drron29

Ann had no problems in Indochine on the Muse in the 30 days we were on the Muse. She just said I can't eat chilli so can you quarantee you can take all the chilli out. Most dishes they could and did a couple they couldn't. Naturally I said just add it all to mine.

So those over 60 departing Yokohama should really compare hotel prices as quite a few better rates than the Westin which SS uses. We stay at the IC Yokohama which is right on the bay and about 100 metres from where the Muse docked. Paid a rate 25% cheaper than the equivalent rate at the Westin.

I always ask for extra chilli for dishes that I prefer extra spicy. Sometimes you get extra chilli flakes and some times actual chillies. I prefer it when the waiter supplies some extra chillies on the side as well.

What a shambles. Poor planning. No one knew that the Brazilian government was going to limit the length of ships for the Narrows? It certainly was one of the highlights of our Amazon cruise on the Cloud when she still was a classic fleet.

We have 4 booked cruises. 3 are roughly the same price as we booked with this promotion but 1 was $A6000 dearer than the price we booked for.

Success. View from the hotel in Kawaguchiko now. Fuji plus cherry blossom.

Well my walking track on the Muse is from the forward lifts on deck 8 then up the stairs to the Panorama lounge then back to the forward lifts and repeat. It is my track for when the top deck is too hot, too humid, too cold or too windy. I take 400 steps on this track which is very close to what I do on the deck 11 walking track. The long corridors sound like they would be ideal for walking.

Now to the gardens.

The greatest thing I taught medical students to do was to talk to patients in language they could understand. Some actually listened to that advice.

In Yokohama my sister and her husband boarded. this was their first ever cruise. so that night we shared dinner in Atlantide. So much to catch up on so no photos of the meal. I did have the filet which my sister also had and we both thought it excellent. however the reason I ordered the filet was because it was not on the menu but it is on the in room dining menu and anything on that can be ordered in the restaurants. So that was the practical demonstration that it can be done. The lesson was even better as our waiter was on his first contract and said we couldn't order the filet so I suggested he go to the kitchen and ask. He did and we had our filets. If he hadn't I would have asked for the maitre'D. He hasn't been in the position long but will do virtually anything to make the pssenger happy. Unfortunately his current contract finishes on May 1st. The next morning we were in Shimizu. As usual we had our breakfast in the Arts Cafe. Simple but nice and no temptation to overeat. My sister and her husband had breakfast in their suite every day. A little treat that they thought was excellent. Shimizu is known for it's views of Fuji so I was looking forward to this day. It was cloudy but appeared to be clearing as we set off on our excursion to the Mt. Fuji Sengen shrine followed by a sake brewery. But already the clouds were getting worse plus mist appearing at higher altitudes. Well at least the cherry blossoms were nice. But this gate normally frames Mt. Fuji on a clear day.

We decided to go to lunch before too many of the new passengers had boarded, I had been disappointed with the lunches at the Grill and didn't feel like pizza so despite Mrsdrron's protests we went to the buffet at La Terraza. After that I still don't get why it is so popular. The sashimi was watery and tasteless. Kaiseki is much better, The Sushi rolls were OK but they are made in Kaiseki. So a pictorial of the buffet. unny a blue cheese on the buffet when i was told a few nights before in La terraza that there was no blue cheese for the cheese plate.

Now back on the bus to the ship.

A wedding reception at the Residence.

I climbed up to the pagoda.

I felt sorry for those on the photo shoots.

There were several couples having wedding photos taken. Certainly not peak blooming.

It was time to go back to the bus. A different sort of vending machine outside Pizza Hut. Back on the bus to drive to the other side of Yokohama for the gardens. We arrive at the Sankien gardens. Unfortunately the weather gods weren't smiling and it began to rain. At first quite light but gradually got heavier.

I went out the back gate and did a bit of exploring.

And then into the temple. We had free time here so I made sure I saw as much as possible and Rojaan stayed with the group.

The next day was Yokohama. Very close to where we will be staying the next time we arrive in Yokohama. We were able to escape the turmoil by setting out on an in transit tour. We were off to the Kawasaki Daishi temple and the Sankien gardens. Unfortunately not the best weather. Overcast with periods of rain. This is wher we were docked and where the tour starts. And past Haneda. The bus parked at this Edifice and a walk to the actual temple. Over a railway line. Past vending machines for meals. Then turned into a shopping street. lots of sweets. Some quite suggestive.

About time for some more humour. falling down on my job.

It certainly wasn't cold. Maybe they have new non smoking rocks.😉 If they do they would obviously be cheaper than smoking rocks.