SORRY, BUT THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN FULLY FILLED, AND I JUST COULD NOT FIND TIME TO SEND OUT POSTINGS.  NOTHING IMPORTANT, BUT TIME-CONSUMING.  PLUS, THE WI-FI WAS ALSO VERY SLOW.  The next couple of postings will show photos and not say much. We docked in Penang, Malaysia, and you wonder if India can learn something from Malaysia.  We docked in 3 India ports.  In each, if you wanted to leave the ship, you first needed to get a pre-approved visa.  Several people on the ship failed to succeed.  They were stuck on board.  Thankfully, though, the pre-condition that you could not even board the ship in Dubai if you did not have an India visa was waived, so at least they could take this cruise. So, anyway, every time you left the ship, India had THREE check points in the port before boarding the tour bus.  Then, when you returned to the Explorer, THREE check points to insure that you were you and not a terrorist or something worse.  You have to show the same documents each time.  Thus, i

Today, no pandemic, no Trump coup attempt, no gun rights...only pure joy.  I'll start with planning for our Fall trip.  We need to be in Okinawa at the end of October. Our initial thought was to begin on October 3 to catch the  Celebrity Eclipse  in Honolulu for an 18-night cruise to Singapore.  Then find a way to Okinawa and return home, Well, our current plan now is to go first to the Okinawa festival, then on November 3 fly to Tokyo, where we will have a home base at the Tokyo Westin. Do a one week Japan Rail Pass from November 6 to Nagoya, Hiroshima, Miyazaki, Kyoto, Nagoya, Sendai and back to Tokyo on November 13. Fly to Singapore on November 15. Fly to Dubai on November 18. 21-night cruise from Dubai to Singapore on the  Regent Seven Seas Explorer . Cost.  Expensive, but a good deal is being offered. Interesting stops. Doha, Qatar:  went there 12 years ago, and one of my postings while there stands as my most popular ever:   THE WONDER OF QATAR . Abu Dhabi:  Want to visit  Ma