R L Stevenson's famous quote applies to may journeys where the fun is in the journey, which contains so many challenges and experiences that the journey eclipses the place where you arrive. Stevenson (1850-1894) wrote Kidnapped and Treasure Island. He immortalized as Long John Silver his friend, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). Henley, on the eve of having his leg amputated, wrote the inspiring Invictus in 1875, defying fate 'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul'.
But let's go back to travelling and hope.
That was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1881 and is still widely quoted. He wrote in the days when it took three weeks to reach the Far East or Australia, so the journey was a major part of the adventure.
Nowadays, his quotation about travelling being better applies even more when the journey can be intended to be the whole event. Cruises to nowhere? Dining in a plane on the ground!
Those are unusual. But here are some examples of more regular journeys.
Luxury Holidays
On a well-organized cruise ship, the entertainment aboard could be better, and more memorable, than the ports of call. You might be impressed by the variety of entertainment, make friends with dining companions, remember dining with the captain, enjoy playing cards on a bridge cruise. I know of one case when a couple's marriage was saved by a young man who led a small session on relationships.
On some hikes, there is a view at the top of the mountain or volcano, or a waterfall half way for a lunch stop. However, on others, the view on most of the trip, or the changing terrain, is the attraction.
Attractions
On a Ferris wheel. The one in Singapore is called the Singapore Flyer. The one in London is called the London Eye. The general names include Observation Wheel and Big Wheel.
Circular Routes
You can go on a circular motorbike ride, without a special destination. My husband has taken lots of bike rides around Malaysia. He said,
'Or you could have a destination, such as the motor GP, or seeing Malacca.'
Long-haul Flights
I love travelling on Singapore Airlines. I get to watch three good films.
Types of Transport
Sometimes the novelty means of travel is at the destination. We arrived at the airport in Cambodia and the hotel had sent a taxi to collect us. The taxi turned out to be a motorbike and a canopied contraption with open sides on the back. We bounced along at horrendous speed. My right hand clung onto the vehicle which swung in and out of traffic as if we were being chased by men with murder in mind. The wind was blowing so hard that I needed to hold onto my hat with my left hand. I was laughing hysterically.
Now, since Covid, with zoom, we can travel around the world to meetings and with major museums and hotels offering 360 degree views inside and out, and tourist boards using drones.
What about the hope?
Everybody is rushing to travel. Despite a huge hike in prices on Singapore Airlines the plane we took in January this year was full.
From next Tuesday, Feb 13th, 2023, Singapore will no longer require masks on public transport, only in health care settings where people are most vulnerable and some are already sick or elderly in crowded places.
RLS Memorials You Might Hope To Visit
You can see several monuments to Robert Louis Stevenson on his homeland of Scotland.
| Robert Louis Stevenson State Park | |
|---|---|
 One of the peaks of Mount Saint Helena | |
  | |
| Location | Sonoma and Napa counties, California |
| Nearest city | Calistoga, California |
| Coordinates | 38°39′12″N 122°36′12″WCoordinates : 38°39′12″N 122°36′12″W |
| Governing body | State of California |
| Reference no. | 710[1] |
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is a California state park, located in Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties. The park offers a 5-mile (8 km) hike to the summit of Mount Saint Helena from which much of the Bay Area can be seen. On clear days it is possible to see the peak of Mount Shasta, 192 miles (310 km) distant.
Overview[edit]
The park is named after Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped. In 1880, Stevenson and his new wife Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne spent their honeymoon living in a cabin at a played-out mine on the mountain along with Fanny's son Lloyd Osbourne. Although nothing remains of the cabin, the site is identified on the trail to the summit. Stevenson's book Silverado Squatters contains stories he wrote about his experiences during his visit to the area.
The area has rough terrain, with evergreen forests in the canyons on north-facing slopes and chaparral on the south-facing slopes.
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is located off State Route 29 between Calistoga and Middletown. The park is registered as California Historical Landmark #710.[1]
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But I haven't yet reached Samoa where he was buried. I hope to go there one day.
Wiki says
Mount Vaea, where they buried him on a spot overlooking the sea on land donated by British Acting Vice Consul Thomas Trood.[96] Based on Stevenson's poem Requiem,[97] the following epitaph is inscribed on his tomb:[98]
- Under the wide and starry sky
- Dig the grave and let me lie
- Glad did I live and gladly die
- And I laid me down with a will
- This be the verse you grave for me
- Here he lies where he longed to be
- Home is the sailor home from the sea
- And the hunter home from the hill
Stevenson was loved by Samoans, and his tombstone epigraph was translated to a Samoan song of grief.[99] The requiem appears on the eastern side of the grave. On the western side the biblical passage of Ruth 1:16-17 is inscribed:
- Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
- And thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God:
- Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried.[100
Henley's delicate daughter, who died aged five, called his friend James Barrie, frendy-wendy, which inspired Barrie to name his female leading character as Wendy in Peter Pan.
RLS wrote to fellow Scotsman Barrie and invited him to Samoa but they never met.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_State_Historic_Park#Stevenson_House
RLS Info on memorials Samoa, UK, USA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson_State_Park
RLS bust in NPG Scotland
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/scottish-national-portrait-gallery
Author of Invicticus buried in UK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockayne_Hatley
TRANSPORT - big wheel Singapore
https://www.singaporeflyer.com/en
See next post on William Ernest Henley.
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