Just returned from a solo round-trip, arial tram ride to Sentosa Island. Took an elevator 15 flights up and boarded the 4 person gondola which dangled above Singapore like a pendant on a necklace. Fun to see the city in miniature from a birds eye view. This afternoon we will swoop down and take a panoramic bus tour. As a teacher in the Life Enrichment Program, Richard is offered free tours in exchange for being an escort. His job is to assist the local tour guide by making sure all the people get on and off the bus safely. I do pay full fare, but they say that I will probably be offered escort positions as we go along. This is quite helpful, as the tours are quite expensive. In much of our travels, Richard and I go on our own, taking local transportation. In these large cities, it’s just too overwhelming, and since were only in places for a day or two, we can get an overview comfortably on the ship’s tours. Also, as small business owners, we are constantly making decisions and taking care of endless little details. On vacation we often don’t want to have to make even one more decision. We have put in to escort anytime they will have us. The only trip I was not willing to take a chance on not getting was the trip to Luxor, Egypt. We will be docking in Safaga on the Red Sea. Luxor is 4 hours overland and we have only one day. So, we paid $299 each to take the ship’s shore excursion. This is an extravagant expense for one day for us, but Luxor is one of my favorite places on Earth. A whole section of my book takes place in Luxor. I must make a pilgrimage back to this sacred place.
