Under the Sea

Day 144 – Cruising the South China Sea – Find Insignia on CruiseMapper

Cruising the world is not all about being on the high seas. Sometimes it is about being in them, especially if Louis is involved.

The aquatic half of Partout (understatement), one of Louis’s goals when we set out to circumnavigate the globe was snorkeling in fabled waters worldwide. We can now happily report: Mission accomplished.

On outings organized by the ship or private excursions put together by fellow snorkelers, Louis left the mother ship at least a half-dozen times to hop a local boat to prime viewing grounds.

Armed with his trusty Fujicolor camera in waters off the coasts of North and South America, Africa and Asia, Louis snorkeled Zihuatanejo, Mexico; two islands in the Seychelles; Mayotte, French Comoros; Sabang, Indonesia; and Phuket and Ko Samui, Thailand.

As everyone who knows her is aware, Doris is rarely one to admit that a picture is worth a thousand words (at least her words). This Partout would be the rare case.  

Without further ado then (and, alas, without expert zoological identification), please join Louis under the sea.

Mahe, Seychelles: Sea urchin and blue companions

Sabang, Indonesia: Blue fish against a multicolor ocean floor

Phuket, Thailand: Blue starfish

Sabang, Indonesia: Coral in the coral

Sabang, Indonesia: Blue and yellow fish in the brain coral (clearly, fish know blue is a good natural camouflage under the sea; equally as clear, we are not marine biologists)

Ko Samui, Thailand: School of translucent fish proving there is more than one of them in the sea

Zihuantanejo, Mexico: Sea turtle in sunny waters

And one last blue fish amid coral somewhere in the world.

With Japan barely a week away and Alaska to follow, Louis’s snorkeling days are done for this trip. He was sometimes disappointed by the scarcity of colorful fish or lack of variety overall, but he was always happy to be in the water as well as on it.

Another Question Answered

Polly asked, “You’re nearing the end of your trip. Did you take enough clothing, toiletries, etc. Did you wish you had taken more? Less? Was this just the right amount?”

This question feels like a hanging curveball over home plate (thank you, Polly!) because we are more than happy to report … we pretty much nailed the packing, the obsessiveness of which amused so many of you. We somewhat over-estimated our clothing needs for cold weather in places like Antarctica and Patagonia, but we still have Japan, Alaska and British Columbia coming up; those long-sleeved things may yet see more use. We somewhat under-estimated our clothing needs when we are soaked to the skin by perspiration every time we walk out the door, though that was a problem that our free laundry service on the ship and cheap local clothes in tropical stops along the way managed.

All the toiletries have held out exactly as projected. With a bit over a month to go, so far, so good. We’ll make a final report when we sign off at the end of the voyage.

Where’s Snowy?

Besides hiding out with Bangkok’s dazzling Wat Pho?

Coming Soon!

Fellow Travelers – A Family Story

5 Months Down, 1 to Go (!!!)