Dearest Rachel – Well, we’re finally landing somewhere I’ve – we’ve – never been before, and to be honest, it’s a place that never would have crossed my mind. Not just that it wouldn’t have occurred to me to visit Greenland, but this town is one I didn’t know existed, and still find myself wonderingContinue reading “Qaqortoq”
Tag Archives: research
Reykjavik
Dearest Rachel – It sort of ties our last port of call with the one we’re arriving at; even when we last visited the place, some twelve years ago, we couldn’t think of this city’s name without recalling Glasgow native Craig Ferguson during his Late Late Show days. About a year or so into hisContinue reading “Reykjavik”
Glasgow
Dearest Rachel – Once again, I’m not sure whether to bother researching a place we’ve visited before; except for the fact that we really didn’t visit this city the last time I recall being here. When we pulled into Greenock, we simply took a shore excursion that drove us across the width of Scotland (suchContinue reading “Glasgow”
Never Mind the Research, Here’s the City as We Knew It (London)
Never Mind the Research, Here’s the City as We Knew It (London) – Somehow, it doesn’t feel like it’s worthwhile to research a city that most people know better than I do. All I can do is post some of our memories from our first visit…
Tuk-Tuk Temptation
Dearest Rachel – I don’t think of myself as a “car guy”; the idea of popping open the hood and messing around with a car’s engine does not appeal to me. I’m not one for getting my fingers dirty over a vehicle’s mechanical parts, nor do I relish the smell of any oil other thanContinue reading “Tuk-Tuk Temptation”
Abu Dhabi
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know why it is, but I can’t seem to bring myself to take this place seriously. Every time I hear the name pronounced (even silently in my head), I always hear the additional syllable “Doo!” at the end, as if cried out exultantly by an Arabian version of Fred Flintstone:Continue reading “Abu Dhabi”
Mumbai
Dearest Rachel – So this is an interesting case; one last city in which we’re staying overnight. Presumably, this is so the folks who left from Goa for the overland trip to the Taj Mahal can rejoin us. Honestly, given the complexity of this whole trip – punctuated by the fact that they had toContinue reading “Mumbai”
Goa
Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure where to begin with this location. I could start by mentioning that I’d heard about this region from Mohinder, way back in the day. It was a resort area, and unique insofar as it was primarily Christian in population, having been allegedly part of St. Thomas’ (y’know, “doubting Thomas”?)Continue reading “Goa”
Cochin & Alappuzha
Dearest Rachel – I’m not entirely sure which of these cities I should be telling you about. We’re docking in the former – well, eventually; we’re not expected to arrive until after noon – but I’ll be spending most of my time in the second, cruising (yes, I get off one ship to board anotherContinue reading “Cochin & Alappuzha”
Colombo
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what it is about this particular city, but I have trouble taking this destination seriously. Much like the criminals matching wits with this guy: Yeah, I admit it; this is what comes to mind when I think of the name of this place. And it’s not like I everContinue reading “Colombo”
Hambantota
Dearest Rachel – I’m going to save the brief bureaucratic nightmare for my recap of the day, as I think it will distract from the research I might as well do on this town (despite its size) and Columbo, given that I’ve got a sea day in which to work on this. As it happens,Continue reading “Hambantota”
Ho Chih Minh City
Dearest Rachel – Well, at least this place, I expected to be seeing, if I were to wind up as a tourist in Vietnam. Not that I ever expected to be a tourist in Vietnam, to be sure, but on a trip like this, you get the whole buffet to taste and explore. Although, givenContinue reading “Ho Chih Minh City”
Nha Trang
Dearest Rachel – Another port city, another destination I know next to nothing about. In all honesty, when I realized we would be making two stops in Vietnam, I rather assumed that we would be going to the two former capitals – or at least, the port cities that led to them – Hanoi inContinue reading “Nha Trang”
Osaka
Dearest Rachel – So tomorrow is our last stop in Japan (and to think, I still have ¥10,000 in cash to get rid of – never mind the coins – I’d best find something to blow it on), and I need to do this latest destination at least a little bit of justice, seeing asContinue reading “Osaka”
Kagoshima
Dearest Rachel – A couple months ago, I told you about a manga I’d discovered (to be sure, it’s been out for years already, so it’s only really new to me) called Oyasumi Punpun (“Goodnight, Punpun”). Among the many aspects of its overall plotline was a thread in which the title character and his loveContinue reading “Kagoshima”
Seoul
Dearest Rachel – To be fair, I’m aware that, like General MacArthur, we’ll actually be coming ashore at Incheon, not Seoul. But since my excursion involves heading to the capital, rather than hanging around near the port, I might as well focus on it, don’t you think? Even history aside, it’s more important, given whatContinue reading “Seoul”
Jeju City (Or Is It the Island?)
Dearest Rachel – After pranking myself with Okinawa, it would have to be that we get another destination where the question becomes “is it the city or the island?” This time around, I at least have a hint in the form of my excursion ticket, titled ‘Jeju City Highlights.’ So, I suppose, the city itContinue reading “Jeju City (Or Is It the Island?)”
But Why Repeat Myself?
