Beijing

The final city that we had the opportunity to visit was Beijing.  What an amaing city of modern archeticture and business contrasting with history at every turn.  The size of Tiananmen Square is amazing and as I understand over a million people can stand here--and they have!  The square is across the street for the Forbidden City which is also enormous.  It was fascinating to walk through this city and imagine what it must have been like when the Emperor reigned supreme.

I have always heard about the Night Market but I had no idea what they sold there.  I have now been but I am still in awe if anyone eats the treats offered --and I love to experiment but see below and I think you will understand why I am in doubt about anyone enjoying the weird offerings.
        

The next day we had a chance to visit the Temple of Heaven which is just beautiful.  The beauty of the building and the landscape is augmented because early in the morning everyone--young and old--come to exercise here.  They do Tai Chi, they dance and they play but they do not run!

We took a traditional ride on a rickshaw through the old part of the city and climbed to the top of the Drum Tower to see these old streets and houses.  While we were there we were treated to a performance on the huge drums housed in the tower.  It was fantastic!

The final full day in Beijing was the highlight as we travelled to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall.  It is about 2 1/2 hours from the center of Beijing bu but worht the time as once we arrived we were virtually alone on this magnificent structure.  We were even able to enjoy a picnic on the wall.  It is a day to remember!                  A trip to remember!                  

XIAN

Xian and the Terra Cotta Warriers lived up to every expectation that I have had about these wonders of mankind.  Before I provide some thoughts about my time here, I should explain why this blog is being completed from my home office instead of while on the road.  I kept trying to access my blog site while travelling; but no luck.  I finally asked our guide and learned that in China you cannot use this blog site and cannot access Facebook.  As I am sure you know about the problems between China and these companies concerning internet access; I will not go into that here, except to say that it is why I am blogging later instead of while travelling.

Upon arrival to Xian we visited the Han Mausoleum which is a relatively new discovery and also shows the burial pits of an Emperor but these pits are filled with small clay statues instead of the awesome replics of actual warriers shown in the buriel pits of the terra cotta warriers.  It makes one wonder if the emperors became less important as the years went by.  At this point however the important thing is to share the terra cotta warriers--there are over 8000!

After visiting the warriers we had a chance to explore Xian.  I want to share a picture and ask you to guess what the picture represents before I explain it.

The picture is of a mosque designed like a buddhist temple.  In fact there is a very active Moslem community here and it was fascinating to see the contrasts with the typical China communities we had the opportunity to visit.

Shanghai

I have always heard that Shanghai was an amazing city but these are just words until you are able to see the city.  I stepped out on the deck of the Orion II to see the most incredible sky scrapers.  The convention center actually has two structures that appear as globes with the world marked.

After leaving the ship we had a quick ride through the city on our way to water town.  The buildings which do not comprise the financial district have a very European feel as they reflect the various countries who settled in Shanghai.  As we left the city, the fertile rice patties were in evidence everywhere and it was easy to visualize the rural economy that had once been Shanghai. 

Zhujiajao is a fabulous town originally built over 900 years ago along canals much like Venice.  The area has been restored but the buildings now are no more than 200 years old.  It was great fun to explore this city by boat and see the everyday lives being carried out before us.

       

In the afternoon we had a chance to visit the beautiful Jade buddha and get a taste of bargaining for treasures in the local shopping area.  The Buddha was fantastic and the shopping frenzy high!  So ended our day in Shanghai.  I would advise anyone to spend more than one day as I am hungry for more.  I understand the Museum is amazing and I think an architectural tour would be fantastic in this city.

NANJING

Although we have been in China while sailing on the Yangtze, Nanjing is the first port of call. Nanjng is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in history as it has been the capital of China on several occasions. Here we are able to see how different the Chinese are from the residents of Korea and Japan.  The first thing we notice is how curious about us they are.  We are met with security guards and custom officials, but also cameras and TV interviewers.  Here is my husband as he disembarks the Orion II in Nanjing.  Once the formalities were completed we headed off to the see the sights.  First we climbed to the top of the mausoleum of Sun Yat Sen.  As you may know he was the first president and founding father of the Republic of China.  He is referred to as the "father of the nation".

After this we visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum which is the tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. The construction of this Mausoleum began and 1381 and ended in 1405,
                                                                                                              
                                                                                     
Nanjing has given us the first real taste of Chinese food as we experienced a truly memorable banquet with over 20 dishes served.  Finally to see all that is Nanjing we toured their wall and enjoyed the first taste of shopping in China.  The Nanjing wall was built over 600 years ago.  Each brick is the same size because of a worker did not meet the requirements he was killed.  This certainly encourages careful craftmanship.

                          

YANGTZE DELTA

Today we sailed up the Yangtze.  This river drains into the East China Sea and has given rise to what may be the largest concentration of adjacent metropolitan areas in the world  It covers an area of 99600 km sq. and is home to over 105 million people as of 2010.

To enjoy the spectacle the crew of the Orion II treated everyone to a beautiful brunch on the outdoor deck where the sights just kept flowing by as the wonderful fresh fruit, fish and breakfast dishes were enjoyed.

The Orion II sailed into the river and along with every kind of heavy shipping vessel that can be imagined.   
As can be seen from this pictures the smog is as bad as what you read and it is no wonder with all the industry along the river and the ships. There are even some old fashioned fishing boats among the modern river traffic and floating gas stations.
 

JEJU

Jeju is the special autonomous province of South Korea situated on the country's largest island.  It is an island of three NOs--no gates, no beggars and no thieves.  It is the island of wind, stone and women.  Windmills harness the power of the wind that comes in from the sea.  The lava stones are everywhere and provide beautiful demarcation among the fields and other landmarks.  Perhaps the most unique aspect of a visit to Jeju are the fascinating Lady Divers.  The women train from the age of 6 to become free divers to collect the seafood for the entire village to eat.  In the 1970s there were 30,000 and now there are only 5000.  The average age is 64.  This is a tradition that will be ending in the coming decades.  But for now we were able to watch the ladies get ready for a diving demonstration and then cheer as they caught octopus and abalone with their bare hands.

 

From here we visited a traditional village as well as the local market.  Here the market was filled not only with fish but also wonderful citrus since this is grown in abundance on this volcanic island.  Pork as well as fish is favored here and it too was available in the market.  
   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA--KOREA?

July the 4th and we find ourselves in Busan Korea.  It is not a place I  have imagined but is quite wonderful.  This the second largest metropolis in South Korea after Seoul and is the 5th largest port in the world  It is a city of contrasts.  First we see the high rise apartment buildings--everyone prefers to live in one of these large apartment complexes.
            
Would you believe that everyone in Korea drives black, while, silver to tan cars.  It's not required but there is  quite a bit of peer pressure should you prefer a colorful automobile.

To show what a land of contrast we drove to the Tongdosa Temple.  This is an incredible Buddhist Temple where people come from miles to practice.  There are small temples scattered throughout the compound where prayers are offered to many different Buddhas for many different reasons, but the main area is scared because it contains remains of the actual Buddha.

                        

              
We also visited thee UN Cemetery.  A visit to Korea would not be complete without seeing the remains of the Korean war and understanding the impact then and now.

Finally we visited the Jagaichi Fish Market.  This is the third fish market since I arrived on this trip and different again.  I have never seen so many kinds of fish as it would appear that the Koreans eat everything that swims in the sea.  The market was plentiful and had us laughing as one octopus tried to escape but was put back into it the container.  

The afternoon we were left on our own to discover the city.  It is vibrant with market stalls crowding the byways and alleyways selling everything from used clothing to electronics to delicacies that you just sit down and enjoy.  Also, there are actual  street restaurants where  when the owner gets tired of cooking he just  zips his tent and leaves. 

