and so it begins.....RTW16

[cbb]

I'll have to hurry up and write and post this review since we'll lose internet when we're in Japanese waters and that will be about 4 days without posting.

 

The Japanese government uses the satellite bandwidth the ship's internet would use so we don't have internet while we're in Japanese ports or their waters. Starbucks and McDonalds will be seeing lots of Insignia people!

 

April 9: port of Incheon to Seoul, South Korea

 

Given the traffic situation and that it was a Saturday when Koreans have family time at parks we decided to go with a ship's excursion to the DMZ and Third Tunnel tour. It was supposed to be 8.5 hours long, but with the traffic it was more than 9.5 hrs...mostly due to traffic.

 

The other situation was that we were to enter the DMZ as a unit and our unit was 3 buses. Because of traffic, one of the buses was more than 15 minutes late joining the other 2 so immediately we were off schedule....but no worries. It's not like we were reporting to work....!!

 

The day was overcast and foggy but I can't say it ever rained on us. There were very few cherry or other blooming trees as we saw in China. I can't say the drive from Incheon to Seoul was pretty, but it was interesting and clearly the area from the port inland is thriving economically.

 

We also saw lots of agricultural fields but couldn't tell what what was plantedd;it was too soon in the planting schedule. Our guide thought some of the fields were rice fields.

 

We also saw many, many barbed wire fences and military observation towers on both sides of the road. This is a country that has threatened by war from its neighbor for the past 70+ years and the threat of invasion today is part of daily life.

 

Upon arrival we had a comfort stop at Imjingak and then saw Freedom Bridge, the only bridge that connects North and South Korea. This was the bridge that one sees in history books as North Koreans fled into South Korea at the end of the Korean war. Heartbreakingly, it is also known as the "bridge of no return." This is the bridge that more than 12,000 POWs crossed to come home.

 

Imjingak is a park or area that is the furthest north one can go in South Korea and has several monuments. Because it is the closest one can get to their family, many Koreans return here to honor them. Of course, they do not know if their now-elderly relatives are still alive.

 

Before visiting the next place, the buses had to pull to the side of the road and regroup....here is where waited for the 3rd bus to arrive. Our guide had us check that our names and passport numbers were correct on her list and she turned it into a military command station.

 

After we had received our initial clearance to enter into the Civilian Control Line (CCL) a very adorable and stern-faced Republic of Korea soldier came on board and looked at every face and passport. Finally we were all approved to enter.

 

The purpose of the CCL goes all the way back to 1954 as a way to protect the military operations conducted in the area. By checking who we were, they were comfortable in knowing we weren't the enemy trying to breach security. We weren't allowed to photograph anything and our guide was very good throughout the excursion telling us what we could and could not photograph....again, all about spies and security.

 

I would love to say that we saw North Korea and the DMZ clearly but in fact, because of the fog, we could see nothing past the barbed war fence.

 

That's ok...a little disappointing, but Kim Jong-un's presence on the nightly news is enough. My heart and prayers are with the people that have to live in the crazy man's country.

 

We then visited the 3rd Tunnel. It is over 200 feet underground and more than a mile long. My research had prepared us for walking many many steps, but the little open-topped train took us part of the way and then we walked a little of the tunnel.

 

It is supposed to be 6ft tall, but is nowhere close to that. I'm 5'4" on a tall day, and I had to duck through most of it. Fortunately, we were given helmets and periodically we could hear the guys' helmets hit the tunnel top.

 

For those of you who don't know, the North Koreans dug several of these tunnels as a way to silently move overnight thousands of troops underground from NK to SK and stage surprise attacks in Seoul. Four of the tunnels have been located, but defectors have said there are more.

 

motion detectors, cameras, sensors, all sorts of devices are throughout the tunnel so that no one can sneak in...as well as a series of poured concrete walls sealing the tunnel from the NK side.

 

Lunch was traditional Korean food and for several of us, was one of our best excursion meals. All of the food was very popular.....well, except for kimchi!!!

 

Lastly, we were taken to Isadong, one of Seoul's very best streets and a living museum. Wonderful tiny streets, apartments above shops, antique shops that have been there for generations, art galleries, genuine Korean crafts and artisans, tea houses, bookstores, etc.

 

Many teenagers and young 20 somethings were wearing Korean traditional clothing and I asked our guide if there was a special holiday or celebration happening. She replied that the Palace grounds had free admission for those in traditional costumes and the young people of Seoul had grabbed the opportunity.

