Scenes of Manila

The following collages are scenes of Manila. If you can, stretch each collage and look at the individual pictures. You will see a lot of “stuff” in a few pictures. I hope you enjoy Manila.

Manila

 

Today we visited Manila, The Philippines...which makes the 120th country we have visited in our traveling years. (I think this is accurate...I use Century Traveler as my country list, as it turns out there are many ways to count countries.)

 

It has been difficult for us to get to the Philippines as not many cruises visit this port of call. When I saw the itinerary for this cruise and discovered it went to both Guam and the Philippines, I knew we were going to take it. The first part of the cruise covered countries and/or cities we have visited before, but right in the middle of the cruise were two gems...a new country and an old home. Could it get better?

 

 

 

We did not have a long visit in this massive place...did you know that there are enough islands in the Philippines that you can visit ten a day for a year and still have more islands to visit! We had a few hours and chose to see some of Manila. 

 

 

 

Manila has it all...fancy’s homes and malls and dirt poor slums, and everything in between.  We saw a huge construction project and discovered it’s being built by just one family to deal with their various business enterprises. 

 

 

 

At the Ayala Museum we learned about the cultural history of the islands through a series of dioramas (they were exquisite btw). Like Costa Rica, we saw some of their huge collection of ancient gold.

 

 

 

At the US World War II Memorial Cemetery we saw row after row of nameless headstones to the thousands of young men and women who lost their lives in the Philippines. Our guide asked how I was liking the tour and I said the tour was great, but the Memorial Cemetery was immensely sad. So much potential gone in a flash... and for what? Why are people still fighting? When will we learn that battles kill and never completely settle an issue. 

 

 

All too quickly our time came to an end and we boarded the Coral Princess in time to celebrate Halloween on board. It’s going to be a spooky night! Most of the crew are dressed in costume and having a grand time. It’s time for a bit of fun.

 

 

 

Halloween on the South China Sea

 

The ship is decorated for Halloween. There are orange and black balloons hanging everywhere...as well as cobwebs filled with spiders and their creepy crawlies. We are going to have a party tonight.

Spooky!

Yutu

There’s a bit of a fly in the ointment ... a typhoon called Yutu has reared up his head. It’s supposed to make landfall in the Philippines before we land there in 2 days. Right now we are dealing with the vagaries of the storm with medium seas and a little bit of swaying. Princess has changed our course so we are not in the brunt of the storm and they are doing a good job. Do some research on Typhoon Yutu to find out more. I’m doing the same research but my internet connection is not as good as yours. If you find anything send it to me in a text message. I’ll get it in due measure. The weather is an issue but we are still enjoying our time on the ship...don’t worry about us. 

Hong Kong

 

The view from our balcony

 

We just docked in Hong Kong. A city a lot of folks have been waiting to see...the problem is you can’t see it right now. The skies are gray and somewhat drippy and a mist is covering the city. You can see the first row of skyscrapers, but thereafter it’s like looking thru an impressionist painting. No it’s worse than that...an impressionist painting has color and form, this has gray on gray and while there is some form, it’s misted over. I’m glad I’ve been here many times as I’m not disappointed. For the first timer, this is not the welcome to the city they were expecting. BTW it’s warm and there’s not a breeze in the miasma...it’s just gray and dull.

Same location as before...still the gray

When I teach photography I tell my students, you get the day you get, not the day you want. My lemonade out of the lemons. Today we have to make some lemonade!

 

 

Drummers

 

We were drummed out of Okinawa and it was a real treat. After a “hard” day we were resting when we heard a thump...only it was not the thump of an American drum, it was deeper and harder. Then we heard another and I said “I think there are some Japanese drummers outside.” We went to our balcony and listened to tribal Japan. The best part was a tiny drummer who was carried to the dance floor. He was placed at his spot, and proceeded to drum and dance with the rest of them. 

 

A great way to end our stay in Okinawa.

 

Okinawa

After a day at sea where we became a bit more acquainted with the Coral Princess, we are now stopped in Okinawa. I found the hot tubs, swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), the golf links, basketball court, the gym and spa—also found the good coffee bars, the ice cream station, the various dining/drinking venues, etc. We’ve been on Coral P before, but it was so long ago, we are learning her anew. Our cabin is on deck 12. It has a nice balcony and an excellent attendant who will leave tomorrow. 

 

 

The crossing from Shanghai to Okinawa was very mild. I felt that we were moving but not much more. My type of sailing! We are on leg 2 of a 60 day voyage that started in LA on the 19th of September. A few folks left in Shanghai while a few folks like us, arrived. We are definitely the “newcomers” as we don’t have the history that the 60 day folks have. Given that, everyone seems to be friendly and welcoming to the new group. Last year when we were on a 55 day cruise around Australia, we were the “old timers” who tried to assimilate the newcomers into the group. It only takes a few smiles and friendly conversation. Our table mates seem to be nice folks—there’s a couple of Canada, a couple from Southern California and us. They did a nice job of including us in the group. We seem to have expert waitstaff. Eduardo and Vira were quickly memorizing our names and what we liked and when we liked it...that’s always a treat!

 

 

This morning we are docked in Naha, at the passenger terminal. We need to go thru immigration whether or not we are going on a shore excursion. I don’t remember this much security the last time we were here, but the world was a bit less crazy then. After we go thru immigration we will probably return to the ship as the sail-away is 2 PM. It’s just a short stop, before we make 3 stops in Vietnam.  Posted below are a few pictures of this bustling place. Don’t even think of the World War 2 battlefield, Naha and surroundings are very modern.

 

 

PS...there is a WW2 Museum on the island, that has some revisionist history about Japan losing the battle on the island, and the war. It’s interesting to see the not so subtle spin. 

144 Hour Rule

If you are planning to go to China for 144 hours or less you do not need a Chinese visa. If you are staying longer than 6 days you do. This is a little known rule that really does work...but it’s so obscure that most travel folks don’t know much about it.  

 

I learned about the rule from Princess Cruises as we bought a cruise that started in Shanghai, but immediately left port for Okinawa. I called my travel agent to find out more info and she did some research for me saying it was a good option for a 5 hour stop in Shanghai. I called American Airlines to see if they recognized the 144 hour rule and they did too. My next call was to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco and they confirmed it too. We were good to go using the 144 hour rule and no Chinese visa. 

 

In the meantime, I scoured the web for information and did not find much. Throughout the summer, I kept checking to find more info about this rule. Yesterday I called Princess and American to see if we were good to go and we were.

 

This morning we arrived at our departure airport early and Heidi, the gate rep for American Airlines knew absolutely nothing about the 144 hour rule. At which point I got a little nervous and called the Princess help line.  Patty answered the call and she said we needed to fill out a form and we should have it before we leave...and the form was available on a website. I’m thinking, why didn’t someone tell me this yesterday. I kept my cool, got out my iPad and went online to the website. In the meantime, Heidi is talking to her folks at American to find out more ... and miracle of miracles she ends up at the same website. BTW, it’s a website I‘ve never seen before. We quickly scan the webpage and determine that the plane from LAX would have 144 hour form.

 

About 2 hours later, we boarded the LAX plane and I asked about info for the 144 hour rule, and the flight attendant had no idea what I was talking about. I was getting worried now. What happens if we get to Shanghai and they won’t let us enter the country for lack of a visa? 

 

The flight is 14 hours long. About an hour before landing we are asked to complete an entry form. I ask if this is for the 144 hour visa and I’m told NO. The plane lands and we queue to exit the plane. We are met by a man with a wheelchair for the other DrC and he looks for our Chinese visa in our passports and does not find them. I say we are going to use the 144 hour rule. He says OK and continues to walk to the end of the very long immigration terminal and that’s the first time we see a sign we can understand that says “144 Hour Visa Waiver” on it. Whew! I breathe a sigh of relief. We fill out the white and blue form, wait in line...and finally we see the immigration officer. She carefully looks at our forms, passport and travel itinerary. She looks for an empty page to stick down a 144 hour visa stamp, she takes my picture and then says, go. We left.

 

 

The process was nerve-wracking, yet It was not hard. There was a dearth of info available and we gutted it out. In the end, it worked. Next time, it will be easier.

Watch this Spot

Tomorrow we leave on an adventure. There’s the map...

watch this spot for updates along the way. 

Right now the bedroom is a sea of “just about packed” suitcases. 

Tomorrow we fly to Shanghai!

Big Blanket

I’ve not made a bunch of blankets this year...it’s just one of those things. This creation is for a teenager. It’s soft and cozy and filled with love. I think a youngster will like it a lot.

Teddy Bears

In 2003-2004 I taught at a branch campus of Texas A & M. The department secretary loved to crochet and one of her favorite patterns was this blanket. Since I’m a Teddy Bear afficianado, I asked for the pattern and she gave it to me. I learned how to make the pattern, and if you’ve read my blog, you’ve seen numerous pictures of all the different teddy bear blankets I’ve made in the intervening 15 years. It’s one of my favorite patterns too. 

 

Somewhere along the way I lost the pattern but it did not matter as I memorized it. I’ve been crocheting the blanket for years without the pattern...but I’ve been asked many times if I had the pattern. I tried to recreate the pattern, and that’s when I discovered that it’s difficult to write crochet patterns.

 

Tonight, I was looking at Pinterest and I found the pattern...and here it is, in case you want to make this cute baby blanket.

Thanks go to Roberta Maier for creating such a fun pattern...and thanks go to Pinterest for printing it.

Sunset (not Tetons)

 

It’s hard to beat a fantastic sunset at the Tetons, but last night, we had a pretty good sunset at our home!

Sadly, a sunset is gone in a few minutes, yet the memory lingers. A colorful way to end the day.

 

License Plate

Sometimes you see a license plate that makes you feel happy...

This one had me singing the Mickey Mouse Song all the way to town....

a song I had not thought about for way too many years!

M-I-C-K-E-Y  M-O-U-S-E

 

Lake Oroville in the Fall

 

I try to take a picture of Lake Oroville every spring and fall to check on the water level. This fall the water level looks down about about 75 feet. That means there is room for winter rain, but it also means that there was not a lot of summer rain. Is California in another drought? 

Meet Babbs

 

I met this Biker Dog on Sunday...she was all set to ride her Harley with her person...

Please note, she has her leathers (with her name on them), her goggles, a special leash so she cannot fall, and her own seat.

 Babbs stands for “Bad A** Biker B*tch”...but she was really a sweet dog. She started riding the Harley when she was 6 weeks old...and now she’s 10. She’s no longer able to jump up to her special seat, so she has to wait for her person to lift her up. According to her person, she absolutely loves being on the bike, and hates being in his car. He said, all I have to do get her goggles out and she’s ready to go.