Heading North | Where the Art is…
← The other side of ‘the Wall’…
COOL California ! →
We had a gorgeous hot day in Santa Cruz, Huatulco. Pete and I wandered past the small fishing dinghies tied along the dock, and admired the sharks fins spread out like trophies. A short stroll from the ship the cruise crowd swam in the warm turquoise water, safe in their numbers, and in their cloud of coconut and aloe.
We walked over to a secluded bay, and sat by the marina for cold beers. Behind us in the haze were the high mountains of inland Mexico. My fitbit had recorded 9.8 miles by mid afternoon, and we had generated yet another load of laundry. This port was a maiden call for the ship, at probably a fraction of the cost of a day in Acapulco, just 50 miles further up the coast. In the late evening we joined a group on the top deck, found Mars, Rigel, Sirius and Beetlejuice, and a lesson on using a sextant in case we are ever lost at sea. Good calculations a can place us within a mile, with radar within two meters. iIt is a legal requirement for a large vessel to carry one.
We have settled in to our floating home. Off the rail we see flying fish pursued by agile boobies, pelicans, a big green turtle, and many dolphins, sometimes in leaping pods of 40 As we go north we may see whales as we approach their breeding waters. In gentle seas, our room is quiet, conveniently next to the launderette. I’ve got used running the gauntlet of gossiping men lined up at 7.20 in the morning, and my easy working hours gives me time to relax, to look around and to listen……
” Did you try the frog legs?”
“Nah. I’ve seen the way they rip them from the bodies!”
” Oooh, They are eating caviar. In a moment everybody’s breath is going to smell like fish!”
” Apparently we devour fat and carbohydrate to feed the brain…. on the African Savannah in the age of human development our species was small, with the smallest claws, the shortest teeth, the slowest in the jungle. We needed to feed the brain for mere survival. It is not your fault, that you are fat !”
If we are early, our breakfast table allows us a view of the Queen’s wake streaming out behind the ship and occasionally a rare restaurant scene..we are all alone. But when we go back, there is a crowd in the stretch yoga class, bodies strewn about like casualties on a battle field, and all that early morning breath!
In the early evening we prepare to dine in The Britannia. In fancy dress, we pass the sun worshippers, slabs of well toasted flesh, greased bodies pressed close in the lifts, and skin tones indistinguishable in color and tone from over ripe tomatoes.
Yes, our fellow passengers are a strange and mixed community! They are fun, interesting and dull, people with egos, and folks just like us, and dissimilar, classy and not, bad language comedians, some excellent lecturers, and travelers with backgrounds unknown. They have had wonderful shopping expeditions and tours of such disappointment….buses breaking down, with dirty windows or failing to make corners, even leaving a guest behind. It is a strange way for us to spend our time, but we see glorious sunsets and sunrises over the sea, no snow, and every day a new friend, or an interesting city and an adventure!
Heading North | Where the Art is…
← The other side of ‘the Wall’…
COOL California ! →
We had a gorgeous hot day in Santa Cruz, Huatulco. Pete and I wandered past the small fishing dinghies tied along the dock, and admired the sharks fins spread out like trophies. A short stroll from the ship the cruise crowd swam in the warm turquoise water, safe in their numbers, and in their cloud of coconut and aloe.
We walked over to a secluded bay, and sat by the marina for cold beers. Behind us in the haze were the high mountains of inland Mexico. My fitbit had recorded 9.8 miles by mid afternoon, and we had generated yet another load of laundry. This port was a maiden call for the ship, at probably a fraction of the cost of a day in Acapulco, just 50 miles further up the coast. In the late evening we joined a group on the top deck, found Mars, Rigel, Sirius and Beetlejuice, and a lesson on using a sextant in case we are ever lost at sea. Good calculations a can place us within a mile, with radar within two meters. iIt is a legal requirement for a large vessel to carry one.
We have settled in to our floating home. Off the rail we see flying fish pursued by agile boobies, pelicans, a big green turtle, and many dolphins, sometimes in leaping pods of 40 As we go north we may see whales as we approach their breeding waters. In gentle seas, our room is quiet, conveniently next to the launderette. I’ve got used running the gauntlet of gossiping men lined up at 7.20 in the morning, and my easy working hours gives me time to relax, to look around and to listen……
” Did you try the frog legs?”
“Nah. I’ve seen the
 way they rip them from the bodies!”
” Oooh, They are eating caviar. In a moment everybody’s breath is going to smell like fish!”
” Apparently we devour fat and carbohydrate to feed the brain…. on the African Savannah in the age of human development our species was small, with the smallest claws, the shortest teeth, the slowest in the jungle. We needed to feed the brain for mere survival. It is not your fault, that you are fat !”
If we are early, our breakfast table allows us a view of the Queen’s wake streaming out behind the ship and occasionally a rare restaurant scene..we are all alone. But when we go back, there is a crowd in the stretch yoga class, bodies strewn about like casualties on a battle field, and all that early morning breath!
In the early evening we prepare to dine in The Britannia. In fancy dress, we pass the sun worshippers, slabs of well toasted flesh, greased bodies pressed close in the lifts, and skin tones indistinguishable in color and tone from over ripe tomatoes.
Yes, our fellow passengers are a strange and mixed community! They are fun, interesting and dull, people with egos, and folks just like us, and dissimilar, classy and not, bad language comedians, some excellent lecturers, and travelers with backgrounds unknown. They have had wonderful shopping expeditions and tours of such disappointment….buses breaking down, with dirty windows or failing to make corners, even leaving a guest behind. It is a strange way for us to spend our time, but we see glorious sunsets and sunrises over the sea, no snow, and every day a new friend, or an interesting city and an adventure!