Overnight in Tokyo, Japan, Debarkation, & Return Home

Saturday, 30 Mar 2019 – We started the day at sea, but it was also a packing day for us.  At breakfast, we enjoyed conversation with Phil and Flora and lunch was as usual.  Since it was rainy and cold, there was no swimming today.  We docked in Tokyo at 4:00 PM.

Tokyo has served as the Japanese capital since 1869.  As of 2018, the Greater Tokyo Area ranked as the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with a population of over 38 million.  It is also the world's largest urban agglomeration economy. 

Medina, Terrace Café Cruise Staff

Before leaving for dinner, we said our goodbyes to our cabin stewards.  The Terrace Café was rather empty tonight.  Apparently, most of the passengers and several of the crew had gone ashore.  We missed saying goodbye to many of our favorite crew members.  After dinner, we danced in the Horizons from 8:15 to 9:00 PM, and said our goodbyes to the orchestra, who were obviously on their way ashore.  We managed to set our large suitcases outside the cabin by the 10:00 PM deadline.  Before retiring, Jesse tried checking us in for our flights online again, but was unsuccessful.  He had already tried a few times earlier during the day.  There was a note on the webpage saying that we had tickets, but needed to contact the airlines for further details.  
            Sunday, 31 Mar 2019 – At about 6:30 AM we awoke to our alarm and finished packing and preparing for our trip home.   Since we would be departing the ship too early for breakfast, we had brought a couple of bananas back to our cabin from the Terrace Café last night.  At 7:40 AM, we left our cabin and went to our meeting place in the Insignia Lounge.  Once all of the group had arrived, we were escorted off the ship, picked up our checked baggage, passed through Japanese Customs and Immigration, and boarded our airport transfer bus.  The bus departed the pier at 8:17 AM.

En route to the airport, we realized that neither of us had emptied the center desk drawer in out cabin.  We had forgotten our I-pad, portable keyboard, mini-binoculars, pocket calendar, and possibly other items!  We tried taking photos of Tokyo during our one-hour ride to the airport; however, since the air was very smoggy, the photos were not very good. 

Upon arrival at the airport, we were met by one of the airport personnel who had been assigned to assist our group – we’ll refer to her as Jane.  She was surprised (as we were) that our names were not on her list of boarding guests.  We first tried checking in at one of the self-service machines; however, the system did not recognize our reservations and instructed us to check in at the ticket counter.  Jane escorted us to the ticket counter and explained our situation to the airline agent.  After several minutes, the agent told Jane that we had tickets, but no reservations.  The tickets did not identify which flights we were on, or our destinations.   The airline agent suggested that we contact our travel agent.

We told Jane that we had made our reservations through Oceania.  After considerable effort, Jane finally managed to connect with the Oceania office in Japan; however, they were unable to help us and told her that we would have to contact Oceania in the US.  Jesse looked through our cruise papers and found Oceania’s emergency number.  Since our cell phone did not work in Japan, Jane escorted us to the pay phones in the front of the airport, which required Japanese phone cards that could only be purchased with Japanese Yen.  We all studied the phone card dispenser, but had no idea how much the call would cost us.  Jane told us that 1 USD was equal to about 100 Japanese Yen.  At that point, Jane told us that she really had to leave us, because she was scheduled to meet another group.  Before leaving she pointed to where the ATMs were located.

Japanese Pay Phones

We then walked across the airport lobby to the ATM machines with our luggage in tow, which was quite a distance, and withdrew 20,000 Yen, which was about $200 USD; however, the machine dispensed two 10,000 Yen bills!  We walked back to the pay phones, but it did not appear that the phone card kiosk would accept the 10,000 yen bill.  So then we walked again to the back across the lobby to find a money exchange window.  The woman there could not help us, but suggested that we try one of the stores.  At least, we were given change at first store we visited; then we crossed back to the phones.   We first purchased one phone card for 1000 yen (about $10 USD).  We had trouble getting through to the US until we noticed the instructions for international calls written in English.

Once Jesse reached Oceania’s US emergency number (this was the middle of the night in the US), the agent worked on reinstating our reservations.  When we noticed that the funds on the phone card were about to expire, Sally purchased another phone card, which Jesse quickly inserted into the phone.  The agent managed to get our reservations to Dallas-Fort Worth reinstated, but said we would have to book a flight to Moline once we got to the US.  She thought we still had enough time to make the flight if we hurried, which surprised us – but we rushed back to the ticket counter.  There, the airline agent quickly checked us in and called to a baggage handler who loaded our checked bags back on the cart and whisked them away.  (Until then, Jesse had been pushing all of our bags on the cart!)  Then one of the airline agents escorted us through airport “crew” security and then on to our gate.  No one was at the gate, but we walked through the passageway to the door of the plane.  There, the plane was being held for us.

Amazingly, we had seats together in the middle section, on the last row of the plane.  As we threw our bodies into the seats, we both gave thanks that we were able to leave Tokyo; we had had sinking feelings in our stomachs that we were going to be stuck in Tokyo and wondered how we would manage that.  (We hadn’t met anyone at the airport who could even speak much English!)  It seemed to us that we had been wandering around the airport for several hours, but it turns out to have been only a little more than an hour.

