KETCHIKAN ALASKA AND HOMEWARD BOUND

We had a relaxing day in Ketchikan.  Our game plan was to go with Gretchen and Joe in search of FEDX to send all our purchases home via mail instead of paying for the extra weight.  We were packed and ready to disembark for 9:30.  Terri and Charlie came along to help carry everything. 

Carlos and I put our stuff in a suitcase and he was rolling it off.  I had one of Gretchen's bags and the rest of theirs was spread out between Joe (with suitcase), Gretchen, Terri and Charlie.  I exited the ship first.  No one said boo to me; security let me go.  Then I waited and waited dockside and no one showed.  Finally Terri came to the gangway to say I had to come back on board "they were not letting me disembark with packages".  Funny, no one told security that!!!  So back up the gangway I went to find Carlos and Joe in a heated "discussion" at the passenger services desk - since we did not get clearance from U.S. customs, we could not take our packages off to mail!!  Of course, Carlos argued the point, but he would not win this one.  So we took everything back to our cabins - now we were in search of a luggage store!!  Our first stop we both found suitcases that worked for us.  Now to take the new suitcase back to the ship; afterall, we did not want to lug them all over town.  By now we all were hungry and very thirsty - thirsty for something stronger than water.  We came to find out, most places are smoking.  We finally found a little pub (O'Brian's) that was non-smoking.  We had a nice lunch of fish and chips and regrouped for.....more shopping in the afternoon.  Now that we had suitcases, we had more room, right?

Unfortunately for me, my memory card was erased.  I have no idea how this happened.  But I am grateful it was not one of the days when I shot over 500 photos.  But I did lose my last 2 days on board and a lot of group shots that we tried to get.  Hopefully they can be recreated along the way.

Our last sea day, we had a farewell luncheon with a group from cruise critic.  Joyce, Tom, Rita, Gary, Terri, Charlie, Brian, Heather, Meredith, Tom, Carlos and I and of course, Joe and Gretchen.  We really need to get them in the loop - they found it is a good group of friends who travel over and over again. 

Carlos did get a few shots of this with his camera. 

the group



Heather and Brian, the sane ones!!

 Disembarkation in Vancouver was easy.  We were on one of the 2 buses going to Seattle for flights.  The buses were "sealed" at the dock and we did not have to do an intense border crossing into the U.S.  After a short wait (about 30 mins) an officer came on board, looked at the passports and cleared the bus to continue to SEATAC.  We got to Seattle in the early afternoon.  I had a high fever, so we changed our reservations from a downtown hotel to an airport one.  That way the bus driver would drive us right to the hotel and it would not be that tiring for me.  I have spent the last 48 hours coughing.  Apparently a lot of this was going around;  at least that is what the on board doc told me.  Hopefully I will be back to normal by the flight on Monday.

JUNEAU MARVELOUS HARV & MARV

Today we were in Juneau for a whopping 6 hours.  We spent 3 of those hours on a boat in search of Free Willy!!  Yes, I booked another whale-watching tour with my favorite company – Harv & Marv.  I cannot say enough good things about this company.  Through word of mouth, they built this company from a small 2 man operation with one boat to a 6 Captain, 4 boat operation.  In the past, I have been on Jay’s boat – the Marv of Harv & Marv.  But this year, Jay is taking some time off and a group of 8 went out with Capt. Shawn; Meredith, Bob, Brian, Heather, Joe, Gretchen and yours truly.  We were on their biggest boat, a new 12 pax boat completely outfitted with individual leather seats that have shock absorbers.  Talk about a comfortable ride.

The day was overcast with rain in the forecast – but once again, the weather gods smiled upon us.  We had no rain.  According to Shawn, the colder, overcast skies lends itself to whale sightings.  And whales we did see.  Some of the great shots follow.  We found a loan eagle sitting on a buoy.  More great photos.  Along the way, we found some playful Dahl porpoises and Stellar sea lions. 

