Where in the World are Dave and Elizabeth?

Look who got his haircut at a Japanese barber shop! While I waited, I was the only woman in this very male space, and Dave and I were the only foreigners.  Dave and the barbers tried hard to communicate though the barbers knew no English and Dave knew no Japanese.  Luckily, another patron spoke both languages and bridged the gap.  Before cooking We wandered around and wound up at a cozy Kobe beef restaurant. The chef and staff were great, and the food was beyond delicious.   After running a couple of errands in the shopping district, we decided to walk back to the ship rather than riding the monorail. We wanted to see more of the city on foot. Along the way, we ran into some kind of protest? Parade?  If you read Japanese, we would love to know what the signs say. Two women on a car drove ahead of the crowd and spoke slogans through a megaphone. Police came along beside the unhappy looking line of people and made sure that the protestors and traffic were orderly....

 It spit snow today in Kobe! Tokyo and Kobe are the coldest places we have been on our world trip so far.  Today, we traveled from our port in Kobe to Himeji to visit the famous castle there.  We also took a walk in the Kokyo-en 9 walled-gardens nearby.  It  Despite the fact that it is still the tail end of winter here, some things were blooming in the 9 gardens. There were lots of people around, but you could still feel the tranquility in the surroundings. Each garden had a theme and a name connected to the theme.   Together, they represent one certain petiod in Japanese landscaping and architecture, but I am not familiar enough with Japanese historical periods to understand the style. I just enjoyed the beauty.    Tomorrow we hope to eat some Kobe steaks.  Sayonara! 

Our first stop was the Imperial Palace, a compound of buildings and gardens built around old castle ruins.  The current emporer lives there, along with his family. No, he didn’t invite us in for tea. 😆 The next stop was a Buddhist temple compound.  Here is where you buy your fortune.  If your fortune is a bad one, you tie it to this rack — I suppose so that some one can pray for better things on your behalf,  The air all around and in the buildings was scented with incense.  It took me right back to World Bazaar in Atlanta when I was in seventh grade or so.  There were many little shrines in the grounds like this one.  If a mother loses her first child, she will come to One of these to pray to the Buddha.  If it is winter, she will clothe the statue with something warm.  This is thanks in return for the prayer, but also demonstrating motherly concern for her late child.  The grounds let out in a pedestrian shopping area that spans sever...

While we are at sea, I am remembering this farewell dance in Saipan.  And the fun we had on Guam!  https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3l1_cHvfVN/?igsh=cHVsY2lyMTc2MTd5

Sunrise from our balcony How do you handle Monday mornings? On the Zuiderdam, we are going to simply skip tomorrow and pass from Sunday night to Tuesday.  There will be no February 12th for us. As we have been sailing west to arrive in the east, we have been going backward on the clock.  Now that we are about to cross the dateline, we will add 24 hours at once. 🤷‍♀️Simple.  Right?  Then why am I so confused?  🤔🤪☺️ Last night, the ship celebrated Chinese or Lunar New Year, complete with traditional foods and lovely red decorations.  Dave is feeling better after the ship clinic gave him antibiotics to clear up a post Covid sinus infection.  Somehow, we both escaped Covid until this year, so we have little room to complain. Showing the Diamond Head Trail that  I did part way and Dave finished. Seeing this amazing world from the sea has been mind and heart stretching for us so far. "He has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what...

View of Honolulu from Diamond Head  We've hit some milestones! When we visited Hilo, we completed the first leg of this 128 day journey.  In Honolulu, several people disembarked to make their way home, while others came on board for the next part of the voyage.  Most of us are in for the long haul, We are beginning another long stretch of the Pacific.  It will take us 8 days to get to our next stop --Guam. We went back an hour last night and are going back an hour tonight.  We will cross the International Date Line on the 13th. Yesterday, in Honolulu, I had a craving for Chik Fil A and real southern tea.  We headed for the nearby mall, which turned out to be the largest outdoor mall in the US.  The food court alone was overwhelming, with many yummy smelling Asian inspired chains I had never encountered.  But, we got our taste of the Chik while we had a chance. I got a kick out of the Mahalo sign. That’s something you don’t see in Tennessee Chik Fi...