Two young women were sitting next to us, but had asked to move forward to a couple of empty seats (they wanted a window), which left us alone in the back 4 seats!  We watched movies and were served three meals on the 11-hour flight to Dallas-Fort Worth.  (For meals, we ended up with whatever food was still left because we sat in the very back of the plane!)  We both enjoyed watching the Green Book and RBG, among other movies.

When we arrived at DFW, we stood in a long line to get through immigration.  Although we had applied for Global Entry Cards, their processing had been delayed due to the Government shutdown.  After picking up our checked bags, we stopped at an American Airlines ticket counter.  Luckily, she managed to get us on a flight to Moline, with seats together, no less!  Although we had to stand in a long line to go through security again, after that, we boarded the airport shuttle most of the way to our gate.  Again, we were on the last row on the plane.  There was a young woman sitting in the window seat, with no window!  But soon, the flight attended asked if she would like to move to a better seat, and was taken to 1st class!  We were glad to have the extra space.  We arrived at the Moline airport at about 12:40 PM, where Katie was waiting for us in front of the terminal for our ride home.  We were home by 1:30 PM.   Ironically, with all of the problems with our flights, we ended up on the same flights that we had reserved back in August 2018!

It’s great to be home!

Kyoto (Kobe), Japan

            Friday, 29 Mar 2019 – At 7:00 AM, we docked at Kobe, Japan.  We were booked on a 4-hour excursion, “Panoramic, Osaka,” starting at 8:45 AM, so we woke up to our alarms at 6:45 AM.  We enjoyed breakfast was as usual; then met in the Insignia Lounge at 8:30 AM for our excursion.   After leaving the ship, we were ushered through security, where we showed our passports and our bags and fanny packs were searched (unusual security, we thought).   We then boarded our bus.  Akira was our tour guide, but he said it was okay to call him by his nickname, Sunny.  Our driver was Esono.   While enjoying the one-hour scenic drive around the bay and through the urban landscape that connects Kobe and Osaka, Sunny told us a lot about the area.

Kyoto is best known in Japanese history for being the former Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, as well as a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area.  It is the ninth-largest city in Japan, with a population of 1,468,980.  Kobe, with a population of 1.5 million, is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is located about 19 miles west of Osaka.  Osaka is the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with over 19 million inhabitants.

Osaka Castle Wall, Osaka

Sunny said that Kobe is famous for their steaks and sake.  In fact, the basketball player, Kobe Bryant, is named after the city.  Kobe’s father liked the steaks here so well, that he named his son after it!  Fast food here is sushi, which many locals enjoy as a quick lunch.  Because there had been a traffic accident, traffic was very slow.  Finally, we voted to disembark our bus at a park and walk the rest of the way.  Our destination, Osaka Castle, is an imposing fortress at the edge of the lush park with than 1,200 trees, the majority of which are cherry blossom and apricot trees.  The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. 

Built in the late 16th century, the magnificent Osaka Castle consists of 13 structures that include gates, moats and gunpowder storehouses.  The nine-story donjon at its center is adorned with golden sea creature ornaments and is so distinctive that the government has designated the castle an Important Cultural Asset and the cherished symbol of Osaka.  According to legend, the stones for its massive stone wall were carried there from all over Japan to display loyalty to hegemon Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who built the castle.  (However, the Osaka Castle does not look like a typical “castle” of the European variety.)  We walked a very long way, took photos of the castle, and then walked back to the entrance of the park, where our bus awaited us.  We did a lot of walking today!

Osaka Castle

Our next stop was the Umeda Sky Building.  Completed in 1993, the twin-tower high rise made of steel and glass offers a stunning, 360-degree view of Osaka and beyond to Awaji Island.  We took an elevator up 40 floors; then boarded another elevator or walked to the observation deck.  Sally took the camera and walked around the circular walkway on the top of the building, while Jesse waited safely near the elevator.  Our return trip was delayed for several minutes, while Sunny searched for an elderly passenger who was barely able to walk.  We made it back to the ship in time for lunch.  At dinner, we sat near a couple from Vancouver Island and enjoyed good conversation. 

Day at Sea

Dinner with Doug & Kat

Thursday, 28 Mar 2019 – This was another relaxing day at sea.   Breakfast and lunch were as usual; however, since it was 61 degrees and raining, there was no swimming today.  We danced in the Horizons from 5:30 to 6:00 PM.  The Terrace Café was very crowded for dinner, but we sat at a table for four, and were soon joined by Doug and Kathy.  Again, we enjoyed interesting conversation.

Okinawa, Japan

            Wednesday, 27 Mar 2019 – Our ship docked in Naha, Okinawa, Japan at 7:00 AM, where we had booked a 4-hour excursion, “Battle of Okinawa.”  In order to meet our tour group in the Insignia Lounge at 8:30 AM, we sat our alarms for 6:30 AM, to give us plenty of time for breakfast and to pack up for the excursion.

We had seen the tour buses from our cabin window.  They were parked only a short distance from the gangway; however, to get to them, we were routed through the cruise terminal, first up the stairs and through security with our passports and cruise cards, and then back downstairs again.  Jesse remarked that the excursion should be rated as strenuous because of the walk to get to the buses!  Our bus pulled out from the pier at 8:47 AM.  As we traveled towards the southeast corner of Okinawa, passing by several residential and commercial areas, our tour guide, Egee, described the sights as we rode through the city.

