Hawaii

Our trip to Hawaii was unimaginable, so much more than I expected. The beauty of the Islands can not be captured in pictures. The road to Hana, the big surf, the ocean cliffs, the list goes on and on. But one of the most interesting aspects of the trip came from a tour guide named Peter Vincent. His words of wisdom, knowledge of the people, and their customs was truly fascinating.
We met him in Honolulu, outside of a mall, sitting in his van with a little sign saying tour of the Island. We climbed in and got one of the best tours I've ever experienced. He told us how his people lived, about their customs, their family life, how they live, marry, eat, and govern themselves. He also took us to see the sights, but that is another story.
What was fascinating to me was how they live off of the land. He pointed out plant after plant and talked of how they are prepared. Almost everywhere there were edible plants, most of which I have never heard of and most were quite tasty. We stopped along the side of the road again and again to pick and taste. Sorry I could never remember all the names of the plants and fruits but he explained that all they had to buy were a couple of food items from the stores, a car and a house and of coarse insurance. What I found really amazing was the fact that he hunted wild Boar with only a dog and his knife. He said to use a gun would be disrespectful to the animal. He showed off the scars on his legs and arms from some encounters with Boars, and explained that his ancestors had been hunting this way for generations.
They have a great respect for the land, ocean, plants and animals that I haven't seen anywhere else. They truly love their little piece of paradise and it showed. So to Peter, I can not thank you enough, you showed me a new way to look at the world. May your family and friends live long and fruitful lives.

Introductions

Hello: I'm Brad, or Mr. cruise101 as labeled by Google, with their infinite computing wisdom. As you might have guessed, I am a cruise specialist. If you talk to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines I am a funologist, or was that Disney Cruise lines, I forget, but I love the ocean. My first travel experiences were road trips with my mother, father, sister, grandmother and sometimes neighbors. We always wanted to know how many more miles, Wisconsin to south Florida non stop, was quite the trip. I slept behind the back seat on the shelf in front of the back window, or sometimes on the floor between the front and back seats. I sometimes wonder if the hump in the middle of the floor in the back of the car is responsible for some of my back pains. We had games back then like the license plate game, or the alphabet game, where you would have to find all the letters of the alphabet starting with "a",and working your way toward z, antique signs were the best, as Q's were hard to find.
Of coarse we went many other places as well and at the time I had no idea how those trips would influence my life down the road, so to speak. Now that I am aged, I appreciate how wonderful it is to be able to experience the world and all the wonders it has to offer. Especially the amazing people I have met along the way. It's all about the people, people! I have never ceased to be amazed at how friendly people can be if you just say "hi, how's it going". Occasionally you wish you would have kept your mouth shut, but then all the other wonderful people you would have missed out on meeting would make your life that much less fun and interesting.
Now for today, I still love to travel and meet new people, and Katy has shown me what for me is the best type of travel yet. Life on board a cruise ship is very difficult to describe. The atmosphere is relaxed, No driving to the ammusement park, your already there. No wondering how many more miles, the trip is as enjoyable as the destination. Being able to enjoy a couple drinks with dinner, you don't have to drive back to the hotel. Letting someone else entertain and enrich your childrens lives, at no extra cost. Food ,of coarse, beyond food, all you can eat, prepared to perfection. Shows, movies music dancing and shhh" gambling", and that is just for starters.
Destinations of coarse are for me the main dish. But aside from that I don't have to worry about how to get there. No map quest, no traffic, no getting stuck in an airport, and best of all, I can be in whatever state of soberness, or not, as I choose.
Give cruising a try. You may be as suprised as I was and may even have more fun than I do, although I have quite a bit of fun, so I would be hard to beat.