Have you ever dreamt of going on an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime adventure? The kind of trip that concludes with stories and memories you’ll treasure forever? I have always wanted to travel to China and other Asian counties. So, when Zenia’s Travel Club LLC advertised her in-depth experience to Asia and China, I was on board. After all, how many times will most of us brave 20-hour one-way flights?
Because the trip consisted of 26 days of travel, I thought it might be a small group, but remarkably, 30 curious wayfarers signed on for Zenia’s “Grand Asian Adventure.”
Undaunted, on October 22, 2016, a congenial group of Ukrainian Americans boarded an All Nippon Airlines flight from JFK to Singapore via Tokyo on our very first leg of an enriching journey.
Drinking from a fountain of youth in Tokyo, Japan.
In Tokyo, although I didn’t expect to see kimono-clad geisha’s strolling down the Ginza, I wasn’t prepared for the astonishingly contemporary city with its mix of traditional temples and ultramodern neon skyscrapers.
For example, the aforementioned Ginza, an international shopping mecca, stands near the serene grounds of the Imperial Palace. Aside from the cosmopolitan vibe of the city, what stayed with me was the striking cleanliness. Every car in the city looked like it came straight out of the car wash, shiny and polished.
Very friendly local Vietnamese families hosted us in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) with food grown in their own gardens.
Another pleasant surprise awaited us in Singapore – where the very name summons visions of the mysterious East. The commercial center of Southeast Asia, Singapore is a metropolis of modern high-rise buildings, Chinese shop-houses with red-tiled roofs, Victorian buildings, Buddhist temples and Arab bazaars.
While sipping on our Singapore Sling cocktails at the famous Raffles Hotel, we recounted how many cultural neighborhoods we saw that day. Virtually a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, English and Tamil.
It rained hard that evening while we were dining on Singapore’s signature dish “Chili Crabs,” but let up enough so that we could take the scheduled Bumboat ride around an amazing light show off the awesome moonlit skyline bay.
Another sight to behold were the high tech solar powered “SuperTrees.” They are part of the botanical capital of the world known as “Gardens by the Bay,” a 250-acre green development with futuristic-looking flower domes. As sorry as we were to leave Singapore, we were looking forward to boarding our ship, the Diamond Princess, in order to continue our explorations.
Ladies posing in front of the “Temple of Heaven,” considered the most holy of all imperial temples in Beijing, dating back to 1420.
Our 17-day Grand Asia Cruise vessel headed on a northerly course towards the top of the Gulf of Thailand. As we approached Bangkok, our ship hoisted the Thai flag at half-mast in recognition of the national mourning period following the death (one week earlier) of their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej. We quickly boned up on some Thai history in order to act respectfully to the Thai people we encountered during our excursions.
Following the coastlines of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, en route to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), we looked forward to surveying Vietnam. While some in the group opted to explore Saigon itself, others decide to do home visits, thereby getting an in-depth insight into the life of today’s Vietnamese people. Most memorable was the genuine friendliness of the Vietnamese people we encountered that unforgettable day.
Zenia Brozyna
Just hanging off the Hong Kong skyline.
That same evening, while back on the ship, we made an important discovery soon to become near and dear to our hearts. The classical trio – two violinists and a pianist – we had been listening to after dinner were Ukrainians from Ivano-Frankivsk. Needless to say, an immediate bond was forged between our group and three talented, young and patriotic Ukrainian musicians – Oleksiy Kovalenko, Oleksandr Kovalenko and Olena Khiryanova.
Noticeably, they were as happy to share our company as we were theirs. Whenever possible, they joined our shipboard group functions. Together we sang songs like “Ridna Maty Moya,” “Hutsulko Kseniu,” “Chervona Ruta,” to name a few. Happily they shared their life stories. It turned out that the two brothers, Oleksandr and Oleksij were born and raised in Donetsk. They finished their musical education at the Donetsk Music Academy, where Oleksij met his wife, Olena.
With our backs to the entrance of the Forbidden City, and while facing the massive Tiananmen Square, our impressions of Beijing were memorable.
When war broke out in 2014, they moved their families to Ivano-Frankivsk, where they continued pursuing their careers. Two years later they created the Amethyst Trio and applied for work with Princess Cruises. Their many performances aboard the ship were spectacular, as they exhibited their enormous talent by playing various genre of music such as classical, jazz, ragtime and others. At times they were quite humorous! It was our great pleasure to meet and spend some quality time with our fellow Ukrainians.
