drron29

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.

Snippets of Busan up until the beginning of the 20th century. The lead up to the Korean war. This was fascinating for me as my knowledge of Korean History was minimal. Again I liked that this was in the excursion.

Now we are at the Busan Museum. Interesting. Burial mounds.

That Kaiseki menu on the Nova looks much better than the Moon and Dawn. We won’t pay the supplement for dinner on those ships The Muse is different being Teppanyaki for dinner so we do have dinner there occasionally.

Another warm welcome to the Cooler. November is a good time to visit Australia except for the far north as it is very hot and humid as well as being cyclone season. Don’t forget Tasmania. A lot less rush and bustle which means more relaxing.

QF only have wifi on selected International flights and then only when over the Australian mainland. https://www.qantas.com/sg/en/qantas-experience/onboard/wi-fi.html And the 2 longest flights that QF has are DFW-MEL and LHR-PER and neither of those are over Australia for very long.

Unfortunately not as many of them. In fact on this cruise for the first segment very few from the USA so we had a Canadian couple instead. They were very good. In the past there has been a European or two on the team we are in.

I really thought this was part of a good excursion. Educational and a little emotional.

Can't remember all the gins I had to help my putting but there were at least 10. I do suspect I went through some of the premium labels as well. I remember Tanqueray, Bombay sapphire, aviation gin and Roku gin.

Australian troops being entertained by Helen Reddy's father. Helen reddy was a singer who was born in Australia but lived in the USA. A singer known for the song I Am Woman. Interestingly her granddaughter has now released her version of the song. We were in time to see the raising of the flag.

The next morning had us arriving in Busan, South Korea. Rojaan still wasn't up to an excursion so I went on the one to the UN War Cemetery, Busan Museum and fish market. First from the parking lot at the cemetery. Then the cemetery. Now I thought I knew a bit about the Korean War. I was educated here though. Didn't realise how many countries fought under the UN flag.

That night it was again Indochine. You are served a complimentary cocktail first. A couple of the appetisers. Chicken thigh on a skewer and water paper rolls. Tom Yum soup. Aloo chicken Pork ribs. Noodle side dish. Char sui beef. And their cheesecake.