MickeyandKimWorldAdventures

  Okinawa, Japan It will be exactly 79 years to the day when we arrive in port, that the Battle of Okinawa began, the last major battle of WWII and the bloodiest of the Pacific campaign. We did not make it to the battle site on this trip, which we were a little sorry we did not choose that option. First up, a visit to Shuri Castle which is a Ryukysuan Castle, previously the palace of the Ryudyu Kingdom.  It was almost completely destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.  After the war, it was repurposed as a college and is now a tourist attraction, while still undergoing significant restoration. We continued our spelunking adventure with John and Mary Ann, heading to Okinawa World,  a recreated traditional village with live glass blowing and weaving demonstrations along with its own brewery.  It also housed the entrance to   Gyokusendo Caves which  stretches five kilometres from end to end and boasts a host of spectacular rock formations. It’s b...

Ishigaki Japan Welcome to Ishigaki, the southernmost city in Japan. We were welcomed at the port for our day in Ishigaki.  Joined by Mary Ann and John, we headed out to our first stop of the day - an overlook point to get some views and perspective of the city, with the obligatory view of our ship.   I shigaki Stalactite Cave  We went “caving” or as some people call it, “spelunking” in Ishigaki. Ishigaki Stalactite Cave is a limestone cave and a marvelous network of caverns and tunnels that were formed over 200,000 years ago and stretches to almost 4,000 feet. It features a plethora of impressive and diverse stalactites (unique for their unusually quick growth), along with underground rivers and small waterfalls. Ishigaki Stalactite Cave stalactites grow at an extremely fast rate, the usual growth speed is one millimeter in 10 to 30 years, it is one millimeter in three years in this cave. The stalactites and stalagmites are so prevalen...

  Chiufen Village and Keelung Night Market Taiwan Our first stop was at an overlook, and we were able to see our ship in the background. We had an afternoon excursion planned to Chiufen Village, also known as Jiufen, to go to a teahouse and walk around this unique village. On the way to Chiufen Village, we traveled along the Northeast Coast which features the Nanya Rocks. The “Nanya Rocks” have a very special stratum structure. The entire coastline is a veritable sculpture garden that illustrates the incomparable artistry of weathering and wave action.  Weathered by the northeastern monsoon and gigantic sea waves over the years, they became unique landscapes on “Provincial Highway 2”. Our guide made sure that we got some pictures of the rocks along the shore before going into Chiufen. Our guide also told us that some of the rock was from lava spewed into the ocean by a volcano which is now inactive. It really is amazing to see what waves continuously splashing rock can artfull...

Taipei, Taiwan Greetings and n ī h ā o ma? We are in for another full day today as we arrive in the port of Keelung, about 16 miles or 24 kilometers from Taipei. more rural like quaint Juipen, or Shifen where you can hike and see the “Niagara Falls” of Taipei. I’m hoping the views from Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings and an engineering marvel, are excellent that day. Historians may want to visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial or the amazing National Palace Museum. For a glimpse into Taiwan’s spiritual culture, you can plan to see some of the many Buddhist or Taoist temples, such as Longshan Temple.  On our way to Taipei, we experienced a very severe "swerve".  Mickey looked outside our cabin and saw another ship frighteningly close to ours.  A few minutes after, the captain came on and said that they had to take evasive action as a ferry boat cut across our path - the ferry boat was NOT supposed to be in that lane.  Quick thinking of our crew ...