and so it begins.....RTW16

[cbb]

Friday we sailed into HaLong Bay and it was stunning. We anchored just offshore and then tendered into buses or to another ship.

 

Many of the RTW people took advantage of "Hanoi Experience", an overnight "freebie" offered to those who were on for 180 days but Mr Wonderful and I opted for an overnight called "Mythical Dragons and HaLong Bay."

 

We 18 tendered to a junk and sailed away further into HaLong Bay and cruised among the great karst formations. These are huge limestone formations that arise out of the sea in various shapes and sizes--some are considered islands--and many have been named. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is extraordinary.

 

Our ship, the Indochina Sails was all teak inside, the bedroom was large, the bed very comfortable and the bathroom was huge. We were treated to a wonderful buffet dinner of Vietnamese foods and drinks. Some of us were reluctant to come down from the top deck for dinner since it was so gorgeous to be up there winding our way through the pillars.

 

Up at 4:30 the next morning and had breakfast at 5 while sailing back to the port. We all waved at the Insignia as we passed her, unloaded, and climbed aboard a van by 5:45 to meet our driver and Jiang, one of the guides who had sailed with us. We all fell in love with Jiang and she is undoubtedly one of the best guides we've ever had.

 

The road to Hanoi is undergoing a widening process that makes the existing road bumpy, the driver is required to drive at 45 mph, HaLong Bay and Hanoi are connected by this one road so the drive from the main port to the capital has a huge traffic load....then add motorbikes!! There were thousands of us on the road, and it was early Saturday morning!!!

 

A "happy stop" (yes, bathroom stops are called 'happy stop' and I was happy to stop...relieved, one might say) half way through the 3hr drive was at a workshop/boarding school for young disabled people, many by agent orange.

 

The embroidery work done by the young women was all hand-stitched and was stunning. Most people would look at the wall art and believe they were oil paintings but a closer look showed that it was all hand stitchery.....amazing. The guys mostly worked in marble, wood, or other stones and their sculptures were so well done. All were for sale.

 

Onto Hanoi. Since we were 6 to a van, we were able to see things more quickly than the people on the Hanoi Experience saw. We saw the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton where US POWs from the Vietnam War were held for several years) as well as a quick look at Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Ba Kinh Square. The puppet show was not on our itinerary.

 

The Temple of Literature was fun for me. It is an 11th century building dedicated to Confucius with a university next door, built in 1076. There was a parade of young women who were preparing to graduate and we Americans all cheered and yelled congratulations at them--big grins from both groups!

 

I was also approached by a group of young girls, middle school age, who wanted me to participate in a poll. Actually it was an opportunity for them to practice their English skills in a social setting and they were remarkable! As an old retired teacher I was able to get in a quick correction, I met their teachers, and we all had a group picture taken....awesome!!! (I was gravely told that I was "very friendly" and I was able to tell their teachers that they were doing an excellent job....we beamed at each other.)

 

Our group only saw the Changing of the Guard at the Mausoleum since we had no desire to stand in line to see his body in a glass coffin. Instead we did a walk through of the Old Quarter.

 

I'm not sure what I expected to see in Hanoi. I thought perhaps people would be not be friendly to western tourists, that the city would not be as modern as HCM City (Saigon) and would be more governmental and strict.

 

It is quite urban, there is a huge building boom of hotels, shops, and apartments, but at the same time one does still see the French influence on the architecture of the old buildings. There is also a big push for construction, especially housing, in the out-lying areas of Hanoi as there is simply no more room for all of the people who work in Hanoi.

 

Lunch was at the Wild Rice Restaurant where we caught up with many of the Hanoi Experience people and we all had a great luncheon served family style. The menu was on each table of 8 and the servers kept bringing bowls of food. Just about the time we thought we were done, here came more bowls! Then on to the Old Quarter.

 

We saw some 3 story buildings in the Old Quarter that housed large extended families but there would be several people in one room. So a young man and his wife and their children would be in 1 room, his siblings and their families would be in other rooms and depending upon their ages, there could be grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

 

Some would die, but babies would take their places so the population of a building would rise and fall....and it had been that way for generations. I guess you could say, you were born to the building or married into the building!

 

The people who live in the housing described above are the "lucky ones" because they can afford to live in town. One small building held 70+ people and approximately 18 family units, but all related.

 

Hanoi's Old Quarter is one of the most alive places I've ever visited. If you stand still, you can feel it pulse. Tiny streets, motorbikes everywhere, food being cooked, people visiting with each other, kids and their parents shopping...it just is a living, breathing thing of its own. There are electric cables running overhead in every kind of wiring configuration you can imagine and then electric lights are strung through the cables so that at night the streets are lighted....it must look amazing.

 

Every street within the Old Quarter was originally built to offer artisans a place to live above their store, each street dedicated to a particular occupation. If you wanted clothing or a tailor you went to that street and selected your goods from a wide variety of clothing stores, same with shoes, doctors, vegetables, etc. Mr. Wonderful thought it was particularly far-sighted of the French to build a street for electronics!

 

I asked, with the approval of the other 5 from the van, to go to the "earring street" and the other 2 women thought that was a great choice and the men tagged along as sweet husbands are inclined to do. Yes, we 3 bought earrings with Jiang's help. Mine are fantastic! Made of high quality silver, they are tiny dangling coolie hats including chin straps! Even the waiters in Terrace remarked on my cool earrings...and if a guy notices earrings they are indeed cool!

 

Back on the road for the 3+hr drive back, with the Happy Stop, and on to the ship. We arrived at 5:45 but due to the traffic some of the buses didn't get back until later which caused the Insignia to leave later that scheduled.

 

This morning we were told by the captain that he didn't like the weather report, although Sanya was ok, but he was going to try and stay ahead of a bad weather front and we were sailing directly to Hong Kong.

 

Many of us in Terrace did a happy dance, and in the MDR I understand there were cheers. Some of us had never been to Sanya, but would much rather have a sea day to recuperate from a long and tiring visit to Hanoi and gain additional time in Hong Kong.

 

I can truthfully say I thoroughly enjoyed Hanoi and I didn't think I would. I don't think I could live in the Old Quarter but i found it exhilarating.

 

China is clearly investing money in Vietnam and huge amounts of mainland Chinese are coming to Hanoi/Ha Long Bay for vacation. Our guide told us that the Chinese tourists can come for 2 weeks without a visa and we could see new hotels just outside of the port of Ha Long and long lines of tourist buses parked. More hotels and huge resorts with beaches are being built in this area and Chinese cruise ships visit.

 

The young people in Hanoi are modern, often highly educated, and hard working. It is going to be interesting to see what role Vietnam is going to take in the modern Southeast Asia that is emerging.

[cbb]

I'm posting today, our 2nd day in Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong yesterday and were quickly cleared by the government. Waves was open early and Farid, the chef, got Terrace up and running shortly after 11am so that we were fed and off the ship by noon.

 

These 2 days were to be diy since we felt, with my research and his hand held gps loaded with maps, we were ready to go...and we were.

 

The port has a free shuttle into Plaza Hollywood mall (Diamond Hill metro station) or APM Mall (Kwun Tong metro station). We were docked in Kai Tak cruise terminal which was a relief for many of us because at one time we were scheduled to anchor and tender in!!

 

Ray Carr told us that the Queen Mary was in Ocean Terminal and since they pay more $ to the port authority (based on passengers numbers) it was a no brainer where they was going to get to dock. Costa Victoria is here and we're pretty sure we saw the QEII.

 

We hopped on the shuttle, took the Diamond Hill metro to TST, walked south down Nathan Road then west to the Ocean Terminal to the Star Ferry (round trip ticket and a very cool ride), walked east to the Big Bus HoHo (not to be confused with Rickshaw HoHo) and took the red route

 

We did get to see quite a lot of Hong Kong from the top of the bus. Many neighborhoods, brand new buildings, old historical buildings from British days, major corporate buildings, as well as wash hanging out, kids, dogs, shoppers, in short...a really enormous city, densely packed and an extraordinary amount of construction occurring.

 

We got to the Victoria Peak stop and got off. We waited until our group could get into the tram and zoom up to the top we went. Walked around some, took lots of pictures, but by then, large groups of people suddenly arrived, so we left. Now, here is where it gets interesting!

 

Mr. Wonderful decided that the lines were simply too long to wait so he proposed that we walk down....that's right, we walked down Victoria Peak!!

 

It was long, but entirely beautiful. There are a huge number of walking paths among the woods and I could catch glimpses of lovely homes and gardens on our way down. I wouldn't recommend this adventure to everyone but if you are a walker, it is nice to do. My fitbit at day's end was right at 9 miles/19k steps!!!

 

We then decided to walk around the area of Ocean Terminal, found a place for dinner, and chose to stay on the promenade to watch the light show.

 

It was lovely and well done, but if you have visited the World Showcase at Epcot in Disney World, it doesn't compare! For one thing, Disney throws up thousands of $$ every night in fireworks that are perfectly timed to music at the end of their light show....Hong Kong...not so much!

 

Will continue this journey into Hong Kong in a while....it is getting perilously close to happy hour...!

[Floridiana]

A wonderful report on two of my favorite places in the world. Thank you!

[cbb]

Happy hour was ....well, happy!! Several of the RTWers were there and we shared what we had done for the past 2 days. Always nice to get back in touch with each other.

 

btw....correction. The Queen Mary is berthed in front of Insignia at Kai Tak, it is the Queen Victoria that is at Ocean Terminal, and tomorrow QEII comes to Ocean Terminal.

 

Mr. Wonderful flew into Kai Tak 30 years ago when it was the airport and said one of the great memories of flying in was the sharp right to land and flying below and between the apartments and looking up into people's rooms.

 

Today we decided that we had done a bunch of walking yesterday so we visited Stanley Market by taking the green route on the HOHO.

 

We took the shuttle bus, then the metro all the way to HK Central Terminal, walked the elevated walkway to Central Pier, Big Bus's central headquarters, and got on the HOHO green route which took us to the Victoria Peak stop.

 

It stopped at Ocean Bay Amusement Park (where little kids and their parents got off!), Repulse Bay, where one could get off to go to beaches, and then to Stanley Market.

 

We drove by lovely homes, and guess what.....lots more construction. Some of the high rise buildings I looked into were empty. Now some of these buildings had been there for a while so they were undergoing total reno, but others were brand new highrises.

 

This area, like Victoria Peak, is a very chic place to live and one that I would love because it give you a water view of Repulse Bay, so named because the British Navy was able to successfully repulse the pirates who were wrecking havoc on the shipping lanes.

 

It was a beautiful, green area to live in, as compared to the city center of HK. Of course, I didn't see markets close by, so I suppose you get into your car to go shopping, or have staff do it for you!! (after being on board for 86 days, I've decided that I prefer to have crew and staff do stuff for me.)

 

Stanley Market was amazing. It was streets of small stalls and there is no dirt or litter anywhere. The toilets are free and pristine, and several of them are western-style...yay!!

 

I bought a few small things for family members and I confess, I bought a knock-off purse for myself. There had been some in a boutique on board that I fell in love with but couldn't justify spending the money. There, in Stanley Market, was the knockoff!! $32US later...I have a new handbag that will be a great momento because of where it was bought!

 

We ate lunch at a little mom & pop place on the beach and then walked around some more, met a few from the ship and then reboarded the HoHo bus to retrace our steps to Central Terminal where, instead of returning as we had come, we took a HoHo bus back to the ship's terminal. (see below)

 

The following are tips I picked up that might help you all:

 

1. I saw a HoHo bus at our ship's terminal and told Mr. Wonderful who asked a HOHO guy today at the Central Terminal if there was a HoHo bus that would take us back to the terminal, eliminating the other steps and was told "sure, and it is leaving in 10 minutes."

 

The trip yesterday with shuttle, metro, etc was 1 hr from ship to HoHo but using the HoHo system we went from Central Pier to our Kai Tak terminal in 30 minutes!! It is not marked very well, but you can take a HoHo bus out of the terminal and back to the terminal...just look around for the Big Bus people.

 

2. HoHo is a wonderful way to see the city and you can see much of it from the top of the bus. We used Big Red Bus and bought a 48 hr pass and it cost $550HK, or at today's exchange rate $72US pp. (I do NOT own shares in Big Red Bus) Several bought theirs on line at home, but did not report any discount incentive to do so.

