China and the End of the Cruise

 

After our two stops in South Korea, we had one sea day before pulling into the Port of Tianjin (closest town is actually Tanggu, and Tianjin is an hour train ride from there). The visibility was very poor, most likely caused by the massive amounts of coal burning that takes place. The new cruise terminal was quite large, but very lacking in facilities. After the lengthy immigration process, I finally left the ship and headed to the currency exchange booth – guess what, they’d “run out of money.” With no local currency and nothing within 10 miles, there was nothing I could do but go back on the ship. Even though the 50-minute bus ride into Tanggu cost only 2 Yuan (about 35 cents), I had no Yuan – back to ship.

I was a little luckier the next day; a couple and I combined funds to reduce the impact of the excessive transaction fee at the currency exchange booth, but after exchanging only $100, they ran out of money again. I took the bus into Tanggu, and then the train to Tianjin (16 stops, one hour – 9 Yuan, or $1.50). My plan was to then take the high-speed train into Beijing, but it was now too late to be able to get the bus back to the port if I went to Beijing, so I took the train back to Tanggu, and caught the bus back to the port.

There is a lot of building taking place, but no one in the areas. I saw one place where there were about 300 new apartment buildings (30-40 stories each), all built, but not finished on outside, no windows, etc. And the port area is all on reclaimed land, they’re building there also, but no one lives out there. I stayed on the ship the third day in port. I was very disappointed in the port terminal and facilities (or lack thereof). If they want to continue to get cruise ships there, they

As we pulled away, I noticed the outside lining of cabin window was covered with black soot. No wonder my throat still hurt and my eyes were stinging.

We had two days at sea to me our way to Shanghai, where I got off the ship, went to the airport, and flew home (Shanghai – Vancouver – Seattle – Boise). It was nice to get back to fresh air.

My summary of the cruise:

The staff of the Celebrity Millennium was excellent, and they and the passengers seemed to really appreciate my port talks. Average attendance at the six talks ranged from 400 to 700, and I was always deluged with individual questions afterward. I also gave a couple informal Q&A sessions on writing, and there were some very interesting discussions that took place. I enjoyed the itinerary of this cruise, and I would do it again (hopefully with my wife going the next time) as I have a lot more knowledge of the areas now.

South Korea

From the warm and very pleasant weather in Nagasaki, the next day (Wednesday 17^th) we were in Busan (or Pusan), South Korea where the cold wind greeted us harshly. Even though there wasn’t a terminal building, the facilities on the pier were quite ample – currency exchange, tourist information, etc. Since I’m on the ship as the port lecturer, I chose to find out more about the port and local areas rather than go on one of the ship’s excursions. One of the buses that was on the pier was apparently a believer in the saying, “The good die young” – check out the name of the bus line. I guess you get there even faster on that bus!

I went out to the bus stop and took local bus 66 into downtown. The fare was 1,200 Won (about $1.10). The drop-off point was right at Lotte Department Store (a huge shopping store), plus there was a subway stop right under ground. After watching the amazing 4-story water show (it ended with spelling out “Thank You” in Korean in English as water dropped from the ceiling), I had a bite to eat in one of the many eating areas and then went to the observation deck on the roof. It was very windy up there, but the views were worth it.

One of the views from the ship was that of the unfinished Gwangan (Diamond) Bridge. Here is a photo of the roadway where there are still a few sections left to be installed.

As we left the port, there was entertainment – a fantastic saxophone player, plus a couple traditional dances. The wind was still blowing, and the cold was quite biting, but these performers were fantastic. Hopefully the warm applause from the guests let them know how much they were appreciated.

The ship pulled into Jeju Island on the 18^th. The weather had improved a bit, but it turned out to be only a brief respite. Jeju Island is one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature. There is so much to see and do on this resort island, but I spent my day in town. I took a taxi in to the large underground shopping area, as it was conveniently in English and Korean on the map. I then strolled around town (not really much to see and do there), and then walked back to the ship. Given that I’ve been battling a sore throat, that was about the end of my activities for the day.

