Some time around this time last year, I penned my first ‘experimental’ blog. On January 10th 2018, I would embark on probably the longest journey I would ever undertake. In fact, R.M.S. Queen Mary 2 would set sail from Southampton at the civilised hour of just before 09.00 the following morning as a result of falling behind schedule on the crossing from New York owing partly, at least, to adverse weather conditions. Provisioning the ship for a seventeen week voyage would be a lengthy process.
Scroll back to December 2017, and progress as far as you wish for my first hand account of this unique once-in-a-lifetime event. Being in several remote locations did present some difficulties. A few entries made in Australia and New Zealand are “out of sync” and appear amongst my entries made in Dubai and other adjacent areas. This should not happen in future writings. Of course, I could enjoy similar trips in the future, but that could well dilute the “specialness” of this immense journey, when, for the first time, I saw the sky over much of Australia and New Zealand during five glorious and exciting weeks in that part of the world.
I didn’t know that on my return to the U.K., it would take two or three weeks to acclimatise to being back at home, despite having come back to the kind of weather I had become accustomed to on the other side of the world.
I had become determined to revisit the Antipodes at the next reasonable opportunity.
Towards the end of January, I begin what is now the second of four “global tours”. And much of this next trip reprises travels of previous years. By August 8th 2019, providing misfortune does not prevent my current plans taking place, I shall have completed a sea and overland complete global circumnavigation. And in 2020, I shall venture into the sixth of the seven continents on a coastal voyage around South America.
Like last year, I hope to write fairly frequently and post numerous photographs as the journey progresses.
In the meantime, to anybody reading this, a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and joyous NEW YEAR.
David.
David's Cruise 