During the past half a century I have been on at least a hundred major trips away from Hawaii for pleasure.  We yesterday returned from what surely is in the top ten of them all.  Just over two months, including two cruises.  How do I feel this morning?  Great, actually.  I don't feel jet lagged after eight hours of sleep last night.  That is quite unusual, for I avoid traveling west to east with a passion, and my around the world extravaganzas always go westward. This one  began on November 21 , before Thanksgiving, and ended yesterday, almost a month after Christmas. A few days in Yokohama, then we boarded the Diamond Princess for a 28-night cruise throughout much of Orient along the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Singapore. A month is now too long for me to be on a ship.  We almost went around the world on the Island Princess in 2021, but mercifully for me, as I think about it now, was cancelled by the company because of the ongoing COVID Pand...

Our final breakfast in Aria at the Westin Josun Hotel. Had my final Shanghai Soup Dumpling breakfast.  Best yet. Final look outside our hotel window. Goodbye Westin Josun Seoul. Taxis in Seoul have foot warming heat. Don't know what in Seoul. This is the 63 SQUARE building, when it was first opened in 1985 was the tallest outside of North America, at 819 feet. and was built as a landmark for the 1988 Summer Olympics.  Remained as South Korea's tallest until 2003. The tallest in South Korea is now the Lotte World Tower at 1,821 feet, and 6th in the world. Seoul air pollution. I occurred to me that we were passing a lot of bridges over the Han River.  I later checked and found that there are 27 of these bridges.  So halfway into our ride to the airport I  began taking photos. Other roadside objects. This The Giant. I was waiting to take a video of what looked like a huge phallic symbol as you drive into Inchon Airport.   It'a gone.  It was controver...