We pulled into Shimizu harbor and were greeted with the rare sight of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Typically the summit is visible only 10 percent of the time so once again we were very lucky.

A bus tour took us to the Hakone National Geo Park with stunning views of Mt. Fuji via ropeway (as the Japanese call it.). The volcanic park is an active geothermal center providing energy to the nearby area.

These signs gave everyone pause for riding the cable cars but they were a bit overkill.

Once off the mountain we took a boat tour on Lake Ashi. When we docked we could view Mt Fuji in the distance.

We returned to our ship to a beautiful send off by the locals. Another great day in Japan.

Our string of beautiful Fall weather continued today as we made our way from Kobe to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, via Bullet Train. The Japanese are rightfully very proud of these technological marvels as well they should be.

Our guide Naomi took great care in explaining that we only had two to three minutes to get onboard the train and find out reserved seats. Based on the signs we probably could have figured things out but it was nice to have a guide the first time.

We’ll upload some video as it’s quite impressive. The trip to Kyoto, a distance of 41 miles takes 28 minutes via the Bullet Train at a top speed of close to 150 mph. A good part of that time is the mid point stop over in Osaka. And there is an even faster express train!

Upon arriving in Kyoto a bus took us to our first stop, Kiyomizu-dera Temple. There are over 1,600 Buddhist temples scattered across Kyoto. This one is famed for its platforms with views of the city and springs. The the temple site dates back to the 7th century AD and the current buildings were constructed in the 1600s. Not a single nail was used in the construction. Unfortunately the main temple was under large tarped scaffolding as it is being restored in preparation for the Summer Olympics being held in Japan in 2020.

There was a large shopping area leading up to the temple filled with a variety of shops some of which have some very nice porcelain and other items.

From there it was on to the beautiful Westin hotel for lunch. The hotel was perched on a hillside with wonderful views of the city.

Our final stop in Kyoto was the literal jewel of the city – The Golden Temple. The original temple on the site dated back to the 13th century AD was destroyed by arson in 1950. The main golden building was constructed in 1955 and is covered in over 8 million dollars of gold leaf. There are large crowds to see such a site but we managed a few good shots.

This gigantic oak near the entrance of the site is over 500 years old.

The 600+ year old bonsai above originally started in a pot but had to be transferred to the ground when it became too large.

Tim rang the rope below for good luck and hopefully better health. We are now sailing to the sacred Mt. Fuji.

Another beautiful day, this time in Kobe, Japan. Today we had no tours planned so we decided to strike out on our own, catching the shuttle from the pier to downtown Kobe. From there we boarded the off/on Loop Bus which took us all round the city.

Our first stop was the Kobe Port Tower, the symbol of Kobe. An elevator ride to the top afforded us with great views of the harbor and city.

From there we hopped back on the Loop Bus to the stop for the Herb Garden and Kobe Ropeway cable cars.

Another great view of the city and gardens below.

At the top was a lovely square and rose gardens modeled after Germany. We grabbed a curry hotdog and juice and then started our decent on foot halfway down the mountain.

Just time for quick bite – hot dog with curry. Not something we would have come up with but surprisingly good.

On the way up we spotted these folks enjoying a peaceful rest in the gardens.

…so on the way down Tim had to give it a try.

Fortunately there was time for a lavender ice cream before reloading the ropeway cars to continue our trip back down the mountain.

Rhonda grabbed a photo of the legendary Japanese heated toilets and control centers which include various washes, drying and music for “privacy”.

Traveling on the city bus was quite an experience. Very crowded and we had absolutely no idea what was being said. But we never felt unsafe. The universal smile, a slight bow and “thank you” go a long way. Finally, back to the ship for a nice sunset and dinner on board. The Millennium has been a great floating hotel for us. We’ve enjoyed the Martini Bar a bit more than we should but it’s been a great gathering place at the end of a day’s adventures.

Today we docked at Jeju, a small volcanic island off the southern coast of Korea. Our legs were still feeling the burn of climbing the Great Wall but we powered through. There has been no volcanic activity on the island for thousands of years so the basalt is well weathered and the volcanic cone at the center of the island worn down with erosion. The island is now largely a tourist destination for Koreans and increasingly international tourists. The climate is similar to South Carolina although the island is covered with palms and tangerine trees.

Our delightful tour guide So Hey took us to our first stop for the day, the beautiful Yeomiji Botanical Gardens. The gardens consist of a central tower and greenhouse divided into sections and then exterior gardens based on international themes such as Japanese, French and Italian.

From the tower there are excellent views of the surrounding landscape including the Hallasan volcano, at 6,400 feet the highest peak in South Korea. As you can see in the photos we had a brilliant sunny day and we found out later that Jeju has less than 50 days like this a year and even when it is sunny, the volcano peak is usually cloud covered, so we were very fortunate.

The indoor hardens were reminiscent of Longwood Gardens in Delaware for our Philly friends with an Asian flair.

From the gardens we proceeded across a beautiful foot bridge to the Cheonjeyeon waterfalls.

From there it was off to a traditional Korean lunch of barbecue beef with assorted sides. We passed on the anchovies and smoked fish.

