It has been a while but time to invite you to walk with me on an epic adventure. I have walked many miles and seen many a thing, but perhaps not as colourful as this tale.
In this edition, I am sharing the colourful shots from a very unlikely cruise earlier this summer.
When it comes to vacations abroad, I prefer to visit a location and spend as much time learning how other people live. It gives me perspective, puts money more directly in the hands of locals, and allows me to enjoy a more authentic experience with the lifestyle and history of a country.
Almost the opposite of that experience is going on a cruise for me. They are like floating shopping malls to me. Sure I appreciate the convenience and abundance to a point but even the port stops can't compensate for the ridiculous level of consumerism and money sinks. If destinations are my thing, how the hell did I end up on a cruise ship?
Grapplers Escape
A cruise I pay full price for over a destination? Hell no! Throw in a whole customized itinerary of grappling sessions with world champions? Damn right I am IN! Rolling on the high seas might just change my mind about the whole cruise thing.
It is rare privilege enough to be able to attend a seminar by any of these world champions. During this trip, we were able to attend 10 of them in the span of a week. Absolutely unbelievable.
Add to that 50 other people who know how special it is and are there for the learning and sparring and you are in like company. That too is pretty special. The icing on the cake is that every one of these instant friends are there to have a full week of vacation-level fun. You might be starting to picture how much fun this is gonna be.
Excursions on cruises are the special tours you can arrange at each port stop. A great way to get off the ship, experience the local culture a but, and spend some time on a far away island. Imagine the level up when this fantastic experience is augmented with another 30 people having the time of their life. Rolling around to every event with a huge posse really makes it a ball of energy that is contagious.
Then there were the competitions. People from our group happily entered all of them knowing they would have the best cheering section imaginable. We won the World's Sexiest Man, Belly flop Contest, had 2 people in the Karaoke Competition finals, and blew the competition away in the team event pictured here. I won't go into too many details but this is the drag queen contest and our guy in the green plum smuggler. Huge victory that was as ridiculous as this looks.
Walks on the beach with a parade of your closest friends. Catamaran party boats with snorkeling, booze and cannonballs.
Island day trips in the Bahamas with the floating bars and a mob of Brazilian lead crazy people.
Hazy nights where the whole crew would take over the whole dance floor and literally drive the life of the party to the next level.
Music and comedy shows where the performer was training with us. A cruise really takes on a new light with this crew!
To the Helipad!
The interior of the ship is pretty nice and the opulence sure makes you pause to take it in. Know what would make you stop and stare a little it more?
Seeing 50 crazy people with screwed up ears in a procession up the main staircase, dressed up in martial arts gis, with identical smiles but belts of all colours.
The group leader arranged for us all to meet with the champs up on the helipad for a group photo. Might that be fun?
I am beginning to think a large group including a bunch of Brazilians could make anything fun.
It is these people and what we are all doing that has changed my mind about cruises. This one at least. Training, sharing meals, hitting the dance club, lounging by the pools, heading out on excursions, entering every competition with the drive to win, and making a spectacle out of ourselves at every moment including this one.
I have to include this one again to keep up my standing as the Blockchain #Beerologist and all of those tasty !BEER rewards.
This sure was one special vacation. I enjoyed it as much as any destination vacation I can remember. Feels like this quick trip through pictures doesn't even do it justice.
It does explain to those who asked, "What could get you on a cruise ship?" All of this and more.