We arrived in this spectacular city…..almost right downtown, within walking distance of the Bund, unlike when I was here in late September.  The reason we sailed right up to the city’s front door was because this ship is much smaller…..525+/- as opposed to 2300 passengers.  Anyway, I t still takes my breath away.  Everyone should see this city atleast once in their lifetimes.  Although this is a smaller ship it is running at less than capacity of 684 (plus 400 crew) because China changed the rules saying that ships cannot enter Beijing directly from another Chinese port without going to a foreign port first.  That being said, a number of tourist cancelled because the new schedule change.   The change left not enough time for people to see the Great Wall….probably the only reason some people would come here.  So….we get to go to Seoul, S. Korea.
The first day we were in Shanghai, we had a tour to one of the water towns near to the city.  This one is called Zhujiajiao……try saying that???  Tony is our guide.  He says that there are 24 million people in Shanghai.  Things change so rapidly that they have to change the maps every 3 months.   The cost of apartment to buy here is $10,000 US/sq. metre.  October wedding month. Every 600 metres is a park. He says that although the government has changed the law regarding the one child families to two but most couple will continue to only have one child because it costs so much to raise a child.  One of those reasons is that they pay up to $1000/month for tutoring each child because the competition is so strong.  Those mothers are called “Tiger mothers”.  The children have no time for sports…. They have to study til midnight ever night. 

“Wechat” is Chinese answer to Facebook. China can’t control Facebook so they block it although this time it has worked intermittently.  According to our guide, anyone can speak freely but don’t dare demonstrate or act on anything.

According to Tony…..I think he said that if you believe in Chinese medicine, if you repeat certain numbers that those numbers will cure your ailment.  These are a few of the fixes: 7040….. To stop snoring;  7070… To stop stomach pain; Press 4 fingers above ankle one to look younger;  720… Cancer; 820.. Make money and for in ees …….so not to get replacement …. 720.050.440.  The Chinese are very superstitious. They like their houseto face east…. To the rising Sun….. It is Hope.

Tony was policeman but quit when he was bit by criminal that had more than 50 grams of heroin…..50 grams of heroin is a death sentence.  He had ended up in hospital from that bite. 
1/3 of newlyweds will divorce in 2 yrs.  Shanghai men better husband…. do cooking, etc…. everything.  This generation are little emperors…. have everything. 

Have to get licence plate before car… 10,000 apply for plate in every month but only 10% get one. 

Guide will be moving to Spain… To Valencia because of pollution here.

Living space was 7 sq m. for family of 10 during Mao…. Now 40/person.  
JinMao tower is 340 metres high…88 floors in 45 secs. 

Since leaving Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), the temperature has steadily decreased.  It is downight freezing.  The day we arrived in Shanghai, the day was beautiful, sunny with the temp being 68 F. But within an hour in mid afternoon it dropped to 45 F.  Then overnight, I believe it did go to freezing.  We heard that the temp in Seoul had dropped to 26 F.    Not my idea of great cruising weather. 

One of our nights of sailing, ( think it was between Hong Kong and Ziamen) it was so windy and choppy, sleep was very difficult.  It felt like someone shaking the hell out of you to try to wake you up.  It really was the worse Ive ever experienced.

Today, March 2nd, we arrived in Seoul.  We all had to depart the ship to meet face to face with Immigration where they check our temperature.  (I think it was using heat imaging).  I guess they were checking for sickies.  Who knows!  Anyways we all had to get off.  There was skiffs of snow on the ground.  Funny thing, the bus driver on one of the return trips from immigration…..maybe 1000 metres away, lost his way back….lol!  I did nothing but return to the ship to organize myself to return home.  Anxious!  It has been a long time.  Never mind that this port city of Incheon (Seoul’s port & airport) is dead ugly!  The price of the excursions were a ridicuous price as well so it was an easy choice.

Tomorrow we have a day at sea then arrive in Beijing in time to tak a tour of the Forbidden City (been there before) on the way to the airport.

Yesterday and today we are in Hong Kong. Oh my!!! Incredibly huge …..endless skyscrapers. Took a hop-on bus. Didn’t have time for all the lines but did a sampan ride of the harbour at Aberdeen. That was cool. Also saw there, the worlds largest floating restaurant. Wow! And took the funicular train to the Peak over looking all of Hong Kong. View …….spectacular, train well….glad it had good brakes going down.  St. John’s cathedral… Oldest cathedral in the Far East. 
27,000 police force made up of Chinese, Indian and Europeans.                                                                                                      –International finance centre first (used to be the highest) building to see on HK isl. built on reclaimed land.                                  Then the domed building built in 1912 ….used to be Supreme Court.                                                                                                   Stanley… Beautiful sandy beach, went to the Stanley Market…good, nice smaller town.                                                                          Very windy narrow road tell you to keep seated and arms inside bus…. Good thing……branches will hit you or vehicles passing by. Kowloon is home to 2.1 million now.                                                                                                                                                                       30 minutes from HK is apartment building near Aberdeen that as bought for …5.5 billion.  Building costs in the area are  20,000 HK$. /sq ft. There are 5.8 CAD for HK$= approx CAD3450/sq. ft.     No sales tax here.                                                                                  Hiking trails and beaches near Repulse Bay. …..more if a country atmosphere here.  You would like it.                                              Went “sailing”on Sampan in Aberdeen …. Interesting and dropped some people off at worlds largest floating restaurant. Lovely to look at on outside but apparently very expensive. One fellow had an abalone steak scallops and fried rice dinner … for lunch …..for $120US.                                                                                                                                                                                                          Lanna island … No cars but 3 stacks of electricity plant that has supplied HK with uninterrupted power for 10 yrs.                             82.2 yr life expectancy… 2nd only to Japan                                                                                                                                                              3-4000 characters needed to read the newspaper.                                                                                                                                               Takes only 60 secs to travel to the top of the “International Commerce Centre”…. The highest building in HK.                                          Over 4000 skyscrapers …I think that was the figure…..whatever….more than double NYs 

Nobody had/has heard of this city  but …..it is another huge city.  3+million…skyscrapers galore.  A few of us North Americans and I mean a few….maybe 6, took the ferry to the island of Gulangyu.  There are no automobiles allowed….so totally quiet, clean, pedestrian friendly, nice white sandy beaches, rock out-croppings, old colonial type buildings and a maze of shopping streets that we had to keep showing a picture I took of the map of the island….to show people where we wanted to go cuz we sure couldn’t communicate language wise.  Hardly anyone spoke English.  That wasn’t very good for us but I guess you have to expect this.  Apparently it is a vacation destination for Chinese although it was cold…..52 F. Brrrrrr.

It is quite foggy this morning. We will see how much we get to see. Today we are on a tour of the countryside and Zen Buddhism …. High in the mountains???                 Sometimes in the summer the temperature goes to 42…… hot! Today not sure.               Tourism only developed since 1993.                   Haiphong seaport for the biggest containers ships in north.                                HaLong (means descending dragon) Bay renamed in 1994.         Only 300,000 population.              Coal mining used to be pretty much only industry before tourism.            Close to city.            Open pit mining.             Bai Chay is name of tourist side of city. Hong Gai name of main part of the city and original name of the city. …. Right side when looking from the sea.           Had to cross the beautifully lit bridge (at night).                                       30 ppl killed ever day in Vietnam. Regulation is to wear helmets on motorbikes but most don’t wear them.                           Winter is 4 months of dry season.                Street is cleaned twice a day so most just throw garbage on the street.                   Water tanks on roof and under the house                             Only 3 hours to the Chinese border from HaLong Bay but 4 hours to Hanoi.                          73% are Buddhist …most of rest are Catholic.                        11 million tons coal mined per year here.                 65 % hydro power now, 30% coal for power.                  A lot of time in summer they don’t have any power……is shut down.                                                                                                                                              Monastery only nuns …. 100 at this one. Beautiful temple….. up the side of the hill….. in the clouds. All nuns and monks have to shave their heads. Most wear brown robes. Yellow robes indicate a master.                   At farm on the way back . Grows eucalyptus, acacia, bamboo, livestock,rice and village leader so gets stipend … Mid income earner.       Every weekend the family come home… it’s a big celebration.                 $400 per kg. can be made for harvesting sea worms.                      Peach blossoms blooming now make great money for it branches.          6 different tones to the language so if you want to learn the language, you had better get it right.

February 19/1624 C …. Nice but choppy still. 

Chan May…. The weather is cloudy with a bit of drizzle. After catching the shuttle into Lang Co, an almost deserted beach resort, we got a taxi for US$80 to take us into Hoi An and back. Thought that was pretty good.  We had tried to book a tour through the ship but they were all sold out. On our way, we went through a 7 km long tunnel “Hai Van” engineered by American, Canadian and Japan…..built 10yrs ago. 

DaNang is very nice….. Beautiful actually. Stopped at China Beach on way back from Hoi An and walked in the waves. It was quite cool. The weather really isn’t hot at all today…… I heard 15C. On the way south we stopped at Marble Mountain. I bought a Buddha. I’ve always wanted one since seeing the one my grandmother had. Hers was jade…..this one is marble. Went to silk factory when we arrived in Hoi An, where they were selling clothing, table runners and pictures that were hand embroidered. OMG, the pictures were they gorgeous….. works of art! The price was too so we did not purchase anything there…..a fact that I now regret.  Then we shopped the street market where the poor people shop.

Pretty much everywhere we have been in SEAsia, it has been absolutely flat with a lot of it flooded…. Of course for the cultivation of rice but today the area is very mountainous…. and shrouded in clouds. 

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 Union square near Rex hotel Lemongrass restaurant. Metered taxis 22,000 dong to 1US dollar Because there were stormy seas the night of the 16/17th, the captain decided to dock at one of the container ports instead of docking right in the city. I really wanted to see how this ship navigated up what looked like very small channels on a map. There are lots of twists and turns and he didn’t want to chance that with the wind blowing us all over the place. Met up with Kingsley (who lives here in Vietnam in Vung Tau 6 months of the years & 6 months in Victoria), in SaiGon. He introduced us to what essentially is a fruit smoothie….. For about 2 dollars. Then we walked through the back alleys that mostly are used only by the locals. So narrow…like a maze, thousands of wires hanging, overhangs from one side of the alley to the other so close that you almost can’t see the sky. Talk about the electrical wires. At one spot we saw a workman go up a ladder that was leaning I against those wires looking for one particular one and then pulling it out. Not exactly the most safe thing to do but heh, he must know what he is doing …… He is still with us. Then we went into the Ben Thanh market. Another maze. Saw the Notre Dame Cathedral and the post office (designed by Eiffel), had lunch at a food court in a very posh shopping centre. Later we caught the hydrofoil down the river to Vung Tau. The river banks are much like the Amazon …..deserted, jungle lined with palms, roots exposed, brown water but not as brown as the Amazon. The ride was calm until we came to the South China Seas. Very choppy,slamming into the waves, had to slow down. It took almost 2 hours so it was dark when we got there. Too bad…. The place looks gorgeous…. A seaside touristy place …..I’d come back here again. Apparently they have the largest Jesus statue on the mountain. We could just barely see it from the street. It closes at 4 pm. We went to his apartment where Hien and baby Brett and her other son, live. Her father was there too but left shortly. Huge apartment 1500 sq. ft for $250US. Then it was a cab ride to the pier but they wouldn’t allow the cabbie to drive in and so we walked. Made it to back just before the buffet closed….. exhausted. Too exhausted to see the show again.
Feb. 18

I wanted to see the Cu Chi Tunnels but we were too late. Damn!!! Didn’t realize it was a great distance. To get to the city, we have an hour and half shuttle bus ride plus another 1 1/2 hr ride to get there. We leave SaiGon too early to get there and back. So we are just going to wander the city and probably get back early. One thing I will say…. Vietnam generally speaking is not very dirty but Vung Tau is spotless…. well maybe not as clean as Japan. And they are civilized drivers… Stick to their lanes but DO NOT stop for pedestrians. I think I’ve got itthough

….just walk….. not together in a clump. They will drive around you. Just never stop or hesitate. That creates a big problem for them.

Bangkok……We arrived late in the afternoon of February 12/16 staying at a very lovely hotel the Centra (there is another part of the name but I won’t bother mentioning It). The trek through the border between Cambodia and Thailand wasn’t bad (apparently most of the time the queues are horrendously long) but so hot, hot, hot! The perspiration ran down my face into my eyes and the side of my cheeks. Very unpleasant!

We got to the port by taxi on Feb. 13/14… only about $6…early, no problems …. Thanks Visal for arranging that. Easiest boarding I have ever experienced (maybe it was because we were a bit early). By the time we arrived in Bangkok, we are all templed out…. actually a few days back ……and fort and palaced out by the time we had left India. The only thing to see in this city within relative proximity is more of the same…. Same same but different. But because of the heat 33C. and incredible humidity we got on the ship and didn’t leave. I would have liked to have seen the floating markets but they are 100 km’s. away and the bridge over the River Kwai is an ALL day trip. It was so nice to have beef steak and salad …. in one of the specialty restaurants last night. We go to another tonight…. No charge unlike most of the other cruise lines that charge. 

Today is the 14th….Happy Valentines Day everyone. We sail away right a 4pm. It is so steamy hot….. can hardly stand it. This city is so huge. Apparently it takes 3 hours to get out to the sea. 

Heard from someone the other day that it is too expensive to live here so most live outside the city and commute(not unusual)…… but 3 hours in each direction??? 
Sihanoukville… Feb. 15/16

We arrive in port at 11 am… Later than usual but we are here until 10 pm. When coming to Cambodia you can apply for a visa on line for $25US but it is only good for land entries and they do not issue multiple entry visas. So upon arriving in Sihanoukville we had to get visas with or without getting off the ship…. And it costs $89 US. Money grab do you think? And maybe because you are entering by ship then you must be rich and therefore can pay more???  Oh well…. It’s just the cost of travel!!!  

This city was only started in the 1950’s to create a seaport but even though it is a “new” city compared to everywhere else it is a pretty ugly dirty little city but with wide boulevards…… It has beautiful beaches. Gorgeous!!! We took a tuktuk to the beach…. With a stop at a supermarket for alcohol. While on the beach I got a sort of manicure and pedicure and Gerry got a foot massage. Talk about massage. When we were in Bangkok, Gerry and I got awesome foot massages….. For about $5 ea. We all ended up with sunburns although we weren’t in the sun long. It was the first time we had been to the beach. 

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Guide this am….is Bunny
Jungle temple tour today

Everywhere we go the locals are aware of global warning. Hot season, very hot season, crazy (fucking) hot season

Now not so hot season so happy season for getting married with happy ending…lol! Dogs and elephants too!

White cows are stronger than black ones.  The black ones cannot handle the heat.  

Water buffalo have to bathe (get wet) within couple hours so now have modern water buffalo…motorized like motorbike. 

“Did you clear your business?” Means did you go to toilet?

Cambodians are not Chinese but celebrate Chinese New Year and become “Drunken masters”.

Ta Prom temple is name of Jungle temple 

893 AD… Bridge built

Fig tree…. Huge called Spung tree In Cambodia 

Angkor Wat is 164 sq km….with hand dug moat is 200 sq. km 

In 9th century Angkor Tom was built…. 9 sq. Km’s

So very fucking hot. Humid…31Cface dripping perspiration into eyes. Stinging … Can’t see. 

On the side of the road they are selling bamboo poles….. With sticky rice… For journey cuz it stays with you. They can add veggies and meat. If have to keep for longer period they pour it out, dried, then reconstituted later. 

 1112-1150.ad. Sandstone. Elephants to build

Last Hindu temple of the Khymer empire 

Angkor Wat is 164 sq km….with hand dug moat is 200 sq. km 

9th century Angkor Tom…. 9 sq. Kim’s

So very fucking hot. Humid…33C. face dripping perspiration into eyes. Stinging … Can’t see. 

On the side of the road they are selling bamboo poles….. With sticky rice… For journey cuz it stays with you. They can add veggies and meat. If have to keep for longer period they pour it out, dried, then reconstituted later. 

Most of us went quading out into the country.  It was fun…..my first time but I wished that I could have gone faster but that was not to be.  Got to keep one behind the other when a bunch of inexperienced tourists are riding.

For dinner we went to enjoy a meal at ” New Hope”, a training restaurant  and that in turn supports the school for victims of domestic violence and children of the street.  Excellent!

Feb. 11/16. Angkor Wat

Went to see the sun rise  over Angkor Wat….quite lovely.  Was up at 4 am…..not exactly holiday hours.

 1112-1150.ad. Sandstone. Elephants to build

Last Hindu temple of the Khymer empire  

Angkor Wat…… Earlier than Thom…never abandon….monks always here.

2 moats….dug by hand to protect the site.

162.4 hectares

Last Hindu temple of Khmer empire… Took from 1113…1152ad to build.

Face west …most face east. 

It took 6000 elephants. There are 10 million stone blocks that were brought from 55-60 km away.

34C. today….even hotter…..and humid. Don’t think I like this heat.  I did manage to climb up all those freaking steps at Angkor Wat. It always takes me longer but I am stubborn so will succeed in doing just about anything.

Where we stopped for a bathroom break, it was a market. We got to see all those insects that they now consider I guess, delicacies but were the reason the population was able to survive. Dried, prepared, barbecues, roasted grubs, things that looked like june beetles but are from the water, tarantulas, frogs, egrets, baby birds…..you name it. Some of us including yours truly, had the tarantula crawl on our hands, some on their face and some ate them….not me. Of course Viesal ate them all.l
One thing I haven’t mentioned is that the area we have travelled through so far is flat….very flat. There seems to be hundreds of square miles of rice cultivation although everything we see is spent ….(all ready harvested), with cows grazing on it. They do eat beef here by the way. Also there are different kinds of cattle than in India. Most of the houses are on stilts. I’ve been told it’s for flooding during monsoons as well as for ventilation, shelter for their animals and for storing their dried crops…..rice. There are lots of palm trees (coconut) and of course banana palms. 
13,000 square kms ….Tonle Sap Lake… When dry only 3,000 sq. kms. One of largest in Asia and the world.

Harvest season for rice…they have to allow to dry….cannot allow to get wet. 
“17 April people”. ……the new people that were more or less tossed out of the cities and sent to the farms during Pol Pot regime, were the most hated.
“Who is the Killer?”

“First they killed my father” survivor stories. This one I bought. I’ll read later. Maybe on the ship. I also bought one from one of the seven adult survivors of the Sleng prison

In Seam Reap has 300 temples.

Feb. 8/16…. 

Cambodia was French colony 1863-1953

Angkor Wat…religion symbol…Buddhist

Buddhism….peace in life

1953…gained independence

54-55… Communist party formed in south

1955.. Democracy by King Sihanouk….

1960-70.. Allied to Vietnam 

70-75… Was a republic ….Lo Nol leader….paid 25$ to kill VCs

270,000,000 tons of bombs were dropped during war up to ’75 by US

From ’76 to 79, Pol Pot was leader of country during which 2 million in Cambodia died up to 79. From 79-93… Another million died from starvation and as a result of the previous years.

Security office or prisons……198

Killing sites..388 with 20,000 bodies in mass graves

US helped save Pol Pot…Gerald Ford was president. 

Jimmy Carter saved 4,000,000 Cambodians….so said Visal our CEO

60,000 are hiv positive ..brought by others coming to help???

6 million land mines places….people still being killed by them. Still 1,000,000 mines.
Feb. 8th

20,000 killed at “The” Killing Field

17,000 killed at prison that was used to be a high school

1.7 million killed, others from starvation. Left only 4 from 7 million

Only 4% of population are over 65 cuz rest died.

They have some families with 20 in them but the average is 7-12 children in family…..they are now making up for loses.

Compulsory education

Pol Pot means political potential …he was a communist…teacher of history..Khmer Rouge

Called the country the Democratic Republic of Kampuchea when he was in power…a misnomer. 

Still don’t have freedom to talk freely cuz you never know who is a spy for govt. 

If the govt didn’t allow Viet Cong into the country then American forces would not have bombed Cambodia. 

Scared the people by saying that the there were spies in the city…..told to move out within 48 hours. They killed educated people.

In 1979 Vietnam overthrew Cambodia..year later world found out about mass killing.

They have had 20 years of civil war…

Corrupt govt now.

Training centres 167 prison…re-education centre, 343 killing fields. 342 field have been returned to parks or such. 

129 hills….burials at the “killing field” that we went to….. Is the only one left.

Killed everyone including generals and ministers of his, children, farmers, educated people

Angkar…..I think means revolutionary party …..those you have to bow to. If you don’t kill you will be killed….family, anyone not safe.
Omchamrouen…..name of our guide, could barely keep it together
2-6 m. Deep mass graves. 

Sleng Tree is totally poisonous … the prison’s name is Tuol Sleng…appropriate eh? 

The soldiers were ignorant and very young ….maybe 12 yrs., would kill and cut out the liver to make them strong and smart or the gallbladder to send to China … For Chinese medicine

The history of Pol Pot and the atrocities of that regime is not taught about in school because some members of that old regime are still in power.

Prisoners were brought to the fields blind folded, brought to edge, ordered to kneel, hit with iron or bamboo stick or anything that would not create noise… silent killing so as to not cause alarm and to save cost of bullets. Young women with babies were raped then told to give up their families and if they didn’t the soldiers would take the babies by the legs, swing them around and smash their heads against the tree. Awful, awful,a awful what they had to endure.

Made farmers grow rice for export to China for guns. Meanwhile those people were starving.

Only 15% educated people left at the end of regime. 

Our guide was only 6-10 yrs old. His whole family were separated.

His job was to be a scarecrow. Some children had to become beasts of burden to pull the poles and the like. They ate insects to survive. His father died. Not sure of the rest. Mother remarried had 20 children total.

Have to kill own parents, family. Brainwashed

Prime minister is former Khmer Rouge. King Sihanouk also. 

When Vietnam army arrived they found 14 dead in building A at the prison. 5 children survived.. 4 still alive 2 adopted., 7 men survived.. Only 2 still alive. 

All soldiers given amnesty but later 5 brought to trial. 

Gun bullet container used for toilet. Could dump once every 2 weeks. If spilled when taking out, they had to lick the floor with tongue. 

Second room prisoner had his stomach for the liver. Horrendous!  
 Just as we were leaving the restaurant in Phnom Penh at lunch today, one of our group got clipped by a motorcyclist. She got knocked over and the driver went into a skid and then into a tuktuk. The bike was a crotch rocket type and so shattered on impact. Annie has a very swollen lower calf but otherwise okay. The kid driving the bike that he did not own, got big road rash on his face and a big bill to replace all the plastic front end pieces. 
Later after visiting the King’s Palace and the Silver Palace, as part of our GAdventures tour, we all went on a cyclo tour. Before Pol Pot there were 50,000 cyclo peddlers in Cambodia. After, there were only 100(?). A cyclo has a chair for one being peddled in the rear. These guys wear shirts that say “support smoke free cyclo city tours”. BTW…there are tuk-tuks here in Phnom Penh but they use gas or diesel as opposed to compressed natural gas so smokey.

We are here for Tet …..Chinese New Year… A celebration that can last more than a week. Cambodian New Year is April 13. 
2.2 million population in Phnom Penh. There seems to be a prevailing stench of sewer here. Still no flies though. Strange!
Later we all went for a river cruise. As we were leaving a ferry was crossing the river. We we were told ride cost $.25 ea. way from one side to other. Veisal picked up lots of fruits, spring rolls, banana chips and some other dried veggies(sweet potatoes and beets), beers and pop, then a tuktuk ride back to hotel for US$12. Pretty cheap, eh? On the trail back up the river bank one of the other gals got a scratch from a rat that ran across her foot. Enough already!