April 11, 2016. Sea day en route to Shimizu, Japan. Sea conditions: motion in the ocean!

Dear family and friends,

Well, I did it again—so much time has passed since I last posted, a bit over 2 weeks. Again, my excuse is the same, too many things and too little time!

Since our last update, we have visited Xiamen, China; Shanghai, China;, spent 3 days in Beijing, visited, Inchon, Jeju Island and Busan, South Korea and had our first port stop in Japan! All were amazing!

Let's begin with Xiamen, China, March 28. This was an auspicious day because it was David's birthday! The day began with his special birthday breakfast. Our Headwaiter, Bojan, made certain we had a special table by the window that was expanded (like our waistlines) for all the food that was served. I'm not certain I can recall all of it, but it was beautifully presented, and I think there are photos. Everything was artistically arranged: cottage cheese with marinated strawberries, chocolate mousse with raspberries, caviar with with all the classic additions, a petite filet, creamed spinach, etc., etc.... Crystal has been doing this for several years for all guests who celebrate a birthday on board and it is a lovely touch, but way too much food! We celebrated that night in Prego with our friends Sharon and Ken Henry. The staff brought out a delicious cake for desert. Did I mention that this birthday involved food?

Xiamen: This port is known as the “Pearl of the Sea,” and is a popular vacation spot for tourists, primarily from China. It was opened to tourists in 1980 and was given the status of Special Economic Zone in order to attract visitors from Taiwan. There was a huge building boom of luxury condos funded by Taiwanese investors and real estate prices have exploded. This is definitely the new China! We immediately noticed familiar luxury stores, shops selling very trendy clothing and shoes and lots and lots of restaurants—especially seafood ones, and even more street food kiosks and open stalls. The streets were packed with primarily young couples with children—and they were shopping and eating! People were friendly and struck up conversations with us. Many spoke English well. One young man's preamble was “You American? America is strong!” Less inviting were the dried food stores with scores of strong-smelling dried fish, so strong that the odor greeted you long before the shop. I suppose it is an acquired taste. The waterfront was attractive and full of couples strolling and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Alex, we bought you a basketball t-shirt here that the shopkeeper said was from a Chinese team.

The following day was a much needed sea day, and we continued the birthday celebration by having lunch with Brigitta and Trevor, Aussie friends who we met on board.

March 30-April 1—excited to be docking in Shanghai! What a cosmopolitan and vibrant city! Shanghai is huge—five times larger than Los Angeles, but never felt overly crowded, in part, because there is a lot of open space. The Bund is a long embankment bordering on the Huangpu River with a view across the river to Pudong, the newest part of Shanghai and the economic and banking center. One skyscraper and modern building after another—just incredible and eye-opening! People are out and about: shopping, working, walking along the Bund or in in parks, doing Tai Chi, eating, walking their dogs, pushing baby carriages, having wedding photos taken. We walked, walked and walked some more, exploring a great deal of the city.

It's a city that pulsates and after dark it is even more exciting. We took a Crystal tour “Shanghai by Night,” and it was a terrific choice! We went up into the tall, tall Jin Mao Buiding for a panoramic view of Shanghai. Lights are everywhere! The skyscrapers change colors with neon lights. Surprisingly whimsical for China are the fairy lights and flower lights in the trees that line the streets. Many apartment buildings and condominiums are outlined in lights and have circles of lights all over the facades. It is a party like atmosphere! The view from the top of the Jin Mao Building was spectacular! The fog/smog that had blanketed the city all day, cleared in time for our tour. Our guide said that this is common at this time of year: foggy during the day, and clear at night. The elevator took us to 88 floor in seconds—going 9 meters per second with no sense of movement at all except the popping of one's ears. Not for those who have a fear of heights was the open atrium in the center with the ability to look at the ground far, far below. Especially nice were the boats on the river, also outlined in lights! The buildings are inventive designs and one seems to out-do the other with height and style. This is another example of the new China!

The next day was shopping day, and the markets are great for knock-offs and bargains. My best buy was a new pair of glasses—made in 20 minutes! The optometrist refracted my vision and checked the prescription in my old glasses and made up invisible line tri-focals in great over-sized frames for $90 US! Unbelievable! David also got a pair for distance and his were $30. Amazing! They fit well and are the correct prescription, slightly stronger than my old ones. So when you get your next pair of glasses and they tell you it will take two or three weeks before they are ready, it could be because they are sending them to China! It was a very enjoyable experience. The optometrist's wife and baby were visiting the shop and eating lunch, it was all very casual. If you prefer to pay more than you would at home for luxury items, the stores are all here and all busy!

This segment went way too fast and Shanghai was a turn around port for the ship with new guests getting on and others leaving. Soon we were en route to the port of Tiajin, our gateway to Beijing. One of the best features on this World Cruise is the included three-day overland tour of Beijing. Crystal knows how to efficiently plan and execute a fantastic organized excursion for 700 people! Our guide kept telling us that we were fortunate to be doing this or seeing that because it was exclusive to Crystal guests only. There may have been some hyperbole in this, but it was a rich and memorable experience!

We began the day lining up inside the ship to go through China Immigration and temperature check. The temperature check is achieved from passing through a sensor. Our assigned buses awaited. There were 28 on our bus and a driver, a guide and 2 escorts from the ship, Dina and Kerry the video instructors. We lucked out! Our driver was careful and our guide, Jason, was excellent. His English was terrific and he explained things well. Dina and Kerry were super escorts. The trip from the port to Beijing was about 2 ½ hours, and we were treated to clear skies and very little smog or haze. Coincidentally, it was a 3 day holiday in China, called “Tomb Sweeping Day,” so the coal burning furnaces were shut down in the factories. This was our schedule for the 3 days:

Day 1, April 3^rd:

8:00 am Proceed ashore with your overnight luggage to board your assigned bus and depart for Beijing. (Good highway, lots of tolls.)

11:30 am Buffet lunch at a leading hotel in Beijing after a visit to the Summer Palace with a photo stop at Olympic Park (the Bird's Nest.) My commentary: The Summer Palace was attractive, but I have never seen so many people in one place at one time! It is a huge park with a lake in the center, and our time included a boat ride on the lake. Lots of people out on small boats and paddle boats enjoying the holiday. This palace was built by the Empress Shi Shi (I hope I am spelling that correctly) who ruled China by controlling child Emperors for over 40 years. She ruled with an iron hand and poisoned those who were in her way.

6:00 pm Arrive and check-in at the China World Hotel. Dine-around dinner reservations beside the Hospitality Desk. The hotel is striking and the Hospitality staff is plentiful—probably at least 20+ people at the desk or stationed around the lobby to help us. All speak excellent English and were very helpful. We booked reservations for 4 at the hotel's Chinese Restaurant with our friends, Paula and Don Flemming. We were given vouchers for dinner and the only thing additional was the cost of beer. When we checked into our very spacious and comfortable room, there was a letter and a bottle of wine from Crystal apologizing for the delay in managing people this morning through immigration. Unnecessary, but a very nice gesture. Everyone received this. The hotel was sitting on top of a huge underground shopping mall, again with very upscale stores well known to us all. They were busy!!

Day 2 April 4^th

6;00 am-7:15 am Breakfast at hotel. Meet in lobby and depart on tour to the Great Wall, Juyongguan section. We had a choice of two restaurants in the lobby of the hotel and chose the casual cafe. The buffet was extensive with options including both western and Asian food. The coffee was excellent! We arrived at the Great Wall at about 8:30 am, and I couldn't believe that I was actually climbing the Great Wall! It is awe inspiring! No wonder it is considered one of the Wonders of the World. The steps are uneven with some quite high and others a normal elevation, but we climbed a little more than half way to the 12^th tower or highest level. Lots of people began arriving, as it is popular with local residents and tourists both. I called and spoke to my grandson, Lennox, from the Great Wall. Truly an incredible experience!

12 noon Chinese lunch at a local restaurant. Rickshaw Hutong Tour and return to hotel. The restaurant just happened to be at a large center selling jade—truly a jade department store. No tour in Asia has been without the obligatory shopping stop. Hutong is an old, preserved section of Beijing with narrow, winding lanes and small houses. Our tour was in a pedi-cab, not really a rickshaw fortunately for the poor guy assigned to haul us around. Included in the tour was a stop at a local home. Our host was a woman who was retired and has chosen to open her home to tourists as a way to make some money. Her house was very small, with a narrow kitchen, a small living room and an even small bedroom. The total square feet could not have been more than 400. There was no bathroom, and she used a public bathroom across the street. One of my friends made use of the facility and said it was spotless, unlike some of the facilities we had used. The woman's niece was present and was an artist who painted the inside of snuff bottle—voila! Another shopping opportunity was presented! We succumbed and bought a small bottle. As we left the residential area, we passed through the shopping area attached to Hutong, and it reminded me of Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, Lots of restaurants and shops, many looking quite trendy. One interesting fact: we noticed lots of late model cars parked in the residential area. Our guide said owning a car was a status symbol, and that many of these people did not even drive. China is changing!

5:15 pm Depart hotel for a 30-45 minute drive (traffic dependent) to the banquet dinner at the Great Hall of the People where you will enjoy a 45-minute performance. Soft drinks, mineral water, local beers and local house wine included for this banquet. No tea or coffee will be served. Due to security reasons ladies are kindly requested to bring a small purse or handbag. Cameras and small video cameras are permitted. The menu follows:

Cold Dishes:

Eight Appetizing (or not) Cold Dishes (8 being a lucky number)

Hot Dishes:

Scallop Bean Curd Soup

Sauteed Veal Spareribs (more like flanken or soup meat)

Fried Chinese Shrimp

Kung Pao Chicken

Braise (sic) Seasonal Vegetable with Mushroom

Baked Salmon with Lemon Sauce

Fried Rice with Vegetable

Desserts:

Peanut Soup

Pea Cake

Deep Fried Spring Roll

Bread n Butter

Seasonal Fruit Platter

The food was meh—but the building was amazing! We had to go through security when we entered. Bags were inspected and we walked through a scanner. There was a red carpet for our arrival and the ceilings looked about 25 feet high, designed, I think, to make one feel small. The banquet hall was on the second floor and huge! We had a table close to the stage and the entertainment. There were arias sung by an soprano and a tenor that were very good. Their performance was followed by a Chinese Opera selection with costumed acrobats and singers. They were accompanied by traditional instruments, and I have to say, it's not a sound that was comfortable for most of us—very high pitched and grating. After this were dances performed by young children who were adorable and a fantastic performance of Kung Fu by pre-teen and teen-aged boys. The last number was young girl dancers doing a friendship song and they came out into the audience and mixed with us. It was a magical evening!

Return to China World Hotel. Please settle your account for personal charges with the hotel this evening.

Day 3 April 5^th

6:00 am to 8:15 am Breakfast at hotel/Check out. Depart from hotel for morning tour to Forbidden City and Tianamen Square (The hotel staff lined up and waved good bye to our buses—a very nice touch!)

12:00 noon to 12:30 pm Buffet lunch served at a leading hotel in Beijing

5:00 pm Return to pier and rejoin Crystal Serenity

It was an amazing and surreal experience to be in Beijing, to be on the wall and in the Great Hall of the People. To be in Tianamen Square and recall the confrontation not that long ago. By the way, the Square is huge, 100 acres in size! A huge portrait of Mao hangs over the building adjoining it. It is a city of conflicting visions: These points from our guide: conspicuous consumption in luxury goods, many bought by those Chinese living in other parts of China. A black Audi is the chosen car. Government officials are driven in those cars, so others buy them knowing they will not be stopped by police. It is OK to talk privately about the government, but never in public because plain clothes police are among the crowds. Huge improvements and changes have occurred in the past 30 years. Kohler western-style toilets are a big selling point for condominiums. Many people commute for 2 or more hours from affordable condos further out from Beijing, almost to Tianjin.

We arrived home to Crystal Serenity to a huge welcome! Long lines of waitstaff with champagne and cool cloths, shouting welcome back and taking our luggage. It was an incredible but exhausting experience, both physically and mentally and we were glad to be home. Just a note about Crystal's thoroughness in preparation: They hired local people to push wheelchair bound guests around all the sights. An ambulance, paid for by Crystal followed us to every venue. The buses were divided into groups, so that not all 700 followed the same schedule. Everyone went to the same places, but at different times. The only time we were all together was at the banquet. By the way, our guide said only Crystal and visiting dignitaries had dinner at the Great Hall of the People. When he told his 10 year old daughter about his visit there, she was amazed.

