TLCOhio

Now, finally and hopefully, we will have more to finish with added visuals and details from Old Delhi's famed market or Chandni Chowk. This is one of the oldest and busiest markets in India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station and Red Fort. This hyper-busy market was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight. As mentioned earlier, it remains one of India's largest wholesale markets. It is more than just retail sales to individual buyers/shoppers. There are many old mansions, most built by wealthy Muslims, in this historic area. Many have been converted to retail shops at the ground level and housing/apartments above. Or, those upper areas are used to store many of their various products and items for sale below in these shops. Also, many of these older structures are not in the best conditions as time has taken its toll or restoring can be challenging and costly. Lots of "eye candy", history, charm and culture is here. Uniquely . . . totally fascinating!!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai? Many different UAE tips, options, ideas, visuals, etc. with more than 20,000 views at: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2521493-abu-dhabi-vs-dubai-procon-factors/page/5/#comment-66634467 For Old Delhi's market area, here are three visuals to illustrate the people, intensity, variety, etc., that exists and attracts large numbers. Nothing is boring or bland here. Fun to explore!!: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) This is an example of a unique shop catering to the "wedding trade". People give money to those newly married, but it needs to be new, crisp bills, assembling together nicely. That's what he offers. Special?: The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. Historically, it served as the main residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort in 1639 when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. Is that real history?: Many interesting parks, fountains, sculptures, etc., are around and about as we explored around in large, busy and sprawling Delhi.:

As a follow-up on Japan, our Kamakura guide, Makayla S., lives closer to Yokohama and shared much about the second-largest city in Japan by population. Its 2020 population is 3.8 million and it lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo. A major economic, cultural, and commercial hub, Yokohama was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the 1859 end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port city. Yokohama is the home of many Japan's firsts in the Meiji period, including the first foreign trading port, European-style sport venues, English-language newspaper, confectionery and beer manufacturing, daily newspaper, gas-powered street lamps (1870s), railway station (1872) and power plant (1882). Yokohama developed rapidly as Japan's prominent port city following the end of Japan's relative isolation in the mid-19th century. Yokohama is the largest port city and high-tech industrial hub in the Greater Tokyo Area. Makayla describes Yokohama as having nice waterfront areas and many other aspects worthy of visiting. Love to go there and see more. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Great to hear from our Arizona friend that you are planning for Japan next April with SS. Just found out this week that one of our good friends is now booked for the Silver Nova late next March to do the circumnavigation of Japan. Nice new SS ship and lots of interesting stops in and around Japan, plus a short period for a stop in South Korea. Prices are not cheap for that 14-day cruise. He was in the Air Force back in the 1960's and had much time in Japan, mostly in the far north area. Back then, he also visited Kamakura and loved it at that time. Another friend has a booking to do a land tour of Japan later this year. As mentioned earlier, seeing and sampling other parts of Japan is vital. You want to see Tokyo. It is new, dynamic, interesting, fast-moving, loaded with shopping and dining options, etc. BUT, the more historic, less urban and highly-cultured areas, such as we did in Kamakura, are important to sample, explore and experience. A great deal of history and unique traditions exists in Japan. JAPAN HISTORY/TRADITIONS?: One of the first items discussed with our guide Kumi was about the 1853 expedition by Commodore Matthew Perry as a tool to force an end to Japan's 220-year-old policy of isolation and to open Japanese ports to American trade. Yes, it was kind of "gunboat diplomacy" but it led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the western powers. From Wikipedia, they noted: "Between 1790 and 1853, at least twenty-seven U.S. ships, including three warships, visited Japan, only to be turned away." It also help end the shogunate control and the restoration of the Emperor. Following the expedition, Japan's trade route openings with the world led to the cultural trends that intermixed Japanese culture and influenced arts with Europe and America. And, then the rest is history, plus more, including World War II, etc. Living in Central Ohio near four of Honda's plants (the first to come to the U.S. of the Japan manufactures), plus as multiple decades driver of Honda vehicles and as a long, long time user of Nikon cameras, Sony technology, etc., the many aspects of the "Japan Story" is very fascinating and personally connected. Definitely would like to go back to Japan, explore that country and its many/varied areas much more. More to come, soon, from India. Have finished going through most of the hundreds and hundreds of pictures taken there. Picked out the "Best of the Best" and have fine-tune them accordingly. Just need to complete putting it together and posting. Sad and sorry to hear that the May Silver Moon Singapore to Mumbai sailing has been scrubbed by Silversea. Finally??!! It took SS a long, long time to finally decide and then notify all of the frustrated customers left hanging as to whether or not this and others cruises would happen. And, what was offered to those being cancelled? Fair or unfair? The Red Sea/Yemen problem has been there since October 2023 and does not seemed to being solved soon. Unfortunately. Glad that we got in most of our long-planned Mumbai to Singapore cruise in these interesting and exotic areas of the world. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados on the Silver Cloud for 26 days. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 74,510 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/

