Japan

Yokohama, Japan, as we were about to leave

By the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

This is as much as we saw of Mt. Fuji (it was cold).

Danielle having lunch with Kindergarteners in Kobe

From Shanghai we arrived in Kobe in two days. Kobe is not small (1.5 million) but has a small feel to it. Danielle and I went to a Kindergarten and had lunch with a class and then toured around the city; while Kathleen did a faculty directed trip with students to the Kirin Beer company. The following day we simply walked around Kobe and visited a garden and a Shinto Temple. Naturally, we had Sushi for lunch and dinner! After two days in Kobe we headed for Yokohama (a port city just south of Tokyo), a trek that took just one night. Yokohama is quite large (3.6 million) but unfortunately we didn’t spend much time there. As soon as we arrived, we left on an overnight trip that took us to Mount Fuji and Tokyo.  Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and foggy so we never saw the famous mountain. Our very nice tour guide, however, insisted that the mountain was really there. We could tell that she was disappointed that we never saw the mountain. We then drove in the bus to Tokyo where we stayed at a very nice hotel. That night poor Danielle threw up four times and had a fever, so Kathleen took her back to the ship (which luckily was only a 45 minute train ride away). The rest of us (I was the trip leader) went to the gardens around the Imperial Palace, visited the Meiji Shrine (Shinto), and had a fabulous lunch at a local restaurant. We also went to the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo which is located in a very nice shopping district. The weather had turned much better so we were all in much better spirits on the second day. After Singapore, Vietnam, and China, Japan was just another modern, clean Asian country. Many of us on the faculty, as well as the Life Long Learners (the non-student, older passengers) have been having some very interesting discussions about what we have experienced in Asia. Mostly we are wondering what will happen to the United States since we seem to be lagging behind Asia in so many ways – economically, socially and politically.  All in all, our trip to eleven countries has been too rich to explain. We have learned a great deal and have truly seen the world. Having this opportunity, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a neighbor, is something we will never forget.

China: Capitalist Communism

This indeed was the view from our deck at Shanghai!

Leaping for joy at the Temple of Heaven.

At the Great Wall

No trip to China can be without a photo of Mao's image at the southern gate of the Imperial City and a tourist with a Panda Bear hat.

Here we are in front of the imperial throne room building in the Forbidden City.

Here we are with some Chinese soldiers at the Forbidden City

In a home at the Hutong area (the meal was wonderful and plentiful)

Danielle and Kathleen in their rickshaw in the Hutong neighborhood

Hong Kong City from Mount Victoria

We arrived in Hong Kong in the morning just after sunrise, allowing us to see the massive city at dawn. Hong Kong, like Singapore, is a maritime city, full of tall buildings. In Hong Kong we met up with a former student of Kathleen’s, who took us to the top of a hill near the city, for a walk around the hill, giving us a panoramic view of the city. We had a great dinner that night at a popular, local restaurant by the port and then we left for Beijing the next morning. We arrived in Beijing’s new and spectacular international airport and quickly taken by bus to an old section of the city (Hutong), were then put on rickshaws and bicycled to private homes in the old area for dinner. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to Beijing. One of our guides, Steven (the guides seem to take on western names for our benefit), told me that his family had a home in Hutong but the government made them move out in order to develop the area. Nevertheless, there are still quite a few homes in this old area of Beijing where a number of families share an inner patio. In the next couple of days, our main guide, David, showed us the key tourist sites: the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven. We also went to a home for kids whose parents are not providing for them and went to a Kung Fu school to watch a demonstration. Overall, most of us who went to Beijing were floored by the degree of progress that has been made in the last few decades. Rather than finding a communist country devoid of consumer goods, we found a vibrant city that is progressing almost too rapidly – the traffic was horrible, since so many people now have cars. We then flew to Shanghai, since the ship had left Hong Kong and made its way there in two days of sailing. Shanghai is a city to behold. The buildings are tall, unique, and magnificently lit up at night. Our cabin faced a beautiful part of the city so we had a fabulous view of Shanghai for two nights. Overall, China blew our socks off. Chairman Mao must be either turning over in his grave or wondering why he didn’t carry out economic reforms while he was in power. China was a big hit with pretty much everyone on the ship.

Vietnam and Cambodia

On the canoe ride in the Mekong Delta

One of the many statues of Buddha at the temples of Angkor Wat. Many of the small temples are still used by Buddhist monks.

Kathleen and Danielle at one of the central temple areas of Angkor Wat.

At the entrance of Angkor Wat with our fabulous guide, Savi, who is teaching us about the Khmer civilization.

All of us on the City tour in front of the statue to "Uncle Ho."

Approaching Ho Chi Minh City

We had just one day of sailing from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). The city is a ways up the Mekong River so the trip to HCMC was interesting. We arrived early in the morning and there were quite a few small boats (fishermen, taxis and cargo) already on the river.  When we approached the city we were quite surprised to see how modern it has become. We knew that Singapore was modern but most of us were expecting Vietnam to be way behind economically. Despite the terrible, long wars against the French, the United States, China and Cambodia, Vietnam is now having its own economic boom. Unfortunately we did not spend enough time in Vietnam since on the second day we flew to Cambodia, to the small city of Siem Riep, to see the legendary ruins of Angkor Wat. The Khmer civilization and empire built large, elegant cities and temples that have held up quite well after over one thousand years. These ruins are simply magnificent. In addition to a city tour of Ho Chi Minh City, I went to the Mekong Delta, south of HCMC, and got to go on a fun canoe ride. After it was all over, we wished that we had been able to spend more time in both Cambodia and Vietnam. Too much to see, not enough time! And then, we left for Hong Kong …

Singapore

Danielle usually focuses on the animals

The new and very impressive Sands Hotel and Casino

One of the ubiquitous public housing complexes in Singapore

Danielle Trick or Treating from Archbishop Tutu (before arriving in Singapore we celebrated Halloween on the ship)

We have now left Hawaii, where most of us simply relaxed, and are headed for San Diego. Final exams started today so we can finally see that the voyage is about to end. Most of us have mixed feelings about the end of our adventure - we are eager to go home but we are also sad to leave the ship and all of our new friends who shared so many new experiences with us.

Most of us were very surprised with Singapore, because it is so advanced, clean, modern and orderly. The degree of development is striking and the architecture and rate of construction is very impressive. We were also impressed by the degree of equality in Singapore. 85% of the population lives in government housing that is quite nice, clean and close to public transportation.