Melsea's 1st Half World Cruise, Arcadia 2016 Part 6

[melsea]

Hello all you lovely people, I'm back. Sorry for the delay, well it's a big delay. Lots of thing occurring so had to put my report on hold but all is well in the world and so where was I, ah yes....

Day 11. Jeju-do, South Korea 9am - 5.30

24th March 2016. Evening Casual

We arrived at our first port in South Korea which for many of us was a new Country and port. It is actually an island of the coast of main land South Korea.
Both of us got off. But not before we went through the process of immigration. This was a simple process which did have have a twist to it if you had not read the important information given the night before. 1. If you intended to go ashore in Jeju-do you have to have your passport checked and stamped, 2. If you are not processed in Jeju-do you will be able to go ashore in Busan the second port of South Korea, 3. If however you do not intend to go ashore at all you do not have to attend the immigration inspection in either port.
Processed we made our way through the terminal. As we walked through the very nice terminal there were lots of passengers & crew using the wifi, not an unusual sight these days. What was amazing was that the wi-fi was fastest I have ever used anywhere, even better than ours at home which is saying something as ours is really good but this was quite something. We didn't need to stay long since the wifi was so fast.
Shuttle bus into town was not far travel to. We were dropped off by a place called Jeju Mokgwana, a traditional style of building that was clearly used for more formal use than it is today, looked like you could go round the historical grounds but today much of it is used for local government offices. We were handed a map which seemed as though it was going to be easy to follow, needless to say not quite so straight forward, as many streets were not named on the map and although the street signs were both in English and Korean it was not always easy to figure out which was which I soon learned. Near to where we were dropped off there were underground shopping malls that ran the length of the streets above, you could be forgiven in thinking you were entering a subway and it fact the style of it looked as though it used to be. We wandered a little way but realised that much of what was for sale was tacky and not of good quality, it was though a really huge market underground. After a while Bill decided to go back to the ship as he suffers with sore feet so is unable to walk very far these days, he doesn't mind as he rather likes being on board the ship anyway. I on the other hand stayed and tried to make sense of the map I was given. I was trying to find a street named the 'Jeonnongro Cherry Blossom Street' that would have trees full of blossom, could I find it? No! I did however find amazing food markets and smelly ones too, this one was called Dongmun Traditional Market. Here I found a lady sitting behind her offerings smiling away, I asked if I could take her picture and she smiled even bigger, I showed her what I had taken and she chuckled. She then pointed to a poster that was above her and it was a photo of her with who I think was a VIP woman who I think may have been a government official who was visiting the market and had stopped by her stall. She was so proud of this that I then took another photo of her with the above photo, she was beaming even bigger than before. Having said my goodbyes I continued on through the market.
I walked around the streets and found some sculptures that were around and some were good whereas others were just bizarre. It wasn't long before I came across another equally bizarre thing and actually quite worrying at the same time. There is a Jeju Olle Trail close by but I couldn't tell where it started. And in front of me was a sign which says,
"Make sure you read all safety information before starting. Take your own risk." Followed by these notices
Follow trail signs (arrows & ribbons) and keep on the track always.
If you are a single female hiker, call to JEJU OLLE call centre( 064-762-2190)
Turn back to last checkpoint of Jeju Olle Trail when you get lost
Do not try to be away from appointed routes into deep valleys or steep cliffs.
Mind the car on driveway
Finish walking before 18.00 in summer and 17.00 in winter.
Do not walk when the weather condition is bad.
Do not pick crops.
Now bearing in mind I am standing in the middle of town so I have absolutely no idea where they are referring to. Although some miles out of town there is lush countryside so it's anyone's guess as to what this is referring to.
It wasn't long before I felt I should start to make my way back to the ship as the last shuttle bus would be in an hours time and you never know what the queue will be like. There was a sizeable queue but I did not have to wait long. When I got back I was able to get a bite to eat.

In the evening I saw the act The Blue Jays again and they were very good.
Day 12. Busan South Korea 9am - 6.30pm Good Friday.

