#21 Amtrak vs. M/V Explorer

We’re in the midst of our 4th consecutive day without sight of land. We’re clipping along on the world’s fastest passenger ship at an average speed of 17 knots or about 20 mph according to the GPS Channel on the TV in our room.

Had we just stayed on Amtrak to Hawaii, we’d already be there waiting for the M/V Explorer ;-) Such thoughts put us in a comparison frame of mind.

	Amtrak	M/V Explorer
Room Size	56 sq ft	160 sq ft
Food	Good	Good and unlimited
Towels	Changed on request	Changed every day
Internet	Never	Almost always
Ride	Rock and roll	Roll
Crew	Sparse and attentive	Plentiful and attentive

Let me be clear…the M/V Explorer is a great ride. More to come on this magnificent vessel.

Yours in learning port from starboard,
Kelly

#20 Kansas City Barbeque

Happy 20th anniversary to our friends Barry and Jessica.

We thought of you two when we were having some tasty grub at Kansas City Barbeque in San Diego a few days ago.

Yup, right there in downtown San Diego we read on the menu “Kansas City joints such as Bryant’s, Hayward’s, Gates’, and Rosedale’s enjoy a nationwide reputation for good food at a reasonable price.” Having dined at all these fabulous establishments ourselves, we’re glad to hear they each enjoy a national reputation.

As if serving Kansas City barbeque isn’t enough, this particular joint in San Diego became even more famous when Tom Cruise stopped by to film the piano scene and the final bar/jukebox scene in Top Gun.

Yours in celebrating your Top Marriage,
Kelly

#19 Classes Started Today

Classes started today, so I sat in on 5:

Exoticism in Literature
History of Art and Architecture in Asia
Earth’s Climate Systems
Magazine Article Writing
Global Studies. 

Students get priority, but we adult passengers can sit in with the prof's approval. All approved.

I learned exoticism is the literary representation of one culture for consumption by another and I'll need to brush up on my speed-reading to keep up. I learned I'll need to arrive early to get a seat to learn about Asian architecture. And I learned 5 classes leave me beat even before tonight's film on race relations.

Since we left sunny Ensenada, we’ve not seen the sun, and I learned in ECS class that’s typical for the open ocean in sub-tropical regions this time of year. Small breaks in the cloud deck made for a snazzy sunset, laced with crepuscular rays.

Yours in paying attention in class,
Kelly

#18 Leaving Ensenada

Finding Mary busy with library matters, I shared my first on-shore adventure with Alden, a member of the SAS faculty whose travel writing classes overflow with budding Bill Brysons. Exploring Ensenada, we kept an eye on Alden's watch. Without my cell phone, I live in a world with no time and watching the ship sail away without us would spoil our day. I need to get a watch. Breakfast and lunch with a special dessert-only stop for flan…that was our take on the touristy town of Ensenada. We rated the local flan a solid 5 on the international flan 10 scale.

Avoiding the Viagra shops, persistent street vendors, seafood carts, and hopefully hepatitis, we arrived back at the ship with 30 minutes to spare, cleared security, and climbed the gangway smiling. While we were out, all the students arrived. They tell me the bus system shuttling students from San Diego to Ensenada worked OK. The Semester At Sea staff put a lot of effort into making it work. Sadly, those staff not directly involved in the rest of the voyage left the ship in Ensenada, waving good-bye from the dock as a single tug pushed us away toward Hawaii.

Yours in waving adios to Mexico,
Kelly

#17 Welcome to Ensenada

Shortly after sunrise, we pulled alongside the dock in Ensenada, Mexico, on this quiet Sunday morning. Mary and Captain Roman Krstanovic from Dubrovnic, Croatia, oversaw the docking operations.

A few locals milled around the passenger terminal where later today, 20 busloads of students are scheduled to arrive at regular intervals to board our ship to begin their Semester At Sea. By day’s end, we’ll have a full ship. With much to do to prepare the library for the start of classes Tuesday, Mary will work today and I’ll explore Ensenada with a goal to make it back on ship for our departure at 1700 hours.

Yours in Mexico,
Kelly

#16 Our First Night At Sea

During the lifeboat drill last night before we departed San Diego, the crew told us to expect ocean swells of 6 to 8 feet during our overnight passage to Ensenada, Mexico. A short while later a general announcement boomed over the public address reminding us that unlimited sea-sickness medication is always available free 24/7 outside the clinic on deck 2. Hmmmm.

But the old-timers assured us this was no big deal. We took their advice, went to bed unmedicated, and slept soundly as the ship gently rolled through the night.

Yours in paying attention to good advice,
Kelly

#15 Tonight We Sail

After 4 days of training and orientation in port at San Diego’s harbor, tonight we sail. We’ve quickly grown accustomed to a calm routine on board with staff, faculty, and crew. Tonight, the energy jumped a notch when the parents boarded the ship for a reception. Here are the librarians admiring the chocolate castle built for the reception.

The parents have disembarked and tomorrow, upon arrival in Ensenada, Mexico, 550 students will board, completing our shipboard community. New routines will ensue. But for tonight, we sail.

Yours in setting sail,
Kelly