The Suburbs

I’m back home in Delaware and it feels strange. I guess when you have a job where you’re traveling around the world for a living it would be expected that you would get used to seeing a new place everyday. This past March marked a year that I’ve been working on a cruise ship. In many ways I’m proud because this experience has made me realize what I’m truly capable of doing.

Being home has put so many things into perspective now like:

Snapshot: Portofino

L'Usine - Ho Chih Minh City

Yes I'm alive, but first...

One of the most pleasant surprises I found in my afternoon out in Ho Chi Minh is L'Usine. This place is a charming, achingly hip, meticulously curated boutique and cafeteria rolled into one along the chaos of shoppers and buzzing motorbikes on Le Loi Street. Along with carrying brands such as Happy Socks, Cheap Monday, and Herschel, there are also items from local artisans. One such discovery was Marou chocolate. Produced in Saigon by a co-op of farmers, this organic dark chocolate has deep fruity notes with a smooth aftertaste. This was my favorite purchase I made along with some Marshall headphones.

Above the retail space is the cafeteria. My French "brother from another mother" and grabbed some fresh pressed juices on the balcony. Although the design of the space is modern the cafe still retains some of it colonial flair. I would say that for a traveler on a budget this place could easily jeopardize your budget if you're a design freak like me and aesthetics gets your juices flowing. All I can say is that L’Usine is one of the coolest store concepts and if you’re ever in Ho Chi Minh it’s a great place to pass the afternoon. Plus there is free wi-fi!

You Choose The Life That You Want

The past two months of silence has been due to many factors. The death of my grandfather shortly before Christmas required me to fly home for four days. I have been on board for just about three months… I’ve only been off the ship about seven times during this period. We’ve been to South America, the Carribean, French Polynesia, New Zealand and now currently Australia. These are all parts of the world I’ve always wanted to visit and most of it was seen from the ship. I don’t want to say I’ve fallen into a depression, but take into consideration the work load and you can imagine the frustration that builds with each day more disappointing than the next.

I’ll admit to drinking more here than I ever would on land and that doesn’t help. There haven’t been any posts because I’ve been feeling tired, cynical, and a bit bitter about my situation. How can I write about my travels or about food if I can’t even explore the destinations that the ship is sailing to? I know now that doubt is such a powerful thing. It can bring ones confidence, self-esteem, and self assuredness toppling down. It can turn you into a wreck if you let it

 As much as I want to (and do) bitch and complain I forget to remember the important things. One of my good friends here on the ship had to bring me back down to earth. “You choose the life that you want.”

A Tourist By Any Other Name

So today our port was Aruba (also known as Oranjestad) which is part of a group of islands that make up the Netherland Antilles. I’ve been on the ship for almost a month now and I haven’t had a chance to get off. Last contract I would have been seriously upset if three days would go by without stepping foot on land. Luckily for me the circumstances fell in my favor and I found myself on break and in my cabin a good fifteen minutes earlier than usual.

I got changed and headed out and I returned twenty minutes later… disappointed and dripping in sweat. For this being December its hot and balmy but this wasn’t the reason I was kicking myself for wasting time. One can only expect there to be nothing but tourist traps set up right outside of a ports. Aruba is a beautiful place, but when you have limited time it can be soul crushing to only get as far as seeing vendors selling trinkets, restaurants, mixed in with Louis Vuitton and Coach shops. I started to think of why tourists seem to be the bane of existence to “travelers”. In a way its two different sides of the same coin because we’re both here together in the same country/town/villiage… so what is the difference between us?