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (Nansei) Islands of Japan.  The island is approximately 70 miles long and an average 7 miles wide, and has an area of 466.02 square miles.  It is roughly 400 miles south of the rest of Japan and 300 miles north of Taiwan.  The island is home to 1.423 million residents, while the city itself is home to about 320,000.

Okinawa has been a critical strategic location for the United States Armed Forces since the end of World War II.  The island hosts around 26,000 US military personnel, about half of the total complement of the United States Forces Japan.  US bases in Okinawa played critical roles in the Korean War, Vietnam War, War in Afghanistan, and Iraq War.  The presence of the US military in Okinawa has caused political controversy both on the island and elsewhere in Japan.  Okinawa's population is among the longest living peoples in the world.  Residents have less cancer, heart disease and dementia than Americans, while Okinawan women live longer than anywhere else on Earth.

At Exit, Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters

Our first stop was the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters, located where Rear Admiral Ota and his men desperately fought to the end on June 13, 1945.  We walked down the 101 steps into the narrow tunnels of the headquarters to see the commanding officer's room, staff room, generator rooms and more, giving us insight into the experiences the soldiers and officers had inside the headquarters.  It was interesting and, at times, creepy.  There was a shrine in Rear Admiral Ota’s room.  Exiting the tunnels was much easier, by walking up a sloped ramp to the surface.

After rejoining our coach, we passed through lush green fields and beautiful countryside en route to the Peace Memorial Park.  Upon arrival, Egee first took us to the Cornerstone of Peace, a semi-circular avenue of stones engraved with the names of all the dead from the Battle of Okinawa, organized by nationality.  A total of 241,525 names are engraved, including 149,502 Okinawans, mostly civilians, and 14,009 US military.

Cornerstone of Peace

Next, Egee then took us to the museum, where she purchased our tour tickets.  The museum is huge, and we didn’t have the time (or energy) to stop to read the captions for all of the displays.  Some of the photos were definitely too horrible to show in the US; that is, photos of dead bodies, etc.  At one point, we sat for a little while and watched a film showing the actual allied landing and portions of the battle.  The film showed many of the locals leaping off a cliff to their death to avoid being captured by the Allied Forces.  After we finished our tour of the museum, we went back outside to the Cornerstone of Peace.  We considered looking for the US section, but that would have involved a lot of walking and probably also more time than we had available.

The reason Japanese forces held out at Okinawa was that they expected the Americans to invade Japan from there, and they wanted to give Japan as long as possible to prepare for the invasion.  Therefore, they had no intention of surrendering.  Most of the Okinawa population died in one of the following ways: they starved as a result of the Japanese military hoarding food supplies; they were forced to wear Japanese uniforms and fight; they committed suicide; or they died in the crossfire.  The battle of Okinawa is considered the fifth bloodiest battle of World War II involving American troops.

We returned to the ship in time for lunch.  Doug and Kathy had been on the excursion with us, and we met them for lunch.  We had interesting discussions about DNA genealogy.  Kathy is adopted and actually found siblings through her DNA research.  After lunch, Sally napped, and so we never made it to the ship’s pool.  However, we did dance before dinner.

Miyako-jima, Japan

Tuesday, 26 Mar 2019 – We docked at Miyako-jima, Japan, at 10:00 AM.  Initially, we had not booked an excursion because the older excursion brochures did not include excursions for this port.  But yesterday, we booked a 3.25-hour excursion, “Miyako-Jima Panoramic Drive.”  After breakfast, we stood in line for about 45 minutes in the Horizons for Japan’s Mandatory Guest Inspection.  The line zigzagged through rows of chairs, many of which Sally used as seats at every opportunity.  We first passed a Quarantine Officer who measured our body temperatures with what appeared to be a camera.  And finally, we each met with an Immigrations Officer, who took our fingerprints and photographs.

Japan is an island country in East Asia.  Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.  It is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands.  Its economy is the world's third-largest by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity.  The population of 127 million is the world's tenth largest and enjoys the highest life expectancy and third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, but is now experiencing issues due to an aging population and low birthrate.

Miyako-jima lies approximately 190 mi southwest of Okinawa Island and 250 mi east of Taipei, Taiwan.  Miyako is the fourth-largest island in Okinawa Prefecture.   The island is triangular in shape with an area of 61.27 sq mi and is composed of limestone.  Miyako-jima is subject to drought and is frequently struck by typhoons.  Miyako-jima is well known for its beauty and is considered by many as one of the most beautiful spots in Japan. There are three islands nearby which are connected by bridges to Miyako-jima, Irabujima, Ikema Island, and Kurima Island.

            We met for our excursion in the Insignia Lounge at 12:20 PM.  After boarding the bus, Jesse realized that he had forgotten his camera!  So photos for today would be taken with our I-Phone.  According to the excursion brochure, we would be crossing several modern bridges that connect the islands of the Miyako Island Chain, pausing for photos and to enjoy the stunning scenery.

Local Park

            Our tour guide’s nickname was “I,” and our driver was Yoki.  After departing from the pier, we drove toward the picturesque northern tip of Miyakojima Island, where crossed the lengthy Ikema Ohashi Bridge that connects Miyakojima with Ikema Island.  There was a beach below the bridge which involved descending numerous steps.  We decided to settle for the distant photos.   Next, we drove to the scenic southwestern portion of Miyakojima Island, where we made a restroom stop at a playground and watched boys playing baseball.  We crossed the Kurima Bridge for the ultimate view of the rocky coastline and the shimmering sea, which seemed to change colors as we passed over it.  Kurima Island is largely agricultural with the main crops being sugar cane and leaf tobacco.  Lastly, we crossed the Irabu Ohashi Bridge.  Constructed in 2015, it is Japan’s longest toll-free bridge and a marvel of engineering with several unusual dips as it stretches across the sea.  In truth, we both thought today’s tour was rather boring.  Sally actually napped a little, and Jesse a lot.

            We returned to the ship a little after 4:00 PM; having missed lunch, we attended an afternoon tea instead.  This time, Sally ate a little more than the first time, and Jesse stuffed himself with desserts again.

Since we would be disembarking the ship on 31 Mar 2019, Jesse became concerned that we had not heard anything about the procedures.  Upon checking with the Insignia reception desk, we discovered that we were not booked on a transfer from the ship to the airport!  Although we had missed the deadline for reservations, we were allowed to purchase the transfers.  Another disaster averted!  Before dinner, we danced for 45 minutes.

Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan

            Monday, 25 Mar 2019 – The ship docked at Keelung, Taiwan at 9:00 AM.  We had booked a 5-hour excursion, “Taipei City Drive and Foot Massage.”  Sally had not slept well and was not really up to going on the excursion; however, Jesse suggested that she skip the more strenuous portions of the excursion and just relax on the bus.  We met for our excursion in the Insignia Lounge at 10:30 AM, and then proceeded ashore.  As we boarded our tour bus and departed the pier in the rain, we enjoyed a leisurely one-hour drive inland to Taipei City, while our tour guide, May, pointed out interesting sights.  May told us that her name means “younger sister” in Taiwanese.

Keelung is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan.  It borders New Taipei with which it forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with Taipei itself.  Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung).  Taipei City is the robust capital of Taiwan.  The skyline of this modern metropolis is crowned by Taipei 101, which was once the world’s tallest building.

We had each been given a yellow, disposable poncho to help shield us from the rain.  Our first stop was the Giwado Chinese Medicine United Clinic, where we were each given a 45-minute foot massage by an accomplished masseuse.  First, our feet were soaked in warm water for about 10 minutes; then we were given 30-minute foot and lower leg massages.  Sally enjoyed the massages, while Jesse thought they were a waste of time.

Our next stop was the modern Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, an octagonal building that reflects the fact that the number eight is considered a symbol of fortune and wealth in China.  Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese politician and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975, first in mainland China until 1949 and then in Taiwan until his death.  He was recognized by much of the world as the head of the legitimate government of China until 1971, during which the United Nations passed Resolution 2758, recognizing the People's Republic of China as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and removed the collective representatives of Chiang Kai-shek and the Republic of China from the United Nations. 

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The 88 steps leading into the hall are symbolic as the president was 88 when he died.  While browsing, we saw statues of Chiang, his personal memorabilia, and the bulletproof Cadillac that he used as an official state car.   There was a large photo of Chiang with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, and another with Ghandi.   The main hall houses a large bronze statue of Chiang protected by military personnel which change hourly.  We were given time to watch the elaborate “changing of the guard ceremony.”  The guards are a select group and train for several months before being allowed to participate in the actual ceremony.

Our last stop was the Longshan Temple, which was founded in 1738 and dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.  The temple is one of largest and oldest temples in Taiwan.  Since its construction, Taipei residents have continuously renovated and improved the temple and the surrounding grounds, with the temple coming to represent the pride of Taiwanese temples and worship houses, worshipping a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and deities like Mazu.  Although rebuilt numerous times in the wake of natural disasters, the temple is still an architectural treasure.  The sweeping roof is decorated with mythical creatures.  During World War II, the temple was badly damaged by American bombers during the raid on Taipei after an accusation that the Japanese were hiding arms inside the temple.  The main building and the left corridor were damaged and many precious artifacts and artworks were lost.  The temple was rebuilt a few months after the end of World War II.

We were back on the ship by 3:40 PM, about 20 minutes before the Waves Grill closed.  Sally napped after lunch, so after dinner, we danced for 30 minutes in the Insignia Lounge.  We set our clocks ahead by one hour before retiring for the night.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

            Sunday, 24 Mar 2019 – The ship docked in Kaohsiung, Taiwan at 7:00 AM.  We had not scheduled an excursion, but had arranged to attend an English Mass at 11:00 AM with Richard and Kathleen.

Taiwan is a state in East Asia.  Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.  Taiwan is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations.  Kaohsiung is a coastal city in southern Taiwan.  With an area of 1,140 sq mi as of 2018, the municipality has a population of 2.77 million, making it the third most populous administrative division in Taiwan.

We met Richard and Kathleen at the ship’s gangway at 10:15 AM.  Kathleen had been ashore earlier.  A helpful Taiwanese terminal worker, who just happened to be Catholic, had written out instructions in Taiwanese on her map for the taxi driver, and directed her to a place where she could exchange money.  She had already obtained $20.00 worth of Taiwan dollars, which was enough to get the four of us to the church and back.  As we walked through the terminal, we ran into the man who had helped Kathleen, and we all thanked him.  A line of taxis was waiting outside the terminal.  The four of us boarded the first taxi in line and showed him the address of the church that our friend had written on the map.  We arrived at the church at about 10:30 AM.

