Celebrating the Big 6-0

Wednesday, 11 April 2018
ADVANCED RV RESORT — PEARLAND / HOUSTON, TEXAS
TEMPS: HI 78 (26C) / LO 48F (9C)

Without new experiences, something inside us sleeps.
The sleeper must awaken.
~ Frank Herbert ~

I’m not in the habit of posting to the blog when Mui and I celebrate a birthday or an anniversary.  Not even when it is a milestone event … which this year’s birthday was for me.  Yup, I embark upon a new decade … one that I hope will see us collecting more travel memories from around the world.

Making the Blog Whole

Sunday, 1 April 2018
AdVanced RV Resort — Pearland / Houston, Texas
Temps: Hi 79 (26C) / Lo 60F (16C)

It's the sum of the parts that make up the whole …
~ Pankaj Patel ~

The story of our RTW voyage may seem complete … but it’s not.  At least not for me.

Yes, I wrote about the days leading up to the voyage … the planning.  Yes, I wrote about our port experiences.  Yes, I brought us back home in words.  Yes, I wrote a retrospective.  And yes, I also provided a visual of our overall travel history … the countries we notched on our travel belt.

Now it’s time to go back and add the missing days … the days at sea that I skipped after a while in the blog when time became too precious … too valuable a commodity when there was so much to see and do and experience.  I continued to keep notes in my daily journal, however … unpolished words … unsuitable for public consumption without some plenty of wordsmithing.

Frankly, I don’t remember if there’s anything in those missing words that others will be interested in reading.  But the blog is as much for Mui and me as it is for others.  Actually, it is more for us than for others since it is our memories that will be tickled most by these words.  It’s important to me that I make the blog whole … tell the full story, if you will.

My plan is to add the missing posts to the blog as time permits.  I’ll be backdating them so they fall into the appropriate timeline in the archive.  I don’t know if they will appear in RSS feeds.  Or if readers will be notified of these posts via email.  If neither happens, anyone interested can find the posts in the archive in the sidebar … starting with Day 54 … 1 March 2017.

Happy travels to all … whether virtual or real.

© 2004-2018 All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

Merry Christmas … Happy Holidays

Sunday, 24 December 2017
Advanced RV Resort — Pearland / Houston, Texas
Temps: Hi 67F (20C) / Lo 40F (4C)

Merry Christmas … Happy Holidays
Wishing all a happy, healthy, and enriching 2018 shared with loved ones.

Will Continue to Come Along … But More Slowly

Friday, 11 August 2017
United Club — George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Houston, Texas

[Now that the story of our RTW is complete, this post is unnecessary.
But I don't want to lose the comments, so I am going to keep it.]

A mere five weeks after returning home from our 180-day RTW voyage, the time has again come to lace up our travel shoes and head overseas.  In fact, even as I write this post, we’re at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, awaiting our flight to London.

Every year we make a pilgrimage to visit family in Turkey for a month or two.  As we’re wont to do, we’ve tacked on some additional travel adventures to our trip, stretching out our time away from home … this time to 100+ days.  Combine those days with the RTW and by the time we return to the USA in November, we will have been out of the country for 286 days this year.  That’s a lot of days … even by our standards.

Our three cruises are all on Celebrity.  Sightseeing plans for the
cruises are in the works.  What we will do while in Turkey … that is still TBD.
[Base map courtesy of the Celebrity Cruises website.]

All this is neither here nor there where this blog is concerned.  Except that going a-travelin’ will impact my ability to process photos and put up more posts in this already-behind-the-times blog.  I am not abandoning the blog entirely, however.  I will continue to work on it in bits and pieces where and when time permits.  So take heart … keep that email subscription going or stop by every once I while to check on my progress.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

Where Have We Been?

Tuesday, 1 August 2017
Advanced RV Resort — Pearland/Houston, Texas

Friends often ask if there’s anywhere left in this big wide world of ours that we have not been to.  The short answer — plenty!

I have a general idea of the places we’ve traveled to, but I haven’t tracked them per se.  It got me thinking.  The continents are easy.  The number is finite and I can easily say that we’ve set foot on all seven of them.

Countries?  Well, that’s another matter.  For one thing, there are different ‘country lists’ based on various criteria.  I decided to use one of the online mapping sites to get a quick map of the countries we’ve visited … together.  Mui’s number would be a little higher as he has been on assignment to places like Saudi Arabia and Kosovo … to mention a few.

The map below proves my point.  We’ve been to 90 out of 250 countries thus far … that’s just 36% of the countries of the world. The map is misleading, of course.  The online tool marks the entire country even if we've been to just a city or two. Nonetheless, it's a decent visual of the countries we've set foot in … were I so inclined to notch them on our travel belt ;-)

We’ve got a long, long ways to go before we make a real dent in the world it seems!  I’d better go see about planning some more trips ;-)

© 2004-2018 All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

“D” Day +4: Luggage Free Delivers

Monday, 10 July 2017
Advanced RV Resort — Pearland/Houston, Texas

All four bags were delivered today … a day earlier than the Luggage Free/FedEx tracker showed.  In fact, Mui happened to be leaving the RV resort to take care of some errands when he saw the FedEx driver unloading the bags in front of the campground office.  He asked nicely and the driver put them right into the CR-V.  That was at 1:33p.  Three hours later … the bags were unpacked and everything was put away.

I am dead tired, but relieved that this last post-RTW chore is done.  It sort of puts a period at the end of what felt like an incomplete sentence until now.

© 2004-2018 All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

“D” Day +1: Home Sweet Phaeton

Friday, 7 July 2017
Advanced RV Resort — Pearland/Houston, Texas

Stats @ 9:30p CDT … UTC 2:30a (7 July)
Temp: 86F (30C)
Position: 29.35.42N / 95.22.49W

No one realizes how wonderful it is to travel until he comes
home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
~ Lin Yutang ~

I just had a déjà vu moment.  Mui’s sleeping in the bedroom.  He must have turned over in the bed as the motorhome swayed a bit.  For a second I thought I was back on Insignia.  Alas, no.  We are no longer on the ship … we are at our ‘condo on wheels’ … adjusting to being on land.  I used to get a case of ‘dock rock’ after returning from a voyage.  Two days on land now, and I don’t even have that as a reminder of having been at sea for a while.  Perhaps the frequency of our ports of call on this last segment did the trick to eliminate it.

“D” for Disembarkation Day

Thursday, 6 July 2017

Stats @ Ship’s Time 6:30a (EDT) … UTC 10:30a (6 July)
Temp: 82F (27.8C)
Position: 25.46.45N / 80.10.69W

Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
~Dr. Seuss ~

We’re currently sitting in the Insignia Lounge, waiting for our Blue 2 tags to be called.  A good time to get today’s blog post started … I’ll be writing incrementally throughout the day.

The RTW is officially over … or will be when we disembark shortly.  I have the certificates to prove it.

Proof is in the pudding certificates they say.

Let me start  by adding the nautical miles from Buoys and Baysides — the segment that started in Montréal and ended today in Miami — to the total sailed on the first seven segments.  And — drum roll, please — we covered 45,094 NM.  That’s a lot of miles no matter which way you slice and dice the world.

A RTW Retrospective

Wednesday, 5 July 2017 (Part II)
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us, or we find it not.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Now for the retrospective I mentioned in the previous post.

As I begin, let me just say that there is no way to answer the “which port did you enjoy the most” question, so I’m not going to address it.  It is akin to a similar question that we get about our travels … “What is your favorite trip?”  Impossible to answer as each is unique in its own way regardless of whether we are referring to a trip, a country, or a port.  Some we enjoy for the people and the culture.  Others for the grand scenery we see or the wildlife encounters we have.  And yet others for the uniqueness of the overall experience more so than the destination itself.

One thing I will say about the ports on the RTW … we never felt unsafe anywhere.  We did our research in advance to know what to do and what to avoid.  We used common sense and caution, staying aware of our surroundings when we were out and about … whether alone or with a group of fellow-passengers.  And we respected each port for what it offered … not for what we expected it to offer.

My mind’s a jumble of thoughts, so I may or may not cover everything pin-balling around my brain.  I’m struggling to find a way to put everything on ‘digital paper’.  I’m going to start with some questions that I’ve already been asked in comments and emails and then segue into some thoughts.

If I miss some aspect of our experience that you are interested in, or if you have specific questions, leave a comment.  But remember to come back to this post to check for the answer.  Or include an email address as part of your comment and I will respond to you directly.

Day 180: Last Day At Sea

Wednesday, 5 July 2017
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:30p (EDT) … UTC 1:30a (6 July)
Temp: 83.8F (28.8C)
Position: 27.19.13N / 79.47.66W

All journeys eventually end in the same place … home.
~ Chris Geiger ~

It was 1:30a by the time I went to bed last night … got too engrossed in my book to put it down.  So I slept in until 7:30a this morning.  I managed to get through the day without dozing off.  Hopefully, I can manage another hour or so … long enough to write a retrospective of our voyage.  I think it deserves it’s own post, though.  I promise to post it immediately after the story of our last day at sea.

Day 179: Charleston, South Carolina … Happy Birthday USA

Tuesday,  4 July 2017
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean

Stats @ Ship’s Time 11:00p (EDT) … UTC 2:00a (5 July)
Temp: 82.2F (27.9C)
Position: 32.08.27N / 79.30.23W

Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind.
~ Marty Rubin ~

Happy 241st Birthday USA!  How appropriate that we are back in time to celebrate the day in the US.

Day 178: Charleston, South Carolina

Monday, 3 July 2017
O/N @ the Union Pier — Charleston Cruise Terminal

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:50p (EDT) … UTC 1:50a (4 July)
Temp: 79.3F (26.3C) … 91% Humidity
Position: 32.46.90N / 79.55.41W

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.
~ Tom Stoppard ~

If you’re hoping to read an exciting — or even just an interesting — post about our day, you are going to be disappointed.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you ;-)

Day 177: At Sea … Atlantic Ocean Crossing to the US

Sunday, 2 July 2017
At Sea — Sargasso Sea

Stats @ Ship’s Time 11:40p (EDT) … UTC 3:40a (3 July)
Temp: 81F (27.2C)
Position: 32.38.10N / 74.50.71W

Travel brings power and love back to your life.
~ Rumi ~

Let me just start by saying that today’s crossing back to the US is nothing like the one we experienced in 2001.  Back then, what was left of Hurricane Karen interacted with a cold front, passing Bermuda and battering it with hurricane-force winds before heading off to make landfall in Nova Scotia.  We felt some of those winds while we were still on the island.  And later when we were crossing the Atlantic as well.  We also battled 40-foot (12m) waves at least part of the way to Baltimore.  Not today.  Calm seas and sunshine were the order of the day for this crossing.

Day 176: St George, Bermuda … Beach Day

Saturday, 1 July 2017
At Sea — Sargasso Sea

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:40p (ADT) … UTC 00:40a (2 July)
Temp: 79.7F (26.5C)
Position: 32.39.96N / 65.57.43W

Wherever you go becomes part of you somehow.
~ Anita Desai ~

Today we turned the calendar from June to July.  What does that mean?  It means that in five more days — closer to four now that we are nearly at the end of the first day of the new month — we will be leaving our home away from home.  To paraphrase Scarlett O’Hara, “I’ll think about it tomorrow,”… or at least, after I write about today.

Day 175: St George, Bermuda

Friday, 30 June 2017 (Part II)
O/N @ the St George Cruise Terminal

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:00p (ADT) … UTC 00:00a (July 1)
Temp: 78.8F (26C)
Position: 32.22.73N / 64.40.80W

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
~ Matsuo Basho ~

After writing about my Bermuda reminiscences (previous post), I joined Mui for breakfast at the Terrace Café with the Gelmans.  Following a leisurely meal, we returned to the cabin to get ready for the day ahead.  Then I sat out on the veranda to do what somehow never happened yesterday — relax!  Fume-free … comfy temps … a light breeze … and a veranda in the shade.  Perfect.  But not for long.

Day 175: Blast from the Past ... Bermuda

Friday, 30 June 2017

A morning at sea — especially towards the end of a long voyage … and even more so when the port of call is a familiar one.  Nothing could be better IMHO.  And when you wake up early — as I did at 6:45a — time for reminiscing a bit on the veranda is an added bonus.

Day 174: Auction @ Sea … Atlantic Ocean

Thursday, 29 June 2017
At Sea — Sargasso Sea … En Route to Bermuda

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:50p (ADT) … UTC 11:50p (29 June)
Temp: 76.1F (24.5C)
Position: 35.10.12N / 67.27.52W

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.
~ Tim Cahill ~

Why cross the Atlantic Ocean to visit Bermuda?  It might well have something to do with the PVSA — the Passenger Vessel Services Act.  This is a law that was enacted more than 130 years ago.  It basically prohibits a foreign-flagged vessel from carrying passengers between US ports without first going to a ‘distant foreign’ port.  The law was enacted to protect US-flagged vessels.  It’s almost moot today since there are so few vessels that are US-flagged, and those that are work specific markets.  The wheels of cabotage laws are slow to turn, however, so cruise lines must still consider it in their itinerary plans … and so must cruisers … especially those booking back-to-back itineraries.

We have, of course, visited many ‘distant foreign’ ports on our Miami to Miami RTW, so the fact that Insignia’s country of registry is the Marshall Islands should not be a factor.  That said, there are passengers who boarded in Canada and who will be disembarking in Miami and that might require visiting a ‘foreign port’.  The PVSA has so many caveats that there might well be some other catch-all that requires this bump-out to Bermuda.  Cabotage laws are … well, a law unto themselves.  If someone wants to delve into it, here’s a link they can start with.

Of course, there is another possible scenario behind this zig-out-to-Bermuda and zag-back-to-the-US.  Perhaps the O itinerary planners ran out of US ports to fill up our 180 days.  Or they simply wanted to give us a chance to visit this Atlantic Ocean island nation.  Maybe they even figured that after so much time on the ship, we would need some days at sea to start packing for disembarkation ;-)

Whatever the reason, the brief sojourn to Bermuda will create more work for the ship’s crew … and a degree of inconvenience to the passengers.  Why?  Because we will have to once again go through US immigration at our next US port … after having done so in Bar Harbor already.

Day 173: New York City, New York … Next Day

Wednesday, 28 June 2017
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean
No Stats Collected

Roads were made for journeys not destinations.
~ Confucius ~

We were up at the Terrace Café for breakfast at 7:00a this morning … our second day in New York City.  Our goal was to get off the ship at 9:00a and go to the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to see the Chihuly Exhibit.  The garden opened at 10:00a, so we figured an hour should be plenty to get us there.  Well, it might have been … had we been able to get a taxi or Uber to take us to the Bronx.

Day 172: New York City, New York

Tuesday, 27 June 2017
O/N @ Berth 1, Pier 88 — Manhattan Cruise Terminal

Stats @ Ship’s Time 10:45p (EDT) … UTC 2:45a (28 June)
Temp: 69.6F (20.9C)
Position: 40.45.96N / 73.59.99W

These vagabond shoes are longing to stray,
right through the very heart of it …
~ From the Lyrics for New York, New York … Fred Ebb ~

With a mid-day arrival scheduled for our overnight in New York City, we started our day at sea.  So I am writing this post in bits and pieces.

On the way to NYC …

Woke up to sunshine around 6:15a, but by the time we went to breakfast an hour later, the bright orb in the sky was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds.  Now, two hours later — still at sea — it is mostly overcast.  It would be a shame if conditions remain like this for our arrival in port.  Sunshine would make the sail-in so much better … but it will be what it will be.  CD Ray just announced that we should be going under the Verrazano Bridge around 11:00a.  That will be Mui’s cue to set up the GoPro if he’s going to do a time-lapse of our arrival in NYC.

Mui wants to resolve some transportation issues for upcoming Europe travels once our high-speed data plan kicks in again.  We might take care of business first and then decide what we want to do off the ship.  Whatever those plans turn out to be, they won’t include the New York Botanical Garden.  Wandering out in the open with rain in the forecast for this afternoon would not be ideal.  We exchanged texts with Alice and Tom who were going to join us there and they agreed, so we bagged the visit. 

Day 171: Boston, Massachusetts

Monday, 26 June 2017

At Sea — Cape Cod Canal … to the Atlantic Ocean

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:20p (EDT) … UTC 1:20a (27 June)

Temp: 66.6F (19.2C)

Position: 41.44.16N / 70.37.53W

All Journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.

~ Martin Buber ~

Our day in Boston was a very quiet one — the highlight being meeting up and having lunch with friends who left Insignia in April.