As far as life on the ship--- we have settled into routines, but we are only on the ship for 9 days this month! Its perfect because we have time to get our laundry done, catch up with people and hear stories and then hear about sights and experiences we might want to check out in the next country. Emma and Alden have made friends---there is a roving pack of 12 year old boys who after "school" play ping-pong (and beat the college kids), play dodgeball, basketball, frequent the snack bars with their ship ID's to get candy and warm cookies, and have a pretty good time everyday. They have "afternoon activities" from 2-4 and then reading hour from 4-5. There is a great girl from Denver named Sarah who is in charge of the program for the kids. Emma has met a few other girls her age---she plays cards with one of them, babysits occasionally, is excited to begin "screenings" of past Downton Abbey seasons with a few of the girls, works out in the workout room (trying to stay in shape so that she can begin training with Hollister and shows immediately after we return home).
We have an "extended family" --6 kids who we eat with every week (not his month because we are rarely on the ship), played Family Feud with. It’s fun to see them and hear their stories.
The guys who work to make sure we are all fed each day are amazing, but if you like any spice in your food, you wont find it here. The ship food is pretty bland, but we go up to a snack bar upstairs and there is a tiny dining room where you can sit down for "celebration dinners"--we have eaten there twice so far and it was very good---and we signed up for a few nights throughout the trip. There is a lounge that is off limits to kids and college students where professors, staff and "lifelong Learners" go for cocktails, music, and peace and quiet! There are a handful of families who are traveling with the ship without a member working on the staff--a family from Portland (we have a friend in common who had told me that they would be here) with 2 boys, a family from Seattle who has 3 kids (in high school) a family from New York...and then many families who are here accompanying a professor or have a family member who is a staff member (travel office...).
We have received a few pictures of the dogs (one of Belle lying next to Katie's cat). I guess they harassed the cat for weeks and it hid when the dogs were around, but now they have made peace with one another!
CHINA
. We were in China for 5 days---lost a day of our original itinerary because the pilot for the ship arrived late (a day late) and we were also stuck in the Shanghai airport for hours after we left the ship. Anyway---we flew to Xi-an and spent several days there. We had a hilarious guide named "neil" whose knowledge and banter everyone enjoyed.
The terra cotta warriors are amazing. In pictures, it is hard to tell just how large they are--"life-size" and that each warrior is modeled after an individual and therefore all are amazingly unique. The emperor had wanted to kill the warriors themselves, but was talked into burying the terra cotta models instead (his concubines were not so fortunate). There are different sections of the site and when they are unearthed, for approx. 48 hours, vivid color can be seen on each until the oxygen fades it. Also, the farmer who discovered the site was at a table signing books--- all of the other farmers who were with him digging the well had run away when they saw the first faces in the dirt--he remained because it was his land. So...that was a highlight along with an amazing mosque complex bordered by markets. Did we mention yet how cold it was?
Let’s just say that you cannot understand our experiences in China without knowing how incredibly cold it was. Freezing, damp, grey with pollution---quite depressing, really. Tian’men Square was packed with Chinese people because we arrived at the end of their new years celebrations. So many people and so cold that most people could only focus on their numb fingers and toes and entirely missed most of the information our guide was giving us (the "official version given to another group from the ship was that the student who approached the tank (televised around the world) was "bringing the soldiers their lunch"). Its hard to believe---???
The Forbidden City was massive and we have to say again—freezing, freezing, freezing. It was worth loosing feeling in our hands and feet to see it-- especially after learning about how it was a "prison" for the Emperor and after watching The Last Emperor, it was surreal to be there. We have to admit that we rushed though the last portion of the tour because we were so cold.
The Great Wall--well, it was great! We lucked out and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon there and the kids tobogganed down the mountain while a number of us (chickens) rode a chairlift down. We also went to the Pearl Market (a small seperate group was led under the basement to a hidden black door which opened into a room of "genuine fakes").
Our group also went to a “local home” for lunch after a tea ceremony and learned how to make dumplings. The home of a woman and her neice was in the old part of Beijing and and it was really cool to ride in a rickshaw through the narrow lanes through the old neighborhoods as we made our way to her house. The downside of the afternoon was the communal “squat” toilet divided with half partitions that the neighbors shared (and so did we).
On our final morning in Beijing, we visited a school for Kung Fu where the boys and men live while learning. They put on an amazing show and then gave everyone a lesson ---it was a huge relief to be able to actually move around instead of getting off of the bus to eat another meal or wander sedately around oohing and ahhing at sights like a heard of cattle with cameras.
So,
We loved our guides, were in awe of the warriors and the Great Wall and were glad to say goodbye to the damp cold and grey skies. After Japan, it was quite a shock to arrive in China, but we were all glad that we had been there. We took a flight to Hong Kong from Beijing. In Hong Kong we were docked in a huge shopping complex ---a prime spot because the Tung family has been involved with Semester at Sea for years. Hong Kong is so packed with life and overcrowding is certainly an issue, but we loved it.
Now, we are on our way to Vietnam and Cambodia! We are scheduled to take a cooking class at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city and then on to Camb
We have an "extended family" --6 kids who we eat with every week (not his month because we are rarely on the ship), played Family Feud with. It’s fun to see them and hear their stories.
The guys who work to make sure we are all fed each day are amazing, but if you like any spice in your food, you wont find it here. The ship food is pretty bland, but we go up to a snack bar upstairs and there is a tiny dining room where you can sit down for "celebration dinners"--we have eaten there twice so far and it was very good---and we signed up for a few nights throughout the trip. There is a lounge that is off limits to kids and college students where professors, staff and "lifelong Learners" go for cocktails, music, and peace and quiet! There are a handful of families who are traveling with the ship without a member working on the staff--a family from Portland (we have a friend in common who had told me that they would be here) with 2 boys, a family from Seattle who has 3 kids (in high school) a family from New York...and then many families who are here accompanying a professor or have a family member who is a staff member (travel office...).
We have received a few pictures of the dogs (one of Belle lying next to Katie's cat). I guess they harassed the cat for weeks and it hid when the dogs were around, but now they have made peace with one another!
CHINA
. We were in China for 5 days---lost a day of our original itinerary because the pilot for the ship arrived late (a day late) and we were also stuck in the Shanghai airport for hours after we left the ship. Anyway---we flew to Xi-an and spent several days there. We had a hilarious guide named "neil" whose knowledge and banter everyone enjoyed.
The terra cotta warriors are amazing. In pictures, it is hard to tell just how large they are--"life-size" and that each warrior is modeled after an individual and therefore all are amazingly unique. The emperor had wanted to kill the warriors themselves, but was talked into burying the terra cotta models instead (his concubines were not so fortunate). There are different sections of the site and when they are unearthed, for approx. 48 hours, vivid color can be seen on each until the oxygen fades it. Also, the farmer who discovered the site was at a table signing books--- all of the other farmers who were with him digging the well had run away when they saw the first faces in the dirt--he remained because it was his land. So...that was a highlight along with an amazing mosque complex bordered by markets. Did we mention yet how cold it was?
Let’s just say that you cannot understand our experiences in China without knowing how incredibly cold it was. Freezing, damp, grey with pollution---quite depressing, really. Tian’men Square was packed with Chinese people because we arrived at the end of their new years celebrations. So many people and so cold that most people could only focus on their numb fingers and toes and entirely missed most of the information our guide was giving us (the "official version given to another group from the ship was that the student who approached the tank (televised around the world) was "bringing the soldiers their lunch"). Its hard to believe---???
The Forbidden City was massive and we have to say again—freezing, freezing, freezing. It was worth loosing feeling in our hands and feet to see it-- especially after learning about how it was a "prison" for the Emperor and after watching The Last Emperor, it was surreal to be there. We have to admit that we rushed though the last portion of the tour because we were so cold.
The Great Wall--well, it was great! We lucked out and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon there and the kids tobogganed down the mountain while a number of us (chickens) rode a chairlift down. We also went to the Pearl Market (a small seperate group was led under the basement to a hidden black door which opened into a room of "genuine fakes").
Our group also went to a “local home” for lunch after a tea ceremony and learned how to make dumplings. The home of a woman and her neice was in the old part of Beijing and and it was really cool to ride in a rickshaw through the narrow lanes through the old neighborhoods as we made our way to her house. The downside of the afternoon was the communal “squat” toilet divided with half partitions that the neighbors shared (and so did we).
On our final morning in Beijing, we visited a school for Kung Fu where the boys and men live while learning. They put on an amazing show and then gave everyone a lesson ---it was a huge relief to be able to actually move around instead of getting off of the bus to eat another meal or wander sedately around oohing and ahhing at sights like a heard of cattle with cameras.
So,
We loved our guides, were in awe of the warriors and the Great Wall and were glad to say goodbye to the damp cold and grey skies. After Japan, it was quite a shock to arrive in China, but we were all glad that we had been there. We took a flight to Hong Kong from Beijing. In Hong Kong we were docked in a huge shopping complex ---a prime spot because the Tung family has been involved with Semester at Sea for years. Hong Kong is so packed with life and overcrowding is certainly an issue, but we loved it.
Now, we are on our way to Vietnam and Cambodia! We are scheduled to take a cooking class at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city and then on to Camb