January 12, 2026

Tip of the Week
Every Shot Sets Up the Next Shot.
(NOTE – while I’m away I’ll still put up a Tip of the Week each Monday. I wrote them up in advance.)

Flu and South America and Next Blog Feb. 16, Oh My!
I’ve been sick in bed all week with a fever, while going through boxes of Kleenex and coughing up an ocean. I thought it was a bad cold. Over the weekend it got worse, so I finally saw a doctor. They gave me a Covid/Flu test . . . and I have the flu. I have medicine now and should be okay in a day or so. So, for this week’s blog I’m just going to post my daily upcoming schedule in South America, where I’ll be, Jan. 15 – Feb. 12. Then I’m back to bed.

South America – Classic Table Tennis World Cup and Sightseeing in Five Countries
I’ll be in South America, Jan. 15-Feb. 12. Below is my complete schedule. I may visit some local table tennis clubs if I’m not too injured from the Classic tournament. (I’m still recovering from injuries to my side and knee, and shoulder is also a concern.) I’m on local tours in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima, and Machu Picchu, with links below to the tours. If you have suggestions on places to visit besides what’s on the tours (I especially like historical sites), or on local table tennis clubs to visit, feel free to email me. I’m staying at six different hotels.

I arranged all of this myself – no travel agents. I arranged flights through expedia.com, hotels through hotels.com (except for the tournament hotel for the Classic Table Tennis World Cup), and tours through viator.com. I had to get a visa for Brazil, but the other countries did not require it. I’ve been to 25 countries; this will make 30! (Note – I’ll likely be at the World Masters in South Korea in June, and may then visit a few other countries, and perhaps some travel in August as well.)

Countries I’ve been to (as of Feb. 12, 2026), in order: USA, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan (let’s not bicker), Japan, China, Bahamas, Portugal, Ireland, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Egypt, Panama, Ecuador, Jordan, Austria, Dominican Republic, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Columbia.

The $50,000 Classic Table Tennis World Cup includes events for Hardbat, Sandpaper, and Wood, with numerous divisions: Open, Women, Under 25, Under 18, Over 40, Over 60, and Over 80. I’m seeded #2 in Over 60 Hardbat.

  • Jan. 15: Fly from Dulles Airport to Porto Alegre, Brazil, with two-hour stopover in Panama. Uber to Três Coroas (90km). Arrive early in Jan. 16.
  • Jan. 16-18: Practice, registration, and Opening Ceremonies for Classic Table Tennis World Cup
  • Jan. 19: Over 60 Sandpaper
  • Jan. 21: Over 60 Hardbat
  • Jan. 23: Over 60 Wood
  • Jan. 24-25: Local sightseeing in Três Coroas
  • Jan. 26: Fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Jan. 27: Rio de Janeiro tour (8 hours)
  • Jan. 28-30: Local sightseeing
  • Jan. 31: Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Feb. 1: Buenos Aires tour (5 hours)
  • Feb. 2-3: Local sightseeing
  • Feb. 4: Montevideo, Uruguay tour (16 hours – including long round trip boat ride from Buenos Aires)
  • Feb. 5: Fly to Lima, Peru
  • Feb. 6: Lima tour (2.5 hours)
  • Feb. 7: Local sightseeing
  • Feb. 8: Fly to Cusco, Peru
  • Feb. 9: Machu Picchu tour (14 hours, including long bus ride)
    Feb. 10: Local sightseeing (Cusco)
  • Feb. 11: Fly to Bogotá, Columbia, local sightseeing
  • Feb. 12: Fly back to US (Dulles Airport)

Coaching and News from All Over
While I’m gone for a month, here are links to pages you might want to check.

Mostly Non-Table Tennis – My Science Fiction Blog
Besides my weekly table tennis blog I also have a science fiction writing blog. I post there erratically, and hadn’t posted in a while. Recently I’ve put up three posts – here they are! Two are about my recent short story collections, the other about my short story writing system.

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