Xiamen China - March 31st

Xiamen is a southern Chinese port city of 3.5 million. We walked to the Overseas Chinese Museum, the Nanputo Buddhist Temple and the Zhangzhou shopping street before stopping for a beer on a rooftop café. Here is Joani in front of the museum:

There are 50 million Chinese outside China. This has given Chinese global trade a nice boost. As the country became an economic powerhouse, this pool of people with Chinese and local language and cultural skills are a talent base for local companies to hire and send to China to do business and for Chinese companies to hire to do business in-country. Bob has Chinese-American friends from engineering and business school who have gotten good jobs and performed well.

Overseas Chinese left home for many reasons and in several waves. One wave in the 16th century came when the ruling dynasty shut down foreign exploration and trade. Many sailors and trading families moved to south Asia to maintain their jobs and businesses. Another wave came in the mid-to-late 19th century when the Western powers imposed control through the Opium War and conditions in China became bad. Another wave came after WWII during the struggle for control of the mainland. And through out the centuries, people have left for business opportunities, for job opportunities, or because of repression by local leaders against certain groups or families.

It was a short walk to the Nanputo Buddhist Temple from the museum:

Once again the temple had fish-frog-turtle ponds; and it is considered good luck to donate them, or feed them, or give money for their support. Actually, it is extremely peaceful and tranquil to wander among the ponds.

Joani is brave, she got a haircut at a local shop where no one spoke English. It turned out fine; here is her $7 haircut. We are on an urban walking path on an old rail line.

And we enjoyed a Tsing Tao at the end of our day.

A day at sea tomorrow; and then three days in Shanghai, the high speed Mag Lev train to Beijing, and three nights there including seeing the Great Wall. We are excited.

Hong Kong Day 2 - March 29th

The March weather in Hong Kong was San Francisco-like. It never got out of the 60s there was some morning and evening fog. Surprising in that the city is further south than Miami.

We took the iconic Star Ferry from the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront on the peninsula across Victoria Harbor to the Central Pier. Here’s Hong Kong from the ferry:

Joani is sitting amidships on the ferry lower deck to minimize pitch and roll; that way she doesn’t need Dramamine. Below, a ferry leaving the terminal as we approach.

Walked from the Central Pier to the Victoria Peak Tram station. Hong Kong is pedestrian-friendly with miles of covered walkways and hundreds of pedestrian tunnels and bridges crossing major streets. Took the tram to Victoria Peak 1800 feet above the city. The Hong Kong Skyline from the Peak is impressive:

Hong Kong proper is in front of the harbor with the peninsula behind. Tallest building is the ICC Tower at over 1500 feet. The Ritz Carlton occupies the top 16 floors. Second tallest is the IFC Tower on the Hong Kong side; over 1300 feet.

Great dinner with Drew & Tanya and Craig & Joyce at Man Wah, a traditional Chinese restaurant on the 25th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We all had the set menu and it was fantastic. Joani and I agreed that as good as RyuGin had been, we prefer classic Chinese cuisine over Japanese.

Saw the biggest I Store we’ve ever seen in the IFC Mall

Hong Kong architecture is stunning.

There has been a building boom since 1999, and like Singapore everywhere you look you see modern amazing buildings.

The Mall on the Peak had a a Chinese Zodiac mural. There are 12 signs, based on birth year rather than month, such as born the year of the Monkey. Joani and I are dragons, so it was appropriate we had dinner at RyuGin Monday night. In Japanese RyuGin means, “the way of the dragon.” Must be why I like Dani Targaryen in “Game of Thrones.”

The Thought of the Day from Joani, from a sign she saw on the wall of a Hong Kong Coffee Shop:

                   “Some things are just better rich: chocolate, men, and coffee.”

Hong Kong Day 1 - Kowloon – March 28th

Due to rough seas, the ship skipped our scheduled stop on Sanya Island, so serendipitously we arrived in Hong Kong five hours early. Everyone on board was thrilled; an extra half-day in Hong Kong is a big deal.

So Joani and I spent the whole day on the Kowloon side, leaving Hong Kong proper for tomorrow. We took the Metro to the Ladies Market at top of Nathan Road and then meandered on foot down through all the different shopping areas to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade on the waterfront. Then we walked to the ICC Tower where we had an 8:00 PM reservation at a Japanese restaurant on the 101st floor.

 Ladies Market off Nathan Road

 Basketball is huge in Hong Kong. Playground courts all over the city and always being used.

 Shopping on or near Nathan Road: the Ladies Market, the Jade Market, the Temple Street Night Market, the Yau Ma Tei produce market on Reclamation Street, and high-end shopping complexes like i Square and Harbour City.

 Thoughtfully, the city has provided rest stops along Nathan Road for Tourists all shopped out. This is the Yau Ma Tei Community Center Rest Garden (with clean rest rooms).

 The Jade Market. Joani bought a white jade necklace smaller and simpler than the ones here.

Goose eggs for sale in the produce market.

 This big spikey fruit is a durian. The outer shell is an inch thick and when cut has a horrible smell. Inside seed pods about the size of a small lemon, but soft. The taste is wonderful: a mix of banana, butterscotch and vanilla with a hint of peach, pineapple and strawberry. AKA the “smells like hell but tastes like heaven” fruit, the vendor cut away the bad smelling stuff for us and put the good stuff in a Styrofoam box. It tastes as good as advertised.

 Rest stop in Kowloon Park, 4 blocks by 4 blocks just off Nathan Road approaching the waterfront. The azaleas were in bloom for Easter.

 Had a drink in the bar of the Peninsula Hotel. The Peninsula is to Hong Kong as the Raffles is to Singapore. There was an absolutely gorgeous spherical bouquet of roses in a vase on the bar:

Continued down to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade along the Victoria Harbour waterfront, where we saw this high end tour boat cruise by against the background of the Island of Hong Kong and Victoria Peak:

As night fell, window-shopped jewelry on the walk to the ICC Tower for dinner:

Here is the tower where we had dinner, as seen from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade:

And here is our dinner menu. When I was with GE Fanuc, I was privileged to have enjoyed several meals in Japan with Fanuc Chairman Dr. Inaba prepared by his personal chef. So now Joani has enjoyed the same authentic Japanese cuisine. The first desert with hot (210 degrees F) fruit jam served on a super-cooled (minus 330 degrees F) confection was incredible.

Tomorrow: Hong Kong Island including Victoria Peak

Hanoi - March 25th & 26th

We anchored in Ha Long Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, an amazing place in and of itself. Rock islands jutting up randomly all over the place. On some lists, one of the natural wonders of the world. Breath-taking and totally unexpected (for us).

We went ashore in the city of Ha Long Bay, 300,000 people and rapidly developing as a tourist destination. A major new suspension bridge was just completed.

We saw a new theme park under construction and a several mile-long tramway crossing the bay. You can see one of the tramway towers in front the suspension bridge tower on the right, and one gondola cable already strung across the bay.

On to Hanoi, the ancient, French Colonial, and current capital of Vietnam.

We had a fantastic tour guide. With everyone’s agreement, he dropped a superfluous temple and a superfluous museum and gave us lots of time in the Ancient Quarter, the best part of Hanoi.

Hanoi is divided into quarters. The Modern Quarter is the new city, a business center with hotels, condominiums and office buildings. The French Quarter consists of buildings built during the Colonial period. The Embassy Quarter is where the government buildings and the embassies are. The Russian Quarter consists of ugly and utilitarian buildings built during the time of major Russian influence. The Ancient Quarter is the tourist, shopping and restaurant center: pre-colonial buildings and temples, upscale and knock-off shopping, traditional restaurants, water-puppet theaters.

Friday night we saw a water-puppet show: marionettes that float and are controlled by tensioned strings running through bamboo poles under the surface of the water:

The best act was “Lê Lợi Returning the Sword.” Lê Lợi was a hero who fought foreign invaders in the 15th century. In legend he was granted a powerful sword by the deities. After victory he was boating on a lake in Hanoi when Kim Quy, the Golden Tortoise God, appeared to claim back the sword, which Lê Lợi graciously returned.

