Chronic Negress

One more note about the Fairmont fire alarm: A couple clad in the hotel bathrobes, man and woman, she’s wearing clear heels. I refer you to Chris Rock for the deconstruction. The Ray Davies concert was fabulous and this entry’s title comes from his stage banter. The Commodore Ballroom is very civilized with and open dance floor and table seating around the perimeter. You can reserve tables, but the unreserved ones are available first-come, first-seated. I had a prime view near the stage stood up for a bit for the encore and had a fine time reconnecting with the head Kink himself.

The ship left the next afternoon so I had a pedicure and embarked at my leisure. The Island Princess eased out of the Vancouver Port at about 4:45 p.m. Some aspects of cruise life replicate every nightmare you could ever have about Las Vegas– endless buffet food, people talking about food they just had and food they are looking forward to. One of the buffets here has plates the size of platters. Some cruisers see this as a challenge.

I have a comfy room with a balcony and a king-sized bed. People often remark in that voiced reserved for “special” people and the terminally ill how “brave” I am for traveling alone. If I had parachuted into the Amazon rainforest with a hunting knife and tarpaulin, that would be brave solo traveling. So far, indoor plumbing and postcard shops are biggest adventure spots.

After touring Ketchikan, our ship is in the inside passage heading up to Juneau, the state capital. We saw a waterfall, some heritage totem poles, and got a comprehensive overview of history, ecology and the native peoples at the Discovery center from a faultless guide named Andy. Also, my second fish hatchery in as many days. It’s raining, which is the norm in southeastern Alaska. I love it. More hot tea and I’m fine.