It took two, long days to travel from Shanghai, China to Osaka, Japan, but we enjoyed the forced "relaxation" time. There's not too much to write about the voyage - we started in a nearly-deserted port in Shanghai, and boarded the "cruise" with about 35 other passengers. We were the only native English-speakers, but a young Japanese man named Suzuki did introduce himself to James for a brief conversation along the way.
Our cabin slept four, but because this cruise was "off-season," we had the entire place to ourselves. There were free laundry machines on-board, a very welcome change from washing our clothes in bathtubs and sinks, and drying them on clotheslines hung in creative ways. The ship had three levels accessible by passengers, and we explored them all. We also spent some time above deck, doing a light bit of exercise during the day, and watching the stars at night. We couldn't spend too much time outdoors - the wind was very, very strong, and nearly bowled us over every time we approached the front of the ship.
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| Our ship from the port in China. |
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| The "sitting room" area of our cabin. Too bad none of the channels were in English... |
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| Tabitha and Howard the tigers prepare for a good night's sleep onboard. |
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| Erin enjoys the daylight as we leave Shanghai harbor. |
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| One of the tug boats that helped the ship exit Shanghai harbor. |
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| Howard and Tabitha the tigers on deck, watching the coast of Japan. |
Breakfasts were included in our passage, but were decidedly asian - no scrambled eggs or hashbrowns here. We had packed a number of snacks, including some ramen noodles. The concept of ramen is so pervasive in Asian culture that the boat had a dedicated hot-water spot just for noodles!
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| An average breakfast on board - juice, a sort-of noodle dish, some doughy pastry, and rice soup. |
We fought boredom by organizing our packs, watching a fair number of movies on our laptops, talking, walking (closer to pacing, given the limited space on board) and reading. There was a karaoke bar on board, but we elected not to try our hand at unfamiliar music. All-in-all, it was a good break after a hectic time in China, but it also made us look forward to arriving on firm land in Japan and starting our last trip in Asia!
Finally, while the blog lags behind a bit as we travel, if all goes according to plan, this entry should be posted on December 25. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our readers, and we hope you're enjoying friends and family. We hope to see you all next year, when we're back from our 2010 adventure!
