March 30

3-30: Yesterday we got into Mumbai (formerly Bombay) at about 11:30 in the morning. As soon as the ship was cleared we headed out for our lunch at the Taj Mahal Hotel. (Picture included) It is a magnificent building built in the early 1900s when the man who built it was refused service at the classy hotel of the day because he was an Indian. When we arrived they put red dots on our foreheads. Our lunch was amazing. We had two appetizer courses - one vegetarian and one not. All who know me will be amazed to know that I tried everything! Most of it was very good BUT very HOT! Mexican food has nothing on Indian food. The plate in the picture was for our main course which was a sampling of a lot of different things - lamb and prawns and beans and potatoes and a lobster tail! It was all good. Then we had dessert - ice cream like a popsicle that was very good along with other things. They also had chip that looked like curled into a cone tortilla chips that were made from lentils that were very very HOT! During lunch we had a show that was strange - Bollywood which is the Indian film industry put on song and dance numbers from the movies. After lunch we went to the Dhobi Ghat which is the mind boggling outside laundry! The pictures don’t do it justice - it is absolutely amazing! It is all men doing the work - they pick up the clothes from the people’s homes, wash them, dry them, iron them and return them! It is really one of the most fascinating things I have seen We went back again today on the tour and I was still amazed! Then back to the ship where for once it was not formal wear at dinner - guys don’t even need a tie! But it was Indian dinner night and Ginnie and I had had enough of that so we both just ordered big salads - and we were so tired that shortly after dinner we were sound asleep. Then this morning we had another tour. Once again to the Dhobi Ghat and then to the Ghandi museum which is in the house where he stayed when in Bombay. It is under renovation but it was still interesting. Then to the Prince of Wales Museum (which now has an Indian name) where we spent most of our time in the Natural History part of the museum looking at the animals. Then on to the Gate of India which was built to honor the King of England when he came to visit - though it was not built until after he had been here. Everywhere we went there were people hawking “junk” and beggars - especially young woman with babies and young children. Our guide said manyof the women just picked kids up off the street for begging - that they weren’t even their children - she said it was big business. But what a cute little kid from our bus window. All in all Mumbai was much cleaner and nicer than Sri Lanka - or for that matter the rest of SE Asia - we were pleasantly surprised. Tonight we leave Mumbai and head toward Dubai - 2 sea days.

March 28

3-27am: Yesterday we were in Sri Lanka and neither of us can figure out why anyone would come here on purpose BUT there are many resort hotels at one of which we spent the day. We woke up to a driving rain - it was coming down in buckets - and we were thinking how wonderful that we had picked this spot for a day in the sun at a resort! The drive to the Royal Palms was an hour and a half through some of the most abject poverty we have ever seen. And dirty - trash all over the place. Let me tell you - after seeing Columbo yesterday I take back my comment a few days ago (in the BLOG about Singapore’s cleanliness) about littered America. We are much closer to Singapore thank heavens than Sri Lanka - and our table mates tell us “wait til you see India”!! Anyhow, our drive was very interesting - there are thousands of “took-tooks” which are these little three wheeled cabs that just drive like idiots in and out of traffic! I do wonder what the death rate of took-took drivers is. We passed the sidewalk stalls selling all kinds of fruit - and fish just laid out on a slab of wood on the dirty sidewalk. And people - lots and lots of people. They were dressed every which way - most of the women were in saris and the men were either in pants or in sari-like skirts. And everyone had on sandals - mostly rubber flip flops which came in handy yesterday in the monsoons! The streets were all flooded - nowhere for the water to go - didn’t seem to have any storm sewers. And the living conditions were very poor. We thought perhaps this was the area of the tsunami but it was not - we were on the wrong side of the island. It was amazing. The resort was very nice and the sun did come out. It was hot and humid. They served us a buffet lunch with samples of all the different foods - some of which were very HOT! Then about 4 we headed back to the ship - another interesting drive - I think Ginnie and I enjoyed the drive more than the resort. Not much in the way of pictures - the one of the man on his bike on the dirt road is on the road to the resort - which is behind guarded gates - not my idea of an ideal vacation spot! And the Birmingham kids will be glad to know that we have our own personal Ethel, our room steward - she is from Eastern Europe someplace and she is Ethel in all respects!

3-27pm: We toured Cochin, India today. IT WAS HOT!! First we went on a boat to see the harbor. It was interesting. We went out to see the Chinese fishermen nets - they werefascinating. Huge nets with a system of pulleys etc to catch fish from the shore They were all up when we went by and our guide said they put them down at full tide. Then we got on a bus and went to “Jewtown” and saw a synagogue that had been built in 1568. The first Jews came to India in 175 BC and since the establishment of Israel the Jewish population of Cochin has dwindled to 14. The walk to the synagogue was lined with shops - Ginnie didn’t make the whole walk but enjoyed the small shops along the way. They were very interesting - small and crowded and sold a little of everything. Then we went to a Dutch Palace which was built in 1557 - there was a huge mural on the walls that depicted a mythical history of India and Sri Lanka. After the Dutch Palace, which was actually built by the Portuguese , we went to the Church of St. Francis which was built in the 16th century. Vasco da Gama, who died in Kochi (Cochin) in 1524 was buried in the church for 14 years until his remains were taken back to Portugal. After the church we were taken to the obligatory fancy store stop - only reason we went in was because there was a potty, but, you know, when you sweat for hours you really don’t need to pee as much! The city itself was not as trashy as Columbo, but it was dirty and crowded - open sewers seemed to be flowing along some of the streets. You would pass a fairly decent looking house and behind the wall - in the yard - would be rubble - why not make where you live attractive? Not sure I understand. All in all it was a good enough tour but it was HOT and Cochin, India is not a place I will revisit!

March 24

3-24 Fri.: Well, we never thought we would be happy to have a sea day but after 3 ports in 3 days we are glad to be able to take it easy today! BUT Ginnie is one mad puppy because the Duke game was supposed to be on at 7:10 this morning and it was not! No satellite feed! We did collect the brackets and entry fees last night - 18 whole people participating! And Ginnie did wear her blue hair! On Wednesday we were in Penang. Our first stop was at a batik factory - though factory might be a bit of an overstatement - it was a couple of shacks with about 10 employees. They did show us the process - they mainly work with silk - and of course, they did have stuff to sell. Then we went to the butterfly farm which was FANTASTIC. Some of the biggest butterflies I have ever seen and thousands of them. One large butterfly had wing tips that looked like snake heads - amazing. On the way back to the bus we stopped at a fruit stand shack that had a rubber tree growing up through the middle of it and saw how they cut the rubber tree to let the latex run out. And they cut into one of those stinky fruits that John Haase had told us about - boy , he was right - they do stink! The tour was long and HOT and our guide was annoying but the sights were worth it. Then yesterday we were in Phuket. Hard to believe it has only been 15 months since the tsunami hit here - so much has been rebuilt. Our tour took us to an elephant safari place where we saw an elephant show and a monkey show and the rode on an elephant! During the show they offered elephant massages - people went out an stretched out on a mat and they put a small blanket over their backs and the young elephant rubbed their backs with his foot - all the while kissing their bare arms with his trunk! Amazing. It was great. The shows were good and the ride was nice - really bumpy!! Then we went to a rubber plantations and saw how they process the rubber - they tap the trees at night because in the heat of the day the latex does not run as quickly. Then we went to a cashew factory - no wonder they are so expensive! Each nut husk is separated from the fruit that grows from it and then each husk is separated - if the nut is whole it goes in one dish and if split it goes in another. And at some point in the process they boil them and then bake them. Slow process. We bought some good stuff BUT don’t think it will get home to any of you! Then we made an obligatory stop for shopping at a real upscale jewelry store that of course also sold the same souvenirs you could by anywhere else. We object to being led like a lamb to the slaughter at these store - wonder what the kickback deal Cunard has! Today is cloudy and rainy but we are enjoying being lazy. Columbo on Sunday.

