A 6:15AM pickup at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, two hours in the Suvarnabhumi Airport first class lounge, first class flight from Bangkok to Dubai, then after two hours in the airline first class lounge, a second AirBus 380,   largest passenger liner in world , from Dubai to Munich, a total period of around 20 hours.  Basically, we had to wake up at 4:45AM in Bangkok, and did not get to the Munich Westin Grande Hotel until 3:15AM ( or 9:15PM Munich time--there is a 6 hour difference ). This was the ultimate in luxury, and a prime example of too much of a good thing. First, Emirates picks us up at our Bangkok hotel and drops us off at our Munich hotel.  Nice. The Emirates Bangkok first class airline lounge early in the morning has the full complement of food and drinks. First class on an Air Bus 380 features unlimited caviar and high end champagne/scotch, like Dom Perignon, Johnny Walker Blue and Dalmore. The TV screen is huge, video/audio selections immense and a door blocks you off

I've had about a dozen around the world trips, all by air going west.  The first was around 40 years ago on  Pan Am 1 .  Since then, perhaps a dozen or so with Star Alliance. I thought I'd do one more, so this spring I'll be heading west again on plane and ship.  Three cruises will be part of my global adventure.   The way the itinerary settled, with United and Star Alliance now a shadow of what they once were, I selected flights from whatever airline had the best time in business class, for in going west, it's best to leave in the late afternoon, so you can get to your destination before it gets dark.  You can't do this in an eastward direction. Plus, Emirates Air could take me from Bangkok to Dubai, with a nice three hour rest in their lounge, then on to Munich, all in First Class, at a fabulously low cost.  6773 miles for $3675.  In comparison, a one-stop Lufthansa flight from Munich to San Francisco, a distance of 5862 miles, costs $8000 in first class.  But mor

Our 37-day odyssey to Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore, featuring a 21-day Regent Seven Seas cruise, reached a conclusion yesterday, with a final strenuous leg where we had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning in Singapore, catch an ANA flight to Narita, wait for 6 hours, then another ANA jet to Honolulu.  Actually, it wasn't all that bad, for the ANA lounge had shower facilities, I actually slept a few hours in a seat that reclined into a bed....and we came home to Honolulu in a pouring rain. Woke up this morning healthy, less wealthy and wiser.  In early March we board Quantas to Sydney to catch the Seabourn Odyssey on a 53-day cruise to Honolulu.  In the meantime, I have a few pounds to lose. So how was our trip?  First, I downloaded 1435 photos into my home computer.  And those are the ones I kept.  These photos help describe our adventure.  They are not necessarily in chronology, but more a rearrangement by activity.  Goodbye to Waikiki on Asiana. Food and drinks were fine.  Saw five