Saturday, October 31, 2009

Tonight's wine

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Posted via web from Doug's posterous

Tonight's wine

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Posted via web from Doug's posterous

A scary sight

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Posted via web from Doug's posterous

A scary sight

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Posted via web from Doug's posterous

Another signal to run the other way:

Just overheard fellow cruiser, a woman maybe in the 200-pound range, telling someone on the phone, "I'm just about to get my bikini on." Maybe she was kidding? I suppose I have no right to care if that's what makes her comfortable. But this is definitely a time when my distance glasses are best left behind. Just be assured that I will not be putting on anything like a Speedo or bikini myself.

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Another signal to run the other way:

Just overheard fellow cruiser, a woman maybe in the 200-pound range, telling someone on the phone, "I'm just about to get my bikini on." Maybe she was kidding? I suppose I have no right to care if that's what makes her comfortable. But this is definitely a time when my distance glasses are best left behind. Just be assured that I will not be putting on anything like a Speedo or bikini myself.

Posted via email from Doug's posterous

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

One more thing I'd rather not see: a much older man on beach wearing Speedos.

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An observation about Americans

As I travel south of the US border on a cruise ship filled mostly with older, retired folks, a few things stand out to me. The top one is that there are a lot of Americans who are unhappy, who seem to find fault in just about any situation. I have heard people complain that a tour guide in Acapulco had a Mexican accent. What did they expect, French? Or the people who don't want to pay their dinner waiter a $2 gratuity after 90 minutes of personal attention.

Maybe I was raised differently, but I am absolutely soaking up the cultural differences and thriving on what I am seeing that is new to me. Was I disappointed that my stateroom attendant didn't respond to a request within seconds? Sure. Does it matter? Not one bit.

I wish some of my fellow travelers had more of my perspective. To be fair, many of them do, and many people here are remarkable in their own ways. But the loudmouth complainers are the ones who give credence to our reputation abroad. I hope we can change this.


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