April 12 Hong Kong fly home via Japan

Time to head home. Here are some Hong Kong pictures I couldn't fit elsewhere...
Our hotel, it's the middle black bldg (there are 2 shorter bldgs, it's on the right)

Hong Kong

The busy streets of Hong Kong

Does this look familiar? Same as the one we saw in Beijing but this one is in HK

The Star Ferry terminal w/KCR (Kowloon-Canton Railway) Clock Tower and Hong Kong Cultural Centre

April 11th Hong Kong

This is our last day in HK and we have to see the giant Buddha on Lantau Island.
We took a ferry to the island, lots of people commute to Hong Kong or Kowloon from here. Pic 1 is their park & ride and this is only some of the bikes, there were even more than this!
We had lunch at a seaside restaurant (our entire lunch was cheaper than 1 beer 2 nights ago, and it was a good lunch) pic 2 was our lunchtime view. Please help us identify our lunchtime fruit (pic 3), we know the one is an orange, but what's the other one? (8/20/08 that fruit is called dragonfruit & it's a member of the cactus family)
We then jumped on the island bus to Ngong Ping, home of the giant Buddha (Tian Tan) and Po Lin Monastery. I'm looking out the window (we're sitting on the left) and I don't see the buddha, so as I'm getting off I ask the bus driver (just to be sure) if this is where the giant Buddha is. He politely points to the right - and there is was! duh - and I'm trying to improve the world's beliefs of stupid Americans...
So we visited Buddha (pic 4 yes, we climbed all those stairs) took a couple of snaps including Big Buddha meets big Tom.
We hoped to grab the sky tram, unfortunately they were doing a "safety check" so back on the bus, this time to Tung Chung. We weren't expecting this so we had no idea where to get off.... and what's the name of the town - Dung Chum. Close enough. Because the tram wasn't running the bus was jammed, luckily we got on at the beginning of the line.
We ended up getting off at the MTR (subway) station which was in a mall. Well I'm not for shopping but when stores are this close together - why not. I got a cool pair of Adidas shoes and what I thought was milk. When I opened it looked blue but I tasted it and it was pretty bad. I read the label a little closer and it was "milk drink". What the hell does that mean?!!? Well it doesn't mean it's milk.
Had to pack to head for home.

April 10th Hong Kong

Another humid day in HK. It was a little foggy this morning but cleared enough for us to go to "The Peaks". It's the top of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. We took the Star Ferry over to HK Island (we're staying in Kowloon) then walked to the Tram (pic 1).
Once on the top it's great views of the harbour (pic 2) and surrounding areas. We then had an adventure, because we just haven't had enough, and walked down (pic 3).
We then visited the Central area of HK Is. Pic 4 is the Mid-levels escalator that extends 1/2 mi to help move people up or down (down 6-10 a.m. the rest of the time goes up) the steep hill.

I didn't understand what I was looking at until I experienced myself. Pic 5 is incense in a temple. The incense hangs from the ceiling and burns round. Walking into the temple is an incense smoke fill experience. And watch out for fall ash.

April 9th Hong Kong

We sailed into Hong Kong Bay (pic 1) in the morning about 10:00 am.
I like picture 2 because it show old HK with new HK lurking in the background.
We took a cab to our hotel (the cabbie tried to rip us off) and dropped our stuff off.
The hotel was very nice, Harbour Plaza Hong Kong in Hung Hom. Hung Hom is not the center of things (Tsim Sha Tsui aka TST) but the hotel had a shuttle.
So we hoped on the shuttle and off to TST the main shopping & eating area in HK (Kowloon).
We visited The Peninsula Hotel which is know for the high tea it presents (pic 3).
Then we browsed/shopped around TST and picked up a few things at an air conditioned shop. I'm sure it didn't have the best prices but Tom was melting. We visited the Ladies Market, not really a highlight for us.
We ended the evening with the light show (pic 4 & 5). Every night HK put on a light show across the harbor at TST & HK Island. Buildings light up and shoot laser lights all timed to music.
We took the shuttle back to the hotel, it was already 9:30 and the pool closed at 7:00. The pool is on the roof (23rd floor) and it glass. Maybe tomorrow...

April 8th at sea

Another sea day...
A few more pics of Shanghai:
Pic 1 shows a very busy river. Traffic had been halted because of the fog.
Pic 2 is the complete Pearl Tower, it was fogged in most of our time in Shanghai
Pic 3 Shanghai at night
Pic 4 skyline
Pic 5 is from the Jinmao Tower, notice our ship docked across the river just right from the Pearl Tower (above the oval black bldg)

Tomorrow we arrive in Hong Kong, 800 miles from Shanghai, the longest stretch of continuous sea miles on this cruise.

A little bit about Hong Kong. It is not just a city, it's an area comprised of the New Territories including Kowloon(attached to mainland China), Hong Kong Island & Lantau Island. Then there are districts that further divide HK.

Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) is the main district in Kowloon. TST has shopping, hotels, restaurants, etc. We will be staying in Hung Hom which is to the east of TST. Hung Hom has all the same stuff, including a ferry terminal but just not as popular as TST.

The actual city of Hong Kong is on Hong Kong Island. Chek Lap Kok, the international HK airport is on Lantau Island, as is HK Disney.

April 7th at sea

We’ve been Shanghaied! We were scheduled to leave Shanghai yesterday (Mon) at 5:00 pm, but because Chinese something or other we were unable to clear immigration until 8 pm. By then heavy fog rolled in and even after the ship was cleared, we could not sail out of the river.

We finally made a run for it at 10 am. Tugs pulled us out from the pier and we sailed backward for about a mile. The ship then turned on opposite engines to turn around in the wider spot of the river. We then sailed out to the Yangtze River then out to the ocean.

We are sailing a little faster than normal to make up some time to get to HK.

I added some pictures to show more of Shanghai.

Pic 1 is The Pearl at night

Pic 2 & 3 is Shanghai at night

Pic 4 are people doing Tai Chi (or Chai Tea) in the park in their pajamas

Pic 5 is what I think of as old China meets modern China

April 6th Shanghai

We started our day at Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s former residence. We really didn’t learn much more about him than what we already knew. He is seen as the father of the Chinese republic… there’s some history missing, so we’re not quite sure if he really was buddies with the Communists or not.

We enjoyed some Dim Sum then off to the subway. Sure the Tokyo subway was crowded, but this was even more so. Shanghai is making improvements due to Expo 2010 but it was busy. There was enough English that we could find our way to the stop for the airport which is where we could ride the Maglev (the magnetic train, it floats on rails powered by magnetic energy, pic 1). It goes out to the airport, about 23 miles away, in 8 mins. That’s because the train’s top speed is about 260 mph (pic 2). It was a very smooth ride until halfway through we passed the training going the other way – I jumped out of my skin.

Because it was clearer today we wanted to visit the observation decks of the Jinmao Tower, one of the tallest buildings (88 floors) in the world. Oops, we were running out of Chinese money so only Tom could visit the top, but he took great pictures. The Jinmao Tower (pics 3 & 4) is very cool looking; it combines the classic 13-tier pagoda design w/ modern steel & glass. The Grand Hyatt Shanghai (pic 5) takes up the 53rd to 87th floors.

April 5th Shanghai

When we woke up this morning we were in Shanghai, so they told us. It was so darn foggy this morning we could barely see the building on other side of the river about a quarter mile away. The ship sailed 12 miles up the Huangpu River to dock at the International Terminal right across from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (pic 1).

It was a Seattle day with mist and cool temperatures which stuck around all day. It never cleared up and I was a popsicle by the end of the day.

We visited the Shanghai museum (pic 2) which has some amazingly old stuff, bronze from 5000 BC! Also viewed ceramics with beautiful colors, calligraphy & art, which almost seem like the same.

Next we visited the Urban Planning Exhibition Centre (pic 3) which has a plan for Shanghai for 2020, amazing. At least they have a plan. We find this city very unlike the other Chinese cities we’ve visited. Shanghai is much more modern and progressive. They also have beautiful parks full of people (of course); fishing for little kids, paddle boats, dancing, tai chai, games, badminton etc, a great sense of community.

