May 8-9, 2024 $1 US = 3.6 UAE Dirhams Until about a week before we arrived, I had completely forgotten we were visiting Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The region was in the middle of a heat wave, so hotter even than normal, so outdoor activities did not …
May 1-5, 2024 $1 = 83 rupees Our World Cruise included a trip inland to The Taj Mahal – a place I’ve always wanted to see. Unfortunately, this meant I would see little else of India. We had a few hours stop in Cochin , a city in the south …
April 29-30, 2024 $1 US= 290 Sri Lankan rupees Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is known for its biodiversity, and is the main supplier of the world’s cinnamon. To European colonial powers, that made the island very, very valuable. Luckily, Sri Lankans value their native flora and fauna, dedicating …
April 25-26, 2024 $1 = 4.7 Ringgit The cruise itinerary stated we would be in Kuala Lumpur on April 25. We docked in Port Klang – almost 2 hours away, and in port for only 8 hours. Since we’d been in Kuala Lumpur for over a week in 2023, we …
April 21-22, 2024 $1 US = 25,000 Vietnamese Dong One of the things you have to keep track of onboard is preventative health. Most I did prior to leaving last April and will be slightly overdue upon my return in September, but dental cleanings are something I have learned not …
April 15-16, 2024 (and sea days April 17-18) When we arrived in Shimizu, we did not have the best view of Mt. Fuji. Very friendly local volunteers provided a map of local sites and a free shuttle. When the free shuttle bus dropped us at the rail station, we decided …
April 13-14, 2024 We docked in Yokohama a ten minute walk from the metro – which links to the Tokyo metro about an hour ride to central Tokyo. We traveled to Tokyo with friends – Yokohama ___ station to main train station, train to Tokyo, a short walk to a …
April 10-11, 2024 In Nagasaki, time stopped on August 9 at 11:02 AM, 1945, as the bomber Buscar dropped an atom bomb named Fat Boy just above the middle of the city named for the island on which it resided, effectively ending WWII in the Pacific. It exploded approximately 1800 …
April 7, 2024 John and I visited The Great Wall in fall of 2019, with colorful leaves changing, giving a lovely contrast to the grey and brown stones. We did not relish the thought of spending 6+ hours on a bus from Tianjin, but seeing the wall in spring would …
April 3-5, 2024 $1 US = 1,370 South Korean Won Busan: Second largest city in South Korea. With heavy rain off and on, definitely a museum day! Jeju: Seoul: Unfortunately, the taxi into town took about 30 minutes too long due to traffic and we missed our walking tour – …