The Diamond Princess had to bypass Nha Trang because of super-high winds.  We were thus at sea for two more days and hopefully will arrive in Cai Lan ( Halong Bay ) on Day 11.  Day 12 will include a scenic cruise to Chan May ( Danang Beach, or China Beach ) through Halong Bay. Our Day 8 began with a different kind of lunch for me.  I actually skipped the usual ramen, and had beef stew over rice and a salad, with a Kirin Lager. Walked by the ice cream counter and got a matcha cone, Stayed for some entertainment, Took my usual nap, then down for dinner in Pacfic Moon,  The menu Ordered  Steamed Green Asparagus warm bacon jerez vinegar dressing, Skinniest asparagus I've ever seen. Also Mexican Albongas Soup.  Duckhorn Chardonnay. Twice-cooked port in szechuan saue, After dinner menus, Had a Cherries Jubilee with a Monte Chocso.  What is that?  See above After Dinner Beverages menu. Next, the Princess Theater with Monique Montez. Then, drinks in the W...

Well the most important thing to report has to do with that typhoon that formed the day we originally departed Yokohama.  According to  Wikipedia : Typhoon Koto , known in the Philippines as   Typhoon Verbena , was a fairly strong and erratic  tropical cyclone  that impacted much of the  Visayas  and portions of  Luzon and  Mindanao  in the  Philippines . The twenty-seventh  named storm  and fourteenth  typhoon  of the  annual typhoon season , Koto developed off the eastern coast of Mindanao on November 23, then tracked westward across the country, making seven landfalls before emerging over the South China Sea, where it strengthened into a typhoon. However, the system gradually weakened and became virtually stationary off the coast of Vietnam before dissipating altogether. Let me begin with Day 9 on the Diamond Princess.  Did not do much except eat and sleep.  Lunch came in two parts. ...