2019 ASIA CRUISE

Friday, 25th October, 2019

Our Asia adventure didn't begin until quite late in the day as we drove to the Brisbane International Airport around 6pm for our 10.05pm flight to Shanghai (via Singapore).  We actually quite like a late night flight because it's much easier to get a few hours sleep, and this worked a treat.

Saturday, 26th October, 2019

We arrived in Singapore around 4.30am and it was so quiet (obviously) with very few shops open.  But with so few people around it gave us a great opportunity to go for a long walk around the terminal.  After walking for quite some time we spied the massage chairs, which are usually occupied when the airport is busy.  But we both managed to snag side by side chairs in a quiet end of the terminal and....Oh.  My.  God.  What a sensory experience for our feet and legs.  I wanted to rip mine out and transport it home.

But we did have to tear ourselves away when our flight to Shanghai was called around 8.30am and a few hours later we arrived at Shanghai airport.  We had booked a shuttle bus transfer through Holland America, but we were left waiting for well over an hour and when we did get loaded on to our bus, our luggage didn't.  It was taken in a separate bus to join us once on the ship.  This didn't happen until nearly midnight and we were none too happy, given the long day and the fact that we needed to be up early for a shore excursion the next day.  But, we did get our luggage and we did have a gorgeous suite on the "Westerdam" (#8074) so we weren't cranky for too long.

Sunday 27th October, 2019

After a delightful (albeit shorter than we would have liked) sleep we were at the Main Stage by 7.30am ready for our shore excursion to the Zhujiajiao Watertown.  This ancient town was built around 1,700 years ago and is best known for its bridges which were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.  We enjoyed a canal cruise

a wander through the narrow streets with the many interesting shops, temples, post office and over bridges

By lunch time it was getting extremely crowded and we were pleased to say farewell to this fascinating place and make our way to the Ko Ko Noi Restaurant for a delicious Chinese banquet

On the way back to the ship the bus called into a silk factory...of course.  I hadn't intended to buy anything as I hate all of the 'hard sell' tactics, but the silk pillows looked very tempting and were not very expensive at all, so I bought one.  It was packed as flat as a tack and easy to transport home.  (Now that I am home, and as I write this blog a few months later, I can honestly say my pillow is one of the best things I have ever bought...it's like sleeping on a cloud).

When we returned to the ship it was time for the mandatory lifeboat drill...erk, but a necessary erk nevertheless.  Then it was back to the cabin for the sailaway, dinner in the Lido, a shower and bed.  

Monday, 28th October, 2019

A day at sea followed an absolutely blissful 10 hours sleep!  

And as on all first days at sea for John it was down to the Vista Dining Room for a breakfast of bagel lox.  Following breakfast we headed to the Future Cruise Desk to be there when it opened. It usually gets pretty busy so we were pleased that we were the first 'customers' of the day.  By the time we had finished we had booked ourselves on another cruise for September of next year...to Mexico...and there was a string of people waiting in line.  You've got to love it when a plan works out.

For the remainder of our day we pretty much chilled out on the balcony of our cabin.  We were amazed at the number of vessels sailing on the East China Sea.

Tonight was a Gala Night which we started by enjoying a pre-dinner drink, a Beethoven recital in the Lincoln Centre and then a delicious dinner in the Vista Lounge.

Tuesday 29th October, 2019

Welcome to Fukuoka, Japan

After enjoying breakfast in the Vista Lounge, we went through Immigration and out for a day on our own.  In the absence of a shuttle bus, we took a taxi to the Fukuoka Tower but it was pretty smoggy so we didn't bother going up.  Instead we walked over the road to Mimochi beach and went for a long walk along the waterfront.  

We walked for a good couple of hours and finally ended up at a huge shopping centre, Mark Is, where we bought some presents for the little ones.  After that we caught a taxi back to the ship, just in time for lunch.

Dinner was in the Vista Lounge followed by a French themed concert in the Lincoln Centre and a last minute wander around the deck before returning to our cabin for the night.

Wednesday 30th October, 2019

Today the "Westerdam" arrived in Kagoshima as we were sitting in the Vista Lounge enjoying our breakfast.  A little while later we embarked on our shore excursion for today to Sengen-en Garden and Sakurajima Island.  