Appreciate this "news/personnel" item from Dolcevita Diva and agree with the follow-up questions from Power Point that there is something not quite right as to what a VP Transformation might mean actually to BENEFIT Silversea customers. Right or wrong? How do we know the honest reality as these happenings inside and at the top with Royal Caribbean? How will the quality be maintained for Silversea? At reasonable prices/value?? From the Wall Street Journal late Friday afternoon below are the charts for the three major cruise lines during the most recent five trading days. Generally up and mostly positive. Also below are the charts for Royal Caribbean and the other two corporation values since the first of this year. At some point soon, Royal Caribbean will need to report how money scrubbing various stops in Israel, Egypt, the Middle East, etc., has cost them. Plus, the high costs for needing to circumnavigate Africa without passengers with the Silver Moon, etc. Not cheap or easy to "re-engineer" those routings, scrub bookings, pay extra fuel and staffing costs, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc. Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas! Now at 20,907 views. Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/ Here are the Wall Street Journal charts for the past five trading days. During this period, Royal Caribbean hit a 52-week high. The stock market seems to like and value RCL at the higher levels.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here are the WSJ charts for these three cruise companies since early January 2024. March has seen a recovery from the February slide.:

Dining? Many options and potentials in Tokyo and Japan. We had a "mix" of different options, both in this country, plus earlier during the wide range of travels in India, Singapore, on the Silver Moon, etc. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 111,649 views Near the Sensō-ji Temple, we had lunch at a traditional Japanese dining place where we took off our shoes to enter. Below you can see the fish and other items that I enjoyed. Second is the chef preparing food with third being an example for the unique design/decorations at this location.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Our guide, Kumi, tried at lunch to educate us as to how chopsticks are used. She make an excellent effort, but we were not the best students and/or quickest learners.: For our last evening in Japan, we desired a "change of pace" with a hip place with Aussie connections near our Gate Hotel in the Ginza called METoA Cafe & Kitchen. I started out with a cold local beer. My wife had a very tasty chicken and avocado "pizzetta". Kind of Italian, but on a taco! She loved it. I had "paddle burgers". That's three different "sliders" with one each of creole chicken, pulled pork and beef steak. Next to our table were two different couple who were interesting, including one from the US stationed at a nearby military base, plus his girl friend from Puerto Rico. The other couple were a combination from France and Italy. Interesting discussions/background with these younger folks sitting near us.: Here was one of the more cute visuals snapped by guide Kumi with the background saying loudly . . . "we are in Japan".:

To complete with the Tokyo Skytree, the Temple and the nearby Nakamise-dōri shopping street on the approach to the temple below are a few more visuals. This more than 800-feet long shopping stretch was started in the early 18th century. During the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake many of the shops were destroyed, then rebuilt, only to be destroyed again during the bombings of World War II. The street has approximately 89 shops and was super busy and crowd to walk its long distance. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 249,338 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/ Along this crowded and busy Nakamise-dōri shopping street, here are a couple examples for the variety of different items and food treats being available. In the third picture, our guide, Kumi, captured a picture of me photographing this food craftsman cooking up his dining treat.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here is another example of the human-power, tourism-focused carts operating near this temple. Second is a closer view and different angle for the Tokyo Skytree.: Near the Skytree, there was a shopping area that featured UK items, fresh baked treats, etc. Its name? Penny Lane. Same as my wife's name. Fun find in Tokyo!!: From earlier at the Tokyo Tsukiji Outer Market, Kumi shows me "in action" when my wife was sampling the cooked egg delight at this busy market. Finally, here is here picture of the two of us at this historic temple to prove that we were really visiting and enjoying.:

Sensō-ji is the focus of Tokyo's largest and most popular festival, Sanja Matsuri. This event takes place over three to four days in late spring. During World War II, the temple was bombed and destroyed during a March 1945 air raid on Tokyo. The main hall was rebuilt 1951–58. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 250,812 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ Below are a wider sampling of visuals from our visit on a perfect weather day for this popular and historic Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

Next we moved to the area in and around the Tokyo Skytree. This broadcasting and observation tower in the Sumida area of Tokyo became the tallest tower in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 2,080 feet in March 2011. This makes it the tallest tower in the world. It is the third tallest structure in the world after Merdeka (2,227 ft) and the Burj Khalifa (2,722 feet) per Wikipedia. As shown below, is the headquarters of Asahi, the domestic beer and beverage manufacturer, that is riverside in Sumida, across from Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Asahi has its golden flame sculpture on the Super Dry Hall. Sensoji Temple was originally ompleted in 645 and is Tokyo's oldest. It was built to honor Kannon, the goddess of mercy. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 258,259 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/ Below shows the towering Tokyo Skytree, the nearby Asahi tower with its unique roof toping and golden flame nearby. Second shows the Sensoji Temple and the major, long shopping area leading up to that religious complex. Third is one of the human-powered carts for riders in their traditional costumes.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here is another view/angle of the Skytree. Plus, more nearby sights and shopping activities, etc. Busy, busy area here!!: This is a closer view of the Sensoji Temple. It is one of the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually, per Wikipedia. Adjacent to the temple is a five-story pagoda, the Asakusa Shinto shrine and many shops with traditional goods in the Nakamise-dōri. Second shown below is one of the many visitors here dressing in traditional clothing. Our guide told us many of those so dressed here were visiting from outside of Japan.:

Below are a few general items from our time in Tokyo, including its impressive and complex subway, train, public transit systems. . THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island). Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City. Visual/Info Summaries: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums In traveling the subways and trains of Japan, people using their phones is very, very common as the below visual illustrates. Second is my wife and guide Kumi enjoying the ride on these busy mass-transit lines. These lines and operations were very clean, well-managed, timely, etc. But, Busy, Busy!!: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) This is just one sample of the many, many shopping options and offerings in and around in Tokyo. This is especially true as it ties in with the various commercial buildings, the connected lower-level subway stations and connectors. It's a very multi-level infrastructure in Tokyo. Navigating ALL of this as a first-time would be very challenging!!: At our Gate Hotel in the Ginza, this our chef preparing a meal. This hotel had a nice, open, fourth-floor patio with an overview of the nearby commerce, building and transportation systems.: From the Ginza area, this visual summarizes the unique and innovative architecture, including sign displays that have shifted more digital.:

Next in Tokyo was visiting the Hama-rikyū Gardens. Opened to the public in 1946, these large landscaped garden are surrounded by a seawater moat filled by Tokyo Bay. It was remodeled as a public garden on the site of a villa belonging to the ruling Tokugawa family in the 17th century. At the center is a teahouse, reached by two bridges, plus tree groves and fields with flowers for every season. In 1654, Tokugawa Tsunashige, the younger brother of Shōgun Tokugawa, reclaimed this land from the bay and built a villa and garden. Lots of history here, plus it is all surrounded by tall 20th and 21st Century high-rises, etc. Many stone walls and other historic connections are located here. This was a nice "change of pace", especially after visiting the busy food market and what we would see later at a hyper-busy religious temple/shopping area. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Early 2020, many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia. This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc: Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/ From the Hama-rikyū Gardens in Tokyo, here is a small sampling for the water features, bridges, structures, trees, history, etc., that is located here. Nice and refreshing break in the middle of a massive urban environment.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

