed during an uprising (and re-built) and when the square was created in 1615 it took on the name.

One of the things I have learned to do is buy postcards.  Sometimes you just can’t get a photo of something.  Sometimes it is too big or you need to have a different angle.  You can usually find a postcard that fits the bill.  These are two I bought that show Tian’amnen Square with the Tian’amnen Gate and the Forbidden City at the top end.

Thankfully at the Imperial City (aka Forbidden City) – now known as the Palace Museum – there were wheelchairs available for rent.  Lin strongly encouraged our five slower folks to avail themselves of them as it was going to be a long, long walk.  It took over 2 1/2 hours to walk through the middle!  We did not enter any of the buildings but could meander over the various courtyards and terraces.

We paused for a photo just outside.  The crowds were horrendous.  There were dozens of different tours gathering to go inside.  In order to keep track of the people many of the tours had each member wear a similar hat which made it easier for the guides to find strays.  We had Harold from Melbourne, Australia.  He is very tall. Lin is short.  So when she wanted her group to gather together Harold would hold up our HAL tour sign and wave it.  No matter where we where we could spot it easily.         (Note the group on the right all wearing the same grey hat.)

I climbed up a couple of steps to a take a photo and when I looked around my group had completely disappeared!  I couldn’t see any of them anywhere.  I was just beginning to worry that they had entered the Imperial City without me when I spied them a little further down the street.  Whew!  Seriously, with the crush of people gathered at the entrance I would have been in serious trouble trying to find them again.

The Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace of the Ming (1368-1644) Dynasty (14 emperors) and the Qing (1644-1911) Dynasty (10 emperors).  The palace building complex begins at Tian’amnen (Gate of Heavenly Peace,) centers on the Outer Court, and ends at the Jingshan Hill.  Within the palace there are reputed to be 9,999 rooms and halls (some say the accurate figure is 8,886) in a total building space of 150,000 square meters covering an area of 720,000 square meters (180 acres).  To build such a large ‘city’ within the city, the Ming Dynasty used the entire country’s manpower and material resources.  A hundred thousand artisans and a million workmen were conscripted for the project and materials were gathered from everywhere in the country.  It was built in just 14 years (1406-1420).

This is a photo of the brochure we were given.  All of the red rectangles are the roofs of buildings. The entire complex is surrounded by a 10-meter-high (over 30′) and 3.4 kilometer-long city wall.  Outside the wall is a 52-meter-wide (171′) and 3.8 kilometer-long (2.3 miles) moat which is 6 meters (20′) deep and has water in it all year round.

If you look at this image full screen you can see that the green area through the middle (where we walked) is a very small portion of the whole complex.  The majority of the rooms and buildings were behind the central courtyard walls.

The palace is built along the central axis of Beijing  and runs 961 meters (3,153′) north to south and 753 meters (2470′) east to west. In 1987 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden buildings in the world.

The Imperial City was the formal seat of government in the land.  It was the home of the emperor, his family, about 3,000 concubines, and their servants.  The complex was the political and ritual center of China for over 500 years.

We crossed the bridge over the moat and walked through the tunnel in the wall.  The palace wall is 7.9 meters (26′) tall and over 8 meters (28′) wide at the base and 6.66 meters (21.9′) wide at the top.  Wide enough that horses could be ridden around it. It was weird how, with all the groups within the grounds, you could take a photo that was almost devoid of people and then turn around and see a large crowd.

The paving stones are 15 layers deep to prevent access by tunneling.

Many of the tours included visits to some of the museum rooms but we didn’t have time for that (the crowds to see the Imperial Throne room were nuts.  I don’t think I would have ventured among them even if I had the chance.)

It took the remainder of our morning to walk the length of the Forbidden City.  I loved the decorative features and colourful paint on the eaves and roof peaks.

And I loved the calm water and reflections in the Inner Golden Water River that meanders through the complex.   There multi-level terraces in front of many of the buildings.                                                 This sun-dial was huge.

                                         I really liked the dragon/turtle.                          Even the emperors of old had fire departments. We left the Palace Museum through the Imperial Garden, past Scholars Rock, and out the Shenwu gate to the street.  We  got back on the bus, and, since we had made good time going through the Imperial City, our local guide Arthur arranged a trip to a silk factory where we saw ladies pull a ball-size lump of silk to make layers for a duvet.  There are about 80 layers of silk in each one.  They had beautiful duvets, covers, sheets, clothing, and yard goods.  All of the silk patterns and fabrics are made at the factory. We were served lunch in the upper banquet room of a nice hotel and then driven to the airport for our flight to Shanghai.                                                   Another building reflected in a building photo.

                                                                                        This is the CCTV building.

We got back on board the ship at 7:30, dropped our bags in our cabin and went to the theater to watch the Chinese acrobatic show. What jam-packed but awesome days!  I am so glad we booked that overland excursion.

2009 World Cruise – We were up early and breakfasted before leaving the hotel in X’ian at 7 am.  Our flight to Beijing left at 9:10 and was an easy 1 1/2 hours.

A somewhat frail elderly lady in the group was late coming down and caused a 15 minute delay in our departure from the hotel to the airport.  Then, when we arrived in Beijing she took a wrong elevator at the departure gate and we all had to wait a half hour in the bus while Lin located her.  These delays all cut our touring time by 45 minutes and it’s not like we can juggle things around to get the time back.  Tours like this have very set times to be at locales and meals and hotels.

There are a couple of relatively frail folks on this tour and all the walking and long days is a bit much for them.  The rating in the brochure tells you it is an active tour with lots of walking but people don’t take notice if it is something they want to do.  Fair enough, I suppose, but it makes it hard for the ship’s excursion staff, the guides, the bus drivers and the rest of the guests if there are people on an excursion who are not really physically fit to participate.  There are always options for less active tours.  But if the ‘active’ tour has the things I would like to do the most, it would be difficult to not sign up and hope for the best.

From the airport we were driven to a restaurant for a Chinese buffet lunch.  We sat at large round tables with a lazy-Susan in the center and the staff would bring a dish of food to each table, then another one, then something else, and then another item.  After awhile the table was crowded with options to eat.  And, the rice always comes last.

After lunch we visited a Cloissené factory where  enamel paint is applied to a copper wire outlined pattern that has been soldered onto hand-hammered copper vases, plates, bowls, etc.  This is then fired in a kiln, another coat of paint is applied; it is fired again.  This process is repeated up to 6-7 times because the enamel paint shrinks minutely when heated and needs to be re-applied so as to fully fill the outline.  When it is satisfactory the item is polished to a smooth sheen. Very detailed and time consuming craft.It was beautiful stuff and the shop had other items like embroidery and china, but I could have spent less time than an hour there.

Due to the delays in the morning our time at the Great Wall was cut short by almost an hour so we did not linger long before climbing to the first guardhouse.  We visited the Juyongguan section of the wall which is only about a half hour bus ride from the restaurant.  The close proximity to Beijing makes this section one of the most visited.

The wall is actually a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, wood and other materials.  Over time the fortified sections were joined together creating the Great Wall.  The earliest section, of which very little remains, was built between 220-206 BC.  The majority, however, was constructed during the Ming Dynasty from 1368-1644.

Again, I loved having Jackie’s 500 mm zoom lens but adding it to the three lens in my camera bag increased the weight significantly.  It was very heavy by the time we reached the guard tower.  The lens let me get photos of people climbing another section of the wall across the valley though!

Contrary to popular belief the Great Wall is not visible from outer space.  Some of it can be identified from a low orbit but atmosphere conditions must be exactly right.  Despite that, the wall is incredibly impressive.  It is 8,850 km (5,500 miles) long.  The sections of actual wall make up 6,359 km (3,889 miles) of this distance.  Parts of the ‘wall’ are trenches (359 km or 223 miles) and some of it is comprised of natural defensive barriers like hills or rivers.  It is estimated by archaeologists that the entire wall and all of its branches measure 21,196 km (13,171 miles).  That is over half the distance around the earth at the equator!

                                                We climbed pretty high.

The steps were wide enough to allow a couple of soldiers to travel side by side or pass each other but they were intentionally uneven in rise and depth to make it difficult for raiders to use.

