Today represents two weeks on the Seabourn Odyssey.   The itinerary was, well, kind of junk.  For those 13 days, a Sydney to Hobart to Perth to Adelaide to Melbourne to Sydney trip would have been far better. The management seems somewhat disorganized.  Maybe it's the "just out of pandemic process" matter that is causing most of this.  Whatever, let me tell you one incident that should have been better managed. Yesterday morning we got this sudden letter indicating that all passengers needed to bring their passport and guest pass to meet with immigration officials off the ship. I called and was told to go now, which was around 10AM.  We had not yet had breakfast, but went as told. There is this transition zone between the ship and customs.  Left the ship, but at the entrance to Australia, a guard said that we also needed a transit card.  Went back to the ship, and they had a pile of cards in no particular order.  Somehow they found our cards, which meant they had to go th

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