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Live from my Slow Boat to China -- the Amsterdam

arzz

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Slow Boat to China - Day 14 - October 5

Kanazawa, Japan

 

Note for Dr Tee - go to fvap.gov and check it out - it should tell you how to arrange an email ballot then go to your local election folks and educate them.

 

Kanazawa was really a great port. Easily manageable independently if one chose, with just enough to see for one day. We elected the half day highlights tour. We left the ship at 8:30 - temperatures were moderate - in the sixties with some wind. Our tour guide said that we were very lucky as big rains were due in this evening.

 

We rode about a half hour from the Tomizu Pier to the Kanazawa Castle Park and the Kenrokuen Garden. The castle is a typical white medieval Japanese castle mounted on top and behind sloping stone walls. The outside of the building is maintained but the castle itself is empty and not open to the public - from the outside it could be the castle in Tokyo or Osaka.

 

We spent our time, however, in the Japanese garden. We viewed Japanese maples and black pine trees - tall grasses and short grasses, ponds, streams and bridges all laid out carefully with attention to the aesthetics of every detail. The trees have been sculpted by the gardeners to have long branches that reach well out to the sides and roots that seem to wind and twist well above ground level - in fact I think I have seen a few of these trees in the forests outside Hogwarts.

 

Since this side of Honshu receives a lot of winter show the gardeners have begun to erect winter poles to support the largest and most vulnerable limbs on many of the trees from the damage of the weight of snow and ice. There were some fall colors visible among the green.

 

One interesting feature was a round, flat donut of a rock in the center of one small pond with a tall spouting stream of water coming straight up from its center. This is the oldest fountain in Japan and the water comes from the natural pressures caused by the differences in pond heights.

 

Our next stop was at a very old neighborhood with narrow streets lined with very old wooden tea houses where the geishas used to entertain. There are still some geishas here but many of the tea houses are now tourist shops. This street allowed us a peek at what Japan used to look like before World War Two.

 

The Kanazawa area produces much of the gold leaf used all over Japan as decorations for all manner of objects - so, of course, there was an obligatory stop at a gold store where one could purchase small jars filled with gold leaf, pastries frosted in gold leaf, bottles of plum wine with flecks of gold leaf in them as well as the expected items made out of gold and decorated with gold.

 

The last stop on the tour was at the Omicho Market - a 300 year old market place that sells seafood, fruits, vegetables and all things necessary to Japanese cooking. Today the market is covered and rambles on through a maze of food stalls and narrow passageways where the air is filled with the sounds of the food sellers calling out to get the attention of the shoppers. Unlike the markets that we saw in our first trip to Japan 37 years ago, most foods now being sold are prepackaged just like the food we buy at home. Though more sanitary - packaging does cut down on the odor as well as the exotic nature of their content. This trip I was able to recognize a lot more of the items than I did in 1977 when I was entirely unfamiliar with Japanese cooking. I found it interesting that the proprietors of many of the stalls offer tastes of their products to the local shoppers. I viewed one woman receive a taste of some green stringy vegetable mixture by having a small amount of it placed, using chopsticks, on the back of her hand (not the palm) - another woman received a taste of a small, raw shrimp in a similar manner.

 

We would have loved to continue to wander here - and find a nice Japanese meal but we admit - we were a little timid today in the face of the weather forecast. Earlier in the morning, from the Garden, we could see the surrounding mountains and mists - by mid-day it was starting to rain and the sky was heavily overcast. The mountains were gone. We were just plain concerned that if the rain got too fierce we would have a tough time returning to the ship on time. So at the end of the tour we returned home to the Amsterdam.

 

As compensation for once again missing that Japanese lunch, DH was able to stuff his face with scones, jam and cream at afternoon tea in the Crow's nest.

 

Just before leaving port Captain Eversen warned that we should prepare for winds of about 30 knots and 15 foot seas. He has altered our course to go west for a while rather than immediately south to Fukuoka in order to move away from the reach of Typhoon Phanfone. He also either said that the typhoon was downgraded to a category 3 from a category 4 ... or he said it was upgraded to a 4 from a 3. DH and I have different versions of what we heard. Either way I am very glad to head west right now.

 

As we left port a group of local dancers performed for us with traditional costumes and dance which included very large colorful flags (I mean VERY large, maybe 10 feet or more high and longer in width) which despite the fact that they performed for us in the rain, and certainly the flags were getting wet and heavy, they lifted and waved them with the music.

 

And for the record -- I have seen more Tully's Coffee shops in both of our Japanese ports than Starbucks.

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Slow Boat to China - Day 15 - October 6

 

We rolled a bit last night in Japan's Inland Sea but all in all not a bad night. The seas were better in the morning and the overcast skies cleared to temps in the middle sixties and bright sun. Nothing like what we understand Tokyo received. Grateful to be here and not there.

 

It was a good day for walking on deck, and listening to Barbara's talk on South Korea. Tea time today was the Japanese Tea, complete with decorations and Japanese sweets as well as the usual fare. A truly elegant spread. DH scarfed down a few "Japanese" scones with cream and jam. There will be no getting him away from the daily teas now that he knows about the scones.

 

Dinner was served in the Japanese decorated dining room by waiters dressed in Happi Coats - though the Japanese fare was on the menu last night and not tonight. My guess is that the changes in port days messed up the dinner calendar a little bit.

 

Nothing much to say today as we just enjoyed a relaxed time at sea and celebrated the rising temperatures outside. Our cold weather clothing will soon be things of the past occupying a place in the bottom of the suitcase.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Fukuoko, Japan (another maiden port for the Amsterdam) - the first of five port days in a row!

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Slow Boat to China - Day 16 - October 7

Fukuoka, Japan

 

A fabulous day!

 

Shortly before 8:00 am we were escorted into the harbor by the Kyoho Maru, a local tug boat. The skies were clear and before long there was bright sun - the first morning that I remember on this cruise that the shades on the aft wall of the dining room needed to be pulled down. The temperature was in the 70's and it was shirt sleeve weather.

 

Our choice for this port was to be independent and go in search of that Japanese lunch that has been evading us so far this trip.

 

About 9:30 this morning we made our way to the gangway and walked the short distance to the very sunny shuttle bus stop provided by the port authority. They were handing out complimentary fans to use to shade your face from the sun - very useful.

 

It did not take long before we boarded a bus from our berth at this industrial dock to the main terminal building. There was tourist information there and a line that stretched across the terminal to purchase full day bus passes to get into and around the city. We opted to share a taxi into town and discovered that our taxi-mates had been on the Prinsendam with us in 2007 when she went around Antarctica. Small world.

 

Once in town we started to wander. It is difficult to use a Japanese map and Japanese street signs to navigate - but, nevertheless we tried - we had to guess by the way the streets intersected, the river, and other land marks where we were. We were aimed at one of the many shrines in town.

 

Along the way we got to a local covered market full of stalls mostly filled with consumer goods and some foods. There were large banners posted advertising "Octoberfest", and orange flags hanging with pictures of jack-o-lanterns on them. There was also a stall that sold art work ... anything from hangings with traditional Japanese scenes silk screened on them to a large, colorful oil painting of a dog wearing glasses ...

 

As we snaked our way through the market we came to an entrance through which we could see a park. We left the market and went to check out the park. It was priceless! There was a croquet match taking place between two teams of senior citizen, complete with vests that sported their player number, coaches, referees and a score keeper with a microphone. There were local families with children and dogs watching the play along with us.

 

We continued to wander until our feet and backs pretty much wore out - we never found the shrines - but we did find the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum whose regular collection was closed and unfortunately the special exhibit they had did not really appeal. A disappointment.

 

On we went and by now we were in the downtown upscale shopping area. We meandered through malls and viewed stores filled with sleek, modern furniture (we really enjoy the Japanese aesthetic), expensive clothing, tea and spice shops and restaurants. There were some fantastic plastic train sets with small Shinkansen trains (bullet trains) on tracks that climbed spirals three feet and more above the ground. A kid's toy that would probably interest the parents too. At least it interested us.

 

We finally decided to stop for lunch. DH ordered a chicken stir fry dish full of enoki mushrooms that came with a salad and a bowl of rice topped with a small pyramid of tiny pink fish roe. I ordered a noodle soup in a large iron bowl that was topped with an egg, a lovely crunchy bit of lotus root, a large mushroom, chives, a slice of egg omelette (I think this is referred to as tomago in sushi restaurants in the states but forgive me if I have remembered the term incorrectly) and several other items that I have seen before but do not know what to call them. The star of the show, however, was a slimy green ball with veggie looking green flecks in it about the size of an egg yolk that was very chewy like the coating on mochi ice cream. It was, shall I say, very interesting to eat, only a vague veggie/sea weed flavor, and I have no idea on earth what it was. Possibly I don't want to know. All part of the travel experience.