March 22

3-21: Today we were in Singapore. We did not have a tour because we had waited until the last minute to sign up. So this morning we headed out on our own - we were going to take the shuttle bus into town from the port. The line to get on the shuttle bus was very long and there were taxis for hire - 2 hour tour and they would drop you anywhere in town. So that is what we did. Our driver took us to Chinatown where we were able to wander some. Then we went to a Chinese Buddhist Temple but we have seen a lot of those lately. It was very pretty and right in the midst of tall modern buildings. Then we went to Little India. Singapore is about 65% Chinese and 20% Indian and 10% Malaysian. Then our driver took us to the place where Singapore was first discovered by the British - by Sir Stamford Raffles. There were a couple of Indians there with their pythons. And for 5 Singapore dollars you could hold the snake over your shoulders! So Ginnie did! Pictures included. I didn’t really see the need to get that up close and personal with a big snake! After that stop our 2 hour tour was over and he dropped us where the shuttle bus would have taken us - the main shopping district. We went into one of the malls and saw a Pizza Hut and went in for a coke. They had some different things on the menu and as an add on they had Spanish tortilla chips with alfredo or Bolognese sauce. Just had to see what that was - just a morning snack. It was just a baked flour tortilla with the dipping sauce. All the fast food restaurants seem to make adjustments for location - see what McDonalds serves in Singapore (picture). After our cokes we went in search of the rest room and we found it BUT you had to pay 20 cents to go in!! Then we headed back to the ship on the shuttle bus. Singapore is an amazingly clean city - but it is called a “fine” city. They have huge fines for littering or smoking or spitting. It is against the law to chew gum - they don’t even sell it anywhere. Somehow, there needs to be a happy medium between the “fine” city and the littered American cities I’m used to. I mean driving the major roads you see no litter - it is amazing. Oh and there is an SMU in Singapore - Singapore Management University - it was a very big University and there were SMU signs all over the place - kind of wild.

March 20

3-20: We awoke this morning and turned the TV on to see if we were getting any NCAA basketball. We are now watching Texas thoroughly whomp NC State. Too bad it is not a Duke game for Ginnie. In our daily program this morning there was an announcement for a March Madness get together in the Golden Lion Pub at 4:30. Ginnie is going to wear her blue hair! Yesterday was interesting. As were driving though the city to our first stop we saw how they transport pigs to market - never seen a pickup truck so loaded with ham on the hoof in my life! How would you like to be the pig man sitting in the back with the pigs? Our first stop was the Wooden Pavilion which is being built as a Sanctuary of Truth. It is amazing but seems to be an exercise in futility to me - it is all made of wood and it is rotting and cracking as fast (or should I say as slowly) as they are building it. They have been building it for 20 years and think they will be building it for the next 20 at least! It is a work of art though - so many intricately carved panels and so huge. It is in a beautiful spot - right next to the ocean. But it is weird - not built as a temple but as a cultural learning center to teach young Thais about their culture. Couldn’t resist taking a picture of the sign - I love their translation. We also went to a place called Three Kingdoms Theme Park which is actually a place built by the children of a Chinese Thai business man who had more money than he knew what to do with as his burial ground. He wanted a monument that would keep Chinese traditions alive in Thailand or some such. It was absolutely stunning. The grounds and the buildings were fantastic. It was way out in the boonies - our bus driver kept stopping to ask directions - made us very confident about getting back to the ship! But we went through pineapple fields and tapioca fields - didn’t know pineapples grow close to the ground and that tapioca is scraped off the roots of a tapioca plant! All in all it was a good day - not as oppressively hot as the day before though still VERY hot and muggy - it is all relative! We came back to the ship, ate lunch, and went to the movies - we saw Cinderella Man. Enjoyed it.

