We wish you a wonderful life.

Takamatsu, Japan

Saturday, August 3, 2019

What a difference a day makes.

After our restorative self-proclaimed sea day yesterday I’m ready to dip myself in SPF 50, don my too-cute-AND-packable hat from REI and head out. 

We keep meeting people who go ashore in Japan and take a train here or a ferry there. I don’t see how they do it. The public transportation system is supposed to be wonderful and easy to use but all the signage is in Japanese characters so how do you know which train/ferry/subway to take? This morning at breakfast, the young man refilling coffee cups said he just had a chat with his supervisor because I guess he was late getting back to the ship yesterday. “All Aboard” time for crew is usually an hour before that for passengers and I guess he missed the crew time. He told us he took the train from the pier into downtown Takamatsu. There was just one train, no problem. However, when it was time to come back there were SIX trains leaving. He asked for the one to the pier and the reply was, “Which one? There are seven piers.” Ruh roh. And that is precisely why Susan and Jim, directionally challenged on a good day, rely on a guide and driver to get us to and from.

When we arrived this morning around 7 am there was a jazz band on the dock to greet us. The cruise pier is part of a lovely park that stretches along the breakwater to the harbor entrance. It appears to be a favorite jogging, bike riding and dog walking path. The immediate area around the gangway from ship to pier is marked with temporary chain link fencing and the usual Japanese Customs checking for fruit and vegetables, otherwise the rest of the pier is open to the public. I keep thinking how much fun it would be as a child (or grownup) to go to the pier and watch the cruise ships come in. I’m guessing that Kochi is too small for the giant ships, but the Maasdam slips in quite nicely. We’re liking these musical greetings in the smaller ports.

Takamatsu is on the island of Shikoku, long isolated from the other islands by the natural barrier of the Seto Inland Sea. It’s now connected by three bridges but still is off the beaten tourist track. Like the rest of Japan, the island is mountainous, but unlike the other cities we’ve visited Takamatsu seems much more rural with farms and fishermen. 

The population is 400,000 or so, a crossroads compared to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe. As we drove through the city, there were the usual eight or ten-story apartment buildings but also single family homes and parking lots! Tucked in amongst the homes and businesses are small  rice paddies, beautiful, lush and green this time of year. Lots of commerce, stores, bowling alleys, Pachinko with the endless signage that we’ve seen at every stop. Definitely no laws regarding size and location of signs! 

We stopped for a red light in front of a gas station. Jim noticed that boxes are painted on the ground showing you where you are to stop your car for a fill up. We left before I could tell if there were attendants or it was self-serve. I did see a young man in the ubiquitous dark pants, short sleeve white shirt and black tie talking to a lady at her car but could only guess his job.

We decided to take a short, three-hour excursion (it’s still ripping hot and humid. So hazy we didn’t realize until the sun burned some of it off in the afternoon that there are several islands close by with ferries going back and forth) to a Bonsai farm and the George Nakashima Memorial Gallery. Nakashima was a Japanese-American who studied forestry at the University of Washington then switched to architecture with a masters in that field from MIT. He finished school in the depth of the Depression, so wandered the world as our guide Naru put it, “as a Bohemian” before beginning his career as an architect. He was interred at a camp in Idaho during WWII where he met and studied with a master Japanese woodworker. As a result he became a furniture designer who melded his various influences to create the definitive American Craftsman furniture style. His design is clean and modern as tomorrow, looking like Danish Shaker with more delicacy than Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom he worked on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, by the way.

The Gallery is in front of the furniture factory. Nakashima died in 1990 but factories (and I use that term loosely—the one in Takamatsu is very small and all furniture and accessories are made by hand in both locations) in Takamatsu and New Hope, PA still follow his designs and philosophy of sustainable forestry. Most everything is made of walnut from trees that have fallen from storm or age. We wandered around the building and found stacks of walnut boards, at least 18” wide and 2 or 3” thick by 20’ long, under tarps, drying and aging. Inside are examples of his iconic designs, some in a museum setting-look but don’t touch- others available to admire and touch with chairs to sit-test. Nakashima made “live edge” tables decades ago. Some of his most spectacular pieces are massive dining or conference tables made from slabs of walnut, cut and bookended and connected with joiners that look like butterflies. The gallery docent showed me pictures of Nelson Rockefeller’s home in Pocantico  Hills in the Hudson River Valley furnished with the 200 pieces of furniture he commissioned from Nakashima. Note to self: research to see if that house is open to the public. 

