USN59-79

Greetings from the Pacific NW. Beautiful day, but the wind is coming up and expecting rain soon. In 1961, when stationed in Taipei by the Navy, I wanted to learn to speak Chinese. I met a Chinese girl who was employed at the National Taiwan Art Center who wanted to learn more English. March 8 was Woman's Day and she had a day off, so her Uncle brought her to my house to meet me. We exchanged language lessons twice a week. At the time she was 19 and I was 21. Two years later we were married. I learned some Chinese, but not a lot, and never did concentrate on learning to read it. I had never heard of the term cli fi. However, every day I hear a lot of fiction about climate change that is presented as fact. We went to Red Lobster for lunch today as we had a gift card that needed to be used. We had crab legs which were OK. But I wonder how many dungeness crabs I could have bought to eat at home for $71? Ray

We did 42 days on the Westerdam Yokohama to Seattle last Spring and noticed some cutbacks, particularly the service in the Pinnacle Grill. We decided to try something different, and recently completed 33 days on Seabourn Sojourn, part of the Carnival group, from Sydney to Taipei. If you are willing to go upscale, there is a definite, positive difference. Within three days crew members knew our name and the type of wine we enjoyed. I asked our excellent room stewardess how many rooms she was responsible for and she said 17. Drinks were free, and when I asked the room person for a bottle of American whiskey, she promptly delivered a liter of Jack Daniels. When we left the ship there were only two charges; both for visas. Although there are no mandatory gratuities, the crew seemed happier and less stressed than on a HAL ship. Ray

Well, the plumber showed up on time and after four hours we now have a new water heater that I can access with my phone and turn it off for the days we are away from home. The plumber was very professional and I might contact him when we think about remodeling our bath room. Time for a glass of red wine and to light the barbecue for steaks tonight. Ray

We have been home for a week and finally got time to read through the Daily. Almost missed out flight out of Taipei. Flight was to leave at 7:40 AM and DBIL left for the airport at 5:00, so we should have had plenty of time. Start checking for our flight to Korea and couldn't find it. Eventually found that we were at the wrong airport; Sungshan, the original airport, rather than Touyuan, the international airport. Grabbed a taxi, stuffed in our four suitcases and told the driver to hurry. He drove about 20 mph over the speed limit and we made it. He received a large tip. Never had a Mustang, but was into Thunderbirds. At one time I had 6 1963 t-birds. DW said "One or two is a hobby, but six is a sickness". Finally got down to one convertible I worked on restoring for about two years. Working under it one day and got rust particles in my eye and decided enough is enough. Sold it and bought a new Mazda Miata. Found our water heater wasn't working right when we got home. One of the heating elements had failed, so it worked, but not well. Since it is 38 years old, decided to replace it. Bought a new one yesterday and a plumber is scheduled to arrive at 11 today to switch them out. Sorry to hear about Jacqui's foot pain. Sara had hip pain all during our cruise, probably from sciatica. Hurt so much in the morning that we had our breakfast delivered to our room every morning. By noon she could walk with a cane and by dinner without one. We are both scheduled to see our doctor next week for annual physicals. Ray

Thought I would share a happening here on Taiwan. Before we left for the cruise Sara found an invitation to our wedding reception in 1963. Written in English and Chinese, and held at the First Hotel. Since we are celebrating our 61st while here, I decided to try to have a dinner party at the hotel for our friends and relatives on that date. My DBIL helped arrange it and sent out the invitations and we had 22 guests. Great food and they set up a karaoke for a sing along. Even a huge wedding cake with candles for 61. As we blew out the candles, I couldn’t help thinking “Not a good idea with covid still around “. Masks are not required here, but more than half of the people wear them on the streets and 90% in buildings. Anyway, the party was a great success. Earthquake thoughts. Could still feel a couple of slight aftershocks last night. Taiwan has strict building codes; thus the small loss of life compared to many other countries. Ray

It was exciting. Struck at 8 AM just while I was sipping a cup of coffee. We are on the fourth floor of the family home and the shaking lasted for about ten or fifteen seconds followed by a severe aftershock shortly afterwards. A few things fell to the floor, but no real damage. It was centered near Hualien, on the east coast at 7.4 with a 6.7 aftershock while Taipei felt about 5.0. We had a very enjoyable cruise on the Seaborne Sojourn for 33 days from Sydney to Keelung. I was very impressed by the service provided by the crew. Within 3 or 4 days it seemed that everyone knew your name and the wine you preferred. Only downside was the hot and humid weather from Australia to Indonesia and the Philippines. Ray

That is one way to look at it. My intention was to warn those who are entitled to a discount on a wine package that if they buy it before boarding they will be charged full price. They will then have to stand in line at the front desk to have the charge corrected and even then it might not be corrected. On Seabourn, you don't need a wine package as drinks are included. Ray

If you are able to get a discount as a 4 or 5 star Mariner, I suggest you wait until you are onboard before ordering it. On our last cruise on the Westerdam, we ordered the 8-bottle package and were supposed to get a 50% discount. We ordered before we boarded the ship. Noticed on my credit card statement that we were charged full price. Brought it up to the front desk, even showed them our credit card statement and they said they would take care of it. Didn't happen, so they still owe us about $300. We decided rather than fight with them, we would just choose another cruise line for our next cruise. Leaving this weekend for a 33 day cruise on Seabourn. Ray

I enjoy most of the memes on the Daily, but I particularly enjoyed @Nickelpenny's one on the elevator. Today was a good day. Most of the snow is gone, so no problem driving. A year ago I had a large toenail removed as it was ingrown. Unfortunately, it didn't grow back very good and if I wear a regular shoe, it presses on it with some pain. Went to the Bremerton Naval Hospital today and a really nice podiatrist trimmed it properly, prescribed some cream to soften it and when she heard that I was flying to Sydney this weekend, gave me some pressure socks so I don't get a blood clot from my legs on the long flight. I am really happy that since I retired from the Navy I am able to get healthcare from them. Tomorrow I will go to SeaTac airport and pick up a rental car. Will drive it home so we can leave really early to get to SeaTac and catch our 9:00 AM flight to SFO. Then fly to Auckland, and then to Sydney. Then we board the Seabourn Sojourn for 33 days of their World Cruise, debarking in Taiwan. Plan to stay there 17 days and celebrate our 61st wedding anniversary on 30 March. Sara found a copy of our wedding invitations from 1963 and noticed that we had our reception at the First Hotel there. Thinking about hosting a dinner there on that date for our friends and relatives in Taipei. In 1963 it was one of the better hotels in Taipei. Need to check it out as it might be kind of shabby by now. I am 84, but life is still good. Ray

With all of you having delivery problems, primarily USPS and FEDEX, thought I might mention being pleased with Amazon. Last night about 8:00 PM, Sara asked me to see if I could buy some pain relief cream (capsaicin) online. Found that Amazon had it and it took me less than a minute to place an order. This morning we woke up to about 3" of new snow. Amazon said it would be delivered by 10:00 tonight. An hour ago, a friendly Amazon driver delivered it to our front door. That is 18 hours. Ray

Today was a clear, but kind of cold and windy day here in the Pacific NW. Feel blessed when I see what those on the NE Coast are experiencing. Had a dental appointment this morning. Have had an infected tooth for a few months. They scraped it x-rayed it, and made casts of it to prepare for removing it in the future. Got a prescription for an antibiotic to handle it. Since I was going to Costco to get a chicken, told them to send it to their pharmacy, as the Navy one usually takes an hour. Found that Costco's also takes an hour. The good news is that wandering around the store for an hour I didn't end up spending a hundred dollars like I usually do. Ray

Thanks, it sounds like this is something I will have to download once I am on board. Ray

Thanks for the information and the links. I am wondering how this will work if you contract covid while on a cruise ship a few thousand miles from home. I have medicare, and the ship's doctor could provide a prescription and I assume the ship's pharmacy would have the drug so maybe I shouldn't worry about it. I heard on the news today that the CDC just said that there is no longer a requirement for a five day quarantine if you test positive. They just require quarantine until 24 hours have passed without a fever. Ray

We board the Sojourn in a week and just received an email from Seabourn suggesting I download an ap called PressReader to get access to newspapers. I looked at it and it has 7 or 8 thousand newspapers and magazines available for a $30. a month subscription. There are other plans, some free for a few days and some to pay for and access a paper for one day. I have never heard of PressReader and have a couple of questions: 1. Is there access to a daily newspaper on the ship, either in print or online? 2. Do you typically use PressReader when onboard? 3. If so, what plan do you use? Thanks for your advice. Ray

Sorry to hear about the covid issue. Do you have any idea on where you might have caught it? I believe that I am most likely to contract it on a flight to the cruise port. We have a 13 hour flight coming up this weekend and plan to wear N95 masks on the plane. On the 33 day cruise, unless most are wearing them we will probably not. We have had all of the available shots for it, including RSV and Flu, so if we are unlucky enough to get infected it shouldn't be too bad. In our area, I notice that maybe 10% or less of people shopping are wearing a mask. Looking at videos of Asia, maybe 30 or 40% of people on the street in Taiwan are still wearing a mask. (Sara checks out the daily news in Taiwan every day on YouTube). Ray