March 18

This morning we docked in Laem Chabang about 8am. All tours into Bangkok were canceled because of the expected demonstrations over the Prime Minister. They felt it was not safe to go into Bangkok. The tours that stayed out of Bangkok were still scheduled. So Ginnie and I went to The Garden Transfer tour that we had scheduled. The gardens were beautiful BUT we really didn’t see much of them. We got our pictures taken with monkeys - well, an orangutan and a chimp! It was too funny - the orangutan nibbled on our ears - we were glad that we still had ear rings when we got up! It was great! You could also have your picture taken with a Cheetah (or leopard or some such) and birds BUT we didn’t do that. You hade to pay $2 US for each picture and then they would sell you the actual picture later for $5 US. However, the guy who was selling the pictures had no change and wouldn’t take $7 and 20bot for two pictures so I didn’t get them. We also went to a cultural show - lots of different dances, some kick boxing which was very similar to American “wrestling” - they even knocked out the ref! The also had an elephant show - the elephants ate bananas, threw darts at balloons, rode bicycles, painted pictures, played soccer, etc! It was great. After the elephant show we were allowed one free (right) drink - we had local beer - called Singha - it was pretty good. Then we came back to the ship. IT IS HOT here - supposed to get up to about 40C which is about 104! And the humidity is high too! Two of the pictures are the ones that would not go on the other day - the flower dog and the smoky temple. The rest are from this morning - enjoy.

March 16

3-16: We did eat at the California Pizza Kitchen and other than the fact that we were drinking Tsing Tao beers surrounded by Chinese people we could have imagined ourselves at home! Well, there was also a card on the table advertising their special for high tea - not sure pizza places in the US do tea! Then yesterday we went on another tour. First we went to a Taoist Temple - never seen so much incense burned in one place - the whole courtyard was so smoky! Ginnie had enough sense to stay down below but even there the smoke was amazing. Our guide said that on Chinese New Year when the place is FULL everyone wears trench coats to protect themselves from the smoke and embers from the incense. It was a fascinating place and our guide seemed very knowledgeable. Then we went to the Flower Market which had been substituted for the Bird Market! It was beautiful - block of flower shops - very colorful. Amazing variety. After the Flower Market we went to the Jade Market. Seemed kind of like a flea market - lots of stalls with people selling jade -and assorted other things. Our guide told us that the jade was not always jade and to be very careful - not to buy any one piece that cost more than $20 US! According to the Chinese Zodiac, Ginnie was born in the Year of the Dragon (1940) and I was born in the Year of the Dog (1946) - Mike (1972) is the Year of the Rat and Jenny (1975) is the Year of the Rabbit. There are 12 sings so they repeat every 12 years - see if you can figure yours out even though we haven’t given you enough clues. We did buy some “jade” talismans for our years. On to Bangkok.  Pictures aren't working - some may have made it but not all - will try again later.  Sorry.

