We had breakfast again at Eggs N Things to fuel up for the long trek home. Interestingly, they sell branded water bottles made by Hydroflask (a local Bend company). And we saw Deschutes beer in Sydney so Bend is truly internationally known.
Caught a bus transfer to the airport and our flight to Seattle took only 8 hrs, 15 mins. They fed us twice with an ice cream snack in between. I watched 3 movies again so that really helped pass the time. Unfortunately we had a 4 hour layover in Seattle, but the flight to Redmond left on time.
This was a very good trip. Saw a lot of different things, experienced very different cultures, met some very nice people and made lots of good memories. Someday we'd like to go back to New Zealand and Japan.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Sunday, April 15, 2018
April 15 -Tokyo, Japan
Forgot to mention dinner last night. Since we ate a late lunch, we weren't overly hungry so we went to a sushi bar with the plates that go around on a conveyor belt. If you didn't see what you want, you could order off of a tablet provided. Each item comes on a specific colored plate that indicates the price. At the end the cashier scans the pile of plates with a gizmo and it gives him the total bill. We had one beer, one wine spritzer and about six pieces of nagiri each for $25 total. Very good deal for Tokyo and it was delicious!
Woke up to lots of wind and rain so we lazed around. After a late breakfast at a place called Eggs 'n Things, a Hawaiian restaurant chain (no salad with my eggs benedict), we took the train and subway back to the area around yesterday's temple. The weather was better by then so we just walked around for a while. There were many young women in kimonos around the temple, most of them posing for selfies. A vendor was selling octobus balls (pieces of octopus cooked in a dough) which were a specialty of Osaka but we didn't get to try there. The port expert on the ship recommended them. Hmmmm, maybe they are better in Osaka, but we couldn't finish the Tokyo version.
At breakfast I noticed several families were wearing shirts that had horizontal black stripes - not all the same shirt, but all with black stripes. Then I noticed others outside the restaurant, also in black stripes. We theorize it was some kind of a promotion to get into a movie or an amusement ride at a discount.
We realized today that the train we've been riding has no driver, but is run completely automatically. Many airports have trams like that, but this is a line with 19 stations and trains that come every 3 or 4 minutes. It also runs on rubber tires with a third rail for power which must also keep it centered on the course.
For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant, Zest Cantina, which was pretty good. We were a little surprised that the jalapeno popper appetizer included only 2 pieces, but they were good as were the tacos and chicken enchiladas.
Another good day in Tokyo. We are very favorably impressed with everything here. The streets are amazingly clean and we only saw one homeless person begging and he wasn't Japanese. I admit I don't get the thing with small dogs though. I suppose if you live in a big city in a high rise apartment, they make sense, but why do so many clothe them and push them in little doggie prams?
Woke up to lots of wind and rain so we lazed around. After a late breakfast at a place called Eggs 'n Things, a Hawaiian restaurant chain (no salad with my eggs benedict), we took the train and subway back to the area around yesterday's temple. The weather was better by then so we just walked around for a while. There were many young women in kimonos around the temple, most of them posing for selfies. A vendor was selling octobus balls (pieces of octopus cooked in a dough) which were a specialty of Osaka but we didn't get to try there. The port expert on the ship recommended them. Hmmmm, maybe they are better in Osaka, but we couldn't finish the Tokyo version.
At breakfast I noticed several families were wearing shirts that had horizontal black stripes - not all the same shirt, but all with black stripes. Then I noticed others outside the restaurant, also in black stripes. We theorize it was some kind of a promotion to get into a movie or an amusement ride at a discount.
We realized today that the train we've been riding has no driver, but is run completely automatically. Many airports have trams like that, but this is a line with 19 stations and trains that come every 3 or 4 minutes. It also runs on rubber tires with a third rail for power which must also keep it centered on the course.
For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant, Zest Cantina, which was pretty good. We were a little surprised that the jalapeno popper appetizer included only 2 pieces, but they were good as were the tacos and chicken enchiladas.
