FOR ONCE, SPLURGE ON TRAVEL

Well it looks like President Donald Trump went from dud to hero to now....exaggerating oaf who lies, with bad timing.

• Watch this video where Trump proclaimed that we completely and totally obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities.
• His intelligence staff, at this point, doesn't think so.  Which means he downright lied, again.
• Also, FactCheck.org headlined:  Iranian nuclear program damaged, NOT obliterated by U.S. attack.  

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  The only source hinting that the bombings were serious was Iran.  But be sensible.  If you were Iran, your only position today is to plead that Trump's attack ruined their nuclear program so life can now go on with peace.  While announcing this kind of defeat, they in parallel indicated that the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, cannot anymore enter the country.  Could it be that they want to immediately proceed with building atomic bombs?

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  For one, only Iran knows where the 880 pounds of enriched uranium can be found.  This amount of uranium can probably make 6 atomic bombs.  Then again, maybe more, as suggested in the graphic to the right.
• Second, Iran apparently still has the capability to re-start its program in a matter of MONTHS.

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  About timing.  Trump's cease-fire came too early.  Israel had not yet sent demolition teams into Fordo and other locations to finish the job, and now can't.
• Thus, about Trump, we have a president who exaggerates the truth and lies, where historians again ranked him as the worst president ever for the USA.

There was a time in my life when I truly splurged.  I traveled around the world in first class, stayed at fancy hotels, ate at Michelin 3-star and Best 50 restaurants and life was good.  Here is one of them, maybe the most expensive.

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  Called it My Ultimate Global Adventure (MUGA) because in many ways it was.
• Click on this, providing links to each of 52 postings covering MUGA.
• Flew almost 35,354 miles because my first leg from Honolulu to San Francisco was backtracking east to drop off my golf bag at the hotel (to which I returned more than a month later).  Then west for the remainder of the trip.

Honolulu - San Francisco - Sydney- Bangkok - Tokyo - Osaka - Awaji Island - Hiroshima - Tokyo - Matsumoto - Tokyo - Nikko - Tokyo - Seoul - Shanghai - Beijing - Frankfurt - DC - Denver - San Francisco - Napa Valley - Sea Ranch - Mendocino - San Francisco - Honolulu.

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  The San Francisco to Sydney leg on United took 14.5 hours.
• Then, an ultra-luxurious Thai Air flight to Bangkok.  This you got to read so that you too can appreciate what you get for all the money you could spend.
• One of my stops was to drop my wife's ashes at Matsumoto Castle.  The highlight was a gold koi, which swallowed the ash capsule.  This moat has 90% black carps, so this one was special.

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  Really enjoyable first class flight on Lufthansa from Beijing to Frankfurt.
• In Germany, it was spring when they first appeared on the menue, I enjoyed an exceptional white asparagus lunch.
• The highlight of my flight from Frankfurt to Dulles DC was the Lufthansa first class lounge.

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  Finally returned to San Francisco and stayed at the hotel that was holding my golf bag.  Joined Kenji's golf safari, where we played daily for five days around Vacaville.  Then had a reunion of my Stanford friends in Napa Valley, followed by a stay at Sea Ranch with David Kyle and his family.   Spent a day wine tasting, mostly in Sonoma Valley.  His home is right on the San Andreas Fault as it enters the Pacific Ocean.

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  Went wine tasting in Alexander Valley, then on to Terry Surles' home in Albion, where we also had a scotch tasting.

• Then a stop at Stanford University for a quick re-visit.

Finally, back to Honolulu.

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  Cost of trip?  A lot.
• Our next splurge?  As part of a two-month trip to the Orient in November into January 2026, a 14-day cruise on the Ritz Carlton Luminara, a new ship which has not yet been launched, from Singapore to Hong Kong.  Cost?  Look it up.

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  My final splurge?  Could come next year:  Our Monumentally Extraordinary Grand Adventure, which appropriately enough has the acronym OMEGA.
• First class on everything.
• Planes, trains and ships.  No hot air balloon ride.
• Around the world for my last time.  Will still travel, but mostly to the Orient and Oceania.
• Cost?  Not sure yet, for details are yet to be determined.

Read this Condé Nast article on The Best First Class Plane Seats That Money Can Buy.  

Demand for premium travel right now is sky-high, and airlines are competing for the swankiest and most exclusive on-ground and inflight experience to win over top spenders (who also represent the most important profit margins). Several airlines have announced brand-new first class seats this year, complete with double beds for couples, massive suites with doors, and amenity kits so nice you’ll keep them for years. As modern business class cabins become increasingly elevated, the very best first class plane seats must be that much more impressive to command the five-digit price range most first class tickets go for these days (unless you’re savvy enough to snag one of those elusive frequent flyer mileage redemptions).

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  Etihad?  Called an apartment, Giorgio Armani pajamas, caviar, shower.  Their "Residence," which is more than an apartment, costs $25,000-plus.
• Emirates?  Caught this twice.  From Bangkok to Dubai, and more recently from Bangkok to Dubai, with a transfer to Munich.  Actually, not so expensive
• Japan Airlines has six suites on their Airbus 350-1000, with 43-inch TV, wagyu beef, $1000 champagne, and the expensive Suntory Hibiki Whiskey.  
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  Need to fly from Tokyo to New York City?  ANA has a 13-hour flight that costs $13,000, but includes a 7-course Japanese menu and an ultra rare bottle of Japanese whisky.  Watch this You Tube video.
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  Air France La Première, where you are advised to board after a 24-hour fast, for the cuisine will be extraordinary.  Each suite has 5 windows.  You are not provided a seat, but a relaxation chamber.
• Lufthansa is heavenly.  I've flown from Beijing to Frankfurt and Delhi to Munich.
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  Singapore Airlines First Class Suites on the Airbus S380.
• 50 square feet space, which can be combined to 100 sf for two.
• Cristal champagne.
• Vegetables from sustainable vertical aeroponic farms.
• Note:  no American airlines.
• A lot more.  

There is a health problem about flying first class.  Every drink not drunk is money wasted.  That philosophy of mine, unfortunately also applies for business class.

On the other hand, most of you reading this might want to reconsider what I just said.  Or, at least, be reasonable on your once in a lifetime splurge, and when.

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