Dearest Rachel – Ordinarily, on a day when we’re about to land in another port, I should be putting together an essay about culture and history, sights to see and things to experience… particularly with regard to local cuisine. But I have to admit that my heart’s not in it today. Some of that isContinue reading “But Why Repeat Myself?”
Okinawa
Dearest Rachel – Well, finally, here’s a place we’ve heard about back in the day, even if it’s only through various manga and anime. This is the place where it seems every class field trip winds up going to during their third year; the land of shiisa and sata andagi. You would likely giggle everContinue reading “Okinawa”
Taipei
Dearest Rachel – Well, we’re back underway; after more than a day and a half in Hong Kong (and welcoming aboard a whole raft of new passengers – which could be the subject of a whole other letter, I suspect), we’re on our way to another city I’ve never been to, nor have I evenContinue reading “Taipei”
Hong Kong
Dearest Rachel – I deliberately brought my old journal from 1989 (which I think I might have directed at you by using “Querida” as the name I was addressing. The more things change, eh?) so that I would have a certain amount of reference in terms of certain ports we’ll be stopping at. Unfortunately, withContinue reading “Hong Kong”
Manila
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what it is, but no matter how many sea days I’m given, I can’t seem to do anything but wait for the last minute to put these things together. Ironically, while you wouldn’t necessarily be proud of me for that, you might well be pleased that I’m starting toContinue reading “Manila”
Lombok
Dearest Rachel – Every port we visit these days, I find myself having to apologize for not having done my homework weeks in advance, like I’m used to having done. Considering the changes that happen in some cases (such as the fact that we weren’t ever pulling into Cairns at all, nor did I manageContinue reading “Lombok”
Yorkeys Knob
Dearest Rachel – When I got my excursion tickets for this leg of the journey after getting back from wandering around Brisbane, I was missing the one I thought I’d signed up for in Cairns, and proceeded to head to Guest Services to inquire about it. There was a notice posted there about tours fromContinue reading “Yorkeys Knob”
Brisbane
Dearest Rachel – Once again, I’m waiting until virtually the last minute in order to put this report together, because so much else is going on for me to both write about and video. Something’s got to give, and these reports sort of wind up being that something. At least Brisbane has a bit ofContinue reading “Brisbane”
Newcastle
Dearest Rachel – If Australia as a whole could be considered an afterthought in terms of my own opinions of this entire itinerary, then Newcastle would be the afterthought OF the afterthought. At least I’m familiar with Sydney and Brisbane, if only vaguely. Newcastle? Not so much. I suppose it’s excusable; if Greater Sydney makesContinue reading “Newcastle”
Bay of Islands
Dearest Rachel – Located in a part of New Zealand referred to as the Winterless North (which is a strange pair of words for anyone from the Northern Hemisphere to utter in tandem), the Bay of Islands is about a 150 mile drive up Route 1 from Auckland. While not a long distance – andContinue reading “Bay of Islands”
Auckland
Dearest Rachel – I really need to start getting these reports prepared beforehand a little more; best to use the sea days while I have them, as they’ll be much fewer and farther between once we arrive in New Zealand. Sure, the trip from there to Australia will take a day or two of sailing,Continue reading “Auckland”
Pape‘etē (Tahiti)
Dearest Rachel – Well, this destination is more familiar than that of Mo‘orea, but not by all that much, to be honest. I know of it as the island of temptation that caused the mutineers of the Bounty to revolt against Captain Bligh (and that, based on historical record, he was actually too lax withContinue reading “Pape‘etē (Tahiti)”
Honolulu
Dearest Rachel – For all that this trip is meant for me to visit a whole, erm, boatload of places that I’ve never been to before (and most likely, never will again – it’s nothing personal, after all, as the opportunity doesn’t arise that often. I’m still kind of surprised to find myself on myContinue reading “Honolulu”
Kailua-Kona
Dearest Rachel – Since the Big Island is somewhere between the respective sizes of the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut, we won’t be doing anywhere near the amount of sailing as we have been for the past six days; all we have to do is to just go halfway around the island to itsContinue reading “Kailua-Kona”
Hilo
Dearest Rachel – Between the events – or perhaps more accurately, the lack thereof – of my first trip on my own, combined with the fact that our first port of call was scratched due to the fire last summer (you’d think that Lahaina could use tourism money that much more these days, in orderContinue reading “Hilo”
Live and In Person
Dearest Rachel – Some time before you left, back when I was still considering assembling some form of YouTube channel, I was reading up on artificial intelligence, and how it was able to compose music. As I had no particular talent in that field, it seemed like a great idea for coming up with originalContinue reading “Live and In Person”
Found
Dearest Rachel – You’ll recall me mentioning the other day when I was wandering around Basel how you’re never truly lost; that it’s just a matter of not being where you want to be. As a consequence, being ‘found’ isn’t the opposite of being lost; it’s just a matter of someone else realizing where youContinue reading “Found”
Basel
Dearest Rachel – Today I learned that, when you have a head cold (particularly one involving aural congestion), the ascent isn’t a big deal, but the descent is a painful process indeed. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Since there is neither sleep nor a meal before arriving is Basel, I had best send outContinue reading “Basel”
Letters to Rachel 