. Not only was the wall used as a defensive barrier but it was an effective border control for collecting duties and tariffs on goods traveling along the Silk Road.  And it helped monitor immigration and emigration.

While we were coming down from the guard tower a bullet train went through the other side of the valley. Lin did manage to delay our dinner for a half hour which gave back some of our lost time from this morning and allowed us to stay at the Wall a little longer.

On the drive back to our hotel in Beijing we drove past the Olympic venues – the “Birds Nest” and the “Water Cube.” Our hotel was at one end of three inter-connected 5-star hotels.  We stayed at the Beijing Hotel NUO (I have no idea what the letters stand for.  It is a government owned complex so they may be related to that somehow), next was the famous Raffles Hotel and the last one was the Grand Hotel Beijing.  There was some sort of leadership conference going on in the city and many of the dignitaries were staying at our hotel.   This meant we needed to pass through a security check every time we went to our room.  Good thing we were gone all day or that would have become quite annoying.

We got back to the hotel at 6 and our tour included a traditional Peking duck dinner at 7.  We had had enough Chinese food for the time being and neither of us like duck so we opted out and went to the Outback Steakhouse in the hotel.  After dinner we took a walk down a near-by pedestrian shopping plaza (no lack of American-style consumerism) and through the three connecting hotel lobbies before going up to our huge 2-room corner suite for the night.

We had a nice view from our room.  The next day was the final one of our excursion – Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City.

2009 World Cruise – This blog plus the next two will be VERY photo heavy and VERY lengthy due to the fabulous adventure we had on a four-day overland excursion in mainland China.  There were 27 people on our tour and we were escorted by a lovely young lady named Lin who stayed with our group from the time we left the port in Hong Kong until the time we re-joined the ship in Shanghai.

We left the ship at 2:30 in the afternoon of the second day in Hong Kong after a morning wandering in the gigantic Ocean Terminal; a three-story shopping mecca at the port.  The place is so big there are colour-coded arrows on the ceiling that will lead you to a guide station if you get lost.

The 6 pm flight from Hong Kong to X’ian was about 2 1/2 hours long and we were fed a nice meal on the way.  Once we landed we had almost an hour drive to the Shangri-la Hotel; a new – one year old – 5-star hotel.  We had a beautiful room with complimentary shampoo, conditioner and soap, as usual; also razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, and slippers.

                                        We had nice views of X’ian.                            I am pretty sure this is a meditation path.

It was after 10:30 by the time we got settled in our room and we went to bed right away because we had an early – 6:30 breakfast – start the next day.

The bus ride to the Terra Cotta Warriors Complex took an hour.  Lin arranged for us to be dropped off right beside the first building (Pit #1) so we could avoid the long walk from the parking area.  She kept us moving because she wanted us to see all three buildings plus the documentary film and we had a lunch reservation at Friendship Restaurant for noon.

The evening before we left the ship Jackie from the cabin next door stopped me in the hallway and told me I could borrow her 500mm zoom lens for our trip.  We had only chatted in the halls and across our balconies.  I didn’t even know her last name.  Yet she entrusted me with a very expensive camera lens.  I was really happy to have it because I was able to get some great close-ups of the faces of the warriors.

The Terra Cotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 by accident when three men were digging a well near their village.  (One of the men is still alive and he was sitting in the museum gift shop where he would sign autographs.)  Since that time there has been ongoing and extensive excavations.  Several pits of the clay figures have been discovered; three  of them have had buildings built around them so the figures are protected from air, moisture and pollution. The archaeologists have identified a mound to the east of the army that is the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang  (first emperor of a unified China), who commissioned the creation of the massive army; but they have no plans to touch it until they have the technology to ensure nothing inside will be damaged when revealed to the air.  The entire necropolis site is 38 square miles and was completed about 210 BC.  Over 700,000 conscripted slaves, POWs, indentured servants, artisans and craftsmen took many years to build it all.  It was started well before the emperor died and he only ruled for 11 years.

The emperor was afraid his enemy’s would follow him into the afterlife so he had life-size warriors, chariots, horses and riders made from clay and buried near his tomb.  They were placed in regimental rows protected by wooden beams and a roof with water proofing reed mats above and brick floors below. They held real bronze swords, halberds, crossbows, spears and scimitars; most of which were looted not long after the warriors were buried.  But over 40,000 items of weaponry (mostly arrowheads) have been discovered.  And 2000 years after being buried the swords were not rusted and were still sharp due to a coating that had been applied to the bronze.

It is estimated that there are 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, 150 cavalry horses.  The majority of which are still buried. Two half-size bronze chariots have also been unearthed and were on display in the Pit #1 building.  Other pits contain figures of officials, acrobats, musicians and strongmen.  I guess the emperor planned to conduct business and also wanted to enjoy some entertainment.

As we made our way to the warriors we passed these gigantic puppets.  I think the warrior was always there, but the little girl was built for the Beijing Olympics and brought to X’ian after the games.  She was one of the game mascots.

Over the years the wood rotted and the beams collapsed in many places and hundreds of the warriors were broken.  It is a massive task to piece them together again.  The bodies of the men were made from a few different posed molds yet every face is unique.  They were originally painted in bright colours but time and moisture and exposure to air destroyed much of it. In order to protect the figures and allow access by the thousands of people who want to see them each year the three pits that have been extensively excavated had climate controlled buildings erected over them.  Pit #1 building is 230 meters (750 feet) long and 62 meters (203 feet) wide. It contains about 6,000 figures. There is a gift shop, of course, where you can buy your own warrior to put in your house or garden.  Plus some beautiful carvings and inlay. After walking the full length Pit #1 we toured Pit #2 which contains mostly cavalry and infantry. And after that we visited Pit #3, which was the command post with high-ranking officers.  The figures are life-size but the higher ranked officers were taller than regular soldiers with generals being the tallest.

It’s a bit blurry but you can even see they put tread on the bottom of the boots.  What an amazing place.  I could have stayed for days.  But we had to leave to get to the restaurant for lunch before our tour in X’ian continued.

ALL OF THIS WAS ONLY THE MORNING. The Friendship Restaurant where we had lunch is also where we had our dinner and were treated to an incredible show.  It was a beautiful, and large, restaurant/theater. One must, when on a shore excursion, have opportunity to shop so we were taken to a jade factory to see how they work the gemstone and browse the large gift shop that had many types of trinkets and merchandise available.  Some of these pieces were very, very expensive.

After our shopping time we went to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda temple that was built in 652 AD to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by a traveling monk.  The original three-story structure collapsed 50 years later and was rebuilt five stories high.  An additional five stories were added in 701-704.  An earthquake in 1556 reduced it by three stories to the 7 levels it is today.  It is the central building of a large complex that is still in use. There are 13 yards and 1897 rooms.  It was the most famous temple in the city during the Tang Dynasty and is a protected historical site.Many of our group gathered together waiting while Lin secures our tickets.

The ceiling beams of the entrance gate were very ornately painted. There were lots of people flying kites in this square. Our final stop before dinner was to the Grand Mosque.  The mosque was begun during the Tang Dynasty (742 AD) but the majority of the construction took place during the early Ming Dynasty (1398 AD ).  It is one of the largest mosque complexes in China and, like the Big Goose Pagoda, is still a place of worship for Muslims in China. The Mosque was constructed without using a single nail. The site is comprised of two buildings and 5 courtyards.  It was declared a State Historical and Cultural Site in 1956 and in the 80’s became a National Site.

This concluded all the touring on our FIRST day in mainland China.  But…..the day wasn’t over yet.  We still had to have dinner and see the show before bed. Thanks to Jackie’s 500 mm lens I was able to get some close shots of the performers.  And, just because I could, I took lots of photos of the show.  Now, after all these years I am glad that I did because I get to see the beautiful costumes and sets again – and again.

There were over 100 actors, musicians, singers and dancers in the two hour production.  The costumes, make-up and lighting was quite spectacular.

We were exhausted but exhilarated from all we had seen and done.  We got back to our hotel at 10:15 and immediately crawled into bed.  The next day we flew to Beijing and a trip to the Great Wall.