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Published on 01/18/1999 All articles from this issue

Afloat in the midst of luxury and limitless food

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By Charlotte K. Jarmy

Reflections

1999 came in on some very frigid air. Frankly, my husband, Howard, and I were not ready for the rapid change from 85 degrees to 45. Before you question my reality bearings, please understand that I am comparing the balmy weather in Mexico where we had spent 10 relaxing days to the wind chill that greeted us when our Princess liner docked in Los Angeles.

There were other changes as well, since cruise vacations create a sense of detachment from the usual steadiness of land. Not only do cruises supply a different form of motion, they also present opportunities to challenge one's social talents. There we were, pampered and protected from ordinary land-locked irritations of telephones and responsibilities. In a floating skyscraper packed with 1,600 strangers, we could choose to be as anonymous as we'd like or chatty and open to all.

The path we chose followed our own personalities: I talked and laughed easily with our various tablemates early in the day while Howard took a bit longer to find his comfort zone. It was quite easy to respond to such inquiries as "Where are you from?"

With our dinner companions, something quite different came about. As the days progressed, we dropped some of our protective cover and responded far more openly about family relationships, business successes and disappointments, and our hopes for the future.

With these friends we could share our ethnic and religious backgrounds. Hanukkah continued on ship as the days went on. In fact, we joined a candle-lighting service and enjoyed the best food of the voyage when latkes were served at the end. Other shipmates near us also celebrated Hanukkah by decorating their large round table with holiday colors and small gifts. Christmas decorations surrounded us with lovely color, and many families traveled with their children, who added to the fun of this Santa Claus world we all shared.

Mexico viewed in four- to seven-hour trips ashore gave us only a glimpse into this quite different culture across our southern borders. We were taken in air-conditioned busses to fabulous hotels where tourists paid a mini-fortune for the luxury the resort offered. But we also drove out to the countryside where a poorer economy existed with far from luxurious homes and hard work in the fields. Yet even here, booths awaited us with the usual colorful assortment of gifts to take home. We watched Indian dancers in dramatic costumes and young divers who leaped into the ocean from high cliffs, all of whom expected American dollars in return for the entertainment.

There's no doubt that tourism ranks as number one in the economy of the cities where Americans flood the streets and jam the shops.

What disappointed me most about our cruise stops was the reality of places with exotic names like Acapulco, Puerta Vallarta and Mazatlan. These were fairly large cities with many American fast food restaurants and famous hotels, not the villages my imagination had dreamed up.

On almost every level, however, our trip was a success. We did not fall victims to the constant lure of food at all times of the day, nor did I lose more money at the casino than I usually lose at Lake Tahoe.

We enjoyed being part of the fashionable crowd on the formal nights where I found that my red sequin jacket was very much the thing to wear!

Coming home, despite the snap in the air, made us realize how lucky we were compared to the men who linger on our street corners peering into every car, hoping for a job offer. We are truly blessed in this small corner of the world.

Home definitely is where the heart is, and our hearts are full of thanks and guarded optimism in this last year of the only century we have known.

Charlotte K. Jarmy , a Los Altos resident, supervises teachers at Stanford University and is a free-lance writer.