Home Sweet Home

We made it. It's been a long long day...about 46 hours long to be exact. We did delay our return a few hours as my aunties needed assistance. One had surgery to improve her condition while the other needs care as she has Parkinson's. When I wake up in a couple of days, I'll join in the care taking routine. But first I need to get some sleep. 

Idle Hands

While on the cruise, I made 1 baby blanket, with matching booties and cap.

I also made a baby sweater, cap and booties. 

Earlier I posted pictures of the 2 capes I made. Right now I'm working on another baby blanket. I was a crochet wizard!

Every day we had a group of 'Knitters and Natters' working away in Crooner's Lounge. By the end of the cruise we had all made an amazing set of "stuff" from blankets to sweaters to scarves. We had needle pointers working on pillow covers; counted cross stitch women working on pictures; we even had a beader. 

We had a great time together. 

In Osaka

We are in the Asuko Lounge at Osaka International airport (aka, KIX) waiting for our flight back to the world we live in and we are hearing sad news. My 93 year old aunt has just been admitted into the hospital for a hematoma in her brain that is bleeding. She will have surgery tomorrow to find out where the "bleed" is located and they will try to stop it. I'm worried. We will land in SFO in 15 hours and then we will see what we can do. In the meantime we are waiting and sending email back and forth among the family. 

So we are waiting. The last time we were in Osaka was 28 years ago. No freeways existed then. Now they are everywhere. 

There's a huge IKEA store in the port no less. And the airport is huge and modern. Osaka grew up in the intervening years. Last time we were at the airport, it was tiny and security free...but no airports are without security today. The airport has wonderful free wifi that's FAST! We've not had fast wifi for almost a month. 

Gardens in Kagoshima

Japanese gardens are among some of the prettiest in the world. The garden we visited in Kagoshima, Sengen-en were no exception. Started in the 1600s on 50+ acres, the  trees, stones, temples, ponds, pools and bridges are wonderful to behold. Here's a peek.

To get a sense of scale, the "table rock" is large enough for 8 people to lay down upon.

The pond has a school of gray koi (they look very stealthy). Off to the side is a wisteria covered gazebo. The smell was so sweet.

The gardens back into a pristine forest, and you can take the uneven steps up the side of the hill for a closer look. 

See the stealthy koi, and a few that are orange and white too. 

This huge tree is trying to fall, but the gardeners are propping in up with steel guy wires clamped around branches and the truck. There are also wooden poles holding the tree upright. 

Even roots look pretty. 

Okinawa

Some scenes from Okinawa. 

Children's Day is coming so the people are getting ready for the event. 

Fish flags were flying. They are colorful. 

        

License plates for cars come in two colors. Yellow for compact cars and white for larger cars. Frankly I could not tell the difference as a white plate was on a 'Cube' which is a small vehicle. 

There is not a lot of arable land in Okinawa but there are many small fields planted with crops. I saw corn, potatoes, and tobacco as well green houses. 

In the towns people live in apartments or condos, but in the country, they live in tidy single family buildings. Okinawa is very clean unlike Taiwan. 

We visited a glass blowing factory on the island. It's always fascinating to watch folks work with glass. 

The process is the same all over the world. 

The Sapphire Princess docked at the new Cruiseport in Naha. The Cruiseport is a very nice modern facility. 

Easter Lilies blooming at the right time. 

And the turtle says "good bye."

Kagoshima

The only new port of call for us was Kagoshima, Japan, which was the last port before disembarkation in Osaka. I did not know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a medium sized city of 750,000 souls in an industrial/agricultural area. And, sitting right outside the city was a large volcano that puffed out 3 smoke balls while we were there. 

We took a tour to a museum, a Shinto temple and a garden. The museum explained the Meiji Restoration with hands on exhibits, holographs and a theater in the round presentation that were very effective. 

        

These brothers were having a grand time trying on old-fashioned officer coats and samarai dresses. 

At the temple we saw babies being blessed by the priests. Local custom is to bring your 4 week old baby to the temple for a blessing, which is similar to the Christian practice of baptism. 