March 14

3-14: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE! We got in Hong Kong yesterday about 10. It is an amazing city - tall buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbor - in Kowloog which is on the mainland and in Hong Kong which is on an island. Our tour took us to the tram up Victoria Peak which is 1805 feet above sea level. The tram went straight up - well, not quite BUT it seemed that way! The view was spectacular even on a cloudy day. After the tram ride up Victoria Peak we went to Stanley Market - the ride there on the bus was almost as scary as the tram ride since the roads are about Mini-Cooper width and we were in a big bus! Stanley Market was interesting - a lot of small stores selling “junk” - some nice stuff but mostly t-shirts and fake jade Buddhas! After Stanley Market we went to the harbor and got on a motorized sampan to tour the floating village where the Chinese live on their boats. It is not as common as it once was but there are still people living on these boats - we saw a couple with dogs on them barking at us as we went by just like Breck at people on “ his street”! On the way back to the ship we passed a fascinating cemetery - called Happy Valley for you Penn State people. It was very crowded - as is the whole city of course, and it was tiered. So they can’t avoid crowded conditions even after death. Once back we sat in the Chart Room where the windows look out over Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong. Once it gets dark the buildings are all lit up with neon and changing colors and dancing lights! It is fantastic! Today we went out on our own to walk Nathan Street which is one of the main shopping streets. Oh - speaking of shopping, the ship is docked at one of the BIGGEST malls we have ever seen! All the fancy shops - Tommy and Polo and Prada etc! Not what we came around the world to do however! At lunch time we went to a Chinese (fancy that) restaurant. It was very nice. We had a couple of local beers - San Miguel - couldn’t believe that the local Hong Kong beer is called San Miguel. We had Spring Rolls and Prawns in a hot sauce and Frog Legs! I ever tried one BUT couldn’t get past the fact that they were frog’s legs! The rest of it was very good! Tonight we are going to go out into that big mall and eat at the California Pizza Kitchen - enough Chinese food for one day. Tomorrow we have another tour and then on to Bangkok! We still say can you believe we are in…?

3-13: Last night we were in really rough seas with 50 knot winds! Actually all day but for most of the day the seas were following as was the wind. Then about 9 we had to turn west and the seas and the wind were hitting us broadside! WOW! We were still at dinner when all kinds of things - glasses silverware serving dishes went flying off of all the serving stations! It was a huge crash! All of us who were still in the dining room just sat in amazement! Wild. Ginnie and I came down to our room and some stuff was not were it had been - we stowed everything away as well as possible - it was rocky. There was one more BIG movement of the ship but we had things pretty well put away by then. The Captain came on the speakers twice - the last time at 11:15 to tell people to be very careful that he had gotten reports that people had been hurt. He was having the stewards check all of the rooms - so Rolando came by about 10 minutes later. Then we could finally go to sleep but Ginnie, whose bed is not by the wall, had a hard time staying in bed! I did reach my hand out a couple of times to keep myself from going face first into the wall! The seas are much calmer this morning thank heavens. We are a couple of hours late into Hong Kong because the Shanghai port was closed due to fog when we were trying to leave and we left 4 hours late. But the weather is still bleak - we want sunshine!

March 12

3-11: Our time in Shanghai has been extended - hopefully not by much - because of the fog. The port has been closed down for the time being so instead of having left at 6pm we are still tied up at the dock at 9:15. Of course, Ginnie and I are pretty sure that the fog is just hiding the SMOG The air quality is not wonderful - made Ginnie’s breathing pretty difficult. Our time in Shanghai was great - an amazing city of 17 million people! Block after block of new 20+ story condo buildings - our guide said they had to be tall buildings because if it was only 5 or 6 stories there would be no elevators. Also he said you could tell the difference between the apartment buildings and the office buildings because there was no laundry hanging out of the windows in the office buildings. All of the apartment/condo buildings had laundry hanging out - it was amazing - even the new upscale buildings. Also - so many bicycles! And so many pedestrians. Very different from an American city. We got our tour at 2 yesterday and traveled into Shanghai from the port - about an hours drive. We went to the Jade Buddha Temple. It was a beautiful place. The Jade Buddha was cut from a solid piece of white jade and was brought from Burma in the 1800s - it weighs tons and was carried by hand. We saw the monks come out and do a chant of some sort and there were people coming in and buying incense and burning it and bowing in the four directions. And they tie wishes on ribbons on the trees to send them to heaven to be fulfilled. They would buy big boxes of something and would burn them in huge urns in the main courtyard. It was a very beautiful and interesting place. There were also many people selling “stuff” - fans, “Rolexes,” backscratchers, postcards, etc. - on the street leading to the temple - amazing - kind of like Mexico. Then we went to the Yu Garden which was very nice - we got there just before closing so we didn’t even need to fight the crowds - well, at least not once inside the garden. Most things were not yet in bloom but it was still very pretty - and peaceful - it was hard to believe you were in the middle of a city of 17 million! After the garden we went to the Hyatt Hotel where we were having dinner and spending the night. The hotel is in the top of the Jin Mao Building which is the tallest in China. The lobby is on the 54th floor and our room was on the 67th floor. Our rooms were magnificent - and huge, especially after 2 months on the ship! Dinner wasenjoyable even though the food really wasn’t that good. The entertainment was great - traditional acrobats etc - pictures included. After the dinner and show Ginnie and I went to the hotel bar and had a beer - it was interesting to see the bar - looked like any upscale bar in any US downtown - except that all the YUPPIES were Chinese. This morning we had breakfast and wrote some postcards and then came back to the ship. We did laundry and napped in our “broom closet” of a room! All in all the trip to Shanghai was wonderful. Our tour guide was the best we have had yet and he made the tour very interesting. We are headed out of port (10pm) - a cold front came through and cleared the fog out - so we should be able to get to Hong Kong on time. Enjoy the pictures. Bedtime!