 

3. We did not exchange $ at the terminal--the lines were crazy. Instead, on our first day, we exchanged money at Bank of Hong Kong ATM in Plaza Hollywood, Floor 2, look to the left at the top of the escalator and you'll see 4-5 ATMs. Lovely bathrooms on 2nd floor to the right of the escalator, and major grocery store on 4th floor.

 

4. If you go with Big Red Bus, when you arrive at Victoria Peak tram, ask the Bus representative which line to get in and he will exchange your voucher. YOU WILL AVOID HAVING TO STAND IN THE QUEUE that is out of the door and down the street. You will have to wait your turn to get into the tram, but don't be discouraged when you see people lined up down the street waiting their turn....that is not your line. You will be escorted towards the head of the line!!!

 

5. The green route is the best direct route to get to Victoria Peak tram.

 

6. You don't have to buy a Night Show shore excursion or private excursion. Just get to the Promenade and it is in front of you. Several people used taxis. We can see some lights from our O veranda or from Horizons or Terrace and that might be enough for many of you. The HoHo does have a Night Show tour that takes you to a variety of places if you would prefer to do that. There is also a sanpan cruise available from one of HoHos's stop if you would like to do that during the day.

 

Hong Kong is an interesting place. We thought we might see some influence by the mainland Chinese government but outwardly it seems that they are sticking to their promise of allowing capitalism to continue and of "One Country, Two Systems."

 

Hong Kong seems to be another massive city, undergoing a huge amount of construction and it just doesn't seem very Chinese, other than in some food offerings, characters on buildings and signs, and, of course, millions of Chinese on the streets. Some RTWers are reporting that they thought the taxi drivers were rude and dismissive. It just seems to be a western, capitalist city that is very multi-cultural.

 

I'm glad I saw Hong Kong, of course, but when I leave, I haven't left part of my heart behind.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and then Xiamen which once had the reputation of being the dirtiest city in China but is now being heralded for being one of the less polluted cities. Not sure what a Chamber of Commerce could do with that boast......!

[Aussie Gal]

I am loving your reports as it does bring back so many happy memories. Many is the time we have flown into Kai Tak airport. It was always an exciting way to land in Hong Kong but I can well remember my first time back in 1976 and wondered if we would manage to find a space between the buildings. You could literally see into every room of those apartments and watch what everyone was doing.

 

Landing at the new airport is much safer but the thrill of adventure has gone forever. Hong Kong has changed so much over the years. It was once a very exciting city to visit but now it is so much like every other Asian city with its high rises and people rushing everywhere.

 

Jennie

[cbb]

the other thing that struck me in HK, more so than anyplace we've been so far, is the use (over use in my opinion) of phones. I took an unscientific survey of 10 people around me in the metro, and every time 6 or 7 of the 10 were looking down into the phone....including mommies with little ones.

 

Babies were doing all sorts of smiles and finger play, but mom and grand-moms were too busy to notice.

 

A young couple sat down next to us in Stanley and said approximately 10 words to each other during lunch--their attention was on their phone.

 

I couldn't believe people were using them on the escalators and when they reached the top, several stopped dead in their tracks as if they couldn't believe what they were reading! And this was all ages....jeez people, look where you're going.

 

Perhaps in a city of gazillions, they don't feel the need to even smile or frown at each other...they've got their phones and all is well.

 

ok...i feel better now!

[Aussie Gal]

You will notice this same anomaly when you reach Australia. I believe we have the highest number of mobile phones per population so what chance is there to have a conversation with anyone under 50 years! On any train, tram or bus everyone has their phones out and when walking the streets of our capital cities the phones are out in full with everyone texting or looking at their emails. Itis a wonder that there aren't more accidents crossing the roads as so many are looking at their phones and not looking if there are any cars.

 

It is even worse in restaurants where young people are eating. No one talks, they are all looking at their phones!

 

Even at family gatherings the young ones are all looking at their phones and not joining in the conversation. The art of talking to others is fast disappearing.

 

Jennie

[cbb]

I know what you mean Aussie Gal--

 

we live in a large university town and these beautiful, smart young people walk across campus looking down instead of at each other. They are missing so much....

[Floridiana]

There are warning signs in the Hong Kong subway to look up instead of at the phone.

[Aspect]

Hey, have a look around the Insignia, especially in Terrace Cafe, and you will see so many on their phones every day. And also on tours. We even had one woman talking most of the tour on her telephone to somebody back home. So it is a world wide problem.

[Floridiana]

I hope that was within reach of Australian cell towers. Out on sea via satellite, phone calls become really expensive.

[cbb]

I eat most meals in Terrace and rarely see people on their phones. Most people tend to pay attention to what they're eating and with whom they are eating.

 

Also, looking out the back of ship at wondrous sights tends to pull people away from their phones so I really haven't seen many people paying attention to the tiny screens.

 

I do hear people, periodically, talking on their cell phones but again, not a great deal. Time difference between where we are and family back home in North America or Europe also makes phone calls with loved ones more difficult.

[cbb]

Up early and into the Lounge by 8:15 to get our boarding card number, then off the ship for the face-to-face with Chinese Immigration Officers....piece of cake.

 

They were very nice and courteous and we were quickly through that business and on the bus by 9:30 headed from Xiamen to Quanzhou.

 

It was a little cool when we started and I was glad I had brought a wind breaker to wear, but most of us took off our outer wear when we reached Quanzhou because it quickly warmed up....not Angkor Wat warm, just in the 70s!

 

I wish I could say I saw blue skies, and I'm sure that above the haze they were there, but we just didn't see bright skies. Hazy skies are the norm for us in this part of the world.

 

Some of us are having trouble with the chest and nose...coughing, trying to get rid of the crud that we are breathing. Incense, street cooking, and cigarette smoke gets to me...so the sea days really help the ol' lungs recuperate!

 

Quanzhou was interesting because it was the beginning of the Silk Road and was the largest port in Asia during some of the Chinese dynasties. Because of so many traders coming from the Mediterranean and North African countries, Quanzhou became a very multi-cultural city quite early.

 

Today, one can visit Buddhist temples, Pagodas, one of the oldest Arab-style mosques in China, as well as Christian churches. Of course, Confucian sites are here as well. Our guide said everyone is very respectful of each other's religious beliefs and philosophies.

 

We visited the Kaiyuan Temple, a very large Buddhist temple, the East & West Pagoda, walked Tumen street, saw the Qinging Mosque built in 1009 and the Guan Yue Temple. Many people praying, making offerings, having their fortunes told, lighting incense sticks...

 

Very cool town, everyone seemed to be interested in the westerners, we all bonded over very adorable children, and yes, there were motorbikes, although not as many as in other cities we've visited.

 

Lunch was at a local hotel restaurant and we had fruit, pork, fish, chicken, beef, soup, 2 kinds of rice, breads, all placed on a lazy susan in the middle of the table and we were all very nice to our fellow travelers by sharing the big bowls of food and being careful with the lazy susan.

 

Big jugs of coke were on the table, several bottles of local beer, as well as ice water were also on the table.

 

I'm pretty sure the servers, all young people, were interested in what we ate, and didn't eat. Lots of giggling girls and whispered conversations--not sure if I want to know what they were saying!! They did NOT seem surprised at the amount of beer bottles that were emptied!

 

Another great day on our Around the World adventure. Tomorrow is a sea day before we arrive in Shanghai. Several people want to shop, shop, shop, so I wish there was a way to let the shopkeepers know we are coming so they too, can have a restful day tomorrow!

 

all is well as we head out to sea tonight.....

 

emma chisit--how are you both?

betsy and denise--we miss you and wish you were both back on board!

[Breezeon59]

Following along each day. Planning a trip to Okeechobee. Thank you for taking the time to share. See you soon!

[Mura]

Hey, have a look around the Insignia, especially in Terrace Cafe, and you will see so many on their phones every day. And also on tours. We even had one woman talking most of the tour on her telephone to somebody back home. So it is a world wide problem.

 

I see this all the time here in NYC. The capper for me was the day a young woman was glued to her phone while walking down the middle of the street AGAINST TRAFFIC.

 

Yes, this is a quiet neighborhood and she was on a one-way street where there are few cars. Unfortunately for her, I was driving right at her. I was only able to get her attention by honking the horn. My engine isn't noisy but it IS audible!

 

Amazing.

 

Mura

[cbb]

Breezeon59--glad you're still with us...now if we can just get you back on board! Get the other member of the family back on board as well....please!

