August 22, 2025

Day 1 in Tokyo  started with an 8 hour private van tour, with pickup at the Port of Yokohama and drop-off at WPU Downtown Tokyo Hotel, in the Shibuya Area. 

First stop - Meiji ji ( Jingu) Shrine built in 1920 dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.  It's like a Central Park right in the middle of a bustling city. One of the most famous shrines in Japan surrounded by a tranquil forest of over 100,000 trees. We learned that Shrines have Tori gates and Temples do not.

Next the famed Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world! One crossing can have as many as 3,000 people crossing at one time, over the 5 crosswalks. We were there after rush hour, around 11am, so not at the peak of  craziness!

Next was the very crowded, most visited temple of Tokyo, the Senso Ji Temple. This Buddhist temple is over 1400 years old. You enter through the Kaminarimon ( Thunder Gate) adorned with a giant red lantern and then walk down Nakamise Street which is packed with shops and food stalls on your way to the Temple.

Stop 4 was a combo - ZOJOJI TEMPLE, which I wanted to see because of the care guardian deities and TOKYO TOWER which stands 333 meters tall, in the background, a powerful symbol of Japan's post WWII recovery & resilience. When it was built in 1958, it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world, surpassing its inspiration the Eiffel Tower.

Next Sherrie Bob and Sarah left us for their appointment at Team Borderless and Bosco and I went with guide to check out the tribute to Hayao Miyazaki, a famous director, at the Nippon Television Headquarters. They have a Giant Clock with his most notable characters featured. We also had fun at a neighboring plazas Human Centipede statue.

Our last stop before picking back up the gang and heading to the Hotel was the Odaiba Marine Park. Odaiba is a man made island in Tokyo Bay, accessed by their Brooklyn Bridge wanna be Rainbow Bridge and the area is full of shopping, dining, entertainment and a scenic park along the coastline, complete with their own Statue of Liberty.

By Patricia Patrick October 16, 2025
Got to love a place that sells shirts saying " Where the heck is Yap? " Colonia ( population 3,100 ) is the Capital and Harbor town of Yap State ( population 11,600 ) one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. We are in the Pacific Ocean or Philippine Sea just north of the equator, Papua New Guinea and Australia.
By Patricia Patrick October 13, 2025
Ternate, Indonesia, which is both the name of the city and island, and is part of the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia. It is a port that sees maybe 3 Cruise ships a year. However, they really made an effort to show us the best of what they can offer. It's mainly a Muslim country, and we knew we had to dress discretely, but we knew little else. We didn't have our typical port talk prior, due to a technical issue with the AV equipment. Ben a fellow resident, organized an island tour, with about 8 stops, for 90 of us residents.
By Patricia Patrick October 10, 2025
Cebu greeted our Ship with a big warm welcome, despite having just been rocked by a major Earthquake, days before our arrival. The Minister of Tourism arrived with a motorcade and she proceeded to chat with the residents and thank us, for all our support.