The Holy Rosary Cathedral is the oldest Catholic Church in Taiwan and the seat of the Bishop of Kaohsiung.  As we waited outside for the Mass to begin, a friendly man came over and started a conversation with us.  He spoke English very well and had visited the US as a child with his parents and knew quite a bit about our country.  He also introduced us to one of the priests, who just happened to be in the parking area at the time.

Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Construction of the original church was completed in 1863, and rebuilt between 1928 and 1931 in order to become a cathedral.  In terms of its architecture, the church has a magnificent design comprised of Gothic and Romanesque steeples, and arched and rose windows.  Its elegant exterior is particularly eye-catching, nestled as it is among the modern buildings nearby.  It is considered one of the most beautifully decorated Catholic churches in Taiwan.  In an effort to encourage others to worship through the Lady of Holy Rosary, believers donated to the church in 1972 for the building of an outdoor altar and accompanying statue.  The statue’s design is similar to the one inside the church, with the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ.

We stood outside until about 10:50 AM; then went inside and sat on one of the wooden bench seats, about 10-15 rows from the front.  The church was very beautiful inside.  Attendees were mostly young and mostly female.  There was a choir of young men and women.  Most of the songs were very familiar to us and the words were displayed on screens on either side of the altar.  When exchanging the “Sign of Peace,” the attendees bowed to each other in lieu of handshakes.  (Sally wishes we could do this in our church – zero transmittal of germs!)  Also, at communion, no orderly lines formed, similar to what we had experienced in Berlin, Germany in 1999, although the attendees here were very courteous to one another.  Later, Jesse realized that he had left a very nice umbrella in the church!

After returning to the ship, we went for a swim.  Although the air was a little cool, the water was warm, so we had a nice swim, and then lunch.   A concert was going on near the pier, so we could hear the music from the ship.  Since we had reservations to meet Donna and Anne for dinner in the Tuscan restaurant at 6:30 PM, we danced early tonight, 5:30 to 6:15 PM, in the Horizons.  During dinner, we talked a lot and did not return to our cabin until about 9:00 PM.

Day at Sea

            Saturday, 23 Mar 2019 – Today was another relaxing day at sea.  Although Sally hadn’t slept well, we managed to (barely) make it to breakfast before closing time.  After breakfast, we swam.  The pool was a little rough, but still, several other swimmers joined us.  Afterwards, we rushed to lunch.  The only dancing tonight was in the Horizons before dinner; however, as we felt the sea was a little too rough, we skipped the dancing.  There was a Philippine-style dinner in the Terrace Café tonight.  Jesse tried a few tasty dishes, while Sally stuck with lobster again. 

Manila, Philippines

            Friday, 22 Mar 2019 – We docked at Manila, Philippines at 8:00 AM.  Manila is the capital of the Philippines.  The Spanish city was founded on June 24, 1571, by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi.  The city proper was home to 1,780,148 people in 2015.  With 71,263 people per square kilometer, Manila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Bust of Dr. Jose Rizal, Manila, Philippines

Smoke Break with WWII Soldier

Breakfast was as usual.  After returning to our cabin, we could see the gangway right outside our window.  We were booked on an afternoon excursion, “Charms of Old Manila” and boarded our tour bus at about 12:30 PM.  Our tour guide was Grace and our driver was Conrad.  Our bus left the pier and begin driving along Roxas Boulevard, the wide, wonderfully scenic thoroughfare that hugs the shore of Manila Bay.  Soon, we arrived in Intramuros, the city's oldest district, which is enclosed within a thick wall that the Spanish built for defense in the 1500s.  There, we took a walking tour of the notorious Fort Santiago, where prisoners were held and tortured throughout the history of Manila.  We learned that Dr. Jose Rizal is the Philippine’s greatest national hero.  We saw the symbolic bronzed footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal, who was imprisoned in the fortress before walking to his execution, the penalty for his inflammatory, anti-colonial writings.  There was a large statue of Dr. Rizal located in the center of Intramuros.  We also toured the “Dr. Jose Rizal” museum, where we were told to remove our hats, even the women.  Before re-boarding our tour bus, we stopped at a souvenir shop, which sold a lot of colorful jewelry and various other items.  The shop was air-conditioned, which provided us some relief from the hot weather.

Our next stop was San Agustin Church and museum.  The roof of San Agustin Church was completely destroyed during WWII, but later restored.   The first San Agustin Church was completed in 1571, and destroyed by fire in 1574, and the second was destroyed by fire in 1583.  Construction of the current church began in 1583 and was completed in 1607.  The massive structure of the church is highlighted by the symmetry and splendor of the interiors – the profile of the moldings, rosettes and sunken panels which appear as three-dimensional carvings, a 17th century baroque-style pulpit with the native pineapple as a motif, the grand pipe organ, the antechoir with a 16th-century crucifix, the choir seats carved in durable molave wood with ivory inlays of the 17th century and the set of 16 huge and beautiful chandeliers from Paris.  The church also contains over 100 tombs.  It was the practice in previous centuries that the mortal remains of prominent persons were buried inside the church.  Their families were patrons or benefactors who, in one way or another, contributed to its construction, donated precious jewels, saints, vestments and other church decorations or even paid for the upkeep of a chapel.  In some instances, they sponsored the priests who were assigned there, or paid for the chapel or a slot for their final resting place.