 

Give Miss Thing in Okeechobee a big giant hug from both of us.

[cathi]

Breezeon59 - another hug from us to Okeechobee!! she's still with us on this adventure. Look forward to seeing you again!!

[cbb]

Great day aboard today. We had an 8:30am coffee for the RTWers of which probably 1/2 showed up.

 

Chef Farid and his staff had this amazing spread with a bread sign that spelled "Happy April Fools Day" and all of the goodies were cut in half--a nod to us being 1/2 done with our adventure....very cute we thought.

 

We are all curious who will be getting off the ship and what the new people will be like. One of the top staff people said that they were noticing that many of the newbies were complaining less and that the RTW folks had been a good influence on them!!! Yay, us!!!

 

3 days in Shanghai starting tomorrow so that will be fun. 2nd day we'll leave the ship and return well after lunch giving the room crews time to get the rooms turned over and the new people a chance to get to Terrace without us being there.

 

As I mentioned before, we tell our room dude that we'll make our own bed and not to worry about turn down service--we'll be fine. There are enough towels that fresh ones are not a problem.

 

Weather has turned cool, seas flat, sun mostly out, but know that tomorrow is a holiday for China, Qingming or 'tomb/grave sweeping' which is a time to honor the ancestors, also a home-coming so millions will be on the move. Hopefully, riding the Big Bus HoHo isn't part of their plan to get home!!!

 

Officially, we aren't 1/2 way through our adventure until Day 91 starts, but we're all doing well and having a great time!

[Floridiana]

Many people from Shanghai will go to Suzhou to visit their ancestors' graves. No hoho bus for them. Lucky for you!

[cbb]

internet is back up and the Big Bus Company is not taking reservations and one of our friends reported that they received an email telling them that their online reservations for the hoho had been cancelled.

 

metro....here we come (always good to have a Plan B!!!)

 

cool to be sailing up what we learned was the Yangtze back in the day!

[cbb]

Today dawned a little overcast and in the 50s so we tossed ponchos in the backpack and were off the ship shortly after it was cleared by the Chinese officials at 10:30.

 

Because of the daypacks and big honking cameras we like ponchos because they can be quickly donned and cover everything. They also fold up small and go back into the packs easily.

 

I have to tell you we have been very pleased with the shuttle buses we've had at every port I can think of. If the port authority hasn't put one into service, O has come through. I remember the good old days when we arrived in port and if you didn't take a shorex you were looking for cabs or buses. Thanks for the shuttle buses!!!

 

Grabbed the shuttle bus, was taken to the north end of the Bund which was perfect. We quickly checked out the Big Bus HoHo situation and they were up and running but by that time we were happy to walk the Bund. So we didn't do Plan A which was HoHo, or Plan B which was Metro....pays to be flexible!!

 

The elevated promenade of the Bund provides great views of the river, the Oriental Pearl and Jin Mao towers and is a fashion parade of locals wearing and looking their best.

 

I had researched the area so I had a Frommers walking guide and with Mr Wonderful's gps loaded with maps we left the Bund and struck out on a walking tour west.

 

It was great to just go into the little streets, into the Chenghuang Miao (Temple of the Town God) which cost us about 20Ypp (so about $3US) and it was beautiful...loved all of the colors and the people lighting their incense. Saw food stalls, curiosity stores (did NOT try 5 flavor lima beans)

 

We also saw Jiu Qu Qiao (Bridge of Nine Turnings) which is a zigzag bridge. The entire population of Shanghai was on this bridge, but we all did fine...no shoving...and lots of little kids and their parents taking selfies.

 

I'm sure everyone's pictures were filled with other people posing for their selfies in the background! I also think the bridge was probably obscured by all of the people so really their pictures could have been taken anywhere! I think we got lucky with our photos.

 

The Mid-Lake Pavillion had the rest of the population of China trying to get into the teahouse since this is the most famous place to drink tea...so we decided not to even try.

 

There was also a very long line trying to get into Yu Garden so we passed up that opportunity as well and headed for Shanghai Lao Jie (Shanghai Old Street) which is filled with small shops selling antiques, ethnic crafts, artisans' shops, and every kind of store selling everything you can imagine.....legos...silk everything...knock off sneakers...dumplings...as I said, everything you might want.

