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Southampton

We left home on a snowy Monday morning. Our neighbors gave us a lift to the airport so off we set with the 5 suitcases, 2 roller boards, one backpack containing camera equipment, and my large handbag in the back of their truck, plus 3 bags of...

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WE ARE ON BOARD!!!!!

Day 1 January 5th We had ordered our taxi for 11:30, and sure enough he was there and we loaded up all of the stuff into his van and headed to Ocean Terminal, getting there at 11:45. We filled out the health forms and went up the escalator. We...

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DAY 3 – January 7th

  At Sea We went to the 3 morning lectures, then to lunch in the dining room. Next I went to another beading class in Hemispheres. I ended up having to buy a beading mat because my beads kept on ending up on the floor, plus I somehow lost...

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DAY 6 – January 10th

Waking up this morning was very exciting. Not only did we have an extra hours sleep, but we were finally experiencing some rough seas. I sat on the windowsill watching the waves just below our window. When the weather is like this it is tempting...

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DAY 10 – January 14th

At sea   So we didn’t get swooped up by the Bermuda Triangle and are now heading to Port Canaveral under sunny skies.   Because we are changing cabins we decided we should pack up our belongings this morning. The cabin steward will...

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DAY 15 – January 19th

  At sea   Today dawned bright and sunny again. I love being in our new cabin. If you lean over the balcony lifeboats obstruct your direct view of the ocean, but if you are sitting on the balcony or in the cabin, all you can see is the...

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DAY 24 – January 28th

In the Amazon River   Today is our wedding anniversary, and Brian gave me a wonderful book on Cunard. Very appropriate, and something to always treasure. He is a good man.   This is our last day on the mighty river. At times we have...

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DAY 25 – January 29th

At sea   Today dawned dark and stormy, not what we had expected at all. However, with a full schedule of talks and activities lined up for the day, we would not be able to spend much time sunbathing by the pool anyway.   We are...

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DAY 40 – February 13th

Pio Xl Glacier   The Commodore had said that he expected us to be at the Pio Xl glacier (named after the pope of the same name), at 8:00AM. We awoke to a misty rainy day, so we decided that we would give the outside decks a miss for now,...

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DAY 43 – February 16th

Valparaiso   The day I discovered Pisco Sours   We were due to dock at 7:00, but when we awoke we were still moving, and nowhere near to the port.   The Commodore had not made any announcement, so we got up and got ready to be in...

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DAY 44 – February 17th

At Sea   Nine sea days in a row – followed by Tahiti. Life doesn’t get much better than that. Some people are complaining about it, but especially if the sun comes out, I am very happy.   I checked the daily program to see if beading...

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DAY 45 – February 18th

At Sea   There was no way to avoid it, the laundry had to be done today. Usually the launderette is the hub of bad behavior and gossip, but again today it was the height of discretion and good behavior. Nothing exciting to report at all....

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DAY 46 – February 19th

At Sea in the South Pacific Ocean   Yet another sun drenched day with a perfectly blue calm sea. The color of the water is an almost iridescent blue – it sparkles away and is really a beautiful site. Our tablemates saw dolphins yesterday,...

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DAY 47 – February 20th

Cruise By Easter Island   The day I developed tender envy   We had an extra hours’ sleep tonight, so it wasn’t too much of a challenge to get up and finally meet up with Roscoe, who was in his usual early morning perch. Thanks to those...

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DAY 48 – February 21st

  At Sea   Yet another sunny, calm sea day. All my plans to get some of my projects done, simply aren’t working out. The weather is just too good to stay indoors – the pool beckons.   I did go to one talk this morning. Roy Hunt’s...

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DAY 50 – February 23rd

Pitcairn Island   There are 4 volcanic islands in the Pitcairn group – Oeno, Henderson, Ducie, and Pitcairn itself. Only Henderson and Pitcairn are inhabited.   We arrived at Pitcairn early this morning. The islanders were waiting for...

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DAY 74 – March 20th

At Sea We spent most of the day sailing up the coast of New Zealand. It was a lovely sunny day, with light winds, and very calm seas. I went to the Pursers Office to change our left over Australian and New Zealand cash into US Dollars, and was...

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Prologue

It is time to go back to Africa.   Our nephew Kevin used to live in Irvine, California, but after graduating from UC San Diego he left Newport Beach and Fashion Island behind, and headed off to South Africa to pursue his love of African...

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Itinerary

In 1962 as part of our around the world escapade my parents and I spent a blissful 6 weeks in Japan. We had no set itinerary, and just went where the train took us. We spent a week on Lake Biwa, climbed the Japanese Alps, indulged in mixed...

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DAY 15

March 25th At Sea On a Slow Boat to China We woke up to a totally calm sea, and thick fog. It was surreal. From our balcony I could see fishing boats appear out of the fog, and then suddenly disappear again. I hoped the captain could see where...

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PROLOGUE

Anthony Bourdain encouraged us to visit new places, meet new people and try new foods. I did this with Japan earlier this year, loved the place, loved the people, but found the food to be a bit of a challenge. It’s not that I don’t like fish....

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DAY 5

June 21st Flam Finally Fjording in Flam We were awoken this morning by the sun streaming into the cabin for a brief moment before it disappeared behind what seemed to be a mountain outside our cabin. Yay – we were finally in the fjords, and the...

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DAY 6

June 22nd Stavanger Yay, fjords again! What better place to be but northern Norway to experience the longest day of the year. We went out on deck in the early hours of the morning, and it was still light. It was magical. I know that this region...

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DAY 7

Thursday March 28th   Salalah, Oman   Coming face to face with a camel   Having had a series of very hazy days, it was wonderful to wake up to brilliant sunshine in Salalah. We docked at about 7:00 AM, and while we consumed our...

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