Last night, The boy’s Mom dropped off the children for the big adventure. Timing was just perfect for having a little adult time before they arrived, in the form of dinner for two at a Mexican restaurant.

Things have so far gone remarkably smoothly. Packing was straightforward and, thanks to the kid’s Mom, complete with everything I needed for them. It was good that I took a day off my normal work activities to prepare.

Well, we made it to Hong Kong and it is way cool! The 14 ½ hour flight – one of the longest in the world - was way too long! The smoking prohibition wasn’t as bad as I thought, I didn’t use a piece of gum for the last 3 hours of the flight. The problem is the boys didn’t sleep a wink on the plane, and now think it’s early evening – despite the fact that their bodies KNOW it’s Five in the morning!

We are met by our guide - Johnny. I found that most of the Asian people assume an English name in their dealings with westerners. I think it makes it easier for all. Johnny gave us permission to call him anything - anything but Charlie. Most people didn't get it.

Is checking in half the fun? Mom and Sister got their rooms with ease, but the adventure boys and I were given a room occupied by a couple! A very romantic couple indeed! It seems "Trixie" (really!) had left a note telling her boyfriend to put on something cool, while she went out and purchased some – ahem!- latex accessories, shall we say… Fortunately, we never met.

A long day. Here are some key words to remember for a rewrite: Up at 0530. Breakfast. Johnny. Clean as can be. Driving on the left. Tram ride to the top of the peak. Photo opportunities at top, with no access to radio stations. Bus ride to other side. (Aberdeen). Sampan ride: One of the fun thing of the tour was a short Sampan ride. It’s big business for tourists there. All of us tourists get helped into the churning boat, which is simply held at the dock, and attendants help some of the more senior or larger passengers aboard. It was fun and touristy, and we got to see the boat villages in the canals. When we returned, there were no attendants! I hopped ashore and held the boat line, with the boys unloading the passengers. Sure made me proud of ‘em!

Permanent graves v. 5 year ones. What do they do with the dead in crowded Hong Kong? This question came up as we passed a street with trendy shops on one side, and terraced graves on the other.  It seems residents are encouraged to be cremated, as space is at a premium.  Most people don’t like this for they want to be with the earth. The solution – if you have the dough – is the five year grave plan! You’ll be buried allright, then – in 5 years – you get dug up and disposed of.  Then the space is reused for the next 5 year ‘customer’.  Only the very famous get to stay longer. The graves we saw are from early Hong Kong days, and are preserved antiques. Soylent Green anybody? Think that sounds rough? Remember, in Bombay, India they lay the bodies of relatives on hillsides – and let the buzzards eat them! Hong Kong is a Boom town. There is building and growth everywhere! The Communist Chinese may have taken over, but you wouldn’t know it by all the building going on! The only outward sign is that the flags are now those of China. Ski lift to beach: There is a nifty swimming beach in Aberdeen, but between it and the main road is a massive rock, which makes the beach inaccessible. The solution to this dilemma was to install the parking lot on the road side of the massive rock, and install a ski lift over it! Showing that the British are still there, the lift was donated by the local Cricket Club! I’m starting to notice that my fellow passengers do seem a bit senior. I want to be kind here, as all my fellow passengers are nice and friendly, but if asked about WW2 most of them would begin by saying, "Well, I remember when….". The swimming fiasco and jet lag. Trip to airport, HK is all hustle bustle, but follows speed limit.

  WARNING: Touch nothing in the shops – especially kids. Common frauds to avoid! Things are NOT the same as at home! We received a warning, which I will pass along to you: Some merchants will place broken merchandise on their shelves. When you touch it, it falls apart. Suddenly, this little broken piece of junk becomes a "valuable antique", and the full price is demanded – and received!  My boys followed the ‘do not touch’ rule, so we have no idea how widespread this practice is, To Xi’an by air: After the travels in Hong Kong, we are taken to the airport. As before the new Hong Kong airport is vast and modern – this time we get to see the "sort of domestic" area. You see, even though Hong Kong is part of China, it’s still a foreign country for customs and immigration purposes. Otherwise, China might become an empty country, and Hong Kong would be very, VERY crowded! Lunch causes attention to be drawn as American kids not only eat Chinese, but use chopsticks well – as well. A contingent of customs officers passed by and were obviously amused at the sight of a Single Dad, 2 blonde sons eating Chinese food with skill in chopsticks.