 

The silks and styles were wonderful, they loved having their picture taken, and the guys and their girls had used identical fabrics...making the statement that they were indeed a couple. Absolutely incredible experience and one that even the anti-shopping people loved. I could have spent a day just wandering Isadong.

 

Seoul and Incheon are modern thriving cities and the citizens are well educated, healthy, and their land and streets look well maintained. Because it was a Saturday, many families were out and everyone seemed quite happy to be strolling with Insignia passengers.

 

Korea has seen so much heartbreak from being conquered by the Chinese, then the Japanese, and finally a civil war.

 

I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity to visit this country whose citizens have built happy healthy lives while all the time maintaining a constant look over their shoulder at their northern neighbors.

[Floridiana]

I love Korean food, especially Kimchi. ;-)

[travelglobetrotter]

We were on the Shanghai - Papeete w/c segment in 2015, and remember this very well. What did you think of the metal "pushing the world back together" sculpture in front of the building housing the entrance to the tunnel?

 

Did you see the deserted modern train station, with the Pyongyang stop? Only birds were standing in line there.

 

I believe the 2018 winter Olympics are to be in Pyongyang. Don't think we'll be there for it! Marlene

Edited April 12, 2016 by travelglobetrotter

[cbb]

April 11 Hiroshima, Japan

We took a ship's excursion from the port to Hiroshima, although had we known ahead of time that Oceania would provide a free shuttle to the Peace Memorial Park, we would have taken that instead.

 

Many months ago, when we were in the planning stages, my research indicated that the traffic from Itsukaichi Pier into town might be very heavy and that the taxi situation was that few drivers spoke English....so ship's excursion seemed the logical choice. I knew the ship would wait for a shorex.

 

If you come to Hiroshima, check to see if Oceania has a shuttle into town. It drops you right off at the Park, picks you up there and was running on the hour making it easy to DIY. Next time...we'll know to ask.

 

Hiroshima is a city best known for being where a B29, the Enola Gay, dropped the first nuclear bomb on August 6, 1945. After the Japanese surrendered the city began to rebuild.

 

Today, it is a modern urban center and looks much like all of the big cities we have visited. The physical city is not large, but there are tall buildings, wide streets, taxis, and traffic.

 

We did not see as many people on the streets as we have seen in other cities so I suppose everyone was at work or at school. The other thing I noticed was the Japanese seem to favor black and white in their dress making them chic but not very stunning. In all of the other Asian cities, people wore bright colors, with pink the "new" color for women. (NYTimes agrees that pink is new for spring!)

 

The day was gorgeous and the cherry blossoms and other flowering trees were all blooming. We were guided to the site where the atomic bomb was dropped. Many people have strong opinions about the decision to use this weapon so I'll not go into details.

 

We saw the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Flame of Peace, the Children's Peace Monument and the Memorial Mound that contains the remains of people who were unidentified.

 

We were guided into the Peace Museum and allowed to have free time within the Museum to linger or to move through the exhibits and photographs.

 

Our young guide did an admirable job of explaining what we were seeing, told us what her mother had experienced, but did not appear to harbor any animosity to Americans, instead concentrated on showing us how the Japanese rebuilt Hiroshima to promote peace.

 

We were there one of the days that the ministers of G7 countries were in Hiroshima and at the Cenotaph we saw 7 wreaths that had been presented by them.

 

One of the wreaths with "Mr John Kerry, Secretary of State, United States of America" was at this monument to the dead and marks the first time since the war's end that Hiroshima has been visited by a US Secretary of State. Our guide said that the nation holds the hope that President Obama will visit Hiroshima before he leaves office and he would be the first President to do so since the surrender.

 

As a history major I'm glad I was able to finally visit this place. Let me just say as a former US history teacher of young people, as a mom, and as a grandmother, I hope that the message of peace from this city is one that all people everywhere will take to heart.

[cbb]

April 12 Kobe, Japan

Again, my research indicated that everything we wanted to see was several miles from the port in Kobe. We could run a risk of missing the ship due to heavy traffic if we did a DIY, so again we went with a shorex. I know several people hate shorex, but for us, having never visited these ports before, it was a no-brainer decision.

 

Several people like the private excursions and we have heard some reports on board , not many, but some that indicated problems with their private tours. Some guides have not shown up, or have gone to the wrong ports, that their English made them extremely difficult to understand, or the vehicles were not safe or clean.

 

If any of the above happens with a shorex, at least I know I can get my money back or I can write a report so that a particular guide or van is not used again.

