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Around the World in 180 Days
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli

Around the World in 180 Days

January 14 to July 13, 2023 from San Francisco to San Francisco aboard Oceania Insignia Read more
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  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Post office
    The yellow building was the subject of a famous photoThe buildingReunification PalaceKissinger sat in this room many times for meetingsPagoda1The marketHo Chi Minh

    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Day 1 of 2)

    May 28, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌩️ 30 °C

    Our final port in Vietnam and we arrived mid morning. We’d booked a highlights excursion to see the key sites since we’d never been here before.

    Ho Chi Min City, previously known as Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam but not its capital. The population is about 10 million. It’s a vibrant, bustling city that is overrun with motorcycles. The architecture is a blend of colonial French and modern skyscrapers.

    Our guide didn’t mince words when discussing the war. (Vietnamese don’t call it the Vietnam War, they call it the American War.) they’re deservedly proud of the rebuilding they’ve accomplished. And they acknowledge the contradictions within the country…a communist country with five star hotels and designer shops.

    We visited the Post Office, Reunification Palace, a pagoda, the wholesale market and the Rex Hotel. I’ll tell you more about the Rex Hotel in my footprint to follow about our evening.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Tunnel site
    Booby trapBomb craterTunnel entranceHow they enteredAnother entranceAir hole into the bunkersIn the tunnel thats been expandedCelebrating Bethsabe's birthday in the evening

    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Day 2 of 2

    May 29, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    Early excursion today to the Cu Chi Tunnels about 90 minutes outside the city. The tunnels are an extensive labyrinth of underground tunnels built during the war against the French. They served as a means of communication between villages and helped the Vietnamese to evade scouting French soldiers. The tunnel network was extended over an area of 250 kilometers during the Vietnam War. The tunnels became one of the important parts of Viet Cong strategy. Currently, about 120 km of the tunnels are preserved.

    You can read more about the tunnels here: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/cu-c…

    It was astonishing. The tunnels are small and claustrophobic. Brad and I went through a section that had been ENLARGED for tourists and found it small, crouching all the way. The original tunnels require crawling on your hands and knees. Can’t even imagine…

    We’ve enjoyed every minute of our time in Vietnam. It’s a beautiful, interesting country and its people are inspiring in their resilience and optimism. We’d like to return.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    The monk
    1The munk mummifiedMonkey at the coconut plantationMonkey picking coconutsBig BuddhaTrim time1Done.

    Ko Samui, Thailand

    May 31, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    Back in Thailand! Arrived in Ko Samui this morning. It’s a new port for us so we booked a ship excursion to take us to a coconut plantation and some temples. Ko Samui is an island and popular resort area with a population of about 70,000. Our ship was tendered so we took the tender boat to the island and set off on the tour bus.

    The first temple we visited, Wat Khunaram, was macabre. It’s dedicated to a monk who left his family behind when he was 50 to become a monk. He was known for his meditation practice and had many followers. He foresaw his death and when he died he didn’t decompose. He naturally mummified 😲. His remains are in the temple. Quite bizarre.

    We then went to visit a coconut plantation to learn about how monkeys picked coconuts in the area in earlier times. It was astonishing to see how the monkeys had learned to pick them. But watching this was disturbing and not something I’d recommend.

    The next temples we visited - Wat Phra Yai or "Big Buddha Temple" and Wat Plai Laem - were so extravagant and photogenic. The pictures tell the story. Spectacular.

    At the end of the tour, Brad and I opted to stay in town and explore and have lunch. We found a typical restaurant and had delicious cashew chicken. Wandered around after lunch and found a barber so Brad could get his hair trimmed. Cost? About $8.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    50 small roses for $3 US
    Marigolds for offerings2Folding open a lotus1Tada!1Tuktuk!Wat Po temple1Reclining BuddhaFrom the toes1Our hotel

    Bangkok, Thailand (Day 1 of 2, day)

    June 1, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    Arrived in Bangkok early afternoon. Brad and I haven’t been here since 1992 so didn’t expect to recognize much. It’s an overnight port so we, along with our friends Thomas and Geraldine, decided to stay at a hotel in the city overnight instead of coming back to the ship. That would allow us to stay out late and start early without commuting to and from the port. We packed a back pack and set off on an excursion to a flower market and the reclining Buddha temple. We planned to meet G & T at the hotel.

