And thanks to Helen for treating us to a couple of excellent bottles of wine with dinner tonight. A great time enjoyed by all.

Have internet still. Yippee !! However we expect to lose it soon.Certainly did have fun last night. Cloudy Bay from New Zealand one of the few white wines I like plus a yummy red. Lots of fun stories between the six of us! Including one of us that actually saw 2 million dollars in cash.

Yesterday was a day at sea. Some cards and lots of visiting it was nice for everyone to catch up. For those that were on the NW Passage without Marc to protect our territory on the first sea day we lost our corner! We had to split into two teams in other areas but one team won with 16 right on astrology. Good start to trivia. Marc you are missed!

Today we are visiting a volcanic island. Lots of good reporters on this trip so you will hear about it once we get internet back.

On Sept 20 we arrived at the port of Hakodate on Hokkaido Island at noon. As we were sailing into the harbor a small fire suppression boat matched our speed on the port side and shot water upward from its hose on the bow. The water changed color every few seconds from blue to yellow, green, red & purple. A banner on its side said “Welcome to Hakodate.” The excursion for the day was a bus ride for an hour to a national park which was a cultured large Japanese garden with several lakes. The excursion lasted until ½ hour before sail away and as guests walked to their buses a local welcome committee greeted them. I had visited Hakodate 8 years ago and knew it to be too interesting a city to miss, so we passed on the tour and walked the city on our own. It was raining when the tours left so we stayed on board for ½ hour until it cleared. We had a beautiful, warm & sunny day to enjoy the city. Saturday afternoons are like a holiday so the streets were quite empty of cars, however there were plenty of people walking about enjoying the parks and historical sites. The historical district was only 3 or 4 blocks uphill from the ship so we started there. Hakodate wasn’t much of a town until Japan opened itself to foreign visitors in the mid-1800s and became a trading port so its historic buildings date from 1860s to early 20th century. Many of the old buildings are made of wood. We visited the former British Consulate which is now a museum which is in an area with several municipal parks. The old Public Hall is a westernized style Japanese wood building with an ornate roof line and is used for exhibits & concerts. This area supported several churches of different religions as well as 3 Shinto shrines. Ice cream shops abound with people offering discount cards to attract your business. We came across a local Co-Op grocery store and went inside to see what they stocked. They certainly had a large variety of rice and soy sauces as well as dried fish. All the fruits, vegetables, meats & fish are artfully displayed. At the end of the historic district we walked downhill to the waterfront warehouse district. These several former warehouses have been converted to shopping & dining venues with polished wood floors and modern lighting. Each warehouse had a myriad of shops and restaurants of all sorts. Candy is a big item here and many shops just sold varieties of candy. We walked through most of the warehouses which are at least 1000 yards long and had fun just looking at all the varieties of goods offered. It was a pleasant walk back to the ship where we awaited the return of the tours. As the ship was preparing to depart a large contingent of the local welcome committee performed dances for us on the pier and kept going even as we pulled away from the dock. This night was the Captain’s welcome cocktail party and dinner.

Happy Birthday from us too! Hope it's perfect in every way!

We had a long distance to cover from Hakodate so the 21st was a full day at sea with various lectures and sea life watching. We are now heading south of Hokkaido & Honshu, the main large islands of Japan, into the Pacific and will be visiting many small remote islands on our way to the Marianas and Guam. On the 22nd we arrived off the volcanic island of Miyake-Jima a bit after noon. 2 walking options were offered and we opted to go bird sighting instead of walking around the old lava flows. We rode zodiacs to shore and took a bus to the south coast where we walked for about 30 minutes to Tairo-ike Pond, a caldera lake surrounded by forests and home to several species of birds. The 2 ornithologists on our expedition team accompanied us and pointed out & named the various birds. Birds are well camouflaged and often difficult to see in the trees, but we had quite a few sightings in the 2 hours we spent there. They move around a lot so clear photos were difficult to photograph. It was a humid and sunny day with mid-70s temperatures. The island has an active volcano, named Oyama, which has erupted through several subsidiary vents around the island, the most recent being in 2000. A 1980s eruption was so severe that the island was evacuated for a period. We drove around to the west coast and had a look at Megane-iwa Rock, a lava formation along the water with 2 large holes that make it look like a pair of spectacles. We then went to Ako Lava Flow Trail, a field strewn with large lava chunks that had been very gaseous when bombed out of the vent in 2000 and destroyed a school. The concrete walls and some steel girders were all that was left. The gaseous nature of the lava rock makes them extremely coarse and sharp so wooden walkways have been installed in order to walk in the field and view the mess. We then drove up the mountain to the Shichito Observatory to try to watch the sunset and see nearby islands. We weren’t able to go to the very top of the mountain because the volcano is still active and is a prohibited area. The clouds unfortunately blurred the sunset so it was underwhelming. We got back to the harbor and rode zodiacs back to the ship in darkness. We went to our suite to shower & change before recap & dinner and at first thought we were in the wrong room. A bottle of Heidsieck Monopole champagne was in an ice bucket on our table and the bathtub was filled with a bubble bath and had a candle on one end. We enjoyed the champagne as we got ready for the evening. We had a delightful dinner with Mark Brazil and his Japanese wife. Mark is English, has lived in Japan for 30 years and has written several books on birds & nature of Japan and the Far East. He is only along for this cruise segment as a member of the expedition team. We went to the lounge after dinner and ended up sitting with a family from Mexico, parents, son, daughter and son-in-law and we had a great time talking with them.
We were the only LCT people on the birding tour, so someone else will post on the walking tour.

We had a long distance to cover from Hakodate so the 21st was a full day at sea with various lectures and sea life watching. We are now heading south of Hokkaido & Honshu, the main large islands of Japan, into the Pacific and will be visiting many small remote islands on our way to the Marianas and Guam. On the 22nd we arrived off the volcanic island of Miyake-Jima a bit after noon. 2 walking options were offered and we opted to go bird sighting instead of walking around the old lava flows. We rode zodiacs to shore and took a bus to the south coast where we walked for about 30 minutes to Tairo-ike Pond, a caldera lake surrounded by forests and home to several species of birds. The 2 ornithologists on our expedition team accompanied us and pointed out & named the various birds. Birds are well camouflaged and often difficult to see in the trees, but we had quite a few sightings in the 2 hours we spent there. They move around a lot so clear photos were difficult to photograph. It was a humid and sunny day with mid-70s temperatures. The island has an active volcano, named Oyama, which has erupted through several subsidiary vents around the island, the most recent being in 2000. A 1980s eruption was so severe that the island was evacuated for a period. We drove around to the west coast and had a look at Megane-iwa Rock, a lava formation along the water with 2 large holes that make it look like a pair of spectacles. We then went to Ako Lava Flow Trail, a field strewn with large lava chunks that had been very gaseous when bombed out of the vent in 2000 and destroyed a school. The concrete walls and some steel girders were all that was left. The gaseous nature of the lava rock makes them extremely coarse and sharp so wooden walkways have been installed in order to walk in the field and view the mess. We then drove up the mountain to the Shichito Observatory to try to watch the sunset and see nearby islands. We weren’t able to go to the very top of the mountain because the volcano is still active and is a prohibited area. The clouds unfortunately blurred the sunset so it was underwhelming. We got back to the harbor and rode zodiacs back to the ship in darkness. We went to our suite to shower & change before recap & dinner and at first thought we were in the wrong room. A bottle of Heidsieck Monopole champagne was in an ice bucket on our table and the bathtub was filled with a bubble bath and had a candle on one end. We enjoyed the champagne as we got ready for the evening. We had a delightful dinner with Mark Brazil and his Japanese wife. Mark is English, has lived in Japan for 30 years and has written several books on birds & nature of Japan and the Far East. He is only along for this cruise segment as a member of the expedition team. We went to the lounge after dinner and ended up sitting with a family from Mexico, parents, son, daughter and son-in-law and we had a great time talking with them.
We were the only LCT people on the birding tour, so someone else will post on the walking tour.