 

Ok....the weather began cool and overcast and many of us thought.....oh no....Shanghai again! Nope, it turned out to be beautiful....low 70s, sunny, and again blooming fruit trees but just missing the full force of the azaleas. (Many of us have developed a cold, a cough, congestion; we don't know if it is allergies, a virus, or just the common cold but we've come up with names; kennel cough, cabin cough, cruise croup)

 

We opted, several months ago and after a few hours of research, for Traditional Kyoto. As soon as I saw that much of Kyoto was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I knew I had reached an easy decision.

 

Our tour's description, ~10 hours long, with 4-5 hours walking and steps to climb, was accurate. This is not a tour for those without some level of stamina and the ability to walk up and down and in and out of the bus. I think this should be offered as an "Oceania Exclusive" as well; under 16 in a van would be ideal.

 

We were welcomed to Kobe by a smiling young woman with a sash crossed over her chest much like Miss America has, standing at the terminal building balcony and she waved at us as the ship maneuvered its way to the pier. Seriously, she must have waved for over an hour and as we left last night, there she was again....waving until we were almost out of sight.

 

Then the Kobe City Fire Band struck up the "Thunderer" by Sousa, and stupid me is standing there with tears running down my face. Jeez, it was the first "American" music I had heard in 100 days (literally we were at 100 days yesterday) and for some reason it really struck me....who knew Sousa could do that to me!!! Wow, what a welcome!!!!

 

On to the Lounge to hand in shorex tickets, battle our fellow passengers for bus tickets and down the stairs.

 

We went through the terminal building where our temperature was scanned as we walked by, then stood in line as our passports were stamped, picture taken, fingerprints registered, on to customs and from there....out into the sunlight. I understand we will go through another face-to-face tomorrow as we return from our outings in Okinawa.

 

The drive from the port at Kobe to Kyoto was approximately 2 hours as was accurately predicted and yes, traffic was heavy. I wouldn't want to rent a car here!

 

We arrived at the Kinkakuji and walked through fairly nondescript gates, down a sidewalk filled to overflowing with tourists, many of them Japanese, turned a corner, and WHAM... a beautiful 3 story Chinese-influenced Golden Pavilion. It has that beautiful turned up roof-line, walls and eaves covered in gold leaf at the 2nd and 3rd story and is surrounded by a beautiful lake.

 

Many of the cedar trees have been trimmed to resemble large bonsai.

While the wind was slightly up, making it difficult to get one of my trademarked (at least to my family!) reflection pictures, it still had that golden glow reflected in the water. This was built in 1394 as a retirement villa for retired Shogun....he knew how to retire in style!

 

We walked, sometimes in a group, sometimes by ourselves, but since we were always told the time and place for re-grouping we all felt comfortable going on our own. No one was ever late to any of the meeting places and we were commended by our guide for our promptness!

 

The gardens were gorgeous. Beautiful blooming trees, some flush with new green growth, and pictures to be taken at every bend in the path. No shoving or pushing here!

 

We continued from there to lunch to a building that was obviously used for wedding receptions and other events. It was in a lovely setting and we entered a room that had been set with several large tables with bento boxes. Our 4 bus shorex was not the only one being served as there were Japanese people in the same room.

 

The food was presented with care and thoughtfulness. Each compartment held 2-3 food items chosen for their color and texture. Unfortunately, most of us did not care for the food but most of us realized that we were eating Japanese food, which is part of traveling in Japan! It is not Japanese food in Japan....it is food.

 

After lunch was over and we were standing outside waiting to board our buses, one couple decided to make their dislike known by berating an Oceania person about the food. No matter what the O person said, they would not be satisfied with the answer.

 

I don't know what they expected....steak and potatoes, burritos, pizza? By the way, the Japanese couple at our table dined with relish and obviously enjoyed their food. (I'm pretty sure some of us wouldn't like the food from the disagreeable couple's country either.)

 

Following lunch we visited the Nijo Castle with immense walls and surrounded by a moat. This Castle is famous for its "nightingale" floors. It was built to warn the residents of approaching ninja warriors by detecting their footsteps! The floors are from cedar which is greatly prized by the Japanese and even hundreds of years later the patina on the floors is gorgeous.

 

Our final stop was to Sanjusangendo which is famous for its 1001 12th century statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Sanjusangendo is "hall with 33 bays" with over 1000 statues and a single huge one of Kannon. We were told to find our likeness and I quickly found mine--a crazed warrior looking exactly like I do when I haven't had my coffee!

