John and Diane's Amazing Adventure - Part II

[cantw8togo]

I too love checking out grocery stores, houseware dept. and hardware stores while on vacation. My favourite souvenirs are practical things for the home that bring back great memories everytime I use them.

 

Speaking of unusual flavours of potato chips, how about Marmite or Roast Chicken flavour crisps?

 

Thank for all of the time and effort that you put into your postings. It is one of the first things that look for when I log in. Have a great time on the rest of your trip.

[Johnny B]

April 9 – Day 94

Kagoshima, Japan

 

We’ve seen and driven around the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea, on the Big Island in Hawaii, but we’ve never seen a volcano that just kept puffing smoke and puffing smoke, teasing the spectator with the idea that maybe, just maybe, a big eruption was coming.

 

We arrived in semi-tropical Kagoshima this morning at about 7:00, and when we looked out, we could see the nearby island with Sakarajima, its volcano, huffing and puffing and the smoke trailing across the water to Kagoshima. The town is occasionally blanketed by volcanic ash, but that was not the case today. Our shuttle bus took us to the middle of a very modern, very clean town with friendly people and almost no signage that we could read. Occasionally there was something we understood, but for the most part, we just looked at shops and pictures to figure out what they were.

 

We walked several city blocks to find the main post office, which contained the only ATM in town that would take American cards. We had some leftover Chinese yuan, but none of the banks at which we inquired would change yuan into yen, although they were more than happy to change American currency.

 

With some money in hand, we headed up to Shiroyama Hill, a one-mile hike which took us through some beautiful flora to a lookout over the entire city, the harbor, and the island across the water with its smoking volcano. If you’re a walker, it’s a great walk, but even if you’re not, you can take a taxi or a bus up, almost to the peak.

 

We then proceeded down the hill to the harbor in the rapidly increasing rain. We took a quick look and then headed back to the center of town. Since our stomachs were letting us know it was lunchtime, we asked one of the young ladies at the shuttle stop where we could find some good Japanese lunch, preferably noodles or rice. She directed us down the main street to the huge, neon Coca Cola sign, where we were to turn right and then take the first left. We did so, finding a veritable warren of covered shopping streets, filled with locals shopping and staying out of the rain. There were actually two or three restaurants on the block indicated, but we think we knew the one she mentioned. We timidly walked in after examining the photos of specials outside. When we entered, we saw that it was necessary to look over a wall of food choices, make a selection and then put money in the wall to order and pay. We decided, as the cowards we are, that today wasn’t the day for Japanese food for us, so we headed through many of the walkways to a French bakery, of all things. We purchased four different baked things, each of which looked like good lunch material. Then it was time to find the shuttle to ride back to the ship.

 

Once arrived, we found a tent that had been set up for the tourist authorities in Kagoshima to introduce us to some of the local culinary specialties. We tried glazed chicken skewers, grilled chicken, grilled rice cakes in a honey sauce, green tea, and the local brew, a drink distilled from sweet potatoes. I guess they aren’t just for adding marshmallows at Christmas any more. We then headed down to the waterfront, made extremely attractive by the addition of some lovely landscaping, and sat down to eat our lunch. The bread with walnuts and raisins was exactly as advertised, but the bread with tomato and cheese turned out to have more fish than cheese, and the “garlic bread” (we thought), was a custard-topped dessert delight. Well, it’ll get us through until dinner.

 

The rain hadn’t given up by sailaway, so the ever-present bar with “today’s special” was set up on Deck 3, Lower Promenade, as we watched (and listened) to a group of taiko drummers entertaining us. We’re now at sea en route to Kobe, and because the Japanese authorities do not allow us to use internet or international phone signals, we have to wait until we’re out in international waters before I can post. Wait a minute; this is Japan, not China!

 

Tomorrow we’re being met by a Japanese student friend of ours who is studying at the university of Kobe. We met him in Davis, California, where our daughter’s family lives, and he came and stayed with us late last summer for a few days. He’s going to show us around Kobe and Osaka tomorrow, Kyoto on Sunday, and then Tokyo on the next two days, along with some of his University of Tokyo friends. What a treat!

[Kween Karen]

This continues to be a wonderful descriptive thread. I am taking notes now on places I will be visiting in the fall of 2011. I just need to find some friends willing to go on some similar adventures!

[Bakincakes]

Karen I just noticed that you are going on a 70 day in 2011.

 

I kept reading your references to the fall of 2011 in all of your posts and it never occurred to me to look at your upcoming trips.

 

I'm sure when the time comes we will all be watching your blog.

 

I'm enjoying reading about John and Dianes trip this time around.:)

[Johnny B]

April 10 – Day 95

Kobe, Japan

 

Cherry blossoms are everywhere! We have been told that THIS WEEKEND is the peak of the cherry blossoms here in Kobe and Osaka and Tokyo. We are soooo lucky. Because Kagoshima is semi-tropical and further south, their blossoms were dropping from trees by the thousands, but here they’re in their full glory.

 

We docked in Kobe at 3:00 this afternoon, giving us the advantage of almost a full day at sea as well as a good part of the day in port, continuing until 5:00 tomorrow. Our Japanese student friend, Yuya, came to meet us and we immediately hopped on a series of trains, ending up at Osaka Castle within about 45 minutes. The trains actually reminded me more of an above-ground subway (if that makes any sense), and they are clean as a whistle. In addition, when the train approaches, there are tidy little lines of people waiting patiently to board each car. First, the debarking passengers alight from the train, and then the people waiting in lines get on. Young people actually give us their seats to their elders (when did you last see THAT happen?), and you don’t have to worry about being pickpocketed. There is apparently a “groping” problem, however, especially of middle school and high school girls by middle-aged men, so it has been solved by providing female-only cars during rush hour. Love it.

 

The castle itself is beautiful, but the fact that it is surrounded by dozens of glorious cherry blossoms just made it unforgettable. We arrived at 4:30, the last time for getting in, so we quickly bought our tickets and hiked up 8 stories to the top. The view is wonderful and we could see not only all over Osaka, but across the bay to Kobe, too. We then walked down one floor at a time, enjoying the exhibits on each. By the time we got back downstairs it was 5:10, ten minutes after closing, but they were actually pretty relaxed about the time.

 

Next to the castle is the concert hall, and the plaza around it was packed with teeny-boppers waiting to enter for tonight’s program by Hey, Say, Jump, a group even I had heard of. There were fast food stands surrounding the walkways, with such things as hot dogs on a stick (not corn dogs), pineapple and watermelon on a stick, and deep fried octopus, a local favorite. Guess which one we had; Yuya insisted we try the octopus. We DID try it, but weren’t really fans. He was really pleased to finish it for us.

 

By the time we took the train back to the ship (and it pulled up right alongside), it was time for dinner, so we took Yuya up to the Lido deck where tonight was teppan-yaki dinner under the stars. We ate with some of our tablemates, watched this thin,barely 20-year old put away plate after plate of Japanese food, and then took him on a tour of the ship. We exchanged gifts and had an all-around great time. Tomorrow we meet at 8:00 to take the train to Kyoto, where we’ll meet Yuya’s sister and tour the city. He’s also meeting us in Yokohama to be our two-day tour guide of Tokyo. Whatta guy. We are having such a great time.

[lostatsea200]

Awsome is the only word that comes to mind. What a great day in Kobe. I have so enjoyed your reports. I find your reports to be very right on. Again, thnak you for taking the time and lettings all of us travel along.

[Johnny B]

April 11 – Day 96

Happy Birthday to our Granddaughter Jessica

Kobe, Japan

 

Well, if we thought there were a lot of cherry blossoms in Kobe and Osaka, it was nothing compared to Kyoto, where we spent the day today. We took the train directly from Kobe to Kyoto, passing fields of blossoms and about a hundred baseball games. It certainly is a popular sport here.

 

Kyoto was founded in 794 as the capital of Japan, and remained that off and on until l868 when Edo (now Tokyo) became the capital. Even with a million and a half people, the city is known throughout Japan as a repository of ancient culture.

 

At the Kyoto station, we met up with Manami, Yuya’s younger sister who is in her last year of high school. She wanted to see more of Kyoto, practice her English, and see these strange Americans who were running all over trying to see everything. Manami is sweet, unaffected, and had a lovely smile.

 

We discussed our plan for the day, and immediately headed on a one-mile walk to the Toji Temple, a five-story pagoda and the tallest wooden structure in Japan. The beauty here, of course, was the incredible beauty of the cherry blossoms on three different types of tree. My favorite photo of the day is the temple partially blocked by blossoms. The pagoda itself is closed for another two weeks, but the reason it’s a World Heritage Site is the Kodo, a hall with 21 1200-year-old statues carved from single blocks of wood. After our sightseeing of the buildings, we treated ourselves to soft ice cream swirled with vanilla and green tea flavors. Yum!

 

A taxi took us to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, a three-story building covered in gold leaf. The building itself is spectacular, but even more beautiful are the grounds, with a lake and its small islands. The garden is laid out to stroll in, and is still as it was planned by Yoshimitsu in the late 1300’s. He retired as Shogun, entered the priesthood at age 37, and built this complex as his retirement villa, directing that the entire place become a temple after his death.

 

Another taxi took us to Gion, Kyoto’s best-known geisha quarter and site of streets and streets of ancient wooden buildings. We were getting hungry, so we found a restaurant that promised tempura. We took off our shoes, walked upstairs, and were shown into a tatami room with low tables and pillows for sitting. Three of us sat down on our knees, but poor John has tennis knees (forget the elbow), so he stretched his legs out under the table. We ordered the “tempura set,” and were brought a series of delicious dishes. We began with tea, and then two kinds of tofu (it really was good), a plate of shrimp, fish, and vegetable tempura, a covered bowl of rice, miso soup and, to finish, green tea ice cream. It was delicious and filling and I found out when it was time to go that the sitting isn’t so hard; it’s the getting up that’s tough.

 

A walk up the street put us in front of Yasaka Shrine, established around 656 and originally known as Gion Shrine. There was a wedding going on in the temple, so we couldn’t go in, but we did get to wander around the food stands which are attached to the temple. Those Japanese really know how to eat!

 

As all good things must come to an end, we knew it was time to hop another taxi for the ride back to the station. There were so many things we didn’t have time for: Nijo Castle (site of part of Shogun), the old Imperial Palace and Imperial Park, The Philosopher’s Walk, and so much more. There are a few drawbacks to cruises, and that’s number one on my list – there’s never enough time in a port.

 

Tomorrow is Yokohama for Tokyo, and Yuya is meeting us there also. We dock at 2:00 and then stay until 5:00 the following day, so we’re going to try to see either Yokohama or Kamakura the first afternoon and then Tokyo the second day. Again, way too much for only a day and a half, but we’ll no doubt run around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to see everything possible. At least there’s a sea day the day following.

[Johnny B]

April 12 – Day 97

Yokohama, Japan for Tokyo

 

You know how every tour brochure has the sun shining on everything in sight? Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not true. All morning, leading to our 2:00 arrival at Yokohama, the weather has been awful. It’s cold, raining, and just generally miserable, and as John said, “We should just sit in front of the fireplace in our cabin and be warm.” If only!

 

We docked promptly at 2:00 and then waited another 20 minutes or so for the ship to clear and disembark. We found Yuya in the terminal (don’t you love that word), and we headed to the nearby post office. The interesting thing about ATM’s in Japan, or at least the three ports we’ve been to so far, is that cards only work in the ATM’s in post offices, not the ones at banks. We had run low on yen, and since the ship ran out, we had to borrow some from our friend Rhonda. Even that was getting low, and we did need to pay her back, so we hiked over to the PO and got some more.

 

Because it was STILL cold, windy and rainy, we walked across the street to the Café de la Presse, a lovely little French-style café, where we warmed ourselves with cappuccino and mochas. We talked about what to do, but then realized that with this weather there was really going to be no joy in sightseeing, so we instead fought the rain and wind a little more and headed over to a large red brick structure containing shops and restaurants called, creatively, “The Red Brick Warehouse.” As we wandered from store to store, I realized anew that the Japanese have a wonderful sense of style, in everything from presentation of cookies to stationery. Finally, we exhausted our patience with the hoards of people who also wanted to be in out of the rain, so we headed back to the ship. Walking under an elevated walkway to stay dry. The unfortunately part of it was that the rain was coming down horizontally, so we still got wet.

 

Yuya had accidentally left his passport at his hotel, so he had to head back to pick it up. Since he had no idea it would be so cold, we loaned him a sweater and hooded jacket so the poor kid wouldn’t freeze to death. When he got back, about 7:00, we headed up to the Crow’s Nest and, coincidentally, Greg, Heo, Heo’s brother and nephew were already there, and later we were joined by everyone at our table. Dinner was great fun. There were 12 of us, with conversations going on in English, Japanese and Korean. It sounded like the United Nations.

 

Finally, at 10:00, it was time to say goodnight to Yuya, with plans to meet the next morning at Yokohama Station to take the train into Tokyo for the day. Even with the weather, it had been a great day.

 

* * * * * *

 

 

 

 

April 13 – Day 98

Yokohama and Tokyo

 

It was an early morning, but a beautiful one, as we left the ship at 7:00 and took the local train to the main Yokohama station to meet Yuya. It had not been crowded on the first train, but as we boarded the train to Tokyo at rush hour, we learned firsthand about the famous “pushers.” They wear black suits and white gloves, and their job is to push a few extra people onto an already packed train. It’s fun to watch – but not so much fun to be pushed. We did squeeze our way in, but then we had to figure out how to breathe for the 25 minute ride to the “Big City.”

 

When we arrived, we headed over two blocks to the gardens of the Imperial Palace. The palace itself was rebuilt after bombing in WWII, but it’s not open except at New Year and on the emperor’s birthday. The grounds, however, are open and beautiful, surrounded by a moat. The cherry blossoms were almost gone, thanks to yesterday’s storm, but the azaleas were gorgeous, and there were vast expanses of lawn and shrubbery, along with bashos, or samurai guard houses. The Honmaru, or main keep, is now just massive stone walls with lovely views from the top. It is a wonderfully peaceful place and we’re glad we spent time there.

 

After a short subway ride, we were in Asakusa, home of the magnificent Senso-ji Temple. At the front is a massive “Thunder Gate,” behind which is a long street of open stands selling all things Japanese, including kimonos, tee shirts, and soy-flavored crackers (two thumbs up). I took pictures of students in school uniforms (something I used to pray for when I was teaching) as well as ladies in kimono. There aren’t a lot of them, but they aren’t worn as a tourist gimmick; some women, usually older ones, simply prefer wearing kimono. There is a large well-like structure in front of the temple itself whose only purpose is to burn incense. People stand three or four deep around it, wafting the smoke of themselves to keep them healthy. We, of course, tried it too.

 

Finally, we made our way out the way we came and wandered around the little streets of old Tokyo until we found a place for lunch. It was a small and extremely simple noodle shop where we chose our lunch from a coin operated machine, received a plastic token, and then presented it to the waitress when she brought our lunch. We had ordered “medium” noodle bowls and I wished I had ordered “small.” It was a bowl of noodles in broth, with slices of pork and green onions on top. We even ate the whole thing with chopsticks and loved every bite. It is fun being adventurous, but I don’t know if we’d have been able to do it without Yuya.

 

Next was a train to the Ginza, the incredibly high-end shopping area of Tokyo. You name and designer and that store was there. The first store we saw was Apple, so we just had to go on in and check our email. We wandered there for awhile, but then we had an extra hour, so we took another train to the Tsukji fish market, a unique experience. There are fish auctions here every morning except Sunday from 5 AM to 10 AM. They say that 15,000 restauranteurs and food sellers buy 450 types of produce from about 1,700 stalls, and I don’t think we saw a quarter of them. We were too late for the auction, but the fish sellers were still going full tilt, and they were as friendly as can be. One asked where we were from, and when we answered “California,” he began imitating Arnold Schwarznegger. Overall, it was a great experience.

 

Finally it was time for the subway back to the main Tokyo station, for Yuya to return to Kobe where he teaches at a “cram school” in addition to attending university, and for us to head back to Yokohama. We thanked him profusely for an absolutely unbelievable four days in Japan that we could not have experienced on our own. Yuya and his mother and sister are planning a trip to the US soon, so we’ll have more opportunity to further our friendship.

 

We have been so impressed with Japan. It a beautiful country with a great deal of respect for nature and for beauty of any kind. The people have been welcoming and friendly, and at each of our ports, there has been a welcoming musical group to see us in and send us on our way. We would love to spend a great deal more time here.

 

By the time we got back to our room it was “feet up” time, until sailaway with taiko drummers and hors d’oeurvres. I cannot express how happy I am for tomorrow’s sea day and I have lots of plans – to do absolutely nothing!

[Johnny B]

April 14 – Day 99

En Route to Hakodate

 

The captain predicted a rough night, but it was just a little rocky – enough to make me sleep like a baby. This morning the sky was sunny and the ocean was blue with some whitecaps making it even prettier. During breakfast the ocean started to act up a little, and soon the indoor Lido pool signaled “surf’s up,” and the water started sloshing all over the deck. The weather report for Hakodate tomorrow isn’t very good; it’s about 35 degrees and snowing today.

 

But only a few hours later, it had calmed and it was time for “cooking demo.” If you don’t like to cook, this would be a good time to find your favorite book or TV show or to check the Dow-Jones Average, because I love to cook (and, of course to eat) and one of my favorite things on the ship thus far has been the cooking program.

 

About once a week, there is a cooking demonstration in the Wajang (pronounced Wa-Yang) Theatre, which, behind the curtain, contains a beautifully equipped demonstration kitchen. During the demos, either a guest chef or Shawn from the Pinnacle and Bernie, the Executive Chef, demonstrate how to make a particular dish or two. Of course they like to show, not just tell, so samples are distributed so we can “ooh” and “ah” over them.

 

The best part of the cooking program, however, is the guest chefs. They are often people I’ve seen on the Today Show or read in the New York Times and are a joy to learn from. Each guest chef teaches two “master classes” to 12 students, and my buddy Susie and I have been in virtually every one. The first one was Mark Bittman, who told us up front, “I am not a chef but a food writer” and you can read his column about simplifying food and making it more healthy in the New York Times. One of his demos included a recipe for “Tofu Chocolate Pudding” which everyone looked at and said, almost in unison, “Yuck!” After the sample, however, there were no more nay-sayers in the house. The low moans of appreciation almost drowned out poor Mark.

 

My very favorite guest chef was George Geary, a bear of a man who is, by training a pastry chef, but cooks almost anything, writes amazing cookbooks, takes people on culinary tours of Europe, and makes me laugh more than almost anyone I’ve ever met. George and Neil sat with us for dinner several times, and even when they didn’t, they’d come over to “cork-fork” after they were done elsewhere.

 

Our most recent guest chef was Denise Vivaldo whose cooking skills cause her to work in several directions. She teaches cooking classes, she ghost-writes cookbooks by celebrities, and she cooks food for photography. This last job was fascinating to hear about. She showed us some photos of food she had cooked and told us that although it was absolutely delicious looking, it was totally inedible because of the demands of photography. Denise did two demos, but she got pretty sick at one point in her stay and was unable to offer classes.

 

We have one more guest chef who came aboard yesterday in Tokyo, and he’ll be with us until Vancouver. Susie and I can hardly wait to get into those classes.

[cruz chic]

I continue to enjoy your postings. Thx so much for the time and $$$ you take to do it:).

[Johnny B]

April 15 – Day 100 (Boo Hoo!)

Hakodate, Japan

 

We really thought it was cold in Antarctica, but then we came to Hakodate. We got off the ship, hopped in the shuttle bus, and while we were waiting for it to fill up, saw that snow flurries were blowing sideways in the wind. We drove about 15 minutes to the train station, one of our shuttle stops, and when we got off we thought we would freeze to death. The flurries had increased, so we ducked into the Hakodate morning market. However, there we realized that most of the market is outside.

 

The market is mostly fish, with all kinds that I couldn’t even identify. There was octopus, salmon roe, flat fish cut to show their insides (yum!), hundreds of crabs, and dozens of other types of fish. The market also contains stalls for fruits, vegetables and flowers. It is interesting to us to see what people eat elsewhere in the world. We really aren’t too big on raw fish or octopus, but when I saw a beautiful basket of strawberries I almost bought them.

 

From there we began walking toward the second shuttle stop, wanting to see what we could along the way. Hakodate has a wonderful old streetcar system and from time to time we just stopped and watched as one plodded along the street. When we arrived at the Community Center, the second shuttle stop, we found two things: people from the ship and warmth. Besides ship passengers, there were about two dozen cute little high school girls in their sailor-type uniforms. They are studying English, and, since this was “Holland America Line Day” in Hakodate (really!), they had been pulled into service to answer our questions, tell us about Hakodate, and practice their English.

 

What we really wanted to do was go to the top of Mt. Hakodate to see the entire island/peninsula. We had planned to hike the trail to the top, but the snow pretty much discouraged that, so we took the cable car, reminiscent of one in Switzerland. There were about 7 or 8 people in our cable car, and on the way up we passed one coming down which contained all the people on the HAL tour jammed in like sardines. It made us ever so glad to travel independently.

 

The view from the top, as soon as the clouds cleared, was spectacular. Hakodate used to be an island, but natural silting filled in the channel, making it a peninsula. There was a restaurant, a gift shop (where we bought some quite delicious fried wasabi green beans) and four flights of stairs up to the viewing platform. It allowed us to look around and decide where we wanted to go next. The city is known for its Motomachi district below the peak and its western-style buildings dating from Commodore Perry’s opening of Japan to the West. We wandered down to the lovely Russian Orthodox church and saw a wonderful temple nearby. Then we continued down to the waterfront, hunting for lunch. We found the Hakodate Beer Hall, which was ever so much nicer than it sounds. It looked inside like a large old pub, and I had the best noodles I’ve eaten in Asia.

 

On the way back to the ship via shuttle, the snow increased, and while it would still be classified as “flurries,” they were bigger and fluffier and ever so exciting for us Californians who never see the stuff.

 

We have two sea days coming up but each has TWO time changes, so we essentially get two 22-hour days before our last regular port, Petropavlovsk, Russia. Then people begin disembarking in Vancouver seven days later. It really is coming to an end, but we do have a lovely two weeks left first.

[candbgirl]

Only 2 weeks left? I can't believe your adventure is almost over. Thanbks again for taking us along.

[Johnny B]

April 16 – Day 101

At Sea en route to Petropavlovsk, Russia

 

Sunrise this morning, at about 5:30, showed us a beautiful blue sky that looked as though tanning on the back deck would be the order of the day. Going out on the balcony, however, made us wish for that imaginary fireplace in our stateroom. We turned on the TV to the “what’s going on outside” channel and found out that the temperature was 33.1 degrees F. Ouch!

 

Trying to get even warmer, we went up to the gym for our regular morning workout, and then to the Lido for breakfast. Then we headed to the aft Lido pool to see just how cold it was. There was ice on the deck! We were warned to walk carefully, because although some of the ice was slushy, some of it just looked like water and invited falls. We spent a grand total of about 60 seconds outside, and then rushed in to see a lady in a full-length mink coat eating her breakfast in the warmth of the Lido. To each her own, I guess.

 

Two years ago, John spent virtually every sea day by the aft Lido pool, working on his tan and doing a great deal of reading. We were primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, and the only cold weather we had was a few days in the Black Sea. This cruise is another story, however. We began with warm weather in Costa Rica and Panama, but as we moved down South America and, of course, around Antarctica, it got pretty darned chilly. Crossing the South Atlantic was very pleasant, and then we had good weather until we got to China. Since then, the weather has gone straight downhill – both literally and figuratively. Yesterday in Hakodate I commented on the snow, and now it’s ice. Two days from now we’ll be in Petropavlovsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, part of Siberia. The New York Times forecasts cold weather (now there’s a surprise) and snow flurries. I guess it will be down jacket time again – along with hats, gloves, and scarves. We were told that Petropavlovsk is the second largest city in the world which is NOT accessible by road (no, I don’t remember the largest). You can only get to it by air or sea. They have abundant minerals, but the harsh weather makes mining difficult.

 

We are really, really glad that we’ve seen the places we’ve seen, but I never even gave much thought to the weather. When we were cruising Antarctica I was envious of the people who paid $3400 to fly to land, but after just this mild cold, I’m extremely glad I stayed on the ship. Several years ago someone called us California “weather wimps,” and I know he had the right of it. I know some of you put up with horribly cold winter weather, but I’m such a wimp that I really don’t even like January and February in Central California. I really understand why some people from the northern states and Canada take this cruise year after year.

 

The cruise in 2012 is a warm weather one, with the exception of Antarctica and the southern tip of South America, but that doesn’t take much time and the scenery is spectacular. I guess after that it’s just going to have to be a couple of months in Hawaii.

Cold weather and I just don’t get along.

[Pete Jackson]

"We were told that Petropavlovsk is the second largest city in the world which is NOT accessible by road (no, I don’t remember the largest)."

 

Apparently it is Iquitos, Peru:)

[Deb C.]

My guess is Juneau, Alaska.:D

[imacruizer]

My guess is Juneau, Alaska.:D

 

I think Juneau is the only US State Capitol which is not accessible by road. However, I don't think it is nearly as large as Iquitos, Peru or Petropavlovsk, Russia. I believe Pete is correct that Iquitos is the largest. Amazing what you can learn by reading CC!!

 

Thanks to Diane for her wonderful posts from their World Cruise. It has been so much fun to follow them on their adventure!

[Johnny B]

April 18 – Day 103

Petropovlovsk, Russia

 

We woke up this morning to brilliant blue skies and 24 degrees F. I know that those of you in North Dakota think that’s a warm spring day, but oh boy, we think it’s colder than . . . well, you know.