 

Nagasaki, Japan

Thursday April 18 – Nagasaki

 

Today we are on Jeju Island in South Korea, and it’s our third straight port day (Nagasaki, Busan, Jeju Island). Tomorrow will be a sea day, followed by three days in the port of Tianjin, China (our gateway into Beijing). This post will be only on Nagasaki, Japan, as there is more than enough for this amazing city.

Nagasaki, of course, is primarily remembered as the city that was leveled by the second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945. Even though there was a major shipbuilding operation in Nagasaki, it wasn’t the original target for the bomb. Kokura, with its armament factory, was the intended target, but the cloud cover didn’t allow a clear sighting, and the plane went to its secondary target, Nagasaki. Today, the city is known around the world for its promotion of peace. Below are a few of the photographs I took.

 

The city is also home to Japan’s oldest wooden church, Oura Church, which is up a slight hill from the harbor, and right next to Glover Garden (Glover was a Scotsman who founded the shipbuilding industry in Nagasaki that later became Mitsubishi). While the inside of the church was mildly interesting, I would tell people to save their 300Yen for use somewhere else (such as a 250Yen ice cream cone).

A major sweet food item in Nagasaki is the Castella sponge cake that was brought by the Portuguese in the late 16^th century. Flour, sugar, and eggs are the main ingredients, although the flavored varieties have other items in them.

Monday April 15 – Enroute to Nagasaki

It’s been a very busy Sea Day today as I gave to two Port Lectures (one on Nagasaki, Japan, and the other on our two South Korea ports Pusan and Jeju Island). I also had “Desk Hours” for about 90 minutes where I was approached by about twenty people with their questions about our destinations. The port lectures have been very well attended, about 300 people at each of them today.

Yesterday we were in the port of Keelung, Taiwan. While it’s considered “The Gateway to Taipei,” I stayed in Keelung to roam the port, gathering more detailed information. I also went to the Miaokou Night Market, even though it was open during the day. For lunch I had a bowl of Squid and Noodle Soup. I needed to find someone to interpret my request from English to Taiwanese so I could get served. The delicious bowl was 60 Taiwanese Dollars, about $2 US.

I, too, gave in to the easy photo opportunity of the Statue of Liberty “above” the McDonald’s arches. I was surprised how busy it was in town for a Sunday afternoon. There seemed to be two types of shops open – food and clothing/accessories. 

This picture of a temple on the hill was nicely framed by trees and buildings; I took the photo from the 11^th deck shortly after we pulled into port.

At dinner this evening, I saw some people who looked familiar. It was Terry and Maureen whom we met on our Barcelona-Dubai cruise in November 2011. Since they live in Victoria, BC, Canada, they are on the Millennium for three cruises: this one, the one then from Shanghai to Seward, Alaska, and then the one from Seward to Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was great to see them and chat a bit with them!

Hong Kong

Friday April 12 – Hong Kong

Yesterday afternoon I was able to walk into Kowloon and along Nathan Street. One of my longtime ambitions has been to walk on Nathan Street and look for the address 122. We have carved oriental furniture (purchased by my Dad when he was in the Navy) that was made by George Zee whose factory was at 122 Nathan Road – see the photo of the metal label from the bottom of one of the two sets of 4 stacking tables. The first two digits ‘62’ indicate that they were made in 1962. As I walked up the road I took a picture of the road sign 100-130 Nathan Road – I was getting close!!!

Good news, bad news. I found where the factory was – it (and other addresses) have been gobbled up into a shopping mall. Sadly, even though the address of MiraMall is 118-130 Nathan Road, there is no shop in the mall with the number 122. At least I tried!

After our first night on the ship docked here in Hong Kong (where it rained quite a bit), the morning brought a break in the rain, although it was still quite cloudy. There were some sprinkles in the morning as I briskly walked the jogging track on Deck 11 (I soon had the whole track to myself), and it was a quite invigorating way to start the day (walking up the stairs from Deck 2 to Deck 11 began the cardio routine). I didn’t go on an excursion today as I wanted to re-visit the talk I was giving today (an overview of the ports where we’re going, and it’s a new route for the ship). There was quite a turnout (about 250 people) in the ship’s theater.

Our sail away from port began at 9:45 PM; the atmosphere was jovial even though the damp air did have a modest effect on the outside turnout. The three short blasts on the ship’s horn announced our departure from the busy Hong Kong skyline.