Closing This Chapter

Last chapter – Viking Sky 2023/2024 World Cruise

Sadly, we are on day 135 of our 138 day cruise. We have travelled 35,362 miles, that’s about 1.6 times around the equator. We visited 22 countries on five continents and used about 1.7 million gallons fuel. We also consumed 42,101 bottles of wine, 39,966 cans of beer, 140,085 eggs, 500 litres of ice cream, 3,500 kg of steaks, 36,300 cookies and 10,300 pounds of potatoes.

It has been an incredible journey, we made many lasting friendships and learned how our fellow world inhabitants live. My primary regret is that Barbara could not share this experience. She would have loved it!

I have two primary takeaways – First, housing is becoming unreasonably expensive all over the world. Working adults resort to living with their parents or grandparents in residents purchased years ago and make the best of their situations. Secondly, people seem to be more tolerant and accepting of others especially in third world countries. They live together harmoniously and peacefully.

Although I have enjoyed every minute of this journey, I am ready for a change and plan to return to Temecula in a few days to see the family and fulfill some mundane obligations like taxes…etc.  I will depart again on the Explorer 1 Journey on May 12 and plan to keep you updated as necessary.

Finally, I share with you the following passage, posted by one of my fellow passengers:

“Try to travel, otherwise, you may become racist, and you may end up believing that your skin is the only one to be right, that your language is the most romantic and that you were the first to be the first.

Travel, because if you don’t travel then your thoughts won’t be strengthened, won’t get filled with ideas.Your dreams will be born with fragile legs and then you end up believing in tv-shows, and in those who invent enemies that fit perfectly with your nightmares to make you live in terror.

Travel, because travel teaches you to say good morning to everyone regardless of which sun we come from.

Travel, because travel teaches you to say goodnight to everyone regardless of the darkness that we carry inside.

Travel, because traveling teaches you  to resist, not to depend, to accept others, not just for who they are but also for what they can never be. To know what we are capable of, to feel part of a family beyond borders, beyond traditions and culture. Traveling teaches us to be beyond.

Travel, otherwise you end up believing that you are made only for a panorama and instead inside you there are wonderful landscapes still to visit.”

– Gio Evan, poet and songwriter. Translated from Italian.