Our first day in Hong Kong began on the Ritz-Carlton Luminara,  I went for a simple breakfast at Azur  On the way back to the room, took a video of Hong Kong before sunrise. From my veranda, saw the sunrise over Hong Kong. Then a swift checkout through customs and immigration.  Ritz-Carlton was so organized this time.  There was someone accompanying us through the whole process and into a large van to take us to the Ritz-Carlton hotel.  One final goodbye to the Luminara....I thought. It was a very short ride to the Ritz-Carlton.  We got a Club Lounge room on the top floor, room 111620, which means we're on the 116th floor.  Here is our view....of Hong Kong and the Ritz-Carlton Luminara. Luminara was there all day into the night.  The Club Lounge is only a few steps away from our room.  We had lunch and English tea. Noodles with Hong Kong Beer. Hong Kong during the day. Then, dinner. A few photos of Hong Kong at night. Hong Kong Island....

We are docked at Tien Sa Port, Vietnam, 7.5 miles from Danang, the third largest city in the country.  What most remember of this area is China Beach. Why?  There was a TV series that ran for four season from 1988 to 1991, set in an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War  in the late 1960s at My Khe Beach, Danang. China Beach , had a  Rotten Tomatoes  score of 94. Show was actually filmed in California. American soldiers use this R&R spot, and provided the nickname, China Beach. No official length, but a series of beaches over a 21-mile stretch of the coastline beginning in Danang, going south. I was here in 2010.  A quote from my posting. I am now at the Furama Resort in Da Nang. I walked out to the beach, looked one way, and couldn't see the end of the beach. Then I looked at the other end and couldn't see the end of the beach.     China Beach is 20 miles long   and mostly about 100 yards wide. Some of you might have watched   ...

The Luminara departed the Port of Saigon, and is heading for the Port of Danang.  Tomorrow will be an at-sea day. Lunch was at Mistral.  Basically, Antipasto Misto, Truffle Fries and Sausage Pizza, with white and red wines, plus beer. Did not do much shipwise, for it was beginning to get a bit rough at sea.  Dinner at Haesu Bit began with a sake pouring and Pho.  Also, tuna and hamachi sashimi. Decided to watch TV in our stateroom tonight because it was too dangerous to walk around, and expected to get worse.  My lowest number of steps/day since I got my pedometer.  Only 901 steps. Just finished reading the 2024  Eruption , by Michael Crichton and James Patterson.   I reviewed this novel last year. .  Took me a long time because I finally got around to it this summer, and, through my iPhone, only read a few pages when I was waiting around for something.  Took me many months to complete. I am now reading two books: A soft-back, ...