 

It was an unusual port morning. First, about two dozen Russian officials came on board to look at the passports of those passengers who had booked shore excursions. Then those passengers were given their passports and had to have a “face-to-passport” check with an official to make sure that the passenger was, indeed, the person pictured on the passport. Then those folks got on a tender and went ashore for their tours.

 

Then the officials looked at the passports of those passengers who wished to go ashore independently, like us When they were done, we went to pick up our passports, do the same “face-to-passport” check and took a tender ashore. En route, we noticed the snow-covered peaks surrounding the city, including the smoke-belching live volcano above Petropavlovsk.

 

This has been a strange port in another way, too. In our pre-cruise literature, we were told that no one was allowed to go ashore unless they either had booked an HAL tour or had a (very expensive) Russian visa. About a week ago we learned that that was not the case; as long as we stay inside the city limits (as opposed to trying to escape over the snow-covered mountains, I guess), we didn’t need a visa. Some people, of course, had to ask really stupid, trying to be “cute” questions like: “What will happen to us if we put one foot over the city limit?” We promptly cancelled our tour and just planned to walk around the town and through the market.

 

By the time the Russian authorities got through all the passports so that we could leave, it was 11:10 PM, and we ended up on land – in Siberia – at 11:30. The air was enough to chill white wine, and my gloves and scarf were really useful. Although the sky was pristinely blue, there was snow everywhere, and a huge pond in the middle of town was even too snowy for skating. We walked up the road, passing Lenin Square with a huge statue of Lenin (one of the few left), a statue of Vitus Bering, who founded the city, and then further along, found a lovely wooden Russian Orthodox Church. Walking inside hesitantly, we were welcomed by a friendly, English-speaking woman in a colorful headscarf who was tending the small store of religious art in the back of the church. We purchased a long string of wooden beads with a cross, a gift for our minister. When I mentioned its purpose, the lady gave me a smaller string of beads, also with a cross, and indicated that it was also for our minister, Jane.

 

We found that we were in the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, who was a Russian prince and military leader who later became a monk and was canonized after his death. The church itself was probably no more than 30 by 30 feet and had the snug feel of a ski cabin. As is appropriate for an Orthodox church, there were no chairs, and soon we noticed a priest over to the side baptizing an infant named Alexei (his name was the only part of the service we understood).

 

After watching the baptism, we wandered further along the street and climbed through the snow to a small monument whose purpose we still don’t know. It had some fake cannons in front of it, but it also had a couple of crosses, so we were really confused. It had been fairly easy to climb up the icy, snowy steps to the monument, but I was reduced to “butt-sledding” to get back down. My jeans still haven’t dried completely. Next along the street was a souvenir store, conveniently named “Souvenir Store” in English and Russian. This was not your usual souvenir store; there were (real) fur hats and coats as well as a huge bear rug, with head attached. I think it was something in the low thousands, but I wouldn’t have bought it if it were ten dollars. It was just darned creepy.

John found a tee-shirt that said “Kamchatka” in Russian lettering, and then it was time for us to exit.

 

Our next stop was a grocery store, which I’ve mentioned I love to visit in other countries. This one had about a hundred different kinds of vodka, some domestic and imported wines, and beer in bigger bottles than I’ve ever seen as well as recognizable groceries. I guess it might have been the source of the four (empty) champagne bottles we saw sticking out of a snowbank in town. We had only 50 rubles left, so we found some individual bags of chips for 20 each, and both of those bags are currently in our room waiting for “wine time” tomorrow. The last ten rubles became a tip in the shop set up where the tender arrived when we bought our granddaughter a typical Russian souvenir.

There were really cute female Russian students offering samples of fish roe, Russian bread, and vodka! That was a popular stop.

 

Back at the ship, we realized we had been out in that cold, cold weather for three hours, so we headed up to the grill at the back of the Lido for lunch. John’s hotdog and my turkey cheeseburger were perfect for a cold day.

 

So now we’ve been to Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula, surviving temperatures never seen in San Luis Obispo. Tonight is our table’s “un-birthday party” in the Pinnacle, to celebrate the birthdays of everyone at the table whose birthdays aren’t during the cruise. It’s drinks and munchies in Greg and Heo’s suite at 7:00 and dinner at 7:30. We’re looking forward to it – and to seven days at sea across the Pacific.

[candbgirl]

Having done both a westbound cruise and now an eastbound cruise do you have a preferrence?

[2bout2c]

On our 2007 Asia/Pacific trip, our wine steward bought some vodka while in Kamchaka. He served us vodka he had just removed from the freezer. The glasses were rimmed with Orange and sugar. The vodka went down as smooth as water.

[Johnny B]

April 19 – Day 104

At Sea in the Aleutian Islands

 

Today is our first April 19. Strange statement, but true. Since we have been setting our clocks ahead (17 times, to be exact), we are really off the time at home. As I write, it’s 5:30 PM on Monday, whereas in California it’s 9:30 PM on Sunday. In order to have the time be correct when we arrive on the West Coast, we have to cross the International Date Line tomorrow. That means that we’ll have two April 19’s – both Mondays. Then instead of being 20 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time, we’ll be four hours behind, so we’ll just have to set the clocks ahead four times in the next six days to be on the right time.

