Day 2 on the Diamond Princess cruise #2:  arrival in Port Klang, Malaysia. The usual noodles lunch, with beer. I take long naps after lunch because we have an active nightlife that extends beyond midnight.  Walked a short bit in the hallway, showered, and off to Good Times at Sea for a Johnny Walker Gold Label on rocks. Then on to dinner at Sabbatini's.  Bread, with a glass of Seghesio Zinfandel and the Johnny Walker Gold Label from Good Times. First, an appetizer called arancini, a Sicilian dish of deep-fried rice ball with mozzarella cheese in the middle.  Always comes, and this is our third time here, Next, a Salumi Misti and Truffle Risotto,  I'm getting to love the al dente risotto.  I specifically asked to limit the quantity by a factor of two, One meatball over spaghetti. Then an Osso Buco, which comes with a different kind of risotto.  Excellent. Piece of grilled codfish. Then off to line dancing and karaoke in Club Fusion, followed by d...

 The Diamond Princess left Singapore yesterday and will take the following route. Our first stop will be the largest port in Malaysia, Military Port Kelang, also known as Port Klang.  Kuala Lumpur is 24 miles away. We were here when our Regent Seven Seas Explorer stopped at Port Klang 3 years ago, so we we'll skip the tour and save $500.  These tours are not cheap.  On the Regent, all tours are free.  However, you pay a lot/night.   Click on this and read the details of our previous visit .  I'll show some highlight photos. The Blue Mosque. Hindu temple, Second tallest building in the world, Merdeka 118. A Kuala Lumpur street scene. Day 3 means a short stop at Langkawi. We might go on a tour, and maybe not. Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands Was a haven for pirates in the northern part of the Strait of Malacca. Ruled by the British until Malaya gained independence in 1957. Now gets 3.5 foreign tourists/year. I asked Google AI about Langkawi ...

Yesterday was 7December2025, We are on the other side of the International Dateline, so this can get confusing.  Day 1 of our continuing cruise of the Diamond Princess from Singapore to Thailand, Malaysia, Viet Nam and back to Singapore on December 23.  Sixteen more days on this ship.  This the view from our veranda in Singapore, It was three years ago that we were on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer from Dubai and  arrived in Singapore on December 12 .  We took the end of cruise hotel package, so the company first sent us on a tour, then to the Fairmont, where we stayed.  That photo to the right is a one I took then. Maybe that's the most convenient way to end up in port, for we received a message that taxis were scarce at the two cruise terminals, and we should consider making arrangements to be picked up when we return to Singapore.  However, I asked Google AI: Yes, taxis are readily available at both of Singapore's main cruise terminals ( Marina Bay ...

Vietnam brings back a horrid past for the USA.  We lost the Vietnam War, our worst defeat in history.  Here is a  video attesting that the defeat was worse than you thought . The country is officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with today a population of 102 million, ranking #15 in the world.  The capital is Hanoi, while the largest city is Ho Chi Minh City. Some history, Was inhabited by the Paleolithic age in the first millennium BC. Came under Chinese rule from 111 BC until 939 AD. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Vietnam had two domains. One of them surrendered to France in 1883, and was named French Indochina. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, launched the August Revolution, declaring Vietnam's independence in 1945. But France returned to reclaim colonial power, and the U.S. began to encroach in the early 50's. There was prolonged warfare until a treaty was signed in 1954 between the Viet Minh and France, wh...