Adventures

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While I was about it, I captured some images of an interesting cloud bank…

It made me think of a sandy beach where waves rushing in and out form that same shape.

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It has been many years since I dipped my toes in the sea.

Though I am not a strong swimmer and dislike salt water, I am never-the-less an admirer of our seas and oceans.

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Friends of mine enjoyed scuba diving and I could well understand their passion for it, but I couldn’t even snorkel without getting water-logged. I had a chance once to view some lovely corals but simply could not coordinate the mask and breathing apparatus. No matter what I did, the mask filled with water causing me to put my feet down, which you really don’t want to do when there are beautiful, fragile corals beneath you. So I quickly gave up.

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We were on a cruise in Indonesia, a most fascinating and beautiful country of quite diverse peoples and landscapes.

On board were many keen divers and snorkelers who were most disappointed when we reached Lucipara in the Banda sea. The reef was known to be spectacular, but when we got there it was discovered to have been badly damaged by a recent cyclone.

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There is a reason it’s called “adventure” cruising. You can never count on being able to see what you hope to. Which of course does not stop people from complaining.

It must be a nightmare to lead such cruises. We were only ever a fairly small group which was comparatively easy to control, but people are people. Advice given is often either not heard, or ignored. People wander off and disappear.

One cruise I heard of, off the coast of Costa Rica, lost a passenger in the jungle. As far as I know, he was never found.

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One afternoon on that Indonesia cruise, we anchored off a small island where we could go ashore to walk on the beach and wander into a little village, or we could take a ride along the shore in a rubber boat to a place where there was a high cliff in which there was a cleft.

The boat would convey us a short distance into a cave and there, if we chose, we could dive down and swim through a narrow submerged tunnel which opened up into a lagoon surrounded by high coral cliffs.

As I said, I am a poor swimmer, much inclined to water-logging. I don’t like being under water and I am uncomfortable in confined spaces, but a pair of flippers gave me confidence.

It turned out to be quite easy and that lagoon was magical. Jungle lianas overhung the cliffs and parrots flew overhead, outlined against a deep blue sky.

When asked to think of a peaceful place, it always comes to mind.

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That cruise must have been in the summer of 1986 because we were watching out for Halley’s comet, though we never did catch sight of it.

There are so many experiences I would like to have had, so many places I would love to have visited, but you cannot bemoan disappointments. Instead, I remember the wonderful places I did see and a handful of experiences I feel so lucky to have had.

Not least, caring for a bunch of crazy cats!

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