The Grand Tour of East Asia: Big Names, Bigger Money

By Al Kamen
Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Already back from Rehoboth and thinking about doing something a little different next year?

Have a spare $30,000 to $70,000 or so to spend? Then hop onboard the luxurious, all-suite Silver Whisper cruise in East Asia featuring several speeches by former president George H.W. Bush, backed up by former defense secretary William Perry.

Yes, Harvard, Yale, Stanford and other alumni associations and the Smithsonian Institution are co-sponsoring an 18-day cruise next March that features three "keynote lectures" by the former ambassador to China, CIA director, president and now cruise "study leader."

Backup speakers include Perry, now teaching at Stanford; Roger B. Porter, the former Bush aide on economic and domestic policy who is now teaching at Harvard; and China scholar Jonathan D. Spence of Yale.

You and nearly 400 other participants will spend a few days in Beijing (pack winter gear) before flying down to Hong Kong to board the ship for trips up to Shanghai (do not miss the Bund just after sunrise or dinner at M on the Bund, and allow several hours for the spectacular Shanghai Museum). Then it's on to Seoul and a tour of the DMZ, then Japan, Taipei and home.

So how can this cost so much? Well, in addition to the lectures and a dinner with Bush, the ship has an open bar throughout and a casino. But that is NOT what this cruise is all about. Au contraire!

"Those seeking a non-stop party atmosphere and Las Vegas-style entertainment are probably the only vacationers who might be disappointed," according to a review of such cruises on About.com.

"Even with the all-inclusive drink policy, cruisers are not on the Silver Whisper for a "wild" time. . . . Ship life does not revolve around the casino or the ship's activities. Silver Whisper passengers know how to entertain themselves," apparently by attending breathtaking policy seminars.

"Entertain" is, of course, somewhat elastic. For example, would the one stop in Japan be the beautiful Imperial Palace or perhaps the lovely Hokkaido? Well, no. It's Nagasaki to see the Atomic Bomb Museum, which, the Harvard brochure artfully notes, "marks this city's place in nuclear history." Sure does.

The cruise brochure blurb on Shanghai says the small "fishing village then opened to international trade in 1842 and swiftly became [China's] most important trading city, with British, French and Japanese residents influencing the development of a unique Shanghai culture."

A most curious description of the Opium Wars, when the Brits, acting as muscle for drug dealers, forced the Chinese to buy opium and the imperial powers -- including the United States -- carved up and took over Shanghai. The Chinese somehow don't remember the era quite so fondly -- and they do remember.

In any event, the cheapo little suites are only $31,000 for two -- $26,515 for a single -- while the Owner's Suite goes for $68,000 for two. (Airfare is extra.) If you want to stay a few more days, Perry leads a side trip to Hanoi, which appears much more like a traditional tour of beautiful places.

Unclear how much -- or if -- Bush is getting paid or if Barbara Bush will be aboard. The tour operator isn't saying. A Smithsonian spokesman said that most lecturers generally sign on for a free cruise for themselves and their spouses, with a daily honorarium of $150 to $225. But tour operators may pony up a good deal more for marquee talent.

But Europe's Not So Bad . . .

You say you can't wait until March? Don't have that much money lying about? No problem.

Perry, joined by former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, is leading a 12-day cruise beginning Sept. 24 from Venice along the stunning Dalmatian Coast. The Smithsonian brochure says that along the way, you'll "meet local dignitaries and distinguished statesmen who played key roles in brokering peace following the break-up of Yugoslavia" in the 1990s.

In Mostar, you'll tour "Stari Most, the city's restored 16th century bridge," which had been blown up perhaps by one of those very "local dignitaries" or their predecessors or neighbors.

And who knows but what you might run into one of those alleged fugitive war criminals on vacation -- say, Ratko Mladic or maybe Radovan Karadzic. This cruise is much cheaper, just $13,000 to $22,000 per person (double occupancy).

. . . and Neither Is Hawaii

Really, really impatient? Simply have to go somewhere sooner? Then you may want to hop over to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu this weekend to monitor the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board of governors' meeting at the beautiful Moana Surfrider Hotel right on the beach.

The meetings, open to the public, are from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, and for just an hour Tuesday morning. Plenty of time for touring.

"Hawaii was selected because of the number of stations (six) providing services to the residents of Hawaii and the Pacific Islanders and because of the important role that the minority consortia plays in producing programming for Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, as well as the mainland," spokeswoman Louise Filkins said in an e-mail.

Board meetings are often held around the country, most recently in Arizona, Mississippi and Alaska, she said, and "peak travel seasons are avoided to control costs. So the rooms are only $250 a night this time of year for the seven board members, five officers, five staff and CPB's Inspector General." The average airfare is about $2,000 per person.

The Motel 6 in Gaithersburg apparently had been booked.

Karen Hughes Sighting

Keeping up with . . . public diplomacy czarina Karen Hughes. Hughes seemed to adopt a lower profile after her first, somewhat maladroit, trip to the Middle East. There were even rumors that she was headed back to Texas.

But there she was, back in the news last week, popping up in the West Bank town of Ramallah to attend an event launching a small-business loan guarantee program and talking some more about a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Quiet diplomacy, as they say.

Speech! Speech!

Margaret Camp, who worked for The Washington Post's Book World section before going to work for Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Bill "Dr. Video" Frist (R-Tenn.), and most recently the senior speechwriter in FBI Director Robert S. Mueller's office, is headed to the Labor Department to write speeches for Secretary Elaine Chao.