 

Does this make any sense? I hope so, because it certainly confuses me. The only saving grace for us as far as time at home goes is that our laptop computer has California time at the top, so we can easily find out, for example, if it’s a good time to call home or not. That came in very handy on our granddaughter’s birthday. The tricky part was being sure to call on the correct day. We had to wait until, what was for us, the day after her birthday and then called – and hit it right!

 

I guess there are a few advantages to this time thing. One of them is being appreciated by our friend Renee. We actually have two friends named Renee, but this one is the spa manger, so she has become “Spa Renee.” Her birthday is April 19, so she gets TWO days to celebrate it. Tonight she’ll celebrate with us, last night she was in the Pinnacle with friends, and who knows what she’ll do tomorrow night.

 

Tonight is “Speakeasy Night,” a formal occasion, and we are all set. John’s wearing the Armani tuxedo with a black tie and a 20’s-style hat. I have a beaded 20’s style black dress, and before we sailed, I found a black sequined stretchy headband – the kind that goes around the forehead – along with a lovely black feather to stick in it. The best thing about “dress up” formal nights is that it’s a big party in the Crow’s Nest afterward. We’re certainly looking forward to it.

[Johnny B]

April 19 (the second one) – Day 105

At Sea Just over the International Date Line

 

Today is our second Monday, April 19. We just set our watches and clocks ahead another hour, so now we are three hours behind Pacific Daylight Time. These are fairly depressing days, partly because the cruise is coming to an end, but also because of the grey skies, rough seas, and these darned short days. You know on the ship if it’s going to be rough when the white bag holders show up outside every elevator. No one we know has a problem with it, but the rocking can get pretty nasty.

 

We woke up to 28 degrees F, edging toward freezing. It has become kind of a joke that the temperature warms up every day – until it finally will get to 32, or freezing. I imagine that when we arrive in Vancouver next Monday we’ll have much more decent temperatures, but right now virtually no one goes out on deck.

 

There was a luncheon with cabaret entertainment for suite (7th floor) passengers in the Queen’s Lounge today, so Heo couldn’t come to trivia. Instead, we had Yuri, one of the members of Black Tie (and the funniest) join us, as he had in 2008. We didn’t win, but even if Yuri’s answers weren’t right, they were about as funny as can be. One question was about the English cathedral with the longest nave in Europe, and while two of our members wrote down “York,” (BTW the wrong answer), Yuri was busy writing down names of cathedrals. We asked him why he was writing those particular names down, and he answered, “Because they’re the cathedrals with the longest name in England. I guess you had to be there. (The answer is Winchester – because I know some of you would look it up).

 

“Speakeasy Night” was great fun. At the table, each man had a white fedora (I think that’s what those are called), and each woman had a black and white feather boa. Since I had hunted unsuccessfully for my turquoise boa (a souvenir from “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert “ in London), it was nice to finally get one. It also answered the question of why there were feathers everywhere on the ship. After the cast show, the Crow’s Nest was “the place to be” with the orchestra playing until midnight, when Steve, the DJ, took over. Being old people, we departed soon after, but we heard that the fun continued until about 2:00.

 

Today has been relatively quiet, with a lot of people who are disembarking in Vancouver or Seattle doing their packing. How depressing! I think the best thing for us would be to use the two sea days between Seattle and LA for ours, since once we have our luggage delivered to us, we have to keep it until we disembark, and I really don’t want 11 suitcases in the cabin for any longer than necessary. The idea of packing is pretty sad on its own, and I really don’t need reminders of the end of the cruise staring me in the face for days on end.

 

And, in answer to your question, we MUCH prefer westbound cruises. You get an extra hour of sleep about every four days and, for some reason, it just seems much more relaxing. We’ve loved this cruise, particularly because of the ports, but give us a westbound cruise anytime!

[Johnny B]

P. S.

Just looked out on our balcony and it's SNOWING! Grab the sleds.

[Johnny B]

April 21 – Day 107

At Sea en route to Vancouver

 

The weather actually went over 40 degrees today, and if you’re in the right spot, the sun feels warm. The best place, when the sun isn’t behind a cloud, is one of the lounges around the midship pool, and people still nap (and drool) out there on a regular basis. During the Captain’s daily 12:45 update, he mentioned that there had been problems with keeping some parts of the ship, including many staterooms, sufficiently heated, so I guess that’s what has kept us so focused on the temperature.

 

If I may toot our (6) horns, we had our ninth Trivia win today in a tie-break with another team. The tie-break question said that Mr. Land had the second highest number of patents when he died in the 1990’s (after Edison) – how many did he have. They guessed 250; we guessed 500 (thanks to Heo). The correct answer was 541 – Yeah! The best part of our Trivia team is the amount of fun we have. We often know the answers, but I think we get more joy out of coming up with funny answers – right or wrong. When Yuri (of Black Tie) plays with us, he keeps us in tears with laughter. Later this week there are two different Trivia games. The first is when our team selects a member to enter a “Tournament of Champions” to play down to the very best player. Then there’s a game where each team makes up two questions (and answers) and we all play with those questions. Should be fun.

 

Tomorrow night is our last formal night. Everything seems to be “last” at this point in the cruise and I really, really don’t like it. What I do like is sitting here in the Explorers’ Lounge, trying to coax some sun into the window, and eating a mini-scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. What better afternoon could a person have?

