Muroran

After that freezing rain and wind in Valdivostok, we were disappointed to get off the ship in Muroran to find it raining lightly once again. But this time we were on a tour with our Cruise Critic friends, so we knew we would have a good time no matter what.

Muroran is the port that leads to the city of Sapporo, but our Cruise Critic tour had an itinerary that stayed pretty close to sights surrounding the port and we never made it into the city. After leaving the port, we drove into the early spring countryside to the Hell Valley – a thermal area with steam vents and one bubbling pool. The road on the way is called the Cherry Blossom Highway because of the hundreds of cherry trees planted there. We had been assured that they would be in bloom by the time we arrived but because of unseasonably cold weather the buds were swollen but the trees weren’t in bloom yet. The Japanese countryside in very early spring looked just like the hillsides in Oregon or New England at this time of the year.



Japanese Countryside

After being in Yellowstone several times, this little thermal area wasn’t much. We climbed up and down the walkways and were back in the bus much before our allotted time was up. We did make a bathroom stop there and had a good laugh about the “Engrish” sign we found there.



Hell Valley



Bathroom Engrish Sign

We didn’t have far to go before we arrived at the period village that recreated the costumes and living situations of the Edo Period (1603-1867). This was the period of the military shogunate where the warrior class broke away from the Imperial Court and the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. After the costumed ticket collector met us at the gate, we had free time to wander around for about half an hour before the Ninja Show was to begin. The Princess buses were in the parking lot, but they must have been in one of the shows, because we had the village to ourselves in the light rain. The costumed sales people in the shops all came out to be available for pictures.



Ticket Collector



Samurai Statue



Garden Pavilion



Red Building

Our first stop was in the Samurai Museum where, in addition to the history of the Samurai, they also showed exactly how the Samurai steel swords were made.



Samurai Museum

In a little side alley, there were shabby little vignettes of how the common people lived with very battered looking figures. This area could definitely do with a little cleaning and painting. I did have to laugh at the child in the squat toilet, though, because things haven’t changed that much here in the past 400 years.



Parasol Maker



Squat Toilet

They had a fun house there with scary figures popping out at you in the dark. Scary things for the Japanese are giant cats, dragons, ghosts, and cracks of thunder after flashes of lightening. We just walked through thinking “How quaint”, but I could hear the little Japanese kids crying all the way through.
Then it was time for the Ninja Show. Luckily, the guide had briefly told us the story before we left the bus because the entire show had no subtitles. Basically, a poor man and his Ninja son were looking for gold in an absent warlords house when a couple of other bad Ninjas came with the same idea. Mostly it was just a lot of slapstick with swords being brandished. As we had gone into the theatre we had all been given pieces of rice paper about 4” square. The custom, as printed in the brochure, was to wrap coins in the paper and then throw it onto the stage in appreciation of a good performance. Later in the bus, one of the guys said “What was the deal with the papers?” After someone got out their brochure and read about the custom, he said, “I wondered why my paper didn’t go very far. If I had known that, I would have written 'Good job' before I threw it".



Ninja Show Practice

After the Ninja Show, we walked past the souvenir store back to one of the buildings just outside the village gates that was a restaurant. We had previously ordered either chicken with udon or soba noodles or a fish stew. The chicken and noodles were also served with water lily root, squash, bean sprouts, fried tofu, mushrooms, sliced onions, cabbage, and carrots. At the table, we had a bowl miso soup and a bowl of rice. The rice was a bed that you put all the things that you would choose from the wooden steamer on. There was also a dipping sauce that you poured over the whole thing. And, of course, plenty of tea. The folks who had the fish stew had all kinds of fish and shellfish in a rich broth. I had a taste of the broth and was really sorry that we couldn’t have had both. It was delicious!



Popular Souvenir Shop for Foreigner



Steamer Boxes

Now that we had full tummies, we got back on the bus to go along the coast to Toyako Lake and to the adjacent volcano.



Toyako Lake

When we arrived at the tourist center at the base of the volcano, we discovered that the access was by cable car but no one had mentioned to us that it required yen only to buy tickets. There was no ATM available and they wouldn’t take a credit card, so we never did get to see the volcano. But those from the ship that took that cable car ride said you couldn’t see anything anyway because the clouds were sitting on the volcano.



Steam Vent Opposite Volcano

During the time allowed for the cable car, we browsed in the tourist shops. Outside one of the shops, a guy was whittling a wooden figure and I went in to take a look at all the fantastic things he had carved. At the back of his shop, he had a chain that included a block and tackle, a lantern with a figure inside and a bucket at the bottom. All of this was carved from one piece of wood about 5 feet long. I bought a little wooden owl and then I bought a bear with a fish in his mouth. The artist then carved the date and what I assume must have been his signature on the bottom of the little platform the bear stands on.



Carving Shop



Signing Piece

Back on the bus again, we headed back to the city of Muroran to go to a department store. It turned out to be a store like a Super Walmart with food, clothing and everything else you can think of. We were delighted because we were able to buy sake, beer and wine to enjoy for the next seven days at sea.

BUSAN AND VLADIVOSTOK

BUSAN

The day before we reached Busan, we received the news that one couple from our group was going to have to fly home because of a medical emergency with their mom. When we awoke next morning, we were completely socked in with fog and the port had been closed. We were sitting just outside blowing the foghorn and our friends were seriously worried that we weren’t going to make the port and all the expense of the last minute flights would be wasted. But at about 1 PM, the pilot finally allowed us to proceed into the port. Our friends’ flight wasn’t until 5:00, so they were still able to make it on time.

We finally were docked but the one shore excursion that we were really looking forward to had to be canceled since it was an all day trip to see a UNESCO Heritage ancient Korean village. Instead, we waited for half an hour to let the pushy crowds get off the ship but discovered that they had only moved into a line for the shuttle into the city from the port. We waited in line for almost an hour in a freezing wind, but as we waited the fog did burn off even more.

We got dropped off at a spot in the city adjacent to the little lanes of a huge market. The street we entered into was a movie themed street with shops that sold everything you can imagine, from hardware to rugs, clothing, souvenirs, glasses, jewelry, etc. Our table mates were each able to have an eye exam and buy a pair of glasses. As usual, we had to dodge motorbikes down the narrow lanes.




Movie Themed Street



Head Carrying on Narrow Lane



Fish Stall

We wandered the market, found a few Korean souvenirs and then went back to the meeting place for the shuttle through all the food stalls. The stalls had all kinds of food set out for the motorbikes to spew their exhaust on but it didn’t seem to slow the customers down any. Friends had gone across the street to the Fish Market but Bill’s feet were already very tired from standing in that line for an hour before we ever got started so we decided to head back to the ship instead. They later reported that a woman was shopping at a stand that had fresh octopus. The proprietor waited while she chose the one she wanted and then twisted the head until it squeezed off and then wrapped up the rest. We didn’t mind not seeing that one.



Noodle Shop



Korean BBQ



Fish Market


VLADIVOSTOK



Red Symbol

A few days later, our arrival in Vladivostok was accompanied by overcast skies and gusty winds. The forecast was for a high in the mid-40s, so I broke out my full-length down coat, gloves, and scarf. Bill wore his down jacket but didn’t bring his gloves or ear warmers. It was only sprinkling when we got off the ship but the wind was freezing. As we got to the train station right beside the pier the rain began to get heavier.



Vladivostok Train Station

We managed to get to an ATM to get some rubles before the downpour started but only managed a few blocks before Bill was ready to get back on the ship. I had my scarf to protect my head but his baseball cap was soon soaked and he ended up using my umbrella. But that didn’t do much good because the wind kept turning it inside out. I walked back to the ship with him and met CC friends Sandy & Ira who were just setting out and I got just about to the same place where Bill turned around and then they turned around and went back. This time I kept going though, because even though my jeans were getting wet, I was still relatively warm and really had wanted to see the city. I had gotten directions to the GUM department store and I thought I could warm up there and maybe buy something with my credit card. I found out that the 100 rubles I had gotten from the ATM machine was only worth about $3, so that wasn’t going to go far.
Between the time Bill and I started out and I went off on my own, I was passed by 4 walking tours in the pouring rain. I thought that at least I wasn’t paying money to be cold and wet. One of the reviews I had read online had said that Vladivostok was what you expected Siberia to be like, cold, dreary and grim. That turned out to be a pretty apt description.



Graffiti



Rainy Vladivostok Street

After wandering for about an hour, I took refuge in a passage way between 2 streets that also functioned as a flower market. While there, I ran into David and Pauline, our tablemates and we set about finding a coffee shop. On the way, we went into a shop where Pauline looked at a ceramic figurine that the salesgirl said was from Italy that had England (where they are originally from) printed on the base. We also looked at a memory chip for David’s new Singapore camera but he decided to pass. But since he didn’t have any rubles, we went into a bank to change money and I was very relieved to find that they had a nice dry bathroom I could use. They had portable stalls out on the street with the ladies sitting in them ready to collect rental money. I assume that they would give up their seat and stand in the rain if they had customers. I was sure glad I didn’t have to resort to one of those.



Flower Passageway

While Pauline stood dripping in a clothing shop, David had gone ahead and found our coffee shop. It was nice and dry and between us we had enough rubles to get 3 cups of latte. There were 30 rubles left and David tipped the girl 10 of them. She gave him a dirty look for his 30 or 40 cent tip. He thought he might need the extra 20 rubles for something else.



David & Pauline in the Coffee Shop

Outside, the rain and wind that hadn’t let up a bit, so we ducked downstairs into the passage to cross the main street and took shelter in the lobby of what seemed to be a courthouse. From there we could see the statues of the city’s main square but from our vantage point the square looked like a giant parking lot.



Main Square Statues

When we got back to the ship, the biggest puddle we had seen all day was like a lake right where we had to walk on the pier to get to the gangplank. They were collecting passports as we checked onto the ship and mine was soaked all around the edges as were most of those coming on board. There were rows of them on a table standing up to dry. I left the gangplank area and squished all the way to the cabin leaving a trail of water behind me. When I stripped off my clothes, everything clear down to my underwear was all sopping wet. I think I must have stood in the hot shower for 40 minutes before I felt warm enough to come out.
Later that afternoon, a troop of Russian singers and dancers came on board to do a show for us. It was very entertaining and at least we left seeing a tiny bit of Russian culture.



Russian Singers

QINGDAO

Qingdao (pronounced Chin-Dao) was a fishing village until the late 19th century when Kaiser Wilhelm II negotiated a 99 year lease of the port. This became the German military and naval support base for all of East Asia. And in 1903, they established the Tsingtao Brewery because they thought the troops there would revolt with a supply of beer. The brewery and the German-style houses that have not yet been razed for high-rise buildings are what are left of the German presence.



German-Style

This city didn’t have the vibrancy and modernization that was so evident in Dalian. The buildings were much older and this looked like what I imagined a Communist-dominated city to be like, very dreary and polluted. Even the high-rises were from what looked like they were from the mid-sixties and the apartments were all the basic blocks with windows. Even the bus window was polluted – I had a very hard time taking pictures from the bus because the windows were so dirty.



City through a Dirty Window

For our tour in this city we were supposed to start at the Zhanqaio Pier which is the city’s symbol and is depicted on the Tsingtao Beer label. But when we got to the beach and saw the Labor Day crowds with traffic at a near standstill again, we decided to skip the beach and the adjacent island and go directly to the Brewery. This was easier said than done. Most of the traffic was going the other way to the beach. We were one of the few vehicles going the other direction and in China; any unoccupied lane is taken over by whoever gets there first. So at one point we thought we were going the wrong way on a one-way street but we could tell by the parked cars that it was actually two-way. The buses were packed like I have never seen before with each side showing a wall of humanity.



Beach Crowds



Pier from Bus

We arrived at the Brewery and made our mandatory bathroom stop before entering. We had to laugh at the sign in the restroom because a squat toilet is still a squat toilet no matter how many stars you give it. This entry is for my toilet-rating grandchildren.



Three Star Toilet

Inside the brewery, we enjoyed seeing the antiques they had on display, particularly because of the signage.



Antique Bottle Filler



Unfiltered Tasting Room



Cans on Belt



Final Tasting & Sales Room

Our next stop was to be a 30 km ride into the countryside to visit Mt. Laosha, a Daoist Holy Mountain, but our group included those that had been on the bus that almost didn’t make onto the ship in Beijing and there was no way that they were going to chance missing the ship again, so we decided to go to lunch and then go to visit the newly opened Red Wine Museum on the Red Wine Street.
On the way to the restaurant, we were made aware of the organization of the city when we left the Beer Street, passed by the Red Wine Street again , traveled down the Animal Street where there were all kinds of pet shops and onto the Wedding Picture street that was full of photography shops.



Dog Shop



Bird Seller

Our lunch was one of the nicest we had had so far and later I found out the reason. The guide was very upset that we wanted to deviate from the set itinerary by cutting out the Holy Mountain and was also worried that he would get in trouble if we wanted a refund for the missed parts of the itinerary. To make up for some of the omissions, we received the most expensive menu that the restaurant had to offer. It was delicious, even though some of our party looked at the dried shrimp that we had seen on sale everywhere with a jaundiced eye. Personally, I thought they were delicious and crunchy – kind of like fried grasshoppers. Again it was with the glass turntable in the middle of the table but this time when we asked for more food, it was brought. It was the only time we experienced Mo Shu Pork with the plum sauce and little pancakes. We also had spicy chicken, delicious soup, different vegetables and of course, the whole fish looking up at you.



Bill at Lunch

Before we could get to the Red Wine Street, we had to cross the street – no easy task in China. Our driver took his life in his hands and waved at the cars with his gloved hands but few took any notice of him. In most of these Asian countries, you look straight ahead and keep walking. If you hesitate, they don’t know how to compensate and that is when Westerners get hit. But it is still one of the scariest things you can do.



Trying to Stop Traffic

We were really lucky because the Red Wine Museum was having its Grand Opening this weekend and we were their first large group. They had taken an old air raid tunnel and made it into a wine theme attraction. The entry roof is lined with wineglasses with colored lights strung amongst them, flashing in different colors. As you go deeper into the tunnels, there are all kinds of offshoot tunnels leading to different theme rooms – all with their own special lighting. The main tunnel walls were lined with bronze plaques showing the great houses of the famous French vineyards. To the side were little alcoves that held displays of special kinds of grapes, such as the Sauvignon Blanc grapes used in Ice Wine or different fountain grottos. We walked through a conference or banquet room with walls and ceiling painted in wine country murals with the more famous labels displayed below.



Tunnel toward the Door



Conference or Banquet Room

Next we came to a room full of rental wine lockers where you could rent space for your very fine wines in an atmospherically controlled location. Adjacent to this was an individual tasting area with each of its desks supplied with a spittoon. There was also a room devoted to all kinds of wine accessories that featured special crystal wine glasses, carafes, decanters and pitchers that are available for sale.



Wine Locker

There were several rooms devoted to wine history, as well as rooms devoted to the most famous wine producing areas in the world. Napa got a very brief mention with more emphasis on the wines of France, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and South America getting most of the attention. We went down several more decorated tunnels and finally arrived in our tasting and sales room. It became apparent there that this was their first large group because there was only one person who understood English and he was running all over the place trying to help everyone order. I finally just took what I wanted from the shelf behind the salesgirl for her to write up because she didn’t understand the names of any of the varietals. I wanted to taste Chinese wine and I thought that a label all in Chinese characters would surely be Chinese. Wrong – when I got back to the ship I found very small print on one saying that it was a product of New Zealand and the other turned out to be a German Riesling. Oh well, the bottles were pretty with their Chinese labels.



South African Display



Tasting and Sales Room

Our last stop for the day was the mansion of the Former Governor of Qingdao. This is definitely in the German hunting lodge style and very masculine. This was also the Japanese headquarters when they took over just prior to WWII. We didn’t have much time, so I concentrated on shots of the outside of the building and missed all the empty rooms but we heard about the beautiful wood floors and wood paneling.



Former Governor’s Mansion