Joined my parents and their friends on a 9-day cruise vacation, my first ever cruise trip.  Boarded the Voyager of the Seas in HK on the 8th, headed for Japan’s Hiroshima, Beppu, and Miyazaki for 3 respective daytime land excursions, and returned home in HK early morning today.

The joy of exploring the huge ship didn’t last longer than a day or two.  My excitement died off quickly after realising on the first night that my dream of revisiting the breathtaking starry night sky vanished because the ship’s roof deck was polluting the sky with artificial light throughout the night.  It also didn’t help when your roommate is annoying, loud, and snoring throughout the night – a true test of patience and self-control that I think I passed.

The experience wasn’t all bad, I was able to revisit the boundless sea/sky horizon from the ship, so boundless that it seemed to curve around me!  I also made my first ever attempt to get up early to catch the sunrise, the panoramic view was not bad despite the clouds and wind.  I also managed to do a few cartoons which really did brighten up the less than exciting days on board.  And the best part of the trip was definitely seeing my parents and their friends enjoying their 9-day vacation and looking forward to the next one.