DETOUR - 2GO Travel

student made a quick scan of the hallway,dispirited to see John Michael standingthere.The next morning, I foundChuchay, the resident entertainer, eatingat Horizon. She told me that one ofthe best things about cruising is thatpassengers have time to mingle andmake new friends while travelling totheir destination. Everyone gets manychances to chat with other people –while relaxing inside the room sharedwith strangers, eating at the restaurant,standing at the deck, waiting at the lobby,partying at the bar. During the wholetrip, people get to see other passengersin all these occasions. If you are friendlyenough, you will leave the ship with awhole new set of friends. And, accordingto Chuchay, if you are really friendly,you might also arrive at your destinationholding the hand of a new sweetheart.After talking to Chuchay, I hopedto meet a passenger who would be ableto tell me a romantic story. In my mind,I pictured myself sitting at the deckbeside an old man saying, “I met mywife on a ship and we had 50 happyyears together.” Anxious to find whatcould potentially be the highlight of myarticle, I went to the main deck and, tomy thrill, spotted an old man sitting beside someonewho appeared to be his son. The other chairs besidethem were empty. It was a perfectly lovely morningbut surprisingly, only a few people were at the deck. Itook a deep breath and sat on one of the empty chairs.The old man looked at me and smiled. In his eyes,I saw unmistakable joy. Could he be thinking of hiswife? Of a girl he met 50 years ago on a ship?He is lolo Galicano, a 74-year-old Cebuanotravelling to Manila to visit his children. He has beenon countless ship rides since 1951. His uncles used tobe ship captains and he would have the privilege ofapril - june 2012 travel time 81