At the end of the day, we all agreed we had a great time.  We did stop in town for a very short (45 min.) shopping trip.  All our time (and money) was spent in Red Dog Saloon.  Too bad we didn’t have time this visit for a quick drink at the famous bar.

When I looked at Carlos during sail-a-way, I asked him if he thought we would ever return here.  He gave me a resounding “YES”.  I was very glad to hear that. Guess I will get that drink afterall.



eagle in flight



showing off!!

Shawn, our captain for the day at Harv & Marv

took some time, but did get a nice fluke shot

Spotting the "blow" just before whale surfaces

Carlos in front of the famous Red Dog Saloon.  No room inside, so spent our $$ in their store.

SIX DAYS AT SEA

May 9, two May 10's, May 11, May 12, May 13  (crossed the International Date line and lived May 10 twice!!)

This was the longest time Carlos and I have ever spent at sea without sight of land.  And I worried we would not have enough to do.  On board a big ship like the Diamond, there is something to tickle everyone's funny bone.  Everynight I went in search of Mauritzio, a great piano player, who played songs from the 40's and 50's.  Not for me to dance, but to find the couple who are married 65 years - all 88 years old for him and 86 for her.  Boy, could they cut a rug.   Their joy was contagious. 

The weather during the crossing was cold followed by colder.  It was not exactly deck chair weather.  Funny, how every night they had "MUTS" (movie under the stars) going and no one watching!!!

Kathleen, hurry up and take the photo - I am freezing out here

We played cards with Joe and Gretchen, read a lot, and visited with all my cruise critic friends, both new and old.

And I got some shots of some of our friends.

Charlie our assistant waiter serving Charlie from TN

Beautiful May (84) with hubby Bill (86).  They sat at the table next to us.  I just loved her spunk.

Carlos with Teresita.  She called us Mommacita and Poppacito!!  I helped her with an harrassment issue. She said I saved her life.   

Joe and Gretchen looking at ship's photographer



Carlos with our waiter, Jeffrey.  He got off in Vancouver to go home to see his wife and daughter after being away 9 months.



Charlie & Terri

88 year old dancing with his 86 year old wife - could he dance!!

He held her so tight.  Just loved watching them.



MURORAN

I opened our glass slider to go to the deck at 5:00 a.m. The fog hung over the water and there was little I could see. My first thought was: “Mysterious Muroran”. We docked at 7:00.
Our tour this day was organized by a new friend, Chris. She and her hubby, Tom, are at our dinner table. Chris worked with a bus company, hired them for about $80 per person and then picked up a guide, just someone who was learning the trade and acted as an interpreter. We paid Chris for our pocket expenses, about another $80 p.p. All in all, we had an ambitious day plan due to everything being far apart.
Our friend, Jim, said Muroran was similar to Pittsburgh – a steel mill town. He was so correct. I was struck by the starkness, a lot of black and white.
Our first stop was the Ainu village where the indigenous people live. They put on a show for us and what a show it was. The leader was a ham and quite able to engage the crowd. Then there were 5 women and 1 man who entertained us with song and dance. Even though we thought it “hokey”, we did enjoy it thanks in part to the MC.




M.C. at Ainu Village



Kathleen shopping for souvenirs at Ainu Village

On to Hell Valley crater with volcanic pits and geysers. This is in the town of Noboribetsu, where we would later have lunch. The bubbling hot springs are a major draw for locals and tourists alike. We did not see the geysers, but I would imagine it is similar to Yellowstone.




At Hells Valley

 Our lunch this tour was in the hotel in town. It was a buffet and they laid out a very nice spread. The noodles in this part of Japan are famous. I ended up having a bowl of broth with noodles – very yummy.

