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The Sounds/ Second day at sea

It’s over a thousand nautical miles between New Zealand and Australia, which means that you’re locked on board for three days straight while the ship crosses the Tasmin Sea. Day one involves cruising the sounds. There are three: Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford. After dropping it like it was hot all last night, we slept in later and missed Dusky. We caught Doubtful though. In an attempt to stay just obese and not morbidly obese, we worked out as we passed through Doubtful Sound (what the kids call ‘multitasking.’) The weather got ugly after this. Rain started coming down just as we entered Milford—the prettiest of the three and also the only one we decided to photograph—so I’ve got about two dozen pictures of fog, with vague land forms behind it. Beautiful to see, though. Again, what we pictured when we thought of New Zealand: Mount Doom sized peaks on either side of you.

We went out to a bar again that night. It was Country Western themed, with a band that stayed more or less on target. Before the bar, Jack from Georgia invited me out to smoke cigars. First one I’d had in probably six or seven years, maybe longer. I only really remember having a taste for cigars in University, back when I really couldn’t afford it. (Scotch was also a lot tastier then too.) Not a bad experience, all in all. I’m not going to pick it up as a habit, but it’s the kind of thing I recommend everyone try every six or seven years.
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Anonymous said…
The cigar habit, or following Americans out on to the deck? Which will lead you more astray? :)
11:22 am
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