GRAND AROUND the WORLD ADVENTURE (GAWA): Day #1 Honolulu to Tokyo

My Grand Around the World Adventure (GAWA) begins today with a flight on United Airlines from Honolulu to Tokyo.  I am in the process of writing three books, and this trip will conclude the research for at least one of them:

• Pearl's Ashes:  I have dropped my wife's ashes at at least 50 sites.  I plan on this being an e-book, for it will feature photos of each site.  I need a few more.  A hardback will cost several hundred dollars.
• The Venus Syndrome:  This will be a novel, and I would like to nail down certain details to make the narrative and dialogue more authentic.  For example, I need to know the exact decor of of a certain auditorium in Kyoto for historical accuracy.  There are dozens of these environmental details to confirm.

• Blue Revolution:  My major focus these days has to do with the Blue Revolution.  I endowed my apartment to the University of Hawaii to establish a Blue Revolution program on campus.  I haven't if this book will be a scientific text, a doc-novel or what.  I will meet with people and tour sites to gain a better perspective.

This is only a grand tour, for the ultimate occurred two and a half years ago, called My Ultimate Global Adventure (MUGA).  While it lasted only 51 days--GAWA will extend on for 65 days on business class--I flew first class and, well, it will be difficult to exceed the sheer enjoyment of MUGA.  Mind you, a year and a half ago was My Ultimate Fantasy Adventure (MUFA), only 31 days, and only Circum-Pacific, but this journey might have been even better for what I could not report.

I purposefully kept the itinerary relatively safe, maybe even sedate, with only two new stops, Dubai and Venice.  Return for the site of your interest:

1. Honolulu to Tokyo
2. Tokyo
3. Japan Rail Pass to Kanazawa and Matsumoto
4. JRP to Sapporo
5. Sapporo
6. Sapporo to Tokyo
7. Tokyo to Kyoto
8. Kyoto to Miyazaki
9. Miyazaki to Yokohama
10. Yokohama to Tokyo
11. Tokyo
12. Tokyo to Seoul
13. Seoul
14. Seoul
15. Seoul to Hong Kong
16. Hong Kong
17. Hong Kong to Singapore
18. Singapore
19. Singapore
20. Singapore to Bangkok
21. Bangkok
22. Bangkok
23. Bangkok to Dubai
24. Dubai
25. Dubai
26. Dubai to Istanbul
27. Istanbul
28. Istanbul
29. Istanbul to Venice
30. Venice to Milan
31. Milan for the World Expo
32. Milan to Venice
33. Venice
34. Venice
35. Venice to Frankfurt
36. Frankfurt
37. Frankfurt to Budapest:  Board Tauck River Cruise for 14 days
38. Budapest
39. Vienna
40. Vienna
41. Danube River
42. Passau
43. Regensburg
44. Nurnberg
45. Bamberg
46. Wurzburg/Rothensburg
47. Maine River
48. Rudesheim
49. Cologne
50. Amsterdam
51. Amsterdam
52. Amsterdam
53. Amsterdam to New York City
54. New York City
55. New York City
56. New York to Chicago
57. Chicago
58. Chicago to Las Vegas
59. Las Vegas
60. Las Vegas
61. Las Vegas to San Francisco
62. San Francisco
63. San Francisco
64. San Francisco to Honolulu

Certainly looks like 64 days, but there is an extra day somewhere from crossing the International Date Line.

Of course, in all my odysseys I continue to gather information for books I am writing.  I'm this trip focusing on two of them:  THE VENUS SYNDROME and the other being my experiences associated with dropping Pearl's ashes, which is looking more and more like a photo-essay, thus, the need for more photos.

I've already been around the world around ten times, so one wonders why I'm again doing this.  Frankly, it all started with a talk I gave at 15 Craigside on how to plan an around the world trip, for I'm probably one of the world authorities on this topic.  There was sufficient interest that I gave a second presentation on the details of such a journey and varying costs depending on class of service.  I also added on a European cruise, for I keep hearing good things about it.  Sadly, no one is joining me, so this global adventure will be all by myself.

I added Dubai and Venice, the former because it calculates into THE VENUS SYNDROME, and the second because this was one of the places Pearl wanted to visit, but never did.  There, too, is the Milan World Expo, which will be involved with both books.

So, I'm off to Tokyo.

Before and after dinner:

And dessert:

Tokyo is raining.  Tomorrow will be the same.

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Tropical Storm Krovanh is just about now becoming a typhoon, and will strengthen at least into a Category 4, but, as earlier mentioned, seems headed sufficiently north that Japan, and my trip, will not be affected:

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