Day 1 – September 11^th, 2015

The big day arrived. David from D&D Limo services showed up at 5:00 AM and we headed to Los Angeles International Airport for our upcoming flight to Vancouver, BC.

After a pleasant flight we arrived to Vancouver, Canada. We prearranged for Celebrity Cruise to include a “transfer” with our package and were pleased to see a counter of Celebrity at the airport where we dropped our luggage and then took the shuttle to the Cruise Port. There we experienced long lines at both the Celebrity kiosks and immigration. As it turned out, there were two ships today at the port (the other one was a Carnival cruise to Hawaii). It took almost 3 hours for the process.

Our cabin was ready for us on the 11^th deck (Cabin #1100) on the beautiful Millennium and we felt right at home. (We took the same ship just 8 months ago on a cruise from Singapore to Bali). Few of the crew members greeted us with “Welcome Back”.

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We had lunch and returned to the cabin for a rest. Our cabin’s steward's name was Eden. The views from our balcony were amazing as we saw the bridge and the skyline of the downtown.

At the Lifeboat drill we recognized two persons we had met at the January trip: Taylor the Entertainment Coordinator and Raluca the Captain Club Coordinator, who remembered that last cruise I celebrated my birthday and asked us what the occasion was this time. Tova said that I am celebrating my retirement and Raluca said she will take care of us and treat us for dinner at the Olympic restaurant in one of the days ahead.

When we returned to the cabin the luggage were already inside and we started to unpack.

At around 6:00 we went to the Blu Dining Room on the 5^th deck and met Artur, in charge of the front desk and Bruno the dining room manager. At our table was a lovely couple from Canada by the names of Rodney and Sheila.

Bon Voyage!

Day 2 – September 12^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 8:00 and headed to the Blu for breakfast.

I joined a lecture about the Orient Art but left in the middle. It was so boring…

I returned to the cabin dressed up in my swimming gear, took my book and headed to the pool for some swimming, reading and a treatment from the Thalassotherapy pool ( A mineral rich warm pool with hydrotherapy jets) to stimulate and tone my tired aching muscles and ached back. I then joined Tova at the Persian garden for a relaxing hour in the 4 different saunas there.

We returned to the cabin for an afternoon nap and afterwards we surfed the internet and then dressed up for dinner. We stopped at Cosmos club for cocktails.

Dinner was fabulous and we dined for a couple of hours and then went to the theater to watch Al Ducharme, who offered a combination of humor, comical characters and celebrity impressions. We found out he is the host of a new hit show called “Comedy Cooks”.

Before going to sleep we moved our clocks one hour backward, which means an extra hour to sleep!!

Day 3 – September 13^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 8:00 and after breakfast at the Blu I joined a lecture. This time it was about our next port of call Dutch Harbor. The speaker was a famous celebrity called Captain David Lethin from the hit TV series “Deadliest Catch”. It was a very interesting lecture, accompanied by his unique sense of humor, many pictures and stories were told so vividly that I felt I was there when they happened.

I then had the same routine as yesterday: pool, Persian garden and nap.

In the evening we put on our best clothes on and joined the “Rosh Ha-Shana Eve” Services. There we met many Jewish couples: Linda & Ian from London, Mike and Ellie from Florida, Linda & Martin from California, Eileen & Henry from London, Pat & Michael from Texas, Lesley & Barry from Florida, Elaine & Rob from Florida, Irene & Paul from Detroit and few other nice couples.

The Rabbi name was Andy, who made a bad first impression as he was late for the services, which were simple and just right for cruisers. For us it was meaningful that on one of the holiest days of the year we had a chance to spend it with people from our tribe!! It was very special.

Dinner we had at the Blu with Linda & Martin and afterwards we took part at the Captain Gala followed by a show by the ship’s singers and dancers, which was called “Simply Ballroom”. We finished the day at the Cosmos Lounge where we had fun watching the traditional and always funny The Newlywed Game.

We moved our clocks one hour back once again.

Day 4 – September 14^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 7:30 to a stormy day. The sea was rough and we experience high winds and rain.

After breakfast at the Blu we joined the Rosh Ha-Shana Services that lasted for a couple of hours.

We had lunch at the poolside. Joining us were Pat & Michael and Elaine & Rod.

We returned to the cabin for a nap and then went to the Cosmos Lounge for cocktails. We sat with Linda & Ian and Michael & Ellie. The six of us then headed for dinner together and a great chemistry was developed among us. We spent the next three and a half hours talking!!!

Before going to sleep we moved our clocks one hour back once again.

Day 5 – September 15^th, 2015

Dutch Harbor, Alaska

We woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast at the Blu, as the ship approached our first port-of-call: Dutch Harbor.

We were off the ship at 10:30. Joining us for today were Rodney and Sheila, our Canadian new friends.

The weather was perfect: A bit chilly but sunny skies. We walked for about 30 minutes and arrived to the World War II Museum. On our way we passed the famous Unalaska Airport. A video in the museum described what this place went through the war: The place was the scene of the “Battle of Dutch Harbor”, which took place in 1942 at the beginning of June, when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched two aircraft carrier raids on the United States Army barracks and the United States Navy base at Dutch Harbor, during the Aleutian Islands Campaign of World War II.

We spent about 45 minutes in the museum and then headed up the road where we met two gentlemen working at a shipyard. One of them, a nice guy from Seattle, by the name of Mitch, told me that he was willing to take us to the top of Mount Ballyhoo with his 4X4 vehicle. As it turned out we needed two of those trucks and Mitch’s pal agreed to join us as well with his truck.

Mount Ballyhoo, said Mitch, is a great spot to look from above on the area and is part of the place’s history, as the Battle of Dutch Harbor took place mainly there.

We arrived to the top (1,634 ft high) and the views that were in front of our eyes were amazing. My camera thought for a minute that it is mounted on a head of an eagle surfing over the island. We also toured Fort Shwatka and the remains of the bunkers and gun mounts on top of the mountain. We could see as far as the Bering Sea. Looking west beyond Broad Bay and Makushin Valley we saw the glacial slopes and streaming vent of the Makushin Volcano.

We spent an hour on top of Ballyhoo and then asked Mitch and his friend to join us for lunch. We first stopped at the Norvegian Rat Saloon but it was packed with passengers from the ship and waiting time for a table was about an hour. We decided to go to a different place named Harbor View Bar & Grill but the same results. Mitch suggested to drive further to a different restaurant but they served only Vietnamese food and all we wanted was Fish & Chips.

We decided to skip lunch and headed to the Russian Orthodox Church (also called Church of the Holy Ascension), built in 1894. The church was closed to visitors and Mitch told us that in the past tourists would take “souvenirs” from the church as it is became famous due to the “Deadliest Catch” show and the community decided to have guards during visit hours. Today, unfortunately they could not find any volunteers to come and guard the place.

Mitch told us that the church is one of the oldest churches in Alaska, and is significant as the site from which missionaries brought their religion to the local Aleut People, the original natives of Unalaska. . After the arrival of the Russians and the Russian Orthodox missionaries in the late 18th century, many Aleuts became Christian. In 1942, during World War II, Japanese forces occupied Attu and Kiska Islands in the western Aleutians. They later transported captive Islanders to Japan, where they were held as prisoners of war. The United States government evacuated hundreds of them, placing them in internment camps in southeast Alaska, where many died. They are compensated until today and were given housing and financial aid.

After a short visit for pictures taking we walked along the Ililiuk Bay, where we watched salmons sprawling and many birds, including a beautiful Bald Eagles having their lunch off the tired fish.

We drove to the center of town and said goodbyes to Mitch and his friend. We ended up in a restaurant and ordered beer.

Shuttles were waiting outside The Safeway Supermarket, which is a central point in the city, and we took one of them back to the ship. We were so hungry that decided to have a light lunch at 3:30 and after a short rest we dressed up and joined Linda & Ian at the Blu. Once again we extended our dinner and spent two and a half hours with this lovely couple.

The show tonight featured Craig Richard, a music artist who mesmerized us with his music, using the sax, piano and microphone.

After the show the four of us went to the buffet Restaurant on the 10^th deck, where we had tea, cheese and crackers. Rabbi Andy joined us there as well.

Once again we moved the clocks one hour back. We are trying to catch up with Tokyo’s time.

Day 6 – September 16^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 7:30 and after breakfast at the Blu restaurant I went to the pool, enjoying the hot water at the Thalassotherapy pool, rested in the Jacuzzi and then joined Tova at the Persian Garden.

The majority of the passengers on the ship were Chinese, mostly from Canada. Their love to Mahjong was unbelievable. They occupied ALL the tables next to the pool (at the Solarium) and played passionately the game from the dawn and until after midnight. Some passengers complained to the Guests Relations but they could not do anything about it. The public areas are to be used by anyone.

Tova became friendly with Eileen (from the UK) and Arlene (from Detroit). They created the “Breakfast Club”. From today on they would sit at the 10^th deck restaurant and talked and talked and talked…

We had lunch by the pool and then I joined the "Battle of The Sexes" game.

After surfing the internet I rested in our cabin and at 5:00 we met with Linda & Ian at the Cosmos lounge. Mike & Ellie joined us at the Blu and we had such a good time, talking about world affairs, that we did not notice how time flies. When we left the restaurant, the time was 10:00. We then went upstairs to finish the night with some hot tea at the restaurant on the 10^th deck.

Tonight we passed the International Daylight Zone, which meant that when we would wake up tomorrow, we would lose one whole day. Tomorrow we will wake up and instead of Thursday we’ll find ourselves on Friday.

started to cough badly. Hopefully it will go away soon!

Before we went to sleep we set our clocks 2 hours back!

Day 7 – September 18^th, 2015

At Sea

Good Morning Friday!

I spent the morning the same way I did yesterday and then went to the Guests Relation desk where they were able to help me sending a document to NMDP.

I had a great time at the "Battle of the Sexes".

We had lunch at the Solarium and then napped till 4:30

We joined Friday Night Services before dinner and then had a delicious meal at the Olympic with Ian & Linda. Once again we spent a great deal of time with our favorite couple. We left the restaurant at 11:00.

Once again we set our clock one hour back, before going to sleep.

Day 8 – September 19^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast at the Elite Club dining room. After my morning routine at the pool area, I surfed the net and after a light lunch I joined the "Battle of The Sexes" game and then took a nap.

Once again we joined our friends at the Cosmos lounge for drinks and then had dinner at the Blu with Linda & Ian.

Tonight’s show featured the great singer, Colleen Williams, who performed songs from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Puccini, Julie Andrews to Judy Garland. She was absolutely great!

After the show we joined the crowd at the Cosmos and enjoyed the “Liar Club” game, where a question was presented to a cast of 4 and we had to decide which answer was correct. It was fun!!

Once again – One hour back before going to sleep.

Day 9 – September 20^th, 2015

At Sea!

When we woke up at 7:30 we were encountered by bad weather: high waves, high winds and (very) cold.

After breakfast I attended a lecture by the ship’s captain, Mr. Kostas, who was informative and presented a great sense of humor.

Later, we both joined a lecture by Greg Gleason, who dazzled us with his memory skills. He taught us some tricks of how to remember names, dates, etc.

After my routine at the pool and participating at "The Battle of The Sexes", we dressed up and joined Linda & Ian plus Mike & Ellie at the Blu.

Tonight performance was hilarious: The performer, Sean O’Shea had a combination of vocals and impressions. Before the show his friend approached us (we sat in the second row) and asked us to throw garments at the singer, while performing Delilah (Tom Jones's famous song). He swore that Sean does not know anything about it. Linda wore a HUGE bra during the performance and made some gestures to Sean. When he started his routine of Delilah, we started to throw at him some women panties, scarves and of course the enormous bra. It was so funny!

After the show we went to the Cosmos for “60's Trivia” followed by a show, performed by the Millennium Production Singers and Dancers.

Once again, you guessed it, an hour back before going to sleep.

Day 10 – September 21^st, 2015

Last day at Sea!

Woke up at 7:30 and welcomed the good weather! Sun showed up and we had a smooth sailing.

After breakfast at the Blu I joined Tova at the”Breakfast Club”, having lots of tea as my cold refused to disappear. I then joined "The Battle of The Sexes" and after a nap joined the others at Cosmos.

Tonight we had dinner at the Blu, without our friends, as they all went to the Olympic.

Salvatore Hasard, a singer and Multi-Instrumentalist brought to stage his world famous routine, ”Life is Music”. His repertoire included Billy Joel, Joe Crocker, Tom Jones, Elvis and more.

Once again – Setting the clocks one hour back: to match Tokyo Time Zone.

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Day 11 – September 22^nd, 2015

Yokohama, Japan

We woke up at 6:00 and had breakfast at the Ocean View restaurant on the 10 deck. It seemed as the whole ship had the same schedule as we did, as the restaurant was full of people and it was hard to find a table to have the meal.

We returned to our cabin to watch the Japanese shores, as we approached Yokohama. The skyline of this big city was amazing. We passed under a bridge and the gap between the ship and the height of the bridge was only a couple of feet.

When we docked in the Cruise Port, which was founded in 1859, we saw hundreds of people who came to greet us. One of them stood out waving his Japanese flag chanting: “Welcome to Japan. Japan welcomes you!”

We joined Linda & Ian for a prearranged tour of the city. At 7:30 we stood in line to disembark and so did the 1,800 other passengers of the ship. After 7 full days at sea we were ready to walk on steady grounds. At the beginning there was only one exit to disembark the ship and it was annoying. However, around 8:30 they opened 2 more stations and we were finally out at around 9:00.

After going through the Japanese authorities at the port we met our guide Artie.

We walked next to a baseball stadium. Artie explained to us that baseball became Japan’s favorite game and that every big city has a team. Close by the stadium there was a beautiful park and we stayed there for a while to watch young girls performing contemporary dancing.

We reached a train station and rode to our first destination: Sojiji Temple, one of the two “Head Temples” of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism. Artie called it one of the largest and busiest Buddhist institutions in Japan". The temple was founded in 740. We washed our hands in a structure, outside the shrine, as Artie showed us the proper way of doing it. We toured the temple, the grounds and also visited a cemetery nearby, which is built on a hillside, overlooking the entire city.

We returned to the train station and were on our way to our next destination.

Upon arrival, we walked for a couple of miles admiring the cleanness of the city. We noticed there were no waste baskets in the streets. The locals keep the garbage and dispose of it when they get to their homes.

We arrived to Iseyama Kotai Shrine, perched beautifully on a top of the hill and despite its large size we did not notice it until we actually were right next to it. Upon reaching the top we passed under a large gate (Torli, in Japanese) marking the entrance to the shrine. Directly in front of us was the main shrine.

Gathered around the main gate was a small group of smartly dressed men in black suits along with several women wearing some very beautifully colored kimonos. What we were experiencing was a traditional Shinto-style wedding ceremony; characterized by the bride wearing a very distinctive ‘Shiro-Kakeshita Kimono’, (a bright white kimono).

We also saw many families with their children, all wearing the custom dresses and suits. They were here to be blessed by the priests.

Artie explained to us that recently, traditional Shinto-style weddings are seeingsomething of a boom in Japan, making places like Iseyama Kotai very popular. He also told us that despite this shrine's traditional appearance, it will probably come as a surprise to learn that it was only built as recently as 1870.

Inside the Shrine we saw the Shinto Sun Goddess, often referred to as “The Guardian Deity of Yokohama”.

We returned to the main road and walked through the “Red Light” district, Hinodecho, where we saw some striptease establishments. Artie told us that few years ago there were many tiny brothels here with women posing in the windows, but the police raided the district and deported the women and the owners back to their countries (mainly Thailand, Philippines and China).

It was lunch time and Artie made a reservation for all of us to eat at a local sushi joint by the name Sushigen. It was the best sushi I have ever eaten. The plates had numerous portions and were arranged to perfection.

When I asked if they have Wi-Fi in the place, Artie told us that Internet connection is lacking off in Japan and that only a small percentage of the businesses in Japan have it, but by the year 2020, the year when Japan will host the Olympic Games, they think that 100% of the establishments in the city will have that service. This fact was shocking to me, as I always thought that a country like Japan would be one of the leaders when it comes to technology.

We decided to walk the rest of the way back to the port. We passed Isezaki Street Mall where thousands of shoppers were walking by. We also passed Bashmuchi Street where we stopped for a Starbucks coffee (no! they did not have Wi-Fi).

We were back on the ship at 4:00. There were 2 other ships in the port and thousands of locals came to say goodbye to all of us. I noticed that the same person, who waved his flag in the morning, was still there chanting: “Goodbye!! Japan loves you”. There was a band performing farewell themes for us.

We left Yokohama at sunset and the views from our balcony were unforgettable.

In the evening I started to have strong back pains as my degenerated disk was acting up. I dressed up for Yom Kippur Services and was slowly getting to the “synagogue”, where 31 other guests were already there waiting for us. The services were very meaningful. It was our first time celebrating our holiest day of the year on a ship!

Day 12 – September 23^rd, 2015

Kobe, Japan

We woke up at 10:00 and went straight to the “Synagogue”. Rabbi Andy announced that the services will conclude at 12:30, followed by lunch at 1:00. All of the 37 Jewish passengers were present and we followed the Rabbi in this Day of Atonement.

The ship arrived to beautiful Kobe at around 4:00. Once again hundreds of spectators were watching the ship's arrival. A welcome party was awaited for us and we enjoyed listening to 5 girls showing off their skills on drums, while jumping to the music. It was very entertaining.

We decided, along Mike & Ellie, to join Linda & Ian, who had prearranged a visit at the local “shul”.

We grabbed 2 taxis at the port and Linda explained to them where we wanted to go. They nodded their head, indicating they know where the “shul” was. After a 20 minutes ride they arrived, only that the destination wasn’t exactly a Synagogue but… a Mosque. After a couple of phone calls they continued and we finally arrived to Ohel Shlomo Synagogue, located in a house, in the middle of a neighborhood.

When we arrived we felt right away welcomed and honored by the local Jewish community. We participated in the “Ne’illa”, which signifies the end of the fast.

The Synagogue is very conservative. The prayers were read in Hebrew and it was fascinating to watch the Japanese congregants reading and following the Chazan. The women sat separated from the men. We noticed that some of the congregants where Japanese and that many of the Japanese kids spoke very good Hebrew.

After the prayers we talked to the Rabbi while sipping some tea and biting on a honey cake. He told us some of the history surrounding Jews in Japan. There are about only 2,000 Jews in the country and their ancestors could be traced to the 16^th century (“The Age of Discovery”) with the arrival of some Jewish merchants from Europe. However, it wasn’t until 1853, the end of the “Closed Doors” policy of the Japanese authorities, when the first families arrived to Japan to make it their home. From 1900 onward, Kobe Jewish community was one of the largest Jewish communities in Japan formed by hundreds of Jews arriving from Russia (originating from the Manchurian city of Harbin), the Middle East (mainly from Iraq and Syria), as well as from Central and Eastern European countries (primarily Germany).

The Rabbi invited us to have dinner but we opted to have a traditional Japanese dinner instead. We talked to one of the congregants, an Israeli who married a Japanese woman and made his home here in Kobe, to recommend a good Japanese restaurant for us. He called a couple of taxis and when they arrived he directed them to where to go.

We thanked everyone and were on our way to a fantastic restaurant where a private room was reserved for us. Our waitress was dressed with a kimono and was very pretty. The food was excellent!

A taxi was called in by the manager of the restaurant and as we left, several employees showed us to the exit, opened the doors and kept on bowing to us as a sign of respect.

We were back to the ship at around 11:00. Upon returning I noticed that the Art Gallery, on the 5^th deck, was displaying Israeli artistic work of Agam, Tarkay and Najar. Very fitting to the Holiest Jewish day of the year!!

The Skyline of Kobe at night was fantastic!

Day 13 – September 24^th, 2015

Kobe, Japan

We woke up at 6:30, to a rainy day and after breakfast at the Blu we walked off to the port where we found a taxi who spoke a little English, who agreed to my itinerary for the day.

After an hour drive, through rush hour traffic, we arrived to Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle due to its elegant, white appearance, and is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle for its imposing size and beauty and its well preserved, complex castle grounds. The castle is both a national treasure and a World Heritage Site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country's 12 original castles. The castle recently underwent extensive renovation over several years and was fully re-opened to the public six months ago.

Himeji Castle lies at a strategic point along the western approach to the former capital city of Kyoto. The first fortifications built on the site were completed in the 1400's, and were gradually enlarged over the centuries by the various clans who ruled over the region. The castle complex as it survives today is over 400 years old and was completed in 1609. It comprises over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths.

We toured the grounds for almost 2 hours, accompanied with non-stop rain and along with my aching back it was hard, especially climbing the 195 steps. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our tour there. After we left we asked our driver to stop in a restaurant alongside the highway and he took us to a small place, specializing in udon noodles & dumpling plates. The food and service were superb and having a hot meal was what the doctor ordered for the rainy day.

Our next stop was at the longest suspension bridge in the world: Akashi Kaikyo, which links the city of Kobe, on the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. A sign near the location indicated that since its' completion in 1998, the bridge has had the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world (!), (at 6,532 feet) and was built at a cost of approximately 500 billion yens (!).

We took the elevator to the observance deck and saw some people jogging the length of the bridge, on the lower decks, as the traffic was zooming along underneath them. The views from the observance deck were amazing.

Our next stop was at a Japanese garden in the city but it is closed on Thursdays. What a bummer.

We returned to the ship at 4:00 and dressed up for the upcoming formal night event. We met Mike, Ellie, Rob, Eileen, Barry, Lesley, Arlene and her husband at the Blu and then had dinner at the Blu with Linda & Ian.

Tonight at the theater were The Diamonds, a group of 3 stunning and talented young ladies from Australia, which we had seen already once, on another voyage. They sang wonderfully!

Day 14 – September 25^th, 2015

Miyazaki, Japan

We woke up at 7:30 and after breakfast at the Blu with Lyle, Donna, Peter & Christina (from Taiwan) we went to the upper deck to watch our arrival to Miyazaki. A band welcomed our arrival to the island.

