RITZ-CARLTON LUMINARA: DAY 4

We are in the port of Laem Chabang.  Nothing much to see.

Lunch of truffle hamburger and beer in Mistral.

Today we were supposed to ride a bus for at least two hours to get to a hotel in Bangkok.  We were assigned to the St. Regis.  The cruise line paid for the transport and hotel cost, but any drinks and food were at our expense.  We thought better and stayed on board.  I've only been to Bangkok 25 times or so, and stayed at the St. Regis twice.  This hotel actually won a Readers Choice award last year.  Here are some excerpts of my posting of 21August2016.

• View from my suite.

• 
  While there is a mass transit stop just outside the hotel, there is nothing else of any relevance nearby.  I mostly reported on a my experiences at a rooftop restaurant a couple of stops away, Zense.
• After I used a  $20 BTS SkyTrain ten times, the cost was only around $5.
• A photo from my table.

• 
  My initial reaction to this restaurant was one of leeriness.  The staff was tentative, maybe only 10% of the seats were taken and the prices seemed too low.  Yet, the food was terrific.  In fact, the hamachi collar was perhaps the best I've ever had.  The whole bill, with red wine and beer, was just under $50.  Unfortunately, just as I was finishing up, a huge wind storm arrived, almost blew my wine glass off the table and I quickly made it inside before the sky fell.  Despite all the negatives, I can highly recommend this place.  Here is the kitchen to the left that fixes a range of international cuisine.  Very professional looking.

I was first in the St. Regis in 2014 when I noticed that possibly the best Indian restaurant in world, Gaggan, was only a short walk away.  Here was my experience: I dined last night at Gaggan in Bangkok, located in murky walking distance of the St. Regis, where I'm staying.  They say it is safe to walk around this city at night, but keep away from dark and dingy lanes.  Well, you need to do this if you want to adventurously get from hotel to restaurant and back.

So stupid of me, when a cab ride each way would have been only a couple of dollars:  So is Gaggan the best Indian restaurant in the world, as cited by CNN Travel?  Well, no, if you are talking about traditional Indian food.  Absolutely, if you are into cutting edge fusion cuisine.  It is now #3 in Asia (from #10 last year- -#1 is Nahm, also in Bangkok, and #2 is Narisawa of Tokyo) on Pellegrino's best and #18 in the world.  No other Indian restaurant is in Pellegrino's best 100, so a case can actually be made for Gaggan as the best Indian restaurant in the world.

Had a nap after lunch, then a pre-dinner scotch in The Living Room.  Note that I am sitting close to the bar where I had 10 sample drinks yesterday.  Also notice that I'm wearing a blanket.  The outside temperature at 7:30PM is in the high 80s, but the air conditioning dropped this room temperature into the middle 60s.

Then on to Haetsu Bit, with an opening Junmai Ginjo sake.

My first course was a Vietnamese Pho with yellowfin tuna and hamachi sashimi.

Also with Tobiko, Ikura and Unagi Sushi.

I'm allergic to crustaceans.  All Chawan Mushi contain shrimp.  But the kitchen was able to eliminate the shrimp, and placed on top some caviar.

Just a photo of part of a plate,

Ended with a Chocolate Buddha dessert.

Then on to the Art Bar for some entertainment.

To end the evening, more music in The Living Room,

Note that we are sitting as far away in room as we could.  The sound remained ridiculously too loud.  So we move into a side room.  It was still too noisy, so we went back to our stateroom.

Walked only 1695 steps today,  Going to have to at least double that tomorrow.

About Bangkok and Thailand.

• The exchange rate is 31 Baht to the U.S. Dollar.  It was 30 four years ago, and reached a high of 38.3 two years ago.

• 
  I've been there many, many times over the past 30 years, and the government is almost always in jeopardy.
• However, tourists are not particularly affected, except that they one time closed the airport on me.
• Decades ago, when there was an upheaval, I served as courier for the American government to deliver and bring back information to the acting government.  I had a minor link to the U.S. side and my friends in Thailand asked me for this service.
• 
  The official U.S, advice is:

We continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution overall in Thailand. There's an ongoing risk of terrorism. Popular tourist areas, including Bangkok and Phuket, may be the target of terrorist attacks.

• The temperature of Bangkok usually hits a high of 90 F around this time of year.

• 
  Air pollution was terrible in the past until they largely got rid of their Tuk-tuks.  But weather conditions can still cause health problems from January to April when it is dry.
• The Thai-Cambodia skirmish appears to be over.

One of the worst travel days of my life occurred on 12March2011, when I chose to catch a flight from Bangkok to Tokyo,  This was the day after the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.  The day before I had written an article for the Huffington Post entitled, Hawaii Tsunami, Again.

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DAY 3 ON THE RITZ-CARLTON LUMINARA: JANUARY 1

We spent Day 3, 1January2026, of this Ritz-Carlton Luminara cruise moored off Koh Samui, Thailand.

• 
  Never been there, and have no particular wish to see a fisherman's village, Wat Khunarum, Secret Buddha Garden (right) and Chawan Noi Beach (below).

• 
  Also too because we would need to catch a boat to the pier.  And Koh Samui would still be 19 miles away.
• Oh yes, and the cost is $339/person.
• According to the write-up:  Koh Samui's charm extends beyond its sun-drenched beaches, etc.  They believe in siestas.  Temperature is supposed by be 82F, but it feels like 90F on our veranda.

• 
  Wikipedia spells the city as Ko Samui, but locals just call it Samui.
• Off the east coast of Thailand, and is the country's second largest island after Phuket,
• Is beginning to approach 3 million tourists annually.
• Was not troubled by the great tsunami of 2004, and actually had a boom, for visitors avoided Phuket, located on the west side.

The top global events in 2026:

• 
  January 11:  Golden Globes.
• February 1:  Grammy Awards.
• February 6 - February 22:  Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.

• 
  February 8:  Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, with Bad Bunny.
• March 15:  Oscars.
• May 22:  Star Wars:  The Mandalorian and Grogu.
• June 11 - July 19:  FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.  48 teams this year. Final game will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
• July 4:  250th birthday for the USA.
• November 3:  miderm elections, hopefully.

• 
  December 18:  Dune:  Part 3 and Avengers:  Doomsday, although Dune 3 might shoot for an October opening.

So what did we do on New Year's Day 2026?  First, the ship keeps leaving gifts.  That is a loaf of bread.  Why?  Those are full bottles of Moet Chandon Champagne, Glenfiddich scotch and Haku gin.

Woke up late and went to lunch at the Beach House.

Made up a drink combining a Kir Royale with orange juice.

Wine was a Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Simple lamb chops with sourdough bread.

A video of the ship aft after lunch

Walking back to our stateroom, thought we'd get another drink, and stayed for ten.

Served by Fabiano of Jakarta, Indonesia.  Started with these.

Went on to....I forgot, but up to nine.

Ended with a cognac.

I'm going to have to come back to have more of these adventures, like perhaps Japanese whiskies, vodkas and gins.  Then a chocolate ice cream cone.

Took a nap.  Then on to dinner at The Grill, but decided on Mistral instead.  We ordered Sea Bream and Ribeye, with sides, plus Duckhorn Zinfandel.  Best steak I've had in a very long time.

Went to the Art Bar to listen to Tom Smith and Ashleigh September.

The duo was followed by Tom Smith and others.

Closed the night in The Living Room for the High Notes and Highballs.  Sat only a few feet from where I had those 10 samplers after lunch. 

 Walked 1948 steps today,

At least we had a full New Year's Day.  From The Sun of London, here is a video showing some of the best New Year 2026 celebrations.  From the BBC and CNN, a few photos.  First, Sydney Harbor and Opera House.

Seoul, Bosingak pavilion.

Dubai, Burj Khalifa.

Barcelona.

Singapore, Marina Bay Sands.

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