 

I bought earrings, and a couple of things for the munchkin and a small blue and white vase. Public toilets were free, clean but squat; I did fine. Remembered my own tp and washed my hands in cold water; purell came in handy!

 

We had a great day just wondering and wandering around Old Shanghai and the Bund. We arrived back at the shuttle just before 3 and shortly after it brought us back home to the Insignia.

 

Tomorrow we are catching the shuttle again but this time walking north to Nanjing Road to see what else we can find. We had a great day today even though it rained on us a little, but this is the first rain we've had on our cruise so it didn't bum us out. (Evidently it rained in Fortaleza, Brazil but not on us!)

 

Made a crucial error just a few minutes ago....weighed myself and I've gained 3 lbs (in 3 months) so I need to resume my early morning walking and sadly give up my scoop of ice cream for lunch and dinner....sigh. It's only 3 lbs but if i'm not careful, it will soon be 10!!! And that ain't good for original equipment knees!!

 

Looking forward to more adventures tomorrow. The locals were cheerful as they walked the Bund with their kids, their sweeties, and their friends. Lots and lots of selfies were happening, and in fact, a girl was taking a selfie as another girl took a picture of the first girl, as a guy took a picture of the 2nd girl AND the first girl.....wow!!!

 

So far, I love Shanghai. It has history, great old buildings, fabulous new architecture, lights at night are maybe better than Hong Kong's....can't wait for tomorrow!

[Rigby]

I've been reading all your absolutely wonderful posts with great interest because my husband and I have put a deposit down on the 2018 RTW cruise. It looks like a very similar itinerary. I'm trying to estimate additional expenses other than the cruise fare, especially concerning excursions. Are the several overnight excursions that you have taken -- Taj Mahal, Cambodia, Ha Long Bay, safaris,etc -- included in the RTW fare? They are not listed in the 2018 info. I notice you do a variety of group excursions as well as on your own. Can you give a ballpark estimate of what you will be spending for the six months over and above the cruise fare? I'd greatly appreciate it. The Oceania excursions that are listed seem extremely expensive. We are so excited about the prospect of this trip and your posts have been absolutely wonderful. I love your positive and adventurous attitude. Thanks for all the work you put into posting!!

[Emma Chisit]

Try to see the Shanghai Museum - excellent collection....and a good shop too. :D

Cheers, d

[Mura]

I loved this museum when we were in Shanghai on a Viking riverboat tour. We didn't have nearly enough time there!

 

Mura

[cbb]

emmachisit.....how are you doing? I've bought more earrings since you've been gone....don't think i've spent more than $15US for any of them!!! I miss you and wish you'd come back.

 

Rigby,

 

most of the overlands are NOT included in the price of the cruise. There were 2 overnights that were included--Hanoi and Bagan, Myanmar. The others: safari, Taj, Angkor, HaLong cruise, Terra Cotta Warriors & Beijing were extra and I'm guessing that it was approximately $6k pp additional (which includes everything...airfare, hotel, food, guides, bus.)

 

There are also "Events" such as Lunch at the Great Wall, Bali dance, and cocktails on the USS Missouri that are included.

 

Our rationale is that we may only get here once and we don't want to go home and then regret what we didn't do because we were trying to save money.

 

We have seen on board that life sometimes throws a curve ball at some of us so we're trying to take advantage of every opportunity we can. One bad leg, or heart, or fall, or worse... changes everything.

 

Keep checking the O website for the overlands information. On your cruise page, look for "Hotel/Land" click on it, you'll then see "pre cruise," "post cruise" "overlands". Click on "Overlands" and you might see what appears to be a blank page; you're looking for "hotel info" right hand side towards the top.

 

Look at 2017 RTW and see if there are any Overlands listed yet...and keep checking...if nothing else, it will give you practice when you look for yours!

 

Also ask for a copy of the catalog for your RTW18; overland info should be in there as well.

 

Start a roll call for your cruise, if one hasn't been started, and share info. That's how i knew when to call O to get my overlands reserved. Also get your TA to call O and find out when you can reserve them. I learned so much from the roll call for our cruise.

 

Because of the number of shore excursions we signed up for before we boarded, we were given a discount of 25%. That's also explained on the website and in the catalog.

 

good luck researching--that's half the fun for me!