 

P. S. Just as I’m about to post this (7:15 PM), it started snowing again). We’ve diverted toward Kodiak Island for a medical evacuation, and a helicopter is heading toward us.

[Johnny B]

April 23 – Day ______

At Sea – Almost to Vancouver

 

This is all getting even more depressing. Last night was the LAST formal night and, as such, everyone seemed to go all out. The theme was “Fairy Tale Ball” and we were told to dress as our “favorite fairy tale character.” Well that’s easy – out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean when you had no idea before you sailed. The cruise staff was all prepared, of course. Bruce, the cruise director was an older Prince Charming and the other, younger members of the cruise staff were “lesser known” fairy book characters – like Cinderella’s less-known cousin, Salmonella. You get it.

 

We had Henk, the Hotel Manager as our officer again last night and I have to say that he is really our favorite. He’s incredibly nice and incredibly funny, and when he took several glow sticks to create a “runway” for cork-forking, we all just broke up. Actually, we’d even rather have him than the wine he buys for us – and that’s saying a lot! Unfortunately, now that the formal nights are over, so are the officer visits. Oh well, we’re just glad that we got Henk one more time.

 

Henk’s wife, Crystal, is the Passenger Relations Manager (I think that’s what it’s called) and it’s the last job in the world I’d want. I’d even rather be a junior high school bus driver! She is in charge of the front desk, which takes the brunt of whatever the passengers happen to dish out. You’d think some people were complaining about prison conditions the way they talk. Their activity was cancelled or someone didn’t have what they needed or “their” side of the Lido was closed when they finally got to lunch at 3:00. It’s pretty ridiculous, if you ask me. The four worst days for those lovely, patient young women (and one man) at the front desk are the end-of-segment days when statements are put in our “mailboxes.” I don’t know if it irritates me more than people insist they “shouldn’t really have that charge” even though their signature is right there on the receipt or when I hear someone insist that all the daily service charges (tips) be removed from their bills. There is an $11.00 per day per person service charge added to all bills, and then it’s split up in some complicated formula between the waiters, room stewards, and everyone else who serves us. It’s not an unreasonable amount and the staff works so hard and so long (basically 12 hour days seven days a week) that they really deserve it. Most of them are supporting entire families in either Indonesia or The Philippines and I can’t imagine that someone who can afford a world cruise can’t afford these tips. OK, there’s my rant for the day.

 

The schedule last night was strange. The evening entertainment was Black Tie, our favorite, but they performed at 6:30 because of the Fairy Tale Ball at 10:00. We attended the ball, which featured a balloon drop at 11:00, with four balloons containing pictures which earned prizes. Last year, the final formal night was the Black and Gold Ball, and they had a similar balloon drop, in which I won an 18-karat gold world globe necklace. Actually, John won it for me, but who’s quibbling? He laughed at the time about two or three LOL’s trying to elbow him out of the way, but he persevered. Last night, I had my eye on a balloon with paper in it and actually had my hands on it when a six-foot man behind me grabbed it out of my hands, pushing me out of the way. I must say I was not happy, but John was even less happy and I had to insist that “words” not be exchanged. People who will do that will not have any magical change of personality, so what’s the point? I was very happy when I found out that the prizes weren’t all that exciting after all – small enameled globes on stands that sell in the shop for $40.00. Neener, neener!

 

We left about halfway through the ball and headed up to the Crow’s Nest, where we were joined by friends and danced for a while. At the official end of the ball, it was as if guests and officers were shot from cannons, the way they filled the place. Everyone was dancing and drinking and, in general, just having a good time. Mark, the Security Officer, asked what we’d like to drink and we said, quite honestly, that we’d had enough, but he just kept after us until he found out that we liked Limoncello, so two of those came over the table. As you can imagine, they didn’t go to waste.

 

We stayed until 1:00, which I think is our latest so far, and then finally tucked into bed shortly after that. It was a great night.

 

Today, the big news is about Baba Ghanoush (our Trivia team). It was the Grand Final Competition. Each team was to choose one representative for a run off and then, possibly, a final to choose the best team. Our team said that the representative should be me or John, and he insisted it be me, even though he has more correct answers over the entire cruise than I do. There were three 5-person semi-finals and then a 4-person final. I made the first cut and then the final was 10 questions, each with 10 seconds to write the answer. I scored 6 and the other finalists scored 4 – SO WE WON! Each of our six team members won a bottle of Champagne and 50 Dam Dollars. We’ve been winning them all along for correct answers on the “Genius Question,” and we just give them all to Sky, who then goes shopping for us whenever we want something. Now, however, the six of us have 400, counting the 100 we already had. There’s a Dam Dollar giveaway tomorrow, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to spend them all. I wish that would happen with real money.

 

So, a good time was had by all, followed by a team lunch with Yuri from Black Tie who sang the funniest parody of “A Little Night Music.” At 7:00 is the Farewell Cocktail Party in Greg and Heo’s suite, so I’m sure it will be, overall, an outstanding day. I think I’ll do the Happy Dance!

[candbgirl]

Lucky you have so much to keep your mind off the sadness that is the end of the cruise. I can't believe that people actually take the automatic tip off their accounts. I guess I can never understand what goes on in people's minds. I always end up giving more because they all work so hard and they are always so grateful.