    The flower market was huge and we learned it’s open 24 hours a day. The vendors make everything from bouquets to offerings to funeral arrangements. We learned that a bunch of 50 small roses sell for $3 US. And we learned how to fold open a lotus.

    We then got into tuktuks to drive to the temple with the reclining Buddha. The Buddha is 46 metres long and 22 metres high. While we were there, we bumped into Geraldine and Thomas and decided we’d leave our tour and walk to our hotel together. We’d do a quick freshening up and head out for dinner and night markets.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Our restaurantMy duck in peanut sauce was deliciousNight marketDisappointingTuktuk to another2Better

    Bangkok, Thailand (Day 1, evening)

    June 1, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 36 °C

    We checked into our hotel, a lovely boutique property that’s a Relais and Chateau member, and quickly set out to have dinner at IconSiam, a mega mall on the river that has a legendary food court. We ended up at a Michelin listed restaurant which was fabulous.

    Next, a night market. Brad and I didn’t know which night market we’d been to in 1992 but we expected there to be a wide variety of wares. I remember buying a number of beautiful Thai silk scarves and blouses. We took a Grab car to one of Bangkok’s famous night markets and red light areas called Patpong. We didn’t find it particularly interesting. The vendors had stalls full of knock offs and elephant pants. And the seedy nightclubs with their doors open to young women in g strings gyrating were depressing.

    The night was young so we googled and found another night market and tuktuked there. It was more lively and had a broader range of items. We wandered around until 11ish and grabbed a taxi back to our hotel to be ready for an early start the next day.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Approaching the palace grounds
    Brad's rejected sarongPalace groundsThe door to the emerald Buddha1Thomas captured this with zoomAbsolutely beautifulThe River City area has interesting galleries and shopsStairway to Mother Roaster3Getting to Mother RoasterIn the cafe

    Bangkok, Thailand (Day 2 of 2)

    June 2, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We met Geraldine and Thomas for breakfast at the hotel restaurant at 8 AM and then set out for the palace. It was about a 15-minute walk and we had checked it would be open when we got there. En route, a woman stopped us and asked where we were headed. We said the palace and she said that it was closed to foreigners until the afternoon. We were nearby so we decided we’d proceed nonetheless. It was open.

    It has a dress code that was being strictly observed. Because Brad had shorts on, he was stopped and told to cover up. He tied a scarf of mine on like a sarong but no go. He was sent back and had to buy himself a pair of what we call “temple pants” to be allowed in.

    Our main goal was to see the emerald Buddha, which is housed at the palace. We bought our tickets and entered the property which is stunning. It was extremely busy because there is a major Buddhist celebration taking place tomorrow, as well as the queen’s birthday celebration tomorrow. Hence, we quickly learned that the temple itself where the emerald Buddha is housed, was not open. The door was ajar and Thomas managed to use the zoom on his camera to get a picture. Brad and I had seen the Buddha back when we were here 30+ years ago but it was nice to at least catch a glimpse of it. We explored the rest of the property and decided we would head to the River City area to visit the warehouse gallery district that’s pretty trendy and funky. We also wanted to visit the café, called Mother Roaster which is well known in Bangkok because of its 70-year-old woman barista owner. It’s an unbelievable spot on the second floor of a derelict warehouse with auto parts and other abandoned items on the ground floor. When you make your way to the stairs, you can’t believe there’s a coffee shop there. We were disappointed when her son told us she wasn’t there because she was opening another location. Her son explained that her original café was just a little takeout stall. She’s quite a legend.

    From there we took a ferry across the river back to IconSiam. We thought we’d do a bit of shopping before we headed back to the ship. We went our separate ways, and agreed to meet at the exit door at 3:15. Everyone was there more than punctually and we headed to the Grab stand and called a car. All aboard time was 4:30 pm with departure at 5. We were confident we had more than enough time given that, even with traffic, the trip should take about 45 minutes.

    Well, we were wrong. The driver got us to the port area around 4:10 pm and it became evident that he had NO IDEA where exactly to take us. And he didn’t speak English. We had the port address in Thai for him but that didn’t help.