 

No photography is allowed inside Sanjusangendo, nevertheless one guy kept taking pictures, was caught by one of the officials and was escorted out of the great hall. We don't know if he got his camera back. When they say, "don't take pictures", that is what they mean--besides there are cameras watching!

 

Kyoto is beautiful and is everything an ancient town in Japan should be. I could look down small streets and see curved roofs. There are lovely gardens tucked into small plots, baskets of flowers hanging from balconies, floral art along the sidewalks.

 

There is a story that Henry Stimpson, Secretary of State during WWII, was given a copy of the potential bombing targets for the uranium and plutonium bombs in Japan and he immediately struck one from the list.

 

He and his bride spent their honeymoon in Kyoto and it is reported that Stimpson said he could not be responsible for the destruction of such a beautiful city. Thank you, Mr. Stimpson.

[cbb]

we did not have a Pyongyang stop--the President of North Korea took care of that for us. He was rattling his missiles.

 

Everyone was on heightened alert and many of us would not have been surprised if O would have, at the last moment, decided that current events were too fraught for us to stop at Incheon.

 

EmmaChisit: we love the lazy susan because we're usually starving when we sit down to eat; we don't have to pass food to others when we could be chowing down--just spin susan and get your own food...or in the case of some of them.....get more beer!!!

[Floridiana]

Lovely Kyoto - We added a 2 week land trip to our cruise. The people who didn't like the food would have lost a lot of weight on our land trip.

[Emma Chisit]

There is a story that Henry Stimpson, Secretary of State during WWII, was given a copy of the potential bombing targets for the uranium and plutonium bombs in Japan and he immediately struck one from the list. He and his bride spent their honeymoon in Kyoto and it is reported that Stimpson said he could not be responsible for the destruction of such a beautiful city. Thank you, Mr. Stimpson.

 

Didn’t know that. Thank goodness……Kyoto is so beautiful – we went there on our honeymoon too – in 1967 on a cruise from Australia to Japan and Hong Kong. The first sight of the Golden Pavilion took my breath away. It was snowing slightly and there were hardly any people there on that long ago winter day.

As for your new love for the efficiency of Lazy Susans, I have examined your excellent photos of the China trip on the other blog and I see no sign of the dreaded braised celery. You would be singing a different song I can tell you if you had it at every meal for weeks…..

[Paulchili]

cbb,

I am pleasantly surprised that you can continue your posting from Japan.

You had mentioned that you would not have internet while in Japanese waters. Is that not the case?

We'll be cruising around Japan this summer so I am interested in this question.

TIA.

[rallydave]

cbb,

I am pleasantly surprised that you can continue your posting from Japan.

You had mentioned that you would not have internet while in Japanese waters. Is that not the case?

We'll be cruising around Japan this summer so I am interested in this question.

TIA.

 

We cruised Japan several years ago and were told the same thing about having to turn off the internet as well as television while in the area around and in Japan. What we actually found, at least on our cruise was that we had television as well as internet until we arrived at the dock and as soon as away from the dock, they both started again as we left the port.

 

Except for an overnight in Tokyo, we had internet and television every day from departure to arrival in every port.

[Paulchili]

We cruised Japan several years ago and were told the same thing about having to turn off the internet as well as television while in the area around and in Japan. What we actually found, at least on our cruise was that we had television as well as internet until we arrived at the dock and as soon as away from the dock, they both started again as we left the port.

 

Except for an overnight in Tokyo, we had internet and television every day from departure to arrival in every port.

 

I hope that this is still the case as we will be cruising in Japanese waters for almost a month (another cruise line) and I wouldn't want to be without internet for that long (for urgent e mails, bills, banking, etc - not just idle surfing).

[no fuss travel]

They usually have free internet at the terminal in Japan. We found it quite useful.

[PaulMCO]

Also if you have a compatible mobile phone. It is just they/MTN are not authorized. Japan is not the only country that restricts.

[buggins0402]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/powerful-earthquake-hits-southern-japan/2016/04/14/054bf108-023f-11e6-8bb1-f124a43f84dc_story.html

[2552phxcrzr]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/powerful-earthquake-hits-southern-japan/2016/04/14/054bf108-023f-11e6-8bb1-f124a43f84dc_story.html

 

Marine Traffic has the ship at sea -- East China Sea..

[cbb]

good morning all!

 

we're south of Okinawa and I personally felt no tremors so news of the earthquake was a surprise. We did have a momentary power loss last night but Ray Carr told us via room report that everything was fine and power was restored with 2-3 minutes.

 

I'll try to find out today what happened.

 

To answer the question re: phone and internet. We were without internet service on board for the time we were in Japan or her territorial waters. Both at Hiroshima and Kyoto there was service in the terminal and passengers and crew intermingled to use it.

 

We were also able to use it on our veranda in Kyoto since we were snuggled up to the pier terminal. Don't think the other side could. Some also found starbucks and other places for their wifi.

 

I wrote my ccritic Japan report on a word document and after we left Kyoto we were in international waters briefly so i cut and paste it into ccritic and posted.

 

Another difficulty for us is TMobile. We were told repeatedly that our plan would cover Japan....and it doesn't. We are very unhappy with TMobile at this time and probably can't recommend them. Kinda hard to call them in Japan to complain because WE DON'T HAVE PHONE SERVICE!!!

 

Mr Wonderful's phone quit working March 1 but mine works. Despite repeated calls and online conversations with their reps they couldn't fix the problem. They also promised to return calls....never did which is extremely frustrating.

 

Finally decided it was with the phone itself (exchanged cards with mine and it still didn't work) so he sent them an email suggesting they send him a new phone at Kyoto port (1 week out), worked it out with reception desk, and...of course...no phone. If anyone from TMobile reads this....poor performance people!

 

emmachisit; actually had the braised celery one time and believe it or not, it was the favorite item on the lazy susan....just because it was different!!!

 

Great to have internet service again. Don't realize how much you miss it until you don't have it. Think how hard being gone 180 days would be if you couldn't communicate with people you love, or whomever else you need to.

[cbb]

Thursday, April 14

 

At 11:00 we were on deck 10 watching the maneuvering as we docked at Okinawa and standing next to me was Ken, another RTWer, who had been stationed at Okinawa for a couple of years with the US military.

 

An older woman was taking pictures and Ken mentioned something about Okinawa and the US air fields and the woman said her husband had been stationed there from 1954-1955 and she and Ken were absolutely dumbfounded at what they were seeing.

 

She said in the early '50s there were some small hut buildings, airfields and US military and dependents, and locals...very few stores, small roads and nothing much else, because it had been pretty well destroyed during WWII.

 

Ken mentioned "Cindy's" fondly--a local bar and hangout for the US guys stationed there.

 

Today, Okinawa is another urban center, tall buildings, many-lanes highways, overpasses, cars, trucks, and planes, both military and commercial, taking off every minute.

 

Again, because of our interest in WWII history we chose to go on a shorex called "Battle of Okinawa" which lasted approximately 4.5 hrs.

 

A quick history lesson on WWII Pacific Theater--the Japanese had always been known for their offensive strategies--attack a place, install troops, infrastructure, and sail away to another target.

 

At Okinawa, to delay their inevitable defeat, Japan dug in at Okinawa which was just south of their homeland. "Dug in" is an appropriate description for the defensive strategy they adopted, as they literally dug into the ground using shovels and picks. Here also would be the large scale use by the Japanese of kamikaze attacks--suicide strikes by Japanese pilots into US ships.

 

This would be the last and largest of the Pacific battles, from April 1-June 22, 1945 and would involved more than 280k Allied troops and 130k from Japan. The US was "island hopping" through the Pacific seeking those islands that offered something they needed--in the case of Okinawa, airbases which would then be used to attack the Japanese homeland.

 

Our first stop was in the southeast part of the island to visit the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters where Admiral Ota and his men lived and worked.

 

If you are not agile or if you have mobility concerns, this is not a tour for you, regardless of who you take this tour with. Going down into the tunnels requires many steps, some are water slick, and there are few hand rails.

 

Once inside we saw the narrow tunnels leading from the commander's room, the "hospital", (think small, very dark room) a staff room, the generator room--all giving you an idea of what it must have been like to live and work here for months.

 

Next we traveled through some of the area that Allied forces marched through as they left the southeast coast and into the hills. We reached the Peace Memorial Park with its lovely gardens and then, in a zig zag arrangement, saw a series of granite long walls with the names of all of the soldiers that fought and died here.

 

At the end of the 80+ day campaign Japan had casualties of over 75k and the allies more than 65k, including 14k dead both Army and Navy. Seeing all of those names really brought the cost of war to us.

 

We were told when to report back to the bus and escorted into the Museum to have free time to go through the exhibits on our own. Most of the descriptions were in Japanese but the photographs need very little explanation.

