Saudi Arabia 17/12/24 -3/1/25 (2)

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Sarah

Day 7: 26 December -Dadan & Jabal Ikmah – Medina

We had an early start at 6:30 am and arrived at the visitor centre at Dadan to join a group guided tour by 8 am. Dadan was therefore the capital city of the Kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan. Some 2,600 years ago, the oasis in the AlUlva valley hosted the growth of Dadan with a thriving economy based on farming and long-distance trade. With trade came new ideas, new expressions in art, and new ways of writing. Dadan developed its own writing system. Today, thousands of inscriptions survive here. Dadan was invaded by Nabonidus, king of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. At some point around 2,500 years ago, control of Dadan shifted to the kings of the tribe of Lihyan who ruled the region for several centuries.

I saw the Lihyanite Colossal statue from Dadan at the visitor centre and learned about the civilisations and trade route in the region and on Dadan. I then went out to look with the aid of a telescope at some 2000-year-old tombs cut into red-rock cliffs in a distance. Then we took a bus to a vast ruin that was once an urban centre with ongoing excavations and investigations. I am sure more information about Dadan and the region would be revealed in future.

Then we drove about ten minutes to the other side of the valley. We walked on a boardwalk to Jabal Ikmah, which served as a destination for practising religious rituals and offering sacrifices. It is also called an “open-air library” as it has approximately 300 inscriptions engraved into the mountain’s wall during the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilisations. The inscriptions, rock art and petroglyphs are on display in a narrow and atmospheric desert canyon.

After Jabal Ikmah, we drove over four hours through the desert before reaching Medina, the second holiest city in Islam, for a nice buffet lunch next to the Prophet’s Mosque. It was the second mosque established by Muhammad in 623 CE after the Quba Mosque. Once we arrived in Medina, I and the other three ladies had to put on the abaya and covered our head. After lunch, we walked to the Mosque which has many domes and ten minarets standing at 105m. It has a capacity for 1 million worshippers.

Originally the mosque was an open-air building serving as a community centre, a court of law and a religious school. It has been subsequently expanded. Today it features sliding domes and retractable umbrella-like canopies designed by the German Muslim architect Mahmoud Bodo Rasch, The total area covered is 143,000 sq meters. The most notable feature is the Green Dome where the tomb of the Prophet is located: Many pilgrims who perform Hajj also go to Medina to visit the Green Dome. As only Muslims are allowed to enter these mosques, we spent half an hour outside the Green Gate to take a glimpse of the garden of paradise filled with devotees. Unfortunately I left my phone in the minibus and was unable to take photos to capture the mood of the pilgrims and the holy mosque.

Before sunset, Fatmah took us to Mount Uhud to see the Uhud Martyr’s Square, Shuhada Mosque completed in 2017 and the Cemetery where 70 companions of the Prophet killed during the Battle of Uhud, were buried. The mosque is an important site in Islamic history as it tells the story of the Battle that took place during the third Hijri year when the army of the Quraysh tribe and its allies went to Medina to kill Muslims. (Hijri year is the era used in the Islamic New Year in which Mohammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathrib (now Medina). We had a nice sunset view of the holy city from the Archer’s Hill.

Day 8: 27 December – Medina – Train to Jeddah

We spent a morning in Medina before taking a high-speed train to Jeddah-Mecca. Fatmah took us on a 3-km walk from the edge of the Prophet’s Mosque to the Quba Mosque, the first mosque built by the Prophet and the world’s first mosque. Its first stone is said to have been laid by the Prophet with the structure completed by his companions. The new buildings seen today was constructed in the 1980s. As non-Muslims, we could only stay outside to listen to the Imam’s calling around noon time.

Our second stop was the Hejaz Railway terminal which is under restoration. This railway running from Damascus to Medina was 1320-km long and the journey took five days. The project was ordered by Sultan Abdul Hamid II in March 1900 with the railway running in 1908. But it was effectively abandoned by 1920. After having a nice Lebanese lunch, we went to the modern train station to take a 2-hour train to Jeddah.

The train was full of pilgrims heading to Mecca. We arrived in Jeddah around 4 pm. We were dropped off at the enormous Prince Abdulmajeed Roundabout and had a leisure stroll in the Al Hamra’a Corniche Park, passing by the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah and InterContinental Jeddah before taking a ride to our hotel near the Jeddah Beach. The park was full of locals as it was a Friday. The atmosphere was relax and cheerful: the whole family would sit on a mattress enjoying tea/coffee and eat while kids were playing on the grass. Some would place their folding chairs right by the rail next to the water watching the King’s Fahd’s Fountain, the world’s tallest fountain at 312 m built in 1985. The base of the fountain is in the form of a large mabkhara, an incense burner that symbolises Arabian culture. The people were friendly and a few ladies invited me to join them to drink coffee. As I walked slowly, the group had to slow down. At the end, the short walk took an hour! I was tired and ready for bed once we got to the hotel.

Day 9: 28 December – Jeddah & Al-Balad

We spent the whole day in Jeddah, SA’s second largest city with a population of 3.5 million on the Red Sea. Jeddah has been a port and trading city for centuries and above all the main entry point either by sea or air, for pilgrims making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. The Jeddah Corniche (waterfront area) stretching for some 30 km is full of hotels, beaches and resorts. Al-Balad, the old city and a World Heritage Site is a top attraction.

We began our day with a visit to Al Taybat Museum with an area of over 10000 sq meters housing 12 buildings with 300 rooms. The buildings are constructed in the traditional Hijazi style. Founded by Abdul Raouf Hassan Kahlil and taking 15 years to build, the museum with more than 60000 historically significant items from both SA and various Middle Eastern countries, showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Saudi civilisation. We spent about two hours there. But it was impossible to see even the major exhibits. Then we visited the Central Fish Market. Five of us brought and shared a 2-kg garoupa. While the fish was being prepared, we went to watch auctions of the catch of the day in a small corner outside the covered market.

After lunch, we went to Al-Balad,the historic centre of Jeddah founded in the 7th century. Traditional Hijazi houses in Al-Balad are characterized by their wooden Roshan windows and balconies and it was once enclosed with defensive walls which were torn down in the 1940s. Jeddah became wealthier due to the oil boom in the 1970s and 1980s and many Jeddawis moved away from Al-Balad. Historical preservation efforts began in 1970s and it became a World Heritage Site in 2014. It is divided into different districts with many historical buildings and houses. We entered the old city through the Makkah Gate and explored the historic district for three hours. We spent time at shops selling gold and incense, visited the Matbouli Museum, Nassif House Museum, Baeshen Museum, Jokhdar Historic House which is now a hotel and Shafee Mosque. I enjoyed a nice cup of mint tea on the rooftop of the Historical Night Cafe. We exited the old city from the Old Jeddah Gate. The old district which is undergoing restoration and renovation in line with Saudi Vision 2030, will likely be regenerated into an interesting area through art, history, tourist and boutique hotel developments.

Day 10: 29 December – Thee Ain Heritage Village – Al Bahah

Today we headed south to visit Thee Ain (1985m above sea level) in the Baha Region which is about 400 km from Jeddah. We took the Red Sea route (Route 5) and arrived after 1 pm. We began our visit at a well-designed museum with good illustrations and presentation. Then we had a guided tour in the village which houses were built from polished stones and dating back to the 8th century. Built on the Madamek wall system and the walls are approximately 7- to 90 cm thick, it consists of 49 houses and a mosque adjacent to a river. Thee Ain is now under restoration with the aim of turning it into a tourist site.

After visiting a few houses and the mosque, we had a picnic sampling simple but most delicious local dishes (chicken and fresh vegetables) prepared by our guide. Then we had a short walk to see the eye of the spring that provides water for farming in the area which is known for its agricultural crops such as bananas, basil, lemon and palm trees. Then we had to leave without a chance to hike to the top. Ivan did not join our walk and went to the top by himself.

We had to drive some 30 km along the King Fahd Road to reach our hotel in Al Bahah (2155m elevation) which is a cloud city. This section of the road is considered an absolute jewel of engineering, twisting and turning through switchbacks and tunnels (26 in total) and several aqueducts. There are several viewpoints. Unfortunately it was getting dark and we did not stop till we reach the Raghadan Forest Park just in time to see the last sunset ray over the lowland below us. The next moment, the whole area was cloaked in mist! An incredible experience in this cloud city. We had a nice stay at the Cloud City Hotel. Today we drove about 430km!

Day 11: 30 December – Al Malad Castle – 3-km Hike to Al Touf Village Home Stay

The highlight today was the visit to Al Malad Castle (Twin Fortresses) a historical landmark in Al Bahah. The castle was built by two brothers four centuries ago for military purposes. Mohammed, the charismatic chief of the tribe showed us around the castle and the museum which has wonderful collections. We spent the whole morning enjoying his company and the panoramic views from the castle. I was very impressed by Mohammed, his pride of his heritage and tradition, and took many photos.

Then we drove about 250km along Albaha Abha Road. The mountain views are impressive too. Ali La Garni, owner of the home – stay, met us by the road side and we walked about three kilometres through farm lands before reaching Al Touf Village which is a historic village with stone houses. It is a crescent-shaped settlement in the Al Shaaf area precarious at the edge of a cliff. Many of the houses in the village have been abandoned as the owners moved to new houses. He has renovated his own house making into a fairly nice place and receives both local and overseas tourists. We had local food and I particularly liked the bread made with wheat Ali Al Garni grew himself! We also visited a small local museum in the village.

Day 12: 31 December – Balijurashi – Taif – Jeddah

I got up early and walked around the village which was veiled in mist. After a hearty breakfast, we set off on a long drive back to Jeddah with a stop in Balijurashi to visit another abandoned village and a brief lunch stop in Taif before reaching Jeddah around 8 pm. I said good-bye to those who would be leaving early the next day. It was New Year Eve. But there was no celebration where we stayed. I went to bed early as I had a long tiring day.

Day 13: 1 January 2025 End of Tour

We had a late breakfast. After saying good-bye to Susan and Fatmah who would be leaving Jeddah in the afternoon, we checked out and moved to Sheraton Jeddah for two more nights on our own as we would like to snorkel. It was hot in the afternoon and we spent some time at the Red Sea Mall not too far from Sheraton.

2 January: Snorkeling and Dining. We went to a private resort/club associated with Sheraton for snorkeling and had to pay SAR 129 pp. Red Sea is famous for its marine life: I have had an amazing time snorkeling off a beach in Hurghada Egypt. Hence I found the short stretch of rocks with some corals and fish off the resort totally unimpressive. I suppose there are better sites on a boat trip. Anyway, it is always nice to check out what is around! In the afternoon, we went to Waldorf Astoria close to Sheraton for high tea. This posh opulent hotel with 46 suites is like a palace (the staff told us it was built by a prince). But the high tea was cheap but so-so. At first we wanted to go to Al Rahmah Mosque (Floating Mosque) to watch sunset. But as the service was very slow, we did not have enough time to take a taxi to the mosque. Instead, we rushed to the promenade opposite Waldorf and were lucky to see the setting sun for a few minutes before it disappeared below the horizon. Then we decided to return Waldorf to try its Italian restaurant. As we were not hungry we shared a starter (pan-fried scallop) and a main course (linguine). The meal cost less than SAR 300 for two persons. Incredibly cheap for the quality of food and a posh hotel!

3 January: Going Home. I would fly with Ethiopia Airlines to HK around 3 :30pm on 3 January. So Kylie and I decided to visit the famous Rahmah Mosque. We took Uber to the marina and walked to the mosque. As it was Friday, it was closed and we could only see it from the outside. It was boiling even early in the morning. We planned to walk back to Sheraton which is just over 4 km. However it was too hot and we finally took Uber for the last 1.5km. Then I took Uber (SAR40) to the airport just before noon and was dropped off at the international airport. Though I mentioned again and again to the driver that it was airport N (I showed him my ticket), he dropped me off in the new airport. N actually stands for the North airport which is an old one, locally known as the Hajj Airport. Taxi is very expensive and the locals told me to get Uber. But without internet, it was impossible to book. Finally I just got hold of an “Uber” like car and bargained with the driver. I eventually paid SAR 50 to go to the Hajj Airport! It was quite an experience! Fortunately, I had a safe flight with a 6-hour stop-over in Addis Ababa. I was back in Hong Kong safe and sound at 2 pm on 4 January safe and sound!

