- March 4, 2001 (Day -4)
- March 6, 2001 (Day -2)
- March 7, 2001 (Day -1)
- March 8, 2001 (Day 1)
- March 10, 2001 (Day 3)
- March 11, 2001 (Day 4)
- March 12, 2001 (Day 5)
- March 13, 2001 (Day 6)
- March 14, 2001 (Day 7)
- March 15, 2001 (Day 8)
- March 16, 2001 (Day 9)
- March 17, 2001 (Day 10)
- March 18, 2001 (Day 11)
- March 19, 2001 (Day 12)
- Time Check: Day 12
- March 20, 2001 (Day 13)
- March 21, 2001 (Day 14)
- March 22, 2001 (Day 15)
- March 23, 2001 (Day 16)
- March 24, 2001 (Day 17)
- March 25, 2001 (Day 18)
- March 26, 2001 (Day 19)
- March 27, 2001 (Day 20)
- March 28, 2001 (Day 21)
- March 29, 2001 (Day 22)
- March 30, 2001 (Day 23)
- Time Check: Day 23
- March 31, 2001 (Day 24)
- April 1, 2001 (Day 25)
- April 2, 2001 (Day 26)
- April 3, 2001 (Day 27)
- April 4, 2001 (Day 28)
- April 5, 2001 (Day 29)
- Time Check: Day 29
- April 6, 2001 (Day 30)
- April 7, 2001 (Day 31)
- April 8, 2001 (Day 32)
- April 9, 2001 (Day 33)
- April 10, 2001 (Day 34)
- April 11, 2001 (Day 35)
- Time Check: Day 35
- April 12, 2001 (Day 36)
- April 13, 2001 (Day 37)
- April 14, 2001 (Day 38)
- April 15, 2001 (Day 39)
- April 16, 2001 (Day 40)
- Time Check: Day 40
- April 17, 2001 (Day 41)
- April 18, 2001 (Day 42)
- April 19, 2001 (Day 43)
- Time Check: Day 43
- April 20, 2001 (Day 44)
- Intermission
- April 21, 2001 (Day 45)
- April 22, 2001 (Day 46)
- April 23, 2001 (Day 47)
- April 24, 2001 (Day 48)
- April 25, 2001 (Day 49)
- April 26, 2001 (Day 50)
- April 27, 2001 (Day 51)
- April 28, 2001 (Day 52)
- Time Check: Day 52
- April 29, 2001 (Day 53)
- April 30, 2001 (Day 54)
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part I
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part II
- May 2, 2001 (Day 56)
- May 3, 2001 (Day 57)
- May 4, 2001 (Day 58)
- May 5, 2001 (Day 59)
- May 6, 2001 (Day 60)
- May 7, 2001 (Day 61)
- Time Check: Day 61
- May 8, 2001 (Day 62)
- May 9, 2001 (Day 63)
- May 10, 2001 (Day 64)
- May 11, 2001 (Day 65)
- May 12, 2001 (Day 66)
- May 13, 2001 (Day 67)
- May 14, 2001 (Day 68)
- May 15, 2001 (Day 69)
- Time Check: Day 69
- May 16, 2001 (Day 70)
- Time Check: Day 70
- May 17, 2001 (Day 71)
- May 18, 2001 (Day 72)
- May 19, 2001 (Day 73)
- May 20, 2001 (Day 74)
- May 21, 2001 (Day 75)
- May 22, 2001 (Day 76)
- May 23, 2001 (Day 77)
- May 24, 2001 (Day 78)
- May 25, 2001 (Day 79)
- Intermission – Part II
- May 27, 2001 (Epilogue)
April 24, 2001 (Day 48): Regal Princess, en route to Vladivostok – 11.15pm
The body of water commonly referred to as the “Sea of Japan” was originally called the “Sea of Korea” – or so we were told by some Koreans. I will make some small effort to address errors of history.
Health: fair. My cold is still hanging on. Chest and head are still draining. Seas were a bit rougher today, but I still do not have any seasickness. In a few short days, I have managed to regain all of the weight I lost during the trip so far. This does not bode well for the remaining portion of the cruise.
Morale: good. Lazy day today. The full day was spent at sea so there was nothing to see but – well – sea. We are in the funny Twilight Zone of the Sea of Korea. We lost one hour on our clocks last night and lose another tomorrow when we dock in Vladivostok. Then we gain an hour each of the next two days when sailing to Muroran, Japan, before a succession of lost hours as we cross the Pacific.
This morning there was a mandatory pitch about the events of the upcoming days, in preparation for docking in Vladivostok and Muroran. Sounds like passport chaos. Instead of using the cruise card we can use for other ports of call, we will have to use our passports for Vladivostok. Indeed, everyone must collect their passports at 7.30am before any of the tours can leave. Every time we leave or return to the ship, it sounds like we will go through some “mini-customs.” All in all, I think the staff did a great job with the presentation, especially by setting the expectations of the passengers. They patiently told the passengers that the buses in Vladivostok were perhaps not like the buses they were used to but they are the best buses available. The hidden message: deal with it or stay in your cabin. The staff on the ship has navigated the Russian customs minefield before and I am willing to put confidence in them. Not like I have a lot of say in the matter.
Personally, I am happy to be getting the passport back as it will ease the changing of money. Our plan for tomorrow is to change rubles back to dollars, find Internet access, and then hit the city tour.
Breakfast was memorable because of the couple we shared the table with. They were members of the cruise culture who have been on more cruises than years I have been alive. She was the dominant personality in the relationship, explaining with machine gun-style delivery the various ailments afflicting her husband. Were he to get a word in edgewise, it would be a major victory in the battle of the sexes. Like an audio guide at a museum, she talks until her piece is complete. Attempt to interact in any way are impossible until she has completed her speech. Peppered in her monologues are places in the world to purchase the best whatever. She even mentioned a port of call to keep in mind for future reference, there was a Walmart there. As we are not Walmart shoppers, I have forgotten which city it was. Opinions are not hard to come by on this cruise.
We can feel that it is getting colder outside. We went to the outside hot tub and there was a marked chill in the air. The break from the icy weather over the last couple weeks was a nice treat.
Tonight was the first formal night. Kind of fun to get all dressed up; even got some much-needed haircuts. At the Captain’s party we were, as expected, the youngest there. At dinner, we had a new set of couples at our table since we were apparently too tough on our first ones. Our new dining partners are Ron and Esther, George and Amy. Ron is from Australia, Esther from the Philippines. George and Amy are from Malta. Amy is the Maltese incarnation of my maternal grandmother. For the most part, it was a quiet “getting to know you” dinner. Ron asked the obvious question: are you on your honeymoon? Our new standard answer is “Yes, but we have been married for several years.” I am not sure he believed us. We have “that glimmer.”
George did not believe a lot I had to say this evening. Amy sat to my right and across the table from her husband. She asked where I was from. I responded that I was from the US living in Denver, but originally from the Midwest. She and George exchanged words in not-English. She leaned over and touched my shoulder. “My husband says you are 100% British,” she said. “I told him you are from America, but he does not believe me.”
In the news:
- Hostages taken at the Swissotel in Istanbul. Not sure how many terrorists or how many hostages.
- Elections in Japan. The country should appoint a new PM soon.
Excerpts from Anna’s journal included
This entry was posted in Around the World
