Okinawa   沖縄

We rejoined the ship and sailed for OKINAWA, the site of the last horrible fighting in the Pacific War.  We visited the memorials – very depressing.

Near the end of World War Two, Okinawa Honto became the site of one of the war's bloodiest battles, when the US forces invaded and occupied the island. An estimated 200,000 people, including more than 100,000 civilians and 12,500 Americans were killed in the battle, which lasted from April to June 1945.

The main memorial to the Battle of Okinawa is the 

Peace Memorial Park

Other monuments in the park include the "Cornerstone of Peace", a collection of large stone plates with the names of all fallen soldiers and civilians, including Koreans, Taiwanese, Americans and Britons.

Himeyuri monument and museum:

  It commemorates the fate of female high school students, who worked in army field hospitals in caves under horrendous conditions. Most of them did not survive the war approximately 80% of the girls and their teachers perished. Survivors committed suicide in various ways because of fears of systematic rape by US soldiers. Some threw themselves off cliffs

 

  

The island is the southern most of the Ryukyu Chain and has a multi- cultural history.  It was basically Chinese until the mid 19^th Century when the Japanese tool over.  From what we could tell, it does not really wish to be part of Japan and the people would like to get the American bases off the island.

After a day at sea we reached land at Keeling, Taiwan and had a wonderful but altogether too short visit to Taipai.

SHANGHAI   上海老城厢; pinyin

The 4 day 3 nights adventure was one of the great journey’s of both of our lives.

As we arrived in the airport in Shanghai we took the Maglev train from the airport to the Pudong Station.  This sensational train is powered by magnetic levitation. We went onboard   the world’s sole commercially-operated high speed maglev train, built by Siemens.   it travels routinely at 200 mph (360 km/h)and occasionally at 260 mph (460 km/h) fast and stable amazing 8 min to get in town, a trip that would have taken us 1 ½ by bus.

Shanghai, which literally means the "City on the Sea," lies on the Yangzi River delta at the point where China's main waterway completes its 5,500-km (3,400-mi) journey to the Pacific.

Until 1842 Shanghai's location made it merely a small fishing village. After the first Opium War, however, the British named Shanghai a treaty port, opening the city to foreign involvement.

In its heyday, Shanghai was the place to be -- it had the best art, the greatest architecture, and the strongest business in Asia. With dance halls, brothels, glitzy restaurants, international clubs, and even a foreign-run racetrack, Shanghai was a city that catered to every whim of the rich. 

After a visit of the city and pearl shop and Anci couldn't resist bying earrings.

The architecture of high rise is simply amazing and the night sights are electrifying.

We did go up to the tallest skyscraper in Shanghai is the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is 492 m (1,614 ft) tall with 101 floors. It is currently the tallest building in the People's Republic of China and the third-tallest in the world

we rejoined the ship with a warm welcome banner and our buttler waiting for Jost.  

Also a nicely prepared and decorated room and fiinally sailed for Okinawa the next morning.

Xi'an (Chinese: 西安; pinyin: Xī'ān)

After an early flight from Beijing to Xi’an (another very clean and mordern airport) off we went on to our first visit: The City Wall of Xian which is the most complete one that has survived in China. It was bitterly cold.

The city is surrounded by a well-preserved city wall which was re-constructed in the 14th century during the early Ming dynasty and was based on the inner imperial palace of Tang dynasty.

One of the oldest city in China and capital city under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history.

Population: of 8 million it was recently named as one of the 13 emerging megacities.

Religion : : Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, as well as Christian.

There are an estimated 50,000 Hui Muslims in Xi’an

In Xi’an we visited our first of many Buddist temples and had an interesting Monk herbal tea tasting.

Xian is also the home of the Terra Cotta Warriors.  This site and these statues, all an in situ museum, much be seen to be believed. Our guide was the same person who took President Clinton around and I suspect Mrs. Obama also (recently). 

A LITTLE HISTORY :

The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang -Ying Zheng- (221-210 B.C.) arranged for his burial place. 700,000 workers from every province of the Empire toiled unceasingly until the death of the Emperor in 210 in order to construct a subterranean city within a gigantic mound. The place was a veritable scale model of the palace.

Qin Shi Huang had the figures created and buried with him in the belief that they would protect him after his death.

It is believed that the statues were destroyed only some 50 years after their original creation, due to a fire set during a peasant uprising. The original design included a wooden roof covering the rows of soldiers, and the statues were crushed when this burning roof collapsed in on them. The fire also destroyed the paint which gave the statues a more realistic look. However, the separate pit which contains the "officers" of the army escaped fire, and some paint remnants can still be seen on these figures.

If you wish to learn more, see : http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/02cul/c03s01.html.

Pit 1 was discovered in March 1974 by local Chinese farmers while drilling a well. Anči had her picture taken with the last living farmer and he signed our book.