Jim bought some small accessory pieces but we had to pass on any furniture. Our new apartment is too small plus we’d have to both sell kidneys AND cash in a 401K to pay for it. A girl can dream...

The area is home to the famous Ritsurin Park Gardens and also 40 Bonsai farms. We stopped at one and were shown around by a young man who is a fifth generation Bonsai farmer. “Farmer” seems too rustic a term for what is really an art. His grandfather was carefully pruning a beautiful pine nor more than a foot tall. Most of the plants were conifers but with patience and skill many trees and shrubs can be trained—maples, azaleas, persimmon and even a blueberry loaded with berries. We wandered around through hundreds of Bonsais from new ones to the pride of the family, a large one over 200 years old. Of course we are prohibited to take live anything back with us which nipped the temptation to buy one in the bud. Oh, and the prices also gave one pause. The “starters” are around US$50 but the more mature Bonsais are in the 100s and 1,000s of dollars range. 

Not only is it a nice change to be in a less populous and frantic place but we also have a fantastic guide, Naru. She was a journalist in Tokyo who was sent on an assignment to Takamatsu. She liked the area so much she moved there and switched professions and is now a professional guide. Her English is excellent, she enjoys showing visitors the charms of this island and she is a bundle of energy.

As in the rest of the country, small convenience stores are everywhere and a source for everything. Naru was concerned that we stay hydrated, so had the driver stop at a Lawson’s, one of a chain. I was so curious about what was in these stores plus I’m on the hunt for the flavored Kit Kat bars found in Japan, so I was off that bus and into that store in a heartbeat. It’s like a 7/11 on steroids. I mean that little place carries EVERYthing! Naru steered me away from the Kit Kats I found (“Get them at the airport.”) and when I told her I’d had a green tea ice cream cone the day before she led me to the ice cream freezer and chose a green, very green, ice cream bar. I don’t know what is in Japanese ice cream but it is so creamy but doesn’t taste overly rich. That ice cream bar was divine. I saved the stick and the box it came in on the off chance that I might ever find one in the US of A. Once again, a girl can dream.

I always have my nose pressed to the window as we’re driving around. We passed what we thought might be a baseball or soccer stadium but Naru said it was a bicycle race track. Betting on bicycle races is a big thing. It was next door to a fencing studio and an archery range. 

I also spotted a few larger stores, what I assume were supermarkets because of the huge photos of fruits and vegetables on the signs. One of the little oddities we’ve noticed as we travel around is that all the signage is in Japanese characters, quite often there is an English phrase on the building describing what they sell or just some random sentence. My favorite was on the front of a supermarket: “We wish you a delightful life.” 

We sat with a foursome last night at dinner. Jim was having a long chat with one man about golf in Tennessee. Next to me was (I assume) a retired astronomer from Ireland now living in Florida. I tried to engage him in Star Talk (A tip of the hat to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast) telling him about our star gazing in the South Pacific and watching the Space Station fly over in Florida but he was having none of it. At least I didn’t confuse astronomy with astrology although now that I think of it, seeing his face as I asked him his sign might have been priceless. Sometimes the conversation just doesn’t flow so we took a break from the dining room and tonight had dinner for two in the Pinnacle Grill. It’s quiet, great service, good food and a nice view out the window as we sailed under the bridge, twinkling with lights, that links Honshu to Shikoku.

Kobe

Kobe, Japan

Friday, August 2, 2019

Predicted high: 112.

We stayed on the boat, Jim read and I knitted, and generally enjoyed having the place to ourselves, a/c blasting.

Tomorrow’s another day.

Mountain? What Mountain?

Shimizu, Japan

Thursday, August 1, 2019

No break in the weather but at least we’re going to be out and about for only four hours or so.

