Some are storm-chasers, we were storm-chased

 We had to leave Taiwan early because of Super Typhoon, Regasa. You can see in the image below how we were just able to scoot ahead of where the storm was going. I sure looks like, if we had left at our original time, we would have been sailing right thru the eye of the storm. We are so appreciative of our Captain Val and crew that keep us safe. It did rock and roll a bit that night but nothing that felt dangerous. 

The next port was Subic Bay and it was pouring rain. I didn't go anywhere, Jim made a store run. We just hunkered down and enjoyed the ship. Then we left for Manila, where we were supposed to be for 2 days. We had a dermatologist appointment booked for the first day, so we got off the ship as soon as it was docked and caught an Uber, nope, no Uber here, it's called Grab. Same thing, worked great. Dr. Deo Wong was great. He froze off the couple of spots we were worried about and checked us all over. All good.

Manila itself was chock-block-full of people, scooters, tuk-tuks, sounds, and smells. It was a bit much for me. We walked around a couple of blocks after the dermatologist, then went back to the ship to stay. 

Lots of people were getting on and off the ship in Manila. Those that were schedule for the first day were fine, but the second day, not so much. Another storm kicked up and was headed towards Manila. The port authorities said, "Everybody Out." So we had to leave by 10pm or so.

We made it. All is well.

Remembering the Kindness of Strangers

Throughout Japan and Taiwan, language was like a brick wall barrier between us and the locals. We know exactly 2 words in Japanese: arigato (thank you) and konichiwa (hello or good afternoon.) Our Chinese - for Taiwan - is similarly limited: xie-xie (thank you) and nihao (hello.) Although there were some locals who spoke english, there weren't very many. It was not like traveling in Europe or Latin America, where you can easily get by with just English. But ... if you were looking perplexed, someone who spoke a bit of English was sure to come out of the woodwork and offer help. Often, they would even walk with us for a ways until it was clear we were on the right track.

Train Stations

We saw it most often in the train stations. It is an easy thing to spot foreigners in a Japanese or Taiwanese train station, and also easy to tell when we are in need of help! We are standing in the middle of the station, staring at our phones and also looking around at the signs, but not going anywhere! If we stayed in that position long enough someone was bound to approach us and say, "can I help?" This happened both in Japan and in Taiwan. 

Night Markets

Also, in Taiwan, we were enjoying a night market. We decided we were thirsty and saw a sign that looked like iced tea so we each ordered one. When we put the straw in and tried to drink, it didn't work. It was like the straw was not open on the end inserted into the cup. We must have looked quite perplexed as I then picked the straw out of the glass and tried to blow thru it like a pea-shooter. The Taiwanese woman who came up to help must have been laughing hard because the problem was that this was 'bubble tea' with large, round 'bubbles' of gelatin on the bottom. She handed us a straw that was much bigger around and pointed to where we could get more. When we tried to drink thru that straw, the 'bubble' could get sucked up as well. We joined in the laughter all around us!

Local Buses

Number one in the leaderboard for a helpful local experience, was a Taiwanese man on the bus. It took us a while to find the right bus to take us to the Cave, then, when we got on and tried to tap and pay with the card that had worked just fine on the train - it didn't work. I still don't know if that was because our "easy card" didn't work on local buses, or if it had run out of money on the card, but it didn't work. The bus driver was chattering away at us but, of course, we couldn't understand a word, and more people wanted to get on. The bus was full. Just as panic was setting in, a kind gentleman stepped forward and, without a word, dropped two of his own tokens into the payment slot for us. It was a simple act, but it spoke volumes. 

The local bus in Keelung, Taiwan

Ultimately, it was these moments of connection that make our visits special. We may not have spoken the language, but the kindness of the people we met along the way spoke to us loud and clear.

 (Visit our photo album here.)

The Dentist and Taipei

 Both Jim and I like to get our teeth cleaned at least twice/year. Also a dermatologist visit because we have both had many instances of skin cancer - it's no big deal if you catch it early. Now that we live on a cruise ship, visiting our regular dermatologist and dentist is out of the question. I looked at the calendar and looked at the map and figured that Taiwan or the Philippines were about the right time. 

Our friend, Steve, used to live in Taiwan so we asked him about dentists. He gave us a specific recommendation for an office in Taipei and I contacted them and made an appointment for the 2d day that we would be in port nearby. We didn't know how involved the transportation would be to get from the port to downtown Taipei, so we booked a hotel for one night. Sounds like fun! 

We got situated in Keelung port about an hour's train ride from Taipei, gathered a few things and head to the hotel in the afternoon. Navigating the trains was every bit as complex as it was in Japan. I'm glad we had plenty of time and weren't on a deadline to get to the dentist. 