In the days that followed, with a little anxiety, we entered the South China Sea. Then we saw them: skyscrapers that formed a glistening forest of steel and glass, junks and sampans that plied the busy harbor waters and Kowloon, which welcomed us to Hong Kong – one of the world’s great travel destinations. Now a semi-autonomous region of China, we were told that Hong Kong has lost none of its charm, excitement or exoticism.
Visiting an oceanfront Buddhist Temple in Busan, South Korea.
Our ship moored there for two full days while we set out to take in the entire spectacle. For panoramic views, we headed to Victoria Peak; visited Aberdeen village, home to thousands of “water people”; and wandered through Stanley Market, one of the world’s great bazaars. On Day 2 we embarked on a full-day visit to Lantau Island and the Po Lin Monastery – a hilltop Buddhist retreat with the most solace-inspiring 34-meter-tall majestic bronze Big Buddha you can imagine.
Filled with comfort and peace, we bid farewell to Hong Kong and sailed for Shanghai, a Chinese futuristic global city with eloquent reminders of its ancient past. In the Old Town, we visited archaic treasures, then marveled at architectural wonders like the iconic Pearl Tower, one of the world’s tallest and visually stunning TV and radio towers.
The sun rose over Busan, South Korea, early as we entered its harbor and discovered that it’s an urban seaside adventure. We walked through breathtaking groves of flowering Camellia trees to explore a rare find of a temple built in the 12th century along the shoreline with a dramatic rocky backdrop, complete with statues of fire-breathing dragons. Busan is a microcosm of South Korea, a nation whose startling economic success often obscures one of Asia’s most sophisticated and venerable cultures.
Our last port of call was Nagasaki, Japan, a city resting on a series of hills overlooking a deep-water bay. Less well-known is the fact that it was also the setting for Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly.” Today, two memorials attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world: the Atomic Bomb Museum, offering heartfelt testimonials of the devastation brought from the war, and the massive 30-foot-high Statue of Peace set next to Ground Zero – the center of the blast that leveled the city in 1945. Today, Nagasaki is a monument not only to the destructive forces harnessed by men, but also to the indomitable will of the human spirit to overcome tragedy.
The cruise portion of our Grand Asian Adventure was completed on November 12, 2016, but not before toasts were raised at our private cocktail party, which was attended by our newfound friends from Ivano-Frankivsk.
If all we had experienced throughout the trip thus far wasn’t enough, there were more revelations to be had when we arrived in Beijing, China. Its streets were packed with people, cars and bicycles, weaving an extraordinary tapestry of humanity.
In preparation for the infamous smog, we had our face masks at the ready. Fortunately, we didn’t need them. The weather was brisk, but warmer and clearer than we anticipated, which served us well when on the first day we travelled high into the mountains to climb the Great Wall of China.
I have to admit that this was perhaps the highlight of the entire amazing trip. The Great Wall is an impressive achievement of ancient China. Fortunately we didn’t have to climb the entire wall, as we got a boost up the mountain by a cable car.
Ukrainian musicians aboard our Princess Cruise – Oleksiy Kovalenko, Oleksandr Kovalenko and Olena Khiryanova.
The following morning, we boarded a local flight to X’ian, the ancient capital of 11 dynasties and an archeological treasure trove. It was a truly unforgettable experience to have seen the archeological site of the magnificent Terra Cotta Warriors, a vast collection of more than 7,000 finely sculpted, life-sized soldiers, horses and chariots that were entombed with China’s first emperor. This world-famous site was discovered by farmers in 1947 and is still being excavated today. Equally eye-opening was the old city wall, which is totally intact and simply stunning.
The following day we made our way back to Beijing for more explorations. No visit to Beijing would be complete without strolling the largest public plaza in the world – Tiananmen Square, completed in 1417. And stroll we did – for many hours, because when we ventured north of the square we entered the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace) comprising 800 buildings.
For lunch, it was a hoot to travel by rickshaw to “Old Bejing” where we were hosted by a local family in their home. Our lunch was followed by a cooking demonstration on how to make Chinese dumplings. Just like making varenyky! What a memorable experience it was and a fitting way to end our phenomenal trip.
I am grateful to my fellow travelers for their companionship on this road trip to an exotic world of the past as well as the present. We can all check off one more escapade on our bucket lists and, God willing, there will be more exploits to be had together with Zenia’s Travel Club.
I also want to give many kudos to Zenia, with whom we’ve traveled on many other excursions, as she is super organized and pays attention to all details to make sure everyone is taken care of. It’s a total pleasure to be able to relax on her trips, knowing that she won’t miss a beat. It’s like traveling with a knowledgeable and trusted friend and service is always with a smile. Looking forward to the next bon voyage.