Into every life a little rain must fall. Actually, this was not rain, but a force three gale. We realize that most of you have been having weather that is far worse, but as Dr. Johnson succinctly put it, being in a ship at sea is like being in a prison with a chance of drowning. Conditions in Port Stanley were not such that a landing in tenders could be contemplated, so the Amsterdam sailed to the west of the Falklands, and our chance to see the King penguins there was “gone with the wind.”
This is not as uncommon as one might think. We’ve talked to at least one person on board, who has now missed the Falklands on three occasions. The Captain was a bit dubious at first about Isla Robinson Crusoe (where there have been at least three deaths due to the earthquake-related tsunami) and there has been at least one port change later on in the voyage (which we’ll cover when we get to it). As someone aboard said, “If you look at your tickets real close, you’ll that none of the stops are guaranteed!”
The turbulence we encountered made it clear that this was a good decision (something that was ratified by the port agent in Stanley), and we can live, at least for a while, without seeing the hulks in the harbor, visiting Goose Green, or buying stamps at the local post office. There is, however, a lesson here. Travel is a privilege, not a right. If you’re sitting on the floor, surrounded by both shores of tropical beaches, cliffs of ice, and the like just remember that even after you have your tickets in hand and have boarded the ship, there’s no guarantee that you’ll land in that special port of call. Or it may be raining, or you may have sunburn or (as happened to friends in La Serena, Chile) your camera may be snitched.
So just enjoy each day as it comes and “go with the flow.” Maybe we’ll make the Falklands next time.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010: BLOG # 2: WHY TRAVELING IS LIKE DYING
There’s a lot closer connection between death and travel than we’d like to think. This has certainly become apparent in the days before departing for our cruise. First, we’re now thinking of things which need doing, but which have been left undone. But are we doing them? – Well, a few.
There’s a lot of list-making, accompanied by the realization that you really can’t take it with you – at least not all of it. The fridge has been “excavated,” with lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) individuals being given what remains in good condition. An attempt has been made to tidy the place. People, some of whom may actually be interested, have been notified. We’ve seen the doctor…. We’ve been prayed for …. People have called up to find out when we’re going …. (You see what I mean.)
The one thing we haven’t done – and this just goes to show the close proximity between the two topics – is PACK! Yep, that’s on the schedule for tomorrow. We had visions of sending “suitumcases” off in December, when – for a fee- Holland-America will pick them up and deliver them to the ship. But that would have been too easy. We love a challenge – and we know who we are. So the day before our departure (we astutely planned an extra day to getting down to Fort Lauderdale for exactly this reason) will be spent doing what we should have done a week ago. Pack. Ah yes, there was that storm …. But we all know it wouldn’t have made any difference if the sky had been clear and blue, right? At least we didn’t imagine that we could fly down with all the various knickknacks we’d be taking. So what some guy from Nigeria almost did in Detroit over Christmas will, fortunately, not put the kibosh to our schedule. Now that’s foresight!
The one point of interest was the car rental. We put it off, and could only find rates quoted in the $150 a day range. That was before Mary tried playing around with pick up and departure. Charlottesville airport to Fort Lauderdale, about $150. But Charlottesville to Fort Lauderdale airport, more like $30. And where do you pick the car up? Charlottesville airport. Go figure … (we’ll be hitting the sack to be ready for tomorrow’s “packathon.”)
There’s a lot of list-making, accompanied by the realization that you really can’t take it with you – at least not all of it. The fridge has been “excavated,” with lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) individuals being given what remains in good condition. An attempt has been made to tidy the place. People, some of whom may actually be interested, have been notified. We’ve seen the doctor…. We’ve been prayed for …. People have called up to find out when we’re going …. (You see what I mean.)
The one thing we haven’t done – and this just goes to show the close proximity between the two topics – is PACK! Yep, that’s on the schedule for tomorrow. We had visions of sending “suitumcases” off in December, when – for a fee- Holland-America will pick them up and deliver them to the ship. But that would have been too easy. We love a challenge – and we know who we are. So the day before our departure (we astutely planned an extra day to getting down to Fort Lauderdale for exactly this reason) will be spent doing what we should have done a week ago. Pack. Ah yes, there was that storm …. But we all know it wouldn’t have made any difference if the sky had been clear and blue, right? At least we didn’t imagine that we could fly down with all the various knickknacks we’d be taking. So what some guy from Nigeria almost did in Detroit over Christmas will, fortunately, not put the kibosh to our schedule. Now that’s foresight!
The one point of interest was the car rental. We put it off, and could only find rates quoted in the $150 a day range. That was before Mary tried playing around with pick up and departure. Charlottesville airport to Fort Lauderdale, about $150. But Charlottesville to Fort Lauderdale airport, more like $30. And where do you pick the car up? Charlottesville airport. Go figure … (we’ll be hitting the sack to be ready for tomorrow’s “packathon.”)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
