Vacation Magic

The author mesmerized by an expert - Kona Kozy

Vacation means escape; the meaning of vacate is, after all, getting out of a place that was previously occupied.  The occupied spaces are sometimes only in your mind.  There are so many cares involved with day-to-day living, even in semi-retirement...put this away, wash this, don't forget your doctor's appointment, what's for dinner, does the car need servicing?  Vacations are necessary respites from the quotidian.

One of the best escapes of this vacation was a one-man performance from a magician/comedian who calls himself Kona Kozy.  Kozy is a large and loud man who brings to the stage a rare combination of bombast and subtlety.  He is no ordinary magician; nor is he an ordinary comic.  In fact, there's nothing ordinary about him.  His legerdemain involves more than sleight of hand; it includes reading minds.  When a calculator is used to add, subtract, multiply & divide random numbers supplied by the audience results in a phone number that, when called, rings in the audience, it must give you pause.

But the astonishment of the mind-reading was exceeded by the laughter, and therein lies the true magic.  A true vacation.  Next time your on the Big Island of Hawaii, don't miss it.  Kona Kozy at the Tiki Palace in the shops at Mauna Lani:  www.konakozy.com.

Vacation Magic 2 - Swimming with the Manta Rays

You can't get too much vacation while on vacation.  It wasn't enough to escape through comedy and magic one night, we decided to escape in the ocean on the second night.

From the magic of laughter, we went to the magic of silence.  A unique activity on the Island of Hawaii is the opportunity to have a night swim with the manta rays.  A half hour sunset ride on a comfortable catamaran took us to a cove on the Kona coast known for its plankton where, attracted by lights and food, manta rays come to feed.

The outfitter supplied wet suits and snorkeling gear, and we all jumped into a warm ocean, grabbed onto a handle attached to a surf board, ducked our heads into the ocean, let our legs float behind us, and focused our eyes and ears on the silent beauty of the underwater.  Almost immediately a gigantic dark figure with a huge gaping mouth rose from the deep circled underneath almost touching us with a glowing white, spotted underbody and disappeared back into the depths.  The only sound was the sound of our own breathing magnified by the water and the snorkel.  A surreal and magic universe.  Ahh, vacation.

Another Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The perfect tropical breakfast at Sheraton Kona Resort on the Big Island

It's easy to understand why Hawaii is high on the bucket lists of so many people. The weather, the music, the resorts, the ocean, the papaya and pineapple, the people...everything combines to create the perfect vacation renewal spot.  The word fecundity comes to mind.  Some vacations provide you with stimulating new experiences, filling you up, enriching you.  Hawaii's beach resorts allow you to empty out, be still, and be at peace with nature, life and death. 

Our little slice of heaven.

A group of four friends and I traveled from Durango to visit a friend who moved here about 7+ years ago.  Such a different vibe from the mountains.  Yesterday was the fourth day of the trip and, true to form, it was "catch up" day.  Tour operators have long known that the 4th travel day is a low-energy, low-motivation day.  Two of us took advantage of that low energy to station ourselves in a lounge chair by the pool overlooking the Pacific.  But first, we took the morning to arrange for Hawaiian adventures, including dinner and the performance of a magician/comic, swimming with the manta rays, and finishing with a sunset dinner cruise before our departure.  I know what you're thinking!  Now is the time to book your tickets!

Waiting

Don't travel (especially when Mercury is retrograde) unless you're prepared to wait.  Here I am in the United Club at SFO airport waiting for a flight to Kona Hawaii.  It's only delayed by 45 minutes, but I'm on my second Chardonnay and hunkering down to endure whatever happens.  Incredibly enough, it's just what I need...a little true down time.  Nowhere to be; no one I need to talk to; no chores to be done.  A true vacation in an airport lounge. 