I typed all of this up offline before reading Jim's post so sorry about the repetition of info.

Yesterday afternoon we anchored off Miyake-jima, a small island about 100 miles south of Tokyo. There are lots of required formalities in Japan. The authorities came on board and reviewed everyone's passports. Then we picked them up from reception and had to take them with us, to be checked by officers as we loaded into the zodiacs for our short ride ashore. More officials were there with their red car lights blinking, supervising our arrival.

There are currently about 2,800 residents, mainly working for the government, fishing and farming, down from about 3,800 before the last volcanic eruption. It's a bird heaven, home to 225 species including some unique ones. And the volcano here is quite active, most recently erupting in 1940, 1962, 1983 and 2000. The residents all had to evacuate in 2000 and remain off the island for almost five years due to high levels of sulfuric gas. The zone in the center of the island is a prohibited area, and a wide ring of area around that is designated as a hazardous area due to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide.

There were two options today. The birders and ornithologist set off in one bus for their excursion. The rest of the passengers boarded two buses for a circumnavigation of the island (approx 24 miles) complete with a number of stops. Our first stop was for a walk on a volcanic beach complete with a new mountain created in one day by the power if the 1983 eruption; the second at a lava flow trail on a boardwalk next to a school which was destroyed by one of the eruptions, and then we had another stop along the coastline for a stroll on some hills and cliffs overlooking the coastline. Finally we drove up to the observatory for the sunset. On a clear day supposedly one can see Mt Fuji. Upon our return from the ship thee was a hot bubble bath waiting.

Despite the areas of lava the island is quite green and lush. There is daily passenger ferry service to Tokyo (6 hours 40 min.), an airport with flights in small planes to other islands. There is a hospital, but if you need surgery you must be transported by helicopter to Tokyo.

Yesterday was my birthday so I was queen for the day. We returned from breakfast to our suite decorated with balloons, a note from our butler and steward, and an adorable towel sculptured dog. They brought me a dessert with a candle in it at lunch, and the captain sent a card. Another larger cake arrived at dinner and when we returned to our cabin there was a birthday banner above the bed. After dinner Jerry entertained everyone in the lounge, doing several classic numbers such as a House of the Rising Sun, Achy Breaky Heart and the Beatles Today is Your Birthday. I am happy to have the spotlight off of me today!

Speaking of today, we were scheduled to spend the day on another island, but the swell was too high to land where intended. The captain took the ship around to the other side of the island where it was calmer and there was a nice fishing port to zodiac into, but the authorities, after much negotiation, would not allow us to land there due to the objections of the fishermen's union. So we went back to the other side and waited awhile hoping the seas and wind would calm down enough to be able to go ashore. Around 10:30 they pulled up the anchor, proceeded south and we settled in to another sea day...

From the beach



George goes exploring

From the lava trail

From the coastline walk

George goes exploring again











Almost sunset - recognize the hat?

More bad news! After missing today's port, it turns out we are headed directly toward a typhoon. So we are making way ASAP to chichijima to clear customs and get out of Japan. That means we miss the next three ports. A major letdown.

Loving the sea mail and especially the pictures. Hopefully you can stay out of the typhoon headed your way.

So sorry to hear this, Rachel. Hope they will find good substitutes. And stay safe.

I'm confused, there don't seem to be any typhoons in the area. There is a tropical depression near South Korea but that's it.

Lauri, just forming, here is the current report from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center:



Hopefully it will never form or pass far to the east of the Silver Explorer.

Thanks, Marc. I was confused too. I checked every weather and hurricane website I could think of and couldn't find a thing. Hopefully this will dissipate and disappear!

A variety of photos from SUMO:


Linda had a safe landing when she slipped on the slippery trail in Hakodate.






Our welcome to Miyake-Jima.