Like Most third world countries, air travel security is VERY tight. We are passed through a metal detector (everyone fails) and are then more closely examined. Smoking regulations are just like those back at home. Coincidence?

Dumb Shirt Department: I’m always amazed at some of the things Americans wear abroad. Some people must like to dress to let foreigners think we are idiots. This trip’s unfavorite shirt: 3 Homer Simpson pictures on a shirt. The first captioned "Duh-o", the second "Nuts!" and finally, with a self satisfied look, "Doughnuts". I wanted to hide. No wonder the world thinks we're out of our minds….

The ride in from airport is long – an hour or better. We are driving on the right hand side of the road again! Giant, illuminated Coke cans adorn the light poles as we pass by. The third world certainly entertains some interesting advertising! The long bus ride is through some very desolate, empty country. Suddenly, A police car goes whizzing by – lights and sirens on – coming from nowhere – going nowhere. Am I in the twilight zone?

The local escort makes note that there are several power plants en route, and they are huge! Why are they here? Well, as the escort points out (First making sure that we understand that they are NOT nuclear), that there are coal and gas reserves nearby and "Sorry if I offend any of you" , they were far inland and near the Russian border so they would be more difficult for the USA to bomb, and perhaps would anger the Russians if we nuked too close to their border! Apparently, when we were scared of the Chinese blowing us up in the 50’s and 60’s, they were just as scared… of US! Given the current world situation, how could they have entertained such fears?

By this time, the kids have completely fallen apart, and cry themselves to sleep. Fortunately, I know it’s the exhaustion coupled with the sadness of losing the hat… 78 Kg I am.

Tomorrow starts early (0600 rise) and is promised to end no later than "9 or 10 in the evening". This sounds like another long day…. A midnight phone call brings the news that my sister’s former husband – the one she is taking to court over support – has tried to enter the family vacation home with a wrong code and no authorization. When Buffy hears this, she explodes into her "contrived rage", lashing out fiercely at everyone she can reach. She screams at me. She even calls my girlfriend at my home. I don’t know what she says (I later found out), but I could hear it through a foot thick brick wall! I say contrived, because this is a repeated behavior she pulls whenever things aren’t going her way, or she gets news she doesn’t like. It’s her tantrum behavior that has made it very difficult for me to get along with her – I never know when she is going to explode, so I prefer to stay away from her. This incident – where she goes off on everyone for a mistake of her own doing – again – is probably the beginning of the end of this family. Sad.

As we prepare to leave the compound, we are approached by 4 young lads, who offer to sell us a bag of 5 imitation warriors – for only 40 American Dollars! I guess I was a little hard of hearing that day, for I responded by saying "Fourteen dollars"? They responded with a hearty "Yes, fourteen dollars"! I say, "was that FOUR dollars"? They agree, and $4 and the bag of warriors change hands. Later, I saw the same bags being sold for even less. Young business people.

Outside the compound, the sellers of "stuff" are yelling for our attention, but they apparently can’t step off the curb. One – whom we saw on the way in and promised to stop by on the way out – reminds us of our promise and we step over to her booth, inside the curb. We are mobbed by sellers of all kinds of one-of-a-kind things. The boys initially enjoy all this attention, and we actually negotiate and buy a couple of things, but pretty soon it’s becoming a madhouse. Christopher is uncomfortable with the crowd, and sellers come between the boys and I. That’s it! I grab the boys and head out to the curb, where we are free again. Both Colt and Christopher seem relieved, but Colt soon tells me how he had bargained a $50 imitation warrior down to $4 and was going to purchase it! Oh, well. More "shopping opportunities" would present themselves soon. Until then, Daddy knows best!

The next stop is the Regional museum. I find the place fascinating, as does Colt and….. Christopher! Christopher! Oh, there he is! He’s over at the museum store, making a purchase! My, he does seem to be the center of attention! All the women at the counter are doting over him! Some other people in the museum stop and watch this eight year old conducting himself in a 100% grown up manner, carefully considering his purchase. In fact, a crowd gathers! Daddy lets this unfold, taking some video shots of the whole thing. Purchase made, Christopher returns to his Daddy and Brother.

