May 2

With an open day, it’s a nice opportunity to write my “Top 10 List” of observations from the cruise. These can be anything that has made an impression on our cruise and, probably, carryovers from previous cruises. This is our 27th ocean and river cruise; my 30th counting 3 Semesters at Sea. I won’t belabor most of them. 

1. The dominance of the Oceans is incredible. We have traveled six day stretches and seen nothing but water. Over 70 percent of earth’s surface is occupied by one of five oceans which contain 97 percent of the earth’s water. We forget that the earth is comprised of hills, flatlands, valleys and mountains. The oceans cover most of them. The deepest “valley” is about 7 miles deep. The average ocean depth is 2 1/2 miles. And, it’s a complex collection of currents and tides that stir up food for a complex food chain. Given all of the complex relationships, I’m glad that we didn’t follow someone’s recommendation about 50 years ago of dumping nuclear waste in the ocean where it wouldn’t be a problem.
2. Thomas Friedman writes that the winners in the future will be the countries that master Globalization, Climate Change and Technology. I don’t know how to evaluate progress in technology. However, I’m concerned that we are slipping badly in Globalization with our tariff fixation and discontinuation of foreign aid. And, “climate change” has been declared a forbidden phrase in federal documents. It has been dropped from the NSA report on “National Threats.” Friedman has said that he has never been so concerned about our nation’s future. For many of the countries that we have visited, globalization is important and climate change sometimes existential.
3. China is winning the “international battle” for influence. Chinese investments and aid programs were everywhere. They have invested in ports, railways, universities, highways, etc. in hundreds of areas from small islands to large countries. Their Belt and Road program has been extended for another 40 years and will position them for future trade…or conflicts. At the same time, the US has cut foreign aid and making trade more difficult.
4. Africa is fun to visit, but has a challenging future. So many countries were drained of resources by European colonial powers, but the powers did not develop a social infrastructure that allows them to govern successfully. There is still lots of tribal identification and too many examples of corruption among those that get political power. While there are still lots of valuable natural resources, the benefits of their extraction are not widely shared. There are high rates of unemployment and underemployment and, seemingly, not lots of optimism for the future.
5. Singapore is an incredible economic success. They have and have had a government that sets targets and successfully implements programs. Many of us raised in the US would react negatively to the level of government control, but in pure economic numbers, they’re doing great. As an experiment, it would be interesting to see an African country contract its development to Singapore.
6. The Box. In 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried 58 containers from port A to port B. Now containers of 20 or 40 feet are everywhere. Larger ports have acres and acres of containers stacked and ready to move. The investment in cranes to load and unload them is incredible. And they can be moved directly to trucks and trains for final delivery. It is said that they have reduced shipping time by over 80 percent and cost by 35 percent. Now 90 percent of cargo moves on 50,000 ships. And, it is claimed that they have reduced damage and improved security. In many of our ports of call, the dominant feature we encountered were containers and their associated cranes.
7. We’re #1. Lots of Americans are raised to believe that the US is the number 1 country in the world. (Interestingly, citizens of lots of countries think that their’s is the best place to live.) The United Nations and others do international rankings for a number of variables. While the calculations aren’t perfect, there’s a pattern. The US is number 1 in military spending, handgun ownership, drug use, child death by autos and firearms, and incarceration. Other rankings include:
   • GDP/capita 6th Civil Rights (pre-Trump) 21st
   •  Income inequality 61st
   •  Education 13th
   •  Environmental quality 35th
   •  Global peace index 132nd
   •  Human Development index 20th
   •  Maternal mortality 46th
   •  Life Expectancy 42nd
   •  Press Freedom 42nd
   •  Democracy 30th

I’m sure that there could be arguments about definitions and measurements, but there’s a message here.

8. The Crew. Perhaps the high point is the crew. So many nice people who serve us well. As we get to know them, we are even more impressed. Last cruise, we asked one talented wine steward what she wanted to do later in life, she responded, ‘President of Botswana” and she was serious. The labor markets have moved many talented people to Viking as a step toward future growth. We benefit from their being here and count many as our friends.

9. A Floating Village. Being together with 950 people for 4 months is always interesting. We find lots of people we enjoy and some we avoid. Some die; some get kicked off the ship..it’s like other villages. One of our friends commented on the 80/20 rule….20 percent of the people cause 80 percent of the problems. One friend said it was tough for introverts. I happen to be traveling with an extrovert so we meet more people than most and I benefit from that.

10. After the entire experience, it is interesting to think about little things like materialism, success and happiness. I’m not sure about the right answers, but materialism doesn’t translate to success and happiness that we observe may not relate to either. If I could measure happiness, I might find the barefoot kid in Africa happier than the driven kid in Singapore. Success as an individual may not be strongly correlated with earnings or income. Our trip may not have provided “The Answer,” but travel does open your eyes and mind.