April 25: Airlie Beach Friday we called upon the small town of Airlie Beach. I awoke early to make my excursion. I think we had to meet early because it was a tender port. If you’re not familiar with the term “tender port” that means it’s a small enough place that they don’t have a […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Days 14-15: Boarding a Norwegian Sun and a Day Sick at Sea
April 23-24, 2025 Hello again friends! I awoke in my Brisbane hotel Wednesday morning thinking my brain having no idea what time zone it was in. I looked at my watch and it was 8am, so I guessed my brain knew after all. I did my typical social media scrolling, got up, took a shower, […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Days 12-13: a long set of flights
April 21-22, 2025 Hello Friends! I know I’m a couple days behind, but my stomach has been out of whack for the last 24 hours. So, while I type this on Thursday evening, let’s rewind to Monday morning… I awoke fairly early in my room at the Cairo Mariott, but wasn’t in a rush as […]
Around The World in 30 Days! Day 11: The Egypt I Came to See
April 20, 2025 I awoke in my hotel room early Sunday morning because I went to bed early the night before. This was partially due to exhaustion from the previous day’s drama, and partially due to brain still being on Dubai time (two hours ahead). I had the hotel’s breakfast buffet which was fine went […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Day 10: Dubai to Cairo
Hello friends! This was a memorable day. I woke at about 3:00am, got dressed, gathered my stuff and made my way from my hotel to the Dubai Airport for my 6:30am flight. Check-in for Royal Jordanian Airline was quick as easy thanks to my Emerald status with the One World alliance. They directed me to […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Days 7-8: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Hello Cruisers! On Wednesday the 16th I woke EARLY because my meet time for my excursion was 6:45am. Why so early? My tour that day was to visit the “Oasis Town of Al Ain” which is about 100 miles from Abu Dhabi each way. So I got up, slathered myself in sunscreen (which I friggin […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Day 6: Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates
April 15th, 2025 (did you do your taxes?) Hello Cruisers! Tuesday the 15th was a memorable one. Sir Bani Yas is an island owned by Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and current President of the United Arab Emirates. Originally a sandy rock of an island, the Al Nayan family have […]
Around The World in 30 Days! Day 5: Bahrain
April 14, 2025 I woke up early on this day determined to put the unfortunate events of the day before behind me. Being a Navy veteran, I’ve known so many people who have been to Bahrain while on active duty. A few years ago I guy in my Lodge, who was a reservist, came home […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Day 4: Dammam, Saudi Arabia
April 14, 2025 Today was the first port stop on this seven-day cruise in the Persian Gulf: Dammam, Saudi Arabia. When I first booked this cruise four weeks ago, I went on the various social media platforms for it and found people complaining about difficulty getting a Saudi visa. In recent months, I have applied […]
Around the World in 30 Days! Day 3: Boarding the Norwegian Sky
Saturday, April 12, 2025 After jetlag kept me awake until 4am I awoke… at dawn. Hopefully If I can power-through this day and go to bed at a normal hour local time I will be in rhythm with the sun at this meridian. LOL I spent the night at the Mina Hotel and Residence by […]