World Tour of 2013
Crystal Hearts Around the World, October 23, 2013
Thank you to those who followed our world tour blog and for your positive feedback! As many of you know we had to stop posting after Bangkok, Thailand on April 22nd due to extremely slow Internet connection while on board ship. However we continued to journal and organize our photos, knowing that we would continue the blog once we returned home and settled back in.
To recap: We set on a 107-day Pacific Princess cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Venice, Italy, visited 41 ports of call, crossed the International Date Line and crossed the Equator twice.
We didn't set out on this journey to "find ourselves" or have a "spiritual awakening", we simply wanted to experience different cultures, see new sights and have fun. It’s been a great gift having the opportunity to see some of the greatest wonders of this world, experience some of the most interesting cultures and meet some awesome, beautiful people from around the world. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes to remember that we really have seen and done all of these magical things. It’s something we will never take for granted and we will treasure for the rest of our lives.
It's been five months since we returned home so come now, get your sea legs on and continue along with our incredible journey...
Crystal Hearts Given Around the World
"50" CRYSTAL HEARTS on World Cruise of 2013, given away as Ambassadors for Peace and Love, to the people we met around the world . We could never have anticipated the extraordinary and spontaneous loving way people received the CRYSTAL HEARTS from us. In every situation we were met with surprise, joy, and love from each of them, regardless of our seeming differences or language barrier.
This is what we said to each of them, as we gave them a CRYSTAL HEART:
"This CRYSTAL HEART is given from our Hearts to your Hearts
and from our country, the United States, to your country."
Crystal Hearts Around the World, October 23, 2013
Thank you to those who followed our world tour blog and for your positive feedback! As many of you know we had to stop posting after Bangkok, Thailand on April 22nd due to extremely slow Internet connection while on board ship. However we continued to journal and organize our photos, knowing that we would continue the blog once we returned home and settled back in.
To recap: We set on a 107-day Pacific Princess cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Venice, Italy, visited 41 ports of call, crossed the International Date Line and crossed the Equator twice.
We didn't set out on this journey to "find ourselves" or have a "spiritual awakening", we simply wanted to experience different cultures, see new sights and have fun. It’s been a great gift having the opportunity to see some of the greatest wonders of this world, experience some of the most interesting cultures and meet some awesome, beautiful people from around the world. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes to remember that we really have seen and done all of these magical things. It’s something we will never take for granted and we will treasure for the rest of our lives.
It's been five months since we returned home so come now, get your sea legs on and continue along with our incredible journey...
Crystal Hearts Given Around the World
"50" CRYSTAL HEARTS on World Cruise of 2013, given away as Ambassadors for Peace and Love, to the people we met around the world . We could never have anticipated the extraordinary and spontaneous loving way people received the CRYSTAL HEARTS from us. In every situation we were met with surprise, joy, and love from each of them, regardless of our seeming differences or language barrier.
One of the greatest realizations we had during our trip became this, "War is created by governments supporting hidden agendas rather than the citizens of a country."
When we got a chance to draw up close to the citizens of each country, we realized how "familiar" everyone seemed, like family, regardless of the impressions we may have had because of media distortion. This realization became poignantly true, especially when we were in Vietnam. The people of that country were in one word, "beautiful in mind, heart, and soul."
When we got a chance to draw up close to the citizens of each country, we realized how "familiar" everyone seemed, like family, regardless of the impressions we may have had because of media distortion. This realization became poignantly true, especially when we were in Vietnam. The people of that country were in one word, "beautiful in mind, heart, and soul."
"This CRYSTAL HEART is given from our Hearts to your Hearts
and from our country, the United States, to your country."
We add here a few examples of the pictures we took as the CRYSTAL HEARTS were given and received.
Casa Garcia Alvarado
Mr.
and Mrs. Alvarado live in the heart of the metropolitan capital of
Lima, Peru. Surrounded by high rises on every front, they are the last
hold-out of aristocratic families that once dominated the city. They
have maintained their turn-of-the-century estate home despite the
devouring spread of the city. They have also resisted the temptation of
selling out to greed. They continue to keep family traditions alive in a
home remodeled after Lima's
Presidential Palace. We gave them a CRYSTAL HEART for the inspiring example they set for the rest of us.
Note. When Mrs. Alvarado received the CRYSTAL HEART from us, she became quite emotional when she said, "No one has ever given us anything before." This was surprising when one considers that thousands of tourists have flocked to see this exquisite home in Lima.
Lima, PeruCasa Garcia AlvaradoPresenting Mrs. Thorndike with a CRYSTAL HEART from the United States.
Picture of inside courtyard of Casa Garcia Alvarado
Exterior of home
*****
Moorea, French Polynesia
The
couple became our tour guides on a boat ride that took us to an
isolated island in Moorea. Using fresh fish and coconut milk, the meal
they cooked for us was exquisite. Giving a CRYSTAL HEART was our way of thanking them for
their kind hospitality.
"Thank you" to our wonderful Moorean host & hostess!!*****
Auckland, New Zealand"Kob kun kraab" (thank you in Thai) to a lovely masseur.*****
Sydney, AustraliaWe gave a CRYSTAL HEART to Jasnah, a Soul sister, who impressed us with her unique style of hand-made jewelry and tender heart.
Jasnah kissing her CRYSTAL HEART.
*****
Cairns, AustraliaHere we present Rossi, a marine naturalist, one of our CRYSTAL HEARTS and thank her
for her spirited and informative insights into the underwater world ofthe Great Barrier Reef in a glass-bottom boat.
*****
Guam, USAHere we present our tour guide, Jireena Blas, with a CRYSTAL HEART for her insightful perspective on the war carried out in Guam.
The Second Battle of Guam (July 21 — August 10, 1944) was the American capture of the Japanese held on the island of Guam, a United States territory (in the Mariana Islands) during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
*****
Hiroshima, JapanBack at the pier, we present our lovely Japanese tour guide, MeEcho with a CRYSTAL HEART for the tender remembrances shared with us at ground zero in Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb blast took place.
(To understand the resiliency of Mother Nature, we saw a picture taken of a budding bush on the same sight ONE YEAR after the blast. Science had quoted that no life could grow in a place hit by an atomic blast for 75 years. We were there less than 75 years later. )
*****
Inchon, South KoreaReturning to the pier at the end of an intriguing day, we give our Korean tour guide, Lucy Kim a CRYSTAL HEART for her kindness and generosity of spirit.*****Shanghai, ChinaWe present Kelly, our lovely tour guide, with a CRYSTAL HEART for extending herself to us in so many ways, and in a consistently gracious manner during our tour of Shanghai. Here is the series of photos...
*****
Shanghai, ChinaDelighted to meet these two adorable Chinese woman, we present CRYSTAL HEARTS to each of them on the Bund (a promenade in Shanghai). There was no language barrier here when the only language spoken and understood was from the heart.*****Ha Long Bay, VietnamAt the end of a wonderful day, we thank our Vietnamese host and give him a
CRYSTAL HEART. He cooked for us on a table with shooting flames searing our fresh fish catch and shrimp into delectable morsels.*****Ho Chi Minh, VietnamThis was the example I spoke of above concerning the Vietnamese people. They were loving, gracious, kind, and very generous. They fed us in an open outdoor setting with fresh fruit juices, fresh fruits and vegetables. You can see for yourself the "grandmother's" delight (she looked so young, more like the mother of the children) in receiving the CRYSTAL HEART.Three generations of the Vietnamese family that welcomed us like family.*****
Bangkok, ThailandPassing along a CRYSTAL HEART to a lovely Thai masseuse.*****Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), MalaysiaAfter lunch at the home of this lovely Malaysian family, we present a CRYSTAL HEART. The series of photos best describes their reaction.
We finally got a smile from them, who were ordinarily so serious.
*****Phuket, ThailandPresenting CRYSTAL HEART to two lovely masseuse after a6-hour day of spa treatments, Thai-style.*****Mangalore, IndiaSoan's FarmPresenting a CRYSTAL HEART to Alfred Soans, Dr. L.C. Soans, a Botanist, who studied in the U.S.A. He also remarked that this was the first time he had received a gift from anyone. It turned out, he loved "crystals!"Notice his smile and joy.
*****Mumbai, IndiaMotaba JewellersAfter doing business with this family-owned jewelry store, we presented the father and son with a CRYSTAL HEART.
Before we left the store, the father went to the back and returned with a gift he gave to each of us as well. Now, pay attention to what I am about to share with you. He gave us both a ring with diamonds. We thought at first that they were costume jewelry. But when we got the rings appraised by the ship's jeweler, we discovered that they were (are) 18 carat gold rings with real diamonds! Each ring was appraised between $2500 to $3000. This took place in INDIA for God's sake! We were astounded!!!! [We felt this was an example of Divine grace returning to us in this extraordinary and magical way from gifting CRYSTAL HEART around the world.]
*****Mumbai, IndiaPresenting Raj, a delightful vendor, from the Chor Bazaar a CRYSTAL HEART.*****Muscat, Oman
Bait Adam MuseumPresenting Abdullatif, founder and curator of the Bait Adam Museum, and his wife, with a CRYSTAL HEART. His 7 year old daughter was featured in a local magazine for being the youngest and most eloquent tour guide in a museum.
*****
Safaga, EgyptPresenting our tour guide to the Valley of the Kings andKarnak and Luxor Temples with a CRYSTAL HEART.It was always fascinating to watch the reaction as each person inspected their
CRYSTAL HEART.
*****Petra, JordanPresenting our local Bedouin, a Johnny Depp look-a-like, with a CRYSTAL HEART.We were impressed by their genuine sweetness and charm,
as they guided us through the ruins of one of the Wonders of the World--Petra, a National Heritage Site.*****Port Said, EgyptGifting our tour guide to the Pyramids, the Sphinx and theEgyptian Museum Of Antiquities with a CRYSTAL HEART.There was always great pride in receiving the CRYSTAL HEART.*****Jerusalem, Israel
Touring
Jerusalem became one of our greatest highlights. Visiting the sacred
sites referred to in the New Testament and experiencing them as a
reality became a journey of profound sacred reverence. We arrived in
Jerusalem on Easter. We walked up the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus
walked carrying the cross to Golgatha--the place of the skull (death).
The river of people was moving up the path in one direction and ONE MAN,
who looked exactly like Jesus, with sack cloth and rope tied around his
waist, was walking down in the opposite direction (picture will post on Jerusalem blog). I stopped, turned,
and followed this man for his message was clear. Jesus was no longer on
the cross. He was walking AWAY from it--very much alive and well.
Giving Miki Sanilevitz, our tour guide in Jerusalem, a CRYSTAL HEART
*****Gifting dancers, native to New York City, a CRYSTAL HEART on board ship for their brilliant performance of tap dance and song.
The female performer later told me how critical that moment was for her. She was beginning to lose heart in her performance and that moment assured her that her contribution made a difference in our lives. The gift of the CRYSTAL HEART proved it.
*****
Love, BrigitTomono KawamuraPresenting Japanese artist, Tomono Kawamura, an extraordinarily gifted pianist with a CRYSTAL HEART. She was so amazing, that Sophia dedicated a poem to her that she had recently written.