Gretchen, please share your beer with Joe

Our last stop was the Mt. Usu Ropeway (another word for gondola) and Lake Toya. The ride to the top took all of 8 minutes to the top. But the views were spectacular. Off to one side was Lake Toya, then after about a 10 minute climb, you could see the crater. We could see the snow-capped mountains In the distance behind Lake Toya. We all had some free time to shop in the local souvenir stores at the base of the ropeway.
After a 30 minute drive, we returned to the port early. We all voted to cut the tour short since the captain said there would be a dockside show presented by the grammar school children. Also, the mayor of the town was coming out to meet and greet our Captain, Dino Sagani. It was one of the best farewell shows of the cruise. The Japanese children were just precious with their songs and dance. My last memory of Muroran will be all the children lined up on the dock as the ship’s side thrusters pushed us out to sea. They were all waving at us and shouting. What a marvelous way to end our last day in an Asian port.



Girls dancing at sail-a-way



Our young Captain Dino with a very young Mayor of Muroran



Farewell Muroran

VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA

Because I read this was a port you could do on your own, I did not plan an organized tour.  Rather, we went off in search of having a relaxed morning.  It did not take us long to get ourselves turned around.

We docked very close to downtown and planned to disembark with Joe, Gretchen and new friends, Meredith and Tom.  So the six of us, with maps in hand, set off to find Main Street. As soon as we left the port gates, we apparently made the wrong turn and we found ourselves in an alley.  This lady came up to us to help.  She was dark haired, and in a belted trench coat with her collar turned to the “cold and damp”– very spy-like!  It did seem somewhat strange that we were following her down this alley, into a back door and up some steps. Very “Mata Hari-ish”.  But we survived and as far as I know, we are not wanted for being International spies.

We passed over the railroad tracks and in front of the very old train station.  At one of the town squares we found a meeting of black-leather jacketed motorcyclists.  They looked a little incongruous in this blue-collar shipbuilding city. It was a great gathering place and time for a lot of photos.

We were in search of the department store “GUM” looking for Russian souvenirs.  We thought we would get a better price away from the dock area.  The 3 “girls” each wanted one of the onion-domed music boxes and thought the store would give us a better price for 3.  Upon arriving we were sadly mistaken and found they would not come down 1 Ruble.  So no music box.  :(

GUM building - old and a lot of character

Carlos in front of GUM.  Man in middle just stopped to give information.

We next headed to the submarine museum.  Vladivostok was a major submarine town for the Russian Navy.  They have one on display, C-56, and a wall similar to the Vietnam Memorial near the museum.  The war honors the thousands who died during WWII. 

We came across another park with a small onion-domed church.  It was noon and the bells were being rung.  We did go inside – it was small and lovely.

Structure near church

Bell ringers at church at noon.

Isn't this baby just beautiful?  She was in a stroller in front of church with her parents.

We headed back to the ship for lunch, having been warned not to eat or drink ashore.  The six of us agreed that Vladivostok turned out to be that fun kind of port since we all went into it with open minds.  I was so glad with did it on our own at our own pace and did what we wanted to do, not what someone said we should do.

Before the ship sailed, we were treated to a show of Russian dancers.  It was a marvelous way to end the day.

The intrepid tourist - L to R: Joe, Gretchen, Carlos, Kathleen, Bob, Meredith and Chris who sits at our dinner table.

DALIAN

Dalian was one of those ports where you asked yourself – what is there to do here and why is this a port?  Following the 2 great Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing, the question seems a valid one.  I knew nothing about this port city.  Joyce, the tour leader here, again worked with Jeff of Beijing Discovery Tours.  She had a bus of 28 fellow cruise critic members to lead around the city.  She planned and “off the beaten track” kind of tour.  Her itinerary included: Zhongshan Square, the Beida Bridge, Xinghai Square, Laohutan Scenic Park, Russian Culture Street and ended at a Dalian local market, very similar to the backstreets on my Shanghai area.

I was able to answer my own question posed above – why this port.  I found out, much to my surprise, Dalian is the largest Chinese port and one of the most beautiful cities we visited.  I found the traffic was almost orderly by Chinese standards.  And it was clean and the people very friendly in our walks around the various parks and squares we visited.  Would I return, yes, in a heartbeat. 