 

There is a Cornerstone of Peace monument dedicated to those who lost their lives there. There is also a monument built to resemble a cave in memory for those in Okinawa, mainly women and children, who sought refuge in caves to escape the shelling and bullets.

 

As more and more Japanese soldiers sought those safer refuges towards the end, those locals were forced out of the caves and into certain death.

 

Our last stop was at the Himeyuri Monument which, to the locals, is a symbol of the severity of the Battle. This monument was built as a memorial and dedicated to the 222+ high school girl students and their 8 teachers who died as medical workers in the Himeyuri Corps.

 

They were to perform surgery and other medical duties on Japanese soldiers wounded in action from late March to late May and then were split into 6 groups to hide in caves filled with dead soldiers. In June, when parts of the island were surrendering to allied forces, the girls began leaving their shelters but were killed by allied attacks.

 

This monument was built to honor the 136 girls who died. Below the monument is a gaping hole...a cave can be seen to one side. Here the wounded men were lowered into the cave for the girls to care for, and where they all died. Some of the survivors committed suicide, fearing the allied soldiers.

 

To surrender was the worse disgrace the Japanese warrior could commit so most of General Ota's men committed suicide as did Ota. Allied troops knew that, so each cave, each tunnel had to be explored and the enemy either forced to surrender or were killed.

 

At a great cost of human life on both side, the Battle of Okinawa was won by the allies and they began their march towards the Japanese home islands. The atomic bombs were dropped in early August, 1945 ending the war.

 

History lesson is now over.....

[cbb]

because i value accuracy...post #380,wrote "Stimpson" and of course, it is "Stimson." Sorry about that.

[Floridiana]

I am looking forward to your next port. :)

[cbb]

hey everyone....

 

you think you have it bad with my history lesson Okinawa post...just returned from dinner with Trish, our Around the World Hostess and her husband Steve, 6 others and Mr. W and I and I had to tell them who Sacajawea was! Yes, many of them were not Americans! Discussion started because of a question at trivia about a woman on US currency.

 

So those poor folks couldn't get up and leave the dinner table; at least you had the opportunity of ignoring my last post and moving on! I told the Lewis and Clark story in 45 seconds!

 

Tomorrow is Corregidor and looking forward to seeing the Malinta Tunnel. The day after is Boracay Island and I'm hitting White Beach....one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, or so says several travel sources.

 

We had an opportunity to speak with Isabel, VP of Marketing for O who came aboard very quietly. She asked some of us why we had signed up for 6 months aboard a cruise ship to sail around the world.

 

The majority of the couples in the group said it was because of a major medical diagnosis, (who are now fine) but woke them up and made them realize what was important in life. Mr Wonderful and I don't fall into that majority, but all of us feel the need to enjoy life... now.

 

Few RTWers are complainers, we take each day as it comes, enjoy our partners and life. If you are thinking about taking an Around the World Cruise, do it....stuff happens.

 

Weather here changed pretty dramatically in 24 hours. Cool, rainy, and choppy seas when we left Okinawa and now it is flat seas, hot and humid.

 

Several newbies have wandered out onto the veranda of Terrace and just kind of look around as if they can't believe what they're seeing....al fresco dining for the first time since they got on!

 

Having a great time and we've only 75 days left of our adventure.

 

Until next time.....

[Floridiana]

I enjoyed your blog! DH also loves to take pictures of the wire labyrinths.

[cbb]

Warning: the following is more WWII history....

 

Sunday, April 17

 

Today we docked at Manilla and being the students of WWII that we are, it was a no-brainer to opt for a shorex called "Corregidor- the Last Bastion."

 

I had done extensive research on this port hoping that we could do Corregidor on our own but given the traffic I'm glad we opted for the shorex.

 

The weather was absolutely perfect although very hot. A buffet lunch was at the Corregidor Inn and was out on a shaded veranda with wonderful tropical breezes and we thought the hot food was well done and there was a nice variety of local fruits and vegetables.

 

We climbed onboard buses and our guide, Armando, told us this day a marathon was being run so traffic was hosed up, but he said all other days of the week, the traffic was "really bad"--glad I wasn't there to see what "bad" traffic was! It took over an hour to get from our ship to the ferry port--approximately 3 miles!

 

We took a high speed ferry from Manilla to Corregidor and the 1.5 hour trip was uneventful. Our seats were comfortable but I'm sure our O ticket gave us the best seats on the boat; we were on the top deck with cushioned seats while the lower level had plastic chairs.

 

Both levels were enclosed and air conditioned. There were about 30 seats in the back, open to the outside but were also very hot in the sun. It would get well into the 90s. There are no seats "in front."

 

Upon our arrival at Corregidor we were divided into groups of about 20 and boarded open-air trams for our exploration of the military sites of Corregidor. Our tram was extremely lucky because Ormando boarded our tram and we were fascinated, educated, and entertained for the next 8 hours.

 

The other trams were pleased with their guides as well. Ormando has been guiding on Corregidor for 28 years and in his spare time hikes through the island looking for buildings and remnants of the battles.

 

Briefly, Corregidor is an island located at the entrance to Manilla Bay and historically has been used as a place to guard Manilla from enemies. The Spanish built a lighthouse at the navy yards and signal fires could be lit at Corregidor to warn Manilla that the enemy was approaching.

 

As a result of the US winning the Spanish-American war, the Philippines and Corregidor were ceded to the US and the US immediately began to fortify Corregidor by building concrete fortifications and the emplacement of big guns.

 

These big guns were used to support the Filipino and US armies in the defense of Bataan, a peninsula that makes up part of Manilla Bay, and when it fell to the Japanese in April, 1942 , the 70,000 survivors of Bataan were sent on a Death March to POW camps.

 

The Allied Armies held out on Corregidor until, rations depleted, US Lt.General Jonathan Wainwright surrendered to Japanese Lt General Masaharu on May 6. The President of the Philippines and US General Douglas MacArthur had left for Australia in February with MacArthur vowing "I shall return." Left behind were about 11,000 allied forces that would be sent to POW camps.

 

After Allied forces "island hopped" across the Pacific and successfully defeated Japan in battle after battle, MacArthur waded ashore in Leyte, Philippines in October, 1944 and declared "I have returned."

 

US forces retook Corregidor in March, 1945 after a prolonged battle. Of the troops left behind, 1/3 survived.

 

We saw very few buildings whole; most had been shattered and scarred by either Japanese shelling or later US shelling in the battle to retake Manilla and Corregidor.

 

We saw the Spanish Lighthouse and several of the group climbed to the top to see the Bay. We saw the "Topside Section" including the Long Barracks for 8000 US soldiers and the Army Headquarter's building. When the Allied forces began their battle to retake Corregidor, paratroopers landed at Topside Section and the 9 hole golf course.

 

We saw the Spanish Flagpole that had been the mast of a Spanish warship captured during the Spanish-American war and repurposed into a flagpole.

 

From this flagpole, the US flag was lowered when the Japanese took the island, and the US flag was hoisted again in 1945. When Corregidor was turned over to the Filipino people, the US flag was lowered and the Philippine flag was hoisted. Very cool flagpole!

 

Finally we were taken to the Malinta Tunnel. After Bataan fell, US Army and Navy nurses as well as wounded US and Filipino soldiers were evacuated to Corregidor.

 

To escape the shelling of the island by the Japanese, these nurses and soldiers as well as Headquarters were moved into Malinta Tunnel, a bombproof shelter carved into a hill. There, inside the Tunnel, the nurses tended to the wounded, trying to keep as many alive as possible.

 

We saw a light and sound show to recreate the story of the siege of Malinta Tunnel but as our guide pointed out, the movie is over 25 years old and the sound and picture quality was poor. There are plans to modernize this show with new technologies by next year.

 

The 77 nurses, the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor," became POWs in Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manilla. Even though the Japanese cut the rations to 700 calories, the nurses carried on by maintaining military discipline and caring for their wounded comrades.

 

Upon the libertion of Santo Tomas in Janurary, 1945 all 77 nurses had survived and returned home. None of the nurses are known to be alive today.

 

After a US military trial, Masaharu was executed in April, 1946 for attrocities perpetuated by the Death March. MacArthur received the Medal of Honor as did Jonathan Wainwright, who had been sent to POW camps and then to Manchuria where he was freed from his prison by Russian forces in 1945.

 

General Wainwright stood immediately behind MacArthur during the surrender ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor. It must have been a great personal moment for him to have survived to see it.

 

Rather than surrender, large numbers of Japanese soldiers committed suicide in Malinta Tunnel while the US was dynamiting it. Since not all of the Tunnel has been excavated, there are no sure numbers for how many committed suicide. We were able to see the rubble in many of the laterals.

 

This is an excellent shorex for anyone who loves or is the least bit interested in WWII history. The grounds are impeccably maintained and the buildings have not been restored, but shored up and allowed to speak for themselves. No building has gone unscathed.

