I'm actually here to satiate my nicotine habit, as smoking is permitted in this den of eniquity. The endless clanging and beeping of the slot machines envelope me, but it is a small price to pay for the luxury of having a cigarette with my morning coffee.
Ghana introduced me to the vibrancy of West African culture and Indochina revealed to me the complexities of life in Asia. I suppose this particular venture is an opportunity to learn about the travel habits of the middle class North American tourist.
While I am surrounded by an ocean of blue, onboard it is a sea of white as far as the eye can see. The only multicultural aspect is to be found among the kind people who are catering to us. These are my peeps, I guess.
Our affable cruise director, "Big Tex" makes announcements over the PA (known as Tex messages), imploring us to consume, though I had to draw the line when he declared that not dining in the ship's steakhouse was akin to going to Egypt and not seeing the pyramids. I haven't been to Egypt yet, but I gravely doubt the aptness of his analogy.
Nonetheless, it seems that consumption is one of the things that we North Americans do best, so I may as well go with the flow. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need another cigarette.
you can see more images from the cruise ship here
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
