The Silent "I"

Solar Eclipse Trip - Final Thoughts

We've been back two weeks from our Solar Eclipse Trip '09, and I still find myself thinking about the things that happened along the way.  If I had to summarize our trip, I'd say we had a wonderful time, with a few hiccups here and there, but nothing catastrophic.  We had worried about being denied entry into China, or being tracked down and quarantined if we had the misfortune of sitting near someone with a fever.  Our fears were unfounded, although the precautions against anyone entering the country with the H1N1 virus were certainly out in full force.  Frank told me that the real fear was that the Swine Flu virus would somehow mutate with the Avian Flu virus, which would be catastrophic for China, and possibly the world.  I called this the "When Pigs Fly Flu," which is hopefully when it will occur...NEVER.

Sure, the ship's boarding process could have been smoother, and I could have lived without Alex's projectile vomiting for two days, but all in all, we had a good time.  My only wish was that we could have spent more time in the ports and less time just rolling around the sea.  Nothing's perfect, sometimes you just have to roll with it.

Friday Photo: Trompe L'Oeil in Osaka

The train station in Osaka, Japan has a wonderful set of trompe l'oeil murals near the Osaka Hilton entrance. The murals depict mostly Western people in humorous street scenes that could be New York or Chicago or Paris.  During our two days in Osaka, we passed them several times.  Alex couldn't resist making himself part of the scene.

To see other fun travel photos, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

Osaka, Japan: Sharks, Soccer & Pokemon (or One Boy's Dream World)

Our final full day of our vacation, we met up again with our friends, the Watanabe family, for a day touring Osaka.  It was raining in the morning, so we opted for indoor activities, which led us to the Pokemon Center and the the fantastic Osaka Aquarium.  Later that night, we went to see the Gamba Osaka professional soccer team play at Osaka Stadium.  It was as if all of Alex's dreams came true in one day.

The Watanabes picked us up and drove us to the nearby Pokemon Center, which was not far from our hotel.  The place was jammed with parents and kids, and looked like a Pokemon lover's paradise. Pokemon snacks, toys, cards, t-shirts, and all forms of merchandising were on sale. Hisashi-san said that when something new is introduced, the line to get in goes outside and around the block.  It was quite a mob scene on just a regular day, so I was glad to miss that action.

We hopped into the Watanabe's spacious Toyota Minivan for our next destination:  The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.  Frank was particularly fascinated with the GPS system in the car, which included traffic information on the map.  If a road was congested, the map lit up in red and suggested alternate routes. He told Hisashi-san, "In ten years, we might have this, too."  The system also kept track of tolls and told you how much each toll crossing cost. 

It was cloudy and raining on and off, so Hisashi-san dropped us off in front of the Aquarium complex to go look for parking.  The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is part of a larger complex that includes a giant ferris wheel and the Suntory Museum.  The Suntory Museum is shaped like a giant rice bowl and is famous for its IMAX 3D theatre.  I didn't get a picture of it because we were busy trying to get out of the rain. The attractions are connected by a complex of shops and restaurants, and make for an interesting way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.  The giant ferris wheel did not seem to be working.  This was a good thing, since I think Frank would prefer being eaten by a whale shark then ever boarding a ferris wheel this big.

We made our way up the ramp toward the Aquarium, a huge, colorful building that looked like it was made out of Legos.  I wasn't too thrilled about seeing yet another Aquarium, but this is what Frank and Alex wanted to do, so I went along for the ride.  I was glad I did.

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of the largest public aquariums in the world, and is unlike any other I have ever seen.  Living near the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are kind of spoiled, and no other aquarium we've visited has ever lived up to it. Until now. To say that Osaka knocked my socks off would be an understatement.

Kobe, Japan: Where's the Beef?

Our last stop on Eclipse Cruise '09 was Kobe, Japan.  The ship was in port for 2 days, then heading back to Tianjin.  We decided that we needed to get back to work, so we disembarked in Kobe, and headed to Osaka for the weekend.  We landed in Kobe on Friday, July 24 and were scheduled to leave Osaka on Sunday.

As it turned out, about 200 people decided to disembark in Kobe, which surprised me a little.  We had to pay the same amount whether we stayed onboard the ship or got off four days early.  A number of people were taking overnight tours of Kyoto and Tokyo while they had the opportunity.

I was a little sad to leave our home-away-from home.  I'd gotten used to the ship, despite being cabin-bound during Alex's two days of seasickness.  On the other hand, I was looking forward to being in Japan again, and to visiting our friends who live outside Kyoto.

Arriving at Kobe, we were greeted by a brass band.  The Kobe City Fire Department Band was standing on the pier playing a variety of marches and traditional American songs.  A Japanese an waved flags in time to the music and waved to all the cruise passengers standing on the top deck, snapping pictures and enjoying the music and a beautiful day in Kobe.  It was a friendly welcome, and I had no idea that ships were met with such hospitality. 

I've Looked at Clouds from Both Sides Now

We spent a few days out at sea, both before and after the eclipse.  On those days, I would wake up before dawn because of the jetlag. Part of me was still on California time, and part on Japanese time, but mostly, I was confused. We tended to go to bed right after dinner, and at 4 am, my eyes would pop open and there was no turning back.  It was either toss and turn in bed for a few hours, or find something to do.  A few mornings, I waiting for the light to come creeping into the window around 5:00 am, got dressed, and went up to the top deck to look and photograph the clouds and sunrise.

I wasn't alone in this odd schedule.  Usually, there were a few other early birds up on deck, jogging or holding cameras waiting for the light to rise in the sky.  Most days, Frank was not far behind me, and the two of us would hang out and enjoy the morning calm, while Alex slept peacefully in the cabin.

I Went to the Total Solar Eclipse, and Didn't Even Get a Lousy T-Shirt

If you have been reading along the past week, you may be wondering whether we actually got to see the total eclipse or not.  As my dad used to say, "Get with it, girl!"

Why yes. Yes we did see the total eclipse. And it was grand.

The day before the eclipse, we were out at sea on the Costa Classica, and there was a rehearsal for the eclipse.  The organizers wanted to show everyone that there would be plenty of room on deck for everyone to fit their tripods and other gear to get a good view of the eclipse, which would be over our heads, so as long as you were out on the deck, you would be able to see it.  They warned people not to try to lay claim to a particular spot on the boat, and that eclipse day would be "first come, first serve" for spots.

This warning did not stop people from setting up their tripods in opportune spots, or leaving pleading notes not to remove particular deck chairs, or, as in the case of the group from MIT, roping off an entire section of the deck, pissing off the early morning joggers on the top deck.

Kagoshima, Japan: The Age of Aquariums

Landing in the Japanese port city of Kagoshima, we opted not to take one of the ship's excursions, and set out on our own.  From the guidebooks, it looked as though Kagoshima boasted a nice aquarium, but we couldn't quite figure out where it was on the map the ship provided. As it turned out, the Kagoshima City Aquarium (Suizoku-kan Ioworld) was quite far from the port, so we hopped in a taxi and found our way there without much trouble.

 

The Aquarium is fairly small, but features a large tank in the first room, with many different types of fish in it, similar to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I stopped at one of the small display tanks for quite a while, trying to cajole this cute horned fish into turning and smiling for the camera.  He finally obliged, giving it his best Mona Lisa impression.  I have no idea what kind of fish this is, since the display tag was all in Japanese.  Most of the fish are native to the waters around Japan, so even the fish are locals here.

Cheju Island: The Hawaii of Korea

On the second day of our Eclipse 09 Cruise, the weather cleared up, just in time for our excursion to Cheju (or Jeju) Island, Korea.  The ship docked at 8:00 am, and we were met by Korean drummers in colorful costumes, welcoming us to the island.  Aside from the eclipse, this excursion was the thing that I was most looking forward to on the trip.  My mother had told me many times about Cheju-do, and how Koreans go to this romantic island getaway as a "honeymoon paradise."  Of course, while we were there, I had to call her to rub it in that I was here and she was not.  I'm nice like that.

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Cruise Ship in the Rain from Glennia Campbell on Vimeo.

After a pleasant, but rainy and smoggy, stay in Tianjin, China, we were finally able to board the Costa Classica cruise ship to see the total solar eclipse in the Pacific.  The ship was nice and well-appointed, but it was no Sinfonia.  I think our experiences at the 2006 solar eclipse in Libya have pretty much ruined cruises for me forever, since I'm not sure that any other experience could quite live up to that.  I had high hopes for the Costa Classica, though, since it's part of the same ownership as the MSC Crociere Sinfonia that we took in the Mediterranean in 2006.

Boarding the Costa Classica

When Frank looked into ways we could view the total solar eclipse this year, the best option seemed to be a cruise in the Pacific, where we could view from the center line.  We booked the cruise through Astronomy Vacations, who chartered a cruise ship through Costa Cruises, an Italian cruise line with Asian destinations.  The itinerary looked appealing, taking off from Tianjin, sailing to Cheju Island, Korea, then to Kagoshima, Japan, and out to sea to view the eclipse.  We decided to disembark at Kobe, Japan to cut it short due to limited vacation time off from work, and to be able to visit friends in Japan.

After leaving Tianjin by car, we headed toward the port. We were told that we could board the ship starting at 2:00 pm, and we arrived at the dock at 1:30.  Already, there was a huge crowd of people in front of the entrance.  Nearly everyone was an American or European, so we figured we were in the right place.

There was no real queue, and no one seemed to know what was going on, but one door was open, and everyone was converging toward that door.  We managed inch our way inside within a few minutes, where we all filed through a single x-ray screening machine. As far as I could tell, the one we walked through was not actually turned on.  We were directed up an escalator, where a long line of people stood waiting to check in.  After standing in line for 10 minutes and not moving, some young Chinese women came and ordered, “Only one per party for check in! Take your bags to the waiting room!” so Alex & took the bags and Frank waited in line.

About half an hour later, Frank emerged with stickers on our passports.  The Customs Office downstairs was not open yet, so we amused ourselves by  shopping at the dusty little gift shop on the first level.  We found some nice items that were quite a bargain, including a pair of stuffed pandas joined by a string at the lips. When you pulled them apart, they said, “I LOVE YOU!” in a high pitched voice. Alex alternately amused and annoyed the people seated around us in the waiting room by pulling the string repeatedly while we waited.