We walked the promenade (at the Bund, pic 4)) where people gather on the wknds. The Bund goes along the river on one side and lined with old colonial building on the other side. There are some lovely European bldgs (from early 1900s), some of which are still used yet other stand empty. These were built when foreigners sliced up Shanghai for their own purpose.

I had a young girl ask if she could take a picture with me because her grandfather has never seen a foreigner. She seems very sweet. The Chinese people were usually interested in Tom being he is so tall, he got quiet a few looks.

We visited Old Town where people were eating crazy looking stuff (octopus, pic 5) on a stick but again lots of people. We missed a great chance at a soup humbow because we were rushed into the gardens (Yu Yuan) we were visiting.

April 4th at sea

Another day at sea to catch up on my blog. I type it in Word then post it a day at a time because this connection is so slow it feels like I’m on dial up! I added some pictures of Beijing.

The ship tries to keep everyone busy during sea days with activities like eating, gambling and drinking. Today they sponsored a 5K On Deck for the Cure, a breast cancer walk to raise $ for Susan Komen Foundation. At first I dismissed it but I did participate and I have the tee shirt to prove it! This cruise alone raised $1,700 and this happens throughout the fleet. It was a beautiful day for the walk.

April 3rd at sea

After our 2 days in Beijing, we need a day at sea to rest. We slept in which felt good.

Our Beijing tours included lunch and it was very different from what we normally eat. First of all everyone had a plate the size of a bread & butter dish and a small soup bowl. On day one, we had a menu that listed the food which was helpful (I passed on the oxtail soup, but it’s not like I haven’t had it before). It was okay but I couldn’t seem to get enough food to equal a meal on my plate. The restaurant also provided us with 110 proof bottle of “wine” – we skipped that. There was a pineapple chicken dish that was very good.

The 2^nd day’s food was weird, but I learned my lesson and ate as much as I could of what I liked. Lunch (both days) was family style, so you could not be a piggy and take a big helping and not leave some for the others. Very few people ate the soup, so I had 5 bowls (I’m not lying, they were small bowls). Many of the people at our table were rude Americans; they ate very little (I guess because it wasn’t a burger) then complained loudly. The wait staff spoke minimal English but they could tell the people were unhappy. Times like this make me ashamed to be an American. I think they could have made do, I did and I’m a picky eater.

I've included a few more pics from the fine police force at Tienaman Square and the Forbidden city. Those giant pots held the City's drinking water.

April 2nd Beijing

Our tour left the ship at 6:30 am, a lady on the tour got on the bus and summed it up, “we are tired stupid people”. We barely recovered from yesterday’s tour and we were back at it; another 3-4 hrs back to Beijing on that damn bus. The bus was uncomfortable and the rest stops were horrid. Hygiene is just not important in this society. The bathrooms are usually gross but some did have soap and water – I’m sure these were the nice ones that they took us westerners. This is such a contrast to being in Japan where hygiene is so important; they have deluxe toilets that wash your bottom in different ways and they give you moist towels to wipe your hands before eating. Don’t know how I got on this subject, but it an important part of visiting.

Today we visited Tienanmen Square (pic 1), as you might imagine, security was very tight. It is a very large open area bordered by Mao’s mausoleum, the Forbidden City, the national museum and a government building. On the museum is a large reader board (pic 4) counting down the time to the Olympics.

We then toured the Forbidden City (pic 2). It’s quite large (pic 3) but when you’ve got lots of people to take care of you need a big spot. One of the emperors had 9000 concubines – that’s crazy!

Lastly we visited the Temple of Heaven (pic 5). This is where the emperors would come to pray for a good harvest, 3 was the magic number; 3 gates, 3 gardens, 3 roofs on the temple. They did a nice job restoring the temple. It was also very windy, a good day to wear my hair in a pony tail.

These parts of Beijing seemed to be in better shape than yesterday’s, but we were close to the center of downtown