Dr. Rizal's Execution Site,  Manila, Philippines

We rode on to the serene Rizal Park, whose focal point is the Rizal Monument which was built in honor of the country's national hero.  There was a statue of Dr. Rizal at the site of his execution, along with numerous statues of his firing squad and other soldiers, and recreations of various scenes of his final days.

Our final stop was the Manila Hotel, a luxurious Philippine landmark that opened in 1912.  General Douglas MacArthur used the hotel as his command post during World War II except when the Japanese occupied Manila (which was for most of the war).

            Today’s tour included more than 2-hours of walking and standing, so we were exhausted by the time we got back to our cabin by 4:30 PM.  Since the restaurants we all closed, we decided to try the afternoon tea in the Horizons for the first time.  There, they served tea, coffee, finger sandwiches, and pastries.  Sally had tea and one pastry, while Jesse ate his fill.  Because a movie was to be shown in the Insignia Lounge tonight, there was no dancing tonight. 

Day at Sea

Thursday, 21 Mar 2019 – Today, we were scheduled to anchor at Boracay Island, Philippines at 10:00 AM; however, the captain decided that the waves were too high for safe tendering, so he bypassed the island.  We had booked a 4.75-hour excursion, “Island Beach and Snorkeling.”  This would have been Jesse’s first attempt at snorkeling; instead, we enjoyed another relaxing day at sea.  We did manage an afternoon swim in the ship’s pool.  Surprisingly, the water there didn’t seem to be very rough, but it may have been a little rougher near the coast.

At 9:30 PM, we attended “The Home Coming Dance 2019” in the Insignia Lounge.  To encourage dancing, Leslie, the cruise director, passed out raffle tickets to dancers, so the dance floor was very crowded for a change.  Sadly, we didn’t win anything.  Last year, we competed in a Waltz contest and won a bottle of Champagne, but there were no dance contests this year.  Also, we enjoyed a couple of dance performances by the Insignia Entertainment Team.  After the dance, we returned to our cabin and watched the movie “Border,” on TV.  It is an interesting 2018 Swedish fantasy film about an extremely homely woman with uncanny sense of smell who worked for the Swedish Customs Office as a border control agent.  It has been referred to by some viewers as the Weirdest Movie of the Year!  What can we say, we really enjoyed the movie!

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

            Wednesday, 20 Mar 2019 – Our ship docked at Puerto Princesa, Philippines at 11:00 AM.  We had booked an excursion for today, “Local Escapade.”  The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia.  Situated in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands.  The Philippines' location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes it prone to earthquakes and typhoons.  As of January 2018, the Philippines is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world, with a population of at least 100 million.

We ate breakfast and went for a swim before exiting the ship.  Our small 8-passenger bus, which was one of five or so, left the pier at 12:30 PM for a short ride to Plaza Cuartel.  Our tour guide was Nelson.  Plaza Cuartel is a small park and is considered a national historical site, with the restored ruins of an old garrison where, in the evening of December 14, 1944, Japanese soldiers burned the 150 American prisoners of war, in a tunnel found beneath the park’s portals, which now stand as a grim reminder of World War II atrocities.  The remains of those who died were buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis Missouri, in 1952.  Only 11 of the 150 prisoners survived to tell the story.  After entering the park, we listened to an oral presentation describing the event and were then given time to tour the park.

 Next we were led across the street to the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, where we stopped for photos.  During the Spanish occupation in 1872, a small church was built in Barangay Liwanag, along Rizal Avenue.  In 1961, the small church was renovated and turned into a cathedral.  The original architectural design of the church has been excellently preserved.

WWII Special Battalion Museum

Motorized tricycles that seat two or three guests are one of the more popular means of public transportation in Puerto Princesa and other small towns and cities in the Philippines.  Nelson led the two of us to one driven by Jhun.  After all of the passengers were loaded into their vehicles, we started our 15-minute trip through the city, caravan style.  We soon stopped at the World War II Special Battalion Museum.  Built around a personal collection of military memorabilia, it features equipment, vehicles and weapons used during WWII, as well as photographs and other items depicting the cultural heritage of Palawan. 

Jhun, Our Motorized Tricycle Driver

After touring the museum, we re-boarded our tricycle and continued another 15 minutes or so to a local souvenir shop for some free time.  After spending about 30 minutes in the souvenir shop, we were scheduled to visit a local market where we could see freshly caught seafood and other local products; however, Jhun asked us if we would prefer to skip the market and return to the ship, which we did.  Jhun took us to our bus, which was waiting near the pier.  Another pair of passengers was already waiting on the bus.  We said our goodbyes to Jhun and were taken on the short ride back to the ship.  We were sorry that we did not have the opportunity to say goodbye and thank Nelson for the tour.

Since it was 2:30 PM when we re-boarded the ship and the Terrace Café was already closed, we went to the Wave’s Grill for lunch.  Sally had a salad and Jesse a cheeseburger, and we both enjoyed milkshakes.  Then Sally napped for a little while and then worked on her book.  We ate a light dinner, since neither of us was hungry.  Then dancing was scheduled in the Horizons for 8:45 PM; however, when we got there, a Brainteaser Trivia game was in progress and there was no dancing.  There seems to be a serious problem with the dance schedules on this cruise, which we intend to complain about in our cruise comments.

