Good morning from Diamond Princess and Tianjin in China. Well, I hope so, anyway. I am writing this before setting off for Heathrow Airport. By the time you read it, I should have flown to Beijing and been driven to the port.
The ship is an old friend; I cruised Alaska on her 18 months ago and I am looking forward to renewing acquaintance with Captain Bob Oliver. The ports of call will be new to me, at least until we reach Hong Kong where I will be saying goodbye.
There will be no time to explore Beijing, and after leaving Tianjin there’s a day at sea before we arrive at the South Korean port of Busan where I am promised an afternoon sightseeing among 7th Century temples and 21st Century skyscrapers.
Nagasaki will be a homecoming for Diamond Princess – the ship left the city’s Mitsubishi shipyards in 2004 – and there will be no shortage of activities to tempt us ashore in Shanghai.
Then there are two relaxing days before arrival in Hong Kong, where I will be spending a couple of nights at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, overlooking the Happy Valley race track.
Check back over the next few days and I’ll keep you up to date with events.
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