Remarks (to add)

Categories: My Middle East / Near East / Central Asia trips | Comments Off on Saudi Arabia 17/12/24 -3/1/25 (2)

Saudi Arabia 17/12/24 -3/1/25 (1)

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Sarah

Why Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia which has been open to foreign tourists since 2019, was one of the few Islamic countries that I had not visited in the Middle East. I joined a 13-day Saudia Arabia Explore (20/12/2024 to 1/1/2025) offered by Exodus Travel that I have travelled with many times. I flew from Bergen, Norway to Riyadh on 17 December, met up with Kylie, a friend who joined the same tour on 19 December and the guide Fatmah and five travellers from the UK on 21 December. At the end of the tour, Kylie and I stayed on for two more nights as we would like to snorkel in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia (SA), officially known the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is located in the centre of the Middle East overing the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With the world’s second largest oil reserve and fourth largest natural gas reserve, an area of 2,150, sq km and a population of 37 million, SA is an important regional power. The area was the site of several ancient cultures and civilization with the earliest traces of human activity outside Africa: human habitation in the peninsula dated back to about 125,000 years ago. Rich in cultural heritage with many archeological sites yet to be fully explored, SA boasts eight World Heritage Sites.

The Arabs, also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group that have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years. According to the Abrahamic tradition, Arabs are descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael. Before the advent of Islam, much of today’s SA was populated by nomadic pastoral tribal societies apart from trading settlements such as Mecca and Medina. Islamic prophet Muhmmad (c.570-8 June 632 CE) united the population of the Arabian Peninsula and created a Islamic religious polity. Arab dynasties originating from modern-day SA founded the Rashidun (632-661), Umayyad (661-750), Abbasid (750-1517), and Fatimid (909-1171) caliphates and numerous dynasties in Asia, Africa and Europe. Mecca and Medina, both located inside SA, are the two holiest cities in Islam. The Saudi royal family known as the Al Saud can be traced back to emirate of Diriyah dating 1727 and today’s SA was founded by King Abulaziz in 1932 when he united the regions of Hejaz, Najd, Al-Ahsa and ‘Asir. Islam is the state religion and Arabic is the official language.

Riyadh 17- 19 December 2024

I arrived in Riyadh around 11 pm. As I had obtained an e-visa, I went through the immigration quickly. By around 11:30pm, I was able to order an Uber using the free wifi from the airport (A friend could not find me a SIM card for SA in HK and I planned to get one when I got to Riyadh). The car boarding area was dark and crowded. By mistake, I got into a wrong car and the driver did not speak English nor the way to the Women Compound behind the Olaya Street. Both the driver and I did not have wifi and could not check Google map. I told him to call the receptionist of the Woman Compound who spoke English. I finally arrived around 12:30 am on 18 December. When he asked me to pay, I refused believing I had already been charged SAR102 when booking an Uber. When I realised my mistake, I paid him SAR130 as he was an honest person and had a hard time finding his way. He did not take credit card, and the receptionist kindly lent me the money. What an experience!

For the next two days, I hardly did anything and moved beyond the Olaya Street. First, I am getting old and walk very slowly with my hip problem. Second, I had trouble in getting a local SIM card. As a result, I had to stay in the compound whenever I wanted to stay online. The receptionist told me to take uber to a mall to get a card. Actually, there are two outlets near the compound that I could have got a card. I discovered a relatively cheap package offered by Salem for foreign tourists for two weeks: one has to take fingerprints that match those on one’s visa. I tried many times, but my fingerprints for some strange reasons did not match. Henceforth, I had to live without wifi except when I could get free wifi from the hotel or through a hotspot provided by Kylie. Next time, I should try e-SIM. Third, I had a problem with the American Express over overdue payment (I am getting forgetful). My attempt to settle was futile as the transferred money had been credited inadvertently to an old AE card. The whole saga dragged on till 27 December after having paid AE twice. I would only get my money back when I could show proofs of fund transfer to my old account. Ridiculous! AE could have easily traced the money credited to my old account. I would cancel the AE card after getting a refund. Fourth, SA is new to international tourism and I find it not user-friendly. Though I stayed in a relative central area, I had to walk 2.2 km along the Olaya Street to a nearest bank to change USD to SAR (USD1 to SAR3.74). Kylie found exchange service in Narcissus Hotel. But its service was only available to in-house guests. Incredible! Kylie finally managed to change some dollars at the Medina train station. We saw some money changers in Jeddah.

As a result, I had only managed to change money, visited the King Fahad National Library, an Islamic Art Museum and a cluster of galleries, took Bus 9 running along the Olaya Street to Taibah Markets and travelled on the Blue Line that runs from SAB Bank to AD Dar Al Baida (38km with 24 stations). I am most impressed by the new Riyadh Metro spanning 176 km consists of six lines each assigned a unique colour and number i.e. blue-1, red-2, orange-3, yellow-4, green-5 and purple-6. The design of the stations by Zaha Hadid Architects, and standards of the interior of the stations are outstanding. The train cars has three classes: first, family and individual. Passengers pay SAR 4 for 2-hour travel in the metro and on the bus.

Day 1: 20 December Riyadh

As the group from the UK would be arriving in the evening, Kylie and I had a free day. First, we moved from the Woman Compound to the Joudyan Hotel (just across the Olaya Street). Then we joined a 4-wheeled drive tour from 2 to 8 pm. We took Uber to the meeting point (SAR35) and met five other tourists and drove two hours to the Edge of the World, the name of the 1,131m-high cliff lying about 100km from Riyadh at the end of the 800km Tuwaik Mountain Range. It is a top tourist attraction in Riyadh: all tourists come here to watch sunset and the spectacular landscape. The driver was very kind and accompanied me to ensure I did not fall. He also took a few nice photos for me. I turned one into a Christmas card!

Day 2: 21 December – Riyadh

We met Fatmah, our youthful and energetic guide after breakfast. All ladies were given a dark-coloured abaya to wear in Medina. We began our Saudi Arabia Explorer at Ad Diriyah, an ancient oasis town on Wadi Hanifah strategically located in Najd. In 1727, it became the capital of the First Saudi State (1744-1818) under the rule of Imam Mohammed bin Saud. At the heart of Diriyah is At-Turaif, a fortified mud-brick citadel surrounded by 1.5km of defensive walls that was developed into the administrative, military and political hub of the state, focused around the monumental palace of the ruling Saudi Imam. The district was established in the 18th century and rapidly expand during the reign of the second Imam of the First Saudi State.

Restoration began in the 1970s. We spent almost three hours exploring the remains of the Salwa Palace, the mosque, Arabian Horse Gallery, Military Gallery, Trade & Money Gallery, Prince Thunayyan Bin Saud Palace, Imam Abdullah Bin Saud Palace, and Sbalat Modhi (accommodation for visiting students). Many areas are still under restoration. One can spend a whole day in this living museum.

The second stop was the modern King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) founded in 2007, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund. The project consists of 95 buildings with more than 6.1 million sq meters of space. Upon completion, it is expected to host 50,000 residents. The area will be served by a 3.5-km long monorail and all buildings will be linked by an air-conditioned skywalk system. We also visited the award-winning Grand Mosque.

It was well after 2pm when we had our first Saudi lunch in a wonderful local restaurant. Kylie and I shared a large plate of rice and mutton: the food was delicious and cheap (about SAR50)

The third stop was the Saudi National Museum which covers from the prehistoric to the modern ages in eight galleries. We were given just over an hour to visit it. I decided to walk on my own and confessed I did not register much after a whirlwind visit. Then we walked to the nearby Murabba Palace which was closed by the time we reached it. We drove a short distance to see the Masmak Fortress which is under restoration. We proceeded on foot to Alsafat Square and saw the Safat Clocktower and explored the traditional markets (souq) selling men’s clothes, shoe, perfume, incense etc. We admired the elegant and hand-made thawb for men. Fatmah took us to a 200-year-old shopping street (Abd Al Wahid Charafeddine) before ending our walk at the A’Thumairi Gate, one of the remaining gates of the area. When we stopped in a shop selling traditional sticks, a Saudi man with a young son bought each of us a stick with a horse head as a souvenir (SAR50 each). Saudis are very generous and welcoming! We had a full and tiring day. I was glad to get back to the hotel before 8 pm.

Day 3: 22 December – Ushaiger – Unaizah – Buraydah

We departed after breakfast and drove some 200km to Ushaiger, one of the oldest settlements in the Najdi region. Historically it belongs to the Tamim tribes and is the homeland to many families in the peninsula including the Al-Thani family that rules the state of Qatar. Some 5,000 people used to live in this village before moving to a new village with modern facilities over 50 years ago. We first visited the As Salem Museum run by Hamad, a very smart and healthy 86-years-old man. He has collected all sorts of stuff ranging from storage for dates, cage for chicken, grinders, plates, pots and pans, clocks, guns, radio and a 200-year-old tin container from Holland. The village comprising houses of irregular shapes and narrow alleys are atmospheric and photogenic. Over 95% of the mud houses is dilapidated. The best preserved mud building is the mosque with a lower floor that is still in use. Kent and Kylie even climbed the minaret. A few houses have been nicely restored.

After a late lunch, we drove to Unaizah which historically was an important stopping point for Muslims coming from Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Persia (now Iran) on their way to Mecca. The main attraction here is the Al Bassam Heritage House constructed between 1374 and 1378, a remarkable example of Najdi architecture. We had a good guide who explained the intricate designs, ceilings, doors, windows, and the tamarisk wood features. I am particularly interested in the painted wooden doors and made a collage of the doors with Najdi patterns.

After a guided tour, we had a great time enjoying Arabian coffee with local dates followed by tea and ginger tea. Our host also sang for us. After bidding our host goodbye, we drove some 30 km to reach Buraydah, capital of the Qassim Province to spend a night.

Day 4: 23 December – Buraydah – train to Hail

Buraydah, known as the city of dates with extensive variety of dates, has the world’s largest camel market. In order to watch auctions at the camel market, we started at 6:30 am, reached the market around 7 am and spent an hour watching how camels were brought in by trucks and the auction process. Half a dozen of camels for meat from Africa only fetched about 1200 SAR. Young camel a few weeks old might get a few hundred SAR. Then we watched a male camera charging in and mated with a female. Fatmah took us to see a sheep market nearby before heading to the world’s biggest date market. As it was not in season, the expansive market was virtually empty except a dozen of trucks were selling dates at the carpark. Fatmah bought 3 kilos of dates for SAR20! A bargain. We were back in the hotel for breakfast after 10 am. After a short rest, we set off before noon heading to the train station to get on a train around 1 pm to Hail.

We were back in the hotel for breakfast after 10 am. After a short rest, we set off before noon heading to the train station to get on a train around 1 pm to Hail. The journey took about two hours. The new train stations all have stylish modern designs and the train system was designed by the Spanish. We had a comfortable ride though there was no wifi in the train. At Hail station, Fatmah ran into an old friend Abdullah, a professional photographer. He later met us at the A’arif Fort and took photos for us. We spent a nice but short time at the fort watching amazing sunset. Then we went to Al Qishlah which was closed at 4 pm. We could not get in. No problem as we already had a long day. We had an early dinner and I shared an excellent lamb rice with Susan as Kylie did not want to eat.

Day 5: 24 December – Hail – Jubbah – AlUla

Today we began our exploration of SA’s rock art in Jubbah in the Nafud desert. In general, rock art includes pictographs, petroglyphs, engravings and petroforms and geoglyphs. In Jubbah, the ancestors of today’s Arab populations have left traces of their passages in numerous petroglyphs and inscriptions on sandstone rock faces. The artworks depict human figures and animals such as aurochs, cheetahs and lions since the neolithic or New Stone Age (10000 – 2200 BC). The oasis of Jubbah is the remnant of an ancient lake. Near the present day Jebel um Saman (“Two Camel-hump Mountain”), one finds some of the best rock art in the Arabian Peninsular. In 1879, Lady Anne Blunt , daughter of Lord Byron, and her husband Wilfred were amongst the first Westerners to discover the rock art. Archaeologist Juris Zarins (1945-2023) considers Jubbah the number one or two site in the whole of the Middle East that rivals anything in North Africa. We visited three different sites in Jubbah and I think what I have seen are amongst the best of their kinds and periods I have ever seen.