Ken & Bert.






Chris & Peter.

Our sail away from Hachijo-Jima where we did not get to come ashore.

We continue our southward progress, towards Chichijima, where we were scheduled to be tomorrow overnight and Friday morning. As of noon they announced that the captain now plans to dock there overnight, instead of just clearing formalities and immediately proceeding west to bypass the developing storm. Assuming no changes then we will get to go go ashore tomorrow for a morning excursion, and then head for the Mariana islands.

The weather issue is a tropical depression that has a high likelihood of becoming a cyclone. Of course it may not form or change course so we are keeping our fingers crossed. By tomorrow morning they will know more. We will be able to go ashore tonight and tomorrow morning. Everyone is pleased about that.

The ship is rolling a bit but not too bad. Great pictures of the brown boobies today that were around the ship

Some pix from Chichi-jima. Commentary to follow tomorrow.

I've been rather silent on this voyage as I don't want to spend much on internet and Doug has signed up for the internet to keep me informed of the world at large. Now that the trip is midway along, I'll sign up and share our experiences.

First of all, the fellow passenger company, service and food has been delightful. Full stop here. This cruise was supposed to be the Japanese Galapagos and Doug and I expected all sorts of interesting creatures, geological formations and unique Japanese cultures. What we learned is that some expedition cruising is a bit of a trophy cruise, perhaps best for those with time and money to burn who have tired of the usual places to visit. The ports are often untouched by much civilization or tourism. While this is lovely, it can be because there isn't much to see or do. We did not do our homework, had never been to Japan and thought these remote Japanese islands quite alluring.

9/19.Our first day was a travel day. Mitch, Bert, Doug and I hired a private car to show us the sights around Sapporo.the first stop was a chocolate factory and the guide suggested 3 hours there. We quickly corrected him to one hour. There are lots of chocolate shops around Sapporo and it appears the Japanese have quite a sweet tooth. One never would have know this from the boring desserts in our Japanese restaurants back home in the US. It really was a nice hour and we enjoyed the white chocolate filled cookies we each got as souvenirs. We stopped in the tea room and enjoyed coffee, white chocolate hot chocolate and a white chocolate cake filled with whipped cream and topped with fresh berries. We then drove through the countryside and went to a whiskey factory. Not the most exciting tour, but ample tastings, if scotch is your "thing." I was able to tolerate an apple whiskey, but the rest tasted like turpentine to me. However, Mitch thought the whiskeys were quite good and bought a bottle to bring home. Our guide dropped us off at at sushi restaurant and we were all served a dish of a smelly, slimy substance which only Doug was brave enough to eat... I mean, taste. His face said it all and the other 3 of us withered from this delicacy, which we later learned was squid guts. Yum. This should have been the first indication that this trip would be unique, strange and not too thrilling. The next exciting event turned out to be that the driver couldn't find the ship. He drove round and round and finally stopped for directions. We go on board just before the life boat drill.

At the briefing, we learned where we were going and where we were and how this trip would enlighten us. What dummies we had been. For those who don't know, Japan is comprised of 4 main islands. We started out in the northernmost island, Haikkado, in Oturo and were heading directly south. Tokyo was on the next island, Honshu,, but this island wasn't on our itinerary. We learned that Japan is an archipelago of about 1000 islands in addition to the main 4 and, of the rest, only 9 were inhabited. We'd visit 5 of these islands before hitting Taipan, Titian and Guam.

We only did a drive by in Oturo, but it looked rather charming, a city built on herring fishing which is now a skiing destination. As you may remember, Sapporo hosted the Olympics and is also a ski resort.

The exciting part of our adventure was to see a vast amount of biodiversity as we moved from subarctic to tropical climates and was likened to the Galapagos. We would experience bio or zoa diversity with both Laura and fauna differing greatly with regards by patterns of diversity. The mountainous geography (80%) has prevented wildlife species from crossing from island to island. This was called the Blackstone line. The seas were rough and only a handful made it to dinner.

9/20. Our first stop was Hakodate. We were first taken to a park where we engaged in a death march to enjoy a pretty sea view. Then, we went to another park to walk around an algae covered pond and enjoy squid ice cream, should we have decided to indulge. Our last stop offered rather pretty views of the harbor from Mt. Hakodate. The night view is supposed to be one of the three most beautiful sights in the world, along with Hong Kong and Naples, but, alas, we were there is full daylight. We learned that the island had tough times, enduring a great fire in the 30's and was the target of a couple of bombing raids in WWII. NoT a terribly exciting day, but this was just the start. It ended with some local entertainment doing the squid dance for us. Ah, the squid....so many interesting items from this revered fish.The weather was fine.

9/21. Day 2 brought us a sea day and we passed over the Mariana Trench, one of the deepest parts of the world's oceans. The trench is part of the sea floor closest to the center of the earth. It was a good day to read a book, play cards and win at trivia. The weather was fine.

9/22. Day 3 brought us time in volcanic Miyake-Jima which was only 20 mikes wide.it is supposed to be home to unusually rich flora and fauna. We had the choice to do the bird watching tour or the island tour. We all chose the island tour. We didn't see much exciting in the way of flora or fauna, but did visit multiple sites of volcanic eruptions. Former schools, now destroyed, were covered in lava. This island, home to an active volcano, has had eruptions in 1940. 1983 and 2000. The island was completely evacuated for the next 4 years due to noxious gasses, with folks only returning in 2005. We ended the day looking at the sunset under the clouds of sulfuric acid floating out of the volcano.

9/23. Day 4 was to be exciting. We had a full day planned on the island of Hachijo-Jima, with a nice sounding lunch, more volcanic sitings, a botanic garden and a beach. Once a spot for convicts, especially repeat criminals and murderers, it was to be reformulated as a prime, resort local, since its volcano was only a grade C. During WWII, this island was considered to be a strategic point and was the base for Kaiten suicide subs. After the war, the hover meant made attempts to make it the "Hawaii of Japan" but never quite succeeded. Nevertheless, we were told that tourism is the main component of the economy. We were informed that two landing sites were too rough for our zodiacs but there was a pier we should be able to use. After a fair amount of time passed, we were informed that the fisherman's union would not let us use their pier. More time passed as our on board Japanese travel agents tried to negotiate something for us. We were turned away. No wonder they have deserted resort hotels! So, we turned back to sea and moved towards our next port. Another day at sea. We still had nice weather. If our misfortune wasn't enough, we met with more bad news at the briefing. A dangerous cyclone was directly in our path and we would divert for our safety. There would be 4 more sea days and very rough seas beginning the next night. So no Torishima...no short tailed albatross....thank goodness, Jerry, our very own LCT rock star, serenaded us in the evening.

9/24. Day 5. No Torishima. We sped along, playing more trivia, cards, and looking at brown boobies diving for flying fish. Many napped or read. Another day at sea, but at least more nice weather. We got some good news. The storm had veered a bit east and the captain would stop at Chichi-Jima and spend an overnight there.The ship had quickly arranged an evening tour for us but kitchen and tour weren't in synch and, for the lucky 30 who secured seats on the busses, we only had one hour to wolf our food down. The locals arranged entertainment of drumming and our very own Pat Bittle was selected to receive a lovely floral necklace, headdress and bouquet.

Only Linda, Helen, Doug and I ventured out on this excursion. The weather was warm but no longer nice...a bit rainy...and we headed out to see the interesting night creatures. First stop...fruit bats. The bus dropped us off to a dark parking lot and we also got an added bonus of seeing three frogs. We were told that there were 150 large.. Think raccoon sized bats... In the area we would be looking. In the dark, with infrared lights, we managed to kinda see a couple of bats hanging upside down. Next off to see the large green turtles. No turtles, but we saw where they laid their eggs and watched a fairly large hermit crab and ghost crab walk on the beach. Next, we were to see the infamous green glowing mushrooms. I think we all imagined standing in fields of phosphorescent mushrooms having a type of psychedelic experience. All lights were turned off and we groped one another until our eyes became accustomed to the darkness. We stared at the darkness for awhile, until Linda noticed something mildly glowing down an embankment. Down the guide went and retrieved a bamboo log with about 5 itsy bitsy mushrooms the size do course grains of salt. The lights went out and the log glowed a bit. So much for the evening excitement.

