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November 2023
  • Tui Snider
  • Tui Snider

November 2023

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  • Trip start
    November 1, 2023
    Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Okinawa’s Shisa Lions

    November 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    The native peoples of Okinawa are called Ryukyuans. Their mythology includes a creature that looks like a cross between a lion and a dog and is called a Shisa, or Shisa-lion, depending on who you ask.

    Just like Chinese fu-dogs, Okinawan Shisa-lions are usually found in pairs, a female and a male. The male Shisa is open-mouthed to attract good luck and cast off evil spirits. The female Shisa has a closed mouth to keep good luck and protect from evil spirits.

    There’s a lot more to the Shisa-lion myth, but this is the basic info that I gleaned today in Naha, Okinawa.

    The first 9 pics I have here are all Shisa-lions I saw in Naha. The next 2 are Chinese Fu dogs. The male has a ball under his paw to represent man’s dominion over the world, while the female holds a baby Fu dog to symbolize women’s dominion over matters of home and family.

    As for the cat, Okinawa is where karate was created. I’m pretty sure this kitty has a black belt.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Okinawa Cemetery

    November 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    A rugged hill in Naha is home to a Buddhist cemetery. I saw so many butterflies today!

    A sweeping view of the city awaits you at the top of the winding path, but I was quite surprised to see several picnic tables there, too.Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Naha Wandering

    November 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Naha’s main shopping street featured a lot of items that would get you in trouble with customs when you fly home. We saw jars filled with snakes and purses made from entire frogs, for example.

    On our walk back to the ship, we found a beach. It felt so nice to splash around in my bare feet.Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Bye bye, Japan!

    November 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Fun day wandering the streets of Ishigaki, a small island in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan.

    The local mascot is a cute-but-stern looking bird. In addition to Shisa-lions, we saw a lot of SPAM and snake products for sale.

    The flowering pink Silk Floss trees remind me of textiles I’ve seen here. I was also intrigued by a potted coconut. That’s life in the tropics in a nutshell… literally!

    The band poster we saw in an alleyway made me laugh because the band’s name is the Nosewaters… which reminded me of that mural I saw in Kushiro that claimed a restaurant’s food was so spicy it would make your nose water.

    After today’s jaunt, we had a face to face immigration. Japan is one of those countries that makes you check in and check out.

    This was our last port in Japan. What a fascinating country and culture. We loved our time here and hope to return soon!    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Lin An Tai House

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Taipei is a major metropolis, but tucked in the heart of its skyscrapers is a Chinese Era home built by wealthy traders nearly 200 years ago.

    The Lin Tai house blends beauty and function. It’s pond, for the instance, was used for defense, raising fish, firefighting, water supply, and even to help moderate the temperature.

    My favorite part was the “artificial hill” area with its winding stone paths. I bet the Lin family children enjoyed playing there.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Taipei Confucius Temple

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Confucius is often called, “the Socrates of the East,” for just as the wisdom of Ancient Greece permeates the modern West, the teachings of Confucius are the foundation for people in the East.

     We visited Taipei’s Confucius Temple today, and were treated to the sight of newlyweds posing on the beautiful grounds.

    One area of the temple featured a variety of percussion instruments. My favorite was the doglike creature. I’d love to hear what it sounds like when the musicians gather their to create “auspicious and peaceful” sounds!    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Baoan Temple

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Baoan Temple is dedicated to Pashen Tati, the god of medicine in Taipei’s local folk religion.

    Do you see the window with the five bamboo columns in it? You will always see windows with an odd number of such columns because according to tradition, even numbers are for the dead.

    Our guide, Alex, showed us how visitors can use a pair of crescent shaped blocks to ask a yes/no question of the gods. You simply ask your question then toss the blocks on the ground. The way they land gives you your answer.

    The temple is a colorful place with ornate carvings everywhere you look.
    As for those golden columns, each nice holds a prayer for a visitor’s loved one.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Matchmaking Temple

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    A teeny little Buddhist temple is squeezed between buildings along Taipei’s oldest street.

    Tradition claims that praying here can help you find your true love. I stood back and watched as a young woman was coached by an older man. He showed her how to bow, clap hands, pray, then wave a piece of paper through the incense smoke.

    I hope it works for her!    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Dihua Street

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Our guide described Taipei’s oldest street as, “a whole bunch of Chinatowns squished together.”