 

I am sure that many folks found the shrines and other not to miss tourist sights around - We, however, who are just too simple to succeed at the basic skills of map reading were content to wander, mix with the locals and soak in some of the current culture.

 

Sail away this evening was on the promenade deck where we were treated to a group of Japanese drummers who were on the dock in traditional dress - large sounds propelled by strong arms - and about half of the drummers were women! Hot appetizers were passed and drinks could be purchased. It was a rousing performance that peaked and then continued as we slowly made our way away from the dock and out to sea. The Amsterdam applauded the drummers with three long blasts on the ship's whistle.

 

I have to say that both of the ports that were added to replace Tokyo have been wonderful treats. HAL made lemons into lemonade.

 

We went to the show tonight. The entertainer was a Japanese juggler by the name of Tempei. He was billed as a member of Cirque Du Soliel, and a world champion juggler. He was not originally scheduled to perform - but agreed to substitute for whoever we were supposed to pick up in Tokyo. He was fantastic. Totally smooth and controlled he not only juggled but he blurred the line between juggling and magic as he made objects appear to levitate in his hands. I confess this is the first show this trip that I have attended where I had no trouble staying awake - and I wanted more at the end.

 

Tomorrow we are in Nagasaki.

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Slow Boat to China - Day 17 - October 8

 

This morning it was bright and clear as we arrived in Nagasaki, Japan two hours earlier than originally scheduled - a change made as a consequence of our altered itinerary. Gene, the cruise director announced, bright and early, that the ship was cleared and to expect temperatures in the low '80's.

 

We had booked a tour to the Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Museum and Ground Zero. I, somehow, felt compelled to do this - and it was a very emotional day for me -- filled with all manner of conflicts; no question in my mind about the imperative to win the war but my how we opened Pandora's box by using a nuclear bomb - and how it changed the world.

 

Our tour started at Peace Park - built on the site of a government prison that was totally destroyed by the bomb. The colorful green lawns showcase a large bronze statue erected in 1955 of a man who has one arm pointing to the sky and his other arm stretched out seeking peace. Between the statue and a large fountain that is erected to symbolically represent Nagasaki and the effects of the explosion are numerous smaller monuments donated to the park by countries from all over the world.

 

The first monument we visited represented the people who were injured and died and how they begged for water. An 84 year old gentleman who was fourteen at the time of the attack stood at the front of the monument greeting visitors, telling his story, and asking folks to ladle water from buckets at his feet over a bucket of flowers to quench the everlasting thirst of the victims. He survived only because his boss at the Mitsubishi Ohashi Arsenal where he worked sent him out to another building to retrieve something. He was standing behind a large pillar which shielded him from the blast. He was one of only two survivors in his work group.

 

In Japan the Crane represents happiness, peace and health. At the Peace Park and again at the museum we saw many groups of strings full of colorful origami cranes. The custom is to string 1000 cranes together - and most school groups who visit bring such a gift with them, and hang it in a shrine next to the large statue.

 

The Atomic Bomb museum contained pictures of Nagasaki before and after as well as artifacts. I sat and watched a slide show of pictures drawn by children who survived the blast as they narrated what they saw and did that day. Enough. DH went on to ground zero. I passed.

 

Nagasaki itself is a pretty little city situated at a protected harbor and is the western most city in Japan. The harbor is surrounded by hills and small mountains. As I sat in the Crows Nest during the late afternoon the sun reflected off of the windows of the homes and buildings that line the hills and I watched a large hawk (or some other sort of raptor) repeatedly fly over the windows at the bow proudly displaying his feathers.

 

Later, at the sail away we were treated to the music of a children's school orchestra which played songs like "La Bomba" - they were mostly young women who wore navy school uniforms and white blouses. Some of them did a "dance routine" with pom poms to one of the songs - very charming but definitely not the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

 

As the sun finally set we sailed away in the warm evening under the large suspension bridge at the harbor's entrance. The cables on the silver bridge twinkled in the light of the mercury vapor lamps that illuminate the bridge at night.

 

Tomorrow is Juju, South Korea.

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Slow Boat to China - Day 18 - October 9

Jeju, South Korea

 

Jeju is a volcanic island off the south end of the Korean Peninsula. It is a popular tourist destination for Korea, China and Japan and also a popular spot for a honeymoon. We arrived early this morning to partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper sixties to low seventies. We were told it might rain. It did not, and in fact we had quite a bit of sun and lots of cool breezes.

 

Jeju was only a half day port - we actually had to get up and be ready to tour at 7:45 am! Our choice today was a trip to the Seongup Folk Village and the Seongsan Sunrise Park - the park is a UNESCO World Heritage sight.

 

Our guide was one of those guides who felt he had to fill every minute with his voice so when we were traveling an hour out of town to reach the first site and between sites he filled the air with bad jokes and stories that were hard for us to follow due to his pronounced accent. When at the actual sites he did not wait to gather the group before beginning to speak or moving on to the next feature. Much was lost to us. Please forgive the gaps in my information. It was still a wonderful day and we very much enjoyed what we did and saw.

 

During our ride we drove along roads that climbed up from the ocean past the homes, apartments, shops and businesses of Old Jeju City then out into the countryside where the roads were lined with pine forests and farmer's fields of green tea, tangerines, and barley. The island is full of hills and small mountains that are covered with trees and ground cover.

 

The folk village dates back to the early 15th century and is a collection of thatched houses and out buildings -- walls of lava stone with a mud or adobe type mixture used to chink between the stones and cover the inside walls. There were also a couple of buildings made of wood with roofs that were intricately painted with beautiful colored patterns. One such building was built atop a rise of large rough volcanic stones that formed the floor and a stairway for access - the black stones, however, were not always well seated and tended to shift under foot. Interesting to experience.

 

Our guide explained the symbiotic relationship between the ancient Korean potty and the family pig - both the pig and the potty intimately shared the same real estate - the system was finally outlawed in preparation for the Seoul Olympics about thirty years ago.

 

Some of the homes in the village are still in use. It was possible to discern the ones that were occupied from the ones that have been abandoned by the "15th century" satellite dishes that could be found mounted on the occupied homes.

 

There were many grandfather statues (Harubang) around the village. If I understood our guide correctly some of these statues are fertility symbols and local women come and rub them in one place if they wish to have a boy child, another place for a girl child. I lost the anatomical locations for the sex of the child in his accent and delivery, but I did catch that many of these statues no longer have noses due to excess rubbing. My guess is rubbing the nose is for a boy - I can only wonder what they would rub if they wanted a girl.

 

The Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak is a volcanic peak with a large caldera that was formed about 5000 years ago by a submarine (under water) eruption. Today the caldera is covered in green ground cover on the inside, the outside is rugged volcanic rock. Stairways and paths have been constructed to climb to the top of the caldera - some 508 stairs plus slopes to get to the top. Our guide suggested the round trip could be done in about 25 minutes - he was obviously not looking at the demographic of the Holland America passengers in his bus. DH did climb to the top and has the pictures to prove it but the round trip took him over an hour. You are right, I did not do the climb. Instead I went to the exhibition area (a bit of a disappointment) and enjoyed a candy bar. DH had much better views but I may have had more fun. Chocolate.

 

Tonight's show sounds like it is one of the good ones but frankly, we are too tired this evening to attend. We'll probably be sorry.

 

Tomorrow is Incheon, South Korea - I may not write tomorrow as our tour is a dinner/theatre program in Seoul which is a couple hours from the port of Incheon and we will not be back home to the ship until quite late after our 8 hour adventure.

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Krazy Kruizers

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Slow Boat to China - Day 17 - October 8

 

This morning it was bright and clear as we arrived in Nagasaki, Japan two hours earlier than originally scheduled - a change made as a consequence of our altered itinerary. Gene, the cruise director announced, bright and early, that the ship was cleared and to expect temperatures in the low '80's.

 

We had booked a tour to the Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Museum and Ground Zero. I, somehow, felt compelled to do this - and it was a very emotional day for me -- filled with all manner of conflicts; no question in my mind about the imperative to win the war but my how we opened Pandora's box by using a nuclear bomb - and how it changed the world.

 

Our tour started at Peace Park - built on the site of a government prison that was totally destroyed by the bomb. The colorful green lawns showcase a large bronze statue erected in 1955 of a man who has one arm pointing to the sky and his other arm stretched out seeking peace. Between the statue and a large fountain that is erected to symbolically represent Nagasaki and the effects of the explosion are numerous smaller monuments donated to the park by countries from all over the world.

 

The first monument we visited represented the people who were injured and died and how they begged for water. An 84 year old gentleman who was fourteen at the time of the attack stood at the front of the monument greeting visitors, telling his story, and asking folks to ladle water from buckets at his feet over a bucket of flowers to quench the everlasting thirst of the victims. He survived only because his boss at the Mitsubishi Ohashi Arsenal where he worked sent him out to another building to retrieve something. He was standing behind a large pillar which shielded him from the blast. He was one of only two survivors in his work group.

 

In Japan the Crane represents happiness, peace and health. At the Peace Park and again at the museum we saw many groups of strings full of colorful origami cranes. The custom is to string 1000 cranes together - and most school groups who visit bring such a gift with them, and hang it in a shrine next to the large statue.

 

The Atomic Bomb museum contained pictures of Nagasaki before and after as well as artifacts. I sat and watched a slide show of pictures drawn by children who survived the blast as they narrated what they saw and did that day. Enough. DH went on to ground zero. I passed.

 

Nagasaki itself is a pretty little city situated at a protected harbor and is the western most city in Japan. The harbor is surrounded by hills and small mountains. As I sat in the Crows Nest during the late afternoon the sun reflected off of the windows of the homes and buildings that line the hills and I watched a large hawk (or some other sort of raptor) repeatedly fly over the windows at the bow proudly displaying his feathers.

 

Later, at the sail away we were treated to the music of a children's school orchestra which played songs like "La Bomba" - they were mostly young women who wore navy school uniforms and white blouses. Some of them did a "dance routine" with pom poms to one of the songs - very charming but definitely not the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

 

As the sun finally set we sailed away in the warm evening under the large suspension bridge at the harbor's entrance. The cables on the silver bridge twinkled in the light of the mercury vapor lamps that illuminate the bridge at night.

 

Tomorrow is Juju, South Korea.

 

 

 

What a memorable day.

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Slow Boat to China - Day 18 and 19 - October 10 and 11

Inchon, South Korea

 

Day 18

 

We arrived at Inchon this morning right on time. We have blue skies and temperatures hovering in the high sixties and low seventies. A beautiful day. We have an 8 hour tour this afternoon and evening so we have decided to conserve energy and stay on the ship until it is time for us to leave later.

 

After breakfast we took a short walk on the promenade deck and discovered a tiny stow away - probably waiting for Halloween - a little black, furry bat - asleep and clinging to the ceiling of the promenade on the starboard side, aft. We have photos - he is rather cute - but of course he is not awake or flying around. The first time I have ever seen a bat without a cage between me and it. I wonder how long he has been aboard. He should be able to help with the mosquito count.

 

On the dock outside our window there is a booth set up where there have been locals in brightly colored traditional dress playing music for us all morning. They are also dressing women who so choose in traditional robes and taking photos - I think using your own camera.

 

The port is a busy industrial port - though not the busiest in South Korea - I watched a white ore delivered and scooped out of one cargo ship, while the ship next to it was filled with a brown ore (the color of sand) from a VERY large pile stored at the port. Then there are the fields of cars waiting to be shipped. They seem to go on forever - we estimate that there are cars parked here numbering in the thousands - lined up in neat little rows - and those are the ones in view. There are also piles of containers and buildings labeled with names like Hanjin - the names we see on the container ships that go in and out of Seattle - but here we are on the other end of the journey.

 

Our 8 hour tour began at 3:15 pm and we went to Seoul to see a performance of traditional folk music, dance and stories at a place called Korea House. The tour took 8 hours because it takes a long time to get from Inchon to Seoul - lots of traffic - due to a population in the greater metropolitan area of 25 - 45 million depending on where you define your outlines. Seoul alone has a population of 10 million.

 

In addition to the dance program we also had two compulsory shopping stops. The first was in downtown Seoul at a market set up on the banks of a small river that had been buried under concrete in a modernization scheme and was recently unearthed and once again allowed to flow on the surface. The market was interesting with all sorts of nicknacks and souvenir baubles but the river was very unusual in that it flowed on concrete and was covered overhead by hundreds of pale green open umbrellas that were strung above on a wire grid to offer shade from the sun.