Another good day in Tokyo. We are very favorably impressed with everything here. The streets are amazingly clean and we only saw one homeless person begging and he wasn't Japanese. I admit I don't get the thing with small dogs though. I suppose if you live in a big city in a high rise apartment, they make sense, but why do so many clothe them and push them in little doggie prams?
Saturday, April 14, 2018
April 14 - Tokyo, Japan
We had to meet our morning tour at 8:30 and yesterday on our reconnoiter of the meeting place we saw a Danny's nearby so we thought it would fun to give it a try. It wasn't busy when we arrived so having only 2 waiters was OK. We ordered American style breakfasts, although my scrambled eggs with bacon also came with a little lettuce salad. After a while.e we figured out what all the various bell ringing about - one when the door opened, another when an order was ready and the last when a table wanted something. There was a little plastic gizmo on each table with a button at the top. When you pushed it, a bell sounded, your table number lit up on the wall and the waiter came over. As it got busier, more and more bells were going off. The poor waiters were running every which way. It was like a comedy skit. I imagine those poor guys heard those bells in their sleep.
Probably 6 or 8 tours left from one central bus station at the same time which is a smart plan, but it was pretty chaotic for a while. We went to another shrine, a castle and a temple, all of which were lovely. At the Shinto shrine there was a wedding party coming out which was fun to see. A couple of times along the road we saw little kids from a daycare or school on an outing. Several of the teachers escorted the kids (around 1 or 2 years old) on the sidewalk by putting them in what amounted to a large laundry cart like a hotel would use and wheeling them around. All the kids had uniforms and hats on in bright colors.
Now in the hotel, I figured out how to add photos so I'll throw in some of my favorites. They are in no particular order. Look at the left side of the street scene for the kids in the orange hats - I only got it on the run as we drove by. The stuffed crocodile, Sweetheart, was about 18 feet long. The five huge apartment buildings are outside Ho Chi Minh City. The toilet instructions are fun. There is a replica of the Statue of Liberty near our hotel, not sure why.
After the tour we had a late lunch and walked around the Ginza area for a while. It has lots of upscale shops so we didn't make any stops. Then the train back to the hotel for a bit. I took a nice bath in the big tub with the provided bath salts and I can confirm that the water drains clockwise now.
Probably 6 or 8 tours left from one central bus station at the same time which is a smart plan, but it was pretty chaotic for a while. We went to another shrine, a castle and a temple, all of which were lovely. At the Shinto shrine there was a wedding party coming out which was fun to see. A couple of times along the road we saw little kids from a daycare or school on an outing. Several of the teachers escorted the kids (around 1 or 2 years old) on the sidewalk by putting them in what amounted to a large laundry cart like a hotel would use and wheeling them around. All the kids had uniforms and hats on in bright colors.
Now in the hotel, I figured out how to add photos so I'll throw in some of my favorites. They are in no particular order. Look at the left side of the street scene for the kids in the orange hats - I only got it on the run as we drove by. The stuffed crocodile, Sweetheart, was about 18 feet long. The five huge apartment buildings are outside Ho Chi Minh City. The toilet instructions are fun. There is a replica of the Statue of Liberty near our hotel, not sure why.
After the tour we had a late lunch and walked around the Ginza area for a while. It has lots of upscale shops so we didn't make any stops. Then the train back to the hotel for a bit. I took a nice bath in the big tub with the provided bath salts and I can confirm that the water drains clockwise now.
Friday, April 13, 2018
April 13 - off the ship and into Tokyo
We had a nice breakfast in the dining room where we saw Peter and Carol one last time and said goodbye to other friends made on board. Unfortunately one of the 4 couples with us was one we'd eaten with before and she is rather a grumpy snob. She complained to the waiter that one of her two poached eggs on English muffins was "stone cold and unpalatable". I had to wonder if perhaps it had gone cold while
she was eating the first one, but didn't say anything. She had also dumped HP sauce (like our Heinz 57 steak sauce) all over it all so I had to wonder at her taste to begin with 😉. Ah well, takes all kinds and fortunately she was in the small minority of complainers.
