Safari to the Rising Sun

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Safari to the Rising Sun
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Boynton Beach, Florida, United States ‐ Mar 31, 2023

7.7 mi
Delray Beach, Florida ‐ Mar 30, 2023

19.7 mi
Delray Beach, Florida ‐ Mar 29, 2023

22.9 mi
Delray Beach ‐ Mar 27, 2023

8.6 mi

Less jet-lag
Delray Beach ‐ Mar 26, 2023

584.5 mi

Back in Florida hauling along 11 pieces of luggage. Still jet-lagged.
Atlanta ‐ Mar 25, 2023

11 mi

Still jet-lagged
Atlanta ‐ Mar 24, 2023

6 879.2 mi

Jet-lagged in the USA
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Haneda Airport, Japan ‐ Mar 23, 2023

13.3 mi

Preparing for flight home!! What an adventure we had!
Toyko ‐ Mar 22, 2023

82.3 mi

Yokohama, the final port -- Jingu Stadium, last Excursion The Tokyo Yakult Swallows scored twice in the eighth inning to win 2-0 so I got to witness the unique Umbrella Dance

The Umbrella Dance
Nagoya ‐ Mar 21, 2023

268.4 mi
Kyoto ‐ Mar 20, 2023

334.2 mi

The drive from the port of Kobe through Osaka to Kyoto took two hours both ways. I saw the Golden Pavilion and the Nijo-je Gardens and had a traditional Japanese lunch of things I never ate before. I saw more fully-blossomed cherry trees and more.

+14
Hiroshima ‐ Mar 19, 2023

326.6 mi

A visit to Hiroshima cannot be dealt with in a blog. It takes weeks not hours to process what you see. We were at a memorial park and museum to learn what happened. They are important to see. Our trip was given some balance by a stop at a Japanese garden that was serene, beautiful and allowed us our first look at cherry blossoms.

+11

Post 29: Fallout

Tak, our Hiroshima tour guide, was born four days before the atomic bomb destroyed a large part of the city. She was 400 kilometers from the blast and most of the 140,000 who perished by the end of Au...
Busan, South Korea ‐ Mar 18, 2023

179.9 mi

Batter Up! -- Busan South Korea

+5

Will To Win

Post 28: An open letter to New York Mets owner Steve Cohen

Dear Mr. Cohen: As a billionaire who is pouring some of your wealth into my beloved team, I thank you for at least trying to save our hapless franchise. I write to you with the best intentions of tryi...
Jeju Island ‐ Mar 17, 2023

260.5 mi

+12

Post 27: Devine trees and winds

Table Mountain in Cape Town. The rock formations at Phang Na Bay. The Underground River near Puerto Princesa. All were mentioned as the 7 New Wonders of the World selections. We visited them all. Jeju...
Sasebo, Japan ‐ Mar 16, 2023

208.2 mi

+4

Post 26: I had to do it! Another "after a while crocodile" headline!

Shopping day. We were looking for something special. Just for you. We didn't find it. But we took a detour from the outdoor covered shopping mall called an arcade in this small city on a small island...
Kagoshima ‐ Mar 15, 2023

238.9 mi

A mildly active volcano hovers over this beautiful, clean city/port. Our excursion to the base of the volcano included a bus ride to a bus-carrying ferry. Our guide was a native who graduated from Indiana University. Among the history lessons we received was that the first European visitors to Japan introduced guns and Christianity. The volcano wasn’t active this morning but as I write at 4 p.m. it’s spewing dark ash into the blue sky and I added a few pictures.

+9
At sea, East China Sea ‐ Mar 14, 2023

296 mi

Last full sea day of voyage, weather permitting
Naha, Okinawa, Japan ‐ Mar 13, 2023

164.7 mi

I took a Battle of Okinawa tour to three places. The underground headquarters of the Japanese navy; a museum to honor an all-girls school (almost all of them died at the end of the battle); a memorial park at the southern tip of the island. The park was serene and spiritual recalling my emotions when visiting Normandy. The girls' story was told beautifully and oh so sad.

+14
At sea ‐ Mar 12, 2023

188.1 mi

East China Sea

Post 25: Bonnie's new buddies

Bonnie has a way of meeting people and recruiting them. I should know. This voyage hasn't been any different. Recently at a dinner organized for the 52 of us going Cape Town-to-Tokyo, she sat next to...
Taipei, Taiwan ‐ Mar 11, 2023

233.9 mi

Rob ventured into Taipei from the port city of Keelung armed only with Google Maps and Translate to navigate two train lines and a walk with a specific mall store as the target of this scavenger hunt. And Bonnie has a new idol. Post coming on 3/12.
Hualien ‐ Mar 10, 2023

181.6 mi

We gorged ourselves and it wasn't at the Nautica buffet.

+22

Taiwan/all three stops
Kaohsiung ‐ Mar 9, 2023

316.4 mi

The Dancing Queen

A whale of a building

Post 24: Waving on the dock of a bay

The suprising city of Kaohsiung barely had an traffic or crowded sidewalks. Some of the building were impressive, especially the one that greet us when we woke up already docked. The whale-loke buildi...
At sea ‐ Mar 8, 2023

329.3 mi

South China Sea
Manila, Philippines ‐ Mar 7, 2023

262.2 mi

Golf day!

+6

Club Intramuros

Post 23: Nice Drive, Mister!

This one’s for Fred Wolfson, Dick Marks, Alan Smith, Harvey Schwartz, Zabby and the rest of my Friday golf group: I don’t miss you guys! I don’t miss golf or Golf Genius or the third green or the four...
At sea ‐ Mar 6, 2023

382.9 mi

After arriving at the port of Boracay Island, Philippines, high winds and waves made it dangerous for passengers to use a tender to go to the island. So we left the port and headed for Manila
Puerto Princesa, Philippines ‐ Mar 5, 2023

400.5 mi

Unforgettable trip to underground river

+8

The Underground River

Post 22: The 25 Million Year Old Museum

Planning for this voyage started a year ago and after looking through almost 300 potential ship excursions in South Africa, India, Japan and 12 other countries, Bonnie immediately zeroed in on Puerta...
Borneo, Malaysia ‐ Mar 4, 2023

349.1 mi

Borneo -- Mari-Mari Map

Post 21: Head’s up when you’re in Borneo

So I’m in a bus headed for a Cultral Village in Borneo, part of eastern Malaysia, when Cindy, our guide finishes her greeting and goes into a detailed primer on headhunters, male warriors of the local...
Muara, Brunei ‐ Mar 3, 2023

240.3 mi

+4

Brunei
At sea ‐ Mar 2, 2023

482.1 mi

South China Sea
Singapore, Singapore ‐ Mar 1, 2023

272.9 mi
At sea ‐ Feb 28, 2023

507 mi

South China Sea
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ‐ Feb 27, 2023

338.3 mi
Ho Chi Minh City ‐ Feb 26, 2023

11.9 mi

+14

Post 20: Home Chi Minh City

Missing family on a 75-day journey was at the top of the list of pre-trip trepidations. Thanks to What’s App and a better than expected Wifi system on Nautica, I worried about nothing. I’ve been able...
Ho Chi Minh City ‐ Feb 25, 2023

53.9 mi

Hi Chi Minh City
At sea ‐ Feb 24, 2023

300.3 mi

South China Sea avoid storm further north
At sea ‐ Feb 23, 2023

292.5 mi

Gulf of Thailand
Sihanoukville, Cambodia ‐ Feb 22, 2023

291.3 mi

Independent Monument In Sihanouk like -- Fishing Village -- Beach

+16
Ko Sumai, Thailand ‐ Feb 21, 2023

438.3 mi

A second Thai massage spa day along with Hawaiian pizza, Shrimp pad thai and two hours on a perfect beach.
Bangkok ‐ Feb 20, 2023

150.5 mi

An early tour to the Grand Royal Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddah in 93-degree weather was really cool. Seriously. There was a nice breeze that mitigated the heat and for a tourist trap is was worth the visit. After an adventure in which fellow passenger Erica and the Bangkok police prevented us from getting totally ripped off by a taxi driver, we departed this enormous city for Ko Sumai.
Bangkok ‐ Feb 19, 2023

22.4 mi
Bangkok ‐ Feb 18, 2023

89.5 mi

Post 17: Every city has a story

Big cities in Southeast Asia have so much in common that it's almost "see one, you see them all." But not quite. Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bangkok in Thailand and Singapore in Singapore: ar...
Ko Sumai ‐ Feb 17, 2023

322.9 mi

Thai massages are the best. Why did I wait so long?
At sea, Gulf of Thailand ‐ Feb 16, 2023

616.4 mi
Singapore, Singapore ‐ Feb 15, 2023

234.6 mi

+19
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ‐ Feb 14, 2023

199 mi
Penang ‐ Feb 13, 2023

296.9 mi

+17
Phuket, Thailand ‐ Feb 12, 2023

460.9 mi

+11

Phang Na Bay/Phuket, Thailand

Post 16: Rocks of ages

A large speedboat voyage sped us through the emerald green waters of Phang Na Bay to see one of the wonders of the earth. Jutting out of the tranquil waters are dozens of sheer rock formations, most...
At sea, Andaman Sea ‐ Feb 11, 2023

422.6 mi

Closing in on Phukett,Thailand
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Feb 10, 2023

483.2 mi
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Feb 9, 2023

491.8 mi

Happy Birthday, Andrew!
Kochi, India ‐ Feb 8, 2023

Arrived at Kochi hotel after midnight. Surprised Bonnie. When she opened the door to a room service waiter with my dinner, I was standing there! We were apart for 40 hours, which seemed like 40 days. After catching up on some much-needed sleep, we had a very cool day driving around Kochi seeing Vasco de Gama's tomb and a Jewish synagogue older than the Taj Mahal. I can't tell you how happy we were to see the Nautica when we finally arrived.

+3
Agra ‐ Feb 7, 2023

1 339.6 mi

+15

Taj Mahal

Post 14: Crown of the Palace

Pictures capture the beauty and achievement of the Taj Mahal better than my words ever could. So I will post many pictures taken by me and of me by my fabulous guides. You can read all the details onl...
- Indira Gandhi International Airport Arrival Road ‐ Feb 10, 2023
  
  Airplane from Agra to Delhi arrived late so I missed connection to Cochin flight. Left four hours later from a different airport
Agra ‐ Feb 6, 2023

133 mi
Indira Gandhi International Airport

707 mi
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport

5 mi
Mumbai ‐ Feb 5, 2023

62.8 mi

+8
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Feb 4, 2023

397.3 mi
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Feb 3, 2023

478 mi

Our first rainy day comes while traveling due north for Mumbai.
Male, Maldives ‐ Feb 2, 2023

221.4 mi

A day of swimming and snorkeling in this vacation wonderland of the rich and famous went sideways when a strong current pulled Bop-n-Bon and a few others away from the small area of calm water where thousands of fish were waiting for us. We were wearing life jackets and got back to the boat safely.
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Feb 1, 2023

494.2 mi
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Jan 31, 2023

316.2 mi
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Jan 30, 2023

487.8 mi

First of three days to reach the Maldives.
Mahe, Seychelles ‐ Jan 29, 2023

230.4 mi

Our first snorkeling excursion of the trip was slightly sabotaged by remnants of the cyclone. The cloudy, rainy, windy day made visibility murky in the glass bottom boat portion of the trip so photos and videos were not good. The snorkeling was ok but just as we made it to the reef, a rain shower forced us back to the boat. But we were entertained on the ride back by three boat workers who were amazing dancers.
At sea, Indian Ocean ‐ Jan 28, 2023

507.9 mi

Heading to the Seychelles. We meet one of the enrichment speakers on the Nautica. It turned out he was a cheerleader at the University of Missouri who graduated in 1969, one year before me. Since I was on the football field too, as an equipment manager, we'd surely crossed paths about 55 years earlier.
Nosy Be, Madagascar ‐ Jan 27, 2023

287.6 mi

We take a speedboat to the tiny jungle island of Nosy Komba for adventures with lemurs, chameleons, turtles and boa constrictors and visit a small native village.

+5

Madagascar

Boa Business: Madagascar

Monkey Business: Panama Canal

Monkey Business: Gibraltar

Monkey Business: Madagascar

Post 12: Nosy Komba

Bonnie's an expert on monkeys. She's fed monkeys in Panama. Played with monkeys on Gibraltar. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet lemurs, small monkeys with a pointed snout, large eyes and a...
At sea, Mozambique Channel ‐ Jan 26, 2023

387.7 mi

We were supposed to be taking a catamaran excursion on this date but our stop in Mayotte, French Comoros, has denied by the cyclone. Again, not seasick.
At sea, Mozambique Channel ‐ Jan 25, 2023

475.9 mi

We continue hugging the coast of Mozambique to lesson the waves and winds from the cyclone as we head north. The Nautica has fantastic stabilizers to weather the higher seas and we don't get seasick.
At sea, Mozambique Channel ‐ Jan 24, 2023

486.5 mi

Evading The Cyclone - Speed north close to Mozambique coast to elude a Cat 1 cyclone aiming at Madagascar, a future port of call.

Post 13: The Nautica

Bonnie and I have had questions about what it’s like on our cruise ship. And how we’re holding up after 20 days with still 44 ahead. Answer: expectations surpassed. With 600 passengers and 400 staff m...
Maputo, Mozambique ‐ Jan 23, 2023

268.6 mi

The first ship extension was to the Mozambique capital with stops at a world's top 10 most beautiful train stations, markets, museums and views of interesting neighborhoods and extreme poverty. Each place we stopped we had to run a gauntlet of souvenir hawkers.

Post 3: Storm ahead

There's a cyclone forming ahead of us. About 5:45 p.m. our time, while we were relaxing in a hot tub at the bow of the ship's ninth level, the captain announced that we are changing course to head due...
Richard's Bay, South Africa ‐ Jan 22, 2023

247.1 mi

Port of Richards Bay - We wanted to golf but communication with the golf courses was dicey so i passed.
Durban ‐ Jan 21, 2023

158.6 mi

With both of us a little under the weather, we relaxed onboard.
At sea ‐ Jan 20, 2023

284.1 mi

A planned day on the Nautica
At sea ‐ Jan 19, 2023

411.8 mi

A visit to Mossel Bay, South Africa was canceled with high winds in the the harbor. Happy to rest after eight straight days of traveling.

Post 2: Skipping ahead

Currently shipboard. Heading east from Cape Town and we're skipping our first stop in Mossel Bay, South Africa because bad weather has made the harbor dangerous. So we're two days on the ship and I ho...
Cape Town, South Africa ‐ Jan 18, 2023

129.5 mi

All aboard the Oceania Nautica for 64 days
Cape Town ‐ Jan 17, 2023

85.8 mi

Circling the cape peninsula to see seals, the Cape of Good Hope and Simon's Town penguins.
Cape Town ‐ Jan 16, 2023

30.8 mi

Robben Island and Table Top Mountain
Londolozi to Cape Town ‐ Jan 15, 2023

1 059.8 mi

Safari Drive 6, the final bush trek with lions in the middle of the road, a strange bird and a crocodile rocks. Then a flight to Cape Town and dinner on the beautiful harbor

Lyin' Lions
- Londolozi ‐ Jan 14, 2023
  
  Safari, Drive 5 another dog hunt and some giraffes
  
  Post 9: After a while, a crocodile
  
  The last drive was not the least. It was a beast. The night before I asked Ranger Matt about the area in Londolozi to the north, across the Sand River where we had not traveled. He said none of the ra...
Londolozi ‐ Jan 14, 2023

18.9 mi

Safari Drive 4 Wild dogs and a leopard

Safari Drive 5

+5

Safari Drive 4

Dung Beetle Redux

Battle on the bush

Post 8: The good and the bad

The drama of the morning was not repeated that evening. The wild dogs were on the hunt of hundreds of impalas. We got involved in the long chase. Ranger Matt had an uncanny ability to know where the d...

Post 7: Leopard spots and Dogs gone Wild

Terrence spotted leopard tracks about 30 minutes into the drive, but it was another 30 before there were results. Other rangers reported a leopard close to where we had been. Another alerted all of us...
- Londolozi ‐ Jan 13, 2023
  
  Safari Drive 3, a lion in winter
Londolozi ‐ Jan 13, 2023

23.3 mi

Londolozi Safari Drive 2 - Morning drive went from enormous Bull Elephants to tiny Dung Beetles trying to push a ball of dung up a hill

+2

Safari Drive 3

The Lion & The Rover

Leopard Turtle
Londolozi Game Reserve ‐ Jan 12, 2023

38.9 mi

Safari Drive 1, the first drive may have been short but seeing zebra, ostrich, rhinos, cape buffalo and farting elephants was thrilling

+3

Safari Drive 1
Skukuza Airport

381.1 mi
Johannesburg ‐ Jan 11, 2023

13 568 mi
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, United States ‐ Jan 10, 2023

943.3 mi
Boynton Beach, United States ‐ Jan 10, 2023

....and we're off

As many of you know, our trip got off to a bad start when I got Flu-ed, a few days before departure. We had to cut the drive to Atlanta and the Victoria Falls portion of our trips. As I write this fir...
- Richards Bay, South Africa ‐ Jan 24, 2023
  
  158.2 mi
  - Maputo, Mozambique ‐ Jan 25, 2023
    
    489.9 mi
    
    Comoros, Comoros ‐ Jan 26, 2023
    
    2 103.6 mi
    
    Nosy Antaly Be, Madagascar ‐ Jan 27, 2023
    
    551.8 mi
    
    Mahé, Seychelles ‐ Jan 29, 2023
    
    1 068.2 mi
    
    Malé, Maldives ‐ Feb 2, 2023
    
    2 230.9 mi
    
    Mumbai, India ‐ Feb 5, 2023
    
    1 658 mi
    
    New Delhi, India ‐ Feb 6, 2023
    
    713.3 mi
    
    Post 15: Observations and Hypotheses about India
    
    Decades have past since I sat in an auto-driving class watching a film of a first-person view of a driver on a busy city street. I had to be alert for other vehicles and pedestrians who might flash in...
    
    Bengaluru, India ‐ Feb 6, 2023
    
    1 080.6 mi
    
    Kochi, India ‐ Feb 8, 2023
    
    228.8 mi
    
    Phuket, Thailand ‐ Feb 12, 2023
    
    2 983.4 mi
    
    Penang, Malaysia ‐ Feb 13, 2023
    
    344.2 mi
    
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ‐ Feb 14, 2023
    
    302.5 mi
    
    +13
    
    Singapore, Singapore ‐ Feb 15, 2023
    
    441.9 mi
    
    Ko Samui, Thailand ‐ Feb 17, 2023
    
    1 122.4 mi
    
    Bangkok, Thailand ‐ Feb 18, 2023
    
    475.8 mi
    
    +24
    
    Ko Samui, Thailand ‐ Feb 21, 2023
    
    475.8 mi
    
    +4
    
    Ko Sumai
    
    Sihanoukville, Cambodia ‐ Feb 22, 2023
    
    405.7 mi
    
    Post 18: Monks and monkeys
    
    By the time we got to Sihanoukville, we'd already seen too many temples. By the time we left Sihanoukville, we were happy we'd seen two more. The first stop in this growing Cambodian city was a small...
    
    Nha Trang, Vietnam ‐ Feb 24, 2023
    
    1 094.1 mi
    
    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ‐ Feb 25, 2023
    
    505.1 mi
    
    Singapore, Singapore ‐ Mar 1, 2023
    
    1 156.7 mi
    
    Muara Town, Brunei ‐ Mar 3, 2023
    
    1 313.2 mi
    
    Post 19: More monkey business
    
    We are in the process of docking at Muara, Brunei, a large island east of Malaysia. Brunei is an independent small country that happens to be the richest in the world. Brunei shares this island with M...
    
    Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia ‐ Mar 4, 2023
    
    172.1 mi
    
    Puerto Princesa, Philippines ‐ Mar 5, 2023
    
    541.8 mi
    
    Boracay Island, Philippines ‐ Mar 6, 2023
    
    431.6 mi
    
    Manila, Philippines ‐ Mar 7, 2023
    
    432.1 mi
    
    Kaohsiung, Taiwan ‐ Mar 9, 2023
    
    1 142.8 mi
    
    Port of Hualien, Taiwan ‐ Mar 10, 2023
    
    397 mi
    
    Port of Keelung, Taiwan ‐ Mar 11, 2023
    
    200 mi
    
    Ishigaki, Japan ‐ Mar 12, 2023
    
    266.6 mi
    
    Okinawa, Japan ‐ Mar 13, 2023
    
    423.7 mi
    
    Naha, Japan ‐ Mar 14, 2023
    
    19.3 mi
    
    Kagoshima, Japan ‐ Mar 16, 2023
    
    682.5 mi
    
    Jeju Island, South Korea ‐ Mar 17, 2023
    
    526.9 mi
    
    Busan, South Korea ‐ Mar 18, 2023
    
    329.7 mi
    
    Hiroshima, Japan ‐ Mar 19, 2023
    
    439.8 mi
    
    Kyoto, Japan ‐ Mar 20, 2023
    
    383 mi
    
    Nagoya, Japan ‐ Mar 21, 2023
    
    528.6 mi
    
    Yokohama, Japan ‐ Mar 22, 2023
    
    429.2 mi
    
    Hartsfield International Airport ‐ Mar 24, 2023
    
    11 059.7 mi
    
    Boynton Beach ‐ Mar 26, 2023
    
    958.4 mi