After a wonderful time at Jubbah, we had a memorable picnic lunch in the desert in Bedouin style with Abdullah. We then drove nonstop for almost seven hours before reaching the Mazham Boutique Farm in the Madinah Region for two nights. Today, we had a long day driving over 600km.

Day 6: 25 December – Hegra – Maraya – AlUla Old Town – Elephant Rock

We continued our exploration of SA’s ancient civilization today. We first went to Hegra, SA’s first World Heritage Site which relates to Nabataean history in the area with over 110 preserved tombs and other ancient wonders. Built between the first century BCE and the first century CE, Hegra was the Nabatean kingdom’s southern outpost until it was abandoned in the 12th century. This ancient city includes an impressive necropolis with tombs carved into sandstone set against the sweeping desert landscape.

We were told to arrive at the visitors’ centre around 9:15 am. Unfortunately the guide tour was delayed to 10:15 am. I therefore spent time in the centre which has illustrations on “Hinat“- the reconstructed face of a Nabatean woman whose remains were found in one of the 18 tombs in Jabal Ahmar. Fortunately, we had a nice guide and visited four locations. Jabal Ithlib is a natural mountain outcrop set featuring a natural picturesque passageway through the mountains and a venue for both banquets and meetings between city leaders. The second stop was Jabal Banat which is one of the largest tomb clusters in Hegra with 29 tombs carved into sandstone. Names of the people buried are found around the door frames together with other images including phoenixes, eagles, and snakes. The inside is however fairly barren.

The third stop was Qasr al-Farid (“the lonely castle”) which is the Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza. This unfinished tomb is Hegra’s largest tomb about 72-foot tall. It shows how the tomb had been carved. Then we made our way to Jabal Ahmar where the remains of “Hinat”, daughter of Wahbu were discovered. Analysis of the tomb has established that it was built by Hinat and was the resting place of as many as 80 individuals.

After Hegra, Fatmah took us to Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building standing out in a breath-taking and captivating desert with rugged mountain ranges. This iconic performance and event venue designed by an Italian architect has become a must-see in AlUla.

Then we had an hour’s walk in an ancient oasis with some restored mud houses before having a late lunch after 3 pm. Susan, Fatmah, Kylie and I went to Somewhere, an elegant and one of the best restaurants in AlUla. We shared one beef and one chicken rice dish and had a delicious drink each. It cost over SAR 80 pp. Fairly pricy! Then we spent an hour in the old AlUla town before rushing to the iconic Elephant Rock to watch sunset. After sunset, we returned to the old town for another hour before returning to the eco-farm. A very full day! On reflection, I think we could have skipped Alula before the Elephant Rock so that we could have more time to enjoy the sunset.

Categories: My Middle East / Near East / Central Asia trips | Comments Off on Saudi Arabia 17/12/24 -3/1/25 (1)

Tromso – Bergen Norway December 7 – 16, 24

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Sarah

Why Arctic Norway?

After a 2-week retreat at Plum Village Bordeaux, I flew to Tromso looking for Northern Lights. Though I was passing through Tromso a few times, I had never visited it. As solar activities have been very strong in 2024 resulting in spectacular display of Northern and Southern Lights on numerous occasions, I decided to try my luck as I had a gap of about ten days before joining a tour in Saudi Arabia on December 20. I planned to spend a few days in Tromso before taking Havila Cappella to Bergen. My friend Sau heard about my planned journey in October and decided to join.

Tromso December 7- 12, 2024

Located within the Arctic Circle, the town of Tromso with a small area of about 14 sq km and a population of 42,000, is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and the world’s third largest north of the Arctic Circle (following Murmansk and Norilsk in Russia). The city centre of Tromso contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway. It is a cultural centre of its region and became known as the “Paris of the North” during the 19th century. Though the sun remains under the horizon for six weeks in Tromso, it is never completely dark. The polar night in Tromso is between the 27th November and 15th January. Around 1-2 pm in the afternoon, the residual light is reflected off the blue sea and the white snow, the arctic landscape glows in a glassy magical deep blue colour (known as the blue moment/hour). On clear days, beautiful sunset colours can be seen in the south while the sky to the north is a deep midnight blue.

I arrived after 1 pm at the Tromso airport and took a taxi to Havblikk Hotel near the Arctic Cathedral. It cost over 300 Norwegian Krone (NOK) for about 6km. The ground was covered with snow and I took extra care when walking. I only made a trip to the nearest supermarket to get food. For the rest of the day, I did nothing but hibernating in my simple cosy room watching snow and the white world outside.

Before Sau’s arrival around midday on December 8, I walked to the Arctic Cathedral (it is actually a parish church and its official name is Tromsdalen Church). I sat in silence for 15 minutes and left before the Sunday service began at 11 am. Completed in 1965, it is known for a glass mosaic titled “The Return of Christ” added in 1972, which is best seen inside the church during the midnight sun. In winter, one can only take a photo of the colours of the mosaic glass from the outside! Owing to my inertia on arrival, I missed a concert at the church which was held on December 7.

When Sau arrived in early afternoon, we walked over the bridge to explore Tromso centre. We walked very slowly on the icy surface with a walking pole. We did not go far nor had we done much. We went to the operator of “Silent Whale Watching” at the Bus Terminal only to discover the trip Sau booked had been cancelled owing to poor weather. After asking about the itinerary, I decided to join as I had not been visiting the area during my previous whale watching trip. We also purchased a 7-day bus pass (249 NOK for seniors) and a ticket for the cable car and the Arctic Cathedral for 518 NOK. In the evening, we walked to the cable car station and took a ride to the top hoping to get a glimpse of Northern Lights if the sky cleared up. We had no chance and returned to our hotel at 10 pm.

On December 10, Sau and I got up early to take a bus to the bus terminal. The electric boat was full and departed shortly after 8 am. The weather was so-so with moments of Polar light, strong wind, choppy sea, rain and snow. We spent over three hours before reaching the area where whales had been spotted. We were lucky: I was well-positioned on the upper deck when a young humpback male jumped out of the water several times in front of my eyes. I tried to use my camera with a long lens without success. Had I used my mobile phone, I should have been able to capture the magical moment! As a dozen of boats rushed to our location, our boat moved on. Then we saw another group of humpback whales. This time, I simply used my phone and got a few images. It started to get dark when we made our way back to Tromso where we landed at 5pm.

It was a busy day. As we had already booked a small group Northern Lights tour, we stayed on in town. We were surprised when a driver told us to get into a 7-seater instead of a minibus for 15 passengers. Janet and Bill from Hong Kong were the only two passengers. We were delighted to have a small group. Jodnas, our lively Spanish driver drove three hours to a small frozen lake in Finland. The weather improved soon after leaving Tromso and we began to see the moon and stars. Jodnas set up a fire and we had a hot soup. Weak Northern Lights began to appear and Jodnas was busy taking photos for us. Then to Janet’s surprise, Bill knelt down making a proposal with Northern Lights as the background. How romantic! Billy and Jodnas worked on this secretly in order to give Janet a surprise. Sau and I were lucky to be selected to travel with them. Though I have seen more vibrant and stronger lights, I find the occasion touching and memorable. It is joyful to meet this lovely young couple from Hong Kong (both are 29). We were back in the hotel after 2:30am. We were dead tired!

We had a rest day on December 11. As we had bought a bus pass, we took a ride to Telegrafbuka at the eastern tip of the island. (This is the beach people gather to watch the first glimpse of sun in mid January). It was the blue hour: I saw the orange sunset, glassy deep blue in the sky and a bright moon. I was thrilled and amazed by the ever changing colours. Less than ten minutes later, heavy snow fell and all colours vanished. When we got back to the town centre, we went to a restaurant and had a pizza. The portion is exceedingly large and we had to take half of the pizza home. A quiet and relaxing day!

December 12 was our last day in Tromso. We joined a half day Arctic Landscape Tour which started at 10am. Once again we shared a 7-seater with a Japanese couple and two Korean young ladies. We went to Kvaloya Island and made a dozen stops. The weather was unstable and windy. Luckily, there was fresh snow. We got in and out of the minivan and I was tired of putting on and off the jacket. Anyway, we were lucky to have a few clear moments that enabled us to appreciate the blue hour and Arctic landscape. It got pitch dark by 3 pm and we were back in Tromso before 4pm. As we were unable to go onboard Havila Capella till 11:45pm, we stayed in the hotel till 10 pm before heading to the bus/cruise terminal.

Tromso – Bergen December 13-16, 2024 (to add)

Remarks (to add)

Categories: My Europe trips | Comments Off on Tromso – Bergen Norway December 7 – 16, 24

Bordeaux France 21 November – 6 December 2024

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Sarah

Plum Village Rain Retreat 22/11 – 6/12/2-24

I first heard of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) (fondly called by his followers as Thay) and the Plum Village when I attended a dharma talk given by the Venerable at the Coliseum in Hong Kong in May 2013. I later met two nuns from the Plum Village Tradition at the Buddhist study course at the Hong Kong Dharma Centre (2020-22). I began to read books by Thay in connection with the Master of Buddhist Counselling course at the University of Hong Kong (2022-23). My faith in Buddhism grew and I took refuge of the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha) in July 2023. After having spent my first one-week retreat in Hong Kong in November 2023, I look forward to joining a longer retreat. Then on a May day, I learnt about a 90-day Rains Retreat (October 11 to December 20, 2024) at the Plum Village Bordeaux which would fit in perfectly with my travel plan: I decided to join a two-week retreat after the end of the Costa Rica – Chile expedition on 18 November 2024. Things worked out smoothly and I arrived at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village Bordeaux on Friday November 22.

Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village

Thay, a Buddhist monk, peace activist, poet, prolific author and teacher, is known as the “father of mindfulness“. He expressed an interest in training as a monk at the age of 12, pursued his goal at 16 and was ordained as a monk in 1951. Thay was a writer and a Buddhist teacher advocating for a humanistic, unified Buddhism. He accepted a Fulbright Fellowship to study comparative religion at Princeton University in 1960 and at the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1961 and taught Buddhism in Columbia University and Cornell University. He was fluent in French, classical Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali and English. In 1963, Thay returned to Vietnam and was tasked to help restructuring the administration of Vietnamese Buddhism. The following year, he proposed a call for an end of the Vietnam War and helped to establish an institute for the study of Buddhism to train future leaders and create a centre to train pacifist social workers based on Buddhist teaching. He was a prolific writer advocating peace and reconciliation. In 1964, Thay together with another monk founded the Van Hanh Buddhist University in 1964 and co-founded the School of Youth for Social Service with Chan Khong (1938), a nun and Thay’s first fully-ordained monastic disciple. He also created the Order of Interbeing, a monastic and lay group between 1964 and 1966. In 1966, he received the “lamp transmission” from Zen Master Chan That making him a dharma teacher and spiritual head of Tu Hieu.

In 1975, Thay was refused the right to return to Vietnam when the North Vietnamese took control of the south. He was also expelled from Singapore following illegal attempts to rescue Vietnamese boat people. Thay moved and settled in France and formed a small mindfulness community called “the Sweet Potato” and led mindfulness retreats in 1981. As the community attracted more and more people, Thay together with Chan Khong began to search for land for expansion and purchased land in September 1982 (which is now known as the Lower Hamlet). Later that year, they acquired land of the present day Upper Hamlet. Plum Village is where Thay and Chan Khong has realised their dream of building a community in a healthy, harmonious and nourishing environment with one another and Mother Earth. The New Hamlet which is 18km from Lower Hamlet was established later. Today, Plum Village has grown into Europe’s largest Buddhist monastery with some 200 resident brothers and sisters (monks and nuns) living in three hamlets and the Son Ha Temple (Foot of the Hill). New Hamlet and Lower Hamlet are for sisters while Upper Hamlet is for brothers to live and practice. All hamlets accept couples and families for short-term retreats. There are a further ten monastic practice centres in the Plum Village tradition in Europe, the USA and Asia, all founded by Thay himself.