We were called to get off the ship right on time at 9:40 and walked right off to our bags and out to the taxi stand. As suggested by the concierge at our hotel, the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, we took a taxi to the Yokohama City Air Terminal, which is a bus terminal despite its name. From there we bought tickets on the highway bus to Odaiba leaving in an hour which has a drop off at the door of the hotel. Easy breezy. The check in clerk said that even though check in technically is 3:00 pm (it was noon) our room was ready so we could go on up, but don't tell anyone (wink). They normally have a charge for early check in. The room isn't very big, but it has free WiFi and they provide a free smart phone that has unlimited WiFi and unlimited local and international calling! We are free to bring it with us when we go out! Unbelievable, especially since we are paying about $150 a night for this room - a deal through booking.com.
We booked a half day tour tomorrow with the concierge, reserved 2 seats on the bus to the airport on Monday and headed out to explore. There is a multistory shopping center right across the street with lots of restaurants so we ate at a noodle shop. There is a train station (Odaiba) right in front of the hotel so we went to the location of our tour meeting place so we could find it tomorrow morning. Of course we got on the train in the wrong direction and had to get off and turned around, so it's good we did a dry run. We wandered a bit more then came back for a rest before having a good dinner at a different place in the shopping center. Love that the restaurants have pictures of everything on the menu since even the English translations aren't that informative. The hotel has many restaurants also, but looking at the menus online, the average price for dinner is nearly $100 per person, so we'll give them a miss.
she was eating the first one, but didn't say anything. She had also dumped HP sauce (like our Heinz 57 steak sauce) all over it all so I had to wonder at her taste to begin with 😉. Ah well, takes all kinds and fortunately she was in the small minority of complainers.
We were called to get off the ship right on time at 9:40 and walked right off to our bags and out to the taxi stand. As suggested by the concierge at our hotel, the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, we took a taxi to the Yokohama City Air Terminal, which is a bus terminal despite its name. From there we bought tickets on the highway bus to Odaiba leaving in an hour which has a drop off at the door of the hotel. Easy breezy. The check in clerk said that even though check in technically is 3:00 pm (it was noon) our room was ready so we could go on up, but don't tell anyone (wink). They normally have a charge for early check in. The room isn't very big, but it has free WiFi and they provide a free smart phone that has unlimited WiFi and unlimited local and international calling! We are free to bring it with us when we go out! Unbelievable, especially since we are paying about $150 a night for this room - a deal through booking.com.
We booked a half day tour tomorrow with the concierge, reserved 2 seats on the bus to the airport on Monday and headed out to explore. There is a multistory shopping center right across the street with lots of restaurants so we ate at a noodle shop. There is a train station (Odaiba) right in front of the hotel so we went to the location of our tour meeting place so we could find it tomorrow morning. Of course we got on the train in the wrong direction and had to get off and turned around, so it's good we did a dry run. We wandered a bit more then came back for a rest before having a good dinner at a different place in the shopping center. Love that the restaurants have pictures of everything on the menu since even the English translations aren't that informative. The hotel has many restaurants also, but looking at the menus online, the average price for dinner is nearly $100 per person, so we'll give them a miss.
April 12 - Shimizu, Japan
This morning we did most of our packing since we didn't arrive into port until around noon. Around 11:00 am the captain announced that Mt. Fuji was visible ahead so we grabbed the phone and headed up top for pictures. It was beautiful! There is still snow on top and the air was pretty clear. Apparently the day before was very cloudy, so we were very fortunate. While a nice gentleman was taking our picture together, my visor flew over the railing and landed just out of reach on a ledge. It stayed there and since we couldn't reach it through the slats, I wrote it off. But the gentleman used his camera on the strap to snag it and pull it in. I was so afraid he'd drop his camera all for a $5 visor!
Our tour was to 2 more shrines, but I enjoyed these more than those in Osaka probably because they were smaller and less crowded. The last stop was to a beach where we got more good pictures of Mt. Fuji. Wish I could post them, but the WiFi on the ship just doesn't allow for it, or I'm not doing it right.
We had our last dinner with Peter and Carol, which was very sad. They are so much fun to be around and we will miss them very much. Hopefully we can cruise again, or do something else with them in the future.
Our waiters confirmed that the errant third engineer they were looking for that night was indeed in another cabin when they tried to reach him after he didn't turn up for his watch. A big no-no. And there was someone who had a heart attack in Osaka and didn't get back on board, so we think it probably was that couple on our tour. Hope all's well with them.
Final packing and put out our bags after dinner. We have to be out of our cabin before 8:00 in the morning.
Our tour was to 2 more shrines, but I enjoyed these more than those in Osaka probably because they were smaller and less crowded. The last stop was to a beach where we got more good pictures of Mt. Fuji. Wish I could post them, but the WiFi on the ship just doesn't allow for it, or I'm not doing it right.
We had our last dinner with Peter and Carol, which was very sad. They are so much fun to be around and we will miss them very much. Hopefully we can cruise again, or do something else with them in the future.
Our waiters confirmed that the errant third engineer they were looking for that night was indeed in another cabin when they tried to reach him after he didn't turn up for his watch. A big no-no. And there was someone who had a heart attack in Osaka and didn't get back on board, so we think it probably was that couple on our tour. Hope all's well with them.
Final packing and put out our bags after dinner. We have to be out of our cabin before 8:00 in the morning.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
April 11 - Osaka, Japan
We were welcomed to the pier this morning by a sort of marching band wearing black suits. One of their songs was "Life Goes On" by the Beetles - interesting choice. Since we all had to go through Customs and Immigration here, the tours were late getting started. Everyone had to put two fingers on a scanner and look into the retinal scanner as well, so it wasn't a very quick process. Our tour stopped first at a Samurai castle which was impressive on the outside, but too modern on the inside. It was rebuilt in the 1930s so the best parts were the grounds and outside walls. Unfortunately, 2 people never made it back to the bus, so after waiting 35 minutes for them, we had to leave. We did see an ambulance take someone away - hope it wasn't them! Next stop was a Shinto shrine which was interesting. Then back to the ship. All in all not the best tour. There was a lot of driving and not through very interesting areas but Osaka is very clean and modern, of course.
There was fast free WiFi at the cruise terminal so everyone took advantage of that, naturally. There is also a huge ferris wheel that takes 15 minutes to go around and has a capacity of around 450, and a shopping center with a small Legoland right here as well. The public toilets have heated seats and all the buttons for washing and drying, but you have to figure it out as it's in Japanese. They provide paper also for those of us who like the old fashioned way. Can't wait for our hotel in Tokyo where I'll have time to learn what all the buttons do.
At departure time they paged 2 passengers to please check in. Maybe our missing pair didn't make it back to the ship.
There was fast free WiFi at the cruise terminal so everyone took advantage of that, naturally. There is also a huge ferris wheel that takes 15 minutes to go around and has a capacity of around 450, and a shopping center with a small Legoland right here as well. The public toilets have heated seats and all the buttons for washing and drying, but you have to figure it out as it's in Japanese. They provide paper also for those of us who like the old fashioned way. Can't wait for our hotel in Tokyo where I'll have time to learn what all the buttons do.
At departure time they paged 2 passengers to please check in. Maybe our missing pair didn't make it back to the ship.
April 10 - at sea
Nothing to report today. Still not feeling 100% so we hung around the cabin although Michael spent 90 minutes in the gym. He also found me another Lee Child book in the Jack Reacher series in the library, so I was a happy camper.
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