The world’s your stingray

I’ve taken a brief hiatus from the keyboard, but not from the world.  I don’t have a great excuse except that I have been doing some preliminary brainstorming for my long talked about book of travel tales.  So!

I hope this finds you well and firmly into a delightful 2026.

My 2026 travels so far have included a week in Belize (un-Belize-able! Can we say daily lobster?) and a 10-day Mexican riviera cruise with sister company Princess (busy).  This past month I’ve been with Dirk back on ms Oosterdam as she wrapped up her South America season; it felt like returning home. Starting with the tangos of Buenos Aires, continuing through Chilean glaciers and the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal, the cruise concluded in Ft. Lauderdale.  

I’ve since stepped off for a round of life maintenance—medical and dental appointments—while Oosterdam begins her Atlantic crossing toward Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

As many of you know, I have a long-standing soft spot for penguins. This sailing I got to see the Humboldt penguins off the coast of Callao, Peru. The water was a bit rough and my attempts at photographing these guys mostly resulted in blurry shots of the boat floor - oh well! But the Wildlife-Lovers’ Paradise Cruise tour also provided a rare opportunity to swim with sea lions in the wild.  We got to the sea lions, and it was only three of us got in the water - but how often does the opportunity come around?

A few ports later (Georgetown, Grand Cayman), I also had the chance to swim with stingrays - surprisingly something I had not done.  It was a little surprising to see just how many people do this at one time, but our Allura catamaran guides were super knowledgeable and respectful of the animals.  

I have fond and funny memories of other swims or encounters with water-based and water-adjacent animals, including visiting the seahorses in Kona, Hawaii,  and the Komodo dragons in Indonesia.

In the Amazon, a group of crew swam with the pink dolphins—not the polished, bottlenose variety you see in brochures, but something far more rare and—honestly—a bit grubby. It was a reminder that nature doesn't always come with a filter.

Swimming with the (non-pink) dolphins is available in many Caribbean and Mexican port destinations. And is one of those things it seems crew members always want to do. The companies that offer these tours have a tour formula designed to give the best photo opportunities.  When it came time for me to do my requisite swim, little did the photographer and I know that my dolphin decided that was the exact moment for a bathroom break.  My face says it all.  And so I had to keep the photo. How many people have THAT picture?  Sadly, the photo has vanished from my digital archives, leaving only the very vivid memory.

One of my all time favorite experiences was helping the baby sea turtles back to the sea in Mexico. There are a handful of times I have seen grown adults acting like small children- and this was one of them.  We all giddily helped these little guys, rooting and cheering when they made it into the water.

Of course, there’s snorkeling—the most accessible way to immerse oneself in the water world. But as someone who generally prefers to keep my face above the water line, I’ll leave the deep-sea diving to the true aquatics. I may not have the pigs of the Bahamas on my immediate itinerary, but if you have a recommendation for a 'must-do' that doesn't involve sharks, I’m happy to take it onboard.

In the meantime:

Wellness Round Up

It would be impossible to round up the last 6 months, so here’s the latest skinny (no pun intended).

Sleep - Unfortunately not great. My new Apple Watch and I are currently at a bit of a stalemate—for reasons unknown, it prefers land life and often refuses to track my data while at sea.  On the lifestyle front, I’ve successfully transitioned to decaf coffee. Though I haven't seen a dramatic shift in my sleep quality yet, I have noticed a welcome steadiness in my energy levels throughout the afternoon.

Nutrition & Hydration - Hydration has overall been good.  Nutrition has been mixed - still trying to incorporate on plenty of veggies and protein, but my sweet tooth is still there. And still enjoy a good cocktail, so I suspect these are part of the derailment. Progress, not perfection..

Mental & Emotional Wellness. For some reason I am sitting with persistent low-level stress. (State of the world?) Which is most likely connected to sleep issues…and weight gain…or vice versa.

Recovery & Regeneration - I have been working on this through journaling and using the HealthyMinds app for meditation.

Movement - This has been reduced as well.  And also I am sure interconnected. On a positive note, I am captain of one of our department’s teams for university walking challenge.  And I’m back on a roll with strength training.

That’s it for now. Time for some land travel - California, Hawaii and Florida.  

Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit