March 1, 2024 Of course the first thing most people associate Tokyo with is Mt. Fuji. The highest peak in Japan overshadows the city. Our son lives in Colorado and the Rockies are magnificent, but the triangular vanilla ice cream cone shape of Mt. Fuji is unique. Chongae and I are not excursion type people.… Read more

February 26, 2024 Okinawa, Japan is well known for the bloodiest ground battle of World War II. During this 82-day-long battle, 95,000 Imperial Japanese soldiers and 21,000 American soldiers were killed. The current movie sensation Oppenheimer (Actor Robert Downey, Jr. does a terrific job portraying United States Atomic Energy Commissioner Lewis Strauss) tells the story… Read more

February 24, 2024 This is the first time for the Zuiderdam to disembark at Ishigaki Island, Japan and I sure am happy she did. Many travelers only visit the major cities of a country and fail to find the hidden charms of more remote destinations. Ishigaki Island is one of those gems. By definition, Ishigaki… Read more

February 20, 2024 This is my first time to the Microasian islands of Guam and Saipan. Enroute to Japan I have always travelled through the South Pacific so it is always fun to visit somewhere you have not been before. Guam and Saipan both have a strong US military presence so it is typical to… Read more

February 16, 2024 On the way to Japan my blog was down. Time to catch up. I was raised in a tradition where our family “said grace” before we ate meals. I can still remember the simple blessing: “Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty,… Read more

February 8, 2024 I tested these new clean arteries with two long back to back flights (Orlando to Los Angeles 5 hours, Los Angeles to Honolulu 5 hours) and all is well. Best for me to get back in the saddle as soon as possible. There are 8 schedules sea days between Hawaii and Guam… Read more

February 5, 2024 First, thank you for all the love and concern shared by my brother Brian and family members, our children and many friends. I was airlifted from Granada and arrived in Orlando late Monday night, January 22. It was determined that I had developed a blood clot in my leg that had gone… Read more

January 20, 2024 Well, this was not part of the itinerary! I woke up in the morning and had elevated heart rate upon exertion. I decided it best to go to the ship clinic. My blood work revealed I has a D-dimer level of 3190. (Simply stated, D-dimer is an undetectable protein fragment produced when… Read more

January 14 and January 16, 2024 Manaus and Santarem are two Brazilian ports located in the center of the Amazon rainforest. Rubber made them the richest cities in South America during the 1800’s. Many wealthy European families settled in these two cities and brought their love of European art, architecture and culture with them. They… Read more

I first read about Boca da Valeria, Brazil, in 2022. This indigenous community of about 100 people 850 miles up the Amazon River is arguably the smallest port of call in the world. In a good year, three or four ships may visit allowing the most adventurous passengers to embark a river boat and disembark… Read more