A retreat is an opportunity to experience the art of mindful living. Everything is done in a spirit of meditation: daily schedule is centred on sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating and mindful working (service meditation). “Noble Silence” is observed by all from 8:30pm to after breakfast the next day. One day a week is designated Lazy Day without formal practice schedule. The community gathers on Thursdays and Sundays for a full Day of Mindfulness in one of the hamlets (also known for short-term retreat stayers as a Lay Day)

Lower Hamlet

I stayed at the Poplar House, Lower Hamlet sharing a room with Sarah from the UK for the first week and then Grace from New York. I also met Catherine from Sweden and Candy from the Philippines who also stayed at the Poplar House which is close to the Great Hall. Over the retreat period in the Lower Hamlet, I met over 30 short-term stayers (1 to 2-week), 50 sisters and about 20 long-term stayers (for the entire 90 days). My life was centred around mindful living and noble silence though I did speak with others occasionally.

I find Lower Hamlet a paradise. Surrounded by vineyards, farmland and forests, the hamlet comprises a number of old charming rustic stone houses typical of Bordeaux rural region with old trees, woodland, rolling hills, orchards, meadows and vineyards. Together with a bell tower, a temple gate and pavilion, and a lotus pond, the hamlet has a most wonderful, natural, harmonious, and peaceful environment for mindful living and spiritual practice.

With the exception of the lay day, we had to get up early to join a sitting and walking meditation session in the Great Hall at 6am. The milky way and millions of stars greeted me as soon as I stepped out of the door of the Poplar House every morning except two days when it was raining or misty. After breakfast in the dining hall at 7:30am, I would watch the gorgeous sunrise near the temple entrance opposite a vineyard between 8 and 8:30 am. The colours were mesmerizing. One day, the valley was cloaked with mist: it was even more enchanting.

Mindfulness Day / Lay Day

During the rains retreat, lay residents have a mindfulness day on Sunday and Thursday. Each hamlet takes turn to host it. Lay residents gathered at the Upper Hamlet on 28 November and the New Hamlet on 1 December. They gathered in the Lower Hamlet on 24 November and 5 December. I was glad to be able to visit the Upper and New Hamlets. I had my first Formal Lunch at the Great Hall of the Lower Hamlet on 24 November. I joined another one at the New Hamlet a week later. Each hamlet has its unique setting and atmosphere. But all are nature wonders filled with peace and joy: they are labour of love of Thay and Chan Khong for the benefits of their followers, Buddhists and mankind.

Upper Hamlet

Upper Hamlet located on a flat expansive hill top is about 3.2 km from the Lower Hamlet. I took a lift in the morning. The great hall looks familiar: I watched memorial ceremony of Thay when he passed away in 2022. The programme was good beginning with a question and answer session followed by walking meditation. The walking meditation through forested woodland and the Buddha Hill was atmospheric. The total relaxion session with music after lunch was wonderful. I enjoyed the 50-minute walk downhill to Lower Hamlet. The sun was setting showing the best foliage colours.

New Hamlet

New Hamlet though smaller in size is compact and lovely. The day began with a dharma talk by Sister Chan Duc (Sr. True Virtue) who has been a disciple of Thay since 1986 and the first European woman to be ordained as a nun. (Sr. Chan Duc also gave a dharma talk at Lower Hamlet on November 24) Then at 11:30am, we had walking meditation up a hill through a plum forest. It was a sunny gorgeous day. The walk with some 300 monastics and laymen and Formal Lunch in total silence was powerful. I had a good dharma sharing session under a mulberry tree near the Bell Tower. I was hoping to meet a sister from Hong Kong in this hamlet. But she was not well and did not appear.

Walking Meditation

We had walking meditation everyday at 11:30am. It began with singing: the songs are all poems with simple verses with profound meanings for meditation. I learnt to different pace of breathing and walking: breathing in and out taking one step; inhale one step and out-hale another step; and two steps for an inhale and three steps for an out-hale of breath. It is amazing to find one of the cats at Lower Hamlet joining the walk everyday: it must be a practising Buddhist in its previous lives. Whenever I had time, I practised walking meditation on my own.

Remarks

I had an amazing and most peaceful and enjoyable retreat at Plum Village. Several aspects are worth-noting. First and foremost. Thay is a great teacher and a visionary religious and spiritual leader who had deep faith in Buddha’s teachings and belief in peace, joy and interbeing. I have read some of his books in connection with my Buddhist studies on Buddhist counselling, spiritual formation, healing, and working with the sick and the dying. Living mindfully for two weeks in the Plum Village is a blessing and I could feel the presence, love and spirit of Thay everywhere.

It is incredible that Thay as a result of cause and conditions (the Vietnam War) would settle in France and established the Plum Village Tradition and applied Buddhism. I am moved to find many westerns turning to Buddhism and spiritual healing owing to Thay’s mindfulness and spiritual teaching. His wisdom and teachings in simple words as expressed in songs, poems, writings and calligraphy are visible and practical. Having regard to social and modern institutional relations and life, Thay has expanded and modernized the five precepts namely no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication, into Five Mindfulness Trainings with the aim of bringing awareness into every area of life. Rather than hard and fast rules, they offer a path to cultivate and develop actions of body, speech and mind that can create a more healthy and compassionate world.

Second, I feel Plum Village is a Pure Land created by Thay on earth. The most common pure land is Sukhavati “Land of Bliss” of Amitabha. It is the aspiration of Buddhists to be reborn in a Buddha’s “pure land” which is a superior place to spiritually train for full Buddhahood. The physical setting, the beautiful and peaceful environment, and the mindful living and practice are essentially a manifestation of a pure land. The place is filled with joy: the monastics are composed and look happy while the lay residents look relax and mindful. I spent every moment living and practising mindfully and blissfully with few delusions (Sanskrit vikalpa). From the dharma sharing sessions, some would be in tears when talking about their problems and anger. The retreat is indeed a place and time for healing spiritually and physically.

Third, I love the rural setting and find Plum Village inspiring. Autumn is the time for foliage: I watched the last leaves falling from the poplar trees next to Poplar House. The ground was covered with fallen red and golden leaves by the time I left Lower Hamlet. while the autumn sun is lovely and warm, the mist and fog bring in a totally different and equally enchanting atmosphere. The sunrise brings different colours every morning while the singing of small birds is lovely. Beauty is in everything and I deeply appreciate the gift of Mother Earth.

Finally, I know I am home at the Plum Village. This short retreat has given me a chance to know more about the monastic life which is regulated by the ringing of the bell. The first one is at 5 am in the morning and the last one at 8:30pm in the evening. The bell rings fifteen minutes before an activity. Whenever we heard the ringing of bells, we had to stop whatever we were doing till the ringing came to a stop. Then, I watched the solemn precepts recitation which is carried out every two weeks and took part in two formal lunches. The food is exceptional and most delicious: I ate three meals a day in joyful silence. I find the lazy day/night at Plum Village creative and inspiring: it does not mean one is “lazy and doing nothing”. Rather it is up to me to decide and pursue what I want to do mindfully instead of following a routine and schedule. In brief, I fully enjoy my retreat at Plum Village which is totally different from the experience I had in Hong Kong last year. I could not wait to return and immediately registered for a walking retreat to be held in end May next year. I like the Plum Village’s Five Mindfulness Trainings and may take the trainings formally in future.

Categories: My Europe trips, Others | Comments Off on Bordeaux France 21 November – 6 December 2024

Peru & Chile

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Sarah

Day 11 November 10: Callo (Lima), Peru

We were glad to step ashore after two sea days. Passengers were offered three excursions and I took a 6-hour tour to Huaca Pucllana in the district of Miraflores and Larco Herrera. Huaca Pucllana is an impressive archaeological site belonging to the Lima culture of regional developments. Evidence suggests construction of the great pyramid here began around 200 CE, reached its peak from the 5th century onwards, and the maximum extension occurred in 700 CE. Built on a mud base by means of rammed earth or rectangular parallelepiped-shaped adobes in a vertical position, it was originally composed of a set of pyramids, plazas, courtyards and ramped entrances. During the occupation of the Huari (Wari) Culture (700-1100CE), the highest parts of the pyramid (25 metres) were destroyed and converted into an elite cemetery. The importance of the complex which had been abandoned for a long time, was investigated, preserved and restored since 1981.

After visiting the Great Pyramid, we proceeded to Larco Museum where we had lunch after a guided tour. The museum is housed in a magnificent 18th-century vice-royal building: Rafael Larco Hoyle (1901-1966) acquired it for displaying his private collections showcasing some 5,000 years of Peruvian history and pre-Columbian art with tens of thousands of ceramics, pottery, textiles, masks, crowns, vases and metalware. Larco Hoyle became the director of the museum and developed the first Peruvian chronology of ancient cultures. It has a gallery holding the world’s largest collection of erotic ceramics. The whole building, the entrance of the museum and the ground are most beautiful with colourful bougainvillea and numerous flower plants. I had time only to take a cursory glance at the vast collections and shall return to visit this museum on my next visit to Peru. The expedition team invited a Peruvian group to come onboard to perform. Guests enjoyed the lively performance by the dancers and musicians.

Day 12 November 11: Paracas

We arrived at Paracas in early morning with choices of four activities. As many as 60 guests paid USD690 to take the world famous Nazca Lines scenic flight (I took the flight on my first South American tour in 1988). Sally, Lawrence and I opted for a 3-hour trip to the Ballastas Islands located some 20 miles from the coast. I visited these islands in 1988. But the trip this time exceeded my expectations as I have learnt more about bird species since my last visit. This preliminary understanding already makes a big difference and I love travelling in South America given its history, biodiversity and geology. I was thrilled to see as many as 20 Humboldt Penguins and countless Peruvian Boobies. The red-legged cormorants are abundant and attractive. Guano, once old “White Gold” before the development of chemical fertilizer, has put a white coat on the islands thus making the islands photogenic.

As most passengers were back in the afternoon, the expedition team laid on lectures. I attended David’s talk on “Introduction to Volcanoes”.

Day 13 November 12 At Sea

First time seeing Buller’s Albatross

Lectures kept me busy. I attended four lectures namely “Land Mammals of Central and South America”, “From Deep Time to Modern Mines: Geology and Copper in Chile”, “Hiram Bingham, the Acknowledgment of Manchu Picchu” and “Acoustics of the Underwater World”.

Day 14 November 13 Arica Chile

Arica is Chile’s northernmost city and the capital of the Region of Arica and Parinacota. Out of the four excursions on offer, I joined the tour to Lauca National Park. Three big tourist buses set off at 6:30am as it took over four hours to reach our destinations including a couple of acclimatization stops.

Located over 4,000m above sea level, the park created in 1970 with an area of 137,883 ha covering foothills, lakes, lagoons, and high plateau, offers great opportunity to observe birds and waterfowls. The scenery is fantastic with the snow-cladded Taapaca (5860m), a Holocene volcanic complex as a backdrop. However I found it difficult for the body to adjust and felt exhausted and tired. Our local guide said we had reached 4,600m which was the highest point of the day. A few guests had to inhale oxygen when walking back to the coach. (In the evening, the expedition leader broke the sad news that a lady who joined the tour had passed away with cause of death not known). It was the first time I experienced such exhaustion: this could be a combination of aging and rapid ascent of +4600 in less than six hours. We spent over an hour by the lake before heading to Putre (3371m), a town with over 3000 inhabitants for lunch. We were back in the boat around 7 pm. A good but long day!

Day 15 November 14 At Sea

I had a good rest on sea day. I attended Peter’s talk on “The World of Seabirds“. He spoke passionately about the 400 species of seabirds ranging from his No 1 favourite – albatross, the bird that can fly over 600 miles in a single day and can live up to 60 or 70 years of age, to the smallest storm-petrels that weigh a few ounces. Peter’s wife Shirley talked about her “Journey to the South Pole” in the afternoon. I also joined a talk by Captain Sasha about navigation at sea on board the Silver Wind followed by another talk “A Map of Plants” by Tristan. An educational day!

Day 16 November 15 Antofagasta

I woke up at 4:40am with red eyes, had a porridge, and climbed into a coach at 5:30am with a pillow in hand. Today, three coaches set off for the Atacama Desert which took 4-5 hours’ drive. I love deserts and Atacama Desert with an area of 105,000 sq km is the driest nonpolar desert in the world. Though I have visited the area twice, I would always return whenever I have a chance. As I was exhausted, I dozed off till 10 am. Our first stop was a nature reserve to watch flamingoes for about an hour.

Then we reached San Pedro de Atacama around 1 pm for lunch. We were supposed to set off around 2:45pm for the Moon Valley. Unfortunately we had about 100 people and the service was slow. We did not set off till 3:30 pm. As a result, we could only spent 10-15 minutes at the two photo stops- Three Marias and The Amphitheatre. I am always fascinated by the sand and stone formations in deserts that have been carved by water and wind. The range of colours and texture resembling those on the Moon, are captivating.

The last stop was at Coyote for a traditional offering ceremony for Pachamama (Mother Earth). We rushed off at 7 pm and were back on the ship just before 11:30 pm. What a long day! I was glad I survived. The nice surprise today was the watching of the supermoon (known as the Beaver Moon) rising over the Atacama Desert. As we were in a rush, we could not stop for moon and star gazing. What a pity!

Day 17 November 16 Isla Pan de Azucar

I did not want to get up for the 9:15am briefing by the expedition leader. But being a professional traveller, I pulled myself out of bed in order to find out the arrangement of the zodiac cruising in the afternoon. I have actually visited Isla Pan de Azurcar when I joined a hike in the Atacama Desert. Since I was up, I went to Manu’s talk on the geology of the Atacama Desert. At noon, I took the last zodiac cruise of this expedition. Isla Pan de Azucar, its neighbouring islets and rocks are home for South American sea lions and marine otters in addition to bird species like Humboldt Penguins, Inca Terns, Kelp Gulls, Peruvian Boobies, Pelicans and Diving-Petrels, Red-legged Cormorants and Turkey Vultures. I recall seeing many penguins and birds on these islands which were teeming with wildlife. But this time, I saw only five penguins, few boobies, sea lions, diving petrels and vultures etc. Peter said the drastic drop of wildlife was a result of avian flu.

Day 18 November 17 Coquimbo

The expedition was soon coming to an end. Upon arrival in Coquimbo, a bustling port and major commercial and industrial centre for the export of mineral, fish products and fruits, I joined a 4-hour tour “Enchanted Valley Petroglyphs“. It was a scenic drive to the valley which has well-preserved petroglyphs. But the best part of the day was the 15-minute show with Peruvian boobies diving like bombs into the water to catch fish . I was able to watch with my camera in hand while waiting for passengers to join our coach.

We only had five passengers on the second/last coach including Lawrence, Sally, a couple and myself. We had a wonderful local guide Claudia who speaks clear English and knows what she is talking about!

Day 19 November 18 Valparaiso

All passengers had to vacate the cabin by 8am and disembark by group starting from 9am. We said good-bye to the staff and expedition team members and disembarked before 10am. We took a transfer to a hotel not far from the port for USD30 which is reasonable. We all had a leisure day: I walked to the old town to see the art paintings and had a drink in a terrace while the rest accompanied by a local took the metro to the fish market and Vina del Mar.

Post Expedition- November 19-20 Santiago

My brother and friends booked a 9-seater from November 19 to 21. On November 19, they dropped me off at a hotel near the airport where I stayed one night. On November 20, I took a free shuttle to the airport at 10am and my plane to Madrid took off as scheduled shortly after 1 pm. I arrived in Madrid at 6am after a 12-hour flight. Unfortunately I had to spend ten hours in the airport as my connecting flight to Bordeaux would not depart till 4pm. I wasted no time and had most of the collages sorted out. Time flied and I arrived in Bordeaux before 6 pm and spent a night to catch up with sleep in a hotel next to the railway station.

Remarks

This was an unexpected expedition which I only decided to join in March while on Silver Cloud from Chile to Namibia. It was a lovely journey for a few reasons. First, it was the first time I travelled with a party of seven on an expedition and we celebrated the sixty-sixth birthday of Lawrence, my younger brother on the boat. Second, though I have visited Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Chile before, all except three sites (Ballastas Islands, Atacama Desert, and Isla Pan de Azurcar) visited were new to me. I particularly enjoy the Cocos Island in Costa Rica, the Great Pyramid and Larco Museum in Callo Peru, and Ballastas Islands where I saw some 20 Humboldt Penguins. The previous expeditions I joined were mostly nature and wildlife-based. This time, I had a rarely relaxing and leisure time to enjoy both cultural sites and nature. Third, I am glad to see Lawrence, Sally, Sally’s sister and her husband taking this opportunity to travel around South America for the first time of their life after the expedition.

Categories: Expeditions, My American trips | Comments Off on Peru & Chile

Costa Rica to Chile 26/1–18/11/2024

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Sarah

My Third Expedition in 2024

While on Silver Cloud travelling from Puerto Williams to Namibia in March, I signed up for an expedition from Costa Rica to Chile on the recommendation of Peter Harrison. I invited my brother Lawrence and his wife Sally to join. Then Sally’s sister Sylvia and her husband Chu Sir and their friends Stephen and Bonnie also decided to join.

Pre-cruise: Los Angeles & San Jose 26 – 31 October

As my niece, Lili, lives in LA, I decided to join Lawrence and Sally to fly to LA on 26 October to spend the weekend with her. We also took the chance to visit Ken, Lawrence’s classmate from primary school. On 28 October, I flew around 10 am on United Airline via Houston and arrived in San Jose at 8 pm. Lawrence and Sally and the other four all took the direct flight to San Jose with Alaska Airline and waited for me for almost an hour at the airport. We took a minibus to a flat with three bed-rooms downtown.

We had a leisure day on 29 October strolling in the Central Market and the old town. I spent an hour and a half at the Jade Museum. Though the entrance fee is USD16 for foreigners, I am impressed by the collections of jade and ceramics and the illustrations. It is a nice surprise. As it started to rain after 2 pm, we all returned to the flat and had a good rest.

On 30 October, we hired a 7-seater and drove three hours to the Arenal Volcano. Stephen was not feeling well and stayed behind. We hiked for an hour and a half in the park and were lucky to got back to the car before torrential rain poured down after 3 pm. A narrow escape. It was after 8:30pm when we got back and were totally exhausted.

The boarding time was after 2 pm on 31 October. Sylvia, Chu Sir, Sally, Lawrence and I decided to visit the Butterfly Garden in San Jose. The garden is an oasis with lots of butterflies. We spent a delightful morning with butterflies. We arranged a minibus to take us to the cruise terminal. The journey took two and a hour hours because the traffic was heavy and the driver took us to the wrong terminal.

Day 1 Puntarenas Costa Rica – Boarding

Once we reached the cruise terminal, everything was plain sailing. I shared a cabin with veranda with Lawrence and Sally (Cabin 725) and had a comfortable bed set up in the sitting room in the evening. Everything looked familiar as Silver Cloud (that I took in March) is a sister ship of Silver Wind: the size, layout and decor of the cabin are the same. Before dinner, we met Captain Oleksandr Kolosov and the Expedition leader David during the briefing. The boat had about 240 guests. Seven of us had our first dinner in the main dining room on L4. But the service was slow: the waiter at our table was new and anxious. By the time I went to bed shortly after 10 pm, I was tired and had a good night sleep.

Day 2 Playa Panama

The expedition team arranged six itineraries for passengers. I decided to take the 7-hour ‘Palo Verde Wildlife and Traditions” trip. I disembarked at 8 am and set off in a coach to Hacienda El Viejo that is about an hour away. Here, we saw the traditional method in extracting sugar cane juice and the making of tortilla in the hacienda. Then we spent an hour on the river looking for birds and wildlife. It started to rain and we were lucky to spot green and dark iguanas, many herons (white, blue, green and tiger herons), white face monkeys, crocodiles, and a kingfisher. We heard callings of a tucan but it flew away. We returned to the hacienda for lunch before returning to the boat. Tonight at the Captain’s cocktail, we were introduced to the department heads of the boat and the expedition team members.

Day 3 Punta Leona

I had a busy day joining two half-day trips. In the morning, I took a boat ride on Tarcoles River which is about an hour’s drive from Punta Leona, a private resort. The weather was fine with clear blue sky. I had a wonderful boat ride seeing a dozen of crocodiles, numerous herons, white stork and Roseata spoonbill. I had to skip lunch as I jumped on another bus heading for a jungle and wagon trip in a private refuge. I had a bumpy ride and it was quite an experience.

Day 4 Golfito

When I woke up and looked out of the window, I found the boat by a pier in Golfito located in a calm bay (Golfo Duce) backed against steep green hills covered with pristine rainforest. It was a misty and atmospheric morning! We had for a change a dry landing this morning. I joined a nature walk in a private refuge. For the first half of the walk, we walked along a muddy flat path looking at different wild ginger flowers, Panama palm trees, strangle fig trees and tadpoles near a pond. The second half part of the walk to a waterfall with crossing of two small streams and climbing on rocks and muddy path was demanding. Luckily, some passengers lent me their hands and kept me from falling into the stream. But an elderly gentleman was not fortunate: he fell on a downhill muddy slope and then in the first stream. He carried on crossing the second stream before giving up. The staff and a few strong fellow passengers had to carry him back to the refuge office. I thought he might have hurt himself as he could not stand up and walk. He was carried back to the boat and I did not see him around the boat.

The boat set sail in the afternoon for Isla del Cocos. I attended two lectures namely “Forest Stories” by Tristan Kusel and “Tropical Seabirds” by Peter Harrison, a wonderful speaker and an expert on seabirds.

Day 5 Isla Del Coco

We arrived at the Cocos Island around lunch time. The original plan was to have a mandatory briefing by the Park rangers before visitors are allowed to go ashore. Owing to unexpected problems with the public address system on the boat, the briefing could not proceed. As a result, we had zodiac cruising for 75 minutes. I was in the second zodiac group and had a wonderful time when the weather and light were both reasonably good. We saw plenty of Cocos booby on the islets.

Day 6 Isla Del Coco & Day 7 Journey to Ecuador

Day 8 Puerto Lopez

Day 9 & 10 At Sea

Categories: Expeditions, My American trips | Comments Off on Costa Rica to Chile 26/1–18/11/2024

Shikoku Bekkaku 20 Sacred Sites 9 -14 October 2024

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Sarah

After having completed the 88-Temple Pilgrimage last November, I decided to join a pilgrimage to visit 20 sacred sites associated with Kukai, Kobo Daishi (774-835). This 20 sacred site pilgrimage route celebrated its 50 anniversary this year. We had a small group led by MY with 14 participants. covering over 1000km in four days in Shikoku. We began and finished the journey at Tokushima visiting one site in Kochi, four in Kagawa, six in Tokushima and nine in Ehime.

October 9 Hong Kong – Osaka – Tokushima

The group taking a 8am-flight from HK to Osaka, arrived at Osaka Kansai Airport after 1 pm. I waited for them at the arrival hall. By the time the group was ready to set off, it was 2:30 pm. We boarded a comfortable bus and drove all the way to a shop in Tokushima to buy noukyocho (stamp book), name slips, other pilgrim regalia (incense, candles etc). It got dark shortly after 5:30pm. We arrived at JR Clement Hotel next to Tokushima train station before 7pm. A long travel day!

October 10: 4 Temples- Temple 1 – 4 in Tokushima

We basically followed the same routine setting off at 8 am. When we arrived at each site, we followed the same procedures including washing/cleansing our hands and mind, lighting incense/candles, put name slips in a box, reciting Heart Sutra, chanting mantra for the principal image in the main hall. We then moved to the Daishi Hall and repeated the same procedure but without chanting the mantra of the principal image. While some of of the sacred sites are located in built-up area/village and close to each other, a few are located high in the mountain. On a few occasions, we had to drive about two hours to reach the site. One the first and second day, we only visited four temples.

We visited Temple 1 -Taisan-ji with Senju-kanseon-bosatsu as the Principle Image. We had to walk a few flights of staircases. The temple ground is peaceful. It did not take long to arrive at Temple 2-Dogaku-ji which Principle Image is Yakuyoke-yakushi-nyorai. It is said that Kobo Daishi had played in this site when he was a child. Hence the name.

In Temple 3- Jugen-ji, there is a cave at the top of the hill behind the main hall where Kobo Daishi had medicated. As a return trip would take an hour, we did not visit the cave. Pilgrims have to pass a body fitness test here: I passed the test as I was able to squeeze through the narrow space behind a marble stone plaque as shown in the photo below. The Principle Image of this temple is Juichimen- kanseon-bosatsu.

