Shukkei-en garden in Hiroshima. Pretty much at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum from the Ground Zero stuff.

Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, and the museum. Pretty sobering.

On the longer shore excursions in Japan, we’ve had some really fun lunches. (One place placed helpful instructions, for folks like my British buddy, to explain keihan assembly 😎). And one guide on the bus handed out “green tea Kit Kat” candy.

Not sure what the monument message is, but with all the small coins people have left, must a sort of “wishing well” kinda thing.

In Kagoshima we took a large ferry (carried the tour bus) over to an island, to get the best look at Sakurajima volcano. It’s always simmering so they have to protect the citizenry from falling ash most of the time. And on any fruit trees, they wrap the fruit with small paper bags, to avoid ash contact. We got lucky with weather - seeing the peak is relatively uncommon. By the end of the day, the entire volcano was shrouded by clouds & fog.

Life onboard is getting better and better.

When we travel, we make a point of ordering different things for dinner, and trade bites, so as to be able to taste more stuff. If not a breach of etiquette, maybe bending it a little. In any case, trying to discreetly pass a spoonful of soup across the table can be disastrous. “Dear Abby” would have been mortified.

The Amami coast is rugged and beautiful. And a few folks were getting a really good view of it.

 

Apparently the square root of t(h)ree. 🤦‍♂️

The Thomas Keller Grill restaurant onboard is being phased out, with a new Mediterranean restaurant to debut in its place. So, last night I enjoyed the Ceremonial Final Crab Cake as well as the Equally Ceremonial Final Medium-Rare Rib-Eye, with Peregourdine Sauce.

‘night, everybody

Back to relatively calm seas, so no more need for these around the ship. 🤢

On the top floor of the hall is this statue of Chiang Kai-shek, similarly guarded by military unit.

 

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, from just outside the immense gate. Then the opposite shot, from top of the hall, looking back at that gate. The two buildings on each side are a concert hall and a theater.

The three Confucius Temples in Taipei.

1.2k July 17, 2013 Kailua Kona, Hawai'i Author #126 Posted just now At the National Palace Museum. Extensive display of jade, porcelain, weaponry, etc. (last pic is just from internet, to show the building best)

Now in Keelung, very near downtown Taipei. The monument dedicated to soldiers who have fallen in battle is guarded by this contingent of soldiers.

 

 

Out and about on Penghu island. Temple adjacent to 300 year old banyan tree, columnar basalt pillars, and older home architectures utilizing both coral reef stones and the flat, linear basalt.

woohooo! Always my favorite dinner on the ship.

Don’t ask *me*.

Out and about in Kaohsiung.

The view from the docked ship toward the port can be…modest, in Indonesia and the Philippines. So this is a striking change. Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

At a street fruit stand in Manila a few days ago, I bought a couple of mangos. I asked the kitchen staff to slice them, I would have mangled it. Mmmmmmm, so sweet, just the best.