October 1, 1979 Emperor Qin's Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum was opened to the public about 22 miles (35 kilometers) East of Xian, China.

Before leaving Xi'An we stopped at a Jade shop and had a great lesson about the different jade qualities.  

Next destination : Shangai after a great flight and superb service 
 on China Southern air.

(北京 Běijīng)

"Beijing" is the atonal pinyin 

The Great Wall was built by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Huns, but also to isolate China from the world.

The Emperor standardized Chinese writing, bureaucracy, scholarship, law, currency, weights and measures.

The Qin dynasty ended soon after his death, but a unified China remained for over 2,000 years.  China’s name is derived from his short bus seminal dynasty, Qin (pronounced CHIN).

It is hard to describe the magnitude of this structure, easy to think about in the abstract, is incredible when you get “up close and personal”.   

According to a Chinese saying, no visit to Beijing is complete if you miss seeing the Great Wall or dining on Roast Duck which we did after visiting the  .

 明清皇家陵寢; pinyin: Míng Qīng Huángjiā Língqǐn 

is the designation under which the 

UNESCO has included several tombs and burial complexes into the list of World Heritage Sites. 

These tombs date from the Mingand Qing dynasties of China. 

At the foot of Tianshou Mountain, is the Ming Tombs Scenic Area, where lie the mausoleums of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Since 1409 when Zhu Di, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, built his Changling Tomb here, the succeeding twelve emperors had their tombs built around Changling during the next 230 years, covering a total area of over 120 square kilometers (46.3 square miles). This is the best preserved tomb area with the most emperors buried.

At present, only the Sacred Way, Changling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and Dingling Tomb are open to the public. 

An off we went to the local, recommended by our guide, PEKING DUCK Restaurant.

The hot roast duck is brought to the dining table by the chef where he slices it into more than 100 thin flakes,

First, a suitable White Beijing Duck is chosen for preparation. After the bird has been plucked, air is pumped between its skin and flesh. A small incision is made for the removal of the entrails.

Secondly, and once the bird has been thoroughly cleaned, a wooden skewer is inserted through it to facilitate its hanging and ultimate heating; the body cavity is filled with water and the incision that had been made is closed.

Thirdly, the skin of the duck is air dried and brushed with a layer of sugar.

Fourthly, the duck is then put into a large oven, using a smokeless hardwood fuel and heating to about 270 degrees Centigrade for 30 to 40 minutes. The duck is turned frequently during the roasting process to ensure even cooking.

Then the delicious roast duck is ready! It will be a shining date-red in color and unique in flavor; Beijing Roast Duck is characterized by its crispy skin and tender texture. 

A few more interesting dishes were chosen, it made it for a "different" dinner.

Next morning early...............to XIAN we went

HONG KONG AND BEIJING

The journey through South China Sea which took 2 days was by far the roughest of our trip and according to the friends on board and the Captain, this always is the case.

Sailing into Hong Kong harbor is beautiful, the skyline very impressive.  As both Anči and I had been there, we did not tour the city.  There was a beautiful dinner and show at the Four Seasons for the “World Cruisers” which we thoroughly enjoyed.  We spent a lot of time shopping, clothes, shoes, underwater camera etc but our major food and wine purchase :

A Magnum of “Ducru Beaucailloux, 2009”, my all time favorite wine 

Best described in : 

http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-136-2009-chateau-ducru-beaucaillou-saint-julien-france

and 2 kilos of my favorite cheese : “Reblochon”

Reblochon is aged in cellars or caves in the mountains. The cheesemaker turns the cheese every two days and washes it with whey in order to speed the aging process. Reblochon has a creamy, softer-than-Brie texture; a nutty after taste; and a strong herbal aroma that is not for the timid.

We left the ship, and flew with 9 others passengers to Beijing.  A beautiful well organized modern airport, and our bus and wonderful guide are waiting for us, no customs, no suitcase to care for, Silversea excursions treatment.

A royal welcome  in the heart of Beijing

We stayed at the  China World Palace

                 (Shangri-la),

one of the most beautiful hotels either of us have 

ever been in. 

The welcome party of the hotel was spectacular, a cute (fake) Koala bear to hug us. 

Our boat guide and local guide were so organized at the airport and the hotel; all we had to do is watch our suitcases being taken care of and get on the bus for an exciting visit of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

   

The fog and the smog was awful and it was extremely cold but we were overwhelmed by the size of both.  Silversea had a special permission to visit a non-touristy part of the Forbidden City with a historian professor of the University of Beijing.  What an invaluable special treat and the beginning of a learning experience about old and new China

We are so excited, we will go and see one of the 45 UNESCO World heritage sites in China.

Check the following site to know more about  UNESCO : http://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/  

We are clicking on our "bucket list".

THE FORBIDDEN CITY.

