R and R CruisinTogether

                                                                                               New Zealand We have crossed the international dateline again.  This time, instead of skipping a day, we get a do over.  This morning I thought about what I would do differently since I get to do over Wednesday.  It is really cold here in the Northern Pacific Ocean.  The only thing I decided to do differently was wear warmer shoes to lunch (my feet were freezing yesterday, I mean the first time today), err anyway that is my do over. This is the first time in my life I have had the opportunity to change my past which gave me pause to consider what I would have done differently with my life- reall...

                                                                                               Antarctica Best of and favorites is an easy list to compile but a difficult task to complete, here goes------- Antarctica for the most spectacular natural beauty.  The serene magnificence cannot be described in words.  This photograph might provide a clue. Those who are interested will most likely first ask what was our favorite country.  There are many favorites for different reasons.   Japan is my overall favorite country because of the culture.  Each island has its unique character and beauty.  I really like the respect for each other and the environment, the food, desire for ...

                                                                                                    Vietnam About the only thing we would have done differently was manage our time on land more judiciously.  Most of the excursions we took were fine and some outstanding.  However, there were many times we didn't like being in a crowd of cruise passengers, especially when there was more than one busload at an attraction.  As we look back, there were several places where we could have researched and made our own plans, like we ordinarily do on our land vacations.  One or two of our private tours could have been done on our own.  Quite a few ship planned excursions would n...

 Tugboats have used their brute strength to maneuver our big boat in harbors all over the world. Six sea days begin today as we cross the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea to Alaska.  Regent Seven Seas Mariner has been our home for nearly five months.  Service and dining have both been outstanding.  This ship is showing its age, especially in our stateroom.  The carpet and furnishings in our stateroom are worn albeit clean and cozy.  Most importantly, the bed is supportive and comfortable.  Everything works well except the heating system in our suite has required repair multiple times.  Live shows are performed every night.  We rise early in the mornings so we have attended very few 9:30 shows.  On board activities are plentiful but we don't join in as we prefer to read and spend time with each other when we're at sea.  Dining is exceptional and a test of will power with a variety of choices along with daily chef specials and bottoml...

Last day in Japan for these two Americans lamenting our exit from Asia.  Japan may be our favorite country we have visited but then my favorites list is fluid, with my most recent experience gaining more influence.  We greatly admire the respect people have for each other here and the many other attributes I have written in previous blogs, along with the pure beauty of this land of the rising sun. Curry ramen originated here in Muroran and this dish nourished and warmed us at lunch on our first cold day in months.  We opted to take the shuttle to town again today rather than an excursion.  We passed two giant steel mills still in operation even though this city reminded us of the old steel towns in Ohio where the mills have been closed and torn down. We have been careful to make certain the small restaurants where we eat local food take credit cards---  until today where this ramen cafe did not take credit cards.  At the end of our meal, we produced our cre...

Mt Hakodate view over two bays surrounding this historic seaport city.   Our shore excursions arranged by the ship have felt more and more restrictive.  With google maps and research, we have taken more control of our time on shore by walking when and where we want to go while having time to meander into delightful discoveries.  The Morning Market in Hakodate is one of the most interesting markets we have experienced for quite some time.  Of course, there was tons of fish but also produce and other food items displayed in an eye pleasing manner.                                           1,000 yen for these perfectly formed succulent strawberries. Uni Marakami Restaurant specializes in sea urchin and is located next to the market.  This dish was presented in a rice bowl with a bit of seaweed and sea urchin on top which was quickly...

Miyako welcomed us at 7:30 am with food trucks and a market of local artists with handcrafted goods.  The crew and passengers liked the food trucks along with calligraphy artists providing free Kanji names drawn on panels suitable for saving.                                                    Taiko drummers served as our alarm clock this morning. Downtown Miyako fourteen years after the fourth most powerful earthquake (since seismography began in 1900) struck in 2011,  triggering the devastating tsunami with waves as high as 160 feet and flood water reaching 6 miles inland, killing nearly 20,000 people.  The residents had only 8-10 minutes of warning. Jerome's Restaurant for lunch today as we took the shuttle to town and explored on our own.   Sloppy American here- it was hot in there,  Most Japanese rest...

                    Nakaminato Fish Market, where I did not eat anything, began our excursion today. Since I didn't want to see anymore fish heads, we took a walk through town.  Hitachinaka is an old industrial steel town and now hosts many electronics factories.  In both the suburbs and in town, the architecture is linear. Hitachi Seaside Park was where we spent two hours walking among the splendiferous trees and these blue colored nemophilla sprawled across the hillside.   This was the most splendiferous tree we saw.  We climbed a hill for a 360 degree view which was disappointing.  The ocean was included in the vista but most of it was industrial buildings and the loading docks.  The park was large and beautiful with paved walking and biking paths.                                    ...

Fender flagship store in Tokyo.  Many of my best friends have been guitar players so I felt obligated to stop and see the gear.  It is a beautiful store with both new and vintage guitars, vintage Fender tees, accessories and stage wear.  The stage clothes were also functional for guitarists with things like shoulder pads for guitar straps, velcro loops for cables, etc.  Franco, Craig, Tube, George, Tim, Jimmy and Dave would have loved it. Shibuya Crossing is a unique street in the Shibuya area of Tokyo.  There were pig cafes, otter cafes, anime merchandise stores with many specializing in a particular genre and several stores that we could not comprehend their intent.  Understandably, it would have been helpful if we could read Japanese. Japan is crazy about vending machines!  This store dispenses toys from vending machines.  In many cases, all the vendee knows about the content is the more money inserted, the better the toy.      ...