    By 4:20 we were quite anxious. Fortunately, we have savvy friends, Erin and Mui, on board who I messaged and immediately got on the case for us. They informed the Purser and connected us to the port agent who spoke Thai. Thanks to their incredible help, the driver was directed to the correct spot and we wound up on board at 4:40 pm. While we were late, it appeared, there were others even later but it certainly was a panic we never want to experience again.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    At the market
    CookingThe food cart is attached to the motorcycle 😲Wat Leu pagodaWhat you can't see are two young women being doused by the monk2Lookout from the pagodaMonk schoolIndependence SquareWat KromWe chatted with them and they've been monks for six yearsMonks doing construction work

    Sihanoukville, Cambodia

    June 3, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Arrived in Sihanoukville early afternoon. It’s our first time in Cambodia but this is a resort town so we didn’t feel the need for a formal ship excursion. There’s really not much to see here. We took the ship’s shuttle to the market area, walked around there for a while and then hired a car to take us to two temples and Independence Square.

    Cambodia was colonized by France. King Norodom Sihanouk began claiming independence from France in 1949. In 1953, he was successful and France agreed to decolonize the whole country. Cambodians view him as "the father of independence” and this city is named after him.

    Our first stop was Wat Leu pagoda which is on a hilltop and looks over the city of 80,000. Next, we went to Independence Square and ended our tour with Wat Krom pagoda. Our guide was quite vocal about how the Chinese government and investors are dominating in the city. He pointed out numerous construction projects that were Chinese as well as dozens of casinos. There are now concerns about organized crime.

    This is our only visit to Cambodia on this trip and we didn’t get a strong impression of it so we plan to be back soon to explore further and visit Angkor Wat.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Cham Towers
    InsidePark-like settingOn the rocksPillars2Big Buddha124 metres highBeachfrontTram Huong Tower:2

    Nah Trang, Vietnam

    June 5, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    Back in Vietnam in Nah Trang, a resort city of about 400,000. We decided to freestyle today and visit a market, a Cham Temple, a Pagoda and the beachfront promenade. We took the ship’s shuttle into town and then walked to the market. After wandering around there for a while we hired a car to take us to the sites on our list.

    First up: Po Nagar Cham Towers. Built between the 7th and 12th centuries, Cham towers are still actively used for worship by Cham, Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists. Originally, the complex had seven or eight towers, but only four remain. The Cham were matrilineal and inheritance passed through the mother. Incredibly interesting. It was a beautifully managed and landscaped site.

    Next, we visited Long Son Pagoda, famous for its 24 metre Gautama Buddha as well as being a lookout point over the city. We then headed to the beachfront to walk the promenade there. Turned out there was a festival happening and part of the waterfront road was closed. After a bit of a detour we made it there and had a stroll. The promenade and the beach were lovely.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Our jeepney
    Rizal Park monumentIn Intromuras some buildings are abandoned1Today's execution reenactment statuesThe whole area is landscapedFort gate1Entering the dungeonCollecting plastic on the river1CathedralManila Hotel lobbyChicken adobo for lunch

    Manila, Philippines

    June 8, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Arrived in Manila this morning and excited to visit the Philippines, a new country for us. Because we only have a short day here, we booked a ship excursion to take us to Rizal Park, the old town called Intramuras, and the Manila Hotel. We travelled by “jeepney,” a common form of transportation in the Philippines. You can learn more about them here: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15344340/the…

    Rizal Park is named after the Philippines’ hero Dr. José Rizal and is in the area where he and fanned the flames of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain and where he was executed on December 30, 1896. “The park was officially named in his honor, and the monument enshrining his remains serves as the park's symbolic focal point. The declaration of Philippine independence from the United States was held here on July 4, 1946, as well as later political rallies, including those of Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino, the latter having culminated in the EDSA Revolution in 1986.” - Wikipedia

    Intramuras is the walled original city of Manila built by the Spanish in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions. While it has suffered the ravages of war, many buildings have been wonderfully restored and the expansive grounds are beautifully landscaped and maintained. From there, we went to see the Manila Hotel where Its penthouse served as the residence of US General Douglas MacArthur while he was Military Advisor to the Philippine Commonwealth from 1935 to 1941.

