Some final thoughts on our trip:
---We found out that we do enjoy the long number of sea days back to back. A transatlantic with it's 7 days at sea should be fine.
---We liked Hawaii, but wouldn't want to live there. We like to be able to hop in the car and go somewhere. I can understand "island fever".
---If we had a recommend an island to someone it would be Maui.
---We enjoyed San Diego as well. We only did a small fraction of the things that were available in the area we were staying in. If we ever did another cruise out of San Diego I would go early again and try to do some of those other things.
---Having a couple of extra days at the end of the cruise worked out for us this time as well. I don't think I'll ever chose to fly out on the day a cruise is due in. Just too much stress if something goes wrong on the cruise.
---We would like to thank my brother for the air miles for the trip, especially the upgrade to 1st class on the way to San Diego. I didn't tell Marcia until we were at the airport. We both loved it and she didn't complain about flying the whole way :)
---We continue to enjoy Holland America and did put down a future cruise deposit for that cruise to Alaska. As soon as they release the dates for 2013, we will be giving them a call and setting things up.
---Coming home after three weeks away--it takes a while to catch up! I had 1500 emails and we had a laundry basket full of mail. By the time you get caught up, you feel like you need another vacation!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Back in San Diego--Sea World
Because of the medical evacuations, we arrived in San Diego one day late. That meant we only had one day for Sea World. We were off the ship at 9am, hopped in a cab to our hotel, checked in and dumped our stuff and were in a shuttle to Sea World by 930am.
Sea World Orlando is one of Marcia's favorite places. We've also been to the one in San Antonio. San Diego is a lot smaller. Most of the seating areas for the shows are about half or less of what we are used to seeing AND worst of all, none of the shows are covered. More about that later.
Our first stop was what used to be the bard for the Clydesdale horses. They now use it as an educational center. We got to pet the llamas, and no they didn't spit.
Then it was off to the Wild Arctic. They have lots of Beluga whales, including a 6 month old baby named Pearl. She's the grey object in the pic.
The walrus was just swimming and the polar bears were sleeping, so it was off to see the penguins. We enjoy watching them and did so for a while. When we came out of the Penguin Encounter, it started to rain. Off and on for a bit, but we headed for Shamu. We bought rain ponchos for all the good it did--remember the part above about no covered seating anywhere? Shamu didn't care that it was raining, but we got wet and were cold. The show was good though. By now it was pouring, but we headed to the Pet Show (Marcia's favorite), but found out that it was also an outdoor show and all they would do in the rain was allow you to meet the animals. Marcia wasn't really interested in seeing a wet dog, so we went in search of hot drinks. Once we had warmed up a bit, we felt a little better.
We found the seals and sea lions. This fellow was just posing so nicely.
He was rewarded with a whole tray of fish for himself.
It had stopped raining by now, so we did the Clyde and Seymour show (different from the one in Orlando) and then did Blue Horizons (which is my favorite). No pics from those as you can't time to the camera as to when an animal is going to do something.
We had seen all but the pet show and we still damp and cold, so found a taxi and headed back to the hotel, found something to eat, took some hot showers and watched tv before crashing early. Had to be up early for our taxi to the airport and our flight home the next day.
Sea World Orlando is one of Marcia's favorite places. We've also been to the one in San Antonio. San Diego is a lot smaller. Most of the seating areas for the shows are about half or less of what we are used to seeing AND worst of all, none of the shows are covered. More about that later.
Our first stop was what used to be the bard for the Clydesdale horses. They now use it as an educational center. We got to pet the llamas, and no they didn't spit.
Then it was off to the Wild Arctic. They have lots of Beluga whales, including a 6 month old baby named Pearl. She's the grey object in the pic.
The walrus was just swimming and the polar bears were sleeping, so it was off to see the penguins. We enjoy watching them and did so for a while. When we came out of the Penguin Encounter, it started to rain. Off and on for a bit, but we headed for Shamu. We bought rain ponchos for all the good it did--remember the part above about no covered seating anywhere? Shamu didn't care that it was raining, but we got wet and were cold. The show was good though. By now it was pouring, but we headed to the Pet Show (Marcia's favorite), but found out that it was also an outdoor show and all they would do in the rain was allow you to meet the animals. Marcia wasn't really interested in seeing a wet dog, so we went in search of hot drinks. Once we had warmed up a bit, we felt a little better.
We found the seals and sea lions. This fellow was just posing so nicely.
He was rewarded with a whole tray of fish for himself.
It had stopped raining by now, so we did the Clyde and Seymour show (different from the one in Orlando) and then did Blue Horizons (which is my favorite). No pics from those as you can't time to the camera as to when an animal is going to do something.
We had seen all but the pet show and we still damp and cold, so found a taxi and headed back to the hotel, found something to eat, took some hot showers and watched tv before crashing early. Had to be up early for our taxi to the airport and our flight home the next day.
Maui
This was definitely our favorite day in Hawaii and the one place we would go back to visit if we ever went to Hawaii again. To us, this is what Hawaii was SUPPOSED to look like.
We had an all day tour, so on the bus we go. We have a nice easy drive at first, partly along the shore then through the sugar cane fields. The cane fields are going away, mainly because they require so much water and water is a limited resource. We saw the last working sugar cane mill along the way:
Then we started what would be an almost 2 hour drive up to Haleakala National Park. We went to the crater, which is at 10,000 ft. That road takes you through some interesting countryside, including the house where Tom Selleck used to live, and a whole LOT of switchbacks to get to the top. Did I mention I'm prone to motion sickness? I was getting close when we finally made it to the top and the view was worth it.
Marcia thought she was going to freeze! It was a good 40 degrees cooler up here and it felt great!
Then it was an hour and a half back DOWN that same switchback road to get down to sea level again. We stopped and had lunch and then headed to Io State Park which is famous for this:
They call it "The Needle". Io State Park is a nice area. Some trails so you can see the mountains in different angles and a waterfall.
Then it was a drive back to the ship. We had a wonderful driver/guide who gave us a lot of information about the island in a humorous way and made the day just fly by. A guide can really make or break your trip. Back at the ship, we had to wait in a long line as we had to tender back to the ship. It seems everybody's tour ended at the same time and the line was REALLY long. That cold lemonade before getting on the tender tasted really good.
We had an all day tour, so on the bus we go. We have a nice easy drive at first, partly along the shore then through the sugar cane fields. The cane fields are going away, mainly because they require so much water and water is a limited resource. We saw the last working sugar cane mill along the way:
Then we started what would be an almost 2 hour drive up to Haleakala National Park. We went to the crater, which is at 10,000 ft. That road takes you through some interesting countryside, including the house where Tom Selleck used to live, and a whole LOT of switchbacks to get to the top. Did I mention I'm prone to motion sickness? I was getting close when we finally made it to the top and the view was worth it.
Marcia thought she was going to freeze! It was a good 40 degrees cooler up here and it felt great!
Then it was an hour and a half back DOWN that same switchback road to get down to sea level again. We stopped and had lunch and then headed to Io State Park which is famous for this:
They call it "The Needle". Io State Park is a nice area. Some trails so you can see the mountains in different angles and a waterfall.
Then it was a drive back to the ship. We had a wonderful driver/guide who gave us a lot of information about the island in a humorous way and made the day just fly by. A guide can really make or break your trip. Back at the ship, we had to wait in a long line as we had to tender back to the ship. It seems everybody's tour ended at the same time and the line was REALLY long. That cold lemonade before getting on the tender tasted really good.
Nawiliwili, Kauai
A more relaxing day today as we had signed up for a relatively easy shore excursion--a train ride on an old sugar plantation.
There was a guide on the train, a very knowledgeable young man. He told us a little about the original plantation and how they are now trying to grow a variety of trees and plants, just to see how they do. A lot of native plants are now extinct or almost extinct and most of what you see was imported by various settler groups over the years. It was a pleasant and scenic ride. We stopped by the area where they had corraled some wild pigs (wild pigs are what are used for luaus). You could get off the train and feed them bread. They knew...
There were these two little piglets that were so cute---they did everything in unison. Even their tails moved in unison. Momma pig must have told them not to go near the feeding area or they would get trampled and they stayed just outside the area, but I did get a pic of them. We enjoyed watching them play.
When the ride was over, we hit the gift shop for a tshirt and some post cards and Marcia got her last kitty fix of the trip.
We had some time to wander through the manor house, which was built in the 1930's. It has been converted into shops and a restaurant which is apparently the "in" place to eat.
Back to the ship where we waited for a shuttle to Hilo Hattie's so we could do some shopping. There were shuttles (all free) for 3 shopping areas, as well as Kmart and WalMart. All were constantly packed with passengers and crew. Marcia got a big kick out the the WalMart and Kmart shuttles. Hilo Hattie made some money on us as we found outfits for Kyra and Zander and I found (finally) a Hawaiian shirt for me--a nice understated one. Then it was back to the ship.
There was a guide on the train, a very knowledgeable young man. He told us a little about the original plantation and how they are now trying to grow a variety of trees and plants, just to see how they do. A lot of native plants are now extinct or almost extinct and most of what you see was imported by various settler groups over the years. It was a pleasant and scenic ride. We stopped by the area where they had corraled some wild pigs (wild pigs are what are used for luaus). You could get off the train and feed them bread. They knew...
There were these two little piglets that were so cute---they did everything in unison. Even their tails moved in unison. Momma pig must have told them not to go near the feeding area or they would get trampled and they stayed just outside the area, but I did get a pic of them. We enjoyed watching them play.
When the ride was over, we hit the gift shop for a tshirt and some post cards and Marcia got her last kitty fix of the trip.
We had some time to wander through the manor house, which was built in the 1930's. It has been converted into shops and a restaurant which is apparently the "in" place to eat.
Back to the ship where we waited for a shuttle to Hilo Hattie's so we could do some shopping. There were shuttles (all free) for 3 shopping areas, as well as Kmart and WalMart. All were constantly packed with passengers and crew. Marcia got a big kick out the the WalMart and Kmart shuttles. Hilo Hattie made some money on us as we found outfits for Kyra and Zander and I found (finally) a Hawaiian shirt for me--a nice understated one. Then it was back to the ship.
Honolulu
This was to be a long day, with two shore excursions. Up early for our trip to Pearl Harbor. The bus took up to the park where you have timed tickets for your ride over to the Arizona Memorial. We had a little less than an hour until our turn, so we had time to wander the grounds. In front of the bookshop there were 4 Pearl Harbor survivors that were signing items and posing for pictures. We stopped in the gift shop for some souveniers and headed over to the museum. We both wished we had more time there as it was quite interesting, but we had to be in line to see the 25 minute movie (quite good) before getting on the ferry and going over to the Memorial.
It's best if you've seen a picture from the air, so you can really see the memorial over the center of the ship. It puts it all in perspective. You get about 20 minutes at the memorial until the next ferry comes along. The big white markers show where other ships went down.
You can still see the oil bubbling up little by little. I heard estimates of 50 to 100 years more for it all to be gone.
At the far end of the memorial is a little alcove where all the names of the men who died on the Arizona are inscribed:
It is also interesting to know that any survivor of the Arizona is entitled to have his cremains entombed with his shipmates. The ranger said 19 survivors are left. One has chosen to be buried with his wife, so that leaves 18 possible men that can be left there. It seems a fairly large percentage of survivors chose this option.
Then it was on the bus and off for a tour of Honolulu. We were able to drive through the National Cemetary which had been closed earlier that morning for an official function.
Then back to the ship for a short break (and lunch) before our luau later that afternoon and evening. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing part of the trip. We were picked up a little after 4, taken to the luau location by 5, had three hours of free time there (to do what?), didn't eat until 8 and the food wasn't very good, and the show didn't start until 830 or so. The show was good, but only lasted 40 minutes. So for us, it was a wasted $300. We did get the shot of us on the beach at sunset though...
Pearl Harbor was a moving experience and we both highly recommend it. We would have been better off staying on the ship for their luau by the pool and watching the entertainment (hula show) in the lounge.
It's best if you've seen a picture from the air, so you can really see the memorial over the center of the ship. It puts it all in perspective. You get about 20 minutes at the memorial until the next ferry comes along. The big white markers show where other ships went down.
You can still see the oil bubbling up little by little. I heard estimates of 50 to 100 years more for it all to be gone.
At the far end of the memorial is a little alcove where all the names of the men who died on the Arizona are inscribed:
It is also interesting to know that any survivor of the Arizona is entitled to have his cremains entombed with his shipmates. The ranger said 19 survivors are left. One has chosen to be buried with his wife, so that leaves 18 possible men that can be left there. It seems a fairly large percentage of survivors chose this option.
Then it was on the bus and off for a tour of Honolulu. We were able to drive through the National Cemetary which had been closed earlier that morning for an official function.
Then back to the ship for a short break (and lunch) before our luau later that afternoon and evening. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing part of the trip. We were picked up a little after 4, taken to the luau location by 5, had three hours of free time there (to do what?), didn't eat until 8 and the food wasn't very good, and the show didn't start until 830 or so. The show was good, but only lasted 40 minutes. So for us, it was a wasted $300. We did get the shot of us on the beach at sunset though...
Pearl Harbor was a moving experience and we both highly recommend it. We would have been better off staying on the ship for their luau by the pool and watching the entertainment (hula show) in the lounge.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Hilo, Hawaii
This was our first island. We were taking a tour called "A Gourmet Volcano Adventure" and it was an all day trip. A young lady picked us up when we got off the ship and there were 12 of us together for the day in a van. Riding was okay, but getting in and out of that thing was a pain that got worse over the course of the day.
The young lady was a native of the island and a very good guide. She gave us a lot of good information as we drove around on our tour. Our first stop was a coffee plantation where we learned about the process of making coffee, but Marcia found a friendly cat first and got her kitty fix after 10 days away from her babies.
After some sampling and a quick shopping tour through the gift shop (where the guide also picked up our lunch) we headed to the Volcanoes National Park. Big crater with lots of steam would be the best description, no lava. Nice view though.
We drove around to a different area to get another view of it:
Then we drove to a lava tube that was made a long time ago. You have to walk down through the rain forest to get to it and our guide explained the different levels of the rain forest. Looked a lot like "Jurassic Park" to me. Kind of kept expecting a dinosaur to pop out. Marcia kept hearing birds but because of the foliage couldn't see them. The lava tube was .2 miles long and really interesting to walk through. Unfortunately it was hard to take pics of it because it was dark inside.
Then it was time for our picnic lunch---diffent kinds of wraps, potato salad, fresh pineapple and papaya, chips and juice drinks. Found my favorite drink there, a pinapple orange juice drink that I would try to find on other occasions on land. Here is our picnic location, a very nice setting:
Then it was on to a winery. According to Marcia, Hawaiian wines still have a way to go:
Then to the chocolate factory. Imagine: macadamia shortbread cookies, half dipped in caramel, then that same half dipped in chocolate. Now imagine why none of the ones we bought made it home :)
By then we were getting tired and it was about time to head back to the ship. We had been around a good bit of the area just to get to these various places and had learned a lot about the island and the people. We really enjoyed this trip and our guide and had a wonderful day.
The young lady was a native of the island and a very good guide. She gave us a lot of good information as we drove around on our tour. Our first stop was a coffee plantation where we learned about the process of making coffee, but Marcia found a friendly cat first and got her kitty fix after 10 days away from her babies.
After some sampling and a quick shopping tour through the gift shop (where the guide also picked up our lunch) we headed to the Volcanoes National Park. Big crater with lots of steam would be the best description, no lava. Nice view though.
We drove around to a different area to get another view of it:
Then we drove to a lava tube that was made a long time ago. You have to walk down through the rain forest to get to it and our guide explained the different levels of the rain forest. Looked a lot like "Jurassic Park" to me. Kind of kept expecting a dinosaur to pop out. Marcia kept hearing birds but because of the foliage couldn't see them. The lava tube was .2 miles long and really interesting to walk through. Unfortunately it was hard to take pics of it because it was dark inside.
Then it was time for our picnic lunch---diffent kinds of wraps, potato salad, fresh pineapple and papaya, chips and juice drinks. Found my favorite drink there, a pinapple orange juice drink that I would try to find on other occasions on land. Here is our picnic location, a very nice setting:
Then it was on to a winery. According to Marcia, Hawaiian wines still have a way to go:
Then to the chocolate factory. Imagine: macadamia shortbread cookies, half dipped in caramel, then that same half dipped in chocolate. Now imagine why none of the ones we bought made it home :)
By then we were getting tired and it was about time to head back to the ship. We had been around a good bit of the area just to get to these various places and had learned a lot about the island and the people. We really enjoyed this trip and our guide and had a wonderful day.
Cruise to Hawaii, Oct 22-Nov 6, 2011
We left San Diego about 5pm on Oct 22 on Holland America's Oosterdam. Holland America is our preferred cruise line and the Oosterdam is a Vista Class ship and bigger than the other ones we have been on. She holds about 1800 passengers, compared to the 1200 or so we are used to. We had 5 sea days on the way to Hawaii and because of a medical evacuation that required the ship to be turned around, we had 6 sea days on the way back from Hawaii. Some people would go crazy with that much free time, but we thought it was great. What to do? Well, sleep late, eat, read, eat lunch, watch a movie, nap, hit the casino, eat dinner, hit the casino, watch a show, hit the casino, go to bed, you get the idea. I saw a couple of movies in the theater, we watched five dvd's we brought from home in our cabin, plus a couple on tv, Marcia went to two wine tastings and read a couple of books, we each actually went to the gym a few times each, I spent most of my free time in the casino, we went to several of the shows, Marcia went to a couple of the Veteran's get togethers, we chatted with Whit and David and other folks we met on board and in general we just chilled out. We would actually (jokingly) complain that shore days interfered with our naptimes.
Some pics to show that we actually do know how to dress up for formal nights. We went to three, but only got pics from two. Service in the dining room was kind of slow, so we ended up eating most of our meals on the Lido deck.
Our number one favorite splurge on this trip was the unlimited laundry. This ship didn't have the coin laundries like some of the other ships, so you would have to send out your dirty clothes in these tiny, tiny little bags and they charge like $4 for a pair of pants and $2 for a pair of socks. We paid $49 a week and got unlimited laundry. Stuff it in a bag, send it out and they bring it back the next day in a basket, all nice and clean and folded. Since we already had 4 days of dirty clothes when we got on the ship, this was great. Marcia has already decided that we will do this on all cruises in the future. Since I'm the one who always does the laundry, I find this somewhat amusing...
And, everybody's favorite, the towel animals that would grace your bed every night when you came back to your room. Here are a few of our favorites:
Now on to the islands!
Some pics to show that we actually do know how to dress up for formal nights. We went to three, but only got pics from two. Service in the dining room was kind of slow, so we ended up eating most of our meals on the Lido deck.
Our number one favorite splurge on this trip was the unlimited laundry. This ship didn't have the coin laundries like some of the other ships, so you would have to send out your dirty clothes in these tiny, tiny little bags and they charge like $4 for a pair of pants and $2 for a pair of socks. We paid $49 a week and got unlimited laundry. Stuff it in a bag, send it out and they bring it back the next day in a basket, all nice and clean and folded. Since we already had 4 days of dirty clothes when we got on the ship, this was great. Marcia has already decided that we will do this on all cruises in the future. Since I'm the one who always does the laundry, I find this somewhat amusing...
And, everybody's favorite, the towel animals that would grace your bed every night when you came back to your room. Here are a few of our favorites:
Now on to the islands!
San Diego
First stop on our trip/cruise to Hawaii was San Diego. Neither of us had ever been there before and Marcia really wanted to check out the San Diego Zoo. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the pier and just a short taxi ride from the zoo, so that is where we spent our first two days.
The first day we arrived at the zoo and took the skylift ride up to the top of the zoo near the polar bears. You don't realize just how hilly the zoo is and some of those hills are pretty steep. I had read that this was the best way--ride to the top and work your way down. We passed by some different kinds of gazelles on our way to the polar bears. We weren't expecting much as polar bears are usually sleeping, but we were pleasantly surprised when two of them walked out in to the enclosure and started playing. We thought they were mother and cub but a guide later told us that all the bears were full grown, so one was puny. They were quite entertaining and apparently love romaine lettuce, something I don't think they get a lot of in the Arctic.
We then walked downhill and saw zebras, birds (including a couple of interesting varieties of hawks Marcia had never heard of), monkeys, pandas (sleeping), and lots more. We later took the bus tour of the zoo where we got to see about 80% of the zoo while sitting down and got to see some animals that we would not get to see again for one reason or another.
When we came back from the ride we stopped by to see the koalas. Usually they look like this:
That is, they are cute, but they are sleeping. One, however, was in a different location and he was awake and eating and therefore just as cute as he could be:
It was time to hit the souvenier shop for a few things and catch a cab back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner at this wonderful little Italian restaurant right across the street.
The next morning it was back to the zoo and back to almost the same starting point, but we went down the other side. First stop was by the lions. They were awake and active.
Right after them was the elephants. No little ones, all of these elephants are older.
We had a "serendipity" moment leaving the elephants---the keepers were moving an elephant in the enclosures and were separating two. A small crowd was gathering so we stayed and watched. Turned out that the older elephant (57 years) was going to get a foot soak for her arthritis and we got to watch. It's funny--the elephant takes the same medications for her arthritis as Marcia does!
Then it was through the condors and a few other things until the highlight of the visit. As a surprise I had purchased a "behind the scene" pass for us. For 1 1/2 hours we had special access to some of the animals. Feeding the rhino is Marcia's favorite story, but here are some of our favorite pics:
Flamingos
Artic Wolf
Bear Cat
Rhino
Rhino
Serval
Cheetah, with her companion dog and handler
So, as you can see, the zoo did not disappoint. We spent the next day at Balboa Park, which is right next to the zoo, and visited the Museum of Science and the Museum of Natural History. I didn't take my camera, which is a shame as the park is very beautiful and is full of museums and gardens.
The final morning we headed a few blocks from the hotel to "Little Italy" for a street market that a lady in the restaurant a few nights before had told us about. That was quite a fun experience as well. Lots of booths full of all kinds of things, with people milling all about. We headed back to the hotel a little before 11am to take the shuttle down to the pier to board the ship for our trip to Hawaii.
The first day we arrived at the zoo and took the skylift ride up to the top of the zoo near the polar bears. You don't realize just how hilly the zoo is and some of those hills are pretty steep. I had read that this was the best way--ride to the top and work your way down. We passed by some different kinds of gazelles on our way to the polar bears. We weren't expecting much as polar bears are usually sleeping, but we were pleasantly surprised when two of them walked out in to the enclosure and started playing. We thought they were mother and cub but a guide later told us that all the bears were full grown, so one was puny. They were quite entertaining and apparently love romaine lettuce, something I don't think they get a lot of in the Arctic.
We then walked downhill and saw zebras, birds (including a couple of interesting varieties of hawks Marcia had never heard of), monkeys, pandas (sleeping), and lots more. We later took the bus tour of the zoo where we got to see about 80% of the zoo while sitting down and got to see some animals that we would not get to see again for one reason or another.
When we came back from the ride we stopped by to see the koalas. Usually they look like this:
That is, they are cute, but they are sleeping. One, however, was in a different location and he was awake and eating and therefore just as cute as he could be:
It was time to hit the souvenier shop for a few things and catch a cab back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner at this wonderful little Italian restaurant right across the street.
The next morning it was back to the zoo and back to almost the same starting point, but we went down the other side. First stop was by the lions. They were awake and active.
Right after them was the elephants. No little ones, all of these elephants are older.
We had a "serendipity" moment leaving the elephants---the keepers were moving an elephant in the enclosures and were separating two. A small crowd was gathering so we stayed and watched. Turned out that the older elephant (57 years) was going to get a foot soak for her arthritis and we got to watch. It's funny--the elephant takes the same medications for her arthritis as Marcia does!
Then it was through the condors and a few other things until the highlight of the visit. As a surprise I had purchased a "behind the scene" pass for us. For 1 1/2 hours we had special access to some of the animals. Feeding the rhino is Marcia's favorite story, but here are some of our favorite pics:
Flamingos
Artic Wolf
Bear Cat
Rhino
Rhino
Serval
Cheetah, with her companion dog and handler
So, as you can see, the zoo did not disappoint. We spent the next day at Balboa Park, which is right next to the zoo, and visited the Museum of Science and the Museum of Natural History. I didn't take my camera, which is a shame as the park is very beautiful and is full of museums and gardens.
The final morning we headed a few blocks from the hotel to "Little Italy" for a street market that a lady in the restaurant a few nights before had told us about. That was quite a fun experience as well. Lots of booths full of all kinds of things, with people milling all about. We headed back to the hotel a little before 11am to take the shuttle down to the pier to board the ship for our trip to Hawaii.
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