Sunday, March 13, 2016

Sea Encounters

It’s the strangest thing. For the past few weeks I have been living on the 12 floor of an ocean liner and instead of having floor 13 over my head, its floor 14.  

We go to see shows in the theater several decks down to 6, and encounter no missing decks. The entertainers are very talented, the shows are good, and then at the end the cruise director stands on the stage thanks everyone for coming to the show and then wants a god to bless us all.  
 
High Priest Of Food

I am betting on science to keep this thing afloat, but the chocolate desserts do seem to make the superstition more tolerable.
Our last stop before Port Lauderdale is the island of Eleuthera. We ride out to the island on the ships tenders, and join a tour to a botanical garden where a very knowledgeable fellow explained all the uses for the various plants.

To get to the garden it was a long ride on a bus, with a very loud guide, who made sure we knew that she and most of the islanders were afflicted with religious superstition.

She even knew of a haunted stretch of road where reportedly a ghost of a woman might be seen hitchhiking. You may stop to pick her up she said, but the woman won’t be in the car when you stop to let here out.  
 
Ghost Ship
 
The bus ride took quite a while so that when we got back to the beach lunch was over and it was time to wait in line to board the tenders, and get back to the ship for some much needed chocolate dessert.
Back on board it was time to pack up, and get the bags out in the hall so that they could be staged to unload in the morning.

The seas flattened out as we headed north to port. I fell asleep with the balcony door open. Just the sound of the ship and the ocean. Around 5 I looked out and could see the lights of the city approaching. Not much later I heard the boat bring the pilot out to the ship. I watched it slip by right under the balcony, and then I was riding in a cab in Florida, with a driver who drove to fast and knew the way to the rental car.

 He never spoke of religion or had any symbols in his cab, and I was glad cuz I’m off chocolate.
Beach Bug
 

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