2 Days at Sea

            Monday, 18 Mar 2019 – As usual, we went to breakfast in the Terrace Café this morning.  Since we had crossed the equator again, another “Crossing the Equator Ceremony” was scheduled on the pool deck at 11:00 AM, meaning we had to delay our swim.  Unable to find Sally’s swim goggles, eventually we went to the pool without them.  However, there they were on a bench near the pool!  Since it was very late by then, we swam for only 20 minutes before hurrying to lunch.  Sally tried unsuccessfully to nap, and instead, worked on her genealogy book all afternoon.

Before dinner, we got all dressed up and attended our second private cocktail party for Oceania Club members, where we danced, and enjoyed complementary drinks.  On our way out of the Insignia Lounge, we stopped to talk with Al, Amelia, Jack, and Sheila, and ended up eating dinner with them in the Terrace Café.  We made it back to our cabin at about 10:30 PM.

Tuesday, 19 Mar 2019 – Sally awoke at 6:00 AM with a headache, and finished reading her library book, “Indestructible,” about a WW-II pilot.  It was based on a true story and was very exciting.  We had been requested to complete health declaration forms and undergo a mandatory inspection and temperature check at 9:00 AM in preparation for our upcoming arrival in the Philippines.  We’re not sure where the Philippine officials boarded the ship.  The temperature checks were done as we walked pass a “camera” mounted on a tripod.  After passing the temperature check, and stopping momentarily at a table for a passport check and to turn in our health declaration forms, we were given Philippine Shore passes.  Judging from the questions on top of the health declaration form, we believe they were screening us for Ebola.

Sally napped for a couple of hours between breakfast and lunch, but still didn’t feel well enough to swim.  Apparently, the orchestra was on holiday, because there was no dancing scheduled at any time today.   Although Sally didn’t have much of an appetite, we had dinner in the Terrace Café, as usual.

Overnight in Bali, Indonesia

            Saturday, 16 Mar 2019 – The ship was scheduled to dock in Bali at 10:00 AM, where we had booked an excursion for the day, “Tribal Dinner & Kecak Dance,” starting at 3:45 PM.  Sally slept late, and we hurried to breakfast.  While eating, we had window seats and watched as the ship slowly pulled into port.  We watched as several gliders sailed into the air while being pulled by boats.  Traffic around the port was so heavy that our docking was delayed by several minutes as the captain waited for traffic to clear.  After breakfast we swam for 35 minutes.  Since most passengers were already going ashore, we had the pool to ourselves, although a man was entering the pool just as we were finishing our swim.  Later, while eating lunch, we watched as people were exiting the ship.

It started raining at about 1:50 PM, and was raining very hard as we left the ship with our umbrella at 3:10 PM.  We had brought a couple of umbrellas along, but we decided to use the large “golf” umbrella provided by the ship.  Our tour guide, Surya, shared information about Indonesia as our bus drove through the streets of Bali.  Jesse tried taking photos from the bus, but with the rain running down the windows, the photos weren’t very good.

Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia, between the Indian and Pacific oceans.  It is the world's largest island country, with more than 70,000 islands, and 735,358 square miles.  With over 261 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country.  Bali is Indonesia's main tourist destination, and tourism-related business makes up 80% of its economy.   It is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music.

Our first stop was Celuk village where we were given the opportunity to observe a 3 silversmiths fabricating jewelry.  Afterwards, we were given the opportunity to purchase jewelry from the Dewi Sitha Jewelry Collection.  Only a couple of the passengers made purchases, while most complained about the high prices.  At least, comfortable seats were available for those not interested in shopping.   We soon re-boarded our bus and continued on to the Bali's amazing Bird & Reptile Park, which houses more than 1,000 birds representing more than 250 species, along with a couple of Komodo dragons.  Luckily, the rain had stopped by then.  Soon after entering the park, we took a photo with us both (Jesse reluctantly) holding large birds.  It took almost an hour to make our way through the park as we saw and photographed many of the various species of birds.  Although Jesse is not a big “bird-watcher,” he admitted that these huge, gorgeous, sometimes intelligent birds were definitely a sight to behold.

After finishing our park tour, we found seats in the park’s open-air dining area, where we shared a table with Doug and Kathy, from Washington, DC.  They cruised with us last year from Cape Town to Singapore.  This year, they are cruising from Sydney to Singapore.  We had interesting conversation while enjoying a traditional Indonesian buffet dinner.

Bali Bird & Reptile Park

After dinner, one of the park’s staff performed a bird show.  Two or three birds flew to her from a great distance as she called for them and performed tricks.  At one point, one of the ship’s passengers joined her on stage.  Afterwards, we moved our chairs around a different stage, nearby, where we witnessed the performance of the Kecak Dance.  Kecak is a ritual dance that recounts a tale from the Ramayana, an epic story that found its way from India to Indonesia.  During the dance, the only musical accompaniment was the chanting supplied by men who were positioned in a concentric circle on the stage.  As the men chanted and rhythmically swayed to the music, more male and female dancers dressed in colorful, elaborate costumes weaved and intertwined their way amongst them.  With the stage lit only by glowing torches, the shadows cast by the dancers combined with the rhythmic chanting.  This performance went on for several minutes.  When we thought it had finally ended, instead, we moved our chairs again to face another, complete outdoor stage.  This time, the dancers lit a fire, then the hot coals were spread out and one of the performers appeared to walk on the hot coals and then sit on them.