 

The second stop was on a street with mostly clothing shops - total waste of time for us.

 

Once at Korea House we were treated to a buffet dinner of local dishes from fruits and vegetables to sushi, tempura style fried fish and veggies, lots of dishes full of mystery fish and meat in the typical Korean red sauces, kimchee, traditional Korean sweets, etc. An interesting tasting experience.

 

The one hour show, however, was definitely the highlight and what made this long excursion worthwhile. The men and women who danced and played instruments as they acted out 8 different traditional folk art performances were dressed in colorful costumes. Along with the music and choreography it was all eye candy to watch - not only because it was beautiful but because the dancers so effectively portrayed things like a snow storm through their movements, costumes and fans. There was a "battle of the drums" between four young men playing traditional folk drums - all at the same time, each with a different rhythm.

 

During the finale all the dancers carried and used drums of one sort or another - but the most interesting part of this performance were the hats worn by the men. There was, for lack of a better term, a long antenna attached to the hat of each one with a flexible joint that allowed it to rotate in response to the movement of the dancer's head. At the other end of the antenna was a several foot long ribbon sash. The dancer's were able, through their head movements, to control the sashes to make and keep them rotating in circles and patterns that coordinated with each other. One dancer sported a hat that had a large group of feathers attached that formed a flower which he could control to bloom and then close at will.

 

Other than the length of this trip and the second shopping stop - the only serious negative was our guide. Again we had a guide who felt compelled to fill the air with constant noise - except that she did not speak loudly enough into the microphone for us to hear what she was saying. After the performance, on our way back to the bus, several of us discussed taking up a collection to pay her not to talk ....

 

Day 19

 

Even though the ship was docked and in port all night, I woke up feeling the "movement of the ship" - my inner ear refusing to accept that I was no longer at sea. Don't worry, it is better now, because we are at sea on our way to Xingang.

 

This morning we did a half day tour of Inchon. It started with a stop at the fish market. Now, in our travels we have been to fish markets in Egypt, the South Pacific, Europe, Japan ... but we were never at a fish market like this one. It seems that in Korea many people eat their sushi (they have a Korean name for it which I have forgotten) a little fresher than even the Japanese.

 

Our guide described being at a meal where she was served small crabs already covered in sauce that walked off of her plate - and a similar experience with octopus. Yeah, like it or not, some folks do that here. The fish market reflects the custom. Most of the fish is displayed and purchased alive. Rather than piles of dead fish on ice, there are clean, well circulated aquariums in the stalls full of swimming fish - tubs of crabs reaching for the ceiling, and clams looking dead but then squirting occasional spouts of water from their shells. All manner of seafood could be found there and it was quite the experience.

 

We also walked through a traditional Korean Garden - in Korea the traditional gardens are not carefully manicured. The grasses are allowed to grow tall, and the wildflowers follow suit. We saw a rice field that we could get up close and personal with. Since it is harvest season we were able to see the mature rice plants with the mature grains of rice still attached. A first for me.

 

Before we left the gardens they offered us cups of tea to which they had added a large spoonful of "citroen honey" - essentially a citroen marmalade. That, too, was quite good, especially the chunks of sweet candied citroen peel.

 

Our next stop was at the small Architecture Museum and a quick walk past Chinatown. Then it was on to a local market, full of food stalls and local "fast food" - where our guide fed those who were willing local pancakes with mung beans or fried chicken.

 

Impressions of Inchon and Seoul - Modern, busy cities - full of people and non-stop activity - Every other store is a coffee shop - Starbucks yes, Tully's no, more commonly some local coffee cafe.

 

In both South Korean ports we had interesting security - leaving the ship we had to have our belongings x-rayed by the local port security people who were on board using the ship's equipment.

 

Another interesting feature of this port is that it is totally walled in from the ocean. To enter or leave ships must pass through a lock which I believe serves the purpose of keeping the tides from raising and lowering the ships at the dock as well as allowing immigration to clear the ship while still in the lock, before it gets to the dock.

 

A note: The name of the port the city where we were docked is spelled Incheon everywhere we traveled these past two days - my spellchecker, however, prefers to spell it Inchon so much of the time in this document it has been spelled by the rules of my spellchecker rather than the preference of those who actually live there. For that I apologize.

 

Clocks back another hour tonight - tomorrow we are at sea.

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