On Monday we checked out of our apartment in Hong Kong at 11 am and got a taxi to the cruise terminal expecting to sit around for three hours until the official embarkation time of 2 pm. But we were greeted by cruise staff who immediately tagged our bags and after completing a brief health questionnaire, we were able to check in and by 12.30 we were sitting in a lounge on the ship with a glass of champagne. The whole process was seamless.
After lunch we went to our cabin (they call them suites on this cruise line) and were met by a staff member who opened a bottle of champagne from our fridge whilst we watched the safety video.
This cruise is on Silver Nova, a small ship with only 720 passengers and 700 crew. Walking around it does feel much smaller than ships we've been on previously although our cabin is much bigger than before and bigger than many hotel rooms we've stayed in. Paul finds it a bit of a problem because everywhere we go we're offered champagne or some form of alcohol, and his natural response is yes please.
We left Hong Kong at 6 pm on Monday (see sail-away photo), and then had a sea day before arriving into Keelung Port, Taipei, Taiwan early Wednesday morning.
We booked a shore excursion to visit Zhinan Temple and a tea house to experience a local tea ceremony. There were 14 of us on the trip and, with our guide, were driven in a minibus to get the cable car up into the mountain. The complex is unique in Taiwan as there are Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist temples in the same grounds. It was a beautiful site surrounded by forested slopes and we both found it to be a calm, quiet and sacred space.
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Sounds like a very smooth process. You will have to practice saying ‘No thank you’ Paul. It does sound like you are being well looked after.
Beautiful photos once again. All our love and hugs. xx
Wow the suite on the ship looks very nice indeed! The photos of the temples are magnificent. What a lovely trip. Keep saying yes to the champagne Paul, and hoping you both enjoy every moment. Claire xxx