Our afternoon took us to the Yakcheonsa Buddhist Temple. While Buddhists worshiped in this area for many centuries due to the healing mineral spring on the site, the temple itself was built in the 1980s and is quite stunning.

Inside of these large columns are thousands of prayer tubes, each accompanied by tiny elaborate Buddha figurines

There was an elaborate sand painting which is made and destroyed on a regular basis by the temple monks as a form of meditation.

Jeju is famous for its “Diving Women” who for many centuries free dove the area waters at depths up to 90 feet holding their breath for 2 minutes or more (try it) in search of abalone and other seafood. Many of them are now in their 60s and even older and the younger generation is not taking it up so the tradition may soon come to an end. Below is a statue at the site to honor these divers…NOTE: They do wear wetsuits now!

Rhonda found this sign at the local restroom. A cute way to honor the divers. The Asians do love their cartoon figures. They are everywhere.

When we returned to the ship, the passengers were prided a chance to try on traditional Korean garb. Our tour guide told us that throughout Asia, Koreans were known for three things – drinking, laughter and singing. Again, I haven’t heard my Korean born son-in-law Geoff sing but he is skilled in the other areas! We are so grateful for the opportunity to visit his homeland and share this glimpse of the culture.

Jeju was another lovely stop on our journey. Today, our last sea day and then on to Kobe tomorrow.

After our flight from Xi’an to Beijing we spent the night at the beautiful Regent Hotel in Beijing.

From there it was a 1 hour trip to the Great Wall.

The section closest to Beijing is the newest section, built approximately 600 years ago. When you first see it you are left with the question why isn’t it called “The Great Steps” as the wall seems relatively incidental.

The sign below (especially the “brain disease) seemed quite appropriate as you gaze up at the thousands of uneven steps ahead.

Rhonda climbed 10 flights then claimed “brain disease” when she looked down while Tim climbed up the 25 flights to the 1st tower in sight. While the original wall was thousands of miles long, much of it has crumbled over the centuries. Now there are several sections which stretch for several kilometers which are maintained as tourist attractions.

Here’s Tim atop the first tower being photobombed by an Armenian.

Then it was on to lunch at one of the best Peking Duck restaurants in the city, according to our guide.

Everything at all of our meals was served family style so you had to grab food from a lazy susan and get ready for the next item coming around.

They made a great show of carving the duck tableside.

A final note. While the men had access to traditional urinals, except in the western hotels, all of the other toilets looked like this…

Good for the thigh muscles but most of the ladies said it took a bit of practice. Tim found this aid hanging in the men’s room if your thighs weren’t up to the challenge…

All in all, a wonderful trip with our guide Martin who got everyone back safe and sound and provided great insights into Chinese culture, past and present.

Today (Saturday, 11/3/18) we are on the South China Sea back from our 3 day excursion to Xi’an and Beijing, China. We saw A LOT so we’re breaking this into two posts. Our ship docked in Taijin, China and from there met our guide. “Martin” who took us on it a 3 hour bus ride to the Beijing Airport for a 2 hour flight to Xi’an (pronounced “She An”) where the legendary Terra-cotta Soldiers are located (more on them later.)

Immediately upon arrival, Martin took our group to see the City Wall. Xi’an was the capital of China for many centuries beginning in the 11th century BC. Like many feudal cities in China the city was completely walled, surrounded by a moat with only 4 gates – North, South, East and West. Today, the wall around Xi’an is the only one remaining intact in China and it stretches for 8.5 miles around the central city dating back to 1568.

At each gate was an Arrow Tower where archers were positioned to shoot from the window at the enemy.

From the wall we were driven to a large dinner theater where the Tang Dynasty Show was presented with a multi course dinner. This was an amazing pageant with a combination of Classical Chinese music, dance and costumes and a state-of-the-art high-definitely full stage video. We were exhausted at this point but the show was terrific with a full orchestra.

After a 16+ hour day of travel and touring we collapsed into bed. Our guide Martin persuaded the group that it would be best to get to the Terra Cotta soldiers EARLY so we were on the bus by 7:15 for the 1 hour ride to the location.

The Terra Cotta soldiers were buried for the after life of Emperor Qin. Construction started in 246 BC and finished when the Emperor died 37 years later. This army of over 8000 soldiers, archers, horses and chariots created to protect the Emperor’s tomb which is about a mile away. The tomb itself has never been excavated as it is protected by underground water and literal rivers of poisonous liquid mercury. They estimate it will be at least another 50 to 100 years before technology can be developed to excavate and enter the tomb safely.

The entire site was lost to antiquity only to be discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974. If the location of his digging moved 1 meter, the location would never have been uncovered. The sign in the middle of the photo below shows the edge of the pit where the original well was dug…

When uncovered the terra-cotta soldiers were in pieces and painstakingly reassembled by archeologists.

The work has been ongoing for 45 years and it is estimated it will take at least another 50 years to complete.

From there we went to the Wild Goose Pagoda – a Buddhist temple over 1300 years old where we patted the laughing Buddha for luck!

Then it was the most beautifully presented box dinner on the bus for our return flight to Beijing.