This lake, in the heart of the Ancient Quarter, is of course called Returned Sword Lake. Here it is at night with the monument in the middle:

Here is Joani in front of the monument the next day:

There is of course a Returned Sword Temple on an island in the lake. The bridge to the temple is called the Good Luck Bridge; if you make a wish on the bridge it may come true.

We visited the tomb of Ho Chi Minh and the “Hanoi Hilton” where John McCain was held prisoner.

Ho Chi Minh, like all great dead communist leaders, is preserved in a Plexiglas coffin in a mausoleum that is a prominent national monument. Lenin was such a trend-setter.

Couldn’t resist that last picture of Joani in front of Lenin’s tomb. We will be in Beijing April 4-7 and will add Chairman Mao to the collection for the trifecta. My nephew Scott will be jealous.

On a more sobering note, welcome to the Hanoi Hilton:

Here is the typical prison wear given to American POWs:

The facility was in fact the old French Colonial prison. Most of it has been torn town; a section has been preserved as a museum. There is a real guillotine left over from the Colonial Era

Tomorrow we visit Sanya Island off the coast of southern China, on our way to Hong Kong. It is a beach resort for Chinese mainlanders. After the Hanoi Hilton, we are ready for a simple day at the beach.

Angkor Wat - March 21st

Forty people departed the ship and flew to Siem Reap where the temple complexes are.

After settling in at the hotel, we went to dinner and a folklore show. The women dancing bent their fingers back into ungodly positions.

Just like one of the stone carvings at Angkor Thom, the first temple complex we visited the next morning:

The smiling faces on the entrance of Angkor Thom are said to be the likeness of King Jayavarman VII and are the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer architecture.

At the elephant terrace, carvings honored all the elephants used in building the temples:

Next stop, Ta Prohm Temple:

This temple is famous for the enormous fig trees growing in, over and around the walls, which you might recognize from scenes in Angelina Jolie’s movie Tomb Raider.

After lunch, Angkor Wat.  It is the most magnificent temple in Cambodia, built by King Survayaraman II in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple. He dedicated it to the god Vishnu. As the main religion of the Khmer empire changed from Hinduism to Buddhism, Angkor Wat subtly and slowly became primarily a Buddhist temple during the 13th century; but Hindu shrines remain. The King’s tomb is on the top tower. To get there, you have to climb 75 almost vertical steps.

This is after already climbing up two other levels with steep stairs but no handrails. Definitely not OSHA approved.

The spire on the right above is one of four that surround the main temple. It is another significant example of high classical Khmer architecture. Being the best preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to remain as a significant religious center since its beginning. Angkor Wat is so synonymous with the country that it is on the national flag. The tourists that come here help support the rest of the country with all the money they bring in. The main temple spire:

It is hard to convey the scale of Angkor Wat. More stone was used here than the three largest pyramids combined. The outer wall surrounding the complex is more than 4 miles in circumference. Here is the main entrance through the outer wall:

And here is the outer wall stretching away on the other side of the entrance:

Once inside, it is quite a hike to a second wall surrounding the main grounds. And there is yet a third wall with spires on the corners enclosing the inner courtyard of the main temple. Here is the view from inside the outer wall across a reflecting pool showing the middle wall and then inside the four corner spires flanking the main temple:

Our nickname for Angkor Wat was Angkor Hot. It reached 110 degrees. People were succumbing to the heat.  So I used my tried and true tennis tips to help cool down one of the other 180 cruisers so she could make it to the top: dip a bandana in cold water and wrap around her neck; pour water directly on her hair and let it trickle off; drink cold water to cool down her core; drink Aquarius water afterwards to replace electrolytes. By eating two bananas after returning to the hotel, and getting some salt on the rim of her Margarita glass, she started to feel a whole lot better.