    Thomas and Geraldine were on this tour too so we left it together before the jeepney returned to the port and had lunch at a local restaurant to have adobo chicken and lechon. 😋 We enjoyed Manila and wish we’d had more time to explore the city.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    The sinking bell tower
    St. Williams Cathedral1Tricycles are everywhere and they're the taxis1People create their own sidecars, this one with a dining room chair1A performance just for usThe Marcos house4Not as opulent as we expectedBut the views are stunningPaoay ChurchInteriorFrom 1710. A UNESCO world heritage site

    Ilocos, Philippines

    June 9, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Arrived in Ilocos this morning and set off on a ship excursion to the north of the Island of Luzon to visit St. Williams Cathedral, Sinking Bell Tower, Malacanang of the North and Paoay Church. The drive there was about 90 minutes with a police escort whizzing us through the traffic.

    Our first stop was in Laoag to see the Sinking Bell Tower that was built in 1612 by Augustinian Friars. It’s said to be sinking an inch a year. We then walked to the nearby St. Williams Cathedral. Afterwards, we had a bit of time to explore on our own before we headed to Malacanang of the North, a home of the disgraced former president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos.

    The house was a birthday gift from first lady, Imelda Marcos, for his 60th birthday. It’s among a number of properties belonging to the Marcos family which were seized by the Philippine Government when President Marcos was removed from power. It’s now a government-owned tourist site. We found it to be luxurious with a stunning setting but not as over-the-top as we expected. The rooms are large but the house is not really ornate. (What Brad and I find puzzling is that Marcos’ son is the country’s current president despite his father being a criminal.)

    Our final stop was at Paoay Church, a Roman Catholic church finished in 1710 after around two decades of construction. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    We’re now finished visiting the Philippines and found it interesting, incredibly friendly and welcoming. We would return.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    The bridge from the port
    1The subway is spotlessFormosa station includes vendors1The Dome of Light artwork at Formosa StationAt the Lotus Pond area1Dragon and Tiger Pagoda2The shopping area has tons of these arcades

    Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    June 10, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We arrived in Kaohsiung this morning and had decided we’d freestyle it here. The research we’d done assured us we’d be able to walk to a number of places from the port and subway or Uber to others. We set off to visit Pier2 Art Centre, Formosa Boulevard Station/Dome of Light, Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Lotus Pond, Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Fongsham Old City and Shinkuchan Shopping District. An ambitious list but we managed to do it all, with time to spare, even with the temperature reaching 31.

    It’s the second largest city in Taiwan with about 2.7 million people and its maritime capital. From the sail in to the port, we could see the interesting architecture and knew we’d have a great day. And we did.

    We started by walking to Pier2 Art Centre, just a fifteen minute walk from the ship. It’s a warehouse area that’s grown over the last 20 years to a bustling centre for the creative community and the home to countless pieces of public art. I’ll do a separate post to do justice to the artwork.

    Next, we walked to a nearby subway station to travel to Formosa Subway station. It’s considered one of the most beautiful subway stations in the world because it includes an artwork called the Dome of Light, the largest glass artwork in the world. You can read more about it here. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/taiwan/articles… Spectacular.

    From there, we took a subway and a taxi to the Lotus Pond area that includes Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Spring and Autumn Pavilion and Fongsham Old City. It’s a large area so our Fitbits were getting a workout. (It was. 16,000+ step day) We ended our day in the Sinkuchan shopping area and got back on board well before the 6:30 pm all aboard for a 7 pm sail away.

    But we didn’t get going at 7 pm as scheduled. Sure enough, a family of four who are segment passengers came running to the gangplank at about 7:10. Flashbacks to our panic in Bangkok.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    At the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial
    Statue of CKS1Nail protectors at the museumA carved peach stone 😳A rock carved to look like pork bellyCoffee Dumbo is quirkyExcellent clean subwayDinner at the food court at Taipei 1011Magical city at night1Taipei 101 was designed to look like bamboo

    Keelung\Taipei, Taiwan

    June 11, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Arrived in Taipei midday to drizzle, cloudy skies and people at the pier who’d come to see and take pictures of the ship. We’re here overnight so we decided to take a ship tour to take us into the city to see the Chiang Kai-Shek (CKS) Memorial Hall as well as the National Palace Museum. It’s about a half hour drive into the city from the port.

