So it’s been awhile since I posted on the Blog. That doesn’t mean I quit traveling, just a lack of WiFI and motivation while on the Northwest Passage trip that got me out of the habit. This post will be a quick summary of my travels for the past 5 months. I booked the Northwest Passage trip through Road Scholar via Adventure Canada for Sept 2024. The brochure mentioned Narwhals 7 times! I emptied the travel Piggy Bank to make a trip of a lifetime to begin another quest to see a Narwhal. It didn’t happen. Not only did I not see a Narwhal, but the trip was very lacking in marine mammals. Sure there were Polar Bears stalking our hiking group, Musk Ox having lunch, and all kinds of geology wonders of rocks that my ignorance doesn’t allow me to appreciate, but few whales. There were however, spectacular icebergs and fun zodiac trips to scout for different formations. Icebergs are sort of like clouds, you can see all kinds of different formations if you let your imagination run wild. Our furthest point north was 78 degrees, probably will be my lifetime record. We only got that far north as we were running from a storm.
The Northwest Passage trip was supposed to be followed by a trip to Washington DC with the grandkids but I missed that one, I think I had Bubonic Plague. I had a series of “Micro Trips” including a windy beach trip to Singer Island where I was joined by college friend Virg, a trip to Christmas decorated Savannah and Hilton Head Island where I enjoyed a boat ride with my friend Alina, and a pre Christmas trip to Marco Island with my brother.
I think you know I’m a sucker for a travel deal and Norwegian offered a 15 day cruise to Panama with a Solo Balcony. Yep no single supplement, I could use cruise credits and escape the post holiday blahs to the warmth of the Caribbean. Of course, it helped that I would visit 4 new countries making my total country count 107 and I’m planning to hit 110 by the end of 2025. It was a really fun cruise, the excursions were really interesting, inexpensive and very well run. I had to laugh as we went through the Panama Canal as it was pretty tame compared to my adventures on the Erie, Oswego and Rideau Canals where I piloted my boat through hundreds of locks.
I loved Costa Rica, but no surprise it was all about the animals. Lots of sloths, monkeys and exotic birds were viewed from an open air train and jungle boat ride. This was the real experience not like the animatronic animals at Cedar Point and Disney. The sloths were my favorite and they really do move exceedingly sloooowwwwllllllyyyy.
Well I have to take a big breath because next up in my travels is India and Nepal. Oddly this is one trip I’m not looking forward to (pollution, poverty, congestion, diarrhea), but feel obliged to visit. If I consider myself a “World Traveler” it’s hard to skip one of the most populous countries in the world. My expectations are pretty low, so I’m hoping that sets me up for success and wonder. I keep repeating the mantra, “Be Open to new experiences”, I say this while realizing I really don’t like curry. I started this Blog in August 2018 as retirement was just starting. Mark Twains quote seems appropriate to restate, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do, than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Next post from India.
WanderlustandWhimSea 