Mike & Ellie joined us for the day. A shuttle bus took us to the center of town where we met our driver/guide for the day.

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We arrived to our first destination, Obi castle, a small and old castle (15th century), built south of the city, known also as a "Little Kyoto" for its collection of older streets and buildings that go back to an earlier age. We toured the grounds, visited the museum and had a cup of (very bitter) tea at a tea house.

We spent about 30 minutes there and then found a restaurant nearby and had a fantastic lunch.

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The main event of the day was the drive alongside the Nichinan Coast and the Udo Shrine. The views reminded me driving on the Pacific Coast Hwy in California. The cliffs and the wild nature were amazing. It took us about 40 minutes riding the 25 miles.

Once we arrived to the shrine we learned that it is dedicated to the father of Emperor Jimmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan. We found it be brightly painted shrine, set in a cave on the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean with a spectacular view.

Outside the cave we saw a terrace overlooking the ocean. Among the rocks below, we saw a target marked by rope into which people try to throw small ceramic balls. Women throw with their right hand while men throw with their left, and landing the small balls in the target brings good luck. We bumped into Ian & Linda who took the ship’s excursion.

Our last destination for the day was Aoshima Island, which we covered in an hour. We passed the Devil's washboard (the shore line that look like washboard.) and the island’s shrine. This island is also famous for the number of cats who found residence here.

We arrived to the ship and met with our (newly) friends at the Cosmos Lounge and then had dinner with Rodney & Sheila at the Blu. Before going to sleep we set our clocks one hour back, to match Shanghai’s time.

Day 15 – September 26^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast at the Blu with Aida & Leon (from Cleveland). I joined the “Breakfast Club” and then we returned to the cabin to start packing our belongings.

We joined many of our friends for “High Tea” and had a fantastic time.

After an afternoon nap we met with some of our friends at the Cosmos lounge and had our last dinner on the ship with (who else) Linda & Ian.

It was time to start saying goodbyes and so we did. We met so many new friends on this journey, which I titled “The Social Cruise”. It was actually very hard to say those goodbyes…

Day 16 – September 27^th, 2015

Shanghai, China

We woke up at 6:30 and after breakfast, disembarked the ship.

A shuttle took us to the airport where we checked in 2 big luggage at the airport luggage storage. they contained only "cruise cloths", and just took with us the necessary clothing for our upcoming visit in Taiwan. We had lunch and then relaxed at Starbucks.

Our flight to Taipei, Taiwan was short and pleasant. After immigration and costume we found our new guide for the next 8 days, Jimmy our new guide for the next 8 days and jack, the broker who coordinated our trip. They were waiting with a sign.

Rain welcomed us to Taipei and we just heard from them that a huge Typhoon is headed our way.

We arrived at the very elegant Howard’s Plaza and after checking in and arranging last details with Jimmy we headed to the streets and found the recommended Beef & Noodle Soup Restaurant, a couple of blocks away. We could not believe the rich taste of this famous soup. Yummy!!

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Day 17 – September 28^th, 2015

Taipei, Taiwan

When we woke up a heavy rain was pouring down on the capital of Taiwan. The news headline was that typhoon Azelea was on its way here and will land in few hours. We took our umbrellas and walked in the street, adjacent to the beautiful hotel. Most of the stores and the restaurans were closed due to the warning by the government to stay home and to go out only when it was necessary. We managed to find a small eatery, operated by an entire family (parents, daughter and son) and had a hot and delicious Chinese breakfast. The total cost for both of us was $3.

Jimmy showed up right on schedule and we were on our way, on highway 3 south, escaping the north where the storm is scheduled to hit hard. We passed through a huge city named Zhubeu, which is a new developed area and then stopped at Hsinchu, Taiwan’s Silicon Valley. We passed the Technology Park and stopped for a much needed coffee.

We Entered Chenghuang and stopped at a beautiful and charming temple. We entered the old Taoist temple, which is also referred to as Hsinchu City God Temple or simply Chenghuang Temple and is regarded as the highest-ranking of all City God temples in Taiwan, due to the superior spiritual power of its City God in protecting the town.

The temple has an interesting array of statues and carvings, and it is actively used by the very religious people, so the smell of incense is everywhere. In front of the temple we found a food market with a lot of small stalls selling delicious Taiwanese snacks, including rice noodles, meat balls, thick cuttlefish broth, and Biscuits filled with peanut butter. We purchased a couple of bowls: one was with delicious rice noodles covered by a delicious peanut butter sauce and the other was pancakes with heavenly taste of vegetables and chicken. Jimmy also bought some deserts and we all shared the wonderful meal.

We continued our day and headed East on Hwy 6 when we were approached by the typhoon that had made it to the island. Heavy rain and high winds accompanied us for the rest of the day.

Our next stop was at Chung Tai Chan monastery, the tallest and one of the largest temples in both Taiwan and the world. The temple follows traditional Chinese Ch'an teaching, emphasizing sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation.

The grounds were beautiful and we felt the tranquility surrounding us.

When we entered the main building we witnessed how amazing this place is. The monastery and the temple itself is huge and was only finished in the early 2000's. The large complex is full of beautifully executed contemporary and traditional Buddhist art and was interesting just from this perspective.

We stopped at Puli and visited a Farmland where they grow sugar canes and mushrooms. The city is at the center of Taiwan, with an elevation between 380-700 meters and its basin is surrounded by rising & falling mountains, hills and farmlands.

We also visited the Paper Dome Church. Jimmy described what we were about to see: He told us that this structure is a temporary church building constructed using paper tubes as structural elements. It was designed on a pro-bono basis by an internationally known Japanese architect, who is renowned for his paper tube structures and buildings. This temporary structure was built in 1995 to serve as a temporary church after the Great Kobe Earthquake, which occurred in January 1995 and measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, killing more than 6000 people. The venue was not only limited for use to religious worship but also used as a place for communal gatherings.

We arrived to Sun Moon Lake in the early afternoon. The weather was terrible with heavy rain and very high wind. We stopped at Wenwu Temple, built in 1938 and located at the shoulder of mountain at the north end of Sun Moon Lake. Around 80 years ago, there were two temples on the Sun Moon Lake coast. The Japanese government wanted to generate electricity, so they built a dam and made the water level raised up. These two temples were torn down and rebuilt as one in present location and Wenwu Temple.

The Temple is facing the beautiful lake and we used the opportunity to take some photo shots with the lake in the background. However, as I had mentioned the weather did not cooperate and the visibility was terrible.

We left the Temple and drove to our hotel, Del Lago. The hotel was located on the waterfront and the views from our balcony were unbelievable. We talked to both Sharone & Emly, via Whatsapp, and then came down to the lobby to look for food. The receptionist ran towards us as we were leaving the lobby and told us that we must be crazy to go out with the terrible conditions. When we insisted that it is ok, he reluctantly gave us the hotel’s umbrellas with a worried face.

When we entered the main street, where all the restaurants are, we saw few people seating in restaurants and having dinner. Most of the shops were already closed (the time was 7:00 PM) and the rest were about to close. We picked a small restaurant and had soup & noodle for dinner.

As we finished we walked outside to witness the climax of the storm. I felt helpless as the wind was dictating me the path back to the hotel. We walked against the wind and slowly made our way back to the hotel.

I watched as the boats in the lake swaying from side to side by the huge waves and the wind. Amazing sight!

Day 18 – September 29^th, 2015

Sun Moon Lake

We woke up at 6:00. The weather was much better, as the storm moved towards the north island and towards Taipei. Only light rain remained as a memory of yesterday.

We came down to the hotel’s dining room and met a group of Israelis, who were travelling as a group in the island. A member of the group told me that I look familiar to him, as it turned out: we were neighbors in the city of Holon, Israel – some 50 years ago. Another woman from the group, as it turned out, was a friend of my cousins in Israel - What a small world we are living in!!

Jimmy showed up right on time and we started our day driving along the lake.

We arrived to the Aboriginal village and walked around for a while and then drove a short distance to the next attraction: Xuanguang Temple. We learned that the temple is named after a monk with the same name, who was a Holy Monk in the Tang dynasty 1500 years ago. During the China-Japan War, the Japanese took the Monk’s remains away to Japan. In 1965 the Monk’s remains were returned back to the Temple.

His story was documented in a novel called “Journey to the West”. The book tells the life of the Monk who spent an amazing seventeen year journey from China to India, with the aim of bringing back the original holy Buddhist scriptures. He accomplished his goal and successfully translated more than 600 Buddhist scriptures into Chinese; making a significant contribution to Buddhism in China. The temple is the place where one of his bone pieces was placed and enshrined.

We drove uphill and arrived to the famous pagoda named C’ian. The Pagoda is seen from everywhere around the lake. It was built on top of a mountain and we witnessed it lsat night, from our hotel’s room, with different color lights that changed periodically. As we arrived, we met the Israeli group from the hotel, and greeted each other as old friends.

The 46 meters tall pagoda was built in memory of the builder's mother in 1971. It takes a bit of walking uphill to reach the pagoda but it it was worth it. There are 2 sections. The first section is an uphill slope which we conquered in less about 10 minutes. After the uphill slope we arrived to a flight of stairs. This is the second section and it’s tougher than the first. All together we climbed about 1570 feet. The Pagoda is about 3,000 feet above the lake and the views were astonishing and breathtaking.

It was time to leave the beautiful lake as we headed towards Jiji.

Jimmy called to confirm our hotel's reservations in Chiayi and was informed that the roads were closed due to the damages by the typhoon. He called a recommended boutique hotel and found us a place to stay the night.

We arrived to Wuchang Temple in Jiji. This temple is another of Taiwan's famous temples, but its fame is somewhat based on the infamous nature of its history. I will do my best to explain the history of the temple, but I think I should start out by mentioning the main reason why the temple holds a special place in the hearts of Taiwanese people: The temple wasn’t always a household name in Taiwan, but that changed when it became one of the iconic images of the terrible events of September 21st, 1999, better known as the 921 quake or the Jiji Earthquake. The earthquake, 7.3 -7.7 in magnitude struck central Taiwan killing over 2,000 people, injuring more than 11,000 and caused over 10 billion dollars worth of damage around the country. The earthquake etched itself into the consciousness of the entire country and its effects have been long-lasting. The slow response to the earthquake, by the Taiwanese Government, was also one of the deciding factors that took away the government 50 year grip on power.

The epicenter of the massive earthquake was in the small town of Jiji yet it destroyed and damaged buildings throughout the entire country. The destruction of Jiji’s Wuchang Temple however became one of the iconic images of the earthquake and what remains of it today has been preserved as a reminder to the people of Taiwan of the events of that terrible day.

The original Wuchang temple was built in 1923 and was dedicated to a Taoist deity named the Zhenwu Supreme Emperor but it is not the temple that lies in ruins today. The ruins of the temple that we saw today (which has been designated as a 921 Memorial site) are relatively new. Construction of the new temple lasted six years and was finally opened to the public in 2014 with three days of celebrations and traditional rituals.

The new temple is much bigger than the original with two additional buildings off to the side of the main temple with shrines and offices. The newly completed temple sits directly in front of the ruins of the former temple and is now a memorial museum.

We continued to Jiji Train Station that also was affected by the 921 earthquake. There was no train arrival or departure when we reached this place, due to the bad weather. The place was pretty empty. An old locomotive and a tanker were on display near the station.

We were on our way to the next destination. We arrived to a tea plantation resort, called Dong Ding (Frozen Summit), named after the mountains where the teas is cultivated. The famous tea, also called Oolong Tea, is famous all over the world.

We entered a plantation, and met the entire family who owns and operates there. The father, Mr. Su, is very famous in Taiwan and also received a prize from the government, for his contribution to the tea industry. He is known in Taiwan as “Master of Tea”.

We were offered to taste the many varieties of the tea and Jimmy even bought a couple of boxes.

We continued our day and found a small restaurant, ran by an entire family. The restaurant itself was in the front of the building and in the rear was the home where the place’s owner and his family live. The kitchen was in the front and the aroma of the cooked food filled our noses, as we approached. The fridge in the place was too small to contain cold drinks and I was sent across the street, to a 7-Eleven to buy cold drinks for us. When I returned I found our table full with dishes. The food was so good!!!

We arrived in the evening to Chiayi and found our boutique hotel in the outskirts of the city. We received a suite, which was clean, comfortable and elegant. The hotel is operated by a father-daughter team. The daughter, who also spoke some English, asked us to order breakfast ahead of time from a menu. As it turned out, the hotel did not have a kitchen and dining facilities, so they order the meal from a nearby restaurant. We showered and then went to the local Night Market.

We had dinner in the market, which was out of this world. We walked around and looked at some of the hundreds of stalls there and then returned to the hotel.

Day 19 – September 30^th, 2015

Chiayi

Breakfast was served at 7:00 and included eggs, meat, noodles, pancakes, juice and coffee. Outside, the skies were cleared and we saw sunshine for the first time during our stay in the country.

After a short drive we arrived to our next destination: Tainan City, which literately means “Taiwan South”. Jimmy told us that Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for it’s over 200 years of history as the capital of Taiwan.

There are almost 2 million residents in this city. The place was busy with many locals. We spoke to Sharone and everything is fine.

We stopped at the Chihkan Tower, which was a Dutch outpost and was built in 1653, during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. The tower is featured on a 50 Taiwan Dollar bill. We toured the structure and then, while driving In one of the streets we spotted the famous bakery/coffee shop 85 Degrees. This coffee establishment is as popular in Taiwan, as the American Starbucks. We sat down and sipped great coffee, while enjoying a delicious cake.

While sitting at the café we contacted Sharone, who was already in Israel, waiting for Emly to give birth. She had great news: Emly was in labor!

Our next stop was at the Anping Old Fort, also called “Fort Zeelandia”, which was built as a fortress by the Dutch and was used during their 38 ruling of the country. We learned that during the seventeenth century, when Europeans from many countries sailed to Asia to develop trade and arrived to Formosa, now Taiwan, and this city became one of East Asia's most important transit sites, while Fort Zeelandia was an international business center.

We continued to the next site: Sicai Dazhong Temple. This is a legendary one with almost three hundred years of history. Dazhong means “mass of people”. It used to be a temple for ancestors or unknown deaths around the neighborhood. While walking in the temple we saw many paintings on the wall and roof telling traditional Chinese stories and a beautiful caisson, which is a chest for holding ammunition. We also noticed a spider web ceiling, when we looked up. There are also many other statues of deities and generals being worshiped in the temple.

We went around the building where we saw a tomb, which commemorate European’s who fought in Tainan, in the 17^th century.

Jimmy told us that for lunch he plans to go to one of the locals’ favorite restaurant. He told us that they serve a “Milk Fish” and it is delicious. Few minutes later we agreed with him. We ordered a soup that was made out of a delicious fish. We all asked for seconds! We said goodbyes to Tainan and continued our trip.

We arrived to Kaohsiung City. Located in southern-western Taiwan and facing the Taiwan Strait, it is the 2^nd largest city in Taiwan with a population of approx. 2.8 millions. We checked into the Fullon Hotel and received a nice room, facing the straits.

Jimmy waited for us, while we checked in, and took us to the ocean front where we watched an astounding sunset. unbelievable!

We spent the rest of the evening in the Night Market. Once again we were impressed by the merchandise offered to the public: from different kind of meat, poultry, seafood, variety of garments, leather goods, and accessories to gadgets, flowers, sex accessories, and of course a variety of food.

At one spot we noticed a man, wearing a tee shirt and shorts, sitting on a chair and like a machine, prepared all kind of dishes. We decided to sit down at one of the tables and got a great view of his actions. I was hypnotized by him! We ordered all kind of dishes and they were unforgettable!!

We returned to our hotel at around 11:00.

Day 20 – October 1^st, 2015

Kaohsiung City

We woke up at 6:00 and had a great Chinese breakfast at the hotel.

Jimmy showed up at 8:00 and as we were walking out of the hotel, at 8:17, we received a Whatsapp message from Sharone: “It’s a girl!!” I had tears of joy in my eyes and Tova started to cry. Even Jimmy was touched by our happiness and tears filled his eyes. We have a new granddaughter and her name is Noa.

Our first stop of the day was a fishermen village by the name of Tung Kuang. As we crossed the bridge, we made a right turn and arrived to the Fisherman Village. It was a great experience to view the sword fish market with the fishermen downloading their catch onto the floor of the market. There were many workers, who cleaned the sword fish and then mounted them onto a scale to measure the catch. Both the ship’s owner and the officials agreed on the weight and it was recorded. We noticed that many women (more than men!), were employed to do the “dirty” job of cleaning the catch. Many of the employees were illegal immigrants from Indonesia.

We asked Jimmy to park in the main road while we were strolling in the village’s market and shopped for some cloth for Noa. We then took hwy 17 southbound and then merged onto hwy 9 on the northeast lane, driving alongside the Pacific Ocean.

Jimmy got our attention when he said that if we would sail west from this point, we will eventually arrive home to Southern California. We arrived to Jinlong Lake (or Golden Dragon Lake) in Taitung County. The 6-hectare freshwater lake is formed on a concave land situated between 2 rivers. The gourd-shaped lake is rich in fish produces and was once the irrigation resource for farmlands in the area. We noticed some Aboriginal art craft along the banks of the lake.

We were now on highway 11 northbound. On our way we saw many rice fields.

We arrived to Taitung and checked into our hotel there. There were only 9 rooms in the hotel, operated by Candy & Tony (husband & wife team), who also own the fields around the hotel where they grow rice, and actually live in the hotel together with their charming daughter and the grandmother. The place was elegant & extremely clean.

We went for lunch in a small and clean restaurant. While Tova had hair done in a beauty salon, on the main street, I sat in a bakery for coffee and poppy seed cake that was out of this world , while talking to Sharone.

We returned to the hotel, skipping dinner, and used our iPhone to video conferencing with Emly and David and saw Noa for the first time!!

Day 21 – October 2^nd, 2015

Taitung

We woke up at 6:30 and had breakfast in the hotel, which included an omelet on top of a pizza.

We continued on hwy 11 and arrived to Xiaoyeliu Eco Park. We walked towards the beach and found it to be remarkable, with several sections containing incredibly perplexing rock formations. On one beach we found 'tofu' rocks, named as such for a striking resemblance to the actual thing. Steps away, on the next beach, 'mushroom' rocks appeared, with their dark mottled tops and light sandy bottoms. There were many local tourists there and we found out that this park is a ;must' destination in Taiwan.

We drove a couple of miles and arrived to Jiulian Recreation Park, which had statues in many locations but the main attraction was the view of the beach and the ocean. Jimmy remembered that few miles down the hwy there is a great scenery spot and when we arrived there we met a family, which we already saw in other places during our trip. We were happy to see them. Jimmy was right: The panoramic views were breathtaking.

Our next stop was Tunghe where we witnessed a "miracle": water was streaming upwards the mountain. We put small leaves on the stream and follow the leaves and sure enough: the water traveled upward. Beside the channel, a stone tablet inscribed with the word "Miracle" (in Chinese) has been erected due to this "mysterious" phenomenon. The secret is actually an optical illusion. The water was actually going downstream, but it looks as they are going upwards, as the rest of the surrounding are pointing upward.

We continued and arrived to Chintsun Vista Point and once again our breaths were taken away by the beauty of the scenery.

We drove along on the highway we noticed a huge Surfer Monument and many rice fields.

For our next attraction, I have a story to tell: When we landed in Taipei, there was the Welcome to Taiwan sign at the airport and on it there is a beautiful sunset over a bridge. (Look at Day 16 and the welcome sign). I told Tova: “Don't worry. We will see this bridge”. When we met Jimmy at the airport, I told him that I must visit that bridge. He said: “Maybe, if we have time”.

We arrived to Sanxiantai, which is composed of 3 offshore islands and coral reefs. Odd-shaped rocks are everywhere on the islands, including three huge rocks which have spawned legends about three Chinese saints: They once boarded on the island, hence the name (Three Saints Island). As we walked down to the beach there it was: the most beautiful 1,000 feet arched bridge and the one from the welcome sign in the airport. The bridge is shaped like a dragon of the Chinese legends, stretches from the mainland across to the 3 islands.

We stopped for lunch in a little village we came across the highway and had Aboriginal food – which was very tasty and spicy, and then drove few miles to a place with a rock, which is shaped like an umbrella. Shiyusan, or "Stone Umbrella", is a narrow spit of rock that enters approximately one kilometer into the sea, like the trunk of an elephant. The feature which gives the area its name is the result of differential wave erosion. The Stone Umbrella, plus the beautiful scenery here, makes it a popular spot with photographers like me!

The next attraction was Chintsaochiao Bridge – A natural formed bridge of the rocks, also called Bird Nose Rock.

We arrived to a very popular site called Baxian Cave or 8 immortals cave. We learned from Jimmy that this place has both the geologically and archaeologically importance. It is located on the cliffs that face the Pacific Ocean in Shanjian Village. There are dozens of natural sea caves. These sea caves were originally in the sea, about a million years ago. Now they became 500 feet high cliffs. This is because the rise of the Earth's crust on the East Coast of Taiwan and the erosion that carved the soft part of rocks, forming the sea caves.

The biggest cave is Lingyan Cave, which has a religious feel to it. The Cave is also an important prehistoric site. There is a rich 6,000 years old Paleolithic pottery culture that was found there. It is the oldest prehistorically site that has been found in Taiwan. It is ranked as a first class national historical site. We walked into the giant cave and found many statues of the gods and symbols of Buddhism. The incense, we were told, are burning 24/7/365. We also drank from the holly water steaming into the cave from an above fresh water pond.

Next, we drove along the pathway and arrived to the Monument of Tropic of Cancer, in Chiayi County. The Tropic of Cancer Monument is the position in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most northern point of the Equator. Every summer at noon time when the sun is shining directly over this monument it will cause the “shadow less” phenomenon at this location.

We continued the busy day and arrived to Hualien County. Our next stop was at the Shitiping Scenic, which is one of the best scenic coast attractions in Taiwan and is famous for its special geology of sea terrain including the wave-cut platforms, uplifted coral reefs, cliffs and potholes. It is near to the port where whale-watching first started in Taiwan.

The pool at the hotel

We checked into our hotel in Hualien City. The room was gorgeous but too small to spend the next 2 days here. We went to dinner in the nearby neighborhood and had a terrific meal. We then returned to our hotel and took the elevator to the top floor and used their pool and spa facilities. We then returned to our room and talked to Sharone & Emly.

Day 22 – October 3^rd, 2015

Hualien City

We woke up at 6:00 and headed to breakfast.

Jimmy showed up at 7:30 and drove his car to Taroko National Park. The park is about 10 miles from the center of Hualien and we entered the number one destination in Taiwan, about 20 minutes later.

We passed a maze of tunnels, marble-walled canyons, lush vegetation, beautiful bridges and mountainous landscape.

The highlight of the park was our next stop: Taroko Gorge. This 11 miles marble-walled gorge has been a popular walking and hiking destination since the 1930's. Taroko Gorge began as coral deposits deep under the sea. Under pressure from geological forces, the coral was transformed into limestone and then marble, schist (a type of rock that can be broken into thin/flat pieces) and gneiss (type of rocks). Five million years ago, as Taiwan was lifted from the sea by the collision of the Philippine and Eurasian plates, the gorge began to be formed. In essence, the upward thrust of hard rock, combined with the erosion of the soft layers from water and landslides, left towering canyon walls that are so narrow in places that you could play catch with someone on the other side…

A couple of miles further we found a waterfall named Yue Fei and a nice pavilion followed by a narrow suspension bridge. We learned that Yue Fei was a great general and a national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty. His famous quote is "If officials do not like money and generals do not fear death, the world will be in peace."

We started to head back and stopped in an Aboriginal Village named Palawan. We wanted to have lunch at the restaurant but were told that the whole place was reserved for a large party that will arrive any minute… We did see many bikers in the park.

By the way: We noticed that Taiwan has many bikers and it is like a national sport to own a bike and ride it along the highways on weekends and holidays.

Our next stop was amazing: Tsang Tsang Shrine. This picturesque site was so beautiful! We crossed the bridge from the highway and then went inside a tunnel and finally arrived to the shrine. The views from the highway and from the shrine were amazing.

We entered the city and the first thing on the agenda was to taste the famous Beef Noodle Soup that Jimmy praised for the last couple of days. We entered a very popular restaurant that was crowded. As we walked in the place became silence, as all the diners were looking at the 2 white people entering. A waitress, who spoke good English, told us that as soon as a table will be available we will get the table. 20 minutes later we were seated at a large table and Jimmy made the ordering. What can I say: It was out of this world. Hot and spicy soup with chunks’ of beef and rice noodles. Yummy!!

After the great lunch we drove to a place that is called Chi Sing Tan (Seven Start Lake). Jimmy explained that Chi Sing Tan beach or bay is a place quite common for an evening stroll to unwind for the day. This beach was filled with pebbled stones and many come here to collect them.

We returned to the hotel in the late afternoon and rested for a couple of hours. For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant and fish, clams, vegetables, dumplings filled with crab and of course rice.

Day 23 – October 4^th, 2015

Hualien City

We woke up at 6:00 and after packing our luggage we went down to the dining room for a Chinese breakfast. Jimmy showed up right on time and we headed towards Taipei, using hwy 9 northbound.

We stopped at Qingshui Cliffs, a 13 miles length of coastal cliffs averaging 2,400 feet above sea level The tallest peak, Qingshui Mountain, rises some 8,000 feet directly from the Pacific Ocean. It is the highest coastal cliff in Taiwan and It was a very magnificent scenery. The cliff facing the sea is 3 miles long and is very spectacular.

Driving our car between the cliff and the boundless ocean it almost feels like we were flying. The enormous cliff above combined with the boundless ocean below, made us think of the hardships faced by the workers who built the road and especially the tunnels.

We passed a town named Suao – a fisherman village and a Navy Base and then passed through the Snow Mountain Tunnel, which is the longest tunnel in Taiwan. The tunnel was opened for use in 2006 and is 9 miles long.

You cannot borrow the toilet...

We arrived to a very popular place: Shifen in Pingxi District and headed to Old Street famous for the sky lanterns, which carry your blessings to the gods in the sky. There is a rich history about this place as well: the street, set next to a railway station, is the most famous stop along Pingxi Branch Line. (Pingxi Branch Line was originally built to transport coal and now has transformed to an internationally renowned railway for one to discover the coal-mining history of Taiwan and experience lighting sky lanterns). The nostalgic mood and antiquity of Pingxi Line attract large numbers of both local and international visitors each day.

We found the Street filled mainly by sky lantern and souvenir shops, grocery stores and restaurants on both sides of the railway. We entered one of those Sky Lanterns shops and Tova filled a lantern with all kind of blessings (both in English & in Hebrew). We then stepped outside to the street and let our sky lantern go. It was a remarkable experience to think that our blessings are now in the sky and will be read or accepted by a god.

As Jimmy took a break and napped in the car, we had a light lunch in a local tiny restaurant and then headed to the bridge. The famous Jingan Suspension Bridge is located behind Shifen Station.
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After about a 20 minute walk, we arrived to the famous Shifen Waterfall. The waterfall is Taiwan’s broadest waterfall with a total height of 60 feet and 130 feet in width, and is located on the upper reaches of the Keelung River.

The whole area is mountainous and full of what the locals call “kettle pits” (potholes) in the river beds. These potholes are round, and shallow formed by the erosion of the soft rocks by pebbles grinding against the soft rocks by rapid water.

We stood right above the falls and our breaths were taken away. The powerful waterfall was amazing and created beautiful scenery and rainbows to be remembered forever.

When we returned to our car, Jimmy called our driver in Shanghai to arrange a pickup from the airport, for tomorrow.

We continued our way towards Taipei and arrived to Yehliu Geo Park, known by geologists as the Yehliu Promontory, that stretches approximately 5,100 feet into the ocean and was formed as geological forces.

A distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones that dot its surface. A number of rock formations have been given imaginative names based on their shapes.

The best known is the "Queen's Head", an iconic image in Taiwan and an unofficial emblem for the town of Wanli, nearby. Other formations include the "Fairy Shoe", the "Beehive", the "Ginger Rocks", and the "Sea Candles". We visited all of the above and were impressed by the “Queen Head” the most.

Standing in line to get closer to the famous image we met a Taiwanese family: Rex, Amber and their 2 children. They spoke perfect English and we enjoyed their company and their input of the situation in Taiwan. They send their children to an American school and the kids showed off their English.

The evening arrived and we headed to the Capital Taipei.

The beautiful Tower 101 was even more beautiful at night.

We checked into the Howard’s Plaza and went down to the streets for dinner.

Back in the hotel we met the group of the Israelis we had met a week ago in Sun Moon Lake.

Day 24 – October 5^th, 2015

Taipei

We woke up once again at 6:00 (Vacationing is a hard job!) and went to Starbucks for breakfast.

Jimmy showed up at 8:00 and took us to view Tower 101 up-close. The building was officially classified as the world's tallest in 2004, and remained such until the completion of Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009.

We then drove by City Hall and City Council buildings and arrived to the National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial for the National Founding Father of China Republic.

The place is tremendous in size and beauty. We observed the “Changing of the guards’ ceremony” which occurs hourly. We did not have time to visit the displays inside the building.

Next to the memorial we watched a group of locals having their morning exercise in the park, practicing Tai Chi.

We rushed to the next site: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, built to commemorate the Chinese political and military leader, Chiang Kai, who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975.

The place was impressive and the gardens were maintained to perfection. Walking in the gardens felt like we were in a Japanese garden with small bridges, small ponds and beautiful flowers and birds.

We drove by the Presidential Office and then arrived to Bo-Pi-Liao Historic Street, where we saw buildings range from the Qing period to buildings from the Japanese occupation to early post-war periods, and then through the development of the area. The hallways, just outside facing the main streets, formed from brick columns and wooden beams to create a nice visual.

Our next stop was Longshan Temple; a famous old temple that is used for worshiping Guanshiyin Buddha and other divine spirits. Its architecture is a three-section design in shape. There are the front hall, the rear hall and the right/left dragons protecting the middle hall.

We noticed a pair of bronze dragon poles in the front hall and four pairs of dragon poles in the middle hall. The sculptures are delicate. There were also exquisite wood sculptures. Among them, the Well and Buddha setting in the main hall. The temple has many Chinese poems, verses and lyrics on signs. We saw many people writing poems, sitting and facing the main hall.

Jimmy took us next to a Taiwanese/ Chinese pharmacy where we met the pharmacist, a young lady, who was mixing all kind of herbs to make remedies to many kind of illnesses and diseases. We bought some candies from her, which should help sore throats.

We asked Jimmy that since this is his hometown, he should take us his favorite lunch place. He did. We arrived to a small but very busy place where the food was served buffet style. I could see why he liked this place. The food was extremely tasty.

We left the restaurant and drove to the Martyr Shrine, dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China. Built in 1969, the Martyrs Shrine is influenced by the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City.

The structure houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000(!) persons killed.

A changing of the honor guards from the various branches of the Republic of China Military, take place at the shrine every hour and was extremely impressive.

Among the crowd we spotted the Israeli group again. By now we all became good friends!

We were now down to our last site in Taiwan: The Grand Hotel. It has played host to many foreign dignitaries who have visited Taipei. The main building of the hotel is one of the world's tallest Chinese classical buildings. It was also the tallest building in Taiwan from 1973 to 1981.

With its vermilion columns, the roof makes the hotel a visible showplace of Chinese architecture and culture. The interior was probably the best we ever seen in a hotel: The hotel itself contains numerous objects of art, wall panels, paintings, carvings, and prestige restaurants. Dragon motifs are intertwined throughout the various structures that make up the hotel, earning the hotel the name "The Dragon Palace". Beside dragons, there were lion and plum flower motifs.

Each of the eight guest levels represent a different Chinese dynasty, as reflected through the murals and general decor. The hotel has a total of 490 rooms. The rooms facing south offer guests a panoramic view of Taipei City.

Currently, the presidential suite costs $5,000 per night!

Our next stop was Taipei Airport where we thanked our loyal guide Jimmy, for all his effort and generosity. (His email address will be at the end of the blog, for those who want a great guide!)

We arrived to Shanghai airport later this evening and our driver was waiting for us as planned. He took us to the Renaissance Hotel where we were happy to be upgraded to a nice large suite on the 16^th floor, with the best views in town outside our windows: The Bund and the New City.

We skipped dinner and fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows!

Day 25 – October 6^th, 2015

Good Morning Shanghai!

We had a good night sleep and woke up at 7:00. Right after breakfast we walked to the nearest Laundromat to drop the dirty clothes we have accumulated in Taiwan and then walked into a metro station on Henan Road.
The station was crowded with the morning crowd. We took line 2 and then changed to line 1 in People Square and ended up in Shanghai Railway Station.

Before our trip we were informed that there is a building in Shanghai where we can find 2 floors that all they do is sell frames for eyeglasses and that they are in excellent quality and about 70% cheaper than the USA. We found the building and used the elevator to the 4^th floor. As we walked out we were greeted by several individuals who tried to direct us to their stores. We picked one and followed him to his store. As it turned out this gentleman was the manager of 4 stores in the same building. We sat for about an hour, while he was attending us. At the end we picked 4 brand name frames (2 for each) at the total cost of $80. After we paid, the manager offered to take us to a Mongolian Restaurant nearby. The food was spicy (yeahh!!) and in excellent quality.

We returned to the building, after we were told by him that the first 2 floors are with stores that sell gadgets for smartphones. We bought few items (super cheap!) and then, using his directions, went to another building where all five of its floors where for clothing. Tova bought few items and once again: super cheap!

We used the metro system to return to our original station and picked up our garments from the Laundromat. Each of the garments, that they cleaned for us, was wrapped in a separate plastic bag, as if they were new garments. I was impressed!

We walked back to the hotel and used the internet for a while. I took the opportunity and took the elevator to the top floor of the hotel where most of Shanghai was displayed underneath me in a 360 degrees view!!

After the rest we were back in the streets next to the hotel. We bought few toys and clothes for Noa and then walked to Yuyuan Garden.

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden and on top of the "Must See" attractions in this city. It was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty, by the name of Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age. (We should be so lucky!)

It occupies an area of just about five acres. However, the small size is not a representative of the attractions of the garden. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics.

The hotel’s concierge had told us that there is a special dumpling restaurant that is recommended and his directions were simple: “Enter the garden and find a place with a lot of people standing in line. This is Nanxiang Restaurant!” And so we did. When we saw the 200 or so people in line we got discouraged but then learned that his long line was for take-out food, consisted of locals buying their dinner and there was a shorter line for sit-in. We waited about 30 minutes in the short line and finally were invited to enter the dining room.

A mother and her daughter were sitting next to our table and when the waitress came I told her: “We’ll have what they are having”. Few minutes later we tasted the best dumpling we have ever had (and we had a lot of them in our lifetime!!). The buns were filled with pork and crabs and shrimps. They were juicy, filled with soup and the taste was out of this world. Some people received straws, which they used to get the soup out of the dumplings. We also had other dished and they were all fantastic!

As we walked out of the place, we promised ourselves to return here tomorrow.

We do have a rule when we travel, to never eat in the same place more than once but we were going to break the rule: this was an exception!

Day 26 – October 7^th, 2015

Shanghai

I woke up with a terrible back pain. Oh no!

Once again, woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast at the hotel, we walked (very slowly) to the “Big Bus” station, which offered Hop-on-Hop-off services in the city. We took the Red Line.

The first station was the famous waterfront of Shanghai: The Bund, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing the highly modern skyscrapers of Pudong New Area, with its skyscrapers.

We walked (once again, very slowly) across the Bund and found many historical buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance, which is why this place has been called “The Museum of International Architecture”.

We also found interesting statues and monuments along the way. Some of them were very impressive, such as: “Monument to the People's Heroes“, “Ever Victorious Army Monument“, and “Monument to the People's Heroes”.

We then hopped on the next bus, the Blue Line, which took us to Pudong (The New City). We crossed the magnificent Yangpu Bridge. We stopped at the New Financial Center and then again next to the Orient Pearl TV Tower, which creates a picture of 'twin dragons playing with pearls'.

The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excited my imagination. No wonder the tower attracts ten of thousands of visitors year-round. 1,536 feet high tower is the world's sixth and China's second tallest TV and radio tower.

However, even more alluring than its height is the unique architectural design that makes the tower one of the most attractive places anywhere.

Our eyes were up at the sky hugging the many skyscrapers, with their unique architecture and my camera was a ‘happy camper’.

We returned to the Bund and took another bus, back to the Red Line, which took us to the large People Square, which is in the center of the long (and famous) Nanjing Road. It is where the road is divided between east and west.
The square covers an area about 140,000 square meters and has become the largest public square of the city. On top of the metro station there was a HUGE poster with the former NBA star Yao Ming, selling an educational system (VIPABC).

The square was crowded with tens of thousands of people celebrating their last day of the National Holiday. We found a small restaurant and had lunch. Upon returning to the bus stop we discovered a park where one of the roads had a display of amazing statues.

We hopped on the Green Line and had a round trip back to the square. We did so to find out what to visit tomorrow, as we had a 2-days ticket.

We waited for the Red Line at people square and in the meantime entered the park and discovered many charming corners, beautiful flora and manicured lakes.

The bus took us back next to our hotel and we decided to walk first into Yuyuan Gardens.

This time we toured the gardens before entering the same restaurant from yesterday to taste those juicy dumplings again. The line was much shorter and we were seated almost right away. The food once again was so yummy! We ordered dumplings, vegetables and a fish.

We returned to the hotel and had a beer at the bar and after surfing the internet for awhile, we called it a day!

Day 27 – October 8^th, 2015

Shanghai

We woke up at 6:00 and after a Chinese breakfast at the hotel we walked to the metro station where we took line 10 east and arrived afterwards to Longhua Temple & Pagoda, which is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha and built in 242 AD.

Outside the site we found a park where many people are exercising in a special way: they dance! It was such an experience to watch the couples (sometimes men & men and women & women) dance away.

The site holds the largest temple in Shanghai, and the pagoda, outside of the walls, is the only one in Shanghai that existed before modern times.

It has a main south to north axis along which five of the buildings are located. The five buildings that we visited were the Maitreya Hall, the Emperor of Heaven Hall, the Grand Hall of the Great Sage, the Three Sages Hall, and the Abbot's Hall.

The nicest building was The Grand Hall of the Great Sage, where we saw a big golden sitting Buddha statue, there was a side hall where we saw 500 little gold statues arranged in rows. They shined and glittered in the light. From the austere courtyard, with the smoke of fires and burning incense, the golden and bright statues were a striking contrast.

The 40 meter-high Longhua Pagoda is made of brick, and the staircases are made of wood. It is red and has 7 stories. The brick tubular shell of the pagoda is said to have been first built in 977.

We spent about an hour touring this beautiful temple and then used line #11 north and then line #2 southbound to arrive to our next destination.

Jingan Temple, literally: "Temple of Peace and Tranquility" was built in 247 AD and is located on West Nanjing Road, the flourishing downtown area of Shanghai.

There were three main halls here: The Mahavira Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Three Sage Hall. In the Mahavira Hall, we saw a magnificent jade portrait of Shakyamuni. It is the biggest pure jade in China. I met a Chinese man there and he told me that this is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and come here to 'clean out'. When I asked him about the portrait, he told me that Buddhism originates in the teachings of Shakyamuni, who was born in what is now Nepal some 2,500 years ago. He was born a prince, but from a young age he became aware of and was profoundly troubled by the problem of human suffering. He became increasingly possessed by a longing to abandon the secular world and go out in search of a solution to the inherent sufferings of life. He traveled throughout India and spread his philosophy and wisdom.

We returned to the busy and famous street and had coffee in a garden café. While walking on the street we noticed how westernized this street is with big name stores and shopping malls.

We hopped on the green line bus and stopped at the Jade Buddha Temple.

In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928.

We entered the room with the Jade Buddha and learned that the two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with a whole white jade! Pictures were not allowed in the room but I managed to sneak a couple of them in, before I was told not to use the camera.

In one of the side halls we saw the Reclining Buddha, which resembled the one e saw in Penang, Malaysia, not too long ago.

We walked and arrived to a local restaurant. The only other occupants were a noisy group of Chinese men all were drunk and loud. It actually added to the experience.

We found the green line and used it to go back to People Square, so we could hop on the red line, which took us back to The Bund. We walked on East Nanjing Road and passed the elegant Peace Hotel with its rich history.

We arrived to Henan Road where Tova entered a beauty salon. I sat down at the salon and a nice girl served me herbal tea and cookies. How nice!

We returned to the hotel and packed our luggage, preparing for tomorrow’s departure. For dinner we walked to Yuyuan Gardens and entered a different restaurant this time for a buffet style dinner.

Day 28 – October 9^th, 2015

Shanghai

We woke up at 6:00 and headed to the hotel’s dining room for breakfast. We asked our driver, Jack, to be waiting for us at 8:30 in the lobby, but when we were done with breakfast, at 7:45 he was already waiting.

We left the hotel at 8:00 and after a 45 minutes drive we were at the Yangtze River port. We arrived too early and had to wait for the last passengers to disembark the cruise ship and were the first passengers to be welcomed on board the MV Sophia, our home for the next 8 days. As it turned out, this was a blessing. The ship was only 33% full and Oscar, the ship’s hotel manager, upgraded us to the Shangri La Suite, which was the largest and most elegant on this ship.

We had a private huge balcony, a (very) large bedroom, a living room and a luxurious bathroom, which included a Jacuzzi. Since we occupied this room we also received free internet for the duration of the trip plus a free pass to the Executive Dining Room!

Oscar told us that they had many cancellations, due to the terrible accident to another cruise ship (“The Eastern Sun”) on the river, which was capsized four months ago. Out of the 456 passengers and crew, only 14 survived.

During the rest of the day, 82 more passengers showed up (capacity is 246 passengers). We met our next door neighbors, a nice couple from Australia: Joe (who looked like Santa Clause) and his girlfriend Arnell (Ell for short).

We unpacked the luggage and toured the ship. We were on the 3rd deck. The executive dining room and the lounge were on the fifth deck and the regular dining room plus the reception area on the 1^st deck.

We started our journey at noon. We had an orientation and were introduced to the crew. Most of them did not speak English. We met the guide Campbell, and were extremely impressed by his English and knowledge. He told all of us few interesting facts about the river:

The Yangtze River is the world's third longest river, running for 3,900 miles from the vast Tibetan Plateau to the estuary of the East China Sea near Shanghai (where we started out journey). It says the Yangtze River Basin covers nearly 448 million acres -- more than four times the size of California! The river is the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country.

In recent years, the river has suffered from industrial pollution, due to the heavy traffic of ships and boats and it is also used to expose trash by the locals.

There were many disasters caused by the river all due to flooding. Beginning in the 1950's dams and thousands of kilometers of dykes were built for flood control, land reclamation, irrigation and for the control of diseases. More than a hundred lakes were thus cut off from the main river. There were gates between the lakes that could be opened during floods. However, farmers and settlements encroached on the land next to the lakes although it was forbidden to settle there. When floods came, it proved impossible to open the gates since it would have caused substantial destruction. Thus the lakes partially or completely dried up.

Until 1957, there were no bridges across the Yangtze River from Yibin to Shanghai. For many years, travelers crossed the river by ferries, which proved to be very dangerous. China started to build bridges in 1955 and the first bridge was completed in 1957. Today there are more than 100 bridges on the Yangtze.

Campbell promised us more facts as we continue with our journey.

Lunch was good and the service was outstanding! We sat next to a charming family from Singapore: The parents C.P & Adeline and their children Dominique and Trina.

We rested in the afternoon and then joined everyone to the Captain’s Welcome Party. A translator was needed, when the captain spoke, as all he knew was Chinese.

We had dinner at around 7:00 and sat next to 3 lovely Australian ladies: Ann, Pat and Colleen.

Day 29 – October 10^th, 2015

Yangtze River

When we woke up the ship was already approaching our first destination: Yangzhou City. We docked at a simple (very simple) port and met with our local guide. Her name was Rebecca and her English was horrible.

A bus took us all to Geyuan Garden and during the ride I was able to understand few things of her speech: there are about 4.5 million people in the city. Historically, Yangzhou City is one of the wealthiest cities in China, known at various periods for its great merchant families, poets, artists, and scholars.

The garden, she continued, is known for its seasonal rock gardens, which paint a colorful landscape and was built as a private retreat during the Ming Dynasty.

We arrived to the beautiful garden after about 20 minutes ride and had a great time there. We visited few sections of the garden and enjoyed the beauty of the bamboo trees and - laid out rockeries.

Since the beginning of time, bamboo trees have been recognized for their ambient qualities as well as their innate physical beauty. In China, bamboo trees were considered even more beautiful, since they combine a delicate appearance with a hardy constitution. In fact, there is no plant that more epitomizes Chinese landscape art than the bamboo plant, while ancient Chinese writers and poets praised the bamboo tree as a symbol of purity, loftiness and integrity. Each bamboo tree possesses its own unique "posture", though the bamboo tree is known for the straightness of its trunk. Geyuan Garden boasts several species of bamboo trees, adding to the variety its flora.

The Garden's rockery is in fact four rockeries in one, in the sense that it consists of four separate rockeries, each representing one of the four seasons, a feature that makes Geyuan Garden unique among Chinese gardens. The four, seasonal rockeries are constructed of materials that suit the respective season, and sometimes the motif of the surrounding "landscape" is also chosen to match the respective season as well, such that a stroll through the four, seasonal rockeries of Geyuan Garden is like a condensed trip through spring, summer, autumn and winter.

At one point we entered a “tunnel” and Tova, who is claustrophobic, opted to go around it. However, when we exited the tunnel I did not see her. After a 15 minutes wait, I started to look for her all over the garden but for she was not anywhere. Finally the guide received a phone call from the ship that Tova and another passenger Ms. Chen, who is Chinese, were found outside the garden.

We exited the garden and found Tova and Ms. Chen and then walked through a nice market towards the parking lot and to our bus. The walkway also connects the garden with the inner city.

We returned to our ship. After lunch we rested and then went to the lounge to join a lecture by the ship physician, who demonstrated both Western and Eastern medicine. I volunteered to have acupuncture treatment on my back. (No, it did not help!!)

When we returned to our cabin we watched a beautiful sunset as we passed Nanjing City and its beautiful long bridge.

In the evening we returned to the lounge for a happy hour drinks and then had a delicious dinner, which followed by a show, which was dedicated to Chinese cloture & costumes from different Chinese Dynasties.

Day 30 – October 11^th, 2015

Yangtze River

We woke up at 5:45 as we had an early excursion. We met our new guide by the name of Sarah, right after breakfast. Thank God: her English was perfect!!

We disembarked the ship and sunny skies welcomed us.

The ride to our next destination took about an hour and 20 minutes and we arrived to Jiuhuashan Mountains. The guide was excellent and gave us a lot of details: The Mountain was called as Lingyang Mountain and Jiuzi Mountain (nine peaks, mountain) in ancient time. In Tang Dynasty, a famous poet (Li Bai) visited in the mountain and was intoxicated with the fascinating scenery of night lotuses-shape peaks upon a green river. He described the landscape in his poem. Then the mountain was famous as Mt. Jiuhuashan meaning of nine lotuses in a mountain. In Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong complimented the mountain as “(The) First Mountain in southeast China”.

We rode the cable car to reach the top of the mountain and found a “main street” surrounded by Buddhism temples. The views from the summit were breathtaking.

We visited Huacheng Temple, the holiest temple on the site and one of the holiest temples in China, where a mummy of 400 years is behind a glassed cage. The construction was simple but solemn decorated in exquisite engraving and patterns which are bright and vivid through hundreds years.

We then entered Huacheng Temple collects various precious sutras. As we entered the temple, a drum announced the beginning of a prayer. The place was packed with worshipers and the site was impressive.

Next to the temple we found another temple that contains hundreds of small Buddha statues, all assembled in one room, which was so beautiful.

As we looked through the window of this temple, a picturesque view of the mountains was in display.

We returned to the ship, after touring this magnificent place for a couple of hours.

After lunch, the ship sailed away to its next destination. We napped for a couple of hours and woke up to a beautiful and unforgettable sunset.

At the dining room they had a different arrangement, per our request they combined the two tables into one table of 11 people. We (Ann, Pat, Colleen and us) were now sitting with C.P, Adeline, Dominique, Trina Joe, and Norell, who until last night were sitting in a separate table.

After dinner Campbell taught us how to play Mahjong.

Day 31 – October 12^th, 2015

Yangtze River

This morning was a “lazy” one as we spent most of the day sailing up the river. We had a morning lecture by Campbell about Chinese History between the 18^th century and until 1945.

We arrived to Wulian at around 4:00 pm and were taken to the city’s Cultural Museum of Ancient China.

The museum collected, since 1953, 200,000 exhibits of cultural relics, including pottery, porcelains, jade, bronze vessels, ancient weapons, and ancient musical instruments. Among these cultural relics, 812 are listed as first-class relics of China, and 16 are considered national treasures.

We were short on time so we visited only one hall, which considered being the most interesting: The Chime Bells Exhibition.

It was an interesting hall with exhibits from around 472 BC. The most famous treasure was the Chime Bells, which is the largest bronze musical instrument ever discovered. With a set of bells of different sizes, it can play various tones of the musical scale, and the timbre is quite beautiful.

We entered the Music Hall where musicians wearing ancient clothes played a replica of the Chime Bells. It was quite impressive.

We returned to the ship and after dinner we crossed the 1^st bridge ever built across the river: Wuhan Yangtze Great Bridge. At its completion in 1957, the bridge was the easternmost crossing of the Yangtze, and was often referred to as the "First Bridge of the Yangtze".

We passed it at night and the sites of Wuhan and the bridge were spectacular.

Campbell announced that we will sail the next 37 hours without a stop, to reach the Gorges.

Day 32 – October 13^th, 2015

Yangtze River

Day on the River!

I woke up with terrible back pains. A lazy day on board Sophia: Eat, sleep and rest.

At one point we passed the wrecks of the ship that was capsized in June this year and throughout our sailing we saw many bridges over the river.

After dinner we had a beautiful show, featuring costumes from 55 different tribes of China accompanied by traditional dancing.

Day 33 – October 14^th, 2015

Yangtze River

We woke up at 6:00 and Tova joined her Tai Chi class. She was part of a group that had her morning exercise doing it the Chinese way!

After breakfast we rushed back to our cabin to capture the glorious entrance to The Gorges.

We passed the first Gorge with name of Xiling Gorge, the longest among the three gorges of the Yangtze River. Because of numerous reefs and odd-shaped stones existing in rapid shoals, it is also well known for its danger.

We entered a small lock that in fifteen minutes enabled us to float on the other side of the river. The view was unbelievable. We heard so much about this section of China and now we were there to witness it with our own eyes. We were excited!!!

Scenery along the Xiling Gorge were spectacular with some renowned streams, springs, stones and caves that we found along this section.

The views surrounding us were so pretty. The rocks and mountains merged into the river, creating a closure where in some places they were so narrow that only one ship could cross.

After lunch we docked and were greeted by our guide for the day. We were going to visit the Tribe of the Three Gorges.

The Tribe is located between the Three-Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam; we watched around us and saw beautiful scenery of mountains and streams, as beautiful as painted pictures.

Young women danced and sang as old sailboats moor placidly below stilt houses hidden in the bamboo grove. Maidens wash clothes by the brook side with their whirling batons; fishermen cast their nets in the misty distance… Entering the region felt like coming from afar into a dreamland garden.

We also saw some wild life in the area including many monkeys, Cameron birds, ducks and many colorful birds. In the dense forest along the Longjin Brook valley, hundreds of wild monkeys were playing with each other, while roaring continuously. Some of them jumped off the trees and crouched by the side of the road, begging food from us.

We also watched with wow's The Seven Piles Spring, located in the downstream of the Longjin Brook, the “happy spring water” runs along the ditch into the Yangtze River, forming a beautiful picture of seven piles of silver necklace.

The highlight of this dream place was The Yellow Dragon Waterfall, located in the middle reach of the Longjin Brook. It got its name since the shape of water flow looks like a dragon discharging water from its mouth. It was mighty and the sound of the roaring torrents could be heard very far away.

We return to the village and watched a wedding ceremony. It was quite interesting as a woman “picked” one of the visitors and “married” him.

A boat took us back to the ship and as we sailed away, we sat in our balcony and watched the gorgeous Gorge.

We arrived to Gezhouba Dam, where a huge dam, locks and a huge water reservoir were our next attractions.

We docked alongside another cruise ship and in order to get to the shores, we first entered the other ship, walked in its’ hallways and then arrived to the dock.

Our new guide, a charming guy with the name of Mark, waited for us. We took a bus to the visitor center and Mark told us some interesting facts about this humongous place and the historical project:

When the Yangtze River goes through the Nanjin Pass, the river suddenly becomes a lot broader,. At a cost of almost 5 billion Chinese New Yuan, this project lasted 19 years and finished in 1988.

The dam divides the Yangtze River into three parts. It consists of two hydro electric power stations, three navigation locks, and several gates some of which are used for accumulating water in dry seasons.

There is a total storage capacity of 2 billion cubic yards, and a maximum discharging capability of more than 140,000 cubic yards per second.

Since 1981, it has survived two severe floods. The two power stations generate a total of almost 16 billion kilo watts each year serving Shanghai, Henan Province, Hunan Province, Wuhan, etc.

The three deep and wide locks make it possible for 10,000-ton passenger or cargo ships to pass through.

Standing near the water passage, we were amazed at this man-made wonder.

We were back to the ship right in time for dinner and then entered the five locks system. Our lock held additional 3 big ships.

As soon as a gate was closed behind the last ship (we were the first boat), water started to flow in.

It took about 40 minutes for us to “slide” into the 2^nd lock and the experience was one to remember. We watched how the water level was increasing each minute until we leveled off with the next gate.

Day 34 – October 15^th, 2015

Yangtze River

When we woke up at 6:30, we entered the Wu Gorge. My back pain increased and I felt terrible.

After breakfast, a ferry approached our ship to pick us up for our next destination and it was one of the best: The Shennong Stream.

We entered 4 narrow gorges with top of mountains covering from above, with different kind of flora and some wild life, creating unique scenery. We were amazed seeing the zigzagging watercourses, the primitive environment, the many caves and the mysterious culture along the banks.

The length of the stream is about 40 miles and the boat ride took about 45 minutes and while sailing, a tour guide described and explained what we were witnessing and elaborated about the hanging coffins: Hanging Coffins describe an ancient cliff burial site. The Shennong Stream has been inhabited since at least as early as the Han Dynasty; the primary ethnic group of the gorge being the Thuja people. Early settlement history in the stream is evident by the hanging coffins stowed in a narrow space on the vertical rock faces. The coffins themselves are characteristically carved from a single solid tree trunk, which was approximately 90 centimeters in diameter; although the lid section was split away from the base, defying an understanding of exactly how the prehistoric peoples could have accomplished such an engineering feat. Human remains and burial objects have been found within the coffins. The coffins have been dated from 200 BC to 500 AD.

As we arrived to a beautiful village, called simply Shennong and walked through a cute market into a theater and watched the locals perform on stage some ethnic dancing. The show was great!

After the show we used the same ferry to get back to our cruise ship. Some of the passengers were Chinese, who came to tour the stream during their Holiday. They thought, for some reason, that I am a celebrity from America and asked to take pictures with me. They also stood in front of the ferry and sang beautiful melodies.

One of them, an older guy, took his flute out of his bag and played beautiful folklore music, as some of the ladies accompanied him with their voices.

We returned to the ship just in time for a delicious lunch, as the ship continued its voyage. We passed the Goddess Peak. Campbell was at the top of the ship as he described the site:

The Wu Gorge is named after the high mountain - Wu Mountain. Looking down the Yangtze River, Wu Mountain sees 12 high peaks, which are described by legend as being 12 fairy spirits. Among them, the Goddess Peak (Shenu Peak) is the highest and most notable. The peak is topped by a large rock that resembles a sculpture of a girl looking down upon the boats in the river. As it is the first peak to welcome the sun's glow and say farewell to its afterglow.

I couldn’t help noticing how polluted the river was. All kind of debris and garbage were floating on the river. China must find a way to preserve this treasure!

We passed a gorgeous bridge before entering Chonging, which marks the end of the gorge.

We were now sailing at the Quatang Gorge, the shortest and most majestic of the Three Gorges and known also as The 1^st Gorge (for those crossing the river from east to west). We sailed for about 20 minutes and thre was it: We passed the gorge!

Once again we docked our vessel alongside another one. What a great way to save in docking space!. We exited our ship and walked inside the other ship towards the exit, and joined an onshore tour to White Emperor City or Baidicheng.

We climbed 364 steps on Baidi Hill and arrived to the top of the hill where we discovered a 2,000 year old mini city or actually a temple complex.

On our way up we saw transporters who would carry people to the top inside a carriage.

The views that we discovered from the top were majestic. We explored many temples and gates at the site.

Out guide explained the meaning of the site’s name: It has been said that the area was once surrounded with a white mist, giving it a look which was rather mysterious, yet serene—much as what an emperor should be like.

In two of the temples we found tablets of every dynasty that were kept perfectly.

In BaidiCheng Temple, there was an exhibition rooms with displays of historical and cultural relics since the Neolithic period, as well as famous paintings and poems from masters of that era, engraved in stone plates. Examples are the famous willow-leaf-shaped bronze swords of Bashu period in eastern Zhou dynasty, the hanging coffins relics of the Han Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, 73 inscriptions of poems and paintings since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

There were also pottery, a cash tree, other ancient relics and more than 100 pieces of calligraphy and paintings written or drawn by old masters.

On the other side of the hill we watched the beautiful Kui Bridge and the entrance to the Gorges. This site is so important and popular that it is also the face of a 10 Chinese Yuan note.

We stood at the spot for a while, refusing to leave this beautiful and unforgettable scenery.

When we walked down the hill, a beautiful sunset was on the horizons. I will never forget this day and this sight.

After dinner we had a cabaret show, a magician and social games.

Day 35 – October 16^th, 2015

Yangtze River

We woke up at 5:45 and after breakfast we arrived to Feng Du – the Ghost City, a large complex of shrines, temples and monasteries dedicated to the afterlife located on the Ming Mountain.

Campbell explained that having nearly two thousand years' history, the Ghost City combines the cultures of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism with the mystique of ghosts.

Feng Du got its name as the Ghost City in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Two officials from the imperial court decided to come to Ming Mountain to practice Taoist teachings. Through self-cultivation they became immortals. Combining their surnames produces the term "Yinwang" meaning the "king of hell."

Later, during the Tang Dynasty, a stupendous temple was erected on Ming Mountain depicting life in hell. It displays demonic images and torture devices and reflects the notion that good people will be treated well in the afterlife and that bad people will be punished by going to hell.

We started our onshore excursion with a local guide. We climbed 479 (!) steps and arrived at the complex. There were four significant temples: Temple of Mercy, Temple of Life, Temple of Happiness and Temple of Death.

Our guide explained that In the Chinese vision of the afterlife, the dead must undergo three major tests to enter the netherworld. These tests are taken at three locations - Nothing-To-Be-Done-Bridge; Ghost Torturing Pass and the Son of Heaven Palace. These three locations are among many attractions in this scenic area.

We spent about three hours in this amazing site and returned to the ship. We had lunch as the vessel was approaching its’ final leg of our cruise. After lunch we napped for a couple of hours and then woke up and started to pack.

Today’s dinner was very special as the best of food was prepared. We called it "The Last Supper"...). Our captain joined the dining room, all dressed in white and had some farewell words to tell us.

After dinner we had a costumes show, as we, the passengers, were dressed in Chinese costumes as well.

We arrived to our final port of the journey: Chongqing, the most populous Chinese municipality with over 30 million(!) residents, making it the 2^nd largest cities in the world (After Tokyo, Japan).

The amazing skyline of the city made a great impression. Around us there were many other cruises, all with beautiful lights. The tall buildings of the Financial Center were all decorated with different color lights. It was amazing.

Some of the passengers opted to go ashore and discover the nightlife of the city. We decided to rest my aching back, ahead of our 17 hours flight tomorrow, and just sit in our private patio and enjoy the sights.

Day 36 – October 17^th, 2015

Chongqing

Our last day of the trip.

We woke up at 6:00 and had breakfast. Al showed up without Norell and we were informed that she was taken to the hospital as she was having problems breathing. (We later found out that she is now ok). We said goodbyes to all our new friends and the crew.

Our driver Royce showed up and charged us extra money for having more than 2 luggage. He also tried to rip us off, suggesting a tour of the city for $200. We asked him to take us straight to the airport. As experienced world travelers we have encountered with these type of "help" along the way.

We flew from Chongqing to Seoul where we boarded our final flight to LAX.

David, our loyal friend from D & D Limo Services was waiting for us at the terminal.

Helpful Links:

Jimmy (Our loyal guide in Taiwan): Tel +886 9329-299-738
Campbell (Guide in China): Email CampbellHur@hotmail.com
D&D Limo Service in Southern California: Email DNDLimo4Y@Gmail.com

More Journals

Far East (2015)

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Far East (2015)

Day 1 – September 11^th, 2015

Day 2 – September 12^th, 2015

Day 3 – September 13^th, 2015

Day 4 – September 14^th, 2015

Day 5 – September 15^th, 2015

Day 6 – September 16^th, 2015

Day 7 – September 18^th, 2015

Day 8 – September 19^th, 2015

Day 9 – September 20^th, 2015

Day 10 – September 21^st, 2015

Day 11 – September 22^nd, 2015

Day 12 – September 23^rd, 2015

Day 13 – September 24^th, 2015

Day 14 – September 25^th, 2015

Day 15 – September 26^th, 2015

Day 16 – September 27^th, 2015

Day 17 – September 28^th, 2015

Day 18 – September 29^th, 2015

Day 19 – September 30^th, 2015

Day 20 – October 1^st, 2015

Day 21 – October 2^nd, 2015

Day 22 – October 3^rd, 2015

Day 23 – October 4^th, 2015

Day 24 – October 5^th, 2015

Day 25 – October 6^th, 2015

Day 26 – October 7^th, 2015

Day 27 – October 8^th, 2015

Day 28 – October 9^th, 2015

Day 29 – October 10^th, 2015

Day 30 – October 11^th, 2015

Day 31 – October 12^th, 2015

Day 32 – October 13^th, 2015

Day 33 – October 14^th, 2015

Day 34 – October 15^th, 2015

Day 35 – October 16^th, 2015

Day 36 – October 17^th, 2015

Blog Archive

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Far East (2015)

Day 1 – September 11th, 2015

Day 2 – September 12th, 2015

Day 3 – September 13th, 2015

Day 4 – September 14th, 2015

Day 5 – September 15th, 2015

Day 6 – September 16th, 2015

Day 7 – September 18th, 2015

Day 8 – September 19th, 2015

Day 9 – September 20th, 2015

Day 10 – September 21st, 2015

Day 11 – September 22nd, 2015

Day 12 – September 23rd, 2015

Day 13 – September 24th, 2015

Day 14 – September 25th, 2015

Day 15 – September 26th, 2015

Day 16 – September 27th, 2015

Day 17 – September 28th, 2015

Day 18 – September 29th, 2015

Day 19 – September 30th, 2015

Day 20 – October 1st, 2015

Day 21 – October 2nd, 2015

Day 22 – October 3rd, 2015

Day 23 – October 4th, 2015

Day 24 – October 5th, 2015

Day 25 – October 6th, 2015

Day 26 – October 7th, 2015

Day 27 – October 8th, 2015

Day 28 – October 9th, 2015

Day 29 – October 10th, 2015

Day 30 – October 11th, 2015

Day 31 – October 12th, 2015

Day 32 – October 13th, 2015

Day 33 – October 14th, 2015

Day 34 – October 15th, 2015

Day 35 – October 16th, 2015

Day 36 – October 17th, 2015

Blog Archive

Day 1 – September 11^th, 2015

Day 2 – September 12^th, 2015

Day 3 – September 13^th, 2015

Day 4 – September 14^th, 2015

Day 5 – September 15^th, 2015

Day 6 – September 16^th, 2015

Day 7 – September 18^th, 2015

Day 8 – September 19^th, 2015

Day 9 – September 20^th, 2015

Day 10 – September 21^st, 2015

Day 11 – September 22^nd, 2015

Day 12 – September 23^rd, 2015

Day 13 – September 24^th, 2015

Day 14 – September 25^th, 2015

Day 15 – September 26^th, 2015

Day 16 – September 27^th, 2015

Day 17 – September 28^th, 2015

Day 18 – September 29^th, 2015

Day 19 – September 30^th, 2015

Day 20 – October 1^st, 2015

Day 21 – October 2^nd, 2015

Day 22 – October 3^rd, 2015

Day 23 – October 4^th, 2015

Day 24 – October 5^th, 2015

Day 25 – October 6^th, 2015

Day 26 – October 7^th, 2015

Day 27 – October 8^th, 2015

Day 28 – October 9^th, 2015

Day 29 – October 10^th, 2015

Day 30 – October 11^th, 2015

Day 31 – October 12^th, 2015

Day 32 – October 13^th, 2015

Day 33 – October 14^th, 2015

Day 34 – October 15^th, 2015

Day 35 – October 16^th, 2015

Day 36 – October 17^th, 2015