    The Memorial Park is vast and the site of its a number of buildings, including the city’s theatre/opera house. CKS was a president of mainland China and Taiwan from 1928 to his death in 1975 – until 1949 in Mainland China and from then in exile in Taiwan. From there, we went to the National Palace Museum which has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which were moved from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, as well as five other institutions throughout mainland China when the Communist Party took over.

    We didn’t return to the ship after touring the museum. Instead, we grabbed an Uber to Chifeng Street, a funky neighbourhood with cafes, vintage clothing shops and artisans. We took a coffee break at Coffee Dumbo and then meandered through the neighbourhood. From there, we hopped on the subway to Taipei 101, the city’s highest building and a major mall, to meetThomas and Geraldine for dinner and experience the city at night.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    2
    Park entrance111Goddess of MercyOur cruise director Dottie at the cocktail party

    Keelung, Taiwan

    June 12, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    We’re only here for the morning so no time to go back to Taipei; all aboard is at 11:30 am. But we didn’t want to sit around so we set off at 9:30 am in the rain to visit Zhongzheng Park which sits on the side of Dashawan Mountain. (We weren’t surprised it was raining; Keelung is nicknamed The Rainy Port.)

    It was worth the effort, even in the rain. The statue of the Goddess of Mercy is the landmark of Zhongzheng Park. At 24 metres, it’s the biggest Goddess statue in Southeast Asia.

    The Oceania Club cocktail party was tonight andCella, the onboard loyalty club manager, once again gave us some interesting stats. This segment from Bangkok to Tokyo has 586 guests from 23 countries with 53 per cent being women. There are 511 repeat passengers and 204 joined in Bangkok. There are now five passengers under 20 years old but our average age remains 68.

    And we use about 2,800 rolls of toilet paper each month. 🤣    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    "No cenior discount" at the Garden
    The entrance1Still lovely in the rain1Walking behind a waterfallThe openings in the garden walls were charmingThe promenade shopping area was block after blockFish marketLunch time1These workshops to make pottery dragons are popularEntrance to the pottery neighborhood

    Naha, Okinawa, Japan

    June 13, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Japan! A new country for us and a reminder that our journey is coming to an end. Once we’ve visited our Japanese ports, we head back to North America 🥲

    Mother Nature was empathetic and we arrived in Naha to cloudy skies and intermittent showers. We chose not to take a formal excursion because there were many war history related ones and we have many such in coming days and Shuri Castle, a main attraction, is being reconstructed following a fire and is expected to be completed by 2025

    Once we cleared immigration we walked to the city and stopped at Fukushuen Garden before getting to the main drag, Kokusai-dori. Naha has a population of about 300,000 and it’s the biggest city on the island.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Vending machines in the middle of nowhere
    Beverages1Screw palmCasino1Played a few dollars but had no idea what we were doing 🤣Ready meals at the grocery store2Pet or dinner?1Wecome my homeLunch1Kimonos2Notice the nozzles are on the ceiling 😲

    Naze, Amami Oshima, Japan

    June 14, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Short day here in Naze, a small port town. We opted to freestyle and walk to and around town. Shops were well stocked with items made from Honba Oshima Tsumugi (pongee) silk, a fabric unique to this area that dates back to the 7th century.

    We went into a slot machine place and dropped a few dollars into machines we had no idea how to play. When I cashed in my remaining tokens, instead of getting cash I was given a choice of snack packages! A fun experience. There really wasn’t much to see here but people were incredibly friendly and happy to see us.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1The south peak is younger and active
    View from the ferryCrossing the bayOn site. Smoke on the rightWalkways through the lava fieldsMore active1Thomas and BradPink mango...$16 US

    Kagoshima, Japan

    June 15, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today was all about Sakurajima volcano and its lava fields. We took a ship excursion to see Japan’s most active volcano. To get there, a bus took us on a ferry to the volcano site which has been wonderfully landscaped to allow you to walk to various lookouts. It’s 1,117 meters high with a circumference of about 50 kilometres and is the dominant feature in Kagoshima.