Our first stop was a parking lot where we walked to a boardwalk that took us to the beach where we stood and looked at Mt. Fuji. Well, we looked at where Mt. Fuji would be seen if it was October! It’s way too hot and hazy to see anything during the summer. Our tour description says, “Views of Mt. Fuji are weather permitting.” Even our guide told us it wasn’t visible until the summer was over and the skies cleared in autumn. Oh, well. I’ll buy a postcard.

Shimizu is in the prefecture (similar to a province) that birthed Mr. Honda and Mr. Toyota. Miss Guide (never did get her name) asked how many of us drove Japanese cars and nearly every hand went up. Even she was a bit surprised. This is also the area where green tea is grown. Miss Guide told us how to brew a proper green tea, or I think she did. Her English was excellent, very clear, but no volume. Many requests for her to speak up but no such luck. 

The trees throughout the city are pruned again like giant bonsai. We went to a Japanese garden near the ruins of an Edo-era castle. Very lovely but couldn’t hear any of Miss G’s narration. AND when she stopped to talk about something she would stop in the sun, not the shade. When several of us walked to a shady spot she insisted we return to the group. This is most unusual. The guides don’t want to stand in the sun anymore than we do. It was downhill from there. At our last stop, another shrine, Jim and I and a few others chose to meander through the little farmer’s market on the grounds in the shade. Then we went into a little snack shop. I couldn’t read any of the menu but I could point to an ice cream cone,, green tea, please. The lady opened a freezer case and took out a small container about the size of a hockey puck, opened the lid and stuck it into a machine on the counter, much like you’d put a K-cup of coffee into a Keurig. Instead of coffee, this machine made soft ice cream. She put a cone underneath the spout and, badda boom, a green tea soft serve cone. Very green and very good. (Note to self: check Amazon for one of those machines.)

One of our fellow travelers who went with the guide on a tour of the shrines (there were five) in the sun, swooned and had to be carried back to the visitors center for water and a/c. Sorry for her but, Told Ya So!!!! This is the first time we have ever stiffed a guide; no tip. Just get me back to the boat!

Last week when we had dinner with the oncologist he said he’d been to Japan and just didn’t understand the appeal. I’m beginning to feel the same. Twelve more days. But we will go around this island and up to a couple of Russian ports. I hope Vladivostok and Korsakov are as quirky and oddly charming as Petropavlovsk. And as temperate.

Yokohama/Tokyo

Tokyo

July 31, 2019

We arrived in Yokohama very, very early. The harbor is large and active with dozens of freighters, large and small, waiting outside to enter. On the map it looks like Yokohama is part of Tokyo but it is actually the fourth largest city in Japan with 3.5 million people.

AND OMG IT’S HOT!!!!!!! AND HUMID!!!!!!!!! The temperature is c.95 with humidity in that range, too. It’s very, very hazy from all that moisture in the air. As we are to learn as we visit more of Japan, this is not the best time to visit. The guides keep telling us that it’s much too hot in the summer. There is a Cool Biz policy for business men in July and August—Shirtsleeves are acceptable, leave the coat and tie at home until the Fall.

Months ago when we were planning this trip we thought it would be smart to spend the day in Tokyo, trying to see as much as possible since we will go straight from ship to airport in two weeks when we’re back in Yokohama. Oh, boy. If we knew then what we know now.

The bus is lovely, new, spotless (Japan is the cleanest country I’ve ever visited) and blessedly air conditioned. Usually we try to stay away from any tour that is described as “panoramic” because that means you drive by sights and sites rather than stopping and visiting. As soon as we stepped off the bus at our first stop, the Imperial Palace Plaza, we were hit smack in the face with the heat and humidity AND throngs of people. 

