Today was a full day on board the ship, where we ate, drank, played games, saw a show, listened to Jazz, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is cruise-life, I suppose!
The MSC Seaside is an amazing cruise ship, with so many things to do, including bowling! There are two lanes in the gaming area, and they are just like a standard bowling alley. The only difference is that the ship sways a bit, so the ball might not travel the path you expect as it goes towards the pins. 😄
Koa and I spent some time in the lounge listening to the Swing Time Quartet who played Jazz standards and were really good. Of course, Koa is interested in the music, so we stayed there for quite a while.
*note: when this blog post is published, we will have already returned back from vacation*
Today we departed Miami aboard the massive MSC Seaside cruise ship. It’s such a beautiful vessel… so much glass and shininess! We’re still getting acquainted with all the amenities, but so far the buffet checks out with some really nice pizza. MSC is an Italian company after all! 🍕
Tomorrow is a “sea day”, which means we will be traveling all day as we make our way to Jamaica. Therefore we’ll have time to check out the ship further. But for now, it’s time for a glass of bubbly as we cast off. Cheers! 🥂
Our plane was small, with just four seats per aisle, but it was very comfortable with lots of legroom so the flight seemed to go by in no time, and before we knew it, we were in the Miami humidity!
We were the first of our immediate family to arrive so we got dibs on the amazing feast that was waiting at my cousin’s house (where we would be staying).
Patties, curry goat, fricassee chicken, stew peas, plantain, etc. It was awesome! Everything was from Jamaica Kitchen, the BEST Jamaican food in Miami. My cousin is the owner/operator of Jamaica Kitchen, but even it wasn’t a family-owned restaurant, I’d still rave about it. It’s so delicious!
Later that evening, the rest of my immediate family arrived and we continued the feast. What a wonderful day reuniting with family. Can’t wait for the rest of the trip!
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 35mm, f/5.5, 1/125 sec, ISO6400 “Siblings” Cedar Park, 2018OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
こんばんは。How’s it going?
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a big trip coming up (to China!) and since I will be taking a suitcase for this trip, it got me thinking about my travel photography kit. 📷 Specifically, with the extra space, maybe I should bring along the Fujifilm X-T10 and its two lenses. And maybe I can bring the 50mm f/1.4 Minolta lens as well. It’s China after all! We’ll be seeing some amazing sights, so I might as well be prepared to get wide shots, plus some tight shots, so the 18-55mm zoom will be perfect. With this in mind, I figured I should get a couple extra batteries (I only have one for the X-T10), so I put a couple in my Amazon shopping cart.
But before pulling the trigger on the batteries, I thought of my recent trip to New York, last year’s vacation to Morocco and Spain, my work trip to Stockholm, and the reason why I decided to just take my Fujifilm X100T.
And that reason can be summed up in one word: Simplicity.
The Fujifilm X100 series of cameras have a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens which simplifies the act of shooting photos. I don’t have to think about what lens to put on and what would work best in each situation. And later, I won’t be able to second-guess my decision. With the X100T, I have to use the 35mm field of view for everything. If I can’t get close enough by moving my feet, then so be it. Forget about that shot and move on. If I must have a super-wide shot, then Lightroom can stitch a couple photos together. But taking the lens choice decision out of the equation makes shooting so much more stress-free, and therefore more fun!
Of course, having the single camera and fixed lens also makes for a smaller and lighter kit. (a nice bonus is that I don’t have to worry about getting dust on the sensor). My back and knees appreciate the lightweight setup, I’m sure! 😀
So, I’ve reaffirmed my choice of travel kit (and everyday kit, to be honest). And here it is:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018
Frankly, the power bank is mainly used for charging my phone, and I can’t remember the last time I used the microfiber cloth, instead opting for the Lens Pen. The USB cable does double-duty since it charges my phone.
This setup is so compact, I don’t even need a dedicated camera bag. And since I am usually wearing the camera across my body using the strap, I just have to put the burrito organizer in whatever bag I happen to have. For instance, in New York I used a small MoMA shopping bag all day. It was a great set up! Burrito, power bank, phone, and umbrella in the bag, camera across my body, and that’s it.
I believe that a simpler, minimalistic life can make you happy, and that a simple, minimalistic camera kit can make photography a lot more enjoyable. In fact, I experience it firsthand every time I walk out the door!
またね～
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 32.9mm, f/3.6, 1/50 sec, ISO1600 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018
I wanted to let you know about a page I created that is focused on where I have traveled, and where I would like to travel to in the future. It’s called “Travel Checklist” and you can get to it from the navigation menu “List Love” at the top of the page.
I’ve also created a “Nomad Map” which links to some of my blog posts that are about travel destinations. It was fun to put the map together, and I’m looking forward to adding more! Check it out:
Happy travels!
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My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