9/25. We awoke on day 6 to gorgeous weather. The island was small but beautiful, with turquoise waters and coral beaches. Some of us went swimming, took nature hikes, town tours or bus tours. This island was discovered by folks from Massachusetts and later Mathew Perry. Its claim to fame is that it is the island where the Japanese shot down George Bush Sr's plane during the war. He was lucky to be rescued as some of his fellow colleagues met with cannibalism in the hands of Japanese soldiers who ate their livers. The US had control of the islan from after the war until 1968, when we returned it to the Japanese. We sadly had to board the ship at noon to spend another 21/2 days at sea. We did get a sail by at Haha-Jima, the southernmost city in Japan. So much for Japan.


We are making an arc around the storm for the next two days. These days at sea are getting a bit tiresome, with the staff doing their best with talks on Amelia airhardt, algae, plankton, colossa squid, rocks, birds, kimonos and food.

Oh, well, there are good movies on TV. Cards. Good books. Brown boobies. Flying fish. Good friends. Jerry, our singer. Pray for good weather at our next stop. Please.

Looks like we are dodging TWO Cyclones. The first one went ashore in China and now this second one headed west and away from us and we went far East. Weather juju continues it may be a few extra days at sea but better than being in a cyclone.

Photos from Chichi-Jima:



Sheila, Bert, Linda, Brad, Ngaire, Leslie, Mitch & Chris.












Brown Booby.




Goodbye Chichi-Jima.

So we had no rough seas, rolled a bit but nothing significant and the cyclone is a long way from us now.

Last night as a group we did hot rocks. It was a perfect night, warm a light breeze. I had lamb chops and lobster and a baked potato I was a very happy girl. Each table had an expedition team member we invited. Robin Aiello (anyone who has sailed with her remembers her for sure, Tim (South African who worked at Thornybush Game Reserve, Kings Camp, Royal Malewane area) and Bruno (the photographer)

We went ashore today at Pagan. Last time our expedition leader was here there were 7 inhabitants. Probably moved up a bit from there to maybe 15? Just a guess.

Some waves on landing but we all made it safely onshore. Three different walks were offered. We took the shortest one to the end of the lava flow and to a shot down zero that still sat where it landed. There were some remaining bunkers as well.

It was a beautiful beach but very warm so some of us headed back to the ship. It felt like a freezer when we stepped onboard.

Cannon Ken and Nikon Ken are not back yet. They will be ready for lunch for sure on their return.

Pictures will follow.

So we had no rough seas, rolled a bit but nothing significant and the cyclone is a long way from us now.

Last night as a group we did hot rocks. It was a perfect night, warm a light breeze. I had lamb chops and lobster and a baked potato I was a very happy girl. Each table had an expedition team member we invited. Robin Aiello (anyone who has sailed with her remembers her for sure, Tim (South African who worked at Thornybush Game Reserve, Kings Camp, Royal Malewane area) and Bruno (the photographer)

We went ashore today at Pagan. Last time our expedition leader was here there were 7 inhabitants. Probably moved up a bit from there to maybe 15? Just a guess.

Some waves on landing but we all made it safely onshore. Three different walks were offered. We took the shortest one to the end of the lava flow and to a shot down zero that still sat where it landed. There were some remaining bunkers as well.

It was a beautiful beach but very warm so some of us headed back to the ship. It felt like a freezer when we stepped onboard.

Cannon Ken and Nikon Ken are not back yet. They will be ready for lunch for sure on their return.

Pictures will follow.

