Here are a couple sneek previews of what is to come...
Sentinal Rock and the Merced River
Half Dome
A Yosemite Falls "Moonbow"
This picture was taken at 1am. The light from the full moon
casts a "moonbow" in the mist of the waterfall.
This only happens a few times a years when everything is just right
I am no longer
working for Steiner and have not been on ships for a few months. I personally
enjoyed my time as an “Acupuncturist at Sea” but for me it was time to move on.
I want to thank Stephanie, Lisa, Natasha and Dan for everything they did for me
over my three contracts. They treated me with respect and I cannot say enough
about my respect for them.
Before I get I want
to plug my NEW blog, which I will be starting within the week. It will be
called AcuDoc Excellent YOSEMITE Adventure at acudocinyosemite.blogspot.com. I have moved to Yosemite National
Park to work on my photograph and take a much needed rest. It is a very
different lifestyle. No one is asking me what “my numbers are”, “how many
patients did you book”, “how many packages did you sell”, “how much is your
retail”. It is virtually stress free. In fact my most stressful decision is
what hike am I going to go on. It is what I need at this time in my life. Will
I ever go back to ships…maybe but for now this is where I need to be for “me”
right now.
As far as ships I
have heard from friends that are still working for Steiner and there have been
some MAJOR changes. For the most part from what I have been told has to do with
pay. It has been cut in half from what it was when I was on board. I know some
of my friends that have left Steiner because of this.
So one thing you are
going to have to do is make a determination for yourself if it is worth it to
you. After looking at the numbers and looking at what I considered my bottom
line I felt comfortable with being a $5000 cruise, $4000 service and $1000
retail, it would mean an hourly wage of $14-$15 per hour. Now remember that you
have free room and board and great travel. So it is up to you and if you think
it is worth it for yourself. It is your decision alone.
What I want to do
with this post is make brief comments about where I have been over my last
contract. I will post photographs of where I have been and make some suggestions
on what to do in those ports.
If this is your
first time to my blog by looking back you will find plenty of answers to
probably any question you have about what it is like to work on a ship as an
acupuncturist. Just remember the pay is different now.
So lets get started…
I left off in
Vietnam where I traveled and had some shipmates meet my when I was on vacation
and the ship was in dry dock. Vietnam was amazing and I’d love to go back.
There are some ships that do travel there but this was a three-week vacation
and I really got to see the country much more then I would have if I were just
in port for a day.
As I said this post
is going to be mostly photography. In Vietnam I spent time in Hanoi, Cat Ba
Island and Viet Hai, Nha Trang, Saigon and in Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta.
I really enjoyed the
sights and sounds of Hanoi and there is much to see and do as you have seen in my last post....and yes I know it was a year ago...lol
But here are some photos of the "Hanoi Hilton" that held American prisoners during the Vietnam War
But here are some photos of the "Hanoi Hilton" that held American prisoners during the Vietnam War
Outside the entrance to the prison
The top of the walls were laden with broken glass and broken bottles to keep you from escaping
One of the passage ways
The flight suit John McCain was wearing when he was captured
is proudly displayed behind glass
a bed inside one of the cells
the shackles inside one of the cells
Cat Ba Island is a
two hour bus ride to a boat that takes you a few miles of shore to the island.
David, Maureen and Jessica stayed on the main island and took and over night
excursion on a junk.
David, Maureen, Jessica and I arrive at Cat Ba Island
The next order of business...lunch
After which we located a hotel right on the main street, several floors up with a view of the harbor and ocean for $6 per night. David, Maureen and Jessica stayed tehre and I headed out to a remote isalnd...I mean a further remote island...
This is the small boat I took to Viet Hai about 2 hours from Cat Ba Isalnd
I took a very small
boat on an hour boat ride to another smaller island and to the village of Viet
Hai. I stayed at the Whisper of Nature for a few days and found the people to
be amazing.
Along the way we passed village after village that is groups of floating houses where peolpe live
Here a man relaxes and plays his guitar
After a 4 mile scooter ride I arrive at the outskirts of Viet Hai
Viet Hai is a small farming village nestled in the jungles and mountains
The people here use very simple means for everyday life
At the far end of the village lies The Whisper of Nature where I stayed for $25 per night
Here is where they made excellent meals and I found the best internet since I left the states...better then
New Zealand, better then Australia....here in the jungles of Vietnam miles offshore of the mainland...
At one point I took
a hike a few miles back into the jungle and found a deserted village. There was
nothing there but a horse and a man taking care of it from what I could tell.
Amazing miles into the jungle in an abandoned village I find an old Coca-cola cooler...
Goodbye "Whisper"...Goodbye Viet Hai...note the Communist Flag!
Next we headed to
Nha Trang, which boasts the best beaches in Vietnam. There we enjoyed dinner
with the locals and walking the streets seeing the sights. We ate at a number
of different restaurants from where the locals ate to a German restaurant
serving some of the favorites of Maureen as she was from Europe.
We visited the local
market where David was a standout and many wanted to take pictures with him.
They were amazing but his height of 6’6” and he looked like a giant next to
them.
David and a local "fan" at the market in Nha Trang
A favorite shot at the market
One thing that surprised me was everywhere we went people were
so friendly and flashed the "peace sign"
photo oppertunities were everywhere at the market
a woman soldier at the market
We spent an amazing
few hours at the “mud bath and spa”. You could spend all day there is you like.
They had a number of different mud baths to try. We opted for the personal tubs
and then joined each other in a giant mineral spring tub, stood under a
waterfall and swam in the pool. Next we decided it was time for a massage. This
ran us less then $30 for EVERYTHING.
The single mud bath tubs...they reminded me of the tubs you see in old westerns
Maureen and David
went scuba diving and Maureen got certified. One of those days Jessica and I
went kayaking on a river deep in the countryside.
Jesscia and I relaxing on the river in our kayak
In the middle of the trip our guides stopped, setup and cooked an amazing lunch
Jessica relaxes on the river after lunch
On another day I
hired the owner of the hotel to take me on a motorcycle ride. We left around
8am and returned around 5pm. We traveled about 50 miles deep into the country
and to villages that have not seen a foreigner for years. It was a great day
trip and I snapped away taking photos everywhere.
A baker making bread miles from Nha Trang in a small village
Even further inland we came across a lone house in a field...
you got to love the look on the kids...
A great shot of the father
A woman rides her bike through the countryside...
The next stop on my inland trip was a fish market...here are a few of the sights
Here are some of the other sights of Nha Trang
The view from my hotel balcony...$17 per night and right across the street from the beach
Nha Trang Bay on a walk to town
Dinner with the locals on our first night...note the size of the chairs...
A couple nights later enjoys wine and beer...desert was on the way...
Goodbye Nha Trang...it was great...
Our next stop was
Saigon. It is like a huge version of Hanoi. Even though there was a lot of
history there and much to see I think we all decided that it would be a good
jump of point for travel to the Mekong Delta. After a couple days we had our
fill of Saigon. This is also where David left us and headed back to the ship as
his vacation was over.
Some of the sights on the streets of Saigon
Dinner in Saigon our first night
The Presidential Palace and the headquarters for
South Vietnam during the Vietnam War
The Notre Dame Church in downtown Saigon
Inside on of the many temples
Jessica and Maureen at the Post Office...note "Uncle Ho" in the painting on the rear wall
A tank at the War Museum
Tiger cages used to hold American prisoners of war at the War Museum
Some of the sights on the streets of Saigon
David and Jessica make a new friend
Beers at midnight on the streets of Saigon the night before David heads
back to the ship and Jessica, Maureen and I head to the Mekong Delta...
We visited Ben Tre
in the Mekong Delta and it was one of our favorite places. We stayed at the
Oasis Hotel, which is on the banks of the Mekong River. It was very clean, had
a pool, Wi-Fi and hammocks to just be lazy in.
Jessica and Maureen relaxing at the Oasis Hotel on the banks of the Mekong River in Ben Tre
Just a few minutes from the hotel down a small path was a local place to eat. The food was amazing and the entire meal for all of us including drinks ran around $12-$13 total.
Our first lunch in Ben Tre...
The town in our area was just a short walk and had a market, stores and a restaurant. The town it self was bigger but we found no need to see more then the local area.
Visiting the market in Ben Tre
Street scenes in Ben Tre
Girl street vendor
One day we hired a boat and guide to see the sights. We travel on the Mekong to a brick factory and then headed down the small inner canals.
Brick boat on the Mekong River
We hired a guide to take us deep in the canals of the Mekong Delta
There we visited a coconut candy factory, a coconut factory and a home-stay deep in the jungle where we had lunch “local” style. There we transferred into a canoe that just barely held the three of the guide and us and headed even deeper into the Mekong Delta.
Were arrived at a coconut factory deep in the Mekong
Jessica and Maureen enjopy fresh coconut milk
The next stop was a coconut candy factory...
...where everything is done by hand
Maureen and Jessica enoy a typical lunch at a home stay
deep in the inner canals of the Mekong Delta
Maureen looks at the whole fried fish for lunch...the food just kept coming
Goodbye to the Mekong Delta...what a fantastic place to visit...
After our stay in
Ben Tre it was back to Saigon for an over night as we got ready to say good bye
to each other as we were all headed to different areas of the world. Maureen
was headed back home to Europe, Jessica was headed to meet some of our other
friends in Thailand and I was headed to the Philippine to meet some friends
from the states that have family there.
The next day I flew
to the Philippines and ended up with one of my oldest friends, Dean Sberna and his family that were on vacation at Apo Island, which is
a resort off the coast of Negros Island.
We spent a few days at the Liberty Resort which was a
great place to relax.
The Sberna relaxing at Apo Island
The Liberty Resort, Apo Island
I got a chance to take some pictures of the "locals" and here are a couple of my favorites
You have to love the look of innocence in children
And the character of this older mans face....
Next it was time to for myself to relax on my last night in Apo Island
Then it was time for
them to visit family and I needed some time to myself. After ship life where
you have no privacy and then even though I love my friends I needed “down time”
before heading back to the ship.
I stayed at a place
the Dean suggested called Monarch Resort. It was about a half dozen very clean
huts right on the beach. There was a/c, electricity, flush toilets and a great
restaurant all for $25 a night.
My beach hut
In the village I came across a few boys perfecting there diving skills in a local river
and a man getting ready for a feast roasting a whole pig
One of the days I
just relaxed and worked on my photographs. The next day I rented a motorcycle
from them and drove around the island. The first thing I came across was a farmer tending his fields.
And we think we work hard....
At one point I took
a dirt road deep into the mountains and through the rice paddies. There I found
a house here and there, and a small village of
maybe six huts and some children enyoying bath time rice paddy style
I love the look on the little girls face...
Still further in the mountains about ten miles back I came across a lake with a number of children escaping the heat
Boy will be boys....
On the way back I passed a number of sugar cane fields
Flashing "sign"
Finally it was time
to leave PI and head back to the ship in Singapore. It was an amazing vacation
but now it was time to get back to work.
Good Philipipines
After a night in
Singapore I joined the ship. During dry dock the ship had been remodeled and it
was like joining a completely different ship expect many of my friends were
still there.
For a couple weeks
we again visited Australia, Vanuatu and Bali. Next we headed to Samoa.
I think Samoa is
very under-rated. It was a very beautiful place and very inexpensive.
We then had a very
long cruise headed back to Hawaii. Once there as it most had a lot of time off
due to many “sea days” and we even had a few overnights. One thing I would say
is a must is going skydiving. About ten of us from the spa did this and we all
loved it.
Diving with green turtles in Maui
And the next day in Maui driving the "Road to Hana"
Still another waterfall on the "Road to Hana"
Here are a couple waterfalls on Kauai
Kauai Waterfall
Kauai Lagoon
A volcano on the "Big Island" Hawaii
The "Lava Tube"
And a "Must See" with on teh island of Oahu...
The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
The "Big Mo"...the battleship Missouri where the Japanese signed the surrender of WWII
Upon leaving Hawaii
it was another long cruise back to Seattle, which is our homeport in and out of
Alaska.
Our first Alaskan
port was Ketchikan. I had been there the summer before and knew of a great
place for sushi. After lunch I spotted about a dozen eagles and was able to get
some great shots of them as they we feeding. Many times they were literally within
10-100 yards from me.
This was a once in a lifetime experience
This one was so close I could not even fit him in the frame
After that first
week we started our regular run for the summer, the first stop being Juneau.
Juneau is a place where we stock up as there is a Wal-Mart, Costco and Target.
Approaching Juneau
Once we get what we
need we can climb the mountain next to the ship or take a gondola to the stop
and hike down. Of course there are a number of bars and restaurants and all the
tourist shops.
Overlooking Juneau
Taking the gondala up the mountainwith the ships belo...and hiking down...
You should also stop
at Tracy’s Crab Shack for great crab and crab bisque…it is a must.
Downtown Juneau
One week I had a
dear friend of mine join me for a cruise and we took an excursion that was not
offered by the ship. We started out with a guide kayaking down a river to the
ocean. We went to an island for lunch after which we were picked up by a small
boat that held 6 people and went whale watching. This in my view was much
better then being pack on the “cattle boats” holding 50 people+ and whale
watching.
Pamela and I kayak down a river on the way to the ocean in Juneau
Next stop...whale watching
they were everywhere...
A typical August day in Juneau
A trip north of town to the Medicine Wheel...
and the Mendenhall Glacier
Our next port is
Skagway.
Skagway is a very small town but there is a lot to do there.
There is hiking to lakes and trails through the woods.
The channel to Skagway
The ship moors a ten mintue walk from town
The creek at the edge of town is stacked with salmon
Skagway is a very small town but there is a lot to do there.
Downtown Skagway
There is hiking to lakes and trails through the woods.
Hiking one of the many trails in Skagway
Overlooking Skagway
You can take a ship
excursion to the Canadian Yukon and to a Salmon Feed for lunch.
Pitch Fork Falls half way between Skagway and the Canadian Yukon
Lake in the Canadian Yukon
Taken from the Swing Bridge in the Canadian Yukon
Bears are also to be seen if you are lucky enough
You can take a
helicopter to the top of a glacier and go dogsledding. We found this to be over
rated and very expensive, but it maybe something you want to do.
Pamela and I took a helicopter to the top of a glacier
and went dogsledding...
Instead I suggest
going for a 90-minute private plane ride to Glacier Bay flying over many
waterways and glaciers. It is less then half the cost and for me it was a much
better excursion. I enjoyed this with my firends Rachel and Judith
Flying over a glacier bay
Glaciers were everywhere
A lone mountain peak on a glacier field
I also went on a
non-ship excursion with about a dozen or more zip lines that took almost all
day. This one is less money and more zips then the one offered by the ship.
Rachel and I zip lining in Shagway
Another fun excurison you can line up through the ship is a train ride to the Canadian border.
Passing a waterfall along the way
Another train in fromt of us
About to enter a tunnel
Of course there are
other things to do in both Skagway and Juneau but this is how I spent my time.
We also had a sea
day that we traveled up the Tracy Arm to the Sawyer Glacier. If you have never
seen a glacier up close it is truly amazing. It was a wonderful way to spend my
Wednesday mornings EVERY week for the entire summer.
A different then usual view of the Sawyer Glacier
This was our typical view every Wednesday all summer
The view from the upper deck of the Rhapsody
The Tracy Arm on a beautiful summer day
The Tracy Arm on an overcast day
The Sawyer Glacier
Sawyer Island in the left foreground
We also visited
Victoria, Canada every week. I like Victoria and there was a lot to do there.
They have a great China Town, The Butchart Gardens, the Butterfly Gardens, and
the Victoria Hotel, whale watching etc.
The Butterfly Gardens
Flamingo at the The Butterfly Gardens
Near Butchart Gardens
Craigdarroch Castle a 20 minute walk from downtown
My friend Rachel and I enjoy "High Tea" at the Empress Hotel
Well that is it for
me. After a summer of Alaska my contract is up and I have left ships…for who
knows how long.
I hope you have
enjoyed my “Excellent Adventure” as an “Acupuncturist at Sea” and I hope it
gave you a good idea of what life at sea is like and what working for Steiner
is like.
Please follow my
next adventure in Yosemite National Park. It can be found at AcuDoc Excellent
YOSEMITE Adventure.
I have lived in
Yosemite thirty-one years ago and left twenty-eight years ago. If you have
never been to Yosemite you will see some amazing photographs. I will speak of
different hikes I take during my time here and what it is like to live in a
national park. In many ways it is like being on board a ship. It is a very
small employee community and a lot of tourists. I hope you enjoy it.
Look for the blog to
start in the next week or two.
Again thanks to all
that followed this blog and for all your questions over the years.
I want to thank all my shipmmates that made these experiences a wonderful part of my life. I miss many very much and some will be life long friends...
I want to thank all my shipmmates that made these experiences a wonderful part of my life. I miss many very much and some will be life long friends...
Larry - “AcuDoc”