These 12 acre gardens were constructed back in 1658 and incorporate traditional gardens, peaceful ponds, bubbling streams, shrines, tea rooms, a bamboo grove and even a hiking trail, all with a magnificent backdrop of the Sakurajima volcano and Kinko Bay

After leaving the gardens we were taken to the vehicular ferry for the short ride across to the volcanic island of Sakurajima.  The volcano is constantly erupting and everything is covered in a fine layer of volcanic dust - a most fascinating place

By the time we arrived back on the ship it was around 3pm so we headed to the Dive In bar for a delicious burger and a cool drink.  Because of the late meal we skipped dinner tonight and instead went to the show "BBC Planet Earth", a large screen production with the ship's orchestra providing live music.  We had already seen this show on our New Zealand cruise earlier this year but it was so amazing that we were keen to see it again.  And it was just as wonderful the second time around.

Thursday 31st October, 2019

An early start today for our shore excursion on the island of Amami Oshima.  First stop was at Cape Ayamaru that gave us absolutely splendid views of the Pacific Ocean

Next up was the Amami Park Cultural Centre, the highlight being the Tanaka Isson Memorial Art Museum.  The story of this talented artist is quite sad and he only became famous after his death.  His paintings were absolutely exquisite but unfortunately we weren't able to take photos.  

Tonight we had dinner in the Vista Lounge followed by a Brahms concert in the Lincoln Centre and post dinner drinks.  Very civilised.

Friday 1st November, 2019

This morning we arrived at the port of Naha on the island of Okinawa.  And of course the name Okinawa conjures up the wartime battle of Okinawa, so of course we were signed on to do a "Battle of Okinawa" shore excursion.  John was in his element.  

Our first visit was to the former Japanese Navy underground headquarters

followed by the Heiwa Kinen Memorial Peace Park.  This was a real highlight both in terms of location and also for the Japanese acknowledgement of the futility of war.  

Our final stop on this excursion was the Himeyuri Peace Museum, opened to remember the forgotten girls of the Battle of Okinawa.  It was so very sad...222 girls and 18 teachers from two women's high schools in Okinawa were conscripted to be nurses during the Battle of Okinawa.  Near the end of the war the hospital was disbanded and they were just left to fend for themselves.  Only a handful of them survived.

It turned out to be a very interesting excursion and we were pretty exhausted, both physically and emotionally, by the time we got back on to the ship in the late afternoon.  

A few pre-dinner drinks followed by dinner in the Vista Lounge certainly restored our weary spirits.

Saturday 2nd November, 2019

This morning we arrived on Ishigaki Island and decided to explore this place on our own rather than do an organised shore excursion.  So we hopped on the free shuttle bus which took us into the town and headed for Shimanova Public Market where we had a good look around.  It's always fascinating to see the different foods that are on offer, even though we don't eat any

After leaving the Market area we wandered towards the centre of the town and to our delight we discovered that the Ishigaki-jima Festival was being held.  I have no idea what it was all about, but there were a lot of people, stalls, singing and colourful floats.  So we sat down and watched it for a while

We caught the shuttle back to the ship for a late lunch and tonight we went to a show - a very entertaining illusionist.

Sunday 3rd November, 2019

It was rainy and humid when we arrived at the port of Keelung, Taiwan this morning.  

Shortly after the all clear was given to disembark, fourteen of us went on a Shore Excursions Asia "Taipei Highlights" group tour.  By the time we reached our first stop at the National Palace Museum the rain had eased and it had cleared to a much cooler and cloudy day.  

The National Palace Museum holds one of the world's largest collections of Chinese artifacts and is truly fascinating.  We wandered through cabinets of jade including the famous jadeite cabbage, ancient Chinese scrolls, potteries, calligraphy and sculptures

 

Next it was off to The Grand Hotel Taipei with its 700 rooms and breathtaking lobby

then the Baoan Temple, which was first established in 1742.  It is one of the largest temples in the city and certainly one of the most beautiful, adorned with woodcarvings, stone carvings, figurines, clay sculptures and paintings

Next came my favourite stop of the day, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.  It was vast, covering 250,000 square metres and the 25 hectare gardens surrounding it were absolutely gorgeous

 

The Memorial Hall was built to honour President Chiang Kai-Shek who passed away in 1975.  While we were there we had front row views of the changing of the guard - just as you would expect with total precision

Our final stop was the Taipei 101 building, once the tallest building in the world.  Although not the tallest any longer, it still holds the credit as being the tallest "green" building in the world

Underneath the building was a huge shopping mall, but alas all of the shops were a little too upmarket for our budget - Tiffanys, Cartier, Rolex etc - so we just looked.  

We were back on the ship by 4.30pm and as we were staying in Keelung overnight there was no entertainment on board.  So we opted to enjoy dinner in the Vista Lounge followed by a quiet night in our cabin watching the movie "Green Book".

