March 31- April 1, 2024 Altogether, we will eventually have 7 stops in Japan, but divided by a few other countries. Ishigaki is not a common cruise port. We made the mistake of paying the $27pp shuttle from Royal to town – it would have been a $6 taxi ride …
March 27-28 $1 US = 7.7HKD Hong Kong continues its transition from a British protectorate to part of China. The handover started in 1997 and will go for 50 years. As such, the people consider themselves from Hong Kong. They are very welcoming – and all of the ship’s passengers …
$1 US to 35 Thai Baht July 19-30, 2023 When people envision Thailand, most think of Phuket. Long beaches covered with many fellow sun-burned tourists, open air restaurants facing the water, bars with young ladies at the ready to keep you company, overseen by a Buddha on the Hill. Although …
(I took a hiatus August-Sept. to help care for my mother in Virginia, so will resume the blog where I left off) July 16-19, 2023 There have been “horror” stories over the last 2 years about how long it is taking to get a passport renewed. In addition to current …
July 13-15, 2023 (Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells) Jungle trek, jungle trek From Bukit Lawang See the monkeys See the birds And orangutans! Since we were in Sumatra, I really wanted to see the Orangutans in the wild. Two-night/ three- day treks with transportation from Medan and river …
Indonesian rupiah: US dollar 14,500:1 July 11-13, 15-16 I failed to provide a little background on Indonesia. The country spans across close to 9000 inhabited and named islands (and a total of close to 18,000 islands) called home by 270 million people. Many of the islands have been inhabited for …
July 3-11 Indonesian Rupiah: US Dollar – 14,500:1 Surf’s Up! “You don’t surf? Why are you here?” was the most common question people asked us. Nias is a surfer’s paradise – the west coast of the island faces the Indian Ocean (and the area of Sorake Beach was one of …
June 21-July 3, 2023 Money: Indonesian rupiah – 14,500 = $1 US The Island of Sumatra is known for its incredible flora and fauna. Orangutans, the Sumatran Tiger in the south, orchids, exotic birds and monkeys – and the Asian hornet – also called the “murder hornet”. This particular insect led to …
June 18-21 US Dollar: Malaysian Ringgit – 1: 4.6 In a lot of ways, Kuala Lumpur is trying to be Singapore, but without the budget. Luckily, it has a more relaxed feel with more relaxed people. And less than half the cost. Our very nice AirBNB apartment in the center …
June 16-18 Exchange rate: 1.3 Singapore dollars (SD) to 1 US dollar. Singapore is an independent city-state that sits at the tip of the Malay peninsula. It’s demographic make-up is 74% Chinese, 14% Malay, 9% Indian, and 3% “other”. All the signs, and announcements, are in English. The city, a …