Tokyo, Japan. Feb 24, 2026

The final day of our cruise landed us at the port near Tokyo. The morning was busy as we prepared to abandon ship. The night before, we put our luggage in the hallway for the crew to transport to the dock. Debby, Nancy, and I made our way to the International Café for one last breakfast before disembarking. Instead of 3,000 passengers cramming to the exit door at the same time, the crew had given us numbers, dividing everyone into smaller groups. When our number was called, we made our way to the door where we exited for the last time, retrieved our luggage, and headed to the ground transportation area. The seven of us made our way toward the exit, where we waited in a long line of tourists needing ground transportation. The people in charge of taxi service were very efficient, and the line progressed quickly. When it was our turn, the seven of us—with a ton of luggage—were given free taxis to take us to our hotel. Our hotel was about 40 minutes away. Morning traffic was busy. The taxis straggled a bit but managed to get us to our destination within about 10 or 12 minutes of each other. We checked in but were not able to access our rooms until approximately 3:00 PM. They allowed us to leave our luggage until we could check in, which was very helpful. After deciding what we were going to do, we headed up the street following our GPS map. The streets were busy with people and vehicles. We kept forgetting to walk on the left side and often found ourselves spread out across the street, having to move out of the way of oncoming traffic, bicycles, delivery vehicles, and pedestrians. We ended up in an area I will call “Little Times Square.” The gathering area was outside a large subway entrance and was crowded with many people. The tall buildings projected video screens of various advertisements and images, similar to what one would see in New York’s Times Square—although on a smaller scale and probably just as expensive. We found very little to do except people-watch. We managed to find places to sit and recover from the long walk. Walking at our age is not always that much fun. Eric and I went into an outdoor store called Arc’teryx. They are known for quality outdoor clothing, hiking gear, and backpacking equipment. We went inside just to see what they had and check it out. We found $1,200–$1,600 jackets, $800 shoes, and $400 T-shirts. It seemed a little excessive! The narrow store footprint had multiple levels. We ventured up three or four floors before deciding to leave. Nothing we saw was within our price range. We walked around the corner and checked out another store that sold almost everything electronic. Eric bought a couple of things while I browsed around. Back on the street, we found our group and decided to go check in to our hotel. Eric made reservations at a Kobe beef steakhouse, and I decided to go with him. It was about a 15-minute walk toward Times Square. Kobe beef is a premium type of Wagyu beef from Japan. It is a very high-quality beef, renowned for its exceptional tenderness, rich flavor, and impressive marbling. Apparently, it comes from a specific certified animal—a certain breed of black cattle. I suspect these cattle receive daily massages and foot rubs, soak in natural hot springs, and probably get counseling as well. That must be why Kobe steaks are rare and expensive. In case you are interested, our dinners were a little over $500. Yes…we know. After dinner, Eric and I walked down into the heart of the bright lights, video towers, and wall-to-wall people on the streets of Times Square. It was impressive to see at night. There were many more people than during the day, and the lights were beautiful. The next morning, about 10:00, our friend Oki arrived to show us around town. It was raining and cold that day—in fact, it rained all day and into the evening. This made our sightseeing a little damp. Oki managed to find shortcuts through subway stations and underground walkways that helped keep us drier. One of our visits was to a local Japanese garden. It was large and well kept. Not many people were visiting that day, probably because of the rainy weather. It was miserable, but we were determined to see the sights. We visited a few coffee shops, mainly just to sit down and rest. Each time we warmed up enough to dry out. For lunch, we visited a food court in the basement of a large shopping facility. You name it—they had it. Mike Pinkerton had some spicy Korean food. I had a Big Mac from McDonald’s. Everyone had what they wanted since almost everything was available. The only challenge was finding tables where we could sit together. Following lunch, Eric and I ventured upstairs and visited the huge Apple Store. It was spacious and well lit. Devices of all types were on display for folks to try. Appointments were necessary for demonstrations and closer inspections. Prices seemed a little higher than in the U.S. The iPhone 17 we looked at was about $1,400 U.S. I don’t know its exact specifications, so I can’t really compare it to the U.S. version. After everyone had looked around the mall and gotten their fill, we visited the Japanese garden and then stopped at another coffee shop. We also went into a stationery store to check out pencils and paper clips. After all, this is why we came to Japan. That evening, Eric, Debby, and I had dinner with Oki and his mom. She invited us to a Japanese-Italian restaurant. We had oysters, mussels, scallops, vegetables, and who knows what else. It was all good. We especially appreciated her generosity and the time we spent getting to know her better. She was a very nice lady and seemed to like us as well. She is having some eye and vision problems. They aren’t sure what is causing her condition, but it is reducing her vision and causing dry eyes. I showed her one of my handheld magnification devices. She was amazed that she could see so well with it. I’m glad it helped her. When we left, I gave her that little device to help her read medication bottles and other small print. She was very thankful. Oki escorted us back to our hotel by taxi. He came over the next day as we checked out to make sure we had rides to the airport. Once again, we had three taxis for about a 40-minute ride. These taxis cost about $150 U.S. Nothing is cheap in Tokyo. We checked our luggage and made it through immigration to exit the country. We were plenty early, but that’s the way we like it. The nine-hour flight to Los Angeles was long but not too bad. We were served a couple of meals on the airline. We flew Delta to Los Angeles and then American from LA to Tulsa. We had intended to stay the night in Tulsa but decided to drive on into Arkansas. We were ready to be home. Thinking back…what a great trip we had. Debby and Nancy planned the whole thing, and it all went smoothly. We had a lot of fun and got to see things and places we had only heard about. I also got to revisit Vietnam again and satisfy that long-standing curiosity. Now I’m satisfied.

Shimizu. Feb 22, 2026

After sailing all night and into the next morning, we finally docked in Shimizu Harbor about 2:00 PM. We met our tour guide near the port entrance. The area had several small curio shops where one could buy high-priced trinkets right out of the gate. We were reluctant to buy anything large since we would have to carry it around town all day. There was a mix-up while messaging our guide, but after everything was straightened out, we altered his planned destinations a bit. We scratched going to more temples and pagodas or seeing additional shrines and Buddhas. Instead, we drove up a local mountain to an observation deck. It was a beautiful and popular spot. The deck was huge and very well done. We had a few photo opportunities with Mount Fuji in the background. It had been peeking out of the clouds all morning but revealed itself a little more as the day progressed. Leaving the mountain, our guide wanted to take us to a beautiful Japanese garden. It just so happened that there was a temple there as well. The visit was well worth it. The Japanese garden surrounding the grounds was beautifully maintained and home to many amazing plants. One strange-looking tree, for instance, was said to be over a thousand years old. From there, our guide decided to show us one of his favorite places, a spot mostly known to locals. Tourists were rarely brought here because the locals preferred to keep it to themselves. The off-road drive to this secret location followed a rocky, narrow dirt road winding through a forested area. Eventually it opened into a clearing where we saw a dozen or more cars parked facing what looked like a river, with Mount Fuji rising in the distance. We spent a few minutes taking photos and group pictures. It was indeed a peaceful place to be late in the day. One sight in particular that we had not seen up close since starting this trip was the beach. Our guide took us to a place where we walked along a pathway through amazing old-growth trees. Many were irregular in shape and dramatically leaning away from the ocean. He explained that the prevailing winds had pushed them into that direction over the years. We walked out onto the sand, and Eric and I wandered down to the surf for a closer look. It was nice, though not quite as spectacular as some of the other beaches we had seen on this trip. I would probably give this one three or four stars. After that, it was back to the ship for dinner as we headed on toward Tokyo.