Temple 4 – Sabadaishi-Honbo which Principle Image is Kobo Daishi is unique. In the Daishi Hall, there is a stone mackeral with a story. A horseman once used abusive language at and refused to give a salted mackerel to Daishi. Then when his horse reached Umabikizaka, it suddenly began to suffer. The horseman then realised the monk he had seen was a Great Master and went to apologize and offer the mackerel to cure the horse’s illness. Once Daishi gave the horse divine water, it immediately recovered. When Daishi blessed the salted mackerel on Hosho Island, it came back to lifeand swam away. The horseman then built a hermitage there making it a sacred place for salvation for people in the past and future.

October 11: 4 Temples: Temple 5 in Kochi and 6-8 in Ehime

Temple 5 Daizen-ji which Principle Image is Kobo Daishi, is the only site in Kochi. Over 1250 years ago, the sea inlet at Susaki was very wide and the current Daishi Hall site was a cape jutting out into the sea. At that time, people usually went over the mountains and could go around the edge of the two-stoned cape. Sea disasters were frequent and people who were unclean were said to sometimes encounter strange phenomena. When Daishi heard about this, he prayed on a large rock on the coast for the souls of those who had died in sea disasters, praying for safe travels on land and sea and built a temple which is the origin of the current Daishido. From the grounds in front of the main hall, one can see the Pacific Ocean below. Even today, Kobo Daishi prays for everyone’s eternal happiness on top of the two rocks.

Daishi lived in various parts of Shikoku while training, received cultural blessings from the cities he visited, requested the creation of 88 spiritual halls in Shikoku. In the year of Daido, his personal wish came to fruition: Temple 6 Ryukoin was built in 1615 in commemoration by Hidemune Date, the first feudal lord upon his entry to Uwajima, to ensure the peace and security of the domain and its people. The Principle Image is Juichimen- kanseon-bosatsu.

After lunch, we proceeded to Temple 7 Kinzan Shusseki-ji which Principle Image is Senju-kanseon-bosatsu. The temple was founded in 718. A hunter followed a deer up this mountain. When he was about to shoot it, the whole mountain shook and a brilliant light shone. The deer disappeared and the rock under its feet split into two and the statutes of the Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva ( Senju-kanseon-bosatsu) and Jizo Bodhisattva emerged from the ground emitting a golden light. The hunter gave up hunting and became a Buddhist. Daishi during his visit to this place praised the statue as “the most beautiful gold mine in the three countries” and sealed it in a stone chamber as a secret Buddha.

It was almost 5 pm when we arrived at the location of a former earthen bridge over a stream where Daishi had spent a night and that one night felt like ten nights. This is the raison d’etre of Temple 8 Toyogahashi Eitoku-ji ( Principle Image – Miroku- bosatsu) that was badly damaged during a flood in 2018. The main hall has been totally rebuilt and the Daishi Hall next to the stream has been renovated.

Today, I took a few photos of the countryside in Kochi, the Shimanto River and the coastline. I watched sunset from the coach. During a brief stop, we met an elderly Japanese man drinking sake and having sashimi by a beach. A simple but most wonderful way to enjoy life!

October 12: 7 Temples- Temple 9-14 in Ehime and 16 in Kagawa

Guided by Bodhisattva Manjusri, Daishi had stayed in Temple 9 Monjuin with Jizo-bosatsu and Monju-bosatsu and enlightened the people. Kono Emon Saburo who realized his sin after losing eight children, set out on a pilgrimage to repent and apologize to Daishi. This was the beginning of his pilgrimage and after eight years and 21 pilgrimages to the sacred sites of Shikoku, he finally met Daishi again. Later Daishi reincarnated Emon Saburo as the lord of Iyo Province and ruled well. In later years, the temple was moved to Emon Saburo’s former residence and became the Kono family’s temple.

Temple 10 Nishiyama Koryu-ji covering an expansive ground on West Hill founded by monk Kuhachi in 642, is a gem with many scenic spots and nationally designated important tangible cultural property. It was visited by Daishi and highly revered by imperial families, military commanders and feudal lords, and local believers. The Principle Image is Juichimen- senju-sengen-kanseon-bosatsu. We had a beautiful walk to the main hall and the three-story pagoda. This was a highlight of the day!

Temple 11 Ikiki Jizo (Living Wood Jizo) has an interesting legend. Daishi slept one night at Mt Shio and saw a brilliant light on the mountain. At dawn he saw the auspicious large camphor tree. A boy appeared and the Buddha spoke to him saying, “The boy’s incarnation will show me”. That night Daishi struck the camphor tree with his sacred sword, making three bows and carved a sacred statute of Enmei Jizo Daibosatsu which becomes the principal image of this temple. On September 26, 1954, the sacred camphor tree was blown down by strong winds but the Jizo statue did not fall: it still stands in the Main Hall today.

After a short drive, we reached Temple 12 Enmei-ji which Principle Image is Enmei-jizo-bisatsu. Daishi found a certain Izari Pine tree at this temple taking pity on her and created an Awl Amulet. He gave one to Izari and due to subtle miracle, she immediately recovered. She recited the Awl and was ordained as a monk. The Awl from that time still exists as a temple treasure. It is a vow that if you pray sincerely for this awl Amulet morning and evening, you will be relieved of all kinds of illness. You will also be praying for safe childbirth.

The spectacular and atmospheric Temple 13 Sennryu-ji perching on a cliff was founded by Kobo Daishi at the age of 42 when he climbed the mountain and enshrined Takizawa Daigongen and Kaiun Fudoson in Kongo Cave. He built a goma altar for health and disaster prevention, purify his body and mind in the “Kiyome-no-taki” waterfall every morning and evening, and made tow requests for “good luck protection” and “protection from insects and bountiful harvests”. He performed goma training for twenty-one days and then carved a statue of himself and enshrined it on the mountain. The principal image of the temple is Kobo Daishi and believers from all over the country visit the temple throughout the year.

Temple 14 Tsubakido which Principle Image is Enmei-jizo-bisatsu, was first built in 807 as a hermitage by Kuniji Koji. A traveling monk (Kobo Daishi) visited the hermitage on 15 October 815 and learnt about a terrible fever that spread and caused suffering to the residents. He gathered the residents and stuck his walking stick in the soil, prayed and sealed the disease in the soil along with the stick before leaving. Later, a camellia sprouted and grew upside down from the stick. Nowadays, faithful believers come to touch Daishi’s left hand with his/her right hand and then touch the parts of his/her body with problem.

Founded by Kobo Daishi during the Daido era, Temple 16 Hagiwara-ji is serene and elegant: it was the place of imperial consultation for Emperor Suzaku. Later it became a place of prayer for Lord Hosokawa. It has been the head temple of the Roppoken Shinkata school, the light of the law has been passed down and the Onza Goma ritual is famous. It is known as a famous spot for Hagi, with Hagi bush clover designated as a prefectural natural monument. There are also numerous temple treasures. The Principle Image of the temple is Karadasan-hibuse-jizo-bosatsu.

October 13: Temple 15 & 20 in Tokushima, and 17-19 in Kagawa

When I opened the curtain in the morning, I was thrilled to find clouds floating in the valley and at top of two mountain ranges. We sat off as usual at 8 am hoping to visit the last five temples today. First after a short drive, we reached the foothill of Temple 15 Hashikura-ji (Principle Image – Konpira-dai-gongen). We had a short ride on a cable car followed by a fairly long walk to the main temple. It is wonderful to find the Heart Sutra engraved into the long staircases lined with old trees. Very serene atmospheric!

Another interesting feature of this temple is the installations of the principle deities of the 88 Temples on a flat ground after the temple ground. By walking counter-clockwise this year, one can accumulate three times the merit. So I walked counter clockwise twice! I could have spent the whole morning in this temple.

Temple 17: Kanno-ji founded by Kobo Daishi, protects the Mannoike Pond with Yaskushi-nyorai as the Principle Image. In 1581,the temple was burnt down and became abandoned. In 1934, the Manno Daishi Associaiton was formed and rebuilt the temple marking the 1,100 anniversary of the death of Kobo Daishi. Here The Daishi Hall is open-air and unique: a Kobo Daishi copper statue stands on a small hilltop overlooking at the pond. Here we met an elderly pilgrim in shorts who chanted, sang Italian opera and rode a bicycle.

MY, our guide explained Temple 18 Kaigan-ji with Sho-kanzeon-bosatsu as the Principal Image, was the birth place of Kobo Daishi and his parents. The Main Hall looks relatively new. The Daishi Hall considered the inner sanctuary, which is quite a distance from the Main Hall, is atmospheric and ancient. It is said that one can see the birth basin. But I missed it. I also climbed a small hill with a two-storey pagoda a next to Daishi Hall.

Temple 19 Kozai-ji founded by the monk Gyoki in the Nara period was originally located at the foot of Mount Shoga and called Shoga-ji. Kobo Daishi rebuilt and moved it to the current location. The Principle Image is Enmei-jizo-bisatsu. The temple has a fairly complicated history rebuilt, relocated and renamed several times. It was selected as an imperial temple by Emperor Saga and during the reign of Emperor Suzaku, it was selected as a dangisho (a place to study for monks). It was rebuilt and named as Kozan-ji during the Kamakura period. It was relocated back to the current site during Manji era (1658-1661) and rebuilt in the Kanbun era (1661-1673). However most of the original seven buildings were lost in a fire and today, only the grand Main Hall, Daishi Hall and a couple of small structures remain. However, I can see its grandeur during its hey days. MY arranged our certificates here as the 86-year-old head of the temple writes beautifully.

We then raced to Temple 20 Otaki-ji which Principle Image is Nishiteru-dai-gongen. Located near the peak of Mt Otaki (940m above sea level), the temple is accessible by taking a narrow and winding for over half an hour. I almost had an upset stomach. We arrived at the temple just before 5pm and we were thrilled to complete the pilgrimage within four days. MY gave us the certificate of completion and we took photos in front of the temple while watching sunset. It took us almost an hour to reach the hotel.

October 14 Tokushima-Osaka-Hong Kong

We had a relaxing travel day. We departed at 8:30am returning to the same area where we purchased our stuff on the first day. We placed order for a Buddhist beads bracelet using the 20 beads obtained from each temple. Then we had a sumptuous lunch in the same private club where we had our 88-temple graduation lunch last November. The setting, presentation and quality of the food were both gorgeous. We set off for Kansai Airport after lunch. While the group CX flight was at 6:45pm, my cheap HK Express flight would not leave till 8:50pm. I had to spend over five hours at the airport. By the time I got home, it was after 12:30 am on October 15. I felt exhausted but was glad to be home after almost two months.

Remarks

I am pleased to have completed the 88-temple pilgrimage that I began in 2012 as well as the pilgrimage to 20 sacred sites on the occasion of the 1,250 anniversary of Kobo Daishi. I particularly like Temples 1 (Taisan-ji), 2 (Dogaku-ji), 7 (Shusseki-ji), 10 (Koryu-ji), 13(Senryu-ji), 15 (Hashikura-ji) and 16 (Hagiwara-ji). It would be wonderful to see foliage in Temples 7, 10, 13, 15 and 16. I hope to revisit some of the 108 temples one day. (to continue)

Categories: My Japan trips | Comments Off on Shikoku Bekkaku 20 Sacred Sites 9 -14 October 2024

Japan Nikko & Tokyo 2-8 October 2024

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Sarah

A Gap Week

The raison d’etre of my visit to Japan is to join the Shikoku pilgrimage would take place from October 9 – 14. After Hokkaido, I flied to Tokyo, spending two nights in Nikko and three nights in Tokyo before spending a night at the Nikko Hotel at Osaka Kansai Airport to wait for the group from Hong Kong.

October 2 Sapporo – Tokyo

I toyed with the idea of purchasing a 7-day Japan Rail Pass for use after Hokkaido. As I find it increasingly difficult to travel with my luggage, I finally decided to fly when I found a cheap ticket on Spring Airlines. The plane took off around 11 am and I was in Narita an hour and a half later. I took an airport bus to Shinjuku and then a taxi to my hotel in Kabukicho. It was the first time I stayed in this entertainment district best known for adult-oriented nightlife. I am not interested in nightlife: a brief stay and people watching give me a feel about this district. The young people I have come across early in the morning all look pale and a bit weird. I suppose they might have stayed up the whole night drinking, smoking and having fun. It is an eye-opening experience. But I would unlikely return to stay in this area.

