RITZ-CARLTON LUMINARA: DAY 5

About the NCAA football championship, the favorites to win before the final 4 was decided:

College Football National Championship Odds

• 
  Indiana: +260.
• Georgia: +320.
• Miami: +460.
• Oregon: +500.
• Texas Tech: +750.
• Alabama: +1300.
• Ole Miss: +1400.

 Well Georgia, Texas Tech and Alabama are gone,  Today:

Indiana Hoosiers	13-0	<<+128>>
Oregon Ducks	12-1	<<+328>>
Miami Hurricanes	11-2	<<+330>>
Mississippi Rebels	12-1	<<+570>>

Next:

• Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
  • Thursday, Jan. 8
    • No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami (Florida) | Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
  • Friday, Jan. 9
    • No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon | Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
•  College Football Playoff National Championship Game
  • Monday, Jan. 19
    • Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN

About NCAA basketball, the top three are Arizona, Michigan and Iowa State.

• Also undefeated are Vanderbilt at #11, Nebraska at #13 and unranked Miami (Ohio).
• Final four will occur on April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

Today, except for my scotch tasting, was not particularly monumental.  Can't believe I'm showing this, but here is a container ship departing and another one arriving at Laem Chabang, Thailand, the port where we are docked.

Had lunch again at Mistral.  A salad with steak sandwich, plus frozen margarita and Perino beer.

Then my Japanese Nikka and Hombo Shuzo whisky tasting in The Living Room Bar with Alfarino.

There were two more, but that involved extra costs, so skipped them.

But thought I'd have a standard scotch, so added a Dewars While Label.

Interesting thing, but each kept changing and at the end, I think the Mars was the best.  How different from Dewars?  Not much.

About Nikka:

• Founded by Masataka Taketsuru, who travelled from Japan to Scotland in 1918 to learn the process, attending the University of Glasgow.

• 
  He married Jessie Cowan, and they returned to Japan in 1920.
• In 1923, joined Suntory.
• Started Nikka in 1934.
• There is a Japanese series about all the above called Massan, with 250 episodes, starring Tetsuji Tamayama and Charlotte Kate Fox.

• 
  In 2008, Nikka's Yoichi 20 Years Old  was voted best single malt in the World Whiskies Awards, the first time for any Japanese whisky.
• A bottle of this whisky can be found for $1200....or $12,000.
• I have a bottle at the Tokyo Westin Hotel.  Click on that and read the story of how this happened.
• Owned by Asahi Group Holdings since 1954.
• The Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland was acquired in 1989.

Dinner was at Azur.  Ordered two Bourdeauxs, Chateau Camensac (Left Bank, meaning more Cabernet Sauvignon) and Chateau Cantenac (Right Bank, more Merlot).  To my surprise, the Cantenac was more heavy bodied and smoother.

Dinner started with with a Blue Cheese Wedge Salad and a Vegetarian Hot Sour Soup.  That white wine is a New Zealand Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

The second course was a Caesar Salad and two generous portions of seared foie gras.  This combination certainly ranks in the top three of anything I've consumed on this entire trip,

The evening ended in the Art Club.  First, Ashleigh September, then the Golden Soul.

Walked only 1240 steps.  Hope to begin walking more tomorrow.

I haven't said much about the Ritz-Carlton Luminara.  I found a 9-minute video that does a better job than I could.  So if you want to learn more about the most luxurious cruise liner at sea today, WATCH THIS.  Every stateroom is a suite, and the bed is customized King.  The cuisine is the best by far of any cruise ship.  The focus is changing from Mediterranean, where it spent the first few months, to more Asian, for the next five months will keep the yacht in the West Pacific,  

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