Maneki Neko Japan’s Beckoning Cat According to Japanese legend, long ago an Emperor was traveling on horseback when he spotted a small cat waving at him. After the Emperor dismounted from his horse to get a closer look, the horse was struck by lightning and killed. Subsequently, the Emperor pronounced that cats in general should […]
Read moreToday we booked an all day tour to Kyoto to visit various shrines and temples, and return to Kobe via the bullet train – from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm, a very full day. Usually we don’t book tours longer that a half day, so we have time to prowl around on our own, but […]
Read moreOur first time in Japan and we are not sure what to expect, but really looking forward to the adventure. We had a day and a half scheduled here, but due to the following seas and winds from the Typhoon south of us, we arrived 10 am instead of 4 pm – bonus! So far the late […]
Read moreSaipan is the second island we have visited where significant WWII battles took place. Between Guam, Tinian (a mile or two to the South of here), and Saipan, 24,000 Americans and friendly civilians lost their lives retaking these islands. The Allied commanders had, after early battles to retake Pacific islands, learned that they were better […]
Read moreWelcome to Guam! Hafa Adai, is Chomorran (the indigenous people of Guam) for hello, but the guide says it is “half a day” for the length of time they work around here. Unfortunately, it is raining hard with no let up in sight – but we venture out to see Guam. Guam was discovered by […]
Read moreMicronesia is another country made up of widely scattered islands and atolls. The Island of Chuuk, which was formerly called Truk, is home to Weno, the largest community in Micronesia, but is not the capital. Prior to World War II, Chuuk was a territory of Japan, and in preparation for the war it was built […]
Read moreThe islands in this part of the Pacific, are actually atolls, instead of islands. The difference being that the volcano mountains that formed them have eroded over millions of years, the center peaks have collapsed into the calderas, leaving the rims of the volcanoes, where time and nature create coral reefs and eventually small islands […]
Read moreAt 3:00 am, this morning we crossed the International Date Line, and went from Wednesday, October 2nd, to Friday October 4th. We have done this several times before, but it always befuddles me for a while. Last night we found out that ESPN (the only sports channel we get on the ship at sea) was […]
Read moreVery pleasant days and nights, sailing smoothly southeast toward the Marshall Islands – beautiful, balmy weather in the middle of the Pacific. Hundreds of miles from the nearest land. 1125 nautical miles from Hawaii, 590 nautical miles to Majuro, Marshall Islands. I have mentioned in previous blogs how much […]
Read moreWe arrived early in Honolulu, as dawn was breaking. Honolulu is on the south side of the island of Oahu, so as we approached our pier, at Aloha Tower, downtown, Waikiki Beach, and Diamondhead were to our east, providing a nice view as we slowly edged in to the pier. Aloha Tower has a […]
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