The Diamond Princess arrived in Busan at 7:30AM, and it was raining, so I took this photo from inside my cabin. The rain later stopped. We docked next to the Regent 7 Seas Explorer,  the ship we were on a year ago from Dubai to Singapore .  I said: We boarded the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, and if there is a Heaven, this certainly is one possible scenario.  Check-in was flawless, and in consideration of all the visa and vaccination protocols, quick. Started with a champagne greeting With a welcome champagne, this was our skyline view of Dubai.  Note the Burj Khalifa, the tallest in the world.   But work has begun again for Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower, to be called  Kingdom Tower , and at 3281 feet, will be 564 feet taller. So, anyway, this is the same Regent 7 Seas Explorer next to us. First, a Japanese breakfast, to which I added an egg-over-easy and ham. Not long thereafter, lunch.  Again, wonderful, but filling. Dessert. I looked down to the dock area, and it looked like compoun

So what's the big deal about November 5?  Nothing at all, just couldn't figure out what to blog about today.  After all, I've had 5,431 daily postings and deserve a day off. Today, a lot of NCAA football, the World Series ( I'm in third place in my fantasy league, and if Houston wins today, I win some money ) and Hawaii women volleyball tonight.  But if you asked, this is the 309th day of the year, and there are 56 days remaining until the end of the year. In all of history, the following happened on November 5: 1872:  Susan Anthony voted for the first time...and was fined $100.  You say, big deal.  Well, that fine would set you back $2300 today. 1917:  Lenin started the Bolshevik Revolution. 1940:  Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only president elected to a third term. 2011:   First Bank Transfer Day , so chosen because in 1605, on this day, Guy Fawkes was arrested for trying to blow up the British House of Lords.  His face has become the symbol for protest and resist