Observations from Jennifer

After 10 days aboard the floating bubble I have learned the following four things: 1. the bubble does indeed float, 2. I am very lucky, 3. my parents are truly amazing, and 4. international cruising is exactly like and entirely different from international backpacking….
So one great thing about a boat is a it is a lot bigger than a backpack. Though my parents have finally relinquished their home in Kingwood and left what we have lovingly referred to as “the bubble” permanently, never fear, they have found a way to take it all with them!

There were moments that felt oddly like being at home in the living room being forced to listen to Rush Limbaugh and play trionimos while drinking captain and coke. Only thing different seemed to be the presence of other languages and different food. I did learn how to say man overboard in Spanish and Queixo Tetillia (you provide the translation) is one of the most amazing foods on the planet. Parents are making a fantastic attempt at languages as well— if you don’t believe me just ask dad about that wind that they get outside of Gibraltar! However, stepping outside the boat I was reminded we were in a different place. Castles and palaces built long before the country I claim as home (Texas) was even conceptualized!

One of the most interesting things I have noticed is some of the parallels between the international cruising and international backpacking scenes… While I know that these reflections could perhaps be largely attributed to tourism in general, their comparison is interesting because both of these styles of travel have such distinct “cultures” of their own and their members would likely scoff at any potential similarities. But it’s interesting how both have really unique ways of entering and participating in other “cultures” that both allows for a new means of interacting with and understanding them and floats completely above them almost completely avoiding any real interaction. Hmmm….

Well off to new adventures. If only I can be so lucky to catch these two wandering seafarers at another point in their journey… We shall see what the winds have in store!