Looking for New Adventures!

[Iamboatman]

I am always looking for a new place to cruise to (or even - heaven forbid - fly to). How about a discussion of your favorite city or place and the most enjoyable thing you have done there? I have many favorites, but find the hidden ones to be the best.

 

We had a few days pre-cruise at San Vigilio, a wonderful 15th century villa on Lake Garda (half way between Milan and Venice) in a beautiful suite overlooking the lake and the foothills of the Alps, and was filled with Italian country antiques. Meals were in various places on the grounds, but our favorite was dinner on the balcony of the restaurant at sunset with the fisherman just off the shore, sailboats, a rainbow and incredibly fresh fish, meats, cheeses and local wine. It was hard to leave this bit of paradise for our cruise out of Venice.

[its_my_dime]

A thought. There are some places in this world where, in addition to having the resources, you need to be reasonably mobile to enjoy them. Therefore, they should probably be visited earlier in life rather than deferred until later. We've already missed some but of those we've done, I would highly recommend the following two:

 

Antarctica: on any (100 passenger or so) ship that allows at least 2 zodiac landings per day for everybody. Travel is Dec. thru Feb. Fly to Santiago, Chile then to the Southern tip of South America. Sail 2 + days thru the Drake Passage (can be like glass or some of the roughtest water in the world) and then, wearing your high boots, make wet landings to walk through hundreds of thousands of penguins and a remarkable snow and rock landscape. Stand on deck as the ship picks its way through icebergs and sea ice. Return via South Georgia. Retrace some of Shackelton's expedition and generally enjoy a part of the world that fewer people see in a given year than go to a single well attended baseball game.

 

Galapagos Islands. Fly to Quito. Then 600 miles to the Galapagos. Board a 20-80 passenger boat for what is normally a 1 week trip. At least 2 landings per day. Get closer to uncaged animals than you ever will again. Walk around the sea lions and boobies blocking your path. Walk over shiny black lava. See the areas where Captain and Commander were filmed.

[Martita B.]

Boatman~~~I will need to think about this......as most of us have enjoyed many and varied "spots," you've given us all food for thought!

 

Many thanks for the new, interesting post!

Miss Martita

[Martita B.]

A Christmas story~~~~

The Pride ship docked at the tiny pier of La Romana, Republica Dominicana. The village

was too far for me to walk and alas, no Taxi's. Being an unafraid adventure seeker, I

just starting, "thumbing" a ride. Along came a young fellow on a purple motor scooter and invited me to join him.....'little did I know that he was the school clown and the ventriloquist! My lucky day! He spoke very 'lit English and I spoke some Spanish, so we really had no communication problem......we took off to the "comida tienda." When we arrived at the grocery store, I noticed armed guards.....but we ventured in anyway. Inside, mynew scooter friend, pulled out a hilarious lookin' hand puppet and started singing, "La Cucaracha!" Well.........with this, many children from the store came running........with their Mama's right behind them. The armed guards from the front entrance came.....we ALL started singing and dancing! Even the owner came down from his "perch office" and joined in our frolic.......I gave the children coins for their Christmas gift. "Chico" and I climbed back on the purple scooter and off we went.......I wouldn't have missed this day for anything.....and I'll never forget dancin' and singin' with the "La Romana ninos" and the Policia guardias......

When I boarded the ship I went to the suite to check on Mama......I had made arrangments for the sweet housekeeper to come and escort her to teatime.......sure 'nuff there she was, back from having tea........lounging on the sofa! She said, "welllll, where have you been?" I sighed and simply said, "OH, really, nowhere, just went a'lit

pass the gangway to stroll a 'round the dock!!!!" She said......."well that's nice!"

End of story.

Martita

[Iamboatman]

Martita, what a great story.

 

It reminded me of one of my adventures. I was on a trip on the Peruvian Amazon (do canoe trips count as cruises?). The guide and I ventured off after the group settled down for the evening. He took me through the jungle to an opening on the river where a old woman lived with a donkey turning stone wheels to grind the local grain and a propane refrigerator (cold beer!).

 

Well, not knowing the local native language, I nodded and guestured and was invited to sit and have a beer. Her monkey came over, laid across my shoulders and casually shared my beer with me...eventually falling asleep on me. She served us a great fish dinner with manioc. Not knowing how to say thank you I figured the best compliment would be to ask for seconds. My guide relayed the message and she got the broadest grin, grabbed my arm and took me into the "kitchen". She said I was the first white person to ever really enjoy her cooking!

 

With the monkey still asleep she showed me how she uses guinea pigs as little garbage disposals...later to be eaten (No Thank You!) and her primative wood stove. A Cook's Tour!!! After eating my second portions, and another cold beer, she offered to let me keep her monkey as a gift. I had to decline, but it was a great compliment.

 

Post Script: Americans cannot gracefully walk through the jungle in the dark. Getting back to camp was one of the most frustrating and funniest times I have ever had. Never did know where I was, what I was stepping into or what trees were planted themselves into my face!

[Martita B.]

Boatman~~~I have found that my most enjoyable and interesting adventures have not been at glamorous or chic al 'la mode locations~~~~they are nearly always, UNplanned.

Then, there's the true story of Mother, my daughter and me visiting a 'long Dingle Bay in ancient, older 'n dirt, "Bee Hive" homes of the monks........that's for another day!

 

Do we ever know if we are "steppin' into reality or steppin OUT?"

Awwww, "la dolce vita!"

MB

[Chairsin]

Because Seabourn goes to so many smaller out of the way ports it is so much easier to chance upon some of those really special moments that make a trip so memorable. On our trip to Fethiye, Turkey my husband and I spent half an hour wandering around the town trying to find the path that led up to the Lycean rock tombs. Finally I could make out the start of the path on the other side the grounds of a large elementary school. Rather than go the long way around we did a real no no and darted through the school property. We were about half way across when three really cute little girls came up[ to us and stood in front of us in a darling pose. My husband pulled out his camera snapped a picture and we headed to the rock tombs. The wonderful spontanaity of the moment has made it one of my most treasured travel pics.

 

BTW --Its my Dime -- we are headed to the Galapagos and Machu Pichu in January -- while I am looking forward to it I am really going to miss my bubble baths and champagne on Seabourn.Sigh!