    It certainly was a lively shopping street, with a varied array of goods, everything from dried fruit, mushrooms, fish, candy, and medicine. I even saw a place that appeared to be selling slices of deer antlers.Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Taiwan Skylines

    November 3, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Kwan Yin is the Chinese goddess of mercy and compassion. If you look closely in the second photo, you can see the world’s largest statue of her.

    The fourth photo features Taipei 101. It was the world’s largest building until the Burj Khaleefa in Dubai took that honor. Now it prides itself on being the largest green building in the world.

    The last photo features the Grand Hotel, which is the world’s largest example of traditional Chinese architecture.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Walk in Kaohsiung

    November 4, 2023 in Taiwan

    All the info we had about Kiaohsiung implied that interesting sites were within walking distance. What we didn’t count on was the heat and humidity.

    We may look fairly fresh in that first photo, but after four hours of hoofing it, we were both sweaty messes.

    At one point, we strayed from the harbor area to seek skyscraper shade along a street in the financial district.

    Stately lions crouched in front of a bank along the way. I find it interesting that one lion had its mouth open, while the other’s was closed. It reminds me of Okinawa’s Shisa Lions; the male keeps his mouth open while the female keeps hers closed. Wonder if there’s an intermingling of mythologies here?

    The next building boasted a pair of Chinese Fu Dogs. The male holds a sphere under one paw to represent his dominion over the world, while the female has a baby under her paw to denote her dominion over home and hearth.

    I was surprised to see a container garden tucked near a sunny alley on this same street. Wonder which plant needs eggshells to help it grow?

    As we neared the Pier 2 Arts District, artsy touches began to crop up. At first glance, I thought the car in the last photo was a spaceship.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Great Harbor Bridge

    November 4, 2023 in Taiwan

    Kaohsiung’s Great Harbor Bridge is a horizontally rotating bridge. We didn’t see it in action, but it has some interesting features.

    The octopus looking sculpture has tentacles, each of which lead to a drum. I tried playing the drums, but you really need a mallet to make a good sound with them. (Somebody must play them though, because the head of each drum has a sign asking people not to play them after 10 pm.)

    On the roof of a shop by the bridge are special horns that make sounds when the wind blows strongly enough. (They remind me of the cloud busting machine in the Kate Bush video.) We certainly would have appreciated a strong breeze today, not just to hear the horns but to cool us off.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Pier 2 Arts Center

    November 4, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center is sprinkled with public art as well as private galleries. We also found a cluster of air conditioned shops, which provided a must needed respite from the heat before we hoofed it back to the ship.

    One of my favorite sculptures was a dome made of wooden chairs. Sadly, the walking path through a nearby banyan tree was closed to the public. I would have loved to have climbed around in there.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler
    2

    Kaohsiung Skyline

    November 4, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    The more I travel, the more aware I become of Portugal’s influence on the world.

    In Taiwan, for instance, early Portuguese sailors called Taiwan “Ilha Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island.”

    Centuries later, this nickname for Taiwan remains, with “Formosa” used to name streets, buildings, businesses, and so on. (Notice the phrase “Formosa Taiwan” in the second photo.)

    See the tall building behind us in the first photo, and alone in the third? That’s the 85 Sky Tower. It’s shaped like the Chinese character for “gua,” meaning “tall.” Clever, eh?

    Another eye catching site along the harbor is a performance arts building called the Kaohsiung Music Center.

    I think you can see how wilted by sun and humidity we were! I could barely keep my eyes open for the photos.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler
    2

    Chinese Calligraphy Lesson

    November 4, 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    After our hot and sweaty tromp along Kaohsiung’s harbor, we were grateful to enter the air conditioned cruise port terminal.

    There we found that locals had set up tables to teach their us Chinese calligraphy.

    A calligraphy master was on hand, along with several helpers. They even showed us how to write our names in Chinese. For some reason, my name required some discussion between a trio of assistants. “We want to make sure it is a beautiful name for you,” they explained. I think it looks cool!

    Afterwards, we were approached by a reporter and camera crew for a little interview about our day in Kaohsiung. I’ve no idea where that will air.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Manila Cathedral

    November 6, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Manila’s Cathedral is within the Intramuros, the old walled section of the city.

    The church was originally built in the 1600s, but it sustained major damage in WWII.

