Cruising: The Ultimate Insanity

I recently returned from my first cruise, and I have to tell you, I just don’t get it. I  know people looooove cruises and many people I spoke with on the voyage were “chronic cruisers”. They go on a cruise every chance they get.

A week of my life was squandered aboard a ship with activities I could do at home at much less expense and fewer wasted hours. (Yes, I know I’m being grumpy)

Here were some of the offered on board attractions:

1. Free food at any time and lots of it. And people ate and ate and ate and ate some more. The group I was with were “low carb” advocates and it was interesting for us to see food choices other people make. I have never seen so many obese men, women and children in one place and it was alarming.
2. A swimming pool. Okay — many people have a pool in their back yard. I don’t, and I’m glad I don’t. Taking care of it is one more expense I don’t need.
3. A rock climbing wall. It’s fun (or maybe not) but how much time can you devote to that activity?
4. A casino. I decided I would go hog wild with a $20 bill but after 10 minutes and a loss of $5 to a slot machine, I realized the slot machine was smarter than I, and if I continued to feed it, there had to be a “clinker in my thinker.” Clearly, it was a losing proposition so I cashed out.
5. I was looking forward to inhaling some invigorating sea air, but none was to be found. The humidity during the entire seven days was oppressive. It made your hands feel sticky. There were stops at Honduras and Mexico and being so close to hurricane season, the ship did a considerable amount of “rocking and rolling” which was unsettling.There were other miscellaneous attractions you could do at home at your leisure.

Was there anything I enjoyed? Absolutely. As I mentioned before, I was with a “Low Carb” group of people from all over the world who live (or try to live) a Keto or low carb lifestyle. I enjoyed it because featured speakers were medical doctors and other health practitioners who advocate a low carb lifestyle. What made it particularly interesting is that many of the doctors who spoke were traditionally trained and their journey to a low carb/Keto lifestyle was often slow and painful. Initially, they were reluctant to embrace a Keto or low carb lifestyle because it conflicted with everything they had learned in medical school. As “traitors” to the “give them a pill and send them home” type of  healthcare,  they had to endure scorn of peers who told them they were guilty of malpractice. Nevertheless, they became “converts”  to a low carb lifestyle approach to wellness after they saw how their patients (on their own, and disregarding warnings that the lifestyle would kill them) overcame many health challenges.

Also, it was intresting to meet authors of books and articles that are “bibles” in the low carb community.

The thing is, the same event could have been presented “on land” at less cost and effort.

But this is what made me decide the whole thing was insane: You spend three hours on a plane jammed into a seat designed to accommodate nothing wider than  a 50 pound sack of potatoes and then another two hours on a bus — to get to the ship. Before you can board, you stand in line for another hour waiting to be processed. If you have a back issue as I do, it’s torture. I mean, who in their right mind does this?

While cruising seems insane to me, I understand it is an enjoyable experience for others. Being a fair minded (albeit sometimes cranky) individual, I believe “to each his own”. Enjoy whatever poison or pleasure makes you happy.

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What The Heck Is Keto?

If you are curious about a Keto/low carb livestyle, here is a 10 minute video by Ken D. Berry, M.D. titled “3 First Steps to Going Keto (Credit Card NOT Required)”. He’s a “plain talk” rural Tennessee doctor who makes the Keto lifestyle easy to understand. Another excellent resource is Keto Clarity by Jimmy More.