We decided to take advantage of the evening and go out to a street market: Linjiang Tourist Night Market, just a few blocks away from our hotel.

On our way back from the night market, we were intrigued by a bar on the corner called Salud, Tequila Bar. It was a very small bar and it was heavily decorated. They were preparing for a big Haloween promotion apparently. hmmm a bar in Taiwan with a mexican name and drink, decorated for Halloween! We loved it. Mostly we loved the people we met in there. One of the photos they were making for Halloween was a hostpital IV stand supposed to give you a transfusion of tequila! They asked Jim if he would pose as their patient - what fun!

Meanwhile I struck up a conversation with Windy who spoke quite good english. She was fascinated with our cruise ship lifestyle and the fact that we had a YouTube channel. She encouraged me to use Instagram more and we followed each other right then and there. See her at wiindy98.

So, after our night on the town, we went back to our hotel to get a good night's sleep before our dentist appoinment in the morning. It wasn't far, we could walk it no problem, but as with many establishments we've found it difficult to find the door! It's just a building with a plaque on the front wall showing the names of tenants - and it's in Chinese! We finally figured it out and made our way in and upstairs where we were told to take off our shoes and they had paper slippers for us. Then I noticed the sign that they don't take credit cards, so I had to make my way back outside, find an ATM,  and back in the hidden door. I made it. I was quite proud of myself actually. 😜 By this time Jim was in the dentist's chair. They took full exrays, and the dentist reviewed them in detail with each of us. Then she cleaned our teeth - no dental hygienist here, just the doctor. 

All in all it was a very pleasant experience, although a bit more expensive than I had figured on. I was probably thinking of just the cleaning - about $40 each. But since they insisted on full xrays, that came to $120 each. hmmm. Oh well, it's good to know that all is OK.

After the dentist, we walked to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and took in the sights.

Then we had lunch on the 85th floor of the 101 Tower. Once the tallest building in the world, it is a landmark in Taipei. We had a great view from the 85th floor, and a wonderful chat with a mother and daughter at the next table. The mother lives in Taiwan and the daughter was visiting from the US. I'm sure you've heard of how Taiwan is in danger of being taken over by China? It sounded like this mother would welcome that - she couldn't say enough about how wonderful China is and how we really must go. Interesting. 

We didn't get a good photo showing the 101 tower in the skyline, so I asked Gemini to make me one and to include the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial as well. The 101 tower is roughly accurate - not so the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. Still, it gives you the flavor.

As big cities go, I really liked Taipei. Big and bustling, clean and shiny, but still down to earth and friendly. There was not as much english spoken as I had hoped, but you could most always find somebody. We're always happy to get back to our ship!

Snorkeling in Japan

 I've heard of people scuba diving in Japan and all I thought was Brrrrrr. In my mind, Japan was a small island way up north. It would be like diving in the north Atlantic. Cold water and no coral reefs, no colorful fish. No good. Then I started hearing about how it's great diving in Okinawa, where we were going. Warm water and coral reefs, how can that be? 

Well, if you look at a map of Japan superimposed on the East Coast of the US, you see that it stretches from Maine to Miami. The island of Ishigaki, in the Okinawa section of southern islands, are about the same latitude as the Florida Keys!

This was our last stop in Japan, and I was beating myself up for not taking part in many activities since Nagasaki. We had to get in the water! And, apparently there was a great beach that a lot of fellow Odysseyans (our ship is the Odyssey!) were making plans to visit. So, we joined them. 

About a half hour taxi ride took us to Yonehara Beach.

Its beauty rivaled any South Pacific or Caribbean beach I've ever seen and, yes, indeed there was coral and the water was warm! About 84 degrees. No wetsuit needed. We got in the water and swam out a ways over the interesting coral formations in only about 4-6 feet of water. Perfect for snorkeling. Then we came back to the beach and walked along with others who said there was a cave a bit further down the beach. At one point the beach stopped and we had to get in the water to go further. We swam and swam - feeling in heaven! We did find a cave. It wasn't THE cave, because others swam further and found that, but it was a nice cave. Then we swam back, used the wonderful beachside showers that were provided for free and got dressed.

Beautiful beach, beautiful day, beautiful reef.

Seeing a sea snake was an extra special treat!

Here's a lin to Jim's video of our snorkeling day.

After the snorkel, we sought out a local restaurant for lunch, it was a short walk and we met up with friends.

After lunch, walking back to the beach where the taxis would pick us up, we passed a crazy looking place that we just had to go in. Some kind of sculpture park. Free to walk in and wander around. Love it!

In addition to the crazy sculptures, this was a beautiful lush-green park.

I thought Mom would like this place. Crazy, whimsical, lush and beautiful.

