Hey, some people watch TV, I read the funnies. (Takes less time to read the funnies, so I have more time to do useful things, like write this blog.)

So anyway, one strip I read is called Rip Haywire (google it). It’s a lighthearted parody of an adventure comic, like Steve Canyon and Buzz Sawyer back when I was a kid. The art is not nearly as good, but then, Rip is not serious, either. A new story arc started on Aug 16, set “somewhere off the coast of Kaua’i Island.”

Kaua’i happens to be a real place, so let’s take a look at it.

Kaua’i is a little more than 500 miles square; it’s pretty much a big, dormant volcano, the northernmost island in Hawaii.  Still tropical, but everybody speaks English and you don’t need a passport. And they do dumb American things, like pie-eating contests. Coconut cream pie, of course. They call it the garden island, and it’s certainly green. Maybe the island is most famous for being the location of another dumb thing, Gilligan’s island—the pilot, anyway.

The cast

More than 70 other movies were shot there, too. Okay, maybe it’s more famous for Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jurassic Park movies. It really is a gorgeous place. And since we raise chickens, I have to mention that the island has lots of wild chickens.

This is about how many adult chicken we have at our place. Ours are pets that give us eggs; these are wild.

It’s easy to get your Serenity agent to fix you up with a nice vacation there. Maybe you’ll see Rip’s flame-throwing squid.

PS. Wouldn’t you know it—a day or so after I wrote this, National Geographic revealed their photo of the month. It’s a wave on the shore of Kawai’i.

click to enlarge

Here’tis:

The comic is called F Minus, and it has some pretty off-the-wall stuff. I wonder how that would actually taste. And while I’m at it, here’s another one:

Okay, enough bad humor for now. Got any good ones to share? Post a link in the comments.

Compared to some of the places I’ve described lately, Tahiti is a “traditional” place to vacation. It comes to mind because Tahiti was one of Ferdinand Magellan’s stops on his around-the-world voyage (two posts back), a description of a several-years-ago vacation by an orthopedic surgeon whose posts I read regularly, and a book I’m reading by a dentist who, back in the 1930′s, traveled the world to study the influence of diet on the condition of primitive peoples’ teeth. One place he visited was Tahiti, and I’m reading that section right now. All these have given me Tahiti on the brain.

Tahiti is out in the middle of the south pacific, part of a chain of islands called the Society Islands, in French Polynesia. Tahiti is the largest island of its group, and consists of two volcanic mountains. It’s shaped like an hourglass. I didn’t happen to find a good picture of the two volcanoes together, but this shot is interesting, don’t you think?

This boat is floating on water, not suspended in the air. Click to enlarge.

So a lot of people who wrote about this island luridly (or lovingly) described the superb physical beauty and friendliness of the “natives,” and the island has capitalized on its reputation, though I can’t say you’ll see a lot of naked girls running around. I can say that they’re friendly, and at least the people who still stick to the traditional diet are beautiful and have good teeth. Go read that book by the dentist.

Here’s a comic from a site I read fairly regularly (okay, every day). The site is called Scenes from a Multiverse, and since I’m posting this comic without permission, I want to plug the site. It’s almost always funny, and sometimes thought-provoking, especially if you can get used to the fact that the protagonists are weird beings from another universe posing, basically, as humans. Go there and poke around. It’ll be quite a, um, trip.

Click to enlarge

And my point? Don’t go on a vacation where you do nothing! Go somewhere interesting. Learn something. See something you’ve never seen. Have an adventure.

But don’t stand on a bridge with a forced smile.

…but certainly important to travel in its day. The Strait of Magellan. It’s been pretty much replaced by the Panama canal, which is a nice warm, relaxing vacation spot.

Last Tuesday (Aug 10) was the anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s departure on his trip around the world. 18 of his crew made it back, though he didn’t. (He got involved in some local politics in the Philippines and was felled by a poisoned arrow.) But he accomplished a few things on the trip, got a few firsts.  He was the first European to enter the Pacific Ocean from the east, going south around South America through the narrow, stormy passage that now bears his name. The weather cleared up after he got through, so he named the newfound body of water the Peaceful (Pacifico) Ocean.

So what about this strait? The farthest south you can go by land is to Cape Horn, and if you’re really really adventurous, you can take a motorcycle trip there. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use your Serenity agent, but Ayers Adventures is best known in motorcycling circles for tours to the southernmost point in South America.

Yup, South America has penguins

You can take a “cruise” there if you’d rather go by sea, but perhaps a better term is “expedition.” If you want marimba bands, Margaritas, and lolling in the sunshine, this isn’t what you want. It’s also not close, like the Caribbean is. One voyage lasts at four weeks. Longer, if they don’t get back in time. Here’s their blurb: “…We are interested in finding passengers who have the goals of sailing, wildlife projects, ecological projects, filming and geological projects…” they also have this to say: “…are dependent upon the irregularities of the weather and ice conditions each season. About 50% of the time is spent waiting at anchor for the weather.” another phrase they use is “deserted and inaccessible.”

Not exactly for bikinis

If you’re that kind of vacationer, you will be rewarded with memories to tell the grandchildren and sights that are spectacular. Humpback whales, storms, glaciers, wind and rain, penguins, weather, rugged coastline, icebergs, waves—you get the idea. It’s an adventure you’ll never forget.

You won't get this view from the ship

Unlike Ferdinand, you’ll probably come back alive.