We couldn't help but remember the famous movie : 

The Last Emperor (1987), Director : Bernardo Bertolucci Below are two videos of our tour inside the Forbidden City

A little information about the Forbidden City:

 The common English name, "the Forbidden City", is a translation of the Chinese name 

 Zǐjinchéng; literally "Purple Forbidden City".

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. 

Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no one could enter or leave the palace, Cheng means a city

It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum.

For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 720,000 m² (7,800,000 sq ft).

Visiting this incredible complex and although we thought we knew what to expect, was a revelation in size and beauty.

Before going back to the hotel, we had to see this "big" famous square.  Much larger than expected, totally under surveillance and very well maintained

.

That night after a long day, we had quick dinner in the hotel. Most of all a good rest for the visit of the Great Wall, the Ming Dynasty tombs and more of the city the next morning.

                                   

The second day the sky was blue !
 Traffic is heavy but organized, useful overhead information about congestion and the Police are watching!

Chinese like to eat underway, streets are full of vendors and the food looks mostly "interesting"

A few oddities, different way of transport for people and goods.  The always present caged birds, some useful language and the "french" imported toilets.  

And off we go to see 
the Great Wall.

  

PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND PALAU in the Australian  continent 

comprising mainland 

Australia, 

Tasmania, New Guinea, Seram, 

possibly Timor, and neighbouring islands. 

The continent is sometimes known in technical contexts by the names:  Sahul, Australinea or Meganesia, to distinguish it from the Australian mainland.

So, we sailed to Papua New Guinea (still in the Australian continent).

New Guinea composed of 600 islands became Papua New Guinea in 1975.  On the south eastern peninsula of the PNG mainland lies Milne Bay Province; 16,000 km of mountainous coastal land and is the gateway to PNG.  200,000 people live here.  Alotau is a small coastal village that we visited. Alotau is undoubtedly one of the most laid-back, secure and enjoyable towns in Papua New Guinea. It was the site of the WWII battle of Milne Bay, the 1^st defeat in the Pacific War (August 1942) suffered by the Japanese army at the expense of mostly Australian but some American troops.  

We visited the village market, many interesting forms of fruits and vegetables. One of which is  

Betel nut is one of the most-used addictive substances in the world, with an estimated ...of use, betel nut chewers will notice their teeth and gums turning orange

 Gather the ingredients needed to chew betel nut. You will need the green betel nut (buai), a jar or bag of lime powder (kambang) and a bean-like green called mustard (daka). These can be bought on any street corner .

The temperature reached 98◦F and we returned to the boat after discovering other fruits and vegetable sold in the open market.

A couple of intersting signs about the business and the recommendation to avoid AIDS

Back on the boat, ready to celebrate Valentine's.

The boat decoration

 in the special restaurant : Relais & Chateau with our friends

and finish a great meal with crepes suzette.

The next day we arrived at the city of Madang, called the “prettiest town” in the South Pacific.  The eastern half of the island of Papua New Guinea’, second largest island in the world, was divided between Germany (North) and Britain (South).  The south was transferred to Australia in 1902 and the north taken over in WWI.  This continued until independence in 1975.  A secessionist Revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 with 20,000 dead.

The people from Madang can be broken into 4 distinct groups, islanders, coastal people, rural and mountain people.  

After Anči finished her dive on a B-25 bomber from WWII and Jost took a beautiful boat trip around the island, we spent our time at a beautiful resort. We were entertained by all the groups with fabulous dancing.  These were mostly high school and college students with fabulous costumes and make up.  A local type barbeque followed. And we were told not to worry about the cannibals in Papua new Guinea although, Cannibalism and Head Hunting is still happening in the remote areas of Papua New Guinea.

 our BBQ

Our next destination: Koror in Palau,

one of the 7 smallest nations in the world.  These small islands have been inhabited  as early as 2500 BC

from: http://www.infoplease.com/country/palau.html

Explored by the Spanish navigator Ruy López de Villalobos in 1543, the islands remained under nominal Spanish ownership for more than 300 years before Spain sold them to Germany in 1899. Japan occupied Palau during World War I and received a mandate over them from the League of Nations in 1920. They remained in Japanese control and served as an important naval base until the U.S. seized them during World War II. After the war, the islands became a UN trusteeship (1947), administered by the U.S. Palau signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. in 1992, requiring the United States to provide economic aid in exchange for the right to build and maintain U.S. military facilities in Palau. Palau became a sovereign state in 1994.with the signing of the Compact  of Free has association with the USA.

It was a calm day for us as Anči went Scuba Diving. The group chose a not too difficult spot, diving in Palau is demanding due to strong currents. Sharks, turtles, plenty of fish and the healthiest corals Anči has seen in years. 

Jost went to the beach, also beautiful reef and snorkeled.

while some of our friends went snorkeling in the Jelly fish lake :

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish_Lake

We left his lovely small modern country to sail for the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

And that will be our next blog, soon.