We spent Day 3, 1January2026, of this Ritz-Carlton Luminara cruise moored off Koh Samui, Thailand. Never been there, and have no particular wish to see a fisherman's village, Wat Khunarum, Secret Buddha Garden ( right ) and Chawan Noi Beach (below). Also too because we would need to catch a boat to the pier.  And Koh Samui would still be 19 miles away. Oh yes, and the cost is $339/person. According to the write-up:  Koh Samui's charm extends beyond its sun-drenched beaches, etc.  They believe in siestas.  Temperature is supposed by be 82F, but it feels like 90F on our veranda. Wikipedia  spells the city as Ko Samui, but locals just call it Samui. Off the east coast of Thailand, and is the country's second largest island after Phuket, Is beginning to approach 3 million tourists annually. Was not troubled by the great tsunami of 2004, and actually had a boom, for visitors avoided Phuket, located on the west side. The top global events in 2026: January 11:  Go...

This is Day 3 of our Ritz-Carlton cruise.  Happy New Year! Lunch yesterday was in the Beach House.  Salad and soup with Bloody Mary and beer. Lamb chops and salmon. Shaved ice. Ended with a cappuccino. Maybe they have this every afternoon, but there was an incredible late afternoon snack:  caviar, raw oysters, pasta and hamburger, All that with a New Zealand Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Nikka vodka.  Then came "drinks" of Gazpacho and Vichyssoise.  Never these before as cocktails. Dinner was in the fanciest restaurant  on the ship, Azur.  I was still filled from the caviar snack, so only had soup, salad and mushrooms, with an Australian Shiraz and German Riesling. Glass of Sauternes at the end. This was New Year's Eve, but we just went to sleep and skipped all the festivities.  Only walked 2330 steps. During the COVID Pandemic, my Thursday postings were devoted to this disease, as compiled by Worldometers.  As this is the final day of 2025,...