For our last full day in Tokyo on Monday, March 4, with expert guide Kumi, our first visit was to the Tsukiji Outer Market in a district adjacent to the site of the former Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market. These few blocks of wholesale and retail shops were an amazing experience involving fresh and processed seafood and produce alongside food-related goods. Plus, the people and humanity interacting, shopping, sampling, etc. A visit to Tsukiji Outer Market is amazing. Was it crowded and super busy? Yes!! Was it fun and faascinating? Yes, yes!! Need proof? See my sampling of the "visual evidence" shown below. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc. Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas! Now at 20,907 views. Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/ From our exploring of the Tokyo Tsukiji Outer Market, here is an initial group of visual samplings. Customers were lined up, buying, eating and liking so it all so very much. Look interesting?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here was a shop that was super popular preparing an egg dining delights that in the second picture has Kumi and my wife enjoying. Yes, I tasted, too, and super loved.: Here is more showing how busy and varied were the many food and cooking-related items available at this sprawling Tokyo market.:

Part of the "rest of the story" for Kamakura is about its various shops, homes, human-scale, etc., compared and contrasting to the our time dealing with the overwhelming urban complexities of Tokyo. Glad we did BOTH during our two and a half days in Japan. Yes, Japan is just more than Tokyo. See more "evidence" below. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 22,515 views. Connect at: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/ At one of the many shops in Kamakura, we noticed a crowd lined up. First, he is taking a piece of octopus to place it with other food materials in a heated press to create a local dining delight. Then, steam and pressure are super applied. He pops it out. And, finally, here is the customer happy to have this unique, compressed, very flat and super thin food item. No, sorry, this did not cause us to try this local dining option.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) For cat-lovers, including several of our good friends, below was a cute sign in a window in Kamakura. Do not know the wording says or means, but this was fun and interesting.: From our train car on the way back to Tokyo, here are a couple of residential living in this part of Japan.: From our rail car, here was one of the many religious symbols/statures seen along our route.: At one of the rail stations along our return train route, here was a group of women dressed in traditional clothing. Interesting?:

As to the Giant Buddha, below are some additional visual views/angles that I have not previously posted. It measures 43.8 feet tall and weighs approximately 267,000 pounds. The length of face is 7 feet 9 inches. The statue dates from around 1252. It is hollow and its interior can be visited. Per Wikipedia, the current bronze statue was preceded by a giant wooden Buddha, completed in 1243 after ten years of construction. The hall was destroyed by a storm in 1334, was rebuilt and damaged by another storm in 1369, then rebuilt again. The last building housing the statue was washed away in the tsunami resulting from the Nankai earthquake of 1498. Since that time, the Great Buddha has stood in the open air. That's a long, long history!! Pictures do not capture the size and majestic impact of this site, especially with its hilly, wooded background/setting. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal. Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 32,945 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580 Here are three additional angles/view of the awesome Giant Buddha in Kamakura. Notice the lovely sunny, blue skies? What a treat to be in these historic/religious locations with perfect weather.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Before visiting the Giant Buddha, here was my lunch at a nearby local, traditional dining establishment in Kumakura.:

Sorry to be posting so much from visiting Hasedera Temple in Kamakura. BUT, there was so much there, including getting close to famed cherry blossom trees. Kamakura, being only an hour away from Tokyo, is a charming coastal town often called the "Little Kyoto" because of its ancient temples and shrines. There are 65 of them here! Much to see and enjoy in Kamakura. We loved this day-trip and "change of pace" from busy, urban Tokyo. This exclusion gave us more perspective as why coming back to Japan and exploring it other locations and rural areas would be very worthwhile. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit. Now at 34,686 views. Many pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358 Here is more from visiting Hasedera Temple in Kamakura. Like the flowering cherry blossom tree and its colorful setting?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here are some of the cute and large Koi fish present in the landscaping here. Plus, second, the bamboo growths here as a part of their varied and interesting grounds. And, more pretty floral aspects at this temple in this third visual below.: At this religious site, here is my wife with our expert guide, Makayla S., from Tours-by-Locals, with the main part of this Shrine in the background. Having two different, super skilled guides made a huge positive difference from learning about and understanding more as to Japan long and unique history, culture and values.: From the higher part of this shrine, here was the coastal view for Kamakura with its scenic location. Loved seeing all of the sailboats out on the waters.: Nearby to this temple was an interesting shop with a wide variety of crafts offered. But there was a mirror in their window that allowed me to capture a bit of a self-portrait.:

Appreciate these kind comments and follow-up from kej1. Glad you have done much in India, Singapore and Japan. If my posting on these areas miss anything major, please feel free to share more. Kamakura is one of Japan's ancient capitals, along with Kyoto and Nara. Kamakura served as the location of the Kamakura shogunate, 1185 to 1333. It was the first military government in Japan history. It is most known for its historical sites with Hasedera Temple and the Great Buddha being the two we visited and loved so much. Need proof and evidence as to why? Lots of visuals to follow. Hasedera Temple is the Buddhist temple with a nice variety of points of interest on its lovely grounds. The main deity here is Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The temple’s gardens are spectacular, including a manicured dry landscape garden and a Benzaiten cave where you can you can light candles or place small statues. When you go to the upper level of the gardens, you see various statues and fascinating religious-related aspects. Walking to the edge of the grounds at the higher level, you can see a great view of coastal Kamakura. As one of the most famous Buddha statues in Japan, Kotoku-in or the Giant Buddha, built in the 13th century, is Kamakura’s most well-known symbol. During the Kamakura period, both Nichiren Buddhism and Rinzai Zen Buddhism originated here making this image as the city’s most famous famous for that of a Buddha. The Big Buddha, known as Daibutsu, is sitting peacefully under the sky, as the building around it was washed away in a tsunami centuries ago. While it is largely green now after having been exposed to the elements, Daibutsu used to be covered in gold. This site is very imprressive and moving based on our visit on a beautiful, sunny day in early March. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Dubrovnik! Visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this super scenic and historic location. Over 53,483 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227 From visiting Hasedera Temple in Kamakura, here are only a few of our many, many visual highlights experienced and loved.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

In Tokyo, we stayed three nights at the Gate Hotel Tokyo by Hulic in the popular and high-end Ginza area. This classy area is very close to excellent subway and train access that made things easier than with other potential hotel options we considered. The Ginza is an upscale shopping with many internationally-known stores, boutiques, dining options, etc. It is considered to be one of the most expensive and luxurious districts in the world. The name Ginza comes after its establishment of a silver-coin mint in 1612. After a massive fire in 1872 burned down most of the area, the government designated the Ginza area as a "model of modernization," per Wikipedia. Hotel bookings were challenged for our March 2-5 period as the Tokyo Marathon was scheduled for Sunday, March 3. This Marathon is rated as one of the top six such events in the world and attracts a strong, international field. More 300,000 file to enter this marathon with only a small percentage are accepted. The Tokyo Marathon "Good News" is that this race passed right in front our hotel and we got to witness the early group of runners. See pictures below. The winner was Benson Kipruto from Kenya with a time of 2:02:16. That time was his personal, career best and set a new Tokyo course record. He won the 125th Boston Marathon in 2021. Four of the top six male runners were from Kenya. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Kotor/Montenegro: Various visual samples, tips, details, etc., for this scenic, historic location. Over 55,288 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193 Here are two of my visuals from the Tokyo Marathon that passed in front of our Gate Hotel in the Ginza area. Shown below in the middle with a red stripe on his shirt is Bethwel Kibet from Kenya who finished sixth overall with a time of 2:06:26.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) We observed the Marathon as we were on our way to Kamakura with our skilled guide, Makayla S. from Tours-by-Locals. Wonderfully sunny, perfect day for this roughly one hour ride south to this historic, coastal city. First, is a view for one the trains we took with a famed cherry tree out in blossom at the right.: For early March, we were very fortunate to capture a sampling of these cherry trees at this first temple visited in Kamakura.: Close to our hotel in the Ginza, below are couple of visuals showing the trains, including one of them being the famed, high-speed Bullet Train. Lots of "action" in this busy area of Tokyo. The second visual was taken from our 12th floor hotel room.:

