Sometime around 2am, our ship went through the Strait of Kanmon, a narrow waterway separating Japan’s Honshu and Kyushu islands. And, courtesy of some lingering jet lag, I was awake for it. So, I got up and snapped a photo as we passed under the bridge. The iPhone 17 Pro Max handles low light remarkably well. If we hadn’t been moving, it would probably be in focus. Probably.

I don’t know what I expected from a famous maritime chokepoint, but it turns out the answer is a bridge, some lights.

Now we’re sailing the Yellow Sea toward Seoul. So far, it’s been very smooth. I haven’t been tempted to break out my scopolamine patches once. Knock on wood.

Managed to sleep past 6am for the first time this trip (probably because I was up at 2am taking photos). Missed sunrise yoga on the fitness deck. Dammit.

Note: If you ever think you see me at sunrise yoga . . . wasn’t me.

Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast on board the ship has been excellent. You have your choice of: room service (which sounds great until you’re staring at dirty dishes in your cabin), an extensive buffet, or a sit down and order off the menu restaurant.

We usually hit the buffet – there are so many choices. The fruit situation has been incredible. I’d eat a lot more fruit if someone would just cut it up for me every day. 😎 And the baked goods? Phenomenal. I think I’ve eaten 12 almond croissants since we got on board. My only complaint: the scrambled eggs are deliberately undercooked (there’s even a sign saying they are deliberately undercooked). And I’m not a fan of egg soup.

I’m really impressed with all of the international breakfast offerings on board. Everything from Rice Krispies to pancakes to omelettes to baked beans to cold cuts to miso soup to . . .

Oh God, three different kinds of herring – pickled, creamed, and marinated in wine. Hmmm, tough to decide which one I’m not having. 

I’m a fan of Scandinavian foods in general – Swedish meatballs, Swedish pancakes, Swedish cheesecake, lingonberries – all delicious. And then there’s Ken’s favorite Swedish food- Swedish Fish.

But herring? Herring is disgusting. I realize I run the risk of getting kicked out of the Scandinavian gene pool for saying that, but that’s a hill I will die on. Somewhere, one of my Viking ancestors is staring down from Valhalla in utter disappointment.

Time for Sportsing

After breakfast, we headed up to the lido deck (which makes me flash back to watching The Love Boat as a kid) and put the ship’s jogging track to use. It sounded like a great way to get my steps – until I figured out that you have to walk seven laps to go one mile. Seven. I don’t have the patience to walk around in tiny circles all morning. I got bored somewhere around lap eleven.

We also had to navigate around the Professional Cruise Walkers – a distinct cruise ship subspecies who arrive at the track at dawn, with step counters and weighted vests. No eye contact, no exchange of pleasantries, just absolute walking focus. We got out of their way.

We moved on to shuffleboard and mini golf. I think I surprised Ken by not being completely horrible at mini golf (because I am completely horrible at regular golf). Still, only one of us was keeping score. 

We were going to play bocce ball, but Barb and Larry from Wichita were monopolizing the court, and weren’t giving off sharing vibes.

There are sooo many activities on board a cruise ship. If I were an activity person, I could take bridge lessons, go to needlepoint nook (I’m curious about the nook part), competitive mahjong, or attend a meeting called “Friends of Bill W” in the Library (that sounds exclusive).

But my plan for the rest of the day is to read a book on our balcony and watch the world go by.

Tomorrow: Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷.