April 13, 2026 Osaka is Japan’s third largest city (after Tokyo and Yokohama) with almost 3 million people. Osaka is also a great starting point to visit Kyoto, Japan. The cruise terminal is next to the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, which at 369 feet was the world’s tallest from 1997-1999. Now there are 23 taller observation… Read more

April 12, 2026 Bragging rights to the largest cities by population in the world can depend on just how you define a city (city proper, urban area, metropolitan area, etc.) Regardless, Tokyo one of our upcoming ports is likely to top the list, with an estimated 37 million people in its metropolitan area, which includes Yokohama. Osaka,… Read more

April 11, 2026 What is it that brings a community together and why do residents remain in a community? The answer to both questions is often the same: adversity. In 2023, Chongae and I spent time in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan two cities where on August 6, 1945, atomic bombs were dropped killing tens of… Read more

April 10, 2026 One of the many things we like about this segment of our World Tour is its extensive Asian itinerary. We will now be visiting 9 Japanese ports before passing through The International Dateline and beginning our long crossing to Alaska. Japan remarkably has 100 ports, some like the ones that we will… Read more

April 9, 2026 Unique to Jeju Island women divers Haenyeo (해녀), meaning “sea women” are one of the most unique and respected cultural traditions in Korea. Haenyeo are free divers, they dive without oxygen tanks to depths of 65 feet holding their breath up to 3 minutes at a time. Although a long-standing tradition, because… Read more

April 7, 2026 After 93 days at sea we had our first day of rain. Not just rain, but treacherous rains with umbrella crushing winds. We had planned to visit Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. This one-hundred-year-old bustling city in the East China Sea is situated 18 miles west of Keelung. The driving time to… Read more

April 5, 2026 Sunday we were in Hong Kong, and it was Easter Sunday. This is a day of reflection and thanksgiving for Chongae and I. Many believe that Christmas is the most important celebration in Christianity, but Easter Sunday is the most important day for Christians because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.… Read more

April 5, 2026 Below is a blog I wrote on March 21, 2024. It received so many comments that I thought I would repost it for your consideration. Happy Easter… March 31, 2024 In People of the Lie, Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, M.D., wrote evil people suffer from an extreme form of “self-protectiveness…Their “goodness” is… Read more

April 1, 2026 Hạ Long Bay is one of the Seven Wonders of Nature and I can see why. Famous for thousands of limestone karsts and islands rising out of emerald waters it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hạ Long Bay is Southeast Asia’s most popular tourist destination, and it can only… Read more

March 29, 2026 Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Or is it Saigon, Vietnam? Tourists have come to know this city as Ho Chi Minh City but many Vietnamese, because of their fractured relationship with China still call the city Saigon. Also, many Vietnamese want to memorialize what they consider the most heroic act… Read more