We departed the port for the short ride into the city.  Our tour guide today was Celine, a very nice young lady who was a tour guide part time.  That did not take away from her enthusiasm or knowledge. 



Joe - boys will always be litte boys!

We headed to one of the parks where there is an aquarium and a lot of people out flying kites.  The kids were out in full force and I caught some of them with their kites as well as many people selling them. 

Xinghai Park followed where the new foot sculpture celebrating the city’s 100 year anniversary.  This sculpture is so unique, because the “models” were actual residents.  It shows all the footprints of them starting from the very old and graduating to the smallest.  At the end, close to the ocean, is a monument of 2 small children.  Very pretty.

Footprints - not quite in the sand

We moved on the Russian Culture area.  It was filled with souvenir shops full of “stuff” from Russian.  A funny shopping place when we would be in Vladivostok in later in the cruise.  But it was worth the walk for the architecture of the buildings.



A stroll down Russian Market Street



Local market

We ended the day with a stop at a local market.  As I mentioned, this was similar to the one I had in Shanghai.  It was filled with food stands ranging from fruits to vegetables to fish to cooked meals. 

Another good tour in a great city. 

Handsome little boy riding horse



THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

One of the drawing points for this cruise was a stop in Beijing to see the Great Wall.  As with most places, Carlos has been there, done that.  But it was a first for me and one of those items I wanted to check off my “bucket list”.  Sadly, we would not be able to stay and see the many sights Beijing has to offer.  Does this mean I might go back?

We were on another Beijing Discovery Tour.  Joyce was leader on this and she arranged the tour with one of the co-founders of BDT – Andy.  Due to a problem on my Shanghai tour, Jeff and Andy wanted to make sure this one went smoothly.  But it turned out to be comical – just how many problems can come up and be totally out of one’s control.  You have to learn to roll with the punches and take what is given to you. 

Joyce had us all off the ship and through Chinese formalities long before our appointed meeting with Andy of 7:30 a.m.  Andy was nowhere to be found.  There was a guide who came up to Joyce to say that Andy and the bus were stuck on the freeway.  It had been shut down due to an accident and heavy fog.  When Andy finally arrived we were off and running – over an hour behind schedule.  However, we had to have a back-up plan, just in case the freeway remained closed.  The drive to the Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall would take nearly 3 hours.  We boarded our very nice bus and headed out the freeway – thinking all was well, only to be stopped about 30 minutes outside the port.  We came to a dead standstill.  Cars were turning around and heading back - - on the shoulder of our side of the road!  Crazy traffic in this part of the world.  At this point, Andy and Joyce were discussing canceling the Great Wall and heading to other attractions.  However, they decided to wait and see if traffic opened up.  Finally after sitting for an hour, we started to move.  Great Wall here I come.  However, would you believe some of the fun was being on the freeway people watching? Another thing I found fascinating were the freeway signs.  Many you would never see in the USA. 

Carlos waiting for roadway to open

Our arrival at the great wall was just around 11:30.  Andy said we had 1 hour – we could walk out 30 minutes before having to turn back.  The fast walkers went out like marathon runners and Carlos and I were at the back of the pack.  We were in a real-life tortoise and the hare reenactment.  But at one point with very steep steps going down, I had to leave Carlos and go on by myself.  I was determined to get just as far as I possibly could in my 30 minutes.  It was a tough go – the steps steep with unstable cobblestones.  I did not get to the one tower I had set as my goal, but I can say I walked the Great Wall of China and I can now tick that one off my bucket list.  FOOTNOTE: did see that one Diamond passenger broke her arm when she fell down the steps.  I think she was mightily lucky only breaking an arm.  And to boot, she was much younger than me.  I am grateful that it was not me.

We had lunch in a very nice place at the wall before the long uneventful ride back to the port.  What started as a bust of a day, turned out to be so much fun.  My cup is half full and I am grateful for the wonderful experience shared with new and old friends.