March 10

Today we are in Shanghai.  We docked at 3:30 this morning so that the Chinese could come on board and clear the ship allowing people to get off.  Most places that takes about an hour or so BUT here it takes 5 hours or so - thus the middle of the night arrival.  When I went to get my passport I heard one of the ship's people asking the Chinese guy if they were allowed to weld anything.  Amazing.  Ginnie is tethered to the room this morning so that all of her oxygen tanks will be full when we get off this afternoon.  We are spending the night in Shanghai and are looking forward to it.  The weather is cold and gray, though it looks like the sun may be trying to burn off the fog - feels kind of like San Francisco.  All for now - will write abour Shanghai tomorrow when we get back.

March 9

3-8: Today we were in Kagoshima, Japan. You could see the volcano - barely - as we came into port this morning BUT the day was misty or polluted or something so the volcano disappeared into the mist. We had a great tour today. We went up into the mountains to the town of Chiran. It was a beautiful drive. Our tour guide was great - he talked a lot about WWII which Ginnie and I found fascinating. He said that the history books in Japan do not mention any of the atrocities that the Japanese committed during WWII - or any other time for that matter - because Japanese are taught never to speak ill of their ancestors. Amazing. He said he was a University graduate who had learned to speak English before he got an accurate picture of WWII. He told us that one of the ships that actually was sunk about 600 meters off the coast of the Kagoshima area by bombers was reported to be destroyed in a sea battle off of Okinawa according to the history books! We went to the Kamikaze Museum which was very interesting. A man gave a talk - even though we really couldn’t hear him - about the kamikaze pilots - read some of their letters which were written before taking off on their missions which were interesting. The average age was very young - most of them under 20. The museum itself was good BUT only if you spoke Japanese - nothing at all in English. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. There were a couple of shops but not much in the way of souvenirs - mainly food. Very strange - you have all these tourists ready to buy and there isn’t anything to buy! After the museum we went into the town of Chiran which was an old Samurai village. The houses from the 1600s were still there and still occupied! The gardens were typical Japanese gardens - small and much more attention paid to form than color. Of course - it was not color season either. The town of Chiran also had a foot deep canal that ran down the edge of the sidewalk that was filled with huge carp! Our guide said the carp was very revered in Japan. All in all it was a great tour - we really enjoyed it. Still hard to believe we were in Japan and are now headed to China! The pictures are a statue of a kamikaze pilot, stone lanterns (there were lots of them), the gardens, the inside of a samurai house, the canal and the carp. And last but not least a Japanese style toilet - western toilets were few and far between!

