Day at Sea then Taiwan

Tuesday, November 21/23

Today is a day at sea.  Nice to relax.  

We have coffee, fruit and pastries delivered to our room at 8:00.  We then go to the Theatre as they are having Beyond the Podium presentation on Taiwan.  These are very informative to learn more about the next port.  Problem is that I want to see more places than time allows.  Marlene and I decide on a tour from the ship that will give us a scenic northern coast tour with a visit to two villages.  We hope to have a couple of hours in Keelung (the port) before we go back to the ship.  Marlene then went off to the gym and I decide to watch the movie, the Last Samurai, on the outdoor theatre on the top of the ship.  It was a great movie and the weather today is perfect.  Sunny and warm.  

After the movie I rush downstairs and have a quick lunch before meeting Marlene in the theatre inside for the last performance of The Cover Girls.  They are getting off the ship in Taiwan.  

We then go to line dancing for 45 minutes and learn two dances.  

Marlene and I meet up later at the Metropolitan Main Dining for dinner at 7:30 and then the show at 9 pm.  Might have a martini prior to dinner.  Ah, life is difficult with all these choices.

Wednesday, November 22/23

This morning we pull in to Keelung port in Taiwan.  We’re lucky as it’s a beautiful day and it’s starting to heat up.  Going up to 27.  We have breakfast in the room and then head out on our tour.  We have decided to not go to Taipei and instead see some of the countryside.  

First we head to Yehliu Geopark. It’s a 1700 meter-long narrow promontory jutting out from the coast of northern Taiwan.  The drive takes approx. 40 minutes.  Due to the weather in this area and the sandstone there are several geological formations.  

One of those is one called the Queen’s Head.  I don’t really see the resemblance however they are quite unique.

After viewing them we hop back on the bus and drive into the mountains to go to a village called Chiufen.  This village was a coal mining town and for a short time a gold mining town.  It sits on the hillside and involves lots of steps to go to the two main shopping streets.  

It’s really interesting and very busy.  I could have spend much longer there but after an hour it’s time to head back.  We arrive back at the cruise ship just after 2 pm and we scoot upstairs to have lunch.  The rest of the day is pretty lazy.  As we’re not very hungry at 6 we decide to just go to the cafe.  We then watch the show Duo Sunrise which is an aerial acrobatic show performed by a Ukrainian couple.  It was exceptional.  Really good.