Shanghai, China

Shanghai is a bustling city of 24 million, and the financial capital of China.  As we entered the port, the third largest in the world, we saw several military and fishing ships along with lots of industry. Docked along the Bund (waterfront area) across from the iconic Oriental Pearl TV station, which is in the modern Pudong side of the city. At night, the tall buildings in Pudong and the boats in the harbor are lit with colorful fluorescent lights.

Shanghai means "going to the sea".  It is located where the Yangtze River delta and Huangpu River meet the East China Sea.  Our tour on day 1 included the beautiful Shanghai museum, located near the People's Square, and a stroll along the Bund promenade.  We also walked down Nanjing Road, the main shopping district in downtown Shanghai.  It reminded me of Times Square in New York.  Very busy, with lots of shops and street vendors.  Several shops sold exotic (strange!) fried meats.

Our ship was christened on March 8 in Shanghai by its godmother, Mrs. Yi Lou, a banking executive. The CEO of Viking, Torstein Hagen, and his daughter Karine were on hand for the outdoor ceremony that included dancers, classical singers and the breaking of the aquavit bottle against the bow of the ship.  Passengers were treated to a Chinese dinner in the Sun Chateau (next to the docked ship) and watched the ceremony of TV screens.

Arriving at our dock by the Bund on a cloudy morning

The old colonial side of the Bund

carved white jade at the Shanghai museum

Exhibit hall with ethnic clothing of China

Scroll of Chinese writing (read from right to left)

Beautiful Chinese painting

Very old Chinese pottery

Beautiful ceramic piecdes

Posing with some Chinese gentlemen

Ancient bronze food vessel, beautifully decoraged

Bronze vessel

Shanghai museum had an impressive collection of ancient Chinese artifacts; building made to look like a food vessel

Walking down the Bund, the pedestrian walkway by the river

Fried chicken feet and other exotic delicacies in a Chinese food shop

Viewing area for the christening of the Viking Sun on March 8, 2017. Godmother is Mrs Yi Lou

Bayanihan Filipino Dance Performance

While in Manila, we were treated to a wonderful performance by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.  It was founded in 1957, is the oldest dance company in the Philippines, and its name means "working together for a common good."  Bayanihan has received both national and international acclaim and showcases Filipino dance, dress and songs.

Corrigedor Island, Philippines

Corregidor is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Corrigedor comes the Spanish word "corregir", meaning "to correct". The name may be associated with the Spanish system wherein ships entering Manila Bay were required to stop and have their documents checked and corrected. Spain colonized the Philippines and controlled the island from 1521 until 1898. 

Due to its location, Corregidor (also known as Fort Mills or "the Rock") has historically been used to defend Manila from attacks.  After the defeat of the Spanish forces by the United States in 1898, the island was designated a U.S. military reservation and an army post was established. Concrete barracks, artillery emplacements and amenities like tennis courts and a cinema were constructed and roads were laid out on the island. A small fishing village with a lush jungle topography was transformed into a fortress and site of one of the most heroic battles of World War II.

Big guns were placed on the island and used in support of the Filipino and American military. Corregidor was invaded by the Japanese during World War II and American forces under the direction of General Douglas MacArthur surrendered the island on May 6, 1942.  MacArthur told the Filipino people, "I will return."  In 1945, Americans retook the island after a bloody battle.  Over 2500 Japanese soldiers blew themselves up inside the Malinta tunnel on the island rather than be taken prisoner.  

Corregidor Island was the second most bombed island during WWII, after Malta. Today the island contains the ruins of barracks, battery stations, and the Malinta tunnel, which housed a hospital and supply stores. There is a Japanese garden, Pacific War Memorial Museum and lighthouse on the island.  A ferry ride from Manila takes about 1.75 hours to reach Corrigidor Island. 

Philippine dancers welcoming our ship in Manila

Musicians outside our ship as we docked in Manila

Fish pens in the Manila harbor

Arriving at Corregidor Island 

Statue of General Douglas MacArthur,
commander of the Allied Forces in the
SW Pacific during World War II

Artillery on Corrigedor Island

Buddha in the Japanese Garden
on Corregidor Island

Lighthouse on "topside" of island

Big guns on Corregidor island

Statue of an American helping a Filipino soldier at the
Pacific War Memorial Museum

Island is the shape of a tadpole in the Manila harbor

Statue of Manuel Quezon, President of Philippines
during World War II

Display of offices inside the Malinta tunnel 

Exiting the Malinta tunnel

Ruins of the "mile long" barracks

Kota Kinabalu, North Borneo, Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu (KK) is located on the coast of the island of Borneo, in the Sabah state of Malaysia.  Borneo is the 3rd largest island (not continent) after Greenland and New Guinea. The country of Malaysia occupies 2 main areas: the Malay peninsula (below Thailand) and the northern area of Borneo.  Malaysia is known for its beaches, rainforest and diversity of ethnicities and cultural practices. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is located on the Malay peninsula.

Our excursion was to the Mari Mari Cultural Center in the jungle outside of KK.  "Mari Mari" means "come, come" in the Malay language.  The center showcased the lifestyle of the 5 largest tribes in northern Borneo years ago:
1. Dusan: farmers who lived in multi-family longhouses
2. Bajau: Muslims who lived in coastal areas; often called sea gypsies
3. Murut: warriors and headhunters who lived in the hills
4. Rungus: traders
5. Lundayeh: hunters

If you were a male in the Murut tribe, you needed to kill someone and take their head in order to prove your manhood and to use as an offering to a future father-in-law when you wanted to marry his daughter. 

Mari Mari had replicas of wooden huts used by the 5 tribes; provided samples of their coffee, rice wine, honey, meals cooked in bamboo stalks, and sweets; and demonstrated skills like fire starting, making clothing from tree bark, henna tattooing, and blowing darts through long wooden pipes.  The visit ended with a performance of music and dancing.  A very entertaining and educational tour.

Malay dancers outside our docked ship

a beautiful Muslim Mosque in Kota Kinabalu

Entering Mari Mari Cultural Center
Had to cross a swinging bridge

Demonstrating how honey was made

"steps" into the houses were
notches in a log

Where married couples relaxed after the wedding

Preparing treats that were like sweet pancakes

Chief of the Murut tribe welcoming visitors

Demonstration of the blow pipe

Getting a henna tattoo (lasts about 7 days)

Dance performance

Dancer with musicians behind

Bander Seri Begawan, Brunei

Brunei is a small Muslim nation on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea.  The rest of Borneo contains parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Brunei consists of 4 main regions, has a total population of 420,000, and is one of the richest nations in the world due to its oil and gas reserves.

Brunei is ruled by the 29th sultan, Hassanal Bokkiah, who has 3 wives and 12 children. His palace in Bander Seri Begawan, Istana Nural Iman, has 1788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a 110-car garage and a banquet hall for 5000 guests.  It is the largest residential palace in the world. Brunei just celebrated its 34th year of independence from the United Kingdom with National Day festivities in a special stadium.

We visited the Malay Technology Museum, an outdoor market, and a home in the water villages that line the Brunei River.  This area is often called the Venice of the East because of the homes built over water that can only be reached by water taxis.

Being greeted as we get off the ship

Grounds where the 34th  National Day was celebrated

Fruits and vegetables at the outdoor market

Foods for sale at the market

Whole, dried fish at the market

Another mosque in the background near the water village

Visiting the water houses

Tea and cakes were provided at one of the water village homes

View of part of the water village along the Brunei River

Beautiful Muslim Mosque