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| Lava flowing into the ocean! The big island getting bigger! |
I know some folks can't imagine being on a ship for this long for fear of boredom, facebook withdrawals or some other society induced disorder. I personally find it to be incredibly relaxing and stimulating at the same time. Yesterday (Monday) there was a stretch class (more on this later) a five mile walk around the ship (15 laps), a lecture on the solar system, a lecture on the South Pacific explorers, a blackjack tournament for women that Beth played in (she lost) and a little food interspersed throughout. Today was much more of a relaxing day; stretch class, another five mile walk, a men's blackjack tournament (I lost) and of course a little more food interspersed throughout. Do as much or as little as you want and food is always at your disposal, what's not to like? If i want to know what stupid thing Donald said today or how many more e-mails Hillary ordered erased MSNBC and Fox News are readily available although I'm trying my best to avoid them. Who is loving it on the ship are the Aussies and Canadians who are quite amused by it all while most of us Americans are just shaking our head and praying that we wake up from this freak show.
About two hours after leaving Hilo we got a real treat. We passed right by an area where lava was flowing from the volcano into the sea. The ship's captain who has been in Alaska all summer running close to the glaciers got us within 1000 yards all the while keeping a safe distance from the poisonous fumes and the rocky shore line. He made sure to point out that we were in over 900 feet of water just in case anyone was thinking he might turn the ship into a submarine like the guy in Italy did a few years ago. It was an awesome sight watching the big island get bigger!
Now about that stretching class. Flexibility has never been one of my strengths. Touching my toes from a standing position could only be accomplished if my arms were about two feet longer but that's gonna change! There is a stretch class offered everyday that I've been attending. Ok, so it's only four days so far, there is progress but also still a long way to go. I'll keep you posted. Beth has gone with me a couple of times but the first morning she sent me off with a kiss and a reminder to try not to be "gassy"! So far so good, I haven't cleared out the gym!
One last thing for this post. We may have to change our name from "The Traveling Idiots" to "The Idiots Who Think They're Travelers", the folks on this ship are good! One person we met has been traveling for seven straight months, another one that's been "home" twice for two weeks each time over the past year, a couple with two young kids that are perpetually traveling, etc. We're looking more and more like rookies and homebodies compared to this gang!
Pictures soon!