Nagasaki: A Plea for Peace and a Deeper Look at History

Our cruise itinerary included both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We opted for scenic beauty in Hiroshima but were ready for history in Nagasaki. Growing up, the names Hiroshima and Nagasaki were almost mythical – the places where the atomic bombs were dropped, ending World War II. It was a history I knew in textbooks, but experiencing it in person was something else entirely.

Interesting to note that Nagasaki, #47, is closer to Shanghai than to Tokyo

Both cities are now vibrant and bustling, having recovered from total destruction 80 years ago. The way they portray their atomic history is a powerful plea for peace. The message is clear: "The best way to prevent future use of Atomic bombs is to make sure that people know the real effects they had." And after our visit, that sentiment resonated deeply.

For so long, I, like many, believed the decision to drop those bombs must have been gut-wrenching, but was ultimately necessary to end the war. I remember an exhibit at the Truman Presidential Library hinting that Japan might have been on the verge of surrender anyway, a horrible thought that would mean we committed a massacre without any moral imperitive. But my recent dive into Garrett M. Graff’s book, The Devil Reached Toward the Sky, has given me an even more nuanced perspective.

The book sheds light on the unprecedented collaboration between science, industry, and government that birthed the atomic bomb. A collaboration that was born of the fear that Hitler would get there first. It was fascinating to learn that Hanford, Washington, where we produced plutonium, is now a major cleanup site, likely radioactive for generations. Another startling fact: the firebombing of Tokyo killed more people in one night than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, yet Japan was far from surrendering then. Even after the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, they wouldn't surrender. And contrary to the agonizing decision I always imagined, Truman apparently had no doubts and simply couldn't wait till the bomb was ready.

Ultimately, after all this, it does seem very likely that the bomb was necessary and did save countless American and Japanese lives by bringing the war to a swift close. But what we didn't understand at the time were the horrific, long-term effects of radiation poisoning – the deaths and tortured lives that continued for years after. That knowledge alone makes it undeniably clear: a nuclear weapon must never be used again. Yet, the odds are against us with thousands of nuclear warheads at the ready around the world. And now we have Hydrogen bombs, which are hundreds, even thousands of times more powerful than what was exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park

Our tour of Nagasaki took us through the Bomb Museum, where we saw a replica of the "Fat Man" bomb and exhibits documenting the suffering that resulted. Then, we moved on to the Peace Park, standing at the obelisk marking the hypocenter of the blast. It was incredibly sobering to be in that spot, imagining the unimaginable.

Our tour guide told us that, in this monument, the infant symbolizes Nagasaki and the mother symbolizes the International community that stepped in to help after the bombing.

Later that evening, as the sun began to set, we walked up a hill from our ship to Glover's House and Garden. It was beautiful, with a collection of historic Western-style homes and lush gardens. We found an outdoor cafe and had dinner, with a stunning view of our ship below, its lights twinkling like jewels.

 I wondered how these buildings survived when the bombing of Nagasaki obliterated most of the city. Come to find out, the position of some hills and the direction of the wind on that day spared them. 

Recovery and Growth

As tragic as the story is about the bombings, the silver lining is how the countries recovered. Both Germany and Japan are now some of the best economies and thriving societies in the world. American occupation of Japan is huge success story. As the winners in the war, America was incredibly magnanimous in helping the rebuilding efforts. The Marshall plan in Europe is, I think, the best example of being a good winner. To see the relative successes of each country, I love this video on YouTube that shows the GDP of the top 10 countries from 1900 to 2021. USA has always been on the top. China was not even on the list for many of these years, but the last 10 years sees it steadily climbing and set to challenge the US #1 position. Both Japan and Germany rose significantly after WWII to become #2 and #3 for several years. 

Responsibility

One footnote I want to add. I heard some people saying that some of the Japanese people they met on Hiroshima tour would say "We're sorry" while remembering the bombing. What? The Japanese are sorry? They were the ones who were bombed! What are they sorry for? ... Oh yea ... it was Japan that started it, it was Japan that commited their own atrocities, and it was Japan who would not surrender even after all their major cities were fire-bombed and the "Potsdam Declaration" was issued telling Japan to surrender or be destroyed by these new weapons. Maybe even they believe it was necessary to drop the bomb to end the war?  Given what I heard, I expected to see or hear some similar sentiments on our Nagasaki tour. Some acceptance of responsibility for what happened. There was no such sentiment on display. I understand that the museum's purpose is to focus on the effects of the bombing. Still it was disturbing to see a timeline of 1935-45, with this one line: "1941: War breaks out in the Pacific" - as if it just happened all on its own. 

Japanese governments have indeed issued several official apologies for their war crimes and other actions during the Imperial era. The most notable is the Murayama Statement made in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII.