Hawaii

Before 06:00 on April 19 we were being serenaded outside of our balcony by a Hawaiian singer, playing ukulele, & hula dancers. What a pleasant wake-up call! We were back in the United States! Our ship, the MV Explorer, docked at Aloha Tower for a two day visit. How easy it was to be “at home.” We used the US dollar, the phones, the buses and cabs, and shopped at Wal-Mart for familiar brands. It is the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming our 50th state. Tourism in Hawaii is down by 25% this year; some reports as high as 40%. However, it still looked active and busy and the weather was excellent. A bit of history- when the missionaries came to Hawaii in the 1820s they outlawed the hula and destroyed the temples. In 1872 when Kalakaua was elected King he made the hula legal again. When Kalakaua died his sister, Queen Lil, took the throne. The people loved her but the US overthrew her in a bloodless coup. She died years later in prison. In 1994 Bill Clinton apologized to the Hawaiian people for the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii which took away their self determination. Now we have President Obama, born in Hawaii, which may affect Hawaii’s sovereignty in a positive way.
Because we docked at such a convenient location we were able to make convenient trips in Oahu over our two days there. We enjoyed good coffee, not available on the ship. We walked a lot over the days, seeing areas that were familiar because we were close to where Tara and Gabe lived. Waikiki was beautiful. Lunch at Lulu’s was a pleasure; we ordered what we cannot get on the ship- great charbroiled hamburgers. Day two’s lunch was at Margaritaville. I went swimming both days and the water was great. We did a little shopping at the International Market Place and on the main street. We had plenty to do for our one night on Oahu. We met friends for drinks, music and sunset at the Halekulani Hotel. We moved on to Tokkuri Tei for wonderful sushi in a small restaurant that was crowded with locals & no other voyagers. Our sake cups were served in boxes. They overflow the cup into the box as a demonstration of abundance. From there we went to Duke’s for a birthday celebration. A huge ship crowd was at Duke’s and it was a great time.
Others enjoyed some things that we have done on Oahu and some that we have not done. Visits to Pearl Harbor and Diamondhead were popular. Many students got tattoos as permanent markers of the voyage. A big adventure for a large number was skydiving, apparently a rite of passage. A few had a surprise chance to see a polo game. Some drove around all or part of the island and came into rain to the north. The Dole Pineapple Plantation with Visitors’ Center was also on some itineraries. Some students in my Foreign Policy class wrote papers comparing their experiences in Hiroshima to Pearl Harbor. Once back on the ship we watched Tora! Tora! Tora! that sadly showed all of the warnings that were missed right before the bombing on December 7, 1941.
Shipboard life continues to be great fun for us. The students complain about academic expectations but that is just not a problem for us. The talent show was an impressive event which featured a great variety of acts including, singing, dancing, slam poetry, juggling and Chinese yo-yoing. A chorus of faculty, staff & lifelong learners sang a song backed up by guitar, djembe, egg (Lisa, of course, but no egg solo) & 2 ukuleles. Hóg was on 1 of the ukuleles, his first gig & in front of several hundred people, no less. The play presented this semester was a Greek tragedy and although well done was an odd selection for our student body. The fund raising auction raised over $12,000 for future voyages, scholarships and supplies. We donated a gourmet dinner for six so sometime this fall we will be expecting six Philadelphia area students to join us at our home. Students did not hesitate to bid up items like a map of the voyage route signed by the captain, the opportunity to be first off or last off the ship in Fort Lauderdale, choice space at the rail as we pull in there, and even a few vacation options. Another fund raising drive is underway now. We have been promised tacos if everyone donates. It is an easy crowd. Another recent event was a dinner with our family of orphans, the students who had no family visitors on our Cambodia trip. (Tristan, note the ties on napkins.) Last night three families competed in Trivial Pursuit for two and a half hours without a final winner. Today is Earth Day around the world. It is the 40th anniversary. 200 million participants are expected to be involved in 180 countries. Taiwan will be unveiling a new packaging product for beverages, India will be pushing for use of paper bags, and Mauritius will turn off lights and go to candle illumination for two hours. We continue to advance our clocks on many nights in order to match our travel to the east. Talk on the ship is focusing more on the end of the voyage. We have two weeks, one port, and the Ambassadors’ Ball left to enjoy.

Japan - baseball

Take me out to the ballgame!!!!!!

Japan - the pictures

Here are the photos that go with the previous post. Enjoy, we did!

Japan - pictures later

Our second trip to Japan was as great as the first one nine years ago but very different. That trip was in November, colder weather. This trip was in the spring; we had perfect weather for every day of our visit. The ship went to two different ports in Japan, Kobe and Yokohama. On the morning of our first day in Kobe we went to the Portopia, the hotel where we stayed in 2000. It was a short distance away on the monorail so an easy trip and fun for us to return there. Later that day we took the bullet train, the shinkasin, to Hiroshima. The ride was fun and definitely fast but expensive. We spent the afternoon at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Inside are two models of the three mile wide ground zero area, one on August 5, 1945 and one on August 6, 1945. The second model shows the whole area destroyed by the bomb. One building is standing, the dome which has been left outside as it was on that day. 40,000 people were killed instantly and another 160,000 died as a result of the bombing and its after effects. One little boy was riding his tricycle at his home and was killed instantly. He was buried at home with that tricycle. Forty years later his family buried him in a proper cemetery and donated the tricycle to the museum. It was so sad to see, as of course, the whole museum was. Some watches were displayed, all stopped at 8:15 when the bomb hit, destroyed by the heat. Temperatures were said to reach 7,000º C. It was quite remarkable to us that our Japanese guide was explaining details of what happened to us Americans. Though we were not alive in 1945 you cannot help but feel a sense of responsibility. We walked through Peace Park and left paper cranes at the memorial as so many others have. The Flame of Peace will burn there until all nuclear weapons have been eliminated from earth.
The next day we traveled to Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan from 794-1868. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the weather was perfect. We visited several places that we had seen before but that just made us enjoy them more. The Golden Pavilion is a breathtaking Temple, built in 1390s as a retirement villa and restored to keep its original beauty. The Chinese phoenix sits on top of the temple. From there we went to Nijo Castle, the shogun castle built in 1603 with its manicured gardens. We enjoyed lunch at Maruyama Park. I took many pictures as I enjoyed the area and its shrines, gardens, and people. Later we went on to the Heian Shrine, a huge shrine surrounded by gardens and water. It was spectacular, built in 1985 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of the capital. Back on ship we watched Lost in Translation again; some of the filming was done at the Heian Shrine and in the gardens there. Our final stop in Kyoto was Kiyomizu Temple. It was a long walk to the top and the views of the entire city were well worth the hike.
We stayed on the ship for the one day trip to Yokahama, though many chose to find places to stay in Japan. I still needed rest from the pneumonia. I do seem to be well now. Yokahama is the third largest city in Japan. Its parks and streets were filled with cherry blossoms too. We saw quite a bit of the city. On the first night we screamed with the rest of the crowd at the baseball game, Yokahama Bay Stars vs. Tokyo Giants. The Giants won 9-2 but that did not discourage the Yokahama fans. A male cheerleader works each section of the stadium, getting the fans to join in cheers, songs and claps, but not the wave. People clap plastic megaphones, beat drums, blow trumpets and wave flags. It is a hoot.
On our final day in Japan we went to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Mt. Fuji is 3776 m high. It last erupted 300 years ago. 68% of Japan is mountainous and it is some of the prettiest scenery that we have ever seen. The peak is permanently snow capped. We could not go all the way up as hiking season is limited to July and August. We did get to the mid-point and walked in some snow. In the afternoon we visited Hakone National Park. We took a lift to the top where the views of the area with its lakes were fantastic. We ended the day with a boat ride across Lake Ashi. It really does look like The Sound Of Music country.
We are back on ship now with eight days of travel until we hit Honolulu. The students are studying for their second Global Studies exam and I am resuming yoga. Upcoming events are an auction and a talent show. The big end of voyage event is the Ambassador’s Ball after Honolulu.

China

We have just spent six full days in China. The greatest experiences were walking on the Great Wall and seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors. China is full of so much history that you see it and experience it everywhere. The trip fit perfectly with my class on the Qin and the Han Dynasties. Our days were so packed that I will not even try to tell you all that we did, just the highlights and some impressions. We were there for the 50th anniversary of the Chinese taking over Tibet, the 30th anniversary of China opening up and not just being a closed Communist society, and the 20th anniversary of the massacre at Tiananmen Square. We arrived in Hong Kong on March 29. China runs under two systems as agreed to when Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997. Hong Kong has its own currency, rules, regulations and passports. It has autonomy except in foreign affairs and national defense. The US maintains “strategic ambiguity” with the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan. We needed to recognize the PRC; but we still maintain defense of Taiwan which China hates. What a huge and interesting port. We entered from the ship directly into a shopping mall, how is that for marketing? Hóg and I and our traveling group did not spend time in Hong Kong. Instead we traveled directly to the airport for a flight to Beijing. Beijing, the capitol, has eight counties and is the size of Belgium. That night we had a dinner of Peking duck. Besides the delicious main dish that you have seen with the pancakes, scallions and plum sauce we had numerous duck side dishes, including duck feet (crunchy).
The second day was our Great Wall adventure. Sections of the wall were started as early as 656 BC, before the states of the area were united. In the Qin Dynasty when the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang took control he conquered his internal rivals and then ordered that the wall be repaired, connected and extended to keep out nomads. It took ten years to complete this work. Dealing with nomads is a defining theme in Chinese history; Qin did not want to intermarry or have diplomatic relations so he ordered the wall to demonstrate superiority. The wall was repaired and the look changed to the more symmetric block pattern look that we know today during the Ming dynasty. The original wall in Beijing was almost 4000 miles so you choose a section to visit and you start climbing. We climbed the Ju Rong Guan section. We were walking up with one young student from Puerto Rico when it started to snow. She had never seen snow before and she just lit up. Of course, we took that picture, another SAS memorable moment! After walking until we could go no further we found a vendor selling “I walked the Great Wall” t-shirts. I had to have one, I earned it, but how does she get there every day?
We visited the Summer Palace where the Royal Family takes summer vacations. It was built in 1750, razed in 1860 and rebuilt in 1886. It is a beautiful, serene and relaxing place to visit. We viewed the Birds Nest and the Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics but only from a distance. That night a small group went to an acrobatic show. Juggler, contortionists, a slack wire balancing act, and the finale was twelve girls riding one bicycle. We found our way to dinner at a local place where one student ordered pigs’ fallopian tubes (chewy). Lisa tried to order a chicken dish and was told it’s too hot for you, she said to make it less hot and was told it’s not good when it’s not hot. She then tried to order a pork dish and the girl said no, you wanted chicken. Communication without a common tongue can be very entertaining.
Our final day in Beijing started with a trip to Tiananmen Square, the largest public space in the world. Our guide was not allowed to talk to us about the events of June 1989. It seems clear that our interport speaker from China had to get her materials cleared by the government too. The loop TV on ship did play the Frontline documentary The Tank Man, which showed the horrible sequence of events that led to over 2000 people being gunned down by their own troops. The Chinese Red Cross reported that 2600 civilians were killed but was forced to retract that and state that 200+ were killed. These events and what followed bring out all of the issues in modern day China. The government response to the repeated protests was that they would not stop the economic reform but they would stop the political reform. Today the state does not control all of the businesses as it once did. Individuals do. So there are millionaire capitalists, enjoying a new era. However, many subjects are taboo and censuring is everywhere. China has 30,000 internet police. Google is highly censured in China, see Tiananmen Square in China vs. US (not that you can but the difference is clear). People in rural areas are very poor with no way to earn more than a subsistence living. Some family members leave their rural families for the city to work. This way they may be able to pay for the education of a child at home. The city jobs are often factory jobs. Healthy young workers are recruited to live in dormitories and work seven days a week, thirteen hours per day for $120 per month. They get no sick pay, no compensation for injuries and no pension. They breathe in toxic dust without protection. Within 5-7 years they quit or get fired and many more people are waiting to fill the jobs.
We walked through the Forbidden City of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the largest of China’s existing imperial palaces and the former residence of 24 emperors. Entrance to commoners was forbidden. The final stop in Beijing was the Temple of Heaven, a beautiful example of traditional Chinese architecture. I loved this place. Retirees have day passes and go there to share company, play cards, games, to dance and relax. I danced with them and tried a game and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our senior centers could learn from the Temple of Heaven.
We flew to Xian and went straight to an incredible dumpling banquet, way more than we could eat! Our guide in Xian was delightful but certainly not free to talk about all subjects. After a morning trip to the Lesser Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian History Museum, we went to see the famous Terra Cotta Warriors. Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor, had them built so that he could continue his conquests after his death. Over 5000 life sized warriors have been uncovered since their discovery by four farmers in mid 1970’s. They stand where they were found, not fully excavated; buildings have been built around them to create today’s tourist centers. Excavation continues. The first night in Xian featured dinner and a Tang Dynasty dance show.
The final day in Xian started with a calligraphy lesson which I thoroughly enjoyed and will keep working on. Our Chinese calligraphy teacher has studied for 30 years and could work at it for 30 more. There are 5 forms of calligraphy (think cursive and printing and three more). We worked with brushes and black paint and emulated his strokes. On the final day we also saw a Confucian Museum where the tablets of the 13 classic books as well as numerous other art relics are on display, the Bell Tower, the People’s Square, and the Han Yang Ling Museum, where thousands more buried terra cotta warriors and animals have been partially excavated but these are in miniature. There is so much more to tell, again, but it will have to wait.
The experience of China is a lot to think about. The cities are very clean and people are industrious and friendly. We did not travel in rural areas that tell a different story. Would anyone in government approve this writing to be sent out? It was a busy trip with so much more to know.
Lisa developed pneumonia by the time we returned to the ship & received medical care as soon as we boarded. She is doing well & recovering. (She was well enough to write the blog to this point so she really is doing OK.)
I went on our next excursion without Lisa, so now you will get the last day in China from Hóg’s perspective. I went on a trip with about 40 other SAS folks to the city of Suzhou. We first went to the university & then to The Master of Nets Garden, The Humble Administrator’s Garden & The Lingering Garden. We also had a boat ride on the canals for about an hour. This area seemed to be very focused on Confucianism & Taoism even though the country is communist. I have always thought that if I ever were to accept philosophical structure to my life it would be Taoist & these gardens have only affirmed that. They were beautiful, serene & understated. The only negative is that they are so appealing, they are tourist attractions & the serenity is often lost amidst the hustle & bustle of the visitors.
I have purposely avoided much of the news while we have been on this voyage but I do know that the worldwide economy still sucks & the G20 summit in London is going on. After seeing all the high rises in the cities we’ve stayed or passed through, I think I would buy stock in an elevator company that services the Chinese market. Whatever the market may do, the people will still have to get home & home is an elevator ride.