 

I encourage you to consider Corregidor as a destination if you come to Manilla. It is a place of great physical beauty, of great sadness, and of great bravery.

[cbb]

April 18

 

Today we anchored off shore of Boracay Island, Philippines. White Beach on Boracay has recently won rave reviews and awards as "most beautiful beach in the world." Since I have lived in South Florida off and on for more than 40 years and have visited throughout the state, I consider myself a beach expert.

 

I don't know if White Beach is the MOST beautiful beach in the world, but it is certainly stunning. Imagine a gentle walk out over squeaking white sand to water's edge and into amazing blue water that is easy to wade into. You could walk quite a distance and not be in over your head. The beach is trash-free.

 

There would be nothing at this beach to really interest a snorkeler but if you wanted to bob and swim and just sit in the water this would be your choice. It is probably on my top 5 most beautiful beaches....so far!

 

Several passengers went independently into town to shop and others went on private excursions to snorkel and to scuba dive.

 

Many of the crew were also given beach or shopping time....the mood on board last night was festive and everyone seemed to enjoy their tropical adventures. Thanks O, for giving the crew time off...they deserve it!!

 

Since we have never been here before and I desperately wanted to see White Beach, we opted for a shorex entitled "Beach Escape." Others went on one called "Island Hopping." I've not been able to get feedback yet from the Hopping people, but those of us who Escaped loved it.

 

We tendered into shore which went very well, with mild seas and light chop. We then walked a short distance and clambered aboard a jitney-type vehicle and took off for White Beach.

 

If we visit here again, I would be comfortable getting off the tender and grabbing a cab or jitney to go to a beach or shopping. I probably wouldn't be lounging on the beach as splendidly as I did at White Beach.

 

My original research indicated that getting a dependable taxi might be iffy and I didn't want to get left behind, particularly since we had to tender back but if you allow enough time to return to the ship, doing a DIY shouldn't be a problem and no one reported problems with taxis.

 

Unfortunately, the street department was busy in Boracay rebuilding a lane of the main road through town so we would wait about 5 minutes for the opposing lane of traffic to go by and then it would be our turn. This was when I turned to Mr. Wonderful and said I was glad we were on a shorex--they would wait for us to return!

 

We were taken to an ocean-front Hotel, the Henann Regency, where we signed in and a young man ushered us to our choice of chaises. They were all on the beach and were covered by large umbrellas or sun-screens. The young men offered water and fruit drinks free of charge but the alcoholic drinks were extra at ~$5-6US. You just can't visit a beach without having a drink with an orange slice on the rim!!!

 

Trish, our Around the World Hostess and her husband, Steve, who is on the entertainment staff, went with us and Trish kept exclaiming how beautiful the water was; Steve was busy looking at pretty girls in bikinis!

 

We were there about 4 hours and decided to take the 4:00 shorex jitney back to the tender. Unfortunately, the street department had not miraculously paved the other lane so again we had to wait more than 5 minutes for our turn. Meanwhile, the motorbikes went around us creating their own lane and getting through traffic quickly.

 

One of the women in our jitney (thankfully not American because I would have been so embarrassed) began hitting our driver with her empty water bottle demanding that he "do something." I guess she expected the traffic to part like the Red Sea! We all explained what the problem was so she subsided back into her seat, muttering the whole time. I've never been so glad to get off a vehicle in my life!

 

We had a wonderful day on Boracay Island and I'd go back in a minute. The skies were filled with multi-colored para-sails and boats of every size and color were at sea.

 

It is everything you've ever imagined a tropical island would be and the Filipino people are lovely and gracious. I wished we could have stayed another day. Good job, Destination Services!!!

[cbb]

forgot to add: re Corregidor excursion

 

if you have the opportunity to choose sides when you enter the tram that takes you around the WWII sites, try to grab a seat on the right side as you face the front of the tram & guide.

 

Most of the buildings you will want to see will be on the right, although often our guide would call out "photo stop" and give us anywhere from 5-10 minutes to walk around. He'd then ring the tram bell, we'd scurry back to the tram, and take off....awesome!

[2552phxcrzr]

forgot to add: re Corregidor excursion

 

if you have the opportunity to choose sides when you enter the tram that takes you around the WWII sites, try to grab a seat on the right side as you face the front of the tram & guide.

 

Most of the buildings you will want to see will be on the right, although often our guide would call out "photo stop" and give us anywhere from 5-10 minutes to walk around. He'd then ring the tram bell, we'd scurry back to the tram, and take off....awesome!

 

Thanks for the tip re: the tram seating.