Some WWII artifacts

Plane parts





Artillery






A bunker





Pill box



Ken, Mitch, Ken, Brad, Doug

Leslie, I love these latest photos. The reason we had originally signed up for Sumo was because of the historical significance of some of these islands. That is some heavy duty artillery!

Glad you have dodged the typhoons - enjoy the rest of your adventure!

Today we went to Saipan. It was not as hot as yesterday and it was a tour by an air conditioned bus. It is a very lush island, beautiful trees and bushes.

Lot of memorials on the island to events during the war. We visited the Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff where many Japanese committed suicide rather than be captured by the Americans. The American Memorial Park you can see Japanese pillboxes, bunkers and other structures from the war. The museum is really well done and film was playing of the battle for Saipan.

Back to a great lunch and then we sailed to the neighboring island of Tinan. This is the island that the Enola Gay took off from to deliver the atomic bomb to Japan. The two Kens decided to do their own thing and walked into town many decided to swim and snorkel at the beach but most went on the tour.

What has surprised me about the islands after we reached Chichijima was how much it felt like being in Tahiti. The people, costumes and songs sound totally Polynesian.

Tomorrow we arrive in Guam and fly home via Tokyo. Six of the group are staying on for the next segment including visits to New Guinea a place I have never been.

Getting off now so Ken can post some pictures.

Today we went to Saipan. It was not as hot as yesterday and it was a tour by an air conditioned bus. It is a very lush island, beautiful trees and bushes.

Lot of memorials on the island to events during the war. We visited the Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff where many Japanese committed suicide rather than be captured by the Americans. The American Memorial Park you can see Japanese pillboxes, bunkers and other structures from the war. The museum is really well done and film was playing of the battle for Saipan.

Back to a great lunch and then we sailed to the neighboring island of Tinan. This is the island that the Enola Gay took off from to deliver the atomic bomb to Japan. The two Kens decided to do their own thing and walked into town many decided to swim and snorkel at the beach but most went on the tour.

What has surprised me about the islands after we reached Chichijima was how much it felt like being in Tahiti. The people, costumes and songs sound totally Polynesian.

Tomorrow we arrive in Guam and fly home via Tokyo. Six of the group are staying on for the next segment including visits to New Guinea a place I have never been.

Getting off now so Ken can post some pictures.

Photos from Pagan, Northerm Mariana Islands.




Our group at Hot Rocks.








Japanese Zero shot down.


Bomber shot down.


Volcano eruption in 1983.


Our Sail away.

Suicide cliff

In the background of a sightseeing hummer limo below

Banzai cliff and memorials

Last command post

From Tinian Island

Runway from where the planes took off carrying the atomic bombs bound for Hiroshima and Nagasaki



Approximate spot that the Enola Gay's wheels left the ground



Our guide



Site where the atomic bombs were assembled




Bomb pit; the two bombs were hydraulically loaded from pits in the runway

Sitting in the Guam airport waiting to board our flight for Tokyo. They had some tasty chicken more than you get in the Admiral Clubs.

Hard to say goodbye to everyone today but we will see most of them in the near future so that made it easier

Waiting for our flight in Tokyo. There were a few Silversea travelers on our flight. Including Jerry's Italian nemesis.

Final pix -

prehistoric Latte Stone Pillars - Tinian

Only one 15 ft. pillar remains standing, but originally there were 12 and a house was believed to have been erected on top of them. The stones were quarried almost a mile away and it is unknown how they were transported.

We are at the fiesta resort in Guam. Blecch! This was the hotel silversea was using so here we are. The ocean view is spectacular though and almost makes up for the otherwise shabby hotel.
We spent the day yesterday on a tour of the island with Rachel and George. Guam is actually quite pretty and of course much more developed than our previous stops. We will fly to Tokyo later this morning and arrive back in Los Angeles an hour before we leave!
We thoroughly enjoyed the group of folks on this trip and thank you, Ngaire for putting it together.
-------------------------
Helen