Now, I am shifting gears to provide more details as to what we saw and did during our two and a half days in Japan. In using American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles, our best option for returning home was flying back through Tokyo. And, I was able to set it up to do the added time in Japan. Like for India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, this was our first-time visiting for all of these areas. We had excellent private guides for these 2.5 days in Japan and that made a huge, positive difference. Navigating Tokyo's complex subway, train, etc., infrastructure can be challenging. Glad we did not have to figure out for all of these "ins-and-out" for these transportation systems. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 55,884 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337 As one last posting from Singapore, here is an exterior view of our JW Marriott South Beach hotel. Great location and this luxury hotel was nicely connected at its lower levels to the subway system, shopping, dining, etc. This hotel design is unique, but as you can see below, they preserved and utilized some older building in front of the hotel to connect back to and tie-in with the earlier Colonial periods of Singapore.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) As captured by our excellent guide, Kumi, my wife and I are pictured in front of the massive Tokyo Station during our first evening in Japan. Second is a visual showing the massive size of this rail/subway location that is the busiest station in Japan for scheduled trains. More than 4,000 trains are arriving and departing daily. This station first opened in 1914.: For dinner on our first Tokyo night, we went to a hip, youth-focused area with a wide variety of shopping and dining options. For variety and a change-up, we had Vietnam food in Tokyo. Fun, interesting and tasty as shown below, including a beer from Japan.:

Working this weekend to finish up a few more visuals from amazing Singapore and then to wrap up more from Japan. Appreciate your patience and interest. This live/blog is now over 10,000 views. Appreciate all who have dropped by, made comments, asked questions, etc. Keep it coming!! Love sharing more. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture. Now at 63,929 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008 Food and dining delights are big part of the appeal for Singapore. As a part of our JW Mariott hotel complex, they had a dining option called the Beach Road Kitchen. Here was one of many, many seafood offering for this huge, massive buffet with such an amazing variety of options. Lots of excellent dining treats to enjoy on this evening!! See more details at: https://www.beachroadkitchen.sg. : (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Nearby to our hotel were some various historic, smaller-scale streets that have preserved much of the charm and character from Singapore's Colonial days. This first visual gives a sampling. Fun to walk along and explore here. We dined for lunch at a wonderful Italian place called Garibaldi. Very classy and good. Below is my tasty seafood dish that I enjoyed.: We were in Singapore a little after the Chinese New Year celebration. BUT, a few colorful decorations were still up. Fun!!: Here is a short video sampling for the lights, music and "show" while our boat was on Marina Bay in front of the Sands Hotel/Casino.: IMG_0528.mov

From the London/UK Daily Mail earlier this month, they had this headline: “Singapore - so incredible people struggle to work out if photographs of it are REAL: Can you tell if this image of the city was AI-generated? Over half get the answer wrong.” with these reporting highlights: “Singapore is so eye-catching, it would seem, that people can’t tell if pictures of it are real or not. In a Singapore Tourism Board study, 60 per cent of people shown a striking image (below) of the Gardens by the Bay structures, home to 1.5million plants, believed the image was created by AI, despite this being a real image taken in Singapore. Out of those polled, almost half (41 per cent) admitted to struggling to tell the difference between real and AI images.” YES!! Some parts of Singapore are amazing and not like what we might expect as "normal". That's what makes Singapore so interesting and fascinating. Also detailed was: "The tourism board described Gardens by the Bay as one of several 'unreal and fascinating experiences in Singapore'. It said: ‘The Gardens’ iconic structures are architectural marvels that reimagine nature with artistic finesse." Full story at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13174141/singapore-changi-gardens-bay-tourism.html THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 111,649 views.

Great follow-up and insights above from our New Jersey neighbor. Yes, many consumers are borrowing and spending. Others have money and are wanting to catch up, spend it, rebound from missed Covid travel, etc. And, a large number of people, as you correctly noted, are struggling pay-check to pay-check. Strange, puzzling, hard to predict economic environment. From the Wall Street Journal late Friday afternoon, below are the charts for the three major cruise lines during the past five trading days. Up for the middle of the week and then sliding back down to maybe "reality" during the the last two days? From Barron's business publication today, they had this headline: “Royal Caribbean Stock Isn’t Done Climbing. This Analyst Is Upbeat.” with these highlights: “Royal Caribbean Group stock has been on a tear, and one Macquarie analyst sees plenty of room for more gains because bookings remain strong.” Full story at: https://www.barrons.com/articles/royal-caribbean-stock-outlook-d5b957c8 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 22,515 views. Connect at: www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/ Here is the Wall Street Journal charts for Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian during the past five trading days. Is up and down a good, quick summary for the week? Clearly, Norwegian had the wildest week for its "rocky" ride.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