25th March 2016

Today was on the mainland South Korea. I went on shore, Bill stayed on board this time. Originally the shuttle bus was to drop us off outside or near to a Department store called Lotte. Instead it was near a hotel not that far from the original drop off although there didn't seem to be any sign of a hotel. Once off the bus I was handed a map which I soon realised had good and bad point about it. Good that it has icon images of places to visit and to try to get some bearing of where you were on it, bad that it was so not to scale and no street names on what appeared to be main streets. When I asked the young man who was giving these maps out from the bus he was a local and was pleased to see we were visiting his country and he was proud of his town too. I asked where on the map we were, which he did. He mention the Busan Tower and I said was it a good place to visit, he said yes it was and that there was another much taller building elsewhere. So onto my day on mainland South Korea. I started my walk towards the Busan Tower which I could see at times but could I find the side streets to go down no. I was trying to find the escalator that would take you up there. I ended up overshooting this and I found myself going up steps and arriving at from a different direction but no very far from the escalators were. The Busan Tower stands in the Yongdusan Park it was full of Korean tourist who were enjoying the sunshine and the grounds in which it stood. I found the ticket office and bought a ticket to go up. It was very quick, it's height is 385 feet and it has great views across the city. I stayed up there for a while trying to get my bearings. I noticed the building that was the Lotte Mall had what looked like a garden at the top and I could just about make out that there were people on it.
The park itself is not very big but is very nice. There were several men playing a type of board game on a large piece of wood that had drawn by pencil it seemed of 18x18 squares on it and they used round counters of black and white each either one uses black other uses white. They seemed to have lots of these counters to use. There were no numbers or symbols on the board. I have no idea what they were playing or what their purpose or aim were. But they seem to be engrossed with it. In this park was a huge bell/gong which was under the cover of an open sided building, there was an equally large log like structure which would be used to strike the bell. Very impressive it looked too. Also in this park was a tradition come practice I first saw in Monevideo, Uruguay, it is where lovers put a heart padlock or an ordinary one with their names & date and the folk law is that they will return to this place. This practice seems to have caught on all over the place, I have seen in St.Petersburg also. One last thing of this park and not to miss is that there is a statue of General Yi Sun-sin, the late 16th century naval war hero against an invading Japanese fleet. Quite impressive it is too. So having exhausted my time here I decided to make my way towards the Lotte mall and see what the roof top was. I left the park by using the escalators that I could not find. Half way down there was a shrine of a Buddha with flowers & plants also an imprint of feet where could you stand and meditate I guess, The end of the escalators brought me to a street which had a God number of shops. I hadn't walled very far when I noticed one shop that was a shoe shop and there was a stand outside with shoes in a sale. I looked and saw some were my size, a size 2. The shop was immaculate and the shoes looked expensive. I looked around and saw some that I liked and tried them on but found they were not quite right I looked around again and found sandals that were patent one in black and the other in white. I tried them on and they were perfect. While I had been looking the shop assistants were very attentive and they help me with putting the shoes on and when I asked to try a different size I ended up being waited on by 3 people, felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, they were so nice and helpful probably the best service I have ever had in a shoe shop. Needless to say I came away with two pairs of shoes, not only my sizes but a fraction of the pric I would have had to spend in the UK. Me being happy I continued on my. This street had some brass statues along the way, one was of a woman with her arms out, at the foot of the statue it says'Hug Me'. Another one was of a man looking like he was a character from "guys & dolls" holding his hat up and arm stretched, again with a caption at the base, his one said 'Shake Hands'.
Remember I said I couldn't find the street where the escalators were at the beginning, well once I got to the end of this street I found it was the one I almost went down but the map and signage didn't make sense and so I walked much further than I needed to. Hey ho that's the joy of travel.
Bought two pairs of sandals, white & black both are patent.
I made my way to the Lotte Mall and see if in fact there was access for people to go up to. The actual mall is huge with a massive sale going on on the ground floor. I had a quick look but it was too manic for me. I got myself a floor plan of the place which says it is 'Department Store-Aqua Mall-Entertainment Building. I soon found that the mall had a Rooftop Garden Observatory-Cafe. Off I went and it was brilliant, the whole roof is an ECO friendly space with areas for looking out to great views of the city, there was plenty of space for you to wander. I was here for some time, took loads of photos. One thing I had not notice or read was that just one floor down and I would have had time to see it was something called the Gwangbok Myungdang 100 billion won chair, of which you can have your photo taken on it. So with the day moving on it was definitely the time to make way to the shuttle bus point and go back to the floating hotel that is Arcadia.


Day 13. Nagasaki, Japan. 8am - 11.30pm

26th March 2016
Sunny and warm

Upon our arrival we all had to go through the process of a face to face immigration. We were given photocopies of our passport the day before and these would be stamped on the back with a 'Passenger Landing Permit' and this process would only be available until 10am. We also had to hand in a Customs Declaration, you only needed one per cabin. When ready to go ashore independently you had to collect a ticket (raffle ticket number) when they called a whole section of numbers (1-100, 101-200) etc, you proceeded to immigration. Well all sounds simple enough and much of it was but what was funny was that the stamp you needed on your photocopy were being done by the crew staff and it was a bit like being herded through like cattle. Then onto the face to face, this was not too bad and it was over very quickly. Once done I went ashore, Bill stayed on board. I had already got my currency the night before and so I was able to start the day without much more delay. In the terminal they were selling various tickets for an array of activities. One of these was selling tickets for their electric tramway system. Having found out that this actually a really good and very cheap way of getting around, costing just 250¥ £1.85. The first place I visited was to the 'Ropeway for Mt.Inasa' I obtained a map from the terminal and the staff there were very helpful in directing me on how to catch the tram and what to do. When getting onto the tram just show your ticket to the driver, it also acted as a map of the tram lines. At each stop there was signs in both English & Japanese that showed where you were and which direction you were going. All very easy to navigate your way. These tickets are only bought by tourist, it's easy for them to identify that you are a tourist. So once I found the place I needed to get to I managed to find the Nagasaki Ropeway, it was in fact a very new and modern cable cars. I bought a ticket to go and before getting on, I was greeted by an extremely lovely well dressed young lady. She was very polite and was smiling, even more so when I commented on how nice she looked. The journey up was very smooth and quick. At the top you made your way up to the observation deck either by steps outside or from inside a round glass that shows the wonderful views high up. Once you reach the top outside the views are even more spectacular. One side you see the metropolis of the city and on the other a deep forest area that had the most marvellous large birds flying high. Stayed for a while and then descended back down. My next stop was to the Peace Park which was 7 tram stops away, all very quick. The Peace Park was a stark reminder of why it is there. It has been designed and constructed in a a way that reflects a calmness and serene atmosphere. Although one is very conscious of the way modern society can get in the way, the use of cameras, iPhones and iPads and the selfie stick. Although I took photos, none with me in them, you do get the feeling that those of the now generation do not quite appreciate how and why the necessity of such a Peace Park. But having said that many were in a reflective mood. This was however most definitely the mood when I walked down the street towards the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter. When I arrived, there was a group on tour, yes it was a P&O. It's quite surreal to be in the place that was part of a human kind changing & defining moment. Although I have been to Hiroshima on a previous cruise and that was definitely an eerie place to visit. The remains of a once dome building in only its steel shell has been an image I grew up with and so to actually see it was quite something. Bringing history from the classrooms of old to the actual place of defining moments in history. There were blossom trees in the area and when full bloom must wonderful. In fact there are some spectacular already I bloom blossom trees around. A tree that the Japanese love and cherish.
When I looked at my tram map I noticed there was a place that was the site of Martydom of 26 Saints. This interested me because I had no idea that there were ever any Christians in Japan but it seems that these Christians having been arrested for violations of Toyotomi Hideyosh's ban on Christianity and were brought to Nagasaki from Osaka and Kyoto regions, 6 foreign missionaries and 20 Japanese Christians were Crucified on the hill here on February 5, 1597. These events were heard far and wide across the globe and of course Rome where Pope Pius IX canopied the 26 martyrs as saints in 1862. Later on the 150th anniversary their canonisation, Christians of Nagasaki planted 26 Camellias at the place where their crosses were erected. Certainly an interesting end to my day and a very reflective one. It was getting dark and I headed but down the hill to take the tram back. I have to say that the tram was an excellent way to get around, there was so much more to see but maybe another time.

Day 14. At Sea. Easter Sunday.

27th March 2016

Easter Sunday service, Bill read a reading on the resurrection with an added piece he put in which no one knew was going to happen. One lady afterwards said how she liked what he said before giving the reading as she felt he had rejoiced the occasion. On sea days Bill goes to the Christian Fellowship Meetings at 9am which for the first 5 to 10 mins Captain Trevor Lane would pop in with his coffee and would hear a thought of the day read by Bill. Captain asked if those from the group would like to do readings at service, usually it would be members of the Crew to do this. The group said yes and two of them did the readings, they both did really well considering they were standing on the stage with the visiting Pastor & the Captain facing the auditorium of about 300 plus fellow passengers.
Rest of the day was relaxing and me trying to catch up with reading my Kindle. In the evening a new show by the Headliners, Smokey Joe's Cafe, very good new production. At last I get to see new and updated shows.


Day 15. Osaka, Japan 7am - 11.30pm

28th March 2016

Sunny with occasional showers.

I first got off at around 11.15 where I had made a stop at an area that had tourist information, along with free wi-fi and a currency exchange stand. I asked the lady how much I would get and it seemed to be a lot lower once I think she took into account a fee for the exchange. So being a bit cautious I decided to go back on board as I had intended to get money from the ship but completely forgot but with the exchange being not favourable on shore here I went back and got 500 yen more for my money.
So having done that I went back out and tried the wi-fi which was not very good but I did get some emails and FB notifications about my post. I then spoke with one of the ladies about how to use the subway which was exactly what Bill & I have used before when we visited a couple of times. I noticed there was a building that had a viewing platform so I asked where is it in relation to the subway map. Armed with information for my day I set off to the station which was only about 5-10 mins walk away. Once there, there was I and other passengers trying to work out how and which ticket to buy. I wanted the all day one but others just wanted tickets to go to the Osaka Castle. We could see how the tickets were dispatched but not how to click the one we wanted so one of them went to see one of the station staff to help us which he did. What we did not know is that when you selected the card option for all day and similar types you then put your money in to find the option of what type of ticket which for me was a day pass, this cost 800¥ which roughly calculates into £5.55, The various cost of tickets varied for a single or transfer journeys ranged from180¥, 240¥, 280¥,320¥ & 370¥.
So ticket in hand I set off to find an interesting building called the Umeda Sky Building, is the 19th tallest building in Japan. Looking at the their subway map I needed to change lines once. When I arrived, it was a large station that had an equally large building that was a shopping mall. I wasn't there for long when the heavens opened in what was a terrific down pour. I looked into a couple of shops until the rain died down which it did not long after. I was having trouble in trying to work out where the building I was looking for was. Found it and boy what an unusual building it was too. There are two buildings of 40 floors and are connected by another structure on top which has a round open gap looking up through to the sky. What you don't realise is that there are two other structures that go diagonally from one part of the building across & up at the round gap. These are in fact mid-air escalators. Quite something to experience and see. (Look it up on the net). Once you ride these you come to a glass surround of the building which by walking up stairs or take a lift to the outside where the views were worth making the effort, there is an admission fee of 800¥. From up here you can a see a long way as well as well sighting the rain which was pretty torrential in places. Needless to say I took lots of photos.
My next place to visit was the Osaka Castle Museum. I got there rather late in the day but still I got there. Shock horror when I saw the admission fee I knew I was short by 100¥, also you paid cash into a machine. Feeling quite annoyed I didn't have enough, I went in search for an ATM at the souvenir shop or a money exchange, neither were available. So I went back to ticket machines and notice there was a cashier type window next to the machine and there was a young lady and I asked do they take credit cards she said no and I replied thank you and told her I was short on the fee. She immediately asked if I had an all day subway ticket, yes I said at that point she told me that by having that there was a discount, guess what I got in I had the money to go in after all. On top that time was running out, last entry 4.30pm. There were exhibitions on each floor. At the top floor there is a balcony all the way round that you can go out to and again terrific views of this city. By the time I got there the sun was making its descent for the night and the sky had beautiful hue of yellow & blue. My day was full and interesting once again. By the time I got back to the ship it was dark. The street leading up to the terminal the trees were lit up with lights which looked lovely. One thing that is more interesting at this port is that there a large Ferris wheel which lights up with an array of lights which change colour as it goes round. There is so an aquarium here too. Osaka has always been a lovely place to visit and each time I have learnt something new. It is an easy city to get around and not expensive either to do so which is saying something, this being Japan, a place that is in general very expensive.

The evening show was a Japanese Drum Group called 'Abare Daiko' from Nara prefecture. As described in the daily horizon it says, The Dynamic and Heroic performance is a play on the traditional festival to calm the anger of the Gods of Thunder and winds. There were 9 men and one woman playing the drums and a lady dressed in Kimodo dancing with a dragons head on her hand playing out a story line with and without the drums. It was very good. They were not young performers either excepting of about 3 of them.

More to come folks.

[Happydays]

Thank you for a very interesting review! I always like reading cruise reviews so I can get ideas for sight seeing and places to visit. Keep up the good work:)

[Gill W]

Thank you, it's fascinating to read about places that are off the average cruise routes

[sunseeker16]

Thank you
As Gill says - not yer average cruise! Wonderful!

[melsea]

Thanks. Most certainly not your average cruise and that's what makes them so enjoyable, interesting and fun.

[Belle53]

Good to have you back Mel, really enjoying the reports, thank you.