drron29

We joined the Muse in Bali on 18 th March. My sister and her husband joined us in Yokohama on 3rd April and they had a GTY vista booking and were told by Silversea UK that they would find out when they checked in. So we went down to Reception as we obviously had their names but also their booking number. Possibly helped as my sister has kept her maiden name. As that segment from Yokohama was fully booked they said that there was no chance of their allotted suite being changed so they gave us the suite number. They were allocated a superior veranda suite just down the hall from us. Moral of the story is that you need to know someone on the ship now. But stop stressing as it could be on check in that you get to know. Until then it is still possible they could sell more suites.

Lovely fried oysters in Miyako. Been there a few times and always enjoyed them.

Back to the Muse. The Diamond Princess is leaving. Dinner again in Atlantide. I had the Octopus and the filet. Enjoyable. And Rojaan had a different desert. A chocolate brownie. The next morning I took a ship's excursion for Japanese sweet making, Kenrokuen gardens and the Omicho markets. I did my own thing at the gardens and the market. One interesting view on the way. Some liked the sweet making but there were over 80 there. I found it just average though maybe because my sweets were probably the worst. The set up. Our ingredients. And what it should look like. As far as I am aware all evidence of my efforts have been destroyed. I took off to the gardens early as I didn't need time to shop for souvenirs. Today I walked up the road between the Gardens and the castle. A great display.

I had walked the grounds on top of the hill of Kanazawa castle and walked down to Hirosaka park and the Museum of Contemporary art before but never the lower gardens on this side of the castle. A pretty picture at this time of year. I was coming back the next day and would visit the Omicho market so walked straight back to the station and the shuttle bus. I had about a 20 minute wait for the shuttle bus. In That time there were 3 shuttles for the Diamond Princess. All full to the max. Staff going back had to stand. Lots of complaints from them that there were no signs up although 3 people had signs up saying Diamond Princess shuttle. Queuing was a foreign concept to most of the passengers and they had to have a ticket to get on the shuttle. several tried to get on our shuttle when it arrived. Sorry but I am not going on a Princess cruise.

Black kites were circling in numbers. A fellow was feeding them something.

The blossoms in the upper gardens were stunning.

I thought you might arrive in Hakodate for peak cherry blossom viewing and it looks like you certainly did. That view from the tower must be so beautiful. And at the Convent you would have had a lot more colour than we did 15 days ago when maybe just the first cherry blossom bud had appeared.

That NGO is indeed still going @machotspur. They were who we donated through. They now build their own schools.

Then I came to the food stalls. I had a stick of scallops (the middle stick). They were very tasty. But then I came to this. Looks messy but probably the best takoyaki I have ever had. Nice big tender pieces of octopus and a delicious sauce, I now set off back to Kanazawa station. first walking through the castle grounds.

This is the last of the flowering plums which come earlier than the cherries.

Now the camera. This is one of 2 elevated areas in the gardens that I hoped would allow me to get an overview. Both were closed. The official story is because they are unstable after the December earthquake.

Now comparing shots from my iPhone in this post and camera in the next -a simple Sony RX100.

Entrance was free for everyone today and the crowds were thick. A lot were off the Diamond Princess. Now I earnt a few karma points here. There was a very old Japanese gentleman wanting to take a picture of that magnificent old pine. He walked using 2 sticks and was bent over plus had a terrible tremor. The young Japanese folk just walked by. so I went over and remembered my lines from my days of kidnapping Japanese tourists on the Gold Coast -shashin o totte mo idesu ka. He beamed and I took several photos of him with the pine in the background. With the aid of google translate I found that he was 93 and that his wife had died about 3 years ago. I continued on. The Flying Goose bridge.The first time we came here you could still walk over it. Not now.

So caught the 11am shuttle and as I feared huge queues for the loop bus which goes past Kenrokuen gardens. Would have taken an hour or 2 to get there so would be better to just walk. But having been to Kanazawa a few times i knew to catch the local bus from the next stand 6 which has a stop no more than 100 metres from where the loop bus stops for the garden. It left in 5 minutes and I was able to get on and get a seat. Same fare as the loop bus. But on Kanazawa busses IC cards are not accepted. Correct cash fare but they do have a machine to change your notes to coins. So the walk from the bus to the loop bus stop. I took the lomg way up to the garden entrance from there. @mysty these are pictures from April11th. A big difference in 17 days.

Mrsdrron was still feeling below par so we just went for a stroll around the little park at the terminal. The Silver Muse was getting an official welcome. I was going to get the 10am shuttle bus but missed it. The next one was at 11 so I had 45 minutes to wander around the Industrial area. Just across the road from the terminal was a park with several older Japanese playing a variation of golf. fascinating. You tee of with an oversize putter and a plastic ball. So a few pics of the progress. Now in this shot you see a fellow at the side leaning on his club. He couldn't stand straight,could hardly walk and looked the oldest player. But he was by far the best. The second picture shows where his shot reached. His is the white ball. On the next hole he had a hole in 1. A statue marking 30 years since the start of the Maritime Workers union. A duck hiding.

The next morning was Kanazawa where we were to overnight. I was looking forward to this even though we were here in 2016 at peak bloom but it was a few days earlier. Was encouraged when the morning report was that peak blooming had been declared the day before we arrived. Can't believe our luck on this cruise. Just a crow but it looked like a flying stingray. A lot of snow still on the mountains. But a sign that things would not be perfect today as the Diamond Princess arrives.

The next day was a sea day. Pretty cold and a bit of a swell meaning the pool wasn't that popular. Lunch at Kaiseki. Not that far from the coast. That night was the Venetian Society party. First our Polish Captain and then the Future cruise Consultant aka Venetian society host. Announcing some of the achievements. We were 4th in the number of nights. And the night ended with a couple of numbers from the lead singer. There was a very long queue for Atlantide that night so we went to Indochine again. First the cocktail. I had the prime rib which was excellent and all I can tell you about Rojaan's meal was that it wasn't spicy. Might have been sweet and sour snapper as I can remember that being on one of Indochines menus.

We sailed quite late so I was able to capture the changing lights on the bridge. Now we are sailing out of Busan.

That night was a casual night. I decided a bit of decorum was warranted. Rojaan had the foie gras and I the pho. Rojaan had the rump steak and I the chicken Aloo. She then had the coconut rice pudding but I stuck with the ginger and kaffir lime creme brulee.

A couple of shots whilst waiting for the shuttle bus. Their bus system seems well organised. On the main streets often bus lanes in the middle of the road with bus stations usually at an intersection. Then back to the ship and a walk around the top deck after golf. Several ship building yards. People camping at the port.

Then out to the stalls and back to the main road. A candy store. I'm not sure this is an accurate name. I then set out to look for a restaurant to eat. Unfortunately even though this was a Tuesday it was a public holiday because the next day they were having elections for their National Parliament. Saw some interesting places. I don't think I wanted to try a dung house stir fry. I settled on a BBQ place. Pretty pricey in the evenings relatively speaking. But they had lunch time specials. Now that is just over $A14 but it was for 2 people. It was though less meat for the 2 people than the serving size for 1 at night. so I thought why not. This is what they served first. However more was served and when I finished the Kim Chee they brought me another bowl. These were the bowls at the end though they had removed 3. I had been looking at some of the street food at first but although it looked good I was full.

We donated libraries to schools in Laos as our way of giving back. We hope that by encouraging education lasting benefits can occur to those communities. I spent a day at a library donation to a school in a rural village outside Luang Prabang. It was the most beautiful day with every emotion possible. I felt happy, sad, grateful and guilty. But there was so much laughter and crying. A day I will never forget.

Tiki is an example of wonderful Kiwi marketing. It is produced in NZ by Tiki Wines. It appears not only on the wine list of SS but also BA. It has been extensively marketed in the USA. So they can ignore the Australian market. It is also not a Marlborough wine which are extensively marketed in Australia so they would have plenty of competition in Australia. It is produced in the North Canterbury region. Of course when you look at lists of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world you will rarely see a New Zealand one. Top countries are Austria, France, Argentina and the USA.

Outside and back to the bus to go to the fish market. Now we are at the fish market. Had done the trip here before but I knew it was close to where the shuttle bus goes from and is in an area with lots of restaurants. So I went through the markets again. luckily the guide wasn't that interested in fish so a quick visit and then off to the general markets which hold no interest for me so I took my leave. And the penis fish which is really a worm.