The Swissôtel Stamford Hotel in Singapore was right nearby to where we stayed earlier this month at the JW Marriott Beach Road. Also, very close to the Raffles, etc. Below you can see a picture that I captured from the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel showing its soaring location and how relatively close it is to the prime Marina Bay attractions. My cautions/suggestions? With the heat and humidity of Singapore, things can be "close", but walking distances can get a little "taxing" as to what works and is most handy/time-efficient. Plus, there are lots of nice and/or luxury hotel options in Singapore. Depends much on your budget flexibility, personal needs, interests, etc. As I recall, this Swissôtel is a part of the Raffles City Mall and close to other hotel options. From TripAdvisor, this hotel gets good ratings, but not quite at the top, top highest levels. Shop and compare for the best VALUE and location. In this part of Singapore, there are a nice number of nearby dining and shopping places. Much to see and explore here. From the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, here was my view in early March of these hotels and attractions from across the waters in Singapore.: Does this help? Added questions and info needs? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 249,338 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

Appreciate these comments and follow-up. YES, customer "affordability" will come into play in the future, especially as to whenever the U.S. and world has a recession and/or economic slow-down. Those economic "down-turns" always happen. It is just a question as to WHEN and how deep/mild. Any insights as to that question? From this Wall Street Journal-related website yesterday morning, they had this headline: “Cruise Line Stock Near Highs; CEO Sees 'Wind In Our Sails' ” with these highlights: “Royal Caribbean is Thursday's IBD 50 Growth Stocks To Watch pick as it forms a cup base and nears a buy point. The cruise line company raised guidance in mid-February due to strong demand, reversing Royal Caribbean stock's downtrend. The stock is ranked second out of 48 stocks in the leisure services group. The group rose to 73rd from 126th four weeks ago. Demand for cruises and international travel has been robust and is expected to remain strong. Royal Caribbean stock is in a third-stage base with a 133.77 buy point, according MarketSurge pattern recognition.” Full story at: https://www.investors.com/research/cruise-ship-royal-caribbean-rcl-stock/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal. Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 32,945 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

From the Wall Street Journal yesterday, they had this headline: “Can a Boring City Become Cool—With a Little Help From Taylor Swift?" with this sub-headline: "Singapore is trying to shake off its reputation for being dull and uptight.” Here are a few of their reporting highlights: “When it comes to fun, Singapore’s government is super serious. For decades, the manufacturing and trading hub had been known for being a city that was all work and no play. One quip went that Singapore was 'the world’s only shopping mall with a seat at the United Nations.' Now Singapore is trying to shake off its staid reputation by positioning itself as a cultural hub and using a favored tool: pop concerts.” While in Singapore Feb. 28-March 2, we caught a little of the "Taylor Swift excitement". While doing the evening light show on Feb. 28, the sound track was her songs and she supposedly was doing that "live" as a warm-up for her six, sold-out concerts that happened in early March. Here are more details from this WSJ news profile: "Singapore’s pop-star push is the latest in a long-term effort to make a city known for its efficiency, cleanliness and low income taxes a little more lively. For decades, Singapore has said that to attract global talent and forestall emigration, it had to emulate cities like Barcelona and become known as a rich cultural destination." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/can-a-boring-city-become-coolwith-a-little-help-from-taylor-swift-2de2628c?mod=arts-culture_lead_pos3 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados on the Silver Cloud for 26 days. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 74,510 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/ Here are a few more visuals from our evening at the Gardens by the Bay and their famed night light show, the nearby Marina Bay Sands hotel, etc..: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) At night on Marina Bay, here are some added views of the Fullerton Hotel, the Singapore Lion, etc.: From the 18th floor pool level of our JW Marriott South Beach hotel, here are a couple of varied views of Singapore's amazing and soaring architecture.:

Appreciate all of these great comments, sharing and follow-ups. As detailed below in my live/blog, we just got back last week from three days in Singapore. Will share today a few visuals, plus more later. See a more complete summary with more visuals as linked below. From the Wall Street Journal yesterday, they had this headline: “Can a Boring City Become Cool—With a Little Help From Taylor Swift?" with this sub-headline: "Singapore is trying to shake off its reputation for being dull and uptight.” Here are a few of their reporting highlights: “When it comes to fun, Singapore’s government is super serious. For decades, the manufacturing and trading hub had been known for being a city that was all work and no play. One quip went that Singapore was 'the world’s only shopping mall with a seat at the United Nations.' Now Singapore is trying to shake off its staid reputation by positioning itself as a cultural hub and using a favored tool: pop concerts.” While in Singapore Feb. 28-March 2, we caught a little of the "Taylor Swift excitement". While doing the evening light show on Feb. 28, the sound track was her songs and she supposedly was doing that "live" as a warm-up for her six, sold-out concerts that happened in early March. Overall, we were very impressed with Singapore, its free-flowing traffic, the great mix of old and new architecture, its many cultural offerings, excellent gardens, great food, wonderful landscaping and greenery, etc., etc. We stayed at the JW Marriott South Beach and loved its great design, nearby offerings and much more. More details later. Here are more details from this WSJ news profile: "Singapore’s pop-star push is the latest in a long-term effort to make a city known for its efficiency, cleanliness and low income taxes a little more lively. For decades, Singapore has said that to attract global talent and forestall emigration, it had to emulate cities like Barcelona and become known as a rich cultural destination." Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/can-a-boring-city-become-coolwith-a-little-help-from-taylor-swift-2de2628c?mod=arts-culture_lead_pos3 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singaore 2024: Live/Blog with many visuals, including “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/ Or, as an alternative use this five-term Google search Live Terry/Ohio India Silver Moon From our private tour with Danny L. of Tours-by-Locals, we explored various areas, including Little India, the Arab Quarter (including the Mosque shown below), lunch in Chinatown, going to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel that is the local architectural icon and also pictured below at the top-level pool. Additionally, we are shown in front of a Buddha temple surrounded by nearby, newer high-rises in Chinatown.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) In the evening, it was the Gardens by the Bay and their spectacular light and music show. Look amazing? It was!! At the right lower, is one of the three towers of the Marina Bay Sands complex with their roof-top pool we visited earlier, etc.: Below was part of the view from our river ship in the Marina Bay area with the Sands in the background. As mentioned, it was Taylor Swift music. Live or recorded? Not 100% sure, but it would be fun if she did do it live, as reported, for us sailing in this dramatic setting.: Finally, here is their famed Lion spitting out water with some of the lighted architecture in the background along their waterfront. Finally, we finished at the historic and highly-rated Fullerton Hotel for drinks (Singapore Sling, of course) before going back to the ship to finish packing and getting our luggage put out in the hallway. Yes, the Singapore Sling was not invented at the Fullerton, but we still felt the history and enjoyed this luxury hotel environment. Our JW Marriott is right across the street from the Raffles Hotel, where the Sling was invented.:

Agreed with above that doing pre-cruise research and planning for Singapore is vital. Why? There are so many different options to consider in Singapore that you cannot just go off of our ship, walk around, sample and understand it "ALL" that is there and available. Shopping is big, BIG in Singapore. We did not do much of that as we do not need to stuff more in our overloaded suit cases. Plus, we personally already have lots of "stuff" and we are trying to do some "down-sizing". As you go around in Singapore, you will see the big, expected names for the various luxury brands . . . and more!! Our skilled guide, Danny L., told us many of those shopping in these various stores are flying in from China where such "name" goods are highly valued and desired. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 111,649 views. From Singapore's Chinatown, here are some more visuals from the temple we visited. Second is a picture of my wife with guide Danny L. who explained how a door was painted with military general to scare off the "evil spirits" and protect this place of worship.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) On the outside of this Chinatown temple, one wall was decorated with a graphic to show how this area looked before landfill expanded Singapore. As noted, this part of Chinatown used to be right along the waterfront where ship were unloaded.: