Welcome Back to LFLatSea:  
New Trip Announcement

We are fast approaching the end of February and today is less than four weeks away from the start of my next trip.  I depart from Tucson on Sunday, 20 March, for a month-long journey with two major components:

1.  24 March-11 April
18-day cruise on Oceania Cruiselines 625-passenger ship ms Nautica from Hong Kong to Mumbai/Bombay, India.  The cruise will visit ports in Vietnam (Nha Trang and overnight in Saigon/ HCMC); Singapore; Thailand (Phuket); Burma/Myanmar (two overnights in Rangoon/Yangon); and India (Cochin and Mumbai).



  

Concierge Level Veranda 216-sq ft Staterooms offer a private teak veranda, refrigerated mini-bar and plush seating area, as well as the added luxury of exclusive Concierge Level amenities and privileges (in addition to suite & stateroom amenities). 

Concierge Level Amenities:

• Priority Noon ship embarkation with priority luggage delivery
• Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne
• Priority specialty restaurant reservations
• Unlimited access to Canyon Ranch SpaClub private Spa Terrace
• Free internet  
• IPad upon request
• Variety of Bulgari amenities
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag
• Cashmere lap blankets, perfect for relaxing on your veranda
• Complimentary shoe shine service
• Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation 

Suite and Stateroom Level Amenities:

• Queen-size Prestige Tranquility Bed, with 1,000-thread-count linens
• Refrigerated mini-bar with free and unlimited soft drinks and bottled water replenished daily
• Bulgari amenities
• Twice-daily maid service
• Signature Belgian chocolates with nightly turndown service
• Flat-screen television with live satellite news and programming
• DVD player with extensive media library
• Complimentary and extensive 24-hour room service menu
• Wireless Internet access
• 110/220 volt outlets
• Direct-dial satellite phone and cellular service
• Writing desk and stationary
• Security safe
• Handheld hair dryer
• Thick cotton robes and slippers
• Plush cotton towels

2.  11-22 May
Two nights on my own in Mumbai, followed by a 9-day private tour of the major cities of north-central India, including two nights each in Varanasi, Delhi/New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur.  I will fly from Mumbai to Varanasi (with a private car and driver for my stay), and then fly onward to Delhi.  In Delhi I will meet a new private driver with car who will accompany me through Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur.  I leave my driver at the airport in Jaipur for a flight back to Mumbai for one additional night.

*****

Getting from Tucson to the ms Nautica in Hong Kong

My trip begins with an overnight stay at the Los Angeles Airport.  I leave Tucson on Sunday, 20 May, and spend the night at at the Holiday Inn Express at LAX.  On Monday morning, 21 May, I take a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, leaving LAX at 9:25 am and arriving in Hong Kong the next day, Tuesday, at 4:00 pm--after a 15-1/2 hour flight.  This is the same flight I used last year when I flew to Hong Kong for a Holland America cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore.

I will spend two nights at the Marco Polo Hotel Hongkong, which is conveniently located within walking distance of the pier at which the Nautica will be docked (the ship arrives the day prior to departure).  This is the same hotel I stayed at before last year's cruise as well; it is extremely convenient to everything that Hong Kong offers.  I will have a full day on Wednesday to catch up on a few things I missed on my last visit, before my priority boarding on Thursday at noon.

Sailing from Hong Kong to Mumbai

You will see from the itinerary below that this cruise allows for a good spread of days at sea--for rest and relaxation--as well as visits to exciting ports.  Although I visited the first four ports (Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Saigon, and Singapore) on a Holland America cruise in February 2015 (was that really just last year?), the second half of the cruise takes me to entirely new territory.  My expectations are most high for the three-day visit to Yangon, Myanmar, which includes an overnight excursion to the city of Bagan, center of the "land of 5,000 temples."

 Mar   24 Thu    5:00 pm   Lv Hong Kong—                ms Nautica / concierge veranda stateroom 7023

          25 Fri                     At Sea                                                                                 

          26 Sat     9:00 am   Av Nha Trang, Vietnam

                         4:00 pm   Lv Nha Trang                                                    

          27 Sun   12:00 nn    Av Saigon                                  

                                         [ship remains in Saigon]

           28 Mon  4:00 pm    Lv Saigon—  

          29 Tue                    At Sea

          30 Wed  8:00 am    Av Singapore                                                   

                        8:00 pm    Lv Singapore—

          31 Thu                    At Sea      

 Apr     1 Fri     8:00 am    Av Phuket, Thailand                                      

                        6:00 pm    Lv Phuket

            2 Sat                     At Sea     

            3 Sun    8:00 am   Av Yangon, Myanmar (ship stays 2 overnights)       

                                        [ship remains in Yangon]

            4 Mon   6:00 am   Lv Yangon—                                         air                         

                         7:20 am   Av Bagan, Myanmar (1 night)              hotel

                                        [ship remains in Yangon]

            5 Tue  10:00 am   Lv Bagan--                                              air 

                       11:15 am   AvYangon 

                         5:00 pm   Lv Yangon                                            ms Nautica

            6 Wed                  At Sea      

            7 Thu                    At Sea                                                                  

            8 Fri                     At Sea                                                                  

            9 Sat     8:00 am   Av Cochin, India                  

                         6:00 pm   Lv Cochin

           10 Sun                   At Sea     

           11 Mon   8:00 am  Av Mumbai                                       disembark ms Nautica

My First Visit to India

Besides the avilability of a reduced rate for single travelers on the cruise and the desire to see more of Southeast Asia, this trip gives me the opportunity--probably for once in my lifetime--of visiting India, even for a short time and limited geography.  Since the cruise ends in Mumbai, I could not resist scheduling this extension; after all, I will probably not pass this way again.

[Ignore lines on map; my trip takes me from Varanasi
to Delhi to Agra and to Jaipur]

 11 Mon   8:00 am   Av Mumbai (port)                           Hotel Taj Mahal Palace (2 nights) 

 12 Tue                    Mumbai

 13 Wed   10:30 am Lv Mumbai (BOM)                           private car with driver #1 / Air India AI 695   

                12:45 pm Av Varanasi                                    private car with driver #1 / Ramada Plaza Hotel (2 nights)

14 Thu                     Varanasi                                         private car with driver #1 

15 Fri         3:25 pm  Lv Varanasi                                     private car with driver #1 / JET Airways 2424

                  5:00 pm  Av Delhi                                        private car with driver #2 / The Claridges tel (2 nights) 

16 Sat                       Delhi                                             private car with driver #2

17 Sun         7:00 am Lv Delhi                                         private car with driver #2

                 10:30 am Av Agra                                         ITC Mughal Hotel (2 nights)  

18 Mon                     Agra                                              private car with driver #2

19 Tue        early am  Lv Agra—                                    private car with driver #2

                   +45 min Av Fatahpuri Singh

                                 Lv Fatahpuri Singh                         private car with driver #2
                   +5 hrs    Av Jaipur                                      Dera Rawatsar (2 nights)

20 Wed                    Jaipur                                              private car with driver #2

21 Thu        2:10 pm Lv Jaipur                                         Air India AI 612  

                   3:55 pm Av Mumbai (BOM)                       private car with driver #3 / Hotel Taj Mahal Palace (1 night) 

Returning Home from Mumbai

My trip home from Mumbai at 10:30 pm on Friday, 22 April, requires an overnight flight on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, arrving at 7:00 am on Saturday.  Another Cathay Pacific flight takes me from Hong Kong (9:30 am) to Los Angeles (7:55 am, the same day--90 minutes prior to when I left Hong Kong); don't you love the International Date Line?  I leave Los Angeles at 1:20 pm and arrive home in Tucson at 2:45pm--all on the same Saturday, 23 April.

More Details to Follow

  

I will be back during the next few weeks with much more information about both the cruise and the trip in India.  In the meantime I am doing a lot of reading and research about that part of the world and practicing eating Indian food.