Orion II is owned by an Australian company and most of the passengers onboard are Australian but that did not stop the crew from recognizing US Independence day.  Those of us from America were treated to a special dinner under the stars complete with a cake and sparklers.  There is a clear reason to decide to take an Orion Cruise--they think of everything.                                              

NAGASAKI AND THE LAST DAY IN JAPAN

This morning we arrived in Nagasaki which was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century.  This is important since it is here where the contact and trade relations between Japan and the rest of the world developed.  Nagasaki grew into a diverse port city and even today you can find Portuguese products such as sponge cake and bread that have been assimilated into popular Japanese culture.  We first visited Oura catholic Church which reflects the influence although small of Christianity in Japan.  It is a beautiful church that could be found anywhere in the world.

After this we visited Glover Gardens which is beautiful as are all the gardens in Japan.  We especially enjoyed the turtle sculpture that was a comfortable home for real turtles.
                                                                                                 






Then we traveled to the Dejima Museum of History that is a recreation of the man made island where all foreigners were allowed to transact business when Japan was essentially closed to foreign traders in an effort to protect the caste system from the Europeans  who did not believe. It was fun here to see the guards dressed in period costume,

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned the second atomic bomb which was dropped here.  Of course it would be remiss not to say that there is a Nagaski Peace Memorial Park as there is and I am sure it is moving as the one we have previously visited.  However, this being the last port in Japan it seemed like instead of visiting the museum, I wanted to travel the streets and breathe in the last sights and sounds of this amazing country.  It takes a few days to get used to the different ways but the more you are here, the more comfortable you are to explore the unknown and know that it will be safe, clean and fascinating.  I can't wait for the opportunity to come back.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE FISH

Today we are in Shimonoseki.  This city has been a part of Japanese history for centuries and the industrial shipping that we see is amazing.  But the best known thing about this city is that it is home of fugu, a pufferfish as cute looking as it is potentially lethal.  We started the day at the fish market.  This fish market was all about the sashimi with ready to purchase cut fish and small filets perfect for slicing at home.

After the tour of the Karato Fish Market we decided to leave the group and explore on our  own.  Across the inland sea and connected by a quick ferry is Moji Retro Town.  How can you miss a town with a name like that.  It was a fascinating area with old wood houses and supermarkets so that you can get an idea how people in Japan shop.  Markets tell so much about a people and are ever fascination.  Here is how the chip aisle looks in the store in Moji Retro Town.

Clearly there are almost as many varieties of chips as we have the US but  different.  To tell the truth they all looked quite yummy.







Lunch was one of the best sushi/sashimi meals I have ever had as the fish was so fresh!  To complete the fish experience this afternoon we attended a Fugu class where we learned how the fish is cleaned to be safe and sliced so thin that you can see through it!  Then we got to try ourselves.  Surprise my fugu presentation didn't quite look like the professional version.
It was still great fun and tasted great.

HIROSHIMA AND MIYAJIMA

This was quite a day of contrast.  We began the morning in Hiroshima with a heavy rain and dark clouds which matched the somber message of the Peace Memorial Park.  It is a beautiful statement to the horror and the wish for peace.  We saw the A-Bomb Dome left to remind the world of the destruction that occurred on August 6, 1945.   The museum had remains from the fateful day and even a watch that had stopped at the exact time that the bomb explored.                                                          

     

The experience was incredibly moving and the picture was truly brought to life by the special guest lecturer that was arranged by Orion Cruises.  A survivor who was 8 when the bomb dropped told her story and illustrated what it would have been like to be in Hiroshima on the fateful day. 

In the afternoon the sun came out and we enjoyed a splendid visit to Miyajima to view the O-torii Gate and the Shinto Temple Itsukshimo built in 593.  It has been rebuilt as necessary to preserve and keep this sacred place available for people to worship.

   

To complete the day we had time to shop in the wonderful arcade and enjoy fresh roasted oysters which are the delicacy of the area.