    I’ve never seen a cathedral with Fu Dogs in front, but these were a gift from the Chinese.Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler
    1

    WWII Memorial

    November 6, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Manila was heavily bombed during WWII, and this statue is a memorial to all the innocent civilians who died as a result. Their ashes are contained inside, along with a time capsule to be opened in 2045.

    The white stuff splashed in front of the statue is candle wax. Descendants of those commemorated still burn candles here in their honor.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    MC’s House

    November 6, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    One of our pedicab drivers, MC, swung by his apartment during our tour. See the door in the second photo?

    We entered there, walked through a dark and narrow corridor, then emerged into the main courtyard. You had to be careful where you stood because wet laundry was dripping everywhere.

    MC explained that his room was upstairs, while leading us over to a little stall. We gave him money so he could buy drinks for all of us. We got water, but he bought a Mountain Dew for the other pedicab driver. The cashier opened the bottle, then poured its contents into a bag with a straw.

    My guess on the Mountain Dew is that the cashier wanted to redeem the bottle for money later.

    I should have asked about it, but was too busy taking in the whole scene. It’s such a privilege to see where someone lives.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Intramuros

    November 6, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    Here are a few more of the places we stopped during our pedicab tour of Manila’s Intramuros.

    Along the way we saw Japanese canons, a statue of a Mexican president, and a little park with bas reliefs of every Filipino president to date.Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler
    111

    Pedicab Tour

    November 6, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    We originally planned to explore Manila’s Intramuros on foot, but we wound up taking a pedicab tour.

    We had already turned down several taxis and tour buses, but something about these guys drew us in. Maybe it’s because they were friendly, but not overly pushy? Or maybe because we’d already been walking 45 minutes and were feeling the heat and humidity?

    Whatever it was, Larry negotiated a price and off we went. The first part of our journey was along a wide sidewalk, but we eventuallly joined traffic.

    Manila is known for its horrific traffic. In places, everything from 18 wheelers to horse drawn carriages and bicycles share the same lanes.

    Even so, I felt perfectly at ease with our pedicab lads. They knew the lay of the land, and spoke English well enough to share historic tidbits along the way.

    The Intramuros area is home to several schools. We had a human traffic jam at one point comprised of high school and college kids. As we turned the corner, I saw a great big line. When I asked what they were waiting for, MC told me, “They are applying for jobs.”

    Really made me wonder what the job market is like here, and what sort of employment future awaits all those school kids we’d seen a moment before.

    And I’m still not sure what a “psychometrician” is.    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler
    11

    Larry’s Spa Day

    November 8, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ 🌩️ 82 °F

    When you book a trip to a tropical paradise, you don’t see rainy day photos on the travel agent’s website, but rainy days happen.

    Not only is it raining here in Puerto Princesa, but the wind kicked up enough to bump the ship 4 1/2 feet off the dock. They even had to close the gangway for a bit!

    Lar and I wound up at the SM Mall where he enjoyed an impromptu spa day: two women gave him a shampoo, head and neck massage, and a very meticulous haircut.

    As he put it, “They fussed over me for an hour. I loved it!”

    Grand total? Five dollars! (He tipped well, too, of course.)

    As for me, I stopped by the stationery store and bought some much needed tape for my scrapbook. Whoo hoo!

    Best of all: we found the cutest travel Scrabble! It’s even smaller than the one I forgot to pack.

    All in all, a relaxing and fruitful rainy day here in paradise!    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Victoria Peak

    November 11, 2023 in Hong Kong ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We took a funicular up to the top of Victoria Peak, but it was a drizzly day in Hong Kong, so the view kept disappearing.

    The floor of the funicular tram is wavy, so when we were at a steep angle, Larry was able to stand up… but it looked crooked. So clever!

    We had lunch at the historic Victoria Peak restaurant, which felt like a ski lodge with Asian touches.

    Afterward, I was too full to try eating an eggette, but don’t they look interesting? The flavors intrigue me, too: coriander, bacon and egg, peanut butter, and even chocolate.

    Maybe next time!    Read more

  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Traveler

    Bamboo Scaffolding

    November 11, 2023 in Hong Kong ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Just as in Japan, people drive on the left in Hong Kong. But unlike Japan, I saw signs on the pavement reminding us to “look left.”

    I saw a lot of folks wearing wide brimmed straw hats, but what really intrigued me was the bamboo scaffolding; it’s everywhere!

    I expected hustle and bustle, but I didn’t expect all the butterflies. Hong Kong is full of them.    Read more

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