Overcast skies during typhoon season, but Xiamen, China, remained calm and dry during our visit on Silver Shadow.
Once again, Silversea Cruises offered a complimentary shore excursion on our cruise from Seoul to Hong Kong (also offered was The Art of Acrobatics last week in Shanghai).
Our excursion in Xiamen, China, a city of more than 2 million people, took us to a temple, a museum and a tea ceremony, plus we saw the local life along the way, including shops such as Starbucks and even a Walmart.
Xiamen's welcoming committee greeted us as we exited the new, modern cruise terminal in Xiamen.
Friendly people and a lot of laughs. At 6'5", I was asked multiple times for photos with those who were more, er, vertically challenged. It's nice to be a "celebrity" simply for being tall.
Silversea provided a complimentary shore excursion for all guests, Xiamen Highlights.
On a comfortable bus with a knowledgeable and well-spoken guide.
First stop, South Putuo Temple, built more than 1,000 years ago.
Since 1924, South Putuo Temple has been a training center for men and women seeking to become monks.
Beautiful temple architecture.
Adorable Chinese girls dressed for an outing to the temple.
Next stop was the Xiamen Overseas Chinese Museum, which features more than 15,000 exhibits depicting the history of Chinese who went abroad, such as those who went to North America to build railroads.
Our final stop was a tea ceremony, where we learned about the different types of tea and the role tea plays in Chinese life.
So long Xiamen!
