MARCH 23: Our ship docked this morning at Tianjin Port. We left immediately on a lengthy bus trip to see the Yellow Teeth section of the Great Wall. It certainly was worth the trip. We enjoyed walking and mostly climbing. When I finally reached a target tower I was totally winded but very happy to see cold beer for sale. However, it was being sold by an ancient woman, who I assume had to have carried the stuff there, probably without being winded at all.
For our last night on board we had reservations at 8:00 at the Polo Grill (our favorite eating spot). Our bus got back at 8:10 but the Maître-D’ kindly let us switch to 8:30. He found us a table for two (see advice on cruising below) and we enjoyed our crab cakes, lobster bisque and prime rib. I was discussing with my favorite sommelier whether to order an expensive wine from Napa or a cheap wine from Mendoza when he said he would simply discount the more expensive wine for us; a final nice gesture from the incredible staff of the good ship Nautica.
MARCH 24: We departed the Nautica for the last time taking a 3-hour bus ride to Beijing. Beijing is a city of 20 million, with 5 million cars. The traffic is constant gridlock. In an attempt to control the increase in traffic, licenses to own a car are given by lottery. Depending on one’s licence number car owners are not allowed to use their cars on one of the five days from Monday to Friday.
Once we reached the center of Beijing we walked across Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City. As we were on our way to the airport our guide speed marched us through (4 km from the South to the North Gate). Somehow we found the buildings to be less luxurious than we expected. Perhaps the Emperor was too busy with his 3000 concubines to worry about décor. I have, however, sent a picture of Betty’s favorite spot in the City.
After leaving the city we stopped for one last mystery meal before facing the flight home.
ADVICE TO CRUISERS: As we have now taken 5 cruises, I recommend this form of travel. I do think, however, that we have learned a little bit about cruising. Here are my 5 rules to follow:
1. As you can only book through a travel agent, choose the right agent. Do not rely on your local agent. Only a couple of companies that specialize in cruises can get you discounts and onboard credits.
2. Choose the cruise line that matches your demographics (travelling with young children, swinging singles, old farts).
3. Choose a smaller ship. Larger ships cannot reach the better piers, especially if the city is on a river. Frequently large ships must dock an hour or two away from everything.
4. Do not book shore excursions with your cruise line. Cruise lines make their exorbitant profits on excursions and the casino. Become familiar with websites such as cruisecritic.com, and use them to arrange private tours.
5. At the evening meal always ask for a “sharing table.” Your spouse becomes much more interesting after an evening with political idiots.
ROMANTIC CRUSING: Some like to cruise because they find it romantic. Therefore, let me thus leave you with this story:
The old man decided to take his wife on a cruise for their 50th anniversary. The first evening, as they sailed on the moonlit sea, they enjoyed a meal in the grand dining room. Everything from caviar to crème brule, from cocktail to cabernet, was excellent. After dinner they skipped the floor show and opted to go to the 10th deck to have a nightcap and watch the lights from the shoreline.
Eventually they returned to their stateroom and retired. The old man then placed his hand on his wife’s leg. She responded by moving closer and putting her hand on his chest. He then slid his hand up onto her hip. She drew lines down his chest with her manicured nails.
At this point he removed his hand and rolled the other way. “Why did you stop?” she uttered.
“I found the remote” were his final words.
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