The grounds are beautiful—-emerald green grass with dozens of pine trees all trimmed to look like giant bonsai. Some grass you can walk on, some you can’t. Even though the emperor is a figurehead, he has lots of perks and evidently walking on the grass is one of them. We walked across the park, the plaza and street to the Imperial Gate which is open two days a year, the emperor’s birthday and New Years Day. So we took pictures of the gate, the walls, the moat and the guard (guards everywhere—at historical sites, busy corners, parking lot entrances) and then dragged back across the street, plaza and park to the restrooms, very clean but also very Japanese. I didn’t pee in a hole in the ground in China, I’m not doing it in Japan. However, what I did learn in China is that all public restrooms have one designated for handicapped,  always western style and it appears that the same goes for Japan. The restroom attendant gave me a side eye when I left said accommodation but I faked a limp as I walked away. Don’t judge.

Tokyo is as big and busy as I had imagined. Lots of “businessmen” as our guide referred to any man in white shirts, dark pants with a briefcase, swiftly walking from here to there. And lots of women, old and young, taking shelter from the sun under an umbrella or parasol as they walked from here to there. The city has excellent public transportation and some of the craziest parking garages ever. There just isn’t room to building a parking building with driving between floors so they use elevators. We watched as a car entered a multi-storied parking building and an attendant bruskly pointed him to one of eight garage doors. When the appointed door opened, the person drove his car into what we saw was an elevator, the door closed and up man and auto went. One of the chi-chi buildings had a round table like those used to turn locomotives around. Seemed like you drove onto the turntable which turned your car around, the door opened, you backed in, door closed and then elevator up. Could’ve sat on the curb and watched the process all day but if you’ll remember, HOT!

I forgot to mention that our guide was Yuki and our driver Mr. Suzuki. Mr. S was young but extremely professional who drove carefully and kept a tidy bus. In fact, every car in Tokyo looked freshly washed. Most of the taxis are black and they looked positively burnished. Yuki said that Japanese were obsessive cleaners. “If we have a spare moment we clean something.” She gave us the rundown on the cost of a car in Tokyo. She lives in a 60 square meter, approximately 630 square feet, (average for family of four) condominium. If she had a car, a parking place in her condo building would be an additional $400 per month. The gas isn’t outrageously expensive—1.42 Yen for a liter which is roughly $5-ish a gallon— and all the cars are small and probably get great mileage but it’s the acquisition and upkeep. Instead, Yuki uses public transportation or her bicycle. Lot of bicycles, most with baskets on the front and many with a kid’s seat on the back. We saw many young mothers pedaling around town doing errands with a little one strapped in behind her. Many delivery bicyclists, too. The traffic is as you’d expect so bicycle delivery makes sense plus where would you park a delivery car or van? A couple of times during the day when Mr. S dropped us off he had to go meandering around until it was time to pick us up. Remember all those police guards? Well, there is another level that seems to be in charge of no stopping, double parking or idling. They also keep the sidewalks clear. No stopping on the sidewalk to chat with someone. All players are in motion at all times.

Before I forget, Yuki said that to Japanese, Beverly Hills is the ultimate in luxury so if you want to make a shop or building or restaurant sound posh you tag “Hills” onto the name.

We went to the Ginza district. Heat be damned, my little heart leaped for joy! It’s a shopping Mecca! Every name in fashion, design, jewelry that you can think of has a location in the Ginza. Gucci, Channel, Prada, Tiffany’s, Harry Winston and on and on. My absolute favorite was the Bottega Venetta building. It was faced with material that looked woven like their iconic woven leather bags. However, my mission wasn’t designer goods it was quilt fabric!

We quickly learned that Japanese do not like to speak English. Supposedly the children learn in school but the letters and words are very difficult for them so even though they might understand, they rarely reply in English. This is all a preamble to me asking the lovely ladies (ANYone with a job that interacts with the public is drop dead gorgeous) at the information booth in one of the main buildings where I could find cotton fabric. Lots of blank looks but finally I played charades and acted out cutting fabric and then sewing it. Bingo! A street map came out and I was pointed to a department store (there are several in the area from basic to over-the-top) across the street, sixth floor. 

Keep in mind that the Ginza district is a cross between Times Square and Fifth Avenue—-lots of traffic, lots of pedestrians—so when I said to Jim, “Let’s go,” he was momentarily reluctant. He wanted to keep our designated meeting place where Mr S would pick us up in one hour in sight. But off we went and into the department store that was a time warp. Every floor was designated for certain goods from dresses to drapes and on the sixth, fabric! An entire floor of fabric, ribbons, buttons. I bounced around like a pinball looking for “Made in Japan” and gathered up an armload of this and that. All the measurements were in centimeters so I had no idea how big a piece of fabric I was buying (my brain was too heat-fried to convert), but that just added to the sport. When you check out at a store the cashier has a stack of small baskets. Instead of handing the money directly to her, you put it in the basket and she hands the change back in the basket. So very civilized. 

We spent fifteen minutes or so looking for a convenience store to buy something to drink. Usually there is one on every block but not in the Ginza. We found a Starbucks (Yuki told us they are very popular in Japan, especially the Mango Frappuccino) but the line was too long so back to the bus for us.

Lunch was in a nice hotel. A crazy buffet of Japanese and western food with terrific dim sum. We sat with a couple from Merced, CA. He is a die-heart Dodger fan and even left a world cruise to go to Spring Training and then rejoined the cruise. He and Jim could’ve gone on  trading “remember when” baseball stories for hours but we had to go on to a temple that was both Shinto and Buddhist. 

I admit that I had moved on from whiney to cranky by this point. So I mostly sat in the semi-shade with my best pouty face waiting for the allotted 45 minutes to pass and the return of Mr. S and his wonderfully cool bus.

It was a very long nine-hour excursion. 

We each drank a liter of water when we were back on board and decided that we would be taking a pass on our planned nine-hour excursion to Kyoto in two days time. It’s supposed to be even hotter there. I don’t care if it’s the must-see of Japan. I’ll look at the pictures in Eyewitness Travel Japan.

Kushiro, Japan

Kushiro, Japan

Monday, July 29, 2019

Sometime in the night the fog horn started up again, but the fog lifted a bit as we entered the port at Kushiro, on the northern island of Hokkaido. Even though we docked right in the city center, we opted to take a short tour if only to get our bearings and get a feel for the place.

The Japanese officials were at the dock when we landed a bit before 8 am. By 9 o’clock they had set up multiple computer stations in the library and the passenger clearing began. Because we were on one of the ship’s excursions, we were in Group 1 so first in line. It was a painless process that went pretty quickly for those of us in the front of the line. This procedure lasted all morning until everyone had gone through the gauntlet. 

Since we weren’t to leave on our tour until noon, we walked down the waterfront to the Moo, a multi-storied building with individual vendors and shops selling everything from souvenirs to candy to fish to produce. All the fruit was displayed beautifully. And why not? One peach, now I grant you it was a big peach, but one peach was 780 Yen or about $8 US. Better be the best peach ever. I’ve read about the Japanese insisting on the most perfect fruit and paying for it but 4,800 Yen for a watermelon? Approx $48 US. Yowza.

The candy stores are jammed with so many mysterious things. One little shop was stocked with the equivalent of our penny candy. They had little baskets for the customers to fill. It was overwhelming. I bought a pretty box of what I hope is a selection of candy to take to the Friday quilt group when I get home. I also bought what I thought might be plum and cantaloupe jellies in little individual cups. Like Jell-O shots. Tasted one. Sort of like a Jell-O shot but without the vodka. I’ve since learned that the KitKat bars in Japan are filled with different flavors depending on the geographical location. I’ve been assured that these are available at the airport, the traditional dumping ground for foreign currency. Jim just said, “You buy it, you carry it.” 

Our excursion was to Kushiro Tancho Nature Park where the once almost extinct Japanese crane population is being restored. Our guide is a bundle of energy and so happy to show us her area of Japan. Fuji (her name was something a lot more complicated but she said, “Call me Fuji, like the mountain. Easy to say and remember.”) Her brother-in-law was a skater in the Calgary Olympics. She took her two small children there for three weeks to support him and experience it all. She said she didn’t speak a word of English but everyone was so kind, especially to her children, that she decided she would begin English lessons when she returned to Japan. And she did! Now she guides tourists in the summer and also works as a medical translator. I need a goal.

The crane park was a bit of a disappointment. Cranes mate for life. Each breeding pair lived in an enclosure surrounded by a high, electrified chain link fence to keep the critters out. These enclosures were huge—at least 30 meters wide and much, much deeper. Lots of grasses and trees and streams in each. The cranes seemed content with their housing. I asked if they could fly out. Yes, they could but a strain of bird flu had been detected outside of the park, so the wings of the cranes had been clipped so they couldn’t fly. They will regrow those feathers in about two years when the danger of the disease will have passed. When they can fly, do they return? Yes, they always return to their home area. Big birds: 5 feet tall, black and white with red on the tops of their heads. Very distinctive. A man on the dock was handing out little origami cranes. Mine is destined for our Christmas tree in December.

We crossed over Hokkaido’s most impressive natural area, the Kushiro Marsh National Park. It’s Japan’s largest wetland, home to many endangered species. Another stop at an Observatory for a more extensive view of the area and then to the Washo Fish Market back in Kushiro. All kinds of fish for sale as well as rice bowls. First you buy a bowl of rice and then you go from stall to stall adding various things to the bowl—sashimi, smoked fish, salmon roe, whatever strikes your fancy. Jim and I whimped out on that experience. Somehow having some guy pick up a piece of raw fish from an open display and plopping it in your bowl seemed like tempting fate. We also opted out on the next stop and decided to walk back to the ship which we could see looming up in the distance. It took us maybe 15 minutes, passing a 7-11 on the way. I was all for checking to see if they had my all-time favorite, Classic Coke Slurpee, but it was not to be.

Very rarely are the docks where we tie up open to the public. So often they are in working commercial ports that are strictly off limits to civilians. In Kushiro we are just one block from the city street. The dock area has a beautiful park, basketball courts and a skate board park. A guard has been posted since we landed who very officially directs any cars, taxis and buses to their designated parking areas. Well, about 5 o’clock people began to arrive and gather on the dock, including a sixth grade orchestra. They set up their chairs and music stands just below our stateroom and began tuning up. A woman in a lovely kimono approached the microphone to tell us that the kids (six in the horn section, one drummer, one marimba player and one percussionist) had been playing together for four years. 

All aboard was 5:30, set sail at 6, so we were a somewhat captive audience. There was a big banner on the dock that welcomed the Maasdam this morning and now another was unfurled that thanked us for coming and bade us to come back soon. More people are gathering. The official car director is now directing all comers to a parking area on the dock so they can join in. And finally the orchestra (all in blue jeans, bright green shirts and straw cowboy hats) began to play under the direction of their very animated teacher. Anyone who has been to a school concert or piano recital knows that sometimes it’s a bit ragged and certainly no fun if you don’t have a child in the mix but these kids were great. They played as the last of the passengers came aboard and the gangway was lifted and stowed. Their Disney medley was a real crowd-pleaser, even warranting a long toot of appreciation on the ship’s big horn. Now there are a couple hundred people on the dock, waving flags, clapping to the music and waving good bye. Trust me, this NEVER happens. The passengers in turn were clapping and waving from all decks. Kushiro isn’t the most exciting place on earth but the people are certainly special.

The crew decorated the entire LIdo buffet with Japanese lanterns and screens and dressed in special kimonos and samurai robes for tonight’s Japanese dinner. They must get bored with the same old, same old, so were all in high spirits. Lots of sushi and sashimi and wonderful short ribs. 

We’re gong to follow the coast to Tokyo, approximately 36 hours at 18 knots. And the fog that has been on and off all day is now on. Ditto the fog horn.

One Hand for the Boat

One Hand for the Boat

At sea

July 21-22, 2019

We had dinner with a man who was on the tender that went into Nome this morning. He said they never even got off the boat, rather they were held until a decision was made whether to continue transferring passengers or not. Dozens of people were on the dock waiting for us plus he said they could see the tents and flags set up for the Blueberry Festival. it makes it even sadder that we couldn’t go ashore.

The ship waited around for the entertainers to arrive. The stairway and platform on the side of the ship were left out for them but it was very rocky. Suddenly a grey boat, maybe 30’ long with a small cabin and completely open area behind. No benches, just a partial railing and six passengers in life preservers hanging on for dear life plus at least a dozen pieces of luggage. Someone at the helm and one deck hand. This was all happening just below us. The boat guy wasn’t too thrilled about tying up to the platform because with every swell, his boat hit the platform. Big boat wins so he tied up while the Maasdam captain is using every engine and thruster to keep the ship as steady as possible and at the same time the captain of the grey boat was working hard to keep his vessel parallel to the Maasdam. First the luggage. Piece after piece was handed from deck hand to deck hand until it was all transferred and then it was time to move the people.

As more than one person remarked, last year a passenger on the Maasdam died when she slipped between ship and tender into the water. This just heightened the drama. By now the Maasdam passengers are along the railings on the balconies and promenade deck. It took a good ten minutes to get the six entertainers from boat to ship. Then, it was time to move the two departing entertainers and their luggage from ship to boat. It was an impressive show of seamanship all around. When the grey boat untied and pulled away, big toots from the ship’s horn and applause from the audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entertainers had to change their pants!

Now it was time for the cruise director and his team to scramble and put together an on board program for everyone who thought they were going to spend the day and evening in Nome. Lots of talks, movies, games, rum tasting, wine sipping and as we pulled away, the shops and casinos normally closed while in port were open for business. We sat with a couple from Surprise, AZ named Susan and Jim at lunch and then later another Susan and Jim from Maui at dinner. What are the odds?!

Lots of apologies from the captain and warnings that we would be traveling through some weather for the next day and maybe longer so, “one hand for the ship.” There are railings everywhere in the hallways, dining rooms, public spaces, stairways, elevators so when it’s rocky you have something to hang on to thus “one hand for the ship.”

The sky is grey, the water is grey.

July 22

Normally Jim is up early so grabs his go cup and book and goes up to the Lido on 11 for coffee and then down to the Explorers Lounge on 8 to read, sip and look out the windows with the other early risers. The barista opens her coffee bar in the lounge at 7 just about when Jim is ready for another cup. I do my best to be down there by 9 when we go back up to the Lido for breakfast, an orgy of anything you could ever imagine to break the fast. So far we’re both sticking to cereal or poached eggs and fruit and maybe toast or bagel. Eyes averted from the trays of pastries, sausage and bacon.

This morning I woke up and Jim was sitting on the sofa in our sitting room in the dark. He said he didn’t have enough hands to carry book and cup and hang on. It was definitely a lot rougher. Normally we take the stairs up, down and all around, but that gets a bit tricky when the bow of the boat goes up while you’re trying to go up, too, so we played it safe and took the elevator up the three floors for breakfast. Afterwards I went up another floor to the Crow’s Nest to see if any knitters were there. Oh, boy. Deck 12, forward. Up high, up front. Not only do you feel the motion more, but looking out the windows the horizon is bouncing up and down, too. And the wind was whistling outside. A few people showed up and the game of who was in the roughest weather on a cruise. The winner was Reena from Ft Worth. On an Atlantic crossing the captain came on over the loudspeakers and said, “Wherever you are, sit down on the floor now!” She said they were all so startled they did and then were very glad they had. A rogue wave had been spotted and those things are big, sudden and steep.

And what was the presentation by the oceanographer this morning? “Big Waves.” We’d hit a bigger than normal one early in the morning (good thing Jim stayed put) and then while he was talking, the bow went up and then big splash down. Real life illustration of the text. Gloeta, the entertaining biologist and naturalist was up next with more volcano talk. There have been some eruptions in Alaska of late. The beautiful sunset beyond Kodiak the other evening was enhanced by volcanic ash that was still in the atmosphere. I’m going to try to attach the picture to this posting but I can’t guarantee success. Sometimes the Wifi just isn’t strong enough to download photos.

Another Gala Night so it’s ties and coats and sparkly frocks all around.

One Hand for the Boat

One Hand for the Boat

At sea

July 21-22, 2019

We had dinner with a man who was on the tender that went into Nome this morning. He said they never even got off the boat, rather they were held until a decision was made whether to continue transferring passengers or not. Dozens of people were on the dock waiting for us plus he said they could see the tents and flags set up for the Blueberry Festival. it makes it even sadder that we couldn’t go ashore.

The ship waited around for the entertainers to arrive. The stairway and platform on the side of the ship were left out for them but it was very rocky. Suddenly a grey boat, maybe 30’ long with a small cabin and completely open area behind. No benches, just a partial railing and six passengers in life preservers hanging on for dear life plus at least a dozen pieces of luggage. Someone at the helm and one deck hand. This was all happening just below us. The boat guy wasn’t too thrilled about tying up to the platform because with every swell, his boat hit the platform. Big boat wins so he tied up while the Maasdam captain is using every engine and thruster to keep the ship as steady as possible and at the same time the captain of the grey boat was working hard to keep his vessel parallel to the Maasdam. First the luggage. Piece after piece was handed from deck hand to deck hand until it was all transferred and then it was time to move the people.

As more than one person remarked, last year a passenger on the Maasdam died when she slipped between ship and tender into the water. This just heightened the drama. By now the Maasdam passengers are along the railings on the balconies and promenade deck. It took a good ten minutes to get the six entertainers from boat to ship. Then, it was time to move the two departing entertainers and their luggage from ship to boat. It was an impressive show of seamanship all around. When the grey boat untied and pulled away, big toots from the ship’s horn and applause from the audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entertainers had to change their pants!

Now it was time for the cruise director and his team to scramble and put together an on board program for everyone who thought they were going to spend the day and evening in Nome. Lots of talks, movies, games, rum tasting, wine sipping and as we pulled away, the shops and casinos normally closed while in port were open for business. We sat with a couple from Surprise, AZ named Susan and Jim at lunch and then later another Susan and Jim from Maui at dinner. What are the odds?!

Lots of apologies from the captain and warnings that we would be traveling through some weather for the next day and maybe longer so, “one hand for the ship.” There are railings everywhere in the hallways, dining rooms, public spaces, stairways, elevators so when it’s rocky you have something to hang on to thus “one hand for the ship.”

The sky is grey, the water is grey.

July 22

Normally Jim is up early so grabs his go cup and book and goes up to the Lido on 11 for coffee and then down to the Explorers Lounge on 8 to read, sip and look out the windows with the other early risers. The barista opens her coffee bar in the lounge at 7 just about when Jim is ready for another cup. I do my best to be down there by 9 when we go back up to the Lido for breakfast, an orgy of anything you could ever imagine to break the fast. So far we’re both sticking to cereal or poached eggs and fruit and maybe toast or bagel. Eyes averted from the trays of pastries, sausage and bacon.

This morning I woke up and Jim was sitting on the sofa in our sitting room in the dark. He said he didn’t have enough hands to carry book and cup and hang on. It was definitely a lot rougher. Normally we take the stairs up, down and all around, but that gets a bit tricky when the bow of the boat goes up while you’re trying to go up, too, so we played it safe and took the elevator up the three floors for breakfast. Afterwards I went up another floor to the Crow’s Nest to see if any knitters were there. Oh, boy. Deck 12, forward. Up high, up front. Not only do you feel the motion more, but looking out the windows the horizon is bouncing up and down, too. And the wind was whistling outside. A few people showed up and the game of who was in the roughest weather on a cruise. The winner was Reena from Ft Worth. On an Atlantic crossing the captain came on over the loudspeakers and said, “Wherever you are, sit down on the floor now!” She said they were all so startled they did and then were very glad they had. A rogue wave had been spotted and those things are big, sudden and steep.

And what was the presentation by the oceanographer this morning? “Big Waves.” We’d hit a bigger than normal one early in the morning (good thing Jim stayed put) and then while he was talking, the bow went up and then big splash down. Real life illustration of the text. Gloeta, the entertaining biologist and naturalist was up next with more volcano talk. There have been some eruptions in Alaska of late. The beautiful sunset beyond Kodiak the other evening was enhanced by volcanic ash that was still in the atmosphere. I’m going to try to attach the picture to this posting but I can’t guarantee success. Sometimes the Wifi just isn’t strong enough to download photos.

Another Gala Night so it’s ties and coats and sparkly frocks all around.