After that, we boarded our bus for the return trip to the ship.  Since it had started raining again by the time we arrived at the pier, we walked back to the ship in the rain under our umbrella.  (We had been lucky in the timing of the rain today.)  Too tired to dance, we were in bed by 9:30 PM.

Sunday, 17 Mar 2019 – Today was Jesse’s birthday!  We went to breakfast at about 9:15 AM.  Since most of the passengers were already off the ship for our second day in Bali, we had our choice of seats.  Being Jesse, he announced to everyone that he knew that it was his birthday, and so, of course, they all wished him a Happy Birthday.  After breakfast, we went for a swim.  For most of the time, we had the pool to ourselves.

Celebrating Jesse's Birthday, & Amelia & Al's Anniversary

For dinner, we had arranged to meet Amelia and Al in the Polo Grill to celebrate Jesse’s birthday and Amelia and Al's 24th wedding anniversary.  We were also joined by Jack and Sheila.  Both of us ordered Oysters Rockefeller and Surf & Turf (lobster & filet mignon).  Apparently, the four of them live in Florida near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.  Trump is not a good neighbor and they have no love for him.  First of all, he converted a private residence to the Mar-a-Lago Club, which did not make the neighbors happy; then he installed a gigantic flag pole on the grounds.  His response to any complaints from the neighbors or the local government is “sue me.”  It took several years, but the city finally managed to get the flagpole shortened.  After dinner, the staff brought Jesse a small birthday cake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to him.  Sadly, Sheila had an allergic reaction to goat’s milk and had to leave before dessert was served.

We went to the Horizons for dancing at 10:30 PM; however, two vocalists were performing and took up the dance floor.  After 10 minutes or so, we decided to dance on the carpet near our seats for about 30 minutes, and then returned to our cabin where our cabin stewards had decorated our bed with balloons and several towel figurines.  It was a great birthday!

Komodo, Indonesia

            Friday, 15 Mar 2019 – The ship anchored at the island of Komodo, Indonesia at 9:00 AM.  Initially, we had not scheduled an excursion for this port; however, later we decided to book one later to use some of our non-refundable cruise credits.  The only excursion available here was “Komodo Dragons.”  In fact, guests were not allowed ashore unless they were booked on one of the ship’s excursions or a private tour.  We were booked on the 9:30 AM departure for a ship’s excursion.

The Striped Shirt Ladies

We awoke at 6:45 AM, even earlier than our alarms chimed.  At breakfast, someone noticed that four women, including Sally, were all dressed in black-and-white striped blouses, and suggested they take a photo together.  After breakfast, we met in the Insignia Lounge at our 9:00 meeting time and soon boarded a ship’s tender for our short ride to the pier.

Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of Indonesia; it has a surface area of 390 square kilometers and a human population of over two thousand.  The people of this island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island.  The island is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on earth.  It is a fierce and very rare species of reptile that looks like a prehistoric dinosaur.  Often measuring up to 11 feet in length and weighing in at over 300 pounds, this ominous-looking creature, with its sharp, saw-like teeth and menacing eyes, leaves a lasting impression on all who have had the opportunity to see it up close.  The Komodo dragons live on deer and wild pigs that inhabit the island and are surprisingly agile when covering short distances; they can climb trees and are good swimmers.  They can smell prey five miles away.  About 5,000 Komodo dragons survive today (about 2000 on Komodo Island), with only about 350 breeding females.

Komodo Dragon Statue

Our tour group 2, consisting of 18-20 passengers, was led by Rofinus, who was assisted by 2 or 3 rangers.  The job of the rangers was to help protect us from the dragons.  Our exploration of Komodo National Park commenced with a safety briefing and tour overview by the “head” guide.  Before departing the ship, we had already been warned to stay with our group at all times, not to carry or wear any RED items, and not to get close to, or feed the dragons.  As Komodo Dragons are easily attracted to blood, guests with any type of open wounds or bleeding were encouraged to stay onboard.  The have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite.  Probably the most recent death occurred in 2009, when a 31-year old man was attacked by 2 dragons.  He was rescued by neighbors after hearing his screams; however he had already suffered fatal injuries, and was bleeding from bites to his hands, body, legs, and neck, and died shortly after the attack.

Live Komodo Dragons

As we followed Rofinus along the path, we soon saw 4 dragons resting along the side of a watering hole.  Soon they were joined by a 5th dragon.  The dragons were huge and scary-looking, spewing out their tongues that were forked like snakes.  As we continued along the path, we saw several other dragons, as well as a wild boar and a few deer.  Before reaching the pier, we were ushered through a long line of vendor stalls, selling all sorts of merchandise, including small wooden carvings of Komodo dragons.  Jesse thought the dragons were ugly and did not purchase any.

Afterwards, we boarded a tender for the return trip to the ship and were back on board by noon.  We then swam for 30 minutes before hurrying to lunch.  The afternoon was spent napping (Sally) and working on her genealogy book.  After dinner, we danced for a half hour before retiring for the night.