Acropolis of Athens, Greece

While working on the Navigator of the Seas, I was lucky enough to visit the city of Athens. This was one of my favorite stops, since I love feta cheese and there I could order it by the plate and no one considered it strange. I contemplated staying in Greece for the rest of my live if it meant I could eat more of that heavenly feta.

Since I was never able to spend more than a few hours off the ship in Athens due to work obligations, I couldn’t explore the city as much as I wanted to. Luckily, one day, I finished work early and had more than an hour or two to go out and walk around. My friend Timmy and I took the train to the Acropolis of Athens and boy was it worth the hike up the mountain in the blistering heat! I am so glad I took the time to visit this heritage site in 2009.

The Acropolis of Athens is a very old citadel on the top of a hill overlooking Athens. There are a few ancient buildings and a beautiful amphitheater. The word Acropolis means “edge or extremity” and “city”. The buildings on the hill were damaged in several different wars. The restoration project started in 1975 and is apparently coming to an end soon. They tried to fix the damage caused by centuries of pollution, war and past restorations.

This historically significant site should definitely be on your list of must see places!

Villefranche to Monte Carlo, France

Never in my life have I felt so under dressed as the times I walked down the breathtaking streets of France. I didn’t think it necessary to dress up to go sightseeing when we had time off the ship I was working on. But, the French never failed to look like they just walked out of a salon and they were on their way to a fashion shoot.

One day, my friend Timmy and I took the little tender boat from the cruise ship to the harbor of Villefranche. The harbor was filled with a variety of fishing boats, from moderately big to ridiculously tiny ones. The surrounding coffee shops were all empty. Kids were running down the street excitedly to watch a boy reel in a fish he caught from the harbor wall. Friendly elderly women were hanging towels out to dry on railings overgrown with plants and flowers outside brightly painted buildings. It felt like we were walking in a real life post card.

We bought tickets from the nearby station to go explore Monte Carlo. Even the train station had a unique feel to it. The walls were covered in interesting graffiti and we enjoyed trying to figure out what it meant while we waited for the train.

When we arrived, we walked a section of the famous Monte Carlo track to the Casino. It was amazing to finally see this place that has been in so many movies. After posing like fools next to the Ferraris and Porches in front of the casino, we ate the most expensive lunch of our lives. The pasta didn’t taste as good as anticipated, but it was a small price to pay to feel like a celebrity for once.

I can’t wait to go back to France! Definitely one of my favorite places in Europe. Do yourself a favor and go enjoy the magnificence that France has to offer.

Phuket, Thailand

My good friend Elana suggested a group of our friends and family we have in common travel to Phuket during one of my vacations between ship contracts. I readily agreed since we as South Africans do not need visas to go there and I looked forward to relaxing on a tropical beach with friends from back home. Having been working on a ship for a year, the idea of spending more than a couple of hours in a foreign country seemed fabulous. It was. We stayed for twelve nights.

We were picked up by the friendly staff from the hotel we were staying at and driven to our secluded beach front accommodation. Here we were greeted with cocktails while we waited for our rooms to be prepared.

We decided that we were in desperate need of a foot massage, so we took one of the millions of tuk tuks (an auto rickshaw) downtown to do just that. This foot massage was just the first of the many we had on our trip.

We booked tickets to go see an elephant show at Phuket Fantasea, which included a delicious pre-show dinner in the Golden Kinnaree buffet restaurant. This is a 4000 seat dining facility, so you can imagine how unbelievably huge it is. Next, we made our way over to the Palace of the Elphants Theater. Having studied stage management, I really marveled at the enormity of the 3000 seat state of the art theater, as well as the performance of ‘Fantasy of a Kingdom’. My favorite part of the show was the exhilarating acrobatic act, with a dozen flyers doing trapeze tricks and jumps right over the audience. After the show we wandered around the Carnival Village shopping street and we even got to pet some elephants.

The next day we ventured out to Kata beach to get away from the crowds on Patong beach. We saw way too many topless old women here for my liking, but apparently this is not such a strange phenomenon. We swam in the crystal clear waters and tanned for a few very hot hours on Kata.

The nightlife, clubs and bars in Phuket varies so much that anybody can find a place to hang out and have a few (or many) beers. We frequented a music venue called Rock City (where lots of different bands performed old classics by the Rolling Stones and Guns and Roses) and on wilder nights a club called Banana. I have fond memories of both of these places, even though drinks and cover charge were always unbelievably expensive.

The most impressive part of this vacation was the food we got to eat. From the thousands of make shift street restaurants and stalls to the swanky five star joints, it all makes me want to go back and experience it again. The best discovery was their seafood tom yam soup. My friend Elana got inspired and started making this soup after our trip (you are my hero). Fresh seafood (even freakishly big crayfish and oysters) are not hard to find, no matter where you are.

Our last big outing was when we booked an adventure day trip with one of the travel companies to go see some of the surrounding islands by speedboat. This resulted in hilariously bad hairdo’s and giggles the whole day. We visited a few uninhabited small islands as well as James Bond Island. Then our speedboat whisked us away to our next stop for a slower kayak tour of a small island. We even had a man who rowed and steered for us! Our rower/guide made a very funny comment I will never forget. He took a picture of Elana and I and asked, “You…. Thai boxers?” Why he asked this, no one will ever know. I assume it’s because we looked so (un)fit. Along the way we were able to buy some beer from a small floating kiosk.

All in all, a day and vacation well spent.

Solo mission in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

No Man Is An Island

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

John Donne

Ever felt like that before? Well, I kind of felt like a drifting island during my last week on my last contract on the Liberty in 2010. Literally all my close friends had signed off by that time. I was stuck there in solitude with over a thousand other crew members I couldn’t bother to meet or take notice of and a cabin mate I would rather have kicked than share a room with.

I then decided that I had to make the most of my time left and go out exploring Jamaica while I had the chance.  So, after boat drill I walked from the port to Mystic Mountain to go on a rain forest bobsled ride! Why? Because I was in Jamaica for the last time.

I took the Sky Explorer ride to the top of the mountain. This chair lift took me 700 feet above the rain forest and gave me the most beautiful view of our ship I have ever seen.

When I finally got to the top, I walked around a bit and bought some souvenirs in the gift shop. I was trying to buy some short shorts to sleep in, when I was suddenly heavily hit on by a Jamaican sales clerk…

After this I had a decent lunch where I was phyching myself out to go down the mountain on the bobsled. I was unsure of how fast and how steep this ride would be, and since I do not like feeling out of control- I was worried. Curiosity got the better of me and I made my way into the short line to go on the ride.  I took a video of myself on the way down, but that is way too embarrassing to post here. All I can say is, it was awesome.

A Day in Barcelona

Barcelona was by far the most beautiful and vibrant city I have ever visited while working on a ship. A few of my friends and I spent a day in 2009 roaming around the busy streets by GoCar, or what we referred to as “Slowcar”. This was the best way to see the city. I did not have a drivers licence back then, so I had the pleasure of having to push the 150cc car up all the hills of Barcelona. My friend who drove and I are not the skinniest people on the planet, so I had to get out and help the car up the hills quite often. Needless to say, we triggered some road rage in a few Barcelonas. More about that later.

A group of seven of my crew member friends and I arrived at the meeting point to pick up the cars early in the morning. We did not have boat drill or a tech run in the theater that day so we could get off the ship earlier than usual. We tried on our ridiculous helmets and were soon off exploring.

Our first stop was the incredible Sagrada Família church. Although it was under construction, I was dumbfounded by its enormity and its sheer beauty. The history of the church is very interesting. To see more, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia.

Next we made our way (very slowly) to Park Güell. It is a garden complex situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gracia district, It was built in the years 1900 to 1914. It’s one of the largest architectural works in south Europe. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From here you can get an excellent view of Barcelona.

Next, we made our way up a mountain overlooking the busy streets of the city. As you can imagine, this took a while due to our combined weight and the car’s pathetic little engine. Most drivers did not enjoy this. Here is a picture of us half Flinstoning the car up a hill with a missive line of cars piled up behind us. And then you will see me resting after my workout.

After our pit stop on the mountain we got stuck in some rush hour traffic. We were on our way to the FC Barcelona soccer stadium. We were too late to catch it open, so we just wandered around the outside and bought some souvenirs.

It was getting dark and we needed to get back on board before the ship left us behind. We made it back just in time to take a quick shower and get back to work.

I can’t wait to go back and explore this fascinating city again. Soon.