    We were fortunate that the weather and the volcano cooperated. The morning clouds lifted and the volcano puffed smoke. The challenge was to capture its power in a photo. Impossible.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Genbaku Dome, before August 6, 1945
    Today. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the few remaining buildingsThe bridge was the bomb targetThe children's memorialThis school group brought cranesThis flame will be extinguished when nuclear weapons are eliminatedThe names of those who died are in the vault below the archSchool groups await entry to the museumClassmates at the museumHiroshima Castle1A coty rebuilt

    Hiroshima, Japan

    June 16, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Felt bittersweet arriving in Hiroshima this morning. We’d booked a ship excursion to visit the Peace War Memorial and the Peace War Museum and knew it would be an emotional day visiting the site of where the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945.

    It is incomprehensible.

    We were struck by the resilience and optimism of the site and the museum and how this decimated city has come back as a proponent of peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons. The memorial names 330,907 people who died as a result of the bombing.

    School children were everywhere in the park and museum. At the Children’s memorial, we witnessed a school group delivering paper origami cranes to the site. Read more about the cranes here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/hiroshima/at…
    It was incredibly moving. (We couldn’t help but notice how well behaved the school groups were.)

    After touring the park and the museum, we abandoned the tour and, with our regular co-adventurers Geraldine and Thomas, we walked to Hiroshima Castle which was recreated after the bombing. The original castle was built in the 1590s. We climbed to the top of the castle and looked out upon the city, saddened and amazed at what has risen from the ashes.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    1The golden pavilion
    1It's actually gold2StunningBeautiful grounds12-year-old twins enjoy an ice creamLunch box😋1Gate to the castleThe gate's ceiling2The palace with the nightingale floorsMore beautiful gardens

    Kobe/Kyoto, Japan

    June 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Arrived in Kobe this morning and we have an overnight stay here. Today, we took a ship excursion to Kyoto, about 90 minutes away, to visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Kinkaku-ji Temple and Nijo-Jo Castle.

    The first site, Kinkaku-ji Temple, famous for its golden pavilion temple, was built by a shogun in 1397. The current temple has been rebuilt many times, most recently in 1955 after it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The surrounding gardens were equally beautiful.

    We had a bento box lunch and then visited Nijo-Jo Castle which was completed in 1603 by another shogun. We were able to visit one palace on the site. The other was closed for renovations. And the one we visited did not allow photos to be taken. The most interesting thing about the palace was the sound of the floor boards which sounded like birds chirping when you walked on them. We learned that these are called “nightingale floors” and are a result of clamps moving against nails. Fascinating.    Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Whimsical construction barriersWaterfrontGate to ChinatownOur restaurantNecessary toolsMy meal1Brad at workWith the chefBasement barJapanese whiskey

    Kobe, Japan evening

    June 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We decided that we’d HAVE to have Kobe beef for dinner if we’re in Kobe so I did a bit of research and found a restaurant a short walk from the ship. It was wonderful! Just ten seats and the chef/owner was there. We then went into the funky nightclub area and found a tiny basement bar where we drank Japanese whiskey and used charades and Google translate to talk to the bartender and other customers sitting at the bar. A great night out.Read more

  • Around the World in 180 Days
    Shitennoji temple
    1Lanterns are bought to memorialize ancestors1Tiny houseMoat around Osaka CastleBrad couldn't move the wall. This stone is 103 tonnesCastle view1We climbed to the top1Sorting treasures

    Kobe/Osaka, Japan

    June 18, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Took a ship excursion to Osaka today, about an hour’s drive from Kobe. It’s Japan’s third largest city with a population of about 2.8 million. We visited Shitennoji temple and Osaka Castle.

    The temple is one of Japan's oldest and the first ever to be built by the state. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. Although the temple's buildings burned down several times throughout the centuries, they were always carefully reconstructed to reflect the original 6th century design. The temple interiors were wonderful but photographs aren’t permitted so I can’t share the beauty.

    Our next stop, Osaka Castle, was built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, known as the "Napoleon of Japan," starting in 1583. Since then, it’s served as the scene of various conflicts, and was burned down and rebuilt several times. The current castle keep was rebuilt in 1931.

    Both sites were in park-like settings which made for a lovely day.    Read more

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