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In Osaka, we visited the Minato Sumiyoshi-jinja Shinto Shrine dating from 1842. The Shinto priest was very gracious in showing us around. The blossom is plum, one of the first of the spring. Cherry blossom is still a couple of weeks away.

We have 240 world cruisers with included "premium" internet. Add in a number more for one reason or another. The hotel director is being bombarded with complaints so one lives in hope that one day they will do something about it.

I had awful problems with the ship's internet yesterday. Hence the shemozzle of a post above. I'll hope for better luck today.

I'm dashing to post while the internet on this ship seems to be working, albeit glacially! Day 52 Feb 27 Osaka After two days at sea we reached Osaka full of anticipation as this was to be the highlight of the cruise for us. We were to have a couple of days off the ship to visit Nara and...

I've slipped behind a bit because we have been busy enjoying a few days off the ship. Normal reception has now been resumed and, as we have a couple of sea days ahead of us, I'll now get down to it and catch up. Day 49 Feb 24 Keelung Taiwan Keelung is the port for Taipei, 20 or 30 kilometres...

A birthday dinner last night at La Dame restaurant on board Silver Whisper. This morning we think we may have overdone it a smidgen. :) Foie Gras Lobster Porcini Soup Duck Lamb Grand Marnier Souffle

Thanks love_the_life. He is feeling a lot better but with the lingering cough and now out of quarantine. It is a very nasty bug and a good number are down with it. We were told yesterday that at that point 12 were in quarantine including some crew.

Day 48 Feb 23 Kaohsiung, Taiwan Kaohsiung is the second city in Taiwan, about half the size of Taipei. It is in the south a nd is one of the largest container ports in the world. A lot of effort has gone into improving the city and it largely looks as if it is becoming quite a pleasant place...

Our day in Manila was very rushed. It started with the very moving sight of many Filipino families coming on board the ship for reunions with their crew member son and daughters, husbands and wives. The majority of the crew is Filipino and Silversea arranges visits and lunches when the ships...

Day 46 Feb 21 Manila It was a scenic sail in to Manila Bay with photography helped by the smoggy air. Moon over Manila Bay.

Some more Sandakan. I came across a Chinese New year celebration with dragon and very loud drums. The politicians getting in on the act for Chinese New Year. There are actually people inside the dragon. Who knew? Everyone wants their picture taken and the thumbs up sign seems to be...

No they didn't. The story is amazing and moving beyond belief. It is a pity it is not as well known as it should be. Today we are in Manila (we just docked) and we had planned to go to Corregidor to see the WW2 sites there. But T2 is still in quarantine, at the least until tomorrow so that...

Day 44 Feb 19 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia The sail up to the top of Borneo from Bali was uneventful and in continuing good weather. The most notable thing we saw was an incredible amount of floating junk. It was mainly plastic but had formed very large patches in the Java Sea and the Makassar...

Day 41 Feb 16 Bali With Turtle 2 cabin bound, and his quarantine extended for a few more days because he is not too well, I decided to keep the reservation we'd made to go to a Balinese cooking school. Turtle 2 was probably glad of the break too! I strongly suspect that the cooking school was...

And now, after a very good day in Bali on which I'll report in a while, it is Benoa, Bali to Tokyo via Sandakan, Manila, two ports in Taiwan and Osaka as we start Segment 4 of this cruise.

Day 40 Feb 15 Komodo, Indonesia Where are these days going? The next few are going to drag a little for Turtle 2 as he has been confined to barracks. Well, sort of. His cough has persisted so he saw the doc today and she has recommended he stay in the suite and away from crowds for a day or...

After 11 days on the east and north coast it's time to say Goodbye Australia. There was a sort of farewell dinner last night as we were about to motor out into the Timor Sea. The Australian theme got a bit lost in translation but they did a good job and it was a fun evening. The Australia...

Thanks Pushka. I think we are well on the mend.

Day 37 Feb 12 Darwin Three sea days after Cairns it was Darwin’s turn. The docking took an eternity in what appeared to be relatively easy conditions. We approached at snail’s pace and there were worried looks on the faces of the captain and the pilot. I turned out that we were catching a...

Thanks RB. I hadn't seen that. It is very impressive! Someone who saw it said the noise was also deafening.