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| Life Onboard - travelling
with Peace Boat |
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| Sunset near Nosy Be, Madagascar |
A big fat yellow moon rising, glorious orange sunsets
in the middle of the Atlantic and the Southern Cross sparkling in
the night sky - these are just some of the things that make travelling
on the Peace Boat such a special experience. |
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| The Beauty of it all - a rainbow over the South
Atlantic. |
There is something unique and amazing about being
able to attend lectures, seminars, meetings and events and then step
outside to see dolphins surfacing next to the boat or find yourself
gazing at the skyline of Rio de Janeiro or the stunning Table Mountain. |
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| Spray washing over the bow on a windy day at
sea. |
That is the beauty of arriving somewhere on a ship
- you get treated to some of the most exhilarating views on this earth.
On the other hand it also gives you the opportunity to see a number
of shocking things that seldom are reported in the mainstream media
at first hand. For example, the stifling poverty affecting people
in the largest part of the world, the severe pollution of many parts
of the oceans, the dying of the coral reefs and the devastating effects
of the ozone hole in the Arctic. |
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| The Cape of Good Hope - where the Atlantic and
the Indian Ocean meet. |
However, travelling around the world by boat also
means getting to see some of the most unspoilt and remote places on
this planet - something that can instil a strong sense of belonging
to nature and also puts your daily life back in Tokyo, London or New
York in perspective. Places like Cape Horn, which we have rounded
recently, also teach you respect for the awesome power of the elements.
Working on a lesson plan, giving or attending lectures while there
is a 15-foot swell out there, just isn't that easy. However, it still
gets done - even if people are feeling queasy - and this is one of
the things that help to create the kind of community feel that can
only be found on a boat. The term 'being in the same boat' really
takes on a very poignant meaning during a full force gale or, on a
more positive note, during an all-night party with all the guests,
staff, crew and passengers out on the deck. |
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| This is what can happen to people after a month
at sea. |
There still is plenty of romanticism attached to
life onboard. Travelling through 12 time zones and 4 different seasons
in just 1 month, always arriving in a new place, making friends and
then having to move on again, onwards to a different port, a different
continent - all these things can fill you with a curious blend of
excitement, joy and sadness. You may even find yourself whistling
the odd sea shanty on one of those incredible moonlit nights, marvelling
at the vast, awesome beauty of the ocean and the otherworldly glow
of the Milky Way above like many seafarers before you. |
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| Rio de Janeiro-Ushaia
/ Peace Boat's 36th Voyage |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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