Sailor ahoy!
HEERA NAWAZ
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A journey by ship is unforgettable, not only because of what is on offer on board but because the experience is totally different.
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Have you dreamt of sailing the oceans? Some time ago sea travel was perhaps more popular than flying.
In 1970, when I was 10, I sailed on R.M.S Queen Elizabeth from the U.S. to the U.K. This was the first leg of our journey to India. Many people equate this ship to a five-star hotel.
Once we were on board, we (my cousins and I) went exploring. The corridors were huge and very much like a maze. The cabins were situated on either side of the corridors. My family occupied three cabins. The journey would take us six days and during that time we tried to check out everything we could on the ship. There was so much to see and learn.
Sport and entertainment
Outside, the huge ship surged forward dividing the swirling blue green waters on both sides, causing the waves to look like frilly white frocks. On the sprawling decks, there were tennis, badminton and squash courts. There were two outdoor and four indoor swimming pools. It was icy cold outside and so no one dreamt of swimming in the outdoor pools. But the indoor ones were a treat as they were all heated.
The ship also had three theatres, sprawling dining halls, bars, beauty parlours, gymnasiums and duty free shops.
We managed to watch a movie every day, but the one I enjoyed the most was "The Prime of Miss Jean Brody".
The variety of food and claret-red wines available at meal times were lip-smacking delicious. However, like all good things, even ship journeys, which promise a wonderful world of change, have to come to an end.
At the end of the sixth day we sighted land — the coast of Southampton where we were to disembark. We felt the splendid trip was over just when we were enjoying it the most.
We knew that we would carry these memories with us for a long, long time.
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