April 6^th was a sea day, and a very welcome sea day! Lots of people took a day off and just rested. We went to the 10:00 am presentation by Crystal CEO Edie Rodriquez and COO Thomas Mazloum. The expansion of Crystal is overwhelming! River ships, yachts, 1000 passenger/1000 staff new builds (now due in 2019) private jet, large jet for under 90 guest to do an “air cruise.” Wow! It's hard to keep up! I was amazed during the Q & A. We were told to give our name and then ask our question. Edie was very skillful at using the name of the guest in her response—a great skill. When it was my turn, I thanked Edie and Thomas for having the vision to take Crystal forward and asked with the burgeoning middle class that we have seen in so many of the ports we have visited, was there any plan to dedicate a ship to that market. She proceeded to answer my question, calling it a good question, and saying that our sister cruise line, Dream Cruises, will be doing just that with an Asian experience, but if a guest from Asia wanted a western experience, the Crystal ships would welcome them. She said also:
“Ricki is my Facebook friend. Thank you, Ricki for posting all the photos and posts.” She was speaking without notes or a tele-prompter, and I was incredulous. I thought that a Crystal media staff member managed her Facebook page, but she does it herself. That really surprised me, and that she remembered my name.

April 7^th. Inchon/Seoul South Korea. We booked a Crystal shore excursion featuring the DMZ and the Third Tunnel for this port. About 45 minutes from the ship, we arrived in the DMZ, drawn up along the 38^th Parallel following the signing of the Armistice Agreement in Panmunjeom in 1953. I am old enough to recall the Korean War (or conflict) and my Uncle Abe was a Lt. Colonel stationed in Korea. I remember him writing to my mother and asking her to send warm clothes for children: coats, hats, mittens, socks and scarves. Each morning he was walked from his barracks to his office by a group of local children. It was freezing cold and they had no warm clothes. The fortification of the DMZ is chilling. It runs from the Yellow Sea to East Sea, 155 miles of barbed wire topping double fences and observation posts. Lots of paperwork required for the three buses to enter the DMZ. We were first taken to one of the 4 tunnels that have been discovered since 1974. They believe there are more to be found. Each tunnel runs directly to Seoul and has the capability to pass 30,000 troops an hour through them. We went down into the Third Tunnel, 500 meters down in a small, open train, after stowing all belongings, cameras, cellphones in lockers and putting on hardhats. When we arrived at the bottom of the shaft, we set forth walking through the tunnel. Despite the hardhat, David kept hitting his head because he was too tall and had to turn back. The tunnel was about 4 feet wide, but shorter than I am in spots. I had to walk bent over. I walked the length that was open to us and was very happy to return above ground. From there we, went to the viewing platform where we could see North Korea. They no longer play loud music aimed at one another. It is very sad for the people of North Korea who are starving and allowed to media access. They have ruler that is insane, or acts insane, who controls nuclear weapons. I need to clarify that, it is sad for the people of North Korea, but sad and frightening for the rest of us as well.

Friday, April 8^th Suffering from a head cold, we skipped Jeju Island and made it a much needed sea day. Those who did go out said that they wished for more time in Japan.

April 9^th Busan, South Korea. A big thriving city, but without the striking architecture we saw in China. We took the shuttle in and walked around the city. Lots of underground shopping centers because of the severe winters.

April 10^th So excited! Japan at last! Fukuoka, Japan to be precise. We took the Shuttle into Fukukoa and just enjoyed being in the city. When we got lost, people were helpful, but many had limited English, so we resorted to sign language. The city is clean and orderly. The bathrooms are amazing! I am in love with Japanese toilets, after the squat toilets we had through most of Asia. These are sparkling clean, play music and we don't have to bring our own toilet tissue! When we returned to the port, there was a Geisha show in the terminal at 5 pm. The Geisha's danced so gracefully. Afterwards, there was an opportunity for photos, and the Geisha I spoke to had excellent English. I asked her how long it took to prepare the make-up, hair and kimono. She told me it only took her one hour. It takes me an hour and I don't look that good! There was also a drum performance along side the ship.

We had dinner again with Ken and Lynne Rees. Ken is such an excellent lecturer and Lynne is delightful!

We are at Josef Matte's table again this segment and will remain here for the rest of the cruise.

Tomorrow, we leave the ship in Shimizu and take the shinkasen, or bullet train, to Kyoto overnight—thanks to the help of our Aussie friend, Terry Carter! We will rejoin the ship in Tokyo the following day. Very excited!

Closing now!