Osaka. Feb 22, 2026

Today we arrived in Osaka, Japan—the first of our three stops in Japan aboard the Diamond Princess. Entering Osaka turned into a lesson in long lines. Everyone on the ship, whether visiting Osaka or remaining onboard, had to disembark and go through Immigration. They checked our papers and our backpacks. We were photographed, fingerprinted, scrutinized, and basically made to feel like suspects. When it was finally over, we went outside and met up with our tour guide, driver, and high-dollar private van for a trip to Nara Deer Park. Our first destination was the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It was huge, for sure! Inside were several large Buddhas and a couple of smaller ones. One, in fact, had lost his body and the only part of him on display was his large head. Apparently his wooden body had been badly burned many years ago, and all that remained was the head. Kind of like that one movie…you know, the head floating down the river singing, “I ain’t got nobody.” The temple itself was an amazing wooden structure. Huge wooden pillars and beams supported the massive roof. The pillars were shaped to look like trees about two feet in diameter and perhaps 20 or 30 feet tall (I don’t really know for sure because I can’t see). Our guide said this particular Buddha was one of the largest anywhere. It was carved from a massive tree by a Buddha maker many centuries ago. The temple itself was not the oldest, but it was the largest. Some say it is about 600 years old. During that time, samurai battles destroyed it…twice. About 1,200 deer roam the forested grounds as freely as squirrels. If someone holds their hand above a deer’s head and then moves it down and back up again, the deer appears to take a bow and everyone laughs. People say the deer are showing respect or bowing politely. The truth is, the deer probably thinks it’s being given food. It looks up at the hand coming down, then immediately checks the ground for anything that might have fallen, then looks back up at the hand again. If the deer actually bent a knee, I might believe the respect theory. The 1,200 deer roaming the grounds are protected by local laws and are not to be killed, eaten, or injured. They cross busy roads whenever they feel like it—much like the Fijians. Sometimes traffic has to wait a while while the deer slowly cross one at a time. We ate lunch at a small restaurant that served good but mostly unpronounceable Japanese food. One dish was something like a Japanese pizza that contained shrimp. It was very good. We also had yakisoba noodles—at least that’s what I think they were called. There were barbecue chicken chunks and a dish of cold peas, similar to snow peas but with a shell you couldn’t eat. Anyway, lunch was very good. Afterward we had an hour to walk around, check out the small shops, and buy a few things. We found a pharmacy and bought some Salonpas patches for our aches and pains, along with a few snacks that probably weren’t good for us but were certainly tasty. We also visited a former Japanese home. It was a typical house with a simple interior, small rooms, and designed for extended families to share. It was very interesting. Sitting on the floor around a small table for dinner may be traditional, but my knees don’t bend that way anymore! We returned to the ship early enough to meet up with our friend Oki, a former exchange student who lived with us when we were in Oregon. He now lives in Tokyo but is currently in Osaka attending school and working on his master’s degree. We had told him we were on a tour, but he said he wanted to see us even if it was only for an hour. We met him beneath the big Ferris wheel. It was so good to see Oki and the fine young man he has become. He was glad to see us too. We plan to meet up with him again when we reach our final destination of Tokyo. Oki will be our guide that day. It looks like we may even get to have dinner with him and meet his mom. That will be fun. Back on the ship, we ate dinner and then weighed anchor. I think it was about 186 pounds.

Taipei, Taiwan. Feb 19, 2026

Who would have ever thought this Arkansas boy would someday find himself in Taiwan? The only thing I knew about Taiwan was that they made a ton of cheap stuff and shipped it to the U.S. After a day at sea, we arrived at the Port of Taipei about 7:00 AM. We got ready for our shore excursion and had breakfast before departing the ship. Our tour was scheduled for 9:00, so we headed down to the gangplank about 8:30. Our driver was a young man about college age. He served as both driver and guide and was a likable fellow who laughed a lot. His English skills were fair—we could understand part of what he was saying. Because our group of seven is getting a little older (except for Eric), a little worn out, and also because we had already heard a ton of information about dead kings, dynasties, Buddhists, Catholic churches built since 1975, temples, pagodas, and the like, we decided to adjust the tour just a bit. Debby told him that perhaps one temple would be sufficient and asked if he could suggest a few other things. He mentioned a changing-of-the-guard ceremony, and we immediately jumped on that with a big “yes.” Following our tour of Taiwan’s national hero Chiang Kai-shek’s Memorial—a huge facility in the heart of the city—we were open for options. Our guide, Ryan, suggested getting a view of Taipei from high up inside the 101-story building they call Taipei 101 Tower. We arrived and took a few pictures out front. Ryan told us the cost to go to the top would be $20 U.S. per person. We budget-minded travelers quickly decided we would rather keep our $20 each and just go shopping instead. And so we did. Watching the changing of the guards turned out to be a good choice. Besides the ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek’s Memorial, we drove our crowded eight-passenger van to another memorial site to watch a second changing-of-the-guard ceremony. It was pretty impressive to see their routines—high-stepping marching, rifle spinning, standing motionless on one foot, and precise hand movements—all performed in perfect unison. They had obviously practiced quite a bit. For lunch we went into an upscale shopping mall and headed downstairs to the food court, which offered just about everything you could imagine—and then some. I, for one, sampled a Big Mac at McDonald’s, of all places. I wasn’t the only one. After lunch, Eric and I headed for the gigantic Apple Store on the first floor. It was spacious and brightly lit. They had every Apple device imaginable on display. We looked at the iPhone 17 Pro Max. At about $1,400 U.S., it was comparable to prices back home. I was also intrigued by the Vision Pro device but couldn’t see a demonstration without making an appointment. Maybe later. It was a beautiful piece of equipment for around $2,500. Another stop took us to a Taiwan souvenir market that was extremely crowded. I reasoned that most of these people must be tourists, because no local in his right mind would go shopping for trinkets on such a busy day. Later, as we arrived back at the ship, we noticed another cruise ship parked across the bay. That answered a lot of questions. As our tour ended, Ryan returned us to the port, where we headed back to the ship. We had dinner at 5:20 in the International Restaurant—except for Debby and Eric, who sampled the buffet on the 14th floor. Debby was also kind enough to do our laundry so we could smell good as we cruise to Japan over the next two days!

Hong Kong Feb 20, 2026

I thought long and hard as we left Vietnam. Visiting Vietnam was one of those bitter-sweet experiences that I doubt I will ever forget. Now that some time has passed and we have had a full day at sea before arriving in Hong Kong, my anxiety has diminished and I feel like I’m getting back to my normal self. I’m glad we got to see Vietnam, but I doubt if I will ever have a desire to see it again. I did, however, leave a piece of me behind. While in Nha Trang, I lost an Apple tracking device. I have since located it somewhere in Nha Trang. It is still transmitting its location whenever two or more iPhones come close to it. As soon as I get home, I will check it more closely and see whether it is moving around or sitting stationary somewhere. It was about 6:00 AM when we entered the harbor in Hong Kong. Our city tour was scheduled to begin at 9:00. This was a Princess-sponsored tour because we felt a little apprehensive about creating our own. Following breakfast, we were outside boarding Bus #2 for our guided tour. Being first on the bus, we were able to get good front seats. Sandra was still limping from the broken foot she suffered a few weeks ago, and too much walking was causing swelling. Eric was sitting in a seat by himself up front until a disabled man and his elderly wife boarded the bus. Eric immediately stood up and offered them his seat. What a good boy we have! Today’s adventure began with a large boat ride around the harbor. From our vantage point we could see hundreds of skyscrapers of various shapes and sizes. Many of these tall buildings were apartment complexes providing housing for Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents. The streets were quieter than usual because many Hong Kong residents were taking time off work to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which had begun the night before. As we entered the harbor early that morning, I could still smell the lingering scent of fireworks from the previous night’s celebrations. I’m guessing the folks who were celebrating were now sleeping in. It was quiet on the water as our boat slowly circled the shoreline, even passing by our cruise ship. Eventually we docked near the large Ferris wheel and headed back to Bus #2. For lunch we ate with a large group of other tourists. We sat at a round table that seated ten or twelve people. One couple at our table was from north of Seattle, Washington. We were served local-style food. Some of it was new to us, although we did recognize the rice. Everything was quite good, including the jasmine tea. Eric had to sit at a different table because there was no room at ours, but he said he enjoyed the food as well. After lunch we were bused back to the harbor, where we were treated to a ride on a sampan—a small boat traditionally used by fishermen and now often used for tourists. It was a simple boat with bench seating and a homemade canopy made from tarps to keep the rain off on a day like today. It was a fun ride. As we moved along the harbor, we passed large luxury yachts owned by the wealthy, sitting on the same water as small houseboats where fishermen lived. It was an interesting contrast—the rich and the poor sharing the same harbor. From there we rode the bus up a mountain overlooking the city. Along the way we stopped at a local market where we could shop for souvenirs. Ron tripped on a rock and banged himself up a bit, so he and Nancy sat on a bench while the rest of us wandered in and out of the small souvenir shops. Back on the bus, we continued our trip to the top of the mountain, where we took photos, did a little more shopping, and then rode a tram down the mountain to meet our waiting bus. That was a lot of fun. The day went by quickly. The driver dropped us off at the ship and we headed inside. As I pulled on my lanyard to show my Princess Medallion to re-enter the Diamond Princess, I discovered the lanyard was empty. Somewhere in Hong Kong I had lost my Medallion! I had to wait around and prove that I was supposed to be on the ship. Immigration also required proof that I was who I said I was. After a while, two crew members from the ship escorted me past Immigration and issued me a new Medallion. Soon I was back in our stateroom and ready for dinner. Next stop—Taiwan. Tomorrow would be another day at sea. The wind is picking up and rocking the ship a bit. It feels a little like being in an airplane during turbulence.

Da Nang. Feb 19, 2026

It had been more than 55 years since I last visited Da Nang, Vietnam. Back then it was simply a stopover as I traveled from Phu Cat, where I was stationed, to an air base in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, where I would be working for the next 30 days. They called it TDY to NKP. At that time, Da Nang was a major air base in Vietnam where troops, ammunition, supplies, and medical evacuations occurred routinely. I had never really been to any downtown Vietnamese city, with the exception of Saigon. From what I had heard, Da Nang was a beautiful city. Our tour, which Debby arranged through Viator, actually took us inland to the city of Hue. It, too, was a beautiful place. The barrios were much the same as the other stops we had made during the past three days. The little shops and storefronts looked very similar. The main difference I noticed was the absence of the thick white smog. I could actually see several blocks away instead of just two! Like other places we had visited, Hue was preparing for the Chinese New Year. There were flowers everywhere along the streets, with markets open for business supplying flowers for customers. We visited more monuments, pagodas, and temples. Our guide was a young Vietnamese woman who taught school as her primary job. Her name was Loi. She was very knowledgeable and fed us more information than we could possibly retain. We visited the tomb of someone very important and also the temple connected with Vietnam’s last king before the country was taken over in 1945. After that, several wars followed as the North Vietnamese Communists attempted to take control of South Vietnam. Eventually, they succeeded. The French had been involved in Vietnam since the 1800s. In fact, the French fought in Vietnam for more than 20 years before the Americans came in to show the French how to do it. After about 20 years, we too pulled out. That’s when the Communist forces swept into South Vietnam like locusts. We were told firsthand how, during those times, soldiers would break into homes, take everything of value, imprison or kill families, or simply throw people into the streets. It was a terrible time. Now, 50 years later, here we are again—friends and visitors as if nothing ever happened. Many of them want to be like us, learn our language, watch our movies, listen to our music, and experience our culture. Times certainly do change. We also visited the Forbidden City, the residential palace of the last king. During our one-day visit we walked a lot of steps. One stop took us up a hillside to the memorial where the king was buried. There were nearly 125 steps up the mountainside to reach the memorial. Some of us managed to walk all of them! There were no roads or elevators to help. There never were, and probably never will be. The ladies wanted to do some shopping, so our guide stopped at a middle-end shopping center. We went inside and looked around for a while, though not much was purchased. The flowers outside were gorgeous. Lunch was served at a busy restaurant. Apparently several other tours had the same idea. We were served a variety of local Cantonese dishes that we couldn’t pronounce. Everything was very good, and the hot jasmine tea was excellent as well. Later we visited another market where we could buy Vietnamese trinkets and inexpensive souvenirs. At another stop, Loi took us into a store where we bought a few items. I purchased a wooden turtle that is actually a three-dimensional puzzle. I’ll have to learn how to put it together. It was carved from wood taken from a jackfruit tree. While we were there, we watched a young woman making incense by hand. That was interesting to see. All in all, after all the places we visited and the walking we did, it felt good to get back to our rooms aboard the cruise ship, have dinner in the International Restaurant, and turn in early. The next day would be a day at sea as we headed toward Taiwan.

Nha Trang. Feb 14, 2026

Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam After completing my Jungle Survival School in the Philippines, I was flown to Vietnam in November 1969. We landed in Cam Ranh Bay and, on the third day, caught a hop to Phu Cat—my home for the next 12 months. It felt strange seeing the sand of Cam Ranh Bay again. I remember it as a very fine grit that blew through the cracks into my temporary quarters and coated my bunk bed. It was memorable, for sure. A year later, when leaving Vietnam, I flew back to Cam Ranh Bay to catch my Pan Am “freedom flight” back to the United States. Nha Trang was very similar to Ho Chi Minh City. It was crowded for its size, with a population of around 500,000. I was surprised to see mountains surrounding the bay where our cruise ship anchored. They would make great hiking mountains. The scenery around Nha Trang was prettier, especially with the white sandy beaches of the South China Sea and the easy access to the water. Unfortunately, the smog was so thick that I could barely make out anything two blocks away, let alone get a good look at the pristine water. All in all, I was not particularly impressed or filled with a desire to return to Nha Trang. Our tour guide, Michael, was fair to mediocre because of his limited English. He was hard for me to understand—not only because of his broken English but also his pronunciation. Even common words and phrases were difficult to understand. Words with letters like “t” were pronounced more like “d.” For example, he would say “fodder and modder” for “father and mother.” There are some professions that some people probably shouldn’t attempt. For example, I wouldn’t make a very good German tour guide because of my limited knowledge and poor German language skills. Liam, our guide in Ho Chi Minh City, and Michael, our guide here in Nha Trang, both shared a few statistics about the Vietnamese people. They told us that about 70% of the population is Buddhist, 20% Catholic, and the remaining 10% follow other religions. Michael said he was a Buddhist. Our driver also spoke some English, and I think I understood him better than Michael. Of course, all he had to do was drive. He did seem to enjoy honking the horn quite a bit. As we drove through the city, we passed block after block of small stores and businesses that reminded me of the barrios in the Philippines. We stopped at several sites, including a government area near the beach that featured a unique rock formation sitting right on the shoreline. Supposedly there is a fairytale story about a naked siren and a sailor who lost his head connected with that rock. One of these days I may have to look up that story online to see if it’s actually true. Near the entrance to that area was an open-air pavilion with seating where a small band of Vietnamese musicians—mostly young women—were playing beautiful music using unusual instruments. The sound was very soothing and almost mystical. One instrument looked like a rectangular guitar. The most unusual instrument, however, was made from several hollow pieces of bamboo cut to different lengths. A young woman clapped her hands in front of the bamboo tubes to produce different tones. By clapping in rhythm she created a beautiful melody. It probably drew a larger crowd than the stack of rocks on the beach. We visited a couple more Buddhist temples and a large Catholic church that had been built after the war. Temples and shrines may look impressive, but since I’m not of the Buddhist faith, visiting more and more of them wasn’t especially exciting to me. What I did find interesting was driving past the many small shops and businesses along the streets. I would have liked to stop and walk out onto the pristine beaches. I’ve heard they are beautiful, but because of the haze I couldn’t see them very well. Debby said the beaches were beautiful and the water was clear, so I’ll have to take her word for it. We made it back to the ship in plenty of time for our 5:15 dinner at the International Restaurant.