Galveston-Oil and Water

On the 25th anniversary of  the ExxonMobil Valdez oil spill, we have our own environmental disaster here in the harbor, after a ship crashed into a barge. The port is still closed while the USCG assesses the situation. Nice view from Deck 5 Helicopter Pad. I don't expect us getting out of of here soon--Operation Keep Your Fingers Crossed- is still ongoing.

A view of The Port  from The Heliport

Update: 3/27/14--We are about to set sail-All cleared and it's very cold-looking forward to some sunshine

The Hotel Galvaz

Welcome to The Hotel @nyware/Galveston

 Such a lovely place Such a lovely face  Plenty of room at the hotel California. Any time of year, you can find it here.

Well I was born in the sign of water, and it's there that I feel the best

I used to think that spending too much time on a cruise ship was bad so I stopped thinking. Two  songs that inspired me to sail are -Cool Change ,a top 40 Aussie hit, and The Blues Image's, Ride Captain Ride.

"If there's one thing in my life that's missing It's the time that I spend alone Sailing on the cool and bright clear water There's lots of those friendly people They're showing me ways to go But I never want to lose their inspiration Time for a cool change I know that it's time for a cool change And I know that my life is so pre-arranged I know that it's time for a cool change .Well I was born in the sign of water And it's there that I feel my best" -Little River Band

"Seventy-three men sailed up from the San Francisco Bay Rolled off of their ship, and here's what they had to say "We're callin' everyone to ride along to another shore We can laugh our lives away and be free once more. Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip On your way to a world that others might have missed"-Blues Image

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Cozumel-Eminence Waterfront

Royals'-Navigator and Freedom of the Seas Passengers debarking

I am an AmeriCAN not an AmeriCAN’T

And you are MEXICANS

It s nice to know that I can  STILL pay for things in a currency that no longer exists-the US Dollar. Not as pretty as Cabo San Lucas  on the Pacific Ocean in the sea of Cortez, still Cozumel has a Carib-Los Angeles vibe-In fact it’s like going through one of the barrios off the Harbor Freeway 110 or the 105, without the traffic and Los Angry Cars. I would have liked to work in this beautiful tourist trap-Forgetaboutit -expats. Locals are able  to fill tourism  jobs in the region. There is a leveled playing field here in Cozumel.



An endangered species: The expat

They speak Money  here as the first language and money is not the key to happiness, but the happy go locals  figure  if  they  have enough money, they  can have a key made. English is their second language They get it that It’s no longer  a pain in the English to speak da language --There is No Egg in Eggplant, No Ham in Hamburger, No Pine or Apple in Pineapple. You park your car in a driveway and drive your car on a parkway, Double Negatives Are A No-No. Cool.

Paying for things in a currency that no longer exist$-the US Dollar, I ask myself, "am I better off than I was 4 Trillion dollars ago? " In Mexico, the answer is, Yes!

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Grand Cayman-An Embarrassment of Coconuts

Coo coo for coconuts

Coco Vita is tired, Caymania au natural is wired. Loved by health nuts and Hollywood royalty, coconut water is the "new" health drink. It's almost as good as a blood transfusion, It slows down ageing, smooths your skin; regulates blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol; and it's good for digestive health. Every port of call, I make a habit of drinking some.

Today, I bought a whole quart.

Coconut water is the purest liquid on earth, second only to H20. It's anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. This is one of those rare super foods. I am taking The Cure. 

 Coconut's Magic Puts an Infinite Smile on my face It is full of electrolytes, calcium and magnesium. An average size coconut has more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg). It stimulates metabolism. Coconut Water has more food value than whole milk; is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood; and, it contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk. Ma Ma Mia!

Around The World in 80 Coconuts

San Juan del Sur- Nicaragua-Coconut Quest Redux

Dominica-When you're born into this world, you're given
 a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you
get a front row seat. Island life is Project Manana Bananas  Over Coconuts!

Thailand-Coconut Magic-'m coo coo for Coconuts--- They are anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial. I'm up to six a day.The water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. It is full of electrolytes, calcium and magnesium. An average size coconut has more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg). More @ All Thai'd Up

If St Maarten is the Mitt Romney of vacation destinations---self restraint in an age of rage,

 then Barbados is the Keith Richards of the Caribbean--it's over the hill,

showing signs of age but can still belt out the kareoke hits of Paradise it once sang. Read More @ Barbados

Costa Rica

Funchal,Madeira

Generation RX---The Doctor delivers some more coconut magic water!

Jamaica

Honduras

Somewhere in  Central America??

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Falmouth, Jamaica-Above-Below

 

The view from Deck 12 of the Navigator of the Seas . And from land, Docking next to The Freedom of the Seas

I started sailing here in 2009-Still amazing

 

The precip is fine mist that never creates puddles.Cool!

