Day 3 - Kobe, Japan |
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Wednesday, March 26: This morning, it was time to bid farewell to the Nikko Kansai Airport Hotel, with its complimentary -- and highly flattering -- nightshirts, .... |
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...and its multiple-function toilet, which rates 9 stars on the 10-star Bundlings Restroom Scale. Stars are awarded for each of the following items: running water in the sink, soap, a way to dry hands, cleanliness, flushing toilet, toilet paper, Western-style toilet, front-washer, back-washer, and heated toilet seat (which was lacking here). See page 2 for the first 10-star restroom we've ever encountered. For the record, the Bundlings Restroom Scale only went to six stars prior to this trip, but we learned that we had to add the last four items. Also note that we're happy with 4-star restrooms, but those turned out to be difficult to find in China. |
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We dragged our suitcases to the airport terminal, past the rail station we'd used the previous two days. |
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We had a late breakfast/early lunch at the food court, selecting traditional noodle bowls and side dishes, with a big soda from Subway. |
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As we waited for our transfer to our Holland America cruise ship, we took advantage of more vending. This time, we found Royal Milk Tea made by Snapple. |
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For the final time, we headed back over the bridge from the Kansai Airport man-made island to the Osaka mainland. Prior to this visit, we had been in the Kansai airport for several layovers, but this time we felt like we really got to see the area. |
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We passed lots of piers with containers, but spotted only two Maersk containers along the hour and a half drive to the pier at Kobe. |
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Speaking of Kobe, here it is. |
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And here is the passenger terminal at Kobe. |
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As we checked in for our 14-night Asia cruise, these lovely ladies serenaded us in the terminal building. |
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We waited in line to board our ship, ms Statendam, and spotted our room easily. It's the room with the balcony just above and to the left of the "S" in Statendam, nearly the same location as our stateroom on ms Rotterdam last year. |
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Once settled into our room, we headed to the Lido deck for lunch, and spotted a few more Maersk containers. You'll have to look very carefully to spot them in this photo, and if you find them, you'll know that you have the skill to compete with us. |
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Here's the view from our balcony ... |
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... and here's the view from up on deck looking back toward Kobe. |
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We were delighted to find that we had a table for two in the dining room, since we really, truly want to be alone when we dine on cruise ships. |
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The lovely view from our second floor table overlooked the first floor of the dining room. |
Copyright © Deborah Schilling/Thomas Bundy