The day, for us, begins at 1000 hrs, as the announcement system booms out details of the upcoming lifeboat drill. We were exhausted but are much better now. Following the drill, all 4 kids (mine and my sister's) scattered. A call ashore turned into a new friendship with the radio officer, and a visit to the radio room, where I learned that HF is a thing of the past and CW (Morse code) is completely dead. Packet and digital modes rule the waves. On the other hand, the emergency system is so seldom used (they are used for emergencies only) that nobody pays attention! In case of disaster, they might have to dial 911 - on the conventional satellite phone - to get help! I might be able to sneak an email off the ship! (I never did!) It seems that the automated room to satellite system wasn't in service and the calls had to be arranged by the radio officer. It was nice to talk to Patricia, even for a few moments.

Unfortunately, I discovered that my sister had vented her rage at my girlfriend the night of Buffy’s screw up. I am still disturbed that she would explode at the innocent bearer of the news that my sister’s negligence had caused consequences. Word for word notes were made of my sister’s explosion at my girlfriend.

The kids did some homework in the late afternoon, until it was time to get ready for the Captain’s welcome reception. As the kids showered, I did laundry and got dressed – all at the same time. Following the reception, after ordering dinner, but before it arrived, I had to excuse myself --- to take the dry laundry out of the dryer and back to the cabin – wearing my Tux!

I made time for the kids and myself. I got the kids back from the arcade – they actually brought themselves – and got them to bed. I had a nice drink in the virtually empty disco – until it closed. I went back through the closed casino – at about midnight. The decks were absolutely empty. Still, Its kind of fun to be thought of as "The young one" at 45 and with 2 kids in tow…

This morning is early call for the adventure boys, as we have to be ready for adventure at 0645. Here we go on a train trip to the interior of China – to the city of Wuxi (Woo – chee). Although this is an escorted tour, it’s still just Daddy and the Adventure boys – (Ok, with a tour guide and a ship’s escort).

As we drive through early morning Shanghai, I note that it is a city of contrasts: One marvels at the large and modern buildings, I particularly admire the large transmitting tower downtown, done in the Arabic style. On the other hand, many of the streetfront stores remind me of Mexico, Kenya or Djibouti. In many cases, between the magnificent buildings are shanty towns, where many people live in squalor. I notice one billboard on the streetside advertising the superiority of U.S. Beef. – even sporting an American flag! Many of the office workers – both men and women – are doing their morning exercises before going in for work. It is the practice of Tai Chi, and it really is done by "the workers".

Another "Boom Town", Shanghai City reportedly "hosts" over 20% of the High Rise Construction Cranes in the world! I would be hard pressed to argue this…

We board the train from a crowded and bustling neighborhood and station. While walking, I notice that the adventure boys are getting lots of looks, stares and smiles from the locals – they like 2 blonde boys here too! Remarkably, the interior of our car is clean and well appointed – for a third world country. While no Amtrak, it’s no New Delhi to Agra run either. As the doors close, the women who stood guard at the train door now take their role as cabin attendants and offer us coffee or tea. I choose the coffee and receive a sweet, milk laced substance. It may or may not have been coffee, but it was hot and tasty. Our ship escorts are seated near us, and we form a nice chatting relationship with them. The train leaves precisely on time, and runs swiftly on smooth tracks. A stern faced, expressionless policeman walks by, eyeing everyone on board.

We arrive about an hour and a quarter later to, again, a bustling and busy station and neighborhood around it. We board tourist busses to our first stop (You saw this coming, right?): Shopping Opportunities! We get a tour of the artist’s area. The person guiding the shop tour sees Christopher, grabs him by the shoulder with one hand, and rubs his head with another. "I like this boy!", he exclaims to all of us. Christopher is getting to like being the center of attention. Although they want us to buy these cute little clay figurines, I want to shoot some street scenes. I’m quickly approached by a small woman, who offers little wooden toys for the boys for an American dollar each. This quickly turns into 3 toys for 2 dollars, and we depart happy. (I know we spent a bit much, but so what? Maybe she’ll squander her profit on a little extra food). The others in the bus see our toys, and soon – in a reversal of the norm – tourists are mobbing HER! She did good business that morning. Needless to say, the store owners were less than pleased, but they sold lots of those "fat babies" to people who knew about them. Probably the most noteworthy thing the kids will remember is the tiny toilet room, designed way too small for Americans, but perfect for smaller Chinese people – and 8 and 10 year olds!

Our next stop is the street docks, where canal boats await us. We board via a gangplank. It’s no problem for us adventure boys, but some of the older and larger passengers need some assistance. It may have been high adventure for some of them, but all make it aboard safely. We cast off.

We get to see life from the viewpoint of the river. One noteworthy thing is how friendly the people seem. Having been brought up during the cold war period, I expected to see some of an enemy attitude coming from most of the people. While I did see a bit of that, it was noteworthy by it’s rarity. What I did see was many people who returned our waves with waves and smiles of their own. Surprisingly, all the people who had babies in tow made it a point to have their kids wave at us. Students, in their bright, colorful school uniforms reacted to us by laughing, smiling and waving – then pointing out our presence to their schoolmates who repeated the greeting. All of this while we navigate a narrow canal with cargo laden boats passing by. Mostly, the captains of the boats would wave and smile as well. These are not an oppressed people!

Lunch was a surprise as well, as it was at the Pan Pacific Hotel. It is similar, but not as grand, as the one in San Francisco. Obviously connected, lunch was hearty and good. The waiters seemed pleased as we politely declined their offer of forks in favor of the provided chopsticks – which we used.

Following the garden tour, I’m finally able to put some Yuan to use, buying ice cream for the kids. They actually make the purchase. 2 ice creams come to a grand total of 5 Yuan.

Now, it’s time to head back to the train station. We pass through the busy area in front and make our way back to the return train’s platform. Hey, it’s a double decker car and we get top deck. On the downside, we are now on the Local service and stop at several stations.

It’s the train stations that remind me I’m in a communist country – and that’s probably only because of the movies I’ve seen. A multi platform station thronging with citizens and authority figures. It’s foggy, cold and smoky. Express trains of freight (especially Coal) come barreling through the station – at full speed.

Back we ride, through small villages, power stations with mountains of coal in front, communications towers and small rice and wheat fields. We arrive in Shanghai in about 2 ½ hours – just in time for rush hour! We make it through in the dimming twilight, seeing the advertising signs on everything light up. Where there used to be revolutionary posters are now advertisements for products.

At the dock, some lucky business people have set up a stand. It is there we get our elusive Shanghai postcards.

We thought we were going to have the morning in Shanghai and sail at 1:00 PM. Due to changing tides and official orders, we have to sail at 0900, so I let the kids sleep in late. I was up for the sailing and got the kids going afterwards. The kids, by their own choice, spent much of the day in the kids group. I lunched with Mom and got to spend a little time without kids.

This morning we awoke at the hotel. Well, actually, I was up early and let the kids sleep while I packed things up and got ready for the day. The night before, I had (let?) the kids call their Mom, and wish her a "Happy American Easter" (since ours was already done).

A long bus ride took us up to an area where the Ming Dynasty Emperors are buried. Apparently, they like to be buried in the earth (or did – not anymore. Mao is preserved and on display like most communist rulers.) and liked to be stuck in the ground near fellow Emperors. The first stop was called the "Sacred Road". This is a temple which one enters – as does the dead Emperor – and the walk out the other side and along a "sacred mile". This road is lined with stone animals and soldiers, which was believed to frighten away evil spirits and guard the soul of the dead.

As we waited to depart, we were descended upon by sellers of various goods. Everything is first priced outrageously, then – as we have learned – drops in price by as much as 95%. Such was the case of a $100 US blanket being offered to my Mom. By the time she had broken down and offered a token $5 for it, and was refused, she got back on the bus. "OK, $5" came the last offer. It was too late. The door was closing and, having already been trapped once by this door, wasn’t about to risk my well being for some stupid blanket.

After that, we bused to another tourist hot spot – the Ming Tomb and museum. This is indeed pretty cool, with an entry temple, an inner courtyard, an inner temple, which is the museum and the tomb to the rear. We explored it all and made it to the top of the "Temple of souls" where the Emperor is still buried.

One interesting observation is that all of these temples and shrines are protected by lightening protection systems – how old or new I cannot say. It is noted that more than one of them – including one in the Forbidden City – were set afire by lightening or "thunder". The Temple of Souls is no exception, in fact, it may be an example of serious attempts at lightening protection: I noticed 2 radio towers aside the temple, but no antennas on them. It dawned on me that they were giant lightening rods! This is in addition to the protection on the building itself.

Another observation, it that these sacred places are made of wood. Almost nothing in China is made of wood – the forests were chopped down centuries ago. Everything is made of masonry, brick, or steel. There is no such thing as a wooden power or telephone pole!

It’s a long ride back to the ship, with a stop at the same place we stopped at on our way up – only on the other side of the road. The Dutch are still here, selling their Shell oil! Colt buys some snacks – none of which are appealing once unwrapped.

Today we awoke with a start! A call from Mom announced that we had overslept and were scheduled to leave in ½ hour. We hurried off the ship and into a reception that included a brass band from the local school.

On the bus, we rode through early morning Dalian. It is the cleanest of all cities we have yet visited. Not as modern as Hong Kong – yet, but getting there – but is as clean or cleaner.

Our first stop was "Labor Square" which is the center of civic government, and also home of a very large statue commemorating Soviet soldiers who kicked the Japanese Imperial Army out in 1945.

We next stopped at a kindergarten. This was quite a surprise, for it wasn’t on any itinerary. It was quite large and seemed similar to an American one, save for it’s size and lack of aggressive fire protection. (Some was found in the stairway in the form of a hose cabinet and a red button to push – presumably the fire alarm). The children were really excited to see us and there was a dancing recital for us. For all I know, this may be a model school or the norm. It seems that this school gives the children a good head start. If it is the norm, we will see China at the forefront of the next generation!

From there, we went to the South side of the city. It is a park like area, is pollution free –as is all of Dalian – and is rural in nature. We stopped after crossing a bridge that the guide described as having been modeled after the Golden Gate Bridge, but it seemed a far stretch to me! We then went to the people’s park, but (surprise?) it was closed.

This may be a prosperous and vibrant city, but of all the others, the guides here seemed to echo the party line the closest! This may be a time to mention this: Only Dalian had military airplanes 'buzzing' the city! And 'buzz' they did! They came over all day long - but with their landing gear down! Obviously, a show of force but not an aggressive one. Interesting!

After our return to the ship, and lunch, the adventure boys and I struck out on our own!…..

We strike out and head over the bridge toward town. Well, we think we do as we wander all over the port area – finally being denied access to the street by a policeman who directs us back to where we come from. It seems that we must exit the port via the "customs" door, which has a desk for an official to sit behind and scrutinize the passers by. When we find and pass through that door, we are out on the streets.

One of the first orders of business is to find drinking water. This we do, and as we leave, one of the (store owner's) family directs my attention to my youngest son’s shoelaces. It seems untied and – for the second time – we are reminded to retie them. Of course, they speak no English and we speak no Chinese so it is all carried out by hand movements. A few moments later, a policeman tries to catch Christopher as it looks like he is falling – but he is not. We all laugh and make friendly. Off we go down the main drag. We see a busy city under construction, with the new, the old, the empty and the under construction all within the same block. The boys get a lot of attention from the passers – by.

At the friendship store, I pick up a pair of binoculars for the boys, at only Y345. Not bad. (Sorry to report that they never made it home. They were left and lost aboard the ship –ed.) We also pick up some local snacks. We get off the main street and are working our way back to the ship, when we come across a little street corner stand. We choose Ice Creams for the lads, and are surprised to find a group of 20 or so people who think the whole thing is quite amusing. While we enjoy our treats, many people take a look at us as they pass by. One mother, in particular, makes it a point to have her son wave at us. Up to the diplomatic task at hand, the boys shake hands with their Chinese age peer. Photos were taken. Will they turn out?

As we return, Colt – who wants to find "a mall", finds one – of sorts. It’s a building with many different shops within. "This is as close as you’re likely to get", I tell him. As we are about to leave, I spot a clothing store, where I am outfitted with the latest in Chinese fashion – well, a shirt and pair of slacks anyway – for the princely sum of 500 Yuan. By the time we get out of there, Colt and Christopher have become the boys wonder of the mall, with women coming up to them, touching their faces and hair, showing them off to their friends, posing for photos with them and, in one instance, playfully pretending to make off with Christopher himself. We make friends.

As we are walking back past the customs door, a man with a ride along bicycle comes up to us and offers us a ride back to the ship. For 30 Yuan, why not? We ride and get a photo, and I offer another 10 yuan as tip. This is accepted, but more is requested. Even without being able to speak each other’s language, the message is clear: "Please, I am so poor…" Christopher, picking up on this, offers the man a dollar – his dollar. So sweet! It’s accepted for what it is, and the man rides off, happy. I’m happy too, to have a Son such as him.

I’m pleased with my new clothing. Now I have a different look to my wardrobe.

Welcome to South Korea! It’s up and at ‘em very early, for an 0800 bus departure to explore this exciting corner of the world. Fortunately, my computer again seems to be working, which has not been the case in the last few days!

The boys are still asleep – virtually – as we board the bus, and don’t seem to wake up much during the 1 ½ hour bus ride to wherever it is they take us. Compared to all we have seen and done, Korea seems dull indeed. We see a bunch of bridges and buildings, good roads and much prosperity. It’s downright boring! In the AM we stop by a museum of Korean artifacts – they have found a bunch – and later stop at a park composed of tomb mounds.

The morning was livened up with an announcement by Christopher – at the park of the tombs – that he had lost his loose tooth! I had to explain the whole concept of the "tooth fairy" to our guide, who had never heard of this strange, American custom.

We changed some money at the bank, and the whole process is noteworthy. First, we had to find the bank – not easy when you can’t read Japanese. We finally found it by reading the sign – in perfect English and a couple of Asian languages: THIS PROPERTY IS UNDER INCREASED POLICE SURVELLANCE. Then, we approached the teller, who asked for my passport. When told that I only had my ship’s ID card, this caused a bunch of confusion until the manager said it was OK. I handed her a US$100 bill, and she asked me to have a seat, the process would take some time. While we waited, I noticed that there were no fewer than 5 cameras looking at this bank, 4 CCTV and one robbery film camera. Apparently, bank robbery – in this completely disarmed country – is a serious problem! I’ve seen this in Canada as well. Finally, I was called back and received my 11,835 yen, amidst much bowing and curiosity about the children.

We went back to the super stores, bought some snacks, and checked out the meat counter. I had always heard that beef was outrageous in price, and I just had to dig up some dirt on this. What I found was rather disappointing. Beef isn’t that much more here than back in the good old USA! I saw a pair of nice thick boneless rib eyes for 1200 yen, about ten U.S. bucks. Not that much more.

One store we visit is the "SUPER CENTER" This is a strange combination of a Target, Raley’s, Grand Auto and Home Depot. They have UP escalators, but not down! On the top floor is a section with the rest rooms. Outside of that is a little "smoking" area complete with vending machines, games for kids and even a couple of slot machines!

One other observation is that things are done the British way here: They drive and walk on the left, enter through the left door and their revolving doors circle clockwise – the complete opposite of the American way. Fortunately, I’ve had some experience in left driving countries, and was able to keep the children safe – if not dry.

Back safely aboard, I’m blessed with good luck as the purser just happens to have 5 US silver dollars for the American tooth fairy to do his good deed with.

\This afternoon, I worked on the computer and reinstalled the memory chips. It seems to have worked for the computer hasn’t crashed since!

This was some storm, and still is as we rock as this is being written. The force was announced as 8 but some are saying it’s 9. The captain announced 16 foot waves, but I’ve seen some much bigger. Up here on "A" deck – about 30 feet above the waterline – our porthole is getting washed regularly by the swell.

Homework is going slow tonight, and has been a continuing challenge. I had to hold over their heads no fun activities until the work was done. My the skin of their teeth to the timing, they made it, but wound up losing most – if not all - of the cocktail hour.

After dinner notes: Tonight, Christopher was treated to song and cake after dinner, as well as a surprise cake at the kid’s program. Strangely, my sister was throwing out these little sparking jabs at me all during dinner. Why? Once, when I attempted to get my children to use proper table manners, she threw out this barb about how I wasn’t perfect when I was a kid, so what was I doing? Again, Why? I sincerely believe that her kids were never taught proper manners, so can barely be faulted for not knowing them, but why criticize me? At another time, my sister’s oldest son – who has managed to deliberately ruin almost every photograph ever taken of him – was in a picture with me and my sons, and was preparing to pull another photo ruining stunt: His hands were poised to put rabbit ears behind a member of the family. I mention to him that, with me in the photograph, he had better remember to adhere to my standard of behavior. My sister pipes up: "What about MY standards?" What about them? Check your photo album for the results of them.

Later, Mom and I went out for a smoke and mentions that my sister is being quite rude. I say, "No, Mom, she is being confrontational". Mom then gets all pissed at ME for disagreeing with her and walks away. There must be a full moon out or something.

Nothing good lasts forever, and this cruise has reached it’s wrapping up phase. The storm finally subsided late last night, and people began to reemerge from their cabins. Colt woke up with a slight upset stomach this morning – I guess smooth sailing and calm waters disagree with him. We awake to find ourselves docked at the port, and just a few steps away is a shopping mall very similar to one one might find at home, except they have also turned it into a waterfront tourist attraction. As we disembark to find a phone, our direction is drawn to a Ferris wheel – THE WORLD’S LARGEST!! Its 112.5 meters tall – about 35 stories! The kids want to go on it, NOW!

I remind them that our mission is to find a shore phone to call their mom. It’s the right time and opportunity: We’re ashore (hence no need to use the $15 per minute ship’s phone), it’s Christopher’s birthday in America (Forevermore, they’ll want to celebrate their American and Japanese birthdays), and they’re feeling a bit homesick. We find an international phone, but the darn thing won’t accept any of my credit cards. I can buy a phone card but the dispenser only accepts 1000 yen notes, and all I have is a 10,000!

The kids clamor for lunch, and it’s an interesting experience ordering Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japanese!!

It’s an interesting meal as well, for it’s a bit different in the orient than back at home.

Armed with change from lunch, I manage to buy a 2000 yen phone card (about $11) and it works right away. The kids get a nice 15 minute call back to their Mom, who takes a moment to let me know that she was trying, unsuccessfully, to call the ship all day yesterday (I wonder if a force 9 gale with 20 foot waves had anything to do with it?) and to let me know that she was aware that both China and Japan had earthquakes. (!?). Oh well.

Armed with smaller bills, we head to the giant wheel. For 700 yen per head we get our 15 minute ride, once around. It is a breathtaking experience, and we got some cool photographs.

Back at the bottom, Colt is back to feeling a bit unwell, so we head back aboard.

At dinner, the kids are trying to get us adults to tell them a word they don’t know – beyond a doubt a naughty one. I came up with one: millinery! They went nuts! I even got a high five from my sister!  The entire Indonesian staff was befuddled as well!  Finally, we had to tell them the truth!

When dinner was over, the family and a trivial pursuit friend were to head over to the wheel for a nighttime ride. Woe befell us, as it was closed for the night. In this case, the boys and I proved that the early bird really does get the ride! Heck, we did learn that the Japanese stores open at 11:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM, but that they hold a virtual circus when they are open! Yes, there is a Japanese Charlie Chaplin!

For one thing, the !@##$ computer has taken to crashing at random again and is eating some good work! The computer has been causing problems from the start -- It has been crashing and locking up from the start of the trip! Many of my thoughts and observations have been just plain lost!

At 0630 I’m up and going, although most of the big packing was set out last night in time for 0200 pickup, it’s the last few bits that can be time consuming. And it is.

Bu 0830 we have taken care of business and vacated the cabin. The picture has changed into one in the public rooms where we wait for our busses to take us ‘round town and to the airport. The busses leave in stages, and we are in the last one.

After eating, we again revel in this incredible place! Every place makes noise, and the noise changes inside the store - several times! I'm reminded of Hong Kong, only more crowded, more dense, louder, and with less vehicular traffic.

If you will recall, I was in the last of 12 busses of tourists on this day adventure on Osaka. We had met each other, for the last time, at the shopping area with staggered times. I had thought that we would arrive at the airport at staggered times as well….

Japan is a very organized society. When the brochures say we will arrive at the airport at 3:00 PM, they ALL arrive at precisely 3:00 PM. So precise, that we are bus 12 of 12. In other words, it’s a mess. Every passenger from the ship is in the same line - at the same time. We wait in line for an hour.

I step out for a smoke. I am amazed at the gadgetry the Japanese have. Everything sings or makes noise. After a few trips out, I realize: The tune is for blind passengers to know when they can cross the roadway. The "ding - dong" sound tells the blind where the door is and the rough pavement is actually a code that the blind can follow with their feet (or canes) to find the intercom, elevator or help desk!