Cruising. Ahhh that big
fat luxurious thing. Three things instantly come to intuition. Rich
old pensioners, old and I dare say, old.. That was my predisposed
conjecture. Everything changed now. As inspired by the concept of
having a bucket list of 20 or 50 or even 100 things that you should
do before you die.. Cruising has definitely become a part of it. But
that was a long term plan. Twenty years from now. Or even Ten years
from now if I am fortunate enough. Imagining myself in a cruise
seemed to be a foreign concept to me. So spare me a thought or two of
how elated I am when I saw a bargain cruise online
(www.idealcruising.co.uk)
– a Northern Europe Cruise (8 nights) normally priced at £1500 and
now reduced to £399 per person (and that is an Outside Cabin!).
The long term plan was
cut short. The time is now. 6 months of vacation drought propels this
particular insight of cruising mid-july (perfect time to getaway on a
Western European Summer!). A door of opportunity has flung wide –
lets do this!
Forward to July 13, I am
writing this article and enjoying the bargain I have booked.. Somewhere between Copenhagen
and Hamburg. Somewhere between the Little Mermaid and the land of
“Hamburgers” (I am still puzzled if hamburgers came from Hamburg.
Another one of my foolish thoughts!). Somewhere between the
cross-over of luxury and gluttony. FYI: An approximate 10 kilogram of
fats has recently taken residence between my ass and my newly
acquired love-handles (Tiya Nena as I call – from the beki root
word: TYAN).
I am sitting in a posh
upper deck where a 180 degree panorama of the sea awaits. The views
of the waters are infinite. A refuge of dry land is nowhere to be
seen. There is no going away from here (God forbid this ship will
capsize!). And yet the serenity of the seas were more than reassuring.
Being here enables me to realise how little I am on this circle of
life. I felt like I am just a very “tinee-tiny” piece of a puzzle
on earth. I am lost in this certain philosophy of vastness. My life
is nothing compared to the array of life that the seas (and all the
life within it) has to offer. Humility – a virtue that will get you
anywhere. A virtue that sitting here certainly has thought me. Whilst
luxury is all around me, it gave me an indelible sense that this is
just temporary. Our lives are but temporary. Indelible and temporary
facets of life – ironic yet undoubtedly true.
If anything, I have no
reservations that this whole dream-like state of cruising affirms the
veracity that TRAVELLING NOURISHES THE SOUL (A thought that out of
nowhere suddenly sprung whilst checking out the Flower Market in
Amsterdam). It is an opportunity to calm the mind and find an inner
peace that not even the edifications of yoga can defy (no offense to
yoga followers!).
Being in a cruise enables
you to be on a mobile hotel complete with a bonus of a hop-on, hop
off international feature. It is arguably reserved for the
financially endowed and socially unchallenged individuals, couples or
families. Yes it does come with a huge price tag. But if you're
lucky, a £399 bargain is not a far-sight. And I am looking for the
next big one.