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Central America-Honduras, Belize and Mexico-Deja Blue

Cozumel

One day my life will flash before my eyes. I am making sure it’s worth watching. My life hasn't gotten better by chance; it’s gotten better by change.

 By changing nothing, nothing changes. When in doubt, I always have chosen change.

 All these changes, however, were preceded by chaos, and the bridges I burned, have lit the way.Yet, at what point is choice--the watermark  of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish--becomes a point of diminishing returns, a "problem" instead of a solution---That is the paradox of choice.

There is no YES, in yesterday, and when you are sailing, you are what you are right there and then. 

Honduras

My  bizarre travel plans have been dancing lessons from God. As soon as anyone starts telling me to be realistic, I cross that person off my invitation list. We are still friendly but no longer friends because they don’t get  IT that if you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.

There is wise and other wise--When my left brain is too  good at telling my right brain what to do, I am a normal man, adapting  to the world; otherwise I am  trying to adapt the world to myself.  So all my progress depends on being  a paranormal man. 

Allure of the Seas- Largest Cruise Ship on the water

After all, “normal” is the setting on a washing machine-you know the spin cycle-same old, been there done that.Para normal, on the other hand,is an art rather than a science and can't be easily explained or measured.The test to find whether my Hero’s Journey on earth is finished is simple--If  I’m  alive, it isn't.  Remembering this is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking I have something to lose.. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

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Cozumel- Any Fin Is Possible

  This is a favorite port of call.Traveling by sea  gives me the sense of inhabiting my own life. Cruising is the gateway 'drug' to paradise.

WYSIWYG-What you see is what you get- I do not create the Caribbean blue ocean, the white powder sandy beaches. Rather they are gifts to me. What I write about comes out of gratitude for being t/here. There are seven days of the week and someday is not one of them. I'm glad I'm sailing today
Last month I was The Hyper Organized Intentional Traveler, complete with checklists, sunscreen and "travel clothes"verses  right now The Lite Traveler, on a shoe string budget and the shirt off/on his your back. This  one feels so much better.

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Cayman Islands-John Grisham Effect

Sunny Place For Shady People-

Ship Happens

A trillion+ US dollars are parked here, most of it in trust and hedge funds. Over 19,000 entities doing business here (well-on paper) you know like in Newport Beach, CA Mailbox etc. It's the Delaware of the Caribbean. A sunny place for shady people? With a big helping of Hollywood, and The Firm, this place has become the global villain but is it really such a bad thing-capitalism I mean.

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Jamaica-No Woman Nuh Cry

What am I on? I'm on a ship!

You think of Reggae, and then Bob ...I'll tell you what Marley realized. If you go off into the quiet parts of Jamaica, and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything...and no, you don't have to do drugs to feel this ---you are drugs!

Nuh in local patois mean don't- so No Woman DON'T Cry...he assures me, Every thing's Gonna be alright, Yet if Vegas is where neon goes to die, then this is certainly the resting place of "Legend" and "One Love" Bob Marley Nostalgia. The music still stands the test of time, and Bob Marley is an American Idol, but the country needs an extreme makeover.

Been a while-3 years ago today I was @ The GR8
 Barrier Reef off the coast of Carins, Australia

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Houston-Big Hats No Cattle

When I think Texas, I think Cows and Cowboy, a mashup of the Deep South and The Wild West but here in metropolitan Houston, it is impossible not reach the conclusion that this is the energy capital of the world. Evidence of the fossil fuels workforce is everywhere. Down-to-earth, international, very friendly, Houston  has that water-cooler vibe where everything is petroleum based.

Man In The Mirror-
Zaza Hotel in the Museum District

It's easy to think that Exon Mobile and Shell are "Big Oil" but in reality, having traveled around the globe, most  of world oil reserves, and an even greater % of the remaining reserves of “easy oil” are held by national oil companies controlled by kings and  governments like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela ,Norway and Russia.





The 5 Most "Plain Vanillia" Cities in the World I Visited

 Singapore- The Happy Dicatorship where the Thought Police give tickets for wearing headphones or chewing gum in public.It's just a clean, convenient place to stop over before moving on.
See: A Pain In The English

Brussels, Belgium-Beer and chocolate Brussels is a city of red tape and Eurocrats.

Houston,Texas-No crude oil types here-only bean counters and engineers. Everything you want in a city and less.

Oslo, Norway- Plain Vanilla to the Nth Degree-Safe cars and suicidal winters. A Big parking lot with the most beautiful looking zombies on the planet. where even chickens get to cross the road without having their motives questioned. See: Oslo You Know Where it's @

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia- Sexual Apartheid-Any country that bans the mermaid logo from Starbucks has issues-Cancel my subscription. Its silence is the most perfect expression of its own scorn. See: One Eyed Man in the Kingdom of the Blind



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