As waits go, airport lounges are much better than the hustle and bustle of the general vibe in the airport terminal.  I actually deserted my group to land here in the lounge because I had a pass that would expire in 7 days, and am feeling a bit guilty for deserting them and enjoying the "free" wine and eats while my friends pay good money to eat the drab airport fare.  I'm travelling with a group of 3 friends to Hawaii to celebrate another friend's birthday.  We're a group of "old" friends who were originally brought together by our Hawaiian buddy, so it's a reunion of sorts.  There are so many reasons to travel and get away from the usual, and travelling just to get away is a good reason.  I think I'll go get another Chardonnay. 

Where do you want to go next?  And why?  For whatever reason, get on the road.  Cheers!

Censorship!

Provincial Map of China. 

This trip blog was sadly interrupted by censorship.  After our port stay in Busan, South Korea, we slipped over the Yellow Sea to Dalian, China, a remarkably large and robust trading city on the tip of a peninsula in the northern Chinese province of Liaoning.  There we discovered that Google, our blog's host, does not operate in China.  Google pulled its search engine and other services out of China in 2010 when faced with the reality of Chinese Censorship which required Google to block many sites which the Chinese government objected to.  It's known as the Great Firewall of China.  I remember reading about this incident and thinking that Google had done the right thing, but then, like most news items, it faded from my memory and my attention.  But now, as Google is considering kowtowing to the Chinese demands and returning to this lucrative market, the ugly face of censorship has come into clear focus.

One of the benefits of travel is allowing you to appreciate your own situation.  That is especially true of the privileges and rights we have and take for granted as citizens of the United States.  China brings that all into focus.  So I am going to take advantage of those unique American freedoms in the next few blogs and tell you what I really think about China.  It's not all pretty. 

Meanwhile, upon returning home, we were greeted by surly employees of TSA.  Normally, we have TSA pre-check since we are trusted travelers.  Since our boarding passes had been issued by Nippon Airways in Shanghai, however, they did not have that information.  When we tried the TSA pre-check line, the agent scowled and told us we should've asked United Airlines to re-issue the boarding passes.  We were told to enter the regular line.  It was not a busy evening, so I guess they were looking for the right people to annoy.  I was patted down by a dumpy little lady who probably hasn't smiled in years.  Dwight, in his terminal-owned wheelchair, underwent a 20-minute wipe down checking for explosive agents. 

Why do we put up with this?  Does this really make us safer?  Are we that cowed by the idea of a terrorist blowing us up?  If we complain about having tyrannical leadership now, we probably have asked for it by agreeing to accept contempt and rudeness from under-educated employees while going about our normal business.  A good step toward restoring America to greatness would be to do away with TSA, or at least to train their agents to show some human kindness and discretion in their treatment of travelers.  

Nagasaki and Sea Scapes

Kofukuji Temple

Upon our arrival in Nagasaki, we went through immigration.  Bureaucratic immigration procedures have been a pain throughoutthe Far East, and but we showed the proper stamp on the copies of our passports and we're ushered through.   We proceeded to the tourist information desk to see if there was an attraction that might be possible for Dwight with his walker.  The agent suggested a Buddhist temple she said was very flat. So we hired a taxi and went. Oops.  Not flat. Obstacles everywhere.  It's amazing how much people take their mobility for granted...me included. Anyway, the sun was out for a change and Dwight was able to sit in the sun in courtyard on  his walker while I made a quick visit. It was a deserted, lovely site.

After a short visit, we took a taxi to the shopping arcade looking for a Japanese restaurant the tourist official had suggested. She scored 100 on that one. We chose table and chairs over sitting on the floor and enjoyed a nice lunch with the natives.  We then hired a taxi to take us on a short tour.

First stop was the Peace Park.

Statue to Peace in Nagasaki

It was rather depressing to see another park dedicated to US atomic destruction in WWII.  We then had the taxi driver taketak to a final site, an old Christian Church. Nagasaki occupies a spot of land which has until fairly recently only been accessible by sea and in the past it was occupied by the Dutch and other Europeans.

All in all we would miss Japan.  Everything there was orderly and clean -- drivers stuck to their lanes and didn't honk their horns, and there was no trash on the street. People were helpful and polite.  We surmised that things might be different in China.

The next day was finally the "Ahh" day at sea I had been waiting for. Sleep late, read, wander around, and give body and mind a chance to absorb the sights and sounds of the last few days.  Although still too cold to enjoy the outdoors, the sea is very calming.

Busan, South Korea -- New Pin on the Map

BIFF Square

The contrast between the South Korean port city of Busan and our  Japanese ports was noticeable.  Traffic strayed from their lanes, horns honked, and litter appeared in the streets.  The ship's shuttle dropped us off at BIFF square, a square commerating the Busan International Film Festival.  Who knew that Busan had an international film festival?  The square was filled with food venders and a variety of shops.  Busan is the second largest city in South Korea after Seoul and the 9th largest port in the world.

The Pick Me Mall and the Ding Dong store were side-by-side.

We needed a toilet so we decided to look for a bar.  We saw a couple of signs with beer posted in English, but they didn't open until 5:00 p.m., and then closed the next morning at 6:00 a.m.  This quater of the city was obviously the place to party the night away.  Although not hungry, we finally found a restaurant open (it was 11:00 a.m) so we decided to go in and order something just for the right to use the toilet.  It turned out to be a specialty restaurant in pork.  The ham hocks were stacked head high. 

Ham hocks anyone?

There were only 3 choices on the menu,  so we pointed to the one that looked the most attractive and by the time all was said and done, there were over 15 bowls and plates on the table.  The pork was very thinly sliced and covered in chopped raw garlic.  Delicious!

Our lunch 

After lunch, Dwight decided he'd had enough of big city life, so he got on the shuttle bus back to the ship, and I decided to explore on foot.  I discovered acre upon acre of fish markets and, after a 3-mile walk, I, too, took the shuttle back to the haven of the ship where the cabin was cleaned and dinner was on the table.

Hiroshima

The Peace dome, only structure left standing
after the atom bomb blast.

The title of this blog post does not need explanation.  The name Hiroshima stands for absolute destruction.  At 8:15 am on 6 August 1945, the US Air Force detonated an atomic bomb 600 meters above the city and the result is recorded in the photo at left.  Over 70,000 people were killed instantly, estimated to consist of about 20,000 combatants, 2000 Korean slaves, and the rest civilians including many women and children.  The river delta city has been rebuilt from the ashes, but the unreconstructed Peace dome seen above and below marks the entry to the Peace Park which has been dedicated to the proposition that such an act should never occur again. 

The Peace Dome today

A flame burns in the park and shall be extinguished only after all atomic weapons have been destroyed, a prospect that doesn't risk happening anytime in the near future.
In our roles as hosts, we accompanied 25 Virtuoso pilgrims on a tour of the Peace Park and the Peace museum.  It was a nice, sunny day, if a bit cool, and a perfect day to stroll through the park.  The complimentary excursion is included for cruise passengers who have booked their travel through a Virtuoso agent.  Virtuoso has over 20,000 agents worldwide (I am one of them) who dedicate themselves to excellence in the profession.  As a smaller tour than the one offered by the ship, we were able to stroll through the park at a leisurely pace and absorb the many different monuments and plaques which occupy the park.

A willow weeps in the Hiroshima Peace Park 

The tour ended in the Peace museum which includes an interactive map showing the city before and after the bomb.  It's hard to picture the meeting in which generals and civilians discussed which city would best suit the purpose of ending a brutal war by the means of unspeakable brutality and destruction. Hiroshima had no prisoner-of-war camps (although 2 American soldiers lost their lives), and contained many military depots, so they decided it was a perfect target.  The citizens had prepared for traditional bombing (bad enough) but had no idea of the black fire which would reign down on them.  Reliving the experience through the interactive map gives one chills and sends you away praying, "Never again."  But then we returned to the ship to learn of a young man in New Zealand who willfully and angrily shot down over 50 innocent people.  It seems brutality and destruction will always be with us. 

A nice lunch was included in the tour, after which we went to a beautiful little park in the middle of the rebuilt downtown.  All in all, it was a nice day giving one pause for reflection.

Ringing the large peace bell

Over a million folded paper peace cranes have their home here. 

Dwight in the small city park. 

Looking back through the graves of ashes to the Peace dome. 

Glorious Kyoto

With our driver Takashi at the Golden Pagoda.   They
made wheelchairs available,..very nice!

Kyoto is a city which has always been on my bucket list.  I'm not sure why.  I guess it's because I've never talked to a person who had anything bad to say about it.  It has history; it has panache; it has style; it has class...a place worthy of a visit.  We don't take many shore excursions, partly due to Dwight's limitations, but also due to our travel history which often leaves us less than enthusiastic about visiting the usual crowded tourist sites.

Takashi and Kanako at lunch 

Lunch!

Like a doctor whose family goes without medical attention, as a travel agent I often am late making our vacation plans.  So two days before our stop in Kyoto, I requested a private tour from Tours by Locals.  They came through with a last minute guide, she was able to find a driver, and we were rewarded with a great day.  Our guide was named Kanako, grandaughter of a Geisha.  She had used a taxi driver in Kyoto named Takashi while on another tour and called him up at the last minute to see if he would undertake a private tour, picking us up at our dock in Kobe, driving the hour to Kyoto and touring, and returning us to the ship.  He was a jewel.  They were both perfect companions for the day.

We started at the Golden Pavilion, jockeying with other tourists and large groups from our ship to get the perfect photo.  "Oh, Pshaw," as my grandfather would say.  That just wasn't fun.  So, the next stop on our tour was the Zen rock garden with fewer tourists and a peaceful setting.  Kanako told us Queen Elizabeth visited the site and admitted she didn't understand it, but she liked it.  There are 15 rocks and they told us it is impossible to take in all 15 in one glance.  A contemplative site.

Zen Rock Garden

When I told Kanako how much I enjoyed finding the Shinto shrine in the middle of big-city Kobe, she told us that Kyoto is a city of shrines and temples.  There are over 1800...about 1400 +/- Buddhist temples and 400 +/- Shinto shrines.  Takashi, who is a native of Kyoto, then took us on a tour of some of the nicest local shrines and temples.  To me, it was better than the Emperor's  Golden Temple. 

Looking for love at the Shinto Shrine. Shinto
deals with the happy occasions, like birth
and weddings.  Buddhism deals with
grimmer things like death and misery. 

I even learned how to make a Shinto prayer, a combination of bows, claps, bell-ringing and words.  It's a very nice ritual, and it made me wonder why I hesitate to bow before the altar in the Episcopal church I now attend.  Respect, after all, is respect.  Shinto is an ancient, indigenous religion which venerates nature.  It's polytheistic, if is theistic at all.  I have great respect for it. 

Kanako and Takashi joined us for lunch at a small local restaurant after asking us our preferences.  It was a special meal.  In the afternoon, we visited a much larger Shinto shrine which specializes in marriage ceremonies.  Again, this was almost free of tourists.  As a topping on the cake, Takashi then drove us by the places he thought we ought to see in Kyoto including the Geisha district and the large gate that appears in the movie The Last Shogun.  We returned to the ship a little early after a very full and satisfying tour of Kyoto.  Tours by Locals...great choice!

Waiting for the cherry blossoms

Neighborhood Shinto Shrine

Steps climbed by Tom Cruise in some movie or other :) 

Life Lessons

Daimaru Department Store in Kobe...could be
Macy's in NYC

One of the strangest things about travel is its insistence on teaching you something about  your life.  We had left our warm, cozy home in Durango about five days before arriving in Kobe, Japan.  I hesitate to say that the five days spent in between Durango and Kobe were miserable, but I think I can safely say they were uncomfortable.  We had long hours of disorienting travel, rain in Hong Kong, high seas in the South China Sea, rain again in Keelung, more high seas travelling to Okinawa, and nothing of interest to us in Okinawa.  But now, as the sun rose on the 6th day, a new world was revealed.  We had found smooth sailing and arrived in calm waters to the Japanese city of Kobe. We breathed in the sunshine and everything was bright and fresh and newly minted.

Kobe Shopping Mall

We docked around noon, and I was eager to explore new territory.  Dwight decided to stay aboard ship and enjoy the quiet, but I took a shuttle into town and discovered a bustling city center.  It was New York, only newer, shinier, cleaner, and more polite.  One thing we would discover about Japan is its familiarity with disaster.  In 1995, Kobe suffered an epic earthquake which demolished much of the city.   As has happened in many Japanese cities destroyed by disasters, both natural and man-made, the citizens went to work and created a new community out of the ashes.

My main mission on my afternoon visit to Kobe was to find new batteries (CR 2032) for my tablet keyboard.  That was not an easy task!  The tourist desk sent me to the
big department store Daimaru.  It was large enough to hold anything under the sun, but alas, no batteries.  Their information desk, however, equipped me with a map on which they circled the electronics store where certainly I would find batteries.  This exchange was accomplished with much gesturing and consternation over lack of English on their part and Japanese on mine.  We both consulted our cell phone translators.  Even though European cities also have language barriers, the familiar script and phonics make one at least feel grounded.  In Japan, the strange calligraphy and sounds were very disorienting.

I headed out, map in hand; I found my way to a long arcade filled with shoppers and eventually to the electronics store.  A quick walk around found no batteries, so I stopped at the information counter and again begain a language dance trying to convey what I was looking for.  Cell phones again came out and eventually eyes lit up and said, "Ah...batteries" in halting English.  I was directed up the escalator to the 4th floor where I found a whole wall filled with every battery imaginable.  I walked out with two CR 2032 batteries and felt like I had won the Super Bowl.  Such an exhilerating feeling, conquering a new land!

Gate to Chinatown in downtown Kobe

Chinatown Food Stall

Kobe beef

I rewarded myself with a walk through Kobe's Chinatown where food stalls proliferated. Then, I topped it off with a walk through Daimaru's food halls which catered to every taste in the world including stqands with the famous Kobe marbled beef.  And finally, I came upon a small Shinto temple in the middle of the towering skyscrapers.  I offered a prayer of thanks to be able to visit this marvelous city. 

Great afternoon!

Life Lessons learned:   You have to leave home to appreciate home; and, to have new adventures and learn new things , you have to perservere through the dark times.  Got it!

Rockin' and Rollin' in the East China Sea

Naha market

After departing Keelung, we rocked and rolled our way North to dock in Naha, Okinawa, shortly after lunch the next day.  It is said that Okinawa is the Hawaii (beach resort) of Japan.  The main reason for our short stay in Okinawa appeared to be to get all passengers cleared through Japanese immigration before visiting larger ports. The Far East is big on bureaucracy.  Getting our Chinese visa required jumping through hoops and, prior to boarding the ship in Hong Kong, we waited in long lines to have 3 copies of our passports made.  In Taiwan and Japan both, they stamp the passport copies rather than passports, and those are the documents you use while in the country.

Dwight and I took a taxi to the main Street in Naha after clearing immigration. We got out in front of a Starbucks just in time to see the end of a Street performance featuring threatening drums and a terrifying dragon.

Terrifying dragon!

This space creature offered free hugs.

Further down the street we were offered a free hug from a Spacemen passing out leaflets explaining how humans had been created by visitors from outer space.  A short walk further didn't reveal much more of interest, so we caught a cab in front of MacDonalds and headed back to the ship for dinner.

Today is another rocking and rolling day at sea on our way to the main islands of Japan. The seas should calm down once we reach their shelter. I've gotten my sea legs, so it's not bad for me, although it makes me drowsy; however, it's rather difficult for Dwight dealing with the movement of the ship with his walker.  But he soldiers on. Tonight we're hosting the Virtuoso Voyages welcome reception and are looking forward to meeting all our pilgrims.  Then we dock in Kobe tomorrow where we overnight.  Many adventures await after a slow beginning.

Rockin' and Rollin' on the South China Seas

Dwight surveying the weather from Horizon Lounge

As we made our way through the Hong Kong Harbor, three beeps warned of an announcement on the ship's PA system. The Captain calmly informed us that rain, 40 mph gale force winds, and rough seas would speed us to our first stop in Taiwan.  Too late to turn back now, although I thought about swimming to shore.  I hate to report that I'm not a good sailor, but I'm not a good sailor.  Let's just say that the "Ahhh" expected on the first day of the voyage turned into an "OMG",  and we can move on to our first port in Taiwan.

Early the next morning we docked in a drizzly Kee Lung, the principle port for Taipei.  March is living up to its reputation for coming in like a lion, but then I hear it's sleeting in Durango.   Several buses quickly filled for the long ride to Taipei, while others set off to tour the local area.  Dwight and I settled into the main dining room with a few other stragglers to enjoy a nice breakfast sans rocking and rolling.  We felt, however, that we had to earn that pin on the map in Taiwan, so we gaily sauntered through the long, deserted arrival hall and emerged at a drizzly taxi stand.  There we found a friendly taxi driver who offered us a short, dry tour of the area.  Kee Lung is a nice little town of a little over 300,000 residents.

Our friendly taxi driver

We drove up the hill overlooking the town for a photo op at Zhongzheng Park.  Within the park are two impressive Buddhas. A tall, white, standing one looks over the town and from his perch guards fishermen and sailors.  The other, a golden, seated, smiling, plump one sits in the square and presides over a water lantern procession at the annual Ghost festival.

We made one final pass by the market. I've read rave reviews of walking tours of the small market streets with it's many shops and restaurants, but today was not the day for that. weather limited both photo opportunities and quality, but it was a nice little tour into an unfamiliar world, one free of masses of tourists and worthy of visiting.

Tonight we look forward to the Captain's Cocktail reception and a nice dinner in the Polo Grill. Hoping tomorrow brings smooth seas.

Changes in latitude...

A dragon presides over breakfast

...changes in attitude; nothing remains quite the same.  And that's exactly why we change latitudes.  An attitude adjustment was definitely in order for me.  So here I am in Hong Kong remembering that I'm not a big city girl.  The streets are noisy and crowded, the shops are the same you find in any big city, and dragons lurk everywhere.  But it somehow renews you to encounter the different sounds and smells of a new place.  The streets of Kowloon, Hong  Kong, are a rabbit warren of shops tucked away in nooks and crannies and streets wandering at strange angles leaving you disoriented and, yes, lost.

Our 15-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong  Kong on United Airlines was amazing.  We had been able to use miles (and, of course, cash) to upgrade to business class.  Everyone should have a business-class pod in their homes.  It's an interesting combination of sense deprivation and sense immersion.  Push a button and your feet go up  laying your body out flat; push another, your feet go down and someone puts food in front of you.  Push a third and the screen offers you your option of movies, TV shows,  music or whatever suits you.  You're otherwise blissfully unaware of anything else going on around you.  So I watched Green Book, Can You Ever Forgive Me, a documentary on the Okavango Delta, slept 6 hours, ate two meals and one snack, and woke up in Hong Kong.  Like I said, amazing.

It's a drizzly day in Hong  Kong, but probably about as warm a day and we'll see in the next two weeks as we head north.   The clouds lifted and the rain subsided on my morning walk, so all is well.  In just a few hours, we'll board the beautiful Nautica, unpack, and set sail for a day at sea.  Ahhhh!

The sun comes out!

Business class pod on United Airlines

Rainy Hong Kong Harbor