A Record, However I Can

Dearest Rachel –

So this morning, just before I set out to wander around the port (as of 7:30, the call went out that anyone could hop on the tenders, regardless of what number their ticket said – or, in my case, the scheduled meeting time of my shore excursion – because there were so few people making their way to them. Basically, there was plenty of room on them at the time, but we were being served notice that there wouldn’t be that level of freedom to board any old shuttle once another half-hour had passed), I decided to take a look at where we were on a site called cruisemapper.com. Lo and behold, this is where it said we were:

By the time I got back, however, the tracker seemed to have adjusted – or we might have moved around rather a bit.

Of course, whatever the distance between the pier and the ship happens to be, it has to be traversed; it’s not as if I – or anyone else – is going to complain that the return trip is so much shorter than the one heading out. As long as we get from the ship to the shore and back again, that’s really all that matters to us. What that distance is, is irrelevant.

Likewise with wandering about ashore; I’m just wandering about, taking note of this shop or that (most of which are closed during this initial pass) as I make my way about town. I’m not paying a whole lot of attention to distance here. Were it not for the geolocational function on my exercise app, I’d have no idea how far I might be walking as I make my way about the slowly waking town.

Really, I’m just too busy taking pictures and video.

Which, now that I think about it, is another one of those things you’re expected to do when you’re a tourist. You see things, and you make a record of them, however you can. The problem comes when I’m trying to record in multiple different ways; obviously, if I’m filming, I can’t take stills and vice versa (technically, I could, since I’m carrying two iPhones with me, but I can only feasibly handle one at a time), but also, as I’m taking pictures, whether still or moving, I’m not really making an effort to record my thoughts on paper. It makes these letters feel a little choppy and disjointed, despite the fact that there’s so much more to tell you about when I’m walking about, seeing things I otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to.

Which is what makes the next thing I have to say so strange. I have to admit that the actual thing I can ashore to do – the glass-bottomed boat trip over several reefs in the harbor – was rather anticlimactic. Not that we didn’t see much – to be honest, it was impressive as far as I was concerned as to how far down into the water we could see in the first place, let alone that there were a few fish here and there passing underneath where we could watch them. Indeed, we even got something of a bonus when several humpback whales surfaced on the other side of the boat from where I was sitting.

And of course, that’s where the difference was made. You see, the human head can turn, and the neck can pivot, in a moment’s notice to direct attention to whatever’s going on that attracts one’s attention. By contrast, it takes a remarkable amount of skill and practice to get to the point where one can handle a camera to such an extent that it can be brought to bear on a point of focus so quickly, as if it were an extension of one’s body. I certainly haven’t gotten to that point.

Granted, there’s also a certain luck factor as well, to have something worth capturing your attention happen around you, as well as being able to notice it in the first place. But still, the reaction – and the timing of it – is critical.

What I’m trying to say is that… I didn’t really manage to record much. Or rather, what I did record wasn’t all that special – and I certainly didn’t catch any whales. I really think I’m better off with more of the staged stuff than trying to spot something the instant it happens. Maybe I just need more practice – which admittedly, I may find myself getting over time.

There’s other stuff to add, but I’m starting to run down, after assembling three videos tonight (and four last night; I’m getting to the point where I’m looking forward to the sea days between Honolulu and Mo’orea already. Go figure). Besides, I need to get up tomorrow early enough to catch another shore excursion. Maybe I’ll get these assembled yet; we’ll see how it goes. For now, honey, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.