Mar. 7

3-7: Yesterday we docked in Kobe around 7am. All passengers and crew had had to have their temperatures taken on two separate occasions for the Japanese Quarantine Authority prior to our docking! It was amazing! Then they took their time allowing us to get off the ship so our tours started a little later than scheduled. The weather was lousy - gray and drizzly - BUT the tour was great. We took a bus from Kobe through Osaka to Koyoto which had been the capital of Japan until 1867 when the 15th Tokugawa Shogun returned sovereignty to the Emperor. First we toured the Golden Pavilion - properly called the Rokuon-ji Temple - which was beautiful - it had been originally built in the 1220s as a villa. The gardens are fantastic though it is still winter here so not much in bloom. However, there is a 600 year old Bonsai tree that has been fashioned into the shape of a sailing ship! Amazing. Then we went to lunch at a hotel - the lunch was not wonderful - raw fish to start and some soup with tofu! But we did have a Sapporo beer that came in huge bottles! After lunch Ginnie went to the VIP toilet where the seat was heated and there were 4 buttons which she was afraid to push for fear she would get her butt scrubbed! I missed that by going to the commoners ladies room but at least it was western style when so many of the toilets around here are simply holes in the floor - nice porcelain holes, but holes nonetheless! Then we headed across the street to the Nijo Castle which had been built in 1603 - and completed in 1626. It was a huge building with a moat and high outer walls. The floor in the castle is wood and specially built to make sounds so no one could sneak up on the Shogun who lived there. It is called a Nightingale floor and it is the most amazing thing - it just chips and sings as you walk across it! Then we headed to the train station in Koyoto to catch the bullet train back to Kobe! You have approximately 2 minutes to get on the train - our tablemates said they almost missed it because the people in front of them were so slow moving out of the way! The seats are very comfortable and the leg room is about 5 times what you would find on an American airplane! And it goes FAST making cars on the freeway next to us seem to be standing still! We got back to Kobe in 31 minutes when it had taken over an hour to drive the other way. Kobe had a large earthquake around 1997 which devastated the city - around 6000 people killed and buildings destroyed. On the way back to the ship we went to the Earthquake Memorial which was right down on the harbor. They had left a place that showed the damage - it was very interesting and the memorial park was very pretty. Other tidbits - there is a chain of 24 hour convenience stores called Lawson - we tried and tried to get a picture of the sign but failed. Also the 7-11s look like 7-11s but are called 7-i. And The Golden Arches over a Japanese word - whatever it may be! All in all - weather and lunch not included - it was a very good day! Tomorrow - Kagoshima!

March 4

3-4: Today we were in Taiwan. It is a beautiful island - very mountainous. Our guide said there were 24 mountains over 3000 meters - however tall that is! When we came into the harbor this morning the tug boats were spraying water in welcome - it was kind of neat. Our tour this morning was nice in spite of our guide who was AWFUL!!! First we drove from Keeling - a working port - to Taipei - a drive of about half an hour. Went through a lot of tunnels. We drove through downtown Taipei where the signs were mainly in both English and Chinese. There were a lot of wide boulevards and then you would pass these very narrow streets. Most of the people seem to ride motorcycles - there were even large parking lots marked off with spaces just for motorcycles! We saw the 101 building - picture included - that our guide said was the tallest in the world. Supposed to look like bamboo which it does - kind of. It is certainly taller than anything else in Taipei! Then we went to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial which was beautiful. We got there in time to see the changing of the guards. The grounds were fantastic - beautiful gardens and wonderful buildings - the buildings are theaters for the symphony, etc. Then we went to the National Palace Museum which holds all the artifacts that the people were able to carry out of Mainland China in 1949 when the Communists took over. Our guide kept calling Beijing Peking - like the whole revolution had never taken place. She said the treasures left in the museum in China were the ones that were too large to carry. We saw pottery dating to 600 BC and beautiful ivory carvings - some of which took 3 generations to carve. And wonderful painted and glazed pottery from the Ming dynasty which ended in the late 1200s! We got back to the ship and noticed a huge statue on top of the hill across the port from us - picture included. We are not sure what it is a statue of - not Buddha - too thin - and not Confucius - no beard - but it is huge and certainly overlooks the harbor. Also included in the pictures is a stop sign - can you read it?