Monday 4th November, 2019

We had a bit of a sleep in this morning before enjoying a light breakfast.  After that we wandered up to the town of Keelung for a look around. 

There were so many food stalls selling a wide and varied 'edibles' ranging from fried insects, dumplings to offal various.  We both agreed that the food on the Westerdam was far more enticing.  

We spent a few quiet hours before we sailed out of Keelung and towards our next port of call

Tuesday 5th November, 2019

As with some ports that you visit on a cruise, there is a 'welcoming committee'.  In today's port of Kaohsiung in Japan we were greeted by some drummers, 'lions' and a warrior

 

They were long gone by the time we left on our shore excursion "Highlights of Kaohsiung". Our first stop was Lotus Lake and the magnificent Tzu-Chi Temple (a Taoist shrine).  Lotus Lake is an artificial lake, famous for the lotus plants on the lake and the numerous temples surrounding it such as the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and the Confucian Temple

Next up was the Kaohsiung National Stadium, built as the main site of the 2009 World Games.  The stadium is shaped like a dragon and the first stadium in the world to provide power using solar technology

The final thing we did on our excursion was take a ferry across to Chijin Island, the city's oldest district.  Again, there were many, many nondescript foodstuffs for sale, and again we waited until we were back on the ship to eat anything

The Westerdam set sail at 4.30pm and we just couldn't tear ourselves away from our balcony for the 1 1/2 hour sail out to the open ocean.  There were so many container ships and wharf activity - it was just fascinating

Wednesday 6th November, 2019

A day at sea which meant a delightful sleep in...on choppy seas.  We sat out on our balcony for most of the morning until it was time to go to the Mariners' Lunch - we are now officially 4 Star Mariners!  

After lunch it was back on to the balcony for some more reading, and glancing up every so often to take in the surroundings.  

Tonight was a Gala Night so it was off to a concert in the Lincoln Centre first, followed by a delicious dinner with a lovely couple from California, Jack and Judy.  

Thursday 7th November, 2019

After a rocky night on the seas, this morning we arrived in Manila  We didn't know what to expect but it was actually a great place - very vibrant and the people are just gorgeous.  

There was yet another welcoming committee, this time a drum band and dancers

 

Our four hour shore excursion "The Charms of Old Manila" was really interesting and made even better because we had such a fabulous guide who was very informative and very funny.  Jose Rizal is something of a God in Manila so we saw and heard a LOT about this guy.  He was a Filipino national who lived during the end of the Spanish Colonial period and was a key member of the propaganda movement which advocated political reforms.  At age 35 he was executed by the Spanish Colonial Government for crimes of rebellion.  

We visited the Jose Rizal Monument in Rizal Park, which has his body interred in the stone base

 as well as the exact place where he was executed in 1896, re-enacted in bronze statues

But it wasn't all about Rizal.  Upon leaving Rizal Park, we visited Casa Manila in the walled district of Intramuros.  This museum depicts colonial lifestyle during the Spanish colonisation of the Philippines.  It was built around the 1850s and has been beautifully restored to show how grand life was in those days

Next up was a visit to Manila Cathedral

then to Fort Santiago, built in 1571 by the Spanish Conquistadors.  Over the years it has served as a fortress against Chinese pirates, a prison and a Japanese torture chamber in World War 2.  During the Battle for Manila the Fort was almost destroyed by American bombs

On the way back to the ship after our excursion came to an end we drove through downtown Manila - holy smokes what a crazy and chaotic city

Our farewell from Manila was complete with a brass band and cheerleaders

Next time we stepped on land was at the end of our cruise when we arrived in Hong Kong. 

Friday 8th November, 2019

We woke up this morning to a very rainy and squally day, and it got rougher and squallier as the day progressed...to a Force 9 gale.  Our planned lunch in the Pinnacle Grill had to be cancelled and I wasn't feeling too crash hot, but we did manage to sort out our packing for the end of our cruise tomorrow.

Saturday 9th November, 2019

Up at 6am for an early breakfast before disembarking at 9am.  We booked a Holland America transfer to the airport where we had a couple of hours before our flight to Singapore.  The flight to Singapore was pretty good but the flight after that from Singapore to Brisbane was just awful.  We were packed in like sardines and it was virtually impossible to get comfortable, yet alone sleep.  

Sunday 10th November, 2019

Home again!  We arrived at the airport just after 7am, picked up our duty free, cleared Customs, collected our luggage and were in our car (thank you Valet Parking) and on our way home by 8am.  Another fabulous adventure done and dusted.