October 3-4 Nikko

Nikko is one of my favourite places in Japan. I was looking for foliage on my third visit. Unfortunately it was too early. On this occasion, I bought a 4-day Nikko All Area Pass (4780 yen) which covers a return ticket on local train on Tobu Railway between Asakusa and Nikko / Kinugawa Onsen, an extensive bus network in Nikko and a lake cruise. I had to pay an extra 1650 yen to take a limited express to Nikko. This was the first time I bought this pass. Though I would use it only for three days as I had to return to Tokyo on 5 October, I still considered it most value for money and would highly recommend it to visitors without car.

Despite the unstable weather, I enjoyed doing whatever my mood took me and my hip allowed me to do. I treasured my time in Nikko with many memorable moments.

First, I loved the long scenic ride to Lake Yunoko (with 45 stops) each day. Second, I visited the three most famous falls in Nikko and enjoyed walking 1-2 km through the wood or along the river to the Ryuzu and Yudaki Falls. For the Kegon Falls, I paid 600 yen to take a lift to a platform 100m below in order to have full view of the waterfall.

Third, I had a most atmospheric Lake Chuzenji sightseeing cruise. When I got on the boat, it was so foggy that I could not even see the boat till it was right in front of me at the pier. Then with ten minutes later, the sun suddenly pierced through thick cloud resulting in most beautiful lights and rolling mist over the lake.

Fourth, I took the train to Kinugawa Onsen and saw the Kinu River and the famous steam train in action.

Fifth, I was stuck in the Lake Yunoko for an hour owing to the rain. So I could not walk round the lake to Yodaki Falls as planned. But I enjoyed sitting in the cafe watching the rain, trout jumping out of water and talking with a French couple from Avignon. Later despite the rain, I went to the Yodaki Falls, then follow the boardwalk to Kodaki Falls and finally following the staircase next to the Yodaki Falls back to Lake Yunoko where I took a bus.

Finally, I was moved when an Austrian couple whom I ran into twice that day offered to give me a lift. As it started to drizzle and getting dark, I took their kind offer instead of standing in the rain to wait for a bus.

October 5 – 7 Reunion

On October 5, I had dinner with Miyo a friend I first met in Yellowknife Canada watching Northern Lights in 2014. She accompanied us hiking Mt Fuji in 2016. She is elegant and kind and we had a great time catching up while having most delicious sushi omakase.

On October 6 and 7, I went to Yokohama to meet Alan, my brother from Australia and Vicki, my sister-in-law. They just got off the boat in Yokohama after a 13-day cruise. It was wonderful to be able to meet up and spend time together. We had dim sum lunch in Yokohama China Town and sashimi and tempura in the fish market.

During my stay in Tokyo, I went to the National Art Centre to see “Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures of Memory”. Tanaami (1936-2024) is highly regarded as a pop-artist and modern border-crossing person. I don’t know him but am most impressed by his energy and 60+ years of creativity: as a prolific artist, his graphic designs, illustrations, paintings, collages, sculptures, animations, experimental videos, installations etc are iconic and distinctive.

After lunch in Yokohama, I went to Harajuku strolling aimless for almost two hours. It was wonderful to see a young dog-walker with 19 dogs. It was nice to window-shopping. I have no fashion sense and it is great to watch the young people in trendy fashion walking by. I sat outside Laforet watching people and the streetscape. Then I went to Tokyu Plaza which has an expansive green garden on the sixth floor. A nice urban escape!

I had never taken long distance bus in Japan. This time, I took the overnight bus leaving Shinjuku Express Bus station at 10:35pm. It was quite an experience. The Bus with 44 seats is neat, clean and tidy. There is a curtain between each seat (for privacy I suppose). Most the passengers were Japanese young ladies/girls probably under 30. I noticed that the men were assigned seats at the front. I do not fine the seat too comfortable (perhaps it is designed to meet Japanese preference and habits).

October 8 Osaka Kansai Airport

Today was a rest day as I had nothing particular I wished to do. I got off the bus at Namba Osaka shortly after 7 am. Then after having a breakfast in a nice coffee shop, I took the Nankai train to Kansai (970 yen) and waited till 2 am to check in Nikko Hotel at the airport. As the hotel Chinese restaurant offers a dim sum buffet, I might just as well enjoy a nice lunch before check-in. As a senior citizen over 65, I only had to pay 3600 yen for a buffet with a choice of 25 types of dim sum. The restaurant has elegant decor. Presentation of the dim sum was good though the dim sum in Hong Kong is more authentic and delicious. I spent the rest of the day in my comfortable room writing travel notes and read. A relaxing day

Categories: My Japan trips | Comments Off on Japan Nikko & Tokyo 2-8 October 2024

Japan Hokkaido September 21-October 1, 2024

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Sarah

Why Japan?

I have joined a 6-day pilgrimage trip to Shikoku from 9 to 14 October. Hence, instead of returning to Hong Kong after the Northwest Passage, I decide to spend the gap time looking for foliage in Hokkaido.

September 21 Sapporo

I must be exhausted and managed to sleep on the 12-hour flight to Taipei. After a 3-hour transit in Taipei, I continued my journey to Sapporo which I visited in ?. I took the train to the city centre and stayed in Hotel Gracery opposite the station. I bought a 10-day Hokkaido train pass for 33,000 yen. Everything was settled and I went to bed after 8 pm.

September 22 -23 Sounkyo

I got up after 4 am after a good rest. So I set off before 8 am for Asahikawa where I took a local train to Kamikawa followed by a bus to Sounkyo (890 yen). The scenery of the 12.4-mile Sounkyo Gorge flanked by 100 meter high forested cliffs is impressive. I arrived at my destination around after 11:30 am. As I could not check in at Sounkyo Kankou Hotel till 3pm, I took a local bus departing at 12:50 pm with three stops at Ginga Waterfall, Obako and Taisetsu (450 yen). I met two ladies from Hong Kong on the bus. We went to the lake but there was nothing to see. We later discovered we should have got off at Obako for a close-up look at the gorge by the Ishikari River. On the way back, I got off at the Ginga Waterfall (350 yen). Here I got a good view of both the Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls. I walked 2km back to Sounkyo. The scenery is not impressive. After checking in, I spent time in the onsen which is good for my hip and back problem.

I got up very early the next day and was ready to visit Mt Kuro (1984m). Visitors can take a cable car to the fifth station followed by chair lift to the seventh station for 3,300 yen return. The cable car begins to run at 6 am. I was on the 6:20am cable car and reached the seventh station after 7 am. I was lucky as the weather was good. I watched clouds rolling in the Sounkyo Gorge and the sea of clouds over the mountain range. I began my ascent after 7:15am. While an average hiker takes about an hour to hike 1.7 km with an ascent of 452m to the top of Mt Kuro. Given my hip problem, I walked slowly and struggled to climb over the stony path. I thought of giving up at one point. Anyway, I was thrilled to reach the top just before 9:30am. I loved the tranquility and warm sunshine and could spend the whole day there. But as the weather could change quickly, I had to pull myself up and began the descent which was slightly easier. But I had to be cautious with descent to the seventh station.

I also followed a 360-m path to the Amaryo Falls viewing platform before taking the chair lift. While sitting on the chair lift, I realised I had left my walking poles before getting on the chair lift. The staff told me to get back to pick up my poles. I therefore had a free scenic ride! Before taking the 3:20 pm cable car, I had a quick lunch as I was hungry and thirsty. I was tempted to hike to see the Momiji Falls known for the foliage. But after walking for 20 minutes, I decided not to go. I was afraid I might have already done too much.

September 24 Abashiri & Lake Notoro

My second destination was the Lake Notoro to see “coral grass”. I took the 7:50am bus to return to the Kamikawa station and waited for almost two hours for the 10:24 train to Abashiri. Then I waited for over an hour for a bus to Lake Notoro (640 yen) which would depart after 1:30pm. By the time I reached the hotel Kagaryi by the grass field, I was able to check in. The traditional Japanese guesthouse is most comfortable. After leaving my bag in the room, I headed to the field which is opposite the guesthouse. I went to the onsen before having a sumptuous dinner at 6 pm. What a treat!

September 25 Shiretoko National Park

I set off after having a big breakfast at Kagaryi. The bus at 8:53 am took me to Abashiri train station. The train departed at 10:20 am and arrived at Shiretoro-Shari station around 11 am. I caught a connecting bus to Utoro Onsen at 11:15 am (1,650 yen). I originally booked Shiretoro Village which is 15 minutes’ walk from the bus station. On arrival, I found I could not walk with two small but heavy backpacks. Hence, I simply went to stay at the Bon’s Home with good reviews close to the bus station. The owner is very helpful and polite. I ended up paying 7,800 yen for accommodation, breakfast and dinner. On reflection, I thought I had made a good decision as I lost no time to start my exploration. Once I put down my backpack, I returned to the bus station to take a bus to the Natoinal Park (1,400 yen for a bus ticket).

Shiretoko National Park a World Heritge Site covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula with an area of 386 sq km at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido. Most of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat. It has an estimated population of 500 brown bears. It is also home of many birds such as Steller’s sea eagle and white-tailed eagle, and marine animals such as spotted seal, orca and sperm whale. It has a hot springs waterfall called Kamuiwakka Falls.

I arrived at the entrance of the Five Lakes just before 1 pm. I had to pay 250 yen for taking the 3-km Five Lake trail and attend a mandatory briefing on safety measures to be taken to protect brown bears as well as hikers. I began the hike just before 1:30 pm. At Lake No 3, I met a nice couple from Hong Kong who kindly gave me a lift to the visitor centre instead of taking the scheduled bus. As a result, I had time to take a 2-km trail to see Furepe no Taki Falls near the Visitor Centre. I took the last bus at 4:45pm back to Utoro.

In the evening, I joined a 2-hour night wildlife trip. I saw a bear, plenty of deer and a fox. I had a great day!

September 25 Shiretoko National Park & Kushiro

My original plan would be to take the 9:30am bus to get a train at Shari to Kushiro followed by another train to Nemuro. But when I passed by a shop offering a 3-hour boat ride at 9am to Cape Shiretoko for 9500 yen, I decided to take the cruise. The 3-hour cruise was cut short to two hours owing to strong winds and waves and I got a refund of 3000 yen. Anyway, I was pleased to see the 200-m high sea cliffs, numerous sea caves, spectacular rock formations, several waterfalls and got a glimpse of the plains, gorges and valleys, forests and plains, and mountain ranges. We also saw a bear and a school of tuna.

As the cruise was over by 11am, I was able to walk up the Oronco Rock for a panoramic view of Utoro and the sea. I took the 12:30pm bus to Shari and spent three hours waiting at the train station for the train to Kushiro. For some unkown reasons, the train went very slowly at times and eventually arrived at Kushiro half an hour late. The last train to Nemuro had gone. So I had to spend a night at Kushiro. But all the hotels were fully booked. After walking to five hotels near the station, I gave up and eventually paid 31000 yen to stay at Crown Plaza by the cruise terminal! Someone told me that they had some events for youth and all hotels were full. Ridiculous!

September 27 A Frustrating Travel Day Kushiro – Nemuro

Today was a frustrating day. I planned to take the 11:15 am train to Nemuro. Around 11 am, the board announced the train was cancelled. I asked the station staff who told me to wait for the next one at 1:25 pm. I went to a bakery and had a coffee and cake. When I planned to go to the platform, the board indicated the train was cancelled. I was told to wait for the next one at after 4pm. I returned to the bakery and waited. Nothing I could do! The train departed on schedule but was delayed when a deer ran across the track. Later it stopped again. It was 7:20 when it arrived at Nemuro (half an hour late). It was raining and I walked almost half an hour before reaching the guesthouse. The owner is a young America who was able to tell me that they had an earth quake the day before and had heavy rain for two days. As a result, they had to check the tracks and repair as necessary. I could understand the reason for the delay. But I could not understand why the railway management / staff at the control gate could not put up a board/notice in simple English informing non-Japanese passengers what was going on.

September 28 A Frustrating Travel Day Nemuro – Kushiro

I want to travel to Nemuro at the eastern end of the train line in Hokkaido. From Nemuro, I can visit Cape Nosappu located at the easternmost point of Japan. It is the earliest place in Japan to see the sunrise on mainland Japan and home to the oldest lighthouse in Hokkaido built in 1872. It is also famous for being able to see the Northern Territories including Shikotan, Kunashiri, Etorofu and Habomai Islands. I have been planning to visit these islands which are now under Russian sovereignty and have been a point of conflict between Russia and Japan. Standing at Cape Nosappu, I can understand the Japanese frustration and sorrow for losing these territories to Russia after WWII. All politics!

September 29 Kushiro – Sapporo – Otaru

I took the express train from Kushiro to Sapporo (8:32 am-12:45pm). After checking in JR Inn next to the station after 3 pm, I was able to take a train to revisit Otaru. The sun was setting and most tourists had gone. Few shops except the eateries were open. I had a deluxe seafood bowl for 4800 yen with sea urchins and toro before taking the 6:30 train back to Sapporo.

September 30 – Lake Toya & Noborebutsu

Today, I took a 2-hour train to Lake Toya which is a volcanic caldera lake. It is part of “ToyaCaldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark”. I had to take a 25-minute bus to Toyako Onsen. I enjoyed my peaceful promenade walk, taking a footbath in a hot spring before visiting the pleasant and peaceful. Mt Yoteisan was half hidden in the cloud. I visited the Toya-Usu UNESCO Global Geopark which has excellent illustrations. I took a short walk behind the museum where traces of disasters of the 2000 eruptions with damaged buildings and roads are visible. I took the 2:55 pm bus back to the train station and took a train to Noborebutsu at 3:30pm

By the time I arrived at Noborebutsu, the bus to the onsen had left. Then three other Japanese heading to the onsen asked me to join a pool taxi. I gladly jumped into the taxi and arrived at the onsen before 4:30 pm.Instead of paying 350 yen for the bus, I only paid 670 yen for a shared taxi. Wonderful. I walked quickly to the Hell Valley as the sun was setting. The landscape is impressive. I spent almost an hour in peace as most tourists had gone. I took the 6:25pm bus to the station and managed to

October 1 Biei & Furano

Today was my last day to use my train pass in Hokkaido. I took the 8am train from Sapporo to Biei via Asahikawa and then a local bus to the Shirogane Blue Pond. The pond is fairly small with a large crowd. I stayed for more than an hour before taking 12:16pm bus to Shirogane Hot Spring to see the Shirahige Waterfall with a truss bridge. Both the Pond and the Waterfall are worth seeing.

I took a bus back to the Biei train station and waited a while for the 2:19pm train to Furano which is famous for its lavender and flower fields. But the lavender season was over and it was difficult to move around without a car. At the station I discover that another local train would be leaving for Takikawa at 4:28pm and arriving at Sapporo around 6pm. This would be much faster than the route Furano – Asahikawa – Sapporo. Also I would see different areas. So I only had time to take a short walk near the station and had a drink in a nice new hostel called Tomar. the train ride was a nice surprise: the train with purple decor inside has a nostalgic feel! The sun was setting over the valley. It turned out to be a scenic train ride. Life is always full of nice surprises if one is flexible and adventurous!

Categories: My Japan trips | Comments Off on Japan Hokkaido September 21-October 1, 2024

Northwest Passage Canada – USA September 15 – 19, 2024

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Sarah

Day 15 September 10 Queen Maud Gulf – At Sea

We sailed the whole day. The Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary located in the Gulf is Canada’s largest protected area. Unfortunately, no activity was allowed. I attended Alessandro’s interesting lecture on “plankton” in the morning and Julie’s promotional talk on “Le Commandant Charcot Destinations“. I am most interested in an inaugural route from Hobart to Cape Town in 2025. But it is outrageously expensive. I watched the debate between D Trump and K Harris in the evening. I find Trump’s anti-immigration remarks about Haitians eating pet dogs and cats shocking and ridiculous.

Day 16 September 11 Edinburgh Island Nunavut

We spent a full day in Edinburgh Island: the plan was to make two hiking trips in different parts of the island. I joined an intermediate group and hiked for an hour and a half. The landscape and tundra scenery were most impressive. We were lucky to spot and watch an Arctic fox before returning to the boat.

The weather was superb. After lunch, I got ready to take a zodiac ride at 2 pm for another hike at the eastern end of the island. Unfortunately, two brown bears were spotted near a nearby beach. As a result, the landing was cancelled and we could only take an hour’s zodiac cruise to enjoy the impressive land formation and tundra colours. We spotted a couple of nests on the cliffs. While some passengers were upset, I took whatever came with ease and had a most enjoyable afternoon cruise.

In the evening, I attended a concert “Around the World” performed by the five artists. Their round the world journey only covered US, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Spain and France. This can’t be a RTW trip today- it should include Asia and Africa!

Day 17 September 12 Ulukhaktok, Victoria Island NWT

Victoria Island is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago and Canada’s second largest island with an area of 217,291 sq km. It was a sunny and hot day by Arctic standard. We landed in Ulukhaktok (also known as Holman) with about 500 inhabitants in the afternoon and had over an hour to explore on our own. Some passengers even had a round of golf. I walked along the bay and had an interesting chat with the deputy mayor who is a hunter with another job with the local government. I am impressed by the high standard of community facilities and housing (as compared with other communities we had visited). The inhabitants care about the place which is kept impressively tidy and clean. At 4pm, we gathered at the community hall for an excellent cultural performance. Different groups performed drums and dance with passion and enthusiasm. Our expedition team and some guests joined in and had fun. The last zodiac was supposed to be at 5:30pm. But the locals did not want the party to end. As a keen supporter, I was almost the last one to leave the hall and took the last zodiac just before 6 pm.

This is our only landing in Inuvialuit. I am most impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the locals and the local store I visited was well-stocked including beautiful fabric and fur items. The coats lined with fur worn by a few locals are most beautiful. Before jumping into the last zodiac, I had char sashimi generously given to us by a 86-year-old lady on the beach.

Day 18 September 13 Smoking Hills Northwest Territories

Located on the east coast of Cape Bathurst at the junction of the Amundsen Gulf in the Northwest Territories , next to the Arctic Ocean, Smoking Hills contain strata of hydrocarbons (oil shales) that have been burning continuously for centuries. Considered one of the most fascinating, mysterious and unique natural phenomena on the planet, the cliffs were named by Sir John Franklin on his 1826 expeditions. Smoking Hills with countless smoke columns emanating from cliffs coloured in ochre and crimson are surreal. As I was on the last zodiac cruise that would set off after 10 am, I had time for the 30-minute stretch class. during the 90- minute cruise, we got close to the cliffs. It was cloudy and I thoroughly enjoyed a most atmospheric zodiac cruise. But the sea was choppy and I almost had seasickness.

In the afternoon, I attended a lecture “Inuit life of the 1920s-1960s” given by Gwen (an Inuit) and Murielle. I have been to Greenland and Nunavat before. However, it is the first time I have heard so much from an Inuit about her own history, upbringing and culture. That evening just before midnight, the Captain told us through the public address system that northern lights had appeared. I put on warm clothes and spent an hour on deck. With the night mode of my Xiaomi, I could see faint green and blue (?) colours. Unfortunately, it soon became misty and I returned to bed.

Day 19 September 14 Sailing in Beaufort Sea

We sailed straight for five days till we got off the boat in Nome. I found time passing by as quickly as before. I attended three lectures – “Apnea” relating to free diving, “Mastering your camera: Tips and Tricks“; and “Invasive Species in the Arctic“. We also had a caviar tasting with music in he main lounge. In the evening, we were encouraged to take part in “Saturday Night Fever”. Unfortunately few guests turned up! Perhaps we are all too old for disco dancing. The highlight of the day came when the captain told us to watch northern lights on deck. The lights were more active and stronger tonight though the green and purple colours were only visible with the aid of the phone. I ended up staying up till almost 3 am watching the lights moving rapidly above my head and from the balcony of my room. Wonderful!

Day 20 September 15 Beaufort Sea

Life at sea continued. We had a lecture on “The Inuvialuit” one of the four Inuit regions in Canada, followed by another on “Greenland Shark” which can live for a few hundred of years! In the afternoon, the Chief Engineer and Staff Captain gave a surprisingly interesting talk about the “Construction and Design of Le Boreal and Things behind the Scene“. The highlight today was the Crew Talent Show with the participation of 12 teams. All staff had put in a lot of efforts: some danced, sang, performed magic show, played the piano etc. The show lasted for over two hours. I was glad that the housekeeping team won the contest!

Day 21 September 16 Chukchi Sea

Today, I was busy attending lectures and workshop. David, the expedition team leader, gave an interesting talk on “Poles“. I had a more comprehensive talk on “The Canadian Arctic Expeditions 1913-1918“. Then I took part in a workshop on “Apnea“, and attended a presentation on “Around the World by Bicycle” by Fanny and Gabriel, two expedition team members. I was in a good mood and even went to the Main Lounge after dinner to listen to piano melody by Greg Gigante, Safety Officer of Le Boreal.

  • No Lack of Champagne & Alcohol
  • Sampled Cocktail of the Day Everyday

Day 22 September 17 Moon Festival at Chukchi Sea

Today was the Moon Festival, an auspicious festival in Chinese calendar. The Captain gave us a big surprise: the boat was surrounded by extensive sea ice when we woke up. We had our last zodiac cruise among sea ice and a surprise champagne party on ice floe. An once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the Moon Festival. My friends and I were once again the last passengers to return to the boat. At 11:30 am our Chinese friends (22 in total) from the Mainland organised a party on the observation lounge to celebrate the festival. I joined and we sang, drank my second glass of champagne of the day and had a small piece of mooncake.

In the afternoon, I attended lectures on “Sexy Lichens” and “The Iditarod Trail Dog Race” and workshop on “Adobe Lightroom Demonstration” and “Apnea“. We had a warm farewell cocktail and presentation of Le Boreal crew before attending the gala dinner.

Day 23 September 18 Diomede Islands & King Island, Alaska

Today was the last sailing day. I was thrilled when I saw a full moon (for the first time on this expedition) from my balcony around 7:30 am. It was most enchanting and warmed my heart. I stayed on deck taking photos and watching the boat sailing towards the Diomede Islands: the Big Diomede Island belongs to Russia while the Little Diomede Island is part of US territory. The weather was perfect: we spent most of the time on deck. Before lunch, I attended a lecture on “Salmon fishing in Alaska” and an “Apnea workshop”. In the afternoon, we had a lecture on “Cetaceans of the Arctic” before scenic navigation of the King Island. Before dinner, we gathered for the last time in the theatre watching a video of the expedition before dinner. It brought back many happy memories.

In the evening, I went to the theatre for an experience sharing “23 days in Kayak in Greenland Ice” with Ben of the expedition team. Ben is soft spoken and quiet. But he gave passionate talk on his kayak days in Greenland before joining the boat. Wonderful!

September 19 End of Expedition Nome – Seattle

We had to get up very early as the US immigration officers came on board before 7 am. We collected our passport ready for disembarkation. The weather was poor rainy and grey when I stepped off the boat around 8:30am. Goodbye Le Boreal!

We spent a few hours in Nome before flying to Seattle at 2 pm. Today Nome, home to the Inupiat natives and known for its Gold Rush 1898 to 1909, has a population of about 3,700 (2020 census). There is a kind of frontier town feel and I find it hard to imagine it once had a population of some 10,000. I first took a bus tour to see muskoxen outside the town before taking a museum tour. The display and illustrations are excellent. I learn the history of the gold rush and how gold was mined in Nome as well as the remarkable history of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race which began in 1925. As a diphtheria epidemic raged in Nome, the territory-wide blizzard conditions prevented the delivery of diphtheria antitoxin serum to Nome. A relay of dog sled teams successfully delivered the serum from Anchorage to Nome.

The weather had improved. I enjoyed spending half an hour strolling along main street visiting the Salon (since 1900), the Visitor Centre, a shop selling souvenirs and another selling marijuana products. It is sad to see many houses especially along the shore destroyed by Typhoon Merbok on September 17, 2022, are still in need of repair.

We had a 4-hour flight to Seattle. As my connecting flight to Taipei-Sapporo would be departing around 1 am, I said goodbye to Maria, Karen and Heidi and stayed at the airport. Fortunately I was able to check in shortly after 9 pm and relaxed in a lounge till the plane took off about 1 am on 20 September.

Remarks (to add)

Categories: Expeditions, My American trips | Comments Off on Northwest Passage Canada – USA September 15 – 19, 2024