Proud parents and grandparents were more than willing to show off their treasured newborn. 

The temple had some beautiful architecture and gardens too.

I'll talk about the rest of the tour on my next post. 

At Sea

This is our next to the last sea day. Things are winding down. The knitters group is collecting email addresses as well as patterns. The trivia groups are counting their prizes. In my case that's easy to do as my group has only won once. That's pretty sad! Normally I do better than that! We are also pondering how we are going to repack our suitcases as somehow we acquired a few more things...but I did find the perfect Christmas present for my sister. It's been a good cruise with lots of nice folks. There is nothing more relaxing than lots of sea days.

When Will We Learn?

Today we landed in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. It was a warm gray day with a little bit of "spitting rain" now and again. Not a good day for pictures, but a relatively good day to look at things because it was not too hot or muggy. 

We visited the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. 

It pays homage to the 1/4 million people who lost their lives in the three month long Battle Of Okinawa. Both sides had heavy casualities with the Japanese losing more than the Allies, but no one came out the same again.

The names from both sides are written upon row after row of shiny dark gray granite.  The place is somber and makes me wonder why we are so willing to brutally kill each other over ideology? 

I've been to monuments like this all over the world. They are dedicated to world peace or the end of fighting. There are 3 at El Alamein in Egypt. There are several in Washington DC. From the memorials at Normandie to the solemn battlefields at Shiloh, Gettysburg and Antietem, as well as Yorktown (from our Revolutionary War) all seem to be searching  for an answer that will bring harmony to the peoples of the world. I've come to the conclusion that harmony is an illusion.

Someone always wants to be "top dog" and that means there's always going to be war. 

. 

 

Taiwan

We landed at the port city if Keelung, Taiwan yesterday. 

As you can see the tour buses were already lined up to take us on the various shore excursions. There were also independent taxis and shuttles to Taipei, so the port was a beehive of activity just waiting for us to pull along side and bring 2000 people. 

Keelung is small compared to Taipei but it has the same look and feel of most Chinese cities. Tall apartment blocks, devoid of decoration, with small windows and grime. Since we had a gray (albeit warm) day, the grime, mold and general dinginess was highlighted more. 

Overlooking the port is a huge statue 

And a temple

Which were walking distance from the ship. A few folks even made the trek. 

Here's the Sapphire Princess in port. If you look carefully she's now from London instead of from the Bahamas. Does anyone know why she has changed registries? Usually these big ships sail under a flag of convenience, she is now sailing under a well known flag. Her home port will be somewhere in Japan for the next 3 years. We were wondering if Japanese maritime law does not allow "flags of convenience"? Does anyone know?

LungShan Temple

We also visiting a working temple. Usually visitors see shrines from the past, so a temple that's actually being used as one, is very different. 

Tourists and locals were entering the grounds. Once there it was movement and people and noise and incense smoke completely removed from the bustle of the city. 

The temple decoration was over the top 

If there is such a thing as 'Chinese Baroque' this temple might qualify. 

But I don't believe the worshipers paid much attention to it. 

     

There were 2 of the very large incense burners. 

An amazing place. 

Taipei

We took a shore excursion to Taipel, the capital city of Taiwan. We've been here many times before, but like an old friend, the city always nice to visit. Taipei is about a 40 minute drive from Keelung depending on traffic. We were moving in the morning rush hour traffic along a congested freeway filled with little cars. 

But once in town the vehicle of choice changed from car to scooter. Scooters can drive anywhere...streets or side walks...so walking can be dangerous to your health!

We passed by the old Parliament House on our way to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. There we saw the changing of the guard ceremony. 

The main gate, with the concert hall and opera house on either side. 

The memorial building is also a museum. Right now it's hosting a Vermeer collection. 

The proud guard. 

We've seen these ceremonies in many countries. The young men who guard are the best...all pride and polish for their country. 

Moving along, we saw the tallest building in Taipei called "101” because it has that many floors. It was built in 2005 and was the tallest in the world for a short time. That honor now falls to the Burj Kalifa in Dubai. 

The huge building dominates the city center with office space and high end shops and stores. Taipei is a world class city.